Wellness
11 Spices to Boost your Health and a Secret Recipe for a Spicy Salad Dressing
Spices are a common part of all cultural culinary preparation. While spices are often added to each dish in small amounts in comparison to many other ingredients, they are one of the most power-packed ingredients in a meal. Spices are loaded with powerful antioxidants that serve to protect your body from environmental compounds so that you can stay healthy and energized. Listed below are 11 of the most common spices that can enhance your health.
Nutmeg
Throughout ancient times, Roman and Greek civilizations utilized nutmeg like a brain tonic. Nutmeg contains the essential oils myristicin and macelignan. These compounds have been shown to improve cognitive function and decrease the degredation of neural pathways. Known for its ability to detoxify the body, nutmeg can help cleanse the liver and kidney. The ancient Chinese utilized nutmeg oil as a balm for muscle pain, joint pain and other inflammatory processes that produce pain in the body. Nutmeg has anti-bacterial qualities so can help with gum problems and toothaches and is found as an ingredient in many toothpastes. Nutmeg can be used as a digestive aid if you suffer from stomachaches, bloating, and gas. Nutmeg is a spice that you can add to any cleanse, power drink, coffee and even your tea. Sipping on some nutmeg tea before bed can help increase your body’s ability to calm down for a good night sleep, due to high concentration of magnesium.
Cayenne Pepper
The primary ingredient in cayenne pepper is capsaicin, which is a compound that has been known to fight fat storage in the body to help you lose weight. The main mechanism of action for the fat burning properties of capsaicin is an increased thermic effect A positive thermic effect can burn calories, shred fat, and help you to lose weight. Consider adding a …
Curried Chickpea Chicken Stew: Cooking Healthy with a Modified Kitchen
As some of you may know, I have been operating our home with a “remodeling in process” kitchen. Due to an unfortunate mystery leak from the back corner of our 30 year old refrigerator, we have a forced kitchen repair in progress. We decided it was due time to do some remodeling, so we have turned our unfortunate event into a blessing of a new kitchen. I have spent the past few months learning a whole new vocabulary as I have become educated in appliances, countertops, backsplashes, hoods, knobs and pulls, etc….the list goes on and on. We are approaching the demolition day and I am getting excited to see how it all turns out. In the meantime…I have been cooking in a small space that I set up in my laundry room and a tiny bit of available countertop space in the kitchen. I have had to be very creative with the recipes I have tried because most of my kitchen supplies are packed away in bins in the playroom.
So, in honor of “National Nutrition Month” I have been experimenting with healthy Crock Pot meals. My favorite one to date is Curried Chickpea Chicken Stew.
Ingredients
3 pounds boneless skinless chicken (you can use a combo of breasts and thighs)
1 Tbs olive oil
2 onions chopped fine
4 cloves garlic smashed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 Tablespoons curry powder
2 teaspoons cumin
2 (15 oz) cans diced tomatoes undrained
2 (15 oz) cans garbanzo beans drained and rinsed
2-3 cups chicken broth
In a saucepan heat olive oil. Sauté onions and garlic until soft. Add salt, pepper, curry and cumin and stir on low until combined. Pour this mixture into crockpot. Add chicken, garbanzo beans, tomatoes and chicken broth. Cook on low for 8 hours …
Read MoreCleansed and Renewed
I’m so excited to share MY favorite nutritional product: this herbal and botanical tea that floods my body with nutrients and helps me feel renewed. I use this drink daily as an energy and nutrient renewal OR as a support for intermittent fasting. I do my best to fuel my body well during the day, but I now know that that alone isn’t enough! I’ve learned and experienced SO much from incorporating supported intermittent fasting, called nutritional cleansing, into my health regime.
Here are a few of the stats:
•Contains over 100 nutrients that help support the body’s vital functions and immune system
•Supports the body’s natural ability to remove impurities
•Nourishes your body while it cleanses–Free from laxatives and diuretics
•Supports cardiovascular and brain health
•Boosts mental and physical energy and endurance
The amazing benefits include:
•weight control
•reset food cravings
•improved insulin sensitivity
•brain protection
•supports the liver’s natural detoxification
The natural botanical complex includes these important ingredients, which you’ve likely heard of if you’ve done any health research!
•TURMERIC – promotes natural detox, anti-inflammatory, digestive aid
•SIBERIAN GINSENG – improves oxygen uptake and overall energy
•ALOE VERA GEL – liver protection, detoxification, immune support
•ASHWAGANDHA – supports the liver, immunity, and the body’s ability to adapt to stress
•PAU D’ARCO – healthy energy, immunity, acts as a liver tonic
If you would like to learn more about my favorite product I would love to talk to you personally, or add you to our community of family and friends on Facebook!
