Healthier Christmas Cookies Baking for the Holidays

So this past Saturday Gabriella and I baked gingerbread cookies for the holidays. We purchased all organic ingredients and used canola oil instead of butter or margarine.We also left out using eggs for various different reasons.There are many different substitutes however that is our personal preference. I recommend using cage free eggs and using Earth Balance Natural a vegetable buttery spread or organic like butter. The cookies were delicious and we used cherry brook vanilla icing a natural icing alternative to decorate the cookies along with organic  jelly beans, raisins, and carob chocolate chips all much healthier alternatives. Still to be eaten in moderation because remember that sugar in general is toxic to your body. Processed sugars like Fructose Corn Syrup are metabolized different in your body but certain companies try to hide that fact.Natural sweeteners are always better Agave, Organic Sugar and others you have to do your research . Less sugar is always better in general in it's most natural state


So your child can still have those yummy special holiday treats but with out the harmful effects. When I bake with Gabriella she feels engaged in something she loves to do and she is able to express herself creatively as well as learn the differences in using healthier options.That point then becomes reinforced in her mind when we shop for food.Til my next blog
Happy Holidays to All !! Eat Well Be Well !!

Other Alternatives to Fast Food and Processed foods

Hello,

Today for lunch we stopped at the Perfect Pita  for lunch it was delicious!!! Just to show you how easy it is to make a conscious decision not to eat fast food ever..... There are always alternatives to eating poor Mal-nourished meals "with you guessed it" no vitamins,  no minerals, no nutrients. And when you are done eating you almost always feel tired , you may even have an upset stomach and sometimes still feel hungry because the food does nada ,nothing for your bodies systems or for your brain. Just good old fat, fructose corn syrup and carbohydrates with lots of grease...No you do not feel energized just sluggish and unsatisfied.You might feel a splurge of energy for a moment from the soda you drink and then that high energy changes to low energy and so you drink more sodium and sugar the never ending cycle. For more information on sugar visit Nutrition By Natalie.  How much fruit or vegetables did you eat or juice today should be the question to ask yourself everyday because without it you really are getting little to no nutrition and no fiber to move those fats and wastes through your body which also creates clogged arteries.Back to the lunch.

Dino and I both had Pita's for lunch. Mine was wheat his was white which we usually do not eat because white bread really has no benefits for your body. It tastes good !! We have  conditioned ourselves so that every time we are putting something into our bodies we ask ourselves if what we are eating will benefit us emotionally, physically and  mentally. So we read read read our labels. Go to Label Watch for lists of  unhealthy products not to eat.

Both Pita's were fried felafel which are chick peas mixed with spices in the form of a patty with tomatoes,lettuce,onions and tazini sauce a Greek white creamy sauce..I do not miss the lamb at all it was very delicious !!! And they have chicken pita's and other choices also salads, hummus with pita chips all fresh and home made and desserts and kettle potato chips.

One more thing they do serve ice teas, juices and soda however soda contains fructose corn syrup so if you must have a soda occasionally I recommend you do a natural soda or juice like Honest Kids which has very little sugar or  R.W Knudsen Family Spritzers which has no sugar added that comes in in grape,cherry and other flavors it will definitely satisfy your craving for soda.  Juice containing only sugar or agave is better then soda. Remember sugar in general is toxic to your body for more information on fructose corn syrup and it's effects on the body from a doctor watch the documentary The Bitter Truth 

Water is something Dino and I drink all of the time when we are out.  Distilled water is the best because untreated water can  also be extremely toxic and try to drink water from a glass because of the chemicals in plastic bottles are also very toxic or use a BPA free bottle
By taking small steps you are first making a conscious effort and commitment to yourself and your body to eat healthy everyday, maybe start with some organic foods in the beginning although we eliminated all processed foods from our household and went completely local/organic once we understood the harmfulness of processed and benefits of eating organic it became a priority. Every one's situation is different it really is about your priorities. Also eliminate soda from your family's diet all together. Incorporate local,organic produce by shopping around to find what stores are comfortable and convenient for you and your family to do  shopping. Your taste buds will retrain themselves and eventually crave only what is good for your body.This is the detoxification process.

