Paleo Cafe opens in Bondi Junction!

Last Wednesday saw the opening of the new Paleo Cafe  in Bondi Junction. Paleo Cafe is a franchise (Paleo Cafe  Cairns opened in October).  It would be unfair to review a new cafe or restarant within the first month of opening while any (inevitable) teething problems are sorted out, so I'm just letting you know in this post that it's there and open for business on Oxford Street (midway between Just Organics and the mall) and to share with you what's on offer.

Ok, so there's breakfast from 7:30-11am and lunch is 11:30-3pm.

The lunch menu features soups ($9), curries ($17), shepherd's pie ($17), various salads ($14), grass fed steak ($22), a chicken dish ($22), salmon ($22), slow roasted pork belly ($18), desserts ($9).  The caveman's big breakfast looks good for $20 and there's a separate kids menu. The drinks menu has some lovely sounding juices and bullet proof coffee (black coffee blended with MCT oil - which is an extract of coconut oil- and butter).

I ordered the Shepherds Pie which had sweet potato mash on top (served with green side salad) for $17 and a bullet proof coffee for $4.50. My friend ordered the chicken mango macadamia nut salad which looked awesome.

The menu is gluten-free, grain/legume-free, dairy-free, preservative-free and sugar-free.

Here are the pluses (bearing in mind I've only been once):

• Pastured meats and eggs
• The only oil used to cook with is coconut oil- no processed oils used
• Staff were friendly, relaxed and happily took time out to chat and answer questions
• The new Lady J cafe next door was empty whereas Paleo Cafe was full (a sign that this is filling a need in the community)
• Lots of tables/space
• Quick service
• Paleo books and lifestyle products  for sale
• Bullet proof coffee is offered (great for those who can not consume lactose)
• Prices reasonable for eastern suburbs
• All food is available for takeaway

So the big question for me is going to be the provenance of the meat and eggs which wasn't something that the owner was able to go into when I asked him.

Clean wholefood places are hard to come by in the eastern suburbs so if I was in the Junction and looking for somewhere to eat, or wanted to catch up with someone over a meal or coffee, I would happily go back (and intend to!). Stay tuned for further updates on this one down the track. In the meantime check them out, share what you think, and kudos to Greg Sawyer for making this happen and bringing more wholefood choices to our doorsteps!

For more information call Paleo Cafe on 02 9386 0163.

How are your thoughts affecting your mental and physical health?

Dr Ian Lambert, the Principal of The Scots College where my son attends school, recently wrote an article in the school's newsletter which I thought I would reproduce below in italics and share with you. It discusses how our mental thoughts and processes (be they positive or negative) actually change the structure of our brain (even as adults). Indeed, I teach that mindfulness is just as (if not more) important than good nutrition, hydration, sleep, movement,  breathing and sunshine. The guiding light for me is the message that hope or positive thoughts change the structure of our brain in a positive and normal direction. How we react to the ever-present stressful events and circumstances of modern life can have an enormous impact on our mental and even physical health. When life throws you a curve ball (or 3) direct your energy into taking positive steps to fix the problem where possible rather than simple stressing about it. Got a bad habit that you want to rid yourself of? (My hand is up!). Take comfort in knowing that you can break that habit by rewiring your brain to act differently the more and more times your react in a more positive and constructive way to the trigger event. Practice make perfect.

"Our brain is neuroplastic - it can change and regrow. By definition, neuroplasticity means the brain is malleable and adaptable, changing moment by moment of every day. It is no longer viewed as a machine that is hardwired early in life, unable to adapt, and wearing out with age. Science is hovering on a precipice as we recognise the responsibility and impact of our thinking and the resultant choices we make, which can have ramifications right down to the ways in which the genes of our bodies express themselves.

Thought changes the structure of matter. As we think, we change the physical nature of the brain. Thoughts are real, physical things that occupy mental real estate. Moment by moment, every day, you are changing the structure of your brain through your thinking. When we hope, it is an activity of the mind that changes the structure of our brain in a positive and normal direction. How we react to the events and circumstances of life can have an enormous impact on our mental and even physical health. As we think, we change the physical nature of the brain. As we consciously direct our thinking, we can wire out toxic patterns of thinking and replace them with healthy thoughts. New thought networks grow.

With greater consistency, scientists talk about and demonstrate - using brain imaging techniques and the evidence of behavioural changes - how people can change their brains with their minds. We can see and measure the activity of the mind through the firing of neurons. Why is this important in education? The fact that the brain is neuroplastic and can actually be changed by the mind gives tangible hope to everyone, no matter what the circumstance. In the book of Luke 6: 45 we are reminded that, "A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart". Similarly, breakthrough neuroscientific research is confirming daily what we instinctively knew all along: What you are thinking every moment of every day becomes a physical reality in your brain and body, which affects your optimal mental and physical health. These thoughts collectively form your attitude, which is your state of mind, and it is your attitude and not your DNA that determines much of the quality of your life. Remember the old saying: "Attitude, not aptitude, determines the altitude". " - Dr Ian Lambert, Principal, The Scots College

On a  tangent, a few months back I  posted an inspiring piece written by the Director of Curriculum and Staffing at The Scots College about how we can give boys opportunities to be warriors, heroes and kings. You might like to read it here.

Hope you feel a little more inspired, positive and hopeful!

Free giveaway! Please help me name one of my favourite products!

I love crafting new recipes. It's my thing. But I'm hopeless at coming up with a name to call the end product.

Case in point is the bars  that I make which my customers just love! They are my muesli bar/ boxed cereal substitute. I've blogged about them before here. Here's where you come in. I'm keen to take a poll on what name you find more appealing between the following and why:

(a) power bar (b) energy bar (c) date and nut bar (d) bliss bar

Do you have any other names you think better describe them? You can let your creative juices flow (clean names only please!).

Do you prefer the name "bar" or "slice"?

In particular for all the ladies out there, do the words "energy" bar or "power" bar give the impression that the product is too calorically dense and if so would you avoid a product that had these words in it for fear of bulking up?

I'm going to give away a free packet of these bars to the most informative/creative answer. Fire away please!

Here's whats in them: medjool dates, desiccated coconut, coconut oil, filtered water, activated nuts, activated caramelised buckwheat, cinnamon powder and vanilla bean powder.

I'm going to make a couple different flavours of this product in the near future so stay tuned!!