Holy Basil!

Tulsi, also known as Holy Basil, and I were introduce in 2009 by a dear friend. She gifted me a bottle of dried & capped Tulsi in a care package that was put together to soothe me as I mourned the loss of my father and got ready to tie the knot. So I poked around in some of my resources, liked what I saw about this renownd Holy Basil and started a daily ritual.

basil box

 

As intrigue grew next stop was a book on Adaptogens so I could dive deeper into the fascinating subject. The term adaptogen refers to a variety of herbs or fungi that work synergistically in the body to augment our resistance to stress, anxiety, trauma and exhaustion. They enhance our body’s ability to deal with all of these common life qualities. They recharge our adrenals. Simply, as the name suggests, adaptogens help our body adapt. Some common and easy to find adaptogens are: ashwaganda, astragalus, licorice, reishi, shiitake & maitake mushrooms, aloe vera, chlorella and Tulsi.

The unique chemistry of Tulsi is highly complex. Tulsi leaves contain tons of beneficial compounds known as phyto-chemicals. These compounds possess strong antioxidant, antibacterial, antiviral, adaptogenic, and immune-enhancing properties that promote general health and support the body’s natural defense against stress and diseases. I grew some of my own this year. Just a small batch just to see how it would fare. I have not always had the best of luck growing basil from seed. This little plant fared just fine outside, so I am going to plant a few more of the seeds inside. I am hopeful for a bigger batch for a spring harvest.

All of this spicy information is here to offer you a diving board for some of your own research and experimentation. A wonderful book on adaptogens is Adaptogens: Herbs for Strength, Stamina, and Stress Relief by David Winston & Steven Maimes.

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www.seedtohealth.com

Refreshing

ceviche

Cauliflower Ceviche

Your new summer BBQ dish

1 head of cauliflower cut up nice & small

4 limes & 1 lemon, juiced & strained of seeds

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered

1/2 onion, diced finely

2 t salt

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Choice pepper, I used a dried cayenne and cut it into small pieces for a nice amount of heat. If you like it spicy go for a fresh habanero. If you want it mild use a half a jalapeno. Start small and add more, this is supposed to be refreshing not blazing.

*Optional*

2 cloves of minced garlic

1/2 cup purslane (a citrusy succulent that is rampant now)

Toss everything together, the longer the flavor meld together the tastier is will be. I did a 8 hour marinade and we ate it with good quality corn chips

ENJOY!

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Come check out Nourish an anti-aging/inflammation home study.  This guide is loaded recipes, workouts, bonus skin care guide and a background on inflammation, the why and how to combat it for powerful disease prevention!

Almond milk & macaroons

 

Have you ever wondered how to make almond milk?

Below are simple instructions to create a luscious beverage for drinking, mixing and MORE.

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> Soak your almonds.  Take one cup raw almonds, place them in a jar or bowl and cover them with 3 cups water and 1 teaspoon of salt.  Soak them over night (or minimum 8 hours)

> Transfer almonds to a colander & rinse. I take the time to pop each almond out of their skin, it is super easy when they are wet,   but not mandatory.

> Put the almonds in a blender along with:

3 cups water

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 *below are optional*

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon stevia (I use powdered green leaf)

or choice sweetener like 2 dates, 1 Tablespoon raw honey, 1 T coconut palm sugar

Blend on high for a minute. Then strain using a nut milk bag or a clean stocking into a jar.  Often times you have to stir the milk in and scoop out the pulp.  I save the pulp for mixing into smoothies, oatmeal or sometimes make baked goods. Like these macaroons!

Macaroons

1 1/4 cups almond milk pulp, strained

1 cup dried, unsweetened shredded coconut

1/3 cup maple syrup

1 generous pinch salt

Scrapings of 1 vanilla bean, OR 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Blend all ingredients together in a food processor until they form a dough. Add a little more maple syrup or some water if the mixture is too thick. Line a baking sheet with parchment, scoop the macaroons out by round tablespoons onto the sheet. Bake at 300/ 20 minutes.

