Delicious Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have been working on perfecting a gluten-free chocolate chip cookie recipe for the last two years.  I have tried many a flour, fat, and sugar and have finally come up with the winning recipe.

Three things I was considering in settling on this recipe:
Texture: chewy on the inside, crispy on the outside.
Taste: sweet, but not too sweet, I want to highlight the dark chocolate chips.
Difficulty Level: easy to moderate.  The 'moderate' only because it requires more ingredients than the average joe cookie recipe requires, but the procedure ain't nothin' at all.

Dry Ingredients:
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup gluten-free oat flour
1/4 cup brown rice flour
5/8 teaspoons baking soda (1/2 tsp. + 1/4 tsp.)
5/8 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
1/2 teaspoon xanthum gum

Wet Ingredients:
1 organic, pasture-raised egg - room temperature
1/4 cup brown rice syrup
8 tablespoons of grass-fed butter - room temperature and soft
1 tablespoon vanilla extract - alcohol free
3/4 cup coconut sugar

Add-Ins
1 cup organic dark chocolate chocolate chips (70% cocoa)
1/2 cup walnuts

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients and set aside.  In a separate larger bowl, beat together butter and coconut sugar with a hand mixer until well blended.  Continue to beat mixture while adding the egg, brown rice syrup, and vanilla extract until well blended.

Bit by bit, add the mix of dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring with a spoon.

Fold in chocolate chips and walnuts.  Spoon out tablespoon-sized balls of dough onto a non-stick baking sheet leaving 2 inches of room between the balls.  Slightly flatten dough balls with the back of the spoon.  Place in preheated oven and bake for 9 -12 minutes.

This recipe should yield about 18 cookies.

My next endeavor is to create a gluten-free and grain-free chocolate chip cookie with a maximum of 10 ingredients, maybe less.  Stay tuned!!!

Turkey Stock

 Do not throw away that turkey carcass!  The greatest gift your Thanksgiving turkey has to offer lies within its bones....

High-quality homemade stock and broth is a valuable culinary ingredient to have on hand in your kitchen.  Meat stocks add wonderful flavor to stews, soups, gravies, and sauces and are rich in valuable minerals, amino acids, and bone-building calcium. Meat stocks are known for their immune boosting properties.  For centuries, cultures all over the world have used stocks to fend off or fight the common cold and flu. Meat stock is easily digestible.  The gelatin released through the slow and gentle cooking method heals and soothes the lining of the intestines, and protects the gut from further damage due to dysbiosis.  Sipping on warm stock throughout the day or with meals can promote healthy digestion and ease digestive disorders.  If you suffer from food allergies or are healing from Celiacs disease, incorporating homemade meat stock into your diet can promote the healing and regeneration of the intestinal lining.

To read more about the health promoting benefits of meat stock go to: http://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/why-broth-is-beautiful

Or check out:
Gut and Psychology Syndrome, Natasha Campbell-McBride
Nourishing Traditions, Sally Falllon

I have put together a very simple and easy-to-follow, step-by-step turkey stock recipe.  It is easy, delicious, and perfect for sipping on a cold December day....

Ingredients:
1 roasted left-over turkey carcass from Thanksgiving Day (if stuffed, rinse the cavity clean)
4-5 carrots
4-5 ribs of celery
1-2 onions
5+ garlic cloves
4 bay leaves
3 sprigs of thyme
1/4 bunch of parsley
1/4 cup of raw apple cider vinegar
sea salt
black pepper
filtered water

Getting Started: Roughly chop all of your vegetables.  If you think you might  make turkey soup from this stock, be sure to remove most of the meat from the carcass and put it aside in the refrigerator for later use.

Put it all together: Put the whole picked-over turkey carcass into a large stock pot with carrots, celery, onions, garlic, thyme, and bay leaves (everything, but the parsley).  Fill the pot with filtered water so that the carcass and vegetables are completely covered, about 1 gallon or so.

Suggested Add-Ins: 

Skin, Neck, Giblets, and Dark Meat

When I make any poultry stock, I always make sure to add some of the skin and meat for flavor (dark is best).  If you haven't utilized the neck or the giblets, you can add these to the stock as well.  Just throw them in with the carcass - roasted or raw.

Leeks, Celery Root, and Onion Skins

These vegetables add an earthy element that compliments the flavor of the turkey.  Add these to the stock or save them later for a turkey soup!

The Magic Step (do not skip!): Add 1/4 cup of raw apple cider vinegar to the water, turkey carcass, and vegetable mix and let sit for 1 hour before cooking.  This is an important step as it draws the minerals out of the bones and the vegetables making them available in the stock.

Boil.  Then Simmer:  Bring the stock mix to a boil over medium-high heat, and skim off any scum that rises to the top. After ten minutes at a rolling boil, cover the stock, turn down to a low heat, and let it simmer for 12-48 hours.  I suggest at least 24 hours of cooking to get a flavorful and nutrient rich stock.*  One hour before you're ready to call it done, add the parsley and salt and pepper to taste.

*If you live at an elevation higher than 3,000 ft., you may want to consider simmering your stock at a slightly higher heat and for a longer period of time to obtain the same amount of extracted minerals and amino acids that you would get if you were at sea level.


Drain the Stock: When the stock is finished cooking and cooled to a point where comfortable to handle, drain the stock through a fine mesh strainer so that that meat, bones, and vegetables are separated out from the liquid.

Jar the Stock: Pour the stock into quart mason jars and let cool to around room temperature.  If you plan on freezing your jars of stock, do not fill them to the brim.  Leave about 2 inches of room from the top of the jar to allow for expansion.  

Skim the Fat?: While you cool your stock, the fat will rise to the top, solidifying.   Simply skim the fat off the top with a spoon, either disposing of it or keeping it for later use.  By the way, you don't have to skim the fat off the top.  You can choose to leave it in.  The fat from the turkey has many nutrients in it.  It's all up to you.  I usually skim about 80% off and leave the rest.

Freeze it.  Use it.  When the jars of stock have cooled to about room temperature, cover them and either put them in the freezer for later use in soups, sauces, or gravies, or put them in the refrigerator to use within 4-5 days.  I usually freeze all but one, which I warm up and sip on with meals to promote digestion.  Yum!

