Sunscreen Overload

The spring is upon us and before we know it those warm sunny days will be here. Although it is recommended to wear sunscreen all year round many opt to wait until the warmer days. Every year I go crazy looking up and going to different drug stores and health food stores to find the “best” sunscreen out there. I’m on my game this year and posted this questions on one of the mommy groups I belong to. “I’m looking for the one with the highest spf (I know nothing over 30 is silly but makes me feel better) and organic (or most natural).” I had a few responds but this wonderful mommy gave me a site that I wanted to share with you. www.SafeMama.com Safe Mama TM is known for “The original one stop child safety, product recall, health, well-being, non-toxic, eco-conscious resource for parents.” On there is a link for “Cheat Sheets” which has an abundance of various topics that help you figure out what product works best for you and your family. ie: types of toothpastes, hair detanglers, alternatives to plastic sippy cups, toy guides, cookware guides, etc.


I’m definitely looking forward to checking out further in detail this site and tell all my mommy friends.


www.SafeMama.com
Kathy@SafeMama (Twitter)

Afraid of The Unknown

As I’m sitting here reading I can’t help but wonder what my next 7 days will be like. Back in February I had signed up in a private closed group on Facebook that was going to follow Kris Carr’s 21 day cleanse. Unfortunately life got in the way and I think deep down inside I wasn’t ready. Like this and all changes that are unknown in life most won’t do it until the person is ready. Also, the idea of 21 days! Woah! That’s a long time. (Again excuses!)

This time I’ve kept it quite and only mentioned it here and there to a couple people in my life. I have not been eating meat and dairy for about 3 weeks. I did give up meat all together. Meat meaning if it walks, flies or swims. As far as dairy the only challenge I’ve had is my occasional cheese stick I sadly admit enjoy very much. I don’t want to label myself as a vegetarian or vegan. I hate labels! All I can say is that at this present moment I am not consuming any of those products. Who knows perhaps in the future I may or this might be the start of a life style change.

Anyway, I decided that I won’t be doing a 21 day cleanse. I don’t think that I am ready yet. Most people that have gone through cleanses or fasts say the first 3 days are the hardest and after that it gets easier and easier. I’ve decided to do a 7 day juice fast. I’ve done a lot of reading and researching to ensure that I have the correct amount of nutrients in my body (after all the goal is to be healthier and free of toxins.) While I am a little nervous I am excited and ready to get started.

I’ll definitely be posting a lot this week (hopefully every evening)about my daily experiences and changes. I’m hoping that if I have enough time I can even post a video or two. Wish me luck!

Peace & Health
-J


People you can look up if you are interested in cleansing or fasting....
Mike Adams aka Health Ranger
Kris Carr
Joe Cross
Jason Vale
Daniel Vitalis
David Wolfe

Black Rice With String Beans

Lundberg Black & Mahogany Rice

1 Cup of Lundberg’s
2 Cups of Veggie Stock
1 Rapunzel Herb & Sea Salt Bouillon
1 Small Chopped Onion
2 Cloves of Chopped Garlic
1 Tbs. Of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

In a small pot add olive oil and saute onions and garlic. Once they are golden add veggie stock, bouillon and rice. Set on high flame until it starts boiling. Once it boils reduce to simmer and cover for 45 minutes.

I like to in a separate pot boil stock and add it to rice. You can use cold or room temperature stock but I find that it cooks easily.

Sauteed String Beans

1 Packaged of String Beans
1 Small Onion
2 Cloves of Garlic
1/4 Cup of Sesame Seeds to garnish
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a pan saute onions and garlic. Once they are both golden add string beans. Keep flame high to prevent too much water from releasing. Add salt, pepper and sesame seeds for taste and garnish.


***Now if your family still eats meat or seafood like my family does you can pair it like I did with a side of shrimp oreganata.

Panko Crusted Shrimp

1 Package of Frozen (thawed) Black Wild Shrimp (Remember NEVER farm only wild seafood.)
2 Cups of Panko Bread Crumbs
2 Eggs (you can also use egg whites)
1/2 Cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Grape seed oil will work better because it burns at a higher temperature but since we rarely fry we only have olive oil so just be mindful not too have the flame too high.)

