Like the sound of a slow Sunday sleep in? Me neither, rest when you’re dead I say. Why waste a weekend morning? Rather, win the weekend by making every Sunday, a Run-day Fun-day.

For my husband and I, this is a non-negotiable. Every Sunday the alarm goes off at 5.30am and we head to the beach. He kayaks out in the surf and I go for a long run along the water, then we head to our favourite café for breakfast, and finish the morning off wandering through the markets and picking up local, seasonal produce for the week. 

Set yourself up for a Sunday morning win by planning some fun early exercise – whether it’s a run along the beach, laps in an outdoor pool, a walk in a national park, an ocean swim, morning yoga, a gym class, anything to move your body. Then follow it up with a well-deserved treat – a new breakfast café, whole food markets or a fresh bagel place.

It’s easy to get out of bed when you are excited for the morning. Skip the snooze button and start your Sunday with a stunning sunrise, endorphins, fresh coffee and local Markets.

If you are a Brunch-Loving, Wholefood Eating, Weekend Winning, Northern Beaches Local, clear your Sunday mornings from now to forever because I have the recommendation for you.

Ruby Lane Wholefoods Café and Grocer is a gorgeous café, located at the Northern end of Manly on, you guessed it, Ruby Lane. When I say this café has changed my life, I mean it. My weekend mornings are now planned around a cup of their organic coffee and freshly baked gluten free muffin.

My current brunch hyper fixation order is the Ruby’s Famous Paleo Bread, made from almond meal, tapioca, broccoli, carrot, seeds and nuts, paired with avocado, wilted greens and sauteed mushrooms. My husband may love the Buckwheat & Banana Red Velvet Pancakes, with rich cacao sauce and a scoop of coco ice cream, more than me (I get it). 

The menu also includes

• The smash and hash, a delicious sweet potato fritter topped with eggs, avocado, fresh corn salsa, chimichurri & herbs,

• The Matcha & Strawberry Chia bowl, a macerated berries and dividson plum, matcha, coconut & vanilla chia pudding topped with maple macadamia crumble and seasonal fruits as well

• The rainbow falafel bowl with white slaw, avocado, greens, kimchi, beetroot & hummus with a tahini lemon dressing

• Grilled fish tacos with avocado, slaw, a fresh mango lime salsa, pickled onion, coriander & lime. 

There are cold pressed juices, super smoothies, healthy elixirs including the healing chicken broth and Dandelien Chai Latte as well as a cabinet of sweet treats and a decent selection of organic and local products for your pantry.

If I could roll out a sleeping bag and never leave, I would, but for now, every Saturday and Sunday morning will have to do.

A moment of silence for the end of long sunny days, warm ocean dips, iced lattes, early sunrises, linen dresses and afternoon gelato.

….

And now let’s get excited for Autumn’s cooler afternoon walks, the start of footy season, autumn leaves, Mardi Gras and the Royal Easter Show, the Public Holidays and of course, the range of new colourful, delicious, seasonal produce.

 There are plenty of reasons to focus on seasonal produce.

1. Taste and quality: Because seasonal produce is harvested at the peak of ripeness, it is often sweeter, crunchier and more flavoursome

2. Environmental Impact: Buying in-season produce lowers your carbon footprint by reducing the demand for out-of-season produce which requires more energy, water and transportation

3. Supporting local farmers: Seasonal produce is often sourced by local farmers so buying seasonal promotes local agriculture and supports the local economy

4. Cost-effectiveness: Out of season produce can be more expensive due to the additional expenses of transportation and storage

5. Nutritional benefits: Seasonal produce is often higher in nutrients and antioxidants, as it's harvested at the peak of freshness and hasn't been stored for long periods

By incorporating seasonal food into your diet, you'll not only enjoy better-tasting and more nutritious food, but you'll also be supporting sustainable agriculture and reducing your environmental impact.

