A Plan

...for my little blog!


I couldn't sleep last night because of a certain medication that is meant to help sinusitis (ugh) and made two decisions;
Revive my old blog (fashion, beauty, lifestyle that isn't food - see Lemon Butter Blog)
Change the format of this one.


Why would you change the format!  I love this blog!  I can't live without it!


I know I know, it's OK, all I'm going to do is...
Shorten the posts!  Concise, quick information that you can read in a minute or two is where it's at.  No body has time for long blog posts, especially when there are 50 blog you want to read and only 1 bottle of wine to drink (is that just me?).  

Simple is best.
image cred

Healthy living is meant to be simple, so I am going to try and simplify it for you.  Info on nutrients, opinions on what's in health news, quick tips, recipes etc - in a shorter format.  More posts, less content each.


Whattya reckon'? 


What ya recks of my spellin?


Da ya lyk it?


I DoN'T!


Stay tuned & stay well,
Nat x

Cold Help & Happy May!

Just a quick post to say hi & happy 5th month of the year.  Time flies, ey?  Scroll to the bottom for some cold/flu/sinusitis relief tricks I've learnt over the past month.


I still have extreme sinusitis and am having no fun, so don't have much enthusiasm where cooking and writing is concerned.  I made the boy a cheesy pasta bake last night including butter, white pasta and, obviously, loads of cheese.  See?  I am sick!  It was easy & I have 0 energy.  


I don't have a photo of the sloppy cheese bake I made (I know you were so hoping I did), but I am reading the Wholesome Cook blog this morning and drooling over these chocolate crackers with peanut butter;

I wish I photographed food this well.

Head over to The Wholesome Cook for the recipe & for other amazing recipes.  

I strongly suggest that, if you don't have sinusitis, you action the above at once.

If you do have sinusitis (I hope this relates to NO ONE), or even a common cold, the past few weeks has taught me that the below may help you (don't do any of the below without talking to your Doctor as I am not a Doctor & plenty of the below can interact with other medications or ailments);

- Sniff eucalyptus or tea tree oil.

- Better still, put them in a vaporiser or sprinkle at the bottom of a hot shower.

- Place heat packs on your sinuses for at least 20 minutes (use potatoes if you have no heat packs, they hold the heat), then tilt your head upside down (bend over or lie on your stomach and put it over the edge of the bed), and blow your nose!

- Get a decongestant nasal spray from the chemist.

- Get a neti pot.

- Stay warm, even if it means being hot.

- Get a saline spray and use it.

- Sniff steam, even if you just inhale your cups of tea.

- Drink luke-warm drinks and a lot of them.

- Make simple, brothy soup packed with garlic, fresh ginger and vegetables. 

- Make tea of a cinnamon stick and 5 slices of fresh ginger (this is also very yummy).

- Drink green tea and eat berries.

- Lower your intake of dairy and sugar.

- Try vitamin C and E.

- Sleep with your head elevated.

- Wear a beanie around the clock (yes, I am sleeping in a beanie).

- Try a cough medicine as a decongestant, or a flu tablet containing pseudoephedrine.

- Rest!  No cooking, cleaning, essay writing etc (hear that, Natalie?).

Unfortunately, none of the above has worked well enough for me to get back to work so now a super-cocktail of medications has been prescribed.  It is yuck.

I'll be back!  

Stay well,

Nat x

End of April Blog Madness!

Oh gosh, look how many days I've missed!  I have to start this post with a handy hint to the universe; If someone offers you sinusitis, say NO!  Say NO to sinusitis!  They should have a government awareness campaign on this shizzle.  Total wipe out.  Anyway, my energy and extreme enthusiasm for everything is back, which is fabulous - hopefully complete recovery of my painful head and dizzy spells follows soon.  I really want to get back into life!  I know everything is still happening out there!


I seem to be using excessive exclamation marks lately.  I apologise, but I can't help it.


Onto the catch up.

Day 25

Third person post. Write about a memory you have but describe it  using the third person.

I have decided to write about my morning, as has been the routine for the past few weeks at home.

