August 2019 – Supercharged Food

Meal kits – are they as good as they seem?

In 2019, the vast majority of people globally understand the importance of eating healthy and staying in shape. However in other parts of the world some people especially if they find themselves sociodemographically behind the curve, find it harder and studies show that this is due to having more pressing issues to deal with. Because healthy/fresh food can be more expensive than the alternatives, sadly they simply lack the opportunities and resources to tap into popularised healthy eating.

On the flipside, the same can also be said about very busy working individuals, in spite of many having the means to buy high quality food- they find it difficult to have the time to think about what they’re consuming, follow an organized dietary plan, do the grocery shopping, cook their own food, and this often results in unbalanced nutrition.

Interestingly whatever side of the fence you are on both areas can result in inadequate nutrition and nutritional deficiencies which in turn can affect individual health outcomes.

Meal kits have become very popular in that last couple of years as many people are buiser than ever in their lives and havent always got the time to devote to meal preparation and cooking. Meal kits can make it easier for people as the pre-portioned and usually partially-prepared ingredients and recipes make it easy for people to have a quick step system towards creating a “home cooked” meal.

Usually costing between $10-20 per meal portion the average amount of preparation and cooking time is generally around ten to twenty minutes and this gives customers the opportunity to skip the grocery store aisle and make it easier for them to enjoy healthy, enjoyable, and fresh foods.

Are meal kits in fact what they claim to be?

If you search across the web you’ll find some real life find meal kit resources and reviews which show real time photographs of the process and experience.

Riley and John, a father/daughter team created a series of cute photographs showing their meal kit experience. They recounted that the meal took less than 30 minutes to make, and delegation was the key. When the meal was ready they also enjoyed it at the kitchen table which is a great way and place for families to connect. One part of our busy lifestyles is that eating together has become a thing of the past for many families and they tend to eat at different times in different rooms, in front of the TV or on the couch. They also noted how healthy and fresh (locally sourced) the meal was.

Leah Ingram, a money saving expert agreed that meal kits were a positive experience for her. One of her tips inluded noting her favourite recipes, which she has made again, holding onto the recipe cards and making a note of the ingredients to use on her future shoppng trips.

Meal Kits Canada offers some lovely meal kits prep pics and recipes of meal kits in Canada. Kyle Prevost, is a well-known blogger and entrepreneur in the person finance space, as well as a full time highschool teacher. He’s busy and time poor and says that “while meal kits haven’t made me into a 5-star chef, they have allowed me (a rookie’s rookie in the kitchen) to make a wide variety of fresh, delicious, nutritious meals in only 30 minutes.”

SweetPhi, a food blogger from Wisconsin, agrees “For healthy, organic and ‘special dietary accommodating’ meals food kits work well. One of her personal favourites includes Sun Basket, a service she tried and now enjoys them on the reg to keep her healthy and satiated.

So if you’re too busy to cook and work long hours and have no time for food prep, then meal kits are a tasty, healthy and fresh way to eat. The only other fact is that perhaps the biggest stumbling block to making the leap would be price as this way of eating can be more expensive than simply buying the ingredients. You could also gift a lovely hamper from Boyd Hampers.

Delicious Turmeric Seeded Loaf

Hi, I’m Lee and I’m a loaf-aholic!

If you can’t tell by this chia and flaxseed loaf recipe here, this banana and coconut one here or even this golden buckwheat and pumpkin one here, I’m a keen lover of all things loaf. Not only does it make my heart happy, it makes my tummy happy too.

In the past, bread has been demonised in the health industry as a food that’ll make you feel bloated, uncomfortable and miserable, but it doesn’t have to be that way, you can make a perfectly acceptable and tummy friendly loaf all different kinds of ways in the comfort of your own kitchen.

For those of you who know me, I'm probably repeating myself here but I also love turmeric.

Turmeric has been in the limelight (or should we say yellow-light?), for its wonderful anti-inflammatory properties, heart disease and depression-fighting ability and rumour has it, it may even turn you into a superhero (too much?).

You might like to try my Oven Baked Cauliflower and Broccoli Steaks recipe here. They are also part of my FMTV cooking series if you prefer to watch cooking videos here.

