The Inaugural Australian AIP Supper Club

24 Monday Nov 2014

Tags

AIP, AIP Dinner Club, AIP Sydney, Autoimmune Protocol, Healing through diet, Social Isolation, Sydney, The Nutritionista, The Paleo Approach Sydney, The PAleo PI

This is a big post for me. HUGE! I’m stepping out from behind my TSL cloak after almost 3 years of being vaguely anonymous in blog-land, and here I am! Nope, not the tall, glam’ one on the left – that’s the lovely Kirstie of The Nutritionista fame. And no, not the cute happy-looking dude on the right – that’s Rory from the very cool The Paleo PI blog. Me, I’m the one with dimples in the middle. TSL in the flesh!

On Saturday evening, the three of us got together for the inaugural Australian AIP Supper Club. (If you’d like to learn more about the Autoimmune Protocol, check out this post.)

It was kind of big deal, too. While we had communicated in cyber-world for some time, we had never actually met. And, it involved a plane trip for Rory, who hails from Canberra. Bless him – he carefully packed his homemade and AIP-compliant guacamole and crudités to travel interstate. That’s dedication!

This AIP caper has been life changing for all of us. But, it’s fair to say it’s not the most well-travelled path to choose.

Although, that is changing as awareness of how diet and lifestyle affect our health grows.

Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down. (Oprah Winfrey)

And, being committed to a regime like the Autoimmune Protocol can be a little socially isolating. It is almost impossible to dine out when in the strict elimination phase. And, it’s not uncommon for even the closest of friends to become (understandably) a little frustrated with the dietary restrictions.

So, that makes it all the more exciting when you become part of a tribe who understands the challenges you face.

We had a super evening sharing our knowledge and experiences. And by ‘we’, I also mean LM and Wayland, partner to Kirstie.

So much so, that if sleep wasn’t such a priority for all of us, we might have talked all night!

Kirstie – ‘the Nutritionista’, LM, Kirstie’s partner, Wayland and Rory – ‘the Paleo PI’ nearer the end of our inaugural AIP gab-fest!
(Image by TSL)

The idea for our supper club meet-up came directly from Sarah Ballantyne, the Paleo Mom herself. Sarah’s recently launched Paleo Approach Dinner Club e-book aims to address some of the feelings of isolation that are part and parcel of any elimination protocol.

And, if our wee group are anything to go by, it’s a fantastic concept.

There’s something quite lovely about being able to talk all things AIP with people who understand the challenges.

And, in case you’re wondering, here’s what we ate…

Rory made the flying Guacamole with crudités

Guacamole and crudités
(Recipe and Image from The Paleo Mom)

TSL made slow cooked pork with apple sauce and bone broth gravy, fennel, celery and pomegranate salad, kohlrabi ‘slaw, and roasted sweet potatoes (not shown)

Easy-Peasy Slow Cooked Pork Neck
(Recipe and Image from This Sydney Life)

TSL Fennel, Celery, Apple and Pomegranate Salad

Fennel, Celery, Apple and Pomegranate Salad
(Recipe and image from This Sydney Life)

Kohlrabi, Carrot & Apple ‘Slaw
(Recipe and image from This Sydney Life)

And, Kirstie whipped up some carob ganache served with mixed berries.

Carob Ganache with berries
(Recipe and image from the Paleo Mom)

We all agreed that this is the first of many get togethers.

If you are following the Autoimmune Protocol and live in Sydney or Canberra, and would like to join our next get together, please feel free to drop me a line via my contacts page.

Tom Tom’s Take on Aussie Burgers With Sweet Potato Fries

20 Thursday Nov 2014

Posted by Joanna in Food, The Main Event

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

AIP, AIP Reintroduction, Autoimmune Protocol, Barbecue, Burger, Dairy Free, Grain Free, Healthy Burger, Main Course, Paleo

I’m currently on the Autoimmune Protocol, a nutrient-rich elimination diet that removes foods that irritate the gut, cause gut imbalance and activate the immune system. You can read more about the protocol and why I’m doing this here. This recipe contains eggs, mustard and black pepper – all ingredients that are part of the reintroduction phase of the protocol.

The teenager is practically an adult.

A few weeks back, he indicated that it might be time that he expanded his cooking repertoire. As someone who loves to cook AND eat good food, I couldn’t have been happier.

I’ve been telling him for years that I don’t know a woman who isn’t impressed with a man who knows his way around a kitchen. And, I’m sure his girlfriend won’t mind me mentioning that I suspect she was a big motivator in this recent desire to cook.

