quinoa porridge and other detox discoveries

Well, we made it through our three-week detox (just!). It is one of the toughest things I've had to do. Not because of the food we were eating, but the extreme amount of effort involved. During the detox we had to avoid dairy, wheat, gluten, processed, packaged, and canned foods. Everything had to be made from scratch. The amount of pots, pans and plates we had to wash every day was ridiculous! It was truly exhausting.

What I enjoyed, though, was discovering some new tasty meals. My husband made a heap of Zucchini Fritters for us to heat up at breakfast time. They are really simple to make and so tasty. Mix two eggs with one grated zucchini and fry in olive oil. We also added grated carrot and some sliced mushrooms, served with a bit of sea salt and ground pepper.

I loved the fritters, but didn't really want to have them every morning for three weeks. So, we cooked up some Quinoa Porridge. Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) is a seed that is very high in protein and is quite versatile. Boil it for 10-15 minutes, then you can make a risotto-style meal with it, or substitute for rice with a stir fry, or sweeten it up to make porridge. We blended up some berries (which gave it a spectacular colour!) and mixed it through, sprinkled some crushed nuts and sunflower seeds on top, then served with soy milk. It also tasted great with an apple puree that my husband made by boiling up some green apples. It certainly hit the spot as a 'breakfast cereal' substitute.

Another highlight was San Choy Bow. We've never made it from scratch before, but were able to make it easily with this recipe from the Metagenics website as our starting point.
Since we couldn't actually use mince during the detox, we cooked up some chicken breast cut up into small pieces in the fry pan, then used our Turbo Chef to 'mince' it. I was surprised how well it worked - I've never used it for meat before. We had no water chestnuts, but added finely chopped mushrooms, carrots, onion and whatever else we had (again, using the Turbo Chef to save time - best invention ever!). I couldn't believe that using only fresh ginger and gluten free soy sauce would give such a delicious flavour.

As well as introducing new meals to our repertoir, this detox certainly made us more aware of what goes into the food that we buy and has lead us to make better day to day decisions in that regard. But, more about that later, I reckon.

algae in a glass - detox time!

I mentioned that I was feeling bloated in a status update on Facebook several weeks ago. I was surprised when my whinge about rice crackers generated a huge response from different friends who have had similar issues. It's more common than I thought and there are so many different causes for bloating and other symptoms. I was convinced to go and get some proper advice in order to get to the bottom of my health issues.

So, I booked myself in to see a local Naturopath. In my initial consult, Susan asked me about everything. Every aspect of my life. Diet, work, hobbies, nearby electrical equipment. (At least she'll never be accused of not being thorough.) She then sent me off for a stack of blood tests. These tests revealed vitamin deficiencies, the main ones being protein and iron, and a couple of other unusual things. Also, my digestive system is all out of whack; "not enough of the good guys", I was told. This explains so many things!

That is how I ended up here. Deviating from my mission to organise the house and, instead, doing a 'command-delete' on my insides: detox!

Yep, I'm now one of those "weirdos" on a restricted diet. I never in a million years thought that person could be me. And my lovely husband is coming along for the ride. What a good guy.

The aim of this special diet is to remove toxin exposure, remove bad bacteria from the digestive system, renew and improve digestive function and release existing toxins. Mostly, it's avoiding gluten and dairy, as well as processed and packaged foods for three weeks. (This is called an 'express' detox). There are actually a lot of things on the "allowable foods" list, so the food has been quite good. It's just breakfast that has been the major challenge. But, more about the food another time.

We have just completed day 3 of our 21 day detox. And if it was just the change of diet that we had to deal with we would be cheering. But, and I believe this to be a fairly big BUT, we have been given some powdered supplements to "assist" with our detox. Morning and night we have to drink this stuff. The first, Thermo Phase Detox, is "vanilla flavoured" which I think is a very generous description. I guess it wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the texture. It's quite gritty and hard to swallow.

You should have seen us both. Standing over the sink, gagging, trying to get the stuff down. Urrggh.

Now, for the even bigger B-U-T: this "vanilla flavoured" powder is actually really enjoyable compared to powder number two. G-Tox Express curiously hasn't been labelled with a flavour. We soon found out why. Have you ever drunk a glass of pond water? No? Me either. But, if I ever did, I imagine this is what it would taste like. (And feel like, for that matter). Even my eldest son said "Yeah, it looks like algae. Like the algae in the Octonauts Algae Cleanup!" Awesome.

Check it out:

It's the most torturous thing I can ever remember doing to myself. And probably the thing that will make my husband hate me.

I just keep remembering that in a couple of weeks we'll be feeling awesome!

(And keep not remembering that we have 18 more days to go.)

the crusts

Most of the time, my children just will not eat their crusts! And it seems that this is a common problem for most parents.

The boys would make their requests for "peanut butter and buzz butter" on sandwiches. I would make the sandwiches and cut them into squares (another special request). My eldest (3.5) would gobble up everything at great speed - except the crusts - and my youngest (1.5) would eat the toppings off and leave all of the bread behind. Sigh.

Scraping all of that yummy bread into the compost was beginning to wear thin. What a waste!

I had attempted to make other things for lunch that weren't sandwiches. Especially for the little one. I served up lovingly prepared sticks of cheese, carrot, cucumber and ham, after which he ate all of the ham, took one bite from each stick and threw the rest on the floor.

Both of them keep insisting that they really do want sandwiches, so I came up with a way of making sure that every last bit of those darned sandwiches got eaten.

When the boys have 'finished' their lunch and leave the table, I grab their plates and take them to the kitchen. There, I have two small containers labelled with each of their names. I put their leftovers into the corresponding container.

