Antibiotics and Probiotics: Part Two

Hippocrates said " All disease begins in the gut" and this is truer than ever with research and studies showing the correlation between your gut health and chronic diseases. Not only is it responsible for maintain your health and fighting against disease and bacteria in your body it is also responsible for fat burning and your mental health or your gut - brain axis.

Probiotics is defined as "a microorganism introduced into the body for its beneficial qualities." Pro-biotic is quite literally the opposite of anti-biotic, with the emphasis on biotic meaning "living organisms", with antibiotic literally meaning against living organisms. Biotic also refers to life, the condition of living organisms, biology, the study of life and biotic material which is derived from living organisms. Once we grasped the terms we can understand their functions, that one is for our health and the other against, we can begin to make informed choices regarding our health and well being starting with our gut. 

Everyday activities from what you eat, how much you sleep and stress can all affect your digestive system, in turn affecting your overall well being. Usually you can identify this by bloating, changes in appetite poor nutrient absorption, frequent colds and flus and worsening allergies and food sensitivities. If you do suffer from a poorly function digestive system, the next step is to identify factors in your life that may include; poor diet, not enough sleep or stress. The best way you can begin to respond to this is by starting with relaxing and exercising, it doesn't have to be time consuming but it should balance out the stress and sedentary behaviour ie. working or studying. 

Your daily diet is what fuels your whole body, it should viewed and respected with the understanding that you wouldn't put diesel in a petrol car and vice versa, so you wouldn't fuel your mind and body with processed foods. They may seem convenient and satisfy your cravings but thats all they are, cravings. They are not substantial in any way and with a lot of get fit quick schemes and various diets that promise fit and healthy minus the effort, do not be fooled by getting quick results because undoing what has been done over a period of time must be given time to be undone. 

It is not just about eating smaller portions or more vegetables, it is about what is actually occurring in your gut and if you are actually helping it grow the good bacteria your body and mind needs to overcome any illness or build up of bad bacteria your body may have. If you can take care of your gut flora and microbiome, it will heal and nourish your body and you will feel it and see it, inside and out. It is about upgrading your foods and not cutting them out as our bodies have come to adjust and adapt over time. It's simple things like changing from refined grains to wholemeal grains, eating fermented foods like kimchi, kefir or sauerkraut, increasing fibre and getting the nutrients your body needs from the right foods. 

Definitions reference: Wikipedia via Google

Antibiotics and Probiotics: Part One

I strongly believe in the importance of being proactive in keep and sustaining the one body we receive. It can be hard when we are bombarded with "what's the best" for us or what is the quickest and cheapest with a desired result, but in the world of pharmaceuticals your health really isn't number one. I hope to provide you with a breakdown of information that is necessary to know to help you make better, more informed choices based on a solid understanding of what is important and necessary and what works and what isn't worth the risk. 

Antibiotics is described as "a medicine (such as penicillin or its derivatives) that inhibits the growth of or destroys microorganisms" It is separated into two categories; Narrow Spectrum and Broad Spectrum which are based on its purpose and the doctors knowledge of the initial cause of infection or illness in a body. 

Narrow Spectrum as the name suggests, target and kill only a limited amount of bacteria that are responsible for causing the infection. the doctors usually prescribe Narrow Spectrum when they known what is causing the infection or illness in the body. 

Broad Spectrum work against multiple bacteria in the body that could be known to cause the infection or illness in the body and is usually prescribed by doctors who do not know what could be causing the illness and are unable to pinpoint the bacteria responsible.

Antibiotics only treat some infections caused by bacteria not viruses or respiratory infections. Viruses are classified as colds, influenza, most sore throats and acute respiratory infections and many earaches are also caused by viruses. Respiratory infections are treated by vaccination such as chickenpox or measles. 

Antibiotics have been prescribed to work on bacterial infections like pneumonia, strep throat, urinary and skin/wound infections but over 90% of acute upper respiratory infections, including sinusitis, are caused by viruses, in which case, antibiotics will not help. Now research has shown and proven results of Antibiotic Resistance, where antibiotic is no longer effective at killing or limiting the growth of bacteria. This can happen either naturally or through previous exposure to antibiotics which has resulted in resistance.

