All Good Things Issue 16
Simple Ways To Boost The "Happy Hormone" + Orange Bircher Museli + Books For Boys
ISSUE 16 / SEP 5, 2021Â Â
Good Morning ...
Spring has sprung! The sun is beautiful and warm, the air is fragrant with all kinds of floral scents, the gardens are exploding with flowers. Even the weeds look pretty! I feel an energy, a lightness in my step, like emerging from a cocoon of daggy trackies and long socks and sweatshirts! Today, I have donned tights and just that has made me feel like I have completed a marathon. It being Father's Day, I made fresh blueberry scones for Nick while the boys pottered around making teas and juices. We also did a takeaway Dosa brunch which was lovely. A long afternoon family walk is on the agenda amongst other things which all mainly involve food.
I have been spending a lot of time in the garden, capturing new blooms and trying to spot new birds. This week I spotted an unusual-looking parrot that I have never seen before. Green and red and speckled with blues and whites. When it flew away the underside of the wings was a beautiful steel grey. It was gorgeous, happily munching on the jasmine vine. In the past two weeks, SO MANY of you ordered my cookbook for yourselves and to cheer friends up during lockdown (thank you soooo much for your support!)! I have been busy wrapping them up and dropping them off in the letterbox down my street. I have heard that Australia Post has a massive backlog and is lagging in deliveries but hopefully, you'll receive them soon. All books ordered up to Friday have been posted!
I have been organizing and cleaning my kitchen (Spring cleaning!) and I have been creating so many fabulously green, light and delicious recipes including easy no-knead breads that I can't wait to share with you!
Remember how I talked about this thing I got that was telling me I needed to drink more water (and also up my protein intake!), I was talking about these body scale. It is an amazing contraption that connects to my phone via bluetooth. When I hop on it, via the sensors under my feet it measures EVERYTHING! Maybe all of it is not accurate (although it seems to be!) I find it fascinating how it tells me the water content in my body is low. When I chug two glasses of water and step back on the scale, it shows that my body water content has gone up. It is like magic!Â
With the weather warming up, I am really upping my water drinking game. Let me start off by admitting that I think I must've been a camel in my past life. I can literally survive without water for a day or two. I don't feel thirsty and I don't remember to drink water. And that is not a good thing, because I am mildly dehydrated on any given day. There are a few things that are really helping me down 2 litres of water a day. I have treated myself to 3-4 different glass/BPA free drinking bottles and placed them in the areas I spend most of my time in. My desk, the kitchen island, the coffee table. These bottles are so pretty and a joy to drink from and when I see them in front of me, I drink water.
It is amazing how we need to be reminded of small things to do for our physical and mental health. There aren't hard to do, but because we are bogged down by so much stuff (both tangible and conceptual) that we often forget to do them. When I find a piece of information that is profound and valuable, I file it in one place so I can access it whenever I need to. I also have a daily Manifesto, a mantra that I repeat to myself. It could be as simple as remembering to drink water throughout the day or to have a hot shower. But by telling myself that and being mindful of it, I remember to do it and it becomes a slow, steady, daily habit. This in turn has started making really positive changes in my physical and mental health. Â
Food For Thought »
" Serotonin is the Happy Chemical. It stabilizes our mood and helps us sleep, eat and digest and feel good about ourselves and our life and environment. In today's heavy climate of worry and depressing news, it may become even more important to do everything we can to help boost our serotonin levels naturally.
How? - Soak in the sun. Walk in nature. Get a massage. Take a Vit D supplement. Listen to music. Eat Tryptophan rich foods like eggs, wild-caught salmon and cod, whole dairy like milk and yoghurts, soy beans, cashew sesame and walnuts, bananas, potatoes, chickpeas, brown rice and quinoa.
Today » I will make hot potato wedges and enjoy them with some sweet chilli sauce and sour cream while sitting out in the garden in the sun. I will bake a cake or some cookies to give to a friend. When I am watching TV, I will sit with some lavender oil and massage the soles of my feet.
ORANGE BIRCHER MUESLI
Ah Spring! With your gently warm yet cool mornings, you make me want to hug a bowl of chilled overnight Orange Bircher Muesli while I listen to the birds sing. Creamy, delicious, citrussy and full of protein, fibre and spice, this muesli is the perfect refreshing start to a great day.
Orange And Spice Bircher Muesli
My first bircher muesli at a retreat breakfast was cold creamy oats, yoghurt and honey. It was possibly the most delicious thing I had ever eaten. Since that holiday weekend many years ago, I have been religiously making bircher muesli at home. Why wouldn't I? It is easier than boiling water. You just dump everything in a bowl, mix and chill. The reward is one of the most delicious breakfasts you can eat on a warm Spring or Summer morning.
My simple bircher muesli has had quite the glow up. From just oats, yoghurt, apple juice and honey to a citrus and spice version that is
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CRISPY SEMOLINA VEGGIE PANCAKES
If you love savoury pancakes, these veggie-packed Crispy Semolina Pancakes will make your day! More-ish and absolutely delicious, these wholesome pancakes are fluffy in the middle and oh so crispy on the outside. They are substantial enough to make a satisfying light meal.
