So last Tuesday was a lot of fun (and work) so I am just recovering enough to organise and get these recipes out to all of you!

Here are some links with the recipes before I modified them since I'm sure you'll get the idea and modify the recipes to suit your taste!

https://eatthegains.com/balsamic-roasted-mushrooms/

And the cookbook I got most of them from:

As well as Revive cookbook series I mentioned and we were giving out as prizes.

Thanks for joining us for the final session of Accelerate for the year. Keep in touch and follow us on facebook to hear about events and activities for 2019. https://www.facebook.com/BalanceWellnessCentre/

You can also follow and check our website: https://www.findbalance.org.nz

Or sign up for our mailing list on our website here: https://www.findbalance.org.nz/about_us

You can also email us here: balancecentreinvercargill@gmail.com or contact us on facebook messenger or text us for books and materials from our free lending library: 027 6034876

Keep in touch and have a healthy and awesome festive season,

Dr. Amy Mullen and the Balance Centre Team

Eating healthy in the holidays can be tricky. All those parties and festive family gatherings lead to a build up of weight that is hard to lose come the New Year! Avoid the post holiday slump by getting the tips and tricks you need to survive and thrive in the holidays. Low stress plates to take along to parties and family gatherings that won't add to your waistline or slow you down!

We'll have awesome draws and prizes, heaps of tasty free samples and recipes that will help you sail through the holiday without losing your body and mind!

Tuesday November 27 at 7pm at Stadium Southland Invercargill. FREE. No need to register.

Hope to see you there!

Dr. Amy Mullen and the Balance Centre Team

We've just confirmed our next speaker! Learn practical steps of how to set yourself up on a journey of success. October 30 at 7pm. Presented by Victor Kulakov, motivational speaker and a success coach. It's free so bring your friends. October 30, 7pm Stadium Southland. It's the second to last event for the year and we hope to see you there!

FREE. No need to register. Stadium Southland.

Coming up Tuesday night next week is another awesome and FREE talk by Steve Oliver, Authorised Financial Advisor. Steve will share with us in his practical and down to earth way, how to future proof yourself for retirement and more.

If you made it to his last one, this is an entirely new talk. If you missed the last one, this is definitely one not to miss!

Come along with your questions and notepaper and pen as this is guaranteed to be full of great tips to sort your finances and get your money questions answered!

*****September 25 at Stadium Southland at 7pm*****

$FREE$ NO Registration necessary. See you there!

If you or a loved one is struggling with anxiety or depression, there is help!

The Depression and Anxiety Recovery Programme is returning to Invercargill this year. It only comes along every year or two, so don't miss out!

Attend a FREE information session about the Nedley Depression and Anxiety Recovery Programme. This program focuses on the underlying and contributing cause of depression and anxiety - it has helped over 6,000 documented participants from numerous countries achieve improved mental health.

Information sessions are free and require no registration. Just show up at one of the locations at the time and date listed to find out more! (All sessions are identical so no need to attend more than one)

Monday 3rd September 10am - Balance Wellness Centre - 1 Vogel Street, Waikiwi 7pm - ILT Stadium Southland (Legends Room)

Wednesday 5th September 7pm - Southland Adventist Christian School – 28 Bainfield Rd, Waikiwi

Why are we in New Zealand unhappier than so many other countries? We have so much, why is there still so much anxiety, depression and despair? Come find out why and what we can do about it.

Free Workshop:

28 August 7pm at Stadium Southland, Invercargill

"The Pursuit of Happiness" by Dr. Amy Mullen

FREE. No registration necessary.

Coming up on July 31st we're having an awesome FREE talk by Dr. Kimball Chen, a local Psychiatrist on "Optimise Your Sleep and Avoid Insomnia". It's going to be jam-packed with practical info to get your sleep and energy back on track! So bring your friends and come along. We'll have a quiz so you can check the quality of your sleep.

7pm at Stadium Southland: FREE! No need to register.

What a great time we had last Tuesday for all of you who were there to hear Karl Waretini and his Success Strategies!

Next month our talk is on June 26 at 7pm at ILT Stadium Southland by life coach, Carolyn Dean, on "Discover Your Strengths - 3 Ways to Work Out Your Natural Advantages in Life" Find out more about Carolyn here: http://www.carolyndeancoaching.com

Here are the promised recipes as well as links to stay updated and in touch about our future programmes and events.

