1. TOM tampons.

I love the story behind these little wads of indispensability. Aimee Marks is 23. She’d had jack of tampons being ethically, environmentally and healthily low-grade. Tampons on the market today are either synthetic or cotton (cotton is one of the most heavily pesticide-sprayed crops on the planet). So she created her range of organic TOM tampons (Time of Month) . The pack is also smart…designed so that the little white pluggers don’t fall out in your bag. Did I mention she’s 23??? You can buy them at Pulse Pharmacies.

2. Love Conviction

PR chick Almira Pizovic has just launched online store Love Conviction featuring stuff for sale (accessories, homewares etc) inspired by  LOVE. The charity sale section of the site features stuff by Almira’s Aussie designer friends – Cassette Society, This is Genevieve and Santos wish- who’ve donated things they love, with proceeds going to charity Inspire, which targets youth dealing with depression (they run Reach Out and the organisation used to be run by my dear friend Kerry).  Nice conviction.

3. The Happy Tweeter

I met Mahei Foliaki and his partner Bridget Davis (the Internet Chef) on the weekend up at Qualia, Hamilton Island. Turns out Mahei is regarded as one of the happiest tweeters hanging on the wire. Huffington Post has written about him. And he has close to 40,000 followers. If you’re new to the sport, and want to see how Twitter is done well, he’s a good one to follow. He’s at Iconic88 (the 88 being an auspicious infinity symbol).

4. Some happy bloggers

Over the course of doing this blog, I encounter some great bloggers who share their thoughts on my site and put lovely links to my work. Like-minded. Doing sweet stuff. And with their own voice. This is crucial to blogging. If you worry about what others think, or if you wobble about trying to be all things to all people, or if you try to copy or mimic what others are doing, people can smell it in your writing.  Blogging is an opportunity to be truly you. It’s the only way to succeed. Celebs who blog don’t necessarily do well. Everyday folk with stuff to say, do.  If you’re new to blogging, these ones below – who have all supported me hugely over the past 7-8 months – are worth checking out…for inspiration.

Kooky and smart and loving: Gala Darling’s site is potently good, consistent and bold. Her weekly Carousel list is a gorgeous smorgasbord of great reads (countless blogs have copied her technique). She’s as kooky and whimsical as all get-up and has one of the most confident, defined voices. She looks forward, not back. She brings her own thing to the table. People can smell her authenticity. Ergo, her massive international following (several hundred thousand). She’s a kid doing her own thing. I met up with her in New York last month – she makes her living now from her Love & Sequins ebooks that she sells for $12. Smart. The real deal.

Pure and pretty, with conviction: Aran’s food blog Cannelle et Vanille is divine. She’s recently turned gluten-free and her recipes have reflected this. So pretty. So good. And intimate, too. The girl has a wonderful heart, too, and connects across Twitter from the US in the most generous of ways. We’ve become inter-webbed friends.

A girl with values: Erica at girl with a satchel also has a wonderful voice. She’s been going for years now – musing about media and magazines. Her voice has got stronger and stronger over the years. I know her from my mag days. She was always a gem.

She boldly meshes her musings with her Christian values. I like this. Good on her. Here’s a rundown of her “Core Values” from her “about me” section. Telling….

GWAS is not perfect, often giving into material temptations (oh, the pretty things) and partaking in the superficial pursuits espoused by the glossies (counting calories, celebrity gossip, coveting Chloé shoes…), but she’s confident that a life lived by glossy standards alone is a miserable one.

To that end, GWAS chooses to live by faith and God’s grace, seeking His approval and embracing the teachings of Jesus Christ, who valued peace, joy, humility, gentleness, sacrifice, kindness, submission, honesty and self control. It’s not easy being green, as Kermie would concede, but a girl (with a satchel) has gotta believe in something.

Small and new and pretty: Laura at life.beauty.laughter who writes lovely lists of things she likes and wants to do. She has a nice eye for pics, too. Like the one above. For a newby, she does a lovely, authentic job.

A full freezer is a green freezer

New York Times food columnist Mark Bittman is a mad freezer nut. He wrote recently in Oprah magazine that storing food in the freezer is actually economical because freezers work more efficiently when they’re full…something to do with solids stay cold longer than gases, so keep the whole lot at a more consistent temperature. Rad. Mark pretty much stores everything in his – flour, lemons, fruit, bacon. I’m not far off.

