Rain Drops on Roses and Soy Butter and Fixin's

How I love a bad play on words! As my journey nears it's eleven month mark, these items have emerged as a few of my favorite things:

Wheat Berries: By far my favorite discovery in the whole grains department. Wheat berries are nutty little bursts of grain and make such a delightful alternative to plain brown rice (zzzzzzz). They are similar to the texture of corn kernels. Wheat berries are the whole grain that is ground to give us whole wheat flour. I get my wheat berries from the bulk bins at Whole Foods (hard red wheat berries), and they aren’t very expensive. Like with many grains, a little goes a long way. They are a delight on their own with a little Earth Balance butter and sea salt, or dressed up with fresh herbs and spices. Throw in some raisins or dried cranberries and get ready to freak out!

Earth Balance Buttery Spread: I was turned on to Earth Balance a while ago after reading Skinny Bitch. It is a soy based, dairy free butter alternative, and it is truly amazing. I can’t taste the difference from real butter. Like dairy butter, it still has calories so you shouldn’t go overboard, but oh how it brings food to life! My husband loves his dairy, but even he enjoys Earth Balance. Now that I am microwave popcorn free- we’ve been making our own popcorn and I melt some Earth Balance with some Tony Cashere’s Original Creole Seasoning and mix it in (we have a perfect tag team method of one pourer and one shaker.) Y-U-M!

Edamame Hummus: I love hummus in general. I love it's creamy texture, I love it's protein, I love making my own. It’s great to pair with carrots for a snack, great for a protein kick on morning toast, and heck, great on a spoon! BUT praise be to my cast mate who came to rehearsal one day with a tub of Trader Joe’s Edamame Hummus. She gave me a taste and my world changed! It is so flippin’ delicious. Run to your nearest Trader Joe’s and get some today. If you do not live near a Trader Joe’s: 1) I'm so sorry and I’ll go get some for you and eat it on your behalf :) 2) Here is a recipe from The Delicious Life that echoes my enthusiasm over how good edamame hummus is! I’m glad to know there are others out there who share my passion for legume puree. Edamame Hummus Recipe.

Red and Green Chard: Bored of spinach? Sautee up some chard and feel the nutrient rush! (But we still love you spinach and all of your healthy irony goodness!) Chard is full of all kinds of wonderful vitamins and minerals. Accoridng to the folks at http://everynutrient.com/ we score vitamins C, E, and K, potassium, magnesium, iron, and more from eating chard! What I love about good clean whole foods is that they can be so savory on their own but can be dressed up in so many ways! Simple: I give a pan a spritz of heart healthy olive oil, and heat it up with a little Earth Balance, add thoroughly washed and chopped up chard with sea salt and pepper to taste, let it heat for a minute or two, then cover it with the lid, and turn off the heat while you create the rest of your dinner. You’ll have perfectly wilted and delicious chard in no time. Dressed up: Sautee up some red and/or yellow onion and mushrooms first, add chard, then add a splash of lemon juice and/or balsamic vinegar (red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar can work too-remember, a little goes a looong way with vinegar). Throw in some pine nuts and/or raisins if you want to be extra dazzly (and you want me to show up at your door!) So easy! So enjoyable! And if you find the right farmer’s market or produce store (I’m blessed with Stanley’s in Chicago), then it’s very inexpensive!

Olive Oil Sprayer: I mentioned this one long ago, but it is seriously a staple of cooking healthy meals. Before we got our Misto over a year ago, my husband and I went through at least a bottle and half of extra virgin olive oil each month. Now, we buy it maybe once every two months. This is with both of us cooking dinner almost everyday (remember, we cook separate meals from each other so that is two dinners most nights), plus he cooks his breakfast four days a week as well (I usually eat high protein Kashi cereal). Talk about reduction!!! Our meals taste every bit as good, and I maintain that spraying your olive oil gets a better overall coating. You also drastically reduce your calorie consumption! Make the switch!

What are your favorite healthy things?

Something Fishy This Way Comes

Have you ever taken fish oil supplements? They seem to be all the rage and carry a multitude of benefits.

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If you must know, and I think you must in the spirit of candor, I began looking into fish oil supplements as a last resort effort to an ongoing dilemma….stress related scalp issues. Charming. I’ve always had to be mindful of my scalp drying out, but this spring, it became an actual problem. I’ve been to the dermatologist several times and have tried fancy expensive prescription foam and a prescription oily syrup-like treatment (that is very difficult to get out of my hair). I’ve tried tea tree oil shampoo. I’ve tried actual tea tree oil. I’ve tried rubbing pure vitamin E on my head. I’ve tried my old go-tos like Matrix Actrol Shampoo, and even Selson Blue. I’ve tried excessive water consumption. I’ve been net-searching and all signs point to stress related eczema. I know my little dog child starts flaking when we go on car trips (he worries-he’s a rescue pup with a sad past), but it makes a girl feel not-so-lady-like to share traits with a dog. Mind you I could be wrong and this could also be a hormonal change (supposedly we regenerate our cells approximately every seven years-it’s not a 100% proven theory, and what is relatively provable seems to suggest a wider span such as cell life ranging between 7 and 10 years, but I digress.) It could be stress, it could be hormones, it is most definitely embarrassing.

