Cleanse - My Wholefood Romance

Celery Leaf and Macadamia Pesto

September 2, 2013 By Meg With 5 comments

celeryleafpesto I love celery. Hubby doesn’t. But he’s away at the moment, so my house is currently celebrating this underrated vegetable. Celery deserves more than its “negative calorie” image. I admit in the past I have viewed it only as a vehicle for nut butter, but celery has a load more to offer us than that. Today I am celebrating celery in all its glory.

The quick nutritional run down is that it’s loaded with vitamin K, fibre and potassium, and it is wonderfully alkalising. Throw in antioxidants, a good dose of folate, vitamin A, vitamin C and a little calcium and magnesium, and suddenly celery is looking good. It also contains sodium (the good kind) and so is perfect for rehydration and balancing out the electrolytes when partnered with potassium and the rest of the vitamins and minerals.

celery leaves

But don’t forget the leaves! Often ignored, these fabulous foliage contain more vitamin C, calcium and potassium than the stalks. I use mine as I would parsley, so added to salads, or on top of soups, veg, or beany mixes. They work well juiced or in green smoothies, or you can get fancy and make delicious celery salt a la 101 Cookbooks. It’s so lovely to be able to use the whole vegetable to minimise waste and save some cash.

Making pesto with the leaves is a great example. They don’t keep well, so it’s a nice way of using them up. Use this recipe as a guide, this is how I like it, but you can add more or less of anything to make it your own. I had a complete disaster today in the form of my blender breaking (OMG…hence the lack of smoothie post today) so I made this in my mortar and pestle, which is the best way …

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Fancy a Cleanse? How about this 21 day reboot!

July 25, 2013 By Meg With 11 comments

So, I have been working away for the past few months on this project with the wonderful Jadah and Jen from Simple Green Smoothies. The end result is this beautiful, gentle but powerful cleanse to nourish, refresh and reboot your system. I am really proud of this, and our fabulous test group have had fantastic results.

I know, it’s the end of winter in Oz, not typically the most popular time for cleansing and rebirth. But this cleanse is a bit different. No starving or deprivation, or complicated meal plans with crazy ingredients (although I do love a crazy ingredient – don’t get me wrong!) The intention is to gently cleanse and then set you up on the right path to wellness-town.

This cleanse is simple, effective and empowering. Simple and delicious recipes with step by step instructions and printable shopping lists. Effective in removing junk from your system and leaving you with more energy. And empowering in the way that you will reconnect with the food you eat. Bring that on! There are 40 recipes, meal plans, extra green smoothie recipes, and a whole lot of fabulous, thoughtful and relevant nutritional information (if I do say so myself) to help you understand the whys and hows of it all.
Another great thing about this cleanse is that you have access to a private Facebook group to be able to ask any questions, share your experiences, and hold yourself accountable!

rawbuckwheatporridge

I feel like I should be throwing in steak knives or something at this point… ha! I did just want to share this with you though, and I’m really pleased with the results. Something I didn’t consider, but am thrilled to hear, is how this cleanse has given people the confidence not only to cook, but to enlist their own …

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Cauliflower ‘Coucous’ – a cleansing, grain-free delight.

June 20, 2013 By Meg With 3 comments

cauliflower

Aaah cauliflower. Growing up I would argue with my sister that is was pointless and beige, and so began the broccoli vs cauliflower saga. Well I am happy to eat my words! As the years went by, I have discovered not only the amazing nutritional benefits, but flavour profiles that cauliflower can provide. If you haven’t tried roasted cauliflower, you really have to – right now – you won’t regret it. Chop it up, drizzle with a little oil, salt and maybe some turmeric, paprika or your favourite spice, and roast until some nice golden edges appear. It is SUCH a treat. Really!

But back to nutritional benefits. Vitamin C, loads. Vitamin K, yep. Folate, tick. B vitamins, got it. Plus sprinklings of choline, potassium, manganese and magnesium. Who knew?! Vitamin C in particular we tend to associate with brightly coloured veggies, cauliflower – you dark horse! And not stopping there, how about a big whack of sulfur. Sulfur is involved in stacks of important processes in the body, but my favourite is its involvement in the making of glutathione – one of our MAJOR antioxidants. Glutathione is a free radical annihilating, completely awesome antioxidant that also plays a huge role in helping the liver to process toxins. I could go on, but the main point – more cauliflower = more glutathione = excellent! Oh and it’s also anti carcinogenic.

So, let’s get cauliflower-ing! Boiling – just don’t go there. Aside from losing half the nutrients, you will end up with a soggy mess that our guinea pigs wouldn’t even eat. Quick cooking is the go. Roasting, grilling, steaming, and sautéing.

But today’s adventure was cauliflower couscous. Pretty much the same as cauliflower rice, but it actually does taste like couscous. And for those with wheat and gluten sensitivity, or …

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Happy New Year, starting with a Green Smoothie Challenge!

January 2, 2013 By Meg With 1 comment

Happy New Year everyone! I have taken a mini-break from everything, but am back on board and so inspired and excited about 2013! I have a great feeling that this is going to be a spectacular year. Why not start off on a good note and join me in this 30 day green smoothie challenge – starting today! As you already know, I am a huge fan of green smoothies. It is the single most effective blanket ‘prescription’ that I most commonly recommend for patients. Simply by adding them to your diet you can increase your energy levels, improve digestion and elimination, support kidney and liver function, boost immunity, encourage clear, glowing skin, and enjoy a general sense of improved wellbeing. Tell me a pill that does that without side effects and I will eat my hat! In each serving you are drinking in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, fibre, and living plant love goodness!! Think of them as a multivitamin in a glass – but better! In as little as 15 minutes the green gorgeousness is into your cells to nourish, replenish, cleanse and energise – BAM!

And guess what – it’s so our lucky day!! The beautiful people at Simple Green Smoothies have created a 30 day challenge, so that we can all show our outpourings of love for green liquid! Or maybe that’s just me… Either way, get on board! All you need is a blender, some fresh produce, and the will add green smoothies to your diet every day for 30 days. The link will take you to the sign up page where you can download a recipe ebook to get you started – all for free, hooray!

I will be posting regular updates on to keep you inspired and blending away.

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