​Growing up I thought my Nan was ancient, over the hill and stuck in the past with her ideas, but as I’ve gotten older, and wiser, I’ve realised there was much wisdom in what she said..  That's my gorgeous Nan front and centre in the photo with my great grandfather and some of my great aunts and great uncle.
 
So here are a few of her rules I now follow myself:

1. Grow what food you can and buy local.  This one I thought was sheer madness, why would we go backwards when we have so much available to us now?  The simple answer is more is not always better.  Our food is far inferior to the food our grandparents grew up on.  They had less but got more out of the little they had, whereas we have an abundance and need more and more to get the little we need because it is so lacking in any goodness or vitality.
2. Garlic.  Now, I don’t eat garlic the way she did, raw in a slice of bread with a good slab of butter, but I do like a clove of garlic in a stuffed olive and add it to most of my cooked dishes.  Garlic is one simple herb that helps you with so many things: blood pressure, blood viscosity, candida, gut bacteria, detoxification and more.
3. Drinking water.  My Nan would always have a pint of water next to her, she could never understand the fascination we had with fizzy drinks, sugary drinks, flavoured drinks and like most teens we were addicted to them.  Now I look at my tall glass bottle of water I keep next to me that I sip away on and refill throughout the day and smile, she would be smiling to.  Water is one of the simplest health aids we have.  It helps to hydrate every cell in our bodies so they can function properly, helps with all our detoxification processes, is the no 1 deterrent for constipation, helps our brains function at a higher level and keeps our skin gorgeous.

 
What are 3 things your grandmother used to do that thinking back now showed more wisdom than some of our modern choices?
 
 
You can follow carina at:
www.itsanaturalchoice.com
www.breaking-fads.com
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I do love a good snack and over the years Hummus has become my front runner for all round top  star snack, with a few crackers/oatcakes/raw veggies/buddha bowl.  I have tried so many recipes over the years but this is my favourite!  Look out for the tip on the chickpeas, it’s a gamechanger (and its been traditional done this way forever, who knew)
 
Traditional Hummus
 
Ingredients

• 1 tin chickpeas – drained and peeled
• Pinch of salt
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• 3 cloves garlic – crushed
• 1 lemon juiced
• 1 cup of tahini – sesame seed paste
• 3 Tbsp olive oil

 
Optional

• Smoked paprika
• Cumin seeds
• Sesame seeds
• Caramelised onions
• Sriracha
• Pesto
• Dried chilli flakes
• Sundried tomatoes

 
Method

1. Drain the chickpeas
2. Pour the drained chickpeas onto a tea towel (this is the genius bit) and fold the tea towel over the top or use a second tea towel and rub the chickpeas between the cloths to remove the skins.  (the skins are bitter and removing the skins makes a huge difference)
3. Pour the peeled chickpeas into some salted boiling water
4. Add the cumin
5. Boil for 5 minutes
6. Drain but keep the water
7. Add to a blender and add the garlic
8. Add 2 Tbsp of the boiled chickpea water
9. Add the lemon juice
10. Add a pinch of salt
11. Add the tahini and a few ice cubes
12. Whiz everything together.  Check the consistency, if too thick ad another few Tbsp of the boiled chickpea water and blend further
13. Pour into your favourite bowl
14. Drizzle with olive oil
15. Optional – sprinkle with smoked paprika/cumin seeds/sesame seeds/caramelised onion/Sriracha/pesto/dried chilli flakes/sundried tomatoes

 
Now all you need to do is dip your favourite toasted sourdough, oatcakes, crackers or veggies.  Let me know if you make it!
 
 
 
You can follow carina at:
www.itsanaturalchoice.com
www.breaking-fads.com
Follow her journey on Facebook & Instagram:
It’s A Natural Choice  
We love breaking fads
Join Facebook group – The Natural Health Tribe
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I recently made this awesome chickpea curry, and then I tried to remember what went in it!  I’ve always cooked with my instincts rather than a recipe, it can be an adventure but not great when someone wants the recipe.  This curry was really good so I retraced my steps and made it again, this time I wrote down what I put in it!
 
Recipe
Serves 6 people
Ingredients
Curry

• 1 Tbsp rapeseed/coconut oil
• 2 red onions chopped finely
• 2 cloves garlic crushed
• 1 chillies chopped finely
• 2 inches ginger chopped finely
• 1 Tbsp garam masala
• 1 tsp coriander – ground
• 1 tsp cumin – ground
• 1 tsp garlic – dried
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 sweet potato chopped into smally blocks
• 2 cups chickpeas
• 2 cups chopped tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp sweet chili sauce
• 1 cp coconut yoghurt

 
Panko breaded chicken/tofu

• 4 breasts chicken halved/ 1 block of tofu slice in 8 pieces
• ½ cup coconut flour
• 4 eggs whisked
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs

 
To serve

• 1 cup basmati rice – cooked in 2 cups water
• Fresh coriander

Method

1. Turn the oven to 200C
2. Prepare the chicken/tofu – each chicken/tofu piece in the flour, then the egg wash, then the Panko breadcrumbs.  Place the 8 pieces on a baking tray and place in the oven for 25-30 mins
3. Add the oil to a heavy bottomed pan.  
4. Add the onion and cook on a medium heat till translucent (aprox 3 mins)
5. Add the garlic, chillies and ginger and cook for a further 2 mins or till you can smell the fragrancy
6. Add the spices and herbs and mix, cook for 2 more mins
7. Add the tomato paste and mix.  Cook for another 5 mins
8. Add the sweet potato and stir in for 3 minutes
9. Add the chickpeas, tomatoes, sweet chilli sauce and coconut cream.  Cover with a lid and leave simmer for 30-40 minutes, until the sweet  potato has softened
10. Put your rice on 20 minutes later.
11. Plate up by placing the rice in a bowl, then add the curry to one side of the dish, then slice the chicken/tofu pieces and add to the other side of the dish, top with some fresh coriander.

