Oats are a versatile and nutritious food, that can be super filling and delicious! They are high in dietary fibre and contain some protein. They are also high in B vitamins, which means they are great for energy levels and nourishing your nervous system.
You know how much I love my protein (eggs), fats (avocado) and veggies in the morning but I've been craving more carbs lately. If you need a quick and easy breakfast option, give this a try. Prepare it the night before and you set to go!
Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast is one of our favourite places to go for a quick and easy getaway. It is only 20 minutes from Gold Coast airport, meaning you can get in and out super fast. The surf is a massive draw card for my husband and I absolutely love the beautiful beach, the national park and all the great places to eat and drink! If you ever make a trip there, here are a few places to check out:
I practice what I preach. I have a mound of vegetables with every meal (including breakfast!). In addition to this, I include high quality protein and plenty of healthy fats alongside my veggies. Starchy carbs are based around training.
When I fell pregnant, however, I was in for a rude shock. My body no longer wanted to comply with the nutrient dense whole foods I was feeding it. Here is what happened and a theory on why…I’m sure other pregnant mamas out there can relate! (For everyone else, I hope it is mildly interesting!)
My last blog was all about breakfast cereals, as I am regularly asked what is the healthiest cereal. You can read my response here.
Following closely behind this is the question “what are some healthy snack ideas?” Finding appropriate snacks is often something we struggle with - and this is because most convenient snack foods are generally not that healthy. We have our trusty favourites like fruit and nuts but a lot of the time these suggestions seem a bit too basic or bland for most people.
One of the questions I am always asked is….
”What is the best breakfast cereal?”
My answer isn’t always popular. I am not a fan of breakfast cereals. Most cereals that come out of a box are highly processed and are loaded with either sugar, salt, preservatives, additives or all of the above. You may as well just eat the box it came in.
I get that it is often the quickest and most convenient breakfast choice for time poor people, especially if you also have to look after the little people in your life. But with a bit of planning and preparation, you can enjoy a nutritious, well-balanced breakfast and still make it to work on time.
My granola recipe is an absolute favourite in my family. This grain free, refined sugar free recipe is super quick and easy to make - and it's so yummy!
Enjoy it as a healthy treat or snack like we do, or have it as an indulgent breakfast with Greek yoghurt and berries. I love it with just cold, fresh almond milk and raspberries!
Please note: This is for your serious CrossFit competitor. If you are doing the Open to challenge yourself and have fun without aspirations to get to Regionals, check out this blog here. Requirements for everyday athletes are very different to competitive athletes with different training goals and regimes.
In addition, recovery strategies should be based on the individual’s workload, the fuel used during the session, body size, body composition and the period of time before the next training session or event.
When it comes to the CrossFit Open, recovery is everything. Not only do you have to perform at your best in the Open Workouts, (possibly repeating them a number of times to better your score!) but most CrossFit athletes will continue with normal training, which often involves long and grueling sessions.
If you want to kill it in the Open and not completely burn out by the time Regionals roll around (if that’s your goal) then having a focus on your daily recovery is vital.
Here are the 5 steps to optimal recovery after your training and workouts.
How I reduced the chemicals in my life and how you can too
I’m no expert on this topic but it certainly is something that I feel quite strongly about. We live in a world where we are constantly bombarded (and bombarding ourselves!) with chemicals. We use chemicals for cleaning our house, washing our dishes and clothes, washing ourselves, our teeth and our hair; they are in beauty products like moisturizers and make up, deodorants and perfumes and things like air fresheners. There are chemicals in plastics that we use such as storage containers and reusing water bottles and chemicals in our non-stick cookware. The list is endless.
It’s become an Australia Day tradition that we head to Byron Bay for a long weekend with our beautiful friends. The incredible beach and crystal clear water, the food, the vibe, the coffee, the surrounding nature and the gorgeous people all make this one of our favourite places to visit. There are so many amazing cafes and restaurants to try so here is a list of some of my favourites in Byron.
I wrote this article for the CrossFit Soul Rebel guys on how to prioritise your health in 2017. Rather than focusing on new year resolutions, I disucss a practical way to make small and sustainable changes over the year that will make a huge impact on your health.
My new obsession is 100% buckwheat soba noodles. If you tend to stick to a gluten-free lifestyle but are sick of sweet potato or brown rice every single night, give these Japanese noodles a go!
They are high in essential nutrients such as B vitamins, magnesium and copper; as well as cancer-protecting bound antioxidants like glutothione and superoxide dismutase.
TIP / Check that your soba noodles are 100% buckwheat. Many brands combine wheat flour with the buckwheat. If you can't find them in the supermarket, most health food stores will sell them. I use Spiral Foods.
