Sunday 26 January 2014

Re-charge your intentions for 2014



January, hot summer heat waves that have soared through our beautiful country, long sunlit days, cooling down in the ocean, slightly sunburnt skin, connecting with some beautiful minds, catching up on some reading, hottest 100, relaxing with an iced herbal tea, drinking straight from coconuts, spending time with the love of my life and staying true to intentions set at the beginning of the month.  This has been the best January yet and such a great way to begin 2014.

With February knocking right on Januarys door, I want to keep the momentum that I created at the beginning of January flowing right into February.  For me this means revisiting my intentions set for 2014.  I'm trying to work towards something that feels right for me in 2014 as apposed to setting a goal.  For example my goal in 2013 was:

to loose 10kg and get up on stage in my green bikini on the 23rd of May for my first ever INBA bikini/fitness model competition
You know what I did achieve this goal and it felt brilliant standing proud on stage with some of Brisbane's most beautiful women.  It was a privilege and a moment in life that I will cherish forever.  But I was so intent on that 1 GOAL that I lost sight of everything and everyone else around me, it ended up consuming my whole year as I considered doing it all again in 2014.  I ended the year feeling deflated and running around in circles chasing something that just didn't feel right to me.

Thinking about what make's me feel amazing, and chasing a feeling of true happiness is what has carried me into 2014, and I'm keeping on track with that by adapting and evolving my intentions for each month as new opportunities come my way.

By taking off the blinkers and being open to new opportunities and new ways of thinking, I have opened a door to endless possibilities and am more open and willing to accept guidance in all areas of my life.



Here is a little exercise that you can do at the end of each month to help keep driving your power right into February and beyond.

Find some time (at least 30mins) that you can dedicate to yourself without any interruption.  Grab your favourite journal and a pen.  Answer these questions for yourself coming into the new month.

How do you feel after the month just passed?

What positive changes did you make and what did you learn?

How did focusing on this area affect other areas of your life?

What are 5 things you have been grateful for?

What are 3 things you did in the month passed that have left you feeling empowered and above all happy?

I hope this exercise leaves you feeling empowered and committed to turning your dreams into a reality.  Want a little extra motivation, subscribe to receive my weekly email (click on subscribe above).

Also if you are a healthy foodie come along to The Pot Luck Picnic Instameet on the 15 Feb 2014.  It's a great way to connect with other like minded souls, want more information check out this post.

Sending out my love and motivation to you all.

Nicole
xx

Thursday 16 January 2014

Live a Pure and Happy Life - It's easier than you think.

Waking up each morning with boundless energy and clear skin is starting to become a daily norm for me, but it wasn't always this way and it hasn't been an easy road.  I'm starting to live more in the present and leaving the past where it is and allowing the future to present itself as it pleases.  I can't change anything in the past and I certainly cannot predict the future, all I can do is live in the present and make the most of each and every moment NOW.




By becoming aware of the present moment, I've been able to let go of all the things that hold me down, like fear of the unknown, anxiety and stress.  When I'm living in these feelings, I don't treat myself with the respect that I deserve and I mainly reach for comfort food to make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.  That warm and fuzzy feeling lasts for all of about 20mins and then the guilt and resentment kick in.  This vicious cycle had to stop, my mind needed a break and I wasn't liking the extra cottage cheese forming on my thighs.

Somehow I stumbled across Echart Tolle's The Power of Now, and downloaded his audio book to my phone.  I only really got about 40mins in, but everything was starting to make sense.  I needed to live more in the present moment and forget about everything else.  So I set about trying to put this into practice.  First I tried walking outside and just taking everything in and being aware of all the sounds around me which was nice at first but I would then find myself looking at all the homes and then becoming really judgemental on the way people were living, how could they leave their yard like that.  That wasn't working.  Then I thought about meditation.  I always loved doing the 10mins of meditation and relaxation at the end of yoga.  So I gave it a try and it works perfectly for me.

Meditation sounds daunting to some, but it is one of the most effective ways to cultivate a happy life. The main benefit of mediation is to teach us how to be okay with just being.  Jess Ainscough's book Make Peace with Your Plate has a great summary on meditation:

When you can close your eyes and sit in meditation, with nothing to achieve and nothing to do apart from concentrate on your breathing and the sensations in your body, you quickly learn how to be content without any of the bells and whistles of our busy modern lives.  You may hate it at first; you may struggle with the silence and stillness.  But trust me when I say that, after a while, you'll notice subtle changes in your everyday life.  Your patience and coping mechanisms will improve, you will be easier to please, you will be able to see the bigger picture, and you'll be more content in the present moment.  You won't need anything else to make you happy - you will be happy for absolutely no other reason than because you are alive in the moment.

