Live Well with Leonie

01/09/2026

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30/08/2026

Mince for me is comfort food.

It’s what my Mum used to make whenever I was sick and it was all I ever really wanted to eat.

I would have first eaten it when we lived in the Philippines when I was a very young child. It wasn’t really all that long after the war and fresh meat was hard to get in Manila. Mum said the US military folks there could get good meat from their Px stores but other expats couldn’t. What she could affordably get was ground beef aka mince. She said she learned 101 ways with ground beef.

Her mince wasn’t anything special. I asked her how she made it so good and she said it was just a bit of onion, mince meat and a bit of Gravox. However, try as I may, I’ve never managed to reproduce hers. So I’ve consigned its memory to that lovely special place in my heart where all things childhood reside.

Fast forward many decades to when I got my first Thermomix and decided to make mince. Suffice to say it was pretty ghastly. I suspect I used the wrong cut of meat and it just kindof turned the meat into a pasty mess. Horrible.

So I’ve always been reluctant to try it again. Until a friend gave me a container of the Skinnymixers chunky bolognaise. OMG so damn good.

It’s now my go-to recipe for mince. I love that the mince is steam-cooked in the simmering basket while the tomato sauce base cooks underneath. The meat doesn’t break down and it tastes just delish.

Made a batch tonight. I had to tweak the recipe a little because the tomato passata I bought was too large a bottle and I didn’t want leftovers. So I substituted a tin of tomatoes which wasn’t quite the right amount so added in some tomato pesto I found in the pantry. Really amped up the flavour. I also added more onion and garlic just cos.

Served with some of the leftover rice from last night’s curry and a very good douse of the Parmesan I grated in my Thermie earlier this week.

Comfort food at its best! 😋

You can find the recipe here: https://cookidoo.com.au/recipes/recipe/en-AU/r768793

29/08/2026

I’ve been wanting to make a curry for a week or so but just haven’t. Yesterday I saw some half-prize organic chicken thighs and thought “right, let’s make curry!”.

But which curry to make? Now I’ve also had a cauliflower waiting to be turned into something delish. So went browsing on Cookidoo and blow me down, what do I see? Chicken and cauliflower curry!

It’s from our revamped A Taste of South Africa collection and it’s delicious! Made the curry first and kept it warm in my Thermoserver while I made the rice.

The curry would be just as good with naan.

Here’s the recipe: https://cookidoo.com.au/recipes/recipe/en-AU/r733226

29/08/2026

Look what I found!!! 🥰

24/08/2026

What’s healthier? Ice cream or frozen yoghurt.

It depends on what you’re measuring. If it’s fat, then frozen yoghurt is slightly better. If it’s sugar, then ice cream probably wins out.

Now let’s look at that fat issue. So many people are still living in the 80’s thinking fat is bad. That campaign championed by a few doctors and influenced by the sugar industry was so successful. It led to the absolute plethora of reduced fat, fat-free products that still line our supermarket shelves today.

The thing is that firstly, fat - particularly animal fat, ISN’T bad. At all. What’s bad is fake fats, trans fats, vegetable and grain fats. So most of those low-fat products aren’t even made with good-for-us animal fats but inflammatory bad fats.

Add to this that fat is flavour. It’s what brings the creaminess to proper real ice cream. It’s what brings that delicious taste to meals. Take away the fat and you lose flavour. How to increase flavour? Add sugar!

Don’t believe me? Next time you go to the supermarket, take a look at mayonnaise. Check the fat content and the sugar content of the low fat options to the real mayos (if you can even find them!). The sugar content will be so much higher.

Why does this matter? Fat was never the problem. Sugar is the problem. Take a look at photos taken in the 70’s - the vast majority of people are lean. Obesity and overweight affected so few people. The worst was often men with their “beer bellies”. What caused that? The effect of alcohol poisoning and sugar on their livers etc.