Check out more of our favorite products at our online store HERE
Read more about Rachel’s passions and purpose for health HERE
What is your favorite healthy way to renew your body?
Kerry’s Favorite Protein Bar
On the go, driving to and fro…..wanting easy snacks for a perfect grab-n-go…..My new favorite protein bar satisfies me every time. I am always looking for a bar that tastes yummy and also supports my desire to fuel my body with super nutrition. This bar “is a satisfying and nutritious daily meal alternative (or snack) that delivers high-quality plant-based protein, good fats, energy-fueling carbohydrates, and an excellent source of fiber with no artificial flavors, colors, or sweeteners. This bar caters to those with dairy sensitivities or people who just want more plant-based protein to help support weight management while on the go.”
Here are some of the reasons I love these bars:
• Three Flavors: Chocolate Berry Bliss
I carry one of these bars in my purse at all times. I eat them on my long drives to see the grandkids in So Cal. When I know my hubby is going to have a late night and i want to wit and eat dinner with him, I will have a bar to tide me over and sometimes I just have a half bar for a mid morning snack.
What is your favorite protein bar?
For more information about other super nutrition products you can check out this information website. To read about one of Kerry’s other keys to youthful aging click here…
Read MoreShow YOU Some Love!
I just love this time of year. Spirits are high. There is HOPE as we prepare for a new year with new goals.
Want to know a secret to make it last? Show YOU some love.
That’s right! Celebrate your strengths! Celebrate your relationships. Celebrate your efforts. Celebrate YOU!!!!
You are fearfully and wonderfully made by the God of the universe. Yes, YOU!! Praise the LORD!!! He made you, so don’t you think YOU deserve to be loved and cared for? “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalm 139:14
Here are a few important ways to show YOU love:
Take care of your body. Fuel it right, and get moving!
Do things you love. EVERY DAY!
Rest. Your body needs time to recoup. Pick a favorite way to find peace and rest in each day.
Love others! Give back. Serve. Be a light in someone else’s life. Be the person that smiles and tells them they are beautiful.
Tell yourself you are beautiful. Remember that verse? You are fearfully and wonderfully made!
Spend time in the WORD. Fill your heart and mind with God’s truths.
Build relationships. Be with other people. Especially other people that lift you up!
Sing, Dance, and LAUGH. It is good for the soul.
What are your favorite ways to take care of YOU? How do you show love to that beautiful amazing self?
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Baked Falafels with Spirulina Green Sauce
Our family LOVES Mediterranean food. I love falafels, but have been looking for a baked falafel recipe for a long time. I finally found one that looked good and revised it with more herbs and spices and additional protein supplied by adding quinoa to the falafel mixture. We had falafels tonight with hot pita bread, homemade hummus, tabouleh and lots of fresh vegetables. I did not have spiraling powder so I substituted my green food powder that I put into my smoothies each morning. The resulting sauce was spectacular. Delicious!!
Ingredients
¼ cup quinoa
1 ½ cups fresh parsley
½ cup fresh cilantro
2 Tablespoons ground flaxseed
2 Tablespoons olive oil
3 large garlic cloves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon salt
1 (15 oz) can unsalted garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 Tablespoons minced yellow onion
Spirulina Sauce
¼ cup tahini
2 lemons juiced to yield 6 Tablespoons
¾ teaspoons spirulina powder (I used my green vegetable powder that I add to my smoothies)
3 cloves garlic
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup fresh parsley
½ cup fresh cilantro
¼ cup water
Red cabbage
Pita bread
Hummus
Tabouleh
In a small saucepan, cook quinoa in ½ cup water. Bring to a boil, turn to simmer and cook for 15 minutes or until water is absorbed. Let cool. in a food processor place cooked quinoa, parsley, flax seed, oil, garlic, cumin, turmeric and salt. Process until mixed slightly.
Add garbanzo beans and onion and pulse to grind coarsely. Do not blend. Leave a bit of texture in the mix. Drop the mixture by rounded tablespoons onto parchment or foil that you spray with nonstick spray. Fresh balls down a bit into 16 small patties.
Place under preheated broiler (rack on the second-to-top notch) and broil 9-10 minutes. Flip …
Roasted Lemon Chicken with Root Vegetables
The smell of a Roasted Chicken brings back memories of a chilly fall afternoon working on projects while it rains outside. This recipe combines a Mediterranean lemon zesty flavor with oregano and garlic. It is best if you have time to marinate the chicken the night before but you can do it all in one day as well. The root vegetables that roast alongside the chicken enable you to have your whole meal roasted and prepared at the same time. Serve with a big green salad and some crusty french bread and you are all set.