Coat shrimp in eggs and cover with panko bread crumbs. In a preheated hot pan with oil add shrimp. It will take about 2-3 minutes (as long as they are thawed). Place on a plate with a paper towel to remove excess oil.

Oreganata Sauce

1 Qt of Veggie Stock
2 Lemons Juiced
1 Tbs. of Italian Seasoning
1/2 Bunch of Parsley
1 Small Onion Chopped
2 Garlic Cloves Chopped
1 Tbs. of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

In a sauce pot heat up oil and add onion and garlic. Once golden add veggie stock, lemon juice, Italian seasoning and parsley. Let it simmer for about 10 minutes.

I like to add sauce over shrimp once it is time to plate and serve. If you put shrimp in sauce too ahead of time the panko will absorb the sauce and start peeling off shrimp.

Kick Your Sweet Tooth To The Curb

I often find myself wanting a snack or feeling “unsatisfied” but not necessarily hungry. And being that today is Friday we typically let them stay up past 7pm (their Sunday - Thursday schedule.) I started grabbing my typical green smoothie stuff and figured I would throw a banana in there to cut my sweet tooth when I decided to switch it up a bit and here is what I threw in...


Berry Berry Good Smoothie
Yields 8 Cups (Whole Blender)

1 Banana
2 Cups of Pineapple
2 Cups of Almond Milk (I know here we go with the almond milk... I told you I’m slightly obsessed)
1/2 Cup of Blueberries
1 Cup of Strawberries
4 Cups of Ice
1 Tbs. of Chia Seeds
1 Tbs. of Flax Seeds
1 Tbs. of Wheat Germ

It was quite a hit! The kids devoured it. Then again how could they not? They both love green juice. I wish the picture could have captured the true color. It was beautiful shade of purple.

Hope you try it and love it.

Peace & Health
-J

Dessert for breakfast?

I posted earlier this morning that I was having dessert for breakfast. Yup, I did... I made a sweet potato smoothie! Now come on did you really this I was going to tell you I had chocolate cake for breakfast? LOL!!!

A few weeks ago I was going through recipes and came across this. I wish I would have saved the site and give them the credit for my inspiration but I quickly read it and moved on. I’ve been meaning to make it but it has become habit to just go straight to my green juice. I try to keep sweet potatoes in my fridge most of the time. They are an awesome snack or quick side dish. Luckily mom reminded me before I got cracking on the green juice and I got started. Here it goes...


Sweet Potato Smoothie aka Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
Yields 16 ounces

5 small organic sweet potatoes (steamed and peeled)
2 cups of almond milk
1 teaspoon of apple pie spice
1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice

Blend until smooth.


Voile! There you have it. It was absolutely delicious!!! I’m very satisfied and not too full so I will still be able to have a light lunch along with my green juice this afternoon.

I used already mixed apple and pumpkin pie spices since I had some laying around. If you don’t you can add nutmeg, cinnamon and a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Feel free to play around and experiment. This is not a copied recipe. I just looked to see what was in my cabinet and threw it in. I don’t drink soy milk but I imagine it would be just as delicious with soy, rice or coconut milk. I’m just partial to almond milk.

Peace & Health
-J

Candle Cafe

Tuesdays are my usual run away with my bff (Mommy!... yep after 28 years she’s still my Mommy). We often run away into the city because truth be told as much as I love Long Island and would not move unless I had to it doesn’t have the variety of resources that NYC does. Well this week was such a treat! We finally got a chance to have lunch at Candle Cafe on the upper east side. Since it is on 3rd avenue in spite of the cold that has decided to come back to NY we walked and talked quite a bit. All of 3rd Avenue is full of really fantastic health shops, a few vegetarian / vegan restaurants and of course some head turning boutiques.

