This last month has been huge for uncovering truth in all its forms, both for myself and for many friends, students and clients I've spoken with.

Blame the Venus transit, or the seasonal desire to keep our inner embers burning - the surge towards transformation is undeniably strong and getting stronger. Can you feel it?!

Have you noticed a feeling of unease at the core of your being with part or all of your current life situation, along with a desire to cut the crap? I certainly have!!

These days, there is so much confusion, pain and frustration around nutrition as a result of information overload and the overwhelming pressure to "look good". It makes me crazy! We are fed a steady stream of media hype, scientific evidence that has been contorted to fit in with certain industry or company agendas, and clever marketing and PR.

I witness this confusion everyday in the stories my clients tell me about their disillusionment with body image concerns, healthy eating and in some cases, completely giving up their sense of autonomy and empowerment around making healthy decisions for themselves, in the face of so much conflicting information and the ever elusive search for "weight loss".
 
It is time we go out and pound down the doors of truth for the diet and nutrition answers we are hungry for. 
 
Along this path, we start to confront inaccurate beliefs around food and health that the media and popular diet culture has fed us over the years. Unravelling these dietary myths and mainstream ways of thinking about nutrition allows us to turn back to Mother Nature as our greatest provider and to our bodies as our greatest teacher.

When deciding what and what not to put into your body, I advise you to make all decisions from a place of joy, truth and love. If we embark on any lifestyle change in emulation of another or to please someone else, we will not be acting in integrity or in line with our highest truth. Besides, the list of reasons to do this for yourself is huge: heightened energy, resistance against chronic disease, sharpened awareness, strong immunity, emotional fortitude, and the satisfaction that you are treating your body with the utmost respect and love.

It all starts with a desire to change.
 
From this desire, you can ignite a fire of inner power and lasting serenity that becomes self sustaining. Hence, faith in the wisdom of our bodies, a devotion to protecting and connecting with the earth that nourishes us, an insatiable hunger for truth, and a desire to understand and listen to the body better than ever before, can spring forth.

Whether you're at home, or packing a lunch box for school or work, there's something here for everyone! Apply your body wisdom and food processor/mandolin/hands to quickly satisfy your hunger and fuel your body and soul.


 
·         Radiance Crudites: Enjoy sticks of raw carrot, celery, capsicum, cucumber and other raw vegetables dipped in a selection of guacamole, olive tapenade, hommus, liver pate, and baba ganoush.


·         Apple-Raisin Lunch Bowl: In a salad bowl, mix 100g baby spinach, ½ cup cherry tomatoes, ½ cup sultanas, 1 finely chopped Fuji apple, chopped spring onions, chives, basil, orange capsicum and ½ a cucumber. Dress salad in the bowl with minced garlic, sea salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste. Add shredded chicken, chickpeas, baked sweet potato, and/or hardboiled eggs for a complete meal.


·         Gorgeous Vegetable & Herb Slaw: Grate beetroot, fennel (reserve fronds), radish, carrot, red or white cabbage. Add in fresh chopped parsley, tarragon, dill and the reserved fennel fronds. You can dress this with drizzle of extra virgin olive oil (optional) lots of lemon, lemon zest, sea salt and pepper. This looks like a rainbow exploded in your plate! Serve with sprouted grain toast topped with avocado slices and/or goat's cheese.


·         Geisha Rolls and Easy Teriyaki Sauce: To make enough sauce for another day, blend 1 cup tamari, 1 cup pure maple syrup, 1 teaspoon chopped ginger, 1 clove garlic, and a drizzle of toasted sesame oil. Using whole red cabbage leaves, rice paper or nori sheets as wrappers, place julienned capsicum, carrot, and chopped coriander, mint, hardboiled egg, and whole basil leaves inside a cabbage leaf. Roll the cabbage leaf and dip into the teriyaki sauce.

