McDonalds Ingredients

So I'm sure there are some of you out there who still eat McDonald's food (I won't pick on you, don't worry). I figured if you do, you are probably on a don't ask don't tell mindset with what they actually put in their food. I wanted to just post a few items here for you to take a glance from. This is right from their site:
http://nutrition.mcdonalds.com/nutritionexchange/ingredientslist.pdf  Now keep in mind, when you read an ingredient list, they list the most to the least as far as quantity from beginning to the end. For example the BigMac sauce is mostly made out of soybean oil. Now remember what I posted on soy, that 90 something percent is genetically modified, pretty safe to say this is included in that percentage! Also, I was impressed by the lack of ingredients in the actual meat patty, well with the exception that I know their quality of meat is nasty (read in Fast Food Nation that they use old run down dairy cows that don't produce milk anymore).

Big Mac® 100% Beef Patty:

100% pure USDA inspected beef; no fillers, no extenders. Prepared with grill seasoning (salt, black pepper).

Big Mac® Bun:

Enriched flour (bleached wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid, enzymes), water, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, soybean oil and/or partially hydrogenated soybean oil, contains 2% or less of the following: salt, calcium sulfate, calcium carbonate, wheat gluten, ammonium sulfate, ammonium chloride, dough conditioners (sodium stearoyl lactylate, datem, ascorbic acid, azodicarbonamide, mono- and diglycerides, ethoxylated monoglycerides, monocalcium phosphate, enzymes, guar gum, calcium peroxide, soy flour), calcium propionate and sodium propionate (preservatives), soy lecithin, sesame seed.

Big Mac® Sauce:

Soybean oil, pickle relish [diced pickles, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, vinegar, corn syrup, salt, calcium chloride, xanthan gum, potassium sorbate (preservative), spice extractives, polysorbate 80], distilled vinegar, water, egg yolks, high fructose corn syrup, onion powder, mustard seed, salt, spices, propylene glycol alginate, sodium benzoate (preservative), mustard bran, sugar, garlic powder, vegetable protein (hydrolyzed corn, soy and wheat), caramel color, extractives of paprika, soy lecithin, turmeric (color), calcium disodium EDTA (protect flavor).

100% Angus Beef Patty:

100% Angus beef. Prepared with Grill Seasoning (salt, black pepper) and Angus Burger Seasoning: Salt, sugar, onion powder, natural (botanical source) and artificial flavors, maltodextrin, natural beef flavor [beef broth, yeast extract, maltodextrin, salt, lactic acid, natural flavor (plant source), beef fat, citric acid], spice, dextrose, autolyzed yeast extract, garlic powder, dried beef extract, sunflower oil, caramel color, worcestershire sauce powder [distilled vinegar, molasses, corn syrup, salt, caramel color, garlic powder, sugar, spices, tamarind, natural flavor (fruit source)], spice extractives, annatto and turmeric (color), calcium silicate and soybean oil added to prevent caking.

French Fries:

Potatoes, vegetable oil (canola oil, hydrogenated soybean oil, natural beef flavor [wheat and milk derivatives]*, citric acid [preservative]), dextrose, sodium acid pyrophosphate (maintain color), salt. Prepared in vegetable oil (Canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil with TBHQ and citric acid added to preserve freshness). Dimethylpolysiloxane added as an antifoaming agent.

CONTAINS: WHEAT AND MILK *(Natural beef flavor contains hydrolyzed wheat and hydrolyzed milk as starting ingredients).

Chicken McNuggets®:

White boneless chicken, water, food starch-modified, salt, seasoning [yeast extract, salt, wheat starch, natural flavoring (botanical source), safflower oil, dextrose, citric acid], sodium phosphate, natural flavor (botanical source). Battered and breaded with: water, enriched flour (bleached wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), yellow corn flour, bleached wheat flour, food starch-modified, salt, leavening (baking soda, sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate, calcium lactate), spices, wheat starch, dextrose, corn starch. Prepared in vegetable oil (Canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil with TBHQ and citric acid added to preserve freshness). Dimethylpolysiloxane added as an antifoaming agent.

