Today I am in love with water

When I filled a glass this morning from my ceramic filter I was suprised at the amazing taste. The most delicious water I have drunk in a long time, yet surely it is the same water everyday? When I was at the gym I filled my glass water bottle from the bubbled and again it was incredibly delicious. I don't know why but I am so in love with water today.

Salty salty floating

I've joined a gym, the south pacific health club, it's in St kilda on the beach, it's like a whole new world, a different planet from the one I have been living on. It's great and really wonderful, they have a free 30 day trial, so I jumped to the opportunity and signed up. So at the very least I willbe a member for 29 days. I have spent the last three days there, 3 or 4 hours at a time. The St kilda sea baths is apart of the complex, it is a salt water pool. It is very very salty and makes you feel buoyantly alive. There is a hydrotherapy pool and a steam room. There are also many Feldenkrais and yoga classes. I haven't reallyventured near the machines yet but have thus far had an amazing time. The pool is really lively and you can look out across the sea, the dirty oily bay that you would never swim in but is still a vast body of water to look out upon and connect with something greater. I love this place, it's like a retreat, I just finished an iyengar yoga class which looked at opening and strengthing the shoulder to support and preserve the lower back. I feel stronger and like my arms have come home.

Smoothie for the car ride to the train station

Tahini milk
Restorative, and balancing for nerves and stomach
-
Two spoons of unhulled tahini (calcium)
2 cups of water
2 tsps of slippery elm powder (good for soothing stomach acid and the esophageal world)
2 spoons of maca powder (adrenals)
2 spoons of lucuma powder (lucuma is often part of celebrations and banquet settings because of its distinct and fragrant flavor)

Hydrating love

I bought a big slab of fresh seedless conventional watermelon from the Italian supermarket, and blended it with sparkling mineral water and some mint from the garden. Lovely, wet, satisfying.

Buckwheat porridge with walnut milk and apple

--

Cooked whole buckwheat  and apple with pink salt

Walnut milk: freshly shelled walnuts, a couple of dates, spoon of coconut oil and water (blended well in a blender)

A few dried pears and a sprinkle of coconut on top

Watering the (hot) compost pile

To test if your compost has the right ratio of water (50%) take a handful and squeeze it, there should be barely a drip. Water should be chlorine and chloramine free.

Paw paw, lemon, water

Today I followed a recipe

No substitution, invention or omission. It was really good and definately satisfying after a run.
--
"Lemon-Lime Recovery Drink" by Brendan Brazier (p127, Thrive)
juice of 1/2 lemon
juice of 1/4 lime (actually I did omit this just because I didn't have any but I bet it would add another level)
4 dates
2 cups of water
1 tsp agave nectar
1 tbs hemp protein
1 tsp ground dulse flakes
1 tsp hemp oil
1/2 tsp lemon zest
in a blender, process until smooth
"approximately four parts carbohydrate for every one part of protein...this is the ideal ratio to help speed recovery immediately after exercise"

Delightful drink

This is light and really lovely, while secretly replenishing your electrolytes.

-- in a blender blend together
handful of herbs (parsley, sorrel, thyme, mint)
1 lemon (skin cut off), or just the juice i you prefer
1 tsp raw honey
pink salt
2 cups of water

-- This drink is also very very lovely, adjust amounts to taste
1-2 tbs grated ginger
2 tsp coconut oil
2 tsp raw honey
1 lemon
2 cups of water
pink salt
-
please note that there are many suitable replacements for honey if you don't wish to use it. I think it's one of the most incredible things ever and cherish it's taste and healthful properties but I respect the choice not to use it - fresh dates, agave, fruit or stevia are some other options to play with.

Electro blend

After all that research and thinking, i was compelled to put electrolyte knowledge into action.
--
2 tsp coconut oil
1 whole lemon (Brendans recipes are just the juice but I don't mind pith, makes it more intense though)
1 tbs grated Ginger
3 cups filtered water
3 tsp raw honey (Miellerie lake peddars nectar)
and himalayan salt
I suggest playing with quantities to find your own taste levels, especially as Ginger can be quite intense. Anyway I'm inspired to include more electro jazz to my daily food wonder. Happy experimenting!

Really not hungry smoothie

Last night and this morning I made two very similar smoothies. They
were light, easy to drink and nutritious.
--
4-5 leaves of sorrel
Big handful of chickweed
1 banana
3-4 tbs of organic coconut cream (not raw)
1 cup of water
--
Milk thistles, nettles and broccoli leaves
1 banana
3-4 tbs coconut cream
1 cup of water

-
Yesterday i ate mostly parsley and raw carrots and wasnt particulary
hungry. I think my body is facilitating a subconscious detox. I found
put yesterday that parsley stems have a similiar affect to chewing
gum. They are really fiborous and a mission to chew through, but
stimulate saliva and digestive enzymes and give your jaw the workout
it misses through having too many smoothies.

* I am typing this post on my phone while riding on the bus, a man
just got on with a trolley and big sack full of freshly harvested
nettles. He must have picked them from down by the Merri Creek
somewhere, I wonder what he is going to make with that many nettles?
Perhaps I should have a nettle party soon, my patch is getting a little
out of control.

Rock-App-Avo Smoothie

Morning smoothie
--

One medium sized pink lady apple from local Red Hill Farm
1/2 an avocado

Rocket greens and flowers from Josiane's garden
1 and 1/2 cups of water

this was deliciously satisfying and has put my brain and body back on track

Ginger Jaffa smoothie

This is a very delicious and emotionally balancing smoothie
--
2 bananas and 2 oranges (whole but with skin cut off)
handful of almonds soaked overnight
2 spoons of raw cacao powder (to taste)
little salt and dark agave syrup
sprouted quinoa
a knob of Ginger
two or so cups of water

Green Smoothie love

The green smoothie phenomena is quickly becoming a central part of my life. Everyday I pick greens and blend them with water and whatever fruit I can find. Everyday I invent a new recipe and find out you really can eat everything that grows (almost haha).














Here are a couple of recent smoothies I really enjoyed
--
24.08.10
parsley and a few leaves of cos lettuce (from garden)
a grapefruit and 2 bananas
1 cup of water
-
23.08.10
fresh parsley
1 and 1/2 bananas
tablespoon each of carob powder and dessicated coconut
1 cup of water
--
22.08.10
(made with Chita)
milk thistle and nettles
1 orange, stick of celery and 2 bananas
3 cups of water
--
17.08.10
lots of spinach stalk and all
a small apple and half a banana,
spoon of tahini and a spoon of hemp protein
1 and 1/2 cups of water
--
11.08.10
lots of chickweed!
Spoon each of hemp, cacao and carob powders
4 squishy Turkish dates
1 banana and 1/4 of an avocado
1 and 1/2 cups of water
--
another version of chickweed chocolate!
04.08.10
chickweed!!
Half an avocado
1 banana and 3 strawberries
raw cacao and maca powder to taste
a tiny bit of agave of you need to balance sweetness
1 and 1/2 cups of water
(by all the exclamations you can probably see I am fond of chickweed-chocolate smoothies...)
--
01.08.10
buk choy leaves
2 bananas and 3 strawberries (these were high flavoured organic strawberries so don't need many, also I don't generally use much expensive fruits in my smoothies, since the high proliferation of bananas, I buy ripe ones from the markets and keep in freezer, I do the same with avocadoes sometimes-removing skin, quartering and freezing-rationing)
spoon of maca
1 and 1/2 cups of water