Quirky Cooking Chats

QCC 166: Be Curious! The importance of having a curious mindset

Having a curious mindset is of major importance in all areas of life, and is especially crucial in the area of health and wellbeing. If you find yourself shutting down anyone who challenges your thinking around health and diet, you may be shutting down opportunities to learn and grow, and prolonging your health struggles.
In this podcast I talk about the difference between having a curious mindset and a conclusive mindset:
– Looking at the world around you with open eyes vs shutting off anything that goes against what you “know”
– Learning to look at health as principles to apply to your unique situation, rather than a set of black & white rules
– How curiosity helps us grow, and how our health can flourish when we consider the principles of a traditional, whole food diet rather than relying on ‘diet rules and regulations’ and a ‘one size fits all’ approach.
I also discuss the question, “Is this food/product/supplement good for me?” Learn to work out the answer to this question for yourself, simply by asking yourself some questions relating to a traditional, “whole food” way of thinking. (See resources below for the list of questions I mention in the video.)
If you have a question you’d love for me to answer, email me at help@quirkycooking.com.au with the subject line, “Ask Me a Question”.
HELPFUL RESOURCES:
Article: “Principles of a Whole-Food Diet” and questions to ask yourself when trying to decide if something is healthy or not – see my “Beginner’s Guide” here
Article: Is Dairy Bad for You? “What Have We Done to Dairy?”
Podcast: Curiosity and Regenerative Farming – “Dave Westbrook, The Farm Business Coach Giving Life Lessons to Help Farmers Achieve Their Goals”
Help with Gut Healing: The Gut Health Formula, 8 Week Program
Watch the YouTube video of this Podcast here!
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QCC 165: Q&A and Dairy-Free Nacho Cheese Sauce

“Q&A and Dairy-Free Nacho Cheese Sauce”
Watch the video here!
This week I answer listener’s questions which include:
– When will your new cookbook be available?
– What kind of things you can make with meat stock?
– How many hours a day do you cook?
– How can I heal my toddler’s gut? She’s a very fussy eater!
– Where do you buy your almond meal/almond flour?
– How much almond meal is too much in our diet?
– Will you share your Dairy-Free Nacho Cheese Sauce recipe? … and the answer to the cheese sauce recipe question is YES! You will find the how-to instructions at the end of this Q&A, and the recipe is available here!: Link to the instructional Youtube video, Here!
RESOURCES –
“A Taster” ebook: 12 delicious, gut-healing recipes from my upcoming cookbook “Simple, Healing Food”. This ebook costs $10 and you will receive a $10 discount voucher for my new cookbook once it is released! Find it here!
– The extra special chocolate cake mentioned in this video will be in my new cookbook, but if you’re dying to try a decadent chocolate cake right NOW, try this one from my blog here
– How to make and use meat stocks, and the difference between meat stocks and bone broths
– The last cookbook published by Quirky Cooking, Life-Changing Food  
– Our 8 week program for improved gut health, The Gut Health Formula
Watch the video here!
If you have a question you’d love for me to answer, email me at help@quirkycooking.com.au with the subject line, “Ask Me a Question”.
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QCC 164: Activating Nuts & Seeds – Why, How & When

“Activating Nuts & Seeds – Why, How and When?”
Watch the video Here!
This week I answer listener’s questions about activating nuts & seeds, such as:
– Why activate nuts & seeds, and do you always do it?
– Are some nuts harder on the digestive system than others?
– What is the difference between activating, soaking and fermenting?
– Can you use an oven for dehydrating soaked nuts & seeds?
– How do you avoid activated nuts/seeds from going mouldy?
– If I blanch and remove almond skins is that same as activating?
– What do you do with the pulp from nut milk?
– Can you activate nut meal or does it have to be whole nuts?
Learn the reasons behind soaking, fermenting and activating and what the best options are for those on a gut-healing diet!
RESOURCES:
– Soaking & Activating Nuts & Seeds – ratios & times: see page 23 in my Life-Changing Food Cookbook:  
– Program: If you need support, recipes and professional health advice to help you on your gut-healing journey, consider joining The Gut Health Formula, an 8 week program I run with Elyse Comerford, Integrative Nutritionist and GAPS Practitioner: Find Her Here! 
RECIPES:
– Blender Batter Pancakes/Waffles
– Blender Batter Muffins
Watch the video Here!
If you have a question you’d love for me to answer, email me at help@quirkycooking.com.au with the subject line, “Ask Me a Question”.
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QCC 163: Gut Health – Where Do I Start?

