Will be back soon

We are going camping and will be back on Wednesday. Everyone have a great beginning of the week. I will have some great recipes to share soon.

Have a blessed and healthy Day!

Who wants to age better

I think we all want to age better or even a bit more gracefully. There are a few countries that come to mind with studying different cultures from the Himalayan, Indian, and Chinese in regard to there longevity and life span. All these countries are known for having a balanced diet of mostly grains, fruit and vegetables. They also have a very active lifestyle in regard to fitness. You can also see their Senior citizens (70-80) out farming, walking, and doing tai chi or qi gong. Boy, I hope I am that fit mentally and physically at that age, heck I hope even at 60! They also practice healing arts in herbs, acupuncture, and physical meditations.

We, as Americans can learn a lot from them. I think America is a nice little melting pot of many different cultures, that we have blended many dishes together forgetting the roots that the dish may have come from. Plus, making it fast and cheap does not help, because we skip steps or ingredients. I personally am learning to cook a few different dishes from a friend that just moved here from India just six months ago. Amazing to learn first hand from someone about their culture. With her country, India, everything she cooks has an order and a reason. Whether its to promote digestion, or to help correct teeth problems there is a food. From the first ingredient to the last there is a reason to why that ingredient goes first and how long before adding the next item. The taste is just an added benefit.

Americans have become fast paced and out of step with a natural path of life. What I mean is we want a magic bullet, or cure all, for everything. From our headaches to a toe ache, there is a drug over the counter or script that can be filled. Now taking a medication is NOT wrong, sometimes they are needed. I myself remember having extremely bad headaches, come to find out I had a cyst the size of a peach pushing up next to my brain. I had to go on heavy steroids in hope to shrink the cyst, and they were able to. So there are times when we need the help of medications, but so often we self medicate unnecessarily, and do not allow the body to work to help it's self.

Knowing what to do naturally for the aliments we have can take the need for most magic bullets, medications, out. I really hardly ever need anything for pain. I try to use a natural approach now to aid the body in what it needs.

For the most part we eat devitalized food and try to control aches and pains with medications. At some time we stop excising, which loses lean muscle mass. As a result we can lose done density and allow the metabolism to slow which will cause weakness and weight gain.

Science is now showing some of the reasons we are aging faster then we should. Ageing happens on a cellular level, starting with free radicals (see past posts). Good nutrition with antioxidants rich vitamins, minerals, and enzymes can make a defence against such aging offenders. The best defence is a great offense, what foods do you have in play every meal. Not just one but every meal.

There are many people that have gotten their hands on this information and are turning back the clock. You can do this as well with eating right, reducing stress, exercise, multivitamins, and increasing your water intake.

Your health is in your hands, turn back the clock and make the change.

Juice fast or therapies

If you were thinking on doing a juice fast to help the body detoxify and rejuvenate here are some ideas.

Apples help to nourish the skin and helps with liver disorders. This fruit is also great for digestion and weight loss, because of its mild laxative effects.

Beets, these are ideal for nourishing the liver, even more than apples. If your liver is clean and working correctly, than the rest of you is sure to. It has a pleasant taste but you can add other berries to sweeten it if needed.

Cabbages are great for your Vitamin K and other cancer fighting agents. Also, great for alleviating stomach problems especially when comfrey is added to it. Just as a note to those nursing mothers, cabbage will dry out the milk, so use caution.

Carrot Juice, one of my favorites, is high in antioxidants, beta carotene and vitamins A, C, and E. This juice is filled with beneficial minerals and anti aging enzymes as well, and who would not want that. Carrot juice tends to be high in Natural sugars, so you might want to dilute it if you has any issues with a sugar imbalance. Beneficial for skin and sight.

Celery is a great source of organic sodium this helps the body regulate the cell chemistry. Sodium is need everyday for the body to function correctly.

Melon juice is excellent as a kidney cleanser. Melons have a wide range of vitamins and minerals, not mention those very needed enzymes.

