Archive for Paleo Recipe

Dandelion, Beet Greens, & Honey Comb; Plus, Is Your Butt Really Your Biggest Problem?

April 17, 2016 / / Comments Off on Dandelion, Beet Greens, & Honey Comb; Plus, Is Your Butt Really Your Biggest Problem?

pestoWoop Woop!  I’ve been MIA from my blog, but I’m back, and I have a new Mantra! Instead of just “Food is Medicine or Food is Poison”, I’ve expanded that to:  “Moving Is Medicine, and Not Moving is Poison”, and “Good Thoughts are Medicine, and Bad Thoughts are Poison”.

The science behind each of those phrases is rock solid.  Today, though, we’re just talking about food.

Look at my title, does it sound silly? It’s not. I’m amazed at how many people obsess over their weight/thighs/butt/stomach, when their health/ energy/ mood is dangerously poor; when they’re constantly sick, or sore; when they struggle to get out of bed in the morning.

Feeling good, feeling positive and stable and healthy, that’s the result of our daily lifestyle choices.  Aging… jobs… difficult people.. those are excuses.  Change your thoughts if you’ve been using them to justify your bad habits or poor health.

First thought to change: that food is about calories, and if I could just keep my calories low enough, I’d lose weight, feel great, and be happy.

Load. Of. Crap. Thinking.

Calories-Smalories.  Food is medicine, or food is poison, and American’s eat a lot of poison.  We feed it to our children thinking it can’t hurt them, but it does.

Following is a Recipe Index for Kitchen Sink Smoothies, which is pure Medicine Food.

Americans need more Medicine Food, and here’s why:

The American Institute for Cancer Research predicts a 55% rise in cancer by 2055. The CDC predicts that every single chronic disease will continue to increase through 2030 ( that’s as far out as they predict.).  Depression has been rising since the 1980s and will continue to rise.

It’s not for lack of medications, because we take more medications THAN ANY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD.

Hmmm.  If medications make you healthy – which is the total reason for their existence – than why would all of our markers for health be decreasing instead of increasing?

The problem is NONE of us are “low in medicine“;….  we’re low in nutrients – which literally make every single part of our body.  ( We also don’t move enough or control our thought life in the right direction. More later.)

Enter the “Kitchen Sink Smoothies”, so called because I throw in everything except the Kitchen Sink.  These are Real Whole Food Bonanzas!

Most people begin their Smoothie path with Starter Smoothies, and they’re great!  It’s like walking before you run.

Here’s an example of a Starter Smoothie Recipe:

Good Protein Powder (very few ingredients, NO artificial flavors or sweeteners, maybe even organic or grass fed whey – there’s plenty of good ones on the market.)

Berries & Banana

Spinach

Mix it all in a blender with a few ice cubes and go.  Easy Peasy.  Perfect for Busy Moms who also have to make breakfast for a pack of kids.

Unfortunately, it’s not going to keep you full very long, or at least this never kept me full very long.  There’s no fat, and it’s too easily digested.

Pros:  there’s some good nutrients, and it’s fast and easy

Cons:  there’s limited nutrients, especially because we all tend to get in to food ruts, and eat the same foods over and over.

Kitchen Sink Smoothies are a great way to broaden your range of nutrients, and (honestly) use Medicine Food to fight:  weight gain, Heart Disease, CANCER, depression, diabetes, auto-immune, bacterial/viral infections, aging skin, etc etc etc.

I’m going to give you a list of Greens, Fats, Herbs & Spices, and “Fun Add Ins”, and you should try to use at least one from each column to build your smoothie.

This list is by no means “complete”; these are a few options in a sea of more options.

Make accumulating these ingredients a gradual process; in other words, don’t buy all these this week.  Accumulate them over time, and get in the habit of rotating the ingredients.

Mantra:  My body needs a broad assortment of nutrients.

20160221_163012 (1)Greens (other than spinach):  Beet Greens;  Kale;  Chard;  Bok Choy;  Cabbage;  Dandelion Greens; Sprouts ( aka – sunflower sprouts, beet sprouts, kale sprouts, etc.)

20160221_164352TIP:  Wash (if they’re not already), baggie asap, and then freeze.  Greens become like glass in the freezer:  very easy to crush and dispense into your blender.  And this way they don’t decompose before you use them.

Fats: Coconut Oil; Flax Seed Oil ONLY IF YOU’RE NOT ESTROGEN DOMINANT; all Nuts, and all Seeds; Avocado Oil, Macadamia Nut Oil, Coconut Flakes, Avocado, Eggs/Raw ONLY IF YOU GET THEM FROM A FARMER/NOT A STORE, AND HAVE A GOOD IMMUNE SYSTEM, Real Cream; Real Yogurt; Real Keifer;  ( Check out Rich Food Poor Food by the Caltons if you have no idea what I mean by “real”).

TIP:  Don’t be afraid of using Fats.  Fats make us:  our hormones, our brain, our organs, our tissues, the membrane of every single cell in our body is made from fats.  Fats also assist many nutrients into the cells to be used.

Herbs & Spices:  Ginger ( real/powdered ); Cloves; Turmeric; Nutmeg; 0401162017Cinnamon; Salt; Parsley, Cilantro; Lemon Balm.

Tip:  Herbs & Spices are SERIOUS Medicine Food.  Check out www.greenmedinfo.com and and match your body/health/conditions with different herbs.  It’s a database of Pub Med Research articles.

More:  Cherries; Cranberries; Mixed Berries; Black Berries; Blueberries; Raspberries; Oranges; Carrots; Beets.

Tip: Don’t get stuck in a rut with your berries, their nutrient content is very different, and we need them all.

What else do I throw in?   Maca Root powder; Baking Soda, Greens Powders; L-Glutamine; Magnesium; Rose Hips; Collagen, and any leftover herbs from teas I made the day before.

You can really start your day off with a bang!  Here’s my last tip, and actually, I got this from my daughter Macy over Easter Break: add more water, and make enough to have a breakfast smoothie and a lunch smoothie.

Whew.  That was a lot. I hope you see how creative you can get with your smoothie.  A breakfast of bagels, cereal, or toast is fast, and easy, and….. Poison.

Take the steps, make the plan, do the shopping and the chopping and the prepping, to eat Medicine Food all day, every day.  What are some ingredients not on these lists that you use in your smoothies?

Category: Fats, No Recipe Paleo Meals, Paleo Recipe, RWF, Smoothie of Day / Tags: ,

Sluggish or Fatty Liver? Could Be Why You Can’t Lose Weight or Feel Energetic. Recipes For Detoxing and Renewing Your Liver.

June 28, 2015 / / Comments Off on Sluggish or Fatty Liver? Could Be Why You Can’t Lose Weight or Feel Energetic. Recipes For Detoxing and Renewing Your Liver.

