Sarah Wilson, Author at Sarah Wilson

my interview with Nicholas Sparks on what makes love work

October 23, 2018December 4, 2011 by Sarah Wilson

This week in Sunday Life I discuss The Notebook

If you ever find yourself in the laundry at a party skewered against the tub of stubbies by some eye-glazing, go-nowhere conversation, try this tactic. Ask everyone’s thoughts on The Notebook. In my experience everyone has a take on this 1996 novel, turned into a film in 2006. And it’s always pleasantly diverting.

I mean, most of us admit to only having half-watched the movie, and only to witness Ryan Gosling work his magic. Right? Blokes will say their wife made them do it. But in the next breath they’ll confess it made them cry. I know an ex-world number one light heavyweight boxer who’s watched it 14 times and a burly fireman who’s seen it nine. Both cried every time. Which is a phenomenon in itself.

But what I find interesting when I spike party small talk with such a conver-bomb is that invariably women say they love the film because the female protagonist Allie – who’s faced with choosing between first love Noah and her posh, sweater-n-chinos fiancé – eventually goes with her heart. Chicks love this.

Blokes, however, say they get all prickly-eyed because the dude who sticks to his belief that he’d found his girl (and built a house in readiness for her return) wins the day. The nobleness entailed in this and the fact he stands by Allie through all kinds of calamities hits a waterworks nerve for men. Chicks also love this.

Choosing to go with your heart, and determined, stoic nobleness – it’s fundamental Venus vs Mars stuff. But at the core of both takes is the same principle, I think. A “good” decision was made. And committed to. Simple! Phew!

Since seeing the film myself, I’ve always wanted to know author Nicholas Sparks’ take on love. Is he a romantic? A cynic? This week I got my opportunity during his visit promoting his seventeenth novel The Best of Me.

a christmas gift guide (plus some special offers for readers)

December 6, 2011December 1, 2011 by Sarah Wilson

Oh goodness, it’s a month to Christmas. I have the smell of pine needles in my nose, the taste of prawns and cherries in my being (both staples at our Christmas lunch), and I’m priming myself for the after-lunch delirious wrestle with my brothers.

image via Shannon Martin cards

I’m not a big fan of mass present-buying. Consumerism is something I actively avoid. All that said, gift giving is lovely, especially if it’s mindful. So I’ve decided to share some ideas I’ve accumulated over the year: products that grabbed me, or are mindfully made and have a touch of quirky expression to them, or are made by friends of this blog. I’ve even secured a few special offers for readers on this blog. Happy Crazy Season!

1. exfoliating cleansing bar by Miessence

Something for your brother: $9.95. I love this exfoliating Cleansing Bar ( in both geranium + tea tree). Soap-on-a-rope that’s good enough to eat, making a simple, all-round gift. Miessence products are possibly the most legitimately toxin-free products on the planet. EWG’s cosmetic database rates it in their top 5 brands and it’s a local (Queensland) company run by one very passionate Narelle.

As a lovely Noel gesture, Narelle is offering readers here 30% off any Miessence purchase over $100 (buy a few soaps for friends and family!). Details here, and make sure you use the code SWB, from December 01 – 25.

Tuesday Eats: how to poach an egg…

August 10, 2018November 29, 2011 by Sarah Wilson

Honestly, you shouldn’t be allowed to leave home not knowing this critical life skill. But, alas, some do. And then you email me. And so I post a little guide…

how I poach an egg…

Fill a shallow pan (a small frying pan that has a lid) with water. Bring to boil.
Add a dash of white or rice vinegar – it helps the egg whites to congeal. Don’t worry if you don’t have any.
One at a time, break the eggs into a teacup, then tip from cup into the water. Do a few eggs at a time if you like.
Turn off the heat immediately and cover tightly. Leave 3-4 minutes.
Remove with a slotted spoon.

