Tell us a little about yourself.

I am a mother to a baby girl (7 months) and step mum to two daughters (12 and 14) I also own a business and juggle between family life and the business which to be honest is an ongoing challenge!

Tell us about your business The Organic Cook, why you started it, and what it’s about?

I started it after helping a sick dying parent, and realised a personal chef service is what a lot of people need to help them at different stages of life.

I was also inspired by the holistic chef movement happening in New York and America and had previously cooked in a vegan café and restaurant when I lived in Toronto, and was trying to figure out what to do with my life. The past 13 years  has all been an ongoing journey of food,  health, and formal study in order to get me to this point. And I’m still evolving. I also did a lot of self study and tried fasting, macrobiotics, vegetarianism and was also a vegan for two years.

Now,  I mostly follow the Weston A Price eating and nutritional model, and am mainly concerned with nourishment rather than fasting and detoxing. My clients mostly need nourishment, particularly those trying to conceive and improve their fertility

At the Organic Cook we do a lot of specialised food as medicine based cooking, but also work for busy professional individuals and families who desperately need healthy organic meals. I have also done quite a bit of teaching but am now so busy with the personal chef service and private clients that, I don’t have time to continue teaching for the moment.

What are some of the things you value most in life?

My beautiful family and friends, working with such interesting clients, my gift for cooking and nourishing others, yoga and stillness, and living by the beach.

What is your favourite quote

This one comes to mind from buddha

‘Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.’

What are your tips to staying happy and healthy?

Practicing mindfulness meditation has always been something that keeps me emotionally in the present and therefor happy and healthy. I am an advocate that you arewhat you eat, so home-cooking is the basis for everything I do in my family life and work life in order to keep healthy. It’s the simplest thing we can do but unfortunately it’s becoming a lost art form in modern society!

Do you find time to nurture yourself? What does this involve?

At the moment with a small baby, hectic family life and busy business the answer is no.  I’m working on reclaiming it from the persistence of my partner but food is all I can manage right now, and walking, and when necessary acupuncture helps with my frayed nerves!  I’m well aware you can’t have everything you want at one time and so am in a cycle of life that is sometimes overwhelming but it will shift again as life does…

What does healthy eating mean for you?

It is the template for everything I do, after cooking for 13 years I understand the level of nourishment ones needs to be healthy and to also help prevent onset of disease.

What are five of your kitchen pantry essentials?

Oh, this is difficult to narrow down to five!

Homemade chicken broth, tamari, biodynamic brown rice, coconut oil, ghee.

What do you indulge in?

Baking healthy desserts and making ice cream from scratch for summer. And I love art, music and cinema.

What do you and your family like to do on the weekend?

We go to the organic markets in Frenchs forest every Sunday and we also love to go for a walk at the beach, and I sometimes take my older daughters to a yoga class.

Would you like to share one of your favourite healthy recipes?

Here is a special little soup I created for a client who needed nourishment  and recovery foods for a long stint in hospital. Pulling in all my food  as medicine notes and experience cooking for different medical  conditions, I came up with this little gem that the family also enjoys.

*** Note for this recipe it helps to have chicken broth already premade, I make mine well in advance and freeze in portions and freeze for later use. ***

Nourishing Chicken Soup with Fresh Shitake Mushrooms, Broccoli and Corn

Ingredients

800g organic chicken breasts
8 fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced finely
1 teaspoon fresh ginger grated
1 lemongrass stick
1 fresh lime, juiced
1 litre home made chicken broth
300g organic broccoli, cut into florets
1 fresh corn husked
2 tablespoons tamari
Method

In a large pot add hot water and the lemongrass stick, infuse for 5  minutes, add the organic chicken breasts and poach for approx 12-15  minutes, checking at 12 minutes and making sure the thick part of the  breast is cooked through.

Once done drain the chicken and lemongrass into a spider/sieve and reserve the water for use later.

Leave the chicken to cool slightly then when not to hot to handle start to  shred into manageable pieces, the chicken should be very moist, that’s  why overcooking is not advised you need to check at 12 minutes when  poaching.

Using the same cooking pot add the chicken broth and  start to gently simmer, add the fresh shitake mushrooms and ginger and  cook for 3 minutes until shitakes are softening. Add the corn cobs,  fresh lime and tamari, taste and adjust for your palate. Simmer for a  further 5 minutes, lastly add the shredded chicken and the raw broccoli  and cook for a further 5 minutes. The add some of the reserved poaching  chicken water to get the right consistency.

Enjoy by itself or with some biodynamic brown rice

Nutritional note about shiitake mushrooms – They are 6000 years old and have been  used in asian countries as food as medicine for centuries, they are also sustainable as they are forest farmed, although you will hard pressed  finding certified organic ones in Australia. Used frequently for cancer  patients to boost immunity. Shiitake mushrooms contain all 3 b vitamins  (b2, 5 and 6) vitamin d and maganese, and are a good source of dietary  fibre. They are very soft to handle and to retain all there  phytonutrient properties make sure you don’t over cook them. We like to  add them to soups and also gently fry in coconut oil for stir fries and  fantastic with scrambled eggs!

You can connect with the gorgeous Belinda here:

www.theorganiccook.com.au

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Tell us a little about yourself.

 I am a very proud mum (foremost) to Bella-angel (6) and Phoenix (2), founder of successful fashion label Otto Mode and have 10 years’ experience in sales, manufacturing, import and export of both local and international fashion. I am completing a Masters of Project Management at UTS, an aspiring athlete,  an ambassador for the Red Cross Blood Centre and the Heart Foundation, Founder of Micro Miracles Matter – a platform created with the intention to aid causes I believe in by spreading awareness, educating people on the power of positive thinking, acts of kindness and the rewards of a healthy balanced life.

