What's for dinner??

So it's Friday night, deciding on the cuisine for the night, is usually the hardest in most homes, but tonight I am feeling exceptionally inspired with an organic summer bounty to rival any harvest.  Where to start, the organic and biodynamic produce at the moment is sensational.  The organic iceberg lettuce with their slight cosmetic imperfections an example of true organic farming, full of flavour, crunch and juicy with water to hydrate.  The flavour of organic tomatoes is exceptional, this is one fresh item I refuse everywhere unless its organic, I think why waste my time chewing and digesting something that hasn't that flavour, most conventional tomatoes just taste like a textured water ball.

So on the menu tonight, eggplant cutlets, tomatoes salad, peas with a tomato salsa, corn, green salad, sweet potatoes and roasted pumpkin mmmm buon appetito.

Need some inspiration for your feast tonight or any other night, check out some healthy fresh recipes here

ORGANIC HOME DELIVERY MELBOURNE, ORGANIC FOOD, LOCAL ORGANIC FOODS, ORGANIC EMPIRE, ORGANIC FOOD MELBOURNE

We are back!!! Time to reinvigorate your diet

We are so happy to be back...  Its a new year,  a new beginning.  To be honest though I like to look at everyday as a new opportunity to make change, to make life better, to get healthier, to get happier.  Let's take this day as a new chance to make our lives everything we ever dreamed of, and to be real  the only way that most of our dreams can be achieved is with health.  It's the truest wealth.

I began my journey with health improvement, way back when I was 7  when I became a vegetarian for the first time, at 14 my mum made dramatic changes in our diets.   We were not unwell when my mum made these change, we were probably just like the majority of the population, fed, full and unaware.  Since that time my journey in life has been predominately an obsession with good health.  Now as a nutritionist I have the privelidge of having an academic education with which to impart knowledge to you all.  I am truly committed to living in optimal health and sharing that with you.  Its possible for everyone, its not just a dream.  We can all live healthy, happy lives and I want to help you do that.

So lets get to it, what is it going to take for you to be healthier, do you need to increase your energy? immunity? lose weight? increase stamina? sex drive? Interestingly these can all be improved with good nutrition, organic food and knowledge. And we want to show you how.

The first thing that needs to happen for change to take place is a decision, so today make that decision.  Write it down and commit to it. Write it in present tense, for example

'I am strong, fit and healthy, I nourish my body with the best organic foods, I live the healthiest life'. or ' I fit into my favourite dress by 1st March 2012', set a date.  Get committed and get to it!

STEP 1. Download our menu planner today and get organised, choose your meals (rather than choosing the non healthy variety of food because you are starving), check out our recipes for different ideas, plan it out.

STEP 2. Order your fresh organic produce and groceries online now.

STEP 3. Every day remember your goal, keep it fun, organise your time and make some delicious food, pack your own lunch, decide on your own destiny (just to let you know the majority of fast food outlets are not too interested in preserving your health, so you must be!).

STEP 4. Move your body, a 20 minute walk a day is a great start, see where you end up from there.

STEP 5.  Be grateful to be alive, we are truly so blessed to have amazing organic foods available to us, we have a real opportunity to nourish ourselves and everyone we love, promoting a beautiful life.  Share your food wisdom with people you know, let's get this world a healthier place.

Let me share with you my goal, I have a desire to change people's lives 

for the better to make them healthier, which in turn makes people happier= a better life for everyone.  I know the importance of good nutrition, from a scientific standpoint, but also as a fellow citizen of the human race, we all see what eating well does, and on the other end of the spectrum what poisioning our bodies with substances disguised as food does.

EXCUSE ME WHILE WE CHANGE IN FRONT OF YOU....

Ok so after much deliberation, we have decided to change the way we serve you.  We are continually researching new ways we can serve you better, and ensure that your produce is delivered at its best, and that you are happy and we think we have found the answer.  So please read on for changes to our deliveries.

We have a NEW Delivery Schedule, please check your delivery day.  

This means that the cut off time for delivery to your area has changed, please be sure to check and ensure that you order before the cut off times.  

