You might recall from this post my obsession with ice cream-esque desserts. Well, friends, it’s still going strong. So strong, in fact, that I stopped by D The Broadcast this morning to talk all things frozen and delicious.
We covered ice cream, ice pops, snow cones, frozen yogurt, and heck even some coconut milk-based icy goodness. You can watch the full segment here. (And you can buy that genius little ice cream maker here. Trust me, that bad boy will change your life.)
(Photo by Elizabeth Lavin)
By Holly Pellham Davis
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When it comes to food, my motto is, “You are what your food eats.” A healthy diet isn’t about deprivation, rather it hinges on eating the right things. After all, food is our best medicine, and food that’s been grown free of toxins and chemicals is essential. With that in mind, I wanted to share a list of my top 15 favorite foods for helping you and your family achieve optimal health.
Happy eating!
1. Avocados - A perfect source of essential fatty acids and unsaturated fats, a great source of folate, with more potassium than bananas, avocados are a nutrient dense food, high in phytochemicals, carotenoid, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Vitamin B-6, fiber, and glutathione. Studies show salads and salsa eaten with avocados increase carotenoid absorption. Served with eggs, salsa, and black beans in the morning, tossed in a fresh green salad for lunch, or chopped into quinoa for dinner with a squeeze of lemon, it’s a fruit that compliments just about anything.
2. Kale - A rock star in food circles and rightfully so. Kale is high in antioxidants and vitamins including Vitamins K (1,020%!), Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin B-6, thiamine, riboflavin, and niacin. It’s also a great source of minerals including: calcium, potassium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc. As if that wasnʼt enough, kale also contains the phytochemicals lutein and zeaxanthin (fights macular degeneration) and polyphenols (awesome free radical killers). Oh and it’s good for your bones, reduces cancer risk, and helps about every single bodily function. How can you top that? It’s best prepared raw by massaging the leaves to tenderize or slightly cooked.
3. Raw Organic Cacao Nibs - Scoring a 621 on the ORAC scale of antioxidant power (blueberries have a score of 65), cacao is a key to health. As the magical bean that begets chocolate, cacao nibs (at least 70% cacao) can be added to protein shakes, baked goods, topped on organic plain non-fat yogurt, or mixed with nuts and seeds for a mid-day snack. Note: This nutritional value information does not apply to chocolate candy or candy bars. (Darn.)
I’ll be on D The Broadcast this morning talking handmade Mother’s Day gifts including some Ginger Body Scrub and a rather stellar (and super easy) Ginger Simple Syrup. Said syrup is perfect for making ginger ale or, say, a nice cocktail.
In fact, I’m going to give you a head start on the cocktail… (You can thank me later.)
Continue reading "Handmade Mother’s Day Gifts on D The Broadcast + A Tasty Ginger Cocktail"
It’s Monday… M to the ONDAY, and, friends, I’m feeling it. Blah, funk, general malaise. So whattya say we ponder some pretty things in an effort to turn this ship-o-self pity around? Herewith some (potential) happy makers.
(Stephanie and her beautiful family)
Happy Friday friends! What do you say we mix things up a bit today? In lieu of our regular “Into The Weekend” post, we’re going to go with some inspiration and good eats, cool?
First up the inspiration…We’ve got two doses for your reading and viewing pleasure.
And now for the recipe, also courtesy of the amazing Stephanie. It’s a Guacamole that will change. your. life. (It’s all about the Feta cheese.) And with Cinco de Mayo is this weekend, you have the perfect excuse to make it (not that you need an excuse to make Guacamole). Herewith the goodness…
Stephanie’s Guacamole with Feta Cheese
* You can substitute the above three ingredients with Whole Foods Pico De Gallo. It’s perfection.
The assembly couldn’t be easier, just dice avocado, squeeze in the lemon, add the feta and the pico and smash it all together with a fork. Then add in salt, pepper, and Spike to taste and smash a little more.
Happy weekend!
(P.S. if you still need some ideas on what to do this weekend when you’re not reading lovely essays online while mainlining Guacamole, Liz, as always, has some stellar suggestions…)
This week our healthy living crusader Holly Davis takes on the issue of a healthy gut. I’m not gonna lie friends, it feels a little silly writing the words “healthy gut,” but after having Holly enlighten me on the signs of an unhealthy one, and realizing I can lay claim to a good chunk of said signs (i.e. cravings, trouble sleeping, foggy memory, mood swings), things felt, well…lets silly and way more serious.
I’ll let her take things from here. I’m going to crack open some Kombucha tea.
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Many of us can relate to the feeling that our gut has a mind of its own, often over-ruling the main processing unit above our shoulders. But, what would you say if I told you that our gut is often referred to as the “second brain?”
The gut is an extension of the brain connected through the enteric nervous system. The two work together to create a balance of hormones, bacteria, enzymes, and some 40 neurotransmitters. In fact, more than 90% of our bodyʼs serotonin, 50% of our bodyʼs dopamine, and 70%-90% of our immune system, is found in the gut. Simply stated, if the gutʼs not happy, our entire body is not happy (or healthy) and more prone to a variety of problems, conditions, and disease.