 In Australia, Autumns seasonal produce includes:

Fruits:

Avocado, apple, blackberries, banana, fig, grapefruit, grapes, guava, kiwi fruit, lemon, lime, mandarin, mango, orange, papaya, passionfruit, peach, pear, persimmon, plum, pomegranate, raspberries, rhubarb, strawberries

Vegetables:

Artichokes, Asian greens, beans, beetroot, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, capsicum, carrot, cauliflower, celery, corn, cucumber, eggplant, fennel, leek, lettuce, mushrooms, onion, parsnip, potato, pumpkin, shallot, silverbeet, spinach, spring onion, squash, sweet potato, tomato, turnip, watercress, zucchini

So hit up those weekend markets and pack your plate full of bright, fresh, nutritious seasonal produce this Autumn.  

Look, in a perfect world we are chopping up fresh veggies each day, reducing our plastic usage and saving money. If this is you – so proud of you. But when you need fast, easy, nutritious option to bulk out a meal, there’s not much kale slaw can’t do.

Kale Slaw is a pre-packaged salad kit that you can find at most supermarkets. Usually consisting of kale, carrot, cabbage, celery and beetroot, this bag of goodness is a quick and convenient addition to almost any meal.  Ditch the dressing but save the seeds and nuts for a final sprinkle and you have yourself a scrumptious secret weapon that packs nutrients and volume.

• Add it to tacos, wraps or rice paper rolls

• Chuck it in a stir-fry with sticky tofu or salmon

• Toss it into fried rice with sesame oil and egg

• Use it as a salad base with a can of tuna, some grilled chicken or falafels for a lunch on the go

• Mix with whisked eggs for yummy veggie fritters

• Throw it in a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil, lemon and salt as a side to any main

Quick, easy, nutritious. Kale slaw really can do it all.

It’s the end of the week, and you have a few sad random veggies staring up at you from the bottom of the fridge drawer. Tell those little guys not to worry, for the great veggie rescue is about to take place. I make this reviver rice at least once a week, turning my odd, wilted, vegetables into a delicious, nutritious rainbow meal.

Round up all of those leftover veggies, the last two carrots, the handful of leftover spinach in the bag, the odd zucchini, capsicum, stem of kale, bunch of broccolini and any other colourful little friend who thought they were being left behind. Chop them up into small pieces, add to a hot pan with a splash of sesame oil and pour in some frozen peas and corn. Cook for a few minutes, then move the veggies to the side of the pan. Whisk up two eggs and scramble them in the pan for a minute before mixing the veggies through the egg. Add in some rice, season with salt and chili flakes, chuck on some coriander and enjoy.

Reduce your waste and embark on the great veggie rescue, using up those little leftover legends in this delicious, colourful, happy rainbow rice.

Coffee is life. For those of you who ‘don’t drink coffee’ – good for you, hun. For the rest of us who function best when our blood is 50% arabica, boy do I have a rec for you.

The Coffee Connection is a small, Australian, sustainable and ethical business that offers, delicious, flavoured coffee beans, roasted on demand, with no added sugars or sweeteners.  Their decadent flavours include Smooth Hazelnut, Tiramisu, Chocolate Macadamia, Crème Brulee and Irish Cream and can be bought as whole beans, ground or even in 100% compostable bio capsules. There are also decaf options available for those who are avoiding or limiting their caffeine. 

Nothing will get you out of bed in the morning like a freshly made, steaming hot cup of Cinnamon Hazelnut Crème coffee. Trust me on this, your mornings are about to get a whole lot more delicious.

Forget diamonds, brunch is girl’s best friend.

Following a morning walk or a stunning sleep in, brunch is the perfect mid-morning meal to share with friends and family. Hot or cold, sweet or savory, paired with a coffee or a mimosa, there is no wrong combo.

Of course, brunch is a time to treat yourself, order those pancakes or the corn fritters, but when you are looking to focus on wholefoods, build-a-breakfast is the perfect option. Pile on the one-ingredient sides to some sourdough toast – poached eggs, avocado, wilted spinach, smoked salmon, grilled tomatoes, mushroom, even a cheeky hashbrown, and put together a wholesome breaky to start your weekend off with a win.

