Homemade Hommus

Our house eats very healthy (even the kids!) and one thing everyone here loves is hummus. Whether its spread on a wrap with freshly made falafel and tabouli, used instead of butter or margarine on a salad sandwich or just dipped with veggie sticks, it's always a winner!!!
So here is my recipe for it, I've never bought it from the store since and always make a double batch!

Ingredients:

2 tins chickpeas, drained.

3 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons tahini (unhulled is the best)

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon salt

freshly ground black pepper to taste about 1/2 a can worth of water (sometimes I need more/ less depending on the batch of chickpeas)

2 tablespoons olive oil

**If you want a kick, add a sprinkle of cayenne pepper, yum!

Method:
1. Put all ingredients and blend in food processor. Done! Hard huh ;)
2. I always taste test first because sometimes the chick peas are saltier than others or the lemon may not have as stronger taste. Just add more of the seasonings (i.e. lemon, salt and pepper or garlic) to refine recipe to how you want t to taste.


Chick peas are a helpful source of folate, zinc and protein. They are also very high in dietry fibre and a healthy source of carbohydrates. They are low in fat and the fat the do have is polyunsaturated anyway. These are always in stock in our house and I hope you try this one at your place. I will also post the falafel recipe soon too - one of our favourite meals. Delish!

Enjoy;
Lauren x

Is your food REALLY FOOD?!

I am going through a change in our house. As I have already mentioned I do a Daniel fast from Janurary 1-21 each year (primarily spiritual reasons but for MANY health benefits too). I have been having a lot of fun playing around with recipes and I have not purchased "numer food" (as my 4 year old says) all year. When I say number food, I mean in the ingredients list when you see things like 220 and 200 on the packet in the ingredients listing. I have made a deliberate decision to exclude ALL chemicals, preservatives, additives etc.... from our diet at this time.

I want to try to keep this throughout the year but once you start looking, you realise how much of our food is "numbered". And you quickly realise that the only way to eat "good food" you need to buy and eat raw food and also prepare a lot of things at home. So, I am on a bit of a silent crusade to find and refine some recipes that families can use that will be actually good for you without ingredients that you can't even pronounce - lol ;)

Then i came across this on twitter today and it amazed me how spot on it was for what has been in my mind at the moment. Thank you to @unhealthytruth (www.allergykidsfoundation.org) who posted this link from "Take Part : Inspiration to Action"


I just love this image and hope you get a little chuckle from it like I did and a few Oprah type "Ah-ha" moments!

Enjoy;
Lauren x

Interesting facts from Elements 4 Health

I have found Elements on twitter and have just loved their tweets that give you little bite sized information about food facts, exercise and general healthy living. I find it very interesting to stay informed with research and facts about living a healthily. However, as a busy Mum of two active boys, this would normally be out of reach. Elements 4 health has made it easier for me to access this and I just love some of their links.

Fish Oil Could Reduce Breast Cancer Risk

Mushrooms Enhance Activity of Critical Cells in Body's Immune System

Human Brain Shifts Into Higher Gear During Exercise

Study Ranks the Clove as the Best Natural Antioxidant

The Health Benefits of Bananas


I hope you enjoy this info and if your on twitter follow @elements4health

Celeriac

Celeriac is a yummy vegetable that I served up for dinner the other night, with pleasant results. I boiled it like i would for potato for a regular mash. Then I pureed it with parmesan, light cream cheese and a little milk to thin it out. The boys loved it when i told them it was a new vegatable they had NEVER had before and it was delicious!!!

Some healthy facts about this WONDERFUL vegetable!

Celeriac is:

• Low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol
• High in Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Phosphorus, Potassium, Dietary Fiber, Vitamin B6, Magnesium and Manganese

The nutritional value and health benefits of celeriac makes it ideal for:

• Maintaining optimum health
• Weight loss

Don't include too much celeriac in your diet if you're interested in:

• Weight gain

For some recipes and cooking ideas see:
- Taste.com.au
- Weight Watchers
- Jamie Oliver

Celery Juice --- Super Healthy Kids

I love this post from Super Healthy Kids about celery juice. Apparantly it was used for medicinal purposes before it was a food and there are MANY benefits to the humble celery. As soon as I get a juicer again (since mine broke) I will definitley be adding this to my families diet.
I actually do remember hearing Dr Oz saying that he has a 'green juice' every morning with celery and adds anything green he has (i.e. cucumber, apple, kiwi and spinach making sure to balance sweet/ savoury so it tastes nice) and the benefits are MASSIVE for your health.

