April SAOW Newsletter

1. Conscious Club

The Gyuto Monks of Tibet will be at the next Conscious Club this Friday 22 April to deliver a truly rich and deep spiritual experience. I saw them last time they were in Sydney many years ago and the experience was something special. 

In an intimate setting of only 200 seats at Bondi Pavilion, 7 monks will chant their most sacred hymns immersing us in this ancient sound. The head monk will also share his personal journey and what life entails as a Monk. The stage will also be graced with Murray Kyle, Australian songwriter. And of course there will be group meditation and the Do Good challenge.

Team Star Anise Organic Wholefoods will be there handing out free samples of our organic artisan wholefoods delights  including dessert of signature raw cacao bars (yes please!!). 

To purchase a ticket CLICK HERE.

When: Friday 22nd April
Time: 6pm - 10pm
Where: Bondi Pavilion
Queen Elizabeth Drive, Bondi Beach
Price: $55 $15 for a Vegan/Gluten Free meal

2. Dairy free coconut yogurt

We are so excited to announce that we are now selling Bondi Yogurt dairy-free COCONUT YOGURT in 375ml glass jars. I wasn't really happy with the quality of some of the coconut yogurt in the market after doing some research and then in walked Carolina from Bondi Yogurt with her 2 ingredient coconut yogurt: certified organic coconut and live cultures. Add in some time and love and you've got a delicious crap-free dairy-free yogurt. Being dairy-free for the past couple months while I cleared up some health issues has seriously forced me to consider and expand my non-dairy food repertoire. I feel I can be of much greater service to my non-dairy clients in my health coaching sessions. Have you tried this coconut yogurt yet?? We sold out within 24 hours so I'm tipping you think it's pretty special too. I'm really looking forward to your feedback! 

3.  Beef tallow cubes 

We are excited to announce a new product: BEEF TALLOW CUBES!

We have been selling 100% pastured beef tallow in containers for 5 years but to make life that little more easy for you we are now freezing our beef tallow into ice cube sized potions for you to conveniently melt down in an oven tray or frying pan to cook meat or veggies. I always use beef tallow when pan-frying meat (as it comes from the very animal I'm cooking) and now I simply throw a tallow cube into the frying pan straight from freezer.  So easy- this has seriously changed my life. No more chopping up a block of frozen tallow into small pieces and having to return the rest to the freezer. 

Tallow is an age-old dairy-free natural healthy saturated fat that has been used by traditional cultures world-wide for eons. You can also rub a little on your palms (with some essential oils if desired) to use as the most natural, non toxic and completely edible face, hand and body moisturiser. You can also use tallow to prevent and soothe baby's nappy rash. 

This product is proving just as popular as our beef broth cubes.

4.  Chocolate coated macadamias 

We included a packet of these in our Mother's Day hampers and too many people demanded that we make and sell them
as a regular product in 100g packets and individually for a bite sized "I've just died and gone to heaven" hit. 
If you tried my activated maccas and my sokolatas (raw dark maple sweetened chocolate) then combining the 2 is like a symphony where the end result is far sweeter, greater and richer than the sum of the parts. Sweet and salty, they make the best flavour combo.  If I had to choose just one food to eat before I died, these would be it. When I offer them to customers at Broth Bar & Larder the look in their eyes goes something like "Must I? I know I'm going to become seriously addicted to these. Please don't corrupt me further".  These are the bomb! 

5. MINDD forum

The MINDD Foundation promotes an integrative approach to healthcare focusing on nutrition. Each year the Foundation hosts a 3 day forum designed to educate patients and train practitioners in solutions for the prevention and treatment of disease. Tickets are now on sale for the 2016 MINDD International Forum held on 20-22 May. 

Whether you are a parent managing your child's chronic condition, an adult wanting to prevent or treat arthritis, dementia, diabetes or heart disease, or have a passion in nutrition and holistic health, the Mindd Forum offers solutions and a wealth of information. It is also a great opportunity to meet people in the industry. 

There is a terrific line up of international speakers. NY Times best selling author and keynote speaker Dr Kelly Brogan will be leading the sessions on women’s health which is an important part of the Foundation's initiative to promote healthy kids both through pre-natal care and healthy carers. Her book A Mind of Your Own has soared to the NY Times best-seller list. 

