thermomix raw protein bliss balls

It's the second day of winter here in Australia and already my body wants to hibernate under a heavy feather doona and fill it's tummy with not so healthy treats. In the past these treats consisted of anything potato but this year I've been craving sweets. But not just any sweet. Chocolate. Yes, you heard right. Chocolate of all things!

So to satisfy my new chocolate cravings and tame the veteran chocoholic in the house without compromising our health journey, I made my own version of the ever so popular bliss balls. We still get our chocolatey fix while jam packing all of this natural goodness into our bodies!

  
I like to use a variety of nuts and seeds to jam pack as many vitamins as possible, but if you don't have all of the nuts or seeds on hand, use any combination that you have in your pantry. And if you're allergic to nuts, use only seeds and add some coconut. The variations are endless and will suit any taste and diet!

 Try them for yourself, they're SO easy and SO SO addictive...

NB. Use the gram directions if using your Thermomix and the cup/spoon directions if using your food processor:

 Add the following ingredients to your Thermomix or food processor:

120g pitted organic dates (about 6 large dates)
40g raw organic almonds (1/4 cup)
40g raw organic cashews (1/4 cup)
40g raw organic walnuts (1/3 cup)
35g organic sunflower seeds (1/4 cup)
35g organic pumpkin seeds (1/4 cup)
60g organic sultanas (1/2 cup)
2 tbsp raw organic cacao (not cocoa)
1 tbsp organic chia
1 tbsp ground organic linseed/flaxseed

Thermomix speed 9 for 45 seconds or process in your food processor until the mix is ground and dough like.

Roll into balls and then roll through organic coconut or more cacao. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.  

And last but not least, enjoy and don't forget to share them!

Makes 20-24

Michelle xo

loving these december buys!

Admittedly, I have done far too much shopping this month! There were the Christmas gifts, the baby gifts, the gifts for all of the parties in December and January, the Boxing Day sales and of course, a few buys for yours truly. Now I'd love to share them all, but some of my favourite buys have yet to be gifted, so they'll stay under wraps for now! But take a look at some of my other favourite buys and gifts I received over Christmas:

Decorative berry branches - These wooden branches don't look like much now, but wait until you see what I have in store for these (check the blog later this month!). I bought these from Supply and Demand - my new favourite store! They stock excess homewares and decorator items from stores such as Adairs, Bed Bath and Table, Freedom, etc., and I just can't get enough of it! And best of all, they're cheap!

Sunbeam SmartBake - I finally got a bread maker!! I made my first organic wholegrain loaf over a year ago in protest against the $9 loaves I was buying from my health food store. Even though my loaves tasted so much better (and cheaper!), I hated the mess and the time it took kneading and repeatedly checking the dough as it rose. But this lil' baby means no more kneading, no more rise checks and no more mess! And it makes pasta dough and jam too! With all of this yummy bread I'll be baking, I secretly wonder whether my man bought this to benefit me or him?? hehe

Ceramic pie weights - If you enjoy baking like me, do yourself and the earth a favor and buy yourself some ceramic pie weights. They'll last forever and eliminate the waste involved in using new rice or beans each time you need to blind bake your pastry. My lovely sister must have read my letter to Santa because she added these and the Donna Hay Christmas magazine to my Christmas gift... Now I can't wait to start baking!

Glasshouse candle - I received this Christmas edition but I have loved the Glasshouse range of candles for years now... especially the caramel scented candle! These candles are made from non-toxic wax and all natural lead-free cotton wicks, so they're good for you and the environment. I've seen these at Bibelo and Peter Alexander, or check your local stockist on the Glasshouse website.

T2 Relax - Such a gorgeous mix of chamomile, juniper berries, flowers (hibiscus, lavender, rose petals), vervain leaves and lemongrass... I'm already addicted! Get some for yourself at T2.  

The Big Bang Theory Season 4 - I'm not a big TV fan but I absolutely love finding a great series and snuggling up for a few solid hours. My newest TV crush is the Big Bang Theory - An American sitcom based on the contrast between geeky and socially awkward friends Leonard, Sheldon, Raj and Howard and their beautiful neighbour Penny. If you haven't watched it before, grab yourself a copy or borrow mine... it'll have you in stitches!

Leather Journal - Last, but certainly not least, my new gratitude journal. Yes, 2011 was beautiful in many ways but it also brought many challenging moments and decisions. And although I am deeply grateful for all of the blessings in my life, it can be difficult remembering all I am grateful for during the difficult times. So as a constant (grounding) reminder, I really hope I take the time to jot down all of the small things I am grateful for each day. Why not do the same for yourself?

