Health

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Prawn Curry with Cauliflower Rice – The CSIRO Low Carb Diet Easy 100 – Professor Grant Brinkworth & Dr Pennie Taylor

The CSIRO Low- Carb Diet Easy 100

Professor Grant Brinkworth & Dr Pennie Taylor

Photography by Jeremy Simons and Rob Palmer.

Pan Macmillan Australia

ISBN:9781760988456

RRP $39.99


UNITS PER SERVE:
Breads, Cereals, Legumes, Starchy Veg 0 Dairy 1 Lean Meat, Fish, Poultry, Eggs, Tofu 1.5 Low–Moderate Carbohydrate Veg 3.5 Healthy Fats 2

SERVES: 4 | PREPARATION: 10 MINUTES | COOKING: 25 MINUTES

Ingredients:
2 heads broccoli, stems and florets chopped
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
1 zucchini, thinly sliced
1 long red chilli, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, sliced
2 cm piece of ginger, finely grated
2 teaspoons curry powder
3 teaspoons brown mustard seeds
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
400 g tinned diced tomatoes
600 g cooked prawns, peeled and deveined, tails intact (see notes, and also note on page 174 regarding sodium)
1 cup (260 g) natural yoghurt
Juice of 1 lemon

TO SERVE
450 g cauliflower rice, heated according to the packet instructions (see notes)
2 tablespoons chopped roasted unsalted cashews
½ cup coriander leaves

Method:

  1. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and cook the broccoli for 5 minutes until tender. Drain and set aside.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a large, deep frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6–7 minutes until very so ened. Add the chilli, garlic, ginger, curry powder, mustard seeds, turmeric and ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper and cook, stirring, for a further 1–2 minutes until fragrant.
  3. Add the diced tomatoes, 2 tablespoons water and the prawns, tossing everything together. (There won’t be a lot of sauce here, so place a lid on the frying pan to help the prawns steam to cook through.) Cook, covered, for 2–3 minutes until the prawns are cooked through, then stir the yoghurt and lemon juice through. Divide the cauliflower rice four between bowls, spoon the prawn curry over and add the cooked broccoli. Garnish with the cashews and coriander leaves and serve.


    Notes: You can use frozen raw prawns if you prefer. But don’t add the water to the frying pan as the frozen prawns will release quite a bit of moisture. You may need to simmer the sauce for an extra 2 minutes to reduce any excess liquid in your curry before serving. You can find cauliflower rice in the fresh produce section at your local supermarket. If unavailable, use the frozen variety instead.
    18 g CARBS P E R S E R V E


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Salmon Nori Rolls – The CSIRO Low Carb Diet Easy 100 – Professor Grant Brinkworth & Dr Pennie Taylor

The CSIRO Low- Carb Diet Easy 100

Professor Grant Brinkworth & Dr Pennie Taylor

Photography by Jeremy Simons and Rob Palmer.

Pan Macmillan Australia

ISBN:9781760988456

RRP $39.99

LUNCH
UNITS PER SERVE:
Breads, Cereals, Legumes, Starchy Veg 1 Dairy 0 Lean Meat, Fish, Poultry, Eggs, Tofu 1.5 Low–Moderate Carbohydrate Veg 3 Healthy Fats 3

SERVES: 4 | PREPARATION: 20 MINUTES | COOKING: NIL

Ingredients:
6 sheets nori
3 Lebanese cucumbers, very thinly sliced (use a mandoline if you have one), patted dry with paper towel
6 cups rocket leaves, baby spinach leaves or shredded kale. Stalks removed
¾ cup (140 g) cooked basmati rice


SALMON FILLING
600 g tinned salmon in spring water (no added salt), drained well
2 teaspoons salt-reduced tamari (see note)
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2½ tablespoons whole-egg mayonnaise
1 tablespoon sriracha or other hot chilli sauce
4 spring onions, thinly sliced

  1. To make the salmon filling, place all the ingredients in a bowl and mash well with a fork to combine.
  2. Place a nori sheet flat on a workbench and top it with one-quarter of the cucumber, rocket, spinach or kale and rice, smoothing over the surface.
  3. Add one-quarter of the salmon filling, roll up the nori sheet tightly, running water along the far edge to seal. Slice in half, then set aside and repeat with the remaining nori rolls and filling.


