smoothies by Kevin

My son Kevin is really is really getting into organics. As I always say ( and he concurs) it shows on his body. He is very conscious of what he is putting into his body. His friend (who wants to remain anonymous) says it has gone to far when Kevin refused to have an Acees Icees telling his friend how terrible all that suger would be on their systems. Kev is a firm believer in the power of smoothies and I am now including his recipe. Kevin's words and recipe now follow.

 We use vital choice organic fruit. We order it from vitalchoice.com. They sell blueberries, blackberries,  strawberries or a mix of all three. In my smoothie I use whatever frozen fruit we have plus bananas. (we put our over ripe ones in the freezer) I then put in flaxeed oil and coconut oil. I recently have been feeling low on energy so I now add my powder nutrients my mom  gave me  into my smoothie as well. I top it all off  by loading orange juice until it reaches a higher point than all the fruit. When everythings ready to go I blend it all up until its blended well.  

xo  ginny and Kevin

The Dirty Dozen

Last night I was at an affair and there was a server there that I was immediately drawn to. She was so friendly and had just a wonderful aura around her. A connection was made.  Later in the night I mentioned to her I had a company Mindful Organics. Her eyes lit up, she knew Mindful, she is actually a facebook fan! Her name is Julie and it turns out she was just moonlighting and has an incredible job at a local hospital relating to nutrition and well being. We were both stunned by our instant connection to each other when we met. I definitely made a new friend last night. She was telling me in the program she is a director of they teach their patients about the dirty dozen. That reminded me I had not blogged about that yet, so here goes.

The dirty dozen are the fruits and vegetables that it is particulary important to eat the organic form of as these tend to have the largest amounts of pesticide residues.

Nectarines, lettuce, celery, spinach, cherries, peaches, potatoes, pears, imported grapes, bell peppers, apples, and strawberries.

According to the nonprofit Environmental Working Group (EWG) the types least likely to contain pesticides are avocados, sweet corn, broccoli, asparagus, banans, pineapple, and mango.

Hope the info is extremely helpful!  xo ginny

The Dirty Dozen

Just What the Doctor Ordered-for dinner

My Aunt sent me this article. I would love to study under Dr Polak,  as he is doing is exactly what I believe.

"Healthy gourmet food isn't an oxymoron, says Dr Rani Polak, a Hadassah doctor and Cordon Bleu-trained chef. He also believes you should not have to make a special meal for a diabetic child or adult.

He works at The Hadassah Medical Center, where he is the director of the Center for Healthy Living, and at Hadassah College Jerusalem, where he teaches future chefs how to cook more healthfully. Specifically how to create recipes that take into consideration the needs for those suffering from Crohn's disease, diabetes, and celiac disease. 

Dr Plak, 37 enrolled in the Hebrew University- Hadassah Medical Center. Midway through his six year course of study he took one year off to travel in Australia. He  involved himself in his passion for cooking and took classes at at an outpost of Le Cordon Bleu. 

When he returned to medical school Dr Polak became interested in Crohn's disease. When his patients began complaining to him about their dietary restrictions he was able to combine his love of medicine and cooking. He now teaches wellness cooking classes at the Center for Healthy Living. "I'm not just interested in treating diseases," says Dr. Polak. "I want to improve the quality of everyday life for patients."   How incredible the direct link between disease and nutrition. Food for thought.  xo ginny

Greens

Chlorophyll is responsible for the color green in many fruits and vegetables. Lutein a compound that contributes to eye health and reduces the risk of macular degeneration and cateracts. Folate is also found in leafy vegetables a B vitamin that can prevent against birth defects in pregnant woman. It has also been linked to better memory and hearing. It may also prevent against various forms of cancer. A study  done by the Chinese in 2009 found that high consumption of dark leafy vegetables was related to a lower risk of breast cancer in women. 

Cruciferous green vegetables like broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, and kale have their own set of benefits. They contain sulfeoraphane, a compound with antioxidant and antibacterial properties that may help prevent prostate, colon, and stomach cancer.  A review of 30 studies found that the risk of lung cancer was 22 percent lower in people who ate high amounts of cruciferous vegetables. Sulforaphane also appears to help protect the heart, helps our lungs and liver eliminate toxins.

