Ingredients

• 2 small brown onions, chopped
• 2-3 red capsicums chopped small
• 300g beef in 1 x 1 cm cubes
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1.5 litres of beef or vegetable stock
• 4 medium sized potatoes, diced
• 1 pinch of cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
• 1 heaped teaspoon of cumin
• salt & pepper
• olive oil

Directions

• Chop the onion, and frying it gently on medium heat in olive oil.
• Dice the capsicum while the onion is cooking and add it to the pan after 7 or 8 minutes. Let that cook for another five or ten minutes
• Trim the beef of any fat or sinew then fry the beef in a separate pan until only slightly browned. Add to the onion and capsicum.
• Mash the garlic in a mortar or garlic press.
• Mix in the cayenne pepper and cumin and some salt and pepper as well as the tomato paste.
• Be careful not to add too much cayenne pepper as it can become spicier during the cooking process. You can always add more cayenne pepper later.
• Mix the spices in with the beef & onion.
• Heat half of the stock and pour in. Let this simmer on medium to low heat for about 30 minutes.
• Peel and dice the potatoes and put them in with the rest of the stock.
• Bring to gentle boil then turn the heat down to a simmer.
• Soup is ready when potatoes are soft. Season it to taste with cayenne, salt and pepper.
• Serve hot with fresh, crusty bread, a slice of lemon and maybe a generous tablespoon of sour cream!

Ingredients

• 500g rump steak (trimmed and cut into chunks)
• 2 tblsp plain flour
• 2 tblsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 400g button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tblsp tomato paste
• 300g sour cream
• finely chopped fresh parsley, to serve
• rice, to serve

Directions

• Cover the meat with flour and season well with salt and cracked black pepper. Shake off any excess flour.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a heavy-based frying pan over high heat. Add the meat and cook in batches until well browned. Remove from the pan and set aside.
• Heat the remaining oil and add the onion. Cook until the onion is soft and translucent (about 2-3 minutes). Add the garlic and stir briefly.
• Add the mushrooms and cook for about 3 minutes, or until soft. Stir in the tomato paste and sour cream, then add the beef strips. Stir until well combined and heated through. Sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving with rice.

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 200 grams potatoes
• 500 ml water (or chicken stock for non-vegetarians)
• 1 medium leek, sliced
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
• salt and pepper

Directions

• Cook the garlic and onion in a small amount of oil until tender.
• Add the leeks and cook for 2 minutes, then add the potatoes and water or chicken stock (add enough liquid to cover the potatoes and leeks).
• Bring to the boil, add salt and pepper and then reduce heat.
• Allow to simmer until the potatoes and leeks are soft (about 25 minutes).
• Blend soup and serve hot.

Tip - Can be frozen

I have been looking at your website.
I do have a post nasal drip (which is very annoying) I don’t get sinus headaches - but I would like to be relieved of the drip.
What would you suggest and is it something that you need to take forever - or does it cure the problem?
Thank you
Kay

Hi Kay,
I would suggest the Relief Pack, as it has the tonic and kali bic which are both working on healing your post nasal drip.  The kali bic works on the symptoms and the tonic is working on the cause.
Everyone is different with regard to how long they need to take the tonic for.   Some will only need one bottle, and then keep some on hand for when they feel a cold or flu coming on, this is when the symptoms can come back.  Some people take it seasonally, dependent on their allergies etc.

Taken with lots of water, fresh fruit and vegetables and a little protein, long term relief will be forthcoming.

Please feel free to call if you have any further questions.
Best wishes,
Maria

To maintain ultimate health and wellbeing it is commonly recommended that you consume at least a litre of water every day. Water flushes out your system and rejuvenates your cells, ensuring you stay healthy. The problem is that it’s very hard to find ‘clean’ water, with no chemicals or bacteria that will damage your system.

Fortunately, there are some solutions available that will make your drinking water fresh tasting and also safer. Bottled water is an option although this could quickly become expensive. There is also no information on how long the water has been sitting in the bottle. Another solution is water filtration systems, which can give you confidence in the water you drink as well as making the taste of the water better.

Even people on tank water may obtain benefits from using a water filtration system as any scum build up in the tank or introduced bacteria from roof run-off may be obliterated by a filtration system.