20150627_172301If you struggle with weight loss, bad skin, lack of energy, pain, and everything from headaches to chronic disease, but can’t understand why, this Post is for you. Medications that you’re currently on, or have been on, could very well be the culprit.  Medications have consequences, always, despite being FDA approved and Doctor prescribed.    (Pictures of Healing Foods are sprinkled through-out. Recipes at the end. This pic to the left is Chipotle Sweet Potato-Zucchini pizza – DELICIOUS!!).

Did you know that the biggest portion of health care costs – 88% – are spent on Life Style Conditions.  That means that the majority of our symptoms are brought on from our foods, medications, actions, sleep, and thoughts.  All of which we have control over.

Food is Medicine or Food is Poison, that’s one of my favorite sayings.  Pharmaceutical drugs are Poison too, and I don’t say that enough.  Drugs are expensive (and getting more-so), loaded with side effects, and often prescribed unnecessarily or excessively.  ****

There’s a good chance that if you’re on any prescription or OTC drug, it could be interfering with your metabolism through either liver or gut disturbances, or nutrient depletion, or both.

Did you know that prescription drugs are the 4th leading cause of death in the US?  Unfortunately, before the death happens, there’s weeks, months, or years of adverse reactions chalked up to age, circumstance, or un-luckiness.

Everything we put in our mouth has profound effects on our health, our energy, our looks, and our weight.  Food affects our mood, our sleep, and our personality.  So do drugs.

Let’s focus on the Liver.

OUR LIVER BURNS MORE CALORIES THAN OUR MUSCLE TISSUE.  A LOT MORE.  Our liver performs hundreds of functions every day, and thru the night too. It’s important that we not over stress the liver with chemicals, toxins, alcohol, or sugar/flour. A toxic liver is a sluggish liver, and a sluggish liver is compromised in it’s ability to do all it’s jobs/do it’s jobs fully.

20150217_172852 (1)Fatty liver disease has become such a problem that it now affects 1 out of 3 people – 1 out of 3!!!

We need to keep our liver humming, so here’s some suggestions.

1) Access your meds, even innocent seeming meds like TYLENOL.  Tylenol, which we give to our children without a second thought, is the #1 cause of acute liver failure in the world!  Not alcohol, but TYLENOL.

Statins absolutely cause liver damage.  Anti-depressants, auto immune and cancer drugs, and pain killers/narcotics cause liver damage.

Alcohol causes fatty liver disease and sluggish liver function.

For a very large percentage of people on prescription drugs, a change in Life Style, could get you OFF your prescription drugs.  Get in touch with me.

2) Processed Sugars and Grains are tough on our liver.  Our liver is highly involved in blood sugar regulation.  Processed foods, like bread, pasta, cookies, cake, that kind of junk, send the blood sugar skyrocketing.  The liver has to go into overdrive dealing with all the extra glucose.

What does the liver do with the extra glucose?  IT CONVERTS IT TO FAT/TRIGLYCERIDES, and directs them to be stored in our fat cells. Look straight down and do a gut check to see if this is happening to you.

Another job hampered by a slow or fatty liver?  Estrogen detox, or removal.  Our liver is supposed to get rid of/eliminate, old, used estrogens.  Whether those estrogens came from our own glands, or foods like soy (huge ingredient in most processed foods) or chemicals ( personal care products, cleaning products, plastics, etc.), the liver is supposed to break them down from a fatty molecule to a water-based molecule, and then send them on their way out.  Toxic, slow livers don’t do this well, estrogens stay in the body – stored in fatty tissue, and we become “estrogen dominant”.

Men, this happens to you too.  No man should be estrogen dominant.  Look at your boobs and belly to see if you are.

3) Become a Liver-Loving-Fool!

I tell my clients what I tell myself:  think of ways to help and nurture your liver every. single. day.  Seriously.

Even if we try hard to eat clean, our world is full of toxins:  all municipal water is loaded with chemicals,  our air is polluted, there’s carcinogenic chemicals in dry cleaning solvents, make up, body care products, baby wipes, plastics, artificial sweeteners, pesticides and fungicides on fruits and vegetables, and I could go on and on.  The point is, our liver is responsible for dealing with and eliminating all this.  It needs our help.

4) Eat Liver-Loving-Foods every day:  beets, lemons, asparagus, olive oil, good whey protein, leafy and bitter greens, garlic, milk thistle, cilantro, parsley, cucumbers, ….  basically, Real Whole Foods. Vegetables, herbs and spices, healthy fats, and clean proteins, all contain thousands of nutrients that nourish, cleanse, rebuild, and help the liver do it’s many, many jobs.

Remember earlier when I said that our liver burns more calories in a day than our muscles?  If we’re debating about how to spend any extra time we have, shopping, chopping, and cooking is just as important, as exercising.  Don’t negate one for the other. Schedule in both.

5) Try these No Recipe Paleo Meals to load your body with nutrients that make your liver20150603_072541 function well and your metabolism hummm:)

Eggs and Leftovers

This is left-over vegetables ( zucs, yellow squash, onions, and purple cauliflower) mixed with kerry gold butter and 3 eggs.  EASY no brainer.

CHIPOTLE SWEET POTATO-ZUCCHINI PIZZA

(from the picture at the top)

1 lg sweet potato
1 large green zuc, ring out water by twisting in a towel
1 heaping tbsp chipotle powder
3 eggs, beaten
5 tbsp coconut flour
1 tsp salt
Mix all ingredients in a bowl, and pat onto a pizza pan.  Bake at 325 for 40 minutes.  Top with tomato sauce and cheese.

I’m making this again tonight and adding sausage, corn sliced off the cob, and cilantro, with shredded swiss.  THIS IS DELICIOUS!!

GREENS WITH HOMEMADE SAUSAGE, AND SAUTEED PLANTAINS

(from middle picture)

Ground sausage
Swiss Chard
1/2 an Onion and 3 Garlic cloves
coconut oil

Mix and saute in one pan, add the swiss chard last since it doesn’t need to cook as long.

Plantains:  slice, and saute in a pan with Kerrygold Butter, salt, and then put in a 250 oven for 20-30 minutes.

**** I’m not totally anti-drug; but I think it’s irrefutable that most drugs are prescribed or taken for conditions that could be fixed or managed with LIFE STYLE changes.  No one has high cholesterol from lack of a statin.  No one has a headache from a lack of Advil.  No one has high blood pressure from a lack of Lasix.  No one has diabetes from a lack of Metformin.  No one has depression from a lack of Prozac.  These are symptoms that happen from the actions we choose every day.

Category: Cooking, No Recipe Paleo Meals, Paleo Recipe, RWF, Weight Loss / Tags: , , , , , , ,

Cruises, Vacations, and Holiday’s Don’t Have To Mean Weight-Gain; and a Recipe

February 18, 2015 / / Comments Off on Cruises, Vacations, and Holiday’s Don’t Have To Mean Weight-Gain; and a Recipe

20150218_073710Mark and I just got back from our fourth Marriage Cruise. I call it “The Love Boat”, but it’s really the Family Life Love Like You Mean It Cruise, and it’s fantastic!  The lectures, meetings, and services are all focused on being a Godly, loving, couple, and we so believe in it we’re committed to going every year for the rest of our lives.  Plus, we love cruises:)

I get asked, “how do you eat well on a ship?”  Everyone know that cruise ships are Food Central,  food (seems) free, and it’s everywhere, 24-7.