Good Quote

I came across this quote the other day and thought it was worth sharing.

"In a disordered mind, as in a disordered body, soundness of health is impossible." Cicero

I think it's easy to get set back by our minds especially with our busy days. Try to take time for yourself...Breathe!!

Essential Oil Fever Spray

Here is a recipe for a spray to use if you or your little one has a fever. It is cooling, refreshing and the essential oils have medicinal properties. It is important to get your essential oils from a reputable source because as with all things, some people use poor quality ingredients.

Fever Spray:

1/4 C rubbing alcohol

1/4 C witch hazel

3 drops peppermint essential oil

2 drops lavender essential oil

I put mine in a little plastic spray bottle you can get from the travel sections of stores. When someone has a fever, spray a few pumps on each pulse point (inside elbows, back of knees, temples) and I also spray back of neck and chest. Store in the refrigerator.

Rice

So I am going to put nutrition aside for a minute...I know, I know. I have never been a fan of brown rice. I don't really like the taste or the texture. On the other hand, I love white rice. Of course, white rice has no nutritional value (it's the equivalent of eating white bread versus wheat bread). Anyway, so one day I decided to cook the two together and to my excitement it is YUMMY!. You pretty much cook it the same way but you start with the brown rice since that takes longer to cook. For example, I usually make a cup of rice. For this I take a half cup of brown rice, put it in two cups of water and cook it for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes I add the other half cup of white rice, stir then let cook for an additional 20 minutes. Vwalaa (have no idea if I spelled that right lol) you have the perfect blend of brown and white rice!

Artificial Sweetners

There are several different kinds of sugar substitutes on the market. Some of the most widely used are Aspartame (Equal, Nutra Sweet), Saccharin (Sugar Twin, Sweet n Low), Sucralose (Splenda), Stevia (Truvia) and Xylitol. The first three are completely chemical based (note how all of these items were discovered...the lab!)

Aspartame (Equal, Nutra Sweet) http://aspartame.mercola.com/ is made out of these ingredients: Aspartic Acid, Phenylalanine, Methanol, Diketopiperazine. Nothing sounds sweet about those ingredients! It was discovered by accident in 1965 when James Schlatter, a chemist of G.D. Searle Company, was testing an anti-ulcer drug.


Saccharin (Sugar Twin, Sweet n Low) is made from a compound of toluene, which is derived from petroleum. Chemical formula: C₇H₅NO₃S. Saccharin was first produced in 1878 by Constantin Fahlberg, a chemist working on coal tar derivatives in Ira Remsen's laboratory at the Johns Hopkins University. Hmmmm, something else I know of is made out of petroleum, and it ain't sweet either! Remember the labels on gum... WARNING saccharin has been known to cause cancer in lab rats... yeah that's the one.


Sucralose (Splenda) http://www.splendaexposed.com/ is basically chlorinated sugar. It is made from sucrose by substituting three chlorine atoms for three hydroxyl groups to yield 1,6-dichloro-1,6-dideoxy-BETA-D-fructofuranosyl-4-chloro-4-deoxy-alpha-D-galactopyranoside. Sucralose was discovered in 1976 by scientists researching ways to use sucrose (sugar) as a chemical intermediate in non-traditional areas, one of the scientists was told to test a chlorinated sugar compound. He thought that they asked him to taste it, so he did and realized  the compound exceptionally sweet.


So far we have drugs, gas and chlorine... WHAT IS GOING ON??!! This is all to avoid a few calories? (Obviously for the diabetics and other people that can't have sugar for health reasons there is more involved than that). Now I am not saying go out and buy a bag of white sugar (that has been bleached), but if you need a sweetener, use something your body can at least attempt to process. I use sucanat or FL Crystals non bleached sugar in my baked goods. I use honey in my beverages.


