Golden Milk Turmeric Tea

Life is what happens when you’re making other plans…….. This has been my motto since fracturing my pelvis in a fall, a few weeks ago while out walking, Bosco, my sweet chihuahua. Golden Milk aka Turmeric Tea has been a part of my all natural approach to healing. Turmeric tea is an amazingly effective anti-inflammatory that comes without the side effects of drugs.

Golden Milk Turmeric Tea Recipe

2 cups Almond Milk

1 tsp turmeric powder

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tsp cinnamon

1 small piece of ginger root,  peeled

1/2 tsp honey

Blend all of the above ingredients in a blender, warm mixture in a sauce pan. Be careful not to boil!

Enjoy the anti-inflammatory goodness.

How to Make Sauerkraut

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  • One head fresh organic green cabbage (if you use purple cabbage it will need to ferment a few days longer). 
  • Set aside one of the outer leaves of the cabbage. 
  • Use a food processor, mandolin slicer or sharp knife to slice cabbage into thin strips. 
  • Place sliced cabbage into a large bowl and sprinkle with 1/2 tablespoons of sea salt. 
  • Knead the salt into the cabbage with your hands and let cabbage sit for one hour. During this hour the water should seep out of the cabbage. 
  • For a variety you can add some sliced carrots or some caraway seeds before packing the cabbage into the jar. 
  • After an hour, firmly packed the cabbage into canning jars, covering the top of the cabbage with the outer leaf you set aside earlier. 
  • You will need some sort of a weight to keep the cabbage and the leaf on top submerged under the liquid. Add more liquid if all of cabbage is not submerged. The probiotic bacteria are anaerobic and need to be kept under the water. I use these pickling pebbles…. You can also use a small shot glass filled with water
  • Place the canning jar lid on top of the jar or use these special fermenting lids… Let the Sauerkraut on the counter for a minimum of three days, up to two weeks.  You can take off the lid And use a clean spoon to sample your sauerkraut. Refrigerate it when you like the taste. 

Probiotic Foods: An Important Key to Good Health

fermented food

For centuries, in every culture, people from around the world have included some sort of fermented food, teaming with probiotics, into their diets on a regular basis. As it turns out, there is a great reason for this ancient, universal dietary practice. Fermented foods are one of the best ways to get a healthy dose of probiotics. One serving of sauerkraut can have as many probiotic bacteria as an entire bottle of probiotic supplements!

I eat probiotic foods every  day. Here is a list of my favorite probiotic foods:

  • Sauerkraut
  • Kimchi
  • Kombucha Tea
  • Kiefer
  • Yogurt

All of these fermented foods are easy to make at home. Check out the recipe tab for my favorite fun and delicious fermented food recipes.

Classic Picadillo

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My youngest son, AJ, was lucky enough to go to Cuba this past month.   Cuba is one of those intriguing and mysterious places that I’ve always wanted to visit. As soon as he got home I was hounding him for pictures and all the details about his experience. He is a man of few words, and didn’t find mom cool enough to relay any great stories to. The day after he returned home, the ban to Cuba was reinstated. It’s safe to say that I’m bursting with envy (and maybe a tiny bit of jealousy) that he was able to visit and I can’t!

If I can’t see the culture and experience a new place, then I want to eat the food! Picadillo is what I started craving. We have an old family friend from Cuba so I put in a call to he and his wife to get an authentic Cuban picadillo recipe. They delivered a recipe, let me tell you; it’s impeccable AND simple! Win win.

Cuban Style Picadillo

Ingredients
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 sweet onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
  • Dash hot sauce
  • 1/4 cup sherry cooking wine
  • 1 can diced tomatoes with juice
  • 3-4 handfuls green Manzanilla olives,  drained & diced
  • 5 handfuls raisins
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Step one – dice onion and garlic. Sauté about five minutes, until translucent. Add ground beef and brown.

Step two – add Worcestershire and hot sauce. Mix well. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Serve over rice or along side fried yuca.