Some stuff is better frozen

Frozen tofu, for instance, stirfries better. Also, many starchy vegetables, like corn and peas, are better frozen than “fresh”. Starch breaks down as soon as the veggie is picked. Freezing stalls enzyme break-down. So those peas? They’re frozen not long after they’re picked and are in better nick than those that travel to the markets than to your local shop and then sit in your fridge for a few days…

But bear this in mind…

Watch out for freezer burn – make sure everything is covered, filling containers to the top. Sauces and pesto can be stored with a layer of oil on top. Cooked beans and rice  can be topped off with water.

10 Things to freeze now

1. Fruit: puree fruit that’s about to go off in little batches, then add them to smoothies or porridge. Freeze berries or stone-fruit halves spread out on trays, then put into containers, so they don’t freeze together in a block.

2. Stock: Me, I store my leftover stock (that I’ve made, or from one of those Tetra paks) in icecube trays and pop one out when I’m making a stirfry …for flavour and great de-glazing action. To save space, I sometimes reduce the stock and just add more liquid when I thaw it out.

3. Beans and grains: I cook my brown rice, quinoa, chickpeas, etc in large batches to about 90% done and freeze in batches, topping them up with a little bit of water or stock. Then they’re ready to go for dinner, or porridge. Chickpeas and other beans are great – you can crumble off a handful as you need them, like peas.

4. Stock-making material: Mark Bittman provides this tip.

Scraps of poultry (most of the chicken parts we don’t eat are good for stock), meat (again, especially the less-used, bonier parts) or fish (heads and skeletons in particular), vegetable trimmings, bones and more. Keep separate bags for each, adding to them when you can. Remember, though, that stock is not garbage soup: Carrot and potato peels, cabbage cores, and the like can be used, but in moderation. Animal organs are best avoided (fish gills and guts must be removed, and offal in general makes bitter stock).

5. Tomatoes: I cut fresh ones up into 1/8ths and freeze, breaking them off as I need them). When they thaw the skins slip off a treat. Nice.

6. Bacon: I’m addicted to the stuff. I slice off from the stack as I need it

7. Herbs: Again, Mark provides this tip – freeze in ice cube trays covered with water.

8. Vegetables: I buy organic veggies in bulk and blanche them to 90% done and freeze in portions, ready to throw in a salad or a strifry or with a rice portion and a tin of tuna for lunch. Kale, spinach and broccoli, I find, work really well.

9. Egg whites: I don’t really have a need for this, but Mark rates it: If you make a lot of custard, or other recipes that call for a lot of egg yolks, you will have extra whites. Freeze them in batches of two or three for making meringues, macaroons or angel food cake.

10. Nuts: nuts and seeds work sooooooo well frozen. It keeps them really fresh. I like to eat them frozen as a snack. A great way to make use of those huge bags of almonds they sell in the supermarket cheaply.

So, the 101 cookbooks recipe. I made it (and make variations of) using all stuff from my freezer. It uses quinoa and kale, two of my favourite ingredients right now. Sometimes, for lunch, I just grap a portion of quinoa or brown rice, a portion of kale and some frozen peas, toss in a few capers and at lunch I heat it all up together and toss over a tin of Greenseas tuna. Snappy!

Kale and Quinoa Recipe

a splash of extra-virgin olive oil
a pinch of fine grain sea salt
1 shallot, minced (this can be stored in ice cube trays)
3 cups cooked quinoa (see my post for instructions)
1 cup corn,
1 1/2 cups kale or spinach, finely chopped
2 cups extra-firm nigari tofu, browned in a skillet a bit
1/3 cup pesto
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted
1/4 cup roasted cherry tomatoes

In a big skillet or pot heat the olive oil and salt over medium-high heat. Stir in the shallot and cook for a minute or two. Stir in the quinoa and corn and cook until hot and sizzling. Stir in the kale and then the tofu, cooking until tofu is heated through. Remove the skillet from heat and stir in the pesto and pumpkin seeds. Mix well so the pesto is spread throughout. Turn everything out onto a platter and top with the cherry tomatoes.

Serves 4 – 6.

** To roast cherry tomatoes: Heat oven to 350F degrees. Cut each tomato in half and arrange in a large oven-proof baking dish. Mix together a big splash of olive oil, a spoonful of brown sugar, and a few pinches of salt – pour this over the tomatoes. Gently toss them a bit, making sure they all get coated, finishing with each tomato facing cut-side up. Place in the oven and bake for 45 mintutes or so, until the tomatoes are shrunken and sweet.