Pineapple has anti-inflammatory effects, so great for those who suffer from arthritis. We also like to have pineapple in our house for those horrible stomach bugs.

These are just a few great starts. Juicing allows the organs also rest from having to work so hard to digest. When juicing your fruits and veggies you nourish the body and allow it to work better later.

Have fun with your juicer and make up your favorite shakes and smoothies. There is no limit the combinations you can come up with. I would recommend a juice fast once every two week, if not once a week.

Have a blessed and healthy day

Oils and free radicals

I was unable to post yesterday and I am sorry. I will have a complete meal to make up for that in today's post. To finish the topic on Oils. There are so many on the shelves today, it is easy to be unsure which to pick. Everyone has their favorites, but not all are good for you and some need to be stored just right to keep fresh.
First, when you are purchasing a oil, whether olive oil, safflower, or canola. It needs to be Cold Pressed. This will insure that the high temperatures have not Oxidized the molecules that create Free Radicals. Free Radicals are damaging to the body in that they break the body down and cause cancer. When damaged cells come in contact with these scavenger molecules, they steal molecules from healthy cells and cause them to be damaged making a chain reaction of destruction. A great example of this is shown in www.thegreatproduct.com/hammond. The body has to fight hard to get back to balance and stop these free Radicals from continuing and then restore the damaged cells and tissue.
When oils have been heated to 375-400 degrees they start to create this oxidation in the oil. When you buy cold pressed oils you do not have to worry about that. Then you have to think about how to cook with it correctly. You can heat the oil but try not to heat above the 375 degrees. That means you want to avoid eating fried foods, if you do very seldom. When cooking over the stove, it is mostly used for infusing taste and seasonings, the oil is not used for to long.
The oils that are best to use are Olive Oil, Canola, and Coconut Oil. I try to put all my oils in the refrigerator to keep them fresh longer. The Coconut oil is amazing because you can nourish your skin after being in the sun for to long, it replenishes lost Vitamin F and K. It is even used as a natural sunscreen if used correctly, just rub the oil over the skin the night before going out in the sun. That way the skin has absorbed the qualities it needs.
It would be nice to also mention that the saturated oils and fats that you consume become cholesterol. Some times that cholesterol like oils are stored in the skin, just underneath. When you are out in the sun you need to take correct precautions to avoid over exposure, but when out for at least 20- 30 minutes in the sunlight that cholesterol is transformed into Vitamin D. The only natural and true way the body absorbs the Vitamin D is when the body makes it. So you get rid of unwanted cholesterol and you make Vitamin D, it's a very good thing. That is why it is so important to make sure you and your children are outside getting fresh air and letting the body do this amazing transformation. You always need Vitamin D to assist in the absorption of Calcium. Children need this for there fast growing bones and adults to maintain there bone integrity. If Vitamin D is low it can cause irritability, as well as bone problems.
Oils have many beneficial items as well like omega 3 and more. That will have to be another day though.
Today's recipe is one of my favorites.

Baked Zitti
1 package of whole wheat pasta.
1 lb of ground turkey meat
The chunky tomato sauce recipe from post(dangers of Add' 6-19-09)
1 lb Mozzarella cheese
1 Zucchini sliced Julianne
1 tbsp seasoning of sesame seeds and dulse- great taste and great vitamins and minerals

Start wit the tomato sauce you will need time to allow that to cook down, then boil the pasta and brown the meat. I then add zucchini, meat and seasoning to the chunky tomato sauce mix and simmer for another 6 minutes. Then add pasta and sauce mixture to oven temper dish and add the cheese to the top. Baked in 250 degrees for 20 minutes until cheese is melted.

Serve a fresh tossed salad.

Dessert is 1/2 cup of yogurt with mixed fresh berries on top.

Have a blessed and healthy day.