Borsht

In my opinion, beets are one of Nature's most wonderful masterpieces.  The deep crimson-magenta color nourishes my sense of sight almost as much as the antioxidants it contains nourish my body.  Tom Robbins captures the unique and complex character of the beet in his novel Jitterbug Perfume:

"The beet is the most intense of vegetables.  The radish, admittedly, is more feverish, but the fire of the radish is a cold fire of discontent not of passion.  Tomatoes are lusty enough, yet there runs through tomatoes an undercurrent of frivolity.  Beets are deadly serious.   Slavic peoples get their physical characteristics from potatoes, their smoldering inquietude from radishes, their seriousness from beets.  The beet is the melancholy vegetable, the one most willing to suffer.  You can't squeeze blood out of a turnip...  The beet is the murderer returned to the scene of a crime.  The beet is what happens when the cherry finishes with the carrot.  The beet is the ancient ancestor of the autumn moon, bearded, buried, all but fossilized; the dark green sails of the grounded moon-boat stitched with veins of primordial plasma; the kite string that once connected the moon to the Earth now a muddy whisker drilling desperately for rubies.  The beet was Rasputin's favorite vegetable.  You could see it in his eyes."

(If you haven't read this book, I highly recommend you get your hands on a copy as soon as possible.)

Health Benefits of Beets:

-Acts as a blood purifier
-Rich in calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, carotene, B-complex and vitamin C
-Moistens the intestines and beneficial for overall digestive health
-For women, it promotes menstruation
-When the raw juice of the beet is combined with the juice of spinach and aloe vera, it can aid in dissolving ovarian cysts
-Improves circulation

Borsht

This is my recipe for Borsht.  It's not very traditional, only in the sense that it is a soup made with beets.  I love this recipe because it's easy and showcases the vegetable's beautiful red color and grounding earthy taste.  

This borsht recipe is perfect for the fall as beets are in season and are available at most farmers markets and CSAs around the country.  I developed this recipe while living in NYC after Hurricaine Sandy devastated much of the land of the CSA farm from which we received our vegetables.  For weeks we only received brown paper bags of beets and potatoes.  And for weeks I experimented with incorporating these vegetables into our meals.....

Ingredients:
1/2 of a large onion (diced)
4 cloves of garlic (razor-thin sliced)
2 medium-sized beets (sliced thin and cut into half moons)
2 medium-sized russet potatoes (sliced thin and cut into half moons)
3 cups of roughly chopped cabbage
1 cup of thinly sliced cauliflower (or another cup of cabbage)
3 Tablespoons of butter or grapeseed oil
1/4 cup of red wine vinegar
6-8 cups of chicken or vegetable broth (homemade is best)
2 Tablespoons or more of fresh dill
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon of cumin powder or cumin seed
Greek yogurt or sour cream

Heat a large cast iron pot and add butter/oil.  Cook onions on medium heat until translucent.  Add a dash of salt and the cumin and cook for another 2 minutes.  Add the potatoes to the pot and cook while stirring occasionally for 5 minutes or more.  Then add the beets and continue to stir for another 5 minutes.  It is important that the potatoes are cooked first and then the beets.  Continue adding the vegetables one at a time at intervals of five minutes.  The cabbage goes last.

After the vegetables are pretty well sauteed, add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.  Add about 1 cup of the vegetable or chicken stock to the pot, giving it a good stir, and making sure to loosen those bits of vegetables that have stuck to the bottom of the pan so that they can mix in with the soup.  Continue to add the stock until all the vegetables are completely covered by liquid.  You may have some stock left over.  Bring the stock and vegetable mix to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 45 minutes to one hour. Sometime during the simmering, usually closer to the end of cooking, add the vinegar.

When finished cooking, remove the pot from the heat and add 2 Tablespoons of the fresh dill.  Next, remove 1/2-1/3 of the soup from the pot and process (either in a blender, food processor, or with a hand blender).  Add the processed portion of the soup back to pot with the unprocessed portion of the soup.  I highly recommend this step as if makes the soup creamier and tastier and gives the soup a thicker consistency.

Serve this soup with a generous dollop of sour cream or greek yogurt, then garnish with a sprinkle of fresh dill.

*You can also add parsley in addition to or in place of the dill if you prefer.

*I like to enjoy this soup with a tablespoon of raw sauerkraut.  It gives it a kick and encourages healthy digestion.

Enjoy!

Twist and Shout!

Scientific research suggests that regular vagus nerve stimulation - that's the nerve that runs through your torso connecting all the major organs, including the digestive system - helps manage weight. Just another reason to make sure you are getting enough movement in that area of the body - core work, yes please! 

Twists are a fabulous way to stimulate the vagus nerve. Try this simple twist: On the floor, lie on your back with your arms spread out like a T and your legs stretched out long. Bend your right leg towards your chest and then cross it over your left thigh so that the bottom of your right foot touches the floor. Slowly let the weight of your right knee shift the bottom half of your body towards the left side. Gently encourage your body to keep both shoulders on the floor, but don't force them. After one minute, mindfully move your body back into the 'T position' and repeat on the other side. Remember to breathe deeply throughout the twist and respect your body's limitations.


Go to this link to read the article:
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0077221

Gratitude

“Through practice, I’ve come to see that the deepest source of my misery is not wanting things to be the way they are. Not wanting myself to be the way I am. Not wanting the world to be the way it is. Not wanting others to be the way they are. Whenever I’m suffering, I find this war with reality to be at the heart of the problem.”  ~ Stephen Cope

Is this something that you can relate to?  This definitely hit home for me.  Sometimes the greatest cause of suffering is how we look at things (our own perception).  Do we look at our bodies as things that need to be fixed, made thinner, whipped into shape or do we see them as vehicles for attaining our dreams or experiencing sensory pleasure in the surrounding world or with others?  Do we look at our relationships and see all that is wrong or missing, or all the ways that they support and nourish our lives?  Do you look at where you are in this moment in your life and feel gratitude for everything that you have or do you only see lack - what you don't have?  

How we look at our lives and everything in it has a tremendous impact on our emotional state or level of suffering.

A wonderfully effective and simple exercise that you can do everyday to help you shift how you are feeling and lift your spirits is to take a moment to either meditate on or write down 10 things that you are grateful for, or take a walk in the woods and listen to the world around you.
  

It's incredible how just shifting our perspective can change the way our day unfolds.

Improve Digestion Without Changing What You Eat

What we eat obviously affects our ability to digest food...  but did you know that HOW we eat also affects digestion?

The following are three things you can do that can improve your digestion without changing what you eat:

1.) Grandma was right.  Chew your food!

Have you ever counted the number of times you chew one bite of food before swallowing?  I'm guessing it's about 3-7 times, maybe less.  We should all be all be chewing each bite of food 30 times before we swallow and send it on down to our stomach.

Why?

Digestion begins in the mouth.  It is where the mechanical and enzymatic break down of food occurs (especially carbohydrates).  Taking our time to chew our food and allowing it to mix well with our saliva, is essential for the proper break down and absorption of complex carbohydrates and nutrients found in most of the plant based foods we eat, like vegetables, grains, and beans. Proper mastication of food also allows the rest of the digestive system to do its job more efficiently.