BONUS TIP: You can poach eggs a few days ahead and store in a bowl of cold water in the fridge! They’ll keep several days.

put a poached egg on top…

This little parcels of goodness are designed to plop ontop of a meal that is otherwise a little lacklustre/lacking in protein/lacking in goobiness

Try this:

Using the hot egg water after you’ve removed the eggs, steam up some frozen peas and chopped zucchini. Place in a bowl with a tin of tuna, some shallots (green onions) or red onion finely chopped and capers, eggs on top.
While the eggs are poaching saute some garlic and silverbeet (that perhaps you’ve already presteamed and frozen). Toss in some parmesan. Put in bowl, eggs on top.
Read more

this week in Sunday Life I trust my search function

November 28, 2011November 27, 2011 by Sarah Wilson

this week in Sunday Life I trust my search function

“It’s like we’re programmed to make life hard for ourselves.” The woman in front at the supermarket on Tuesday was apologizing for the complex plans she’d just made with her three boys to call when they got to the skate shop or text if they needed more time, but not at 4.45 when she was expecting a conference call, and not on her Blackberry number because it was flat. I was privy to the lot.

“Whatever happened to ‘meet me outside the Post Office at five or I’m going without you’,” she said offloading her diet frozen meals and family-size bottles of multi-vitamins (no judgment!).

“I know,” I laughed. “I know.”

Overcomplicating life is what we do. And brilliantly so. Look what we’ve done to the simple act of eating – we follow more rules than ever. And yet we’re only getting pudgier. Me, I overcomplicate my weekends, my hand washing, my afternoon cup of tea. I’ll swirl a simple plan to meet a friend for a walk into a maelstrom of extra considerations and tasks.

I was chatting about this recently with a journalist. She pointed to our chaotic way of life and asked for my antidote. I was blunt. “Back the f*ck off,” I told her. Which was not a threat, but my uncomplicated answer. (Prefer a more palatable version? Do less. Get your grubby hands off it. Step back…)

This week I applied my BTFO thinking to an issue I reckon causes an overcomplicated amount of angst among us all: inbox organising. There’s only one thing more stressful than being bludgeoned with emails and that’s not having a system for filing and saving said emails. The fear we’ll need a record of a correspondence in the future sees our inboxes bulge and our heart rates rise.

Which is a fair fear. We are in fact expected to retrieve the commission rate agreed to in June 2009 and our Foxtel installation code from two apartments ago – and preferably in 30 seconds or less. Was it always like this? Can anyone remember how we disputed the price increase on the carpet cleaner’s invoice before the internet? Did it take weeks? Did we have immaculate filing? Did this kind of data retrieval fill us with dread?

I think it did. Which is why we’re now so paranoid about inbox organizing now. Folders is where the angst bottlenecks. David Allen has become one of the world’s best known productivity gurus off the back of his site Getting Things Done and his New York Times bestseller of the same name, both premised on attending to our fear of folder chaos. Ditto, the very popular business blog 43 Folders.

But working to my BTFO mantra, I’m here to proffer an easier way: don’t file, don’t save. Because technology is here to (finally) save us.

friday giveaway: clean eating magazine subscriptions

November 25, 2011November 25, 2011 by Sarah Wilson

It’s another Friday summer giveaway, and this week, I’m giving away 5 x one-year subscriptions to Clean Eating magazine Simply buy your copy of my ‘I Quit Sugar’ ebook before 5pm AEST on Monday 28th November, and you could win one of these five subscriptions. Clean Eating is a shiny new magazine geared at … Read more

your thyroid still playing up? i think I finally have an answer!! (a podcast with Chris Kresser)

November 24, 2011 by Sarah Wilson

As I wrote yesterday, I have reached another chapter with my hashimoto battle. I’d been doing everything right, but I was still having “thyroidy days” 3-4 days a week. My blood tests were also doing weird things (in the most recent case, coming back with low TSH AND low T3 and T4) and so the doctors were just shrugging at me and ushering me out the door. I thought I was at a dead end.

cb788b8c6721bb4294e7830aae488c2b your thyroid still playing up? i think I finally have an answer!! (a podcast with Chris Kresser) — By Anna Hatzakis

Which was driving me MENTAL But then. I delved deeper. And I made some VERY EXCITING discoveries that I think will help many of you out there who write to me about your similar frustrations. Many of the principles will speak to anyone with an autoimmune disease, too.

