I am forever searching for the Holy Grail of Brownie recipes to TRY to keep the kids happy - so it's not too "healthy" (ending up tasting like cardboard) but not compromising on the sweet side of things so the sugar content creeps up. Yes it's challenging feeding teenagers...nothing new there.

I recently saw an Instagram post that said, "Use cauliflower as a substitute for mashed potatoes, rice and and any joy in your life. You have no friends now, there is only cauliflower".

I had to laugh because my kids are getting a little snaky at having cauliflower craftily substituted for some of the old staples. When they were younger it was easy, but now they are getting older and wisening up to my tricks - the lashback is thick and fast! This is mostly in jest though because they know deep down, this friendly white Brassica is doing good things on the inside.

Time to dust off the slow cooker

Greetings Seekers of Wellness.

I love this time of the year when the leaves turn, we need to pull up the doona during the night and thoughts turn to fragrant slow cooked foods.

As I've come to understand and appreciate how much work our microbiomes do for us, there's no better way to help it along during the cold and flu season than by giving it a nourishing drink! I'm talking bone broth - you've probably heard lots about it by now, but it is such a vital part of the gut health piece that I can't let the season start without introducing some broth into your kitchens.

Put simply, bones from happy animals (that's free range chickens and pasture fed animals) contain lots of wonderful minerals and compounds like gelatin, glutamine, cartlidge and marrow which are very powerful nutrient dense elements. Our guts need and love these nutrients to help restore and reline the mucosal environment, which is easily destroyed due to stress, alcohol, drugs, lifestyle, sugar...I could keep going but you get the idea.

On top of this, the slow cooking of these nutrients allows enzymes in the meat, bones and vegetables to be extracted and retained with minimal detriment to their healing properties. The extra bonus is that the cheaper cuts are the best for this very thing! Think shanks, cheeks, shins, neck and chuck cuts.

It smells awesome. It's bloody delicious too!

I love to make a batch up over the weekend and then use it over the week, in sauces, stocks, add it pan cooked veges, substitute it for water or other liquids and of course - drink it straight with some salt and pepper...trying to cut back on coffee? Bone broth is your new best friend.

So without further ado, dust off your slow cooker and give this recipe a crack!

Send your tastebuds to breakfast heaven!

When I realised how awful conventional breakfast cereals were some years ago, I went cold turkey in the family pantry - maybe a bit too hard!

So the small collection of "cerealy" type things I have on offer in the kitchen are still not met with excitement but I think that's about to change.

I've played around with various nut based mixes which I love, but having too much can be problematic due to over-consumption of Omega 6 polyunsaturated fats. This is already an issue for the Standard Australian Diet (S.A.D. - heard that acronym before? We've stolen it from the Standard American Diet) which is heavily laced with refined carbohydrates, trans-fats and excess of Omega 6. Prior to the heavily processed food generation, the Omega 6: Omega 3 ratio was on par at 1:1. Those eating a S.A.D. diet would now regularly be eating a ratio of 20:1 - this is a very pro inflammatory situation we want to avoid. (Simopoulos, 2016).

Aim for a diet with generous amounts of Omega 3 fats, of which regular consumption has shown to effectively reduce cardiovascular disease, obesity, inflammatory conditions and cognitive disorders. (Oregan State University, LPI, 2014).

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So the trick is to have this cereal 2-3 times a week if you like eating something in a bowl with a spoon, but mix it up if you can, create variety in your meals - our guts love diversity!

Look at it as a component of the meal - not the meal. ie have half a cup of granola with some milk and fruit or make a parfait in a glass layering the granola alternatively with greek yogurt and berries. This will ensure you get a good mix of fats, proteins and phytonutrients and fill you up without overloading on the nut stuff!

So. Onto tastebud heaven - this is quick and easy to whip up, can be eaten any time of the day and you can change it up depending on what's in the pantry. The recent little addition I've made is the orange zest - it's a whole new level of yum. By the way, it's also a great gift for wellness/foodie appreciators - reuse those leftover pasta sauce/honey jars to present them in.

Happy cooking and let me know your adventures with Anytime Zesty Orange Granola!

Nut Nirvana

Top of the morning to you Seekers of Wellness.

I found this original recipe years ago when I was discovering the new world of eating unprocessed food. That was when I used to think, "Well what the hell do I eat then?". Have you had that thought run through your head? It seems like it's curtains for all your favourite foods and what's left is just not going to cut it?

Fear not Seekers, because as you partake on your own pilgrimage of wellness, you will learn that you may be clearing out the pantry of packets, boxes and bottles but you will be filling it with new, exciting functional foods! Nuts are one of these foods.

This doesn't mean you can't indulge in yummy snacks though, such as the Spiced Roast Nuts recipe I've supplied below. All those jars of passata sauce and coconut oil I use to store this delicious recipe in. It's also a lovely gift so you can make in bulk, keep them stored in your recycled jars and pull one out when you go to a friend's place for dinner.

To do my nutritionist foodie bit, nuts are wonderful! The beauty with this recipe is you can use whatever you have in the pantry or just use 1 or 2 types if you prefer. Variety is important so we don't develop intolerances over time and ensuring we eat mindfully and "moderately". Mindfully - don't open the jar and chow down when you're distracted on the computer or watching TV. You will eat half the bottle - it happens very easily! I know! Moderately - very hard to put into a specific amount and everyone's version is different so to make it clear, a small palm full then put the lid on and put the jar away.

Back to health benefits, nuts are super sources of Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids, various vitamins, minerals, protein and fibre. For those avoiding meat, cashews are a good source of Iron, and those who need an anti-oxidant hit, go for a couple (that's 2) of Brazil nuts, which are high in Selenium. I've mentioned the "F" word here - not the 4 letter one, the 3 letter one...Fat. Hopefully you're aware that our bodies need good quality, regular sources of fats, to do all the stuff they need to do - just to function at a base level. Good quality fat does not make you fat, refined carbohydrates do - but that's a story for another day.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner...Slow

Dinners these days need to be tasty, nutritious and easy to cook - Yes? That can be challenging when one is juggling parenthood, work commitments, after school activities and trying to find a moment for yourself!

As I've gone through the journey myself, I really come to love my slow cooker - so much that I have 2 and will have a couple of things on the go at once - dinner and dessert...Yes this incredible invention covers all bases, which I will share with you over the coming months as we move into cooler weather.

Apart from the time and cost saving, (and being a one pot wonder!), there are some wonderful health benefits to eating meals this way:

1. The important vitamins and minerals are drawn out of the meat and bones including the gelatin, marrow and funny bits we don't normally eat, which the body can assimilate and absorb very well (when are digestive system is working optimally). These connective tissues contain the majority of gelatin which works powerfully to repair the gut lining.

2. These nutrients are very gut friendly - providing amino acids like glutamine (for mucosal support) and enzymes, which help with digestion and are preserved when cooked at low heat.

3. Vegetables, legumes, ancient grains can be thrown in at various intervals during the cooking process if you really need to put a meal on the table effeciently - all that from one pot! By the way, the aromas are incredible too - stimulating those gastric juices and enzymes to get ready for food.

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