Meditation: finding the space between sensations

When the third person mentioned TM teacher Tim Brown to me, I signed up. I was down the beach at 5am, having not slept at all, distraught and lost. I was going through a grey time in my life. A random guy called Tom who I recognised from yoga came up to me, gave me a hug and said, “You’re in a tough place”. We met for tea that night and Tom talked up TM and Tim.

I find meditation is generally presented to people in this way. Perhaps this post will be what touches you, it will be your third strike?

TM very literally Changed. My. Life. Tim promised it would. I was skeptical. But six weeks after I started, I landed the MasterChef gig. I meditated in the car outside before going in for my audition. The casting team said my certainty and poise got me the job.

There you go.

The TM deal in a few dot-points:

* TM works like this: you sit in a chair (no need for crossed legs) with your eyes shut for 20 minutes, twice a day. You repeat a mantra in your head that your teacher gives you over and over. You repeat it gently – you don’t “shout it”.

* If your mind wanders, you gently steer it back to the mantra. Always back to the mantra. That’s all you have to do. The mantra is designed to do the rest. It “drags” your consciousness down, down, down. The teacher chooses a mantra with a vibration that suits you.

* I meditate after exercise in the morning (my body is more open, which helps go deep), often down at the beach in the morning sun. At night I do it before I go out/have dinner. It’s great to shower first because when you meditate you produce an oil on your face which is REALLY good for your skin and has been shown to make you look younger….

* TM has been scientifically proven to be up to five times deeper than sleep.  20 minutes of meditation is equivalent to 3 to 4 hours sleep.

* I don’t fret about where I do it. I do it on planes, in my office, in my car. In fact, the more “inappropriate” the place, the better. The slight discomfort makes me focus more. I’ve written about this before, the idea of finding happiness “in spite of” mess or pain or chaos.

* When I was hosting MasterChef I used to meditate in the toilet cubicle (the only place I could get some peace) while my curlers set. On Mondays at Sunrise, I meditate in the wardrobe. No one seems to have a problem with this…I don’t think (!?).

* Catalyst on ABC ran a feature on TM last week: Transcendental Meditation: Hocus-pocus or healthy practice? Worth a watch.

TM has attracted controversy over the years. I’ve read/heard it all. The main criticism seems to be that it’s expensive.

* TM costs about $1000 – for a course over 3-4 nights. Once you’ve been “initiated” you can then attend weekly group meditations for free. I reckon this is great value. For Tim, like all TM teachers, teaching meditation is his career. He has a family to feed. He’s not a monk sitting in a cave living off donations. Yep, you can learn meditation for free by volunteers. But – and this is an odd concept – I think the act of handing over $$$ for the service makes people like me respect the service more, and apply myself more fully to it. Hey, it’s the world we live in!

This is what meditation feels like (for me):

* You know that sucking feeling when you stick a Mac powercord in the socket? That’s how it feels when you slip into the meditative state – like it all fits snugly, nothing is missing, things are firm and certain.

* Sometimes I feel my body expanding, like I’m the Michelin man. This is, apparently, my consciousness expanding beyond the experience of my body. Other times my head spins around on it’s own. Some people collapse forward on to their laps.

* Mostly, meditating is a jittery, thought-filled experience. BUT, the important thing is that when I come out of it after 20 minutes I’m 2938473 times calmer. This is what counts. Not what you do in meditation, but what happens after. Everything feels sweeter.

The three things I dig the most about TM:

* The soukshma/sookshma principle: while repeating the mantra, practice soukshma, which- as Tim teaches – roughly means innocent, faint and effortless. That is, come to the mantra innocently, faintly and effortlessly. This, for me, is the beauty of TM…it instills soukshma into your very being. So that out of meditation, the innocence, gentleness and effortlessness continues. It imbues. Infuses.Soukshma, soukshma, soukshma…!

* Thoughts are good: It doesn’t matter if your mind starts chattering. Thoughts are little bubbles of tension that surface as we sink deeper. Thoughts release tension. They are good. They also remind us to return to the mantra. Thought pops up; cue “return gently to the mantra”.  This constant steering things gently back to the mantra is key. Because, when you return to real life out of meditation, it sets you up to gently steer things to calmness whenever your mind gets cluttery. It’s practice. It flexes a “steer to calm” muscle.