·         Raw Butternut Salad: Mix 2 cups grated butternut pumpkin (I cut them into long chunks and grate it though my food processor), 1 zucchini, a small thumb of minced ginger, 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, all spice), drizzle of agave nectar, juice of a lemon, a sprinkle of pepitas and a pinch of pink Himalayan rock salt. Fast and yummy! Serve with your choice of protein and carbs - panfried tempeh and brown rice noodles go well with this.


·         The Best Guacamole: In a salad bowl, mash together 3 ripe avocados, juice of 2 limes, finely chopped red onion, 2 chopped  vine-ripe tomatoes, a cob of raw corn, 1 sliced red or yellow capsicums, chopped fresh coriander, 1 pinch stevia or honey, chilli powder and celtic sea salt to taste. Use this as a vegetable or chip dip or spread it onto a sandwich. You can also add mixed greens and shredded carrot to create a dreamy guacamole salad!


·         Crunchy Candied Almond Salad: In a small bowl, place ½ cup raw almonds, agave nectar and tamari. Let the almonds soak in the marinade while you combine in a bowl mixed greens, vine-ripened tomatoes, grated carrot, 4 chopped pitted dates, and diced sweet onion. Dress with balsamic vinegar, minced garlic, wholegrain mustard and fresh pepper, adding the candied almonds last. Crunchy, colourful, high in Vitamin E, and satisfies a world of cravings.


·         Raw Blended Carrot Recharge: Blend 2 cups fresh carrot juice, 1 ripe avocado, 1 tablespoon curry powder, 1 tablespoon fresh ginger and 1 clove garlic in a blender on high until smooth. Serve with toasted Essene bread or flax crackers. Great concoction for healthy eye function!


·         Raw Thai Young Coconut Soup – Combine in a blender meat of 2 young coconuts, 2 cups coconut water, 1 garlic clove, 1 knob ginger, 1 tablespoon minced lemongrass, 1 handful each of Thai basil and coriander, 3 tablespoons lime juice, and 1 red chilli (optional) and blend until smooth. Add salt/pepper to taste and garnish with finely diced red capsicum and spring onions. Serve in the empty coconut shell for a gourmet touch! A great entree or starter to an Asian dinner.

·         Japanese Guacamole Nori Rolls: Mash 1 ripe avocado with 1 tablespoon tamari, 1 teaspoon raw honey, 1 teaspoon chopped ginger, a little minced garlic and a tiny squeeze of wasabi. Using  nori sheets as wrappers, place a line of the japanese guacamole, julienned capsicum, carrot, mushroom, red onion and chopped spinach inside a nori sheet. Roll the sheet up, slice in halves or quarters and devour!

·         Buckwheat Pancakes with Savoury Fillings: Drain 1 cup raw buckwheat (soaked for at least 4 hours) and process in a blender with ¾ cup water until it reaches a thick-shake consistency. Cook in a non-stick pan on low to medium heat for around 2 mins on each side, using a little butter, coconut oil or rice bran oil if required.

Stack pancakes on top of each other so they stay warm and soft. Add julienned vegetables of your choice, sprouts, olives, sweet onion and sundried tomatoes. Roll up and devour!


·         Sunomuno Salad: This is a traditional Japanese dish: 1 ribboned cucumber (use a vegetable peeler) and 50g soaked wakame seaweed marinated in rice vinegar, sugar and salt. To make it detox friendly, substitute for equal amounts of lemon & lime, sea salt and stevia, if desired. To make it into a dinner size salad, toss with chopped cos or red/green leaf lettuce.  Top with a handful of crushed nori and a sprinkle of black sesame seeds. Light, lovely and high in natural iodine for thyroid health.


·         Chunky Tomato Gazpacho: Finely dice 4 cups cherry tomatoes, ½ a cucumber, ½ a red or yellow capsicum, ½ cup red onion. Finely chop ½ bunch of parsley and 1 clove garlic. Place ingredients in a bowl with the zest and juice of 1 to 2 lemons, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, if desired, and Tabasco hot sauce to taste. Puree 3/4 of the recipe and garnish with the remaining quarter. Bask in the Tuscan sun and enjoy!