Hiking 🥾 food for the trail

Just over 1 month ago I set foot on the Larapinta trail. A 2 week hike in Central Australia along the West MacDonnell ranges. The trail was rugged & beautiful. Extremes of weather & beautiful wildflowers that had popped due to the rains they had at the end of the wet season (around March I presume).

This was the first hike where I was 100% stoked with the health of the food I took on the trail. No compromising which I feel I have had to in the past due to weight considerations. So I hope to inspire you with dehydrated options, snacks & nutrition to hopefully make your next hike a little healthier.

It is common for me to do soaked muesli for breaky, a variety of snack bars & crackers/protein for lunch. But I was able to pimp things up & have a completely dairy free, gluten free menu that simply felt clean for healthy gut, energy & bowel movements (which are a key part of healthy trekking I believe!).

Breakfast involved a home made muesli mix with oats, almonds, wild dried blueberries, coconut, hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, walnuts, goji berries, chopped sulphur free apricots, sunflower seeds, plus a mixed addition of GF muesli creations from the Byron Bay company & one in mum’s fridge lol… I needed to make a LOT to feed my dad & I for 13 days - 1 cup each per day. I then added Locako dairy free creamer & protein powder to each bowl soaked overnight. The only reason I chose the creamer was I was looking for coconut milk powder but couldn’t find any where I was so I went to the health food shop & found again a pimped up version that had coconut milk powder, MCT oil, grass fed collagen, monk fruit juice & vanilla bean extract. The protein powder I chose was a sprouted brown rice protein with Lysine from BioMedica. I felt like these additions gave me extra calories that allowed me to feel supported with the big days of hiking we were doing. The first 3 days were longer, some around 28km with a 16-18kg pack so I wanted to support us.

The main/dinner meals were created by my amazing Mumma while in self isolation after getting back from Sydney close to boarder closure. I always lean on simple dahls & veggie curries when hiking but having done the hike before 10 yrs earlier I was aware that water made up a lot of my weight so the thought of cutting down any possible kg felt fabulous! We decided on dahls, cauliflower green curry, stir fry veg with vermicelli rice noodles, veggie korma, etc…on repeat… I was stoked with all of them! We tried one packet dahl from the health food shop & I can totally make a better version, but hey, good to experiment lol. Here are some pics to give you an idea of the quantities, the abundance of veggies that would have weighed a lot in my pack & the simplicity of simply having to rehydrate our dinners when we got to camp. After 30mins of rehydration we heated them on the cooker & they were ready to be served. A perfect wholesome meal being ‘prepared’ while we washed & set up camp. If you can keep in mind to not have too much fat in your dehydrated meals (like tinned coconut milk) then the meals dehydrate with a lot more ease & can keep for longer. Kale chips coated in savoury yeast flakes & blended cashews were a huge hit dehydrated & sprinkled on top for a boost of greens that tasted amazing! Our green coconut cauliflower curry was extra special sprinkled with cashews & toasted coconut flakes.

I have a 9 tray Excalibur dehydrator & it was on high rotation over 12hr periods with all of these dishes.

Lunches I kept simple with sardines & Carmens GF crackers that had a packet around them so could be squeezed & smooshed in my pack without too much care. Keep in mind it adds to rubbish but i was ok with that as i knew id have some anyway & was able to leave it at the food drops every 3-4 days. The rubbish factor is something I could definitely improve on next hike, as i used a lot of zip lock bags, but compared to how i live my life at home I guess it is a small moment in time. Still doesnt feel great, so do let me know if you have other compact ideas that are robust for multi-day hiking. The sardines were in spring water - this felt cleaner for me as oils can sometimes be rancid or low quality. This lunch got repeatitive but i accepted that with how good i was feeling. Mixed with activated nuts, miso soup, GF DF tomato & basil or potato & leek soup, the occassional rehydrated hommus for an afternoon snack & my yummy variety of superfood bars, i was good to go. I find food is secondary to me on the trail as i am so satiated by the environment & the challenge in front of me. As long as it is clean & not hindering my energy, digestion & mood (which crap food does to everyone in different degrees).
I’ve attached pics of all incase you want to see brands etc for recognition to use for your next adventure.
the Pukka berry tea with rose hip, blueberry, hibiscus, etc was beautiful at any time of day & a little sweet with no nasty sweetners.