Being happy for absolutely no other reason than because you are alive in the moment is a great and liberating feeling.  For me, this state of happiness then flows out into all avenues of my life, I'm so much more grateful for all the little things and my relationships are stronger.

How to meditate:

- Find somewhere comfortable that you can sit and not be interrupted.  You may want to sit on a stool, or a pillow, I sit on the end of my couch.

- Once you are seated in your spot, make sure that you are sitting upright and not leaning on anything, you don't want to be too comfortable or otherwise you may drift off to sleep.

- Close your eyes and focus your attention on the space between them.  This is the 'Third Eye' - it's said to house all your intuitive powers.

- Concentrate on your breathing, listen to the rise and fall of your abdomen.  Become aware of the noises that surround you, listen for birds, cars or people making noises.  Don't focus in on those noises just be aware.

- Your mind may wonder, this is ok and normal.  When it does wander, just bring your attention back to your breathing.

- Try to stay calm and in this position for as long as you can.  Start with 5-10 mins a day then work your way up to 30mins.

Give meditating a try, you will be happier for it, which will spill out into all areas of you life.  Because your more content, you'll make better choices throughout your day, you'll automatically go for foods that nourish your body and you'll be a much kinder person.

I'd love to hear how meditating is working for you, leave me a comment below.

Nicole
xx

PS.  Don't forget about the Potluck Picnic in the Park on the 15th Feb 2014, come along I'd love to meet you.  For more information click here.




Saturday 11 January 2014

Beet Green Juice

Good morning, gorgeous!

What better way to start you day than with a glass full of fresh fruit and vegetables.  This is what I woke up with this morning and it was so delicious.  This combination of power-house foods and flavours is sure to wake you up and give you the kick-start you need to go play in the park, or swim in the ocean or kite surf.  Hey, it's summer - and having fun requires lots of health energy!

The stars of this mornings juice are kale and a beetroot.

Beetroots have a cleansing effect on the liver and can be used to treat liver maladies, kidney stones, and disorders of the gallbladder, stomach and intestines.  Beets also aid digestion and the lymphatic system.

Kale packs more nutritional punch per calorie than almost any other food on the planet.  It is loaded with vitamin K, an essential vitamin for preventing bone fractures, postmenopausal bone loss, calcification of your arteries and has even been shown to protect against liver and prostate cancer.  It is also a very good source of vitamin A, C, B6, manganese, dietary finer, calcium, copper and potassium.  This combination of vitamins and minerals makes kale a health superstar, for real.






You'll need a juicer to make this one.

Ingredients
1 Apple - Cored, cut in half
1 Pear - Cored, cut in half
1 Beetroot - Ends off, cut in half
1 Bunch Kale, ends off
1 Cucumber, ends off, cut in half

Put through your juicer and enjoy with ice!

Remember to by organic where possible.

Nicole
xx



Wednesday 8 January 2014

Potluck Picnic Party - You're Invited



When two great minds get together, magic happens!

I've recently been working with Ash from Wholesome Living Blog to put together our first ever Potluck Picnic in the park Instameet.  If you are reading this post and can get to New Farm Park on Saturday the 15th of February, then you are most welcome to come along!

Bring along your favourite healthy dish or dessert, something to drink (no booze), your own plates, cups, cutlery, serving utensils, and a blanket.

Friends and family are welcome (but everyone who attends should bring a healthy dish, please)!

The event will be held in New Farm Park down near the river at the bottom of Brunswick Street.

To keep updated on this event, make sure you follow either Ash or myself on Instagram, Facebook or check back on this blog.

I can't wait to meet, connect and share delicious healthy food with everyone!

See you there!

Nicole xx

Monday 6 January 2014

Not your traditional porridge

I love making this raw porridge for breakfast.  It's a light and refreshing way to start these hot summer days.  No baking required this is a fully raw and healthy meal packed full of vitamins and minerals and it is a filling and satisfying dish that won't leave a heavy feeling in your body.

I put cinnamon on a lot of my food, it's great for regulating blood sugar levels and the ground flaxseed are rich in antioxidants, B vitamins, dietary fibre, protein, potassium and omega-3 fatty acids.





Here is the recipe:

1 pear, chopped into large pieces
1 banana, broken into large pieces
1 apple, chopped into large pieces
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 tablespoon of flaxseed

1. First put the pear into the food processor / blender; then add the banana and then the apple.  Blending the fruit in this order prevents the mixture from getting too sticky.
2. Sprinkle the cinnamon and flaxseed over the mixture.

I try to always buy organic where possible.

