Lentil and Coconut Soup

You Will Need:

• 1 Onion (chopped)
• 2 Cloves of Garlic (finely diced)
• 2 Tablespoons of Butter
• 1 Teaspoon of Curry Powder
• 1/4 Teaspoon of Garam Masala
• 1/4 Teaspoon of Ground Cumin
• 1 Tomato (diced) or can of diced tomatoes
• 400mls Coconut Milk
• 1 Cup of Red Lentils

-Melt butter in saucepan add onion and cook for a few minutes.

-Add garlic and spices. Cook until fragrant.

-Rinse lentils.

-Add tomato, lentils and coconut milk, bring to the boil and then turn down and simmer for 20 minutes or until lentils are cooked.

-Serve as is or with a dollop of sour cream or natural yoghurt.

Golden Moments

Being a mum can be hard at times. Being a young mum can be hard at times. I was not expecting Dexter, and there were a lot of times when I felt a bit blind-sided by all the changes that my life underwent when I became a mum.

But there are some moments of parenting that are pure gold. 

Yesterday I forgot our umbrellas, for the school pick up. I had to whip out  these fabulous “Emergency Ponchos”. 

The rain was that annoying drizzly weird rain, the type that blows up into your face and makes you itchy and irritated. It was so windy. The poncho was flapping around everywhere. And I was pretty cranky and bothered by the time I made it to the school.

When I walked into the classroom to pick up Dex up from school, all the kids laughed at me and had giggles. I suppose I did look like I was wearing a bright blue hooded garbage bag or something.

But my little Dex didn’t laugh.

He ran up to me, his eyes all big and with a smile from ear to ear. He burst out: “Oh mummy! You look beautiful! You look like a Blue Fairy!”. 

He wanted to know if I had any magical clothes for him to wear too.

What a beautiful little boy I have. He is definitely my son-shine on a rainy day.
    

Banana Choc Almond Muffins

You will need:
1 Cup of Almond Meal
1 Egg 
1 and a 1/2 Tablespoons of Raw Cacao
1 Banana
1 Tablespoon of Pure Maple Syrup 
1 tablespoon of Honey
6 Dates (chopped)

-Mash banana.
-Add honey, syrup, egg and cacao. Stir together.
-Add dates and almond meal. Stir until combined.
-Place mixture in patty pans.
-Cook at 150 degrees Celsius for 20minutes or until cooked.

  

Peanut Butter Cups

You will need:
1/2 Cup Raw Cacao Powder
1/2 Cup Coconut Oil
Natural Peanut Butter
Vanilla to taste
Cinnamon to taste
Natural Sweetener of your choice. (I used Pure Maple Syrup.)

-Line a muffin tray with patty pans.
-Gently melt cacao and coconut oil over a low heat.
-Add sweetener, vanilla and cinnamon to taste.
-Pour a little chocolate mixture into each pan. Place a small dollop of peanut butter in each pan and then cover them all with the chocolate mixture.
-Place Muffin tray in the freezer, to let them set.
-Once set you can remove them from tray and place in a freezer safe container. Store in freezer.

  

Simple Red Lentil Dahl

2 Cups of Red Lentils  
2 Onions (chopped)
4 Cloves of Garlic (finely diced)
4 teaspoons of Turmeric
2 teaspoons of Ground Cumin
1 teaspoon of Garam Masala
1 Large Tomato (diced)
1 Large Potato (diced)
4 Tablespoons of Butter 
Water
Saucepan x 2

-Rinse lentils and then add to saucepan. Add 6 cups of water and bring to the boil. Lower to a medium heat and simmer for 15-20minutes or until cooked.
-Strain off most of the water from the lentils. Set lentils aside.
-Boil potato in a separate saucepan.
-Melt butter in the saucepan. Add the onion and simmer on a medium heat for 5 minutes. 
-Add spices and garlic and cook until fragrant.
-Add lentils, tomato and potato if cooked. Stir and cook for another 5 minutes.
-Add salt to taste. 

 

Crocheting Lyk A Boss

Last year, I went through some pretty heavy stuff. Heaviest stuff I’ve ever been through, and I hope I never have to again.

While I was recovering, I decided I needed a creative outlet that used my hands more than my mind. Because my writing and my poetry were a little dark, and I’m always using my head. I’m a great thinker. It was time to get creative with my body.

So I decided to teach myself to crochet again. My nan taught me when I was young (about 8 or 9 I think) but it had fallen to the back of my brain and I couldn’t seem to wade through all the other shizz up in there to get to it. So I youtubed and googled, and now I can crochet lyk a boss.

I would love to start up a crafting group, where women can get together and share their skills with each other while catching up for a cuppa and a chat. Like one of those Men’s Shed things. But for laydiess (Little Britain voice). Anyone in Brisbane want to join me? I will teach you how to crochet. I will *try* to be patient. We can drink tea from fancy teacups!  

 

I’m Baaack!

I haven’t written a blog in a long time. I’ve been a busy girl, experiencing a whole lot of life changes.

I’ve just moved back to Brisbane and I’m loving it.

I’ve also become a Norwex Independent Sales Consultant. Which is super dooper exciting. I’m all about chemical free cleaning, and reducing waste. This is perfect for me. I often post my Norwex adventures on Instagram, if you’re interested pop over and follow me, my insta handle is @pokarlla.

I’ll be posting more often than I have been I promise. More recipes, more parenting life insights and whatever takes my fancy.