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Look out for my upcoming series on The Power of Powders, your guide to maca, matcha and spirulina!

You will learn the why consume super foods, where to get them & how to make incredible elixirs to nourish you!

the works for my morning match/maca/almond milk latte

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Collards & detox

These past 2 weeks have been full of clean meals. No sugar, wheat or dairy. I call it time to rebalance. Rebalance clean eating plan, is a whole foods detox menu I created for my self and for wonderful, willing clients who want to take a break from sugar and eat nourishing seasonal foods. It is a great way to recover, rebalance and refresh from holiday mayhem. Below is an improvisation on a Rebalance lunch option, Collard wraps. I created this new version of the recipe last week when a paleo friend came to visit for lunch. I love it even more than the original brown rice version.

Collard Wraps

(a whole head of cauliflower makes about 4 collard wraps)

1 large collard leaf & 1 nori sheet- per wrap

Filling can be ANYTHING.. I used a red bell pepper, cucumber and avocado, about 4 thinly sliced spears PER wrap and enough roasted cauliflower to cover the nori sheet (1/4-1/2 cup)

Preheat oven to 400. Coarsely chop cauliflower and spread on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, a pinch of salt and toss. Pop in the oven for 20 minutes. When cauliflower is finished roasting you can 1)mash it with a potato masher 2) send it through the food processor. Either way, you want it to be mashed, larger pieces may break the nori when you roll it.

Prep your fresh veggies & thinly slice them.

Rinse your collard leaves, score the main vein to make it more maliable and cut out the base stem. ( I actually blanched this leaf for my husband-30 seconds in boiling water, followed by a ice bath)

Lay the collard leaf dark green side down. Place the nori sheet on top of it. Sprinkle a little bit of water on the nori and gently rub it so that it moistens up, this way it will not tear when you roll it, noti is delicate.

Next spread a layer of cauliflower over the nori. Then place veggie spears horizontally covering about 1/3-1/2 of the cauliflower mixture.

Next, you roll, just the nori, away from you. Then take your nori roll and gently bring it back to the base of the collard and wrap the collard around it and roll away from you. This creates a very durable, holdable wrap that will not fall apart. Secure with 1-2 toothpicks or wrap in saran wrap for later.

These are delicious and one is quite filling. We had these for dinner tonight with a side of sauteed leeks & kale. Simply delicious.

Interested in a doing a gentle-5 day detox? It has been a huge hit so far and round two is coming up on Monday January, 14th. This is by no means a time for deprivation, fasting or drinking all of your meals. Rebalance is a chance to eat seasonal foods that allow your body to heal itself, you get full support, meal plan, food preparation guide.. and a FREE health consultation following the detox.

Stop by and register or drop a line to seedtohealth@gmail.com

green beans & giveaways

This salad is amazing.  It is great hot & cold.  It is so easy to make with just 5 ingredients.

The whole trimming of the green beans take some time but I recommend using scissors and doing a couple at a time.

Green Bean Salad

1 lb fresh green beans, washed, trimmed & cut into bite sized pieces (this is just my preference)

2 leeks, washed, cut into half moons

1/2 cup (packed) fresh dill

1/2 cup toasted almonds, coarsely chopped

2 T high quality extra virgin olive oil

Fill a sauce pan with water and bring to a boil. (This is to blanch the beans). While waiting for water to boil prepare green beans.  Once the water is boiling, place green beans in the water for one minute, with a slotted spoon or similar tool, transfer beans to a bowl of ice water to stop cooking, for a couple of minutes, then drain them in a colander.  Set aside while you prepare the rest.

In a medium sized skillet warm your choice oil/butter. I used 2 teaspoons of extra virgin coconut oil.  Add chopped leeks & a pinch of sea salt. Saute, uncovered for about 5 minutes, occasionally stirring.  Once the leeks have softened a bit, cover and let cook for about 10 minutes, stirring once or twice. While the leeks are cooking coarsely chop almonds and dill and add them to serving bowl~ If you have a toaster, lightly toast the almonds or quickly do it in a saute pan after the leeks are done.