Always striving towards having a holistic work-life balance incorporating health and wellness is the foundation for all I do. Career driven I have worked my way through the ranks of the scuba diving industry as a dive master, the T.V and media sector of the advertising industry and an extensive love affair with the rag trade. Combined with an athletic drive that started in school with track and field, state netball, competitive surfing then later in life boot camp, interval training and to now becoming an Ultra-marathon runner.

Most recently I have embarked on a new career role in public relations and new business development in events.

Nutrition and optimal health are always at the forefront of priorities, the love for my children and passion to inspire others to be the best version of them motivates me to stay focused and lead by example.

Tell us why you created “Mirco Miracles Matter” and what it’s about? 

They say timing is everything. For me it’s time to start giving back wherever I can. That is, use my resources to pay homage to causes that have touched my life, and to pursue my acts of kindness on a greater scale toward those less fortunate.

Micro Miracles Matter is an organic extension of myself and has been created as a platform where I can add a greater purpose to some of the wonderful things that I do in my life and to encourage everyone to become more conscious of the small ways in which they can contribute, thus making a huge difference in someone else’s life.

I have been forever inspired by the miraculous fight and survival of Bella-angel, then the incredibly divine experience of going on to have a near term, healthy second baby in 2010 and finally, last year, going through one of the most confronting chapters of my adult life.

I have become aware of the destructive effect of fear, the damaging effect of inaction, the  transformative power of action, the necessity for purpose and that when united we can make a difference; micro miracles matter.

Through my running and the Micro Miracles Matter platform my intention is to aid causes I believe in, spread awareness, educate those around me on the power of positive thinking and acts of kindness, the rewards of a balanced healthy life, believing in oneself, the joys of giving and the difference we can make together.

This year mmm  is all about spreading the word on the need for blood donors and heart disease awareness. I have just completed my first 100km ultra marathon. My purpose for the run was to raise awareness for the need of blood donors. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgmO6NzJC78. The race was amazing, the determination to never give in to the pain was fuelled by the love for my children, the desire to be the best I can be and in doing so inspire others.

What are you passionate about?

Everything!!

Life, positivity, health, nutrition, fitness, my family, friends, food, wine, travel, adventure, the outdoors, kindness, truth and dreaming.

What are some of the things you value most in life?

Time, my children, freedom, friendships, choice, sunshine, living close to the ocean, living in Sydney, daily exercise, quality food, clean water, travel, education.

What is your favourite quote?

As you think, so you are. As you imagine, so you become.

What are your tips to staying happy and healthy?

Be positive, make it a way of life. Find what you love and do it. Add purpose to all you do. Stay consistent, persistent and dream big.

Do you find time to nurture yourself? What does this involve?

I make time. It involves doing what I love and what makes me happy, such as running, reading, writing, creating, rejuvenating my body with massages, yoga, meditation and time alone.

As a single mum of 2 this requires good time management, giving myself the gift to continually evolve and learn, knowing when to be selfless and selfish and staying true to myself regardless of the cost.

What does healthy eating mean for you?

Everything!! I see food and what you fuel your body with as an investment. Investing in your livelihood, your future, how you will function 10, 20, 30 , 40, 50, 60 or more years from now.

Like most things in life, health and wellness are a choice, but most importantly they are a way of life. When you find what works for you and what aids your being to be the best you can be the choice is not difficult. The secret is to make it a way of life, integrating health and wellness into all areas of your world.

Having an abundance of energy, positivity, health and fitness flows into all areas of your life and enables you to thrive in all that you do.

What are 5 of your kitchen pantry essentials?

Only 5….mmm Chia, Chinese 5 spice, Coconut oil, Sunwarrior Protein Powder, activated, raw or roasted mixed nuts

What do you indulge in?

Me time, exercise, super foods, fine wine, organic coffee and fun 😉

What do you and your kids like to do on the weekend?

Go on adventures, rock climbing,, swimming in the pool or at the beach, scootering, cooking, arts and crafts.

Would you like to share one of your favourite healthy recipes?

I have so many! I am, and always have been, a foodie and health junkie! To keep it simple let’s go with my latest healthy recipe discovery that is a hit with my children, has converted my view on ‘pancakes’ and got me through a 42km run – mmm super almond meal and coconut pancakes!

The recipe and nutritional break down is posted on my site under mmm recommendations, mmm recipes.

mmm super pancakes discovery

Ingredients

• 1/2 large ripe banana

• 2 egg whites

• 25 gm almond meal

• 2 5gm desiccated coconut

• 1/2 tsp of vanilla essence or if you can ground fresh vanilla bean pod

• 1/2 tsp of baking powder (gluten free)

• Coconut oil for cooking

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon -or if you are like me to taste…I love spice you can even use all spice another fave of mine.

To Top

Serve with frozen mixed berries that you have defrosted so get the treat of berry juice accompanying the berries, a dash of agave syrup for those of you who have a sweet tooth and a dollop of your favourite yoghurt combined with 2 teaspoons of Sunwarrior protein powder

YUM!!!!

• Mixed frozen berries defrosted

• Agave Syrup

• Yoghurt (I love Jalna Vanilla)

• Sunwarrior protein powder choc or vanilla

Method

1. Mash the banana into the egg whites

2. Add the spices and dry ingredients mix to form a batter

3. Pre heat the fry pan on a medium – low heat  with coconut oil

4. Add spoonfuls of the mixture to the  pan forming pancake size to your liking, when you see bubbles surfacing turn over

5. Cook the second side untill golden

6. In a seperate bowl combine Sunwarrior protein powder and yoghurt

7. To serve place pancakes on a plate and top with desired toppings!

You can connect with Kerrie through  her website

www.micromiraclesmatter.com

or on her  Facebook Page