Healthier foods every woman should know - Part 4

We are finishing the series on healthier foods for women today (managed to do it in 4 posts rather than 5). Below are foods that will help you to reduce your cholesterol.
* Wholemeal bread: get rid of white bread and switch to whole meal/ grain which lowers cholesterol
* Oatmeal: a great food for reducing cholesterol, oatmeal also has lots of vitamins E, C, potassium, and Omega 3-EFA's.
* Soy: soy has been shown to not only significantly lower bad cholesterol, but also to raise good cholestoral. Use soy milk, tofu or edamame for best results.
* Almonds: with lots of polyunsaturated fatty acids, almonds will help to lower cholesterol in your body.
* Fish: find fish rich in omega-3 EFA'ssuch as mackeral, salmon, tuna and trout.
* EVOO (extra Virgin Olive Oil): this variety of olive oil is less processed, and will help lower cholesterol and is high in anti oxidants.
* Unsaturated fats: replace saturated fats in your kitchen. try using canola, corn, safflower, or soybean oils.
* Garlic: raw garlic (and lots of it) will help you lower your cholesterol. Make sure your partner is sharing WITH you though - lol ;)
* Cranberry-grape juice: Cranberries raise good cholesterol while grapes slow down the bad cholesterol's oxidation. * Pomegranate juice: reduces cholesterol plaque build-up and reduces plaque in your arteries.


***Thanks to the "Hills LIfe" magazine and www.nursingdegree.net for running this article. I found it fascinating and have learned lots of new little facts :)

Healthier foods every woman should know - Part 3

Achieving a Healtier Cadiovascular System:
* Skinless Poultry: leaving off the skin will greatly reduce the fat in poultry, making for a more heart smart diet.
* Cabbage: This vegetable is a great food for a healthy cardiovascular system. Eaten raw is best.
* Grapes: Easy to get and loved by most, this fruit is also good for a healthy heart.
* Raspberries: High in anti-oxidants this fruit offers benefits to your heart too.


Bone Health:
* Leafy greens: the calcium in leafy greens absorbs much better in the body than calcium in dairy products.
* Beans: beans are low in fat, high in fibre, inexpensive, and have a high amount of non-animal proteinthat helps prevent calcium loss.
* Low fat yoghurt: it is high in calcium and is easier to digest than most other dairy products. It also contains lots of vitamin A and protein.
* Tofu: Also high in protein and a great source of nutrition for your bone health, tofu is very versatile.
* Eggs: not only are eggs loaded protein, they are also full of vitamin D, which helps the body absorb calcuim more efficiently.

Healthier foods every woman should know - Part 2

For Healthier Looking skin:

* Avacadoes: they have ots of B-complex vitamins and are an anti-inflamatory, which is great for the skin.
* Green Tea: technically a drink, green tea has polyphenols which are an anti inflamatory.
* Carrots: full of vitamin A which helps your skin to repair itself
* Spinach: it is loaded with vitamins and minerals. especially high concentrations of vitamins K and A and manganese and folate. It also helps fight against osteoporosis, heart disease, colon cancer, ovarian cancer and arthritis.
* Rockmelon: plenty of vitamins A and C - two vitamins your skin needs to stay healthy.
* Citrus fruit: oranges and grape fruit are full of vitamin C which helps to keep wrinkles at bay.
* Bananas: these have the B vitamin biotin, which helps build healthy skin, hair and nails and helps to prevent skin irritations such as dermatitis.
* Tomatoes: like bananas, tomatoes have biotin and also lycopene, which helps prevent cancer.
* Hazelnuts: Another great source of vitamin E which also offer protection against cancer andf heart disease.
* Olives: these provide both vitamin E and anti-inflamatory properties which help promote healthy skin. Also very high in iron.
* Brazil Nuts: these are high in selenium, which can reduce the chance of sunburn on the skin, slow down the aging process and aid in treatment of skin cancer.
* Cottage cheese: Eat this to get loads of calcium and selenium for your skin. You can use in place of ricotta in recipes.
* Walnuts: these are packed with omega-3 and omega 6 EFA's which promote skin repair and elasticity.

Healthier foods every woman should know - Part 1

I found this article in a local magazine that comes into our letterbox. When flipping through I found this article entitled "Healthier foods every woman should know..." I was fascinated reading about this stuff. Some of it i knew, but it is interesting anyway. This will be a 5 part series with chapters on how to have younger looking skin, healthier cardiovascular system, reducing cholestorol, bone health and healthy desserts. I can't think of a better way to be healthy than eating your way there!!!! I might use some of these articles to post some healthy recipe ideas later. I hope you learn some new things here like I did.

Overall Health:
* Flax Seed: high in omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids and lingnans (an important fiber for women)
* Pumpkin : beta carotene in pumpkin reduces risk of breast cancer and helps body repair its own skin
* Sweet Potatoes: Full of vitamins A and C and well as calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and iron.
* Dark Meat: Lean red meat and dark meat from poultry are high in iron, which is essential for women of child-bearing age.
* Broccoli: High in calcium, potassium and B vitamins.
* Salmon: this super food is high in omega -3 EFA's and protein, low in cholestorol and contains lots of B vitamins, calcium, zinc, iron and magnesium.
* Mangoes: high in Vit A and C and help harm against cervical cancer.
* Figs: high in fibre, B vitamins, iron, potassium and calcium.
* Kiwi: These tasty fruits pack more vitamin C than oranges.

AussieGrown Garlic

I was recetly informed that a lot of our garlic sold here is actually imported from china. We buy lots in our house and I never knew the difference. The garlic without roots is from china and the garlic with roots is locally grown here.

Aussie Garlic

Chinese Garlic

I like buying local produce, and now am going to be paying attention for the Aussie garlic with roots. Garlic is so good for us and to find out more about the health benefits, take a look here.
I hope that you find this helpful anyway :)