Mark and I weighed ourselves the day we left, and we weighed ourselves the day we got back,…… we both weighed the same.  No weight gain and I didn’t expect any weight gain, so no surprise either.

I don’t gain weight over the holidays, on vacation, or – and this used to be a problem for me for years – over the weekend, ever.  I don’t diet, and I eat enormous amounts of fat, and big hearty dinners.

I’m not bragging, I’m not lucky, and I’m not special.  I just know that I’m not a Calories In – Calories Out body, I’m a Chemistry Set.  My body is full of cells and hormones and enzymes and I need to put food in that allows everything to run like God intended.

Here’s the secret when it comes to food:  3 meals a day of Real Whole Food: plenty of healthy fats, TONS of vegetables, clean and lean meats, a little fruit, a little nuts and seeds, and whole fat, raw dairy.  I never snack, neither does Mark.  We don’t need to because we’re not hungry between meals.  It’s actually really easy to eat healthy on a cruise ship; nothing’s organic or local, but there’s a great selection of meats and vegetables, and olive oil galore; our plates are stacked!

When we get to a holiday or a vacation, we STICK TO OUR PLAN, here’s why.

(1) We’re scared of gluten and chemicals. They cause cancer and chronic diseases.  (2) We shy away from causing ourselves Food Hangovers or Bloated Stomachs.  (3) We remember we love feeling awake, alert, energetic, and healthy.

In other words, we’ve trained our brains when it comes to food.  Most people don’t.  Most people – and we’ve been here – struggle with wanting grains, sugar, and chemicals.  These substances create the same addictions – in the brain – that drugs and alcohol do.  You might not think of yourself as a food addict, but if you eat foods that trigger addiction centers in the brain, you are.

You either need to wean off the bad foods, or go cold turkey, but if it’s just about weight loss, and if you don’t have a plan, it’ll never work.  That’s why almost 100% of everyone who loses weight on a diet, gains it back.  50% of those people gain back more than they lost.

You don’t have to give in to food addiction; you’re not doomed to be sick, overweight, or tired, honest.  Get in touch with me, think where you could be in a year if you weren’t controlled by bad food.  Think what your life could be like if you got to focus on living instead of your weight or managing your illnesses.  Think of the positive changes you could create in your children’s lives if your home was healthier.  

Other people change; we did, you can too!

On that end note, here’s our dinner last night: venison sausage, collards, onions, and garlic cooked in butter and coconut oil and brie cheese, and a side of sautéed plantains in coconut oil and butter, with plenty of salt!  SO DELICIOUS!

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Category: Eat on Vacation, Fats, Food Cravings, Hormones, No Recipe Paleo Meals, Paleo Recipe, RWF, Sugar / Tags: ,

Fat makes us Lean, Fat makes us Smart, Fat gives us Energy. Step out of 1980 and into 2015.

February 1, 2015 / / Comments Off on Fat makes us Lean, Fat makes us Smart, Fat gives us Energy. Step out of 1980 and into 2015.

20150201_071721These candies have 2 names: Fat Bombs and Brain Candy; and OMGosh are they delicious, and easy!  Scared of the them?  Thinking that maybe a low calorie treat would be better for your weight?  You’re wrong.  After this recipe, I’ll tell you why.  Here’s the ingredients:

1/4 c coconut butter
1/2 c coconut oil
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 heaping spoonful of Nuttzo/favorite nut butter
a few turns of your salt shaker
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 TBSP of MCT oil (not crucial to flavor, just for brain)
Heat gently then whisk in
2 TBSP  SWERVE – confectioners kind (if you only have granulated, run it thru your coffee grinder to make it powdery)
Or use stevia ( big dropper full)  after it’s cooled for a moment and off the burner.   Pour into mini muffin cups and freeze.
More recipes at the end of the Post.

We’ve all heard that EATING FAT MAKES US FAT, and CHOLESTEROL IS BAD BECAUSE IT CAUSES HEART DISEASE. The science disputing these false premises has never been louder or more clear, yet it’s hard to change course.

I’m telling, you need to change course. Now. Our bodies want and need fat and cholesterol to thrive.  Healthy fat makes a healthy body; healthy bodies are healthy weights.  Here’s a short science list, followed with recipe inspiration. The more we know, the less stressful good choices become.

1) fat and cholesterol make up the cell membrane of every single cell in our body

2) fat and cholesterol make all our sex and adrenal hormones

3) fat and cholesterol make up about 60% of the dry matter of the brain

4) cholesterol is an anti-oxidant and a healing molecule

5) there’s a direct link between low cholesterol and suicide, depression, and violence

6) saturated fats allow minerals to be absorbed into our bones

7) fats are an essential part of our immune system

8) fats have anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties

9) fats allow fat soluble vitamins (A,D,E,K) to be absorbed and used

10) Pretty skin, good hair, great energy – FAT FAT FAT.

That part’s easy to absorb; this isn’t: when you eat MORE fat, and nix the grains and sugars, you get leaner and leaner and healthier and healthier. When you eat MORE fat, and nix the grains and sugars, your appetite becomes normal, and being controlled by hunger is a thing of the past.

I emphasized the “MORE” part because for many, that’s what’s missing. It’s not enough to just eat a bunch of vegetables and lean proteins with a drizzle of olive oil. You’ll still be hungry because you’re skimping on a key constituent of your bodies make-up:  fat.

Mark and I, and our daughters, are amazed at how much fat we eat (in the absence of grains) without gaining weight.  I can’t say we eat like Grandma ate, because Grandma only ate seasonally and locally and didn’t have near the options we do.  But Grandma would LOVE the food in our house, because it’s just Real Whole Food, with a ton of vegetables and fats, good meats, a little fruit, and some nuts and seeds.

Eating Real Whole Food with a lot of fat satisfies – physiologically and mentally – our body and our brain.

Here’s some of our meals from this past week:

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Twice Baked Potatoes:  bake whole at 425 for an hour/til soft, scoop out, and in a bowl mix the potato with broth and butter.  Put that back in the skin and flatten with the back of a spoon.  Top with sausage or bacon ( I did both), onions, chopped kale, garlic, oregano, tomatoes, and more cheese.  Bake at 425 for 15 minutes.  These keep in the fridge perfectly for about 5 days and are easy to reheat.

MOMS:  kids LOVE these.

YES, these are white potatoes.  They’re not the devil unless you’re pre-diabetic or diabetic.

 

 

20150129_174408

 

This is Nameless:  mushrooms, garlic, and onions sautéed in 2 cups of broth and 6 tbsp of butter w Italian herbs, cauliflower, 3 left over meatballs, collards, and bacon – this was delicious!

