Infertlity led me to a holistic fertility centre where my naturopath helped me to discover the negative health affects we can experience from consuming foods with artificial additives, antibiotics, hormones, pesticides and other chemical residues.

Certified organic foods have a higher nutritional content and are much kinder to the environment. Today, nothing is more important to me than keeping myself and my family safe from these toxins.

Here is a rundown of some of my favourite produce and products which proudly wear the trusty Australian certified ‘bud logo’ and I’ve shared a few recipes which incorporate them.

Certified Organic fruit and vegetables can be purchased from your local health food store. It’s worth asking which fruit and vegetables may not be supplied by Organics Growers of Australia (a small producer initiative from Australian Certified Organic), because not all are. Some OGA suppliers to my favourite health food store About Life are Champion’s Mountain Organics

On those super busy days when I’m running really low on produce, I occasionally pop into Woolworths or Coles to pick up the odd thing or two but the fact that the produce is wrapped in plastic really bugs me. I understand that they do this to keep the produce from contaminates when it’s in the warehouse, and through delivery as they are larger supply chains, but I still use them for emergencies only.

The best way to ensure you are purchasing ACO products without the plastic would be to use a home delivery service such as Organic Angels or Aussie Farmers Direct and Daintree Organics.

Here are a couple of recipes to help you use up all those beautiful seasonal fruit and vegetables.

Fresh and Raw Zucchini Noodle Salad

Mix ‘n Match Muffins.

It’s super important to me where my meat comes from and I only buy chicken and meat from sustainable farms which allow their animals to graze freely on pastures and live and eat as nature intended. Meat accumulates all the toxins in our environment, yet another important reason to buy Certified Organic.

My favourite chicken is from Inglewood Farms and we’ll have a roast chicken every week, keeping the bones to make another round of chicken stock. Inglewood chicken can be found in health foods stores, speciality shops and some supermarkets.

Here’s a delicious quick and easy Sticky Orange Chicken recipe my family just loves!

Coconut oil has got to be my absolute favourite pantry staple. Not just for it’s taste, health benefits but for it’s versatility. I use it fry frying, sautéing, and in bliss balls

and add it into smoothies too.

Coconut oil is also my everyday skin moisturiser, makeup remover, hair de-frizzer and more! Buying organic ensures that it contains no synthetics and no insecticides and also that no chemicals are used during the extraction and processing of ACO coconut oil.

Tamari is a wonderful flavour you can add to most dishes from stir fry, to soups, dressings and I even add it to my Mexican dishes. Spiral brand is my trusted favourite.

Photo credit: Spiralfoods.com.au

Absolute Organic brand of raw honey is much loved by the kids. Raw honey is a great choice of sweetener, particularly if eaten raw (not cooked) because it contains all it’s enzymes, vitamins, nutrients and minerals. (unlike refined sugar or pasteurised honey which has all goodness stripped out of it). Raw honey is our favourite sweeter to use in my famous Notella.

Often I’ll find I’ll stock up on Global Organics passata, especially when I find it on sale. I avoid buying anything in tins due to the chemicals in the BPA cans, but especially tinned tomatoes because the acid from the tomatoes reacts with the BPA causing it to leach into the tomatoes. So not feeding that to my kids! We use it in Mexican, Italian, soups, stews, slow cookers. It’s divine in this Slow Cooked Lamb Shank and Barley Soup

We are a cheese-lovin’ family and have a healthy rotation of variety in the fridge, but our everyday cheese is  Barambah Dumeresq Organic Cheddar which comes from a farm whose farmers cares about the wellbeing of it’s calves and cows and allows them to  graze on mixed pastures and are mostly grass fed. My kids love this cheese melted on some buttered sour dough bread in the grill, or grated onto some baby spinach and ham wraps which we then toast.

And something else you’ll find in my cupboard is the old vodka. Nothing beats sitting down with a certified organic vodka, soda and fresh lime as the hubby does a bbq after a big weekend of shopping, kids activities and a big cooking. Ahhhhhh!

What are some of your favourite pantry staples?

Bren x

TIPS TO REBOOT YOUR KITCHEN

Eliminate junk

Get rid of unhealthy, highly processed junk foods which are nutrient deficient, detrimental to health and full of chemicals. You can hardly call them food, though they are easily over-eaten! They can cause you to suffer health issues now, and in the future, and can also cause you to gain weight due to their high calorie count.

Avoid Low-fat

Avoid low-fat or fat-free products as these products often contain high amounts of sugar and salt, which are unhealthy, and can actually be more fattening. Yoghurt & breakfast cereals are good example of low-fat options to avoid.

Be Aware

Even once you remove the above foods, there are more than likely many hidden unhealthy foods in your kitchen. I believe the reason is because of invested marketing efforts which promote food as healthy when they are actually not.

Read Ingredients

Read the ingredient list and nutrition facts panel on each package. Examples of things to avoid are hydrogenated fats, additives, colourings, refined sugars and flours.

Replace condiments

Avoid purchasing dressings and marinades which tend to be high in salt and sugar, and swap for more fresh and dried herbs and spices, vinegars and oils. Oh, and they taste better!

TIPS TO REPLENISH YOUR KITCHEN

Real Food

Restore your pantry & fridge with real healing foods that are brimming with nutrients, essential for energy and longevity.

Buy Organic

Focus on buying mostly organic fruits and vegetables & dry goods where you can. If you find this gets too pricy there are options to make it less expensive. For example, you can join a co-op, buy in bulk, buy seasonally and at farmers markets, or prioritise your organic purchases to include fruits and vegetables that tend to have the highest chemical residues, for example apples and strawberries.

Easy options

Have healthy replacements on hand for those extra busy times when you just need an easy option. Some examples are canned beans, rice cakes, muesli bars, popcorn & coconut water. But remember, read the labels and always opt for the healthiest brands.

If you are new to the real food lifestyle, or you are just ready to overhaul your pantry and fridge, let me inspire you through my Kitchen Reboot program, where I personally visit your home where we will enjoy a few hours of fun working together towards replacing any unhealthy foods which may be lurking in your kitchen.

Please take a moment to explore my program further here.

Have a healthful day!

Bren x