Note
Tamari is a higher-salt product, so ideally use low-salt or no-added-salt
alternatives. If you are following a low-sodium diet, omit this ingredient. 20 g CARBS P E R S E R V E

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The CSIRO Low Carb Diet Easy 100 – Professor Grant Brinkworth & Dr Pennie Taylor

The CSIRO Low- Carb Diet Easy 100

Professor Grant Brinkworth & Dr Pennie Taylor

Pan Macmillan Australia

ISBN:9781760988456

RRP $39.99

Descritpion:

The CSIRO Low-carb Diet is proven to be highly effective in achieving sustained long-term weight loss, reducing risk factors for heart disease and improving metabolic health. Now, with book #6 of the bestselling CSIRO Low-carb Diet series, eating low-carb has never been easier or more delicious.

Here are 100 brand-new everyday recipes, featuring plenty of vegetarian options, meals for one and two, and low-carb alternatives to high-carb staples, such as bread, pizza bases and smoothies. Plus there are shopping tips, handy lists and easy-to-follow guidelines, with solid, dependable advice from Australia’s foremost nutritional scientists.

My View:

Easy to follow, recipes for one or two people, lots hints and tips including how to set up your low carb kitchen, this book is sure to be a big hit.

Stay tuned I will publish a few recipes from this book over the next few days.

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Review: So You Want to Live Younger Longer? – Dr Norman Swan

So You Want to Live Younger Longer?

Dr Norman Swan

Hachette Australia

ISBN: 9780733648342

RRP $34.99

Description:

The ultimate guide on what you can do at any age to stay young and healthy longer, from Australia’s trusted, straight-talking doctor and broadcaster, Dr Norman Swan, bestselling author of So You Think You Know What’s Good for You?

Many of us dream of staying as young as possible as long as possible whether we’re in our 30s, 40s, 70s or even 80s, and there’s a growing Conga line of products and people offering you just that dream. The dilemma is, which of the pills, mental and physical exercise programs, diets and superfoods actually work? Some of them do help to keep us young, healthy and living longer, others may work when the researchers get the potions right and some are a downright waste of money. So how do you know what and who to trust? That’s the journey that Dr Norman Swan is going to take you on in So You Want to Live Younger Longer?

Deeply researched and written with his trademark wit, common sense and accessibility, Norman brings together what’s known, not known, hopeful but not harmful and harmful and not hopeful, summarised with quick takeaway messages backed up by the science and evidence. No matter what your age, So You Want to Live Younger Longer? gives you the information you need to make your own choices without wasting your time and money or even missing a nice dinner because you might be on a diet that is getting you nowhere.

Norman disentangles our ‘Book of Life’ – the genes we’re born with and what we subject them to later on – and shows that in the search for youth, genes matter much less than you’d think for most of us. In other words, we can overwrite our personal Book of Life and Norman’s book will help you do it.

We can live younger, longer – at any age – we’ve just got to know what to do.

My View:

An excellent, informative, well written, engaging read. So much science based, researched information presented with wit and humour. This is an author I would love to hear speak in person…his ability to connect with the reader/the room is amazing.

A great read.

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Paella – The Fibre Fuelled Cookbook – Dr Will Bulsiewicz

The Fibre Fuelled Cookbook

Dr Will Bulsiewicz

Vermillion

Penguin Random House

ISBN: 9781785044175

RRP $45

If you have been following along with my blog you will have realised how important I think gut health is for everyone. This book is another great resource on gut health, I hope you find it helpful.