Sugar is what’s led to the overwhelming increase in obesity, weight problems, organ diseases such cardiovascular issues, liver and kidney issues, skin issues.. the list goes on.

There’s heaps of research on this so, if you don’t believe me, do your own research.

Now I do love ice cream but, being coeliac and also fussy on the amount of “stuff” in the various brands, there’s really not many I can actually eat. (Why is there wheat in ice cream????!!!!!) Yes, I know it’s to thicken it but, if it’s made correctly, you shouldn’t need that!

Ice cream should basically be just eggs and cream with maybe something to sweeten it a little - you can use fruit, vanilla, and sweeter flavourings but you do sometimes need something to give it the sweetness we are used to and, of course, fruit is sugar.

I’m going to be doing some experimenting to try to come up with a gluten-free, delicious real ice cream. I’d be happy to share the recipe with you when done if that’s something folks might be interested in. Let me know.

Which frozen treat really comes out on top? Image Source: Magnific

23/08/2026

23/08/2026

Great tip!

22/08/2026

Well, my friend Robyn guessed what I was making today: chicken stock paste!

So easy to make in your Thermomix - all natural, no additives, preservatives or WTF ingredients!

Not only that but I’ve saved so much money making my own. I did some costings and worked out making 600g of chicken stock paste cost me around $25.50 which might sound like a lot but remember it’s concentrate so you only need a teaspoon or tablespoon in a recipe.

Compare that to the cost for commercial stocks:
🫙 Campbells Real Stock (liquid) 1L costs $4.50 - using 2 tbsp of your chicken stock paste to make 1L of liquid stock would cost just $1.70.
🫙Maggie B**r Natural Free Range 500ml costs $5.90 - making 500ml of your chicken stock paste into 500mls of liquid chicken stock would cost just 85c.
🫙Woolworths Macro Chicken Bone Broth 500ml costs $5.00 - making 500ml with your chicken stock paste would cost just 85c.
🫙Nutra Naturals Chicken Bone Broth (a concentrate) 190g costs $33.95 - using 40g (2 tablespoons) would cost $13.58!!! Compare that your chicken stock paste that would cost only $1.70.

The cheapest comparison I found was Woolworths Chicken Liquid Stock 1L which costs $2 so it would be cheaper than making 1L of your own liquid chicken stock but oh! the ingredients!!! - Reconstituted Chicken Stock (95%) (Water, Chicken Bones, Onion, Carrot, Celery, Bay Leaf), Chicken Pre-Mix (Natural Roast Chicken Flavour, Maltodextrin, Salt, Sugar, Vegetable Powders (Onion, Garlic, Sweet Corn), Wheat Fibre, Black Pepper, Vegetable Extract (Chinese Cabbage), Yeast Extract, Natural Flavour).

First off it has two forms of sugar: sugar and maltodextrin (the latter is particularly inflammatory). It also has wheat fibre which means it’s not gluten-free so out for me but seriously? why is wheat fibre in a liquid stock. And ya gotta love the “natural roast chicken flavour” and the “natural flavour” at the end. What on earth!!!

Like to see how easy it is to make?

Check out my video!

Making your own chicken stock paste is so easy in your Thermomix. I...

22/08/2026

From the highlands of Kenya and Madagascar to every aromatic drop of Geranium, 🌿🌸 ​

Behind dōTERRA® Geranium is a sourcing journey shaped by careful timing, skilled hands, and meaningful partnerships. ​

Geranium is harvested just before the plant begins to flower, when its essential oil yield is at its peak. The freshly harvested leaves, stalks, and flowers are then steam distilled within hours—preserving the beautiful botanical character of this treasured plant. ​

Through partnerships with smallholder farmers and local cooperatives, Geranium sourcing helps support stable livelihoods, farmer training, and community initiatives in the regions where it is grown. ​

Every bottle carries more than its fresh, floral aroma—it carries a story of people, place, and purposeful sourcing. ​

This is the journey behind dōTERRA® Geranium. 💗