Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Buying Local


I am still on vacation in Maine and loving it! The weather is gorgeous and the air is so fresh and clean! I keep driving past this seafood and farm stand on my way to the gym and today I decided to stop by and so glad that I did. The owner Roberta was amazing! She's about as sweet as the come. She took me out back and walked me through her garden and chatted about her life a bit. Did you ever meet someone that made an instant impression? (in a good way) Roberta did just that. I don't think she always had an easy breezy life but she seemed  so happy and content. I think we could all learn a little from Roberta. I picked up some onion, garlic, real maine maple syrup, celery, corn and broccoli for $15.00. Buy local people! Find out where your Farmers markets are in your area and go once a week and stock up on your fruits and veggies! Local farmers need your support! 

Eggplant 

Roberta

Broccoli

Pepper

Inside Roberta's store

Corn


Homemade jam



Monday, August 29, 2011

Corn on the Grill

Hope everyones safe and sound from Irene. As you know, I'm in Maine on vacation and we had some bad wind and weather for about two days and lost power for 24 hours. But we are now back up and running.

We had lots of friends and family over last week and my Sister-in-laws boyfriend Jim is the man on the grill. We picked up some local corn on the cob and Jim grilled  up a feast for us! The corn on the grill was a big hit!

Corn on the Grill:
Whatever amount of corn you need.
Butter or Earth Balance Spread
Aluminium Foil
Salt/Pepper

Pull down the husk from the corn without pulling it completely off. Leave husk on the bottom.
Rub with butter spread and salt/ pepper.
Place husk back on the cob.
Wrap in foil.
Cook on the grill for about 15-25 minutes.

Pull back husk

Spread butter and wrap in foil

Cook on the grill

Unwrap to eat.

And enjoy! 



Monday, August 22, 2011

Maine or Bust!

Photo Source: My Father-in-law
I'm on vacation! The pic above is from our deck. The air is so fresh and clean! Trying my hardest to eat clean and not drink too much! But I found a nice gym close by and running in the AM is also very meditating. Wed my Sister-in-law will take me to the Farmers Market. And I already found some hand picked wild blueberries. Buy local! Support your local farmers!

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

We Have a Winner!

Congrats to Aloha Molly! For winning Wildly Affordable Organic. Eat Fabulous Food, Get Healthy, and Save the Planet. All on $5.00 a Day.

Way to go Molly!

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Doing something Good

My wonderful friend Wicki is involved in something great called http://www.justshea.com/ Just Shea is helping the 600,000 women who harvest shea in Ghana. Today Global Giving is having a fundraiser on-line today and all the funds raised today are matched .



It feels good to give big or small.  http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/protect-30000-womens-lives-in-ghana-now-join-us/

Monday, August 15, 2011

Free Giveaway!!!!!!

Photo Source:Amazon

Good Morning! I hope everyone had a great weekend. I know that organic foods are not cheap but I don't want you to be discouraged from making healthy choices. Promise me you'll start buying at farmers markets. You may not see big organic signs all over the place that say certified organic but if you talk to some of the vendors, you'll be pleasantly surprised that they are indeed organic. It's Very expensive as a farmer to become certified organic. Plus you can find out where your food comes from and reduce your carbon footprint at the same time. Buy in bulk! I bought at the farmers market in Union Square in NYC last week a 2 pound bag of organic black beans for 6 dollars. 2 pounds of beans will last you a while, much longer then a pound of meat. By cutting back on meat and dairy, meaning you don't have to eat it every day, you'll save money. Beans and quinoa are cheaper than meat and cheese. And please try to stay away from things that come out of a package. If I'm not mistaken cereal is up to 6.00 a box?? Make smoothies or oatmeal for breakfast. A pound of organic oats are much cheaper than 6.00. And healthier. Think about joining a CSA at the beginning of next summer. Most of them have payment plans. My CSA came out to be 9.00 a week for a box of organic veggies. Or you can always try growing your own. My sister-in-law and mother-in-law have a great garden of fresh organic veggies. Small changes can add up to something big. And remember EAT REAL FOOD. Eat lots of veggies and fruit, I promise you'll start to feel better all over.

I hope your getting the idea by now. But I want to leave you with one last thought. Pay a bit more for your food but EAT LESS.

OK! Ready for the giveaway??!?! Please leave in comments 1 thing you will start to change today to eat healthier. Maybe giving up soda? Or cutting back on packaged snacks for the kiddos. Or going vegan two days a week??? Winner will be picked at random by Wed morning and I will ship book out Thursday. Please check back on Wed when I announce winner so I can  email you for your shipping info. Good Luck!

