WOMEN’S WELLNESS BRUNCH

I am so excited to be a speaker at a Women’s Wellness Brunch long table hosted by Bare and Wilde in Sydney on Saturday 17 March in collaboration with Yogi Brunch. 

Treat yourself to a delicious wholefood brunch, while learning from wellness experts (myself and Chasing Sunrise) on various topics relating to women’s wellness. Enjoy uplifting yoga flows followed by meditation led by Sabey Yoga. And of course connect with other like-minded women to enjoy conversations where nothing is off limits. 

I will be speaking at this brunch about the benefits of bone broth - the elixir of health - and my health and wellness paradigm (nutrients vs toxins) to help you on your wellness journey. I would love for you to join me. 

Use the code "STARANISE" in the checkout to get $15 off full priced tickets!

I cannot wait to see you there!

FREE 2018 ESSENTIAL OILS GATHERINGs

Due to the growing interest in essential oils and the overwhelming demand that I have received to share more of my knowledge on essential oils and why I exclusively use Young Living, I will be running FREE monthly gatherings on “essential oils basics”  in Sydney (and one on the Gold Coast) to answer all your questions and to help you navigate the field of essential oils. Make 2018 the year that you rid your house of all toxic chemicals and healthy swap to natural nourishing products. 

Each jammed-packed information session will be identical and will cover a brief overview of the essential oils basics, the Young Living Premium Starter Kit containing 11 essential oils, and some of their other essential oils infused products. 

Health is very much multifactoral (and you might have heard me bang on about the importance of the 8 foundations of health which I blogged about earlier this year here and here). Since I started using and falling in love with Young Living essential oils years ago and learnt how to incorporate them more and more into my daily life, I have felt so much calmer, happier, and healthier. My emotions are more on an even keel with fewer lows. My sleep is deeper, my skin is glowing like never before, my metabolism has increased, and my kids are so much more chilled out. There’s less fighting, yelling and screaming in my house. I feel more empowered in becoming my own alchemist when niggles arise, and I have drastically simplified my life and have saved a heap of money on personal care products and household cleaning products that are now redundant. In short, essential oils quickly became another tool in my health tool box to increase nourishment and decrease toxicity in my home and body. I was surprised at how easily and effortlessly I was able to incorporate essential oils as a beautiful and powerful adjunct into each of the 8 foundations of health to turbo charge or enhance my and childrens’ health and well-being to take it to the next level. And I love sharing all this with you so that you can experience the magic in these oils too. 

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what will be covered:
 

I will lead a detailed discussion on the essential oils basics:

• What are essential oils?
• How essential oils fit into my health and wellness paradigm
• 20 objective questions to ask when choosing an essential oils company
• My personal reasons for choosing and exclusively using and trusting Young Living, with their 2 decade history of industry leadership
• How to use essential oils (the 3 basic methods of application)
• How essential oils affect emotions 
• What makes an oil therapeutic 
• The difference between diffusing and burning
• Essential oils and safety
• An overview of 11 specific essential oils (blends and singles) found in the Premium Starter Kit including what they can be used for and, in particular, how they can replace conventional household cleaning products, personal care products and perfumes to lower your toxic load
• How to purchase a Young Living starter kit and the various membership options
• How you can earn an income by sharing the oils with others that can cover the cost of your monthly Young Living orders, and can potentially cover the cost of your household expenses and even provide you with complete financial freedom and travel opportunities. 

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At each gathering you will receive:

• Essential oil infused herbal tea and filtered water infused with lemon essential oil. 
• Opportunity to purchase at wholesale prices Young Living essential oils. 
• A comprehensive 30 page workshop booklet (including recipes on how to make an all purpose household cleaner, facial mist, mouth wash, bath salts, sunscreen, inspect spray, body lotion, and lots more!) for every person who purchases a Young Living starter kit on the day or who has previously purchased a Young Living starter kit through me. 
• Opportunity to ask questions about essential oils generally, or any Young Living products specifically.
• Opportunity to smell the Young Living difference. 

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these gatherings are ideal for:
 

• Those who are interested to learn about essential oils generally and in particular only want to use the highest quality essential oils on the planet
• Those who are interested to learn about Young Living specifically and why Young Living are in a league of their own as the world leaders in essential oils with their 2 decade leadership history
• Those who have purchased a Young Living Premium Starter kit through me but haven’t received training or information on it specifically
• Those who have come to one of my previous essential oils workshops and want a refresher or reminder of how to incorporate the oils further into their daily life
• Those who are interested in replacing personal care products, air fresheners, perfumes and household cleaners with essential oil based natural alternatives
• Those who want to learn how to use essential oils to promote, maintain and support their and their family’s health and to reduce their chemical burden
• Those who want to take their health and well-being to the next level with the inclusion of essential oils
• Holistic practitioners and body workers who want to learn how to incorporate the oils into their practice for the benefit of their clients
• Those who want to learn new things and immerse themselves into our oily tribe of like-minded people!

