Are you struggling to break bad habits? Or to create new habits? 

You probably know what you SHOULD be doing to be healthy, happy and have the lifestyle you’ve always wanted, but you actually struggle to make the changes you need to make, to create new, long-lasting behavioural patterns - and a new life.

Now I could write a thesis about all the neurological, psychological, mental-emotional, generational reasons why you struggle to change your habits. But I’ll leave these theories for another time.

Today I want to share with you a really practical, handy little tool that can help you start creating new habits - TODAY. Many of our clients use this tool, with great results. It’s ridiculously simple. 

Creating a New Lifestyle By Habit Stacking

I’ll share this tool with you real soon, but first I wanted to talk about habit stacking. When you stack habits upon each other, you create for yourself a lifestyle, a type of body, and relationships. You see, the...

Hey hard-working Mumma! Are you looking for a quick, healthy snack to keep your energy humming? Try these yummy Energy Bars! These are also a great lunchbox snack or treat for the kids after school :)

Ingredients

• 1 cup (120g) dates
• ¾ cup (200g) natural peanut butter
• ½ cup (60g) shredded coconut
• 3 tbsp raw cacao powder

Directions

• Place all ingredients into a food processor or blender and blend until well combined.
• Spoon mixture into a paper-lined 20 x 10cm loaf tin.
• Smooth the top with the spatula.
• Refrigerate for at least 1-hour (ok, so it takes less than 5-minutes to make…but you still need to wait an hour before eating it!).
• Keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

This recipe is approved for our following Healing Diets:

- Adrenal Healing Nutrition Plan (post 2-week blood-sugar reset)

- Gluten-Free / Celiac & Non-Celiac Gluten-Sensitivity

- Dairy-free 

- Vegan

Author: Filipa Bellette, Clinical Nutritionist...

More and more working mothers are focused on immune health, what with all the bugs children can bring home, and also the need to be on top of their game to ensure they can keep work and family and everything else spinning.

But often Mums don’t have the full picture of the things that impact immunity the most.

In this article, we’re going to share why compromised immune health can often start in the gut.

Immunity is Much More Than Supplements & Exercise

When people think of immune health they think about taking supplements, eating a little better, or working out.

While all of those things are important, often they miss some of the most important areas where they need to focus if they want to protect their own and their family’s immunity… and one of those areas is gut health.

And one of the things that can impact your gut the most is stress! And hustling mothers, we know there is a lot of that!

Secretory IgA - Your First Line of Defense ...

Here's an easy kids' snack with no added sugar that will surely make their (and yours) tummies full!

Ingredients

• 2 cups gluten-free flour
• ½ cup buckwheat flour
• 2 Tablespoons coconut sugar 
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder 
• 2 cups almond milk 
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 2 green apples, grated

Directions

• In a large bowl, gently combine all ingredients until the batter is just combined. Don’t over mix, lumps are OK!
• Heat a pan of medium-high heat.
• Brush a bit of oil on the pan and pour about  2 tbsp of batter into the pan.
• Flip the pikelets once the edges appear slightly cooked and small bubbles form on top. Cook on the other side until lightly browned.
• Serve on their own, or with your choice of topping - i.e. pure maple syrup, yogurt, coconut cream, berries, banana, nut butter, lemon juice, etc.

This recipe is approved for...

Every working Mum wants to have more energy and feel great so that she can juggle the demands of work and family with joy and ease!

But the reality is most Mumma’s are feeling totally burned out and dying to get their own energy back.

So stay tuned and we’ll share 3 uncommon ways to reboot energy.

Quick Fixes Don’t Work

Normally when busy Mums are experiencing low energy they look for quick energy fixes, things they can drink or eat (like caffeine or sugar) in attempts to get “more energy”.

When none of these tactics work, they can start to feel more drained than ever!

They may try to get to bed earlier or even add in some more exercise to “pep” them up, but what they don’t know is that there are key hormonal and mindset blocks that are holding their energy hostage.

3 Things That Can Drain Your Energy

1. One of the first things we tell burnt-out clients is to “stop exercising so hard”! It may sound counterintuitive but...

