Recipe: Coconut Date Rolls

It's summer. It's hot and I don't like to put a whole lot of effort into snacks in the kitchen. So here's a crowd pleaser that is tremenous!!





Ingredients:

12 dates
3 tbsp hot water
shredded coconut

1) Bring water to a boil.
2) Let dates soak for 10 minutes.
3) Place in food processor and blend until smooth.
4) Roll into balls or rolls with hands and then coat in shredded coconut.
5) Refridgerate for 2 hours to let them set.

Note: you can keep them in the fridge so they stay fresh longer but they also are find at room temp but might be slightly softer.

The Paleo 30 Day Challenge

Ladies and Gentlemen....On August 1st 2012, I am embarking on a 30 day Paleo Diet Challenge. I am going to eat nothing but Paleo approved meals which means I will be cutting out all processed sugars and white flour or wheat products from my diet for 30 days. We have been reading the book Paleo Solution here in the office and researching the effects of refined sugars and grains on our bodies. The results are in and eating refined sugars and grains have been harming our bodies by causing inflammation and leading to chronic diseases such as auto immune disorders, food sensitivity, sugar dysregulation, and hormone imbalance. If you haven't heard anything about the Paleo diet or the "caveman" diet or the hunter-gatherer diet as its also known, I highly recommend picking up this book, The Paleo Solution. It's a bit technical in some parts but really gets the point across about how refined sugars and carbs are affecting your health on a cellular level.

For others that are curious what this diet is really all about, the main idea is that we return to the diet of our ancestors who foraged off the land and had to keep moving to survive instead of setting up farms. They ate a diet full of protein and rich in seasonal fruits and vegetables. Their lives might not have been as long as ours, however they lived full lives with plenty of activity and traveling long distances to forage the land. This is the one part of our lives that is missing now, the movement part. Many of us sit at a desk or stand in one place on our feet all day and then return home to eat large meals and sit on the couch and watch TV. In addition, we eat a diet full of processed and refined carbs that cause us to pack on the pounds. In the wake of this change, we've seen droves of disease and metabolic disorders rise in astounding numbers in our population. I won't bore you with more details, but if this sounds eye opening to you I'd highly suggest you look more into "paleolithic diet" or "caveman diet" or "blueprint diet".

In the meantime I do want to share some family and kid friendly recipes, because the application is the hardest part in our society today. So below find a 2 year old approved breakfast compliments of my daughter Camryn and an easy crockpot dinner that will impress guest's palates.

In case you're wondering whats on her plate: Pork sausage cooked with fresh basil leaves and chopped garlic for the hair, 2 slices of ripen peaches for eyebrows, green grapes for eyes, nose, and earrings, and banana sliced for the mouth. Fried eggs or hardboiled eggs also work great for eyes.

Now for dinner: Cranberry Pork Roast

Ingredients: 1/2 cup to 1 cup all natural cranberry juice, 2 tbsp coconut flour, 1/2 cup golden raisins, 2-3 tbsp ground ginger, 2 tbsp dried mustard, 2 tbsp garlic powder or 4 sliced cloves, salt and pepper, 1/2 small lemon for garnish, 2-3 lb pork roast, and a crockpot. I also added some fresh basil leaves for a bit more flavor punch but it tastes great without as well.

Pour cranberry juice in bottom of crockpot until fills whole bottom about 1/2 inch. Wash and pat dry pork roast. Rub all spices into roast and place in center of crockpot. Sprinkle coconut flour and raisins over roast. Garnish with 2-3 thin lemon slices. Cook in crockpot on low 8 hours or high for 5 hours. Enjoy :)

Are you eating enough of these every day?

If you're not getting enough of these every day then you are putting your body at risk for chronic diseases, stroke, and even cardiovascular disease. I addition you may be starving your body of the essential nutrients and vitamins your body needs to function at 100%. So what are "these" and how do you know if you're getting enough?

Well fruits and vegetables of course! We all know that getting the right nutrition in our bodies is essential for their optimal function, but did you know that it also aids with digestion and even lowering your "bad" LDL cholesterol? Fruits and vegetables provide a rich source of fiber in our diet that can help to speed along the digestive tract so we have regular bowel movements and along the way they pick up excess cholesterol and harmful substances that can cause cancer in our bowel. These fruits and vegetables also supply many nutrient enzymes we need to aid in our digestion, so if you have irritable bowel syndrome, crohn's disease, or even celiac making sure you're getting your daily serving of fruits and vegetables can really pull though in a punch of an attack!

