Category: Healthy Living


Mar
2014

Ch Ch Ch Chia!!! Remember When Chia Pets Were All The Rage? Check Out The Hottest New Superfood… Chia Seeds!

categories: Healthy Living, Recipes, Shopping
This Native American seed can be sprinkled on anything! Or make it into a gel and add to soup, salad dressing, smoothies or protein shakes!
This Native American seed can be sprinkled on anything! Or make it into a gel and add to soup, salad dressing, smoothies or protein shakes!

Chia seeds are a weight loss dream! One ounce of chia seeds contains 11g of dietary fiber! High in phosphorus, protein and omega 3 fatty oils, they help you feel full!

Need more stamina and energy? When eaten, chia seeds slow the conversion of carbohydrates to sugar giving us more strength and endurance!

Chia can be added to anything! It is a healthy lifestyle choice and I started today by incorporating chia into our breakfast routine!

I sprinkled 3 tbsp chia seed on Greek yogurt with some fresh raspberries!!
I sprinkled 3 tbsp chia seed on Greek yogurt with some fresh raspberries!!

 

Even though the seeds are tasteless…if you don’t want a gritty feel, make a gel and add it to any liquid!

Chia Gel:

Add 1/3 cup of chia seeds to 2 cups of water in an an airtight container. Shake vigorously for 90 seconds. Store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks!

In a PreventDisease.com article “Are Chia Seeds the Perfect Superfood?” Some benefits of chia are:

Lose weight without starving
Balance blood sugar
Add Omega-3 oil to your diet
Nutrition
Feel more energized
Bake with less fat
Add age-defying antioxidants
Cut food cravings
And many more!!
Hair and skin products containing chia are popping up everyday!! This really is a superfood for the mind, body and soul!

Buy some seeds!
Where can you buy chia seeds? Whole Foods for sure!
I found mine at Pennsylvania Macaroni in Pittsburgh’s Strip District! www.pennmac.com
Another step toward our quest for youth!! Count me in!

Ciao!

 

I did my research!
Sources:

Mychiaseeds.com
PreventDisease.com
Dr.Oz.com
Living-foods.com
nytimes.com

 


Mar
2014

Is Your Parmesan A Fugazi? Kraft’s Mouth Watering Artichoke Recipe With One Major Substitution!!

categories: Healthy Living, Recipes, Shopping, Sides, Travel

I clicked on an ad while perusing the web that shows a video of gorgeous artichokes being prepared with a lemon Dijon drizzle and fresh Parmesan…O wait!! What? This is a Kraft commercial/recipe/ad showcasing their “100% grated Parmesan cheese” packaged in a plastic tube and does not need refrigerated!! What????

Time to research!

As Larry Olmsted tells us in his Forbes magazine article “Most Parmesan Cheeses in America are Fake, Here is Why,” real Parmigiano Reggiano from Parma, Italy , has 3 ingredients- milk, salt and rennet.

Photo from Forbes article! This is real Parmesan -reggiano cheese!
Photo from Forbes article! This is real Parmigiano- Reggiano cheese!

Moms, take the kids! You can all make your own cheese at Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Science Center in the Kitchen Works exhibit called “Say Cheese”!! We have made mozzarella many times!

Unrefrigerated, fugazi cheese also contains three other ingredients, cellulose powder, potassium sorbate, and cheese cultures, which are not found in real Parmigiano-Reggiano!! Fake cheese is illegal in Europe! Is that why the food is worlds more amazing in Europe? Real cheese!!

Did you know they have a Parmigiano Reggiano museum in Parma, Italy, where there is an entire room dedicated to the infiltration of fake cheeses!!

Photo courtesy of Forbes article. Kraft is not the only company making fake cheese!
Photo courtesy of Forbes article. Kraft is not the only company making fake cheese!

Parmigiano -Reggiano is known for its purity. It tastes amazing and is full of healthy vitamins because of this purity! It is the cheese of choice for astronauts in space! So why buy it with chemicals that will do who knows what to our bodies?
Yes, it SHOULD be illegal in America, too.

Here is the article from Forbes…

http://www.forbes.com/sites/larryolmsted/2012/11/19/the-dark-side-of-parmesan-cheese-what-you-dont-know-might-hurt-you/

So here is Kraft’s super amazing artichoke recipe…

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And here is mine….
Exactly the same BUT with one super amazing substitution…

Sprinkle with real, freshly grated Parmesan!!! From PennMac!!…or your local authentic Italian grocery store!

Enjoy!

Ciao!