Monday 25 August 2014

brooke's hummus & day on a plate

This weekend I decided to get back on to the hummus bandwagon as I needed a portable picnic lunch. Mine is oil-free and garlic-free but I've included these variations in the recipe today - absolutely delicious either way!


I thought I'd also share with you my day on a plate. Here in Melbourne, Australia we are coming out of the colder winter months. Spring is just around the corner and I am craving less cooked food and more raw food again. I am also eating a very-low-to-no-sugar diet to treat Candidiasis, which means very limited fruit options! Although my day on a plate at the moment is a window into a minimal fruit vegan diet (this is not an easy feat!), there are many substitutions that can be made so that I'm eating a delectable array of nutritious food - just like in this "switcheroo" chart from Ascension Kitchen!


brooke's day on a plate


Breakfast: green smoothie or quinoa porridge with berries 

Snack: activated almonds or walnuts with pink salt

Lunch: raw salad with quinoa or raw spaghetti marinara

Snack: green vegetable juice or raw caramel fudge 

Dinner: vegetable soup or sautéed veggies with buckwheat

Dessert: chia seed pudding with coconut yoghurt 

Drink: 2-3 litres filtered water, herbal tea and kombucha between meals


So that's my day on a plate! My menu changes as the seasons change and as I listen to the needs of my body, which is what I encourage you to do too. My day on a plate may look like I spend a lot of time in the kitchen but my meals are really quick and simple. But yes, I do allocate meal preparation time into my schedule. Organisation is a the key to healthy eating and living - along with the attribute of flexibility! After all, your good health provides a good foundation for living your best life… and enjoying the life you are living. 

brooke's hummus


400g can of chickpeas, drained & rinsed
1 cup filtered water
1/4 cup tahini 
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp sea salt or pink salt
juice of a lemon
3 Tbsp cold-pressed olive oil - optional
1 garlic clove - optional
paprika, for garnish

Combine all ingredients in a high powered blender or food processor until smooth and creamy. Note: only use 3/4 cup filtered water if you add the olive oil. Add more or less water and tahini for desired consistency. Serve with vegetable crudités. Bon appetit!


Quote for the Road…


Monday 18 August 2014

recalibrate with self-care practices

Recalibration days. Everyone needs them. Even those who do not live with an illness. We all have our moments when we need to rest, regroup and recalibrate. 

I wrote here last year about how the practice of self-care creates a rhythm in my life. Living with ME means that I need to be very diligent with my daily self-care practices. Living with a chronic illness does not mean I miss out on living my life (and I refuse to allow FOMO - the fear of missing out - to take root in my heart!). What it means for me right now is that I struggle to do what you do more than two days in a row. And so, recalibration days, or buffer days, are my friend.


I love a slower pace of life. And self-care does help us to slow down. Especially on the hard days, those days when we need to be kind to ourselves, just like we would be to a loved one. Social media can make it easy to believe that some people don't have hard days. We always (mostly) present our best. But days offline, recalibrating, and working through the hard stuff, help us to actually live our best. 

Here are my daily self-care practices that help keep me on board the happy and healthy train:
  • Lots and lots of sleep. Between the hours of 10pm to 7am are the most magical hours for me.
  • Oil pulling every morning.
  • Devotional time every morning - daily reading, journalling, praying and meditating on the Word. 
  • Plant-based nutrition every day. Every meal is an opportunity to eat foods that nourish my body and help me to heal from a chronic illness. 
  • Drinking 2 to 3 litres of filtered water every day.
  • Exercise every day - incidental or structured. I enjoy walking, running, cycling and Pilates. 
  • Coffee enemas every other evening. 
  • Dry body brushing before a warm bath or shower every evening.
  • Earthing every night. Or just going barefoot during the day.
  • Connecting with friends and family. Building healthy relationships and filling my love tank.
  • Infrared sauna every fortnight.
  • Colon hydrotherapy every month.
This may seem like a long list but hear me when I say, I am not perfect, and I don't always do all these things all the time as much as I would like to. I simply try to create a routine and be flexible in order to allow for the ebb and flow of life. I'm sure this list will change over time as my health improves and my life shifts.

For now, I hope this list gives you an insight into the day-to-day of living with and recovering from a chronic illness, and may it also inspire you to begin your own daily routine of self-care practices. 

Go on, my friend, and recalibrate.


P.S. I'll leave you with this very hydrating and nutritious Perfect Green Juice from Food Matters:


Quote for the Road… 


Monday 11 August 2014

joy, peace & green smoothies

Hands up who has seen this quote making the rounds on social media in the last month or so?


Comparison is the act of looking at things to see how they are similar or different. There is nothing wrong with this per se until we start to compare people. And especially ourselves. The thing is that there will always be someone who's prettier, smarter, stronger, richer, funnier, etc than us! When we start to compare ourselves with other people (looking at how we are similar or different) we can begin to perceive that we fall short of the mark. And our perception, though it may not be true, feels like the truth.

The problem with comparison is that our attention shifts from what we can do to what we can't do, from who we are to who we are not. And it's in this process our joy is stolen and our peace is shaken. 

The reality is we are all running our own race. Comparing ourselves to other people will most likely paralyse us through fear and produce discontent within our hearts. What a steep price to pay! But if we keep our attention on the race that we are running, satisfied with the pace we choose to run and who we run with, then who can steal our joy and shake our peace?

Last year I blogged here about managing stress and anxiety through keeping calm, praying and practicing deep breathing. More than most people I understand how comparison can derail you. Comparison is a side effect of being a twin. Growing up, my twin sister and I were compared a lot. After awhile you start to compare yourself too. I would often wonder why so-and-so only talked to her even though I'd be standing right there (and vice versa). Am I not bubbly enough? smart enough? beautiful enough? Around the age of twenty we figured out these insecurities were not founded in the truth. So, we made a choice to stop comparing ourselves, rally together, and be the best friend to ourselves that we were to each other. 

Do you find that comparison is stealing your joy and shaking your peace?
Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the centre of your life. (Philippians 4:6-7, MSG).
Let's stop comparing ourselves and start celebrating what makes us all unique, one-of-a-kind and worthy of being loved. 


Just in case you haven't noticed I'm a huge Food Matters fan. Food Matters is an inspiring source of healthy info, including recipes, articles, films, books and more - just like this green pineapple smoothie recipe:


Quote for the Road


Monday 4 August 2014

my easy spring cleanse guide

Hello friends! After a tumultuous week of bipolar weather here in Melbourne it seems as though the worst of winter has passed and spring is on the way. During winter all I want to do is sleep. Seriously. It's a good time to hibernate. But when spring comes I dive head first into a good ole spring clean out! I'm gearing up for a detox/cleanse this spring, and you can too, just by planning ahead and being ready to get rid of the heaviness of winter (here comes the sun!) and all the heavy food you ate to keep warm (or that's what you told yourself about those donuts!).

Yes, a good ole spring cleanse is the way to go!

Here's what you can focus on during this last month of winter to prepare yourself for a cleanse:




Here are some easy spring cleanses that you can check out so you can plan and prepare yourself in body, soul and spirit:

Basic Detox


Beauty Detox

The Beauty Detox Solution & The Beauty Detox Foods by Kimberly Snyder, C.N.

Daniel Fast

The Daniel Fast by Susan Gregory

Juice Fast


Detox Therapies

And last, but not least, don't forget your daily dose of vitamin D to boost your mood and your energy levels as you wake up from your winter slumber and get ready for the cleansing season of spring! 


Quote for the Road…