I’ll be writing a few posts on some of the things I’ve found. To kick off, I chatted with Chris Kresser during the week. He’s had his own battles and understands frustration. He runs The Healthy Skeptic and is a practitioner in integrative medicine and acupuncturist (and has a wife with thyroid disease). Anyway, he’s come to specialise in hashimotos. And his info is sound and generous.

Listen in:

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In the podcast we cover (and I’m outlining the details below cos it’s all very DENSE info):

The three reasons why your thyroid medication might not be working.

Primarily it’s because hashimotos is an inflammation disease, not a thyroid disease as such. But only the thyroid gets treated (with a band-aid fix – the medication)…causing the other factors involved to continue on. So

Medication doesn’t address the damage done by inflammation to the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis, which is key to hashi.
Medication doesn’t address the damage done by inflammation to thyroid hormone receptors. If there aren’t enough receptors, or they aren’t sensitive enough, it doesn’t matter how much thyroid medication we take. The cells won’t be able to use it.
Medication comes in the form of T4 (this is what thyroxin is), which our bodies are meant to convert into T3 (which is the active form required by our cells). BUT if your system is stuffed (by inflammation), it can’t make this conversion. Which is just so dumb (and the reason why I supplement my thyroxin with a compounded T3, since the drug companies don’t make it in this format…yes, DUMB!).

The six situations that might explain why your thyroid might be playing up

…and what to do.

As you listen to the six scenarios, we’ll be referring to a bunch of blood tests that will help you work out which scenario might be yours.

Below I’ve outlined the blood tests you’ll need to have on hand to do this. If you’re feeling like crap, I suggest you go to your doctor/therapist and ask for all these to be done at once.

sweetest surrender

November 23, 2011 by Sarah Wilson

I’ve struggled a bit to write this post. You know, with whether to share or not. But since gaps will soon appear, and I disclose a bit about the trajectory of my life on a pretty over-sharey and consistent basis, I kinda have to. Just to not appear gappy, I guess.

I’m also feeling a little ashamed. Shame, hey. It’s the most alien of emotions. Most of our personalities are in fact the cruddy layers with which we mask our shame. Unmasking is to get naked and squirm in the breeze. To be without our fun! brash! personalities. To be just plain, old ordinary us.

You see: I bang on virtuously about all the healthy stuff that I do. Noticed? I’ve also shared that I’m writing a book. And in the past few weeks, both have come a little undone. My health has taken a nosedive. My thyroid has arked up again – it’s tired of the pushing. And, as always, it’s done so because I needed to be told. And so my book has had to be put on hold while I stop, recalibrate, listen. And begin the slow process of going back to me.

Which feels shameful. And a lot like failure. When I let it be seen that way.

I’ve done this many times before. I know what to do now. Hey, I bang on about it on this blog all the time!! Much of the decision to stop and recalibrate is about me “being my message” and not just preaching it. And actually living the only life I will ever want to live.

The truly wonderful thing in all this is that this (temporary) unraveling has, as always, reminded me of what this life I want looks and smells like. Being unwell does this. It pulls into sharp view the vulnerability of life. We could go any time. So, FUCK IT, let’s get real and raw and shed the layers!! Cut to it, Sarah!! Live it…CRUDLESS!!

19 very clever things to do with coconut oil

August 10, 2018November 22, 2011 by Sarah Wilson

Following on from my recent why i get excited about coconut oil post, I’m sharing some of the things I do with coconut oil…a few of you have asked the difference between oil and butter. It’s the same thing. The stuff does become an oil in the warmer months, so store in the fridge if you prefer the harder, smoother consistency.

Screen shot 2011 11 21 at 6.09.16 PM 19 very clever things to do with coconut oil — photo via My New Roots

1. Fry and roast your roots!

As I mentioned the other week, coconut oil is by far the safest, healthiest and tastiest oils to cook with (along with ghee). But it’s particularly tasty for cooking sweeter vegetables like pumpkin and carrots. I really like this recipe adapted from My New Roots. I’ve make it without the dressing she suggests, and switch the maple syrup for rice malt syrup.

coconut roasted carrots

zest of 2 oranges
juice of 1 orange
2 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
1 tsp. rice malt syrup (optional)
1 tbsp. coconut oil or ghee, melted
1 tbsp. sesame seeds
pinch sea salt

Whisk all marinade ingredients together, add the carrots and toss to coat. Pour carrots and marinade out onto a baking sheet, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and place into preheated HOT oven. Roast for 15 minutes.

