Winter Warming Care

Winter Warming Care For Both Inside And Out

Winter warming care is essential to help your skin glow and health flourish. The importance of taking care of your skin is essential by using topical products like those by Botáni, but have you considered how the foods you eat impacts your skin? Particularly in winter, when the skin is faced with harsh environmental changes, what you consume for breakfast, lunch and dinner is almost as important as it is to cleanse, treat and hydrate. Below are three delicious recipes were chosen by Barbara, Botáni's founder and leading Australian naturopath, to ensure that your mind, body and spirit are taken care of during the colder months.

Creamy Porridge With Quinoa Milk, Banana & Manuka Honey

Creamy Porridge

Ingredients

(Serves 2) 1 x cup rolled oats 2 x cups Quinoa milk (can substitute for Soy milk, Rice milk, Goats milk or regular milk) 2 x tbsp Manuka honey 1 x ripe banana, sliced Cinnamon to taste

Method

  1. In a saucepan, place the oats and the Quinoa milk.
  2. Bring to the boil and simmer for 2 mins, or until the oats are to a consistency of your liking.
  3. Stir in the Manuka honey before removing from the stove.
  4. Place the sliced banana on top to serve and sprinkle with cinnamon!

Rolled Oats

Oats are an excellent source of thiamine, iron, dietary fibre which reduces cholesterol levels and are a source of antioxidants believed to protect our circulatory system. Oats also contain beta-glucan which helps control blood sugar levels, keeping you fuller for longer and stimulating the immune system to fight off bacterial infections.

Quinoa Milk

Made from the Quinoa seed, Quinoa milk, which tastes a little like Weetbix, is high in protein, dietary fibre, phosphorus, magnesium, iron and calcium. It's gluten free and great for vegans or those intolerant to lactose.

Banana

Aside from tasting yummy, bananas are high in potassium, vitamin B6, manganese, soluble fibre and even contain a moderate amount of vitamin C!

Manuka Honey

Produced by bees who feed on the Manuka tree, this type of honey has antibacterial properties. When applied topically it is helpful for treating wounds and burns. Honey also contains several compounds that function as antioxidants including vitamin C.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon, derived from cinnamon bark, is used in traditional Japanese medicine and has an antiviral therapeutic effect on the body when consumed.

Hearty Chicken Soup With Vegetables & Pearl Barley

Hearty Chicken Soup

Ingredients

(Serves 4) 1 x cup celery (chopped) 1 x cup carrots (chopped) ¼ cup parsley (chopped) 2/3 cup Pearl barley 1 & ½ cups chopped Skinless chicken 5 x cups chicken stock 1 x tbsp garlic (minced) 1 x tbsp olive oil Pepper to taste

Method

  1. Add oil to a large non-stick saucepan over medium heat.
  2. Stir in onions, celery and garlic. Sauté until soft.
  3. Stir in carrots, chicken and broth and bring to boil.
  4. Add pearl barley, cover the saucepan and reduce heat to simmer.
  5. Cook for about an hour or until barley is just tender.
  6. Turn off the heat and stir in parsley. Add pepper to taste and salt to taste.

Pearl Barley

Barley contains eight essential amino acids, acids which are essential in winter. Eating whole-grain barley, which is low GI, can regulate blood sugar levels for up to 10 hours, helping you stay fuller for longer and warding off Winter hunger pangs!

Chicken

Chicken is a nutrient dense food containing protein, zinc, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, riboflavin and Vitamin E - essential for skin cell rejuvenation. When the skin is removed, chicken becomes low in fat, and a 100g serving provides more than 100% of the recommended daily intake of niacin (vitamin B) for women.

Garlic

Garlic has been found to have antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties making it an ideal winter addition to your meals. Studies also show blood cells process compounds from digested garlic and turns them into the cell messenger hydrogen sulphide (H2S) which relaxes blood vessels and increases blood flow. Therefore, eating garlic can reduce the risk of heart disease. However, your breath mightn't thank you!

Parsley

Parsley has become a popular herbal remedy for kidney stones that are prevalent in winter as it is high in vitamins A, B and C. Eating a sprig of parsley after your meal also helps keep your digestive system working well.

Seared Salmon Fillet With Cannellini Beans & Fennel

Seared Salmon Fillet

Ingredients

(Serves 2) 2 x 150g salmon fillet, skinned 400g Cannellini beans, cooked 1 x small fennel bulb (thinly sliced) 3 x tsp olive oil 1 x tbsp fennel fronds (chopped) 1 x tsp fennel seeds ¼ cup white wine 1 x tomato (diced) 3 x tsp olive oil 1 x tbsp Dijon mustard 1 x tsp ground pepper

Method

  1. Heat one tsp of olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat.
  2. Add sliced fennel, cook, until lightly browned (about 6 minutes).
  3. Stir in beans, tomato and wine. Cook until the tomato begins to break down.
  4. Transfer to a bowl; stir in chopped fennel fronds and Dijon mustard. Cover and keep warm.
  5. Rinse and dry the pan.
  6. Combine fennel seeds and pepper in a small bowl. Sprinkle evenly on both sides of salmon.
  7. Heat the remaining 2 tsp of oil in the pan over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add the salmon, skinned side up; cook until golden brown (3 to 6 mins.)
  8. Turn the salmon over, cover and remove from the heat. Allow the salmon to finish cooking off the heat until just cooked through for three to six minutes or more.
  9. Serve the salmon with the beautiful bean mixture.

Salmon

Salmon is fantastic for both the body and the skin. Low in sodium, it's also a good source of Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, magnesium and phosphorus. More importantly, it's a great source of protein, the high anti-oxidant selenium and omega fatty acids. Omega fatty acids reduce inflammation throughout your body, prevent blood from clotting, keep the skin hydrated, improve overall mental health and assist in strengthening brittle hair and nails.

White Beans

Beans (and legumes) are a perfect winter food being high in dietary fibre to keep you feeling fuller for longer, and they also contain high amounts of protein, folate, iron, magnesium and potassium!

Fennel

Very low in cholesterol, is unique in flavour and unique in its characteristics. It's a good source of niacin, iron, magnesium and extraordinarily, calcium for strong bones! It's also high in potassium, calcium and Vitamin C, the perfect winter vitamin.

Olive Oil

Where do we begin?! Olive oil contains a wide variety of valuable antioxidants that are not found in other oils. Hydroxytyrosol is just one of them and is attributed to protecting the body against certain malignant tumours in the breast, prostate and digestive tract. Long-term consumption of small quantities of this compound Oleocanthal from olive oil is also responsible in part for the low incidence of heart disease associated with a Mediterranean diet. During winter your skin will love our moisturising Botáni skincare range. Olive derivates help regenerate skin cells and keep you looking youthful!