 Much better for you than a cheeseburger and fries... Everyday we make choices. Lets make mindful ones as to how we want our body performing for us 5, 10 or 20 years down the line. We have one journey... make it a powerful one in both mind and body.  xo ginny

Argula, caramelized onion, and goat cheese pizza

1 TBL olive oil

1 medium red onion, cut in 1/2 and thinly sliced into 1/2 moons

4 cups arugula, coarsely chopped

S&P to taste

four 6 inch diameter whole wheat tortillas

2 oz fresh goat cheese 

Preheat oven to 400

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring until golden. About 12 minutes. Add the arugula and cook until it is wilted, about 1 minute. Season with S&P. 

Place the tortillas on a baking sheet and top each one with the argula mixture. Crumble the goat cheese over each and bake until the tortillas are crisp and the cheese is slightly melted. About 10 minutes. Let cool then cut into 4 wedges and serve. Use your imagination though, any veggies you have on hand you can use...roast some eggplant,  peppers, zucchini, mushrooms. 

Bon Apetit.   xo ginny

Eating by Color... todays color red

Eating a rainbow of produce everyday helps ensure you get the full range of nutrients for optimal health. Truly they are our fountain of youth.

Every color that we eat offers us different nutrients our bodies need to stay strong, and  fight diseases. The color red for instance found in foods such as watermelon and red tomatoes contain lycopene, an antioxidant offering protection from cancers including and especially noted prostate. Strong evidence also shows it protects against lung, stomach, pancreatic, colorectal, esphageal, oral, breast and cervical cancers. The American Heart Journal came out with a new study that treatment with antioxidant-rich tomato extract can reduce blood pressure in patients with grade 1 hypertension. An added bonus to tomatoes is they have a compound in them called lutein, which is great for your eye health The lutein may help prevent macular degeneration.

Red colored produce also contain carotenoids, and are sources of vitamin A.  How can we afford not to eat our reds? They are incredibly powerful for us. Throw   tomatoes in your salad, sandwiches, make pizzas top with extra tomato sauce,  scrambled eggs and tomatoes yum!! Watermelon ..ever try it in a salad with feta cheese or fresh mozzerella and mint? Out of this world. Here's to good eating!!   xo ginny

 

baking and gardening

I absolutely love to bake. Always something baking in my house, but I am now baking with so many new wonderful ingredients. This morning I concocted up a banana, zuchini, date, walnut, raisan cake (bread) with coconut oil, whole wheat, flax seed and more so yummy!! Very healthy and feel good food. Problem was I love baking and lost out a bit on my gardening class cause the time flew and here it was 9:40 I was full of flour and still needed to get dressed and get out. Trouble is class was 30 minutes away. Must have showered in 2 minutes. Bear (my best girlfriend, and I have amazing girlfriends) was even happier than I was with all the baking. She had flour on her head and her black muzzle was white. Of course she is also my tester and approved it all. She always does...is that unconditional love or what?? Class was so great. Unfortunately it was the last of the series, I learned so much from Andres and from everyone's input and questions. The icing on the cake was I got my overdue lesson in the garden on pollinating,  as well as learning the correct way the tomato plants like to root. Isn't is great when you turn around at the end of the day and you are fulfilled emotionally and intellectually, surrounded by great people including most especially sons and a husband who are my world. Life is sweet. Thanks for checking in.  xo ginny

From Sundays New York Times Magazine section

Rules to Eat by

From my Romanian grandmother: "Breakfast, you should eat alone. Lunch you should share with a friend. Dinner, give to your enemy." Irina A. Dumitrescu

Don't eat anything that took more energy to ship than to grow. -Carrie Cizauskas

Never eat something pretending to be something else; e.g. no "textured vegetable protein" or veggie burgers (fake meat), no artificial sweeteners, no margarine (fake butter), no "low fat"  sour cream, no turkey bacon, no chocolate-flavor sauce" that doesn't contain chocolate,  If I want something that tastes like meat or butter, I would rather have the real thing than some chemical concoction pretending to be more healthful-Sonya Legg

Eat foods in inverse proportion to how much its lobby spends to push it.-Kirk Westphal

Avoid snack foods with the "oh" sound in their names:

Doritos, fritos, cheetos, tostitos, hostess ho hos, etc -Donna David

Interesting... xo ginny

interesting...  xo ginny

Soy information

There is alot of confusion in the American consumer's mind as to whether soy products are healthy or not. How much and in what form is best?  There is misinformation stating that soy causes breast cancer, Alzheimers and man boobs. That information is inaccurate. Soy is a major allergen (as is wheat, nuts, dairy, eggs and seafood). It is also not beneficial for our cholesterol levels as first thought about 10 years ago. Yet it has an important part to play in our diets.

