Superfoods That You Probably Aren't Eating

Superfoods are exploding with popularity these days.  We're all familiar with the common ones like coconut oil, kale, chia seeds, and even cacao powder. But, there are a few weird ones that you've probably never heard of or have never thought of as "superfoods".

Maca Powder

Maca is a plant that grows on the mountains of Peru and Bolivia. It was used by the Incans to increase strength and endurance of warriors.  It is thought to increase energy, boost reproductive health, and increase fertility.  It contains fiber, various vitamins and minerals (vitamins B,C,D,E, and iron).  It can be used in smoothies, yogurt, and home-made granola or energy bars.  Certain beauty products even use it. Body Shop has a whole line of men's products with maca root in it. The hubby is a huge fan of those products and they smell great!


Mulberries

Mulberries originally came from China and was brought to Turkey via trade routes. They contain reservertrol, which is though to help protect the heart and nervous system. They also contain protein, iron, calcium, and vitamin C. Add them to granola, oatmeals, and trail mix for a nice chewy texture.

Goldenberries

These berries are also another chewy superfood and tastes tarte.  They are harvested from Colombia.  They are rich in vitamins A and C, iron, beta-carotene, fiber, and protein.  Try adding them to salads, muffins, and granola.


Lucuma Powder 

Lucuma powder is often used as a sweetener and comes from the lucuma fruit from Peru.  It's full of fiber, niacin, and antioxidants.  Since it is a low-glycemic index sweetener, it may be a good alternative to sugar for some diabetics.  Add it to anything you'd use sugar in!


Ghee

Many of my fellow Indians may not realize how beneficial ghee can be. Almost every Indian dish is made with ghee.  It's a type of clarified butter but usually is well-tolerated by those sensitive to casein and lactose.  Ghee contains antioxidants, vitamins A and E, and also omega 3- and 6-fatty acids. It's used in Ayurvedic medicine to help with inflammation and digestion. It is also thought to help boost the immune system.  You'll want to try to get ghee from grass-fed cows for the most benefits.  Try cooking with it and using it in place of oil.


Camu Powder 

Camu berries are vitamin C powerhouses! They contain 60x more vitamin C than a single orange.  It hails from the Amazonian rainforests and also contains potassium and antioxidants.  Try it in any of your cold-buster smoothies for added vitamin C kick!


Matcha

Matcha is different from green tea in that instead of brewing tea leaves to make green tea, matcha tea is made by ground tea leaves into a powder and reconstituted with water. The result - an antioxidant-concentrated drink that has 10x the amount of antioxidants as 1 cup of green tea!  Matcha hails from China and Japan and pretty much out performs any other superfood in antioxidant levels.  It is brewed green-tea on steroids! It is thought to have anti-cancer properties, help with weight loss, and improve mood and concentration. It does contain more caffeine than brewed green tea but won't leave you jittery like a cup of coffee can. Swap out your daily cup of tea, or even coffee if you dare, with a nice hot cup of matcha!


Watercress

Watercress is the new, trendy leafy-green.  It's been used in Asian and European dishes for years! It has more vitamin C than an orange and more iron than spinach! It is even packed with calcium and other vitamins and minerals. Be sure to wash them really well since they grow in water and can contain impurities. It has a peppery/spicy taste and really goes well with a number of dishes. For a simple idea, try adding it to sandwiches and salads to give it an extra something, or add it to your green smoothies/juices!

There are so many more weird and unsuspecting superfoods out there waiting to be discovered! Share your faves and finds!

Earth Day Action

 

Happy Earth Day, all! Today is the day where we celebrate our planet and pledge to take better care of it from today forward. Now what? Should we save the whales? Should we chain ourselves to trees in the rainforest to keep them from being cut down? Or maybe we should all buy electric cars to reduce our emissions? If you can do all of that, go for it! For a lot of us, we feel that if we can't make a large-scale change then we can't contribute as much as that millionaire who sold his mansion to live in a green cottage in the woods.  But the truth is, we can all make a difference. We just need to set achievable goals.  I think that pretty much applies to anything in life, like losing weight and saving money.

My goals are ones that I've thought about for a while: composting, switching my products over to cruelty-free ones, and being more conscious of my electricity use.  Although, I wish I could run to every circus and zoo and free the animals into the wild, I just don't think I have the resources to shuttle elephants from Seattle to Africa.

My 3 goals are ones that I know I can achieve if I put in a little effort. As you know, I've already started composting. I've been working on switching over my products to animal-friendly ones over the last couple weeks (more on that later) and it's been another easy change that I should have done a long time ago. I am terrible about my electricity use. My husband gets on my case for it too.  However, he's the type who'll sit in the house all day without a light on while he's working and struggle to see his monitor.  But I've decided to take a tip from his book and be a little more conscious. There's no need for me to leave lights on while I take a nap or while I'm not in the room.