• 2 large sweet potatoes, sliced an inch thick
• Tomato paste
• 250g turkey mince, cooked in a pan with onion & garlic
• 1 green capsicum, sliced
• 1 zucchini, sliced
• Sundried tomatoes
• Cheese (I used a coconut vegan cheese, but you could use dairy cheese if you tolerate it fine)

• Place the sliced sweet potato on two baking trays and back in the oven at 200 degrees celsius until cooked/soft.
• Meanwhile, cook the mince in a frying pan with garlic and onion.
• Once the sweet potato is cooked, spread each 'pizza' base with tomato paste and top with mince, capsicum, zucchini, sundried tomatoes, and cheese.
• Bake in the oven for another 10-20min until cooked through.

We see so many professional working Mums struggling with brain fog, bloating, and a long list of GI issues.

Most people blame it all on stress (which is often a big part of the picture, especially for depleted Mumma’s) but there could be something they are missing… and it could be Leaky Gut!

When Your GI Scopes & Blood Tests Come Back As Clear

Unfortunately, most primary care doctors will assume that the symptoms we mentioned are caused by ONLY stress when their patient’s GI scopes and blood tests come back clear.

While scopes are important to pick up certain issues, they don’t pick up functional gut imbalances, like Leaky Gut, that can cause a lot of symptoms - not just gut issues, but also other seemingly unrelated symptoms like skin issues, brain fog, and poor energy, which can really be impacting your ability to ‘Mum’ and your productivity at work.

Sometimes, their doctor may send them home with a suggestion to take OTC antacids or even...

• 400g can chickpeas
• 1 bunch parsley, fresh
• 1 lime (zested and juiced)
• 1 clove garlic
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1 beetroot, pre-cooked***
• 1 orange (sliced thinly)
• 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp capers

• Drain the chickpeas and give them a good rinse. Put them in a bowl.
• Chop the parsley in a food processor. Add the lime zest & juice, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper, and blend it until it's green and smooth.
• Add the ‘parsley dip’ to the chickpeas and give it a good toss. Add some salt to taste, and get it on a plate.
• Slice the orange and beetroot into small pieces and add to the chickpeas.
• Sprinkle the salad with the seeds and capers, and enjoy!

Dealing with constant bloat and chronic GI issues is no fun, especially for busy working Mums with lots of obligations!!

And not being able to get answers from doctors can be so frustrating.

In this article, we’ll share the real culprit behind many GI symptoms called SIBO and three steps to getting rid of it.  

Why Conventional Medical Testing Rarely Gets to the Root Cause of IBS

Traditionally, when people see their doctor complaining of gut issues they will be examined and then usually sent to a GI specialist.  

Most GI doctors will then do a colonoscopy which can be important and necessary in some cases  – but really doesn’t tell us what’s happening at the microbial level in the gut.

In fact, they miss looking into the small intestine completely and that is where the problem usually occurs. 

And just scoping the gut also doesn’t pick up really important factors like food sensitivities, pathogens, or bacterial overgrowth...

Our fam (especially the kids) love these Lettuce Boats. They are quick, fun, and versatile - you can put whatever toppings you like in it! This is what we usually have (feel free to omit the meat/eggs if you are plant-based only; you'll still get sufficient protein with the noodles, hummus & sesame seeds).

• 500g beef mince
• 8 eggs
• 250g rice noodles
• 8 x iceberg lettuce leaves
• ¼ cucumber, diced
• 4 radishes, sliced
• 1 celery stick, sliced
• ¼ capsicum, sliced
• Hummus
• Sauerkraut
• Sesame seeds

• Cook the beef mince in a frypan with some coconut oil.
• Add salt & pepper to taste.
• Set aside the meat, and scramble up the eggs in a frypan.
• Meanwhile, boil the rice noodles in a pot of water until cooked through.
• Cut up all your vegetables and place on a platter, ready to use to assemble the lettuce boats.
• To assemble the lettuce boat, grab a lettuce leaf, and place inside the leaf some rice noodles, meat, eggs, sliced...