Strawberry Banana Honey Salad

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My freezer is already full of brown bananas, combine that with my refusal to waste food and I needed something to do with my two sad, very ripe bananas last night.

I decided to slice them and throw them in a bowl with some fresh strawberries. Then I saw our raw alfalfa honey we bought from the North Park Farmers Market a couple weeks ago staring at me, so I decided to drizzle a little over the fresh fruit. OH EM GEE.

This might be my new favorite healthy treat because of how flavorful it is, not to mention SUPER easy (my preference) and a way to use up really ripe bananas. Quadruple win (health, flavor, ease, not wasting food)!

Strawberry Banana Honey Salad

Minor Food Rant

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I feel as though there is a food revolution that is really ramping up as of late which I’m thrilled about, but I don’t understand why research and studies haven’t been more appreciated? It’s difficult for me to understand the priorities of our country and governing bodies when it comes to things as important as our health (reactive vs proactive). Would we really not have enough food to meet demand if we decided not to eat genetically modified, disease resistant, high yield, nutritionally depleted food (that’s a mouthful, but true, considering almost everything is today)? We literally have to eat 10 times more healthy food, to get the nutrients that our bodies need, than we did 100 years ago: Furthermore, the preservatives, artificial ingredients, etc. that are “approved” by the USDA and FDA for consumption, are often listed on the “watch-list” but not high enough priority. Take EDTA (Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid) for example, which is on the FDA’s watch list for the potential to cause asthma, allergies, and rashes, among other things, but is down far enough on the list it won’t be looked at for years. Okay…so until then we keep eating it not knowing what it does to our bodies? It can be derived from Formaldehyde (YUM!), and is used in paper, clothing, all sorts of consumer goods, down to soda and food. Next time you go to buy salad dressing, take a look at the ingredient list, and look for EDTA, surprise! it’s in almost every single dressing on the shelf.

Think about it: previous generations lived so long, eating lard, bacon, meat, eggs, a fairly high cholesterol diet, but it came from right outside their front door on the farm, where the animals ate what they were supposed to eat.  We do that today, and we have heart attacks in our mid 40’s, do you think there is a correlation between all of the mass production, antibiotics, and food animals are forced to consume now?  When my great grandparents went to the store, was everything in boxes with ingredient lists a mile long that they couldn’t read or even pronounce? Why do vegetables today taste like crap than if you grow your own organically (tomatoes and cucumbers especially!)?

My philosophy on food: If it didn’t exist 100 years ago, don’t eat it. IFI need to buy something with an ingredient list and there are more than five ingredients, put it back on the shelf.

For your Health!

Saturday’s Veggie Grilling Party

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On Saturday’s Seth and I tend to cook even more than we do during the week because we have more time to prep, and aren’t as rushed. The weather has been gorgeous in San Diego, especially in the evenings, so we’ve been grilling a lot. This past Saturday, we had a little veggie grilling party: Seth’s Stuffed Shrooms (http://wp.me/p2zSoO-1S), stuffed peppers and grilled zucchini.

Seth’s Stuffed Shrooms are so good, we wanted to make them again, but we had leftover stuffing, so we decided to clean out some mini-bell peppers, and stuff those as well. The peppers were great grilled and offered a different flavor if you’re not into mushrooms:

Stuffed Veggies

We also grilled some zucchini we were given from a friends parents (yay for sharing fresh food!). These zucchini are gorgeous, huge, and so easy to prepare. Simply slice them thin, toss the slices in a large zip-loc bag, sprinkle kosher salt and black pepper, and a drizzle of garlic macadamia oil and then shake in the bag. Zucchini is my favorite grilled, because it has so much water content, it crisps better, in my opinion. I use macadamia oil to cook with as it’s more heat tolerant and the properties don’t change increasing toxins, like heating olive oil. This is a Paleo aspect.

Grilled Zucchini Prep

It was a healthy, flavorful, veggie grilling party 🙂

Veggie Grilling Party!

Water and Staying Hydrated

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I wanted to blog today, about the importance of water, and drinking it, which is inspired by how awful I’ve felt these last few days as a result of not drinking near as much of it as my body needs. I typically stay very hydrated, but every now and then for whatever reason, I drink other liquids, and it is amazing how much havoc it wreaks on my body, and my blood sugar.

I have headaches, my muscles are tense and won’t release, I’m sore and bruised feeling all over, I can’t think as clearly, I don’t sleep very well, my skin is dry, my eyes are goopy, and my blood sugar won’t budge for anything.

Here are six facts about drinking water and staying hydrated:

  • Prevents Dry Mouth: Water keeps your throat and lips moist and prevents your mouth from feeling dry. Dry mouth can cause bad breath and/or an unpleasant taste—and can even promote cavities.
  • Promotes Cardiovascular Health: Dehydration lowers your blood volume, so your heart must work harder to pump the reduced amount of blood and get enough oxygen to your cells, which makes everyday activities like walking up stairs—as well as exercise—more difficult.
  • Keeps your body Cool: Your body releases heat by expanding blood vessels close to the skin’s surface (this is why your face gets red during exercise), resulting in more blood flow and more heat dissipated into the air. When you’re dehydrated, however, it takes a higher environmental temperature to trigger blood vessels to widen, so you stay hotter.
  • Muscles and Joines Work Better: When you’re well hydrated, the water inside and outside the cells of contracting muscles provides adequate nutrients and removes waste efficiently so you perform better. Water is also important for lubricating joints. Contrary to popular belief, muscle cramps do not appear to be related to dehydration, but, instead, to muscle fatigue, according to Sam Cheuvront, Ph.D., an exercise physiologist.
  • Keeps Skin Supple: When a person is severely dehydrated, skin is less elastic. This is different than dry skin, which is usually the result of soap, hot water and exposure to dry air. And, no, unfortunately, drinking lots of water won’t prevent wrinkles.
  • Cleanses Toxins from your Body: Your kidneys need water to filter waste from the blood and excrete it in urine. Keeping hydrated may also help prevent urinary tract infections and kidney stones. If you are severely dehydrated, your kidneys may stop working, causing toxins to build up in your body.

Here’s to being reminded how important staying hydrated is for me, my body, and my health, cheers!