by Tara Mackey | Blogroll, Health, My Organic Life, Recipes
Red Bell Peppers
These anti-oxidant veggies are rich in Vitamins A, C, B6, folic acid and fiber. They also contain Lycopene, a known cancer-preventitive. Best raw, however, Lycopene, unlike other carotenes, does not diminish in effectiveness when cooked. Great in salads, on skewers, as a snack or on sandwiches. 🙂
Garlic
One of my favorite veggies, and perfect as a pest-control in the garden, I prefer garlic as a tea, but you can add it to just about anything in moderation! Garlic helps prevent plaque, lowers cholesterol and reduces inflammation.
Buy it fresh, bottled, minced or powdered, and add it to meat, vegetable or salad dishes.
Cranberries
A handful of Cranberries a day can save you a lot of agony! These tangy, tasty berries are known to protect against bladder infections by preventing bacteria from sticking to the bladder wall. In a similar way, cranberries also protect the stomach from ulcer-causing bacteria and protect the lining of the gastrointestinal tract, promoting GI health. Cranberries have also been shown to protect against cancer and heart disease.
Blueberries
Even if you have advanced kidney disease, blueberries are one of the few fruits that you can eat without worry. While blueberries may be relatively low in nutrients, they are very high in anti-oxidants, with 6,520 mcg of anti-oxidant compounds in a 100-g serving. By way of comparison, cooked broccoli has only 1,552 mcg in a 100-g serving. Anti-oxidant-rich foods don’t harm your kidneys. Rather, they help prevent cancer and other chronic diseases.
Olive Oil
One of my favorite super foods over all, Olives & Olive Oil are a great source of oleic acid, an anti-inflammatory fatty acid, and the monounsaturated fat in olive oil protects against oxidation. Olive oil is rich in ployphenols and antioxidant compounds that prevent inflammation and oxidation.
Studies show that populations that use large amounts of olive oil instead of other oils have lower rates of heart disease and cancer.
Buy virgin or extra virgin olive oil because they are higher in antioxidants. Use olive oil as a base in cooking, for dipping bread or for marinating veggies.
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by Tara Mackey | Blogroll, DIY, Health, My Organic Life, Recipes
As much as I love me some good tea companies (Yogi, you saved my life for years!), I have great (and cost-effective) fun experimenting with my own herbal remedies. In an era when responsibilities and obligations far outnumber hours in the day, it’s no wonder so many diseases are linked to stress. If you haven’t gotten around to establishing a peaceful power meditation or mantra throughout your day, the next best thing is to put something in your body to help you relax that has no adverse side effects. This is where miracle herbs like chamomile & valerian come in!
Chilled or hot, tea has the potential to soothe the mind, body and soul, and taking a “tea break” to reduce stress can have tremendous health benefits.
Tea contains naturally occurring antioxidants, called flavonoids. These antioxidants help the body combat stress and contribute to tea’s long list of health benefits.
I drink tea absolutely all day long to detox and cleanse my body. I love experimenting with different herbs to see what affects that they have on my wellness! It’s remarkable that you can make a tea to cure a headache, or to clear your sinuses, or to put you to sleep when nothing else will! Here is my recipe for a fast, home made, herbal DIY tea to help you relax! My suggestion is to try this one before bed time first, to see how it affects you. Most herbal teas that I’ve seen only have about a quarter of these ingredients, but I pretty much go big or go home. 🙂
Herbal Ingredients:
^^
Elderflower: Elderflower is an overall anti-inflammatory, working not only on the muscles, but on the sinuses, reducing risk of cold & bronchitis.
Boldo Leaves: Boldo leaves are used to treat bladder and urinary tract infections, gallbladder discomfort, gallstones, heartburn and indigestion, and stomach cramps. The herb works by encouraging the release of bile and dissolving fats and also by increasing intestinal transit time, giving the digestive tract more time to digest food. The ascaridole in boldo attacks intestinal worms.