“Saffron is a bulbous perennial plant in the iris family that blooms in the autumn. Harvest takes place over two weeks and the flowers are handpicked before dawn, before they open for the day. It requires more than six thousand flowers and over twelve hours of labour to create just 30 grams of saffron, hence the nickname “red gold.” In this recipe, the musky, piney saffron is complemented by the earthy, smoky paprika and garlicky sweetness. It’s a taste of heaven.” p261

9 Plant Points

Serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable stock

1 medium yellow or white onion, finely chopped

1 jarred roasted red pepper, chopped

1 red sweet pepper, seeded and chopped

1 medium courgette, chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1 pinch saffron threads

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

220 g short-grain rice (Arborio, Japanese sushi rice, Bomba rice)

600 ml Biome Stock Unleashed (page 239) or vegetable stock

10 g fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

1 lemon, sliced

1. In a paella pan or a large, shallow frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, roasted red pepper, and sweet pepper to the pan and cook for about 10 minutes, until brown and reduced.

2. Add the courgette, garlic, tomato, saffron, paprika, and cayenne and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for another 10 minutes, until the vegetables are soft.

3. Add the rice and stock and stir once to combine, then shake the pan to evenly distribute the rice and vegetables. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for 22 to 25 minutes. Check for most of the liquid to be absorbed and the rice at the top to be nearly tender. If for some reason your rice is still not cooked, add 60 ml more water or stock and continue cooking (can also finish cooking in the oven; see Pro Tip).

4. Remove the pan from the heat and cover with a tight-fitting lid or foil, then place a tea towel over the lid to rest for 5 minutes (this allows the rice to finish steaming). Garnish with fresh parsley and lemon slices.

PRO TIP:

Once the rice is mixed in, resist the urge to stir it again in order to allow a crispy crust to form at the bottom, called a socarrat. Depending on the size of your pan or burners on the hob, you may need to finish this in the oven. Cover with foil, then finish in a 175°C oven, until the rice is cooked through.

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Review: Legitimate Sexpectations – Katrina Marson

Legitimate Sexpectations : The Power of Sex Ed

Katrina Marson

Scribe

ISBN: 9781922585516

RRP $ 32.99

Description:

Can we promise future generations a life free of sexual violence, in which their sexual wellbeing will be protected? Is this a promise we can keep?

As a sexual offences prosecutor, Katrina Marson works for an institution that can only respond, one case at a time, to sexual violence once the damage is already done. During a decade of looking back, she kept returning to a single question: what could have been done to prevent this?

In 2019 she stepped out of the justice system to travel abroad on a Churchill Fellowship, where she witnessed first-hand the power of comprehensive relationships and sexuality education to safeguard sexual wellbeing and act as a protective factor against sexual violence. Combining her coalface experience in the criminal law with her international research on sex education, Marson’s perspective is unique, looking in two directions at once.

Legitimate Sexpectations exposes the limits of the criminal justice system and the fault lines in our society when it comes to sex, sexuality, and relationships. Through storytelling that moves between heartbreak and hope, Marson makes the case for a cultural shift towards valuing sexual wellbeing and preventing sexual violence in the first place. In doing so, she calls on us all to play our part to ensure that young people’s sexual experiences are not just free from violence, but far from violent.

My View:

A life changing book! A book I wish was around and being talked about when I was a child. Child you ask? YES! You are never to young to be empowered about your own safety and to be given permission and the language to talk about sexual abuse at whatever age, child/teenager/adult.

A well balanced, clear and rational discussion regarding “consent”.

Be warned there are triggers in this book – and yes it triggered so many things for me that even now as a 63 year I am still trying to deal with.

This book should be in the hands of every educator, politician, parent, library, resource centre, school…that’s right YOU SHOULD READ THIS

5 stars

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The Trinity Overnight Oats – The Fibre Fuelled Cookbook – Dr Will Bulsiewicz

The Fibre Fuelled Cookbook

Dr Will Bulsiewicz

Vermillion

Penguin Random House

ISBN: 9781785044175

RRP $45

If you have been following along with my blog you will have realised how important I think gut health is for everyone. This book is another great resource on gut health, I hope you find it helpful.