So on to the "natural" sweeteners I mentioned above.

Stevia (Truvia) Comes from a a variety of species of herbs and shrubs in the sunflower family, native to subtropical and tropical regions from western North America to South America. Although not in the US, Stevia has been used in other countries for centuries. I guess they prefer the man made chemicals as opposed to the natural ones.

Xylitol is a sugar alcohol sweetener used as a naturally occurring sugar substitute. These can be found in the fibers of many fruits and vegetables.

Homemade Tortillas

Has anyone noticed the flour tortillas you buy in the store taste like cardboard? Well I did so I started making my own from scratch. Shocked aren't you? Next time you look at a package of them, read the ingredients. For some reason to make cardboard, you have to add 30 ingredients...maybe that's why making them from scratch only requires 5!

Now, I went to the local Latin store and bought a tortilla press. If you want to get really fancy like my sister ;o) you can also get an electric one which I have to admit does make them look better. I will let you know though, one night I could not find my tortilla press so I used two plates and it worked just the same.

3 cups flour (I use spelt)
1 tsp salt
1 cup warm water
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup oil

Mix liquids and add to dry. Knead until the dough is workable (not sticky, if sticky add more flour). Form into a log and let set for at least 10 minutes. Cut 1 inch slices and press in oiled press or between two plates. Remove and cook on a frying pan for about 2 minutes. Flip and cook about 1 minute.

Homeopathic First Aid Kit

At the request of a friend I am letting everyone know what is in my first aid kit. This little bag goes with me everywhere. Well, mostly if I have the kids with me that is. No need to take it on date night or anything ;o) I will start with a picture then give an explanation starting from left to right.

Kali bichromicum -- for colds with thick nasal discharge
Allium cepa -- for allergic or viral runny nose
Ledum palustre -- for insect bites or deep puncture wounds
Histaminum hydrochloricum -- for allergies
Apis mellifica -- for swelling from insect bites or allergies received by cold
Belladonna -- for headaches or high fevers
Upset Stomach remedy that I have posted about before
Arnica -- for trauma, bruising and muscle soreness THIS IS MY ABSOLUTE NEVER LEAVE HOME WITHOUT REMEDY!!
Calendula ointment -- for cuts, chapping, burns or scrapes (natural neosporin)
Teething tablets -- for teething but I use it for calming because of the chamomile in it.

***One very important thing to remember is to never store homeopathic remedies with any essential oils. They should be kept in separate rooms if possible. The oils will render the remedies useless. Don't ask me to explain, cause I can't but that is what the homeopathic expert told me!***

Iodine

I was on Facebook earlier and there was a link on Naturalnews.com about how iodine protects you from radiation. This, of course is a response to the horrible nuclear explosion in Japan. So I started researching iodine and learned some interesting things.

First of all let's start at the beginning. I'm sure everyone knows that they started making iodized table salt because people were so deficient. With all the salt in processed foods I'm sure it's safe to say, most Americans are no longer deficient.

What is Iodine's role in the body? Iodine affects the human body in many ways. It is known to be essential in maintaining the function of the thyroid and parathyroid glands in the human body. It is also essential to the production of thyroxin, a hormone associated with the thyroid gland and proper thyroid functioning. Iodine also promotes general growth and development within the body as well as aiding in metabolism. Iodine, because of it's role in the metabolism also helps to burn off excess fat. I found a site that had some more benefits of Iodine and its role "Other possible functions include: helping to regulate moods, preventing cancer (especially in breasts, ovaries, uterus, prostate and thyroid gland), preventing and treating fibrocystic breasts in women, helping to regulate blood pressure, helping to regulate blood sugar and prevent and treat diabetes, and helping to prevent abnormal cardiac rhythms. For example, Japanese women, who have one of the lowest breast cancer rates in the world, ingest more than 13 mg of iodine daily from seaweed without suffering any adverse consequences. He further demonstrates that iodine tends to be antibacterial, antiviral, antiparasitic, and antifungal and that it enhances immune function."