Here is how I am using them
Satay Stir Fry with Soba Noodles Recipe
Happy New Year! The beginning of the year is a time where many of us will be setting new goals with gusto and creating New Year's Resolutions. Do you feel you need to hit the reset button on your body though, before you launch into your new goals and aspirations for 2017? If you overindulged at Christmas, drank the entire year's worth of alcohol in two weeks or just want to kick start some new healthy habits, this 2 week Body Reset Detox is just the ticket.
STARTS NEXT MONDAY 16TH JANUARY 2017
Experience glowing skin, improved sleep, increased performance and recovery, less stress, a settled gut, increased energy levels and feel more vital than ever. You may also shift those stubborn kilos that you just haven’t been able to budge.
For many of us, Christmas involves feasting on delicious meals and drinking until we are more than merry. Holiday habits of overeating, excess sugar, alcohol and less sleep can, however, impede on the body’s natural abilities to detoxify. This can lead to fatigue, weight gain, puffiness, skin breakouts and just feeling rubbish.
By taking the load off your liver and other detoxification organs, your body will be able to naturally detoxify so you feel rejuvenated and energised after the Chrissy binge.
Here are eight easy tips that you can do anywhere, whether you are at home, still on holiday, staying with family and friends or back at work.
Bulletproof Coffee is all the rage. It’s hugely popular around the world, with a cult-like following of greasy-lipped devotees.
So what’s all the fuss about? Can Bulletproof Coffee really supercharge your health?
I must admit, it has taken me a while to write this article. I love the fact that people are focusing on their health, trying something new and pushing the boundaries. I also hate “following the norm” when it comes to nutrition. I do, however, think we need to consider a number of factors before we undergo extremes with our diet. I also think you have to know the rules (of nutrition) before you start breaking them.
What is it?
Bulletproof coffee is essentially a recipe, created by a guy called Dave Asprey, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, self-proclaimed “bio-hacker” and founder of the The Bulletproof Executive.
It is a combination of coffee, grass-fed butter and medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil.
This is the recipe:
It’s the first week of summer and the beginning of the Silly Season. For many of us, that means a lot of eating and drinking! Christmas parties, work break-up drinks, Christmas lunch, New Years Eve and everything in between.
Let’s face it, we are going to over indulge. That’s ok. It’s what we do EVERY DAY that’s important, not what we do occasionally. So, let’s look at some ways we can minimize the effects of all the celebrating, dodge a few bullets and keep our health relatively on track over this busy period.
Having a morning routine is something I believe is vital for your daily success. It involves creating a ritual with some small habits that will improve your overall life. It’s that piece of calm in your day, where you choose exactly what YOU want to do and puts you in the right mindset to tackle the challenges of a busy day ahead. It might just be just one habit, like drinking warm water with lemon, or a collection of things.
Here is my morning routine. Of course there are days that involve impromptu brekkies with my fiancé and friends or I sneak in some training. This is what my morning usually looks like though.
Whether you're doing the 2 Week Spring Cleanse or you just love a crunchy salad, this is the perfect Spring recipe. I love this salad as it keeps really fresh for days, so you can have it throughout the week for lunches or dinners. Not only is it loaded with a range of different vitamins, minerals and fibre from all the veg, the miso dressing provides some good bacteria for your gut health.
Spring is the perfect time to press the reset button and give your body a break - just before the Summer festivities kick off! With work break-up and Christmas parties, New Year celebrations and Summer holidays ahead, it's important to have your body's natural detoxification systems in tip top shape so you look and feel your best.
I'm starting on the 24th October and would love you to join me for the ride!
Experience glowing skin, improved sleep, less stress, a settled gut, increased energy levels and feel more vital than ever. You may also shift those stubborn kilos that you just haven’t been able to budge.
Do you wake up craving coffee? Have 3:30itis and need a sugary pick-me-up? This cleanse will also help to cut cravings and reset your body so it’s not reliant on sugar and caffeine for energy.
This is a topic of confusion for many people and rightly so. The amount of conflicting information around workout nutrition makes it very difficult for the everyday athlete to know what to do when it comes to getting the most out of their workouts.
Let’s break down some of myths around workout nutrition and see what we actually should be eating before and after our workouts.
NOTE: Requirements are obviously going to be very different for athletes/body builders/fitness competitors training multiple sessions per day and preparing for competition. This article is for people that exercise regularly for health, fitness and to just look and feel better.
I read an article in the Herald Sun on Saturday, debating whether we need supplements to be healthy. A personal trainer argued that we can get all our nutrients from real, whole foods and there is no need for additional supplements. A high profile pharmacist and herbalist, Gerald Quigley argued that supplements play a vital role for optimal health. So who is right?