When we walked it we were pretty shocked at how packed it was. We were even concerned that we might not be seated right away. Well thankfully within 5 minutes we had a table. The menu was intense! There was so much to chose from that I didn’t know where to start. We knew we definitely wanted a fresh pressed juice from their well known juice bar but which one? I personally almost went for my typical green... hey you can’t have enough chlorophyl can you? Mom decided to get a carrot, apple, ginger juice. Going base off of experience I just ordered the same. (I tend to order things and then switch plates or wish I would have ordered.) We both wound up with the butternut squash soup, mom ordered black rice with grilled vegetable and I got a sprout salad with carrot ginger dressing.

The food is prepared on the spot and super fresh. The carrot, apple, ginger juice was perfection! Just the right amount and very tasty. The butternut squash soup was the perfect combination of sweetness from the squash with a little peppery kick at the end. My favorite though was the sprout salad. The textures and crunch from the sprouts, raisins and carrots shreds plus the carrot ginger dressing... goodness my mouth is literally watering right now! I tried my mother’s black rice. Truthfully I had heard of black rice but only up until recently but I had not had the opportunity to try. The black rice had grilled eggplant and red bell peppers with some leafy greens which was also very delicious.

Of course we could not end our heavenly meal without having a little dessert. We opted for a cup of our favorite... chamomile tea and a slice of fruit crumble pie. The pie had homemade written all over. And we would know as my mom’s passion is baking and I usually assist her. Anyway, I wish I would have taken a picture but we or should I say I was so excited to dig in! The crust was crunchy and the filling since it was fresh fruit was sweet but equally tart. The best part was the soy icing that was drizzled on top. The icing was such a treat since I don’t eat soy. I’m not allergic but I choose not to but I do cheat once in a while. Our lunch was the perfect balance of taste and texture. We were full but not stuffed and full of energy!

Now some interesting tidbits. Candle Cafe first started in 1984 as a juice bar / health food store. It slowly evolved and within 10 years due to high demand and positive feedback it became what is now a well known NYC staple among the vegetarian and vegan diners. It was been rated as one the the Best Vegan / Vegetarian Restaurants as well as it’s first NYC restaurants to receive “First Certified Green Restaurant” from the Green Restaurant Association. It takes pride in using the most local produce.. farm to table. It also has published Candle Cafe Cookbook (which will be my next purchase).

Candle Cafe has also branched out and now has 5 blocks down Candle 79. It has been rated as a more upscale restaurant for the veggie lovers. I’ll have to go next but that’s another post. If you are not in NY you can go to your local Whole Foods and find Candle Cafe meals in the freezer section.



www.CandleCafe.com

Birke Baehr Says It All

My latest find along with my typical late night reading and video watching is TEDX. TEDX is a conference that is held in Asheville, California. During this conference many well known people have spoken. Their main goal is the spreading of “ideas worth spreading.” Aside from TEDX there is TEDX Next Generation of Asheville which focuses mainly on teens speaking on topics such as the arts and sciences. While browsing through their site and clicking away on their different videos Birke Baehr just captivated me. His energy and knowledgeable information for a then 11 year old was not only astonishing but worthy of sitting down and learning a thing or two.

I think everyone should watch and especially children. Birke not only teaches us about farming and the health benefits to including local organic foods but he also teaches us that with enough passion and dedication you really can make a difference.

Check out the links below


http://www.birkeonthefarm.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7Id9caYw-Y
http://www.tedxnextgenerationasheville.com/
http://tedxasheville.com/

Portobello Mushrooms Stuffed with Spinach

I was very inspired this week in the kitchen. Try to cook for my family has lately been a challenge since my dear husband is very much an Italian carnivore. I thought of different ways to slowly convert him to a more plant based diet. He always raves about his Nonna’s stuffed mushrooms I felt up to the challenge. I used her as an inspiration. I do have to admit though. I had left over Italian sausages from Sunday’s dinner (let me clarify... hubby’s dinner LOL) I had added some chopped sausage in one of his mushrooms. Well he loved it so much that he went for seconds but there were only the non-sausage left which he loved just as much! As for my kids, it was not a challenge at all. They both devoured them along with the salad.

Oh! Before I forget to mention. My husband has a pretty healthy appetite and was surprised at how filling the meal was and that he didn’t miss having a meat. WOOHOO!!!

