I'm still here!

There have many of you that have wondered why I haven't been blogging.  Life has been crazy to say the least.  I've been trying to finish my new website.  As it turns out it's pretty hard to build your own website on your own starting from 0 experience but I'm determined to teach myself and hope (fingers crossed) it will be ready soon.  Until then I figured I could still blog.  I've missed blogging and sharing my ideas with you.

So things you have missed that I will try to catch you up on...
 Garden was an absolute success.  I'll post pictures.  There were a few things that didn't pan out that I will change for next year but for the most part I was happy with my crop.  We are still enjoying carrots and beets and of course greens.

That brings me to my next exciting news.  I finally got a VitaMix after 3 years of not having one.  I love it and highly recommend it if you are serious about good health.  It's made green drinks so much easier to make and the kids like how smooth they taste. 

My book is nearly finished.  I'll be putting a few of the recipes from my blog so you can get an idea of what my book is about.  

I've heard my own family and friends tell me they want to make a change in their eating habits but just can't seem to do it.  My advice (it's an easy one--it'll only take you 5 minutes a day)  drink a green smoothie or b-vitamin drink everyday.  There are about 100 different health benefits to drinking these smoothies on a daily basis.  I'm living proof of it.  For those of you that don't know, through good nutrition I've been able to cure myself of an autoimmune disease that I was told by many doctors that I would never be able to.  Probably the best thing I can do for myself and my children is to make vitamin-packed and nutrient dense foods.  Smoothies are the best place to start. 

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas with your families.

How to make a delicious green smoothie without a vitamix

Proportions of Ingredients


The key to being able to making green smoothies without a super power blender is to use the right proportions of ingredients to make them taste good. I've been fascinated with reading books about green smoothies but I've noticed that all the books assume that you have a Vitamix or Blendtec blender.  This discourages the majority of the population that doesn't own one.  I fall into this category.  I decided to make it work with the equipment I've got.  I have a regular Cuisinart Blender that I bought at Costco for $50. I use it everyday making a green drink.  It took me awhile to get the right consistency and sweetness so that my kids and husband would drink it.  Here's some tips about the right proportions of ingredients.


There must be the right sweetness to complement the greens and the right texture to disguise the pieces of greens that can’t be blended completely. Every recipe I make follows the same proportion of ingredients.

A good rule of thumb is the 2-2-2 rule.

2 cups of juice----2 cups of greens---2 cups of frozen fruit

Without the juice the greens might taste too bitter depending on what greens you choose. The right sweetness is important especially if you are introducing these drinks to your children for the first time. Through time you can make your drinks less sweet by adding water instead of juice, but I don't recommended this for awhile.

Without the frozen fruit the drink will have chunky green pieces and is very hard to get down. My kids can always tell if I stray from the proportions of frozen fruit. They simply won’t drink it without lots of coaxing. The frozen fruit provides the drink with the right consistency and texture.

It doesn’t matter what time of day, my children are always in the mood for a smoothie.

If you only have juice from concentrate, remember the 2-2-2-2 rule.

2 T juice concentrate---2 cups water---2 cups greens---2 cups frozen fruit

Healthy Chocolate...is that possible?

I recently found some articles about the health benefits of dark chocolate and thought I'd share it with you all.

Health Benefits include:

• enhances immune function
• repairs exercise-induced muscle damage
• enhances energy metabolism
• improves cardiovascular and lung function
• improves blood flow to the brain, thereby affecting mental function, cognition, and mood
• enhances mood
• decreases depression
• moderates emotional response
• provides high amounts of antioxidants
• prevents cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and other diseases
• decreases blood clotting
• controls blood sugar/insulin levels
• decreases inflammation
• minimizes the oxidation of harmful cholesterol
• protects the eye's sensitive tissue and nerves
• minimizes damage to cell DNA
• regulates genes that control weight gain
• reduces cravings
• suppresses appetite and stabilizes blood sugar levels
• protects the skin from UV radiation
• prevents tooth decay

Just to name a few of the benefits. I've highlighted what I like about having healthy chocolate.  It's incredible.
If you don't believe me, just google dark chocolate and read for yourself or click here

 http://www.google.com/#hl=en&source=hp&q=dark+chocolate+health+benefits&aq=0&aqi=g10&aql=&oq=dark+choco&gs_rfai=&fp=686584fbbbb57664

So if you are a chocolate lover and need your fix everyday, make sure you are eating the RIGHT kind of chocolate.  Chocolate should be cold-pressed to keep the antioxidant properties and not heated above 110 F.  Avoid products high in refined sugars.  Instead, good sweetening agents include low-glycemic sugars like agave or fructose.  Avoid chocolate products with milk fats and hydrogenated oils.  Look chocolate with at least 70% pure cocoa powder.  

