BANANA MUFFINS

I find as the days get cooler in Autumn I start to crave stodge and I've found that if I organise myself and prepare a few recipes that are comforting yet not too unhealthy then I'm not tempted to go mad on high fat, high sugar comfort foods. So I'll be posting a few of my favourites that help me stay on track.

I make these muffins for people on the Reiki and Meditation day's I teach here and so many people have asked for the recipe I thought it should be the first one I post. The recipe makes 12 muffins which is grand if you're sharing them with a group of people. The danger of making them for yourself is that you'll sit and eat the whole lot in one sitting so what I've started doing is freezing the majority and when I need something nice I take one out and pop it into the oven and heat it up.

2 ripe Bananas

2 eggs

5oz Sugar

4oz Marg.

8oz wholemeal spelt flour

3 tsp of baking powder

1Tb Sp milk

Prepare the muffin papers in the muffin tin.

Cream the sugar and Marg. together and in a separate bowl mash the bananas with a fork. Then mix the bananas into the sugar and Marg. and add the two eggs and give it a good mix. Next sift the flour and baking powder into the wet mix, add the milk and stir in until the whole mixture is nicely blended. Spoon the batter into the muffin papers and bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees for 19 mins. Test with a knife and when the knife comes out clean you know they are cooked.

They taste amazing when still slightly warm so it takes great will power not to totally gorge yourself allow them to cool before doing the sensible thing and freezing them.

Autumn Rituals

Autumn is one of my favourite seasons. The landscape is so warm, rich and velvety here in killarney. It's also a great time to do a cleanse . Whenever the seasons change our bodies are put under a certin amount of stress adjusting to the change in climate. To support our body in this time of transition and to prepare are immune system for the cold weather ahead it's really helpful to take a couple of days out to rest , cut out the baddies like sugar caffeine and alcohol , eat lots of fresh fruit and veg and drink plenty of fluids(water and herbal teas) . As we approach the end of the calender year this time out is also a great opportunity to reflect on your life and get clear about what you want from the new year that is approaching.

We can also use this time to cleanse and revitalise our skin with a pampering Autumn ritual. As the leaves fall the air cools and gets dryer so we need to moisturise. Often by Autumn our pores can be clogged up with heavey sun creams so an important part of the Autumn Ritual is a gentle exfoliation. This is my Flourish Organics Autumn Skincare ritual.

Begin with a relaxing hot bath infused with our Lavender Bath Salts the steam will open the pores and the minerals in the deadsea salt will cleanse and moisturise your skin. On slightly moist skin begin with a facail massage with Flourish Jasmine face oil, luxurious skin softening Jasmine in a base of Organic Jojoba and sweet almond oil.Allow the relaxing beneifits of the Jasmine to take effect. Then apply Flourish Organics Facail polish which is a gentle exfolient with Jojoba beads enriched with Sandalwood and Ylang ylang essential oils which not only smell wonderful but act to rebalance hydrate and rejuvenate dry tired skin. Removing dead skin cells and moisturising at the same time.Rinse the facail polish with warm water and on moist skin apply the Jasmine face mask a rich moist face mask to give the skin that extra boost of moisture and nourishment.Take the time to relax and get the soothing aromatherapeutic benifits of the Jasmine and Sandalwood. Finally rinse the mask with warm water, pat dry and spritz with Flourish Organics Rose mist toner and finish with your favourite Flourish Organics face cream. You will feel wonderfully pampered and cared for after this indulgent ritual and ready for the winter winds to come.

SUMMERTIME AND THE LIVING IS EASY

I'm at the beach on my Summer holidays and enjoying lots of long walks, swimming and kayaking. I love having so much spare time on my hands it allows me be a lot more creative with my food preparation. Here's a smoothie recipe I had forgotten about for years and it's on of my favourites.

The main ingredient is avocado which is an amazing fruit and in my opinion badly overlooked considering it's amazing health benefits not to mention it's creamy yumminess.
Avocado is really rich in carotenoids and essential fatty acids. It also contains vitamin C, vitamin K and folic acid.It has anti-inflammatory properties as a result of the phytosterols,antioxidents and omega 3 fatty acids.

GREEN GODDESS SMOOTHIE

1 avocado

100ml coconut milk

1tsp. vanilla extract

1tsp rose water

1tsp. honey

Place all the ingredients into a blender and blend until it's a rich creamy consistency.I love the creaminess of this smoothie if you use all the ingredients from the fridge it's almost like an ice cream.The decadence of using rose water and vanilla extract in the same smoothie makes it the perfect for a holiday treat.

I use Flourish Organics rose mist toner so not only am I getting the best quality organic rose water but also the benefits of Mulla Mulla flower and Shea Oak flower essence. Add more honey if you want a sweeter taste and if you can use vanilla extract rather than essence as it makes a big difference to the flavour.

Nothing like ending a day with a walk on the beach and turning the corner to witness this beautiful sunset; on days like these I wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the world.

A SUMMER TREAT

In our house summer isn't summer until I've made the first batch of Elder Flower cordial.It's just so refreshing on a warm summers day when you've worked up a thirst in the garden.It's not the healthiest as it's full of sugar but just a small dash in water is all you need and I've added vitamin C so it's not completely empty calories.