For those who adhere to a vegan or vegetarian diet: most nutrients you ingest are derived from plant-based foods, so chewing food thoroughly is crucial to ensure getting proper nutrition.

2.) Relax and Be Present

Optimal digestion occurs when we are relaxed and relishing in the moment of enjoying a meal.

When we are in a state of relaxation, the parasympathetic nervous system, which regulates digestion, creative play, and recuperation, is fully activated.
This means that when we eat in a state of relaxation we digest our food and absorb its nutrients more efficiently.

On the flip side of the coin, when we eat under circumstances where we are feeling stressed out, worried, upset, anxious, or in a rush, our digestion can become compromised.

To the brain, feelings of stress and anxiety, translate into a threat - whether it is perceived or real.   The types of 'threats' that we deal with today are likely to show up in the form of a job that makes us miserable, a deadline we have to meet, negative feelings we have about ourselves, or an unresolved conflict with a loved one. When the brain perceives a threat, a physiological shift occurs and our biochemistry changes so that we are more capable of dealing with that threat.  Unfortunately, this biochemical change results in a partial shut down of our digestive system which means we are less capable of digesting our food.  To make matters worse, when we're in a physiological state of stress, we release certain hormones, like cortisol, that make us more likely to hold onto and store fat, especially around the lower abdominal region.

Try as often as you can not to eat when you are feeling upset, anxious, angry, or rushing around. Deal with those feelings first, and then eat when you are feeling more relaxed and at peace.

Tips to help you relax and boost digestion:

• Create an enjoyable and relaxing atmosphere.  Set the table, play your favorite music, light a candle, use soft cloth napkins, or whatever you like to set the mood and get you present in the moment.
• Before you begin eating, sit down and breathe deeply down into your belly until you begin to feel settled back into your body.  
• Take a moment to appreciate the food that you are about to eat.
• Share good food with good people.  Sit down to meals with folks that you love and enjoy. 
• Pay attention to your food. Try not to eat distracted by TV, magazines, or the internet.  I know it's hard, but put the phone down.  ; )
• Continue to relax 10-15 minutes after your finished with your meal.

3.) Move Your Body, Postprandial

Mild exercise, like taking a walk after you've finished and relaxed after your meal, will help you to digest and assimilate your food.  Walking can stimulate peristalsis and increase circulation.

I like to take a short walk around the block a bit after I finish dinner. A 15 -20 minute walk really seems to get the digestive juices flowing and the food moving through my system.

Roasted Winter Squash: Two Recipes!!

Nothing is easier to prepare or more delicious than roasted winter squash.  This happens to be the perfect time of year for such a treat.  Roasting warms the kitchen and fills the whole house with earthy and buttery aromas.  Winter squash, in season during the fall, is high in complex carbohydrates which helps to provide us with sustained energy during this season's shorter days.

Winter squash is rich in the vitamins A and C, and is a good source of potassium, iron, riboflavin and magnesium.  The orange color of the flesh indicates the presence of carotenoids which means that it has anti-carcinogenic properties.

There are so many different kinds of winter squash to choose from: 

• Acorn Squash 
• Banana Squash
• Butternut Squash
• Delicata squash
• Kabocha Squash (janpanese pumpkin)
• Spaghetti Squash
• Turban Squash
• Hubbard Squash

Below I have provided two recipes. The first is a simple recipe for roasting the sweetest varieties of winter squash.  I suggest using either the acorn, butternut, kabocha, or delicata squash varieties.  Add this roasted squash to salads, use it as the base of a soup, or eat it simply as is... hot and yummy right out of the oven!

The second is a Roasted Squash Appetizer recipe adapted from NY Times Dining & Wine: Recipes by Jean-Georges Vongerichten's 'Squash on Toast'.  It is absolutely divine and perfect for a holiday appetizer.

To. Die. For.

Roasted Winter Squash

Ingredients:
1 large winter squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2 to 1-inch thick pieces (all the pieces should be the same size for more even cooking)
1-2 tablespoons of olive oil or grapeseed oil
Celtic sea salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees*.  Toss the squash pieces in the oil, seasoning with salt to taste.  Place the squash on a flat sheet metal pan (stainless steal is best), making sure not to crowd.  Crowding will cause the squash to steam and they will not develop the carmelized crust that is desired when roasting.
Roast the vegetables, checking and stirring them every 10-15 minutes  until they have formed the brownish carmelized crust and are soft in the middle, approximately 30 to 45 minutes depending on the size and thickness of the pieces.  When done, remove from the oven and enjoy!

*You can roast your vegetables as high as 450 degrees, but make sure to choose a fat that has a smoking point above that temperature, like almond oil or avocado oil.  I choose to roast my vegetables at the lower end of the roasting temperature spectrum because I use olive oil or grapeseed oil.  These two oils have a lower smoking point and therefore should not be heated above a certain temperature (olive oil is 375 degrees, while grapeseed oil is 425 degrees).  Once an oil reaches its smoking point (when the oil begins to burn and emit smoke) its chemical structure changes and it becomes hazardous to our health.  

Roasted Squash Appetizer

Ingredients:

1 2.5 to 3 lb. kabocha or other yellow-fleshed winter squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into pieces 1/8-1/4-inch thick

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt

1 yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced

1/4 cup raw apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup maple syrup

4 slices of country bread, 1-inch thick

1/2 cup ricotta, goat cheese, feta, or mascarpone

Course sea salt

4 tablespoons of chopped fresh mint

Heat the oven to 450 degrees**.  Combine the squash, 1/4 cup olive oil, chile flakes and 2 teaspoons of salt* in a bowl and toss well.  Transfer the mixture to a parchment-lined baking sheet and cook, stirring every few minutes, until tender and slightly colored, about 15 minutes or a little longer.  Remove from the oven.

Meanwhile, heat another 1/4 cup olive oil over medium-high heat, add the onions and remaining teaspoon of salt and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are well softened and darkening, at least 15 minutes.  Add the vinegar and maple syrup, stir, and reduce until syrupy and broken down, again at least 15 minutes or so; the mixture should be jammy.

Combine the squash and onions in a bowl and smash with a fork until well combined.  Taste for seasoning.  Add the remaining oil to a skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches if necessary, add bread and cook until just golden on both sides, less than 10 minutes total; drain on paper towels.  Spread cheese on toasts, then top with the squash onion mixture.  Sprinkle with course salt and garnish with mint.