I hope these shares help inspire of guide your next adventure. I did take some powdered & capsule supplements with me for continued support - like green powders & NAC for gentle detox while hiking (to take advantage of time on the trail). If you need individual nutrition guidance or support pre or post hike or simply some more clarity on meal prepping for adventures then I’d love to talk to you! You can book a consult by phoning me or email - 0438733103/janellecarolyn@gmail.com - I would love to support you on your health journey. This stuff lights me up & I’d be stoked to assist.

A beautiful opportunity to reboot, cleanse & reset perhaps after a hike is my next fasting retreat in North Queensland in October (27-31st). I love doing these types of cleanses before or after to enhance performance & reset my system. You can read more details here.

Janelle x

Clutter free gift giving

Inspired by this graphic from Becoming Minimalist - 50 Clutter Free Gift Ideas…

I thought this was the perfect time to be talking clutter free living (and purchasing) as we approach Christmas. It is so common to feel the need to buy gifts for others, but please pause and take a moment to notice all of the options and beauty in giving something home made, an experience or a voucher for wellness - the gift that keeps on giving. The more we look after ourselves and choose health the more we get to enjoy everything else in life!

Moving into my tiny home has really given me perspective of space, things, what is important, clutter, freedom and things that matter. I have been on a mission to simplify for around about 6 years. I remember choosing it as my word of the year after getting the wheels turning the year prior. The whole tiny home movement has only emphasised it. Therefore I feel this Christmas we have another opportunity to get CREATIVE on how we spend our money (my latest podcast speaks to this too!). The gift of giving is beautiful in itself so consider where you are spending your money.

Some ideas from Seeds Of Health that you can choose from are:

• Purchase a ticket to my 4 part Chem Free Living series in January - a beautiful juicy way to educate and inspire those who are wanting to support their hormone health, weight, skin and respiratory system. Head here for more info! $100 for all 4 evenings (inclusive of 30mins with both Naturopaths to integrate the info into YOUR lifestyle & home) or $25 per session, excluding additional support.

• 1:1 individualised Naturopath consultation, online or in person - hit reply for me to create a beautiful gift certificate for that special someone. $120 per initial session.

• Zazen Water Filters. I own one and love them. They emanate nature, mineralise and produce alkaline water. I have 2 currently in stock ready to go to good homes for Christmas! Quality water is one of the foundations of vitality. Filter systems at home are also keen to the Earth’s vitality! No more plastics and packaging. $495 for a beautiful system that can also be posted to you if needed free of charge. I’ve had mine for years, with really delicious tasting water & super affordable refills. Email me for your order - janellecarolyn@gmail.com

• If you are wanting to really spoil that special someone or perhaps even contribute to their lucky spot… consider a golden ticket or voucher to my next fasting retreat (Feb 17-21st). This is a unique opportunity where I don’t hold back - support, care and attention to detail is all considered to ensure that you (or your lucky someone) is setting 2021 off on the right foot. Use it as a healing tool with 5 days of cleansing or as a chance to intentionally begin 2021 taking care of you, at a very deep personal level. $1500pp twin share or $2900 for the entire room to yourself for 5 days of luxury & optimum healing. Read more here

• I would also love to create beautiful Wellness Hampers that are tailored to an individual’s needs. Options can include personalised herbal tinctures, healing balms, my ebook, chem free zinc sunscreen, Kangaroo Island propolis (an amazing healing tool for everything!), guided meditation packages, JuJu menstrual cup, delicious coffee scrub… and so much more to support that special someone with their wellness and vitality. Email or phone to discuss the needs of your special someone and a preferred budget.

Otherwise have a look below to continue the inspiration for this clutter free gift giving season…

Janelle x

Quinoa porridge breaky

This one is so easy & delicious. Quinoa is a seed not a grain & has more protein in it than oats or rice flakes. Also gluten free!

It honestly is as simple as doing the following 5min cook up:

1 cup quinoa flakes (you can use normal quinoa it will just take longer & I feel tastes more intense for breakfast)

1/2 cup milk of your choice (oat milk, Bonsoy, CocoQuench, almond milk, etc)

1/4 cup water

Cook on low in a saucepan until the liquid has been absorbed & the flakes are soft.

