Last year I had an amazing three-night stay at Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat while I was six months pregnant. Their programs give people the much needed opportunity to relax, detox and improve wellbeing. Healthy eating, exercise and mindfulness is supported and encouraged, while things that contribute to unhealthy habits and poor lifestyle such as alcohol, caffeine (chin up!) and even deodorant are restricted.
Their food philosophy is based around the belief that for proper nourishment the food you consume must have low human intervention, that is, having undergone no or minimal changes from its place in nature.
All meals there were outstanding. I would go back just for the food. Everything was organic, gluten-free and locally sourced, and much of the produce was actually harvested from their own gardens!
Every morning I would wake up super early and do tai chi on a big mountain overlooking the coastline while the sun rose with about twenty stressed out lawyers all desperately seeking some sort of sanctuary (no joke). I would then start the day with a shot of apple-cider vinegar to get the stomach juices flowing, then gobble down a delicious breakfast of paleo muesli followed by a hot egg-based dish while listening to everyone try to outdo each other with stories of how crazy-busy they were.
Being gluten-intolerant I don’t often eat muesli, but this one was grain-free and therefore gluten-free so I heartily tucked into a bowl each morning knowing that my belly would be a happy camper afterwards.
It was made with crispy, golden flakes of coconut, crunchy pieces of nuts, speckles of dried fruit and a hint of spice. DEVINE!
As soon as I got home I bought all the ingredients to recreate it myself, but added a few little extras to make it even yummier. I used all organic ingredients but this can be up to you.
Ingredients:
3 cups of coconut flakes/chips
1 1/2 cups of raw nuts (I used a mix of almonds, cashews brazil and macadamia nuts)
1/4 cup of raw pepitas/pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup of raw sunflower seeds
1/4 cup of dried cranberries or dried blueberries
1/4 cup of goji berries
2 tablespoons of linseeds
1 tablespoon of chia seeds
3 tablespoons of maple syrup
1 tablespoon of melted coconut oil
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
Method:
Combine everything except the chia seeds in a big bowl and mix well.
Spread mixture onto a large baking tray or roasting pan and bake in the oven at 130 degrees C for 20-25 minutes, tossing the mixture every five minutes, until the coconut is lightly browned. You’ll be able to smell the toasted coconut and nuts at this point (drool).
Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Once cool, add the chia seeds and mix well.
Serve with almond milk for a dairy-free option or natural Greek yoghurt. It’s so good I make a new batch every couple of weeks!
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