Ingredients
1 whole 3-5 pound organic chicken
1 teaspoon black pepper
1-2 lemons
3 Tablespoons fresh ginger
4 cloves fresh garlic
2 Tablespoons honey
1-2 Tablespoon canola oil
2-3 teaspoons dried oregano
½ teaspoons red chili pepper flakes
3 parsnips washed, peeled and cut into chinks
4 carrots washed, peeled and cut into chunks
4 red potatoes cut into chunks
1 red onion cut into chunks
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
¼ cup fresh parsley
Rinse and pat dry the chicken. Place in a roasting pan (spray with cooking spray) with 4-5 inch high sides. Sprinkle the chicken and the cavity with the black pepper. Cut one of the lemons in half and cut one half into small chunks. Slice the other whole lemon and the remaining half into circles to decorate the chicken before you roast it. Place the small chunks of lemon, the garlic, ginger, honey and canola oil into a blender or Cuisinart and blend until smooth. Stir in the oregano and the red chili pepper flakes. Spread mixture all over chicken. Decorate with lemon circles. Cover and refrigerate overnight or for the afternoon. 
Remove from refrigerator and let stand 30 minutes. Place cut up root vegetables in …
Have a Healthy Holiday Season
Our Fall challenge is wrapping up and we are so excited to offer you another way to stay plugged in with healthy habits this holiday season.
The holidays are and have always been a favorite in the Weisser family. It is a time to connect and a time for traditions and time together. However, in the past, I have so easily succumbed to the negative effects of parties and traveling leaving me feeling bloated and lacking energy and motivation.
Luckily, I don’t worry about that anymore and I embrace the crazy and fun holiday season. Since changing my nutrition 2 years ago, adding the minerals and nutrient dense foods my body was craving I have found a balance between exercise and healthy eating and sitting on the couch sipping hot chocolate. PLUS, with nutritional cleansing, you can always take a day or two of intermittent fasting to get your cells happy and get back on track. PLUS, you can eat chocolate. HAPPY DANCE!
So what IS this solution? It’s a community of men and women sharing recipes, workouts from professional trainers, snacks, and holiday healthy life hacks to keep you healthy during the holidays and in life! You don’t have to be using our nutrition that we are always talking about (because we LOVE it), but we will be talking heavily about it because IT HAS CHANGED OUR LIVES. It is how we’ve found a convenient and healthy balance to fuel ourselves and our families.
How do you join? We have a private group on Facebook so comment here, on Facebook, or email us at weisserwomen@growingweisser.com.
Important dates:
Saturday, October 29 at 9am PST is a LIVE event to talk all about the challenge and the nutrition we use. This will be in the Facebook group so you will need …
Read MoreLess is More
Are you feeling overwhelmed? Do things just keep piling up and you have no idea how to tackle them.
STOP.
Take a step back and refocus. Why are these things piling up? What is REALLY important?
I find that it is so easy to get weighed down by the small stuff. We think we have to be doing and going all the time. But is that really important? We’ve been talking a lot this month about setting goals, focusing on goals, and having a positive mindset.
Goal setting gives us a focus. And I would challenge you to narrow that focus down even further, down to ONE THING. I just listened to a great podcast, LINK HERE, about living a life of focus so we can have more by doing less. According to Geoff Woods, we need to identify ONE thing and do it every day, day after day. Taking a little action every day toward our goals. Over time those small actions will have a compound effect and a massive payoff for you life!
I have been working on positive affirmations, and this week, I found one that really spoke to me because it was right down to the heart of MY one thing — Being a present, loving mom for my kids. Here’s the affirmation: “If I do nothing today but hug my kids, I’ve done enough.”
It doesn’t have to be big to be great. There are opportunities for greatness all around us. We just have to focus on the right things!
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Easy Fall Crock Pot Tacos
“Easy.” The descriptive word I use to look up all of MY meals, so I threw together this nice and easy one for YOU.
But this one is special because it has all the ease and fun of Mexican tacos with the fun flavors of Fall! The secret is Trader Joe’s Fall Harvest Salsa! This salsa is so delicious on its own, but thrown in a simple crock pot recipe and it is PALATE PLEASING!!!
Ingredients
4 Chicken Breast
1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can corn
1 jar Trader Joe’s Fall Harvest Salsa
2 TBS Trader Joe’s taco seasoning (or use our homemade recipe!)
optional ingredients: taco shells, tortillas, grated cheese, avocado, lettuce
Instructions
Drain and rinse beans and corn. Add chicken to crock pot first, then beans and corn. Add taco seasoning. Pour jar of salsa on top. Cook on High 3-4 hours or Low 6-7 hrs. When chicken is done it will shred easily. Shred chicken and serve in taco shells, soft tacos, or as a salad with lettuce. I had mine in a bowl with Trader Joe’s Pumpkin chips! YUMMY!
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