I have combined two of these wonderful foods into one recipe that may just become your new go to loaf if you'll have it. Bread and turmeric may seem like an odd collaboration that would have been listed on the Worst Dress list of a food red carpet a few years ago (a girl can dream, okay?), but it’s time to bend the rules!

While it may seem odd to combine bread, a food that has been demonised by the health industry, and turmeric, a wonder-spice ‘superfood’ which is currently trending in the wellness world, it’s time to throw out the rulebooks and start choosing freedom over fear and pairing whatever ingredients we like together.. Because variety is the "spice" of life.

The food industry has flipped everything on its head. There is a perpetuation of a fear of food items such as bread and carbohydrates, which influences us to purchase more expensive alternatives.

A lot of the time, this fear is created for a company’s gain and ability to create a new wellness trend, which creates a heightened fear of food and diminishes our ability to just relax and enjoy it.

I believe that the food we eat should be chosen out of freedom, pleasure and celebration, not a deep fear of ageing, gaining weight, losing our energy or ability to keep up with the constant demands of life.

While turmeric is said to help reduce ageing, I don’t want you to fall into an ‘immortality complex’. If you’ve never heard the term, it’s something I go in-depth about in my latest book, Supercharge Your Life, but I’ll give you a brief explanation now so we’re on the same page.

The ‘immortality complex’ is the mentality of an eater who is driven by the desire of an idealised state of health which totally eradicates any chance of falling sick or aging. To give you a clearer image, think of the person you know who can read an ingredients list from a mile away or, those people who look at the shopper in front of them at the supermarket and are able to knock-off at least twenty different symptoms and diseases the foods in their trolley will give them. This food mentality isn’t healthy at all. In fact, I believe it’s quite damaging.

I hate to be the one to tell you that the Easter bunny isn’t real, but no matter how hard we try to avoid illness and strive to a state of physical perfection (think the classic ‘my body is a temple’ type person), there will be an expiration date. We all age and no matter how much money or effort goes into the perfect diet, there can still be hundreds of health hurdles we have to face, emotionally and physically.

Even if you do reach a perfect, idealised state of health, you gain nothing if you’re living your bliss life while unconsciously projecting judgement or negative attitudes towards others. More often than not, this tends to originate from a fear-driven attitude towards food, rather than a blissful and joyous way of looking at food, which is really, a microcosm of a bigger picture.

If you’re not able to enjoy simple pleasures, such as food, something’s got to give. It’s time to enjoy food and by doing so, enjoy life!

While we live in an age where we’re watching more cooking shows than ever before, we’re spending even less time in the kitchen. We’re so disconnected from our food that we’ve forgotten that it is one of the key cornerstones of living an enjoyable life.

While the saying, life is short,is something we hear regularly, I’d like for you to think of it this way: life is the longest thing you’ll ever do, so you may as well enjoy it and feel the best that you can for as long as you can!

In order to reignite a pleasure of food, getting back to basics and a simple way of living and eating that’s in line with the earth and its seasons, and creating space in our own lives to be able to grow and gather food, plan our meals, then cook and sit down at a table with time to truly enjoy each and every mouthful and moment makes sense.

It’s time to embrace a new movement; a supercharged food revolution. This revolution will bring you the freedom to live a life that is bouncing with simple pleasures, is total balanced, wholesome and even includes a piece of bread or two. It’s what creating a supercharged life is all about. It’s vacant of any unnecessary food fear too. As a great, modern scholar once said it’s time to, “shake it off, shake it off” 😉

My Turmeric Seeded Loaf is a perfect example of that. It’s a recipe that brings families together, puts smiles on people’s faces and actually tastes damn delicious. It’s also high in protein and fibre. Unlike many bread recipes out there, you won’t be left cleaning up bowls, spoons or measuring cups for days on end. This bread is as blissful to make and clean-up after as it is to eat. All you need to do is mix the ingredients, bake it in the loaf pan and you’re done.