Our website has our local programmes and events as well as info on how to get in touch or check out our free lending library or hear about upcoming programmes not scheduled yet like Depression Recovery, The Complete Health Improvement Programme and Welcome Baby which are events that we run based on need and interest: https://www.findbalance.org.nz/

If you subscribe to our blog, you'll be sure to get our blog posts and updates when they go up. We're doing most of our communication on Facebook here, so like and follow us to keep the updates and tips coming! https://www.facebook.com/BalanceWellnessCentre/

I didn't use a recipe for the spaghetti squash since it's so easy but here's one option and although I didn't use quinoa it's a great idea! https://www.simplyquinoa.com/5-ingredient-pesto-spaghetti-squash-boats/ The veggie pot pie was another one I made without a recipe but it's fairly simple as well. What you need is chopped veggies (I used carrot, pumpkin, corn, peas, cauliflower, broccoli, onions, mushrooms, etc). For the gravy: In a blender 1 can of chickpeas drained and add soy sauce, veggie stock or garlic salt seasoning to taste. Add enough water to get a gravy consistency and blend. Voila' gravy in 5 minutes that requires only a blender, no cooking, no pans, no stirring! There is no need to cook or heat the gravy as it's going on the vegetables and into the oven. However, here's a recipe if you need one, though a bit more complicated than my version...

Next stir gravy into the uncooked chopped veggies in a large bowl. Put everything into an oiled (I use olive oil spray from a spritzer) baking pan and cover with the whole grain crust below. Whole grain crust: 1 1/2 cups whole grain wheat flour (or gluten free options), 3/4 teaspoon sea salt, 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 3 tablespoons cold water. Whisk the flour and salt together in a medium bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk the oil with the water until light in color. Immediately and all at once, pour the mixture over the flour and stir with a fork until all of the flour is mixed with the liquids. Work gently with your hands until the dough holds together. (Add a bit more water, a teaspoon at a time, if needed to get a consistency you can roll out to go on top of the vegetable mix).

Bake for approximately 30-40 minutes depending on your oven (until veggies are soft and crust is light brown). The edamame you will find in the freezer section at countdown. Just follow the instructions on the packet. They're cooked and ready to eat once thawed so a quick and healthy snack!

Hope you can make it next month!

Enjoy!

Amy Mullen and The Balance Centre Team

Our next speaker is Karl Waretini. Karl founded Prosper Professional Coaching in Christchurch where he continues to extend his expertise and passion supporting business owners, enterprise leaders and their teams in being the best they can be. Karl works across a broad range of industries and professions, including Social Enterprise, Not for Profit organisations, and is an avid volunteer working locally and abroad. Karl will be presenting Mastering 6 Strategies for Success for us in Invercargill which will include success concepts, self-assessment tests and opportunity for personal reflection and strategising.

22 May 7-9pm. ILT Stadium Southland Legends Lounge.

FREE. No Reservations required.

Hope to see you there!

The Balance Centre Team

Here's more about Karl Waretini:

"With passion anything is possible! Something I have learnt is that to achieve what you want in life you really need passion. Whether it is in business, sport or anything else, it is the passion that pushes you through barriers and beyond."

Karl’s fifteen years in the Transport, Logistics and Supply Chain Industry saw him literally start from the ‘ground floor’ and progress through to Branch Manager and ultimately a senior South Island Business Development Role. Working for a company that was committed to bringing quality and leading edge technology to their industry has served Karl well.

By working ‘hands on’ in a variety of key roles for a true market leader Karl developed an excellent understanding of what was needed to overcome the challenges faced by rapidly expanding businesses. It was this first hand experience at the ‘coal face’ that helped Karl to understand how vital developing a passionate and committed team were to any business aspiring to success. He quickly realised that Leadership and developing a Champion Team were key in achieving success.

Born and bred in Christchurch Karl lives with his wife Hayley,daughters Ella and Beth, and son Lewis. Having a keen interest in sport, travel, family, friends, and personal development, Karl enjoys the challenge of balancing these for the ultimate fulfilment life has to offer.

Accelerate last week with Steve Oliver was awesome! We learned about the power of compounding interest and how you can make it work for you. The healthy treats and smoothies turned out great too. If you would like the recipes and didn’t make it let us know. Don’t forget next months Accelerate is Karl Waretini, professional coach and motivator on May 22 at the stadium 7pm!