“Chef Emeril Lagasse always spoke of the holy trinity of Cajun cuisine as celery, onions, and sweet peppers. Well, my holy trinity of spices is turmeric, ginger, and cinnamon. I have been loving this combo in my morning coffee for years, and now it’s part of this overnight oats recipe. You can’t go wrong with spices!

FODMAP note: As a banana ripens, the FODMAP content increases while the resistant starch content decreases. That said, we need the banana to be soft and get mashed in this recipe. A third of

a banana per serving is generally tolerated on a low FODMAP diet. A third of a date is FODMAP friendly.” p61

4+ Plant Points

Serves 1

120 ml unsweetened plain almond milk

1 teaspoon chia seeds

1/3 date, finely chopped

1/3 ripe banana, mashed

50 g jumbo oats

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch nutmeg

Pinch salt

Supercharge it! (optional toppings):

1 tablespoon golden raisins

1 teaspoon chopped Granny Smith apple

2 tablespoons roughly chopped walnuts

Dash ground cinnamon

1. In a jar or small bowl with a lid, add the almond milk, chia seeds, date, and banana.

Stir with a spoon to combine.

2. Add the oats, turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt and stir to combine.

Cover with the lid and place in the fridge overnight, or until the oats have thickened

(about 6 hours).

3. In the morning, open the jar/bowl and top as desired with suggested toppings. If the oat

mixture is too thick, you can add a little more almond milk to your preference.

FF UNLEASHED:

If you are not following a low FODMAP approach, you can use 1 teaspoon maple syrup instead of the

date or 1 whole date per serving.

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Mexican Hot Chocolate Brownies – The Fibre Fuelled Cookbook – Dr Will Bulsiewicz

The Fibre Fuelled Cookbook

Dr Will Bulsiewicz

Vermillion

Penguin Random House

ISBN: 9781785044175

RRP $45

If you have been following along with my blog you will have realised how important I think gut health is for everyone. This book is another great resource on gut health, I hope you find it helpful.

“Brownies made from black beans . . . sign me up immediately! Mexican hot chocolate is known for its spices. In this recipe, you get cinnamon and cayenne pairing with the cocoa powder for a fiesta in your mouth!“p 294-295

4 Plant Points

Makes 12 brownies

One 400 g can black beans, drained and rinsed

125 g peanut butter

55 g almond or oat flour

25 g cocoa powder

120 ml 100% maple syrup

1 tablespoon avocado oil or other neutral oil

1 tablespoon white or apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

120 g chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 175℃. Lightly oil an 20 × 20 cm pan (or line with baking

parchment) and set aside.

2. In the base of a food processor, place the beans and pulse 5 or 6 times until well

chopped.

3. Add the peanut butter, flour, cocoa powder, maple syrup, avocado oil, vinegar,

vanilla, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, cayenne, and salt. Process until

creamy and smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed.

4. Remove the lid and stir in 80 g chocolate chips. Pour into the prepared baking dish (the

batter will be thick) and spread it out evenly. Top with the remaining 40 g chocolate chips.

5. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

This is an extract from The Fibre Fuelled Cookbook by Dr Will Bulsiewicz. Published by Penguin Random House Australia, RRP $45. https://www.penguin.com.au/books/the-fibre-fuelled-cookbook-9781785044175

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#Giveaway A Day #3 – Talk With Your Kids About Things That Matter – Michael Parker

For my birthday this year I decided to do something a little different – you get the presents- I am giving away a book a day – drawn randomly, sometime during the day/night…for the next few days…a lucky dip of books.

I hope you find something in this eclectic selection that sparks your interest. Open to Australian residents., thanks to DMCPR Media – its simple – just respond, “yes please” in the comments.

Description:

What makes a person good? Is it their impeccable table manners? Whether they participate in protests? The way they treat the waiter?