* It’s just stringent and organised enough: I’ve stuck with TM because I belong to a community that sticks to it. We meet every Monday night just to meditate and chat. I see TM’ers around town, meditating down at the beach and in parks. Feeling like I belong to a crew of meditators makes me do it twice a day. A bit like living in a society where brushing your teeth day and night is normal, expected. So you just do it.

* It makes me look younger. I know this is vain, which is not very balanced of me, but HTG (honest to God), part of the appeal of TM is it’s anti-aging properties. My skin has changed over the past two years. The muscles on my face have released, relaxed and opened up. HTG.

Tim Brown with a nice anecdote about meditation:

Meditation is not about withdrawing from life but learning how to access that space within oneself where we are able to enjoy the experience of life without being overwhelmed or consumed by it.

It’s a bit like when you go to the movies, get there late and get stuck in the front row. The screen is in your face and difficult to watch and the sound is way to loud. Far from having to leave the cinema all we need to do is get back a few rows.

Now we don’t want to go to the back of the cinema, that is no good as then the screen is too far away and the sound quality is poor – this is no more satisfying than being in the front row.

The ultimate place is in the middle of the cinema. That’s where the screen is at the right distance and the surround sound is the best. You can sit and be taken and engaged by the movie while still maintaining an awareness of yourself in the seat. This is what we call the “Goldilocks Phenomenon” – not to hot, not to cold, just right – or not to close to the experience to be consumed by it, not to far away so as to be disconnected from it, but just right in the sweet spot where the experience is engaging without being all consuming.

This is what we are looking to achieve through meditation. The rigors and dynamics of day to day living are drawing us further and further into the business of life which is causing us to become too enmeshed in it – as a result the experience becomes overwhelming and uncomfortable. This is the basis on which people find life stressful and all consuming, it is the basis for all suffering, discomfort and dis-ease.

This is exactly what meditation, or the “art of transcending” is all about – “moving beyond” ones current experience and gaining a greater perspective on the whole of one’s experience – this is what I call “conscious altitude” and it makes all the difference to being able to see things in context and brings greater stillness, clarity, creativity, energy, intelligence to the mind and prints out in the body as greater physical wellbeing.It’s not rocket science, and it’s been know for thousands of years how to trigger this response in the mind and body and the importance of doing so. The pressures of modern day living is causing people to reinvestigate meditation as an option – much to the benefit to themselves, those around them, their society, their country and their world – thank goodness!

Tim is based in Paddington, Sydney. You can contact him here.

Tim also lists other TM teachers in Australia, America, UK and NZ.

David Lynch on TM:

Are you a meditator? Tried TM? What’s your favourite, or “sweetest” observation about being in a  meditative state?

* For starters, pronounce it right: KEEN-wah. You can get it everywhere now…health food shops, Coles etc.

* DUK? Quinoa has the highest nutritional profile and cooks the fastest of all grains. It is an extremely high-energy grain and comes from South America.  It contains all eight amino acids to make it a complete protein and has a protein content equal to milk, and is super high in B vitamins, iron, zinc, potassium, calcium & vitamin E. It’s gluten-free; easy to digest

* When quinoa is cooked, the outer germ surrounding the seed breaks open to form a crunchy coil while the inner
grain becomes soft and translucent. So it has this double texture, which is fun.

To Cook the Stuff

* VERY IMPORTANT: before cooking, quinoa must be rinsed to remove the toxic (but naturally occurring) bitter coating, called
saponin. Saponin, when removed from quinoa, produces a soapy solution in water.

Basic Quinoa
Serves 4
* Rinse one cup of quinoa and add to 2 cups water in a saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil.
* Reduce heat to a simmer and continue to cook covered for 15 minutes or until all water has been
absorbed.
* Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes covered; fluff with a fork.

This is how I eat it:

* I cook a lot of quinoa at once and freeze it in batches, then have it as a porridge, adding cinnamon, banana and yoghurt.

* Or I eat it like couscous, or rice. Because it’s so high in protein, it serves as my grain and protein in a meal. I’ve even made a risotto with it.

* Sometimes I dry-roast the rinced grains for 5 minutes in saucepan before adding liquid. Gives things a toasty, nutty flavour.

A recipe from the gorgeous Aran

Aran is a food stylist who’s recently gone gluten-free.  I met Aran via my blog and we chat every now and then. Her blog Cannelle et Vanille is one of the prettiest things around. That’s puddings above.