 

 

 

 

 

 

20150126_145830

 

Right here you’re looking at all the ingredients for Kale Chips:  about a quarter of the bag of kale (remove all the big stems), massage (with your hands) on: 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/2 to 1 tsp of garam marsala, 1/2 tsp of salt, and a sprinkle of pepper.  Bake at 350 for 15 minutes, then turn the oven to 170 and let them stay in there for about an hour, longer if you can.  Shelby eats this whole thing by herself, with it resting on her lap. She’s amazing.  She eats with one hand and texts with the other.               20150126_174444

Finished Product

 

 

 

I get emails all the time about not being able to stick to a healthy eating plan, questions about tricks and secrets to keep on track.

Here’s my answer:  Add Fat now.  Force yourself to drop your fear of fat.  Make yourself act and think differently.  Grab ahold of your thoughts.  Read the following links for more science:

http://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/the-skinny-on-fats/

http://www.westonaprice.org/modern-diseases/beyond-cholesterol/

http://www.amazon.com/The-Big-Fat-Surprise-Healthy/dp/1451624425

How to make bone broth for your recipes:http://www.rocksolidnutritionandwellness.com/working-man-parts-weight-loss-youthful-skin-joint-pain-what-do-they-have-in-common-they-all-benefit-from-bone-broth-and-gelatin/

Category: Cooking, Fats, Immune System, Keto Recipe, Mind/Body, No Recipe Paleo Meals, Paleo Recipe, RWF / Tags: , , , , , ,

Working “Man Parts”, Weight Loss, Youthful Skin, Joint Pain, What Do They Have In Common? They all benefit from Bone Broth and Gelatin.

January 18, 2015 / / Comments Off on Working “Man Parts”, Weight Loss, Youthful Skin, Joint Pain, What Do They Have In Common? They all benefit from Bone Broth and Gelatin.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI’ve done Posts on Bone Broth and Gelatin before, but I still get a lot of questions about it.  Here’s some facts, some recipes, and at the end several resources, that will inspire you to incorporate bone broth most days of the week. Remember:  Food is Medicine, or Food is Poison.  Bone broth and gelatin are Medicine.

First issue: “man parts”, you know what I’m talking about.  Men, those parts are full of arteries that should fill with blood, on demand.  If the endothelial cells that line those arteries are damaged ( from high blood sugar, insulin, chemicals, or hydrogenated fats) you’re not functioning like God intended.  Plaque and hardening of the arteries doesn’t just happen to the arteries near the heart….. If you have athlerosclerosis,  and/or high blood pressure, you’ve got endothelial dysfunction. If you have high blood sugar, you have endothelial dysfunction.  The gelatin in bone broth contains an enormous amount of collagen and other nutrients that HEAL THE ENDOTHELIUM.  ( check out link below for an interesting study )

Weight Loss; how does this tie in with bone broth or gelatin?  Easy.  Our liver – which is the MAIN SOURCE OF OUR DAILY CALORIE BURN, has hundreds of jobs to do every day.  A sluggish, toxic, clogged liver doesn’t burn as many calories as it could, nor does it adequately perform it’s jobs. The liver “detoxes”, or breaks down, old hormones, chemicals, alcohol, toxins, etc; it uses protein-based (amino acids) pathways to do that.  Bone broth and gelatin contain the amino acids that the liver wants and needs to do it’s many jobs.  If our liver’s happy, our daily metabolic rate increases.  If our liver is NOT happy, weight gain is more likely than weight loss.

Youthful Skin:  Again, easy.  It’s the collagen, along with the fatty acids and nutrients from bones/joints/hide/marrow etc, that supply the nutrients our skin needs to both regenerate and fight off assaults from the sun and (sugar)glycation.  Do you remember what glycation is?  It’s when our blood sugar stays high too long, and the sticky sugar molecules glycate, or attach themselves to protein molecules, basically destroying them.  Our skin ( just like our endothelium) is LOADED with protein molecules.  Age spots are glycated skin.  Wrinkles are glycated skin.  Saggy skin is glycated.  ******Our skin is made from NUTRIENTS, not the man-made chemicals ingredients in most skin care products.*****

Joint Pain, this is interesting.  I’m going to include links at the end to VERY NEW research(*) on connective tissue and rehab.  For all my friends and readers with shoulder/knee/hip etc problems, PURSUE THE LINK(*). It’s so new that your Ortho or PT might not of even heard of this.  Apparently, connective tissue isn’t the lost cause it’s been deemed all these years.

Tendons, ligaments, and the connective tissue that honeycombs throughout our muscle fibers, are made from ………..COLLAGEN.  To quote Professor of Sports Medicine Michael Kjaer, Ph.D., who’s using techniques and technology only recently available: “we always thought connective tissue was inert,”… but “Connective tissue is alive and has the ability to renew itself!”  There’s specific training protocols showing HUGE success with damaged tendons and ligaments, truly worth looking into. (*)

More relevant to this Post though, connective tissue is almost entirely collagen.  Molecular Biologist Keith Baar, Ph.D, says that after testing hundreds of damaged ACLs ( pieces of them actually) by soaking them in different solutions to see what compounds influence formation of new collagen:  “Gelatin is the big one.”    Nough said.

HOW DO I USE GELATIN OR BONE BROTH EVERYDAY?   Some people drink it straight up. I don’t. I treat it like water.  I cook my meat, fish, chicken and vegetables in it, and I make soup.  I even add it to my Low Carb Cheese Cake  Recipe!

How to make Broth:

Fill your Crock Pot or Stock Pot with water

-1 tbsp apple cider vinegar or white vinegar ( helps break down bone matrix – and we want all those bone building minerals!)
-chicken bones/fish bones/beef/lamb/venison bones
-OPTIONAL:  chicken feet – wow, does this contain a lot of gelatin, 
-Low and slow heat for 24 to 48 hours.

THIS IS NOT ROCKET SCIENCE I SWEAR.  I add herbs and spices later, to the individual dishes I make, not to my stock. That way I can go in any direction I choose.  People who drink it straight up tend to add (their favorite) veggies and herbs to the pot.   EITHER WAY WORKS.

I save my bones throughout the week in a big ziplock, and keep them in the freezer until I’m ready to make the broth.

Don’t want to make broth? A couple of options.

1) Buy Gelatin.  I use Great Lakes brand, because I think it’s the best.  Check out their site, or go straight to Amazon. Mark and I put gelatin in our morning smoothies, and this is what I add to my Low Carb Cheesecake recipe (to follow).

2) Buy already made REAL bone broth.  Broth is no one’s secret anymore.  A Broth Cafe has opened in NYC; if you google “buy bone broth”, you’ll see several good options; and if you live in my neck of the woods ( Fauquier Co, Va), we have 2 stores carrying fresh made:  IGA in Marshall, and The Whole Ox in The Plains.  (You can also buy bones at either of these stores, or your local butcher shop.)