Michelle xx 

homemade dog biscuits

I absolutely adore my mum's dog Lily - with her stumpy legs, chubby body and buck teeth, who wouldn't love her! But recently she's been sick a lot... you know, the kind of sick that comes from licking the shower base or eating Christmas tinsel or the nose off her favourite toy! So when I recently read pumpkin can help with stomach irritation in dogs, I knew I had to get onto it. But I knew from past experience Lily would turn her nose down at plain old mashed pumpkin so I added some to my homemade dog biscuits instead. Here's the recipe I used:

1 cup wholemeal flour

1/2 cup oats

1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup mashed pumpkin

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 tablespoon apple puree 

Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl, then mix in the wet ingredients until well combined. Knead the dough and roll out to 1/2 cm thickness. If the dough is too wet, add more flour before attempting to roll. Cut out the biscuits using a cookie cutter and place them on a non-stick baking tray. Bake in a 175 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned.  Simple as that!

When Lily spotted me holding something she knew it had to be for her...

And she just couldn't wait to snap the treat out of my hands...

And snap them up she did - three in a row!

These are great treats, sick or not sick, so try them for your lil' friend the next time you have left over steamed pumpkin.

Michelle xx

homemade liquid hand soap

For years now I've used an all natural goats milk body soap but have struggled to find an all natural goats milk liquid hand wash that I like just as much. I've tried using organic liquid hand washes but they were ridiculously expensive ($9.95+ for 200ml) and I just couldn't justify that expense. 

I knew there had to be a way to make my own, so I scoured the web and came across a few recipes that seemed relatively easy. Unfortunately, none of the recipes worked quite as well as the maker had promised - they were either too runny or too solid to be passed off as a liquid hand wash. But with a few changes, I've made a mix which resembles and works just as well as any commercial liquid hand wash. Here's what I did:

10 cups water

1 bar of soap ( a better quality bar will yield the best results)

1 metric tablespoon of vegetable glycerine (found at the supermarket near the calamine lotion or at your local health food store)

optional - your favourite essential oil if using a fragrance free bar soap

Grate the soap using the fine side of your cheese grater and set aside. In a medium/large pot, add 10 cups of water, 1 tablespoon vegetable glycerine and 1 cup (tightly packed) of the grated soap. Cook on medium to low heat until the soap dissolves, remembering not to let the water boil otherwise the finished product will be watery. Once the soap has dissolved, remove from the heat and allow the mix to cool completely. At this step, you may add your favourite essential oil if you have used a fragrance free bar soap. 
  
If the finished product is too watery and does not resemble liquid hand soap, you have probably overheated the mix. But don't despair... add a teaspoon of table soap and check on the mix in 10-15 minutes. If the mix is still runny after this time, add another teaspoon of table salt.

After a quick whisk, what you should end up with is a silky liquid hand soap... just funnel the mix into your soap dispenser and you're done! You can pour the remaining mix into an airtight bottle, remembering to leave some room for you to shake each time you need to refill your soap dispenser. 

The bar soap I use lathers beautifully due to the goats milk, so I get a great lather with this liquid hand soap but some soaps wont have the same result. But don't worry... the sudsy lather isn't what makes soap the great cleaner that it is!

Using my all natural bar soap, it costs me about $6 to make 2 litres of liquid hand soap. If you're using a regular bar of soap or the mini soaps you got during your last hotel stay, then it will cost you less than $2 for 2 litres of the stuff! A great saving for only 5-10 minutes of your time!

Have a try yourself and if you have any questions, feel free to comment or email me!

Michelle xx

homemade bath salts

 

 

Work for me lately has been extremely demanding and emotionally taxing. And when I'm feeling this drained and consumed, the only remedy is a hot bath. I love to light an organic soy candle, grab my iPod, add some homemade bath salts to the water and wash the day away.

In the past I would buy commercially prepared bath salts however I soon realised they included many harmful chemicals and additives - none of which actually improved the effectiveness of the salts. When I chose to move to a more organic way of living I had to look at more natural alternatives so I came up with this simple yet beautifully fragrant recipe:

4 cups of sea salt or a combination of 2 cups sea salt and 2 cups epsom salt

Your favourite essential oil

I prefer to use sea salt as opposed to regular salt as it does not contain iodine which apparently causes sensitivity in some people. Sea salt also generally has no anti-caking additives and is directly distilled from sea water. I also like to use epsom salt as it gives the body a boost of magnesium and relieves inflammation, muscle and joint pain.

Place the salts in a bowl and add several drops of your favourite essential oil. And if you have some on hand, add dried fragrant plants or flowers to match your essential oil (my favourite is lavender, chamomile or eucalyptus). Mix well and pour into an airtight container to avoid moisture. 

These bath salts are ridiculously cheap to make compared to the commercially prepared alternatives and they are a great gift to give to yourself because you deserve to relax and unwind as often as possible. Run yourself a bath, add a few spoonfuls of the salt and ENJOY!

Michelle xx