Leeks should be super soft & buttery.  Add beans to serving bowl and toss with leeks, dill, almonds and olive oil.

( you could also steam the leeks for about the same amount of time and get a very similar outcome)

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On to the giveaway…

 I am offering up some of my best lifestyle tips & healthy resources PLUS recipes, exercises and photos for

Be Well, an inspiration campaign.  It starts on January 1, 2013.

This is a great way to start the year off with some seriously healthy influence…

7 days, 7 topics to make you smile, think & be inspired!

It is totally free!!! Sign up at here

Spread the news, the more the merrier!

Tea & chia pudding

This morning was  leisurely, though I was not in the best of moods, I turned my attitude around by creating something delicious in the kitchen and having some delicious & warming green tea I bought in San Francisco last year. I am so thankful for being self employed, it is hard work but it allows me extra time in the morning to make delicious breakfasts and the flexibility to spend tons of time with my daughter.

So what in the world is chia pudding?

It is a wonderful protein & fiber rich breakfast, snack and dessert option. I usually have it in the morning, I usually make it at night. It offers me a ton of energy and  long lasting satiation. I have shared and improvised on this recipe nearly a million times, with wonderful results.

Here is the original recipe…

Chia pudding

1 ½ c milk (your choice almond, rice, hemp, coconut or cow)

¼ cup chia seeds

1 Tablespoon raw honey, maple syrup, palm sugar or good old fashion cane sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla (extract) or if you have a bean around scrape that!

½ teaspoon cinnamon & pinch of sea salt

Whisk all ingredient together in a bowl or jar. Make sure all chia seeds are dispersed throughout the milk, they can bond together and form a really big island. Refrigerate for 1-8 hours until it thickens.  

You can top this with shredded coconut, goji berries, sunflower seeds, almonds, blueberries, the list can go on and on.

Here is an amazing version of chia pudding, that answers all the why-to eat chia seeds questions.

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This morning I made my own rice milk (aka horchata)

This take some planning ahead.

All part of the permaculture that is my kitchen.

Soak 1/2 cup (brown) rice over night in 2 cups of water

Rinse the rice in the morning

Blend it for one minute (on high) with 3 cups of water, a pinchof salt,

2 teaspoons of palm sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and a 1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg.

We like ours strained but if you are making pudding, no need to strain it, the texture will lend its self to the chia pudding.

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“There are many of us who cannot but feel dismal about the future of various cultures. Often it is hard not to agree that we are becoming culinary nitwits, dependent upon fast foods and mass kitchens and megavitamins for our basically rotten nourishment”

-MFK Fisher

tea & cookies

tea & cookies

Sometimes you just have to have a leisurely breakfast of tea & cookies. Especially when you get up at 5:30 with a wide awake baby girl.

Plump delicious oatmeal cookies
1/2 c softened unsalted (organic) butter
2/3 c coconut palm sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 t vanilla
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3/4 cup spelt flour
1/2 t baking soda
1 1/2 t cinnamon
healthy pinch of sea salt
1 1/2 c rolled oats
3/4 c raisins
1 good quality chocolate bar chopped into chunks

Preheat to 350…

Cream the first 4 ingredients together until smooth. In another bowl whisk/combine the rest of the ingredients.  Add the wet to the dry until combined.  Roll into little balls and place on a parchment lines (or lightly greased) baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes.  ENJOY

I am going to try this recipe with almond flour and coconut oil, to make them an even better source of protein and saturated fat.  I will keep you posted.

“It seems to me that our three basic needs, for food and security and love, are so mixed and mingled and entwined that we cannot straightly think of one without the others. So it happens that when I write of hunger, I am really writing about love and the hunger for it, and warmth and the love of it and the hunger for it… and then the warmth and richness and fine reality of hunger satisfied… and it is all one.” -MFK Fisher

Tid bits of summer

 

This has been an amazing summer. East coast, west coast, camping, gardening, raising a baby and seeking inspiration all the long. Here is some evidence.

This lovely bride is super classy & a wicked fun party thrower.
One of my favorites of ALL TIME!

