Domestic goddesses unite

Friends and fans have been asking recently for more eco-fabulous cleaning tips around the home. Here are my faves...

* To clean vases and jars that you can't fit your mitts into, half fill with warm water, a drop of dishwashing liquid and a cup of rice. Swirl and swirl until you can see through the glass again. Use the mixture in as many dirty containers as you need to clean.
* If cobwebs are a nuisance, place a drop of orange oil on the end of a broom and sweep along ceilings, window frames, or anywhere that the spiders like to hang. They hate it!
* I've heard many remedies for cockies, aren't they a bugger. They don't like anything with eucalyptus, mint or clove. Dot the areas where they venture with an oil made from one or all of those scents - or mix the oil with plenty of water and wipe behind the oven, fridge, etc.
* Still the best glass and window cleaner I've ever used is white vinegar with newspaper.
* Old toothbrushes are so useful for cleaning squeezy bits in the bathroom.
* Dust with an old sock, not an expensive cloth that you'll only throw away. By the time the sock is old enough for household duties, it should have a hole in it where you can poke your thumb out. I'm so clever.
* Clean old pots and pans by adding boiling water to them - so the dirt softens - for half an hour, then discard. Clean with a paste of white vinegar and bi-carb and gently scrub in a circular motion.
* Always use gloves when washing dishes by hand. Hot water and soap aren't exactly kind to your skin and hands look old before the rest of you. Trust me. Hand cream is for life.

I hope this satisfies my earth-hugging eco-amigos... am happy to receive requests at any time x

Blissful couch therapy

There's a magic moment that you all know and love - it always leaves you speechless, mouth agape, body at ease, stress out the window. You know the one. The head massage in the hairdresser's completely uncomfy chair.

And I admit it's best when someone else is doing it and they're about to make you real purdy, but it is still amazing when you do it yourself. Sit on or in front of a couch with a towel around your neck and a bottle of olive or almond oil. Use one hand and a little oil at a time, slowly work your way from your temple to the middle of the back of your head, making little circles with thumb and fingers, swap hands and do other side. Make sure you're supporting your arms with a big cushion so they don't end up aching. Then work from the front of your head all the way down to your neck. Repeat as many times as necessary. Swap hands. Now spend a little time gently kneading away at your shoulders and arms. Lovely. You don't have to wash your hair straight away, leave it for an hour or overnight if your scalp or ends are dry.

Not so keen on the oil? My fave scalp treatment is Lotion Fortifiante by La Biosthetique - it comes with a dropper, I put in on my scalp an hour before I shower. My fave dry ends treatment is L'Oreal Paris Elvive Re-Nutrition Daily Nutritive Fluid Leave-In, it's a serious moisturizer for wet or dry hair without any greasiness. I have no idea how they made it so good. Maybe it's the royal jelly. Whatever, it works.

A happy balance

I'm in the middle of an article on stress and I happened upon some interesting info on stress/anxiety and how it affects the body. Most of us know that it sends the heart crazy - do not want - by putting us in a fight/flight state, which is only particularly useful when you gotta fight or get the heck outta there.

Researchers in the US discovered a few years back that anxiety literally creates imbalance in the body - not just internal hormones etc, but externally. People who suffer from anxiety have problems with physical balance.

Scientists in Tel Aviv took this a step further. They saw that kids were frequently showing the affects of anxiety - but were unable to deal with it cognitively because of their age. So they gave them physical therapy, 12 weeks of sensory-motor intervention. In the end, these kids not only improved their balance, but their anxiety was down to normal levels and their self-esteem rose.

What a brilliant lesson! Never underestimate the power of a good yoga/pilates/jogging/walking/stretching/swimming session on your mood, wellbeing and sense of self.

Early bird catches the zzzzz

I'm officially used to 6am. I like it. It's the best time of the day. But I'm also enjoying tennis season, and watching our fit aussie battlers going great, or not so great, guns until the wee hours. So that leaves me with a lot of time awake. I could be using these hours rigorously, diligently, ticking and crossing things off the to-do list, but, alas, I'm left tired and soggy. Not so good with so much work on.

This week I discovered the perfect solution. Naps. I've never been a fan - I find it way too hard to recover enough to enjoy the rest of the day/night. And between you, me and the bolster pillow, I think I'm scarred by Gran, she might have said something once about how I needed it when I was miserable. Ok I was eight, and miserable, but we all know how that went. Issues aside, I am now a convert. I don't crash out every day, but every so often I'll curl up and be gone for 30 minutes. It takes me a cup of tea and a hefty slap to get back with it, but then I'm grand. Just grand.

