Cha-cha-cha Chia Seeds

I think everyone can remember all of the Chia Pet commercials that were all over TV in the 90's. Did you know that those silly little things grow their "hair" from a superfood called Chia seeds? It's true and although Chia Pets lost popularity Chia seeds are making a comeback...from the ancient Incan, Mayan and Aztec days. They were very valuable to these ancient cultures because a small amount of these tiny seeds can provide a great amount of energy, endurance and other health benefits. It has even been said that one tablespoon of Chia seeds can sustain the body for 24 hours...I'm a little too in love with food to try that though. 

Chia seeds are so wonderful because they have:

2 times the protein of any other seed or grain

5 times the calcium of milk, plus boron which is a trace mineral that helps transfer calcium into your bones

2 times the amount of potassium as bananas

3 times the reported antioxidant strength of blueberries

3 times more iron than spinach

copious amounts of omega 3 and omega 6, which are essential fatty acids

 They are hydrophilic meaning the seeds absorb water and create a gel. They can hold 9-12 times their weight in water and they absorb it in under 10 minutes. 

Read more at Raw Reform

How do you eat Chia seeds?

You can consume Chia seeds in many ways since they are pretty flavorless. You can add them to almost any baking recipe, grind them into a gluten free flour, sprinkle the dry seeds on anything or make a Chia gel, which is my favorite.

I mix 1/3 cup dry Chia seeds with 2 cups water. 

I put the ingredients in a sealed container and give it a good shake. Within a few minutes they more than double in size from absorbing the water or whatever other liquid you want to soak them in. Just a few minutes after this picture all of the water was absorbed by the seeds.

I then add a couple tablespoons of this Chia gel to my morning smoothie and end up getting much more protein and calcium than the average person that loads up on meat and milk does. Chia seeds are a super easy way to get all kinds of nutrients on the go.

Until next time,
-Shanny

Wheatgrass Juice: Get the Equivalent of 2.5 Pounds of Veggies in One Shot!

This spring I picked up a packet of wheatgrass seeds from a small store in town. I wasn't exactly sure what I was going to do with the wheatgrass and didn't know much about it in general other than it was probably pretty healthy stuff since you can buy shots of it at one of my favorite smoothies shops. 

So I planted it and in no time I had lush wheatgrass in my garden. It can grow an inch per day! I decided to juice it because I wasn't sure what else to do with it. I dumped a handful of wheatgrass in the Vita Mix with a couple cups of water and viola wheatgrass juice!

Clearly its easy to make but why should you drink this bright green slime? Wheatgrass juice is considered to be a complete super food in itself. It is 70% chlorophyll (the stuff that makes plants green and allows them to absorb energy) and "Chlorophyll has the power to regenerate our bodies at the molecular and cellular level and is known to help cleanse the body, fight infection, help heal wounds, and promote the health of the circulatory, digestive, immune, and detoxification systems" (energieseforlife.com).   

Other benefits of wheatgrass juice are:

It boosts the immune system and the nervous system.

It enhances the capillaries and reduces high blood pressure.

Wheat-grass juice prevents graying of hair and removes dandruff

It improves digestion and metabolism.

Gargling with wheat-grass juice relieves sore throat.

It is an excellent skin cleanser.

It improves blood disorders. 

It contains antioxidants which repair damaged cells and rejuvenates aging cells.

It treats acne problems. It removes the acne scars.

Wheat-grass juice removes weakness and fatigue. It is immediately absorbed in the blood stream and gives instant energy.

It purifies the blood and cleanses the kidneys, liver and urinary tract.

It increases the red blood count. This is one of the proven benefits of wheat-grass juice.

It is an appetite suppressant.

Wheat-grass juice is suitable for diabetics as it regulates blood sugar levels.

Wheat-grass juice is very beneficial for cancer patients.

Read more here

To top it all off drinking a one ounce shot of wheatgrass juice is comparable to eating two and a half pounds of vegetables! Who doesn't want the benefits of this amazing super food?! Whether you go to the store and buy it or grow and juice it on your own wheatgrass is a must have!

Thanks for reading!