While turmeric is a trending ingredient, it offers more than its potent anti-inflammatory properties to recipes. It has an earthy and pungent taste that is perfect for bread. It also pairs wonderfully with coconut which is why I had to add coconut flakes to this mix. It’s a winning colour and food flavour combination like no other. Turmeric is being added to everything these days, including my turmeric fudge which is mind-blowing and delicious, if you haven’t had a chance to try it yet. So, why not combine bread and turmeric to form a new power couple?

Let’s make a toast to fighting the fear of food and starting a supercharged food-loving revolution one piece of bread at a time!

Turmeric Seeded Loaf

{MAKES 9 x 30 cm (31⁄2 x12 inch) loaf}

200 g (7 oz/2 cups) almond meal
60 g (214oz/1/2cup) walnuts
50 g (134oz/1/2cup) flaked almonds
75 g (234oz/1/2cup) pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
40 g (112oz/1/4cup) sunflower seeds
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
15 g (12oz/1/4cup) coconut flakes
3 eggs
2 egg whites
90 g (314oz) butter or coconut oil, melted
2 tablespoons rice malt syrup or maple syrup
1/2 banana, mashed

Method:

Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F) and line a 9 × 30 cm (312× 12 inch) loaf (bar) tin with baking paper.
Combine the almond meal, nuts, seeds, salt, turmeric, baking powder and coconut flakes in a large bowl.
In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients. Add the wet mixture to the dry and mix until well combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 45–50 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Allow to cool in the tin before slicing.

Strawberry and Chia Roll Ups + Free eBook

If you’ve ever visited a school playground at lunchtime, I’m sure you’ve seen the all-mighty roll up.

These fruit straps (if you can even call them that), are a frequent and common snack among lunch boxes nationwide. Roll ups are seen as an easy and tasty way to get some fruit into your kids.

Unfortunately, a lot of the time these convenient snacks contain not so convenient ingredients, and are laced with maltodextrin, sugar, oil, artificial colouring and you know the rest...

To be honest you know what i think they don't actually contain a lot of? Real fruit. Roll ups contain fruit puree, which is basically fruit that’s stripped of all its fibre and essential nutrients, leaving us with just fructose and sugar.

In fact, I found a roll up the other day with over twelve ingredients which made me question why we associate them with fruit at all! I know. You’re just as shocked as I am right now.

I’d like for you to take your mind back to the good ol’ days, where children were sent off to school with apples from the farm down the road and a handful of just-picked bright blueberries from the garden. Doesn’t that just sound blissfully wholesome?

Previous generations would be blown away if they had a sneak-peek into what’s in our kid’s lunch boxes and even more so, what’s going into their tummies.

Generations before us grew up knowing exactly where they food came from. They visited farms where fruits and vegetables grew or even picked their own, preserving the excess bounty as jams and pickles to be eaten in the months that followed. They ate seasonally, not out of choice, but because that’s all they knew. They knew that winter was the time for grounding stews with root vegetables, summer was for mangoes and spring was the time for sweet green peas and juicy lamb chops; it just made sense.

Sadly, our connection between our social and agricultural landscape has become barren and dry. We’ve completely lost touch with our earth’s seasonal wisdom and how it has the power to provide our bodies with the exact nutrients and life forces we need to flourish through the extremes.

We’ve forgotten that food is at the heart of the home. We’ve become accustomed to the remnants of fruit being placed in kid-friendly plastic packaging with a million and one other unrecognisable food ingredients and don’t even give it a second thought.

This revelation sparked me to create my own fruit roll-ups for my latest book, Supercharge Your Life, made with just three simple ingredients, not twelve.

You can even wrap them around your fingers like the traditional ones!

By swapping out pre-packaged foods filled with ingredients we can’t even pronounce, and our bodies don’t quite understand, with real and wholesome food, we’ll be able to thrive naturally.

Food that’s considered, selected, prepared, served and enjoyed with genuine love and thankfulness will bless your body and your loved one’s bodies far more than you know. This is the key to having a simply supercharged life; its food made simply and life made simpler.

Less really is more!

My food philosophy is easy: eat real, unmodified foods as close to the state that nature provides, as this enables our bodies to function at their best. This means I run towards foods that are grown or reared naturally and are free from as much chemical intervention as possible. Food should be savoured, smelled and experienced, not chowed down on too quickly.