What is the recommended daily allowance? It is between 40 micrograms to 150 milligrams daily, which is usually obtained from dietary sources. For children ages 0-7 years, 90 micrograms (mcg); age 7-12 years, 120 mcg; older than 12 years, 150 mcg; and pregnant and lactating women, 200 mcg.

What food contains Iodine? Turnip greens, spinach, garlic, asparagus, swiss chard, kelp, seaweed, lima beans, mushrooms, summer squash, soybeans, sesame seeds, most seafood, eggs, strawberries, milk and yogurt. Beware though as some foods can block the uptake of iodine into the thyroid gland when eaten raw in large amounts. These include Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, peaches, pears, spinach, and turnips. If you have an under active thyroid, you should limit your consumption of these foods.

From what I have read, although you can overdose on iodine, it is pretty rare unless you are taking large quantities over an extended period of time. Now back to iodine and radiation, it has been found that iodine can protect the body against the toxic effects of radioactive materials. I am going to attach a link for a website that I recommend you read. It has some really good information about iodine and radiation. Here is a quote from it:

“If there is enough inorganic, non-radioactive iodine in our bodies, the radioactive fallout has nowhere to bind in our bodies. It will pass through us, leaving our bodies unharmed. It is important to ensure that we have adequate iodine levels BEFORE this fallout hits.” Dr. Brownstein (wrote a book called "Iodine: Why You Need It, Why You Can't Live Without It")

http://blog.imva.info/medicine/iodine-treatments-radiation-exposure

They recommend a specific kind of iodine supplement. Here is the link for that:

http://www.magneticclay.com/store/nascent-iodine-supplement-1.aspx

I read a way to test to see if you are iodine deficient: make a silver dollar size spot of iodine on your skin, if it fades in less then 24 hours your iodine level is deficient. Obviously you will have to get some iodine to do this test which may prove difficult with the radiation scare. Actually I am very tempted to buy some myself just in case. Not that I think the radiation from Japan will reach us, but there are plenty of nuclear plants in the US so you never know!! Better safe then sorry right?!

The Dirty Dozen

Have any of you heard of the dirty dozen? It is a list of the most pesticide ridden pieces of produce that the Environmental Working Group (EWG) puts out. They give you an option to print out a handy dandy little sheet that you can put in you wallet for reference when you are shopping. They also have the clean 15 list so that you know what is low in pesticides if for some reason you can't or don't want to buy them organic. Check out the EWG website as they have a lot of other references on their site for clean living. Here are the lists, followed by the EWG website...

  

Here is the "dirty dozen"...

1. Celery
2. Peaches
3. Strawberries
4. Apples
5. Blueberries
6. Nectarines
7. Bell Peppers
8. Spinach
9. Cherries
10. Kale/Collard
11. Greens
12. Potatoes

Here is the "Clean 15"...

1. Onions
2. Avocado
3. Sweet Corn
4. Pineapple
5. Mangos
6. Sweet Peas
7. Asparagus
8. Kiwi
9. Cabbage
10. Eggplant
11. Cantaloupe
12. Watermelon
13. Grapefruit
14. Sweet Potato
15. Honeydew Melon

http://www.ewg.org/

In case you didn't notice, most of the produce low on the pesticides have peels or a thick barrier to protect the part you eat!

Detoxing Your Body

I mentioned a while back that I would post my experience with my first detox so here it is in a nutshell. Please feel free to post questions if I don't elaborate enough for you.