YIELD
4 to 8 servings

Originally published with Roasted, Smashed, Dolloped, Devoured

By MARK BITTMAN, November 14, 2012

Copyright 2012

The New York Times Company

Privacy Policy

NYTimes.com 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018

**When I make this recipe I roast the squash at a lower temperature, at 375 - 400 degrees, to avoid reaching the smoking point of the oil.  This does extend the roasting time of the squash by about 15-20 minutes.  I also use Celtic sea salt or himalayan crystal salt instead of the kosher salt as these salts still have their mineral integrity intact.  Lastly, I use a raw milk goat's cheese for the dairy component.

For the toast, I simply drizzle olive oil on the sliced bread and bake at 325 degrees until lightly toasted.

**If you are gluten-free, like I am, you can replace the country bread with a gluten-free bread or gluten-free cracker.  Sometimes, I enjoy the squash topping over gluten-free grains, like brown rice or quinoa.

**If you are vegan, just omit the cheese.  This recipe is just as delicious as a non-dairy appetizer.

Self-Massage

Much of the time we are so caught up in what’s going on in our heads, that we often neglect our bodies. It is not often we find the time to check-in with our bodies in the ‘go faster, do more, push harder’ culture of modern life. But some times we need to slow down and offer our bodies some tender loving care.

So let’s take the time to escape from the busy-ness of our lives (because it will be there waiting when we get back), quiet that judgmental voice inside our heads (thank you, but scram for now!) and appreciate all that our bodies do for us by ....

Self-massage.  

Self-massage is a wonderful way to slow down, reconnect with the body, and cultivate self-compassion.  It is also an effective way to increase movement of lymph fluid, increase circulation, and stimulate the part of the nervous system that is responsible for repair and rejuvenation. 

Yes, self-massage is good for you!

 

When is a good time for self-massage?

Choose a time when you’re least likely to be interrupted for a good five to ten minutes. I usually choose the time immediately after I finish showering.  The bathroom is already warm and cozy from the shower and all I have to do is towel off.

What do I need for self-massage?

All you need is your favorite oil, lotion, or cream and a small hand towel. I stick to nut- or seed-based oils, like coconut or sesame, free from scents, stabilizers, or synthetic ingredients. I also recommend jojoba, almond oil, or olive oils.  Shea butter is nice, especially during the winter.  Shea is thicker, less oily (unless heated), and can be great if you experience dry skin during the colder months.

How do I self-massage?

Bring awareness to your breath.  Feel your breath slow and deepen as you shift your attention to it.  Stay here with your attention on your breath for about 6 inhalations and exhalations, breathing deeply down into the belly.  When you feel relaxed, you are ready to begin.

Either sitting or standing, you should start at your feet, massaging one leg at a time, directing your strokes up towards the heart. Be sure to work the areas between the toes, around the ankles, and behind the knees.  These are key areas where in lymph fluid likes to hang.  Begin to take notice of the thoughts and/or feelings that arise during the massage. Without judgment, ask yourself if these thoughts are serving you in this moment.  If they are not, gently let them go and shift your thoughts to those of appreciation and gratitude.  If you find yourself thinking about other things outside of the room, bring your attention back to your breath or back to the area of the body that you are working on.

When rubbing the legs make sure that you massage the ENTIRE leg.  This includes the inner and outer thighs, groin, and buttocks.  Often, these areas of our bodies get neglected or ignored because we feel self-conscious about them or are particularly hard on these parts of the body because they do not live up to our expectations.   If this rings true, I encourage you to spend extra time on these parts of the body. Give them the attention that they need, that they deserve. 

Again, directing all the long sweeping strokes towards the heart, work the arms starting with the hands and wrists. Make sure when you massage the arm that you also do some long strokes from the wrist all the way up the arm and into the armpit region.  This is a great stoke that moves the lymph towards the nodes in the armpit and the heart. Move onto the torso, massaging the belly, ribs, breasts, neck and chest.  Try to comfortably reach all the areas of your body, taking time to thank each and every part. 

When you are finished, take a few more deep breaths as you towel off the excess oil.

Self-massage is easy to work into your busy schedule and only takes a few minutes a day. It can help you slow down, relax, increase self-awareness, decrease stress, and improve body image.

Who knows, maybe it will inspire you to make an appointment with your favorite massage therapist to get at the areas of your body you can’t reach!

Natural Deodorant

Looking for a more natural and cost-effective deodorant or antiperspirant?

Try these healthier, inexpensive, and environmental-friendly alternatives:

Lemon Juice
The juice of an organic lemon is a wonderful and cheap alternative to those expensive and often chemically-laden antiperspirants.

Just cut an organic lemon in half.  Squeeze about 1/2 teaspoon of the juice into the palm of your hand and apply to underarm area.  Store the lemon in a glass jar or plastic bag in the refrigerator until you need to apply it again.  Lemon juice is a great natural anti-bacterial agent.  The bacteria in your armpit is what causes you to emit a smell.  The lemon juice helps you to stay fresh as it keeps those smelly bacteria in check.

Coconut Oil/Essential Oil Mix*
Coconut oil has antibacterial qualities, and is also a wonderful moisturizer for your skin.
Mix 2 Tablespoons of coconut oil with 6 drops of lavender essential oil, 6 drops of lemon essential oil, and 2 drops of melaluca (tea tree) essential oil.  Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator for up to two weeks and apply as needed.

Note: Be careful to apply this mixture right out of the shower and wipe off any excess oil with a towel before dressing to avoid possible stains from the oil.
If you think the coconut oil is too messy you can just apply the lavender, lemon, and melaluca essential oils directly to your underarms as these oils also possess strong anti-bacterial qualities.

I use both!!! I like to first apply the coconut/essential oil mix to my freshly shaved underarms and right before I leave the house, I apply the lemon juice, as it can sting if you sustained any nicks during the event of shaving.  I also make sure that I eat plenty of green leafy veggies throughout the day as chlorophyll acts as a lovely internal deodorant.  Just one more reason to make sure you're getting enough greens!

*I use dōTERRA essentials oils.  The dōTERRA CPTG Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade^® label means that these essential oils represent the safest, purest, and most beneficial essential oils available.  If you'd like to learn more about these oils or purchase them for personal use, go to http://www.doterra.com/us/essentialDefinition.php or email me at teal.stamm@gmail.com.

What deodorant alternatives can you suggest?  

Turmeric

One of the most powerful and effective medicines available to you today might reside in your spice rack.

Curcumin, the yellow pigment found in the spice, turmeric, has for centuries been used in the treatment of anti-inflammatory diseases, especially inflammation of the digestive tract.

More recently, however, research has shown curcumin  to have anti-cancer, anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-diabetic effects.

