7 Day Brain Fitness Challenge

Everyone knows about the benefits of working your muscles for health and strength, but the trend to flex your mental muscle is on the rise, with trend spotters predicting a ‘global brain health movement’ this decade, as people become more aware of the importance of taking care of their grey matter. Good health isn’t just about taking care of our bodies, it’s also about taking care of our minds.

Sunraysia has developed a 7-Day Brain Fitness Challenge to encourage Aussies to take seven days to stretching and strengthening our grey matter. Or 7-Day Brain Fitness Challenge comprises seven quick activities – such as doing a crossword puzzle or learning a phrase in a different language – designed to be easily incorporated into your busy day along with drinking Sunraysia Blueberry Juice.

Why Blueberries? Widely referred to as “brain berries”, this super fruit has been dubbed by nutritionists as an antioxidant powerhouse with studies showing blueberries can boost your memory, improve your eyesight, look after your heart, and protect your brain. Recent emerging research has even revealed that drinking blueberry juice every day can help improve memory function by 40 per cent in adults!

If you jump on over to the Sunraysia site and are one of the first 300 to sign up for the challenge, you will receive cash back on two 750mL bottles of Sunraysia Blueberry Juice.

We also have a copy of Dr Kawashima Train Your Brain book to give away to one lucky reader, just let us know in a comment bellow…What is the worst thing you have forgotten?
It’s that easy. Entries will close Friday 7th May.

Noice-ities- What’s your fav winter recipe?

So this weeks Noice-ities theme is What is your fav winter recipe?

Hmm, this is a tough one for me, as most of my cuisine comes from a packet *hehe*. I love looking at food blogs, tastespotting and Food gawker. I am often buying food mags, but generally its all just to look at the pretty pictures, because I never get around to making anything from them. I really need cooking lessons or something.

My pantry is a little over run with packet mixes. I sure its equal parts lack of cooking skillz and just lazy that has me hooked on the packet mix. So, if we can include favourite winter recipe bases, mine would be (not pictured here) Masterfoods Slow cooker Farmhouse chicken casserole. Gotta love the slow cooker, perfect for the lazy, less skilled cooks ;)

Packet mixes

Ok, so if I have to play properly with a for reals recipe that wasn’t from a packet, it would be this. Potato bake is manpets all time fav. I, on the other hand am not keen. So it takes some bribery for me to make it.

Saw this recipe on Huey one day and thought I’d give it a try. Apparently he stole it from Donna Hay. It is super yummy, everyone loves it (which is rare, there is always at least one person that doesn’t like something)

Potato and ham high pie

3 large potatoes, peeled
olive oil
2 large onions, sliced
cooking oil spray
shortcrust pastry sheets
250 gm sliced leg ham
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
5 large eggs
1 cup cream
sea salt & freshly ground pepper
¼ cup milk

Method:
Preheat oven to 180°C fan forced (200°C normal).

Cook the potatoes in boiling water until just tender. Then drain well and, when cool enough to handle, slice thickly.

Heat a little oil in a pan and gently sauté the onions until softish.

Lightly oil a springform cake tin, line with the pastry and arrange one-third of the potatoes on top.

Then layer with one-third of the onions, the ham, parsley, thyme and seasoning. Repeat the process a couple of times finishing with a layer of ham.

Whisk 4 eggs with the cream and then carefully pour over the ham (keeping the liquid in the pastry). Top with another sheet of shortcrust, tuck in the edges and crimp the sides a bit.

Beat the remaining egg with the milk. Cut a small hole in the centre of the pastry and brush all over with the egg wash. Then cook in the oven for about 1 hour until golden brown (covering with foil if browning too much).

I haven’t made it for awhile ( to be honest, I had forgot how till I hunted down the recipe for this post LOL)

So come join in over at That’s Noice, and let us know your fav winter recipe?

Happy Caturday!

Guess Im not doing the washing

Guess there will be no washing going on here today. Yes, my bath is actually the dirty clothes basket at the end of a busy week. If your bath was that colour, would would want to cover it too!

IMG_0142

Long weekends, perfect for napping.

Noice-ities- What's your fav winter recipe?

Happy Friday everyone, and doesn’t the public holiday Monday make it even noicer!

Time for Noice-ities….this week we are asking What is your favourite winter recipe?

Nothing better than warming comfort food on those chilly winter days. Although with the lovely warm weather in Sydney of late you wouldn’t think winter is on it’s way.

By the way, have you check out some of the great recipes we have on That’s Noice?

If you missed last week Noice-ities (i.e. niceties, but noice!) is a new weekly meme/blog carnival/attempt to get everyone out of the woodwork.

Basically, it’s a chance for our friends to share their noice finds – every Friday with a new theme. Something that you can all get involved in, even if you don’t have a blog of your own!

If you have a blog, you can write a post and share the link with us in the comments below. But even if you don’t have a blog, tell us about it in the comments below! As we go along, we’ll add you all to the bottom of this post as well.