For the Spring/Summer issue of
D Moms, (out next week) our healthy living crusader Holly Davis took on the daunting task of overhauling my pantry. She spent hours weeding through my sundry BPA-laden cans, stale Halloween candy, and other horror-inducing foodstuffs, all in the name of healthier living for my family.
She even managed to eek out a smile (as seen in that photo on the right) while holding conventional canned greens and an ancient box of artificial food coloring… I can only imagine she’s happy about the prospect of throwing them out (which she promptly did.)
(My post-Holly pantry in its healthy, toxin-free glory. Photos by Elizabeth Lavin.)
The article gives the full details on what stayed (not much), what goes (pretty much everything), and why. In the meantime, Holly has kindly offered to share her “essentials” shopping list in case you want to hit the Whole Foods this weekend.
You can download it here. Happy shopping!
(P.S. It wasn’t all work and rules…while purging my pantry we noshed on some pretty awesome hummus and downed a little bubbly — organic, natch.)
Holly Pellham Davis is the founder of Clean Fresh Living, Inc., a service focused on educating consumers and families on the importance of healthy, organic, sustainable living for life and generations to come. You can hear more from Holly on her Clean Fresh Living blog, twitter, and Facebook.
D Moms contributor Dr. Kate Naumes ND has found her ice cream nirvana…and she’s doing us a major solid by sharing her discovery in her weekly wellness post.
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Last week, Holly Davis gave us a glimpse into Michael Moss’ new book Salt, Sugar, Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us. I heard Michael’s interview briefly on NPR on the way to work a week or two ago and can’t wait to dig into this book for myself. (Ed. I am halfway through this book and am completely obsessed with it. I can’t put it down… It’s that good.)
In the meantime, it’s a simple fact that most of us will never forsake ice cream completely. So when you do indulge (sparingly, please) let me at least push you towards small servings of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams. Jeni Britton Bauer, James Beard Award recipient and author of The New York Times best-selling Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home (dubbed by the Wall Street Journal the “homemade-ice cream-making Bible”), uses carefully sourced ingredients and cream from grass fed cows to concoct ridiculously inventive flavors for her sorbets, frozen yogurts, and yes, ice creams.
You can pick up a pint while grabbing local produce at Urban Acres in Oak Cliff. May I (strongly) suggest the Pistachio & Honey or the Goat Cheese with Red Cherries.
Dr. Kate Naumes, ND runs a Holistic Wellness practice just off the Katy trail. She helps women in their childbearing years look and feel better then they knew was possible. Learn more at naumesnd.com.
First up, the pressing matter of dye for Easter eggs…After posting Holly Davis’ piece on the dangers of artificial colors, I’ve gotten several e-mails asking about safe options for dyeing said eggs.
I did a little sleuthing and turns out all manner of readily-available natural alternatives, from coffee to cranberries, will safely do the trick.
But the best DIY for natural egg coloring I found was on photographer Kaley Ann’s blog. She gives “recipes” and step-by-step instructions for creating a myriad of lovely hues (like the four above). Visit her blog for the full details.
Ok, now onto our weekend agenda. In lieu of running around town, I thought it would be fun to get a few gal pals and their littles together for a “Spring Celebration.” Nothing fancy or formal, mind you…just some libations, a low-key lunch, and an easy craft for the kiddos.
(The elements of a Spring Celebration: 1/ Streamers from Style Me Pretty 2/ Martha Stewart’s Lillet Rose Spring Cocktail 3/Martha Stewart’s Squash Blossom Frittata and a Toasted Sesame & Almond Asparagus Salad from Love and Lemons 4/Wackym’s Kitchen cookies and Carnival Barker’s ice cream 5/ Byrd Collective flower crowns via Camille Styles)
Get the full party breakdown after the jump.
Continue reading "Into The Weekend: Naturally-Dyed Easter Eggs and A Spring Celebration"
Mary Kathryn Bass and Leslie Needleman recently shared some of their favorite haunts for healthy eats. Picking the right place is step one, but once you’ve arrived at a restaurant or market, how do you ensure what you order is actually good for you? Never fear, our wellness expert, Dr. Kate Naumes, ND is here to help. Here’s what she has to say about eating for your specific needs.
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So you just walked in to that healthy new restaurant/juice bar/locally-sourced-what-have-you everyone’s been talking about. You comment to your dining companion how fortunate we are to have these establishments popping up here in Dallas! Since, everything is local, organic, freshly made (or at least not processed), it must all be good for you, right?
Not necessarily…
If you’re not a 20 year old in perfect health, the answer may be more nuanced that you might think. Why? Because the very same foods travel through our very different bodies in unique ways due to our specific hormonal and metabolic makeups. So yes, as a general guideline for eating healthy, I wholeheartedly agree with author Michael Pollen’s memorable quote “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” But if you have have a disease, are having pregnancy related difficulties, have diabetes, are overweight, or if your body is out of balance and you have a health problem trying to solve it on your own with the aid of the latest diet trend may not have the intended effect that you desire.
Continue reading "Dr. Kate Naumes’ Tips On Eating Healthy When You’re Eating Out"
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