Green Options

Going to a body and nutrition expert with my husband is one of the best things we’ve done for ourselves. What was the key take away? Warning! Turn Alkaline!

Turn Alkaline? Are we magicians? Well according to biochemists we are! You can change your body chemistry with what you eat!

Chemicals have seeped into foods, air, and water, which in turn lower our system’s ability to control the chemistry of our body fluids, increasing illness and chronic disease.

The sad fact is that most food consumption in the wealthiest nations has shifted from nutritious raw foods to low nutritional value processed foods and we need to shift it back. Now that our total biological terrain is at risk, we urgently need to do some clean up by shifting our body chemistry back to the raw, organic foods it was designed to function on as we’ve evolved.

Below I’ve listed out a quick list of the good foods (alkaline) to treat your body to often…

Apples are not only delicious and an easy snack, but also very healthy in numerous ways. What are the main benefits of eating apples? What are some great apple recipes?

Apples are a great source of dietary fiber. As a result, they are believed to reduce the risk of some cancers, they improve the functioning of the intestines, eliminate cholesterol from the digestive tract, cleanse the lungs and colon, and help to prevent and potentially cure appendicitis.

Apples are linked to a reduced risk of prostate cancer, stroke, asthma and Type 2 diabetes. Moreover, as Healing with Whole Foods reports, due to all the pectin apples contain, they can help to reduce blood cholesterol and remove toxic metals from the body such as lead and mercury. In addition, apples are also found to play a very beneficial role in cleansing the liver.

I love to eat apples with peanut butter. It’s one of my favorite breakfast combinations. But here are a couple of interesting apple recipes that go beyond my apple and peanut butter dish. Enjoy a rice casserole with apples or apple noodle pasta for lunch or dinner sometime!

As winter approaches, it’s a great time to explore ways to keep our skin hydrated and healthy during the harsh weather ahead. Here are some wonderful skin foods that will keep your face looking fresh and youthful this season:

1. Lemon is purifying to the body and gives a lovely glow to the skin when consumed regularly with water (it may also help the body stay regular) or tea.
2. Apples: Did you know that organic red delicious and granny smith apples are excellent for the skin? Scientific studies have shown them to fortify both collagen and elastin production. 
3. Aloe is known to draw oxygen to the skin and lock it in. Aloe also has fantastic anti-inflammatory properties and it heals burns and wounds when applied topically. Aloe makes a wonderful refreshing juice that cleanses and purifies our inner systems. Regularly drinking aloe helps to keep the body hydrated, so if you drink coffee, which is known to dehydrate the skin, try drinking aloe juice to balance your system.

Here are a few known healing properties of common foods you may be tempted to enjoy at fall festivities:

Cranberries: As you may already know, cranberries are body purifiers, low in calories, have no fat and are a nice source of Vitamin C. This health blog states:

“some of the health benefits of eating cranberries:

* prevent bacteria in the bladder, kidneys and prostate
* supports optimum urinary tract health
* may prevent kidney stones
* have both antiviral and antibacterial properties

Here are some fun facts about cranberries:

* More than 85% of the weight of cranberries is water!
* Native Americans used a brewed a cranberry mixture to draw poison from arrow wounds..”

Tomatoes: Pureed, cooked, stewed, in sauce, stored as a sundried treat or marinade, lycophene rich tomatoes are super healing for the body.

Lovin’ Fresh is a series of recipes designed to showcase produce gathered from local farms or grown in my own garden.

Homemade old-fashioned apple dumplings were a thing of sheer indulgence during my childhood.  We didn’t have them all that often, but when we did, it meant life was good.  Truth be told though, I’d almost forgotten about them until a month or so ago, when I was eating out and saw them on the menu.  Of course I ordered a dumpling for dessert, but it just wasn’t what I’d hoped it would be.  The apple dumplings of my childhood were large - gianormous really - made with a whole apple brimming with cinnamon sugary delight and snuggly down in a flaky sugary crust.  What I had at the restaurant was a small half apple with scant cinnamon and a dark egg-washed glossy crust around it.  I knew then and there that I’d have to recreate the apple dumplings of my memory. 

To me, cider is one of those comfort foods. Reminds me of days gone by, memories almost forgotten and curling up in front of the fire with that special someone.

Hard cider is making a comeback - not that it ever went away - especially cider produced from artisans farming sustainably and producing product using the heirloom method. Just like in wine making, one must consider factors like the type of apple, the fragrance, color, clarity, and blend of tastes. Also like in wine making, the best hard ciders are a blend of juices from different fruits balancing the acidity, tannins, and aromatics.

Lately, I’ve been noticing food. Yes, but not in the usual places like the grocery store, farmer’s markets, produce stands, et cetera. No, I’ve been noticing food in unusual places. On the ground. Under trees. In the street.

While many people these days may think that apples, pears, plums and walnuts only come from pristine orchards in pastoral valleys, there is food among us. Right under our noses. And often, it’s going to waste.

It’s fall. The telltale signs have been arriving for a couple weeks now — pumpkins among the watermelons at the farmers market; the winter squashes alongside the zucchini; dwindling tomatoes; arrival of cole crops for a brief second season of greens, mostly kale and chard and heartier greens. Summer’s berries are gone, peaches are fading and the first of the apples and pears arrived.

With the temperature dropping outdoors and a crisp chill in the air, I am contemplating fall soups and a few other seasonal favorites like homemade applesauce.

Lovin’ Fresh is a series of recipes
designed to showcase produce gathered
from local farms or grown in my own garden.

I love cooking with my mom.  She’s got all this amazing know-how that you just don’t find in cookbooks.  And she has a couple of recipes that I don’t dare mess with on my own.  I’m talking about those childhood favorites that never taste the same when you attempt to recreate them yourself as an adult.  For starters, I rarely make mac & cheese on my own. 

In the vegan cooking classes I teach and the outreach I do, I am often asked how to incorporate "organic" food into our diets without breaking the bank. Since I rarely have a simple answer, I usually start off by saying what I think is a really important thing to keep

Keep in mind that the typical consumer is NOT paying the true cost of food. The meat, dairy, and egg industries, in

[...]