I love pumpkin fried off in coconut oil. I’ve shared this recipe here.

Also, brussel sprouts!!!!

2. Eat it straight from the jar (my #1 fail-proof craving curber)

After lunch I still get sweet/”I need something more” cravings. So this is my failproof trick. I eat two tablespoons of coconut oil. It satisfies my need for something sweet and KILLS appetite for about 4-5 hours. I really challenge you to try it (allow about ten minutes to feel the effect).

3. Use it as a moisturiser, especially in summer!

I scoop straight from the jar (I keep a jar in the bathroom) and apply onto moist skin. I mix in a few drops of Vitamin E oil, too. The wonderful health properties seep through the skin, too. In ayervedic terms, it’s a cooling oil and so is perfect at this time of year – it will help you sleep at night (PS in winter I use untoasted sesame oil, which is a warming oil).

the 5 things your breakfast protein shake must include

August 13, 2014November 21, 2011 by Sarah Wilson

Breakfast seems to be a big topic on this blog (a few previous posts here and here). I often get walloped with responses like, “but I don’t have enough time” and “I’m not a breakfast fan”. My answer to such queries is protein shakes. HOWEVER, there are protein shakes and then there are protein shakes. Some are full of sugar and crud, some are geared at blokes with bulging muscles and odd little gym swaggers. But I’ve come across this one which is neither: 180 nutrition’s protein superfood. Below, Jo has outlined the deal with protein shakes and some great recipes for this sponsored review. Enjoy!

Picture 3 the 5 things your breakfast protein shake must include — photo by Maria Laitinen

what to look for in a protein shake:

Most of the info out there advises it’s all about whey protein. But know this: the whey needs to be…

raw
cold pressed
derived from grass fed cows
free of hormones, chemicals
free of sugar

180 nutrition’s protein superfood ticks all these boxes.
Also, less is more. This superfood contains only a handful of (recognisable, no “numbers” involved) ingredients:

grass fed whey protein isolate
flaxseed
almond meal
sunflower kernels
coconut flour
cocoa (chocolate flavour only)
chia seeds
pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
sesame seeds
pysillium husks
inactive brewers yeast
stevia

So: no gluten, no artificial flavourings or preservatives, no processed sugars and sweeteners, no bulking agents or thickeners. PLUS the whole lot is 100% raw and organic.

to emoticon or not to emoticon?

November 20, 2011 by Sarah Wilson

This week in Sunday Life I sign off, sincerely

Lottie Frank to emoticon or not to emoticon? — Illustration by Lottie Frank

Poor Sreejesh got me so very wrong. During the week the charming and enthusiastic IT specialist from some outpost in India contacted me, trying to win some online business. He was doing well. Until he got to his sign-off. There, it was, alongside his name: “<3333333”.

First, the kid mistook me for someone who cared to know what his little flurry of key strokes meant. I Googled it and found it’s emoticon-speak for “lots of hearts” (turn your head on its side if you’re still stumped). Second, he signed off with hearts?! We’ve never met, not even virtually.

We all know by now by now that technology is meant to be making us fat, dumb and boring. But I mostly think the rapidly shifting electronic world is making us confused, and so we do awkward things, like bag out our boss on Twitter etc, as we adjust.

It’s like the nascent stages of a sexual dalliance – we’re awkward and cringy until we get the hang of things. Which would make the fraught issue of electronic sign-offs the bra unhook – something we seem unable to ever master, despite the fact we’ve been on email for decades now.

The issue prompted me this week to have a good look at my own sign-off style. For years I’ve run an automatic signature at the bottom of my emails with the sign-off, “Be well, Sarah”. Which was highly efficient – if a little worthy – in that it saved me 12 whole characters every email.