Have you ever seen anything
in your life
more wonderful
than the way the sun, every evening,
relaxed and easy,
floats toward the horizon
and into the clouds or the hills, or the rumpled sea,
and is gone—
and how it slides again
out of the blackness,
every morning,
on the other side of the world, like a red flower
streaming upward on its heavenly oils, say, on a morning in early summer,
at its perfect imperial distance—
and have you ever felt for anything
such wild love—
do you think there is anywhere, in any language, a word billowing enough
for the pleasure
that fills you, as the sun reaches out,
as it warms you
as you stand there, empty-handed—
or have you too
turned from this world—
or have you too gone crazy
for power,
for things?
-Mary Oliver
I think in some way we have all gone a little crazy, gotten a little bit (or a lot) lost at times. Forgetting the small miracles that every day brings forth. We are witness to a multitude of miracles within every moment. In such a mad world it’s easy to lose track of what’s really important, how truly blessed we are just to feel the suns kiss on our skin.
Mornings like these, when you permeate a radiant contentment, what do you do? How do you string that zeal along and stretch it out and make it last? For me, I linger softly around the fridge and wonder what I can create to continue the good vibration. The answer is always different, but on this day, it was Huevos Rancheros, a favourite comfort food, that doesn’t have to live solely at the breakfast table. Of course if you know me, my huevos recipe is very non-traditional. Skip the beans, load up some yummy roasted sweet potato, easy grain-free tortillas, roasted tomato sauce spiked with ample amounts of homemade hot sauce, and crumbled feta, all with a generous squeeze of lime and a handful of cilantro. String the good feelings along, make them last, nourish your whole being. That’s the juicy stuff right there.
1-2 whole roasted sweet potatoes, or you could grate it and pan fry for a faster option.
4 whole tomatoes, halved
1 bell pepper, halved
¼ C homemade hot sauce or equivalent mexican hot sauce like cholula or a chipotle
½ tsp cumin seeds
¼ C crumbled feta cheese
handful chopped cilantro
2 lime wedges
sea salt to taste
4 eggs
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400F
Roast sweet potatoes,bell pepper and tomatoes for 45 minutes with a bit of oil and salt
Combine almond flour, tapioca and a pinch of salt
In a separate bowl mix together water and 1 egg, whisk into dry ingredients, the consistency will be quite thin.
Heat a skillet and melt some coconut oil or your preferred cooking fat, when its nice and hot drop batter by the Tbs. to make little tortillas, cook until golden brown on both sides.
Fry or poach your eggs.
When the tomatoes and pepper are ready, pop them into a food processor or blender, add the cumin seeds and a bit of salt and blend until smooth.
Cut the roast sweet potato into chunks and assemble on plates with the tortillas and eggs, pour sauce over the sweet potatoes and garnish with cilantro, feta and lime.
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This post was shared on Fat Tuesday alongside many other nourishing recipes.
Smoothies make me happy, and this one is specifically designed to ward off depression and anxiety, nourish you with mood lifting minerals and make your spirit soar with ethereal delights. To really boost your mood, try this, positive affirmations can have a huge impact on how we feel, this is one of Louise Hays suggestions for depression, I am enough just as I am. It may seem silly but say it with meaning a few times a day and you may be surprised at the peaceful feeling that grows within.
Fall has arrived, I don’t know about you guys but shorter days for me, bring on a bit of the blues. There are so many foods that can help fight depression, an illness that ails more than 121 million people worldwide. I’ve noticed huge differences in my mood when I make sure I’m taking good care of myself. Adequate omega-3, magnesium,vitamin D and probiotics are among the most important tools in your armament for fighting off the blues. Self-love and equipping ourselves with the knowledge of how to feel better on a holistic scale can drastically improve depression and anxiety (and a lot of other diseases). Smoothies are a really enjoyable way of getting those nutrients into your life and feeling happier every day.
2 handfuls of raw cashews are the therapeutic equivalent to a dose of prozac.
Coconut helps fight off candida and parasites which can inhibit good bacteria and cause brain fog.
Organic plain yogurt is packed with probiotics for healthy gut flora which is necessary for serotonin (the happy hormone which is formed in the gut) to pass the blood brain barrier and work its magic upstairs.
Berries are filled with antioxidants and help reduce inflammation and improve digestion.
Bananas are high in the amino acid tryptophan which coverts into serotonin.
Chia seeds are high in omega-3 fatty acids, a factor commonly overlooked when treating depression.