Turmeric is one of the key ingredients that comprises the Indian spice mix, curry.  The mix of spices found in curry not only taste good together, but they actually work together synergistically to enhance each other's healing properties.

For most healthy adults, 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric every day should be enough to allow you to experience its health benefits.

If you're not up for eating a bowl of curry everyday, there are other ways to incorporate this spice into your daily diet.  But, keep in mind, for turmeric to be fully assimilated by the body it needs to be mixed with one or all of the following:

• black pepper
• fat - coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, or ghee is best
• ginger
• raw honey

Looking for an easy way to incorporate turmeric into your diet?

Dissolve 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric in two tablespoons of oil or ghee.  Throw in a hefty pinch of black pepper and add this mixture to your soups, stews, smoothies, salad dressings, and vegetables.  

In this blog I offer several recipes that include turmeric and at least one of the foods listed above.  Try my Anti-inflammatory Smoothie for a morning pick me up or Hearty Red Lentil Stew for sustained energy in a bowl!  

Get Outside and Take a Sun Bath!!!

 Make sure you get out into the sun and soak up some of those rays!

I know we are heading into the cold months of winter where we feel more inclined to hunker down indoors, but getting enough sun exposure is essential to maintaining healthy levels of vitamin D.

Sun rays are Mother Nature's safe and natural, gift wrapped source of vitamin D.

Benefits of regular sun exposure/vit. D include:
-boosts immunity
-improves metabolism
-better sleep
-improves mood (protects against SAD, seasonal affect disorder)
-increases energy levels
-protects against certain diseases like osteoporosis, macular degeneration, auto-immune disorders, and type 2 diabetes

Make sure that you get out and into the sun everyday!

Plan to meet a friend for a walk outside. Go for a hike. All you need is 20 minutes to an hour a day of sun exposure. Hit two birds with one stone and combine your designated time for exercising with the time you spend in the sun!

What creative ways will you devise to make sure you get your fill of sunshine this month?

Morning Glory Muffins

... and oh how glorious they are!!

Gluten-free, grain-free, sugar-free, dairy-free, and soy-free!

Keeping with the spirit of health and awareness month, I am sharing these delicious and unbelievably healthy muffins.  They only contain the natural sugars from whole fruits and vegetables and are super easy to make.

Here's the recipe....

Ingredients

1 large granny smith apple, cored and cut into cubes with skin

¼ cup water

½ teaspoon of apple cider vinegar

½ cup dried apricots (chopped)

3 eggs

1/3 cup coconut oil or grape seed oil, (I use 1/8 cup coconut oil and 1/8 cup grapeseed oil)

2 cups finely ground almond meal

1 tablespoon of coconut flour

½ teaspoon of baking soda

1/4 teaspoon of vanilla

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon of allspice

1/8 teaspoon of ground ginger

¼ teaspoon of salt

½ cup raisins

1 cup grated carrots

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Make the applesauce.  Combine the granny smith apple, water, and a pinch of salt in a sauce pan, bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer while stirring until the apple becomes mushy and takes on the consistency of applesauce (about 10 minutes).  Stir in the apricots and remove from the heat. 

In a large bowl combine the wet ingredients: applesauce, vanilla, apple cider vinegar, and coconut oil.

In another bowl mix together the dry ingredients: almond meal, coconut flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, allspice, and cinnamon.

Combine the eggs, dry ingredients, and wet ingredients.  Mix well.  Fold the grated carrots and raisins into the batter.

Place paper muffin cups in 6-8 cup muffin pan and divide batter into cups.  Bake in oven at 350 degrees until muffin tops become visibly golden brown, approximately 25 minutes.

This recipe should make about 12 muffins.

*If you would like to make a vegan version of these muffins, just substitute 3 ‘flax eggs’ for the 3 chicken eggs.

To make flax eggs: 1 ‘egg’ = 1 tablespoon of flax meal and 3 tablespoons of water.

In a bowl whisk together 3 tablespoons of flax meal and 9 tablespoons of warm water.  Place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes before adding to your batter.

30 Tidbits to Better Your Health

Happy National Health Awareness month! 

To honor health awareness and support you along your journey to good health and wellness,  I will be posting tips, recipes, or healthy fun facts to my blog for every day of the month of November!  I'm calling it '30 Tidbits to Better Your Health'.

If you'd like to have these 30 bite-size health tidbits delivered to your email inbox each morning, subscribe by entering your email address under the 'Follow By Email' heading on the left hand side of the page.

I pass these tidbits of information along hoping that one or two might inspire you to take action towards improving your health and living an inspired life.  Regardless of where you are in your commitment to your health and wellbeing, let these tips serve as a good reminder that it's a culmination of all the small things that we do everyday that create long-lasting and vibrant health.

Let's kick off this month's 30 Tidbits with my #1 health tip for November:  Move Your Body!!!

We all know that we should be exercising regularly, but why is it so hard to get started and stick to it?  Read on to learn more about the benefits of exercise and my top 4 tips to helping you stick to it!

Health Tip #1: Move Your Body

It's official.  We, as human beings, are meant to move our bodies on a regular basis. 

In fact, sticking to a consistent exercise routine is probably the most effective way to improve or maintain our mental, emotional, and physical health.

 Studies show that physical activity improves quality of sleep, helps maintain a healthy body weight, contributes to weight loss, improves mood, protects the part of the brain responsible for memory, and controls insulin levels, therefore, decreasing one's risk of developing diabetes. 

For a more in depth discussion about benefits of physical activity, go to the Harvard School of Public Health's Nutrition Source website. 

BUT, many of us know most of this information - at least know enough to understand that exercising regularly is something we should be doing.  Yet many of us have a difficult time getting started and/or maintaining regular exercise.

Below, I've listed 4 tips that have always helped me get in my exercise groove and stick with it.

4 Tips for sticking to an exercise routine:

#1. Choose physical activity that you enjoy and brings you pleasure.

In other words, find ways to move your body that make you feel excited about the fact that you have a body!  This is so important for two main reasons: 

First, we are more likely to stick with something that is fun and makes us feel good. Makes sense, right?  To reap the benefits of exercise, it is necessary to do it on a regular and consistent basis.  If you derive pleasure from what you are doing, then you are more likely to continue doing it. 

Second, how we think and feel about something has real physiological consequences.   An exercise routine that brings up feelings of dread, punishment, or any other negative thoughts can trigger the release of certain stress-response hormones, like cortisol, that may possibly counter the beneficial effects of exercise, including preventing you from losing those excess lbs. 