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Sweet Treat

I'm more of a salt over sugar kinda girl but every once and awhile I get a sweet tooth. And lately my sweet tooth has been full throttle. Instead of diving head first into a bottle of Nutella, I decided to take a healthier approach. Chocolate covered bananas! This is a great summer dessert that's not so bad for you. And they are easy to make with the kiddos.

Ingredients:
Bananas, cut into 1 inch pieces
Chocolate chips
A little almond milk (whatever milk you have in your fridge)

Directions:
Cut bananas into 1 inch pieces, place on a plate and put in the freezer for an hour. Next heat up your chocolate chips. You can do this in the microwave, add a splash of milk to smooth out. I heated mine over the stove. Stir your chips up and add a tablespoon of milk as needed and keep stirring till smooth.
Dip in your bananas (work fast) cover them with chocolate. You could then dip into chopped nuts or coconut or whatever topping you like. Place the bananas back on the plate and put in freezer for 15-20 minutes. That's it! Take them out and enjoy!

There's boiling water in the pot





Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Garam Masala

Photo Source: Google
Garam Masala is a very popular Indian spice. It's a mixture of different spices that has many health benefits.
-anti-inflamatory
-aids digestion
-lower cholesterol
-source of iron

If you like Indian food you should have this spice in your pantry and try making a few dishes at home. Garam Masala is available at most super markets in the spice isle. It's much easier to find these days.
Here's a recipe from the Cookbook Skinny Bitch Ultimate Everyday Cookbook.

Masoor Daal (Split Red Lentils)

Ingredients:
3 cups water
1 cup dried red lentils
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon evaporated cane sugar (you can use whatever sugar you have on hand)
1 teaspoon garam masala, divided
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, chopped (i used ginger powder because that's what i had on hand)
1 garlic clove, chopped
2 fresh green chiles, chopped
2 tablespoon grapeseed oil (i used olive oil)
2 dried red chiles (i left these out)
1 small onion, finely diced
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
2 whole pita breads, cut into quarters

Directions:
In a large saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add the lentils and cook for about 10-15 minutes. Stir in salt, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon garam masala, and turmeric. Continue to cook uncovered until the lentils are soft. Stir in the ginger, garlic, and chiles. Remove from heat. Heat oil in a separate large saucepan and add the onion and the remaining garam masala, and saute until onion is dark yellow to light brown. Pour in the lentils, add the bay leaves and simmer on low for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Serve hot with rice and garnish with cilantro. Serve with pita bread.


Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Take Five

Last weekend I told you I was going to do some cooking and plan my week out a bit better. Yesterday I had a long leg workout and after.... well I was VERY hungry. After the gym I came home opened up my fridge and viola! I was prepared. I had cooked healthy food in hand ready to go. All I did was reheat and me and my girls were fed and happy campers. I wasn't able to cook for the whole week but I did a good amount of prep work to make everything go smoothly. I cooked up a big pot of brown rice and black beans. And I made a big salad and dressing. All I have to do is add dressing as need the prep work was already done. I also made a few snacks to keep hunger under control.

Bean Salad: Fresh, Clean and a Yummy Snack! 



Don't set yourself up to fail. Take five minutes to yourself and think of a small change you can do. Maybe you want to eat more fruit? Try to incorporate a smoothie in your daily meal. It's an easy fix to add more fruit. Or maybe you want to cut back on ice cream? Try making it with frozen bananas. Maybe you want to start shopping at your local farmers market once a week? My point is, sit down and figure out how you can fit a POSITIVE change in your life. Something that will make you feel good!


Monday, August 8, 2011

Exciting News!

Hope everyone had a good weekend! Guess who's on board with meatless Monday?! Mario Batali! How exciting! Here's what he had to say http://www.meatlessmonday.com/batali-backs-the-meatless-monday-pledge/ take a minute to read it.

Photo Source: Pinterest


If you're new to adapting more of a plant based diet or just want to cut back on your meat intake a bit. You might wonder what you should do for protein. Here's the scoop on protein. Your total caloric intake should be 10-20% protein. Plant protein comes from Nuts, Beans, Legumes, Soy and Whole Grains. And if you're eating a variety of veggies most greens contain some protein as well.

