Today, on my main blog, I discussed the benefits of 1 daily avocado in relation to dementia prevention. So, I thought it only right to include at least one avocado recipe here.
I love avocado, but my better half does not. I’d like to try and incorporate this healthy fruit into our daily diet, but I’ll have to get creative. Why do I want to incorporate it? There are many proven health benefits. Each day this week, I’ll list 2 different health benefits AND, post a video, showcasing a different way to use this amazing plant.
Did you know that a 80% of the immune system is in the gut? Did you also know that most neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and melatonin largely made in the gut? Scientific research now proves a direct link between gut health and brain health. When the gut is healthy, the brain is healthy…and vice versa! We now know that the key to a healthy gut is a healthy microbiome. How do we get a healthy microbiome? It really is quite simple, and delicious. Eliminate sugar and processed foods. Then eat a plant-based whole food diet which includes homemade fermented foods, that are teaming with healthy probiotic bacteria.
Below, I’ve listed links to 5 simple fermented food recipes. You may need to get culture starter. Here are some sources:
In my oh so humble opinion, you can NEVER have enough vegetable recipes!! A plant based diet is key to a healthy body and long life. Here’s are 50 vegetarian recipes from Veg Recipes from India!
“In this critical time, it is essential to have food that your body needs. You can make a conscious decision to move into healthy eating habits and choices.
I am sharing vegetarian plant-based foods and recipes which I am personally going to focus on and prepare at home. I am not going to overboard as an excess of everything is not good. Balance is the key. But I would like to include more of these immune-boosting food in our diets than earlier.”
FOLLOW THE LINK BELOW FOR THE MAIN ARTICLE AND ACCESS TO THE 50 RECIPES
The last couple of weeks I’ve been talking about ways to prevent illness by boosting the immune system with natural foods such as camu camu, elderberry or oil of oregano. Well, what happens if you’ve done everything you can to prevent it, but you still get sick? You, or someone you love, can make some bone broth of course.
NOTE: If you are a vegan or vegetarian, don’t worry, I’ve got you covered! I have an extra special vegetable broth recipefor you so no worries!
So, let’s talk about bone broth. Using bones to make broth has become rather trendy, but it’s not a new concept by any means. In fact, this is something that has been done since prehistoric times, when no part of the animal was wasted (2). In Chinese medicine, which dates back more than 2500 years, bone broth is used to improve the health of the digestive system, bones, and kidneys (1). Chicken soup was used in 12th century Egypt for colds and asthma. (1)
Bone broth is incredibly healthy. In fact, when I talk about food as medicine, bone broth is right up there on the list of things you should be eating. Our prehistoric ancestors knew what they were doing. Let’s take a look at just why it’s so healthy. Here are 18 benefits, according to an article published by louisehay.com.
Immunity boost-due to the amino acid content, such as arginine, glutamine, and cysteine.
Relieves the common cold & Bronchitis– A study published in The Journal of the American College of Chest Physicians, studied the affect of chicken soup (chicken bone broth) on the common cold. Researchers found that chicken soup, did indeed alleviate symptoms, including clearing mucus, open respiratory pathways and provide easy-to-digest nutrition
Diminish inflammation-The amino acid content, for example cystine, histidine, and glycine, reduce inflammation, while L-glutamine reduces gut inflammation. Studies indicate the anti-inflammatory affect of bone broth may be the reason behind helpfulness in relation to the common cold.
Strong bones and teeth-What do you need to build bones and teeth? If you said calcium, you are only partially correct. In order to adequately build bone, the human body requires the following nutrients: calcium, protein, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamin D, potassium, zinc, manganese, copper, boron, iron, vitamin A, vitamin K, vitamin C, and the B vitamins. Bone broth, made with meat and vegetables, is a good source of ALL of these vitamins
Weight loss-There are 2 aspects to the benefits of bone broth on weight loss. 1) many overweight people have what’s called Dysbiosis, or an imbalance in gut bacteria. Bone broth has high levels of the amino acid L-glutamine, which relieves inflammation, rebuilds gut lining and balances the gut bacteria. 2) Studies show that eating soup or drinking bone broth before meals reduces caloric intake during the next meal.
Better Hydration-If you are dehydrated, drinking bone broth is an excellent way to rehydrate. Bone broth, with vegetables, has high levels of electrolytes and carbohydrates.
Improve exercise capacity-Some studies show that liquids with electrolytes and carbohydrates outperform water in restorative capacity. Bone broth, a much healthier alternative than Gatorade, contains these qualities.