It's such a lovely way to spend a June afternoon wandering in the garden picking Elder Flowers. They are just right when they are that yellowy white colour and rich with that Elder flower smell in fact the whole kitchen is filled with that wonderful summery smell when your making the cordial.

ELDER FLOWER CORDIAL

35 FLOWER HEADS
2 LEMONS

1 LIME

1 ORANGE

2OZ CITRIC ACID

2 TSP ASCORBIC ACID (VIT. C)

3 PINTS OF WATER

3LBS SUGAR

Boil the water and dissolve the sugar.

Allow this mixture to cool and add the slices of fruit.

Stir in the citric acid and Vitamin C (Dove do a tube of ascorbic acid which is ideal.)

Add the flowers, cover with a tea towel and leave to brew for 48hours.

Remove the flowers and fruit and strain the mixture through muslin then using a jug pour it into sterilised bottles.

For a really refreshing drink you can add it to sparkling water and add some ice.

ENJOY

MY NEW TREATMENT ROOM

My treatment room is now located in the Flourish gardens. We needed to relocate from the existing place beside the production room to create a display area for the Flourish Organics products. I really enjoyed redecorating the log cabin to create a space that is beautiful and peaceful.






I'm so happy with the change, you enter the treatment room by walking through the Zen garden and the log cabin is nestled in amongst the trees so it's very relaxing to be so connected to nature. A few people have commented that as they lay relaxing after the treatment, they spotted the red squirrel jumping from branch to branch. The room is heated with a log burner and there is just something very soothing about the glow and crackle of a real fire. I think the place is just filled with positive energy, peace and warmth so I have started meditating down there in the mornings.

THE NEW DISPLAY ROOM

We're very proud of our new Flourish room. The display units were designed by a brilliant craftsman Dirk Pomeranz. They are made from ash and I think the natural feel really complements the whole ethos of Flourish Organics.

It's like having our own little shop not that we get a huge amount of passing trade up here on the mountain but when the odd customer does venture up they will be very impressed.

Zen Moss Garden


When you're running a skincare business as well as teaching and giving treatments time seems very precious. I love my garden but I realised a couple of years ago just how important it is to keep it all very low maintenance. I seemed to spend half my life weeding and cutting grass. I've come up with what I think is a brilliant idea - I noticed that moss grows everywhere up here and it's just so rich and green I absolutely love it, so I decided to turn a good chunk of my garden into a moss garden. It surpresses weeds and unlike grass you don't have to cut it. It's probably not every body's cup of tea but i've become less fussy about 'cups of tea' since I noticed how much pressure I was putting on myself to have it all perfect - no thanks I'd rather have fun and enjoy my garden.



So I remembered reading in National Geographic that the moss garden was really revered in Japan and I decided to go for a Zen style. Its still a work in progress but I want it to be a place of peace and serenity - rich and tactile, I want it to feed the soul and please the senses.

This stone with the hole is from my great uncles farm in Shantonath. We used to go camping there in the summer when I was a kid and I have very fond memories of the place. My uncle Joe lived with his brother and two sisters.Uncle Willie had cerebral palsy, an amazing man, he knew everything about wild flowers and herbs. My aunt Kate was blind and made the best brown soda bread I'd ever tasted. They used to call me their wee butterfly which I quite liked. It was a big old house with a walled garden which I called the secret garden - a magical place there were big floppy roses and a statue of a women in what I imagined used to be a fountain beside stables where I watched the goats being milked.

A few years ago my Uncle Joe died and when I went to the funeral we visited the secret garden and I spotted the stone with the hole. I asked if I could have it as a reminder of the old place. When I was creating my zen garden I wanted it to be the vocal point so every time I saw it, those summer memories of walking through dewy grass and stomping on puff ball mushrooms and being called as pretty as a butterfly would warm my very soul.

I LOVE FRUIT

Is it only me or is fruit just the bees knees? It has everything going for it. Not only is it tasty, sweet and juicy it is packed with health giving vitamins and antioxidants. Fruit will feature a lot in my recipes and although it's always best to eat fruit whole you just can't beat a smoothie. Not only are they delicious it's also a great way of getting a good portion of your five a day and I also use them as carriers for active ingredients like probiotic and essential fatty acids. This recipe is one of my favourites. There are two ingredients which I consider as super dooper foods.

TURMERIC - A spice widely used in curry, its yellow orange pigment called curcumin has been found to be a powerful antioxidant and has been used in the prevention of cancer. It is also anti inflammatory and a good source of vitamin B6, Iron and Manganese.

PAPAYA - contains the enzyme Papain which helps aid digestion it is also a good source of vitamin A,C and E making it a powerful antioxidant.

Mango,Papaya,Strawberry and Turmeric smoothie

Peel and chop half a mango and half a papaya.

wash and hull 4 strawberries

combine in a blender with a little juice (see note on juice)

add a half teaspoon of turmeric, blend and add water until it is a drinkable consistency.

Enjoy your tasty smoothie knowing it is packed with all the goodies your body needs.

note on juice - I don't like to use juice that is from concentrate or pasteurised as the heat treatment destroys the goodness so where I can I use freshly pressed in this smoothie I used grape juice form our vine which I picked and juiced in October I then freeze it in ice cube bags and add two ice cubes to each smoothie.