Last week the gorgeous Fuzzy, aka Faustina Agolley, was visiting and cooked a Chinese New Year banquet for a bunch of us. When I tweeted about the dumplings I got asked for the recipe…so Fuzz and photographer Marija Ivkovic set to working up these instructions for everyone.
photo by www.marijaivkovic.com
Fuzzy and I actually met via Twitter. I’d read something she’d posted about being grateful for the death of her Dad as a young child. I commented. She replied. We’ve stayed in touch since. Her joyous energy always makes me smile.
Faustina says: Happy Chinese New Year! I’ve been GF for about 8 months now and have loved making dumplings in the past. With CNY, I wanted to revisit my love for dumplings by changing the regular wheat wonton skins I used to use with rice paper. Hoorah! It worked!
* You can switch up the mince and added ingredients to your liking e.g. if you like prawn dumplings substitute pork mince with prawn mince and add shredded carrot with a splash of fish sauce, and if you like chicken dumplings switch to chicken mince and add cooked sweet corn kernels.
gluten free dumplings
500g Pork Mince
1 garlic cloved chopped finely
3cm nub of ginger chopped finely
1 bunch of coriander washed thoroughly finely chopped including the root
Hello! Detoxing much? Trying some of the detoxing/sweet help I suggest in the ebook? What’s working?
by Always With Honor
Some quick housekeeping
* OK, I’m doing my first webinar tonight. I’m doing it on ustream and you’ll need to either go to my #IQS Facebook page or here (if you’re not on Facebook) to register. You’ll be able to “chat” with me and post questions…and it should be fun and it SHOULD work…
Three things:
I will have to do this at 6pm, NOT 6.30pm AEST now. I hope this doesn’t muck any of you around.
If it does, the video will be up on ustream and Facebook…I’ll send around links tomorrow.
This is a bit of an experiment for me…so bear with me…fingers crossed it worked (and please suggest any tips!)
* Little reminder: it’s your last day to register for Febfast. Go on. Do it. Here.
PS I was on The Circle this morning chatting about Febfast…there I am…And will be chatting with Yumi and Chrissie Swan on radio – The 3pm Pickup – tomorrow about #IQS…tune in.
A few elevator pitch statements
OK…all that aside I thought I’d share a few elevator pitch statements with you that come in handy when people say, “what’s this no sugar thing, in a nutshell”? People only want nutshell, chomper-size soundbites, mostly. So serve it up to them!
* In caveman days sugar – or fructose – was so rare that when we DID stumble on it, we were designed to binge on it AND store it instantly as fat. Our biology hasn’t changed in the 10,000 years since the agricultural revolution, nor since the 1800s when sugar was introduced. We’re still designed to binge on it and store it as fat.
* Fructose is the only food molecule that we a) don’t have a corresponding enzyme in our brain that says “we’ve had enough” and b) that goes straight to the liver as fat.
Our own dreams are the most fascinating things ever. Other people’s dreams? Hmmm, not so much. For this post, I asked Jo to interview a dream interpreter. I’ve written about dreams before (and how you can use them to train yourself for tough decisions)…scroll to the bottom for a special reader offer. But, now, over to you Jo….
photo via happy blogger
Weird dreams that don’t make sense? Who better to ask about them than someone who spends their days as a dream analyst, therapist, and alchemist. I chatted to Jane Anderson about some weird and wonderful dreams a few of us have been having lately…
q. Sarah and I were talking. She has ‘breast-stroking through the air’ dreams. What’s the deal?
Sarah describe it like this: “I’m usually chased and have to springboard off precarious surfaces – like tree limbs or balcony bannisters to get “traction”…I have to breaststroke for hours, trying to keep off the ground, and trying to get “traction” from the air.”
Jane: You feel that aspects of your practical life are precarious, and respond to this by exploring ideas you’d like to get off the ground. You’re working hard at this but your efforts may be unconsciously more driven by escaping practical issues than finding solutions for them. You may feel that you springboard from one precarious situation to another, but you always hope that this time hard work and the right mental approach will save the day. To manifest ideas, to make them happen, we need the right balance between mind and body, between developing ideas and establishing practicalities.
[Actually rings very true – Sarah]
q. Your job is to investigate and interpret dreams. How did you get into that?
Jane: My curiosity grew throughout my years at university studying science where I specialised in developmental neurophysiology – how the brain interprets the world. In the end, it was a leap of faith, driven by passion, that got me into this field.
q. This reader dreams about wolves…?
The reader asked: “Wolves howl at my bedroom window. I think I’m safe because they’re outside, but they howl for ages, and
After my post about why the paleo diet works, and then my coconut flour post, one of the biggest requests I’ve had is: what can I eat for breakfast if I’m grain-free, sugar-free? You ask, I oblige…here’s a glorious host of options for you to try from bloggers and tweeters and from my own archives. Hope it helps.
