The Flu

Please note that everything I write in this blog is my personal opinion.

With that said, here we go: 

I believe that getting the flu shot does not make any sense and wrecks your Immune System rather than helps it. 

The flu shot commercials on tv drive me up the wall and I think it is ruthless of King Soopers for giving flu shot customers 10% of their grocery purchase the day they get vaccinated in their pharmacies. You know that behind all this are the pharma companies who are NOT looking out for our best interests at all but for profit only!

(they belong to the 1%)

Also, who are we to think that it is not allowed anymore to get sick? It is good for your Immune System to fight something every now and then, and it is ok to let your body rest if you have a cold. 

Specially in the fall/winter months Vitamin C and green vegetables go a long way!

So, before you run and get a shot consider reading this article. Make an informed decision and don't believe everything only because they show it on tv or because your family physician is talking you into it.

Dr. Christine Anderson, Chiropractor in Los Angeles, wrote this article about the
7 Pillars of Natural Health Strategies for Cold-Flu Season

http://www.expertclick.com/Newsreleasewire/37935

                          

quote from the article:

'There are 4 issues in particular to the influenza vaccine. 1) The flu vaccine does not protect us from every flu; in order for the vaccine to be manufactured, they have to take an educated guess as to which strains will go into it well in advance. 2) One of the major downfalls of the flu vaccine is that the immune system become compromised right after the vaccine, leaving you susceptible to – you guessed it – getting the flu! 3) The flu vaccine is still manufactured using mercury based thimerosol; there is a mercury free version, but you have to ask for it and it may not be readily available. 4) The flu vaccine is cultivated in chick embryos; if you have an egg allergy or sensitivity you will want to avoid this vaccine and those who are concerned with animal welfare may object to this practice as well.'

stay healthy, n.

Zucchini Recipe

My friend gave me this Zucchini squash she got from a friend's garden, and needless to say I was in HEAVEN.

This thing was still big even after my first Zucchini dish:

Here is the recipe for those 'kind-of-breaded-zucchini wheels'

what you need:

Zucchini squash (as much as you want)

1 egg

handful of oats

handful of whole grain flour (which ever one you have or like)

herbs (the ones you use to flavor up your veggies)

how you do it:

cut zucchini wheels to your desired thickness (mine were about 1cm)

crack egg into a plate, whisk it up

mix oats, flour and herbs on a plate

soak zucchini wheels in egg

'roll' the 'in-egg-dipped' zucchini wheels in flour-oat-herb mix so they are nicely covered

cook them with olive oil (medium heat) in a frying pan, about 5minutes on both sides

ENJOY!

The next day I made stuffed Zucchini. 

Unfortunately they were eaten before I could take a picture.

Basically I just cut thicker wheels, about 2 inches, cut out the middle part so they look like a tunnel with very thick walls. I laid them out in an oven safe dish and filled them with cooked ground beef, chopped up cauliflower and yellow peppers. Sprinkled some fake cheese on top and baked them in the oven until the Zucchini got soft.

It is one of my husbands favorite dish and a meal we both grew up with. Bummer he wasn't here to enjoy it.

 And of course the ground beef was from the happy cows found here.

love, n.

Fat, Sick and nearly Dead

I am always trying to figure out a way to get to people, to get people to understand what they put in to their bodies affects their health, their brain, their behaviour. I haven't found the right way yet.

But, today I watched a movie by Joe Cross, an Australian who was in his late 30ies; sick, fat and nearly dead!

He started juicing vegetables and took a challenge to only 'eat' juices with fruits and vegetables for 60 days.

The Movie is on Netflix, watch it, it is very inspiring.

http://www.fatsickandnearlydead.com/

http://jointhereboot.com/

for the Trailer click here

Joe goes on a road trip/journey through the states and meets a typical American truck driver (no offence please, but he was the stereotype, and like Joe; fat, sick and nearly dead)

The guy starts seeing his problem, starts tackling it, lives on juices for 60 days, continues to live healthier, loses 200plus pounds and inspires a lot of people.

What I like about him the most is how you can see that he got so much happier, how he could see the world and what was happening so much clearer, to say it really simple: he became smarter and smarter. And its all because his body was finally so relieved from not having to fight so many chemicals, fats, hormones and whatnot from fast food.

I will definitely buy a juicer now and do a juice fast every month or so. Honestly, for me it seems the easy way out from cooking! Haha, seriously, I am a total nutrition crazy person, but I still do not like to cook and come up with meal plans for the family. I probably shouldn't have admitted that but hey, I am just human. and a mom. (-: 

And as long as I still feed my family fresh and healthy food, I feel just find admitting that. (-;

Also, if you already have a juicer and love it (or not) tell me about it, I would like to figure out which one to get.

Birthday Cake

Happy Swiss National Day!

...and now to another birthday;

When we were little we could always count on mom to make us 'our' birthday cake. I think each one of us kids had a different favorite.

Last year I made a carrot cake for Selina, in a bear form, decorated to look like Winnie the Pooh. Needless to say, it had to be the same one again this year. And she wanted to help make it. The first thing that came out of her mouth when she got up in the morning was; 'Mom, can we do the cake now? what ingredients do we need?'

It so happened that the cake was baked by 9am!!!

Here I share the recipe with you and also how you can have a fun colorful cake WITHOUT Chemical Food Dye's!

The carrot cake recipe is from the ridiculously awesome '1000 VEGAN RECIPES' Cookbook by Robin Robertson 

Check her out here!

