No Ordinary Oil: Coconut oil

Cold pressed raw coconut oil really is a wonder oil. As well as the many health benefits you can get from eating it (healthy fats, metabolism boost, read more here) there are many other ways you can incorporate this amazing oil into your life.

My favourite ways to use coconut oil:

• Leave-in overnight hair treatment
• Makeup remover (removed with muslin cloth)
• Cuticle cream 
• Foot treatment
• Hair tamer and to add shine
• Bath oil 
• Mixed with essential oils as a perfumed body oil
• Lip gloss
• As a treatment on bug bites or stings
• Night cream

Candles make everything better

My current favourite candle.

Pure Australian beeswax, so you can see the lovely pattern of the natural wax.

It's making studying slightly more bearable :) xx

Vegetable garden in a pot?

Every since I was little I loved the idea of having a veggie garden.

At first I think it came from the desire to be able to just pick something off a plant to eat rather than having to run inside for a snack when I was playing outside. I got older I liked the idea of being able to grow food that I knew hadn’t been sitting in cold storage for months or been sprayed with dozens of chemicals. Finally I am on my way to achieving this!

So, starting small, yesterday I planted my very first vegetable pot.

The seedlings are lemon thyme, oregano and marjoram. I have also planted spinach and rocket seeds after reading that was a better way to grow them.

I am quite excited about the prospect of home grown herbs and salad leaves however, I’m going to have to be more patient after walking outside this morning and being disappointed at no change to the pot since last night. I think this may be similar to the Pantene add – “it wont happen over night, but it will happen”. 

Any tips? 

Lovely things from Lush

Lush soaps totally have the power to change the world.

Today I was having a not-so-good morning, and after 4 stressful hours on the computer it was 12pm and I was still in my pyjamas. Exasperated, I decided to leave what I was doing and try and get on with my day. So after entering the bathroom with my shoulders up to my ears and my eyebrows frowning together, I left feeling calm and collected (well, maybe not completely calm, but a lot better than before anyway)

That was after showering with my favourite soap of the moment, the famous Honey I Washed the Kids. Apart from the incredible scent the thing I really love about lush soaps (and bubble bars) are the dense bubbles they create. Kinda like foam. I just love them. Simple as that.

Another product I have been enjoying from Lush lately is the Handy Gurugu. This is a thick and nourishing cream but isn’t greasy. 

This is good since as soon as I apply hand cream I always think of a million and one things I need to do. It also contains shea butter from Ghana (my sister is going to Ghana in a few weeks!)

So, I would like to thank lush for turning my bad day around.

What are your favourite products from lush? 

And what new products are you keen to try? 

The Best Apple Muffins

Has anyone else noticed the large number of recipes-made-healthier that appear on blogs on Mondays and Tuesdays. Anyone else think it have a correlation with Amy’s Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays????

Well this recipe is another that will be put up just in time to be included. These are seriously good muffins, their name doesn’t lie. First of all a yummy taste, then an amazing texture (and no gluten, dairy or cane sugar!) and they come off the patty cases easily. They are soft in the center but have a slightly crisp top. Hope you enjoy them!

This post is linked to Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays 6/7/11

The Best Apple Muffins

3 eggs

120g apple puree

2/3 cup dairy free milk (I used rice milk)

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup light olive oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 small apples, peeled and chopped finely

2 cups of your favourite gluten free flour mix

3 tsp baking powder

1 cup powdered dairy or dairy free milk

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius

Place patty cases in a 12 hole muffin tin.

In a large jug beat together the eggs, apple puree, milk, honey, olive oil and vanilla. Add the apples and mix well.

In a large bowl place flours, baking powder, soy milk powder and cinnamon and mix together well.

Tip wet mixture over the dry and mix until just combined. Really don’t over mix, there should still be a bit of dry flour, this is ok!

Bake for 25 minutes until golden on the top.

Cool for 1 minute in tray before placing on cooling racks. 

June Wish List

Slightly overdue with this wish list due to the dreaded event which makes June one of the least enjoyable months of the year…exams. Eeek! So with my first exam less than two weeks away and being currently in the middle of a take-home exam (horrible) I’m not a very happy girl.

So to calm myself I’ve been taking regular study breaks (read: wasting time) cruising around my favourite online stores. These are my selections:

 

Balm Balm unscented lip balm

I’m very fussy about what I will put on my lips after I read how much lipgloss women can swallow over their lifetime. This balm is 100% natural. I’ve also heard that it can be used as a face moisturiser and hair smoother. I really really want it! 

Nike Sportswear Washed Jersy Racer Back Tank

I love the soft summery colour of this top- clearly I'm trying to fool myself that summer isn't over. 

Cath Kidson Overnight Bag

Such a pretty print! love love love 

Himalaya Maroma Green-Light Candle - Vanilla Blossom

I can just imagine what this candle would smell like...heaven! 

What has caught your eye recently? 

Chickpea, Carrot and Cumin Flatbread

This easy peasy bread recipe is gluten, sugar, dairy and grain free. I like it because it doesn’t crumble or break if you are taking it with you for lunch. Since it’s a flatbread there is no slice required so you can just grab two pieces and go ahead with your sandwich making!

To get the carrot flavor in this bread I’ve used carrot juice. When I was making my morning juice I just threw in some extra carrots first and put them aside for this but if you don’t have a juicer you could pick up some carrot juice from the shops or sub in water for the juice and make the bread just chickpea and cumin-yum!

Chickpea, Carrot and Cumin Flatbread

¾ cup chickpea (besan) flour

¼ cup buckwheat flour

1 ½ tsp cumin

1 tbs flax seeds

1 tsp baking powder

200 mL carrot juice

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Line a baking sheet with baking paper.

Place all dry ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix until combined. Add carrot juice mixing until just combined but with no more dry bits.

Spoon mixture onto trays. With this amount I usually make 4 breads (as above) but I have also made one large one in the centre of the tray (if you do this just make sure the centre isn’t too much thicker than the edges as it will not cook properly).

Place in oven and cook for about 15 minutes (depending on how thick you have made them it can range from 10-20 minutes). Loosen from trays as soon as they are out of the oven but they are fine to cool on the trays.

I'm keen to try more flavours with this versatile recipe. Maybe a sweet one with nutmeg and milk, or apple juice and cinnamon. 

Any other ideas?