PS My personal favourites are the turnip bake and the “corn cakes”…clever!
PPS For my previous paleo breakfast ideas (nut balls, egg + spinach in a cup etc) go here and here and here.
berry crumble-top muffins, recipe below
blueberry crumble top muffins
From Maria at RestCo: This recipe uses both coconut and almond flour. It is best to make these a day ahead and let the flavors meld overnight. Baked goods made with coconut flour taste best completely cooled.
In a food processor or kitchen mixer process the following wet ingredients
4 eggs
1/4 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup rice malt syrup (optional)
2t vanilla extract
Once well mixed add
1/3 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup almond flour
1/4t salt
1/4t baking soda
1/2T cinnamon
a few grates of nutmeg
Mix well, then gently add 1/2 cup blueberries (I used frozen). Fill 6-8 muffin cups depending on how big you like your muffins.
Welcome to week four! For many of you, it’s your second week of life completely devoid of sugar…how are you feeling? Noticing any changes in your body? Moods?
Via Trendhunter
But first, some housekeeping:
if you’re enjoying the detox process and want to take it further…Nutritionist Michele Chevalley Hedge is running a four-day Cleanse & Nourish Retreat in Byron late April. Find the details here. I’ll be dropping in for sure!
A gentle reminder to get on board with me for FebFast. Join my team or donate here. I VERY much endorse quitting booze if you’re quitting sugar…it will make the process easier. And while you’re on a righteous roll…!
I’m giving away 60 packs of sugar free The Muesli (worth $20)..it involves a quick questionnaire…details here…the offer ends THIS Wednesday COB.
And, yes, finally, we’re going to do a webinar next Monday January 30 at 6:30pm.
You’ll need to join via my I Quit Sugar facebook page here
But back to cravings and crankiness…I found some info this week that backs up my approach (and which I really implore everyone to observe):
Don’t push it. We’re experimenting, people. Everything’s cool.
Some of you are feeling guilty about giving in and lapsing. Like I’ve said before, not a problem. Sit. Observe what the cake or the chocolate or whatever did to your mood, your mouth, your vibe. And move on.
Some of you are also getting a bit fretty about whether you’re doing things “right”…all I can say is, Yep, you are (if you’re conscious of your habits now). And keep asking questions. The comments forum is proving a festy petri dish of tips and advice. Wade in!
Just quickly, I cam across this factoid during the week, which I find interesting:
An estimated 70 per cent of Americans do not consume sufficient nutrients – due to the amount of refined and processed foods eaten. Can you believe it??? Modern malnutrition, hey. Esteemed wellness guru Dr. Joel Fuhrman says malnutrition is what causes us to crave certain food. He says to stop the “addictive drives and perverted cravings” we suffer from, it is essential to restore nutritional excellence.
Happy Friday! To continue our summer Friday giveaways, I have a pretty special offer this week, particularly for everyone quitting sugar at the moment:
60 x 450g bags of The Muesli
This stuff is the best of the no-added sugar muesli on the market that I could find and I mention it in I Quit Sugar. The only sugar in the muesli is from the 5 nuts, 4 seeds, oats & coconut (hoorah! fructose-free!). Fitness nut, mum and TV producer Emma invented the range after chatting with her friend, celeb trainer Donna Aston, about the dire state of breakfast options for people wanting to be fructose-free and get real results from their diet. A very sound philosophy! You can buy direct online or at many health food shops and cafes. And PS, they have a gluten-free version as well and are running a 2-for-1 offer right now.
* To get your hands on one of these bags (worth $16.50, plus postage) subscribe to my I Quit Sugar newsletter here by COB AEST today (Friday). Or, if you prefer, sign up to my weekly newsletter here.
* If you’re already subscribed, subscribe a friend.
* I’ll be sending a little note out over the weekend with details of how to be in the running. Stay tuned!
* Sadly this offer is only available to Australian residents!
things to try with the muesli
I get more questions about breakfast ideas than just about anything else on this blog…so here’s some stuff to do with The Muesli…
Did you catch this NYT article by Dominique Browning on why women like being alone? And men don’t, especially after a break-up? It’s interesting…
image via weheartit.com
Browning describes the time she fell over at home and couldn’t move. She lived alone. She had that thought I’ve had often: I could die here and no one would know. It got her thinking about a whole heap of generalities to do with choosing to live alone (which women love and men don’t, she claims). Here’s a few:
Most men seem unable to live alone for longer than, say, at the outside … three months.
Most single women I know really love their lives.
And this, which I really do agree with:
Sometimes we suffer pangs of loneliness, sometimes we ache for the companionship of that mythic soul mate, but mostly we cherish our independence. We love doing whatever we want to do, when we want to do it.
Women alone eat breakfast at 11 if we feel like it, lunch at 3 and dinner never if that’s the way the day is winding down. Single women do not worry about cooking unless we want to. And we don’t want to unless we like to.