^^
Chamomile: Chamomile’s popularity grew throughout the Middle Ages, when people turned to it as a remedy for numerous medical complaints including asthma, colic, fevers, inflammations, nausea, nervous complaints, children’s ailments, skin diseases and cancer. As a popular remedy, it may be thought of as the European counterpart of ginseng. Chamomile has been used for centuries in teas as a mild, relaxing sleep aid, treatment for fevers, colds, stomach ailments, and as an anti-inflammatory, to name only a few therapeutic uses. Extensive scientific research over the past 20 years has confirmed many of the traditional uses for the plant and established pharmacological mechanisms for the plant’s therapeutic activity, including antipeptic, antispasmodic, antipyretic, antibacterial, antifungal, and antiallergenic activity.
^^
Passionflower: Passionflower has been used to treat anxiety for decades, and recently scientists have used it to help treat narcotic withdrawal. An extract of passion flower and hawthorn shows potential for treating shortness of breath and difficulty exercising in people with congestive heart failure.
^^
Anise: I happen to personally love the taste of Anise, and put it in a good deal of my teas. Anise is used for upset stomach, intestinal gas, “runny nose,” and as an expectorant to increase productive cough, as a diuretic to increase urine flow, and as an appetite stimulant. Women use anise to increase milk flow when nursing, start menstruation, treat menstrual discomfort or pain, ease childbirth, and increase sex drive. Men use anise to treat symptoms of “male menopause.” Other uses include treatment of seizures, nicotine dependence, trouble sleeping (insomnia), asthma, and constipation.
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Valerian: I have a whole post dedicated to Valerian here, but it’s my go-to herb for relaxation!
(Home Grown) Lavender: Lavender is one of my favorite things I have in the garden! I can’t get enough of the smell and I could drink Lavender tea all day long (and often do!) Lavender has been proven to help insomnia, anxiety, to ease stress, & uplift spirits. It’s used to treat depression, headaches, & upset stomach.
^^Scoop it all into a tea strainer.^^
^^Let it seep for 10 minutes while you find a good book. ^^
^^Enjoy yourself! ^^
Happy relaxing, everyone!
If you liked this post, you may also enjoy…
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by Tara Mackey | Blogroll, Health, My Organic Life, My Photography, Recipes
So, I cook a lot. Just about everything that goes into my tummy has some element taken from my garden or has been formed in some way with my own hands. And while perhaps 3/4ths of my diet is raw (including eggs), I have approached life with a semi-flexitarian nutrition plan because, let’s face it – sometimes you just want some meat. 🙂
One of the things I really like to tackle is my Best Bay Tacos Recipe: mostly because it’s been a huge hit with everyone who’s tried it (and who doesn’t like to be complimented on their cooking? 🙂 ) They’re protein-rich, super filling and actually pretty good for you! 🙂 Me and J finally got to taking some photos of my taco adventure the other day ( I make these maybe once a week!), and I’m more than happy to share my Best Bay Tacos Recipe with you!
What You’ll Need
Necessities: Taco Shells
Veggies: Organic or Homegrown Tomato, Organic Onion, Organic Avocado, Organic or Homegrown Lettuce, Organic Garlic, Organic Lemon
Dairy: 4 Cheese Blend or Mexican Cheese or Soy Cheese, Sour Cream
Meat: Organic Tilapia (or fish of your choice) & 1 lb small Organic Shrimp, peeled and deveined
Oil: Coconut Oil, Olive or Flaxseed Oil
Herbs: Sea Salt, Black Pepper, Thyme, Rosemary
1. I like to dice up my veggies first. There have been many ways discussed on how to properly dissect an avocado, but a ripe avocado should easily come out on it’s own after being sliced in the middle. 🙂
2. Preheat Oven to 350 Degrees. Season Fish with Coconut Oil and leave in for 30 ins.
3. Combine Olive Oil, Thyme, Rosemary, Shrimp in Saucepan. Season with Fresh Lemon until blackened.
4. Remove Cooked Fish from oven, top with Flaxseed oil ( I prefer this way because adding the Flaxseed before runs you the risk of losing the Flaxseed nutrients during the cooking process), Dice
5. Place in Taco Shells in the following order: Organic Fish, Onions, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Shrimp, then Avocado
6. Top with Sour Cream and Soy Cheese. Enjoy delightfully! 🙂
Do you have an Organic Recipe you’d like to share?
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