So much is enough? Well the American Medical Association recommends at least 5 servings of a variety of fruits and vegetables every day. However about 70% of Americans aren't getting the recommended amount and may be putting their health and bodies at risk because of it. The AMA recommendation doesn't take into consideration the age, calorie intake, or even the stage of development for this recommendation, so a better guide would be:

Children 2-6 years of age, less active women, and older adults should be getting about 1200 calories/day and should be advised to have 2 servings of fruit and 3 servings of vegetables everyday. In contrast, most men, active women, teen girls, and older children should be consuming about 2200 calories/day and should be getting 3 servings of fruit and 4 servings of vegetables. Active men and teen boys should aim for 2800 calories/day and should be consuming 4 servings of fruit and 5 servings of vegetables every day.

So how can you make sure you're family is getting how much they need?

1) Plan your meals for the week so that you make sure you have a good variety of fruits and vegetables for your family to chose from when it comes to meal or snack time.
2) Make sure you're utilizing a variety of colors when you head to the grocery store or farmer's market. Even better, bring the whole family to the store or farmer's market because children that pick out their fruits and vegetables tend to be more likely to eat them!
3) When it comes down to it 100% fruit juice that is NOT from concentrate can be a great source of your daily servings that is fast, easy and can be mixed together for different tastes.
4) Encourage yourself and your family to reach for fruit at snack time or before sports activities because it'll bring them closer to their daily recommendation plus it will provide some extra energy to kick start their bodies.
5) Try a greens supplement to help kick start your daily intake and put your mind at ease throughout the day. Absolute Greens has a fresh minty taste that is sure to please.
6) Try some new recipes or put a spin on salad by adding colorful fruits and vegetables to please the eye and the stomach. See some great recipes below.

Strawberry Crunch Salad: Toss some salad together with chopped grilled chicken, sliced strawberries, walnuts, and feta cheese and drizzle with raspberry vinaigrette for a summer twist that will sure to please.
Tomato and Basil Finger Sandwiches
Roasted Corn with Shallot Vinaigrette
Tropical Cucumber Salad
Grilled Chicken Polenta with Blackberry Nectarine Salsa
Peach and Berry Cobbler
Melon and Apple Granita

Healthy food from your backyard!

Spring is in the air and planting season is here! I know I've been seeing my neighbors raking or planting almost every day of the week and my green thumbs are itching to start planting as well. My big plans for this year are two-fold, first I want a decent size vegetable garden so my daughter can join in the dirty fun of planting and the joys of eating food she helped to grow and secondly I want a small plot of visually pleasing flowers with some functional herbs strewn in so that I can spice up my cooking a bit.

So how do I plan to accomplish this? Well after a few trips to the hardware store I plan on building a few plant boxes to not only streamline the garden but also encourage soil draining so my husband can't drown my garden if he thoughtfully waters it for me. Then I plan on filling my boxes with soil and either seeds or sprout plants from my indoor winter greenhouse.

Now, building plant boxes may seem like a daunting task, but its less expensive than buying expensive vinyl planter boxes or easier than trying to de-crypt the instructions that come in the Build-Your-Own-Plant-Box kit. Of course, if you like the pre-made thing, they're available at your local home improvement store! I personally prefer a project, and thus stumbled upon a few project and design tips from how-to templates and other thrifty bloggers.

Compliments of Norm Plate

Andrea, Andrea what will your garden grow? My daughter and I are aiming for a fully functional garden that will supply side dishes or salads on demand! Our planning stages for the vegetable garden include a few tomato plants, zucchini, green beans, onions, green, yellow, and red peppers, strawberries, and a mixed bed with plenty of salad choices including leaf lettuce, butterhead, romaine, spinach, and kale. My small flower and herb garden will have a variety of colorful flowers, basil, thyme, rosemary, and sage. I'll have to follow-up on some great recipes to incorporate these foods into a variety of dishes sometime soon.

So here's some helpful tips if you're wanting to begin your garden:
1. Choose a great spot to start. A sunny spot with drainage is necessary but try to keep it away from old buildings, roads, or flood areas as paint chips, oil/tar, and chemical sediment may contaminate your garden or cause it to not grow as hardy.
2. Check your soil. Check your soil acidity levels as low pH (acidity) can stunt or slow the growth of plants and increase the likely hood of chemicals being taken up in your plants.
3. Replenish your soil. You should make sure if you're using homemade compost to make sure its fully broken down as the beneficial nutrients aren't released until after decay. It's always a great idea to add aged compost or manure every year to enrich the soil for planting season, however there's many different variable to this recommendation. For example, if you have plant boxes you can add aged compost anytime but if your garden is on flat land you might run the risk of it getting washed away if its added too soon. For this reason, many people recommend adding it in spring before you begin planting.
4. Know your materials. Use untreated wood for plant boxes as pressure treated wood and railroad ties contain chemicals. If you're going to paint the plant boxes make sure you're using non-toxic latex or water based paint as oil can leach chemicals into the soil.
5. Protect yourself and your family. It's great to get 10-15 minutes of sun to boost your Vitamin D, but make sure to wear sunscreen if you're going to be out longer to protect your skin from sun damage and premature aging. Wash your hands with soap and water after working in the garden and always wash fruits and vegetables before cooking with them or eating them.
6. Water. How much or how little water your garden needs will depend on your climate, the weather, and where you've planted, but a good rule of thumb is to watch your plants! If they are dropping mid-day then they'll need more water. Another good rule of thumb is to feel the soil. Place your fingers down in the soil up to the knuckles, if its dry near your fingertips then you need to add more water.
7. Enjoy! Experiment with new recipes or try using fresh ingredients like herbs instead of dried! Encourage everyone to try new foods and share with neighbors. (Neighbors love to join in and share the spoils of planting and exchanging crop.)