Build muscle-Once again, the all important amino acids come into play. The amino acid content of bone broth stimulates “muscle protein synthesis”.
Improved mood-The digestive system is sometimes called “The Second Brain”. Your gut and your brain are, invariably, linked. What affects one affects the other. When gut bacteria, aka micro-biome, become imbalanced, this influences your brain. When the micro-biome is healthy, the brain receives “happy” signals from the brain. The opposite is also true. Neuroscientists are now studying the treatment of mood disorders, such as depression, by managing the micro-biome.
Gelatin-No, I’m not talking about Jell-o, which is filled with chemicals! Actually, Jell-o comes from gelatin made, most likely, from pigskin, but can be made from any other type of bone. (3) The gelatin I’m talking about, is gelatin in it’s pure form. Have you ever made soup, and taken it out of the fridge to find that the broth has turned into a “jelly” like substance? That is what good bone broth is supposed to do. The prevalence of degenerative and inflammatory disease in our society could be corrected with gelatin rich foods, such as bone broth. Here are 9 additional benefits of the gelatin contained within bone-broth.
Stronger, healthier nails
Anti-aging
Anti-tumor
Arthritis and joint-pain relief
Cell-protecting
Can alleviate diabetes and lower blood sugar; supports insulin regulation
Now that you know the benefits of bone broth, just how do you make it? Well it’s actually a very easy, though lengthy process. However, I can assure you, it’s worth your time. Here’s a short video (:52) showing how to make beef bone broth. Don’t have beef bones? Don’t worry! The process is the same with other bones as well. Don’t be intimidated by bone broth! It is SOOOO easy! Really! The hardest part is waiting 2 days for it to be done!
Ingredients:
4 pounds beef bones with marrow
4 carrots, chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped
2 medium onions, peel on, sliced in half lengthwise and quartered
This isn’t just any old vegetable broth recipe. In fact, this is more than just a broth. According to Rebecca, Magic Mineral Broth is packed with potassium and several trace minerals. Rebecca says in her cookbook Nourishing Life One Bite at a Time, that this broth alone could sustain you for quite some time. It’s a great alternative for people who may be too sick to eat solid food. It is very versatile and can be used as your base for any soup. In fact, I use this as a base for my bone broth. You could also simply add your bones to this recipe, which I have done in many cases.
So on with the recipe and I have a special surprise. Who better than to show you how to make this tremendous broth than Rebbecca Katz herself.? Here is a “how to” video, with Rebecca Katz, showing you how to prepare this wonderful, flavorful, healthy broth.
Closing thoughts
You really can’t go wrong with bone broth and magic mineral broth. What can be easier than this process? I mean seriously, if you can chop veggies and boil water, you can make a delicious and nutritious broth that will be the envy of all your friends. In fact, why not bring them a jar of your homemade broth the next time they are under the weather?
As my way of saying thank you, I found the most authentic Amish Friendship Bread Recipe possible. The recipe is from Lovina Eicher, a member of Old Order Amish church in Michigan. She is the daughter of the original author of the Amish Cook newspaper column, and continued the column after her mother’s death in 1991. The link above is to a letter written by Lovina.
I found Lovina’s Friendship Bread recipe at the website, Amish 365, a website containing authentic Amish recipes. You can find it at the link below. While this is not a gluten free recipe, I can think of no better way than to share this wonderful tradition with you.
If you aren’t familiar with Amish Friendship bread, Amish women would give their bread starter as gifts to their friends or to their daughters as a wedding present. Here is a short quote from the Amish 365 article:
“The recipe’s name “friendship bread” seems to have its roots in the fact that the starter is often given away as gifts to people so that they can make their own!”
So, onto the recipe. Thank you for following me, visiting my blog and most of all, enjoying my articles!
AMISH FRIENDSHIP BREAD
Sourdough starter:
3 pkgs. yeast
1 c. warm water
Starter feed
3/4 c. sugar
3 tbsp. instant potatoes
1 c. warm water
Sourdough bread
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 c. corn oil
1 tsp. salt
1 c. starter (potato fed)
1 1/2 c. warm water
6 c. bread flour
Follow the link below for the complete instructions
Experts always tell you not to eat at night. However, when you have insomnia, you are willing to try anything. In my last Insomnia Fix article, posted yesterday, I recommended adding tryptophan rich foods into your diet. Why? Tryptophan is a precursor to melatonin. Everyone knows the sleepy effect a big Thanksgiving dinner has on our body. That’s due to the tryptophan rich foods in the dinner, such as sweet potato and turkey. Below is a chart from Dr. Axe, which details some of the top tryptophan rich foods.
In today’s post, I’ve looked for recipes that use at least one of these foods. In some cases, more than one is used in the recipe. In most cases, you can add nuts or seeds to boost levels of melatonin. As a reminder here are some seeds/nuts rich melatonin.
Walnuts
Almonds
pumpkin seeds
sunflower seeds
flax seeds
Banana-Yogurt Smoothie
Know Your Produce
This couldn’t be easier! Some fresh or frozen banana and some yogurt, with a hint of vanilla extract. Add some almonds or almond butter for a dose of melatonin.
Oatmeal at night? YES! It’s high in both melatonin and tryptophan! Using greek yogurt instead of milk and adding banana and nuts makes it a nighttime powerhouse! Make it your own, and an even better nighttime snack by adding melatonin rich seeds.
This recipe uses two tryptophan rich foods eggs and salmon. These make ahead treats are perfect for a quick snack. Sprinkle the tops with some finely chopped seeds for a boost of melatonin.
As a sufferer of chronic sinus migraines, I have reluctantly come to realize that grains, dairy and I just don’t get along. For more than 10 years I was gluten-free. Giving up gluten helped rid my body of chronic psoriasis and arthritis. However, my sinus headaches persisted and gradually worsened over the years.
I searched for a reason, an ailment that could explain my sinus problems, even visiting specialists, but to no avail. My ENT doctor checked my sinuses and even sent me for MRI’s and other scans, which all came back clean. She said the migraines are more than likely food related.
So as a nutrition junky, I knew all about the elimination diet and gave it a try. Unfortunately, the elimination diet eliminates dairy and gluten, but not all grains, since oats and rice are allowed on most plans.
It wasn’t until I tried the paleo diet that my headaches finally began to subside. Now my diet is paleo approximately 95% of the time. The other 5% of the time, I allow myself indulgences, including gluten containing foods such as cakes, cookies as well as certain comfort foods and dairy. I find if I indulge in only one or two meals or so a week, my headaches remain at bay.
With that said, there are times when I’m eating healthy that I just need some comfort foods. Today, I’ve searched the internet’s plethora of Paleo sites for paleo versions of some popular comfort foods! ENJOY!
Fork and Beans Use these amazing tortillas with your favorite taco filling for perfect paleo tacos! I make these all the time! They are delicious and better than any store bought tortillas, whether regular or gluten free..
Ahh, the holidays season is here! During this time of year, full of sugary treats and fattening snacks, it’s good to have a few healthy recipes in your box. Have no fear! I’ve got you covered. Today, I’m have 8 healthy holiday recipes, with videos and printable recipes! I hope you enjoy!
These tasty little morsels are bursting with vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants. Plus, they're sweetened with dates and maple syrup, so, you'll find no processed sugar here.
Credit: PopSugar Fitness
Ingredients
1 cup pitted dates
1 cup soaked cashews (soak a minimum of 3 hours or overnight)
1 cup raw cacao powder plus more for rolling
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
2 tbs maple syrup
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of sea salt
pinch of cayenne pepper
shredded coconut for rolling
Directions
Place all ingredients, except shredded coconut, in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth, scraping sides as needed.
Roll into tablespoon size balls.
Coat balls in either cacao or shredded coconut.
Freeze for a few hours, preferably overnight.
Remove from freezer and set at room temperature for 30 minutes prior to serving.
4 to 8 pound Prime Rib of Beef, BONE-IN, fat cap removed (ask the butcher to explain)
kosher salt as needed
1/4 cup soft butter
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence (this is just a dried herb blend – you can use any thing you like, or just salt and pepper)
Directions
Leave prime rib on counter for at least 6 hours – preferably longer. (It must be at room temp, or the recipe won’t work.)
Preheat oven to 500 degrees
Mix butter, Herbes de Provence and black pepper together and spread all over prime rib.
Sprinkle salt liberally over the buttered prime rib
Cook the beef at 500 degrees for 5 minutes per pound. Multiply size of roast (from packaging) by 5. This is the length of time you’ll cook the beef at 500 degrees. For example, if your roast is 4 pounds multiply 4 X 5 = 20, so you’d cook the beef at 500 degrees for 20 minutes.
After the allotted time, turn oven off and leave for 2 hours. DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR.
Remove from the oven and serve. Bones can be removed if desired prior to serving.
Tired of Green Bean Casserole? Try this refreshing and tasty recipe from Gordon Ramsey
Credit: Gordon Ramsey
Ingredients
1 head of garlic
2 pounds fresh Green beans (cleaned)
salt
2-3 tbs White wine vinegar
2 tsp dijon mustard
2 tsp honey
150 ml olive oil
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Wrap the garlic for the dressing in foil and roast in the oven for 20–25 minutes until soft. Remove and leave to cool.
While garlic is roasting, blanch the green beans by plunging them in plenty of boiling salted water for 1½ cooked, but still crunchy. Run immediately under cold running water, then drain and leave to one side.
Toast almonds in a medium-hot dry frying pan for 2–3 minutes until golden.
Squeeze the flesh from the garlic heads and mash with 1 tablespoon of the white wine vinegar until a smooth paste is formed. Add the mustard and honey and mix well. Pour in the olive oil in a slow drizzle, stirring constantly to thicken. Taste and season as necessary, adding a little more vinegar if needed.
Dress the green beans, toss to coat well, top with toasted almonds and serve.
We all hate to admit it, but eventually, aches and pains creep in with age and arthritis gets the better of us. As part of my thesis, I did some research on the health benefits of Tart Cherries and Tart Cherry Juice. It turns out to be one of the best sources of plant based melatonin. So, that means, if you have insomnia, you absolutely should be including this in your daily diet and supplement regime. Not only that is it good for insomnia, it has several other wonderful benefits, including: (2 , 3 , 4)
helps reduce symptoms of arthritis, gout and inflammation
promotes brain health
boosts immune health
helps regulate blood pressure
cancer prevention
aids weight loss
So, knowing tart cherries are so healthy, I wanted to add them to my diet. I decided to experiment with unflavored grass-fed gelatin and homemade gummies, something I’ve been wanting to try for a while. Why grass fed gelatin? Some known benefits of gelatin include: (1, 5)
So, after looking at the health benefits of these two powerful foods, I knew it was a winning combination. But, I had never even tried making gummies before. Before I created my own recipe, I experimented with a few others. The photo on the left is pureed strawberries, sweetened with maple syrup. The one on the right is turmeric, also sweetened with maple syrup.
Strawberry
Tart Cherry
Turmeric
After making the strawberry, and turmeric gummies, I found they were a bit bland, especially the turmeric one. So, when I created my own version, I opted to double the amount of concentrate, otherwise used if a glass of juice was being prepared. The ratio is typically 2 tablespoons per 8 ounce glass, or 1/4 cup per 2 cups of water. I doubled that ratio for my recipe. The result is a pleasing tart cherry flavor in the gummies.
Here are the ingredients for this simple, but super healthy recipe:
Do you have some aches and pains? Is arthritis creeping up on you? This combination of grass-fed gelatin and tart cherry juice will help ease the pain
Credit: A Purple Almond Wellness Recipe: thepurplealmondwellnesskitchen.com
Ingredients
2 cups filtered water
½ cup Organic Tart Cherry Juice Concentrate
¼ cup Honey
4 packets organic Stevia powder (optional)
4 tbs grass-fed unflavored gelatin powder
Directions
Mix first 4 ingredients in small pan.
Heat until steaming.
Sprinkle gelatin in pan over other ingredients.
Stir throughly, until gelatin is dissolved and all ingredients are combined.
Pour into 9×9 square pan. Cover and chill for a minimum of 4 hours.
Remove from refrigerator and cut into 32 small squares…ENJOY!
Closing thoughts
I hope you give this a try. I have found these gummies are super easy to make. In my experience, once the gelatin sets, the resulting gummies can be a bit bland. My best tip would be to “over flavor” the initial combination of ingredients, so you almost have something that is “too sweet” or “too strong”. So, when the gelatin sets, the result will be a gummies packed with flavor!
Hello everyone! In honor of halloween, I’ve compiled a list of 10 last minute party ideas. I tried to find unique ideas and not your standard “crostini” or “marinated olives”. We often dread planning a party. We want it to be fun and creative, but don’t have time to spend on elaborate appetizers. I hope these ideas inspire you to be creative in your party planning endeavors!
I hope these ideas inspire you to think outside the box. Parties and get togethers don’t have to be difficult or boring, just a little ingenuity and creativity!
The Purple Almond Wellness Kitchen 