The Rise of Margarine

In France the year 1869, butter became in short supply and they created a prize to see who could come up with a cheaper attractive substitute. A man named M. Hippolyte Mege took first place. He took the most inexpensive fats that were available, the drippings of meat packing, and added a mixture of milk and yogurt to add flavor. This was a similar resemblance, but no one was fooled, but it was used as an alternative for the cost. Later, during World War II they had to come up with a yet a cheaper way to substitute for butter fat due to rations. The small lard looking packs were handed out with yellow food coloring. So with meal times you would see people mixing their "butter" which was just lard and coloring. This actually became a normal routing even in the American households. We just kept coming up with cheaper ways to extract fats. Now it's the vegetable fats that were extracted, for these were much less costly than the price of fats from meat Industries. More science went into the process and no longer did you have to mix it yourself. The way the chemical chains bonded with the vegetable fats resulting in holding the structure and even melted like butter. YEAH! It is this processed form of margarine that holds oxygen atoms that cause it to go rancid faster than real Butter. So today's Margarine is mostly vegetable fat. It is important to note that once a vegetable has been "hydrogenated" a new fat has been created. It's a completely new, man made, synthetic fat. This has been linked with a higher rate of heart attacks.
I found that interesting, this is the example of how most of our food is made today. Every business wants to know where can we can cut cost, how can we make this cheaper. We as consumers say, "Wow, the price is down" and we run for it's the same. We're just amazed they can come up with new ways of developing it. The once tasty and mildly nutritious Butter of old is now a chunk of fat, synthetically made, that could increase risks of heart problems, but you will not read that on the label.
You might want to be leery of anything that contains hydrogenated oils. You can find this in your margarine's, Peanut Butter, and other places as well. There are companies that do make them with out that oil both Butter and Peanut Butter.
Just think of the items you use margarine and peanut butter in breakfast lunch and dinner. It's everywhere. My children love peanut butter with apples, bananas, and sandwiches. The amount of times I subjected them to this is amazing. There are more natural choices just read the labels. No Hydrogenated oils and little salt. Especially since "nearly three million children between the ages of 6 and 17 suffer from high blood pressure"- summarized from the Vitamin Supplement Journal.
It can be a little confusing so I hope to break it down for you. There is a lot of description as to how long the molecule chains can go and break down process, let's just skip to the important facts. Saturated fats are from animals, they will be solid at room temperature. An example would be cooking lard. Unsaturated are the vegetable fats and they will be in liquid form.
Tomorrow we can talk about your cooking oils between Olive, Canola, and Vegetable. Which ones you want to cook with and are better for the body, you will be surprised.

If you do not want to make your own fresh peanut butter, these are great brands. Adams, Arrowhead Mills, Spanky's, Toner, and Maranatha.

Make your own Peanut Butter in ten minutes.
1 1/2 cups unsalted roasted peanuts
1 tbsp peanut oil
In processor, blender, blend both ingredients until smooth or chunky as you want it. Store in a glass gar and refrigerate. It will stay good for 2 weeks.

Another Favorite of mine is Yogurt Peanut Butter Dip
1/2 cup plain yogurt
4 tbsp natural peanut butter
Mix together until smooth and keep cool. We eat these with fruit and veggies. Real hit at parties!!!

Have a Blessed and Healthy day!

Just because you Can eat it, does not mean it's FOOD.