Quinoa Pudding with Macerated Strawberries and Pistachios

I like mine a little bit more liquid. If you like a drier version, omit the heavy cream

makes about 4 8 oz servings

3 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream (optional)
1 vanilla bean
1/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1 cup quinoa

1 cup strawberries, diced
1 Tbs sugar

chopped pistachios

Place the quinoa in a strainer and rinse it with cold water for a few seconds.

Combine the milk, cream, sugar, salt and vanilla bean in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add the quinoa and stir. Reduce heat to medium low and cook for about 30 minutes stirring every few minutes. If skin starts to form on top of the milk, just stir it back in. The milk will reduce and thicken. Ladle into bowls or jars.

Place cut strawberries in a bowl and sprinkle them with sugar. Toss them and let them sit at room temperature for about an hour until juices start to come out.

Top the puddings with the strawberries and chopped pistachios.

As it happens, I cooked a meal last night using ALMOST all the ingredients above. In rough terms, this is it:

• 2 x medium beetroots
• brown lentils (I cook my own and freeze them in batches, but you can use a tin of the things if you like)
• handful of chopped parsley and/or mint
• cup or so of frozen baby peas, cooked
• spinach leaves or kale (chopped finely and blanched)
• 1 x preserved lemon, chopped up
• a handful of walnuts, chopped
• goats cheese feta

So, tie on a pretty apron. And take a deep breath. And remind yourself you don’t need to rush. Next whack the beetroots (unpeeled, no oil…Maggie Beer shared this on radio recently) onto a baking tray in the oven on 180 or so for about 15 minutes until they’re just cooked. When they’re done the skin will just peel off (personally, I don’t peel them… I like the skin). Then cut the little suckers into segments (1/8ths)
In a salad bowl place the lentils and vegetables. Put the beetroots on top. Mix.
Combine the preserved lemon and cheese (with a little olive oil) and crumble on top. Toast the walnuts lightly in a pan and sprinkle.

Serve alone or with fish or lamb or whatever. And feel the rooty, earthy, nourishing love…

***Updated Friday 5pm: News is emerging the election will be called tomorrow. The PM is saying she’ll ask the GG to delay issuing the writ until Wednesday, which means IF YOU’RE NOT ENROLLED TO VOTE YOU’LL HAVE ABOUT FIVE DAYS TO DO SO. Do it at my link here.

***Updated Friday 5pm: Latika Bourke has started this election Twitter list of political journos to follow. For more, see my list below.

I keep getting asked the best way to stay up to speed with the stuff we all need to know for the election. Honestly? Twitter. It’s taken a while, but Twitter has really settled into itself and we’re kind of getting the hang of how to best use it. It’s not really for inane “I just ate 3 Maltesers” updates. It’s a business tool. And a media tool.

Heading into the election, Twitter will play a major role. News will break on Twitter (as it did with the Abbott/Turnbull spill). Dynamic, important debate will happen on Twitter. Without spin (there’s not enough characters!). On Twitter the media/opinion leaders we all love actually share what they REALLY think, rather than the publisher line.

Before I break into a list, a community announcement: The election COULD BE CALLED THIS WEEKEND, which means you need to be enrolled to vote NOW. Not on Monday. TODAY. Got it? Once the election is called, there’s about 1-5 days (depending on how fast they move things) to do so. If you’re a first-timer, or you’ve moved, or you have kids who might not be correctly enrolled, check out my election cheat sheet. Pass her around…

Enough of that. My list. Please add any dinkum twits you’re loving and I’ll post it!

Very Good Twits (who provide useful commentary and useful links)

* Annabel Crabb: my favourite columnist. Hands down. Find her at ABC’s The Drum.

* Leigh Sales: also at ABC’s Drum, and host of Lateline.

* Latika Bourke: based in Canberra and great for the scoops.

* Dave Penberthy: editor of The Punch (and closet feminist, truth be known).

* Mark Colvin: really knows how to use Twitter well…shares great reads.

* Samantha Maiden

* Laurie Oakes and David Speers

*** an observation: many of the most influential voices are young women. Just saying….

*** If you’re not already, do yourself a massive favour and tune into Q&A on ABC, Monday nights. It works really well with Twitter – viewers can tweet their thoughts in real time as the political leaders and commentators rant and debate on the panel. Their opinions run along a ticker at the bottom of the screen. The show has recently hit its stride – fun, robust, loose, candid. Exactly how this kind of debate should be.

