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Posts Tagged ‘nourish’

Granola bar recipe

April 18, 2013 By Kat

Muesli bars are a quick, easy & transportable go too snack. Have you ever read the ingredients label though? The ‘healthy’ snack bar you thought you were having may well contain more sugar and crap than a straight up chocolate bar. Sugar, preservatives, saturated fat, hidden gluten and dairy the list goes on. I personally try my best to avoid such horrors by making my own. They seriously do not take long and investing 45 minutes (30 of which they are in the oven!) to make your snack bars from scratch for a more healthful life isn’t that worth it? They taste better too!

There are loads of recipes on the net. My favourite at the moment is from Lorna Jane’s Move Nourish Believe website. I use my Theromix to lightly chop the nuts before throwing everything else in and giving it a good mix on reverse setting, speed 6/7. Takes five minutes. Use nuts, seeds and fruit that you like the most. The best thing about these recipes are they are so adaptable.

Enjoy! Love Seren xx

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Treat Yourself!

March 13, 2013 By Kat

When was the last time your really gave yourself a treat that made you feel fully enriched and grateful to be you? It doesn’t have to be big or expensive. It doesn’t have to cost you anything at all actually. Taking some YOU time is important, it makes your soul happy!

There is nothing wrong with giving back to you. Do not feel like you are being frivolous, self-indulgent or vein. We need to take some time to honour ourselves every now and again to recharge and get in touch with our core.

I am very proactive in my life. I’m not one for sitting back and letting others do all the work. I take action and responsibility for myself. If I want something done or I wish something to happen I go out there and make it happen. This can be a huge double-edged sword. I tend to take on too much, try to do it all by myself and not ask for help. I hate letting people down so I do more than I should. My efforts are always 110% and I go hard to get everything achieved. In order to get everything done I often ignore the messages my body is telling me intuitively to the point a physical message is needed. The result is I break. Usually I physically manifest shoulder pain or exhaustion. At this point I’m so far involved I mentally I start hating the people putting pressure on me or draining my resources. It’s not their fault at all it’s me not setting my boundaries.

Over the past eight months I have really learnt to slow down and take care of myself before I break down. Being in a slow state of mind and listening within has really helped me discern how to use my time and skills wisely. I fall off the wagon for sure. This is a reminder to come back to my authenticity, lead from within. When I physically break, it’s my soul telling me I’m not aligned with how she ticks. This is why I have started to give myself regular treats and me time. This nourishes and takes care of both my physical and spiritual body. I lock it into my schedule to make sure I do take the time out.

As I said earlier it doesn’t have to cost you anything. You could simply take a twenty-minute soak in a hot bath whilst reading a novel or chilling to your favourite music. You can’t get much cheaper than a walk on the beach! I call these moments ‘mini me time.’ Every week I take time out to oil paint, read, watch a movie or pamper myself at home with a pedicure or facial.

I do however invest my hard earned cash back into a big monthly treat. I head down to a divine day spa in the city for a treatment, usually a massage. It is higher end than most people would like but I love it. I first discovered the spa a few years back because of it’s 100% organic philosophy. This is something that is important to me, even more so now as I try to avoid harsh chemicals.

There is nothing more relaxing than having a massage. I’ve built a bond with the staff as they take the time to get to know their clients. I do not mind paying the higher price as I love the whole package I get. The soothing environment, indoor voices, plinky plunky Tibetan bowl music, fluffy towels & tea & fruit in the chill out lounge afterwards. I literally drift out of there feeling relaxed and happy on all levels. A two-hour retreat at the end of a busy week what more could you ask for. I don’t even justify the cost any more. I just do it. My body tells me it’s happy and rewards me for looking after it so that’s enough for me. I did give up my treat for nearly a year in 2011 & wow did I miss it. Now I’m back in the spa routine I’ll never sacrifice it again.