-Shanny

The Wonders of Kombucha

Several months ago I developed a love interest called Kombucha. It is a lightly fizzy, kind of tart beverage made from fermented tea that has amazing health properties. It was the beverage of choice of the ancient Chinese and has been around for over 2,000 years. You know if the ancient Chinese thought it was something special then it is! The history of Kombucha is very interesting (at least to me), but I won't ramble on about it. You can read more about it here. 


I love the taste of Kombucha but am even more in love with the health benefits of it. I am sure you all have all heard about probiotics in yogurt and how they are great for regulating the digestive system. Well, kombucha is a probiotic drink! It helps balance bacteria and yeast levels in the digestive track which results in an stronger immune system. Kombucha is also loaded with antioxidants that protect the body's cells from damage of free radicals which have been found to play a major role in cancer. If that wasn't enough this wonder drink also acts as a great detoxifier. This means it helps rid our liver and body from harmful toxins that build up over a period of time. These toxins slow the body down, make you feel like crap and can cause illness.  Detoxifying the body has been found to prevent and in some cases cure cancer. These are just a few of the benefits of drinking Kombucha. To see the entire laundry list of benefits read these articles:


Kombucha Health Benefits- Food Renegade 
Health Benefits of Kombucha- Kombucha Kamp


Clearly, I fell in love with this beverage, what it was doing for my body and how it made me feel. It is typically sold at speciality health food stores such as Whole Foods and Earth Fare for around $3.50 per bottle. At one point in time I was drinking one almost every day and even if I bought a case of it and got a 10% discount I was still spending way too much money on it each week and figured there was probably a way to make it on my own and save money like I do with everything else. I did some research and headed to the kitchen. In order to ferment the regular ole sweet tea and turn it into Kombucha, I started growing my own "Mother" or SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast). 

The "Mother"

The bacteria and yeast feed off the sugar in the tea and create natural CO2 (carbonation). As your "mother" grows the tea ferments and all of the amazing health benefits come into play. Essentially you are growing yeast and bacteria on tea and then drinking the byproduct of it. Disgusting huh? When I tell people about Kombucha this is what I usually tell them first just to creep them out then proceed to show them pictures. If you are openminded enough to try it long enough to experience the benefits I promise, you will be in love too! 

This is a picture of my "Mother" in action. Don't be scared you remove it and don't even have to touch it when you bottle your brew :).

Now get off the computer and go get a bottle of your own to try!

-Shanny

Community Supported Agriculture

Last summer my husband and I took a trip to visit some family in North Carolina. While we were there Aunt B (who is a healthy food/life loving lady after my own heart) took me to an enormous farmer's market and to her weekly CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) pick up. At this time I had no idea what a CSA was. We pulled into a gravel driveway and parked in front of a small "hole in the wall" building that most likely has had many purposes over the years. Although it was in major need of repairs it was fully functioning as a small grocery store of sorts. You could purchase the essentials; bulk herbs, spices, dry goods such as grains, nuts and dried fruit, eggs, milk in a glass bottle, produce and some other miscellaneous items. An elderly gentleman ran the store. He was also a CSA farmer.  He gave Aunt B a box full of beautiful produce and we were on our way.


I learned the idea behind CSA is that you buy a share in a local farm and in turn get local, seasonal and many times organic "farm to table" produce. Community members pledge to support a local farm by purchasing the shares early on in the season. This allows the farmers to have a lump sum of money up front so they can purchase seeds, green house materials and other needed items for the farm. It also ensures that the farm will have a guaranteed number of customers throughout the season. Each week the share holder goes to the farm and picks up a box of fruits, vegetables, eggs, etc. My pick up is 16-20 weeks depending on the growing season. I am sure the number of pick ups varies from farm to farm. It really is a genius idea. The concept is new to me, but apparently has been popular for over 20 years!


This is what my ONE person CSA fruit, vegetable and egg share looks like. 

Half dozen eggs, green onions, carrots, rhubarb, asparagus, broccoli, red leaf lettuce, kale, strawberries, basil, green beans and spinach. 

And yes, we actually go through all of this in one week! I plan our weekly meals around what is in the box.

If I went to the grocery store and bought the same organic produce I would probably spend $40-50. I figured that through the CSA all of this cost me about 20 bucks!