There are 2 streams to register in: 
Practitioner: MAPS & Mindd training for practitioners and students with strong biochemistry background. This is the stream I attends several years ago to become a certified MINDD practitioner. 

Public: Food Is Medicine, Women’s Health, Children’s Health which includes world experts on Biomedicine, Nutrition and Neuro therapies

As a MINDD partner, we are excited to be exhibiting our artisan wholefood products and will be supplying samples our raw kraut and bone broth. We wholeheartedly support the mission and important work of the MINDD Foundation and hope to see you there at this years forum! 

REGISTER HERE TO BOOK YOUR SEAT.
 

6. Mother's Day hampers 

Mother's Day is around the corner (8th May) and if, like me, you're over the thought of buying more dust-collecting unnecessary stuff consider our beautiful Mother's Day hampers filled with carefully selected organic artisan wholefood products that will really nourish, satisfy and delight. It's not too late to place your orders as we still have a few more hampers left.  Click HERE to view details of what's included in the hamper and how to order.

7. We are closed Anzac Day holiday 25 April.

So stock up (quite literally!) before then. 
Wishing you all a lovely relaxing Anzac Day long weekend! 
 

ON SALE NOW - ORGANIC KID-FRIENDLY CHOCOLATE EASTER BUNNIES + MINI EASTER EGGS!

Our nutrient-dense no-crap Easter chocolates are now available for sale at Broth Bar & Larder. This is artisan chocolate made with the highest quality ingredients. We have tweaked our original recipe to make it more kid-friendly for younger palates.

We have 2 fabulous offerings this Easter! --->

1. 

ORGANIC YUMMY BUNNY

These little fellows are made of solid raw dark chocolate and retail for $16.50 (cheaper than the Lindt ones I saw in Woollies!)

Perfect for all the yummy mummies, delicious daddies and little bunnies out there….these will get your bunny tails shaking! 

2.

MINI SOKOLATA DELIGHTS

These delightful little half eggs are the perfect mouth-sized treat. Each egg is decorated with either a goji berry, an activated almond or activated cinnamon buckwheat. You can pop them into some hard plastic egg-shaped containers from $2 shops for those treasured Easter egg hunts (pictured below). 

They are retailing for $15/100g bag and each bag has a mixture of the 3 flavours. 

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THE INGREDIENTS THAT GO INTO OUR ARTISAN CHOCOLATE...

Our artisan chocolate is made with the following 4 pure ingredients:

• Raw cacao powder
• Raw cacao butter
• Mineral rich Canadian maple syrup
• A pinch of sea salt to add further minerals and to further reduce bitterness of the raw cacao powder.

This year we have reformulated our signature raw dark chocolate recipe by reducing the amount of raw cacao powder to make it less bitter for younger palates. Because it is less bitter, we reduced the amount of maple syrup as less sweetener is needed when there is less raw cacao powder. Commercial manufactures increase the amount of sweetener for kids’ chocolates but we did the opposite as we know how unnecessary and damaging an excess of sweeteners are, especially for young growing bodies. The result is a silky smooth melt-in-your-mouth buttery sensation with a hint of raw dark chocolate. We trialed these on the harshest of critics (kids!) and got the big thumbs up!

To read about the nutritional benefits of raw cacao powder and what’s in commercially-produced chocolate that you might want to steer clear of (such as soy lecithins, refined sweetens, agave syrup, preservatives, milk powders), read one of my earlier newsletters here.

If these Easter chocolates don’t take your fancy, there’s always our sokolata (raw dark chocolate slabs…choose from 4 different flavours retailing from $12.50/100g) or our raw cacao coconut balls (sweetened with whole medjool dates retailing at $17.50/bag of 6). 

AVAILABLE NOW UNTIL STOCKS LAST AT BROTH BAR & LARDER IN BRONTE

Or you can pre-order (to avoid disappointment) by emailing orders@staraniseorganic.com and we will put packets aside for you. we can also courier the Yummy Bunnies to Sydney Metro Areas for an additional courier fee.

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We are closed over the Easter 4 day long weekend 25-28 March!
WISHING YOU ALL A HAPPY CHOCOLATE-FILLED EASTER!!

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Raw love, rose petals and love-infused everything!

