I love living in Southern California. It’s wonderful being able to go outside each and every day to exercise. Before moving here my husband and I would go out for a 3 mile run and it would be a piece of cake. Not so much in Southern California. Finding a flat stretch of land is next to impossible. It’s hilly here to say the least. When we first transitioned to running here I would see a hill coming up and panic. I would...
It’s a new year and many of you are just starting out on our your new healthier lifestyle. This time of year we are inundated with emails about how to get started, what recipes are the easiest to transition into and what foods should the pantry be stocked with. Having a good base to work with in your pantry makes starting out a bit easier. I swear, when my family first started eating this way, I was at the grocery store every other day...
For someone that loves garlic as much as I do, I need to have a simple and easy go to roasted garlic recipe. I learned this tip a few years ago and have used it ever since for roasting garlic. It’s simple and easy and makes clean up a breeze! ~Sarah Ingredients: 4 whole garlic bulbs olive oil or Garlic Gold Oil Preparation: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Peel away the outer layers of the garlic bulb skin, leaving the skins of the individual...
I think rice is probably one of my top 10 foods, but I hate cooking it. When cooked on the stove top there always seems to be some that sticks to the bottom of the pan or it splatters all over the place and anyone who knows me knows I hate getting my stove dirty (I know, it’s crazy but true). I’ve used rice cookers, but again you get that dry layer at the bottom or it’s soggy. I’ve even tried microwaving it which I admit...
When I started my messy breakup with cheap chicken, one of the immediate complications I found was, well, how do you define “cheap chicken”? (And, by extension, what is “good” or “sustainable” chicken?) By cheap chicken, I meant some kind of admittedly vague combination of chicken that is treated poorly while it’s alive; that’s of questionable healthfulness, for both bird and man; that’s slaughtered...
While it is best to eat citrus with the membrane and the white stringy parts since they contain pectin, a soluble fiber that helps lower cholesterol, sometimes it is necessary to use just the flesh with all the rind, pith, seeds and membrane removed. This is called the supreme. Here is a step by step guide to getting to that jewel like citrus flesh. With a sharp knife cut the top and bottom from the citrus. Follow the curve of the fruit to cut off...
An apple a day may keep the doctor away but an orange a day will keep the weight off! Make one of your five daily servings of fruits and vegetables an orange or grapefruit. Robarts Research Institute in Canada found that naringenin, a flavonoid in citrus fruit, causes the liver to burn excess fat instead of hanging on to it. The molecule also helped improve triglyceride and cholesterol levels, reduce the risk of insulin resistance and stabilize...
The most popular resolution that people make for the New Year is losing weight. Yet so many, by February or March, are no longer sticking to that resolution. WHY? Most people start a restrictive diet and get a gym membership where they do the same exercises over and over again. No wonder 3 months into it and they are done. Who wants a diet that is restrictive and exercise that is repetitive and boring? We already know that eating naked...
Pomegranates are a mysterious fruit. Cut one open and you will find hundreds of jewel like seeds that are both sweet and tart and bursting with flavor. Alas, they are also bursting with juice that will stain anything it touches. Try this trick for getting at those jewels without staining everything in sight. Cut off the top, or crown of the pomegranate. Slice the skin into 4 sections. Place the sections in a bowl of water and while holding each section...
I am lucky to have a local little store called The Olive Gallery nearby. They have many varieties of oil and vinegars. While I generally use less expensive oils for most recipes, I wouldn’t be without the good olive oil and balsamic vinegar for salad dressing. This store also has the most helpful index cards with recipes and tips and recently I found this one for a recipe conversion chart from butter to olive oil. When “cleaning...