Credit where it is due!

“If you knew how to cook, maybe I would eat,” Jace muttered.

Isabelle froze, her spoon poised dangerously. “What did you say?”

Jace edged toward the fridge. “I said I’m going to look for a snack to eat.”

That’s what I thought you said.” Isabelle turned her attention to the soup.” (Cassandra Clare, ‘City of Bones’)

So, we locked in a night for a cooking session. That was Wednesday night. And, the girlfriend came, too. It was a lot of fun.

I figured that one of my staple slow cooked numbers wasn’t going to cut it this time. Easy to make – yes. Fast – nope. And, in my experience, most teenagers don’t have the longest of attention spans.

So, for this cooking lesson, I decided on burgers. What teenager doesn’t love a burger?

Mince (or ground beef) is an inexpensive and versatile choice of meat. Great for students. Burgers are quick to make and allow for lots of experimentation – classic beef burgers (a little like these babies); or perhaps – lamb mince with mint and a cucumber/yogurt topping for more of a Greek flavour; or even some chicken mince with coriander and a sweet chilli sauce for an Asian inspired burger.

The possibilities are almost endless!

Tom Tom (the teenager) is a big fan of my sweet potato fries. They are a much healthier choice than the traditional deep-fried version. They’re also a doddle to make.

And, what’s a burger without fries, really?

I’m normally a burger and chips girl – such a cheap date. (Sheridan Smith)

So these burgers are made by Tom Tom. He did all the slicing and dicing. He made the burger patties and mashed the avocado. And, LM manned the barbecue. It was a male-dominated cooking affair at Casa TSL on Wednesday night. And, it was fantastic!

And, if you’re reading this Tom Tom, you’re welcome to cook for me anytime!

There is one small matter that I feel needs to be tabled before I give you Tom Tom’s burger recipe. Traditionally, an ‘Aussie burger’ will include sliced beetroot. Possibly a fried egg.

But, here’s the thing: I’m a Kiwi. And, in New Zealand, we reckon that’s called a ‘Kiwi burger’. So this burger is our version of an Aussie burger. The Tom Tom burger. We think it tastes great!

Tom Tom's Aussie Burgers with Sweet Potato Fries

Servings: 6
Time: 60 minutes
Difficulty: a teenager can make it!
Print

Ingredients:

For the burgers:

500g happy beef mince
500g happy pork or veal mince
1 x egg yolk
1 x large handful parsley, chopped
1/2 medium red onion, minced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (optional)
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1 x small tin pineapple rounds
2 x ripe avocados
1 x lime, juiced
6 x rashers happy bacon

For the sweet potato fries:

6 large sweet potatoes
3 – 4 Tablespoons of coconut oil, melted
1 tablespoon TSL House Sweet Potato Fries Seasoning (recipe follows)

TSL’s House Sweet Potato Fries Seasoning:

4 x Tablespoons salt
1 x Tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 x Tablespoon garlic powder
1 x Tablespoon dried herbs (I used half basil, half oregano)

Directions

1. Heat your oven to 230°C (that’s 450°F). Line a couple of baking trays with baking paper.

2. In a large bowl, combine your mince, egg yolk, parsley, red onion, garlic, and optional mustard. Get your hands in there and give it a good massage. Season generously with salt and pepper.

3. Form six patties out of the beef mixture. Pop into the fridge for while you prepare your fries. You can turn the barbecue on now to heat.

4. Peel and slice your sweet potatoes into 1/2 cm slices. Now, take the slices and cut into 1/2 cm wide fries. Throw your raw sweet potato fries into a large bowl. Toss with just enough coconut oil to coat. Sprinkle with House Seasoning and give the bowl a good jiggle to coat.

5. Spread your sweet potatoes in single layer on the lined baking trays. It’s important that you don’t overcrowd (soggy fries – no bueno!).

6. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes until your fries are tender and golden brown, turning and rotating the trays occasionally.

7. While the fries are baking, pop the patties onto your barbecue for 5 to 6 minutes per side over a medium-high heat. Now’s the time to cook the bacon, too.

8. If you’re having pineapple, grill slices for 1 to 2 minutes per side.

9. peel and mash your avocado. Add a squeeze of lime juice and season with salt and pepper.

10. To assemble the burgers, top each patty with the smashed avocado, grilled pineapple, fried eggs, and any other toppings you may choose.

For the House Seasoning:

Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container. Will keep for up to 6 months.

E N J O Y !