Natalie woke up to the sound of M's alarm.  Nokia think they have mastered a subtle alarm noise, but nothing is subtle at 5.50am.  She can hear the fan start whirring from the ensuite and a thin stream of brighter than usual light is highlighting the cat on the end of her bed.  She can feel how cold it is; the heat lamp must be on.  She turns over and tries for more sleep, thoughts spinning in her head, "Will I be able to get to work today?  Maybe I should start a small graphic art business.  Do I still have the skills?  I wonder what I'll have for breakfast?".  M emerges from the ensuite and she has still not drifted back to sleep.  She hears the fridge door open and the kettle boil from the kitchen, still no sleep.  She sees M walk back into the ensuite to brush his teeth, still no sleep.  He kisses her good bye and the garage door closes, still no sleep.  It's 7.15am.  She stands up and instantly feels dizzy; no work today.  Message to the boss, "Morning R, still no luck, off to the docs again today.  Still hopeful of a return this week!  See you soon'.  She is thankful she has a great boss.
She wonders whether to get up and shower or go back to sleep.  Sleep, she decides, and for another hour fails to nod off.  OK, time to read.  She is loving The New Optimum Nutrition Bible and is already half way through.  She will be sad when she finishes it.
It's 9am, she is hungry and she needs to take her antibiotic 30 minutes before food.  She thinks of how much she hates that she's taking antibiotics again, swallows the tablet and goes back to reading.
9.30am.  Natalie walks into the kitchen, puts the kettle on, puts a Madura green tea bag in a mug, measures half a cup of oats into a bowl, covers them in rice milk and puts them in the fridge.  This is the first time she's had rice milk on oats.
Green tea with email check, facebook glance and twitter scroll.  15 minutes passed and time for breakfast.
Natalie gets out some berries for her oats, spoons a couple of tablespoons of greek yoghurt on top and springs LSA.  "Why did I pay for LSA when I can make it myself?", she thinks.  TV and breakfast.  Nothing is on, surprise surprise.  She promises herself she'll try and get some study done today and wanders over to her laptop.... 'lemon-liv....', and she's blogging.

Day 26

Health tagline. Give yourself, your blog, your condition, or some aspect of your health a tagline. Make sure it’s catchy!


Well, mine would have to be...'Stay well'. 

Failing that, 'Don't just avoid illness, achieve wellness'.

... OK not catchy, but it represents my whole message.

The banner would obviously be a lot lovelier than that.

Day 27

5 Challenges. 5 Small Victories. Make a list of the 5 most difficult parts of your health focus. Make another top 5 list for the little, good things (small victories) that keep you going.


OK, I guess this is in relation to my blog, but I will make it about my mission in general which is to make people aware of what they are putting in their body.  The below probably relate less to my readers as, I have found, they generally read as they already have some interest in health, nutrition or whole food.

Good for you?

Image Cred

5 most difficult parts of my health focus;
1.  Helping people understand that just because it's fruit, it does not mean it's healthy.
2.  Helping people realise just how bad sugar is for you and how anything packed with sugar, including 'healthy' things like yoghurt and fruit juice, are not healthy once the white stuff is packed in.
3.  Highlighting to people that I am not about lecturing and living a life of rigid dietary discipline.  I eat how I eat because I enjoy it and yes, I eat chocolate, potato chips, blue cheese, white pasta etc sometimes - but I know exactly what it is doing to my body and what I am eating.  That's what I want for the world!
4.  Finding a balance on the blog and in real life.  I really do find it hard to see those I love making bad diet choices constantly.  Not occassionally, constantly.  Although there are exceptions - even the occasional fast food I see a loved one eat bothers me.  I can't help it!  But I do not judge.
5.  Making people realise weight loss is (physically) not hard!  Mentally challenging, OK, I can understand, but physically it's very simple.
6.  I have to add one more - defending my views.  A lot of people think I am nuts and I get tired of defending myself.

Sally Joseph
Image Cred






5 little victories that keep me going;
1.  Mum has started experimenting with baking excluding sugar and/or butter.  I think it is the highest compliment when your own parents listen to you.
2.  A friend with a chronic condition (not CFS) was helped by my diet advice. 
3.  Several friends have lost significant weight off my (simple!) advice.  
4.  An editor from a segment in The Age (newspaper in Melbourne) saying he liked my blog, massive compliment.
5. Getting in touch with Sally Joseph; Miranda Kerr's nutritionist who also got into the field due to CFS
6. One more - recovering from Chronic Illness!