Some of my favourite brunch spots in Sydney:

Manly:               Calibrate Coffee or Ruby Lane
Balmoral:           Pastures of Balmoral
Neutral Bay:    At Neutral, Against the Grind
Surry Hills:        A.P. Bakery, Bills

There is no disputing that Peanut Butter is the superior spread. If you think otherwise, I don’t think we can be friends. On toast, in a smoothie, on top of acai, in a stirfry sauce or just by the spoonful, peanut butter is never the wrong answer. Well, unless of course, it is mixed with Sugars, Hydrogenated Soy Oil or Palm Oils, Salt, Emulsifiers and really anything other than peanuts. Luckily, there are some excellent brands out there that contain only peanuts and salt, my personal favourites are Mayver’s and Fix & Fogg. Otherwise, whole food supermarkets such as Harris Farm, QE Foods and some IGAs offer jars of fresh peanut butter.

Even better, if you have a food processer, chuck in a bag of roasted peanuts and a few tablespoons of water and make your own! I create my own peanut butter combos, adding cacao powder or honey and cinnamon or even protein powder. Store it in a jar in the cupboard and add it to EVERYTHING.

A mixed spice seasoning is the ultimate cooking hack to pack any dish full of flavour. But, the next time you reach for the little glass jar, or bright yellow packet of seasoning, check those ingredients. Most mixed seasonings and spices contain flour, flavours, colours, salts and sugars. Not exactly the ingredients you wanted to add to your chicken.

If you are after DELICIOUS, whole food spices and seasonings, let me introduce you to Mingle. Mingle is the all-natural seasoning, sauce and recipe base brand that makes real flavour real easy. From taco spice, to everything bagel seasoning, butter chicken base to salted caramel crunch topper, Mingle can elevate any meal without the nasties.  

We all love a hot girl walk, whether it’s getting some steps in before work or decompressing after a long day. We love a little yap to a friend or our mum while out and about but once the tea has been spilled, think about using your time to not only get the blood flowing through the body but also to the brain. Microlearning is an approach to learning that involves breaking down content into short, focused, and bite-sized chunks, to provide learners with a concise and targeted learning experience that is easy to consume, retain, and apply.

Podcasts are a fab way to learn some new skills, catch up to date on what is happening in the world, dive into an area of interest or listen to some incredible stories. I like to try and learn one thing per walk and I have a range of podcasts in my library so depending on my mood, there’s always something interesting to listen to. Whether its about nutrition, psychology, the latest legal cases or stories from some amazing people, my hot girl walks also become smart girl walks.

Setting my New Year’s Resolutions is one of my favourite things. It's a unique opportunity to reflect on the various aspects of your life, identify areas for growth, and craft intentional goals that bring you purpose and fulfillment for the year. It is such a wholesome activity and I love having them set in place ensuring that my actions and decisions throughout the year align with my ultimate aspirations.

Personally, I have six categories:

1. Relationship - Whether it’s your partner, friends in general or your relationship with yourself, I set a goal to improve a particular relationship.

2. Work - Something you want to achieve professionally, but that is within your control.

3. Health - whether it’s improving your fitness, getting more steps in, meditating each morning or, say, subscribing to a wholesome website to make little changes to improve your well being (we can help you with this one), a healthy you is a happy you.

4. Social - Community is key and this goal is branch out into more communities. Whether it is run club, the Country Women’s Association, a tennis competition or facebook cat-loving group, there’s a whole group of like-minded people just waiting for you to find them.

5. Charity - We all have an obligation to give back, and this, being my favourite resolution to set, is SO important. Whether you can volunteer your time through a NFP Organisation, donate to the koalas or help a neighbour with their groceries each week, everything counts.

