For this post, I’m sharing one of the weird things I do. I make Kombucha. Some people love it, some people hate it. I’m one who hates it, but it’s worth the effort. I may have to hold my nose and gag a little when I drink it, but I do it because I believe it’s doing really good stuff for my body. It’s referred to as ‘functional food’ with tremendous health benefits. read more…
Are you ready for this?…
Kombucha is fermented by bacteria and yeast commonly known as a “SCOBY” (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast)
… throw my snuggly UGG boots in the mix and we’ve got us a perfect situation.
BUT OH THE ALLERGIES… aka INFLAMMATION
3/4 of the people who live in under my roof suffer from seasonal allergies→ asthma. It’s really only a problem during spring and fall. We will experience inflammation in our lungs which make it hard to breathe – NOT COOL. But what IS COOL … we can keep the inflammation under control through our nutrition.
Avocado – I eat 1/2 every morning with my eggs… avocado toast is trending these days and I know why… BECAUSE IT’S GOOD! Try it.
Dark green, leafy vegetables – I eat a simple spinach salad almost every day, and when I can’t/don’t want to eat my veggies, I drink them. Check out this post for different green smoothie recipes. If I’m being lazy or don’t have fresh greens at the house, my favorite local solution is the Juice Bar! Check out iLOVEJuiceBar.com for locations.
Walnuts/Olive oil
Onions
Watermelon and Berries
Ginger, turmeric, oregano … I make ginger tea … simple just blend up ginger and fresh squeezed lemon, pour in ice cube tray, freeze and then add a ginger cube to hot water.
Whole grain foods – gluten seems to really irritate our inflammation so we cut way back in our house during high allergy seasons, but to get our grains we choose sprouted grain options (once sprouted, the gluten is released).
It’s that time of year when I make the Plantain Tincture. This will be my 5th year making it and I promise I wouldn’t keep doing this if it didn’t work. Plus, it’s seriously the easiest thing ever. This single batch lasts all year and I even have extra to share with friends. We use it for all the bug bites… spider, bee, mosquito, wasps (those evil little monsters) and also snake bites (not that I’ve ever been bit, but if I do…). This can also be used for splinters. The plantain has a pulling agent and it heals the wounded area really good! I had a small allergic reaction rash on my arm to some grass or something last week. I sprayed my potion on it and BAM!!!… the itching and bumps disappeared in a few minutes. Watch the video and make some this season. Parents, this stuff stinks and can sting a little, but send it to camp this year with your kids. My kids friends now ask what that weird stuff is I make b’c they want some hehehe. Check it out and watch the video ↓↓↓
I’m obsessed with COCONUT. OBSESSED. And OBSESSED with this COCONUT YOGURT RECIPE I’ve been making lately. I like to make it on Sunday evenings and store it in glass jars for the week. Give it a try and let me know what you think in the comments below!
Ginger is a great ANTI-FOOD —» it’s anti-viral • anti-septic • anti-histamine • anti-inflammatory and just great if you have a head cold or sinus congestion. It’s INTENSE NUTRITION! BAM
If you live near a beloved JUICE BAR ♥, go in and ask for a Ginger Shot.
Peel the ginger, then put it into a juicer and collect the juice. Squeeze the lemon either by hand or using a citrus press. Mix the juice of the ginger and lemon together, then drink the shot – don’t sip it though as it’s not the most delicious thing!
↓ THE CHALLENGE ↓
Can you take a GINGER SHOT and keep a straight face like my little man Iver?
Now here’s a Juicy Tip from Juice Therapy •••
For a warm, comforting, nutritious drink, put a few slices of lemon and ginger along with a teaspoon of manuka honey into hot water.
Because ginger helps to tame nausea, it is beneficial for people undergoing chemotherapy and its associated nausea as well as for pregnancy and its associated morning sickness.
Ginger has been referred to as “the king of anti-inflammatory foods” and is incredibly useful for any inflammatory problems in the body from rheumatoid arthritis to easing muscle pain after strenuous activity and exercise. The reason it is such a powerful anti-inflamatory is because it contains compounds or essential oils called gingerols that help to interrupt the inflammation process. Essentially they interfere with an enzyme called cyclo-oxygenase (COX) that is involved in switching on inflammation and instigating pain. When we experience a cold, we feel all bunged up with mucus, although actually most of that feeling actually comes from inflammation of the of the mucous membrane in the nose and sinuses. Most conditions and pain in the body are associated with inflammation including all muscle pain, arthritis and even skin conditions. … read more here
A ginger shot is one of the assignments in our Fall Bingo Challenge! This is a great way to say motivated in November… Let’s do this together! Come read → HERE ←about the challenge and get your family and friends in on this one… it’s gonna be FUN!!