“Gut health – Where do I start??”
Watch the video Here!
This week I answer the question of where to begin when you want to work on improving your gut health, but feel like it’s all too overwhelming.
I share simple steps for a gentle approach to healing:
1) Start slowly!
2) Add in before taking out. Healing foods to focus on adding in:
– meat stocks
– good fats
– eggs, especially yolks
– organ meats
– bone marrow
– fermented foods
3) Transition to a whole food diet
4) Remove hard-to-digest sugars and starches from your diet while healing
5) Eat nutrient-dense meals to reduce the need for snacking
If you need support, recipes and professional health advice to help you on your gut-healing journey, consider joining The Gut Health Formula, an 8 week program I run with Elyse Comerford, Integrative Nutritionist and GAPS Practitioner: Find Her Here!
You will also find plenty of gut-friendly recipes on my blog Quirky Cooking, and in our Life-Changing Food cookbook
Watch the video Here!
If you have a question you’d love for me to answer in my podcast videos, email me at help@quirkycooking.com.au with the subject line, “Ask Me a Question”.
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QCC 162: Saving Time with Meal Prep

In this episode I share some tips for keeping up with the cooking when you have young kids & work full time.
Most parents struggle to keep up with cooking healthy, balanced meals for the family as well as working full time, taking kids to school and other activities, and finding some time for themselves.
Listen in for some time-saving tips for meal prep, and how to plan ahead so that everyone is well fed without lots of stress.
Watch the youtube video here!
USEFUL RESOURCES:
– Meal planners, and some sample meal plans: Here!  
– Past newsletters with sample meal plans: Here!
– Subscribe to my email for more meal plans and recipes for simple, family meals: Here!  
Watch the youtube video here!
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QCC 161: Lamb, Leek, Lentil, Lemon Soup + Gut Health Q&A

Learn how to make a delicious lamb, leek, lentil and lemon soup, and get some tips for starting on your gut-healing journey!
Elyse Comerford, nutritionist and GAPS practitioner, joins me on the show to talk about healing the gut without getting bogged down by stress and overwhelm. We also give an overview of our gut health coaching program, “The Gut Health Formula”.
You can watch the video here on my YouTube channel!
Subjects covered in this podcast:
– what are the symptoms of poor gut health?
– should I get testing done to see if I have leaky gut?
– what are the first steps for healing the gut?
– what impact does stress have on gut health, and how can I better respond to stress that I can’t control?
– how do I begin to change my diet without feeling overwhelmed?
– what resources can I access to help me learn more about healing naturally?
www.quirkycooking.com.au
How to Make Meat Stocks, video here!
NOTEWORTHY QUOTES: “Improving your health and having a healthy diet is not about willpower. It’s not about shame, blame, guilt and deprivation. If that is the approach you’re taking… *spoiler alert * …It’s not going to work!. It’s never going to work.” – Elyse Comerford
WATCH THIS PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: Here!
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QCC 160: Getting the Family on Board with Healthy Eating

Every day I receive many questions via emails, messages and comments. Sometimes the questions relate to food and healthy eating, sometimes family and homeschooling, sometimes business and personal development.
Each week I’ll be choosing a few of these questions to answer in a video/podcast, and I’ll share further resources, recipes, tips and links as well to help you delve further and find the information you need.
If you have a question you’d love for me to answer, email me at help@quirkycooking.com.au with the subject line, “Ask Me a Question”.
How do I get the family on board with healthy eating?
Health changes can be difficult to implement, especially when your partner is not on the same page, your kids refuse to eat new foods, and your friends laugh at your ‘weird’ way of eating! Here’s my tips for getting the family on board with improving the diet, and showing your friends that healthy eating can be delicious and fun!
WATCH THIS VIDEO ON YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/P6CmYx0OaDw
USEFUL RESOURCES
– Help for those overwhelmed with health issues and needing guidance with diet changes: https://www.wellbellyhealth.com.au/the-gut-health-formula
– Interview with Isaac Whitton (19 yrs old) sharing his experience of changing his diet (from 13 yrs old), and how he learnt to take responsibility for his own health: https://youtu.be/GSivfEhWCvA
– Family Favourites – recipes we love: https://www.quirkycooking.com.au/category/favourites/
– Fussy Eaters – podcasts to help you turn things around:
* Fussy Eaters & How to Have Peaceful Mealtimes (with Beth Bonfiglio of Little Fusspot): http://thewellnesscouch.com/aqj/aqj-137-fussy-eaters-how-to-have-peaceful-mealtimes
* Play Therapy for Fussy Eaters (with Crystal Poggioli, occupational therapist & GAPS practitioner): http://thewellnesscouch.com/aqj/aqj-133-play-therapy-for-fussy-eaters-with-crystel-poggioli-ot
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QCC 159: ‘Toad in the Hole’ + How to Save Money on Your Health Journey