In a napshell, studies have shown that a power nap - 20 minutes of shut eye - can reduce stress, boost patience, improve reaction time, better efficiency and alertness (think less road accidents) and lessen crankypants syndrome. However, naps are only recommended for those who are sleeping less than eight hours a night. Yes ma'am, that's moi.

Beauty babes beware

I'm a sucker for a shiny lipgloss and hair treatment as much as the next gal, and if you've been reading this here bloggie, you'll know I'm also trying to give up the baddies of the beauty world. Because really, cancer just isn't worth it. But the big brands have the money and the talent to make the most incredible - and incredibly alluring - products, advertise them to the hilt and sell them at (mostly) reasonable prices. Who can compete?

This morning I was flipping through Dr Frank Lipman's excellent book, Spent? End Exhaustion & Feel Great Again. Here are some shocking facts from his book that may just leave you spinning... and heading past the staggeringly gorgeous billboards and straight for the organic skincare counter.
I hope.

* Up to 60% of what you put on your skin can end up in your bloodstream
* I'm moving to France: in 2005 a directive passed by the European Union mandated that chemicals determined to be carcinogens, mutagens or reproductive toxins be removed from cosmetics sold in Europe
* Although the American cosmetics industry asserts that its products are safe, 89% of the ingredients used in cosmetics have not been assessed by either the FDA or the industry itself
* Phthalates and parabens, used as preservatives, have been banned in Europe since 2003. Both have been demonstrated to be carcinogenic and particularly linked to breast cancer
* Fragrances in products covers about 4,000 different ingredients. Most are synthetic and are either cancer-causing or otherwise toxic. Exposure to them has been shown to affect the central nervous system
* Petrolatum is mineral oil jelly. Mineral oil is a by-product of the distillation of petroleum to produce gasoline. Essentially, it's a petrochemical that covers your skin, stopping your skin cells from breathing, absorbing or excreting. This slows the skin's natural cell development, causing skin to age prematurely. Mineral oil with added fragrance is sold as baby oil and is 100% bad for you... and for baby
* Talc is related to asbestos, a known carcinogen, and is the main ingredient in baby powder, medicated and perfumed powders and designer perfumed body powders. Links have been made with ovarian cancer in women who use it in the genital area

Do your health, skin and kids a favour... check out your faves here: cosmeticdatabase.com

The cold and the beautiful

There aren't many guarantees when travelling through South-East Asia... except hot, balmy weather and fresh coconut water, two glorious exceptions. I've always enjoyed using coconut products in cooking, and I keep on discovering more and more healthy reasons to throw them around the kitchen a bit more! Here's a few faves...

* Coconut water is a natural isotonic drink, keeping you cool and super hydrated, its anti-bacterial properties keep you in good health and there's loads of vitamin C. Drink on its own or use to marinate prawns or dress fish.

* Coconut milk might be a saturated fat, but it doesn't turn into bad cholesterol in the body. Instead, it turns into energy, plus it contains potassium and calcium. Splash it all over your muesli in the morning or poach chicken in it with lots of coriander.

* Coconut oil (buy the virgin variety) accelerates the body's metabolism, helps with enzyme and thyroid function, boosts the immune system and may aid in reducing symptoms of diabetes and cystic fibrosis. Use it to fry - it has a high smoking point so it's structure won't change.

Now all I need is a sledgehammer to open them up and I'll be right! Yummers...

Peace, kindness and shiny gold bracelets

I was out shopping yesterday, marveling at how many people work in retail but don't see the importance of looking after customers. Even when they ask. I was getting mighty flustered, it really got inside my impatient nerves. But that all changed when I walked into Witchery and was approached by the nicest woman on the entire planet of retail.

She held eye contact. She was genuine. She left me alone. When I took my marked-down bracelet and scarf to the counter, she treated me like I was buying half the store. She asked me about my day, what I was doing later, how I enjoy working from home. Shared stories about getting caught the freakish storm the night before. And all the day long I felt good, she stayed with me somehow. So my Friday lesson this week, mon amigos, is to focus on the good and the kind, not the millions of people cutting you off on the roads or talking down to you in restaurants. Just the good. You'll feel better for it, trust me.

As good as it gets

There's something so romantic and languorous about devouring warm little scones in the country with a perfect cup of tea. On a recent trip to Berrima (my fave country town), we stopped at a gorgeous cafe, sat in the sun and nibbled our way through the morning.

