“You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces — just good food from fresh ingredients.”
– Julia Child

Point to Ponder:
Are you stuck in a food rut?

Action Item:
Consider juicing and/or trying some of the *new* recipes below.

 

Last Tuesday at the member lunch at Abel’s on the Lake, “the Lisa’s” (Lisa Hildebrand and Lisa Joseph) inspired me to get a juicer. I’ve been wanting one for a while, but just haven’t made it a priority.  After hearing how easy and delicious it is to juice, and needing to find something *new* to try in July, I thought it was time to get my juice on.

Per their recommendation, I set out to purchase a Hurom- Premium Slow Juicer and Smoothie Maker. My first stop was Bed Bath & Beyond, but they were out of stock. So, I ventured into William Sonoma where they had plenty and they were on sale, too! Like a good food processor or Vitamix blender, the Hurom Juicer is not a cheap machine, but if used enough you will quickly get your money out of it. Plus, I’ve gotten terrible at eating vegetables simply because of the prep time, and if it weren’t for the simplicity that my Vitamix provides which quickly enables me to make my favorite fruit & protein smoothie, I wouldn’t eat enough fruit either. And so, getting the juicer is an investment in mine and my family’s health.

I was also pumped because the juicer inspired me to grab some organic and seasonal veggies that I do like, but always bypass out of intimidation and convenience. For example, I like beets but they stain everything red, take time to peal, chop, and I never know what to pair them with. Others I run into issues with are cucumber, carrots and celery. I know they are really good for me but they don’t excite me. So, I filled my grocery cart up with grapes, kale, spinach, beets, lemon, pineapple, carrots, tomatoes, and celery, and couldn’t wait to get home to see what I could come up with. Here are the two juices I made:

 

Veggie Combo (my random creation)

• 1 c Packed Spinach
• 1 Beet
• 2 Carrots
• 2 Celery Stalk
• 1/2 Lemon
• 1/2 Cucumber
• 1/3 c Pineapple (this adds a touch of sweet)

Grape Juice

• 2 c  Grapes

I’ve gotta tell you, I’m fascinated with the juicing process – it is so simple and cool! As for how the drinks tasted, the ‘Veggie Combo’ was good enough and I’ll definitely make it again. The grape juice was delicious and both of my children lapped it up. Malaine (14 months) will eat and drink anything…so she was easy. Durant (3 1/2 yrs) is ridiculously picky so I told him it was Gatorade (a real treat for him) and he drank it all. SUCCESS!

Really, I’m not writing this journal to convince you to purchase a juicer. Instead, because I am not a creative cook, I don’t enjoy cooking, I find myself in a food rut all of the time, and it’s Give It a Try in July time, I thought it would be a good opportunity to share some of my healthy, convenient and delicious summer go-to’s that might be *new* to you and might even help you get out of a food rut as well.

So on that note, here are a couple more of my faves:

Summer Potato Salad

by Chef Martha Pincoffs, creator of the Hot Dang Grain Burger (a healthy and convenient favorite)

• 2 lbs Red potatoes, quartered and slightly boiled
• 1 Small red onion, chopped
• cooked green beans, cut in half
• 1/2 c Dijon Mustard
• 1/4 c Olive oil
• Pinch of sea salt

Combine all and enjoy!

Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette

• 2/3 c Olive Oil
• 1/3 c Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 T Dijon mustard
• 1 T Honey

– Combine all, simmer on med/high heat
– Stir with wisk, remove from heat and toss on any salad

Watermelon Herb Salad

by  Chef Scott Tompkins

• 1 fresh watermelon, cubed
• 2 T fresh mint, finely chopped
• 2 T fresh basil, finely chopped

Combine all and let marinade for 30 min.  Eat right away

 

In the event you have a juicer, are wanting to begin juicing, or are in need of *new* recipes, iGnite member and health coach Lisa Hildebrand shares these two amazingly healthy and refreshing juices:

Classic Green Juice

• 1 bunch spinach or kale
• 2 cucumbers
• 6-9 celery stalks
• 1 bunch parsley or cilantro
• 1 bunch of mint
• 1 to 2 green apples
• Ginger (about 1 thumb’s worth)
• 1/2 lemon or lime

Love My Liver Juice

• 2-3 beets
• 4-6 carrots
• 2 cucumbers
• 6-9 celery stalks
• 1 inch of ginger
• 1/2 lemon
• 1 bunch of mint

For even MORE healthy meal inspiration, check out our leadership team’s go-to, healthy summer dinners.

Besides the convenience, what excites me most about juicing is its health benefits. My personal belief is that food truly has the power to heal our bodies and most of what we need comes from the Earth. But because of convenience, I have not been nourishing my body with all that it needs to live and perform optimally. My favorite reminder about the amazing and intentional creation of fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes comes from a book called Breakthrough: Eight Steps to Wellness by Suzanne Somers. Check out this fascinating excerpt:

A sliced carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris, and radiating lines look just like the human eye… and science shows that carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function to the eyes.

A tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart is red and has four chambers. All of the research shows that tomatoes are indeed pure heart and blood food.

Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of a heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell, and all of the research today shows that grapes are also profound heart-and blood vitalizing food.

A walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds of the nut are just like the neocortex. We now know that walnuts help develop over three dozen neurotransmitters for brain function.

Kidney beans actually help heal and help maintain kidney function, and yes, they look exactly like the human kidney.

Celery, bok choy, and rhubarb, look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23 percent sodium and these foods are 23 percent sodium. If you don’t have enough sodium in your diet the body pulls it from the bones, making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Eggplant, avocados and pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of a female-–they look just like these organs. Today’s research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted baby weight and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? ...It takes exactly nine months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit.

Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the motility of male sperm and increase the numbers of sperm as well as to overcome male sterility.

Sweet potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetes.

Olives assist the health function of the ovaries.

Grapefruits, oranges, and other citrus fruits look like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

Onions look like the body cells. Today’s research shows that onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells; they even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes.

Enjoy branching out and trying new ways to spruce up your food!

 

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• Don’t Just Eat the Apple, Eat the SEEDS