Raw Ranch Dressing

I love a good salad. However, finding a healthy salad dressing I like has been at best difficult. I am not really a vinaigrette type. I LOVE ranch. Unfortunately, that typically means unhealthy fats and dairy and ingredients I can not pronounce. The other day though, I thought I'd use cashews to make a raw ranch dressing.


Ingredients
1 cups cashew (soak for 1-2 hrs, then drain)
3/4 cup water for blending
2-3 tablespoons lemon juice (translates into approx 1/2 lemon)
1/4 cup cider vinegar (or less, like I said I'm not a real vinegar lover)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 soaked date (or 3 T. agava)

1 clove garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried chives
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper



Directions
Blend all ingredients in blender till creamy and smooth.

Put in fridge to thicken.

You can thin down to desired consistency.

I used this as a dip for my fresh vegetables. Also, I put it on my salad of red leaf lettuce, kidney beans and avocado.

I'll post my picture of it soon. ENJOY!

Eat Healthy for Cheap....

Alright, I'll admit sometimes eating healthy can be expensive but it really DOESN'T have to be. Here are few tips I've come up with for getting the most the most bang for your buck produce wise.

1. Buy what's in season. Not only is the produce going to be fresher and more nutritious but it's cheaper too.

2. Check out the Ads. Don't just go to the store down the street because it's the one you've always gone to. Spend a few minutes checking out the best deals for produce and then head to that store. You can also do price matching at Wal-Mart and get all the best deals in one place. (Sometimes my Wal-Mart is hit and miss with it's produce so beware.)

3. Grow your own garden! You don't have to have a lot of land (or any! I use pots.) to have a great garden that produces. Try simple things that will produce a lot like tomatoes, spinach, or lettuce. Or do one of your favorites.

4. Fruit Trees. Have a neighbor down the street that doesn't use all of their apples off their tree. Ask if you can have a few. We go on walks and then make new friends when we notice someone doesn't use all of their grapes on the vine. :)

5. Freeze! If you have produce that is about to go bad don't let it go to waste. Instead freeze it. Most things can be put into a blender later.

6. Farmer's Market. I LOVE the farmer's market. The best deals are to be had at quitting time because vendors want to get rid of their produce before they go home so they are willing to part with it for less.

Well, that's all my ideas for right now. I know you all have some great ideas so please share them when you leave a comment.

Happy Huntings For Healthy Food!

Monthly Webinar Series
featuring
David Phillips, MD


Thursday, June 24, 2010
8:00 - 9:00 PM CDT

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Juice Plus+ Prevention Plus+ Webinars are monthly presentations that feature various health professionals focusing on important health-related topics.

This month’s featured health professional is Dr. David Phillips. His webinar is an encore presentation from a live Prevention Plus+ Lecture he gave in Phoenix, Arizona on April 22, 2010.

David Phillips graduated in 1984 from Harvard University where he earned academic honors and was an All-American swimmer. He received his medical degree from Wright State University School of Medicine in Dayton, Ohio in 1989. After practicing as an emergency physician, Dr. Phillips shifted his focus to sports medicine. He has competed individually in national and international triathlons including, the 2005 Ford Ironman World Championships; and has qualified as a member of Team USA at the 2008 International Triathlon Union World Championships in Vancouver.

In this webinar, Dr. Phillips will explain how a proper diet, which includes fruits and vegetables, can help to aid in the reduction of oxidative stress.

Space is limited.
Reserve your seat now.
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/687280354

Prevention Plus+ Event: Impact of Nutrition on Diabetes

Deborah Hackett, MD

“The Impact of Nutrition on Diabetes” Dr. Hackett is an Endocrinologist in Ogden, Utah. She went to Medical School as a non-traditional student (the mother of two children) because she wanted to make a difference in people’s lives. Many of her patients have developed illnesses that may have been prevented by better lifestyle choices.

Thursday, June 24, 2010
7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Best Western CottonTree Inn
10695 South Auto Mall Drive
Sandy, UT 84070

Take 1-15 to 106th South exit, go east I Block to the Signal light at Auto Mall Drive,turn right on Auto Mall Drive, the Best Western CottonTree Inn is located one half block on the left, meeting room & entrance located at the east end of the Hotel.

This is a free educational event! Hope to see you there!

Green Smoothie

The World Standard requirement for vegetables is 8-10 servings a day! My dad, Ed Fila, has spent quite a long time developing a Green Smoothie that actually tastes good! I really was surprised by the taste.

2 Cups Liquid (Water /Rice Milk /Raw Cow's Milk)
1/8 c. Sea Vegetables (see Oriental food stores or food sections, or health food stores)
1/4 of a Cucumber
1 peeled Carrot
2 cups 12 Vegetable Mix (we get this mix at Costco, it is the stir fry mix)
1 1/2 cups fresh Spinach
1 Stalk Celery (put in more celery to lower blood pressure)
4 or more ice cubes
1/4 tsp. fresh ginger.
1/4 tsp. Stevia powder, or 1/4 cup agave nectar, or other healthy sweetener
1/4 tsp. Cinnamon (this helps keep insulin levels low)

Optional:
1 tsp. Amaranth, Quinoa, or other high protein grain
1 Tbspn. Oat Bran (helps lowers cholesterol)
1 Tblspn Flax Seed


Put all ingredients in a powerful blender with a ramming rod and blend until smooth.
Enjoy!

Further Notes: To migrate from the Fruit Smoothie (beginning) to the Vegetable Smoothie (advanced), taste buds need to be exposed to a new food at least 7 times to accept it. Therefore, you can put a small amount of vegetables in you fruit smoothie, increasing the amount of vegetables over time. Eventually the goal is to eat an all vegetables smoothie in the morning.

To lose weight: Only use uncooked grains, and increase oat, wheat, or rice bran intake.

For Diabetes: if a person can work up to having 70 grams of fiber a day, it can significantly reduce (or even eliminate) diabetes. Therefore, fiber is obviously very important for diabetes. Increasing the grains and flax will help with this.


Hope you enjoy this!

First Post

I have a passion for health and I want to share that with others! This is as much for me as for anyone else. I figure if I "preach it" or blog about it, I have to live it! Now on to a good smoothie recipes.


STRAWBERRY COLADA SMOOTHIE/ICE CREAM:

-1 cup canned crushed pineapple in juice (or fresh or frozen)
-1 cup frozen strawberries
-1/2 cup fat free vanilla yogurt (I put mine in an ice cube tray to have frozen yogurt, this makes it a little more like ice cream)
-1/2 light coconut milk (or for a healthier version use fresh coconut flesh)

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. This is more like ice cream than a smoothie and will definitely curb any cravings for sweets or fats you are having. It is sweetened naturally from the fruit and the fat comes from a healthier source-- coconut!

ENJOY!