Valentines Day might traditionally be a celebration of romantic love but since having children it just felt so natural to take the opportunity on Valentines Days to express my love to much broader circle of those who are near and dear to my heart including my children, family and close friends. I might send my besties little messages reminding them how much they mean to me, I give extra cuddles and kisses to my kids and tell them how much they rock my world, and I love to gift my hand-made chocolate to those I love so dearly. 

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I asked my greatest gurus today (my kids) what it means to love someone and I got a myriad of highly entertaining responses from them with peels of laughter all round. I then dug a little deeper and discovered that a bunch of kids, aged 5 to 10, were asked questions about what they thought of love. Here's what they said:

"If falling in love is anything like learning how to spell, I don't want to do it. It takes too long." -- Glenn, age 7

"Once I'm done with kindergarten, I'm going to find me a wife." -- Tom, age 5

"On the first date, they just tell each other lies, and that usually gets them interested enough to go for a second date." -- Mike, 10

"My mother says to look for a man who is kind. That's what I'll do. I'll find somebody who's kinda tall and handsome." -- Carolyn, age 8

"One of you should know how to write a check. Because, even if you have tons of love, there is still going to be a lot of bills." -- Ava, age 8

"Most men are brainless, so you might have to try more than once to find a live one." -- Angie, age 10

"A man and a woman promise to go through sickness and illness and diseases together." -- Marlon, age 10

"Love is foolish...but I still might try it sometime." -- Floyd, age 9

"Love will find you, even if you are trying to hide from it. I been trying to hide from it since I was five, but the girls keep finding me." -- Dave, age 8

"It isn't always how you look. Look at me. I'm handsome like anything, and I haven't got anybody to marry me yet." -- Brian, age 7

"It's love if they order one of those desserts that are on fire. They like to order those because it's just like how their hearts are - on fire." -- Christine, age 9

"See if the man picks up the check. That's how you can tell if he's in love." -- John, age 9

"You got to find somebody who likes the same stuff. Like if you like sports, she should like it that you like sports, and she should keep the chips and dip coming." -- Allan, age 10

And when the kids were asked to make up Titles of Love Ballads You Can Sing To Your Loved One, here’s what they said:

"'How Do I Love Thee When You're Always Picking Your Nose?'" -- Arnold, age 10
"'Honey, I Got Your Curly Hair and Your Nintendo On My Mind.'" -- Sharon, age 9
"'Hey, Baby, I Don't Like Girls, But I'm Willing To Forget You Are One!'" -- Will, age 7

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Ok, so it seems that its hard to define love but my kids and I agreed that if it comes from the heart, it’s real and raw and it’s love.

I express my love in many ways but, like my mother, one of the ways I instinctively express my love is through the creation of beautiful nourishing food made for those who I care about.

To that end, here is our selection of limited edition exquisite hand-made products that we made exclusively for Valentines Day 2016 for you to share with you loved ones! I hope they make your heart sing as much as I loved crafting and making them for you:

1.

Rose Petal Raw Dark Chocolate

We liberally sprinkled our signature raw dark chocolate with Ovvio Organics certified organic rose petals to create chocolate that is almost too pretty to eat!

Each piece is individually wrapped in paper, tied with twine and stamped with a little “Love You” card. These sing artisan chocolate hand-made with love at the top of their sweet voices.

Priced according to weight at $14/100g.

2.

Raw Love Double Love Heart Chocolates

Lolly pop meets raw dark chocolate, these double chocolate love hearts on a stick were such hit last Valentines Day that we are including them in our Valentines range for 2016. Made with our signature raw dark chocolate sweetened with maple syrup (81% raw cacao content) there are 7 double love heart chocolates on a stick in a bag for $14/100g.

3.

Chocolate Infused Activated Muesli

 

Our raw dark chocolate + our activated muesli = taste orgasm in a bowl. Does is get any better? Over the past few weeks we’ve saved all the off cuts of our range of raw dark chocolates and mixed them through our activated muesli, packaged it up in glass jars with beautiful ribbon and a little “Love You” card. Because I think breakfast is the best time of day to eat chocolate!

$33.50/500g or $22.50/300g.

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What makes our chocolate unique?