I first came about the cleanse from my naturopath. I went in for an evaluation and she mentioned that she does two cleanses a year and there was one coming up. It wasn't the right time for me then, but six months later I went to the class to check it out. There are a lot of different detoxes out there from teas you can drink all the way to colon hydrotherapy (it is what it sounds like). This particular one was a cleansing juice fast. It starts with the prep week where you eliminate all anti-inflammatory items from your diet. This list is pretty long but basically it is meat, wheat, dairy, sugar, certain oils and coffee/alcohol. Mid week you start doing some other things to prepare your liver and gall bladder for the fast. After the first week starts the juice only portion. This lasted between 3 to 5 days depending on how far you wanted to take it. I did 3 days. Some people juiced themselves or she offered an option to purchase some organic juices from her. You could have fruit juice in the first half of the day and a veggie juice the second. The only other thing you could consume was water. After the juice fast you broke fast with a veggie broth that you make with fresh steamed veggies. After that you SLOWLY introduced solid foods back into your body.

I am not going to lie, it wasn't easy but believe me it was worth it. I think the hardest part for me was I had to continue cooking for my family and I couldn't eat it. I love food too, it wasn't fun not eating for those 3 days. Some people in the group (oh sorry I forgot to mention, this was a group cleanse. The doctor has found that it is easier for people to complete the fast if they have a group of people with them through the process) did other things to aide there cleanse like the colon hydrotherapy (which they all said was amazing, I didn't do it though), Castor oil pack treatments, breathing exercises, enemas, infrared sauna treatments among other things which are escaping my mind at the moment.

So, why do a detox you say? The doctor explained it in a way that made perfect sense. Basically look at your body as a cup. The daily toxic burdens keep pouring into the cup (bad diets, stress, environmental pollution, etc.) and every now and again, the cup needs to be emptied. If you don't empty it (and do it properly) the toxins will keep circulating through your body getting stored in your tissues and cells and will eventually take its toll on you. You might get headaches all the time or maybe you are constantly exhausted, bad skin, stomach issues, sore joints and muscles...all these are signs of toxic buildup. Actually they are the little signs, try not to wait until the bigger signs appear!

After I did the detox I noticed some things about my diet I needed to change (I ate too much pasta for starters). I also didn't have some of the same cravings I did pre-fast. I will definitely do it again, however I think if I opted for twice a year my husband would leave me (he said I was a bit irritable during the whole process...what does he want, I was literally starving for goodness sakes!! lol). Anyway, bottom line is I would recommend everyone do some sort of detox every now and again. You know your body best and can tell when the cup runeth over and when it does...empty it!

Here is the website for my naturopath whom like I said, has 2 cleanses a year.
http://www.sarasotahealingarts.com/

Strawberry Kefir -- A Success!

You were probably thinking I was done talking about the kefir... well, I'm not. I am so excited about how my fruit kefirs have been coming out. They are so yummy! Just take a look yourself, tell me this doesn't look delish!

This is fresh strawberry keylime flavor. Now this doesn't taste at all like flat Sprite (my previous description lol). It is so refreshing! It is so carbonated it actually exploded out of the bottle. Here, I will show you what it looked like before I bottled it...

You can see the fermentation at work! My little kefir grains are multiplying like Gremlins. I have an entire jar full of those babies now!
I have also used pineapple for a batch, but prefer the strawberry flavor. There will be more flavor concoctions to come.

I will soon give you an update on my Kombucha experiment as I have a batch bottled and sitting on the counter. It takes longer to ferment then the kefir so it's still not ready. I do have a correction to make though, I was incorrectly calling my mushroom a scobi and it's a y at the end, not an i. SCOBY actually stands for symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeasts. Fascinating huh? Ok, maybe just to me. :o)

As for the recipe, it is the same base as the regular kefir (which I have posted a few days ago) but after 24 hours of fermentation you remove the kefir grains and add a half cup of strawberry puree (I took about 4 large fresh strawberries and emulsified them with a little water). You let this sit for another 24 hours and then you bottle it in an air tight bottle (again, I use the grolsch beer bottles). Sometimes I let it sit out in the bottle for a day, sometimes I just put it in the refrigerator right away.