I recently read about a study by the UK's Institute of Food Research. They found that pectin, a natural gelling agent used in making jams, can obstruct the progress of cancer through the body by "sticking" to a protein (Gal3) which causes tumour growth. Go jam!

So if tea and jam are good for you, scones and cream taste like sunshine and breathing in the fresh country air instead of the city smog is the best soul reviver around... I think that's as good as it gets for me.

Ain't that the pits

I'm a bit slow sometimes. Most of the time I'm super-fast and intelligent (clearly! *cough*), but I blame occasional downfalls on excellent marketing by brands set to take over the world one little lie at a time. For example, deodorant. Do you know how many different types there are and what they do to your skin? Either did I. Until I looked into it a little while ago, I hadn't the foggiest. My curiosity spiked when the idea that you could develop cancer from overuse of antiperspirants went around. The brands clearly deny it because they like making money from as many harmful products as possible... and research hasn't found strong enough evidence (there's enough for me) that would thwart these nasties from sitting pretty on supermarket shelves. So here's my take on the whole thing...

* Antiperspirants. Nasty. We sweat to regulate body temp and clear toxins out of our system, it's a process our body needs to do and has down pat. So why spray something on your skin that stops the sweating altogether? WHY? And guess what genius ingredient they use to prevent sweating? Aluminium. It doesn't just sit on your skin, but gets into your blood stream and changes the physiology of your body. It may even raise the risk of Alzheimer's Disease by 60%. Do. Not. Want.

* Deodorants. Better, but be careful. These try to neutralize the smell by killing the bacteria. Watch for aluminium and parabens - a common preserving ingredient found in beauty products that gets into your system and disrupts the hormonal balance (for starters) by mimicking oestrogen. Parabens have also been found in human breast cancer tumours. Ick.

* Crystal. Sound a bit crazy? This is the best you can get, in my book. It's made up of a smooth chunk of crystallized mineral salts that kill bacteria on the surface of the skin (and so goes the BO), while letting you sweat. You'll get used to it, and feel better for it.

For those wanting to know how to spot a paraben, here's a list of them:
- Methylparaben (E218)
- Ethylparaben (E214)
- Propylparaben (E216)
- Butylparaben
- Benzyl-parahydroxybenzoic acid
- Methyl-parahydroxybenzoic acid
- Ethyl-parahydroxybenzoic acid
- Propyl-parahydroxybenzoic acid
- Butyl-parahydroxybenzoic acid
- Parahydroxybenzoic acid
- Parahydroxybenzoate

A slice of cosy and a cup of tea

Oh banana bread, contentment on a plate. I had a few super ripe bananas bringing in the fruit flies last week and a spare 20 minutes. I looked up banana bread in one of my fave recipe books - Wholefood by Jude Blereau - and made my own version from it. You really can't mess this up. I promise. No whisking! Nothing tricky! Plus there's no sugar. (I understand if this statement leaves your wary... often it means there's loads of artificial sweeteners which are hideous and mess you up, but never fear my little pastry chefs, no such ingredient will ever enter my kitchen).

Preheat oven to 180C. Lightly grease a loaf tin with butter. Place 270g wholemeal flour in a sieve with 2 tspns baking powder, sift into a large bowl and add 1 tspn cinnamon, 1/2 tspn ground nutmeg, 60g roughly chopped walnuts and 60g chopped, pitted dates (or handful of sultanas). Mix well. Add 2 lge or 3 sml bananas, mashed with a fork, 70g melted unsalted butter, 125g yoghurt and 125ml (full fat) milk. Mix through. If it looks dry and lumpy, add a splash more milk. Place mixture in the tin and top with slices of banana (optional). Bake for an hour, or until golden and cooked in the centre. Leave to cool for 15 mins then turn on a rack. Eat within 3 days (try and stop me).

Toast lightly or eat as is, top with a little butter or fresh ricotta and strawberries. Yummers.

Round 'em up

Welcome to my new weekly episode called Friday Round 'Em Up. Here I may focus on such fascinating nuggets as how much I've learned in the previous seven days on earth, how little sleep I've had or how badly I miss my old friend vino de plonko, (it hurts the most on Fridays). Each week will be mindless, quick bursts of randomness, nothing you need to concentrate on. See, I'm here for you.

This week I've learned the value of time alone. Hubby and I both work from home, and as happy as I am to have the amore of my life less than a dozen steps away, it tends to drive us both a little crazy. Yes, he gets regular, dishy dishes made for him, but he also has to contend with my constant IT queries, plans for the weekend, jokes from friends and other wifey stuff. As for me? I suppose I miss the "honey I'm home" time when we used to catch up on the day.