Beginning on a health journey can be overwhelming. As expenses mount up, so do stress levels! Listen in as I share some of my tips for reducing the money stress while you are working towards a healthier diet and lifestyle and trying to heal your family. I also demonstrate how I make a simple, inexpensive, nutrient dense dinner that my family loves. (Scroll down for ingredients list.)
In this episode you’ll learn about:
– why unrealistic expectations and comparing yourself to others can sabotage your efforts to heal
– ways to improve your health that don’t cost money
– reducing stress by reducing the busyness and lifestyle ‘clutter’
– the long term approach to improving your health
– the importance of nature therapy
– reducing food waste
– buying in bulk to save money on groceries
– how to store bulk ingredients
– how to reduce the meat in your meals
– how to bulk out meals to make them cheaper and more filling, without using starchy fillers
– how to ‘do what you can, where you are, with what you’ve got’!
If you haven’t already listened to my last podcast you might also find it helpful, as we discuss the importance of letting go of a ‘perfectionist’ mindset, and beginning where you are when working on health changes: “Spicy Cabbage Rolls + Done Is Better Than Perfect!”
Watch this video on my YouTube channel!
Ingredients for “Toad in the Hole”:
– 8 beef or pork sausages (preservative free)
– 200g soft ghee or tallow (melt if hard)
– 140g almond meal or pepita meal
– 100g water
– 5 eggs
– 1/4 tsp salt
Useful Links:
The Gut Health Formula – 8 week group coaching program: This program is run by myself  and Elyse Comerford (nutritionist and gut health specialist) and is especially helpful for beginners to gut health. It is a gentle, sustainable approach to health which includes reducing food and lifestyle stress, working out health priorities, learning to organise and plan ahead so that healthy choices are easier to make, and slowly adjusting the diet to include more nutritious, healing foods. You will work towards a diet similar to the Full GAPS diet, using these healing food principles in a flexible way that suits YOU. Our coaching program is like a health retreat you can do at home… Slow down, let go of the stress, be gentle with yourself, nourish yourself with delicious, healing foods, and learn to build the foundations of good health one step at a time. The next round begins 15th October, 2020, and runs for 8 weeks, then is accessible for 12 months. 
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QCC 158: Spicy Cabbage Rolls + Done is Better Than Perfect!

DONE IS BETTER THAN PERFECT!
This episode is all about letting go of perfectionism and just jumping in and giving it a go… whether ‘it’ is cooking, starting a new project, business tasks you’ve been putting off, exercising, or anything else in life that is making you feel overwhelmed and ‘stuck’!
I have a bit of fun trying out a recipe I’ve never tried before, while swapping around ingredients to use what I have, swapping rice for cauliflower, adjusting for a double batch on the fly, overflowing the pot in the oven, and running late for dinner…
My good friend Helen Marshall of Primal Alternative then joins me on the show to chat about why “Done is Better Than Perfect”! We talk about what we do when we feel ‘stuck’, and many of the things we’ve learnt over the years that have helped us ditch perfectionism and move forward with our health and in our businesses.
GUEST INFORMATION
Helen Marshall is the founder of Primal Alternative – a range of nourishing, grain free foods, produced by individual licensees in their homes, and sold in stores, markets, and online throughout Australia, USA and the UK. Find out more about the business here.
RECIPE: SPICY CABBAGE ROLLS
You can watch this video here on my Quirky Cooking YouTube channel and cook along with me if you like! Make sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode and leave me a comment at the bottom of the video. I’d love to know what you think.
The original recipe is ‘Spicy Stuffed Cabbage’ from the cookbook Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook That Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats, by Sally Fallon. In my video I’ve tweaked this recipe to make it grain free, and doubled the filling. If you’d like to try it, here are the ingredients for a single batch:
– 1 large cabbage
– 2 Tbsp olive oil or ghee
– 2 brown onions
– 3 garlic cloves
– 500g beef mince
– 500g cauliflower florets
– 1/2 cup raisins
– 1/4 cup fresh dill, or 1 tsp dried dill
– 2 tsp ground cumin
– 1 tsp cinnamon
– 1/8 tsp ground cloves
– sea salt & pepper
– 1/2 cup almonds
– 1 egg
– 4 cups chicken stock
– 2 fresh tomatoes or 1 400g tin chopped tomatoes
– 2 Tbsp tapioca or arrowroot starch
Enjoy!
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QCC 157: Helping Teens to Heal – Q&A with Isaac Whitton