Just because you can eat it does not mean it is food. I am trying to teach my family that we have to make good choices everyday. There are so many things on the shelves of store and shops that you know taste good, but are they good for you. We call those items Non-foods. The have no nutritional value. You can always read a label that says NUTRIENTS....but it is mostly, sugar, salt, white flour, chemicals, and food coloring. Even if it says Vitamin A and Calcium. They most likely are the synthetic form that is added back in after processing, which the body will not absorb and use.
When a food is ALIVE. That means it was from a life giving force, for example, a plant or animal. You know that these things will bring you life. They still contain the nutrients to feed your body and keep it running. I joke with people all the time that you want to shop on the outside of the store for produce, dairy, meat, seafood, and breads. These areas are always on the outside, because they spoil quickly and need coolers. When things can sit on shelves for months or even YEARS, those are non foods. You can still find some that are still nutritious, such as your dried beans, legumes, rice, pastas. You have to finish cooking them and they still hold their nutritious value. You want to use the dried beans, not can beans, because they have no digestive enzymes left and will not completely be digested. (see last post for more information) I love when my daughter will look at her daddy, who just put a piece of candy in his mouth, and says "Do you know what that is doing to your body?" She may not entirely know but she knows its not good. We still have times when we will allow them to have "treats" but we try to teach moderation.
This last weekend we had a BBQ at the house and we had all types of food and drinks that were out. I let the kids have soda and at the end dessert. Later that night they all had night tremors and a few nightmares. You may say that could be a coincident, but when you know what foods do to the body you are able to recognize the difference. When there are non-foods eaten, they cause children to be more emotional, concentration in less, and possibly create anger. My son is more affected than the other three. He is much more emotional and was the one with nightmares all night long. His brain was running on a bad source of sucrose and dextrose, and maltose, all the things the body needs, but makes naturally on its own. Man's form of synthetic maltose is toxic in ways to the body. I know these possible results, and allowed these in his diet because like all moms it is hard to say no sometimes. The next morning we did talk about it and I asked him, "was it forth it to eat the sweats?" He said "no it makes my body feel funny." If you have behavior issues with your children, it may not be them, but what he or she is eating. I know I would never have thought it could make such a difference. You can help them to feel better. They do not know that some foods can be toxic to the body, because "how can something that tastes so good be so bad for you?"My seven years old asked that exact question. That is when I told him not all food is food you should eat. These lessons are daily. You want to teach them to eat right for a life time, not just while there are kids. Good eating habits that go with them in to those teenage years and adulthood.

Make your own soda!!!!

Combine in a blender
2/3 cup of unsweetened juice (grape, pineapple, lemon and lime)
1/3 cup plain seltzer
ice cubes

If not sweet enough you can add some pure maple syrup or honey. Very little because this is not ideal, you want to work towards not adding that in time, but its still less sugar than a regular Soda. Have fun with it. In time they will crave these more than the other.