Savoury Pancakes – The Cornerstone Of Indian Breakfasts
Indian cuisine is known for its amazing vegetarian savoury breakfasts. While the rest of the world relies on porridge, eggs, avo toast and sweet pancakes; Indian mums everywhere are whipping up delicious savoury pancakes often with vegetables and lots of spices. In fact, savoury pancakes are such a constant in the Indian breakfast scene that every state has their own speciality and variation. Utilizing all kinds of flours and legumes, these pancakes are always piping hot, crispy on the outside and dotted with herbs and spices.
Besan (chickpea flour), sooji (semolina) and rice flour are the most popular choices for savoury Indian pancakes. Vegetables are either topped on the pancake and cooked/grilled or mixed with the batter. These pancakes are nourishing and filling and make a great light meal or snack no matter what time of the day it is. Often eaten with a green chutney or tomato relish, these can be made ahead and reheated on a hot pan or if they are thick, then in a toaster.
Cooking A Perfectly Fluffy Savoury Pancake
My Crispy Semolina Veggie Pancake is inspired by the South Indian labour of love – Uttapam. A fermented rice pancake topped with caramelized onion, chilli and coriander. Instead of going down the long 20-hour fermentation route, I have come up with a faster equally delicious alternative. The good old lemon and baking soda method! .....
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Almond Pistachio Cookies I bet they will be green and chewy .. yum!
Skillet Zucchini & Mushroom
Triple Berry Cheesecake Muffins
Sticky Crispy Sesame Cauliflower! Yum!
Chilli Lime Sweet Potato Gratin
Donna Hay's Brown Rice And Tofu Teriyaki Balls
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One of the great things about a biographical first-person account is that you gain insight from their experiences and their perspectives - good or bad. And such books especially if they come from a public figure/celebrity that you have watched in a completely different environment can make you sit up and take notice of what they did to achieve their place in this world and what they are continuing to do towards making a positive impact. Today's book recommendations are especially great if you are raising boys/men or have young nephews/wards etc .. these will start a conversation, ones that we don't often have because they are either taboo or too sensitive or too grown-up or just because ...
Man Enough - Justin Baldoni (actor/director/philanthropist and founder of Wayfarer Org that benefits homeless residents of LA, you may know him as Rafael from Jane The Virgin)
You Are A Champion - Marcus Rashford (world-famous soccer player from Manchester United and child hunger/poverty advocate)
Justin's Instagram | Marcus's Instagram
Virgin River (source - IMDB)
We are watching the 5th season of This Is Us. It is every bit as fascinating, heartbreaking, heartwarming and beautiful as the past 4 seasons. If you haven't started watching it yet, it is sublime and you definitely need to watch it. The storytelling is unlike anything I have ever watched in a show before and all the actors are brilliant. No wonder, it is a multi-award-winning show!
If you haven't heard of/watched Killing Eve (starring Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer), it is a brilliant show that explores how the lives of a government operative and assassin become intertwined. Jodie Comer as the unhinged assassin is a joy to watch!
I don't know if it's an age thing (I am no officially 44) or whether it is a "me" thing, but if I watch something that is not a comedy or very exciting at night, I can't fall asleep. To fall asleep, it needs to be reruns of light-hearted comedy shows or real easy watching like Virgin River. It is a charming show (almost like the romance novels you read as a teen) and has a slow pace which I think is a good thing sometimes. The actors are very likeable (Martin Henderson and Alexandra Breckenridge) and the mountain setting of the little town is absolutely beautiful! Martin and Alexandra also host hilariously fun cookouts on Instagram every week where they teach each other a new dish like this Pavlova!
If you live in Australia and don't know about Jimmy Rees by now, you are surely living under a rock! He used to play Jimmy Giggle on Giggle and Hoot when my boys were babies. In recent times, he has had quite the glow up and what a natural comedian he is commenting on current events in his dry satirical style. His recent video of Birds Crossing The Road cracked me up!
Speaking of cracking up, have you watched this Gladys Video. It's not funny .. oh but it is so funny too! I think it needed to be shared to marvel at the exceptional patience and skill of the person creating it! Btw I think the woman is doing an exceptional job, it can't be easy fronting the cameras day after day. Must be really hard but they are doing their best!
We watched Disney's Jungle Cruise with the boys a couple of weeks ago. It is good family fun (some scenes might scare very little kids)!
It's warm again! Warm enough to bring your feet out of hibernation (ahem.. socks!). And pamper them a bit. These easy homemade foot scrubs look mighty inviting!
Avocados are in between right now ... in between winter and spring. That means not every avocado is going to be green gold on the inside! Instead of being frustrated when you cut into a perfect-looking avocado only to find it a dull greyish green and not thoroughly appetizing on the inside, just smoosh it with a few ingredients and treat your hair to some good fats with these beautiful avocado homemade hair masks!
And with that, I sign off and wish you a good one! Until Next Weekend :)
I have limited copies of my cookbook Tasty Express - a labour of love filled with over 100 of our family's most tried and tested and exciting 30-minute recipes inspired by street foods of the world. Mostly Vegetarian recipes that go from breakfast to quick dinners in a heartbeat. They make great gifts for you or a friend!
You write beautifully!