We started making these eggs last year and still just LOVE them! I first tried this at a HEALTHY FOOD PARTY we had in January, and I’ll be sharing it at our MEAL PREP PARTY that I’m hosting on January 4th!!! This party is for all our local peeps who are joining in on the NationWide 24 Day Challenge starting on Jan. 7! Any who, add this one to your meal plan. It’s super good!
REPOST FROM JANUARY 2013: My friend, Teresa, brought deviled eggs to the Healthy Food Sampling Party we had at my house last Friday. They were SO good and I had to try it out myself. Teresa found this recipe on Pinterest that led to a cute websiteMy Kitchen Of Love. We left out the mayo and tweaked the seasoning a bit.
My girl Taylor wanted to take this project over last night, so I must give her creds for the eggs “we” made. SHE actually made them and they were GREAT!
what T A Y L O R did…
She made 12 hardboiled eggs and peeled them after they were cool.
She cut the eggs in half length wise, scoop out the egg yoke and put them in a mixing bowl. She smashed the egg yoke, along with an avocado, and seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder and olive oil. Just like traditional deviled eggs…she transferred the mixture to the egg white halves and then sprinkled them with paprika.
We didn’t take the time to make these look pretty,
but in the end it didn’t matter that much… they were gone in seconds!
Taylor added mustard and loved it.
INGREDIENTS
12 hard boiled eggs
1 avocado
salt and pepper
garlic powered
olive oil
paprika
Thank you TAYLOR for helping out in the kitchen! This is too easy and too good NOT to do.
If you want to join us for the NationWide Advocare 24 Day Challenge, email ashley@ashleybensonfitness.com for more information!
One of my favorite people, Jame Swilley, started the Advocare 24 Day Challenge 12 days before Thanksgiving!!!!! This girl is serious about reaching her goals! After the first 10 days (the Cleanse Phase) she said, “My clothes are fitting better” and her hubby has been noticing 🙂 Then the BIG Turkey Day happened… she ate small portions of all she wanted – “It was good, but not as amazing as I usually think it is… I guess this stuff is working. It was easy to eat in moderation”
Not only is Jame going strong on her challenge, she is sharing food and meal ideas with us!!!! Yippie!!! She shared this Chicken Minestrone Soup with me this week and said I could share it with you 🙂 Enjoy…
WHAT YOU NEED
-Low Sodium Chicken Broth
-Can Crushed Tomatoes
-Can White Beans
-Can Cut Green Beans
-2 Large Carrots Minced
-1 Small Onion
-1 Bag Spinach
-2 Cups Quinoa Pasta
-3 Chicken Breast
Sauté chicken in a bit of water in a large pot. Remove chicken and set aside
In same pot sauté onion.
Add broth,tomatoes, white and green beans, carrots, and spinach.
Bring to a boil and add pasta.
Reduce heat once pasta is soft add diced chicken.
Serve with Parmesan cheese.
So THANK YOU Jame for sharing!!! Keep rockin’ your challenge!!!
I’m pretty pumped about this new food thing I’ve found. I actually want to thank my Sis-In-Law, Amy, for introducing it and sharing some for me to try! So, this is “pasta” that is really beans – and it’s great for all you 24 Day Challengers! Many of us are doing the challenge this time of year to boost our immune system and see to it that we have control going into the holidays. Ok, calm down. I know… beans??? That doesn’t sound so yummy… so that’s why I decided to fall on my sword, try it first, and THEN give an honest assessment of it.
Today I cooked this one. I cooked it like normal pasta, then seasoned with salt and pepper, sprinkled with parmesan cheese and drizzled with olive oil. Kept it simple and I LOVED it! Really really LOVED it! I’m not lying. Nothin’ wrong with this.
It’s made of Mung Beans. I’m sure I’ve eaten them before and just didn’t know it. In all honesty, I really didn’t know what that was, so I googled it. Good stuff!!! Read about it here.
Pretty cool.
There are other kinds of this “pasta” that I will try out and report back on!
In the mean time, you really should get this food in your pantry ASAP.