One cure that seems to pop up a lot (other than dousing my head in apple cider vinegar) is taking fish oil supplements. Omega 3 fatty acids from our fishy friends Salmon, Mackerel, Sardines, and the like contain powerful goodness that is supposed to be helpful for aiding in joint pain, promoting weight loss, increasing concentration, combating depression, reducing stress, and of course soothing eczema.

Of course the web is full of info about fish oil supplements and it’s hard to gage what’s accurate and what’s not. Many sites seem to be upfront with the fact that it could take three months for results (which is tough for an impatient girl like me to hear), but that it can be very effective to help with the flaky, red, itchy, mortification that is living with an eczema head.

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Weight loss, you say?! Tell me more. And I shall. According to http://www.organicfacts.net/ , Professor Peter Howe at the University of South Australia concludes that a combination of taking fish oil supplements while maintaining an exercise regimen is the key to using fish oil for weight loss. You can read the article: here. It seems that fish oil consumption alone will most likely not result in weight loss, but when paired with exercise it can up the effect for better belly fat reduction. Who doesn't enjoy belly fat reduction?

So, with so many possible benefits why not give it a healthy try? I remember reading a magazine article a while ago that promoted fish oil, and it warned of fish burps as result of taking these supplements. Fish burps?! That sounds undeniably disgusting as well as a recipe for feeling even more self conscious. However, questioning my pals who have tried them, I am receiving no reports of these alleged fish burps. I did read somewhere that your supplement should list the specific fish that make up the oil and if it doesn’t its legitimacy could be uncertain. I have also gotten the advice to keep the supplements cold to avoid rancid pills which could cause fish burps.

Fish Burp. This would be a great name for a rock band.

In the end I chose a once-a-day supplement with mackerel, anchovies and sardines. There were indeed bottles that didn’t specify the fish of origin so I steered clear. Taking multiple pills a day doesn’t work for me, because I inevitably forget, so I was glad to find a once daily dose version. You take the supplement with food, and I took my first one last night at dinner. I am happy to report that I have experienced no fish burps today. Excellent. What is more excellent is that, to my surprise, my supplement of choice was on sale. Huzzah! Behold, Nature's Bounty Triple Strength.

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Here are a few of the places I hit up in my quest for info if you’re interested, but frankly, most sites out there seem to say the exact same thing:
http://www.keyfishoilbenefits.com/
http://www.unisa.edu.au/researcher/issue/2005March/obesity.asp
http://www.evitamins.com/healthnotes.asp?ContentID=1209007

Violet Beauregard Was On To Something

A sunny Sunday walk through a beautiful park with my dog child and my need for a cool treat afterward inspired me to share with you my latest favorite healthy summery low cal snack...frozen blueberries. Freezing blueberries of course prolongs their life in your fridge, but also after a few minutes at room temperature they start to lose there super icy chill and taste like bite size sorbets! Such a treat! While blueberries can typically be an expensive grocery item, right now there have been sales due to the Fourth of July holiday. I happen to be lucky enough to be blessed with a nearby budget friendly produce store (Stanley's on North and Elston for you folks in Chicagoland). A nice 11oz carton is ringing in at a mere $1.49 right now and I am reaping the benefits!

Thank you chocolate-festival.org

Blueberries are loaded with anti-oxidants and according to http://www.healthmad.com/ these are just a handful of the many benefits:

They help to slow the aging process.
They help reduce cell damage that may lead to some forms of cancer.
They help prevent and even cure urinary tract infections.
They help clean our blood vessels, our arteries and veins.
They are proving to be beneficial to folks suffering with arthritis and fibroses myalgia.
They benefit the nervous system and may help to prevent mood swings.
They help you maintain good vision.
They are good for your complexion.
Help you stick to that "diet" and aid in weight control.

Delightful and super good for me?! Yes please!

Of course I haven't passed up the great prices I've found on raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries either! Tossing frozen berries in a plastic container and bringing them with me to work makes for a scrumptious fruity addition to my lunch! By the time the noon hour rolls around the fruit is at a perfect cool and refreshing temperature! Sunday I put together several containers of mixed fruit to grab-n-go all week:

Have you taken advantage of nature's candy this summer?

The Earth Tells Us What To Eat

Someone sent this to me at my day job today, and I just had to share!!! I wish I knew where the email orginated from so I could give credit where credit is due.

God (or whichever Creator you prefer) made and provided what we'd need before we were born. These foods are best & more powerful when eaten raw. We're such slow learners...We've been given a great clue as to what foods help what part of our body! Amazing!

A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye... And YES, science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

A Tomato has four chambers and is red.The heart has four chambers and is red. All of the research shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopine and are indeed pure heart and blood food.

Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three (3) dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.

Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.

Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Avocadoes, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? It takes exactly nine (9) months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).

Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to overcome male sterility.

Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.

Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries.

Oranges, Grapefruits, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

Onions look like the body's cells. Today's research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working companion, Garlic, also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body.

How rad is all of that?!