I think we can all agree that supporting small, local farms and local economy is the right thing to do. However, have you ever thought that buying grocery store produce could be the wrong thing to do? When you purchase produce from a large grocery store you lose the ability to know:


1. Where it came from. Other than the little sticker that tells you its from Mexico you have no idea where it is grown
2. Who the farmer is and if he/she participates in sustainable farming practices
3. If the farm workers are treated/paid fairly, etc.


Did you know that your produce also loses nutritional value when it is purchased from a traditional grocery store? Think about it...if is grown in another country or even another state that fruit or vegetable has to be harvested before it is at has reached its peak ripeness so it can travel across the country or world and arrive at your grocery store without being over-ripe. 


Check out these resources to learn more.


Food Miles: How far Your Food Travels has Serious Consequences 


To find a CSA in your area or to learn more about CSA click here


The moral of the story is to buy truly fresh, local, sustainable produce. It is good for small farms. It is good for the local economy. It is good for YOU!

-Shanny

Eating to Prevent Acne

I have struggled with acne since I was in 9th grade. Later in my teen years I got fed up and went to a very well known dermatologist in town because isn't that what you should do when you have skin problems? They told me I had hormonal acne, put me on prescriptions, and sent me out the door. I took the prescriptions for a few years. Then I started being really interested and concerned about everything that I was putting in my body including medications. I decided that the long term side effects and harm I was doing to my body wasn't worth it and I quit taking the prescriptions.  At this time I was already eating a pretty healthy, organic diet so I never thought diet could be what was causing it. For goodness sakes I bought wheat berries and grind my own flour to make homemade bread...what could be bad about that? A few months after all of the medications were out of my system my face went nuts and I discovered that I had worse skin as a 24 year old than I did as a 14 year old. After a few months of being really embarrassed of my terrible skin I went on a search bound and determined to find a natural way to solve my problem. I came across The Oil Cleansing Method and tired it for a few weeks. It didn't work. I tried expensive high quality face washes and spot treatments. They didn't work either. Discouraged and at the end of my rope I was ready to go back to the dermatologist.  I thought I would research the internet one last time because I really think the majority of our society's health problems can be solved naturally. When searching I found website after website recommending to cut out wheat, dairy and sugar from your diet to prevent acne. Since I had nothing to lose I went for it. I did a two day acne detox followed by a three day whole body cleanse to rid my body of all the garbage and toxins. In the picture below the top left picture was taken the day before I started the detox while I was still eating whatever I wanted. The bottom left picture was taken on the last day of the cleanse. You can see the within just five days my face started to heal dramatically with no new zits forming. After these five days I started to incorporate small amounts of dairy, wheat, and sugar individually to see what my body could tolerate. I found that for me dairy is the the biggest culprit followed by wheat and then sugar.  Even when I ate small amounts my face would break out again and have an even worse reaction than before since my body wasn't used to it. I vowed to cut them out for good because nothing is worth eating that makes me look and feel like crap. Plus I found that when I ate something I shouldn't it would take my skin just a couple days to react but almost two weeks to heal.  The picture to on the right is from yesterday after 3 weeks of being dairy, wheat, and sugar free. Below are some links that explain more about why dairy, wheat and sugar cause problems. You can get an idea of what I do eat from previous blog posts and am happy to answer any questions.


Skin Sinners-Foods that aggravate acne
Skin Savers- Foods to help reduce acne
How does food influence acne
Five foods that cause acne


After much contemplation of whether or not to post this... here is the before during and after picture.

I can't forget to mention that I no longer use harsh salicylic acid cleansers or have to wear a ton of makeup. In the morning exfoliate my face by scrubbing really good it with a soapy wash cloth. In the evening I was my face with a plain organic bar soap then rub 1/4 teaspoon of extra virgin organic coconut  oil over my face. I was freaked out about putting oil on my already super oily face too, but coconut oil has anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal and antiseptic properties. It's amazing how well my pores absorb it. I don't even wake up with an oily face. Read more about coconut oil for health skin here.

Thanks for reading!

