avocado + egg crispibreads

Per serve

Ingredients

Orgran Multigrain Crispibread with Quinoa

egg, boiled and chopped

1/4 avocado, diced

cracked black pepper

Method

The method is, there is no real method! Just pile the ingredients on the Crispibread for a quick snack. Obviously, this is more a concept than a recipe - so feel free to use toasted gluten-free bread, corn crackers, rice crackers or any other type of base. You can smash the avocado instead of dicing it, and add any ingredients you have to hand. I quite like adding dried cranberries for a sweeter version.

beef sausage cassoulet

Serves 4

Ingredients

packet of Peppercorn Food Company Extra Lean Beef Sausages

onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 potatoes, diced

410g tin of crushed tomatoes

1 tablespoon organic tomato paste

500ml organic chicken stock

400g tin of cannellini beans

1/2 bunch thyme sprigs

2 bay leaves

Fresh thyme

Method

1. Cook sausages and set aside
2. In a large pot, saute onion and garlic
3. Add potatoes, tomatoes, tomato paste, stock, cannellini beans, thyme and bay leaves. Cover with a lid and bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes
4. Remove lid, add sausages and simmer for a further 30 minutes until the potatoes are tender and the sauce is reduced

Notes
Depending on the type of sausages you use, season with celtic sea salt and pepper to taste before serving.

dog food

As all my followers will know, Poppy is our gorgeous West Highland Terrier. When it comes to food, Poppy is a typical female and can be very picky. A few years ago, in addressing a common West Highland Terrier skin condition, we put her on a veterinarian Hypoallergenic dog food, which helped to regulate her eating habits whilst also addressing her skin condition. We found that each meal time, we had to entice her to eat her food by adding a few nibbles of either meat or raw vegetables, and you would never dare to add the same thing for more than one meal in a row - how dare you!

Anyway, we take Poppy to a special Westie groomer half an hour away from her home - we figure it is worth the extra travel for a groomer that treats the dogs well and doesn't stress them out. This particular groomer also grooms show Westie's, so we have full confidence that he knows what he is doing when it comes to the haircare of Poppy. On our last visit, he introduced us to a New Zealand brand of dog food he was importing that is so good, I just had to tell you all about it!

It is called Ziwi Peak, and it is the perfect gluten free, dairy free and sugar free food FOR YOUR DOG! We buy the air-dried dog food which comes in three flavours: lamb, venison and venison + fish. As I mentioned before, Poppy has always been a picky eater, but since feeding her Ziwi Peak, she has become a real foodie! As soon as she hears the jar which we store her food in being opened, she comes racing in. We no longer have to add anything to her dog food to entice her to eat, just give her the Ziwi Peak and she is a happy Westie.

The only way I was able to take this picture of Poppy looking up at me was to dangle some Ziwi Peak in front of her, hehe

So what is so special about Ziwi Peak?

1. 1=3...Gently air dried to lock in great nutrition. Their unique, gentle air-drying process preserves the goodness of raw meat, organs and fish. 1 portion of air-dried ZiwiPeak = 3 of raw meat.
2. No preservatives, fillers or carbohydrates from grains. Only natural ingredients go into ZiwiPeak. It's totally free of any nasties, added sugars, salt, glycerines, antibiotics, hormones or preservatives.
3. Over 90% meat content. With over 95% digestibility rating, ZiwiPeak ensures your pet gets almost all the nutritional benefit or raw feeding.
4. 100% of all ingredients from New Zealand. From trusted pastures and clean oceans, safely and conveniently, to your pet's food bowl.
5. Wild-prey diet...A completely  balanced, natural, wild-prey, meat diet.  Exactly what your pet's digestive system has evolved to thrive on.

Some of my friends have complained that ZiwiPeak is more expensive than other brands of dog kibble. And it is, but it is still affordable at around $150 for a 5kg bag. You also no longer need to add anything else to their food to either entice them to eat or in an effort to give them a more rounded diet; just feed them ZiwiPeak alone - they never get sick of it and it provides them with all the nutrition they need! Plus, can you honestly put a price on your dog's health and well-being?

For more information and stockists, go to http://www.ziwipeak.com

broccoli + zucchini bake

Serves 4

Ingredients

red onion, diced

broccoli, cut into small florets

2 zucchini, sliced

celtic sea salt + cracked black pepper

crushed chilli flakes

hot filtered water

1/2 cup rice milk

4 free-range organic eggs

ground nutmeg

handful basil, chopped

Method

1. Saute onions in a frying pan with olive oil until softened
2. Add broccoli and zucchini, season lightly and add a pinch of crushed chilli flakes to taste. Add a dash of hot filtered water to the pan to soften the vegetables, and add more as necessary
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, pinch of celtic sea salt and a pinch of ground nutmeg until fluffy
4. Stir basil through egg mixture
5. When vegetables are softened and slightly browned, place in a baking dish and pour egg mixture over the top
6. Bake in a 180°C oven for about 30 minutes

Notes
If you are not following a dairy or lactose free diet, then sprinkle with cheese before placing in the oven.