So now I wait, keep my rosy lips sealed, and discuss things anew at night. I save the good news and the wardrobe challenges and the funny facebook updates and throw it all at him during breaks on the 7pm Project. It's romantic, I know. I'm like that. And it works. Absence of annoying interruptions really does make the heart grow fonder. Who knew?

Summer beauty

As my beauty products slowly take on a more natural ethos, I'm left marveling at the simple things that can make you look and feel beautiful. And while summer's (apparently) here for a couple of months yet, let the world be your spa.

* Sit on the wet sand at the beach, let the waves lap at your toes while you use handfuls of sand to scrub your feet smooth
* While you're there, splash sea water on your face. I know I've raved about it before, but it really does boost cellular growth and circulation while removing toxins from your system
* A good mid-week boost for your skin (all year round) is to mix sea salt with olive oil and scrub all over in the shower. Just be gentle when you dry off as the oil should linger on your skin - no need to moisturise
* Make like Cleopatra and have a milk bath. Add a cup of full cream milk (or milk powder) to warm water and soak, using a face cloth to gently scrub top to toe. Just don't forget to rinse off quickly in the shower or with a small bucket of water.
* A lot of anti-dandruff shampoos are so fiercely drying for the hair, so instead just put a few drops of tea tree essential oil into your regular shampoo every time you use it. Another alternative it to put lavender essential oil onto a cotton ball and dot onto flaky areas of the scalp, leave overnight.

Lazy? Feel like shopping? I hear you. Check out these delicious, natural beauty peeps: Dr.Hauschka for the yummiest face moisturisers, oils and treatments; Pod Puraceuticals for heaven-sent mani and pedi scrubs; Ulittlebeauty for super smooth lip balm and heavy-duty face masks; Phyt's for lush cleansers; Pure Fiji for the world's greatest body scrubs; Ecoya for good-for-you and divine smelling candles; Alchemy for the creamiest leave-in hair conditioner.

Personalities, body types and rose water

Ayurvedic medicine has always intrigued me. The practitioners of this traditional medicine believe in balance, where natural urges are not suppressed (they believe this can lead to illness). As you may know I'm a fan of moderation, never elimination. Have your (organic) cake and it eat it (mindfully) too.

Originating in India, Ayurveda translates as "science of life", it's a holistic healing practice. Now for us westerners, holistic is a recent buzz word that means looking at the whole body, mind and soul... but for ancient healing practices throughout Asia, holistic is a way of life. Always has been.

There are three doshas, or body types, in Ayurvedic medicine. You may relate to more than one, but there's always a dominant dosha for you. These are their main characteristics:

Vata - creative, imaginative, changeable moods, excitable, high energy in bursts; slender, quick walkers, cold hands and feet, dry skin. May suffer from worry, anxiety, headaches, constipation, sore throats, and back pain.
Kappa - calm, relaxed, affectionate, compassionate, faithful, graceful, self-sufficient, peaceful, possessive; soft hair, skin, eyes and voice. May suffer from colds, sinus congestion, obesity, allergies and depression.
Pitta - focused, confident, competitive, passionate, fiery; good metabolism (and, therefore, appetite) strong build, fair or reddish skin. May suffer from skin problems, ulcers, heartburn and arthritis.

Here's a rough guide to what's good for each type (a selection from Amadea Morningstar and Urmila Desai's The Ayurvedic Cookbook):

Vata - grounding and warming foods, like spices (ginger and cloves, anise, cayenne, cinnamon, garlic, horseradish, caraway, mint, mustard seeds, parsley, cooked onion, paprika, rose water, vanilla, tarragon, thyme and rosemary), sweet fruit (mangoes, nectarines, bananas, coconut, fresh figs, peaches, and strawberries), cooked grains (oatmeal, basmati rice, and brown rice),
Avoid too much raw food, sugar, ice-cold drinks, frozen and dried foods, alcohol or caffeine.
Try calming exercises such as tai chi, yoga and walking, sip warming herbal teas, sesame oil rubbed into shoulders in the morning.

Kappa - light foods, like low-fat meat (especially but not restricted to chicken and turkey), beans (not soy), vegetables (peppers, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, eggplant, lettuce, onions, potatoes, mushrooms, corn, peas and celery) and a variety of light, crispy foods.
Avoid excess fat and heavy protein, excess sugar, dairy and bread.
Try regular dry body massages, challenging yourself, vigorous exercises (tennis, aerobics, etc).