The Mother of All Superfoods

cow & colostrum

There are super foods and then there are SUPERFOODS. Colostrum, the first mother’s milk from a mammal after she gives birth is the mother of all super foods. Cow colostrum is the most common type of colostrum used for its miraculous health benefits. It is nearly identical in structure to human colostrum. There are a lot of great brands of colostrum on the market. I use Colostrum LD by Sovereign Labs. It is enhanced to make it more bioavailable. Body Boost is also a good brand of colostrum. It is not enhanced, making it more gentle.

 Here are a few of colostrum’s amazing benefits:

  •  Improved gut stability
  • Better nutrient absorption
  • Immune system balance
  • Increases energy
  • Reduces inflammation
  • Increases bone density
  • Increases lean muscle mass (Body Builders use Colostrum for this reason)
  • Promotes a healthy body weight
  • Contains vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and amino acids
  • Slows the aging process

Bovine (cow) colostrum is a universal donor making it transferable to all mammals, especially humans. It is much higher in immune factors than human colostrum.

Colostrum contains growth factors (IGF 1) and immune factors. These growth and immune factors are so powerful the pharmaceutical drug makers are attempting to isolate and market them individually. Drug manufacturers are already including colostrum in some Alzheimer medications. Fortunately, all you need to do to reap these benefits is to take colostrum. It contains the perfect complement of growth factors, interferon (inhibits viruses), antibodies (like gamma globulin) and protease inhibitors (inhibits viruses), conveniently packaged by nature.

In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I think colostrum is amazing! I plan on taking it for the rest of my life. My entire family takes colostrum, even my chihuahua, Bosco.

Check out this video to learn more:

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1NC3Zkma6U[/embedyt]

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Healthy Grab & Go Snacks

kind-bars-nuts-spicesEnergy nut mix

Being on the go doesn’t always leave time for healthy meals. When my days get too hectic for a real meal I turn to a few healthy snack options.

My all-time favorite grab and  go snack is Kind Bars. Dark chocolate, nuts and sea salt or Caramel Almond and sea salt are the best! I choose the bars with only 5 g of sugar. They are amazingly satisfying, made with wholesome ingredients that fit right in with the Paleo lifestyle.

Trail mix is another excellent grab and go snack or meal replacement. I always keep some of this trail mix stashed in my purse.It’s easy to stay energized, healthy and vibrant when you know how to nourish!

*If you purchase a product through any of these links to Amazon, KnowHow2Nourish will automatically receive a small referral fee.

Crockpot Coconut Lime Chicken

crockpot chicken

This recipe is a family favorite. It’s perfect for a busy day when you need a nutritious and delicious meal ready and waiting for you when you get home. The bok choy, carrots and peppers add antioxidants and fiber. Click on the Amazon affiliate links below to get the same ingredients that I use for the perfect recipe!

Crockpot Coconut Lime Chicken

By Karen Kramser, MS, RDN, LDN
Know How 2 Nourish
  • One package of boneless chicken breast, approximately 1.25 pounds
  • 2 tablespoons of Fish Sauce
  • 2 tablespoons of Thai red curry paste – I use Thai Kitchen red curry paste
  • Juice from 2 limes
  • One can of full fat coconut milk is my favorite. It is free of guar gum
  • 2 cups of chicken broth
  • 2 carrots chopped
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 red pepper, chopped
  • 3 Cups of bok choy, chopped
  • Assorted mushrooms
  • Red pepper flakes to taste
  • Extra lime juice and fish sauce for serving
  • Serve over cooked quinoa or rice
There’s no need to defrost the chicken before preparing this recipe. Place chicken in the crockpot and top with coconut milk and chicken broth. Add the rest of the ingredients except for the peppers, mushrooms and bok choy. Cook on the high setting. After 4 to 8 hours shred the chicken and add the remaining vegetables. Cover and cook another 1 to 2 hours. Feel free to substitute any of your favorite vegetables. If you like your food spicy add a few dried chili peppers. Enjoy!

