Bean, Beans are good for your......

I made this bean salad the other day and turned it into several different meals for all of us. The kids ate quesadillas and ewan and myself turned it into a healthy dinner. Beans have a good amount of protein, low in fat, very low in the glycemic index (sugar scale), high in fiber, help lower bad cholesterol, assist in weight loss and are inexpensive.

Look at these comparisons I found for Lean Ground Beef Vs. Black Beans

LEAN GROUND BEEF
Amount: 4 ounces
Calories: 306
Fat grams: 20
Protein grams: 23
Fiber in grams: 0

BLACK BEANS
Amount: 8 ounces (twice as much as the beef above!)
Calories: 227
Fat grams: .09
Protein grams: 17.9
Fiber in grams: 15

What difference in fat and fiber! and you almost get the same amount of protein!

I used 1 can of the Eden Organics black beans and 1 of the small red beans (this brand does not line their cans with Bisphenol-A)
I then added finely chopped tomoato, red onion, cilantro, orange peppers, corn and avocado. Tossed these ingredients and added a little sea salt.

I spoon some of the mixture into a flax tortilla for the kids with a little chesse and grilled in the panini press.

Hers (on top of some basmatic rice and a spinach/arugala mix)

and His.....(the works....)

Just Jump!

Did you know that a 10 minute jump on a rebounder (mini trampoline) is equivalent to a 30 minute run with 80% less stress on your joints! We have one in the backyard and the kids LOVE jumping on it. I am actually debating getting another as taking turns seems to be quite an issue these days. Another amazing benefit is that it moves your lymphatic tissue (which eliminates viruses, bacteria and cancer cells!). It also tires active kiddies out which is always helpful at the end of a day!

Backyard Beauty

Our old house had a beautiful perennial garden and we simply lived in this garden oasis. Our new house, well, not so much. With all this nice weather we started out with building a deck over the concrete slab that existed(more on this soon...). We have an old wooden bench that I decided to paint. I normally would never paint wood, but for some reason today I felt the backyard needed a splash of colour, and since we still have to garden, I thought I would colour up the backyard with a fresh coat of yellow paint on an old bench. In colour therapy, yellow stimulates mental concentration, aids in liver cleansing and brings joy to one's life. Hmmmm......

after a quick sanding
helping
done!

Gratitude

Thank-you so much for all that attended last nights seminar. There was tons of information, and I hope people left feeling inspired and not too overwhemled! I knew I would not get through all the stuff I wanted to talk about, my plan is to have a part 2 to the session in september and then we can focus on the things we really want to try avoid in our food and cosmetic products.
I wanted to summarize some key things and leave you with some of the statistics I mentioned last night.
1. Aim for Vegetarian Meals: higher in vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and anti-oxidants. Less environmental chemicals as they are lower on the food chain.
2. Alkalanize your diet: Eat Geens!!
3. Stabalize Blood Sugar levels: remember about glycemic index and coupling foods that are higher GI foods with some fiber, protein or fat.
4. Eat High Fiber Foods
5. Assess for food sensitivities

Facts:

1. A 2004 sudy evaluated USDA food composition data of 43 garden crops between 1950 and 1999 show that as a group the vegetables contained:

• 16% less calcium
• 9% less phosphorus
• 15% less iron
• Protein down 6%,
• Vitamin B2 down 38%
• Vitamin C down 15%

2. Study:
http://depthome.brooklyn.cuny.edu/anthro/faculty/mitrovic/davis_2009_food_nutrient.pdf
looked at declining nutritional values and came to the following conclusion: “Recent studies of historical nutrient content data for fruits and vegetables spanning 50 to 70 years show apparent median declines of 5% to 40% or more in minerals, vitamins, and protein in groups of foods, especially in vegetables.”

3. By choosing five servings of fruit and vegetables a day from the clean list, most people can lower the volume of pesticides they consume daily by 92%, the report says. A study by Harvard School of Public Health found children exposed to pesticides had a higher risk of developing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

4. In a study of over 1,200 men conducted at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, WA, men eating 28 servings of vegetables a week had a 35% lower risk of prostate cancer, but those consuming just 3 or more servings of cruciferous vegetables each week had a 44% lower prostate cancer risk.

Here are a few pictures from the night!

Naturopathic Lecture at the Barns

Tomorrow is the Naturopathic Lecture in the Gallery at the Wychwood Barns from 7-8:30 pm. I have been working for the last few weeks putting this community event together and I hope it will be both informative and a fun social gathering of like minded individual. We will be discussing diet, what foods to eat and what to avoid as well as cosmetic ingedients to avoid! I have a demonstration using someone's urine sample and then we can discuss stress and some ways to optimize energy levels. I have set up lots of great information, handouts, some of my favorite books to browse. There will also be tasting stations of an assortment of vitamins, smoothies, greens drinks, tons of free samples (everyone loves these!) and a few giveaways to the lucky winners! If you can't make it for the whole event please try to stop by for a quick visit! Bring your family and friends. Hope to see you there......

Vegetarian Options

I stopped eating red meat when I was about 16 years old and about a year later stopped eating fish, chicken and turkey. I eat a lot of veggies, fruits, grains, tofu, beans, nuts/seeds. Aidan has recently decided he does not eat chicken, he says he does not like it, and who am I to argue with that! (this is not for animal loving reasons as he still loves his bacon!) I try to cook some healthy veggie dishes, and tonight in about 15 minutes put together dinner. I quickly sauteed garlic with onions, tossed in an assortment of cut up veggies (red peppers, carrots, green beans, broccoli) and for a protein I added some organic chickpeas and stir-fried it for about 5-10 min. I topped this onto some basmati rice and the kids (as well as myself) loved it!

checking it out
eating it up!

JoyFear

I read this blog, zen habits, and just came across the most recent post called JoyFear.....I think more people should live with JoyFear. It is when you have a defining moment in your life that is joyful, yet also fearful. I think to have a happy life you sometimes need to take risks, especially if you are currently unhappy. Sometimes when you want to take on a new endevour, you might need a kick in the pants from JoyFear
Take a peak....
http://zenhabits.net