It's best to order as soon as possible, to ensure that you receive your delivery, or do one better and sign up for our seasonal boxes and get a box of the freshest local organic produce delivered, without having to do anything!

PAPER NEWSLETTERS

We have decided to do away with the paper newsletters for the moment, in an attempt to become more ecologically sound we wish to direct you to our website  weekly for menu's and recipes.

OUR STORE

Renovations are nearly complete on our farm store, what that means is that you can come out to the farm and purchase your goods straight from us. We will let you know closer to the opening date.

FOOD SCHOOL

We are also excited to announce that we will be opening an Seasonal organic food school, where we will have a host of amazing raw food chef's, nutritionists, cooks and artisians sharing their wisdom with you. Stay tuned for a schedule of events.

"Be willing to be a beginner every single morning

"'

Meister Eckhart 

        

Organic Empire, organic food home delivery Melbourne, local organic foods, organic delivery, ORGANIC FOOD MELBOURNE

Making friends with salad

Salad is one of the best friends you could have in this world. I am not suggesting that you ditch all your other friends, merely expand your horizons.  Having a salad a day could in fact be one of the most significant and beneficial changes that you can make to your life.  It sounds preposterous, I know, but by enjoying a salad a day not only do you increase your daily fruit and vegetable intake, your increase your fibre which is so important for warding off many cancers, preventing constipation and lowering cholesterol.   You increase antioxidant intake, which is beneficial for everything, by protecting the body from damage from free radicals which lowers the risk of most cancers. You increase your water intake, hydration is one of the most important elements to good health and ensures the proper functioning of our bodies. You increase your enzyme intake; enzymes are found in raw foods and are destroyed by heat; enzymes serve as catalysts for virtually every function in the body...no enzymes sluggish metabolism, poor digestion.  Eating salads encourages the use of good fats, healthy fats are crucial for our good health and are found in avocado's, extra virgin olive oils and nuts; healthy fats help the body absorb protective phytochemicals.

So that's a wrap, a salad one for today, perhaps and a hope that you will do something new, try something new, try one of our salads....

ORGANIC EMPIRE, LOCAL ORGANIC FOODS, ORGANIC HOME DELIVERY MELBOURNE, ORGANIC FOOD HOME DELIVERY MELBOURNE, ORGANIC FOOD MELBOURNE

Get Wild with Australian Bush foods

Marketing is an amazing thing, focusing on eating non indigenous animals as a symbol of being Australian.. I'd prefer to market something truly Australian, bush foods.  Foods that have the fed the indigenous Aborigine's for thousands of years, as nomadic hunters and gatherers, they learnt what was safe and nutritious and what was to be avoided.  These foods flourish wherever you are, because they are indigenous to our soils and adapt to water availablity, soil type and structure.  And are something that we should all promote, enjoy and grow.
I have found a great site 'How to Grow Australian', they have lots of resources that will help you find indigenous stock wherever in Australia or overseas you may be.   On this Australia Day why not do something truly Australian and make a difference to your life, grow Australian....


ORGANIC EMPIRE, ORGANIC FOOD HOME DELIVERY, ORGANIC HOME DELIVERY MELBOURNE, ORGANIC FOOD, LOCAL ORGANIC FOOD, ORGANIC FRUIT, ORGANIC VEGETABLES

Feeling the heat

Its definitely heating up in Melbourne and what a blessing that is....that is of course if you can cool down. Do you know that nature has tailored seasonal foods to cool us down in the heat...amazing but true. 


Vegetables, try cucumber, leafy greens (except spinach), cooked beetroot, cabbage, celery, potato, sweet potato, sprouts, fennel, asparagus, beans, zucchini, carrot, artichoke, snow peas, coriander, broccoli, cauliflower, 
peas, rocket, watercress, lettuce, endive, pumpkin, kale, radicchio and parsnip.
Herbs, try coriander, mint and basil.
Fruits, of course watermelon, mango, cherries, lemons, oranges berries-blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, grapes ...anything high in water content

Interestingly these foods contain a high water content, which helps thin the blood  and release the heat...


Want to stay cool as a cucumber: AVOID salty and fried foods..