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when & where:

Choose from:

9TH JUNE, 13:00 - 16:00 (23 Kent Street, Waverley, NSW)
4TH AUGUST, 14:00 - 17:00 (73 Aberdeen St, Newtown VIC 3220)
5TH AUGUST, 9.30 - 12.30 (14 Huntingtower Road, Armadale 3143)
15TH SEPT, 13:00 - 16:00 (23 Kent Street, Waverley, NSW)
13TH OCT, 13:00 - 16:00 (23 Kent Street, Waverley, NSW)
10TH NOV, 14:30 - 15:30 (27 Turner St Abbotsford, Melbourne, Victoria 3067)
11TH NOV, 9:30 - 12:30 (4 Robert Street Sassafras, Victoria, 3787)
25TH NOV, 9:30 - 12:30 (23 Kent Street, Waverley, NSW)
8TH DEC, 13:00 - 16:00 (23 Kent Street, Waverley, NSW)

click here to secure your spot asap!

Very limited spaces available so please book quickly!
Also, please feel free to forward to any family members and friends.
I look forward to seeing you at one of my 2018 gatherings!

BACK TO SCHOOL LUNCH BOX ESSENTIALS

The summer holidays are quickly drawing to a close and as a mama this brings mixed emotions:
BIG YAY for getting back into some semblance of an exercise and meditation routine which went totally out the window, and BIG BOO for early morning rises and gun-to-the-head time pressures. 

I can’t guarantee that the emotional and physical transition back to school this coming week will be an easy one for you either, but I can assure you that with some basic fridge, freezer and pantry staples, you'll be well prepared to tackle the early morning rush hour with less stress and haste, and more ease and grace, as well as ensuring that your little chimps will be well fed with nutrient-dense foods that give them the energy and building blocks to learn, play and concentrate all day without energy dips. 

Here is what I always have on hand at a minimum to make sure I never get caught out:

Lunch boxes:

1. Rectangular and square leak-proof stainless steel lunch boxes with removable dividers. Sold at Broth Bar & Larder. I love the quadrangle ones because I can ensure that ¾ of my kids’ lunch boxes is vegetables and ¼ is protein. I simply remove the divider when packing a salad. 
2. Nesting trio of 3 round leak-proof stainless steel lunch box containers. Super handy for morning tea. Sold at Broth Bar & Larder
3. Insulated food jars to keep food cold (e.g. yogurt) or hot (soups, broth, stews). Sold at Broth Bar & Larder. Hot tip to keep food hot for longer: fill with boiling water to warm the container up, discard the water and add in the hot food. 
4. Stainless steel (not plastic!) water bottles: buy online from Klean Kanteen or selected homeware stores like Kings of Knives and organic stores. Kings of Knives also sell the spouts separately if you loose one and I also recommend replacing all of the spouts periodically as bacteria can harbour in the spouts. Glass water bottles are another option but there’s the breakage factor (Miss M learnt that one the hard way!) and also the issue with extra weight to lug around. 

Protein:

1. Activated nuts: if permitted at schools, organic activated nuts are not only delicious but high in protein and  ranked as the 3rd most-nutrient dense food on the planet according to the Mat Lalonde nutrient-density scale. The older grades are becoming more and more relaxed about nuts so these are making their way into my kids’ school lunch boxes in more recent years. Our organic activated cashews, almonds, black pepitas and macadamias come in nifty little 30g snack packs perfect for kids’ school lunches. Sold at Broth Bar & Larder or via our online store.
2. Gruyere or Reggio raw milk cheeses: still made with 100% raw milk world-wide. Perfect to team with fruit for morning tea or can be the protein part of lunch. We sell these at Broth Bar & Larder by weight so you can buy as little or as much as you need.
3. All other organic full fat cheese: I always keep a stash of other organic full fat cheeses in my fridge to have on hand. They will each contain different probiotics so ideally rotate between them. Eg gouda (high in vitamin K2), haloumi (pan fry), cheddar, brie, camembert etc. Purchase from organic stores. 
4. Preservative-free cured meats from Bundarra Berkshires: Capocollo – a little spicy, and Little French Ham – my kids fav! Sold at Broth Bar & Larder.
5. The Canadian Way wild smoked salmon: delicious to throw into a salad to make wild smoked salad or to throw into lunch boxes as is dressed with lemon juice. Sold at Broth Bar & Larder. Beware that all other smoked salmons in Australia are farmed. Read more here. Sold at Broth Bar & Larder. I keep a stash in my freezer to pull out from the night before. 
6. The Canadian Way wild tuna: pre-cooked at low temperatures with extra virgin olive oil and sold in retort packs to conveniently add to lunch boxes or throw into a salad. Sold at Broth Bar & Larder. Shelf stable so I have a stash in my pantry. 
7. Anchovies: buy from supermarkets or organic stores ensuring that they are marinated in olive oil and not vegetable oil or canola oil. Easy to throw into a salad.
8. Other tinned fish: buy wild tinned fish from supermarkets or organic stores ensuring that they are either in brine or marinated in olive oil and not vegetable oil or canola oil.  BPA-free tinned wild fish sold online from Vital Choice. Easy to throw into a salad or can be eaten straight from the tin.
9. Preservative-free beef jerky from Kooee made from 100% grass fed meat and spices. 3 varieties sold at Broth Bar & Larder.
10. Cleavers paleo sausages and meat balls: I keep a stash of frozen ones in my freezer to pull out when needed and fry up the night before. 
    Full fat unsweetened yogurt made by Bondi Yogurt sold at Broth Bar & Larder. I also like the Meredith sheeps milk yogurt sold at organic /health food stores. For our dairy-free friends, an unsweetened probiotic-rich coconut yogurt made by Bondi Yogurt is also sold at Broth Bar & Larder.

Vegetables & Fruit:

1. Fresh vegetables: buy from your local farmers market or organic stores. At a minimum I try to have in my crisper drawer at all times some cucumbers, red capsicum, cherry tomatoes, carrots, celery and some salad greens. Left over veggies (make more steamed veg from the night before), raw fennel and cooked and cooled potatoes are nice too for variety. Mix things up!
2. Olives:  Jumbo green olives in brine are sold at Broth Bar & Larder. If you buy marinated olives please read the label or ask if they are marinated in vegetable oils like canola oil – and if so avoid like the plague!
3. Pickles: sugar-free pickles from McLures are sold at Broth Bar & Larder. My kids adore these.
4. Raw fermented vegetables: throw into salads. 3 varieties sold at Broth Bar & Larder. Easy to throw into a salad.
5. Nori seaweed: let’s not forget sea vegetables and their richness in nutrients like iodine not found as abundantly in land vegetables. Remember that diversity is key and the human body wants a diversity of (real, whole) foods. My kids LOOOOVE nori. I buy from organic nori from organic/health stores and be sure that it contains only one ingredients – nori- because many brands coat the nori in vegetable oils. 
6. Fresh fruit: I always have a few pieces of seasonal fresh fruit on hand for morning teas that I team with yogurt, cheese, cream or some other quality protein/fat source (this teaming is important because fruit and veggies contain fat soluable vitamins and minerals meaning that they need to be teamed with quality fats or proteins for those vitamins and minerals to be assimilated /absorbed in the body. Secondly a quality fat/protein source will help slow down the release of blood sugars from the fruit to avoid insulin spikes and crashes).  I also have some fruit berries in my freezer (when I’ve no fresh fruit) to serve on top of yogurt. 

Crap-free nutrient-dense treats:

1. Bliss Balls: sweetened only with dates and no concentrated sweeteners and loaded with healthy brain-boosting and energy-giving saturated fats, these come in 4 different flavours: raw cacao, choc orange, white chocolate and activated nut. The first 3 flavours are completely nut free! Sold at Broth Bar & Larder or via our online store.
2. Gummies: made with 100% grass-fed gut-loving beef gelatin, organic raspberries and pure Canadian maple syrup. Sold at Broth Bar & Larder.
3. Carob bears + mint carob bears: made with 2 or 3 ingredients only, these are completely free of sweeteners and dates = guilt free! Yay! Sold at Broth Bar & Larder 
   [Broth Bar & Larder is open 7 days a week (Monday- Saturday 8am-6pm, and Sundays 11am-4pm). Note that our online store only ships cold items to Sydney and Wollongong.]

To become a lunchbox pro, check out my SCHOOL LUNCHBOX INSPIRATION ebook where I will share with you robust nutritional theory, my secret tips and tricks, school lunch and morning tea “formulas” for success, teamed with pictures of nutrient-dense, grain-free, processed food free lunch boxes.

And don't forget to check out my social media posts to see what my monkeys are taking with them to school each day. See social media platforms below. 

INSPIRING PARENTS TO RAISE VIBRANTLY HEALTHY KIDS ONE NUTRIENT-DENSE MOUTHFUL AT A TIME!