Is nutrition a need or a want?

An excellent article from Matt Walsh - a must read!

"Everyone’s got something to sell, and very few of them are selling anything you need. So, to compensate, the peddlers pull out their shotguns and blow giant holes in your psyche. Then they convince you that they’ve got the perfect thing to plug the gaps."

Read the full article here:http://themattwalshblog.com/2013/11/02/dear-daughter-youre-beautiful-regardless-of-what-the-media-tells-you/

It begs the question of what we really need in life…love, health and nutrition, a good environment (built and natural) and education perhaps. What do you think?

popcorn cacao squares

Makes approximately 12 squares

Ingredients

8 pitted medjool dates

1/2 cup finely desiccated coconut

3/4 cup raw organic cacao powder

3/4 cup coconut oil

2 teaspoons honey

2 cups organic popcorn with salt

Method

1. Finely chop dates and then blend into a smooth paste
2. Over a low heat combine dates, desiccated coconut, cacao powder, coconut oil and honey
3. Take mixture off the heat and stir through popcorn
4. Spread into a slice tin and set in the freezer for 20 minutes
5. Remove from freezer and cut into desired squares

Notes
This sweet snack not only tastes good, but is packed full of flavonoids which act as natural antioxidants!

water purifier

I used to boil tap water, as the thought of a tacky looking plaster water filter that would be expensive to buy replacement filters for didn't appeal to me. It wasn't until I spotted a Southern Cross Pottery water purifier in a magazine that I realised there were some really good options available.

To be honest, what attracted me to the product was the aesthetics of the brightly coloured glazed pottery. When I had a look at their website, I then realised the enormous benefits of investing in a good quality water purifier as a long term investment.

I ended up buying the Ultra Chic water purifier in the Turquoise colour for $269 and absolutely adore it. There is a top chamber within the purifier that you fill up where the replaceable filter is fitted. I love the quaint stainless steel tap of the gravity fed purifier too. We found the perfect block of teak timber to set it on so that it is at a functional height and looks great in our kitchen.

Here are some facts and benefits of the Southern Cross Pottery water purifiers:

• They are gravity fed so don't require any special plumbing or electricity like modern fridge filters
• The filtered water substantially reduces risks of ill health
• Unlike distilled water and reverse osmosis, purified water using a carbon filter retains natural energy vibrations with healthy minerals like calcium and magnesium being retained
• Also acts as a water storage container. My model holds 10 litres (7 litres in the storage container and 3 litres in the purifier compartment)
• Water is filtered through a replaceable ceramic filter at a cost of less than 3 cents per litre
• Our bodies are at least 75% water. Adults should drink a minimum of 8 glasses of pure water a day to prevent hydration. Water is essential for our bodies to function properly as it facilitates nutrient absorption and removal of wastes
• Anything other than hydrogen and oxygen should be considered as a pollutant in our water and many of these pollutants are now positively linked to acute, chronic and terminal illnesses.
• Tap water can contain variable levels of contaminants such as chlorine, cryptosporidium, bacteria and giardia
• The purifiers are supplied with a Royal Doulton carbon activated ceramic filter which are extremely efficient at removing impurities such as bacteria, chlorine, amoeba, suspended solids, organic pesticides, heavy metals and cysts
• Laboratory test results show that this system will remove up to:
• Cyst reduction (Cryptosporidium & Giardia) > 99.999%
• Removes algae, rust, sediment & suspended solids > 99.99%
• Reduces harmful bacteria (E coli, cholera, shigella, salmonella, klebsiella) > 99.99%
• Turbidity reduction > 97%
• Removes guinea worm 100%
• Chlorine reduction > 95%
• Absolute filtration 0.9 micron > 99.99%
• For particles between 0.5 and 0.8 micron > 99.9%
• Flow rate under gravity = 1 LPH
• The ceramic wall of the filter is impregnated with silver ions to prevent growth of bacteria in the filter itself as it is a natural biocide inhibiting microbiological growth meaning there is no need to sterilise the filter
• Each purifier is hand made on the potter's wheel and individually decorated in a variety of colours
• Unlike terracotta and earthenware systems, stone water will not grow mould, become stained, deteriorate with age or leave a clay taste in your water
• The inside of the purifier is glazed allowing ease of cleaning
• No fumes are given off as with plastics or metals allowing safer long storage
• The insulating properties of stoneware will help keep water naturally cool for drinking

For more information, head to the Southern Cross Pottery website:

http://www.southerncrosspottery.com.au