Have a Blessed and Healthy day

Working for Balance

The body is always trying to stay in balanced. Everything about it works down to a cellular level. It functions and repair that way. Food that was consumed yesterday, was sent through the night to replenish cells, that were lost or damaged. The ones that get stored thorough different organs are ready and waiting to digest and transport new working nutrients for the next meal. There is no real rest time for your body. When we are resting it is replenishing. When we are up and working they are working as well.
You can give your organs a little break to play catch up. When we do a fast, or Juice Fasting..... we still give the body nutrients the organs do not work as hard to process things. The stomach, intestines, and kidneys get to relax and allow the cellular system to aid damaged areas. When you fast it is always wise to still take in vitamins and minerals. If you do not the body works harder pulling things away from other tissues to make up the nutrients needed somewhere else.
Think about it this way. Take your job, you are performing your daily task and keep things in your control and in working order. When a fellow worker is running behind, or not at all, then they make you go and do their job, your work area start to fall apart. Not only are you trying to maintain your work, but also someone else's. Something is going to be damaged or lost. Not to mention the toll this is taking on you, one person performing the work of two burns up more than the two persons would do if the work remained seperate. The body burning nutrients works the same way.
I also want to make sure you know I am talking about organic sodium, which is the only sodium your body uses and absorbs in the form of various fruits and vegetables. Table salt is not the sodium that the body uses, it is called inorganic sodium. It just helps food taste differently. When we have too much table salt in our system is gets stored and logged in areas. Edema could possibly occur until the excess salt is removed from us, which extremely taxes the kidneys.
The food that we eat should be planned with that in mind. We should be thinking....OK, I should have plenty of vegetables to replace the sodium that I burnt up yesterday. From the time you start chewing your food, vitamins, and minerals are already processed from the previous foods are sent to work making enzymes for digestion, not just one but different ones need for specific times. Then they are sent as little workers where the body deems necessary.
It is difficult to understand but the body goes back and forth in an acidic and alkaline nature. Needing to balanced and work to do specific functions. When it can not work in time and function correctly that is when damaged cells start to allow disease. We think because we may feel fine, were healthy. The body will work to correct but when it can not, things start to fail and die. We will not be aware of the damage until it's already too late. Not to say that we can not try and correct the problem, but somethings will suffer a great a defeat and will not be the same.
My brother-in-law, a very fit and healthy person ate right for all we knew. But the body was taxed in a way he never knew until he started feeling a little off and knew something was not all right. He was found to have prostate cancer, which was a huge blow for us all because he was young and was what most would say is a very healthy person. He was mostly on a higher protein diet and I believe was not getting enough organic nutrients when things were working. Not to mention the foods we normally eat have lots of chemicals in them over taxing the body as well. Once he spoke to a cancer specialist they told him to have the surgery and put him on medications. He also started his own research and talked to a few natural physicians. He went to an organic diet and greatly increased his fruits and vegetables. He already had them in his diet but he discovered he needed more. He also started a really great product supplement out there call MonaVie. This is a juice that is LOADED with very beneficial nutrients. In the juice form it is easier for the body to absorb and process. Well, he actually started feeling better even before the surgery day, and thought maybe I can hold off and allow my body time to heal. It might have been able to slow the cancer down, but with great advice and counsel, he still had the surgery. This is an example that you never know that the body has suffered great damage until it is already done. When we have symptoms, those are signs of distress AFTER the body has already tried to heal and change, and to no avail. You have to be HELPING your body to live for tomorrow. By eating right and exercises you keep it in working order. It's in your hands, so what are you going to do?
If you want to see and hear more about MonaVie, it's such a great supplement. Even if you are not sick, you should be having these nutrients on a daily basis. I have been on it in my household and loved the way it made me feel. I did not know I could feel that much better until after I stopped taking it and was like, WOW why do I feel so sluggish, and then realized I had not taken the MonaVie in like three days. It only took three days for my body to show me it was lacking something it needed, and I saw that with a chuckle because I eat very well. So, to see a video and the information got to: www.thegreatproduct.com/hammond
The video is very informative, and there is a place to email any questions, OK.

Well here is the recipe for today.

Juice Smoothie..........Veggie Green, get over the color it Taste great

1/2 cup baby spinach
1/4 cup blueberries
1/4 cup strawberries
1 stalk of celery
1/4 cup of broccoli
1/2 cup of apple juice
1/4 cup of vanilla yogurt

If you are using any frozen fruit you will not need ice, if not throw some in. But then layer your produce in the blender, and mix until smooth. This taste great and is a great way to get in an extra helping of those so often forgot about veggies.

Have a blessed and Healthy day. Feel free to make comments or questions and thanks for visiting me today.