There is no ONE right way to move your body, just like there is no ONE right way to eat.  Each of us has different bodies, needs, lifestyles, interests, and health concerns.  Let these aspects of your life be a guide in choosing what types of movement are best for you and be open to it changing in the future.

#2. Plan out the how, when, and where you are going to exercise at the beginning of each week and WRITE IT DOWN.

I find that one of the most effective ways for me to sticking to an exercise routine is to pencil it into my date book at the beginning of each week.  It only takes 15 minutes at the most each Sunday night and then I don't have to think about it for the rest of the week.  I just look at my planner and follow what's written.  Like my mother always says, "If it's written down, it gets done." 

 #3. Be clear on your reasons or motivation for exercising, write them down (or use representative images or quotes) and put them in a place you will see or read them everyday.

So, how many of you have gotten really excited about moving your body on a regular basis, committed yourself to doing it, meticulously written it into your schedule, joined all the appropriate clubs and organizations to facilitate regular exercise and found that a few days in, life takes over and all the voices in your head are telling you that going home, getting in your pajamas, and cuddling up with a book and a slice of pumpkin bread makes WAY more sense than throwing on your tennis shoes and going to Zumba class after a never-ending day of hard work and frustration?  Sound familiar?

When the voice of your highest self (the one that got you to go out and buy that unlimited month of yoga just four days ago) is being drowned out by the voice seeking immediate gratification or resisting change, it is important to clarify the reasons for wanting to exercise.

Writing down the reasons for the changes we are seeking within ourselves reminds us of the bigger picture and helps us overcome those cravings for comfort that take us off the path we have set for ourselves. 

I find that having little notes, images, or quotes representing the changes I want to see in my life scattered around the house really help to serve as reminders and motivators in keeping me on track towards my goals. 

 #4. Find ways to move your body throughout the day - aside from the time you specifically dedicate to exercise.

Choose the stairs over the elevator.  Walk or bike to work.  Park far away from the store entrance.  Take breaks at work and walk around the block.  Stretch your legs before bed.  Do leg lifts while you watch TV.

These small moments of movement contribute to raising overall energy levels as well as making us feel more connected to our bodies.  When we feel energized and connected to our bodies, we are more inclined to follow through with scheduled exercise time. The more we move our bodies, the  the more we WANT to move our bodies.

Remember, it's getting started that's the hardest part. Once we remind our bodies how good it feels to move regularly, we begin to crave it and can't imagine what life was like before we had the gift of joyful movement in our lives.

What kind of commitment have you made to moving your body this month?  Do you have helpful tips that you'd like to share for sticking with a consistent exercise routine? 

Please share in the comment section below.  I'd love to hear from you!

Hearty Red Lentil Stew

This red lentil stew is perfect for early fall's chill and new cravings for warm yummy goodness.

Red lentils are a great source of fiber, folic acid, protein, and minerals.  Combine these nutrition packed legumes with homemade chicken stock, brown rice, and fresh veggies and you have yourself a delicious powerhouse of nutrition (and comfort) in a bowl.

I want to highlight the benefits of using homemade stock for all of your soups and stews.  Using homemade stock adds a wonderful depth of flavor to any recipe.  The taste of a homemade stock is so superior to that of store-bought, once you go homemade, it will be hard to go back to the boxed variety.  Homemade meat stock is an easy and inexpensive way to get some of the key essential nutrients your body needs for tissue regeneration and repair.  The slow and steady cooking process (up to 24 hours) extracts minerals and amino acids from the bones - be that of chicken, beef, lamb, or fish - and vegetables, leaving them in a liquid form that is readily available and easy to absorb.

To learn more about the benefits of bone broth and stocks, visit one of my favorite online resources, Nourished Kitchen: http://nourishedkitchen.com/bone-broth/.  This website is devoted to sharing more traditional ways of preparing food and provides an easy-to-follow recipe for those who are new to making stock: http://nourishedkitchen.com/roast-chicken-stock/

Of course, if you don't happen to have the time to make homemade stock or have any on hand in your freezer, an organic store bought broth or stock will do just fine.

Ingredients
1/2 cup red lentils
1/2 cup short grain brown rice
2 tablespoons of raw apple cider vinegar
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1/2 small head of cauliflower, sliced
1/4 head of cabbage, thinly sliced or shredded
3 large kale leaves, julienned
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon of grated ginger root
1 in. strip of kombu, hydrates
6 cups of homemade chicken stock or vegetable stock
1 1/2 Tablespoons of Madras Curry Powder
1-2 teaspoons of turmeric
1/2 teaspoon of chili powder
2 tablespoon cilantro, roughly chopped (garnish)
4 tablespoon of grass fed butter, ghee, or olive oil
3 cups of filtered water
sea salt and black pepper to taste

Soak the brown rice and lentils in 2 1/2 cups of filtered water and raw apple cider vinegar overnight or for 8 hours.  You can soak them separately or together.  I soak them together.
Rehydrate the kombu in 1/2 cup of filtered water for 30 minutes before adding it to the stew.

In a cast iron ceramic or stainless steel pot, saute the butter with carrots over a medium to high flame for 5 minutes.  Add the onions and cook until almost translucent.  Add the cauliflower, madras curry, turmeric, and chili powder, cooking until the edges of the vegetables begin to slightly brown.  Add the celery, cabbage, and kale cooking for an addition 5 minutes.  Add the ginger and garlic and cook for 2 minutes.  Next add the rinsed lentils and rice, kombu, tomatoes, and 6 cups of chicken stock.  Bring to a boil, cover, turn down the flame, and simmer for 45 minutes.
When the stew is close to done, add the salt and black pepper ( I like a to add a lot of black pepper to this recipe) to taste and cook for an additional 10 minutes, adding more stock if needed.
If time allows, when the stew is finished cooking, let it stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Serve with a garnish of fresh cilantro.

Serves 3-4.

Bon appetit!

Anti-Inflammatory Smoothie, Take 2 - The Savory

Let me introduce to you the second installation of my two-part Anti-Inflammatory Smoothie Series - The Savory.  This alkalizing elixir will add a skip to your step while addressing chronic inflammation in the body.

Whether you are addressing a known  health issue or taking proactive approach to maintaining optimum health, The Savory is a great way to start your day.






Possible health benefits:

• Full of antioxidants to help protect against cancer, heart disease, and auto-immune illnesses
• Relief from sore joints and muscles
• Increased and sustained energy throughout the day
• A host of other healthy and healing benefits!!!

Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon of organic extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon of raw apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon of lemon juice
1-2 teaspoons of turmeric powder
10-15 black peppercorns
1 small tomato
1/4 of an onion
2 raw garlic cloves
1/2 inch. fresh ginger root
1 handful of parsley
1 handful of cilantro
3 kale leaves
1 cups of filtered water
3 ice cubes
pinch of high quality salt

Roughly chop kale, tomato, and onion.  Put all of the ingredients into the vitamix blender, except for the ice cubes, and blend for 30 seconds.  While continuing to blend, add the three ice cubes and blend for another 30 seconds to a minute.

Serves two.

Note: When I cook or prepare food I rarely measure anything.  This can turn out to be a complete disaster or surprisingly magical.  In this case, it turned out to be the latter.  The recipe above is a guess-timate of my improvisation.  

Anti-Inflammatory Smoothie

Chronic inflammation seems to be the underlying cause of many of the common health issues plaguing Americans today - whether it be auto-immune diseases, painful and inflamed joints or muscles,  heart disease, or cancer.  Therefore, it is important to make sure that you are getting plenty of anti-inflammatory foods into your diet everyday.

What foods are anti-inflammatory?  To put it simply, fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, herbs, spices, certain kinds of fish like wild-caught salmon, whole grains, and legumes - basically your good old-fashioned whole foods diet.

Below I have shared one of my favorite anti-inflammatory smoothies.  It contains the spices turmeric, ginger, and cinnamon - all three known for their anti-inflammatory (and anti-bacterial) qualities.  I have also thrown some chia seeds into the mix as these super seeds are touted for their high content of Omega 3 fatty acids - another big player in the fight against chronic inflammation.  If you like spice and you like thick, you are sure to enjoy this delicious and energy bestowing beverage.

Ingredients
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
1 Tablespoon of chia seeds
1 in. piece of raw ginger (skin and all)
1/2 large carrot cut into 1 in. pieces
1 frozen banana (approximately 1/2 cup)
1 large handful (approximately 1/3 cup) of soaked raw almonds*
Pinch of Celtic sea salt
1 Tablespoon of raw honey
1 cup filtered water

*soak almonds in filtered water for 4-6 hours or overnight

Place cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, banana, carrots, chia seeds, almonds, honey, salt, and the filtered water into the blender.  Blend until smooth, adding more water as needed for desired consistency.


Take a deep belly breath, think happy thoughts, and enjoy!


Inspired by Julia's Kitchen Golden Smoothie

Maintaining Digestive Health while Traveling

I have been traveling a lot this summer, moving cross country from NYC to Boulder as well as visiting friends and relatives.  Being on the move so much has brought to my attention how traveling can really have an impact on the digestive system.  Therefore, I have put together a few tips about how to keep your digestive system functioning smoothly when you travel.

I follow these four easy tips and so can you.  

1) Drink water!  

If you haven't read my previous blog post, read it here before proceeding.  It is all about the importance of staying hydrated.  One of the many reasons to drink water, particularly while traveling, is that it helps your body to function smoothly and efficiently.  One of those many functions, of course, is the elimination of waste.  Staying hydrated is especially important when traveling by plane because the air inside the plane's cabin is very dry; much drier than your typical indoor environment.  To give you some perspective, normal indoor humidity levels usually range between 30-65 percent.  The air in the cabin of an airplane has a 10-20 percent humidity level.  Hours spent in this dry climate will definitely contribute to dehydration if you aren't drinking enough water.

At the same time, try to avoid alcohol before and during the flight.  Alcohol is a diuretic, which means it increases the output of urine.  Drinking alcohol may increase your risk of becoming dehydrated and possibly contribute to sluggish or stopped up bowels. 

When I travel I always make sure that I am sipping from a water bottle leading up to the flight, during the flight, and after the flight.

2) Move Your Body On Travel Day(s)  

Hopefully, you have already established moving your body on a regular basis, but making sure you get some exercise on the day you travel will be especially important for maintaining digestive function.

Air travel: If you don't have an early flight, go for a walk or a run, ride a bike, pop into the gym, or do any kind of exercise that you enjoy - aerobic exercise is best.  Aerobic exercise increases heart and breathing rate, which encourages healthy peristalsis or movement of food through the digestive tract as a result of the contraction of the muscles of the intestines.  The more efficiently food moves through the intestines, the less problems you will have with digestive issues, like constipation.

Even if you do have an early flight, set aside 15 minutes to stretch and do some deep belly breathing before leaving for the airport.  If you cannot exercise before leaving for the airport, use the time between exiting security and boarding for your flight to do a few brisk laps around the terminal.  If possible, find a quiet corner for a few stretches and deep breathing.  Do not be concerned if (when) people look at you funny.  Just remind yourself of how much more comfortable you'll feel during and after the flight.

Land travel: If you are traveling by car - same thing.  Find time in the day before you get into the car and start your drive.  If that's not possible, make pit stops every couple of hours to walk, move around, and stretch for 15 minutes.

My magic routine before travel? One hour of brisk walking, 15 minutes of stretching with an emphasis on torso twists and calves, and 5 minutes of deep breathing.  I also tend to get a little anxious before I travel and this routine helps me to relax and set my mind at ease.

3) Tread Lightly - Eat Lightly  

Eat lightly the night before and the day you travel.  Traveling in general can be stressful on both a physical and emotional level.  Just getting from your house to the airport and then on to the airplane can be a stressful event, let alone the actual flight.  Even being in a different environment than what you're used to, with different food, water, and air as well as changing your daily routine can be stressful on the body.  This stress, even though it's temporary, can throw your digestive system for a loop.  Eating smaller, lighter meals before and during travel days can help to alleviate some of the stress experienced by the digestive system, thus resulting in less digestive upset.

What does eat lightly mean?
Eat until your satisfied, not until you feel full.  Also, try sticking to healthy and easily digested foods like fresh fruits and veggies (cooked as well as raw), soaked and cooked whole grains, soups, and  herbal teas.  Of course, 'easily digested foods' can differ on an individual basis, so keep that in mind.  For example, if you know that eating raw vegetables leads to digestive upset, then eat cooked vegetables instead.  It's just as important to listen to and get to know what foods work for your body and what foods don't.  This is more important than what I or anyone else tells you.

In general, again keeping in mind what works for your body, try to avoid heavy foods like red meat, dairy, beans*, nuts* and seeds* as these foods can be hard to digest.   You may also want to avoid sugar and overly processed carbohydrates as these are stressful for the body and detrimental to digestive and overall health.

*unless properly soaked and sprouted which increases digestibility

4) Pack Your Own snacks

Sometimes, the foods that are healthy and easiest to digest aren't offered at the airport or on the plane, so I always plan on packing my own.  It takes a little planning and preparation, but boy is it worth it when hunger sets in and there is nothing around but food that means trouble for my digestive system. 

