Enter To Win

The Tea Time Vivabox includes seven Numi Organic Teas: Aged Earl Grey, Monkey King Jasmine Green, White Rose, Ruby Chai Herbal Rooibos, Temple of Heaven Green, Starlight Rose Flowering Tea, and Sunset Oolong Flowering Tea. In addition to the teas, a gift card for one of Vivabox’s Tea Time Gift Set options is included. Winners can choose from one of the following products: the Single Origins Tea Set, a Bamboo Flowering Gift Set, the Dancing Leaves Teapot with five flowering teas, a Bamboo Book of Tea with six different flavored tea bags, or the iRelax with Numi Organic Tea gift. All winners will also receive a soothing CD to help enhance your teatime experience. (value $49.50). VivaboxUSA.com

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Foods That Are Good For Your Skin

You’ve heard the cliche, you are what you eat.  As it turns out, that’s exactly right!  Since the body doesn’t store excessive amounts of wrinkle-fighting vitamin C, you need to consume Oranges, Lemons, Limes, and Grapefruit (in addition to a multivitamin) to keep your skin looking hydrated and youthful.  Oranges contain the highest level of vitamin C of these four fruits.  Eating citrus fruits helps the body maintain high levels of vitamin C, an antioxidant, which increases collagen, the supportive protein fibers that stop your skin from sagging.   Of note, collagen breakdown increases in your mid 30s, so be proactive and eat citrus fruits to help your skin fight the good fight. 

Hummus Recipe

If you’ve been to my house, you’ve probably eaten my hummus and fresh pita bread standing around my kitchen island.  It’s a staple around my house.  Super-delicious and good for you, too.  The basic recipe is below, but you can add anything you want to it.  My favorites include roasted garlic and roasted pine nuts, but add whatever flavors you love.   

Hummus is one of the more popular Middle Eastern dips, generally served with fresh or toasted pita bread.  Hummus makes for a great snack or appetizer. Tahini is an important part of the hummus recipe and cannot be substituted.   You can find Tahini in the grocery store.

I use a food processor to make mine.  Be sure to blend ingredients until they are smooth (not grainy and loose) for better texture.    

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 16 oz can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans
• 1/4 cup liquid from can of chickpeas
• 3-5 tablespoons lemon juice (depending on taste)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons tahini
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation:

Drain chickpeas and set aside liquid from can. Combine remaining ingredients in blender or food processor. Add 1/4 cup of liquid from chickpeas. Blend for 3-5 minutes on low until thoroughly mixed and smooth.

Serve immediately with fresh, warm or toasted pita bread.  So delish!

Sam The Cooking Guy

Sam Zien, aka Sam The Cooking Guy, has a fantastic cookbook out called Just a Bunch of Recipes.  I picked mine up from the library, but can already tell, this will need to be a purchase for me; this will definitely be added to my massive cookbook collection.  It’s comprised of great recipes, everyday recipes, with a healthy twist.  His recipes are nutritious and healthy, but not painfully so.  Not to mention, Sam is a riot to watch or read.  It’s a fun book.  Thumbs up!

Apple Smoothie

Start the day off healthy with an apple smoothie.  You’ve tried all the berry flavored smoothies before, but apples bring a new taste to your blender.  Perfect with homemade apple cinnamon muffins. 

Serving contains 232 calories, 1 gram of fat and 15 grams of protein.

* 1/2 cup nonfat yogurt
* 8 ounces nonfat milk
* 2 tablespoon frozen apple juice concentrate
* dash ground cinnamon
* 1/2 whole green apple – seeded and cut in pieces
* 2 or 3 ice cubes

Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.

Makes one 12-ounce serving.

For more great recipes like this, check out Mr. Breakfast. 

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You may also like these blog posts:

  Blueberry Cheese Cake Smoothie

  Peach Blackberry Smoothie

5 Things: Magazines

Here are five great magazines to get to know better. 

  Body + Soul Magazine:  Articles on whole living, living green, health and fitness articles, recipes.

  Cooking Light:  Hundreds of light, low calorie, and low fat recipes each month.  Great fitness articles.  Wellness.

  Organic Gardening:  Advice on green gardening, eco-issues, environmental issues, living organically.

  Every Day with Rachael Ray:  Many recipes each month, lifestyle advice, decor, girlfriends, household tips, etc.

  Cincinnati Magazine:  A favorite resource guide for local Cincinnatians.  Shopping, dining, events in and around Cincinnati.

Benefits Of Garlic

Beyond endless health benefits and countless delicious recipes, here are a few (more) things you should know about garlic:

*  In order to maximize the photochemical power of garlic, it should be allowed to sit for at least several minutes after being crush or chopped. 

*  The more finely garlic is chopped or crushed, the more healthful properties are activated…and the more that are retained in cooking.

*  The aromatic compounds in garlic undergo conversion and are released when the cell walls of a clove are breached by crushing or chopping and the contents oxidize.  This is why we cry when chopping onions, garlic’s first cousin. 

Living Vegetarian

Terminology:

Vegetarian:  A vegetarian is an individual who chooses, for health, environmental, ethical, or religious reasons to abstain from the consumption of animal flesh, including poultry and fish. 

Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian:  A lacto-ovo vegetarian eats no flesh, but consumes dairy (lacto) and eggs (ovo). 

Vegan:  A vegan (pronounced VEE-gun) is an individual who chooses to abstain from the consumption of all animal products.  While vegetarians avoid flesh foods, vegans also avoid dairy and eggs as well as fur, leather, and other goods that cause suffering to animals. 

Heart Health

According to the Journal of Nutrition, eating a small square of dark chocolate a few times a week will reduce your risk of a heart attack.  According to the results of the research, 20 grams of dark chocolate per week, or 6.7 grams three times per week, is ideal.  Research subjects who ate this amount had significantly lower blood pressure levels of C-reactive protein.  Because of dark chocolate’s richness, you can satisfy your sweet tooth with much less chocolate than a milk or white chocolate, for example. 

Health Up Your Salad

Health up your salad.  Instead of reaching for the croutons, which can contain a high butter and fat content, reach for whole wheat crackers.  Just crumble over a fantastic salad and get the benefits of whole wheat and fiber, along with great taste with half the calories.