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon salt

---

1 cup sugar (I left that out and added 3/4 cups of Maple syrup)

1/2 cup plain or vanilla soy milk (rice milk works too)

1/2 cup canola or other neutral oil (I used olive oil, if you use canola oil remember to only use the organic kind)

1/4 cup Maple Syrup (only if you haven't use it yet instead of the sugar)

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 cups finely shredded carrots

1/2 raisins

preheat oven to 350degrees Fahrenheit

mix dry and wet ingredients together (sugar goes with the wet ones) in separate bowls. Add the wet to the dry ingredients, mix well.

Stir in the carrots and raisins until just mixed.

Bake about 45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Now for the fun part!

For the frosting I just mixed vegan creme cheese and organic sugar in my little food processor. 

Add Cherries for a kind of purple-ish color.

Add turmeric for yellow. 

(it is almost tasteless if used in minimal amounts and mixed with sugar) 

Experiment with different fruits and veggies, like Beet Juice, Blackberries, Raspberries.

Here is our masterpiece. (-;

Last but certainly not least, the sprinkles! According to our 4 year old girly girl, NOTHING goes without sprinkles!!! Sprouts Farmers Market has vegan chocolate sprinkles as well as the colored ones but without the chemical food colorings or high fructose corn syrup.

YAY! That makes Mamma happy! (-;

Enjoy! and thanks for stopping by!

Happy August!

Meat

We try to only eat meat that we know where it comes from. And to preserve our beautiful Mother Earth we have to make sure to only consume meat from animals that were raised the way animals are supposed to be raised. 

We found the Four Sisters Farm through a friend who sent me the link.

So, we bought a share of a cow. She had a happy life eating grass - and only grass - on the western slopes in the Colorado Rockies. 

Check out their website here.

See for yourself. 

A pictures says more than a thousand words!!!

(pictures are downloaded from their website, with permission)

(-: (-: (-:

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THE OTHER SIDE

Do you know whats in your meat???

Cows are supposed to eat GRASS!!! Nature made them that way. Today, most of the cows that will be slaughtered for the beef on your table is fed corn. Corn is cheap and genetically modified to withstand pesticides. Cows spend their sad life cramped together in a grassless pasture standing in their own manure eating GM Corn and other foods that make them fat and grow faster.

(I have seen and smelled them; on roadtrips through Nebraska along I-80 and through California along I-5)

(along I-80, Nebraska)

Cows are injected with Bovine Growth Hormone (BGH) and rBGH (the genetically engineered version of BGH)

Everything the animals eat and get injected with, will end up in your plate as well.

In a one McDonalds hamburger might be the beef of a 1000 different cows.

To process large amount of beef artificial preservatives, sodium nitrite and chemicals are added.

Processed Chicken Nuggets contain several dozen ingredients.

Non organic meat contains more fat, and fat atracts and stores all the chemicals and polutions the animal ate through their food.

Organic grass fed beef is naturally very lean and contains the right amounts of all the different fats.

Read more here: 

The reason why processed meats are so dangerous to your health.

Meat.org

'If slaughter houses had glass walls, everybody would be a vegetarian' paul mccartney

and now look at those cute cuddly cows again!!! 

love, n.

Homemade Pizza = Family Fun

We love to make pizza's as a family. It seems to have become a 'negro' family tradition. My Dad built a Pizza oven for his backyard and he makes 

THE BEST PIZZA EVER!

I started making homemade pizza with my kids. Its been years that I had frozen pizza, just not worth it.

And its so easy, your kids can do it. (-;

making the dough

flattening into whatever shape you want

tomato sauce first

then add whatever veggies you like

so much fun

cheese on the top! 

don't forget some herbs and spices

they each ate their whole pizza!

Pizza dough recipe:
For a family of four, makes about 5 little pizzas


 3 cups of whole grain flour (I use spelt flour)
add 
 1-2 tablespoons salt
 1/2 tablespoon dried yeast
 2-3 tablespoons olive oil

mix all those dry ingredients


add 
 approx. 3/4 cups of slightly warm water


Mix the dough with wooden spoon or your hands. 
Add more water if needed (or more flour).

You should have a nice elastic ball of dough, not sticky. 
Cover bowl with clear wrap and let the dough rise for at least 2 hours.


Then it is ready to form into pizzas.


Add tomato sauce first, then veggies, meats, fish......after your own taste. 
Sprinkle cheese on top, add spices and herbs.
I also pour a little olive oil on top.


Preheat oven to 375degrees Fahrenheit and bake pizzas for about 20 to 23 minutes. 


Tips:
Broiling at the end for a couple minutes adds some color to the pizzas.
Our Pizzas are usually vegan, we use vegan cheese (Daiya Brand) and whatever vegetables I have in  the fridge, there is always something, leftover veggies work as well.

BUON APPETITO!!!

love, n.

A Book Recommendation

I want to recommend one of the best books I have ever read in my life! Sorry, it is not fiction, it is the blood honest truth. 

Disease - Proof Your Child
 Feeding Kids Right  

by Joel Fuhrman, M.D.

Do you know those baby books/brochures they give you for free at the hospital after you had a baby? I believe that they should give EVERY parent THIS book!

Buy it or get it at your local library.

One of my favorite information in this book is probably how he explains why it is so beneficial to breast feed your child til the age of 2. Gaps in the digestive tract of a baby are designed to absorb the Immunoglobulins in mother's milk, a Babies Immune System is still underdeveloped and immature until the age of 2, the same age as those gaps in the intestine start to close. Nature designed it this way!

He even has kids tested recipes in the back of the book, so keep it in your kitchen for easy access.

The book reads pretty easy, a lot of information to absorb, but once you start you can not stop.

To Real Food for your Family! (-:

love, n.

Update December 2013: The book is now also available digital: 

http://www.drfuhrman.com/shop/pdf_product_factsheets/DrFuhrmans_Disease-Proof_Your_Child_tri-fold.pdf