The recipes from the food and drinks you tried are here:

5 Ingredient Bars (I increased the dates and cut down the honey/syrup)

Black Bean Brownies

Ice Blended Coffee

2 Tablespoons Instant coffee (I used Roma, a coffee substitute, but you could use regular decaf or caffeinated if you prefer)

2 Frozen bananas

4-5 dates (depending on sweetness you prefer)

1 teaspoon Vanilla (optional)

2 cups soy or almond milk to desired consistency

Extra ice as desired.

Blend all ingredients together until smooth.

Pina Colada

2 Frozen bananas

1 cup Frozen pineapple (canned pineapple can be substituted but won't be as tasty)

2 cups Coconut milk approximately to desired consistency

Extra ice as desired.

Blend all ingredients until semi-smooth.

Peanut Butter Banana smoothie

2 Tablespoons peanut butter (more if you like)

2 Frozen bananas

2 cups soy or other milk to desired consistency

Blend all ingredients until smooth.

Enjoy!

Have you ever had a chance to improve your financial health with a professional for free? These opportunities do not come along often! Come listen to Steve Oliver, Authorised Financial Advisor share in his real and humorous way, how you can improve your own financial success though proven methods that are simple and straight-forward. If you are not a money person, this is the talk for you! If you are well on your way, this is also the talk for you! Steve Oliver is practical and real in his approach to money. He shares in a humorous way about his own successes and failures that lead him to where he is now. Steve is a professional and a family-focused man, who also enjoys surfing and travelling in his free time. Come learn and discuss and ask your questions that have been stopping you from having financial freedom in your life!

We had a great time last Tuesday night! Here are the recipes from the food that night. I kind of wing it when i'm in the kitchen so I hope the recipes aren't too tricky to follow!

Quinoa/brown rice veggie salad

Start with the quinoa vegetable weight watchers frozen dinner (or skip and just use cooked quinoa about 1 cup, add microwave plain brown rice, then whatever fresh or cooked veggies you have on hand (I used broccoli, capsicum, artichokes), then toss in plenty of sunflower, pumpkin and sesame seeds, etc and stir in lemon juice, garlic herb salt and any other herbs and spices to taste.

Cabbage salad with peanut sauce—Start with package of ready shredded cabbage/coleslaw (I used one with carrots, veggies and two types of cabbage but any one without the dressing works) be sure not to use and toss out any dressing that comes with it (it's fatty and oily and comes with preservatives). Then cube and add satay tofu (look in the chilled section by the plain tofu), saving the marinade to stir with peanut sauce (recipe below), mix in tofu, then toss with rest of salad. Finally add plenty of sunflower, pumpkin and sesame seeds, and slivered almonds. Finish with an extra drizzle of lemon juice and garlic herb salt if needed.

Grilled veggies on a bed of kale salad—grill veggies in large cubes ( I used carrots, capsicum, pumpkin, red onion, parsnip and whole garlic), put in a baking dish and spray with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic herb salt. Then take a bag or two of baby kale, massage in half an avocado and lemon juice and garlic/herb salt. When veggies are ready place them warm on the bed of kale and sprinkle with pinenuts.

Peanut sauce (great for stirfry, salids or dipping veggies—stir 2 Tablespoons water (very hot but not boiling) with 2 Tablespoons creamy peanut butter (with no added oil or sugar) until creamy and light, 1 Tablespoon or more soy sauce or tamari, 1 T lemon juice, 1 T sweet chili sauce (optional), chili flakes to taste (optional). Experiment for desired sweet/salty/spicy balance.

Black bean salad--2 cans of black beans washed and drained, 1-2 limes, squeezed (depending on juiciness), 1 large garlic clove minced, 1 large tomato chopped ( or 1 handful of cherry tomatoes quartered), 1/2 - 1 ripe avocado diced, 1-2 pinches of salt to taste, 1/2 handful of coriander chopped. Optional: 1 raw ear of corn with kernels cut off. Toss everything together.

Like to eat? Don't we all! Want to eat delicious food and not gain weight? It's possible... seriously! Don't miss our next event!

20 March 7-9pm

Stadium Southland, Invercargill

FREE and NO Registration needed

"Healthy Eating: So easy you won't believe it!"

Come along and bring your friends. Taste delicious foods you and your friends would never know are good for you! Participate, share recipes and learn from each other!

by Dr. Amy Mullen, GP and the Balance Team

Hear from Dr. Tom Mullen, MD, MPH specialising in preventative medicine and Dr. Amy Mullen, GP, health coach, motivator. This father/daughter team will guide you on how to find your health numbers and focus on goals that make success easy and fun!