*** Also check out The Chaser’s Yes We Canberra, Wednesday nights at 9.45 on ABC.

Any others I should add to the list? Who are you loving for robust political thinking? I’m sure I’ve missed a few…

Never heard of it? It’s a sugar substitute made from a Mexican succulent. Tequila is made from the same plant. The “nectar” tastes a little like honey, but is clear in colour, and is 1.5 times sweeter than sugar. Thing is, it’s popping up everywhere as a “healthy” and “natural” alternative to sugar. And, I have to say, I was sucked in by the sell. Until…

I got naturapath Angela Hywood to explain, eloquently, as always, the real deal:

My view overall: it’s a shame Agave has snuck into the “health natural sweetener” category when its of absolutely no nutritional value at all and as highly caloric as corn syrup.

[From me, Sarah: Actually, Dr Mercola at Huffington Post argues agave is worse than corn syrup, containing up to 97% fructose. Why's this bad? Your body metabolizes fructose in a much different way than glucose. Unlike glucose, fructose is broken down in your liver just like alcohol and produces many of the side effects of chronic alcohol use, right down to the "beer belly. Most cells in your body can directly use glucose as a fuel source, so it's normally "burned up" immediately after consumption.]

The Pesticides. There are also concerns that some distributors are cutting agave syrup with corn syrup – how often and to what extent is anyone’s guess. In addition, the FDA has refused shipments of agave syrup due to excessive pesticide residues.

The Saponins. Agave is known to contain large amounts of saponins. Saponins are toxic steroid derivatives, capable of disrupting red blood cells and producing diarrhea and vomiting. There is also a possible link between saponins and miscarriage by stimulating blood flow to the uterus, so if you’re pregnant, you should definitely avoid agave products.

It’s Nutrient Void. Agave syrup is not a whole food. Nearly every brand is fractionated and processed, devoid of the nutrients contained in the original, whole plant.

Dr Mercola posts this helpful guide to which sweetners are best to use:

Avoid ALL artificial sweeteners.

Avoid agave and high fructose corn syrup

Limit sugar of all types as much as possible. You can buy pure glucose (dextrose) as a sweetener, which has none of the adverse effects of fructose if used moderately. It is only 70 percent as sweet as sucrose, so you’ll end up using a bit more of it for the same amount of sweetness.

Use raw, organic honey in moderation or avoid it completely as it is 70 percent fructose which is higher than HFCS. However the fructose is not in its free from so that moderates the damage. But each teaspoon of honey has nearly four grams of fructose so you will want to carefully add the total grams of fructose (including fruits) and keep them under 15 grams per day.

Use regular stevia in moderation, but avoid stevia-based sweeteners like Truvia and PureVia because they have undergone more processing.

To his list, I would suggest using maple syrup (the pure stuff). Dates (added to a smoothie or melted in hot water) are also good.

* An update:

Luke The Reader just emailed this, too: http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA400722/Is-Agave-Syrup-Dangerous.html

On the flipside xx sent this link (from an agave producer): http://www.livingtreecommunity.com/store2/articles/truth-agave.pdf

Someone else with this avatar:idontreallywanttobecontactablebutilikeyourblogcoolchick@me.com  sent this http://betterworldcookies.blogspot.com/2010/06/why-i-use-agave-nectar-examination-of.html

But how to clear the clutter? This little gizmo – ManageFlitter – does it sniper-like.

It works by sorting your Twitter followers list into:

• Talkative or Quite – They tweet too much or too little.
• One Sided – They don’t follow you back.
• Possible Spam – They have no picture on their Twitter profile

You can then hit the unfollow button if you feel it suitable.

And, nope, don’t feel guilty.

We kinda have to realise that it’s not about the person, it’s about what information they’re sharing. I use Twitter to get my news updates – I mostly follow journalists and news services. I also follow a few bloggers who share fab links. I don’t use it to keep up with mates or personalities. I don’t follow Lady Gaga. I don’t follow Ashton Kutcher.

I mostly delete people when their messages get “unhealthy”. I deleted Deepak Chopra a while back because his tweets were almost manic…they got me agitated!!! I’ve deleted a few comedians when their tone has got snarky and cynical. The effect of being bombarded with bitchy asides is powerful. You start thinking in the same tone and seeing the world as something to be poked.

What about when YOU get unfollowed?

