BBQ Fish With Fresh Summer Salad

Ingredients:

• 4 vine-ripened tomatoes
• chopped avocado
• 8 pitted kalamata olives
• 1 handful of flat leaf parsley leaves chopped
• thinly sliced fennel
• 80ml extra virgin olive oil
• juice of 1 lemon
• freshly ground black pepper
• 4x180g Australian Barramundi or Blue Eye Cod fish fillets
• 2 Tbs olive oil, for cooking

Tip: Where possible try to source locally fished seafood e.g. Australian Barramundi rather than imported Vietnamese. Your fishmonger should be able to recommend alternatives too.

Method: 

Salsa:

• Cut the tomatoes into quarters and discard the seeds
• Finely dice the tomato flesh and fennel and place in a bowl
• Add the olives, parsley and chopped avocado, then add the extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice and season with freshly ground black pepper

Fish:

• Preheat the barbecue hotplate to high or heat a large frying pan over high heat
• Brush the fish with olive oil and cook for a few minutes each side, depending on the thickness
• Serve with the salsa

Children's Book Launch by Annabelle Wadsworth

The first two books in the Mrs Twinkle Series (for ages 3 to 7 year olds) have just been launched by my mother, Annabelle Wadsworth. “Mrs Twinkle” bridges the gap between picture books and young adult fiction. The imaginative stories follow a star and a boy as they travel throughout the world discovering animals, habitat, our heritage and relationships. Both author and illustrator, Annabelle has also subtly addressed possible solutions for low self esteem through positive reinforcement. Zoom through the air with Mrs Twinkle! www.mrstwinkle.com.au

Monday 25th February at 10.30am come join Annabelle for a reading at Woollahra Library

E-book available from:  
https://itunes.apple.com/au/book/mrs-twinkle-meets-simon-for/id585438988

Books available from:
www.littlesteps.com.au

Igniting The Creative Fire

Whether you are celebrating Valentine's Day this Thursday or trying to ignore it, it is really a reminder to celebrate the greatest love of all - loving yourself. When we give ourselves time each week to do something that we love or we're passionate about, it is a way of giving back to ourselves as well as letting go of the daily stressors and putting the zest and passion back into our lives. Even if it's only for an hour on a weekend, it allows you to let go of your tension and the mundane and gives us a sense of empowerment, bringing the joy and fun back in. Last week I started dancing classes again which I haven't done for 6 years. Of course I was rather clunky and uncoordinated at first but by the end of the class I had the biggest smile on my face and was dancing on air.

The one thing scientifically proven to make 2013 your best year yet? Boost your creativity. As quoted by Red Day Coaching www.reddaycoaching.com researchers sent 56 subjects out on a four day wilderness hiking trip without access to electronic devices or mobile phones. Upon their return, the hikers took tests to measure their creativity. The control group that hadn't been in the bush, scored 4.14 out of 10. The hiking group scored 6.08, a staggering 50% more creativity! The researchers said that this creativity boost was probably due to being in nature as well as taking a break from the stressors of work and technology. Next time you get stuck on a problem or can't concentrate, turn your mobile off and take a walk in nature or get lost in your own creative juices - leaving all technology behind!

Often in our busy, modern world it is easy to forget to incorporate the creative juice into our lives as we are tuned 24/7 into our emails and Facebook, crippling our free time which we need to explore our imagination and let our spirits fly. We've forgotten what it is to ponder and daydream, imagine and create new possibilities but we need to remember that without creativity, there is no life. Fertility is the ultimate act of creativity and whether we are using it for this or not, it is still vital that we express our creative energy in other ways. There are many ways to express creativity such as art, singing, dancing, cooking, writing, woodwork, gardening, photography, graphic art, poetry, sex and sensuality. The other benefit is that it allows you to let go of all your worries and be present with what you love. You can't think about the past or the future while you are in the midst of your creative act.

For women, our creative expression is reflected in our hormones as the function of our hormones is to create life. According to Christiane Northrup reknowned gynaecologist in USA who wrote the book, Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom, hormonal imbalances are often reflected in whether a woman is honouring her own emotional needs and creative expression. So if your creative energy is stifled or you are having period problems, then there may be an area of your life which also feels blocked. Look at where you're not expressing and using your creative energy and power in your life.

Ask yourself the following questions:
- How am I expressing my creativity in my life? What does creativity mean to me?
- What brings me alive? What am I passionate about?
- As a child, what did I love doing that I may have now forgotten?
- What are my emotional needs and do I express these?
- Do I believe that I have the power to change the conditions of my life?
- What am I most grateful for in my life right now?

Creativity is about putting the fun and play back into life. It doesn't have to take loads of time or money to have fun. So let your creative fire ignite by celebrating what you love in your life.

Happy Valentine's Day!