I've also shared with you several recipes using raw chocolate powder (see raw fudge).
If you are interested in trying some dark chocolate or want to know more about the source I get it from, feel free to call me 801-400-4859 or click on the site below.

http://www.patrickschocolateshop.com/

Recipes I'll be demonstrating at cooking class Sat, June 5

1) Hummous Spread & Veggies


2) Kick Start Green Drink

3) California Fiesta Salad

4) Potato Leek Soup

5) Spaghetti Squash Ratatouille

6) Kale with Garlic

7) Raw Fudge

8) Berries & Quinoa

It's going to be alot of fun.  If you can join us, please come.  Every Saturday at 10:30am

eating healthy doesn't cost more

One of the main concerns I hear from people about eating healthier is that they can't afford it. Think about it like this, sure it's cheaper to buy a pack of ramen noodle with 0 nutrients and live enzymes but it won't be cheaper when you're sick with a disease and have to pay for health care.  As my 4 year-old-son loves to say, "OHH, burn!" I think he got it from his older siblings but he says it all the time even when it doesn't make sense.  (For example the other day he had an accident in his pants and said, "Hey mom, I wet in my pants, Oh! Burn mom!")  Anyways, I'm getting side tracked.  The point is it really isn't more expensive to eat healthy.  Obviously, budgeting and smart shopping is a must.  But even if all you can do is make your family 1 green drink a day, that's a perfect way to ensure proper nutrition at a very low cost. 

I'm a numbers girl. I like working with numbers, probably why I chose to be a math teacher.  Anyways,  I calculated how much it costs to make a little over 2 quarts of HULK juice which is around $3.50-$4.00/day.  2-3 quarts of greens will supply you and your family with over 10 servings of live enzymes and nutrients.  Think how often we blow $ on foods and drinks with a small fraction of nutrients. 

Recipe for Hulk Juice

1 quart unfiltered apple juice
2 handfuls of mixed greens
2 handfuls of spinach
3 chard leaves
3 kale leaves
frozen fruit and ice

I use a regular blender and can't get it smooth like those with the VitaMix blenders.  So I make all my drinks into smoothies by adding frozen fruit and ice so my kids don't notice the chunks of greens as much.  If you are a newbie to green smoothies, be sure you don't make it in front of your kids, put it in a cup with a straw to hide the color and do less greens and more fruit.  Let me know how it goes!

Walk Everyday to prevent disease

I know what you're thinking.  Who has the time to do this everyday?  We need to make the time.  Studies show that walking an hour a day at a moderate to slow speed can boost metabolism, increase muscle strength, increases lymph circulating, decreases stress, boosts immune system, maintains healthy heart function, burns fat, and much much more benefits.  (moderate to slow speed means you can carry on a normal conversation)

It's not necessary to sway those hips from side to side and power walk, just a nice easy jaunt everyday.  I've recently tried this theory by walking just about everyday for the past 2 months.  The days I walk I feel more energy!!!  I wake up and walk before my kids get up and then get home in time to get them ready for school.  I don't walk fast.  I never was good at walking fast.  After several weeks of walking , I noticed mental clarity and stress reduction.  I am happier to start my day.  After a month, I lost 2 pounds and feel really great.  I've started taking my son with me on walks.  It's an enjoyable time for both of us. 

The weather is warming up, so its time to break out the walking shoes, call a friend, get up early and enjoy a nice, leasure walk.  You'll feel incredible. Just do it!!

Cooking Classes Now Offered

Well after many of you asking, I decided,

WHY NOT?

Let's get together and cook.  I'll show you how I make the recipes on my blog.

  Class will be Saturdays from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm and Tuesday Evenings from 6:30 - 9 pm.  The cost is $20 per class.  We'll do 3 - 4 recipes each session and of course we'll eat lunch /dinner together.  It's going to be really fun.  Please let me know if you are interested by calling me at (801) 400-4859.  Classes will be held in Provo, UT.

First class starts on JUNE 1. 

Each week I'll post on my blog the recipes we'll be working on for each class.