A little History, Man

When you think about it, majority of all food starts in the ground. From our fruits, vegetables, grains that are grown for rice, wheat, and legumes. Even the beef and chicken that we eat receive their nourishment from plants that need to be nutritious for consumption.
When we started forming villages , staying in one area our food habits changed. No longer could we just take from the land as we passed it. We started to follow the seasons and to grow things close to us, developing crop rotations. There was still hunting close to home so we could bring it back. They started to breed a new kind of crop as well. When they would go out and collect the wild herbs and grains, they would keep seeds for planting closer to home. When we brought the grains out of the NATURAL form of production, it in turn started to rely on man and man in turn relied on the propagation of the crop. This was the beginning of farming villages.
When herbs and plants are allowed to grow wild, they actually have a greater amount of nourishment and healing properties. Even the animals that we hunted had a stronger life span and less diseases before man started to mass produce them. For they eat off the same wild plants and grains that were available.
In one regard we can see man is now bound to taking care of the land for a fundamental diet, but also he no longer needs to be digging and foraging through the wild. Man, farmer, had to take into account the amount of food to be eaten and stored throughout the seasons for times of no growth. If they were no longer able to produce or the game went away, then they usually migrated to another place to start over. This was just a little history, with a little research you can discover it's entirety.
So, think about TODAY. We hardly have a herb pot, let alone a small vegetable garden. What is closer to our homes usually are the fast food chains or a convenience stores. Typically the places are filled with processed food, stripped of vitamins, nutrients, and sugar filled items. I will agree most of these items taste great or they would not be selling. Unfortunately, those are more of a crop field to most people than a backyard garden. We have come a long way...but in which direction would you say that is...positive or negative?
The consumption in America is on the rise, just think about the statistics. A survey is done every ten years in every state across America, in random homes. In 1955 most families had a fundamental diet. In 1965, using the same guidelines it was down 50% for its nutritional content. This is when we saw the start of our era with convenient foods. Make it easier, make it faster. We have continued to decrease with more health problems through the years. Today's most popular American foods are the hamburger, french fries, small salad, coffee, and soft drinks. Since World War II the consumption of soft drinks have increased 80%, pastries are up 70%, and potato chips are up 85%. Things that have decreased are fruits and vegetables by average of 25%. The American Cancer Institute had posted that 24- 25% of children did not eat a single fruit or vegetable the previous day. With fruits and vegetables being the basis of most of our nutritional needs, we need to ensure that we get these into our daily diet.
I know we have farmers still today. I think its a great time to mention supporting your local farmers markets. It is the small farmers that still use old methods of farming, with less chemicals in food, giving a better product. These small farmers are going to become extinct in time, with the larger mass produced ones living on. So let's try to start a small garden in the backyard or on the window seal, and find were the local Farmer Market is near you. You will actually taste a difference in the food, it will have more flavor and nourishment.
Here is a book if you want to think about gardening. He puts things back to the beginning using "Four Season Harvest". You can have a small area and garden all year long. That is the idea also, to get produce according to the seasons, its when we eat out of season that we spend the most on food.

Something Sweet.... Lemon Mousse found in " Nourishing Traditions"

6 egg yolks, room temperature
1/2 raw honey
grated rind of 2 lemons
6 egg whites, room temperature
pinch of sea salt
1/2 cup heavy cream

Place eggs, honey, and lemon rind in mixing bowl and whisk on med low for 10 minutes, until mixer thickens. I freeze my bowl to keep the mixer from warming up the mousse. Chill in fridge about 1/2 hour. Beat cream until stiff. In separate bowl beat egg whites with sea salt until stiff. Fold in lemon mixture into cream mixture and then egg whites into cream mixture. Spoon into individual glasses and chill before serving.
Great for a summer day.

Something Fresh

Summer Salad
Head of Green Leaf Lettuce, chopped
Crown of broccoli, chopped just under little crowns
Cucumber, sliced thin
I red apple, sliced thin
10 baby carrots, Juliane
1 green apple, sliced thin
Slivered raw almonds 1/2 cup
2 stalks of celery, chopped small

Mixed all together and serve with favorite dressing. I love the combination of the crisp veggies with sweet apples and the almonds give a great crunch. This is enough for a family of 6 for dinner and then some left over for lunch the next day. If you are a smaller group, make enough as you go, the apples will not brown until late the next day. Just add those as you eat the salad. But you will absolutely love the combination.


Have a Blessed and Healthy day.

The Dangers of Additives

Lets start with what is an additive. The additives that I am referring to are the chemicals that manufactures ADD to the food we consume. These are items that were not originally there. They come in many forms and are passed off as something helpful, needed, and sometimes even HEALTHY!!!! Typically manufacturers use these techniques to save or make money due to the longer shelf life.