SEXY-UGLY Prune and Orange Cookies

14 Friday Nov 2014

Posted by Joanna in Food, Sweets

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

AIP, Autoimmune Protocol, Biscuits, Cookies, Dairy Free, Egg Free Baking, Healing Family Eats, Healthy Baking, Paleo

(Image by TSL)

sexy ugly
Someone not considered conventionally good-looking (or any kind of good-looking in some cases), but possesses an appealing personality, style, or talent, and is thus considered sexually attractive by many.

First coined by the movie, ‘Kissing Jessica Stein.’

Here’s the thing, I haven’t really done that much baking since I started this whole autoimmune protocol kick. When you’re off all grains, nuts, seeds AND eggs (among other things) – it does limit your options considerably when it comes to making sweet treats.

There is no education like adversity. (Benjamin Disraeli)

You have Healing Family Eats to thank for these wee babies. Earlier in the month she featured a gorgeous looking recipe for her Apricot N’Oatmeal Cookies. Frankly, I’ve been thinking about them on and off since I first saw the post.

I’ve become known as the ‘queen of balls’ in my neck of the woods, of late. Everybody asks for them.

And, just in case your wee mind is not on the same page as mine, I’m referring to those spherical objects commonly referred to as ‘Bliss Balls’. They’re a handy snack full of nuts and a bit of dried fruit, sometimes some flavouring like chocolate or coconut. Ever since I successfully reintroduced activated (soaked) nuts, I always have a few in the fridge. And, they’re both easy to make and seriously more-ish – when you get the ratios right. I think my most successful are my Jaffa Balls.

But sometimes a girl needs a change. And, I kept thinking about those cookies from over at Healing Family Eats…

Sexy Ugly Prune and Orange Cookies
(Image by TSL)

The thing is, when I went to my pantry to check for all the ingredients, I was missing the dried apricots. Sometimes delayed gratification just won’t cut it. And, necessity apparently being the mother of all invention, and all – this is what I came up with.

My wee sexy-ugly cookies certainly don’t look as pretty as the originals. But, they taste fab’! And, they can be whipped up in no time.

And – they were my very first attempt at egg-free baking. Moderately excited about that!

Try them and tell me what you think?

SEXY UGLY Prune and Orange Cookies

Servings: 10
Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: SUPER easy.
Print

Ingredients:

1 x cup desiccated coconut
2 x Tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 cup organic prunes
zest of an orange
1 x Tablespoon gelatine
1 x Tablespoon fresh orange juice
2 x Tablespoon very hot water

Method:

1. Heat your oven to 180° F/350° C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

2. Pop your desiccated coconut, coconut oil, prunes and orange zest into your food processor. Blitz until thoroughly combined.

3. Pop the gelatine into a small bowl. Add your orange juice. Mix well until combined. Working quickly, add your hot water and whisk until the gelatine has completed melted.

4. Turn on your processor and pour the orange juice and gelatine mixture through the feeding tube. It will only take a couple of seconds to mix it through.

5. Using a tablespoon as a measure, take spoonfuls of the mixture and pop onto the baking sheet. Flatten carefully with a fork.

6. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Leave to cool completely (they will firm up as they cool).

E N J O Y !

If you don’t eat all your cookies at once, they will keep for a couple of days in the fridge.

FANTASTIC Fennel, Celery, Apple and Pomegranate Salad

11 Tuesday Nov 2014

Posted by Joanna in Food, Sides & Sauces

≈ 14 Comments

Tags

AIP, Autoimmune Protocol, Fennel Salad, Festive Salad, Healthy Salad, Paleo, Salad, Summer Salad

(Image by TSL)

Fun fact #1 about pomegranates: Pomegranates are awesome.
Fun fact #2: Pomegranates are like little explosions of awesome in your mouth.
Fun fact #3: A lot of people think you’re not supposed to eat the seeds of a pomegranate – but that’s not true, people who tell you that are liars, and they don’t know anything about life, and they should never be trusted. (Tahereh Mafi)

This post comes to you largely because of the lovely Erin over at Enjoying This Journey.

Erin and I have never met in the real world. And, it is entirely possible that we never will. She lives with her family on a wee homestead in the U.S. And, I live in a wee townhouse in central Sydney. But, still – she is my friend. My blogging friend. And, we both happen to follow the Autoimmune Protocol.

I love this blogging world that has opened up to me over the past few years. I love the fact that I have connected with people all over the world. And, I love that I have connected with some who are not so far away, too. It’s bloody brilliant!