Day 28

The First Time I… Write a post about the first time you did something. What is it? What was it like? What did you learn from it?

Image Cred

The first time I entered a supermarket after being house bound with CFS for 3 years was AMAZING.  The first thing that struck me was how incredibly awesome it was that all these different fruits and vegetables sourced from farms all over Australia and even all over the world were bought to this one place just so I, little old me, had the option of purchasing them for consumption.  They were so bright in colour, but not as bright as the insane fluoro lights which lined the ceiling.  Have you ever noticed how bright supermarkets are?  Then there's the aisles, oh how many products there are!  I was like a kid in a candy store getting giddy over the different types of pasta you could buy!  I was hyper-aware of all factories, marketing teams, factory workers, sales men etc that was behind everything single product.  All of this just so I could eat!
From that experience, I learnt that we take things for granted.  Pre-illness, I probably would have complained if I went into the supermarket and they didn't have the particular variety of apple I wanted to buy that day, now I think it's amazing that, in Melbourne, I can get pretty much any apple I want - and the ruburb and celeriac are just a few steps away!  I also became very aware of and to an extent, learnt, how much marketing is thrown in our face.  There are no logos or advertisements inside your house, but as soon as you get in your car, there's some on your keys, dashboard, there's a logo on your shirt, you've got a particular brand of shoe, the trolleys are a brand, there's pamphlets, advertising on every product - everything is an ad!  

And that was my first supermarket experience after illness.

I think I will catch up on the rest later, I am getting very tired and writing this!


I am off to the Doctor's again this afternoon.  Wish me luck for a miracle cure!  I literally feel that they could put syringes in my ears & nose & draw something out of my head.  I know they can't and, well, just know, but I can sort of feel it in there and it's a terrible feeling!

See you soon & stay well,
Nat x




PS.  The spacing is a little weird on this post - I can't fix it & have no idea what's going on! x

Rainy Day Catch-Up

Before I say anything at all, I recieved a lot of lovely messages with advice on what to do for sinusitis. You're all absolutely beautiful and I can't thank you enough. I literally have tried every single suggestion (except for a honey & onion suggestion which I keep forgetting to set up) and I super appreciate you taking the time to write them down for me. Sadly, as yet, none of them have provided anything but temporary relief. I did not know a nose could hurt this much and affect the rest of the body so much. I went and had a chat to my manager yesterday morning about what's going on and she was pretty amazingly understanding, so I now feel a lot less stressed about the urgency to get better & am taking it easy. Yes, I am a stress head, I can't help it! I wish I'd had all this time off to do something I enjoy. I certainly haven't had a month, (yes, a month!) off since I was home sick years ago. I wish I was able to enjoy it.

Onto the catch up.. the above is the reason I haven't been posting daily. Yesterday I was writing a uni lab report for 5 hours (it took so long as I felt so horrible) and I had no more will to be on the computer. It's hard because I've lost my appetite as the sinuses are affecting my stomach, so I constantly feel queasy and weak, even if I am forcing meals down.

The first post missed.. day 22;
 "The Things We Forget. Visit http://thingsweforget.blogspot.com/ and make your own version of a short memo reminder. Where would you post it?"

  

Ok so, if you can generate a post-it in that blog, I didn't have the patience to find out how. Isn't my mouse-writing adorable? I hate all fonts that attempt to resemble hand writing so this was my only option. As Natalie, queen of stress, who is seriously trying to curb the nasty habit (this blog and my soon to be web site are helping me explore ways of reducing it), I would stick this to my forehead. Wait, no, I can't see my own forehead - perhaps my right hand. I've never been good at relaxing and really do need this constant reminder.


Day 23 asked me to talk about anything I like, so I will share with you some lunches I've been eating while unwell. I've become obsessed with green vegetables and have not been very hungry. Also, apart from the energy being used to recover and fight this off, I've hardly been moving, so I haven't felt like I've needed as much food. Rest assured, some sort of carb in the afternoon followed these to keep my body strong (vitawheats, some toast, oats or rice have been choice. I go for basmati when unwell, I can't stand brown when my tummy is upset for some reason).

Here are the lunches.  Not especially inspiring and all quite similar...

 

 Day 24 (Gosh, is it the 24th of April already?!) 

 "Health Mascot. Give yourself, your condition, or your health focus a mascot"

 

How silly. Well, this is Mr. Lemon I guess (created from this flickr image). He is a fictional character that represents all things clean, simple, whole, natural and balanced. All he wants is the best for everyone around him. He doesn't need much but gives a lot. He's adaptable. He is strong inside and out, and very thick-skinned. He isn't concerned with how he looks, but more with how he performs. Yes, I am talking about a lemon man I drew in a picture... I feel very silly blogging today.

In other news, I may have sinusitis that has stopped my day to day life for a month and feel terrible, but today I am sipping green tea in my PJs, blogging, while it is freezing and mostly raining outside. Lady Melbourne must have noticed the weather, too, as she posted this lovely print which you can purchase (here) on Etsy;

 

 I'll leave you with that. Enjoy your Tuesday version of Friday! Stay well, Nat x

PS.  If you are looking for Anzac day cooking inspiration, but, like me, don't much care for the biscuits, check out Heidi's blog for a yummy Anzac day breakfast parfait.  I seriously wish I was not avoiding dairy right now!

x

The Week in Food (& Challenges)

I have been MIA the past couple of days.  Wait, no, that's a lie - to be MIA I'd probably have to be involved in some 'action', and the only action I'm currently involved in is the making of lemon, ginger & honey tea.  Especially annoying is that I was super looking forward to an old friend's engagement party tonight.


Home remedies for sinusitis, anyone?

Sadly, I've discovered a cheese plate cannot cure me.
Maybe because I'm avoiding alcohol while sick.. maybe Champagne can cure me!  Maybe..


___

Let me start with the day 20 Challenge which was to write about a Miracle Cure.

I found this really challenging.  Of course, my defaulting brain turns to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome / ME, as I suffered from it and know that there is no one size fits all cure, if there is in fact any cures out there at all.  Then that brings me to think of all the other chronic illnesses out there where people are left suffering for years and years with no end - Lyme and Fibromyalgia would be just two of these.  Then, of course, I think of the insane amount of terminal illnesses, or cancer.. the list is endless.  There is no way I could say that any illness is more deserving of a cure than another.  I know the challenge wasn't asking me to do so, but it was the reason I couldn't write an article.


Instead....

Vaccination News 

A Melbourne University team has made a miraculous discovery whilst working to create an evolving vaccination for the yearly mutating form of influenza.  The students, all doing their PhD in Amazing Fake Sciencec, think they have unlocked the secret to stopping the body's ability to fall ill.  Although still in the early stages, this could be the beginning of the human body remaining in pristine form, only subject to aging.  More to come....

(DISCLAIMER;  This did not actually happen and is completely false!  But in the words of Cadbury; Wouldn't it be nice?)


It's all I've got.

And now for my 

Week in Food

Fish Stew sort of thing I made as a sharing plate for M & I, with olive bread & polenta

Traditional brekky from M's parents for their Easter

Peanut Butter Cookies in the foreground and Spiced Apple Teacake behind - two of last week's baked goods.

Cabbage Rolls from M's family (vegie ones just for me, yummy) and cauliflower puree from me.

This was a creamy pumpkin & asparagus pasta I created last week.  Very healthy - recipe still being tweaked.

Went vegan for a few days - soaked oats (water) with berries, pecans and pure maple syrup.

Had to get a prescription and got this on my way out.  I dunno about sushi..

So, seriously, tips for a sinus infection?  I am going mental!   The antibiotics did not work and I am onto sprays.  Ugh.

I'll squeeze in day 21 between lab report writing tomorrow.  Have you ever written a report with a giant sinus headache?  Not fun!  This blog post took serious lengths of time, too.

Soon, I will conquer the world with my not-sore-sinuses.  I should get an NSS cape.

See?  Gone mad.

Stay well!
Nat x

Join me for Dinner....

5 Dinner Guests. Who are 5 people you’d love to have dinner with (living or deceased) and why? 


1 & 2. My late grandparents 
They both passed before I was born which, even though I am eternally grateful to still know my other grandparents, is still something I always think about - especially as growing up my parents always said my late grandmother would have loved me and that we had a similar sense of humour.