Kicking it with the dream team. Manzanita, OR

Inspiration in Manzanita, OR

Oregon Country Fair. The Ritz, my saviour

Happy windy beach baby

Inspiration

Garden bounty. Reminds me of Grandma

Sprouted quinoa, part of the permaculture of my kitchen

Odell Lake, epic to the senses

Healthy baby food

Staying cozy at Odell Lake (5,000 ft)

Last batch of heart shaped Cally snaps…

Manzanita early morning

Most romantic wedding EVER>Jim & Cait Cape Cod 7/7/12

West coast ladies take Cape Cod

Primary food

All food is not created equal, as we know. Not all food goes into your mouth and tours around the digestive system. Primary food nourishes us and plays a huge role in our overall health. This is not the type of food that grows in a garden, it does feed you though. There are four elements that make up Primary food: spirituality, exercise, relationships and career/job.
Each of these elements have an effect on your daily life. They are the source of experiences that make up life, nourish us and feed our souls. These elements come in all sorts of varieties and flavors. Spirituality clearly comes in many forms. Some of us are very aware of how spirituality affects our life and some of us are searching on where to begin to allow it in our lives and in what form. Exercise has so many flavors as well, each of us have very different capabilities and interests. All of us need exercise in some form or another to maintain a healthy body and mind. Relationships with co-workers, family, partners and the world are so complex. The effect of our relationships is often all day long. Whether it be in direct contact with someone, reflecting on an encounter or prospecting the future. Finally, our jobs and careers have a variety of influences on us including fulfillment and stress both physical and financial.
Taking time to consider the balance of these four complex elements in our lives can offer us some real insight on our general well being and how we respect ourselves. If Primary food is out of balance chances are you are not eating especially well. Part of my practice is to approach the scales with you and balance these elements out. So that you can take a look at healthier lifestyle and make it yours.

adventures in cleansing

Cleansing is a personal yearly spring ritual. I am currently on day 6 of a super tasty 2 week cleanse protocol that will be available on April 29th to all who are interested.

Modern life, city living and poor food choices throughout the year encourage the build up of toxins in the body. By cleaning up the diet & eating whole foods that are easy to digest for a week plus, the body and its organs get a chance to work at optimal function. Spring cleaning is the result, the ultimate self care ritual! Eating this way is an incredible ally to boosting energy, staying hydrated and feeling great. It is a worthwhile challenge and I sure was put to the ultimate test this weekend.

I went to an annual ladies getaway out on Mt. Hood. Where coming together for meals was priority second only to skiing & snowboarding. There was so much good food day in & day out. Normally I love planning, cooking and sitting down to eat with everyone. But this time I had a tid bit of anxiety about the weekend’s festivities, all those chips, wine & cheesy pasta dishes. Forecasting the challenges made me plan ahead to make sure I had a water bottle, lemons & fresh veggie snacks like, celery! (Celery is the best snack food, filing, hydrating and dippable!) So I prepared all of my good, clean food at home, packed it up and toted to the mountain

I found that I was actually hungary at different times than the other ladies, so as much as Iove eating as a group, I ate when I was hungry. So when the smells of savory pasta dishes, sausage & maple syrup filled the air I was nice & full. Coincidently there was another women up there who was doing a similar cleanse, so it was helpful to chat with her about the experience and we both shared a pot of ginger tea, while the rest of the ladies where enjoying wine, beer & cocktails.

Upon reflection these following notions got me through:

*Sharing with people what I was up to & why was helpful.
*I also kept my hands busy and was always chatting with someone, to stay engaged.
*Since I was already 4 days into the cleanse my mantra was: I am committed & have already done so much work.
*I was so clear headed that the thought of drinking was not appealing.

Getting through the weekend finds me here, very proud of myself & wanting to inspire those of you interested in cleansing. The connection between the body & mind during times of cleansing is stronger than ever. There are so many powerful psychological connections we all have to food regarding how & when we eat it. I have found that cleansing is only as limiting if you allow it to be. With a little extra preparation & a great mind set any thing can happen!