Back to Erin and her pomegranates. Erin loves pomegranates. I get the feeling they may even be her favourite food. And, I will admit that I find them hard to resist, too – their beautiful, jewel tones coupled with their bursts of intense flavour in your mouth (channelling Nigella Lawson!). There’s something festive about them, too.

And, they’re even good for you – arguably the most powerful anti-oxidant of all fruits with seriously potent anti-cancer and immune supporting effects. True!

A pomegranate is filled with rubies when you open it up. Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend – but not for me. I love rubies; they’re great over necks, you know. (Lynda Resnick)

Erin is collecting pomegranate recipes.

And, even though it’s completely the wrong time of year for her to be thinking about summer salads up there in the northern hemisphere, I thought I’d give her a wee something to bookmark for later.

Because, I am definitely thinking of salads down here. We’re having a very hot start to summer…

This little number is fresh and crunchy. It’s the perfect counterpart to my Slow Cooked Pork Neck (which is on permanent rotation around here), but would be equally good at a barbecue, too.

Fennel, Celery, Apple and Pomegranate Salad
(Image by TSL)

I picked up some gorgeous looking organic fennel at the markets on Saturday. And, rather than braising or roasting it, this time I thought fresh might just be best.

I got the LM two thumbs up. Always a good sign!

And, normally, I would have used my mandolin for all the slicing involved. But this time, I did all my chopping, slicing and dicing by hand. Just to see if I could. And it worked. Quite a calming process, really…

FANTASTIC Fennel, Celery, Apple & Pomegranate Salad

Servings: 4-ish
Time: 45 minutes tops
Difficulty: REALLY easy. Even easier with a mandolin
Print

Ingredients:

3 x small/medium fennel bulbs
3 – 4 celery stalks
Leaves from 3 – 4 stalks of celery
1 x Fuji or Gala apple
1 x shallot
1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley
Seeds from 1/2 a pomegranate (or more if you’re greedy like me)
Zest of 1 lime
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper (omit black pepper for strict AIP)

Method:

1. Wash and thinly slice your fennel and celery. Peel and thinly slice your shallot. Wash, core and slice your apple into match sticks. Coarsely chop your celery leaves and parsley. Throw all your chopped ingredients and lime zest into a large salad bowl. Mix with your hands.

2. Add your lime juice and EVOO to the bowl. Toss through.

3. Check for seasoning. Top your salad with the pomegranate seeds.

E N J O Y !

This recipe features in the Phoenix Helix recipe roundtable.

Why You Should Start Keeping a Food Journal to Improve Your Gut Health

05 Wednesday Nov 2014

Posted by Joanna in Food, Health

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

AIP, Autoimmune Protocol, Exploring your microbiome, Food Diary, Food Journal, Gut Health, Healing your gut, Paleo, Tracking your Eating

So, I’m currently taking part in an online course through the University of Colorado – Gut Check: Exploring Your Microbiome. It’s fascinating.

Gut health is the key to overall health. (Kris Carr)

As a result of receiving some really poor health test results, I wrote about all disease beginning in the gut back in June. At around the same time, information about this wee course somehow magically turned up in my in-box. It seemed like someone, somewhere was sending me a message! So, I signed up.

Why do I care so much about my micro biome? – And why should you?

Well, it turns out our microbes train our immune system. They definitely affect our health and it is very likely they influence our behaviour, too.

As a human being, you have around 10 trillion human cells. Pretty amazing.

Even more amazing is that you have around 100 trillion microbial cells.

And, what’s even more amazing is that the differences in the human genome (the genes that make us human) between any two human beings are microscopic in comparison to the differences the microbiota of the same two human beings. How different? We share 99.99% of our human genome and only 10% of our microbiota. WOW.

THAT’S why I care so much about my microbiome.

But what can a lay person do to improve gut health?

Well, there are several factors which influence the make-up of your gut microbiota:-

– age
– diet
– antibiotic usage
– genetics
– physiology

There’s not much any of us can do about age. And, the same is true of our genetics and any previous antibiotic usage.

What we can control is what we eat and how we choose to live moving forward – which affects our physiology, too.

We all know the basics (and it is beyond the scope of this wee post to go into great detail about specifics) but, needless to say – increasing your fresh vegetable intake, choosing pasture raised animal protein, reducing processed food and sugar, swapping out soda for water, moving and getting some sun daily, and ensuring you’re getting quality sleep are all key.

