May's Herb of the Month

 

Garlic Odiferous and Delicious

Garlic is definitely a friend to our bodies yet gets a bum rap due to it's reputation for bad breath and body odor.  Roasted garlic is sweeter and the breath isn't as much of an issue. Now let's see why this member of the Lilley family which was treasured during Egyptian times is good for us.

1.  We live in a world of parasites. They make their way into our digestive tract by the food we eat, from pets and unsanitary conditions.  These little guys and gals just hate garlic. Garlic, over here!

2.  Simplified, our  blood delivers nutrients, proteins, electrolytes and hormones throughout the body.  It also feeds the neurons in the brain the oxygen and the nutrients they need to stay healthy, requiring a constant blood flow to the brain.

The body makes its own supply of hydrogen sulfide, which acts as an antioxidant and transmits cellular signals that relax blood vessels and increase the blood flow. Garlic also increases hydrogen sulfide in the body.  You can read the rest of this article here. Again, this ensures  an even free flow of blood throughout the body, except to the lungs where the blood takes and delivers oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body.  Very important tasks. 

While garlic enhances many recipes with it's flavor we also know it is very beneficial for heart and cancer health for these reasons.  

An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Well just maybe having garlic each day will keep the cardiologist and oncologist away. We can wish right! Wishes and thoughts do come true.

A few of the ways that I love to use garlic in recipes ( there are many)  are in my chunky guacamole/salsa, my green salads, raw crackers and in my salad smoothie.  

What are some of your favorite recipes that you make using  garlic? Head on down to the comments section below and please let us know.  Would love to have you also share with us on  Facebook.com/refreshyourlifenow.

Barbara

203-216-6889
RefreshYourLifeNow@gmail.com
www.RefreshYourLifeNow@blogspot.com

Follow us on Twitter using @bgsuperfoods 

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This post may be reprinted on your blog, website or in your e-zine with my blessing as long as you include the following:  Barbara Greenhouse shares her passions of Food, "Cooking", Cruelty-Free, and the Sharing of Unbiased Information for a healthy and informed world.  She teaches and supports  her clients through their journey to live their dreams easily and holistically, with compassion and by incorporating some delicious live raw whole foods.  She is currently authoring her first book, "Sacred You, The Delicious Journey"®    © copyright refreshyourlifenow, - 2012 Connecticut, USA

Wearing the Healthy Nutrtion Hat

My dad came home after "residing" in the hospital and rehab for the last 3 plus months swapping between the two three times.  Was he happy to hear he was finally going home!

I can't imagine the long lonely days and nights.  At times he was happy, he has a sense of humor when he remembers and a flirt.  I would visit and he wished I could've stayed longer sometimes.

I wore the meal planner hat to help him regain his strength and to encourage him to eat more again once he was back on solid food.  Makes me thankful to be able to eat and to eat what I want to eat even more.

Now home I was able to speak with the head of the dining room where he lives to plan healthy meals with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables (salads), dark green vegetables and sweet potatos. We are better able to keep him off of the white foods, bread, pasta and sugar now.  The director was very agreeable to it all.  He knew what quinoa is and says they do serve it at times, as some of the residents like it. Many however are not familiar with it and therefore won't eat it.  He'll make sure my dad has some and buckwheat and tabouleh too when they are on the menu.

The point of my dad's tale?   It was not always easy to provide healthy meals for my dad in these two institutions. Trays came up wrong or the doctor made changes I did not agree with (Ensure instead of real protein, Colace instead of prunes.) I won the battle for each. The Colace didn't work, boy did the prunes!  As someones healthcare advocate this is an area to really focus on because if you do not stand up for your loved ones nutritional needs while receiving institutional care, they only go so far, and at times as in my dads case, they give the standard food tray filled with all my dad is not supposed to eat due to his unique health issues.  

On a wonderful note the hospital dining services had a survey which I filled out very honestly and in a long detailed manner. Suggestions flowed and I added them.  The second hospitalization the menu had changes WHOLE MULTI GRAIN bread was added, more salad choices and more drink choices. More heart healthy choices. My dad needed these.

It pays to speak up and to also fill out surveys and be heard.  They took mine to "heart" and I was pleasantly surprised.  Every baby step leads to change. The ripple has started at the hospital and the rehab facility.

It's amazing as life normalizes in someone elses' life how your own becomes more normal too.  While I did make some green juices and smoothies, I did not every day. My body was ready for good food.  So I whipped up a naturally sweet sundried tomato red pepper sauce.  Taking my vegetable peeler in hand I made large ribbons of zucchini fettucini noodles, cut up a whole creamy avocado and generously spooned on the sauce.  My taste buds rejoiced.  

Simple and Quick Organic/Raw Red Sundried Tomato and Red Pepper Sauce

Ingredients:

1/4 C + 1TB warm water

6-8 sundried tomatoes (unsalted variety)

1/2 1 large red pepper

1/4 C pine nuts

1 large clove garlic (smaller's ok)

1/4 C olive oil (may drizzle in) 

 2 large zucchini

Method:

Pour the water into the blender and add the sundried tomatos.

Let them soak in the warm water for 10  minutes

Create the zucchini fettucini noodles over a big bowl

Add a 1/4  tsp salt (or less) to the noodles

After the noodles sweat, drain out the water

Wash, cut and de-seed the red pepper

Peel the garlic

Peel and cut up a ripe avocado

Pulse and then blend the tomatos and water

Add some of the olive oil, blend by drizzling it in

Add the red pepper, blend

Add the garlic, blend

Add more olive oil, blend

Add pinenuts, blend

Add in more olive oil if desired

Optional a pinch of salt after you taste it

This sauce makes a delicious spread. I used it on a hummus and sprout sandwich and a sprouted tofu vegetable burger with spinach and sprouts on top. Both on Ezekiel Sesame Bread.   

Let me know how the recipe turns out for you and other ways you use it in the comments below. 

Barbara

203-216-6889
RefreshYourLifeNow@gmail.com
www.RefreshYourLifeNow@blogspot.com
www.BarbaraGreenhouse.com

Follow us on Twitter, @bgsuperfoods 

Like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/RefreshYourLifeNow

 
This post may be reprinted on your blog, website or in your e-zine with my blessing as long as you include the following:  Barbara Greenhouse shares her passions of Food, "Cooking", Cruelty-Free, and the Sharing of Unbiased Information for a healthy and informed world.  She teaches and supports  her clients through their journey to live their dreams easily and holistically, with compassion and by incorporating some delicious live raw whole foods.  She is currently authoring her first book, "Sacred You, The Delicious Journey"®    © copyright refreshyourlifenow, - 2012 Connecticut, USA

4 Elements to a Great Meal

What a beautiful Spring day to stroll from the train down to 12 Park Avenue in New York City the home of Franchia Vegan Cafe and Tea Room.   I met my friend Sarah for lunch.

Indulge Your Taste Buds

We started out with tea, I with juiced Carrot, Apple, and Ginger with Green tea, Sarah had iced Pomegranate tea.

So many delectable items on the menu we took our time to decide.  We began with Noodle soup with vegetables and Ramen Noodles in Soup with "lobster balls".

Our salads were ordered to arrive with the soups.  "Duck" in spicy sauce with chopped vegetables, more like a slaw, very good. The sauce had depth.  I savored every bite.

The pumpkin noodle salad with vegetables and large bits of beets was good, however the  pumpkin noodles themselves were a bit disappointing.

Mind you the soup and salad were very filling with large portions satisfying to the healthiest of appetites.  We really didn't need an entree, but the selections made it impossible to pass on so we decided on a rather interesting one.

We split the Tofu and Roasted Kabocha Pumpkin in sesame soy sauce for the entree. The pumpkin was very tender, it melted in your mouth and the sauce very flavorful.

If you are looking for " 'Teas and elegant light food', New York Times," take a stroll to 12 Park Avenue, sit beneath the beautifully tiled ceiling and become full on many levels.

If you've been to Franchia Vegan Cafe, let us know about your experiences in the comments below.

Next stop?  I'll share about this in another blog post soon. One hint, it's another fabulous place in NYC and mostly raw.

Barbara

203-216-6889
RefreshYourLifeNow@gmail.com
www.RefreshYourLifeNow@blogspot.com

Follow us on Twitter using @bgsuperfoods 

Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/refreshyourlifenow

 
This post may be reprinted on your blog, website or in your e-zine with my blessing as long as you include the following:  Barbara Greenhouse shares her passions of Food, "Cooking", Cruelty-Free, and the Sharing of Unbiased Information for a healthy and informed world.  She teaches and supports  her clients through their journey to live their dreams easily and holistically, with compassion and by incorporating some delicious live raw whole foods.  She is currently authoring her first book, "Sacred You, The Delicious Journey"®    © copyright refreshyourlifenow, - 2012 Connecticut, USA

Delicious Anytime Smoothie

Hit the books and notes last night studying into the wee hours.  I wanted a snack.  So happy I had all these ingredients to make the following smoothie:

9 oz Thai coconut juice

1/2 pound fresh organic strawberries

1 large ripe organic banana

3 TB raw organic coconut oil

2 TB Vega EFA oil

2 TB cinnamon

1/4 cup raw organic cacao powder

2 C organic baby spinach

Method:

· first add coconut juice and strawberries to blender

· next add in the following order:

· the oils

· cinnamon (slowly)

· cacao (slowly)

· pulse in the banana

· scrape sides of the blender

· pulse in spinach 1/2 or all at a time

Very Young Coconut

Options:

1.  cut back the fruits by 1/2. Increase the spinach to 3 C or more.

2.  add in a sweet apple or another 1/2 banana if the smoothie isn't sweet enough for you.    

However, late at night or in my case really very early in the morning, you don't want a

sugar rush.  

3.  use dandelion or other dark greens with or instead of spinach.

4. add real dehydrated organic wheat grass juice powder

If you are diabetic substitute an apple for the banana, the fiber in the apple and the fiber and protein in the spinach helps to keep the blood sugar more stable. The more greens you use the better.


Always flavor to your tastes and experimentation is good.  It's an adventure. 

So I'd love to have you tell me about your favorite smoothie or favorite late night (or into the wee hours of the morning) snack in the comments below.

Barbara

203-216-6889
RefreshYourLifeNow@gmail.com
www.RefreshYourLifeNow@blogspot.com

Follow us on Twitter using @bgsuperfoods 

Like our page on Facebook:  Refresh Your Life Now

 
This post may be reprinted on your blog, website or in your e-zine with my blessing as long as you include the following:  Barbara Greenhouse shares her passions of Food, "Cooking", Cruelty-Free, and the Sharing of Unbiased Information for a healthy and informed world.  She teaches and supports  her clients through their journey to live their dreams easily and holistically, with compassion and by incorporating some delicious live raw whole foods.  She is currently authoring her first book, "Sacred You, The Delicious Journey"®    © copyright refreshyourlifenow, - 2012 Connecticut, USA

A Refreshing Beet Juice for Breakfast

This morning I went down to the kitchen and saw the 3 large beautiful organic beets I purchased yesterday.  Without hesitation I knew I was making a fresh juice for breakfast of the non-green variety.

2 large organic beets

1 large organic Valencia orange

1 1/2 inch chunk of fresh organic ginger root

Wash, cut and juice the beets.

Quarter, peel, and juice the orange and ginger together.

If you like you can surely use two oranges.  Talk about

heaven.  This is a simple juice to make too!

This juice is packed with Vitamin C from the beets and the orange.  The beets also provide Iron and Magnesium, are a good source of Dietary Fiber, Folate, Potassium and Manganese.   

Please note, if you monitor your sugar levels, beets are very high in sugar and are now an 80% GMO product if not organically farmed. 

Beets have been proven in clinical studies to lower blood pressure which also equates to better blood flow bringing much needed oxygen to your brain.

Ginger is soothing to the stomach any time of day. It is a good source of Vitamin C, Magnesium, Potassium, Copper and Manganese.

The color of this juice is beautiful. The ginger creates the very creamy top pictured below looking down into the glass jar and the image to the right looking directly at the glass jar where both layers are visible.

I lightly steamed the beet greens with a bit of fresh squeezed lemon and was pleasantly surprised.  They were buttery and delicious.  The few times I have steamed them before I got mouthfuls of unpalatable bitter greens that ended up in the garbage. I like nice surprises.

Have you juiced beets before? Please share your juicing experiences in the comments below.

Barbara

203-216-6889
BarbaraGreenhouse.com
RefreshYourLifeNow@gmail.com

Follow us on Twitter, @bgsuperfoods 

www.Facebook.com/RefreshYourLifeNow
www.RefreshYourLifeNow@blogspot.com 

 
This post may be reprinted on your blog, website or in your e-zine with my blessing as long as you include the following:  Barbara Greenhouse shares her passions of Food, "Cooking", Cruelty-Free, and the Sharing of Unbiased Information for a healthy and informed world.  She teaches and supports  her clients through their journey to live their dreams easily and holistically, with compassion and by incorporating some delicious live raw whole foods.  She is currently authoring her first book, "Sacred You, The Delicious Journey"®    © copyright refreshyourlifenow, - 2012 Connecticut, USA

My Tribute To Thomas Kinkade

There are people who truly live what they believe.  Thom lived what he believed.  He lived his core values, his religious beliefs, his family and his work.  He had some rough times too showing how we're all human.

A beautiful excerpt I read in one of his books that I am happy to own, he was very much in love with and devoted to his wife Nanette, he wanted the perfect place to settle down and raise a family and to build his studio on his property to be close to the family he loved and to share daily meals with them.

The first time I saw his paintings my breath was taken away.  I was drawn to the light in each of his paintings in the cottages and the light houses.  I felt like I was actually in each scene he painted so beautifully.  I was emotionally involved, deeply connected and taken to another place for those special moments.  Years ago an elder woman was suicidal.  She was very depressed and didn't see the point of living anymore.  She was walking down a street past a shop window.  She saw one of Thom's paintings and was drawn to the light in the window in this particular painting.  It re-lit something deep inside her and she now wanted to live.  ( This Years ago ... live again statement here I read many years ago and I am unable to find the source today to validate it for you.)

The picture in my post today is my painting, the one I chose for an art class ten years ago. It's now a bit faded and out of shape, and so much more special to me now.  It is one of many beautiful paintings included in his book, Simpler Times.

Like many others this holiday weekend I was very saddened by the news of Thom's death.  I find it interesting that he died on Good Friday.  

Thomas Kinkade was truly the painter of light and his light will shine on through eternity.

My blessing to have painted this, Thom's work, in my art class.

In Love and Light,

Barbara

203-216-6889
RefreshYourLifeNow@gmail.com
www.RefreshYourLifeNow@blogspot.com

This post may be reprinted on your blog, website or in your e-zine with my blessing as long as you include the following:  Barbara Greenhouse shares her passions of Food, "Cooking", Cruelty-Free, and the Sharing of Unbiased Information for a healthy and informed world.  She teaches and supports  her clients through their journey to live their dreams easily and holistically, with compassion and by incorporating some delicious live raw whole foods.  She is currently authoring her first book, "Sacred You, The Delicious Journey"®    © copyright refreshyourlifenow, - 2012 Connecticut, USA