Living, Raw Foods

When it comes to food, we are like little experimental scientists here at the UR HQ. We like nothing more than creating something from scratch and sometimes, literally watching it grow!

One of our latest experiments has been sprouting our own, well, sprouts! It’s so easy it’s almost embarrassing .. but what’s even more embarrassing is buying sprouts when you can grow your own, pretty much whilst you are sleeping.

So why eat sprouts? Well, a healthy seed, once sprouting becomes a growing, live organism – no longer dormant – it activates different metabolic systems. Sprouts, in that moment of their life cycle, have a high level of vitality. They are packed with a high quantity of living enzymes, vitamins, minerals and proteins despite their tiny stature.

As an example – a sprouted mung bean has a carbohydrate content of a melon, vitamin A of a lemon, thiamin of an avocado, riboflavin of a dry apple, niacin of a banana, and ascorbic acid of a loganberry. *

Biologically efficient than raw or cooked seeks, sprouts give you more in a lot less. And just in case you aren’t convinced, the sprouting process creates Chlorophyll which makes for healthy blood and immune function.

I bet you wish you could go back in time and eat that egg and alfalfa sprout sandwich your mother tried to force-feed you.

So then, how to get sprouting now?

•  Your sprouts need to be fresh – choose alfalfa, chickpea, lentil, adzuki, garbanzo, pumpkin, and  sunflower.        
•  Use filtered or bottled water - Sprouts are smart and won’t grow in contaminated water
•  Soak your chosen sprouts overnight in a covered bowl or jar
•  Rinse your sprouts in the morning, drain leave covered on the bench top.
•  Rinse 2-3 times (you can’t ever rinse too much!) per day
•  Watch your sprouts grow – depending on the seed and the weather (sprouts need light) they’ll be ready between 3-5 days
•  Rinse to wash, store in a clean container in the fridge and eat on salads, garnished on eggs, sprinkled in soups, sautéed with mushrooms – any which way you like.

We use a sprouting tower, but a glass jar would work well too.

Enjoy and Happy Sprouting!

Claire

* borrowed from www.living-foods.com

Boost your immunity this Autumn!

It's that time of year when everyone starts to get sick. You can almost feel the cooler Autumn air climb into your chest and sinus cavities, setting up shop for the season. The tickle in your throat, the night-time cough, the runny nose. Your body is sending you signals, waving a white flag in surrender. But, do you actually take heed and listen?

There are a few simple acts of self-love that can really help you in boosting your immunity and staving off the worst of the season's colds. And the best bit, you won't have to reach for that dreaded and unnecessary dose of anti-biotics.

1) Thyme tea:
Thyme helps calm the non-stop coughing, soothing the throat and relieving headaches. Thyme is an expectorant, which means it helps to shift the mucous build up in the chest. Don't reuse the thyme, use a couple of fresh sprigs for each boil.

2) Hot water, lemon + manuka honey tea:
A classic remedy but one that works. The anti-bacterial honey, the alkalising lemon and of course the warming hot water make this the perfect combination to nourish, hydrate and flush out the flu.

3) Steam:
Boil a big pot of water, add in fresh thyme or eucalyptus oil. With a towel over your head and the pot, inhale the steam for a good 15-20 minutes. This will help break down the congestion.

4) Chicken soup:
The famous chicken soup. The natural anti-biotic. You'll want to cook up a big pot with chicken and bones. It's the fat which is anti-microbial and will give your body energy to heal. Add in lots of nourishing veggies: spinach, leek, kale, carrots, pumpkin, red capsicum, barley, parsley, thyme and a touch of chilli.

5) Sleep:
The best armour against colds and flus. Rest. Now isn't the time to push yourself. Rest, rest, rest. And if sleep doesn't come easily spend some quiet time at home, meditate, do some gentle stretches or wind down in a hot bath.

Don't wait until the last moment when it's too late. Take the time to switch into your body and notice the little clues it’s leaving you. With a little t.l.c you can hopefully skip the flu season altogether!

Take care,

Claire

Supercharged Bircher

When it comes to breakkie, we like minimal effort, maximum flavour and spoonfuls of goodness. In our humble opinion, there is no better way to tick all of these boxes than Bircher muesli. You can make a batch that sees you through from Monday to Friday (yummier each day), it’s super easy to make (5 mins tops), it’s a whole lot cheaper and better for you (and your waistline) than buying breakkie out, and you can mix it up with a different topping each day. An all round winning breakkie!

The recipe below serves up 5 average-sized portions of Bircher for 2 exceptional individuals:

Ingredients

• Unstabilised oats (400-500g)
• Dehydrated coconut (2 tbsp)
• Ground cinnamon (2 tbsp)
• Dried goji berries (2 tbsp)
• Dried fruit of your choice – dates, raisins, cranberries or apple (1  handful)
• Lemon (1 whole)
• Apple juice (200ml)
• Water (100-200ml)

Preparation

• Chuck all dry ingredients in a tupperware
• Squeeze in the lemon juice, every last drop!
• Slowly mix in the juice and water, stirring thoroughly
• Leave to stand for 2-3 hours
• Place in the fridge overnight
• Serve with fresh fruit and a dollop of yoghurt or 50ml of almond/rice milk*

*We recommend fresh figs, fresh berries, banana or mango

Enjoy!

We're having a winter makeover!

We love summer (except when it rains for weeks on end) but we also love the colder months, and why not... winter means cosy knits, scarves and mittens, boots in all their shapes and sizes, cute PJs, having an extra excuse to cuddle up under the doona... and (last but definitely not the least) the brand spanking new Urban Remedy winter menu. Yep, it's time to get excited folks. This one's a good'un.

From Sunday 6th May, we'll be dishing up 3 new breakfast smoothies, 2 gorgeous winter soups and our dessert smoothie has had a mini-makeover.

Check out the 10 winter juices, soups and smoothies below:

In the meantime, have a great Easter weekend and don't eat too much chocolate! ;)