Antibiotics is an effective (in some cases) REACTIVE RESPONSE to an illness or build up of bad bacteria, which is over a period of time is slowly killed by antibiotics use, but not just the bacteria that is causing the illness is worked against, your gut flora is permanently altered too.

Another way people are offered a "solution" to their illnesses are antibacterial options, Antibacterial is defined as "active against bacteria." To further break this down, bacteria and viral infections are infections caused by microbes which are "a microorganism, especially a bacterium causing disease or fermentation" and are spread through coughing and sneezing. 

So here we are faced with a scenario, you are unwell and you receive antibiotics or antibacterial options to resolve your illness, which you either got from your body being unable to fight all the illness causing bacteria or you caught it from a family member, co worker or stranger when they coughed or sneezed and failed to cover it or wash their hands. You may be killing those bacterium that are causing your your body to come under fire, but you in fact are doing it more damage than good in trying to resolve an illness your body can fight with rest, water and natural antibiotic, antibacterial and antiviral sources.

 Defintion reference: wikipedia via google search

Asian Inspired Shredded Carrot

When coming by a good side dish, I sometimes fail to find inspiration and the same "go-to" salads and vegetables can get boring. I needed something different, something that would be flavoursome and good for me and my family, so I came up with a simple and easy carrot side dish thats easy to put together and tastes great.

Here is my Asian Inspired Shredded Carrot with Sesame Seeds:

What You'll Need:

Carrots - for two people one large organic carrot will do the job.
Cashews, halved - quarter to half a cup should be enough 
Sesame Seeds

Sauce:

2 tbsp Honey
1 tbsp Apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp Rice wine vinegar

Note: If the sauce is too acidic or sour, add more honey to balance this out. 

Method:

1. First heat your pan or wok, then you'll want to cook your cashews first so they are warm and you can see their oils coming out, put aside in a bowl. 
2. Grate carrot into a mixing bowl, use the large holes for grating
3. Mix your honey sauce in a cup by combing honey, apple cider vinegar and rice wine vinegar, I then heated it up you can do this in a sauce pan or pot once hot quickly pour back into cup
4. Combine the carrot, cashews and sauce and mix through carefully.
5. Serve topped with sesame seeds.

A tasty, healthy and bright side dish!

Simple Buttermilk Pancakes, Greek Yoghurt, Berries and Hickory Smoked Bacon

I have fond memories as a child of my mother making yummy thin pancakes some saturday mornings and they were an absolute treat as we'd have them with golden syrup and freshly squeezed lemon. The best part for me was honestly being able to help mum make them, then being old enough to be allowed to cook them up myself. Recently I had a great desire and inspiration to make a batch for a saturday morning treat for my children and I'd better get a head start with "trial batches". Hoping I could make a healthy version of my childhood favourite that still taste great, I came up with a pretty easy recipe, with minimal ingredients and one that tastes just as sweet!

So here is my version of Buttermilk Pancakes served with Passionfruit Greek Yoghurt, Berries and Hickory Smoked Bacon, Enjoy!

What you'll need:

Pancakes:

2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs
2 cups wholemeal self raising flour
3 tbsp Honey - you can get honey in a jar with its honeycomb from health food shops (this is the best honey for you) I added a bit more because I love the sweetness of this honey, its natural not refined and overly sweet and went with about 4 tbsp of honey, but again its personal preference for sweetness
Grapeseed oil

Toppings and Sides:

Natural Greek Yoghurt - I love passionfruit so I chose that one, but plain and sweet is fine, best found in fruit shops.

Berries or fruit of your choice, I used raspberries, blueberries and strawberries. They are high in antioxidants and great for aiding digestion.

Bertocci Hickory Bacon - this bacon has won awards, smells incredible and tastes to match, definitely give it a try!

Note: If you don't like any of these extras thats fine! These pancakes are lovely on their own or you can add your own, I made it with natural greek yoghurt and berries as they not only taste great but are incredibly good for you. The bacon is merely a rare treat!