Why not relax with a Watermelon and mint juice or a Fattoush Salad, perhaps a lemon granita or some fresh homemade lemonade


ORGANIC EMPIRE, LOCAL ORGANIC FOOD, ORGANIC HOME DELIVERY MELBOURNE, ORGANIC FOOD HOME DELIVERY MELBOURNE. ORGANIC DELIVERY

Beet the sugar

So in a time gone by, when mass farming, production and processing of our foods wasn't centralised to one area, when foods were not highly refined,....there was sugar beets, beta vulgaris var altissima.  


The desire for sweetness is an inbuilt one in humans, an innate understanding that sugar = energy in the form of simple carbohydrates, once broken down provide fuel for all the cells in the body.  (interestingly most big food companies know that, and that's why you find sugar as the main ingredient in most foods, even savoury ones.)

In the 18th century, scientists found that root vegetables, in particular sugar beet were sweet as 'sugar'. By mid 19th century most of the sugar in Europe was produced using beetroot.  Even Melbourne had a go, constructing a railway from St Kilda to Oakleigh that was to be dedicated to sugar beet production, finally Maffra in Victoria's east was the production mecca, that was until 1948.

Now most of our sugar (sugar cane) comes from South America, in particular Brazil with no commercial quantities of organic sugar any longer being farmed in Australia.  All of the commercial agave coming in from Mexico.  Sugar beets are still grown commercially, and Genetically Modified crops have been approved for cultivation...ouch.Why not make your sweetener at home??  Get local, get organic and get cooking....

Step 1.  Grow your own, we will have the organic sugar beet seeds available soon.(Organic Empire).
Step 2.  Plant in early spring and harvest in autumn.
Step 3. Add the leaves to your salad.
Step 4. Wash and chop, slice or grate beetroots finely.
Step 5. Cover with water and simmer till soft and tender, this is usually around 30 mins.
Step 6.  Strain beetroots and RETAIN the water, this is your sugar syrup.  Do not discard the beetroots instead using in a salad or for preserving.
Step 7. Return the beetroot water to the stove and simmer till liquid thickens up and produces the syrup.  Remove from the heat.
Step 8. Cool then place in a container.  This beetroot juice/syrup over time will then crystallise just like honey does.  As this process occurs its important to break them up and over time forming sugar crystals. Or you can further reduce syrup so that this process is sped up, and this is done by cooking for longer until the crystals begin to appear.

NB You can just use from Step 7 as a sweetener in a syrup form.

100kg fresh sugar beet can give 12 - 15kg sucrose, 3.5kg molasses, 4.5kg dried pulp and varying amounts of filter cake.

Bearing in mind that even though this sugar is made from beetroot, its still a sugar just like any other sweetener and has the same effect on the human body, raising blood glucose, providing simple pure carbohydrate to our bodies... this is not the best, so like everything in life use in moderation.

Thanks to Lorri for opening up the conversation.



ORGANIC EMPIRE, LOCAL ORGANIC FOODS, ORGANIC HOME DELIVERY MELBOURNE, ORGANIC FOOD, ORGANIC DELIVERY MELBOURNE

Salad Days

This divine Melbourne heat is the perfect time to eat fresh food in its most natural state, raw and preferably organic, but that doesn't mean boring.  Fresh raw foods provide your body with an optimal opportunity to absorb and utilise the vitamins, minerals and enzymes within the food.  If this is not enough they taste amazing too.
I am known in many circles as the Salad Queen I could live on them.. I virtually do most of the year, so for me salads need to be everything, satisfying, full of texture, appealing to the eye and most of all nutritious... Without further adieu allow me to give you just a taste of the 3 summer favourites at the moment.

Vegan Vietnamese Salad- inspired by food from a market stall food vendor I had here in Melbourne, I had to recreate it.  It's divine and full of amazing flavours.

Tomato Salad- if you have access to heirloom tomatoes , use these.

Fattoush Salad- this salad makes use of summer's amazing bounty with the addition of optional wholemeal pitta bread for texture.

For more super salad ideas, check out the website.

ORGANIC HOME DELIVERY MELBOURNE, LOCAL ORGANIC FOODS, ORGANIC EMPIRE