Nourish & Flow

Yesterday we stocked up on berries from our local Greengrocers and had a big berry feast for breakfast. Here's some raw, nutritious breakfast ideas with lots of vitamin rich berries. Delicious and good for you! Berry, Banana & Acai Smoothie  Ingredients 6 Large Strawberries Handful of Blueberries Handful of Raspberries Handful of Blackberries Cup of Almond or Cashew Nut Milk Tsp of Manuka Honey Tsp of Acai Powder 1 Banana Blend until smooth, add more nut milk or water if necessary.   Raw Berry Muesli Ingredients Strawberries Raspberries Blackberries Blueberries Raisins Sunflower Seeds Hemp Seeds Cacao Nibs I don't measure when making muesli so put a little of each ingredient in and experiment.  You want a good mixture of soft, crunchy and chewy. Serve with almond or cashew nut milk and a little maple syrup.

I have always enjoyed creating homemade beauty products, ones which are natural, chemical free and healthy. I love experimenting with different herbs and essential oils, and then trying out the products to see what they feel like on my skin. The last six months i've been studying for a Diploma in Natural Skincare Design. This week I did my assessment and i'm so happy to have passed.  I spent a whole day creating my products, and then another half a day typing it all out. It was lots of fun. Here are a few of my favourite ingredients. Rosehip Oil - this is my all time favourite product, particularly to use on the face. It is full of vitamins and essential fatty acids, helps with cell regeneration and is excellent for slowing down the signs of aging. It is also very healing on damaged skin. Calendula - I like to use either the dried herb, or the macerated oil in my products. It is also good for cell regeneration, and has many healing properties. I...

I've been making self care a priority lately, no matter how busy I am.  It's something I need to focus on everyday.  It's easy to do when you have lots of free time, but the last few weeks have been so busy, I put self care way down on my list of priorities. Not a good idea! So today, Luke and I decided to take a sunny nature walk to the local park.  Combining 3 of my favourite things in life - nature, photography and family time, I knew this would make me feel happy and peaceful. I enjoyed taking lots of photos of the trees... ...and Luke enjoyed climbing them! A lovely day out, followed by a large, healthy salad, lots of water and a raw chocolate brownie!

I had a day to myself yesterday, so I decided that a little self care would be a good idea.  I made a nutritious green smoothie and a raw strawberry cheesecake, and after a guided visualization, followed by an hour session of kundalini yoga, I sat in the garden to enjoy them.  The sun was shining, and it was very peaceful. It felt so lovely to give myself the gift of this precious time.  It's moments like these that really help me to feel calm and connected. Nature really does have a very powerful, healing effect. And here's the recipe for the cheesecake, hope you enjoy it as much as I did! Raw Strawberry Cheesecake Crust 1 Cup of Walnuts 1 Cup of Desiccated Coconut Handful of Dates, preferably medjool Blend the ingredients, then place into a bowl and press down firmly.  Place in the fridge. Topping 1 Cup of Cashews Large Handful of Strawberries 1/4 Cup of Coconut Oil, melted 1tsp Vanilla Extract 1/4 Cup of Maple Syrup ...

The last few weeks have been spent doing lots of studying, making preparations for my new business, decluttering the house, spending time with the boys and preparing for our road trip around Europe. We've spent lots of time in nature, in the park, at the farm and in the garden, enjoying time together and taking lots of photos. I've enjoyed moments where I can simply take a deep breath and meditate for 5 minutes among the trees.  This is where I feel most alive and most peaceful. So in less than a month we'll be setting off on our trip, beginning on 1st August. We'll be setting off at 3am for the shuttle, arriving in France later that morning. We're spending an evening in Northern France, then driving down to the South Of France, where we'll spend 3 days on the coast, near Montpelier. We then head for the Cul De Turini, into Italy where we'll be visiting Tuscany, Lake Garda, Venice and Verona, for a week, before heading to Aus...