-Shanny

Black Bean Brownies

A few weeks ago while I was at Whole Foods wanted something sweet after drooling over their amazing bakery items. Unfortunately, I had to pull myself away since all of those yummy items have wheat and dairy in them which I no longer can have. I headed to the gluten free frozen bakery section to find something to satisfy my craving thinking that surely gluten free varieties would have options I could eat. After reading the label on every brownie, cheesecake, cookie and cupcake I almost cried. Although they didn't have wheat ingredients every single yummy thing had dairy and loads of sugar in it. I left very sad thinking that I would never be able to eat dessert again which is what I live for! Thankfully I found an amazing brownie recipe that is wheat, dairy and sugar free with an surprising main ingredient....black beans. I know, I thought the same thing when I read it."Beans in brownies? How could that ever taste good?" Since my options are very limited I took the chance and made a batch. Much to my surprise they were some of the best brownies I have ever ate and super easy to make!

Here is what you will need:

1 can Eden Organic black beans (Eden is the only company that offers beans in non-toxic BPA-free cans)
¾ cup Rapadura, coconut sugar OR 1/3 cup honey
2 Tbsp. coconut oil plus a little extra for the pan
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 eggs (local and free range are best)
1-½ Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 pinch sea salt
walnuts, previously soaked and drained

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2.  Drain and rinse beans very well then rinse again to make sure ALL of the bean liquid is gone. The last thing you want are brownies that actually tate like beans! 

3.  In your Vitamix or blender, add rinsed and drained beans, sweetner that you choose above, coconut oil, cocoa powder, eggs, vanilla and salt. 

4.  Blend until well mixed and smooth. The batter will be thin.
5.  Grease an a 8″x8″ baking dish with coconut oil.
6.  Pour batter into dish.
7.  Top with walnuts or other topping.

8. Bake for 30 minutes or until the top and sides are set, and the insides are just a little soft.

9.  Enjoy while it is still warm and oh so yummy!

Original recipe from Small Footprint Family

-Shanny

Simple Homemade Laundry Detergent

I have been making my own laundry detergent for a couple months now. I just started making it because... I could. Later, I realized how much money I could save since making your own is so extremely cheap! Also, I figured store bought detergents are probably loaded with all kinds of chemicals that are absorbed through your skin and then stay in your body for a really long time just like most of the other store bought cleaners today. So if I could make safer and cheaper laundry detergent plus have a little fun while making it then why not?


I did a little research and found that  laundry detergent companies are not required to list toxic ingredients on labels. "These chemicals, which may not appear on the label, can interact with your body’s hormones, cause reproductive harm, induce asthma, and cause cancer" (read more here).


 I'm feeling better already about making my own and wanted to share the simple recipe with all of you.


What you will need:


1 cup Borax
1 cup washing soda
1 bar Fels-Naptha soap but any bar soap will work I have even used goats milk soap

1. Grate bar soap on a cheese grater until you have two cups of grated soap.

2. Mix the two cups of grated soap with the 1 cup Borax and 1 cup washing soda in a bowl until well incorporated. I found this handy little container at the dollar store for a buck but any recycled container would work just as well. I just screw the lid on tight then shake it until it is all mixed up. It also doubles as my detergent storage container.

That's it! Simple huh? I use two heaping tablespoons for a large load of laundry. It doesn't seem like you are using a lot and you aren't but this stuff is so concentrated compared to the watered down store bought stuff that you don't need to. Believe me I was skeptical at first too. I never used powered laundry detergent in my life before making this, but am glad I gave it a try. You will also notice that it doesn't suds like your average detergent. Sudsing is actually a result of the chemicals in the detergent and has nothing to do with cleaning your clothes. The first load of laundry I did with this stuff was super muddy, dirty, disgusting towels that we wipe the dogs paws off with in the winter. Much to my surprise they came out perfectly clean and I haven't bought laundry detergent since! Sometimes I do add a little Mrs. Meyer's Lavender Fabric Softener to the rinse cycle just for the amazing lavender smell that it stuff has since this detergent is pretty fragrance free depending on the bar soap you use.


Unfortunately, I can't take all the credit for this brilliant recipe. I have Pinterest to thank and One Good Thing by Jillee who's blog I love.


Thanks for reading!
-Shanny