Pitta - cooling foods are best, try bitter green vegies (watercress, rocket, parsley), fruit (berries, apples, apricots, coconut, figs, mango, oranges, pineapples, plums, watermelon and pomegranates), dairy (milk, cottage cheese, soft cheese, ice cream), grains (barley, basmati rice, and wheat), plenty of protein, spices (coriander, cumin, mint, parsley, dill and fennel) and sweets (maple syrup and raw honey).
Avoid humidity, spicy foods, excess red meat, alcohol, caffeine and salt.
Try eating when you're hungry and also swimming and walking.

Now clearly I've only touched the tip of the wondrous mountain that is Ayurveda. And, as per usual, I focused only on the food. So predictable. If you want to know more, you can find a qualified therapist here (this I am not).

Illustration above is by me, Frankie Warhol, and is of Dhanvantari, the god of Ayurveda.

It was just mint to be

My vegie garden isn't going so great. Thankfully, it's the condition of the soil (to be sorted this weekend), not my quasi-negligent ways (to be fair, I didn't just water them, I talked to those seedlings). The tomatoes are the only thing going nuts, though we did manage to sprout a few beans.

After scoring a handful of big blue pots on eBay, I went crazy planting herbs, which have thrived, much to my relief. At the moment I have rosemary, coriander, parsley, chives, oregano, basil and mint. Oh, how I love mint: easy to grow, deliciously aromatic and a more than a little pretty. However, I'm super happy I planted it in a pot, as it looks set to take over its corner of the world.

Well known as a breath-freshener and subtle energy booster, mint is also helps the digestive process, calms indigestion, relieves nausea and cold/flu congestion and reduces the levels of toxins, bacteria and fungus in the body. Here's a few of my fave recipes:

* Tear a few mint leaves in half, place in a mug with a squeeze of lemon juice and teaspoon of manuka honey, fill with boiling water. Best way to start the day. You can also add fresh ginger and lime zest.
* Make a fresh juice of pineapple, rockmelon and mint.
* Mix mint with natural yoghurt, lemon juice and diced cucumber. Serve with curries or Greek lamb.
* Make a salad of rocket, goats cheese, pine nuts, cherry tomatoes, parsley and mint.
* Mix mint through fresh raspberries and eat at roughly the same time as dark chocolate or caramel.
* Add to a risotto of asparagus and peas with a bit of lemon zest and parmesan.
* Throw a few into fresh spring rolls with avocado, carrot, rice noodles and chilli.

A year less ordinary

I have a few resolutions for this new year. OK, a lot... each day I think of more things I want to do/be/have. I so desperately want to make more time for reading, painting and yoga, which may be conquered solely by taking Monday's off. Yes, I know I'm a bit lucky to be able to vote for long weekends as I'm my own boss and, well, I can. But it will mean putting in serious effort Tuesday to Friday. For serious. Still, whoever did their best work on a Monday?

One other big resolution is to listen to my instinct more. Gut reactions are always the best, so I'm going to fine tune mine so I get it loud and clear. People who don't listen to their instinct seem to always have bad luck or lousy timing. Those who rely on their intuition don't have a breezy life, but they find themselves consistently in the right place at the right time. Here's my instinct-cranking plan:

* Meditate every morning as soon as I wake up. Doesn't matter if it's five minutes or 15, and it never matters if my mind wanders the whole time, it still makes a difference to my day.
* Buy only products - shoes, clothes, etc - that thrill me to the core. You know the dress that makes your jaw drop with OMG? Those ones. And only those I can easily afford.
* Eat food that nourishes and only when I'm hungry. As much as I love salads and roast vegies, I'm only human. And Canadian. Brownies can nourish, so can lasagna with three cheeses. But I'll only buy or make them with the best ingredients. And I've learnt over the last few months that the less sugar I eat, the less I crave, so at least banana bread won't be served with every afternoon tea.
* I'll listen to other peeps more. Every life has learnt a million lessons along their own unique journey, so rather than retorting with inappropriate jokes (I don't really. Much), I'll be trying to switch off the "What'll I say next?" button when someone else is talking. And just listen. A quiet mind is a great place for intuition to grow.

Here's a great quote from D. H. Lawrence:
For whereas the mind works in possibilities, the intuitions work in actualities, and what you intuitively desire, that is possible to you. Whereas what you mentally or "consciously" desire is nine times out of ten impossible; hitch your wagon to a star, or you will just stay where you are.

And one from Albert Einstein:
The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.