6. Passion Project - Something that brings you joy and fulfilment in life, perhaps learning a new language or skill, creating the ultimate herb garden, or starting a website to share your passion of a wholesome life, having something beautiful and fulfilling to work on means your spare time is always well-spent.

Remember to set goals that are specific, within your control, and align with your passions and purpose and you’ll be guaranteed to have a wholesome year.

The Famous Red Room. If you are looking for a hot, hard workout, you need to give Barry’s a go. The red room is a vibe, the music is pumping and the trainers are funnn. Alternating between strength/HIIT training and treadmill sprints, the calorie burn is REAL. Each day focuses on a different area of the body, Total Body Fridays are my favourite, despite the guarenteed burpees. After class, enjoy a cool shower, blow out your hair with the dyson hair tools, pick up your protein packed smoothie and enjoy the rest of your day, high on those red room endorphins. You are also required to tell everyone you went to barry’s for the rest of the day.

Smoothie Rec - the Green Latifah slapppsss.

I must have tried almost every protein powder out there - from whey to pea to peanut, they were usually grainy or watery or chunky (ew) and I was often left with a sore, bloated tummy. Then I found PranaOn Protein Powder. As someone who is sensitive to a lot of foods, PranaOn Protein is enhanced with branched chain amino acids, probiotics, digestive enzymes and medium chain triglycerides (MCTs). The ultimate gut health-friendly blend formulated to support peak performance, lean muscle growth and optimum recovery. Plus, it is DELICIOUS. I shake it up with cold water after the gym and it turns thick and creamy like chocolate smoothie with no painful bloating. Packing 31.5g of protein for 173 calories, containing 50% of your reccommended daily intake of iron and zinc as well as 250 million CFU probiotics and a complete amino acid profile, this protein is the perfect addition to breakie bowls, smoothies or on its own as a post workout shake.

Everyone loves a curry. From a creamy korma, to a spicy green or a tangy tom yum, there’s something for everyone. I spent a year in Darwin where despite the heat, everyone is obsessed with Laksa. There are laksa restaurants, weekend market stalls and even an annual Laksa Festival where the top local ‘Lakstars’ are crowned each year (If you’re in Darwin, Mary’s Laksa will change your life), just proving there is a never a wrong time for a curry.

While store-bought curry pastes and sauces can be convenient, making a curry from scratch allows you to tailor the flavors to your liking and ensure that only the freshest, whole foods make the cut. However, if you're relying on canned coconut milk, be sure to check the ingredients list on the back of that can. What would reasonably be presumed to be made of just one ingredient, some brands contain additives like thickeners, emulsifiers, and stabilizers. But fear not, fellow whole-food enthusiasts. My go-to coconut milk is Ayam, which can be found at most supermarkets and contains only two ingredients: Coconut Kernel Extract and Water.

So, ditch the pre-made sauces and takeaway and get cooking! Whip up a big, spicy curry that's bursting with fresh, flavorful whole foods. Your taste buds – and your health – will thank you.

Grill’d now offers HFC (Healthy Fried Chicken) Bites which are gluten free, packed with protein and bloody delicious. The bites are made with RSPCA-approved chicken breast fried in Australian extra virgin olive oil making them a healthier option if you’re craving some nuggs. At 389 calories and 35.9g of protein, they 9-pack are the perfect high-protein snack. I also love them as a quick lunch-on-the-go option, adding them to a fresh salad kit from Coles (Garden Goodness is my fave), into a low-carb wrap with some avo, tomato and cucumber or munching on them straitght out of the bag.

Morning Walks are a Morning Win. Here are the arguments for and against going on a morning walk: 

For: Start the day in the fresh air, wake up with the light, watch a gorgeous sunrise (and get that golden hour photo), get steps in early, grab a fresh coffee, process your weird dream, get the blood flowing, clear the mind before work, enjoy the quiet, work up an appetite for breakfast, settle into the day knowing you’ve had some exercise

Against:

Set that alarm clock, babe.