Hope you enjoy this delightful breakfast treat; let me know if the comments below if you give this one a try.

Nicole x

Sunday 5 January 2014

Wake up with an attitude of gratitude

Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful - Buddha




Each day I write three things that I'm grateful for.  I do this as soon as I wake up, it takes about 2 minutes and it sets my day off on the right path.  I can tell you that since I've started doing this I have been so much more content and much happier. 

Gratitude enhances happiness and this is the key to gratitude affecting all areas of your life.  If you focus on the positive, you are training your mind to think positively, and thinking positive means thinking happy.  Research suggests that writing all that you are grateful for just a few minutes a day can increase individual wellbeing by over 10% - such a simple habit for an amazing result.

Expressing gratitude can improve all areas of you life.  It can improve your relationships, both personal and professional, because people who are kind and considerate are more likeable; and it can improve your health, because happy people exercise more, releasing more endorphins.

Gratitude turns bad things into good things; are you having trouble at work? Be grateful that you have work.  Be grateful that you have challenges and that life isn't boring.  Be grateful that you can learn from these challenges.  It also is a great reminder of what is really important.  It's hard to complain about the little things when you give thanks that you and your children are alive and healthy.  It's hard to get stressed out over paying bills when you are grateful there is a roof over your head.

Here is a little exercise to get you started.  Put pen to paper and think of three things that you are grateful for today.  You might decide to recognise the little things or express thanks for the people in your life.  Try to do this every day for the next 5 days and take note on how it makes you feel.

Here is an example of what I'm grateful for today:

1. I am grateful to be active and alive.
2. I'm grateful to have an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables to nourish me daily.
3. I'm grateful for my man, who brightens my day, even if he is 1800km away.

Hope you have a fantastic day.  Thanks for stopping by.
Nicole x

Zucchini Carbonara for Dinner

How does zucchini carbonara sound for dinner??  Sounds like it would be an amazing idea!

Seriously zucchini spaghetti is such a great alternative to pasta.  It cuts out all the bad carbohydrates and leaves you with a full belly and a smile from ear to ear knowing that you just ate something that tastes as good as it is for your body.

Why Zucchini - well its a great source of potassium, rich in vitamin A and contains minerals like iron, manganese and zinc.  Also it is one of the very low calorie vegetables, providing only 17 calories per 100g.  Try to leave the peel on as it is a great source of dietary fibre.







Ingredients:

Zucchini
Sundried Tomatoes
Goats Cheese
Garlic (crushed)
Salt and Pepper
Snow Pea Sprouts
Egg
Coconut Oil (or your cooking oil of choice)

(You can include all your favourite veggies, mix and match as much as you like)

(Try to use organic ingredients where possible)

Method:

- Start by heating a little oil in the pan.  Add in the garlic and salt and pepper heat for around 2-3 mins
- Add in the zucchini, cook on its own for around 2 mins or until it starts to soften
- Throw in the goats cheers, sundered tomatoes and snow pea sprouts
- In a bowl whisk the egg
- Slide all the food over to one side of the fry pan and pour in the whisked egg (as image above).  Allow the egg to cook through slightly before stirring everything together.  The egg gives the meal that creamy texture.
- Serve and enjoy!!

Why not give this healthy meal a try tomorrow evening.  Let me know how it goes for you.

Nicole xx


Friday 3 January 2014

Welcome to Mint and Magik!



I've been procrastinating over my first blog post for some time now.  I wanted it to be something uplifting, inspiring and wise.  But I think that I put to much pressure on myself to write the perfect first post, so I'm stripping away all my expectations and I'm just writing my first post from the heart.


After all I see this blog becoming something to motivate and inspire other people to live their best lives.  What better way to connect with others than staying absolutely true to yourself.

I've kicked off my 2014 with a full day of journaling and breaking down my dreams and goals into bite size pieces.  I've got a clear picture in my head of what I want my life to look like and I've worked backwards from that picture to work out what I need to do to achieve my dream life.  I am feeling so inspired and uplifted after a full day of writing and dreaming and I completely believe that nothing will stand in my way of achieving this goal.

I'm very passionate about health and wellness.  I believe that most ailments can be treated through proper nourishment and treating your mind and body with love and respect.  I've read so many books on this subject that I've finally come to the conclusion that I need to study Nutritional Medicine so that I can help people with the confidence that I am giving only the best information.  I want to help people to find vitality and a wellness that only comes from nourishing your mind and body correctly.

I will be sharing my clean recipes and dishing out some great clean living tips, the more I learn the more I can share and begin to improve the lives of others.

So there you have it.  My first post!
Hope to connect with you all very soon.

Nicole xx

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