Bee pollen contains key neuro-nutrients such as GABA, tryptophan and norepinephrine which help to correct brain chemistry.
Elderflowers magical essence adds sweetness and imbibes powerful renewal of energy.
Elderflower Syrup
Honestly, it’s like nothing I’ve done lately works, and it was really bumming me out all weekend. I tried to make 3 different things for the blog and nothing was good enough (I only want to give you the best of the very best!) Frustrated and anxious to DO more and BE better I had to really step aside and pop my own bubble. Hello, this isn’t about perfection, it’s about sharing and growing and learning. I’m not perfect, I burn the roast chicken, I make butt ugly but darn delicious beetroot tarts with cauliflower crust, I dust coconut flour all over the camera and piss off J but whatever. Everybody is going through it, every person is looking at the state of the planet and looking at their children and thinking- wow, how can we change this for their sake? Well I guess my answer to that,from my humble perspective, is we need to love ourselves more, with all our hearts wide open the world can change. Every day is a new day and a chance to improve, whether it be physically, spiritually or mentally, all those realms play a huge part in our happiness. I am enough just as I am.
2 handfuls raw cashews- soaked for 6-8 hours and drained
¾ C fresh or frozen mixed berries
1 banana
½ C plain organic yogurt
3 tsp coconut oil
¼ C coconut flakes
2 Tbs elderflower syrup or honey
1 C water
1 tsp bee pollen, for sprinkling on top
1 tsp chia seeds, for sprinkling on top
Instructions
In a blender add cashews, berries,banana,yogurt,coconut oil, coconut flakes and elderflower syrup or honey. Blend on high until smooth and creamy, you can adjust the consistency by adding more or less water, start with ½ cup and work your way up from there.
Sprinkle chia seeds and bee pollen on top with a drizzle of honey or elderflower syrup
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I would love to hear your ways of fighting off the blues, drop me a line in the comments, by e-mail or on any of my social networks.
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So stoked on this Paleo Banana Bread with Pears and Honeyed Chocolate Sauce, for reals, it’s gluten and grain free, super moist and indulgently delicious. All I wanted today (and most days) was something rich and chocolately, warm and comforting, with a nice hot chai, and it doesn’t get much better than this banana bread folks. We have these two bountiful pear trees bordering our driveway, most of them are still unripe but one was ready, I wanted to make something special with the first pear of many to come. The bottom of the bread is caramelized gooey pears, which is surprisingly easy to achieve with a little coconut sugar and oil, the loaf pops right out, truly worthy of a pat on the back, a nice book and a cozy blanket. Monday moods.
We had to go to the court house today for a little ‘business’, apparently babies aren’t normally guests at such places since no change table was present anywhere. All the serious lawyers were ogling Mavi’s monkey pants, and he had plenty of smiles to share with all. What a gift children give to the world with their endless joy. The little one is starting to eat some solids, we’re taking a bit of an unconventional route and holding off on the grains and fruits. Instead, pastured egg yolks and grass-fed beef liver are the first foods. Quite the stretch from Pablem and other processed baby gruel. The reasoning behind this is that babies don’t produce amylase, the enzyme needed to break down all carbohydrates. Babes are much better equipped to digest protein and fat. At about 6 months they don’t have any iron stores left from when they were still inside momma, stealing all her iron for their journey outward. Liver is rich in iron and many vitamins, and the egg yolk from pastured chickens is high in healthy brain building cholesterol and lutein. I’m grateful to have this knowledge for our son, I’m sure at his age I was downing cheerios and goldfish, and I actually remember those vanilla baby cookies that one would just suck on until they disintegrated, yum?
Banana Bread with Pears and Honeyed Chocolate Sauce
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Ingredients
For the banana bread
3 ripe bananas,mashed
2 eggs
1/4 C almond butter, raw or roasted
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp sea salt
3 Tbs+1 tsp coconut oil,melted
2 Tbs coconut sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 C dark chocolate chips
1 ripe pear, thinly sliced
1/3 C coconut flour
For the chocolate sauce
2 Tbs coconut oil, melted
2 Tbs cacao powder
2 Tbs honey
pinch of salt
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F or 170C
Combine bananas,eggs,almond butter,vanilla, baking soda,sea salt, coconut oil and 1 Tbs coconut sugar until smooth and creamy.
Add coconut flour and baking soda until well incorporated, then proceed to mix in the chocolate chips.
In a loaf pan spread 1 tsp coconut oil on all sides until well coated and sprinkle a Tbs of coconut sugar over top, spread pear slices evenly over top.
Carefully pour the batter over top of the pear slices and smooth it all out.
Bake for 50 min. until a toothpick comes out clean.
Makes about 10 slices
For the chocolate sauce
Combine all ingredients and leave at room temperature to thicken. Stir well before pouring over your finished banana bread.
My quota for a happy Sunday, equals, lazy sleep in, beach time, happy animal blessings- a huge frog, our resident soaring eagle and the hummingbird who says hello now and again. An afternoon spent making Kimchi (working on perfecting the recipe) 8 bountiful jars to be exact and to top it all off this melt in your mouth, even the cat licked the plate, brown butter pear & apple crisp, oh my! No oats were harmed in the making of this crisp, it’s grain-free and oh so nourishing. I really wanted that carmel brown butter effect, it goes so beautifully with pears, but you could definitely swap it out for ghee, or coconut oil and make this palesupeofied (super paleofied). If you aren’t fully into the dino-chow and you enjoy a few toasty oats, check out my blackberry rhubarb crumble and sub the berries and rhubarb for apples and pears. But I promise you won’t miss the oats, really, you don’t even need ’em to have a luscious summer crisp as this.
Getting a little fancy, a scoop of coconut ice cream ( I like larry & luna’s) is divine atop this creation! Of course its also delicious naked as it is, which is how I will be having it for breakfast tomorrow, with a nice coffee.
There’s really nothing better than dessert for breakfast. I wonder how bulletproof coffee would taste with a little brown butter?
In a small saucepan, melt butter (If using ghee or coconut you can skip this step) on medium low heat until the milk solids start to turn brown, this usually takes about 5-7 minutes. Set aside.
In a cast iron skillet add 1 Tbs of brown butter as well as the apples, pears and vanilla. Cover and allow fruit to get nice and soft before removing from heat.
Mix together the almond meal, sea salt, cinnamon, walnuts, coconut flour and the remaining brown butter to form a crumbly topping.
Sprinkle topping on the fruit mixture and put skillet in the oven for 10 minutes.
Add some extra walnuts on top and serve
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Mmmmmmm…enjoying the fruit while it’s here! Love, love, LOVE.
& a delicious quote to inspire your soul.
“As it is, we are merely bolting our lives—gulping down undigested experiences as fast as we can stuff them in—because awareness of our own existence is so superficial and so narrow that nothing seems to us more boring than simple being. If I ask you what you did, saw, heard, smelled, touched and tasted yesterday, I am likely to get nothing more than the thin, sketchy outline of the few things that you noticed, and of those only what you thought worth remembering. Is it surprising that an existence so experienced seems so empty and bare that its hunger for an infinite future is insatiable? But suppose you could answer, “It would take me forever to tell you, and I am much too interested in what’s happening now.” How is it possible that a being with such sensitive jewels as the eyes, such enchanted musical instruments as the ears, and such a fabulous arabesque of nerves as the brain can experience itself as anything less than a god? And, when you consider that this incalculably subtle organism is inseparable from the still more marvelous patterns of its environment—from the minutest electrical designs to the whole company of the galaxies—how is it conceivable that this incarnation of all eternity can be bored with being?”
~ Alan Watts, The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are
Grown up scrambled eggs, Italiano style. Inspired by piles of fresh basil and oregano, a hunk of great chorizo and fresh cheese curds. The seasons first broccoli are out, Italian ribbed zucchini and sweet little baby onions. All of these delights, sautéed in butter, lightly seasoned with black pepper, just allowing the raw flavours of everything to shine. A nice local cheese curd mixed in with slow cooked eggs alongside a pile of summers bounty. Yes please, this perfect breakfast awaits, and it’s way better than an omelette. (more…)
I grew up eating massive amounts of cereal. Cinnamon toast crunch was one of the top choices (after reese puffs of course). This evening when I sat down to try my new creation, my jaw dropped. I have created a healthy version of my childhood favourite. The base is brazil nuts, which was an experiment that came out better than expected. With a creamy banana coconut frosting which somehow doesn’t taste very banana like, maybe because I used super ripe bananas. The combination of everything just works. A nice paleo, raw, enzyme rich dessert to satisfy your sweet tooth. (more…)
Hey I'm Chantelle, my alter ego would be a mermaid if I wasn't such a terrible swimmer. I love writing authentically and cooking in my pyjamas. My favourite pastimes include eating avocados, travelling the world and hanging out with a toddler.
