Prepare to fly

01/28/2015

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We're recently back from a holiday which required super human efforts in organising 2 adults, a 3 1/2 year old and a 4 month old for a whole day of flying. Maybe it was such a mammoth effort due to the fact that I didn't start packing until the day before...anyway, my priorities for flight prep were something like this:
  1. Pack plenty of snacks to nourish and entertain Miss 3.
  2. Download movies, games and music onto iPad and iPhones. 
  3. Oh yeah, and pack clothes, toiletries and other essential items.

Why do I give food prep such a high priority when flying? Well, it's not just because I find plane food disgusting (the sickly sweet smell and the way it sits in your gut all sluggish and yuck..) there are many benefits in taking the time to make your own snacks when flying:
  • You get to be in control of what goes into your food.
  • You save money!
  • You can get the kids to help & get excited about the trip.
  • You can boost your immune system essential nutrients and avoid those nasty bugs that often come with flying.
  • By baking extra, you can freeze and have snacks all ready for when you arrive home tired and with a weeks worth of washing to do!

Sounds awesome, right? And I promise it is so easy to do. Let's look at some yummy snack ideas you can prep ahead for your next trip:
  • Coconut and seed balls.
  • Carrot sticks, cherry tomatoes, celery sticks.
  • Savoury muffins (these are great if you have an early flight and need something for breakfast).
  • Variety of fruit.
  • Pikelets (so quick and easy to make with just spelt flour, baking powder, 1 egg, vanilla extract and some mashed banana).

I know it's sometimes just to easy to say 'well, we are on holiday's so we can eat whatever we want' but honestly, if you take a little time to be prepared you can enjoy yummy food that is also good for you - without the guilt.  

Do you pack food like a crazy person (like me) when flying? If so, what do you pack? 
Let me know in the comments below or on our Facebook page. 
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Just a little tweak

01/05/2015

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Okay, so I'm going to be honest here. Recipe creation is not one of my strengths. When I started out on this journey, I thought that I had to be developing new and exciting recipes if I was going to succeed (and everyone else seemed to be doing it so I should be to).  I struggled with this for a long time because I felt like a fraud if I did't come up with amazing recipes myself. 

My husband was always the 'creative one' in the kitchen. As a matter of fact, he's the one who taught me to cook. Like, really cook. He would just 'wing it' and get all innovative, throwing in this spice and that herb (and honestly, not always tasting too good). And me? I was the one who stuck by a recipe, word for word, ingredient by ingredient. I was too scared to go off the beaten track incase the meal ended up tasting horrible - and I hate it when a recipe doesn't turn out (I LOVE my food). 
I honestly tried to develop new recipes but found it stressful and time consuming. At the end of the day there are many others who do this much better than me (see below for my top picks). 

And do you know what? It turns out you don't need to create recipes from scratch. Often a little tweaking is all you need. Getting deeper into my whole food way of eating, I discovered that tweaking a recipe is not only essential, it's also super easy. 
You may just be starting out in your whole food journey and you're not quite ready to buy new cookbooks, so just use the ones you've already got! Simply swapping out a few key ingredients can make your meal so much healthier.

This to me is what nourishing through whole food is all about. It's not about following strict recipes, it's about educating yourself enough to be able to think about the ingredients and then make the right choices for you and your family.  By arming yourself with the knowledge you need to nourish, you can take on any food situation (parties, dinners out etc) and make the right choices for you. 
I'm here to help you take this information and begin to make conscious food choices that will not only benefit  your family but also the environment and those around you. 

If you are a sucker for a good cookbook though (like me), check out my top picks below.

COOKBOOKS I LOVE

  1.  Anything by Jude Blereau. I have 3 of her books and use them obsessively! She is an amazing Whole Food Chef with so much passion to educate others in nourishing whole food.
  2. Jamie's 15 Minute Meals. Or anything Jamie Oliver. While I don't agree with ever ingredient he uses, I love that he is encouraging people to get back into home cooking while making it fun and easy.
  3. Family Food by Pete Evans. Love these recipes and love the message Pete is spreading about wholesome, sustainable, healing foods. 
  4. Janella's Super Natural Foods by Janella Purcell. Again, lots of delicious, nourishing recipes. Janella is also a qualified Naturopath and knows her stuff!
  5. Make Peace with Your Plate by Jess Ainscough (The Wellness Warrior). An inspiration read plus amazing, easy to create recipes.

Do you have a favourite nourishing cookbook? Please share in the comments below or on our Facebook Page.




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