Stir in 1 tbsp nut butter or tahini (if you are wanting a more filling breakfast)

Add 2 tbsp coconut yogurt

Dress with sliced fig, berries &/or pear plus LSA & optional honey/maple syrup.

Eat while still warm as everything mixes together a lot better & the flavours merge.

Let me know what you think in the comments below! I have been loving this mix as the weather has cooled.

Japan eats & travel care while on the move

Japan! Oh it was interesting!

I found it actually harder than I thought to tap into traditional food. I found a variety in the end, with my nose for tucked away gems, but I had to look hard! I actually love the challenges that come with travel in different countries, because I think in some shape or form it expands us into either admiring another cultures differences or appreciating our own even more.

Japan proved tricky to find traditional healthy meat free options! There weren’t enough vegetables, but there are never enough vegetables when travelling! During my two weeks with family I visited Kyoto, Hiroshima, Miyajima Island, Hakone & Tokyo. I tried to dip myself into as many onsens as possible & as many traditional matcha tea & traditional tea ceremonies as I could. I joined my brother, niece & parents on this trip, so pretty much just soaked up whatever areas were already planned. I’d hit a few more nature spots next time, but as I said any travel experience is a great experience because it often tests our comfort zone & that always leads to growth.

For the purpose of this blog post I’m going to focus on the food discoveries in Japan & how to best support your digestion & immunity while travelling.

I always try to tap into what’s local & traditional to the culture. If you follow me on social media you may have already read that I found the Japanese culture to be tricky to navigate not being a lover of meat (especially not knowing its source). However I found my way with a little seafood & discovered some unusual things along the way. My reason for not budging on meat is I always like to follow one of my nurturing 9 principles of conscious consuming. If a meal involves animal products I like to know the source - have the animals been treated kindly? As their stress factor & environment affect the products we consume.

Some of the delicious eats that were discovered in Japan were bean patties in miso broth, pounded rice sticks coated in sesame seasoning from a local market (amazing!), soba noodles/tempura veg/pickles/tofu, Okonomiyaki (Japanese cabbage pancake), red bean maple momiji maju sweet, minced fish & soya bean stick, plain miso soup with shallots (my fav), konjac* balls with miso paste (wouldn’t lose sleep if I never have one again 😂), an agar agar pounded cake with sesame dusting (yum!), konjac sashimi with soy sauce & wasabi (surprisingly delicious & creative!) & seaweed sushi with pickles inside & out (pickled ginger) with a tiny amount of squid & wasabi on the side. My favourite discovery though was my new appreciation of matcha tea (pictured below with a maple red bean cake).

*Konjac is a vegetable also known as elephant yam among other names. It is rich in fibre & quite wet in texture.

I felt quite a western theme while travelling through Japan, so it took a little while to tap into what was traditional to the area I was in. What do the locals eat, not what is sold to the tourists?!

While away I ensured that I had a lot of water & also took propolis everyday. I carried alcohol & aloe vera wet ones with me (Gaia brand) & my Doterra On Guard hand sanitiser. I also had my travel kit of 8 of my fav essential oils, that I used daily for immunity & balance (Onguard, Balance, Frankincense, Digestzen…). Sleep & meditation are a natural immune booster so I tried to ensure sound sleep & slip in a meditation before bed where possible. Alcohol, sugar & chemicals are immune suppressants so I kept this in mind. Often I will travel with a few more things like barley grass, one of my fav gut support powder blends, magnesium, selenium, etc but this time I kept it simple. I had been consciously boosting my immune system before leaving with herbs, greens & gut support, so I just remained mindful while away.

I’d love to know if you have travelled to Japan? Did you love it? Did you find the food tricky or a little more western that you would have liked?

I’m unsure if I would rush back there?! There are so many fabulous countries left to explore in the world & I find if I’m not able to really tap into traditions & immerse myself & learn quirky culture things (while getting my fix of nature spots) I often consider where else in the world I can do this!

Janelle x

P.S. If you would like to have a peek at my posts while away in Japan remember you can check out my other posts (& follow me if you feel to) on Facebook or Instagram.