Air travel:
My favorite snacks to pack?
-Berries
-Raw carrots sticks
-Apple slices
-Raw almond butter, microgreens, and banana sandwich on sprouted bread
-Sprouted nut and seed trail mix with dark chocolate chips and dried blueberries
-Dark chocolate bar
-Parsley (yes, I like to chomp on this as is)
-Kale chips



Land travel: If you are traveling by car, pack a cooler full of fruit, carrots and celery sticks, hummus, avocados, homemade trail mix, a jar of almond or peanut butter, some of your favorite whole grain bread, hard-boiled eggs, kefir, and what ever else you like to eat (leftovers from last night's dinner?).  Unfortunately, these healthy goodies aren't always available when you're traversing the states.  Having some good food on hand can help you avoid eating foods of the less healthy kind, thus, helping you to avoid digestive distress. 

5) Don't Rough it without Roughage 

Make sure that you continue to get plenty of fiber before, during, and after you fly in the form of fresh fruits and veggies as well as other plant-based whole foods sources.  Before I travel, I always check out what restaurants, cafes, and grocery stores in the area of my travel destination offer healthy and delicious options.  This way, when I get there I know exactly where I can go to find fresh whole foods.  This especially comes in handy when visiting family or friends for an extended period of time.

Some other helpful hints:
-If you already take a probiotic supplement regularly, I recommend continuing to take it on your travels.  If the probiotic you take is of the variety that requires refrigeration, don't worry.  Just go to your local health food store and ask them to point you in the direction of a shelf-stable probiotic, closest in make-up to the one that you are currently taking, that does not need refrigeration.  If you are not taking a probiotic, I would not recommend starting during your travels.  Often, it takes time to find a probiotic that works with your body, and you don't want to start that process away from the comfort of your home or with out the guidance of a trusted health professional.

Well, friends, I hope these tips help!  They sure have been helpful to me!  Safe and happy traveling!

Drink Your Water, it's Summertime and it's Hot!

If you are experiencing the following:

• poor digestion
• bad breath
• headaches
• sluggish thinking
• skin breakouts
• general fatigue    

It's possible that you may not be drinking enough water.  After all, it is summer, a time when we tend to play hard, sweat more, and spend prolonged time in the sun.  

One of the easiest and most important things we can do to look and feel our best is to simply just make sure we're are drinking enough water everyday.

What's enough water?  As a general rule of thumb 8-10 eight oz. glasses is a good place to start.  Of course you want to adjust your daily water intake for activity level (the more active, the more water), where you live (in the mountains you're going to want to drink more), climate (the hotta, the more watta), height, weight, etc....

I know, it sounds too easy, but try it out for a few weeks, making the necessary individual adjustments, and see if you experience the following benefits:

• Improved Skin Quality  Water not only improves the elasticity and texture of the skin, but can lessen the degree of nasty acne breakouts.  Drinking plenty of water helps to flush toxins from the body that would otherwise try to escape through the skin in the form of pimples.

• Curbed Cravings   Sometimes when we feel hungry, our bodies are actually telling us that it's approaching dehydration.  If you're inappropriately hungry or experience a strange food craving, drink a glass of water and wait fifteen minutes before reaching for that treat.  Drinking enough water actually contributes to maintaining a healthy weight.

• Improved Mood and Feelings of Well-being  When we're not getting enough water we get tend to get irritable.  Do yourself and everyone who loves you a favor, DRINK WATER and FEEL HAPPY!  

• Increased Energy and Improved Overall Health   We can live without pretty much anything in the world for 3 days EXCEPT water.  Our bodies are comprised of approximately 80% water.  If we're chronically dehydrated, we're chronically not functioning at our full potential.  When we give the body what it needs to do its job properly, in this case appropriate hydration, we experience it in the way we look, feel, and function.  

Staying hydrated doesn't have to be a chore or a bore!  There are lots of ways to fill your daily quota of water that are easy and taste good.

• Spruce your water up with a few slices of cucumber, a twist of lemon or lime, a fresh mint leaf, or some freshly squeezed ginger juice.  I personally like to add a drop or two of doTERRA therapeutic grade oils to my water.  I add tangerine or lemon oil in the morning to support my liver, and DigestZen, a combination of oils that support healthy digestion, after a big meal.  These are easy, no calorie, ways to add some life and health benefits to your water.

• Brew a batch of herbal sun tea.  Here's how: choose one of your favorite herbal teas.  My herbal tea of choice is a mix of my two favorites: hibiscus and peppermint.  Place 4-5 tea bags (in my case, 3 hibiscus and 2 peppermint) in an extra large mason jar, fill with filtered water, screw on lid, turn upside down, and place in the sun.  After 5-6 hours or less, the sun's rays will have brewed you up a batch of lovely tea.  You can either pour the tea over ice with a freshly torn mint leaf or place in the refrigerator to cool.  You can drink this healthy concoction throughout the day.  If you like it sweet, add a natural sweetener, like stevia or agave nectar, to the mix after it has brewed, but before it is cooled.

*Don't have extended exposure to the sun or want to cut down on time?

To make this iced herbal tea on the fly, you can skip placing the jar of water and tea bags in the sun and do one of two things:

1) Place the jar of tea bags and water directly into the refrigerator.  A few hours later you will have a cold, refreshing, and delicious herbal  beverage.  

2) Place the tea bags and 1 cup of boiling water in the jar.  After 3-5 minutes, fill the rest of the jar with cold water.  Pour over ice and enjoy immediately. 

• Keep a full container of water accessible throughout the day, whether you are on the go or at your desk.  Having a bottle of water nearby will remind you to take a sip when you are thirsty.

• Drink water with lemon in the morning.  Get in the habit of drinking a large glass of warm water with the juice of half a lemon upon rising in the morning.  This healthy habit not only flushes out your kidneys and liver, but helps to cut down cravings for stimulants, like caffeine.  This too can be made into a lemonade if you prefer something sweet.  Just add your favorite natural sweetener.

• Increase your daily consumption of seasonal fruit and vegetables. Cucumbers, melons (watermelon, yum!!!), tomatoes, lettuces, and onions are all high in water content.  Eating this seasonal produce as is or juicing it can be a divine experience in the summertime AND help you to stay hydrated and cool.  Here's how to make my favorite summertime thirst quencher:

Watermelon Fun

Ingredients:

1 cup of fresh or frozen watermelon

1/3 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries

1 cup of coconut water

Fresh mint leaves to taste

A few ice cubes

Directions:

Place all the ingredients into a blender and blend till smooth.

I hope these simple and tasty suggestions inspire you to drink more water and stay hydrated in the hot sun!  Cheers!