Now for the Recipes!  Our dinner tonight:  Chicken and Vegetables with BROTH

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A 1 Pot Meal:

2 c broth

1 c slow roasted tomatoes
1 c shredded chicken
1/2 head of cauliflower
3 c collard greens
4 garlic cloves ( we LOVE garlic )
dried: oregano, sage salt, chives, salt & pepper

And Dessert:  Low Carb Cheese Cake with Gelatin – to die for!  This recipe actually makes 4 mini cheesecakes AND a regular size cheese cake.

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Crust:

1 1/2 c almond flour
1/2 c coconut flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup coconut oil or butter
1/2 c Swerve
1 tsp Celtic sea salt
1 egg

Blend and press into your spring foam pans. The crust will be on the thinner side.  If you like a thick crust, just make 1 big cheese cake.  Warning: this makes a LOT of crust.

Filling:

4 8-ounce packages Organic Cream Cheese, softened
3/4 -1 c Swerve
2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs room temperature
1/2 c Great Lakes Gelatin

I always wrap my spring foam with aluminum foil ( if any drips out it’s a huge mess ).  Bake your smaller cheesecakes for 35-45 minutes, and a large cheese cake for 55 -to an hour.  When you insert a knife it should come out almost clean.  REFRIGERATE FOR AT LEAST 12 HOURS, 24 IS EVEN BETTER.

If you’re struggling with your weight or your health, focus on changing your mindset from Food is about Calories to Food is Medicine or Food is Poison.  The more you shun Poison Foods, and Adopt Medicine Foods, the leaner, healthier, and more energetic you’ll become, I promise.

Learn More:
*http://www.mensfitness.com/training/build-muscle/harness-power-your-muscle-matrix*

http://paleogrubs.com/chicken-soup-recipes

http://www.judytsafrirmd.com/gelatin-for-anxiety-sleep-and-appetite-suppression

http://www.amazon.com/Nourishing-Traditions-Challenges-Politically-Dictocrats/dp/0967089735  GREAT COOKBOOK!!

Category: Cooking, Paleo Recipe, RWF, Weight Loss / Tags: , , , , , , ,

DIY Lotion, Carrot Soup, Elderberry Syrup; Homemade is Worth the Effort, Here’s Why

January 11, 2015 / / Comments Off on DIY Lotion, Carrot Soup, Elderberry Syrup; Homemade is Worth the Effort, Here’s Why

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAAttitude is everything, and my attitude is that I’m Smart, Organized, Energetic, and Able. Believing this about myself makes a busy day much easier mentally, because thoughts affect words and actions.

You are also Smart, Organized, Energetic, and Able.  God didn’t make duds.

In light of those statements, here’s a few recipes. Please don’t move on after reading the word “recipes”.  Homemade is so worth the time and effort, for many reasons; WEIGHT LOSS IS ONE OF THEM.

Our world is a Toxic World.  We literally breath in chemicals, sleep on chemicals, rub on chemicals, and ingest thousands of chemicals every single day.  84,000 chemicals are legal in the US; many are untested, many are unregulated, and many are deemed potentially or definitely dangerous and still allowed in our food, water, and body care products.

These chemicals, which make things smell good, taste good, look good, or feel good, have consequences.  Many of them are hormone/endocrine disruptors, mimicking estrogen.  This has led to men and women and children having higher estrogen levels than what’s healthy, resulting in a long list of problems, from low sperm counts to cancer. Other chemicals cause disease, behavior problems, headaches, and I could go on and on.  You get it.

Remember in my last post I said that Food is Medicine or Food is Poison, and EVERY SINGLE POST IS ABOUT WEIGHT LOSS?  The weight tie-in here is that estrogenic chemicals, along with the sheer volume of total chemicals we ingest/breath/absorb, stress our liver to the point where being a normal healthy weight, or weight loss, isn’t possible.

Our liver has to break down and get rid of every chemical that comes into our body, whether by mouth or skin.  Our liver is responsible for breaking down old hormones. Our liver metabolizes fats and proteins.  Our liver compromises the largest portion of our daily calorie burn ( the brain and heart come in next, and then our muscles ); if our liver is tired, toxic, and over-burdened, happy weight is practically impossible, so is good health.

Read the labels of EVERYTHING; look up some words you see on EWG.org, learn what these chemicals do and you’ll become increasingly motivated to Do It Yourself, I promise. 

I’ve got 3 recipes here that I promise are easy, and wonderful.  Compare the store bought ingredients with the DIY ingredients.

This is Elderberry Syrup, aka, Sambucal, it’s used as either a preventative tonic, or a cold medicine.  Here’s the ingredients:         20150109_060142⅔ cup black elderberries

3.5 cups of water
2 T fresh or dried ginger root
2 tsp cinnamon powder
½ tsp cloves or clove powder
1 cup raw honey (we get from our farmer’s market)

Compare that to the ingredients in Tylenol Cold and Flu:

Acetaminiphen, Dextromethorphan HBr, Guaifenesin,Phenylephrine HCl, and finally,carnauba wax, croscarmellose sodium, D&C yellow no. 10 aluminum lake, flavor, hydroxypropyl cellulose, hypromellose, magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose, polyethylene glycol, pregelatinized starch, sucralose, titanium dioxide.  O.  M.   Gosh.  Why would we put this in our bodies, or our children’s bodies?

Here’s Carrot Soup,  DELICIOUS! (and easy)

20150108_171941

The ingredients were:                        20150108_165456

5 cups of homemade chicken broth
1 can of coconut milk
a Vitamix full of cooked carrots
1 cooked onion,4 garlic cloves
1 TBSP garam marsala; cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt&pepper

Compare that to Campbells Vegetable Soup Ingredients:

TOMATO PUREE (WATER, TOMATO PASTE), POTATOES, CARROTS, WATER, PEAS, CORN, DICED TOMATOES IN TOMATO JUICE, GREEN BEANS, ENRICHED MACARONI PRODUCT (WHEAT FLOUR, EGG WHITES, NIACIN, FERROUS SULFATE, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), SUGAR , CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF: MODIFIED FOOD STARCH, CELERY, ONIONS, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, SALT, FLAVORING, YEAST EXTRACT, LOWER SODIUM NATURAL SEA SALT, SPICE, ASCORBIC ACID, DISODIUM GUANYLATE, DISODIUM INOSINATE, PAPRIKA EXTRACT.

Last, Homemade Lotion I made yesterday morning for Macy before she went back to school, it took 10 minutes:

The Ingredients are:                  20150109_055505

coconut oil
shea butter
cocoa butter
almond oil
Wild Orange essential oil

Compare that to Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizer:

Water, Mineral Oil, Sesame Oil, Propylene Glycol, TEA Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Lanolin Alcohol, Petrolatum, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Yellow #5, Yellow #6, Red #33.