Just. Don’t Care. Practice it as an art form. Twitter is meant to be about sharing information. I CHOOSE to not see it as a popularity contest. Keep sharing good stuff and the right people will want to listen. This is the point of it.

Digital  Inspiration has this list of gizmos that help you see when others stop following you. I advise NOT using these. A fetid breeding ground for paranoia!!!

I also recommend veering clear of this:  tweet beep sends you an email when you’re mentioned on Twitter. Stokes the ego in a really annoying, addictive way. DON’T NEED IT. SLIPPERY SLOPE!

How do you manage your Twitter? Do you have any formulae you recommend?

And I quite love the place for all it’s scrappy, scruffy, affected, slightly confused antics. If you’re in the area, or visiting some time soon, here a little guide to places I think sum up the place and also give the little basin it’s quirky community vibe.

* Please add your ideas and suggestions to the comments and I’ll add to this list for everyone to read!!

1. Soup at M Deli, Fletcher St Tamarama. Great locals hangout. Their soups are the best. Cauliflower with sage. Spinach and chickpea. They also have Organic Republic’s gluten-free bread there.

2. Gluten free bread at Organic Republic Bakery, Glenayr St. The best gluten-free bread I’ve ever had. The owner spent 7 years experimenting with the recipe. It shows. The spelt scones are ace, too. Jed’s across the road is an institution. But you’ll go there and find yourself saying something like, “OMG, that place is soooo Sydney” because the service is so abrupt. Just saying…

3. Happiness at Aquabumps gallery, Curlewis St. Eugene who runs the gallery and blog has become a mate. I see him down the beach most mornings. He takes pictures of people in the morning at the beach and posts them on his site. You can buy the images, like the one above, at his gallery. Happiness.

4. Sugar-free chocolate at The Suveran, Oxford St Bondi Junction Pete runs this place. Pete is rather intense. All the food here is gluten, sugar, dairy, soy, wheat, etc etc free. YOU MUST EAT ONE OF HIS CHOCOLATES. They are rather unromantically referred to as Fungal Fighting, Low Glycemic Chocolates…“Sugar free, Dairy free, Flour free, Gluten free, Wheat free, Yeast free, Grain free, Soy free, Egg free, Legume free, Tap Water, & Nightshade free”, sweetened only with coconut water and made with organic cacoa nibs, macca, licorice etc etc they are bursting with energetic love. Two doors down is the sister fruit and veg shop. Fantastic kale. And fresh coconuts.

5. Tea at Gertrude and Alice, Hall St. A gorgeous bookshop cafe and an institution for local writers, dreamers and lay-abouts. Their chai is great and is served in kooky antique cups and saucers. I spend hours reading on the couch. Their licorice and dandelion tea is also sweet.

Other notable mentions:

- Gluten-free pizza at The Corner House, Bondi Rd. Go the one with white anchovies.

- Glass of wine, chorizo and peas, a hipster vibe and gorgeous service at Flying Squirrel, Bondi Rd

- A perch on a stool at sunset at The Shop…with wine and a cheese plate (they have the best wine glasses here), Curlewis St.

- A massage from Victor at the place on Campbell Pde with the sign “Pain? Fatigue? We fix”. Bad smurf towels on the table, terrible Chinese pop music in the background. But firm. Very firm.

- Breakfast at Trio on Campbell Pde THE BEST SERVICE IN BONDI and great gluten-free bread.

- A coffee and a sit in the sun with locals at Gusto, Hall St

- The newspapers, a buckwheat muffin and dandy tea at The Organic Shop on Gould St

- Yoga classes at Dharma Shala, North Bondi

- Chats with friends and a Morrocan mint tea in the courtyard at Greens cafe, Glenayr St

- A sand run at sunrise on the beach, and a meditation at the south end of the beach (in the sun).

- And, finally, a swim in the pool and a sit in the sauna at Icebergs ($5). The best view ever. The happiest place ever. The most colourful characters with dumb-ass stories sitting next to you in the steam ever. Followed by a green tea at the Crabbe Hole pool cafe.

Please feel free to add your own suggestions below if you live in the ‘hood!

On Saturday I had breakfast at Sopra (if you’ve never been, you must….the one at Danks St Waterloo is the most divine space in Sydney, I think). I skipped the breakfast bit and had the shaved brussel sprouts with kale and poached egg. That’s how much I love the stuff. (Pics below courtesy of spoon fork and chopsticks)

Kale’s in season now (in Australia).