Reading the labels and becoming familiar with companies is extremely important. You would be surprised the things you could find out with a little research. I am not hear to bash any company, but to show you there are hidden ingredients in food that invokes caution. The more these chemicals are taken into the body the more the body is taxed, lowering the immune system.

Here are some of the ways our bodies can be effected:

Sulfates: are used in preserving and bleaching food, you will find these mainly with dehydrated and fresh produce. They are trying to regulate the amount of use of this chemical, but it is still used all across the America. Symptoms of an allergic toxic reaction can be flushing, dizziness, wheezing, or shortness of breath. A great way to avoid over exposure to this chemical would be to buy organic product, if not all at least "The Dirty Dozen" also referenced in Sara Snow's book.

Nitrates: These are used mostly in processed meats (bacon, bologna, lunch meats) Nitrates are a sodium salt and cause negative reactions when mixed with amino acids in the bowel. I know several people who can not eat things with nitrates due to side-effects such as headaches or stomach pains. You can buy meats that are made without the use of this chemical. HORMEL makes many products that you can buy in the grocery market, but you will have a greater selection in your local natural or healthy store.

Food Dyes: Have been known to cause allergic reactions but they have also been linked with children behavioral problems as well. You will find Food Dyes in almost everything. Anything with a #5,#6 so on, is a dye. They use coloring to make the product more appealing. We usually shop and eat with our eyes, especially children. The side-effects noted have been behavioral changes, asthma, hives, and headaches.

Monosodium Glutamate (MSG): This is still under controversy but anything that had been know to cause headaches, bloating and other side-effects is something that I would like to stay away from, but that is me personally.

I know how hard it is to try and omit these foods with chemicals. They are going to be in your everyday cereals, lunch meats, anything in a box, and canned foods. Knowing what some of these additives can trigger, you can look to see if they are effecting you or your children.

I will also say this; sometimes what you consider normal is not. After taking my seven year old off most cereals and other processed foods I noticed a HUGE change in his behaviors and emotions. I now realize that giving him a lot of certain foods in his diet results in the whole family suffering for it.

Here is a great Alternative for Boxed Pizza. When you make it you know exactly whats in it.

Chunky Tomato sauce

1/2 cup finely chopped onions

2 tbsp olive oil

3 cups fresh tomatoes peeled, seeded, and diced

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup basil, chopped fine

pinch of sea salt

1/4 pepper

Suttee onions in olive oil until tender, add tomatoes, vinegar, and garlic . Bring to a boil and reduce reduce until liquid is almost gone. Stir in basil, and seasonings. Remove from heat about 1/2 hour and allow the herbs to fuse with sauce.

Pizza Crust..

1 1/2 -2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tbl olive oil

1/2 tbl sea salt

2 tsp yeast

3/4 cup warm water


Mix salt, flour and olive oil together until crumbly. Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup of warm water, let sit about 4-5 minutes. Add yeast and rest of water to form a stiff ball. Knead dough until smooth. Place ball in a bowl drizzle with olive oil and flip ball around until coated. Cover ball in bowl with a cloth and allow to rise about 20 minutes. Place dough on lightly oiled stone and move dough out to sides of stone. Add your sauce and veggies and cheese. Place in a 425 degree oven 15 minutes or longer depending on toppings.

Chunky Tomato was used from "Nourishing Traditions".

Pizza Crust is our recipe from lots of practice and an assortment of other recipes. We enjoy this pizza so much more that store bought or boxed.

Have a Blessed and Healthy day.

Why would someone go Organic

OK, so today I wanted to mention a little more about why Sara Snow started it all for me. I began watching on the Discovery channel a few years back, and love that she finally made a book and DVD. It is nice to have all my notes in one place.

I would recommend this book for anyone that was beginning to learn more about nutrition and the benefits of reading labels, buying organic, and having a clean home.