What do you do to have some ‘me’ time? Please share in the comments below we’d love to hear from you…

Love & light,

Seren xx

Travelling Alone is FUN!

March 4, 2013 By Kat

Travel is a huge part of who I am. I need to travel often or else I get stale and lack inspiration. I love going to new places, new countries, and meeting people from different places and experiencing what is out there beyond my back yard. I didn’t start my travel adventures outside of my home country or Europe till I was twenty-two. Then there was no stopping me!

I have been fortunate to have friends and a partner who also share my passion for travel. However sometimes no one is available due to annual leave, money & not actually wanting to go where I do. Instead of giving up on my dream I go by myself.

It is scary and some people find it too terrifying to travel solo, especially if you’re female. It doesn’t have to be. With a bit of planning and research it can take the fear out of travelling alone. There are numerous global tour agencies that now specialise in solo travel for all ages. You’re never really ‘alone,’ unless you want to be!

The Internet has made planning so simple. Google map’s can zoom in with a satellite image so you can get a good look at a place without actually being there. There are reviews, tips, pictures, itineraries and tour groups all waiting for you to discover them.

I’ve done plenty of solo travel over the years. The first time I jumped on a plane by myself was exhilarating and liberating. I was only going 50 minutes from London to Edinburgh. All the way I was thinking “look at me on a plane by MYSELF!” Four years later I was on a 24-hour flight to Australia alone, turning up in Sydney with my backpack thinking “now what?!”

My last solo trip was a few weeks ago. There was a yoga seminar in Melbourne being hosted by Bikram’s wife Rajashree. I really wanted to go and instead of hunting around for a travel buddy I booked myself a flight, a room in the hotel where the seminar was being held and went alone. Too easy. I then decided to combine it with a trip to Adelaide on the way back for a personal session with my Soul Mentor. Four days dedicated to doing something just for me, without worrying about accommodating anyone else. How good does that sound?

We spend too much time looking after other people and working around them to make things easy. This leads to your own needs being over looked or we miss out on doing things we truly want to do. It is NOT selfish at all to nourish yourself with some alone time. It is good for us. We serve others better when we have served ourselves first. If no one else wants to join you on your adventure, go by yourself.

I did my research before leaving. I had to negotiate transport from the airport to the city via bus, tram and a walk. It was all there on the Internet and I could book my bus ticket online. It had been eight years since I’d been to Melbourne and last time I drove there. I’ had a rough idea of the city but couldn’t really remember it. I booked my flights so I’d arrive well before dark as I didn’t want to be alone in a strange city at night. I knew if there were no nearby restaurants I could always eat in the hotel. If you don’t feel comfortable sitting alone in a restaurant, order to go or there’s always room service. Often when eating alone you attract other people who ask you to join them. If that’s creepy to you, simply decline & read a book.

On arriving in Adelaide I’d booked myself into a ‘treat’ hotel. The Stamford Grand in Glenelg is right on the beachfront in a cosmopolitan small suburb. A taxi from the airport was safe and easy. They have a concierge service that puts you in properly licensed cars. I Googled ahead and had a rough estimate of how much it would cost so they’d be no surprises.

I had a fab time! Walking on the beach before sunset, eating fresh organic pizza and soaking in a long, hot bubble bath. Finally curling up for an early night with Dirty Dancing on TV and my favourite sparkling water (yes water!). I was so relaxed I woke up hours before my alarm for a really long morning walk along the sea front, followed by another bubble bath. I got the hotel to sort me out a taxi and called into Bakers Delight for a fresh Cheesimite scroll for breakfast. (Solo travel does not need to be expensive) All this topped off with an amazing energy healing before jumping on my third and final flight home.

I only took hand luggage with me. Simple, light and no waiting at carousels. All my check in’s were done on my smart phone. No faffing around with paper boarding passes or check in lines. I just had to make sure I had enough battery by the time I got to the gate. Watch out that free Wi-Fi sucks the battery life.