Method:

1. Pre heat oven to 150C and line a baking tray with baking paper, line bacon onto necessary trays and bake until its your desired colour, whether its golden brown or "charcoal" (aka very well done but not burnt) like my husband!
2. In a bowl whisk the flour, buttermilk, eggs and honey until all ingredients are combined into a smooth, thick batter. heat up your pan and pour in some oil, use a paper towel to oil the pan or you can swivel it around. Once its heated up, pour or spoon your batter into the centre of the pan and use the back of a spoon to smooth it out into a circle, once you start to see bubbles appearing, flip it over and cook for another minute or so.
3. Once you've finished your batch of pancakes, plate up add you dollop of yoghurt, fresh berries or fruit and add your yummy bacon and you've got yourself an easy, healthy Saturday morning treat. 

Hello there Saturday morning!

Honey Sesame Chicken and Ginger Soy Greens

There's nothing better and easier than picking up some take away on the way home, especially when you don't feel like cooking. To take that exhaustive feeling out of cooking, I've come up with this recipe inspired by my grandmother who recently visited and showed me how easy it is to make a batter. I've taken her skills and made it into something quite healthy and pretty darn tasty, if I say so myself. Do not be overwhelmed by the amount of ingredients, it takes seconds to put together then you can pop it in the oven and walk away.

So here is my Baked Honey Sesame Chicken and Ginger Soy Greens, I hope it becomes as much a favourite in your house as it is in ours!

Note: I have written out instructions after ingredients, the best thing you can do is get everything ready and prepared. The process you will want to follow is: make batter and honey sauce and set them both aside, then cube chicken (steaming is optional), then cook up vegetables with the last few minutes the chicken is in the oven. Read it over and have a go and you'll end up doing it by "feel" pretty soon! 

What you'll need and how to do it:

Batter:

Wholemeal flour
Egg
Grapeseed oil
Himalayan pink salt or rock salt
Ground peppercorns
Water

When making this batter I use my grandmothers technique of not actually measuring anything but by eye, it has not failed me so far. So when doing this a took mental notes as to what I was doing and the amounts in general, but it really comes down to the texture of the batter. What you want is roughly two to three cups of flour (start with two and you can always add a bit more later), add one egg to this and whisk it so it all mixes (if you think one egg is not enough add the another), then you add the water, so fill up any mug and slowly pour it into the batter and whisk slowly so the egg and flour mix begins to mix with the water and all the mix has come out of the whisk, this usually the best indication to stop adding water. then mix in about a tablespoon of oil as you wont need a lot for baking and then use the salt and pepper to season. What you are aiming for is a nice smooth, slightly thick batter, not too thick, not too runny.

Honey Sauce:

Honey or rice malt syrup
Apple cider vinegar
Sesame seeds

I use a cup to mix this all in and when making this you want two parts sweet to one part acidic, as you really want the honey to be nice and sticky with the acidic just breaking it up enough and not over powering it. 

Chicken thigh or breast:

You can either steam the chicken first then cube it, dip in batter and lay it on the lined baking tray just to save baking time, as I can be quite impatient when hungry. You can simply cubed raw chicken and dip it into the batter and place on lined baking trays to bake until batter is cooked, then you add the honey sauce on each piece of chicken and let it bake the honey. Once done just sprinkle sesame seeds for the final touch.

Vegetables:

Snow peas and choy sum (I chose these specifically as they both steam quick and sir fry well)
Fresh ginger - just cut a think slice, then slice thinly into long shoots
Garlic - just a clove
Sweet soy

You can do this once you have put honey on the chicken, just simply wash the greens, taking of the stem from the snow peas and chopping the leaves from the stalks of the choy sum. When cooking steam the stalk of the choy sum first with the chopped garlic and sliced ginger, once you can see the stem becoming softer and the ginger and garlic can be smelt add in the snow peas and stir fry quickly and just when the snow peas change colour add the leaves of the choy sum and add the sweet soy, just enough to coat the greens, you only really need a tablespoon or two. 

ENJOY!

"Paleo" Mixed Friands

I honestly LOVE friands with all my heart and taste buds, but my waist line would definitely disagree with me if I ever made a batch because it wouldn't really last longer than a day. So, like everything else, I did my research and have put together, tried and tested! A pretty healthy version of my classic favourite. 

