Roast veggie salad

Ingredients:

3 potatoes washed and cut into chunks

½ sweet potato peeled and cut into chunks

¼ pumpkin washed and cut into chunks with seeds removed

4 large mushrooms cut into pieces

¼ onion thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves chopped

Handful of pinenuts

Bunch of baby spinach

Meredith goats fetta

Olive oil

Herbamare salt

Preheat oven to 220 degrees celcius

Place potatoes, onion, garlic and sweet potatoes onto a large baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.

Bake for 25 minutes. Then add pumpkin, drizzle with more oil and salt and mix veggies around.

Bake for another 15 minutes and add mushrooms and pine nuts. Add another sprinkle of oil and salt. Bake for another 15 minutes or until veggies are soft.

Remove from oven and allow to cool.

In a salad bowl spread out spinach. Once veggies have cooled top spinach with beautiful roasted vegetables. Sprinkle goats fetta to your liking over the top. Pour a few table spoons of the garlic infused oil from the fetta over veggies.

Top with tuna for a quick meals or use as a side to meat or fish J

Stop sugar cravings with cinnamon

Day after day I hear people complaining about their sugar cravings, how they make it so difficult to lose weight, how chocolate is all they can think about and how every month these cravings are out of control.

One of my favourite tools for reducing sugar cravings is incorporating cinnamon into the diet. Cinnamon helps to balance blood sugar levels and therefore reduce cravings. It is also a great digestive if you feel bloated after meals and is a warming herb too if you tend to feel the cold easily. Plus it tasted great too!

Here are a few of my favourite ways to incorporate cinnamon into your diet:

1.       Add to smoothies. If you enjoy a breakfast smoothie simply add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon for your daily dose.

2.       Feeling a bit chilli? Add cinnamon to your cup of tea. Simply sprinkle some cinnamon or place a cinnamon quill to soak into you hot water or tea. It goes great with both black tea and green tea.

3.       Sprinkle cinnamon over fruit for a delicious treat.

4.       Make a curry of anything (meat, chicken, chickpeas, lentils or beans) and use cinnamon as one of the spices to add flavour.

5.       Make a Middle Eastern rice pilaf using pine nuts, sultanas, turmeric and cinnamon.

6.       Mix a teaspoon of cinnamon through yogurt

7.       Add it to your green juice

8.       Make roast veggies with cinnamon sprinkled on to. Yum Yum!

There are so many fabulous ways to add cinnamon into your diet. Have any other suggestions? Feel free to post below.

Rice pillaf with cinnamon-http://www.food.com/recipe/rice-pilaf-with-cinnamon-and-golden-raisins-198781

Cinnamon roasted veggies-http://liorabels.com/kurkuma-cinnamon-roasted-root-veggies/

Cinnamon breakfast smoothie-http://dionne-healthnaturally.blogspot.com.au/2012/06/berrylicous-breakfast-smoothie.html

5 foods to boost your metabolism and get you in shape for summer

1.       Water. Most people do not drink enough water even though we all know how essential it is for the functioning of every cell in our body. Dehydration slows down metabolism. It also causes the body to hold on to any water available resulting in water retention and bloating. It always amazes me how so many people get by in the life without drinking nearly enough water and then wonder why they are so tired and have so many health problems. I was talking to a gentleman in clinic who is in his 70’s and for the majority of his life would be lucky to drink just 1 glass of water every second day. Now he is wondering why his skin is so wrinkled and he has such high blood pressure. Aim for 2 litres of water a day to help your body slim down and function efficiently.

2.       Chilly is well known for speeding up metabolism and causing you to break out into a sweat too! Chilly peppers contain a chemical called capsaicin which is responsible for this boost in metabolism. Try and incorporate 1 tablespoon of chopped chilly into your food daily to really notice the effect.

3.       Cinnamon not so much boosts your metabolism but helps to regulate blood sugar levels. As many people complain to me that they have such difficulty losing weight as they cannot stop eating sweets (particularly at certain times of the month for females). Cinnamon helps to reduce these sugar cravings enabling you to stick to a healthier diet. Incorporate 1 teaspoon of powdered cinnamon into your daily routine. I like to add it to smoothies but it can be sprinkled on fruit or even added to tea.

4.       Fibre is essential for maintaining a healthy bowl. This reduces the effects of bloating and a well-functioning digestive system is necessary for weight loss. Fibre bulks up in your stomach making you feel full so you won’t eat as much. One of my favourite snacks is chia pudding as it fills you up without the calories and keeps the tummy flat too.
5.    Protein. Iron deficiency actually slows down metabolism so making sure you are eating adequate iron containing protein will help you lose weight. Protein is also essential for balancing blood sugar levels, reducing sweet cravings and keeping you feeling fuller for longer. I always tell me clients to incorporate protein whether it is meat, fish, eggs or legumes in their lunch and as an afternoon snack and you won’t have the 4pm munchies.

Three night time tips to help you get a good night’s sleep

I cannot begin to express how many of my clients have issues when it comes to sleep. Nearly every person I speak to has some difficulty whether it is falling asleep, staying asleep or waking feeling like adequate sleep was not achieved. There is so much that can be done to improve sleeping habits and sometimes the simplest change can make a huge difference. Here are 3 of the most important habits to get in to if you want a restful and refreshing night’s sleep.

1.       Turn off electronic appliances such as computers, TV and mobile phones at least 30 minutes before bed. These all stimulate the brain making you all wired so that falling asleep and staying asleep is near impossible.

2.       Do something you find relaxing such as taking a bath, writing in a journal or doing some deep breathing or meditation before bed to help you wind down. Make this a nightly ritual so your body knows it’s time to go to sleep after this task has been performed.

3.       Make sure your room is conducive to a good night’s sleep. Reduce noise, reduce light, maximise comfort and have a comfortable temperature.

You can also start your day with a quick in bed meditation to help you feel energised and take on the day!

Jin Shin Jyutsu Vlog

Every time I talk about Jin Shin Jyutsu, clients think I am talking about some kind of martial art!

Actually it's not - so watch below to learn more :)

Check out this page to find out more!

http://www.dionneshalit.com/jin-shin-jyutsu/

Dionne

4 + 7 + 8 = Ahhhh Vlog

Need a strategy to calm down quickly when you're feeling stressed or overwhelmed?

This video is for you!

Give it a go and let me know what you think and how you feel!

Dionne

Are You Friends With Your Liver Vlog

There is SOOOOO much information flying around the health arena at the moment from different types of diets, supplements and in detoxing!

So why should we consider being kind to our liver?

Have any questions about the process involved? Hit me up with a comment below or email me direct.

Dionne