The old advertisement:  Better Living Through Chemicals…… it’s not true.  We have way too many chemicals in our life; DIY ( unless you can hire someone to Do It For You ) is important!  Not convinced?  Learn more through the links below:

http://www.liverdoctor.com/liver/the-liver-and-detoxification/

http://foodbabe.com/2013/02/26/are-over-the-counter-medicines-making-you-sick/

https://ispub.com/IJU/2/1/7519

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2726844/

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/03/opinion/kristof-how-chemicals-change-us.html?_r=1

Category: Cooking, Food Additives, Hormones, Natural Therapies, Paleo Recipe, RWF / Tags: , , , ,

Recipe Makeovers: Cauliflower Pizza Crusts and Caesar Salad Dressing that make you Lean and Healthy

January 6, 2015 / / Comments Off on Recipe Makeovers: Cauliflower Pizza Crusts and Caesar Salad Dressing that make you Lean and Healthy

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI received an email from a reader, asking if I could do another post on weight loss soon.

My response:  EVERY SINGLE POST IS ON WEIGHT.  Food is Medicine or Food is Poison, and our weight is a side effect of that fact.

If Weight Loss is our first priority when it comes to food, We’ll NEVER SUCCESSFULLY LOSE WEIGHT AND KEEP IT OFF. Ever.  95 – 99% of everyone who loses weight on a Diet gains it back.

Low calorie foods, low fat plans, starving ourself, skipping meals, exercising a ton, and STRESSING ABOUT OUR WEIGHT are literally guaranteed to make us gain weight in the long run, because we’re eating toxic food and/or employing toxic behaviors.  Poison.

Weight Loss is never a priority for our body or brain.  For women particularly, losing weight is the last thing our body wants to do, even when we carry excess fat.  Fat’s crucial not just for building our Brain, Glands, Organs, Bones, and Immune System, but our body makes many of our Hormones from fatty acids.

Healthy fats, vegetables, herbs, spices, clean proteins, seasonal fruit, nuts, seeds…..Medicine.

My point?  To lose weight and keep it off, we HAVE to eat Medicine Foods.  Also, cut the Grains, Sugars, and Chemicals; those things ruin our liver, our brain, our arteries and destroy our hormones. Permanent weight loss is impossible as long as they’re a regular part of our diet.

Here’s some recipe makeovers that I promise are husband and kid approved. These recipes contain Nutrient Dense Real Whole Foods (Medicine) guaranteed to satisfy our body and brain, and help us lose weight.

WARNING/ADVICE:  Sometimes with picky kids and husbands, it’s best NOT to tell them what’s in the food.  Don’t set yourself up for snide (or worse) comments about the ingredients or your efforts to make you and your family healthier.  Just do it.  Stay strong and determined no matter what mud a teenager slings at you.  The great thing about Real Whole Food is that fat, herbs, and spices make EVERYTHING taste good.  Broccoli with butter, parm, and sea salt?  DELICIOUS.  Chicken with skin on/bone in?  Delicious.  Bacon, brussels, butter, sea salt and pepper?  Delicious.  Stay with the program, be persistent, and eventually,… you’ll win.

Here’s a picture of our dinner last night:  Cauliflower Pizza and Caesar Salads with homemade dressing.                                                      dinner 1:4

If you look online for Cauliflower Pizza Crust recipes, you’ll find 1.6 million; they’re nobody’s secret, and they’re all pretty similar.  (Helpful hints to follow) Here’s the recipe I use:

CAULIFLOWER CRUST PIZZA

Full head of cauliflower, RICED ( in your food processor or Vitamix )

1 egg
1 tbsp sea salt
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
1/2 cup of your favorite cheese.  You’ll see recipes that use goat, parm, mozzarella, and cheddar, just pick one.

Directions: Set oven to 450.  “Rice” the whole head of cauliflower, and then either steam it ( more dishes, but better ) or put it in a pot of 1″ water and cook it, just for a couple of minutes.

IMPORTANT:  YOU HAVE TO GET ALL THE WATER OUT OF THE CAULIFLOWER.  Don’t whine.  Think positive thoughts, like, you’re going to have pizza and you’re not going to feel stuffed/bloated/or regretful the next day, PLUS, you’re eating a sulfur containing cruciferous vegetable that prevents cancer and disease.  Good thoughts.

I put my cooked cauliflower in a fine mesh strainer and press with a big wooden spoon, then I put it in a dishtowel and twist and wring until even more water comes out.  Cauliflower contains a lot of water, and you need it fairly dry.

When you’re done, mix it in a bowl with all the other ingredients; if you used a big head, you have enough for 2 pizzas, or one very thick crust. You only need about 2.5 cups per thin crust. Thicker crusts may not act like “real” pizza, i.e, you’ll have to cut them with a fork instead of holding them.  MOMS:  if your kids are suspicious of your efforts, make the crusts thin so they’ll stay together when they’re held. I’ve been at this long enough that I can make a thick crust and we all use forks, but switching the family diet from Fake Foods (poison) to Real Foods  (medicine) needs to be done gently, and wisely.

Put a piece of parchment paper on your stone, and use your hands to form your crust, then bake it for anywhere from 10/12 minutes for a thin crust, to 25 minutes for a thick crust. (read my hints at end of post)

When it’s baked, load it with your favorite toppings.  Last night I used slow roasted tomatoes, sausage, onions, herbs, and cheese.

Back in the oven at 425, for 16 minutes, and you can make your salad and dressing.

Caesar Salad and Dressing:   Look at these ingredients! How did we ever start thinking that brain food like this could be bad for us???

3 eggs ( I use farm fresh eggs, but use pasteurized if you want )
1 can anchovies
1-2 garlic cloves
1 tbsp Red Wine vinegar
1/4-1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 c lemon juice
1/2 c parm
1/2 tsp yellow mustard

1/2 cup of Extra Virgin olive oil

Directions for dressing:  put the first 8 ingredients into your BLENDER or VITAMIX, and blend for a minute.   Then sloooowly pour in the olive oil; you’re emulsifying it, that means you need to drizzle the olive oil into the mix for it to set up thickly.

Pour this over a bowl full of romaine, shredded parm, and bread crumbs made from COCONUT MILK bread croutons.  Or just make your favorite salad, and use this dressing because it’s absolutely delicious and your family will love it.

A few last words of advice:

1) I’ve heard juicing the cauliflower is the best way to go, no wringing, but I haven’t tried it.

2) If your cauliflower head is extra big, add an egg white.

3) Judge your crust by how it looks more than time; it should turn light brown and “crusty”.

4) If after all your efforts the “dough” is still pretty wet, add 1/2 to 1 tbsp of coconut flour.  Coconut flour absorbs liquid;  start with the 1/2 tbsp and go from there.

5) To make croutons with Coconut Milk Bread, cut off a slice, tear into pieces, drizzle with olive oil, salt, and bake for 10 minutes on 350.  Judge from there if they need a few more minutes.

 

Category: Cooking, Fats, Hormones, Immune System, Paleo Recipe, RWF, Uncategorized, Weight Loss / Tags: , , ,

6 Tips to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain and a Paleo Cookie Recipe

December 15, 2014 / / Comments Off on 6 Tips to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain and a Paleo Cookie Recipe

debbieThree emails this weekend about Holiday Weight Gain are prompting a Post.  Don’t Diet In December; don’t despair if you’ve gained a few pounds since Halloween; don’t “throw in the towel and restart in January”; and don’t kill yourself with extra hard workouts.