You will soon be eating the best tasting most delicious foods you have ever tasted you will wonder what you were thinking all these years because the food is now so fresh how could you or anyone else for that matter have missed this!!!!You won't want any of the other processed garbage you used to feed your body ever again!!! Your energy and clarity will go to new heights. The foods you are currently eating have chemicals that make you become addicted like a drug addict  or alcoholic and because they have no nutrients for your body to digest is why you are always hungry and eating more of the same foods.

Til next time and Remember you are what you eat!!!
Eat Well Be Well

Kim

 

Eating Healthy On the Go and Supporting the Green Movement

Good Day to everyone,


So yesterday afternoon Dino and I decided to take our Live Green membership card and test it out for lunch at the Cafe Green Restaurant in N.W Washington D.C.


Live Green is an organization that helps local organic, environmentally friendly restaurants, businesses , Eco-friendly products and operation,and high quality affordable services by promoting them and offering potential customers discounts to the restaurants. 

A  yearly donation is required for the discount card but every bit helps and it gives you and your family exposure to many different products,services and good food you may not have known existed. The cost is $18.00 per year and is good for 1 year and every year it renews unless you cancel it. The products and services are amazing because it save on where you eat ,shop,cleaning services,workouts,utilities,business services,Spas all geared towards Green Living/Healthier Environment.Their standards are very high. You may also get discounts online. Excellent Resource!!!

For one it is supporting businesses that care about the quality of food it is giving there customers, two it  supports the local farmers and three it supports the environment so that toxins and unnatural products are not being released into the body or the air in the form of food processing, fuel for food delivery and the use of pesticides or herbicides( toxins)spraying using machinery like aerial sprayers which require oil .Both of these substances create toxins in the air, water and our food supply.

Back to our visit to Cafe Green we ordered a veggie burger with cheese and a non-chicken chick'n sandwich with chips, vegan nachos, and a strawberry shake which included an ice cream alternative called Rice Dream and fresh strawberries and all I can say is Yummy and I felt great after words not bogged down.

Everything tasted fresh and was organic. I did not miss the traditional burger loaded with fat cholesterol, hormones, antibiotics. The milkshake contained no fructose corn syrup. The cheese was amazing it was daiya cheese a non dairy cheese it tasted very cheesy to me.


I give the Restaurant 5 stars for taste and quality!! Amazing  food very satisfied customer Do yourself a favor and stop by for lunch or dinner.


 Thanks for reading and remember Research Research don't just take my word for it.  We try to inform parents and people to make healthier live choices for their families and to provide resources to make it easier to do..

By for now Eat Well Be Well!!!


Kim




 

Thanksgiving Tips For the Family

Hi everyone, 

I hope you had a wonderful holiday with your families if you celebrate Thanksgiving or not!!
My daughter Gabriella and I baked two pies for the occasion. One pie was a double crusted apple pie with fresh organic apples and the other ingredients were organic of course. The other was  pumpkin pie all made with organic ingredients from Whole Foods. Any store Wegmans.com that carries organic foods or the farmers markets will do.

I got both recipes off the Wholefoods website which has tons of great healthy recipes and they also have a shopping list application which of course you have to sign up for using your e-mail address.

You can then add all of your ingredients from any recipes you have found along with your other shopping items and the application will allow you to save your shopping lists and your recipes.

You may then either print it out, e-mail it to your self or what I do is have it sent straight to my phone so I can pull it up while I am out shopping which makes life so much easier because I take my phone with me everywhere.

Go to WholeFoods and click on shopping list after creating your account first of course.

We had a delicious dinner at my brother in law Michael home in Pennsylvania about 1 hour and 20 minutes from Washington D.C.

We ate fresh corn on the cob from a nearby farm, organic stuffing and mashed potatoes among other things. We drank Santa Cruz Organic Juice, and Spring Water.

For those of you who do eat turkey we highly recommend getting an organic or  farm raised turkey free from hormones and anti-biotics.

Eatwellguide.com has a listing of local,organic, Eco-sustainble super markets,farmers markets,restaurants etc.all categorized by business types and food types are also available for example kosher or gluten free etc.

It's a great resource and tool to help you and your family plan healthier alternative meals for a healthier lifestyle for cooking at home and for those times when you are eating out.

The website is also national so you can share it with your friends and family.

The eating guide gives you the specific locations of the different businesses as well as directions and mileage.


Til next time Eat Well Be well!!

Kim