Welcome to 2018 everyone! The year is already flying by! At the same time it seems like forever since we caught up and had our healthy holiday food event last November! That event was so popular that we're planning to do more healthy food events this year. We're working on getting some experts from overseas to put on some workshops in various areas of health. More on that later. We also have some brand new topics from some of our favourite speakers for our evening events this year that are going to be exciting.

We're can't wait to see all of you again and keep up the great inspiration and learning together! Events are lining up and the first three dates to put on your calendar now are:

27 February 7pm

"Find your Health Numbers"

Dr. Tom Mullen, Former lifestyle centre director and Dr. Amy Mullen, GP, Health coach and motivator

Are you balanced in all areas of your health? Find out how you're doing and how to move forward with your goals in a way that is simple and successful! This father/daughter team will show you that healthy living doesn't have to be complicated, boring or hard. Fun, practical and possible! Make 2018 a year of success!

20 March 7pm

"Healthy Eating: So easy you won't believe it!"

Did you enjoy our "Healthy Holiday Foods" event? Come along and bring your friends, this one is for sharing. You will be amazed to taste delicious foods that don't taste healthy at all! Participate and learn from each other. Healthy eating made tasty, fun and simple.

Dr. Amy Mullen, GP, Health coach and Motivator

10 April 7pm

"Financial Success"

Steve Oliver, AFA (Authorised Financial Advisor)

Financial success orverview. If you missed it last year or just need a review come along and learn about the time value of money and the basics of a financial plan. Steve has a practical and light-hearted approach to money that is for everyone. Don't get investing and budgets? Hate planning or managing money? This talk makes it all clear how simple it is to succeed financially whether you're on a budget or bringing in the big bucks!

All events are FREE and no registration needed!

We'll be at the ILT Stadium Southland, Invercargill, NZ from 7pm-9pm as before.

Further events will be announced as speakers are confirmed.

Hope to see all of you soon!

Dr. Amy Mullen and the Balance Wellness Centre Team

Hi All, In case you missed it, we had our last event of the year around healthy holiday food. So many people asked for recipes who couldn't come, I figured I'd also put them here in case anyone else missed out.

Here are the recipes and links I promised, as well as the link to our Balance Wellness Centre website so you can find us and follow us there for info on upcoming events (we'll start posting as soon as we get next year planned!)

And our Facebook page (which is where we've been communicating most lately). Like and follow us if you want to get updates!

Many of the links and digital recipes we have in book format in the Balance Centre Library for you to borrow. Please let us know if you see one you like online at our Balance Resource Library and we'll try to bring it along to our next session

Now for the recipes:

Vanilla cashew cream (to which you add pumpkin for the pumpkin pie filling in our pumpkin cheesecake parfait we had last night). In my version of the cashew cream I used about 6 dates instead of maple syrup

Pumpkin cheesecake parfait: I got the idea here which if you don't like pumpkin looks like a great option: https://www.blissfulbasil.com/peanut-butter-mousse-chocolate-crumble-parfait-vegan-gf/

I made the pumpkin cheesecake parfait twice with two different versions of cream cheese layer and both times turned out great (I thought!). One was with "Creamy Sheese" below and the other was with vanilla coconut yoghurt blended with dates and cashews (since the store I went to didn't have creamy sheese)

Start with pumpkin layer: 1 cup or so cooked pumpkin or kumara blended with approximately the same amount cashew cream (recipe above). Keep adding dates if needed until you get the sweetness you prefer. (Soak the dates before blending to get smoother results or some people keep date puree in the fridge to have it handy. Just dates and water blended to a paste and keeps in the fridge for a week or so)

Cream cheese layer: Vegan cream cheese "Creamy Sheese" I bought it at Windsor New World for a rare treat! Blended with a little left over vanilla cashew cream to get a smooth spreadable consistency

healthy biscuit crumble (bought or homemade cookies or could use muesli if you like)

repeat once or twice depending on how thick you like your layers (I think I did it twice) ending with cream "cheese" layer on top and swirl with pumpkin layer if you like

Chickpea peanut butter cookies (I used dates and bananas instead of brown sugar for sweetening): http://onehandedcooks.com.au/recipe/chickpea-cookies/

Melty cheese (good for nachos, on roasted or steamed veggies or with homemade pita chips):

Blend 1c raw cashews with 1 cup grilled capsicum (store bought in a jar), 3 tablespoons of food yeast and enough water to get the consistency you want, add 2-3 tsp lemon juice and garlic herb salt to taste.