Chiropractor Care

My 2 1/2 year old daughter Ava is pigeon toed. I wasn't sure what to do to help correct it at first. I had heard about putting her shoes on the wrong feet, which I tried, but she is a shoe diva and if they are not perfect, they are not to be worn. So, back to the drawing board. I had heard about kids being put in "special" shoes or even braces. Again, unless those shoes come in pink with rhinestones, they aren't touching her tootsies! So it occurred to me one day to take her to the chiropractor. I had actually never been myself, which to some people sounds weird given the lifestyle I live but it just wasn't an area I knew much about. Actually that's not true. When I thought of a chiropractor, I thought "rack and crack" and it scared the pants off of me. I actually knew someone who went to one like that and wound up needing back surgery from the damage they caused. Luckily, a friend of mine has a sister-in-law who is a chiropractor that uses a different technique, one far less invasive than the traditional doctors. She uses a variety of gentle techniques but the one she uses on Ava is called the Activator technique. It is this tool that applies a gentle "pop" to stimulate your body to correct itself. I'm not really doing the explanation justice I'm sure. However, I can say it is amazing! We are seeing great results with Ava's feet. It is actually a hip issue; hers is out of line causing her feet to turn in. Before seeing Dr. Weller, when Ava would run, she would almost trip over her left foot. Now when she runs they are almost perfectly aligned! This is just after 3 sessions. She is such a good little patient too; she just lays on the table while Dr. Weller adjusts her. She says every week "mommy, we have to go to the doctor cause my feet are crooked". So sweet! I was also having hip issues and she adjusted me... my hip hasn't hurt since. Pretty amazing!
I know a lot of naturopath people go to the chiropractor pretty regularly. It is thought that if your body is aligned it makes for a healthier immune system. It also helps with allergies too from what I hear.
I will post her website so you can see what type of chiropractor Dr. Weller is and maybe find one in your area that uses the same techniques, or if you are in her neck of the woods, I highly recommend her!

http://www.gentlehealingcare.com/

Monsanto

So I'm not sure if all of you have heard of Monsanto, well unless you saw the movie Food Inc. To be honest, I am no expert on the topic but I do feel it is necessary to bring them up. So I've gone around to a few different websites and pulled some info just so we can all be "aware" as to who they are and what they do.

This is what wikipedia says about them:
"The Monsanto Company is a U.S.-based multinational agricultural biotechnology corporation. It is the world's leading producer of the herbicide glyphosate, marketed as "Roundup". Monsanto is also the leading producer of genetically engineered (GE) seed; it provides the technology in 90% of the world's genetically engineered seeds. It is headquartered in Creve Coeur, Missouri.
Agracetus, owned by Monsanto, exclusively produces Roundup Ready soybean seed for the commercial market. In 2005, it finalized purchase of Seminis Inc, making it the world's largest conventional seed company.
Monsanto's development and marketing of genetically engineered seed and bovine growth hormone, as well as its aggressive litigation, political lobbying practices, seed commercialization practices and "strong-arming" of the seed industry have made the company controversial around the world and a primary target of the alter-globalization movement and environmental activists. As a result of its business strategies and licensing agreements, Monsanto came under investigation by the U.S. Justice Department in 2009."

Ok, now I don't think you have to be a natural freak to realize that Roundup and seeds is NOT a good combo. Actually it is the scariest thing I think I've heard. So they make genetically modified seeds that basically have the Roundup embedded in it. So they are poisoning the seeds as far as I can tell. I just read also that 93 percent of soy, 86 percent of corn, 93 percent of cotton and 93 percent of canola seed planted were genetically engineered in the US in 2010. Phew, those are big percentages of some items that are in close to 100% of non organic processed foods. That's not to mention the feed the livestock is getting!