All these bacteria that coat our skin and live in our intestines, they fend off bad bacteria. They protect us. And you can’t even digest your food without the bacteria that are in your gut. They have enzymes and proteins that allow you to metabolize foods you eat. (Bonnie Bassler)

And, conveniently, that brings me back in a lovely circle to why I’ve chosen to follow the autoimmune protocol. You already know that the protocol is a nutrient-rich elimination diet that removes foods that irritate the gut, cause gut imbalance and activate the immune system.

But, it’s more than that. It also helps break down other areas of your life into manageable chunks so that you can effect change that improves your health. And this includes gut health. Things like improving sleep, relaxing/managing stress, moving, improving your mood, and more…

As part of my AIP ‘reintroduction of food’ caper, I keep a food journal. In addition to tracking everything I eat, I also track my health, sleep, exercise, mood and stress levels and – at the risk of over-sharing – my bathroom habits, too.

Sure. In the beginning, like many new things, it was a drag. But now it has become almost second nature.

And, it is surprisingly helpful.

Want to know why you should keep a food journal?

Keeping a journal will show you exactly what goes into your mouth each day. You might think that you know exactly what you eat everyday. If so, I’m pretty confident you don’t. I can tell you that writing down what you eat guarantees you know exactly what you’re eating. Every little bit.

A Food Journal Can Show You What You Need To Eat. Even if you think you’re getting enough vegetables, you may find you’re not. Conversely, you may find you’re really eating far more sugar or processed foods than you thought – and, now you need to cut back.

As part of the Uni of Colorado course, I tracked my average daily intake of foods for 10 days. This is what my food intake currently looks like:

Keeping a Food Diary – My Average Food Intake After 10 Days
In terms of traditional food groups, I am off all grains, legumes, dairy and eggs. The ‘other’ splinter in pink is dark chocolate!
(Image by TSL)

Your Food Journal Can Help You Plan Your Meals. We all know we should be eating a variety of foods. Particularly vegetables. And, most of us are guilty of sticking to the tried and true. Keeping a food journal allows you to see just how ‘stuck in a rut you might be’. At first, you will use your food diary to keep track of the meals that you eat. But over time, I find I use my journal to plan out meals in order to create a more balanced diet. A good example of how this works is my effort to eat liver once a week. I can quickly tell how on target I am with that goal.

Your Food Journal Will Keep You on Honest. Strange but true. And, even better, over time, your food journal will actually make you want to eat healthier. Every time you write down a food you know is unhealthy, you’ll want to avoid doing it in the future.

Tracking allows you to monitor what’s working and what’s not. Over time, if you have a reaction to something, it is much easier to pin it down to the source when you can see what you have eaten on any given day. And, then you can effect change to prevent it happening again. This is especially true when reintroducing foods on the autoimmune protocol. It’s also how I worked out – very quickly that carob is not my friend.

What do you think about keeping a food journal?

Is it something you would consider?

Sculpture by the Sea – Bondi 2014

03 Monday Nov 2014

Posted by Joanna in Art, Australia

≈ 16 Comments

Tags

AIP, Art Walks, Autoimmune Protocol, Bondi Coastal Walk, Outdoors, Photo Montage, Sculpture by the Sea, Stress, Sydney, Sydney Culture

‘Wind Stone the Threshold of Consciousness’ by Koichi Ishino
(Image by TSL)

If you’re new to Sculpture by the Sea – it’s well worth a look-see if you’re visiting Sydney. It’s held every October/November along the gorgeous Bondi – Tamarama coastal walk. The natural beauty of the coastline is majestic in itself, but then with the addition of large-scale pieces of sculptural art – just wow!

Small admission: LM took me to Sculpture by the Sea on our first ever date together. It was a scorching hot Sydney day. The kind that we’ve been experiencing again lately. Temperatures well into the 30’s (that’s 90’s if you think in fahrenheit!)

We now go every year together. It has become one of our ‘traditions’. And, of course the fluff-bucket joins us, too. It would feel really weird not to go.

We get up early and go before the crowds arrive. I’m not so great with crowds.

And, just in case you’re wondering how this post fits in with my autoimmune protocol regime, well – it slots right in there under managing stress, protecting my circadian rhythms, getting low-intensity activity AND improving my environment! Checking out the annual Sculpture by the Sea exhibition makes me happy.

The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another. (William James)

So, this year, LM took all the photos. He’s so much more patient than I about the increasing numbers of people who have the same idea as us – get up early to beat the crowds.

And so, without further ado, the annual TSL Sculpture by the Sea photo montage: