Why buy organic?

Some people think that buying organic produce and products is hype, I am not one of them.  I buy organic whenever possible.  Here is an article from Organic.org that I think is good information.  http://www.organic.org/articles/showarticle/article-206
A friend told me about this video and I think it does a better job at illustrating why I buy organic that most of the articles out there.  And it’s only 2 and a half minutes long :-) 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exBEFCiWyW0

Here’s a list of the 12 most and least contaminated foods:

12 Most Contaminated Peaches Apples Sweet Bell Peppers Celery Nectarines Strawberries Cherries Pears Grapes (Imported) Spinach Lettuce Potatoes 12 Least Contaminated Onions Avocado Sweet Corn (Frozen) Pineapples Mango Asparagus Sweet Peas (Frozen) Kiwi Fruit Bananas Cabbage Broccoli Papaya

How coffee and hot cocoa can improve your health

Let me start off by saying I don't want to necessarily talk about the benefits of coffee or chocolate (there are plenty, I'll let you look that up on your own).  I want to talk about using coffee or hot cocoa as a delivery system for an amazing supplement called Ganoderma Lucidum.

Ganoderma Lucidum is a rare red mushroom that has been used for centuries with all kinds of amazing properties.  There is a ton of research proving that Ganoderma Lucidum supports the immune system, oxygenates the body, boosts energy (who doesn't need that!), supports blood circulation.  Ganoderma provides more than 200 phytonutrients, 150 of which are antioxidants, it promotes cell rejuvenation, detoxifies the body and also promotes restful sleep.

Back in March a good friend of mine invited me to an event out in Ontario.  It was the launch party of a company called GanoLife.  GanoLife has come up with a line of coffees and hot cocoa that are enriched by Ganoderma.  These beverages are all delicious and are a fraction of the cost of Starbucks, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf or whatever your favorite place is.

Did you know that coffee is second only to water as the most consumed beverage on the planet.  (Something like 2 Billion cups of coffee are consumed every day!)  It's also second only to oil as the most traded commodity.

I know that there are other coffee companies out there, why is this one different?  GanoLife is 100% pesticide free, certified Kosher, and 100% USDA Organic (certified).  GanoLife is also in complete control of all manufacturing, has an in-house distribution process and has total vertical integration.  Since the launch my husband and I visited the home office and were taken on a private tour of the facilities and we were both very impressed.  Erskien has never been a coffee drinker and even he loves these products, you can read his experience here.

I have a new website www.coffeenculture.com you can order products to try there or if you're in the area I'd love to have you over to sample the coffees.  We're looking for people who want to get healthy, save money, make friends, and make a fantastic living, all while drinking coffee, let me know if I can help you with any of those things.

Until next time, Ciao!

Recipe of the week: Lemon Blueberry Cookies

I love berries, raspberries are my favorite but blueberries are a close second.  I found this recipe on a blog I follow and wanted to make it today, since I'd just bought blueberries and lemons from the farmers market yesterday.  You could easily make this gluten free by using almond or coconut flour.  These aren't overly sweet so you could eat a couple of these before a workout.  Let me know what you think.  A Vorte Sante!

Lemon Blueberry Cookies


Ingredients
1 stick (or 1/2 cup) butter; room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar
zest of 2 lemons
1 egg
½ tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup all purpose flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
¾ cup blueberries
raw sugar; for sprinkling

Directions:
In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, light brown sugar and lemon zest together until light and fluffy.  Add the egg and vanilla extract, scraping down bowl frequently.  Add the flour, baking powder and salt.  Mix until dough comes together and fold in the blueberries.  Scoop any desired size and bake @ 325 degrees until edges start to turn golden brown and centers of cookies are baked through, about 13-14 minutes.  Cool.

Blackberry kale salsa

I get emails from Whole Foods and last week there was one saying they were having a berry recipe contest. Last fall I tried to enter one and there seemed to be a glitch on their end because mine didn't post, which was sad because it was a good one you can see it here.  So, with the berry contest they said no refined sugar and only 7 ingredients, not including things like oil or salt & pepper.  Seven ingredients isn't a lot, especially if you're baking, so I decided to remake my kale salsa but with berries.  I decided blackberries would hold up the best to the peppers and onions, I had it with grilled salmon and vegetables and it was delicious.  Let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante!

                                                               My 7 ingredients


6 oz fresh blackberries
4 kale leaves, chopped (removed the middle woodsie piece)
4 green onions chopped, both green and white parts
3 tomatoes diced
juice of 2 limes
1 jalapeno finely chopped (1/2 the seeds removed)
1/4 bunch cilantro, stems removed
kosher salt to taste
fresh ground pepper to taste

Chop your onions, tomatoes, kale, and jalapenos.  I halved some of the large blackberries.  Mix in a medium bowl.   Add the lime juice, blackberries and cilantro.  Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.   Let sit for a few minutes and serve.  Enjoy.

Recipe of the week: Vegetable Zinger

Nothing packs a nutritional punch like vegetable juice.  Fresh vegetable juice, not the kind you get at the store.  I like to add a 1/2 a piece of fruit to mine just to sweeten it up a bit.  I really like pear in this combo but I didn't have any ripe ones so I used 1/2 an apple instead.  I call this vegetable zinger because the lemon and the ginger give it a kick.  If you don't like ginger then don't use it, ginger is very good for your digestive system .  If you don't have any kale you could try using spinach.  Let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante!

What you'll need:
A juicer and organic produce

3 stalks of celery
2 carrots
1 beet
5 leaves of curly kale
1 lemon
1 1 inch piece of ginger
1/2 an apple

Drink within 30 minutes of juicing for maximum benefit.

Recipe of the week: Peach Cobbler

Peaches are one of summer's treasures. Two years ago, we had so many peaches on our tree, we ended up freezing 20 gallon Ziplocs of pitted, sliced peaches. I made peach smoothies, peach cobbler, peach pie, even peach salsa. What we loved the most was the peach cobbler. I took this to a bar-be-que and it was gone in 5 minutes, I didn't even get a piece! It's an easy recipe but takes a little time. If you can get peaches off someones tree, great! If not, try to buy organic, peaches are one of the fruits that are typically sprayed with a lot of pesticides. If you like more cobbler on the top, it's easy to double the topping. If you try it, let me know what you think. A Votre Sante!


Peach Cobbler

1 cup whole wheat or unbleached flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tea baking powder
1/2 tea cinnamon
1/4 butter
5-6 cups sliced peaches
1/3-2/3 cups sugar
1 Tbsp corn starch
1/4 cup water
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla divided

Preheat oven to 400. For the topping, in a medium bowl stir the flour, 2 Tbsp sugar, baking powder and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.

For the filling, in a large pot combine the peaches, the 1/3-2/3 sugar, the cornstarch,1 /4 cup water and 1 tsp vanilla. Let stand for a few minutes. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Pour into a 2 quart baking dish (a 9x13 pan should work too, if your doubling the recipe a lasagna pan will work)

In a small bowl stir the egg, milk and vanilla together, add to flour mixture, stirring until just moistened. With a spoon drop the topping onto filling, covering most of it.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Enjoy!