The point that we should keep in mind is that although we have huge problems on our planet that need to be fixed, we can't get overwhelmed because that will only hurt the process and make us feel discouraged. Each of us can make a wide-scale difference if we all make small changes that are feasible.  Happy Greening! =) 

Compost Post

When I was a kid, I had a friend who's mom used to live "green" before it ever became popular. She would grow her own fruits and vegetables in her yard and eat only unprocessed, locally sourced foods. I used to think that I wanted to be like her when I owned a home...to live sustainably.  My friend's mom was my first introduction as to what composting was. She had a compost heap in their yard and we would contribute to her compost heap.  My mom would save our food scraps for her to use since we didn't have a compost heap of our own.

Twenty years later, I've decided to become a fellow composter.  We currently live in a townhome so we don't have a yard to compost in. However, our city has a program where we can discard of scraps and they are composted by the city.  I had no idea there was a program like this and that I can still contribute even if I don't have a yard.  I think it's great cities are offering this program so we can still participate.

Going green makes you feel like rolling around in the grass!

I think we're all familiar with the common reasons to compost like reducing the need for fertilizer and giving back to the environment.  It also helps to reduce emissions and waste left over from incineration at landfills.  I don't know about you all, but with summers becoming hotter everywhere in the country, anyway I can decrease greenhouse gases to stop climate change, I'll do it! (This summer is going to be interesting....climate change + pregnancy - A.C. = FUN!)  Also, our city trash bin is pretty small. Trying to fit our trash weekly was always a challenge even though we recycle, too. It was another plus to be able to decrease the amount of trash so we could get rid of all of our trash weekly!

So what can go in your compost bin? I always get super confused when I'm at YogurtLand and they have all those disposal chutes for "trash", "compost", and "recycling". I spend a good few minutes reading what can go in each bin for fear of messing up. Here's what you can actually compost (it's a lot more than you probably thought you could compost):

-Food Scraps:  fruits/veggies, egg shells/nut shells, beans, dairy products, bread/pasta/grains, meat/chicken/fish/seafood

-Food-soiled paper: coffee grounds/filters, tea bags, pizza boxes (totally had no clue this was ok!), paper towels/napkins, paper shreds, paper cartons (like for eggs or berries), paper grocery bags, non-shiny paper plates, and certain other compostable containers as accepted by your city.

-Yard Trimmings: plants, flowers, plastic plant pots that you can recycle, grass/weed/root/leaf clippings, tree branches under 4ft long and 4in in diameter, Christmas trees (cut smaller than the previously mentioned dimensions), Jack-o-lanterns (Score! Because I am a Halloween officiando!)

We finally got our city composting bin. Next, I needed a mini bin for our kitchen and biodegradable bags to make disposable easy. I opted for OXO Good Grips Compost Bin. It's small and perfect for my counter top. The lid does a good job to seal in rotting food smells.  I also got a few rolls of BioBags to line the bin with so we can just tie up the bag at the end of the day and toss it into the larger compost bin outside. They are really durable and stretchy so you don't have to worry about the bag tearing and fits perfectly in the counter top bin.

OXO Composting Bin

BioBag Compost Bin Liners

We've only been composting for a few days, but I am so surprised at how little trash we actually have now!  And best of all, it's just so easy to do which makes it more promising for this habit to stick!

Happy Composting! =)

Organic Green Juice

There are several green juice recipes floating around out there...some with pears, others with mint leaves, or even parsley.  You really have to try different combinations and see what works for you. I happen to like this recipe a lot. It's full of nutrients and tastes great. When I juice consistently, I notice my skin looks brighter, my hair doesn't fall out as much, and I have a lot more energy.  I just feel better when I juice. Also, it really helps me ward off any cold or flu viruses floating around in the air by strengthening my immune system. Vitamin supplements are ok to replenish the body's nutrients, but if you can get them from food, it's even better!

You will need a juicer for this recipe.  I use this Breville version.  It is really easy to clean and I can even wash everything in the dishwasher.  You can also make this into a smoothie with a blender if you like by blending the ingredients with some coconut water.  Fiber from smoothies is super beneficial to heart and digestive health.


You want to try to drink this within a day or 2 of making it. Store it in the fridge until you're ready to enjoy.  It's highly perishable and the longer you wait, the less nutrients you get from it. Also, it just starts tasting weird if you wait too long to drink it!

Play around with your own variations to find a taste you love! I usually opt for organic ingredients for my recipe, too. And, when I'm done, I toss the pulp into my compost bin to do a little something nice for the environment. (More on that later!)

Ingredients:
-2-3 handfuls of organic spinach
-2-3 handfuls of organic kale
-3 organic green apples (any variety works)
-1 organic cucumber
-2 large stalks of organic celery
-1 inch cube of organic ginger root, peeled
-1 organic lemon, peeled

Directions:
-First, juice the spinach and kale. (Since they are leafy, they can sometimes get stuck in the juicer. I find juicing them first helps ensure they get fully juiced after juicing the other fruits and veggies.)
-Juice the apples.
-Add the ginger root then lemon and juice. (You want the ginger root weighted down by the lemon to prevent it from flying all over in the chute and never really getting juiced.)
-Finish by juicing the cucumber and celery. (Adding them last really "washes" out the juicer since they have the high water content.)

Serves 2