Eat more veggies and fruits. Try new beans instead of meat all the time. Lay off the dairy. And eat whole grains,  whole wheat pasta and brown rice. Eat the rainbow and don't be afraid to try new things. And have a wonderful day! Don't forget to smile, you'll feel better.

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Planning

I'm going on vacation soon and I've been hitting the gym hard, to get rid of that last bit of baby weight. But I find the harder I hit the gym the hungrier I am?? Lately I've been starving. I don't want to throw my hard work out the window by just eating whatever or eating late at night because I am so hungry. So I took a minute and thought about how I could fix this predicament I'm in. I realized I didn't have enough cooked and ready to eat food in my fridge. I end up grazing and snacking while I'm cooking dinner. And I was letting myself get to the point of feeling starved. All not good.

My plan of attack....
Take 10 minutes to myself and plan what me and the family will be eating next week. Mon-Fri.
Make a grocery list.
Go to the grocery store. Go to the farmers market for fresh fruit to snack on.
Cook my meals up on Sun morning for the week. (hubby will take girls to the park so I can get in the zone)
And that's it! Hopefully this will work and free up my time during the week.

source: pinterst
Oh, one more thing, I almost forgot! DRINK MORE WATER!!!
You can download this for free. http://www.designfinch.com/2011/07/31/sunday-planning/

Friday, August 5, 2011

T.G.I.F

Photo Source:Pinterest


When was the last time you gave yourself a compliment? When was the last time you took a look in the mirror and said something nice to yourself? Today is a new day! Yesterday is done and over with. Get yourself together today, give yourself a pat on the back, lift your head up high and have a wonderful day.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

You say tomato I say tomahto.

I say anti-aging! Tomatoes are very high in lycopene. Lycopene is considered to be a natural miracle anti-oxidant which might help to stop the cancer cells growth. It's great for your sin too! Take the peel of the tomatoes and place them on face for 10 mins and you'll have soft skin. (and maybe a little pink, do it at night) Fruit, vegetable? who knows? who cares? We should be eating a few a day! This mighty tomato is high in...
-vitamin A
- beta-carotene
-vitamin B,C and K
-calcium

Ok, now that we know the health benefits I have an amazing roasted tomato recipe for you. Thanks to my friend Amanda over at http://www.mandeescandee.com/  I am addicted to Pinterest! She put me on to this little gem awhile back and I can't stop pinning! If anyone wants an invite just let me know, I'm more than happy to hook you up. I was on there the other night and came across this roasted tomato recipe and then I happen to get  a bunch in my CSA box, so I gave it try and WOW the recipe was amazing. But I did make some changes to the original. This recipe would be great to can (what the women who made the original did) but I have no idea how to. I'm hoping my Mother-in-law will teach me some day (that's a hint Sue :) )

Roasted Tomatoes:
adapted from http://goddesshobbies.blogspot.com/

I used about 6 tomatoes (use whatever you have)
1/2 an onion, rough chop
9 cloves garlic, smashed with back of knife
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon balsmic vinegar
1 tablespoon italian seasoning
drizzle olive oil

Chop up your tomatoes and onion. Wack your garlic cloves with the back of a knife. Pour all of this into a glass baking dish (or whatever) drizzle with oilive oil, vinegar. Sprinkle in salt and seasoning. Then give it a good stir. Bake in the oven at 400 for about 50 mins. And oh my is this good! I served over pasta with toasted pine nuts. The original recipe was placed in a blender and made into sauce. Your options are really endless here!

out of the oven!

Monday, August 1, 2011

Happy Monday!

Photo Source: Pinterest


Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. Me and the family had a busy weekend that went by too fast. We all know by now that breakfast is the most important meal of the day! For me it helps to not be starvin marvin by 12 and make not so healthy food choices because I'm so hungry. I'm not always hungry as soon as I wake up but by 10 am or so I make sure I put something in my belly. This morning it was a smoothie.

 I don't like oatmeal at all.  But oats are truly a super food and have so many health benefits.
-great source of fiber
-help reduce cholesterol
-contains plant chemicals
-reduce risk of cancer
-contains vitamins such as folic acid, biotin, vitamin E
-They also contain zinc, copper, iron, maganese and magnesium

I came up with a smoothie that includes raw oats. It is filling and delicious and great way to start your day.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 frozen bananas
1 cup blueberries
1 cup almond milk
2-3 tablespoons pure organic maple syrup

Place all ingredients in the blender and blend away! Just make sure you put the oats in first.