Do you have a picky eater?

One of the biggest troubles with children getting enough or the right kind of nutrients is due to the infamous "picky eater syndrome" that seems to share the dinner table with our families every night. Parents feel forced to give in to this child and let them pick and choose what they will and won't eat, but this battle can be won!

How? Well through some simple tricks, fun indoor party ideas, and that age old "good example" we should be setting! But first, let me go over a few facts that might tip your scales and ruffle your feathers.

1. Eat meals together. I know this sounds so simple, but studies have shown that children who frequently eat together as a family have shown better nutritional intake of calcium, fiber, iron, B6, B12, C, and E, as well as consuming higher portion of fruits and vegetables. Add to that a decreased risk for unhealthy weight and substance abuse later in life and there's some motivation and inspiration for family dinner night! Read more on this here.
2. Set a good example by making healthier choices and be open to trying new things! Children tend to mimic their parents eating habits and views on food as well. If you cook at home you'll not only have better control of what goes in the food and portion control but your little one will witness that you value healthy eating. Trying something new should be an experience for the whole family to taste and will open plenty of opportunities to new cuisine and cultures! 
3. Involve your child in meal planning. Children don't have much power in their lives and that's why refusing to eat something can be how they will flex their muscles. But let's change this around to a positive note and have THEM choose what they will eat in the fruit and veggie aisle. Bring them with you to the supermarket so they can see the many different types of foods available to them and touch them too. Sometimes a cool texture or weird shape may inspire them to create with it! 
4. This goes right along with #3 but involve them in the preparation of a meal too! When kids get involved in the meal prep they feel proud and will not only eat it themselves but push other family members to eat more as well. Some children may be too little to chop up veggies but shucking corn or simply holding open the garbage can lid while you're chopping can be the highlight of their meals. Something as simple as having them mix instant pudding for dessert will make them eager to clear their plate for the next course. Make sure to praise them for their hard work, remind everyone at the table (within earshot) that they helped with the meal, and make sure to comment on how great it tastes!
5. Be patient. With changing hormones, growth spurts, and tummy aches comes days where children just don't have a big appetite or where they just aren't in the mood to try a new food. Always make an offer to try new things but don't push too hard or they may link negativity with a certain type of food. Just offer it again another time and remember that it may take more than one time of introduction before your child will try or even admit to liking a new food!
6. When all else fails, change it up. Sometimes children need something fun to add to the boring old meal and dipping sauce or fun colors added to mashed potatoes or other side dishes may add just the dash of fun to the meal. Dipping sauce is magical to a child's mind and will often add a familiar flavor to a new taste that offers comfort to them. If you've ever heard of the muffin tin trick then you'll already familiar with this concept. You haven't heard of the muffin tin meal? Click here. 
7. Cut down on in between meal snacks and heavy liquids. Often children fill up in between meals on milk or juice or even snack enough to replace a full meal. Cut down on large snacks in between meals or limit snack portion sizes to make sure that your child will be hungry at meal time. Cut out milk and juice in between meals and offer water instead so that they don't fill their tummy before a meal and so they don't fill their caloric intake with high sugar liquids. 
8. Still have a picky eater who's not getting their servings of fruits and vegetables each day? There are many alternative supplements that can be mixed into other food or even smoothies to ensure they are getting their daily requirement of fruits and vegetables. Here at AlignLife we have a supplement called Absolute Greens that can be added to water, a smoothie, or even a pudding they helped prepare to make sure they're getting their daily dose. 1 Scoop will do ya for a day!! Click here for more info or to order!

Find some great recipes below:

Green or Blue Smoothie 

Polenta Fries and Ketchup (Gluten Free)

Bento Lunch Box Creations

Black Bean Dip

Mock Sushi 

Bite Size Asian Fish Bites

Crispy Fish Sandwich