Stuffed Portobello Mushroom over Mesculin Salad

4 Portobello Mushrooms (de-Gilled)
1 Bag of Frozen Chopped Spinach (thawed and drained)
1 Green Bell Pepper
1 Small Chopped Onion
2 Cloves of Garlic
½ Rapunzel Sea Salt & Herb Vegetable Bouillon
1 Tsp of Italian Seasoning
4 Slices of Buffalo Mozzarella
1/4 Cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/8 Cup of Balsamic Vinegar
½ Cup of Bread Crumbs

Salad

1 Bag of Mixed Mesculin Greens
1 Medium Tomato Chopped

Dressing

½ Cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
¼ Cup of Balsamic Vinegar
Sea Salt & Black Pepper to taste

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk together olive oil and vinegar. Lightly brush over tops and bottom of mushroom and place on a baking sheet. Roast for about 10 minutes. While mushrooms are cooling in a pan add about a tsp of extra virgin olive oil and caramelize onions and garlic. Be careful that garlic doesn’t burn. Add diced bell pepper, spinach, bouillon and Italian seasoning. Keep in mind not to overcook as it will be going into the oven and the more food gets cooked the least nutritious it is.
Fill spinach mix onto the portabella mushrooms. Take a tbs of breadcrumbs and lay a slice of the Buffalo mozzarella (if you are vegan eliminate). Bake for about 10 minutes or until the mozzarella has melted.
Whisk olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper for dressing and pour over greens and tomato. Place a stuffed mushroom over salad and enjoy!

Update

Hi Everyone!!! Hope you are all doing well. I will be posting and updating blog no later than Sunday evening. I’ve been pretty busy in the kitchen and taking all this glorious vitamin D Mother Nature has give us the past week. Plus my evenings have been consumed doing some homework. Don’t worry I have at least a handful of posts to add so it will be worth the wait.

Thanks again for all your questions and support. Also, feel free to spread the Juicy word out to all your friends.

Peace & Health
J-


*Shout out to my breath taking town of Northport where this picture was taken.

BlogThis!

Hungry For Change - Part 1

Sign up to be the first to watch the premier of hungry for change.  The follow up documentary to food matters.  it will truly change you life!

Plus my health idol kris carr is in it.

Asian Lettuce Wraps

1 head of romaine lettuce leafs
1 package of button mushrooms sliced
1 green bell pepper julienned
2 small baby bok choy chopped
2 cups of broccoli
1 small chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic (crushed)
¼ cup of low sodium soy sauce
¼ cup of sesame seeds
1 tbs of ground ginger
Siracha & Sea Salt to taste
2 tbs of olive oil


On a hot skillet with olive oil add chopped onion and crushed garlic. Add broccoli and sauté lightly (over cooking vegetables break them down and lose nutritional value plus it gets rid of crunchy texture) followed by bell pepper, mushroom and bok choy. Once you have all your vegetables in add soy sauce, ground ginger, and sea salt. When the vegetables have been sautéed top off with sesame seeds.

At the bottom of the skillet there will be a stock left over. Plate stock and vegetables separately. Keeping together will have vegetable soak up stock.

Take lettuce leaf and spoon over veggies top off with veggie stock and siracha.

Granola Bars GF, NF, DF

I’ve been scouring Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s for nut-free snacks... it has been quite an olympic sport. My daughter’s school is nut-free and a friend of her’s is severely allergic to the slightest traces of nuts. Keeping that in mind even items that are nut free often are marked as being processed in a nut facility. Well that doesn't cut it for me. Thankfully my children do not have any allergies but as a mother to think that I might be sending my child with an extremely dangerous snack it is too much anxiety to take. With that in mind I began my research on how to make my own granola bars and made some changes to fit almost all “free” dieters. Of course if you are not a “free” dieter than you are welcome substitute all “free” items for “regular” ingredients.

These bars are very easy to make and we had fun this morning making them. The only draw back is that you have to let them rest for a couple of hours and if you have impatient little ones like myself that want to enjoy their hard work it might be a bit of a challenge. Thankfully, it is a beautiful day here on Long Island and we are getting ready for a bike ride.

Hope you enjoy them!!!