Veggie wraps were made with cashew mayo. A mix of my two favourites since I never use a recipe you could use either or and experiment with your own add ins: https://ohmyveggies.com/how-to-make-cashew-mayo/ or https://healthyblenderrecipes.com/recipes/basic_raw_vegan_mayonnaise

Stuffed mushrooms were made by mixing the cashew mayo with bread crumbs and the chopped mushroom stems that were removed. The red filling was blended with beetroot and the green filling had cilantro and kale blended in. Fill mushrooms and bake 15 minutes or so at 180 in the oven. Or if you want a recipe, here's another couple versions that look good: https://www.hummusapien.com/vegan-stuffed-mushrooms/ OR

Caramelised pecans: just toss raw pecans in a dry frying pan on medium and pour 1-2 tablespoons maple syrup on top and stir in continuously until crystallised and dry and crispy. Don't let them burn!

There are loads of great bliss ball recipes online just find the one with ingredients you like! If you run out of time like I did, just go for the store bought ones, but be sure to read the ingredients and make sure there are no artificial ingredients or added sugar.

Cranberry sauce was just 1 cup fresh or frozen whole cranberries, dates 1/2c or more if you like sweeter, orange juice 1/2 cup and orange zest 1 tablespoon blended to your preferred consistency and you're done. I like to leave it a bit chunky. No cooking required! (Some people blend in an apple but I didn't this time). Can be frozen if you want to make a big batch and freeze in smaller portions for later.

Chickpea gravy: Blend until smooth, 1 can rinsed chickpeas, low sodium soy sauce to taste, water for consistency, fresh or sauteed mushroom and/or onion optional. Too easy!

Fingerling potatoes and whole garlic or any roast veggies I just spray lightly (I have a refillable bottle with olive oil) and roast until fork soft in the oven at 180. Toss with himalayan rock salt and herbs to taste.

The chocolate peppermint smoothie is here: https://www.veggiesdontbite.com/chocolate-covered-candy-cane-milkshake/

I didn't make it last night but I talked about my boys fav "Tastes like Ice Cream Kale Smoothie": https://healthyblenderrecipes.com/recipes/raw_vegan_creamy_pistachio_ice_cream_kale_shake

Enjoy! Hope you have an awesome Christmas and New Year and stay inspired and well!!!

See you next year!!!!

Amy Mullen and the Balance Team

P.S. If any of the links above aren't working, just copy and paste into google and they should appear.

Have you ever started a diet or New Year's resolution? How long did it last? Resolutions so often fail because they are based on quick fixes. If you really want success, have a plan. Try it any other way and you are likely to be faced with regrets come the new year. Having a plan doesn't have to be complicated though. Just having a few tips and tricks for staying healthy through Christmas and New Years get togethers makes it easy and fun to stay on track with your health goals. Join us and Dr. Amy Mullen for a festive evening of tasty treats, tips and prizes. Learn how to get healthy and stay healthy through the holidays! Join us:

22 November at 7pm at ILT Stadium Southland. Three lucky people will win one of three awesome cookbooks and there will be plenty of other prizes!

Tag your friends on our Facebook page to go in the draw to win an awesome cookbook! https://www.facebook.com/BalanceWellnessCentre/

And it's FREE! No registration needed. Just come along and bring your friends!

Our next talk is a super important one! Who doesn't want success in life?! But so often we focus only on one aspect of success and the other areas get ignored or left behind. Wouldn't you like to develop in all areas of your life? Relationships don't have to suffer for the sake of financial success. Mental health is just as important as physical health. Come join us next Wednesday night, 25th October at 7pm at Stadium Southland to learn practical ways to move ahead in all areas of your live and succeed. Let's grow on this journey together!

Also, we've got email up and running again, so hopefully you're getting updates and reminders now. If you're not getting them, let me know and I'll update your details or add you to the list.

Have you ever heard of FOMO? Last Wednesday night at the Invercargill Accelerate workshop by Steve Oliver we talked about finances and "Future Proofing". We learned that our perception that we might be missing out can mistakenly drive us to waste precious time and money on things that won't actually add meaning to our lives. Here's a video that describes two ways to approach life and how to recognise and avoid FOMO!!!