 
I hope you enjoy this warming simple curry, a lot of love went into it’s making.
 
 
You can follow carina at:
www.itsanaturalchoice.com
www.breaking-fads.com
Follow her journey on Facebook & Instagram:
It’s A Natural Choice  
We love breaking fads
Join Facebook group – The Natural Health Tribe
@itsanaturalchoice
@welovebreakingfads

​I recently made this awesome chickpea curry, and then I tried to remember what went in it!  I’ve always cooked with my instincts rather than a recipe, it can be an adventure but not great when someone wants the recipe.  This curry was really good so I retraced my steps and made it again, this time I wrote down what I put in it!
 
Recipe
Serves 6 people
Ingredients
Curry

• 1 Tbsp rapeseed/coconut oil
• 2 red onions chopped finely
• 2 cloves garlic crushed
• 1 chillies chopped finely
• 2 inches ginger chopped finely
• 1 Tbsp garam masala
• 1 tsp coriander – ground
• 1 tsp cumin – ground
• 1 tsp garlic – dried
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 sweet potato chopped into smally blocks
• 2 cups chickpeas
• 2 cups chopped tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp sweet chili sauce
• 1 cp coconut yoghurt

 
Panko breaded chicken/tofu

• 4 breasts chicken halved/ 1 block of hard tofu sliced
• ½ cup coconut flour
• 4 eggs whisked
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs

 
To serve

• 1 cup basmati rice – cooked in 2 cups water
• Fresh coriander

Method

1. Turn the oven to 200C
2. Prepare the chicken/tofu – each chicken/tofu piece in the flour, then the egg wash, then the panko breadcrumbs.  Place the 8 pieces on a baking tray and place in the oven for 25-30 mins
3. Add the oil to a heavy bottomed pan.  
4. Add the onion and cook on a medium heat till translucent (aprox 3 mins)
5. Add the garlic, chillies and ginger and cook for a further 2 mins or till you can smell the fragrancy
6. Add the spices and herbs and mix, cook for 2 more mins
7. Add the tomato paste and mix.  Cook for another 5 mins
8. Add the sweet potato and stir in for 3 minutes
9. Add the chickpeas, tomatoes, sweet chilli sauce and coconut cream.  Cover with a lid and leave simmer for 30-40 minutes, until the sweet  potato has softened
10. Put your rice on 20 minutes later.
11. Plate up by placing the rice in a bowl, then add the curry to one side of the dish, then slice the chicken pieces and add to the other side of the dish, top with some fresh coriander.

 
I hope you enjoy this warming simple curry, a lot of love went into it’s making.
 
 
You can follow carina at:
www.itsanaturalchoice.com
www.breaking-fads.com
Follow her journey on Facebook & Instagram:
It’s A Natural Choice  
We love breaking fads
Join Facebook group – The Natural Health Tribe
@itsanaturalchoice
@welovebreakingfads
 
 

​With this week marking St Patricks day, a day when we celebrate our Irishness the world over, I thought it would be nice to look at some of our herbal traditions that go back to the day of St Patrick Himself.
 
In Ireland we have a rich history of traditional medicines, from the druids, the ancient celts, the trading with other ancient civilizations and the monastic history we have her on this beautiful island we call home.
 
Some of the most traditional herbs we have her are:

• Comfrey – this is natures Band-Aid, often used topically for bruises and broken bones, skin issues and more.  Internally it is used for liver damage so might be worth putting on the list for those post Paddy’s day drinks
• Willow – natures pain killer, mainly the bark of the tree.  This is where we got the inspiration for aspirin from.  
• Dandelion – natures detoxifier, great for skin issues, liver support, kidney support.
• Burdock – we all remember dandelion and burdock drinks from our childhood.  This herbs is another detoxifier, supporting the liver and the kidneys, great for clearing up acne
• Bilberries – supports the blood brain barrier, great for the immune system and heave an anti-histamine action.  
• Mistletoe – yes it’s a herb not just something to grab a quick smooch under at Christmas.  This herb is extremely powerful and should only be used under the supervision of a trained herbalist.  Large quantities cause hallucinations and can cause toxicity issues.  Traditionally used for seizures, headaches and menopausal symptoms.  It is also one of the treatments used in Europe as part of cancer treatments.
• Nettle – we’ve all been stung by nettles, some of us may have had nettle soup as a child and many of us have had nettle tea.  This delicate leaf is a wonderful medicinal herb, used for an array of reasons: detoxifying the urinary system, skin issues, high in iron, removing toxicity from the blood. 

 
Always check with a herbalist if you are on medications as there can be interactions that your herbalist will flag.
 
I hope you all have a happy St Patricks day and if you do end up with a bit of a hangover the willow bark might help the headache, the dandelion, burdock and nettle might help support your liver and a mashed up comfrey leaf will help if you did yourself an injury on the way home (but hopefully you won’t need any and you wake up fresh as a daisy).
 
You can follow carina at:
www.itsanaturalchoice.com
www.breaking-fads.com
Follow her journey on Facebook & Instagram:
It’s A Natural Choice  
We love breaking fads
Join Facebook group – The Natural Health Tribe
@itsanaturalchoice
@welovebreakingfads