For the Strawberry and Chia Roll Ups, I’ve used strawberries because they’re the best flavour, obviously - it’s not even worth arguing over. I’ve even used berries from my own backyard!

Of course, you don’t need to roll up (pun intended) your sleeves just yet and turn into a master gardener just to enjoy this healthy little snack. I know it’s not possible for everyone to grow their own garden, but it’s possible to start a little herb wall or veggie patch anywhere, which you can read more about in my post entitled How To Create a Kitchen Garden.

That being said, you can buy berries from the supermarket or farmer’s market, just opt for chemical-free and organic where possible. If berries aren’t in season, you can make these easy roll ups with a multitude of fruit combinations to fit in with whatever season you’re in.

Some of my favourite flavour combinations include:

Raspberry + mango
Apple +sweet potato
Peach + banana
Strawberry + basil
Raspberry + vanilla
Apricot +cinnamon +turmeric

Don’t be scared to play around with different flavour and fruit combinations. You can even use frozen fruit. Once you’ve chosen your fruit or fruits of choice, combine them with omega-3 rich chia seeds.

If chia seeds don’t tickle your fancy, feel free to swap them out with flax seeds or even hemp seeds. Then, sweeten to your personal taste preferences. I personally like using honey or rice malt syrup in these, but you can also use stevia or another sweetener of your choice.

These roll ups are perfect for school snacks, study breaks and even for the work fridge. All you need is three ingredients and an oven. If you have a dehydrator, feel free to use that instead of the oven but be aware that the timing may vary.

The mighty roll up is great for snacking because you can portion them out to help with the impossible feat of controlling your portions. They’re even better because you can play tug-of-war with them (no, this is not giving me permission to play with your food, but the option’s there).

If you’re looking for other perfect and healthy homemade lunch box or weekend family friendly snacks, check out my Golden Granola Clusters, Golden Gut Oatmeal Cookies and Turmeric Fudge in this FREE ebook made with delicious Golden Gut Blend.

My fruit leather is one for the whole family to love and fight over! Enjoy them and let me know what you think in the comments down below.

You can grab a copy of the book here: Supercharge Your Life

Strawberry and chia roll-ups

{makes about 12}

500 g (1 lb 2 oz/313cups) strawberries, hulled and halved
2 tablespoons chia seeds
2 tablespoons rice malt syrup, or stevia powder to taste

Method:

Preheat the oven to 65°C (145°F) or its lowest temperature and line two baking trays with baking paper.
Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse for about 30 seconds, until puréed. Pour onto the baking trays and spread out evenly with a spatula.
Dry in the oven for at least 3 hours, until the mixture is no longer sticky and the consistency is leathery but not crisp (see tip).
Cool to room temperature, then either slowly peel the fruit off the baking paper or use a sharp knife or a pair of scissors to cut into portions with the paper still on to stop them sticking. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3–4 days. When ready to use, roll up portions and secure with string.

Supercharged Tips

To test whether your fruit roll-up is ready, pick at a corner and start to peel it slowly off the paper. If it pulls apart or seems sticky or damp, it needs to go back in the oven.
To make the other flavour combinations, replace the strawberries with the same volume of the suggested ingredients, and combine with the chia seeds and rice malt syrup in the same way.

Eating for Thyroid Health + Fermented Turmeric and Fennel Cauliflower

While here at Supercharged Food HQ we love talking about all things gut health, there’s another intrinsic part of the body that plays a key role in keeping us functioning properly; the thyroid gland.

The gut and thyroid have a very strong relationship - poor gut health can suppress thyroid function and similarly, thyroid dysfunction can cause an inflamed gut. It goes both ways.

If you've never looked into thyroid health, gather round! Basically, the thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland that sits in your neck. It produces two types of hormones: Thyroxine, known as T4, which is the inactive thyroid hormone and then there’s Triiodothyronine, A.K.A, T3, which is the active form. We need both T3 and T4 for growth, energy, development and much more.