 

We think our chocolate is pretty special. Here’s why:

1.     We only use certified organic ingredients where these are available.

2.    We use raw cacao powder (as opposed to processed/heat treated cocoa) that has been fermented for 3 days and ranked as the 3rd most nutrient-dense food on the planet. Raw cacao powder is touted for its numerous health benefits:

a.      High in polyphenols (anti-oxidants) particularly flavanols (higher than green tea, red wine, goji berries, acai berries). Anti-oxidants prevent the effects of aging, DNA damage, heart disease and cancer.

b.      high in minerals esp. magnesium (healthy heart and brain function; muscle relaxant; bones density; mitigates feelings of stress), chromium (assists pancreatic health and regulates blood sugar) and iron (promotes oxygen transport in the blood).

c.      positive effects on the brain, circulatory and cardiovascular system. Eg lowers Alzheimer’s risk, lowers blood pressure, improves blood lipid profile (lowers oxidised LDL), improves insulin sensitivity, improves exercise endurance, protects against pre-eclampsia in pregnancy.

d.      anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, anti-thrombotic (anti-blood clotting)

e.      anti-depressant/ feel-good chemicals (eg dopamine, serotonine, tryptophan)

f.       protects the liver against alcohol (wine and chocolate = winning pair!)

g.      protects against UV damage

h.      it’s theobromine content (bitter compound) has a stimulating effect producing higher levels of physical energy and mental alertness. It has 1/4 of the stimulating power of caffeine.

3.    we only use raw cacao butter as our fat of choice which is what is used in traditional chocolate making (and do not ‘water down’ with coconut oil or other fats and especially no industrial seed oils like vegetable oil found in conventional chocolate). Raw cacao butter is what gives chocolate that melt in your mouth smooth chocolaty taste.

4.    we only use natural sweeteners that have a favourable sucrose to fructose ratio. In this batch of limited edition Valentines Day chocolates we have used pure maple syrup from Canada as our sweetener of choice for its mineral content, smooth texture and beautiful flavour. We do not use agave syrup (way too high in fructose which causes metabolic and digestive issues).

5.    We do not use soy lecithins, milk powders, any preservatives, or artificial flavours, colours or additives, which is why our chocolates need to be stored in the fridge.

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“If you are going to eat chocolate, make sure you eat the best quality chocolate in the world. Life’s too short to eat crap chocolate”.  

CLICK HERE TO TWEET

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What makes our muesli unique?

I crafted this muesli as few years back as there was and still is nothing on the market that comes close in terms of source and processing. Here’s why:

1.     To my knowledge, we are the only producers in Australia of muesli made with activated nuts and seeds. To understand why it is so important that all nuts and seeds be properly prepared (“activated”) read the product information brochure at the top of this page. Many mueslis might claim to be “paleo” or “organic” but proper preparation is all-important to make the nutrients digestible and accessible.  

2.    We only use certified organic ingredients where these are available.

3.    Our muesli is grain-free and in particular gluten-free. We use activated buckwheat (not a relative of wheat) as the base. Technically buckwheat is a fruit and not a grain but it behaves like a grain so it is soaked and dehydrated until crispy. We do not used puffed grains or any other grains for that matter.

4.    We do not add any concentrated sugars or sweeteners. It is naturally sweetened with gojis, coconut flakes and dried figs which are hand-cut to size.

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In the words of some of my clients:
 

 “I just wanted to let you know that your  muesli is so delicious …. It has  the most amazing combination of flavours &  textures & our family love it ....  there is nothing else like it on the market ....” Heather

“Awww Soulla, the goods arrived, and oh myyyy, they are sooo delicious! The muesli is absolutely yummy (could devour it all day long)” Fiona

“Soulla, your muesli is the best part of my day!” Kate

“Hi there, I have had many organic/natural chocolates over the last 10 years from all over the world… these ones have to be the best by far! My fav is the fruit and nut and cinnamon crunch… well done! Your macadamia nuts are the best too!”  Peter

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How to Purchase

These limited edition Valentines Day products can be purchased from Broth Bar & Larder or to pre-order please drop us a line at orders@staraniseorganic.com. We have only made a limited amount and will not be making more when these sell out so please get in fast or pre-order to avoid disappointment.
 

I HOPE YOUR VALENTINES DAY IS INFUSED WITH RAW LOVE IN ALL ITS GUISES.

Soulla x