Asians use it as a staple to their diet and they tend to live longer, healthier lives then we do here. Soy is used differently in Asia, it is used in its whole forms tofu, miso, and tempeh. They use it in moderation not make whole meals of it. (Just as they use animal flesh in smaller amounts favoring vegetables) Americans tend to use soy broken down into products such as milk, TVP, (textured vegetable protein) and soy flour. Processing changes the form and nutritional value of the soy. It is healthier in its whole form with its phytonutrients intact, and superlean protein. Tempeh is the best way to go if you like a meaty texture. A 3oz serving generally has about 150 calories. I just bought LightLife tempehtations zesty lemon flavor at Whole Foods. I like to crumble tempeh into my salads or I buy the tofu pasta by Shirataki (4oz  20kcal!) and mix in tempeh my answer to spaghetti with meat sauce. (Shirataki noodles sold in the fruit and veggie section of the organics in Publix) Explore and enjoy there are now so many options including take the silkin tofu and add it to your morning fruit smoothies excellent for the whole family. Quick on rushed school mornings and delicious. Buy the organic frozen berries.  xo ginny

The Market

When I was a girl my grandma Bess lived in Manhattan and my family lived on Long Island. We would go in once a week to see her. I believe it was Sunday nights though I could be wrong on that... My father loved a market that we would visit after taking my grandma out for dinner and then home. My sister,  brother and I loved those visits or at least I think they did. I know I loved them. The place was,  I suppose a gourmet market. My Dad and I have always loved dried apricots so I remember that most. I am sure they had beautiful, gourmet items.  I just wanted those peel and eat  plastic apricot skins (came in other flavors too) and the apricots of course. It was something really special those visits to the market. I was thinking of that today as Mark, Kevin and I were coming home from todays'  Coconut Grove trip. You see the experience is quite different. They don't like going... I used mothers' guilt to get them to come by saying I missed them, and bribery by offering I would buy all the lemonade and juices they  could carry.  Well it is hot there at this time of year and the bags get heavy as there are no carts. Their mother kind of disappears into this hippie wanna be in bliss with the surroundings and inspired by  fellow shoppers.   Kevin in the meantime was still questioning what and where the plum tomatoes were.  Mark was stuck on zucchinis. 

 I love to hear Tracy, (the owner)  yelling acrross the market at her husband Stan, creating tumult and drama, She is  you could say  a colorful person,  but what a passionate one!!  I love the earthiness of the place,  the food,  the scene, the energy. Most of all,  the different kinds of people who attend.  I know my boys  won't quite have the memories of a beautiful, tranquil market, but maybe they will remember those  days at the market when their mother was trying to teach them about real food...the good side of life.  xo  ginny

Karma

I was having a discussion about karma the other day with two of my kids,  discussing the definition and thoughts on it. They said and both agreed karma is when you do good things, good things come back to you. I believe that to be karma,  as well as the feeling or energy that something gives off.  I had changed course on something I had put my heart and soul into when I felt the flow was negative, the karma off. I am not a flighty person so I don't just go around waiting to see how the energy is flowing,  but if something pulls at my heart strings alerting me I listen.  I have found in living my life if something feels wrong, don't fight it. We don't always understand why rationally but to follow our instincts, based solely on our trust within our own being is living honestly, and mindfully. Sometimes we have to turn off the static of life and remember to hear our own thoughts as they are usually the wisest.  Namaste.  xo ginny

Turmeric

There has been alot of talk lately about the health benefits of different spices. I was just asked yesterday about turmeric. Turmeric is the root of a shrub similiar to ginger. It has long been used  to help with inflammation. Curcumin is the active ingredient in turmeric,  it has anti-cancer properties, including the power to target tumor cells.

Most recently, Mohsen Meydani, DVM, PhD, director of Tufts' HNRCA Vascular Biology Laboratory, has led research showing that mice fed a diet including curcumin gain less weight and have healthier cholesterol and glucose levels. The Tufts scientists theorize that curcumin could stall the spread of fat tissue in the body by inhibiting new blood vessel growth necessary to build fat tissue. 

Turmeric is a key ingredient in curries and  turmeric can be used in a variety of Indian dishes. 

xo ginny