Say bye bye to bugs

 

Its summer time and those little buggers are out for blood.... literally.  Mosquitoes can be such pests and are known to carry diseases like west nile.  There are plenty of chemically laden sprays out there to keep you protected but my family takes a more natural approach. 

Everyone has heard of citronella.  There are many a night when we had those candles glowing on our table out back. But did you know citronella is actually a grass. If you plant it around your yard it can actually help repel mosquitoes.

There are many plants that repel insects including mosquitoes like: Mint, Lavender, Lemongrass and Catnip.  How beautiful and affective to have some of these planted or in pots around you yard.  Not only are the esthetically pleasing, they smell amazing to humans and you can use mint, lavender and lemongrass to cook with as well as make teas.

 

 

You can also take advantage of these plants repellent properties by using the essential oils.  Each essential oil has many uses so it is worth picking a few up.  Lavender is one of my favorites.  You can use it to calm down your children, in the bath, in cookies, as a massage oil, in lemonade, to take the itch away from a bug bite as well as a bug repellent.

Lemongrass is good for skin care, aromatherapy and deodorizer.

Mint is good for body products, it invigorates, deodorizes, makes a great back massage oil and can be put into food.
(please make sure you have food grade oil before consuming it)

Here are a couple of recipes for homemade bug spray

Where to find essential oils       Mountain Rose Herbs     Amazon

Just a reminder... Mosquitoes breed in water so get rid of any standing water in your yard.  Wear protective clothes when out at dusk or in the woods and make sure whatever kind of spray you use that you spray your children and yourselves liberally.

Tomato basil sauce

My husbands favorite sauce is a simple tomato basil sauce that only has a few ingredients.  It is so good and versatile yet can be made in just a few minutes. This sauce is the kind of secret you need to have in your arsenal of cheap quick recipes that feed and please a crowd.  You can serve it on pasta, over fish, in lasagna or as a pizza sauce.

Before I get to the recipe lets talk about the ingredients.  We start with the star here, Tomatoes. 

Whether you can your own or buy them is up to you.  I have no problem using canned tomatoes because the canning process actually preserves most of the vitamins and minerals.  Tomatoes have lycopene, an antioxidant, that is reported to help reduce cancer risks and lower bad cholesterol. 

Basil is a delicious herb to always have on hand.  You can puree it with a little lemon juice and freeze it in ice cube trays  and then pop them in a baggie and you will have basil year round.  Of course if you can grow your own, even in a sunny window, it is well worth it.  Not only is it delicious but its nutritious too.  

It is used in  tinctures, oils and teas for all kinds of ailments all across the world.  Filled with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals it is as useful as it is delicious.

I think at one time or another you have heard about how good garlic is for you.  People even take it in a pill form for help with cholesterol and cancer prevention.  What you should know about it is that it is also an antibiotic.  It is used to kill viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites and has even been used to kill helicobacter pylori which can cause ulcers.

In my house we use it for colds.  Did I mention how amazing it is roasted. 


The sauce...

Tomato Basil Sauce   

serves 4

2 table spoons olive oil  

1-2 clove minced garlic ( we like it really garlicky so we go for 2)

1 large can or 3 cups of crushed tomatoes ( i sometimes use diced)

 large handful of basil chopped ( use 3T dried if you have to but its not ideal )

                                                                      salt to taste

Heat the oil in a skillet on medium, add garlic and saute for 1 minute.

Add tomatoes, turn the heat to medium low,  stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.

Add basil and cook for 5 more minutes on low.

Add salt to taste 

That's all it takes.  There are many uses like I said before.  Try it with chicken Parmesan or eggplant.  Fill up mushrooms and add cheese and bake them.  Be adventurous and serve over delicious spaghetti squash. 

Let me know how you like it.  Enjoy!

Holy Moly Guacamole

I love avocados.  It hasn't always been that way.  I remember being served some sliced avocado at a friends house and being totally freaked out. When I found out how good they were for you I gave them another try.

Did you know avocados promote heart health? They are rich in good fats and help stabilize blood sugar.  They are a good source of fiber and vitamins as well.  You can find out more information about them here

Some of my favorite ways to eat avocados besides just scooping it out with a little sea salt is a turkey and avocado sandwich with tomatoes and bacon. YUM I eat this weekly or more if I have the ingredients.

I think the most famous use of avocados is guacamole.  I substitute guacamole on my sandwiches or eat it with chips.   Of course piled high on anything remotely Mexican will work too.  The best part is guacamole is really easy to make.

 

 Go to the market and get some ripe avocados and then make the recipe below.

Easy Guacamole 

 serves 4

2 large avocados

1 tomato chopped

1/2 red onion chopped

1 small handful cilantro chopped

juice of 1 lime

1 garlic clove minced

salt to taste 

1/2-1 jalapeno chopped (optional)

in a bowl smash avocados with potato masher or fork.  Leave some chunks.  To the avocado add tomato, chopped onion, cilantro, garlic,lemon, jalapeno if you like heat and salt.

The heat in a pepper comes from the seeds so make sure if you like it on the milder side you seed the pepper.  If you like it spicy add the seeds.  Make sure you wash your hands well after handling peppers.  

Serve with nachos, eat on sandwiches or lick off a spoon.  Enjoy!

Butter- yes or no?

Butter is a touchy subject for people.  Most of us were brought up on margarine which we were told was better for us.  So whats the truth?

Butter and Margarine have the same 100 calories per tablespoon
Margarine has 5g of saturated fat but butter only has 8g

Butter comes from cream which comes from cows
Margarine comes from a factory and some of the ingredients from a very well know brown tub of margarine are as follows:

veggie-oil blend
veggie mono & diglycerides
soy lecithin
artificial flavors
vitamin A
beta carotene (for color)

How is it made?