What a Dietitian Eats in a Day

Meals for a day

Meals for a Day

What does a dietitian eat in a typical day? This dietitian eats food that’s nutrient dense and uncomplicated. A rule of thumb, if it’s a whole food that my great grandparents would have eaten, it’s a food that I’ll eat too. Green vegetables, fruit, lean protein, healthy fats, nuts, seeds and quinoa are the go to, nutrient packed foods that I eat most often. 

Check out the three meals that I ate yesterday…

A delicious green smoothie is a part of every breakfast. Greens are one of your body’s best friends. Some mornings a green drink  is the star of the show, other days I’ll have a couple of eggs over easy or a bowl of quinoa topped with a healthy oil, nuts and berries. 

Today’s breakfast: a green smoothie alongside of a bowl of quinoa with coconut oil topped with strawberries and macadamia nuts. That’s right, coconut oil. It’s a saturated fat with amazing health benefits.

Lunch is usually leftovers from the previous night’s dinner. It’s a great idea to fix an extra large meal at dinner time so you’ll have a ready-made, healthy lunch the next day.

Today’s lunch: Herb baked chicken wings with yuca, sautéed garlic asparagus and freshly made ginger, squash & carrot soup.

Dinner is usually based around a lean protein like chicken, fish or turkey. Red meat is reserved for special occasions, rarely do I eat it more than once a week. 

Tonight’s dinner: Grilled, wild caught, Sockeye salmon and quinoa drizzled with olive oil. On the side… A bright green salad with watermelon radishes, a variety of colorful peppers, cherry tomatoes from the garden and anchovies. 

Snacks consist of a handful of nuts along with a few berries. Sometimes, a Kind Bar or a banana. If I have extra time, I’ll juice some kale with what ever vegetables are on hand for a shot of natural vitamins. When I’m running short on time, I’ll stop by a local juice bar. A workout at the gym always calls for a snack afterwards. On non-workout days, I don’t usually snack. 

Today’s beverages: herbal tea with breakfast, water and a small glass of Kombucha tea. (More about  Kombucha in a future post).

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Choosing the Right Diet for You

Food in baskets

What is the perfect diet? I get asked this question a lot. The truth is, a healthy diet is different for everyone. While the basics of healthy eating, like avoiding junk food and  eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables are standard for almost everyone, specific diets are very different depending upon who you are. Some people have special dietary requirements because of medical conditions,  while other people feel best eating a certain way because of their genetic make up. Did you know that scientists have recently identified certain people who do better eating a vegetarian diet? Genetic researchers have also identified people who thrive and feel best by including meat in their diet. 

The bottom line is we are all unique individuals and the best diet for each one of us is unique! That’s why it’s helpful to consult with an expert in the field of nutrition, a licensed, trained  dietitian who can help you choose the best diet for your individual and unique needs.

Green Apple & Kale Smoothie

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Green smoothies are a staple of my diet. Everyone in my family starts off their day with a green drink of some  sort as part of the healthiest breakfast possible. Green drinks are a super easy way to get more green veggies into your body along  with adding a healthy dose of fiber and antioxidant vitamins. Use organic ingredients whenever possible to avoid pesticide residue and get the most nutrient dense produce possible.

For the best taste and textured green drink, use a high speed blender. I use the Blendtec blender. It’s a 3 horse power blender and makes the BEST vegetable smoothies ever.

 

Ingredients

  1. 1 1/2 Cups baby kale
  2. 1 Cup coconut water
  3. Juice from 1/2 of a lemon plus some of the lemon peel (if organic)
  4. 1 Green apple, cored
  5. 1 piece of ginger
  6. 1 carrot,  peeled
  7. 1 stalk celery
  8. 4 Ice cubes

Instructions

Place all of the ingredients in your blender, process on whole juice setting and enjoy!

*If you purchases a product through any of these links to Amazon, Know How 2 Nourish will automatically receive a small referral fee.