What You'll Need:

2 cups almond meal

1 cup coconut milk

2 organic eggs

5-6 tbs honey - maple syrup can be an alternative

Few drops natural vanilla extract

Your choice of berries, nuts, coconut or cacao nibs

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180° C (356F) and line a cupcake baking tray with cupcake liners.
2. Mix all dry ingredients in a small bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, mix all the wet ingredients.
4. Combine both wet and dry ingredients together. You can fold in the berries if you want them through out, I just added them to the top.
5. Pour the mixture into the cupcake liner, filling them to 1/2 - 3/4 full. I did fill mine up halfway just to see how they would rise, they didn't rise too much so filling them up 3/4 should be the best amount.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on top. You can check by placing a skewer though the centre. If it comes back out clean then you may remove friands from oven. Allow to rest for 10-15 minutes and enjoy!

NOTE: When trying this recipe I halved it and it still managed to get nine friands from the batter. Also I discovered as tasty as almond meal is, almond flour is much better for this recipe as it is much finer, so if you can, use it. Also instead of a dusting of icing sugar, if you have a sweet tooth like my sweet husband, you can make a powdered coconut sugar which is just 1 cup coconut sugar and 1 tbsp arrowroot powder.

Baked Onion Rings

For the lovers of onion rings, this one is for us. It's easy and healthy, which to me sounds like a pretty good way to get that snack food fix. 

All you need:

1 Brown Onion - I found they tend to have that sweet onion flavour 
1 cup flour - I used plain white, have yet to try wholemeal
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp - Himalayan salt or Rock salt
1 and half cups Panko crumbs
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
4 tbsp Grapseed oil

NOTE: The original recipe I made was double the measurements and it was a lot for just two people, so if you intend to share, definitely double the recipe.

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180C and line trays with baking paper.
2. Cut onions into 1/2 inch (1.30cm) rings, I found that if you cut them too thin they shrink and essentiality the onion is lost in baking. So don't be afraid to have some thicker rings.
3. In a bowl combine flour, paprika and salt
4. In another bowl whisk buttermilk and eggs then add half of the flour mixture to the buttermilk and mix until smooth and thickened.
5. In a separate bowl combine Panko crumbs and olive oil
6. Then dip onions into flour mixture, then buttermilk mixture and finally the Panko mixture
7. Place them onto the baking trays and bake until golden brown

I used them in my ultimate burgers and I felt no guilt that day.

Cheesy Garlic Potato and Bacon Bake

There is nothing better in winter especially than having the oven going with a delicious roast or bake, I want to share with you one I dish I put together recently and it turned out better than hoped. I never really put any effort into thinly slicing vegetables and making multiple components because of time and sheer lack of motivation but this ticked all the boxes. It was quick, easy and smelt amazing, but more importantly taste so good! 

So here is my recipe for Bacon and Potato Bake to help clear those winter blues.

What you need:

6 potatoes 
1 brown onion - cut thinly into rings
Bacon Rashers - I pulled bits of bacon but you can chop, slice or simply layer if you prefer
2 garlic cloves crushed and chopped then sprinkled into layers
Vegetable or chicken stock - I used my own homemade vegetable stock (recipe below)

Cheese sauce:

100g butter
4 tbsp flour
2 cups cheese - either grated or sliced
4 cups milk

Home Made Healthy Vegetable Stock:

2 onions chopped into quarters, 2 carrots chopped into halves ,  cut an inch thick and sliced fresh ginger, 4 cloves garlic, half a bunch of kale, 3 quartered and deseeded apples, 2 tsp turmeric and 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar (I added about 4). Bring to a boil, then allow to simmer until everything is soft and when the lid is off you can smell the onion in the water. Then allow to cool and pack away.

Strange combination but the flavours are so subtle and the health benefits are through the roof, plus it's so handy to cook with.

Method:

Cook your cheese sauce first then have everything sliced and ready to layer. When layering, start with the stock at the bottom, I do this so nothing sticks then i can add a bit more liquid to cover the whole tray later if need be. Then add potato, onion, sprinkle garlic, bacon cheese sauce and do this until you reach them top. Cook for about an hour. I didn't have to add any breadcrumbs or extra cheese to this but it's entirely up to you if you prefer it.

The Finished Product: If I had smell-o-vision attached to this picture, I would. It will smell amazing and will taste amazing.