All that stuff would be SHORT TERM THINKING, and short term thinking never produces good Long Term Results.

What should you do instead?  CHILL.  Honestly.  It’s the holidays and we’ve all got about 50 extra things on our to-do lists.  Stressing about it = CORTISOL, which = WEIGHT GAIN and ILLNESS ( come January or sooner).

In addition to all our “extras”, is the assumption we’ll eat more just because it’s the holidays; constant indulgence = CORTISOL + INSULIN, which = WEIGHT GAIN AND ILLNESS ( come January, or sooner).

Blood sugar becomes a complete mess, and the impulse to soothe stress with food or alcohol feels irresistible.  Here’s what to do instead-

1) SUPPLEMENTS and FOOD for Stress and Blood Sugar Control:  Fish oil/Omega 3s ( you don’t need the 6’s or 9’s, you already get enough); Cinnamon/Ginger/Turmeric ( blood sugar and inflammation from Cortisol);  B Vitamins and Magnesium  ( critical when stressed!!); Probiotics ( stress and sugar destroy the good bacteria in our gut).

2) When the going gets tough, strive to make the best choices possible.  Extra food, extra alcohol, or skipping too many workouts NEVER ever makes us feel better, ever.  There’s always mental and physical regret from that.   Going to a party? Bring a vegetable dish so you know there’s at least one item you can eat.  Limit your alcohol to just 1 drink, and don’t make it a sugary one ( alcohol = liquid doughnuts!).  Going out to a holiday dinner?  Set your mind ahead of time that you’re ordering Meat and Vegetables.  Look forward to it, think about how good you’ll feel the next morning.

3) If you’ve blown it several times since Halloween, GET OVER IT. Regret and worry keep us living in the past, doing the wrong things over and over.  Yesterday is gone, tomorrow’s not here, FOCUS ON TODAY.  Make healthy choices today.  The mindset of blowing-it/punishment diets MAKES US FAT AND SICK.

4) Exercise as often as possible, but be realistic this month.  Can’t make it to the gym for an hour long class or lift?  Do 100 push-ups at home.  Do wall squats.  Do Tabata’s – they’ll kick your butt in 4 minutes!  Walk at lunch for 15 minutes.  It’s important to move, but weight loss and weight control is really all about the food we put in our mouths and the hormone response that food causes.

5) Feel too busy to cook this month?  Think and plan ahead so that you’re not tempted by Fast Food. Buy frozen vegetables, they’re just as nutrient filled as fresh and sometimes MORE nutrient filled than fresh; or buy already cut-up veggies.   Throw burger patties, chicken breasts, or a roast in a crock pot with a little water.  Make sure you have plenty of butter/olive oil and shredded cheese in your house.  Buy the already prepared meatballs/kabobs/fish from the Butcher. Boil a dozen eggs to keep in the fridge.  Make sure you have string cheese, fresh fruit, and carrots and celery available.  Nut butters and nuts are also easy and quick.  Cook big batches of food on the weekends; and keep a running grocery list handy.

6) Read this Post on Diets and Mindset.

In other words, despite the Holiday Season’s extra demand’s, we don’t have to Gain Weight, Get Sick, or Go Crazy.  It’s all about planning and mindset.

Lastly, here’s a recipe from my Paleo Christmas Party that’s going to be a Holiday Tradition at our house:  Pecan Pie Cookies.   DELICIOUS!!  My picky/suspicious eater (Shelby) loved them, and so did everyone else.

 

Category: Cooking, Hormones, Mind/Body, Paleo Recipe, Psychology of Eating, Reader Question, Sugar, Weight Loss / Tags: , , , ,

Hate Your Thighs, Stomach, and Butt? What’s Changed in 2014; Holiday Recipes

December 2, 2014 / / Comments Off on Hate Your Thighs, Stomach, and Butt? What’s Changed in 2014; Holiday Recipes

thanksgiving2014Last November (2013), I had a theme running called Change Your Brain, Change Your Body.  Here’s the premise:  our every word and action is precipitated by our thoughts, and our thoughts make habit patterns in our brain.  These “habits” are chemical and structural in nature; they’re as real and concrete as a tree or a rug or a skin cell.

If you have Bad Habits that have led to you being overweight or sick ( such as the habit of eating every time you’re lonely or stressed, eating sugar/grain flour, or binging on the weekend); then the simple desire to change, or the feeling of hating body parts, won’t make a dent in the brain patterns you’ve nurtured and developed.  Those things are like steel train tracks, and getting rid of them requires a solid plan that focuses on getting rid of destructive old thought patterns and replacing them with productive new thought patterns.

When I work with a client who needs to lose weight or change eating habits that have led to poor health, I have them work just as much – or more – on their Brain Plan as I do on their Food Plan.

Here’s a quote from a Nov. 2013 post:

It’s been over a week now that I’ve challenged you to Change your Thinking if you want to Change Your Body; and I’m specifically talking about those negative thought patterns that I’ve heard so many people express: I hate my thighs, if only they were thinner; I hate my stomach; I hate my butt; I want to lose weight; If only I could lose 10 pounds…. etc etc etc. Ask yourself how long you’ve been spinning on these exact same thoughts and how well they’ve allowed you to change. How long?

Change doesn’t happen when you keep doing the “same old same old”; negative thought patterns NEVER produce positive results.  Stop thinking about what you don’t like on your body, and start focusing on improving your mind. Focus on being kinder, more loving, more productive, healthier, more energetic – anything other than weight and calorie counts. Use Mantras, Meditation, and Prayer; write positive or meaningful quotes on 10 or 20 sticky’s and post them all over: your mirrors, wallet, fridge, doors, car. PRACTICE changing your thoughts. 

I asked some questions at the end of 2013, and I’ve been thinking about them for the past few weeks:

What did I manifest this year?  What did I change?  What’s stayed the same? What will I work on?

Don’t let 2015 be more of what bugs you about yourself, be different!  Get in touch with me and we’ll develop a plan to free you from destructive habits.    If those destructive habits include food addiction, it’s going to take awhile.  If it’s just a matter of information… not so long.

On to something more fun: Thanksgiving Recipes, and a Paleo Party Invite.

If you’re in my area ( Northern Virginia ), I’m hosting a Paleo Christmas Party on Friday, December 12, from 12-2.  Everyone is invited!  Bring – or don’t! – a Grain Free, Sugar Free, Real Whole Food appetizer, dessert, or main dish.  If you aren’t on the Evite list, send me your email so I can put you on it 🙂

Last, a few recipes we made for Thanksgiving:

* Low Carb Green Bean Casserole – this was EXCELLENT!  A few changes:  1. I didn’t use Avocado oil, too expensive and I love the taste of butter.   2.  I added a quarter cup of raw yogurt, it acts like sour cream.  This dish is going to be a tradition at our house.