3. The Dalai Lama 
He would have a translator with him, but I really just want to hear him speak. It is a huge regret of mine that I didn't go to hear him speak when he was in Melbourne last year. I would love to have a conversation with him and learn from him. I am not a Buddhist, but I think the way they live is beautiful and he would be the pinnacle of that.

4. Janella Purcell 
How could I not want to have the woman who inspired me to be so interested in health at the table? I'd need her there so I could work hard at becoming her friend and then spend many evenings cooking up a storm with her and listening to her infinite knowledge.

5. Heston Blumenthal 
This man is a genius, and a self taught one at that. He would have to work with Janella to cook for the night, of course. I'd love to be around somebody that passionate about food.  




Five is not enough - what about Jamie Oliver, Coco Chanel... actually I'm not even going to play that game or I will be typing names until midnight. 


I'm a bit sad today as I've been unwell for so long and as a result am quite behind at uni. Wish me luck for the new theory my Doctor has on how to get rid of this!

 

As a result, I am seriously craving a weekend away... maybe later in the year.

See you tomorrow! 


Stay well, 
Nat x

Open Book & Breakfasts

Day 18

"'Open a Book. Choose a book and open it to a random page and point to a phrase. Use that phrase to get you writing today. Free write for 15-20 without stopping."


Well, the closest books to me were The Biggest Loser calorie counter hand book and a Vogue magazine from May 2009 (being used as a mouse pad on my totally white desk).  Useless.


So I turned around blindy to my book shelf and grabbed a book.  


This is what I got;

I flicked open and pointed randomly at a spot on the page; It happened to be page 75 and the phrase was; 


 "Even fish have feelings". 


Oh, shit, could this have sounded any more set up? I suppose the whole book could relate to me in some ways and every time I've read it, (which is thrice now), I've gone vegan for a couple of days following. 


 Anyway, OK, talk about that... 


Well, as many of you know, I have only just recently (in the past 6-8 months) started eating fish again after being a strict vegetarian for around 7 years. Why? My body told me to! I started seeing seafood and fish and my body wanted to eat it, I salivated, I craved it and I wanted to learn to cook it properly. I always listen to my body so I just started eating it and the rest is history. However, the past couple of weeks, as this virus I've currently got has maintained it's terrible presence, my body is turning away from fish more and more. Further to that, it's not wanting milk or yogurt either. It will be interesting to see where this goes. I'm not really sure why I have eaten fish and not any other meat, especially as I think a roast smells nice most of the time (world's worst vegetarian winner right here). My not eating meat is because I taste dead animal in meat and nothing else (I smell sauces, herbs and spices; a plain grilling steak smells revolting to me), and it's also from an animal rights perspective which I'm not really interested in arguing with anyone about as we're all entitled to our own opinions. I can't really explain why I don't feel the same things for fish and seafood. I guess I do but I try to ignore it as my body so often wants to eat it. It's strange! 


Anyway, I don't have much else to say on the subject. As for the book, Skinny Bitch, well, it's an acquired taste. I like it's harshness, but it could be considered a bit preachy. It didn't have a long lasting impact on the way I eat, but if I ever want to eat better I tend to give it a read and the effects last a few weeks.


And now to share some..

Breakfasts from the Week

Soft boiled egg with grilled tomatoes and mushrooms, with spinach and rye bread soldiers.

Makin' Muesli

I don't like smoothies for breakfast as it feels like I'm not eating anything, but freezing them gives me something to bite.

Things M regularly hears include;

"You can't just have that, you have a cold, you have to look after yourself.  How much fruit have you been eating?  Oh gosh, let me squeeze you some orange juice".

Things I regularly think;

I am the world's best girlfriend for freshly squeezing my boyfriend's orange juice.

See?  He needed the juice!

(World's Yummiest Jam bought to you by M's sister, C - it's apricot & vanilla bean.  So yummy.)

I get really anxious about missing out on a flavour on toast because I eat it so rarely, so I always end up cutting it up so I can have several toppings.  

Am I the only one?

If you're still eating toast for brekky every morning or a cup of coffee and a muesli bar, get creative!   15 minutes making muesli one Sunday will give you weeks of brekky enjoyment, and you can freeze any smoothie (unless it's made of vodka, in which case you are beyond my help anyway).


What's your current favourite breakfast?

Stay well,
Nat x