Here is some background info from another site I found: http://www.newfrontier.com/asheville/bad_seed.htm

"Monsanto has spent over $30 billion in recent years buying numerous U.S. seed companies. As a result, two firms, Monsanto and Pioneer (recently purchased by DuPont), now control the U.S. seed business. Monsanto specializes in genetically modified seeds -- seeds having particular properties that Monsanto has patented.
The U.S. government is very enthusiastic about these new technologies. From the viewpoint of U.S. foreign policy, genetically modified seeds offer a key advantage over traditional seeds: because genetically modified seeds are patented, it is illegal for a farmer to retain seed from this year's crop to plant next year.

To use these patented seeds, farmers must buy new seeds from Monsanto every year. Thus, a farmer who adopts genetically modified seeds and fails to retain a stock of traditional seeds could become dependent upon a transnational corporation.

A key component of the U.S./Monsanto plan to dominate world agriculture with genetically modified seeds is the absence of labeling of genetically engineered foods. All U.S. foods must carry labels listing the ingredients: salt, sugar, water, vitamins, additives, etc. However, three separate U.S. government agencies -- the Food & Drug Administration (FDA, the. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) -- have ruled that genetically- modified foods deserve an exception: they can be sold without being labeled "genetically modified."

So it looks to me like it is yet another situation that is good for big business, bad for the little guy. I remember hearing when Haiti had that horrible hurricane a while back, Monsanto wanted to "give" them their seeds to help them farm again. I am pretty sure they said no thanks, I hope they did anyway. I don't know, I just think it is so crazy how some people get so greed driven that they seem to forget that they too live on this planet. As my sister put it "how can you rule the world when you have killed all your subjects". Simply heartbreaking...

Beef and Quinoa Meatballs

These meatballs are AMAZING! I prefer them with a little sweet and sour sauce but you could have them with your pasta or on a sub too.

1 lb grass fed ground beef
3/4 C cooked quinoa
1/4 C diced/minced onion
1/4 C grated carrots
1/4 C grated zucchini or chopped spinach
2 T ketchup
1 T minced garlic
1 T soy sauce
1/2 t each salt/pepper
1/4 t each dried oregano/thyme
1 egg

Mix everything together and form into meatballs. They will feel loose, as if there are too many wet ingredients. Don't you dare add breadcrumbs :o) Put on a baking sheet and cook in 500 degree oven for 12-15 minutes. I assure you that you will feel very good about yourself after eating these meatballs! Enjoy.

Kefir Kombucha Experiments

Ok, so sorry for going on about my Kefir / Kombucha experiments but that's what I have been doing for the last few days. I tried my second batch of Kefir and it still wasn't carbonated. It almost reminded me of a flat Sprite. I know that's probably not selling it for you but it wasn't all that bad. I'm hoping my third batch comes out better. I did that one with fresh strawberries and key lime juice and then I put them in Grolsch beer bottles, the ones with the flip tops. We shall see! I did want to mention that the Kefir grains are very particular with metal... they don't like it. So any straining, stirring or storing should not be with anything metal.

I started my Kombucha and that was an interesting experience. My sister gave me her Scobi, which is the Chinese mushroom you use as the base. I'm not gonna lie, it was a little scary. It actually reminded me of an organ (the kind that could have been harvested from someones body). Anyway, you brew some tea (I used black) in some distilled water and some sugar (what the scobi feeds on) then you add it to the water crock with the Scobi and a bottle of store bought plain Kombucha. I also added some flavors (star anise and vanilla) because I tasted someones like that and it was amazing. It reminded me of root beer. Now I have to leave it on the counter to ferment for 5 days. After that you bottle it and let it sit on counter for about 5 more days. I am only on day 2 so we shall see.

Now I got both my Kefir grains and Scobi for the Kombuch from my sister. I know you can find them online. My sister got her scobi from someone online who sold an entire Kombucha kit. If you have any friends in the naturopath lifestyle they may be able to direct you locally as to where you can get this stuff.

Both processes are really simple and the rewards are worth it all those probiotics are gonna make your body so happy! Enjoy!