Most of us think that because it is in the grocery store it is healthy and nutritious for us. This is false. Sara talks about the dangers of eating food that is laced with chemicals and preservatives. Studying food enzymes showed me the importance in knowing when foods are processed they usually get striped of the enzymes that help us to digest that food item. Making gas, bloating, and pain when the food does not get processed within our bodies correctly. They do this for a longer shelf life. She also talks about the dirty dozen and the list of foods that if we are not always able to buy organic, these are the foods that should be. In a perfect world, we would all eat organic because it has more vitamins and minerals, less pesticides, and other chemicals. Sara makes it very easy to slowly grow into an organic lifestyle with a gradual process which is great for learning about the lifestyle while also understanding your on a budget. She also talks about the labels of NATURAL and ORGANIC, how sometimes we think we are buying something when Manufactures are just using a key wording for better sells. She shows you how to look for things in the label. There are many other things she talk about from fair trade to greening each room in the house, and so much more.

I have also added her DVD for those mommies that would like to know more about making things safer for babies. She also touches on these ideas in her book as well.

One thing I want to share is that in our fast pace world we have stray from the way things were meant to be made, packaged, and consumed. We have a lot more health problems today than we did 150 years ago. There will also be another book that has been very helpful to me. My sister-in-law gave this as a gift to me and I have loved it. "Nourishing Traditions" has a great amount of recipes and knowledge about the way things previously were prepared and cooked and shows us how to get back to those roots. From canning, to cutting, storing, and cooking. This is a great addition to any kitchen.

Today's Recipe....

Make your own granola. Great start to the day and very healthy.

2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour or barley flour 1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tbs chopped almonds 1/4 cup canola oil
2 tbs chopped pecans 1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt salt
1/2 tsp ground Cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Mix dry ingredients on left well. Then mix the liquid ingredients in with dry Ingredients. Spread on a lightly greased cookie sheet, I use one with edges this might be helpful. Bake at 325 for 20-40 minutes and mix around to make sure it does not burn. Cool
I store in a glass bowl with lid.
We love it with milk. You can add any fruit and it makes it a great breakfast or snack. We even add some over yogurt.

Tomorrow I will be talking about the Dangers of Additives and why they are so harmful to our children and ourselves.

Have a blessed and healthy day.

The Beginning

I love food. I know everyone probably loves food, but it has become a great passion for me.

I started out as a mother of four small children stumbling in the dark about what to feed them and trying to make sure that it was nutritious, or at least what I thought was nutritious. I was worried about the many times I had to take my children to the Physicians Office for a cold, or an ear infection, and I started to wonder if it had anything to do with what I was feeding them. I had started to watch different programs on the Discovery channel and found, now one of my heroes, Sara Snow. She spoke about everything you can do at home to have a healthier more fulfilling life. This was just the start.

So I started taking some classes on Nutrition just to make sure I was doing my part on the food side. My husband was very supportive and loved the idea that I was learning, so I give them the best start to everyday that I could.

Learning about the different vitamins and minerals in food has given me an understanding of what food does to the body. I am happy to say that I have changed my household upside down. I have learned from books, classes, and friends that everything we eat has either a good effect or BAD effect on the body. That is why I have started this blog. This is my journal of the long and satisfying road that I have traveled with Nutrition.

I will be sharing my experiences, good and bad, recipes, and how my family has benefited from it. It is such a great feeling knowing that I am giving my children a inheritance in GREAT health. I have stories to share and one that I am very happy about is the fact that we hardly have to visit the Physician except in our yearly well checkups. There will be times and reasons to see a Doctor.....but if we can reduce those visits by using good nutrition to stay healthy, than that's a great way to live. Staying healthy has many perks to talk about.

Here you will NOT find advice, but GREAT ideas that have worked for my family. I will also let you know about great books and items that I have found to be very beneficial to our household.
I hope that you will follow me down this road of discovery that I plan to share with you. I know that every parent wants the best for their children. I hope that even those of you that are not parents, have a desire for better health and life for yourself as well. Nutrition is for every person!!!! Lets all get back to basics and see where better nutrition takes you!!!!