Juicy Mommy’s Gluten-Free, Nut-Free, Dairy-Free Granola Bars

2 Cups of Certified Gluten Free Old Fashioned Oats+
4 Tablespoons of Butter Substitute
1 Cup of Raisins
1 Cup of Dried Cranberries
½ Cup of Mini Chips (Dairy and Gluten Free)*
2/3 Cup of Honey or Agave
½ Cup of Brown Sugar
¼ Cup of Flax Seeds
¼ Cup of Chia Seeds
1 9x12 Pyrex
1 9x12 Parchment Paper

+Oats are naturally gluten free but if you are concerned with cross contamination of gluten you must purchase a brand that is certified. Otherwise any brand of old fashion oats work well.

*If you are not dairy or gluten free regular carob or chocolate chips can be substituted (same goes for butter substitute). Also, feel free to add any dried fruit and wheat germ (non gf lovers).

Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Add oats and put them on a cookie sheet for about 10-15 minutes (depending on oven) or until light brown and stirring occasionally.

In a large mixing bowl stir in raisins, cranberries, chips, flax, chia and oats. Once that is all mixed up in a small sauce pan add butter substitute, honey, and brown sugar on a low flame. Remove from heat when you have created a syrup type consistency and pour over oat mixture. Gently fold in order from preventing chips to melt right away.
Cut parchment paper down to 9x12 to fit Pyrex. With a scraping spatula pour mixture onto Pyrex and evenly distribute.
Put in a 300 degree oven and bake for about 30 minutes. Once baked let set for at least 2 hours. Ideally make and leave overnight before cutting into squares.

Home Made Organic Baby Food

Thank you for your emails concerning home made organic baby food. I will be posting some recipes and ideas within the next few days.

In the meantime just as a quick back story when Amanda was born I was a relatively young and nervous mommy. I wanted to do the very best (as all mommies do). But the very best in my home was for me to make my own organic baby food. When I was about 7 months pregnant hubby and I went to Barnes and Noble and spent most of the afternoon going through books. It was filled with a bit of anxiety because these books would essentially be the foundation of my daughters nutrition and health. We both finally decided on the Super Baby Foods by Ruth Yaron. All I can say is the book while it may look a little intimidating has an endless array of recipes and nutrition information.

I hadn’t been on the site for a while but now you can download e-books: “Quick Start Guide to Feeding Your Super Baby: Starting Your Baby On Solid Foods”, “Traveling and Restaurants with your Super Baby”, and “Going Green for your Super Baby”.

Ruth basically breaks down what fruits, vegetable, grains and proteins your baby can have and when. By the time my son came around a few years later I would crack open the book just for a refresher. I can honestly say that almost everywhere I go whether it be a restaurant or to dinner at someone’s home I am always complimented on how great eaters my kids are. I whole heartedly feel that by exposing them to the real flavors of what food tastes like (not processed and with preservatives) makes them love to try different foods.

Now you may ask what about the baby foods that are out and organic. Well I have a bit of a story when it comes to those. My daughter NEVER had any jarred foods. Last year my family and I traveled outside of the country. The nervous mommy took over me and I was concerned with my 1.5 year old. I caved in and decided to buy 3 cases of the best organic baby food I could buy. We went on vacation and guess what my little guy refused to eat any of it! Why you might ask well I tried it myself and it as bland and flavorless. I couldn’t blame him. It was a waste of me buy, carrying the food and paying overages because I exceeded the weight on my suitcase.

I know that now small companies have opened up that you can pick up or will send you fresh organic baby food. All I can say it that is it so inexpensive to make it on your own and it’s not as time consuming as you would think. When my daughter was of baby food age I was working 40+ hours a week. I would just take a Sunday morning plan ahead and freeze in little containers her meals of the week. I mean now moms have the opportunity with items such as the Beba. I had a pot, oven and blender. This little device is all 3 in 1. Plus the satisfaction that I created my children’s food is well worth the time and effort.

www.SuperBabyFood.com

I spent the afternoon in the lovely Huntington Village today. Took the kids for a stroll and spent some time in the park. Before that we made a quick stop at The Water Well. I’ve been trying to make time to get in there. Well luckily I finally had the opportunity today. I met with the owner Kathleen Meehan. She is the local rep for Kangen. Kangen is essentially a water filter that was created by Enagic. But it is not just any old filter this filter actually changes the pH levels of your water. It is such an impressive devise that has uses for all pH levels from levels that will improve your skin, clean your home and of course drinking water. While Kathleen recommends not to start drinking at the maximum because it will detox your system and might cause side effects such as headaches. However, the recommended start is 8.5 and then gradually go up. Now if you are not looking into making a commitment at the time she also sells a gallon of Kangen water for $10.