My son Isaac was diagnosed with severe OCD and anxiety in 2014 (when he was 13 years old), and so began our journey into healing the gut and working to improve his mental health.
For the first half hour of this episode I talk to parents of young people who need to move towards a healing diet and are not really keen to make changes, or are struggling to keep on track and focus on the long-term goals.
Isaac (now 19 years old) joins me for the next hour to answer questions from listeners.
Isaac shares:
his initial reactions to mum saying he needed to go on a special diet
what he found hardest about being on GAPS
how he coped with peer pressure while trying to stick to healing foods, and his advice for social situations
the improvements he saw in his mental and emotional health, and how long it took to see changes
how his skin and sleep has improved, and what he finds most affects them
the ups and downs with healthy eating (yep, it’s normal)
how he gets back on the ‘healthy eating wagon’ when he’s fallen off
what he would tell his 13 yr old self now he’s older and wiser
his advice for young people struggling with anxiety and mental health issues
how his experience with the GAPS diet has affected his thinking as an adult
avoiding addictions in other areas besides food – doing a ‘dopamine detox’
why he’s so much happier now, and what helps the most
his answer to the question, “Was it worth it??”!
Cooking segment!
We didn’t manage to cook on this episode as it was already so long, so here is a link to a video of my boys cooking together that your teenagers may enjoy. 🙂
Isaac & Simi cook Sweet ‘n’ Sour Pork (and have an unexpected visitor to the kitchen!)
Useful links:
Starting diet changes slowly and gently – listen to this podcast with Elyse Comerford
Working with fussy eaters
listen to this podcast with Beth Bonfiglio of Little Fusspot
listen to this podcast with Crystal Poggioli (OT) on Play Therapy
read this article on the ABA method for little ones needing to do GAPS
Top tips for gut health, and making healthy swaps in your cooking – read this article
Stress trumps all!! Reduce the stress in your home and help your kids to heal.
“It’s about creating an atmosphere of joy and peacefulness and calm, as much as creating healthy food.” – Jo Whitton
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QCC 156: Meat Stocks & Bone Broths – How & Why

Welcome to the first episode of “Quirky Cooking Chats”!
2020 has been a year of changes, and as Jo nestled in to her home during lockdown and shared her everyday cooking via videos on social media, she found that her listeners were excited to have practical help with cooking for good health – not just the science and nutrition information, but how to put it all into practice in everyday life. So “A Quirky Journey” has become “Quirky Cooking Chats“, where you can listen (and watch!) as Jo cooks in her kitchen and chats about ‘real life’ nutrition and healthy living with her friends and guests.
Watch practical, doable cooking videos, ask questions, and be inspired to make simple changes that will maximise your health and wellbeing without the stress and overwhelm.
Cook along with Jo, absorb her knowledge of “food as medicine”, develop a healthy mindset towards nourishing your family with real food, and learn how Jo balances the food prep and cooking for her family with running her own business and raising four kids.
Listen in as Jo chats with friends and guests about everything from culinary medicine and nutrition to family food stories, healthy homes, regenerative farming, reducing stress, balancing work-family-life, saving time and money while eating well, and much more!
Watch this episode on the Quirky Cooking YouTube Channel, and cook along!
Recipes & Useful Links:
Our Program: “The Gut Health Formula” – 8 week group coaching program with Jo Whitton & Elyse Comerford
Recipes: Meat Stocks & Bone Broths
Article: The difference between stocks & broths, and which is best for gut healing
Video: How to make the best roast chicken & chicken stock from one chicken
Video: Chicken pilaf (made with chicken stock & the leftover chicken)
Cookbook: Life-Changing Food (for stocks, broths & lots of recipes to use them in!)
Ingredients & Products I use:
Aussie Pink Lake Salt
Celtic Sea Salt
Aussie Pepper
Bone Broth Concentrate (if you’re ok with long-cooked broths, for those days when you just don’t have time!)
Solidteknics stainless steel 6L rondeau pot
Solidteknics formed iron skillets
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AQJ 155: Quarantine Cuisine, with Jo and Fouad

Join Jo and Fouad for a lighthearted chat about food, family, and life during lockdown! They discuss ‘quarantine cuisine’, what they’re cooking, how they’re coping, and ways they are finding the positives in the current situation.
Jo and Fouad answer readers questions about:
how to make do with what you’ve got in the fridge, freezer and pantry
ideas for snacks and easy meals to keep the family filled up and happy
how to cope on a special diet (like GAPS) while in lockdown
foods that boost the immune system and reduce inflammation
simple fermented foods to make at home
bulking out meals to save money
how to support local farmers and producers
how to keep the stress levels low
Note: Readers sent in so many questions on this topic that they couldn’t all be answered in one podcast, so Jo will be answering many of them in her Instagram and Facebook stories, and in an upcoming blog post on Quirky Cooking. If you’d like to add your questions, send them to help@quirkycooking.com.au.
Useful Links:
Preparing Your Pantry to “Stay at Home” – article by Jo
Livestream Webinars with Jo & Elyse Comerford, “Nourishing Your Family”
Life-Changing Food cookbook or iOS app, for delicious, whole food recipes!
Fouad’s hummus recipe – visit his instagram to watch him making it!
Fermented foods to make at home (recipes for beginners)
Willow & Sage Mushroom Teas & other immune support
Contact Fouad about web design at @fookassab on Instagram!
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