Supernatural Botanicals

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Just because you can’t pronounce an ingredient that is included in your lotions doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bad thing.  Case in point …Butyrospermum Parkii.  Sounds scary, doesn’t it?  It’s the formal name for Shea Butter, an ingredient extremely beneficial for your skin.  How about Tocopherol?  Sound like a chemical?  It’s not, it’s Vitamin E.  Ascorbic Acid, that certainly can’t be good for your skin.  Wrong again.  Ascorbic Acid is Vitamin C. 

Sunlight is a natural mood booster that when combined with a little fresh air, will give you a burst of energy.  Experts recommend that you receive about 20 minutes of direct sunlight each day to meet your vitamin D requirements. Beware, however, as more sun exposure than 20 minutes can be harmful to skin.  Be sure to wear an SPF if your skin will be exposed to sunlight for more than 20 minutes. 

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

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. 

This is a look at my backyard garden today.  My purple hydrangea from the Farmers Market this past Saturday still looks great today, Thursday.  I change the water in the vase every other day, and add sweet lemon thyme to the vase, free floating.  It’s such a great look for clear vases.  Tender young green leaf lettuce is in full bloom.  My Roma tomatoes have their first bud, a single tiny green ball.  The Tabasco pepper plant has tiny little yellow peppers budding everywhere.  (editorial note….these peppers are as hot as fire!)  Very young Jalapenos, two single stubby peppers emerging out, in the past few days.  Cayenne peppers are green, and will turn red if you leave them on the vine long enough.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7drx7gwO0Ww

Scenes from my day today at two farmers markets in Cincinnati; Hyde Park Farmer’s market and Findlay Market.

You are going to have to come up with new ingredient combinations if you want to make a smoothie interesting.  We’ve all been making smoothies for years, so it takes something special to really make one stand out. 

Try this on for size…a Blueberry Cheesecake Smoothie.  Fantastic with pastries or coffee cake in the morning, or as a dessert after dinner. 

Recipe:

1/2 cup milk (low fat)

3 oz.  PHILADELPHIA Light Cream Cheese, cubed

1 cup blueberries

2 Tbsp.  plus 1-1/2 tsp. sugar or honey 

1/2 cup ice cubes

BLEND  First 4 ingredients in blender until smooth.

ADD  Ice; blend until thickened. Serve immediately

Are you using chives in your recipes?  Chives have been used throughout history for natural healing because they contain a substantial amount of vitamin C as well as essential minerals such as potassium, calcium, iron, and folic acid.  Chives are a member of the garlic and onion family.  In Chinese medicine they are used to clear stuffy noses, prevent bad breath (ironically enough, even though it’s a member of the garlic and onion family), ease stomach aches, strengthen the lower back, and improve poor circulation that gives you cold hands and feet.  Some serving suggestions? Chop up chives and add them to stir-fries or mix in with ground poultry to stuff ravioli or dumplings.  Also great on baked potatoes and pasta dishes.  Chives are super easy to grow, so plant your own and save some money. 

   Studies have shown that people who eat diets rich in Omega-3 (found in salmon and nuts) tested high for mental sharpness.  It’s certainly possible to consume Omega-3s in supplements, but taking in vitamins via real, whole foods is far more satisfying than a supplement. 

Recessionista Tip:  Don’t throw those bananas out just because they are starting to get brown spots on the peel.  You can throw the bananas in the freezer in their peel until you are ready to use them.  The peels will turn black in the freezer, but the bananas will be delicious and ripe on the inside.  Thaw bananas before using to make numerous recipe such as banana bread, banana nut muffins, banana pancakes, smoothies, chocolate dipped frozen bananas, etc.  Utilize everything that you have on hand and become a Recessionista Diva!  In this economy, no wasting is allowed.