After rest time, when the boys are hungry, I produce the creatively named "special containers" and make a big deal about presenting each boy with his own container that has his name on it. They choose a place to sit and then eat up all of the contents of their container.

The first time I tried this, I was amazed that it actually worked! And I didn't have to force them or anything. (Not that I was planning to force them, I just expected more of a fight about it!) After they finish the leftovers, they can then choose a piece of fruit (or whatever) to complete their afternoon tea. Woo!

(If there is still a little bit left after that, I just throw it out.)

For a little while, I was doubting myself. "Am I being too mean?"

But I soon realised that they were happy and the bread wasn't going to waste. Everyone wins!

the kitchen!

I've been completing a little bit here and there in the kitchen for months now. From the start I thought I would like to have it completed by the end of the year.
Well, I've just scraped in!

Here is what I started with:

Surprise, surprise - another embarrasing mess!

Here is what I did with the kitchen, with help from my lovely husband...

I think the pictures will speak for themselves, but I'll still point out a few highlights.

1. Installing a shelf above the bench to keep the space clear for preparing food. ($50 from Ikea)
2. Purchasing a set of tins to keep bread, tea, coffee etc in. ($16 from Kmart)
3. Investing in Tupperware! The Access Mate "Veg Out" containers were $117.65 for both. I justified this expense by repeating a "they have a lifetime guarantee!" mantra in my mind. My husband loves these. They are much more suitable for potatoes and onions than the rotting box we had previously. And they are impenetrable for creepy crawlies!
4. Ikea shelf inserts in plates and glasses cupboards.
5. Large plastic tubs for plastic containers and bake ware. (About $6 each from Kmart). These allow the containers and drink bottles to be a little more organised and I can lift them out easily to access the "occasional use items" in the hidden corner of the cupboard.
6. Moving all the dishes, bowls and platters that I use all the time into a more accessible place. 
7. Getting a new bin. We now have a bin that has two sections; a smaller section on the left for rubbish and a larger section on the right for recycling. (About $70 from Bunnings from memory). Now the recycling doesn't float all around the place in an enviro bag. Much better!

I actually feel excited to be starting a new year with a new kitchen! My whole family has noticed the difference. We can find things we need more easily, and I don't feel angry every time I need to prepare a meal for everyone. I think a happy cook produces better food. 

And, just today, James came in as I was adding the final sparkle and said "thanks for cleaning the kitchen, mum!" Nice to know I am appreciated :)

The challenge now will be to maintain that level of cleanliness. All I can do is try.

Happy New Year to you all. May next year be full of love, fun and organisation!

puddle on the floor

There's a puddle on the floor in the kitchen. Not sure how long it's been there. Maybe it appeared this morning. Maybe yesterday? Pretty sure it's water. (hope it's water). How did it get there?

I haven't cleaned it up yet. I stepped in it a couple of times while trying to put breakfast things away. Cringed as I felt the cold liquid touch my toes. I just walked it off onto the carpet as I went to fetch more things off the table.

I managed to avoid it while getting some toast for the boys. I have memorised where it is now. It's almost invisible on the lino, but I know the spot I should avoid.

Why haven't I cleaned it up? I don't know. Instead of doing that, I started folding some towels. I got through half of them. They are now sitting on the floor in the lounge room.

The puddle is still there. And I'm sitting here writing about it.

Am I lazy? Or don't care? Or just exhausted? I don't know.

The puddle sits there as a reminder of all the things that don't get done - or get
half-done - the story of my life.

I should be mopping up the puddle right now, or finishing folding the towels, or hanging out the load of washing which must have finished by now.
Or getting dressed. I'm still in my pyjamas.

I'm feeling paralysed by this simple "to do" list. It must be time for a holiday.

But first... I suppose I'd better grab that mop.

we have a WINNER!

The winner of the Boon Frog Pod is Paulina Cox! 

Congratulations Paulina. I hope you and your girls have fun with the Frog Pod and that you enjoy the order it will bring to your bathroom :)

I'll contact you shortly to get your details.

Apologies to those who missed out. Thanks for your entries. I enjoyed reading about the toys you and your kids like to play with in the bath. One toy that sounded awesome (thanks Sara), was the Dirty Dishes by Alex that you 'wash' in the bath. How fun!

In the end, though, how can you go wrong with a plastic cup and a face washer?

Happy December everyone.

And the count down towards Christmas begins!

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

command delete GIVEAWAY!

In case you didn't already know, I really value all of you who take the time to read my blog. Thank you for reading my posts and for your informative and encouraging comments. By doing this you are keeping me on task and excited about my goals to provide a more sane environment for my family.
So, to say 'thank you' - and also because I'm feeling
a bit festive - I am running a giveaway!

I am excited to be able to give one lucky reader a brand new Boon Frog Pod. Valued at $69.95, this funky bath toy storage system will keep your bath more organised and tidy than it has ever been. It's drainable scoop lets you gather and rinse toys, helping to prevent scum and mildew issues. The wall-mounted base, with built-in shelf, holds all your essential bath products. And it sticks really well to bath walls with semi-permanent adhesive strips, but won't harm tile or wall surfaces. (There's also an option to screw it onto your tiles if you prefer.) 

Bonus: With the Frog Pod your child may actually want to help clean up!

How to enter:

If you would like to go in the draw to win this prize, simply comment on this post, and tell me; what is your child's favourite bath toy? 
OR what is your own favourite bath toy?

Make sure you include your full name in your comment so I can identify and contact you if you are the winner. (If you have been referred by a friend, please include their name as well.)

This giveaway is only for people who have an Australian postal address.

I will be randomly drawing a winner on Thursday 1st of December after 2pm. 

Good luck!