The Water Well is not just a shop where Kangen is sold. It is also the home to Himalayan Crystal Salt, Infrared Sauna and Young Living Essential Oils (my favorite!) Weekly there are organic raw classes, organic raw food buffet and energy healing.

If you are in New York, it is definitely a place to stop by. Otherwise you can go on their website and find your local representative.

www.TheWaterWellNY.com

What’s pH got to do with it?

What’s pH got to do with it?

Well what does pH have to do with being healthy? You thought this was a juicing and health blog right? Well some of you might already know but many out there have no idea. That’s okay, up until a year ago the last time I read about pH was in my high school chemistry class. Don’t worry after reading all of this you won’t have to Google till your eyes forcing shut.

So what is pH? pH is defined as the measure of acidity or alkalinity. Going back to high school chemistry. Do you remember taking the litmus paper and using the chart to see where your mystery item landed on the scale? Well this time you are the mystery item! Yes, we should all be testing our pH level. How do you do this you may ask? The answer is as easy as a trip to your local drug store. Once you arrive you will have to look for pH strips. There are strips for saliva or urine. I prefer urine because something as simple as your toothpaste can alter the reading. Once you purchase the strips you should test yourself about 3x in one day to get an average reading. You want to avoid testing the very first morning urine. Doing so will typically give you a high acid reading since the kidneys have not flushed out properly (no pun intended.)

Now you have this magic number. What does it mean? Well as you can see in the chart below, the pH scale goes from 0-14. (Zero being the most acid, 7 neutral (base) and 14 the most alkalizing.) According to Kris Carr (Wellness Warrior and creator of Crazy, Sexy, Cancer) optimal urine pH level should be between 7.365 and 7.45. Anything lower than 7 is acidic and higher than 7.5 is alkaline.

Great so now you have this information as to where you fall on the scale. What does it all mean? Who cares? Right? Well that reading is a huge indicator of what is going on inside of your body and could potentially lead to chronic and acute disease.

A high reading of acid in your urine could be an indicator of a weakened immune system, inflammation, arthritis, diabetes, cancer and many more diseases. A high reading of alkaline in your system though hard and rare can be linked to a urinary or pyloric (area where the small intestine and stomach meet) tract obstruction and renal failure.

Poor pH levels are affected by diet, lack of exercise, stress, drugs & cigarettes. Now how do we fix this? Of course adding moderate exercise to your life, no recreational drugs or cigarettes and a high alkaline diet will help not only reduce the high levels of acid in your system but reduce risks of disease.
This can all be small changes that make a significant difference. It’s as easy as changing your bottled water to a high alkaline water and eating more leafy greens. You would be surprise to know that there is variety of foods that we can all consume regularly. I’ve attached a list of foods and where they fall as far as acidity and alkalinity. I call it my grocery list. In the beginning I didn’t know many of these items and made a point to venture out and try different things.

Change is good. Feeling and looking good is awesome! The best advice I can give is to take small steps towards a healthier lifestyle. Don’t wait until something earth shattering happens for you to change. I’m not asking for you to throw away everything but instead ADD to your life natural fuel and energy.


http://www.balance-ph-diet.com/acid_alkaline_food_chart.html


References
• Crazy, Sexy Diet – Kris Carr
• The pH Miracle – Dr. Robert O. Young
• www.Balance-pH-Ciet.com
• www.TheAlkalineFoods.com

We are still working out the kinks to all this social media ie: facebook, twitter and blogger First official article and interview will be due out mid week. All we can promise is a LOT of JUICY information. Peace & Health