Butter is made from cream being whipped or churned until the solids seperate.  Then salt is added.

Margarine is made from cheap, poor quality oils such as corn, cottonseed, soybean, safflower and canola. Which is hydrogenated.  Take a minute to see the disgusting process here: lhttp://www.stop-trans-fat.com/how-is-margarine-made.html
 

Margarine increases bad cholesterol and lowers good cholesterol
Margarine decreases immune response
Margarine decreases insulin response


Grass fed butter has 10x more vitamin A than margarine
Butter has 3x more vitamin D
Butter is natural and delicious

Take a minute to read how amazing butter is: http://www.whale.to/a/butter.html 

Beets my love

Beets my love

 I love beets.  I don't know when it started but I just love them.  I remember sitting in my aunts kitchen with a fork eating pickled beets out of the jar with her. 

I have not met a beet I didn't like, be it pickled, roasted or boiled.  Lunch today is going to be divine. Fresh beets from the farmers market roasted to perfection fresh greens with creamy goat cheese and of course a delicious homemade vinaigrette. So here goes the recipe:

Roasted beet and goat cheese salad with balsamic vinaigrette

serves 4


4 beets roasted (place washed beets in tinfoil and bake 350 for 1 hour or until tender when they're cooked and cool enough to handle rub off skin and cut into quarters)
4T goat cheese or as much as you like
8c fresh greens ( i use mesculine mix )
1/4 cup walnut halves
4T dressing or to taste


Balsamic vinaigrette

1t wholegrain mustard (you can use any fancy mustard but no yellow mustard)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/8 cup good olive oil
1 clove garlic crushed
1/2-1t dried basil
salt to taste

whisk together mustard, vinegar, garlic, basil and salt. Slowly add in the oil until combined. Use this basic recipe or change out the herbs and vinegar to suit your tastes.

Sprouted Grains

Sprouted Grains

I know some of you have no idea what I mean when i say sprouted grain.  It wasn't until I opened the makers diet book, by Jordan S. Rubin, that I even heard of it before.  It is said that soaking the grains break down the phytic acid which allows it to be digested easier and the soaking activates the enzymes.  

I can find sprouted bagels, English muffins, bread and tortillas at my local health store or online.

You can find sprouted grain flour in most large Health food stores.

Eggs, Eggs, Beautiful Eggs!!

Eggs, Eggs, Beautiful Eggs!!

There is nothing like a real egg. I would rather have 1 real egg than 15 egg yolks. Is there anything like dipping into that golden deliciousness.

Eggs really are a perfect food filled with protein ,6 grams ,half of which is found in the yolk. All the essential amino acids our bodies need and choline for healthy cells, selenium an antioxidant used in our bodies to keep our immune system strong, foliate which helps prevent birth defects and along with riboflavin help our bodies turn food into energy,vitamin a for cell growth and eye health, vitamin e ,an antioxidant, that works with vitamin c and selenium to prevent free radical growth, lutein and zeaxanthin found in the yolk help stop macular degeneration.

Along with that eggs are cheap and only around 70 calories. Along with some fruit and a  sprouted whole wheat english muffin its a great way to start the day. Please don't be afraid of what seems to be a pretty perfect food. Thanks Lord for giving us all we need.

Stuffed Eggplant

When you think about summer what comes to mind? I think about late nights outside, family vacations and warm weather.  And of course all the beautiful food that's available to us.  Whether you have a back yard garden or get to visit one the incredible farmers markets, like i do, summer is the time when you have the freshest local food at your fingertips.  

I picked up some eggplant at the farmers market and came up with a delicious stuffed recipe for it.  It was incredible.  You could leave out the turkey and it would be just as good.  Enjoy!

Stuffed Eggplant 

serves 4

2 large eggplants (hollow out with a spoon leaving about 1/2 inch shell)
reserved eggplant meat diced
1 pepper diced (red,orange,yellow or a mixture)
1 small onion diced
2 cups prepared brown rice (i used instant made with beef stock)
1/2 lb ground turkey
2c frozen chopped frozen spinach
2T garlic powder more to taste
2T italian seasoning more to taste
1T salt
2 eggs
1/4 c panko bread crumbs
1 lg can crushed tomatos mixed with 2 cups beef broth, 1 T basil, 1 T garlic powder and 1t salt

saute peppers and onions for a few minutes
add turkey cook for 5 mins
add eggplant and spinach cook till spinach is thawed (if using fresh till wilted)
add garlic, italian and salt
mix in rice
add eggs and panko and mix well

fill eggplant shells and cover with tomato sauce
pour remaining sauce into pan (there may be extra filling save it for another time)

bake 350 for 1hour covered until eggplant is soft

What is a Nourished Life?

It all started 8 years ago when someone suggested a book to me. The makers diet by Jordan S. Rubin. This book was so eye opening to me.  It was the introduction food in a way that I had never heard of.   What is Grass fed beef? Fermented foods? Sprouted grains? 


These were things I had never heard of  and I started thinking... why is there grass fed beef?  If I am not eating grass fed beef then what am I eating?

Over the past years I have done a lot of research, read a lot of books and have made many changes.  I have decided to start a blog to share all I am learning with you.

The best resource i have found was Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions.  I would highly recommend the book.  It is a wealth of knowledge.  It is not only is it a book but it is a cookbook as well and does a great job.

In the weeks to come I am going to share recipes, gardening ideas, natural pest control and how we use essential oils in my home along with plenty more good stuff. 

Welcome to my Nourished Life!