I’m a little excited to be back. 

 

Pokarlla has Pyroluria

Since about the age of 14 I have struggled with my moods and mood swings. I never knew why. That just seemed to be the way I was made.

It actually felt quite exhausting for me to be nice. I felt like I had to wear a mask all the time just to function normally in society. And whenever I finally gave up trying to be nice, well… I was really not nice. Downright unpleasant. And that felt…right. Which is not right, is it?

I have my undergraduate degree in Psychology, and have always thought I had Bipolar Disorder. I never wanted to get myself formally diagnosed as I did not want to be medicated, and thus attempted to stay balanced through other means. I find yoga and the GAPS Diet and/or a Paleo Style Diet to be beneficial for me.

At the beginning of this year, due to extreme life stressors and other factors, I suffered a mental breakdown. I won’t get into all the gritty details but it was bad.

Very, very bad.

I can safely say I reached my lowest point.

But:

I am so very lucky to have my family. Yes, we are a little dysfunctional and perhaps considered weird, but we take care of one another. I am so grateful to my sisters, my mum and my grandmother. And everyone else who supported me. I needed it. Very much.

I am so so grateful. Thank-you.

Thank-you.

After my breakdown, my mother took me to a lot of appointments, did a lot of research and listened intently to advice.

I got tested for a disorder called Pyroluria.My test came back extremely positive.

This says that any level over 20 is considered elevated. Mine was 67.3.

What is Pyroluria you ask?

Pyroluria occurs when there is abnormal synthesis and metabolism of haemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying molecule in your blood. All body cells produce by- products or waste. The by-product of haemoglobin is a metabolite called hydroxyhemopyrrolin-2-one (HPL) which is also known as Pyrrole.

Pyroluria sufferers produce excessive amounts of these Pyrroles, which bind to/inhibit the nutrients;
-Zinc (1-7),
-Biotin 8,
-Omega 6 Fat GLA

This stops them from reaching their targets within your body and makes these nutrients unavailable to you. People with Pyroluria often suffer from very high levels of copper which can cause copper toxicity.

Conditions Associated With Pyroluria
Acute Intermittent Porphyria
Criminal Behaviour
Neurosis/Neurotic
ADD/ADHD
Depression
Post Natal Depression
Alcoholism
Down Syndrome
Schizophrenia
Allergies
Epilepsy
Substance Abuse
Asperger’s Syndrome
Learning Difficulties
Tourette’s Syndrome
Autism
Lung Cancer
Violent Offenders
Bi-Polar Disorder
Manic Depression

Click here and here for more info and a symptom list.

Symptoms/problems I have suffered with are:
Extreme irritability, manic and depressive moods and mood swings, suicidal thoughts, brain fog, poor short term memory (I was always losing things) brittle hair, white spots under nails, anger, temper outbursts, meltdowns, inability to calm myself, abdominal pain, digestive issues, insomnia, sore joints, difficulty waking in the morning, no appetite, morning nausea, grey hair, crooked teeth (corrected with orthodontics), and blackouts from alcohol consumption.

I saw a GP who specializes in Nutritional, Environmental and Psychological interventions. (You can visit his website here). He prescribed me some compounded vitamin supplements and I began taking them in May. (Before seeing him (he had a waiting list) I was taking individual supplements and still saw some improvement).

I had a lot of detox and “copper dumping” symptoms for about 4-5 weeks after this, but I still felt better than ever, especially my mental state.

I am still on compounded supplements, and I feel better than I have ever felt in my entire life. I am no longer so angry, irritable or depressed. I actually feel in control of my emotions. And it’s not that I have gained the ability to calm down, but that I no longer get worked up to the point of needing to be calmed down. My brain fog has disappeared and I can concentrate on tasks and not be so scattered. My hair is much healthier (still a lot of grey lol) and I even have a bit of an appetite. I will never not treat my Pyroluria.

My life is not perfect, and nor should it be, but I am so glad to be free of the moods that used to rule me.

I hope that what I have shared with you gives answers to someone who may be looking for them. I know I feel so much better, and I cannot imagine ever going back to how I felt before.

Update 29th August
I found these sites that also contain very helpful info:
http://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/metals-and-the-mind/

http://hubpages.com/hub/Hypercupremia-High-Copper

Update 31st August
This online article about Copper Toxicity just about blew my mind to read:

http://drlwilson.com/articles/copper_toxicity_syndrome.htm

Crispy Chickpeas

You Will Need:
Chickpeas (hard/dried chickpeas)
Filtered Water
A Bowl
To Season:
Good Quality Oil (I use Organic Coconut Oil)
Himalayan Salt
Finely Diced (or crushed) Garlic
And any spice or herb you may like to add.
A Flat Tray
Baking Paper

-Place chickpeas in a bowl and cover with filtered water. (I also sprinkled in a little salt). This will soften the chickpeas, and allow them to sprout. I soaked mine for approximately 6 hours. As with anything you soak, keep an eye on the water level. You may need to top it up every now and then.
-When soft and sprouted, strain water from the chickpeas.
– Preheat your oven to 180 degrees (Celsius).
-Drizzle Oil over the chickpeas and add your seasonings. Stir chickpeas until all are equally covered in oil/seasonings.
-Place a layer of baking paper on your flat tray. Spread your chickpeas onto your tray.
-Place tray in oven and bake until chickpeas are crispy (but not burnt!).
-Remove tray from oven and allow to cool before storing them in an airtight container.