At no time did I feel scared or unsafe. Everything was planned transport wise. I’d researched a few places to eat but this can always change, which it did. Once you get somewhere & have a look around you discover so much more. That’s part of the excitement. It was a treat to just curl up and watch movies that are always available on free view in most hotels. I really embraced having time for me without any distractions. I got so much writing & reading done. I came home so chilled and ready to get things started with this blog it was just what I needed.

Don’t be scared, if there’s somewhere you want to go, something only you want to do go do it!!! Why wait.

Happy travels & safe,

Seren xx

Backyard Chooks

February 26, 2013 By Kat

What is a chook I hear everyone outside of Australia cry? It’s a slang/pet name for a chicken. I love chickens. They are such fascinating creatures and make amazing pets. Have you ever seen the movie Chicken Run? It is so true to life. Just sitting and observing chickens going about their daily business I often think ‘what are they up to, what have they got planned?’ Hopefully my chickens are not planning a prison break like the Aardman chickens. Why would they? My ‘girls’ are treated like the princesses they are.

I’m blessed to live on a property that allows a lot of space for a good size chicken run, or two actually. The space inside both runs is ample for what can be classed as ‘free range.’ The runs offer night time security from hungry predators, perches to hang out with their ‘flock mates’ and a quiet, secluded place for the hens to lay there daily egg. During the morning after ‘laying time’ is done the girls are literally climbing the fence to get out and out they go! This is free ranging. Off they go to roam free, run amok, have a scratch in real dirt, forage for interesting snacks and have the space to flap their wings.

Chickens are such gentle animals. They liked to be picked up and cuddled. My partner is a dedicated ‘chicken hugger.’ I often find myself talking ‘chook’ to them. You know, bock, bock noises?! Come on you talk to your dog don’t you, why not your chickens?

We have about thirty chickens and three roosters. When we first started out the backyard Chook Empire there were no men allowed. Then I fell in love with a huge orange Wyandotte rooster and the rest was history. Rambo was our first rooster and served us well. He was followed by Hef (named after Playboy’s Hugh Hefner as like my chicken Hef, he has/had lots of girlfriends) It’s easier to name the men as they stand out, the girls lost their names a long time ago, there are just too many!

The flock is made up of a combination of Wyandotte’s, Isa Browns and Chinese Bantam’s. The Isa’s were ‘rescued’ from a local egg farm. I say rescued, they are sold for $20 and we happily pay that to give them a better life. They come from cages or the barn style free-range establishments. Usually their feathers are tatty with pale, floppy combs. A week or two in the outdoors and they are like new!

I’m totally biased but our eggs are amazing!! Our regular customers agree. I can’t fill the demand some weeks. All the money we collect, $4 a dozen, goes straight back into the chicken account or the ‘girl’s money box’ as I call it. They do have a money box, it’s right there in the fridge by the eggs. The cash pays for their feed or anything else they need. Our eggs are so good. The yokes are bright yellow and the whites nice & clear. They taste so much better than shop bought eggs, even other free-range organic eggs.

With every living thing there is always an energy transfer. This energy can be positive or negative. If the animal producing the product, like eggs, is happy and content the energy going into producing that egg will be happy. If the animal is suffering or is having a crappy life this negative energy will be transferred. Then when we consume that product we are digesting that energy, good or bad. Wouldn’t you much rather be consuming energy happy energy? Yes, because happy energy makes us happy and vise versa. I am more than happy to eat my chickens eggs as I know first hand they are happy. There produce is a living statement of this.

We try & support chicken charities where we can. My partner asked for cash donations for his thirtieth birthday instead of presents. He raised over $400 for the RSPCA charity – Hen’s deserve better. http://www.hensdeservebetter.org.au Everyone can do his or her bit too. Spend a little more and buy free range, even better organic. You will notice the quality and taste is better. Also tune in and see how you feel inside after digesting the ‘happy energy.’

Love, light & chicken hugs,

Seren

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