Pistachio Slice

I'm terrible at breakfast, usually everyone else is fed, dressed and ready to go and I quickly wash and rarely eat till late afternoon. In a plight to change this unhealthy behaviour and terrible example, I came up with something healthy and easy to make and of course, delicious to eat. They can be a quick breakfast, snack or little lunchbox treat for the kids.

Here is my fibre and energy packed Pistachio Breakfast Slice.

All you need:

100g - Pistachios - roughly crushed
100g - Honey
100g - Oats
1tbsp - Grapeseed oil
1tsp - Flaxseed and water to soak it in

You can also add fruit into it like dates and raisins for that extra sweetness if you prefer.

If you like exact measurements, they are there for you and will make this recipe much thicker. I like thinner slices so I didn't use measurements with this recipe when I initially made it. I'm more to my grandmothers malay style of "up to you" - you see, taste and decide, which tends to work well for me.

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 150C
2. Line your baking tray with baking paper
3. Measure your flaxseed and add water to it and let it soak 
4. Add all other ingredients in a mixing bowl and and mix well
5. Mix in the flaxseed with water and give it a good stir
6. Pour into your baking tray and use your spoon to smooth out mixture 
7. Let bake for 20 minutes

Once they are done let them cool, cut them up and store up to 10 days maximum.

ENJOY!

Healthy Mac n Cheese Muffins

The aim of this recipe is to get vegetables into our families daily diet especially children. This way they can't see or taste any but are getting the best without feeling overwhelmed or bored by big bits of broccoli and beans, chewing on what may seem at times endless. It is quick and simple to prepare and more importantly can be made ahead for the week.

My base for most things involves carrots, onions, garlic and ginger as they all work really well together and are very good for you. I wanted to see how Silverbeet would taste as it is great for added magnesium into your diet, but definitely I reckon the more vegetables you add the better!

I added my own homemade vegetable stock to this mix (my recipe at the bottom) which is packed full of the good stuff and you know exactly whats in it. Also you may think I have added a strange combination of ingredients, but I guarantee you the flavour can be surprisingly subtle, in this case a very healthy addition with no over powering flavour.

Extra Ideas for an addition of vegetables or vegetable sauce

Broccoli, red pepper, squash, zucchini, spinach, caramelised onions, apples, mushrooms. Other extras that can work well are bacon or  you can save the meat for main part of the meal and toasted walnuts just to add a little flavour and body.

Ingredients:

• 2 x Leaves Silverbeet
• 1 x Onion
• 1 x Carrot 
• 2 Cloves Garlic
• Vegetable or chicken broth

Method:

• Pre heat oven to 180C
• Chop silverbeet and onion, slice carrot into circles and crush garlic with the back of knife.
• Blend all vegetables together until it is quite fine

• Blend up bread into breadcrumbs (you can buy them, but I like choosing what bread to use)
• Mix vegetables and broth together with a spoon, just to loosen it a little and add some moisture for the pasta. In addition to this you can cook your macaroni and any pasta really in a clear stock and keep the strained stock for the baking.
• Mix macaroni into the vegetable mix and add macaroni until they are coated well then add cheese sauce on top, I used half a jar in this case which didn't require me to pre cook any macaroni, so if you decide to make a healthier version of cheese sauce again make enough to coat macaroni

• Spoon mixture into muffin trays and coat with bread crumbs

• Time is dependant on how big your muffins are so to be safe give them between 20 - 45 minutes, just to cook through and to get a nice crunchy, cheesy top.

I had it as a side dish, but it can be great for lunches or a morning time carb pick me up.

Homemade Vegetable Stock:

2 x teaspoons Turmeric

2 x Apples 

2 x Carrot 

2 x Onions

3 x Cloves Garlic

Fresh Ginger cut of depending to taste 

Half a bunch of Kale leaves

I cook everything together first except the kale then the last few minutes I pop it in so it cooks but still has some body. You will be able to make two dishes out of this as I took out everything but the carrot, some onion and bits of kale to make the clear stock as all the goodness is in the water and I blended the apple, kale, onion, ginger and garlic and to my surprise it was smooth and subtle with hints of ginger and apple. I personally cut everything quite chunky into quarters and let it turn soft, I don't worry too much about sizes as it will be blended anyway.

I hope you enjoy this recipe and come up with your own!