Filtration systems can also be purchased for use on shower heads to reduce the amount of chemicals in the water as it is absorbed by the skin. Whole house filters can also be purchased. These are great as they ensure every tap in your house; including dishwasher and washing machine water supplies, have fewer chemicals.

You can find information on a complete water filtration system at http://www.wellness.com.au/.
For a comparison of drinking water filters, visit http://www.waterfiltercomparisons.com.au/ or for whole house filtration comparisons, check out http://www.waterfiltercomparisons.com.au/?page_id=161.

In a World with more and more convenience food and prepackaged groceries, it can be hard to eat healthily- especially since chocolate and lollies are so hard to resist! But living a healthy life doesn’t have to mean changing overnight; the little things can make a difference, too.

• Try switching to low fat or skim milk rather than full fat. You might notice the difference at first but eventually your taste buds will adjust. You’ll find that lower fat milk has more calcium than full fat, too. And when you’re ordering a latte when you’re out- ask that they make it on skinny.

• Try buying whole grain bread instead of white bread. If you’re not a fan of seeds or grain changing the texture of your bread, there’s always light rye.

• Instead of reaching for cakes or biscuits, try to have a piece of fruit. Apples have natural sugar in them that can stop you craving the sugary 3pm pick up. If you can’t make it to the fresh food store often enough, try buying dried fruit; but eat it in moderation as there is a lot of sugar in it.

For more information on healthy living visit Formula for Life.

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 cup grated carrot
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. cloves
• 1 1/4 cup chopped dates
• 1 tsp. allspice
• 1 1/3 cup water
• 1 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• cooking spray

Directions

• Place the carrots, dates, raisins, water, applesauce, cinnamon, cloves & allspice in a saucepan.
• Bring to a boil & simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Cool.
• Sift together flour, baking powder, & soda. Add cooled carrot mixture to flour mixture. Blend well.
• Spray a 9 inch cake pan with cooking spray. Pour batter into prepared pan.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Ingredients

• 200g can of tuna, drained
• 1 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 1/4 cup tomato juice
• 350g pasta
• 5 green onions, sliced diagonally
• 1 tsp ground peppercorns
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 red pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Directions

• Heat the oil in a pan and add mushrooms, garlic and pepper. Cook until mushrooms are soft.
• Add in tomato paste, tomato juice, and peas. Bring to a boil. Then lower the heat and simmer.
• Cook the pasta according to package directions. When the pasta is almost done, add the tuna to the sauce and heat gently, and add in green onions.
• Drain the pasta and serve with the sauce.

A lot of people suffer from food allergies. The allergy might be as mild as sensitivity to a certain food or may be as severe as inducing an anaphylaxis episode. But there are ways to manage a food allergy and still consume a healthy and satisfying diet.

Check the ingredients

Processed food has a list of ingredients on the container containing it. Make sure you read it carefully. Look, too, for items that may have been produced on processing machinery that also processes milk, soy or nut matter.

Avoid unlabelled foods

Food available at a bakery, cafe or backyard barbecue may contain your particular allergen, even if it doesn’t seem like it should. Ask the food preparer, and err on the side of caution.

Identify your allergen

If you do have a serious food allergy that may be potentially fatal, it’s best if you wear a medicalert bracelet or mediband that informs helpers and medical workers of your condition when you can’t. It may save your life.

Be questioning

If you’re dining out at a restaurant, you can call ahead to see that accommodations can be made for your food allergy. Make sure your waiter knows what you’re allergy to so they can check with the chef. Having a food allergy is no reason to stop eating out.

Be prepared

If you’re worried about your food allergy, talk to your doctor about carrying something with you in case you do have an allergic reaction.

You can find more out about food allergen awareness here or here.

Your immune system is like the search and destroy unit of your body. It protects your body from disease by seeking out and killing infecting cells.

The first line of defence for your immune system is the innate immune system. Your skin and saliva are facets of this part of your immune system.

The second part to your immune system is the acquired immune system. If pathogen cells make it past your innate immune system, the acquired immune system will kick in. Acquired immune systems need to have seen the infectious agent before it attacks it which is why babies and infants are so vulnerable to infection.

Vaccinations and immunisations work with the acquired immune system as they usually deliver the very antigen they are guarding against. This way your immune system will recognise it when it really does invade.

For more information on your immune system, click here.