In order for our thyroid hormones to do their job properly, T4 needs to be converted into its active form T3. Did you know that 20% of this conversion happens within the gut flora? It’s a bigger conversion rate than Australia and US Dollars! This conversion process can be enhanced by an enzyme known as intestinal sulfatase, which is produced in the gut. Therefore, if we have any gut imbalances, this can disturb the conversion and alter the exchange rate.

One major side-effect of gut problems that’s actually linked to thyroid health is constipation. Constipation can decrease our clearance of oestrogen and also, increase thyroid-binding globulin, a protein that binds to T3. This makes T3 chemically inactive and reduces its ability to be released into the bloodstream.

Another gut-wrenching problem is inflammation and stress. Both of these increase our cortisol levels which reduce T3 and therefore, inhibit the conversion that we need for proper thyroid functioning.

So, how do we best support our thyroid?

Eating a diet that’s good for your gut can help support your thyroid hormones. You can read my Gut Health 101 here for more.

One way to reduce bodily inflammation and therefore, improve thyroid health, is to include anti-inflammatory ingredients. Take turmeric, for example. It’s a delicious addition to any meal and it actually works. If you’re looking for tasty ways to include turmeric, you have to try my Gut Healing Turmeric Chicken Broth. Also, don’t forget to get yourself some Golden Gut Blend; it’s seriously life-changing when it comes to thyroid function as it contains both turmeric and ginger which are two star ingredients for fighting off inflammation.

Bone broths are a magical meal that help restore the gut and support thyroid function as they contain plenty of potent ingredients such as zinc, which is an essential mineral for supporting immune function and gut healing. Low zinc can actually inhibit the thyroid-stimulating hormones. Another mineral that we often talk about is iron. Iron is essential for repairing thyroid imbalances, as decreased iron can reduce thyroid function. Love Your Gut capsules are great for upping iron levels. Bone broth is an easy way to increase your iron levels and help look after that thyroid gland of yours.

One of the other things I recommend when faced with thyroid imbalances is cutting down on leaky gut triggers such as gluten, dairy and sugar. These foods can cause damage to your intestinal lining and cause cell ways to become more permeable to proteins and releases them into the bloodstream. This can cause a whole myriad of issues like abnormal immune responses, thyroid imbalances, intolerances and even autoimmune conditions.

Another key way to improve your thyroid is to reduce stress, so try to stop worrying so much! While a dose of stress now and then is necessary, stress inevitably weakens your body’s ability to fight off foreign invaders, such as bacteria and viruses, and can limit your innate immunity. This can cause inflammation which as we now know, can reduce that conversion and make it hard for our thyroid hormones to function properly. It’s time to roll out that yoga mat and start the deep belly breathing.

While the gut and thyroid connection is essential for our wellbeing, there are plenty of links within the body where your gut holds major influence. By nurturing your gut, you’re one step closer to strengthening these connections and letting your body heal and work at its prime!

If you're looking for a delicious thyroid-friendly and gut-friendly recipe, you have to check out my Fermented Turmeric & Fennel Cauliflower! It takes cauliflower to new heights in this colourful Indian-spiced ferment.

Fermented Turmeric & Fennel Cauliflower

MAKES 1 􏰐􏰦􏰐X􏰐􏰦􏰐 LITRE􏰐 􏰐MASON􏰐 JAR

Ingredients

1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
2 tablespoons Celtic sea salt
500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cups) filtered water

Place the cauliflower, turmeric and fennel seeds in a bowl. Toss to mix the spices through the cauliflower.

Transfer the mixture to a sterilised 1 litre (35 fl oz/4 cup) mason jar, pressing down to remove any large air gaps, and leaving about 2.5 cm (1 inch) of headroom at the top.

Dissolve the salt in the filtered water, then pour it over the cauliflower, ensuring it is fully submerged, and leaving about 2.5 cm (1 inch) of breathing room at the top of the jar, to allow for expansion.

Cover the jar with plastic wrap, then screw the lid on tightly.

Keep in a warm place for 3–4 days, then open and taste test until you’re satisfied with the result; the vegetables should taste tangy.

Store in the fridge and use within 3–5 days.

Are meal kits in fact what they claim to be?

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