* My sister wrapped medium sized sweet potato chunks in bacon  and then roasted them- EXCELLENT!

*  Low Carb Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake – OMG Delicious:

CRUST:
1 1/2 cup blanched almond flour
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 tsp aluminum free baking powder
1 cup coconut oil or butter
3/4 cup Swerve (or erythritol and 2 tsp stevia glycerite)
1 tsp Celtic sea salt
1 egg

FILLING:
3 8-ounce packages Cream Cheese, softened
3/4 cup Swerve (or erythritol and 1 tsp stevia glycerite)
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 dash ground cloves

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
CRUST: In a medium sized bowl combine all the ingredients. Press onto bottom of 9 inch springform pan.

FILLING: Beat cream cheese, 1/2 cup of the Swerve and vanilla with electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended. Remove 1 cup plain batter; place in small bowl. Stir remaining 1/4 cup Swerve, pumpkin and spices into remaining batter. Spoon pumpkin batter into crust; top with spoonfuls of reserved plain batter. Cut through batters with knife several times for marble effect.

If using a springform pan, wrap the outside of it with tin foil so any oils don’t leak out into oven. Bake 55 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool completely. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Cut into 12 slices. Store leftover cheesecake in refrigerator. Serves 12

Category: Cooking, Mind/Body, No Recipe Paleo Meals, Paleo Recipe, RWF / Tags: , , , , ,

Immune Tonic Recipes Everyone Should Have In Their Home

October 30, 2014 / / Comments Off on Immune Tonic Recipes Everyone Should Have In Their Home

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI’ve been on an Immune System kick for my last several posts.  With Halloween around the corner and Sugar Season  the Holiday Season about to start, I want to load you up with ideas that will allow you to make it though the holidays, and then winter, strong and well.

Immune Tonics are AMAZING.  Two years ago, my oldest daughter, Megan, gave me Fire Cider for Christmas.  It’s a blend of herbs and spices that are both immune boosting and germ killing.  I made my own last year, and have just bought the ingredients to make another batch this weekend.  It has to sit and brew for a few weeks, and I want it to be ready for when all my kids are home from mid-December to mid-January.

Why not use an OTC cold/fever/flu medication?  Have you seen their ingredients? The artificial dyes, the artificial flavors, the petroleum products and artificial sugars.. disease in a bottle masquerading as medicine.

Here’s the ingredient list for Vicks Dayquil:

Inactive Ingredients: Citric acid, FD&C yellow 6, flavor, glycerin, polyethylene glycol (aka PEG, I wrote about this in the Miralax post), propylene glycol, purified water, saccharin sodium, sodium citrate, sucrose.

Active Ingredients: Acetaminophen ( #1 cause of Liver Failure in the U.S.),Dextromethorphan HBr, and Pseudoephedrine HCl ( banned from store shelves since 2006).

It’s time to get rid of the false notion that fevers, coughs, runny nose, and watery eyes are either Virus or Bacteria getting the best of us.

Fevers, Coughs, Runny Noses, and Watery Eyes are OUR IMMUNE SYSTEM COOKING, KILLING, AND EXPELLING BUGS.  We actually WANT those “symptoms”, they’re signs of a strong immune response.  Even fatigue is good for us when we’re sick; the less energy we exert on activities, and the more we lie around or sleep, the harder our immune system can work to Kill the Bugs.  

Instead of Vicks, next time you or one of your kids gets sick,  (or even better, BEFORE you get sick as part of your supplement routine) reach for one of these tonics:

Elderberry Syrup.  Why?  In addition to Elderberry’s long history of medicinal use, numerous studies have verified it’s efficacy against cold and flu.  Elderberry has very high levels of Vitamins A, B, and C, which are great for our immune system.  You can buy Elderberry Syrup in any health food store, or you can make it, which is honestly super easy, and potent!  My local health food store sells Elderberries ( cheap ), but you can also buy them on line.

Parents:  This is delicious, your kids will actually WANT to take this.

Here’s the Recipe for Elderberry Syrup from the Wellness Mama site:

⅔ cup black elderberries
3.5 cups of water
2 T fresh or dried ginger root
1 tsp cinnamon powder
½ tsp cloves or clove powder
1 cup raw honey (we get from our farmer’s market)

Instructions
Pour water into medium saucepan and add elderberries, ginger, cinnamon and cloves (do not add honey!)
Bring to a boil and then cover and reduce to a simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour until the liquid has reduced by almost half. At that point, remove from heat and let cool enough to be handled. Pour through a strainer into a glass jar or bowl.
Discard the elderberries (or compost them!) and let the liquid cool to lukewarm. When it is no longer hot, add 1 cup of honey and stir well. ( you don’t want to kill honey’s live nutrients )
When honey is well mixed into the elderberry mixture, pour the syrup into a pint sized mason jar or 16 ounce glass bottle of some kind.
Ta Da! You just made homemade elderberry syrup! Store in the fridge and take daily for its immune boosting properties. Some sources recommend taking only during the week and not on the weekends to boost immunity.
Standard dose is ½ tsp to 1 tsp for kids and ½ Tbsp to 1 Tbsp for adults. If the flu does strike, take the normal dose every 2-3 hours instead of once a day until symptoms disappear. 

Here’s the recipe for Fire Cider, which is DELICIOUS served over vegetables or salads.  Or you could just be tough and drink a tablespoon mixed in water.  Again, this is Immune Boosting and Germ Killing, which is far, far smarter than just suppressing symptoms.  (Recipe from Mountain Rose Herbs.) 

1/2 cup fresh grated organic ginger root

1/2 cup fresh grated organic horseradish root

1 medium organic onion, chopped

10 cloves of organic garlic, crushed or chopped

2 organic jalapeno peppers, chopped

Zest and juice from 1 organic lemon

Several sprigs of fresh organic rosemary or 2 tbsp of dried rosemary leaves

1 tbsp organic turmeric powder

1/4 tsp organic cayenne powder

organic apple cider vinegar

raw local honey to taste

Directions

Prepare all of your roots, fruits, and herbs and place them in a quart sized jar. If you’ve never grated fresh horseradish, be prepared for a powerful sinus opening experience! Use a piece of natural parchment paper under the lid to keep the vinegar from touching the metal, or a plastic lid if you have one. Shake well! Store in a dark, cool place for one month and remember to shake daily.

After one month, use cheesecloth to strain out the pulp, pouring the vinegar into a clean jar. Be sure to squeeze as much of the liquid goodness as you can from the pulp while straining. Next, comes the honey! Add 1/4 cup of honey and stir until incorporated. Taste your cider and add another 1/4 cup until you reach the desired sweetness.

Make this year’s cold and flu season the least annoying/invasive/troublesome ever.  Focus on giving your immune system what it wants and needs to fight the millions of germs we come into contact with every single day.  Real Whole Foods.

Category: Food Additives, Immune System, Natural Therapies, Paleo Recipe, RWF / Tags: , , , ,
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