Talk to Your Kids About Things That Matter is the go-to guide for navigating ethics in the 21st century. In a post-Trump, post-truth world, the lines between right and wrong are increasingly blurred and ethics matter more than ever.

More of us are questioning the world that we live in and what is our role inside it.

Inside this book you’ll find over 100 conversation starters for creating meaningful, thought-provoking discussions. From Plato to veganism, cancel culture to consent, and politics to basic kindness, these topics are set to engage, inspire, and even divide. It’s the perfect accompaniment for road trips, Sunday afternoon drinks, family dinners or even a first date.

Designed to have no real answer, but rather, stir even more questions, this provocative and deeply engaging book will kick your philosophical gears into action. How to be a Good Human encourages readers to dig deeper, put yourself in others’ shoes, and be the best human you can be.

About the Author

Michael Parker is the Headmaster of Oxley College in Southern NSW. He received Arts and Law degrees from Sydney University and worked briefly in a corporate law firm before turning his attention to Education. He has a Masters Degree in teaching Philosophy to children and has written six textbooks in the areas of Legal Studies, Philosophy in Schools, and English.

Michael joined the Jane Curry Publishing team in 2012 with Ethics 101: Conversations to have with your kids. A great success, the book has since been published in the USA in August 2013. The second book in this series, Talk With Your Kids: Big Ideas, was published in May 2014, along with a second edition of Ethics 101, aptly renamed Talk With Your Kids: Ethics.

Michael’s talents don’t just lie in the world of Education publishing. He has had two novels published, including a Young Adult Novel Doppelganger, which was shortlisted for the NSW Premier’s Award in 2007, and a children’s picture book, You Are A Star, which was published with Bloomsbury in the USA in September 2012. He is married and has two daughters.

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Review: Change Your Thinking to Change Your Life – Kate James

Change Your Thinking to Change Your Life

Kate James

Pan Macmillan Australia

ISBN: 9781760787738

RRP $32.99

 

Description:

Many of us experience feelings of being stuck in the wrong life and disconnected from our true selves.

Australian mindfulness expert and bestselling author Kate James has coached thousands of clients in similar situations.

Now, Kate introduces us to a range of techniques, based on her knowledge of mindfulness, positive psychology, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), creativity and neuropsychology, that will help us clarify our goals, realise our purpose and connect more fully with the wonder of life.

Change Your Thinking to Change Your Life will help you to:

– get to know yourself well

– overcome the thoughts and beliefs that inhibit inner peace and limit you in your life choices

– find your way to your version of a fulfilling life.

This is the perfect companion for negotiating transformation in an unsettled age.

Praise for Change Your Thinking to Change Your Life

‘Kate James is such an honest, warm and generous teacher. Read this book and you’ll be learning from one of the very best.’ Clare Bowditch

‘Kate’s writing is immensely practical. Rich with compassion and insight from her many years as a therapist, her books always offer life-enhancing tools that may be applied right away. Transformational wisdom at its best!’ David Michie, author of Hurry Up and Meditate.

 

My View:

This is a book that you will read piece by piece, or all the way through or just some of it depending on your individual life journey and how well you know yourself already.  And you will read it again and then read it some more.

 

A highlight for me – Chapter Eighteen – Boost Your optimism – is one we can all easily follow.  The exercises (which actually just read as common sense), give everyday easy to actualise, guidance on practicing gratitude to balance the negative bias of the brain. “The remedy is not to supress negative experiences; when they happen, they happen.  Rather, it is to foster positive experiences – and in particular, to take them in so they became a permanent part of you.” (p166 Buddhas’ Brain, Rick Hanson). Well said. Practice makes change.

 

This guide – and yes, it is a guide – is full of helpful exercises, written in accessible, positive language. This is a book that I will keep by my bed and pick up and read, often, over and over. I have highlighted so many paragraphs in this book that I want to return to later.

 

PS I love the cover art.