Buy it organic if possible. I buy it for $2.50 from Suveran in Bondi Junction…theirs is the best I’ve come across. But it’s suddenly very fashionable and you can buy it in Woolies and Coles. As with most fashionable things. The stem is inedible, cut or pull the leaves off before cooking.

When I’ve been a bit crappy with my eating, I eat kale.

I juice it with grapefruit, ginger and beetroot. Or I eat My Stupidly Simple and Healthy Fridge Surprise Soup (see below). I make the soup in batches and freeze it, pulling it out for lunch or dinner when I need insta-health-boost.

My Stupidly Simple and Healthy Fridge Surprise Soup

• Whatever veggies you’ve got lurking in the fridge – pumpkin, swede, turnip, celery (including the leaves), parsley, broccoli are best – chopped roughly. About 4-5 cups should do the trick. The more, the better. Also, onion and garlic. I also like to throw in some fresh tumeric (a VERY effective anti-inflammatory).
• a bunch of kale, give or take.
• some red lentils (washed, unsoaked)…if you feel you need the protein
• 500ml of stock (whatever flavour). I keep those litre packs in my cupboard. Any I don’t use I pour into ice trays and use in stirfries later.

Bring stock and some water (about 500ml) to boil, chuck in veggies  (the harder ones, and the kale, first) and lentils. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Blend with a stab-mixer. Serve with either a blog of sheep’s milk yoghurt or a swirl of hemp seed oil, or both. And a squeak of Himalayan rock salt. Freeze the rest in individual portions. Done.

These next two recipes, courtesy of the Health Emporium in Bondi, are also great.

Kale and olive gluten-free pasta

• 250g kale, finely sliced
• 400g dried (gluten-free) pasta
• 3 tbsp butter or olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• ½ cup walnut pieces
• ½ cup pitted black olives
• 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
• freshly grated parmesan cheese

Cook the pasta until tender. In the meantime, blanch the kale for 5 minutes in boiling water, then drain. Heat the butter or olive oil in a large fry pan, add the garlic, walnuts or olives, & cook for 3 minutes. Add the kale, drained pasta, vinegar, salt & pepper, mix well. Cook for a further 3 minutes, sprinkle with parmesan & serve.

Braised Kale (a nice n simple Sunday night meal)

• ½ large bunch kale, finely sliced
• 3 rashers bacon (or proscuitto), sliced finely
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tsp red wine vinegar (or lemon juice)
• ¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
Put kale in a small amount of boiling water, cover & simmer very gently for 20-30 minutes, then drain. In the meantime, heat olive oil in a large fry pan, add bacon & cook until brown & crisp. Stir in garlic, fry gently for 2 minutes. Toss through kale, pine nuts, vinegar, salt, pepper & more olive oil if necessary, & cook for a few minutes.
Vegetarian version: leave out bacon or proscuitto & stir through finely grated parmesan.
Bruschetta: for kale bruschetta grill sourdough bread, brush with olive oil, rub with a garlic clove, & pile on braised kale.

This one is from 101 cookbooks:

Pan-fried Beans & Kale

• 1/2 bunch kale
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 – 3 big handfuls of cooked large white beans (cannellini are good)

• 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
• 1/3 cup walnuts, lightly toasted
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Finely chop the kale, wash it, and shake off as much water as you can. Set aside. Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in the widest skillet you own. Add the beans in a single layer. Stir to coat the beans, then let them sit long enough to brown on one side, about 3 or 4 minutes, before turning to brown the other side, also about 3 or 4 minutes. The beans should be golden and a bit crunchy on the outside.

Add the kale and salt to the pan and cook for less than a minute, just long enough for the kale to lose a bit of its structure. Stir in the walnuts and garlic, wait 10 seconds, then stir in the nutmeg. Wait ten seconds and stir in the lemon juice and zest. Remove from heat and serve dusted with Parmesan cheese.

Serves 2 – 4.

And, finally, these little snacktasticas. Everyone’s obsessed by kale chips. I get it.

Kale Chips

• 3 or 4 large kale leaves, with stem removed and cut into 5cm pieces
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• A few pinches of salt

Preheat oven to 180 c and line a baking sheet with baking paper. Whisk together vinegar, oil, and salt, and toss with kale leaves. Place on tray. Bake 10-15 minutes, flipping halfway through until crispy. Do not overcook.