My friend Louise shared this quote with me over Christmas:
what’s for you won’t pass you by
Via FieldCandy
I find it of great comfort. We don’t have to try so hard. Sit back. What is perfect for you will come. Trust life and it’s myriad forces that operate behind the scenes.
I have tended to push way too hard. But I push, I’m often resisting, blocking…why else would it require that I push? I forget that the best things in my life have come when I’ve sat back still and knowing and trusting and magnificent (!) and let things flow in and towards me. So reminders are good.
I also came across this letter from John Steinbeck to his son in 1958, from the book Steinbeck: A Life in Letters. It is another reminder.
The teenager tells Dad he’s in love. Steinbeck’s advice is so sound and caring and helpful (for the full version of the letter, go here).
I’ve mentioned on twitter that I’ve been making bone broth and some of you asked for the details. And so I oblige! I’ve become a big fan for a bunch of overwhelming reasons I’ll outline below. Sally Fallon introduced me to the stuff in Nourishing Traditions and since then I’ve followed a community of people who can’t stop raving about it. A lot of nutritionists steer their clients to simply drink bone broth. That’s it. The stuff is so full of good stuff…who needs supplements?
Mushrooms in bone broth recipe below, via The Nourished Kitchen
Making it is easy and cheap, albeit not very attractive. See the pics below, or this from Sally Fallon when describing the final stages of cooking: “You will now have a pot of rather repulsive-looking brown liquid containing globs of gelatinous and fatty material. It doesn’t even smell particularly good.”
Nice. But regardless…
I buy the bones from the farmer at the farmer’s market for $2 a bag. But if you’re not near a farmer’s market, your butcher will sell some to you (or give them to you!).
I make a batch and freeze it for soups and stews (in 500ml containers) and also in 200ml serves to drink as a soup, or to use for braising veggies (instead of using oil). You basically use it as you would stock, but it’s richer, more gelatinous and more nutritious.
Here’s a bit of a cheat sheet (if Sally hasn’t scared you off)!
Bone Broth: the deal
Bone broth is like normal stock but made with big, cheap bones which are simmered for a very long time (24 hours-plus). At the end of cooking, a stack of minerals have leached from the bones and into the broth that the bones crumble when pressed lightly.
Why would you?
Because it is soooo good for you.
1. Our immune systems love it.
It’s rich in calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and other trace minerals, which are easily absorbable, thus assisting the immune system. Mark’s Daily Apple has a great article breaking down all the nutrients found in bone broth.
It’s week three. The time is now. No more run ups…
we’re going cold turkey…no more sugar!
Image by Takaya Hanayuishi
First up, though, some housekeeping:
* On Friday I invited you all to join FebFast (quit booze for February and raise $ for charity). It’s a good time to drop the booze if you’ve just quit sugar. It will help with the cravings and the detox process.
* A reminder to those of you with blogs. You may want to join the IQS affiliate program, and make $6 for yourself off every ebook you sell through your site. Stupidly simply and I’ve sent out hundreds of dollars to some of you who’ve got on board. You can read more and sign up here.
* Ten great sugar quitters won a copy of Lee Holmes’ Supercharged Food from last Friday’s giveaway: Carlie C, Emma, Rachel G, Sue S, Mademoselle Slimalicious, Jess J, Tara S, Kathie R, Sarah R, Kris B. Hoorah to you and big thanks for your tips!
But now. In my IQS book I outline what foods to cut out… and why. But today we might do a little reality check session of how much sugar you’ve actually been eating.
Hopefully you’re boldly replacing sugar with fat and protein from today. It takes some getting used to and you might notice different hunger levels. Find them interesting and move with them. For example. I often get a sugar craving after lunch. As many of you know, I eat a tablespoon or two of coconut oil to quash this…which then leaves me STUFFED until dinner. At first I found this disconcerting…now I find it a godsend. No afternoon snacking is freedom.
Something that helped me when I was quitting was to get real about how much sugar I’d really been eating.
EVERYONE I meet tells me they “don’t really eat much sugar”. Which I find kinda FUNNY. Somebody’s got to be eating all that sugar!
When I chat with people about what they mean by not much they describe a breakfast of muesli and low-fat yoghurt, juice, some honey in their tea…”you know, just natural sugar”. And so on.
Yep, by now you know: sugar is sugar, whether it comes in a Coke or an apple; arsenic is “natural”, doesn’t mean we eat it; etc, etc, etc.
But how much sugar – natural or otherwise – have you been eating? Have you been kidding yourself you don’t eat much?
I had. So I sat down with pen and paper and added up the exact number of teaspoons of the stuff I was eating. It was shocking.
This week, try it. It’s a good reminder as to why you’re doing this. Being real helps.
To do this:
* look on the food label at “serving size”. Then divide the number of grams by 4 to get the number of teaspoons.
* remember to subtract the first 4.7g of sugar in dairy products (this is lactose, which contains no fructose)
