Monthly Archives: February 2012

My Brilliant Cooking Mistake that You and Your Family will Love

Posted on by
2

I cook almost everything in my pressure cooker: pasta, beans, rice, sauces, dips, steamed vegetables…

Yesterday I cooked raw red lentils for the first time in the pressure cooker. I didn’t realize that they cook much quicker than other legumes. When I opened the lid after just about 8 minutes, it looked like mush. I added ghee, some lemon pepper from Trader Joes and a dash of Himalayan pink salt crystals and mashed it up. It also lost some of the orange so it truly looked like mashed potatoes. The kids LOVED it!

Unlike starchy potatoes, red lentils are filled with protein and fiber. They are known to prevent blood sugar levels from increasing after a meal, lower cholesterol and provide a great source of 6 minerals, including 2 B vitamins. They also have almost no fat and at 240 calories per cup, they fill you up  so that you feel satisfied after your meal.

Recipe
1 Cup Red Lentils – examine, sort and rinse well before cooking
1 tbsp ghee
Pinch of Salt
Pinch of Lemon Pepper (from Trader Joes)

Place red lentils in pressure cooker and pour enough water so that the water rises approximately 1/4 of an inch above the lentils with the salt.

Bring pressure cooker to a boil and then let it simmer for approximately 4 minutes.

When you open the pressure cooker, add a dab more of salt, pepper and the ghee and mash.

JOOS Chia Saved Me at the Superbowl Party and I Still had a Blast!

Posted on by
Reply

Superbowl parties are notorious for the most indulgent food ever. The one I attended was no exception. Delicious sour cream, bean and cheese dips, pizza, chicken wings, nachos. By the time dessert was served, hardly anyone touched the humungous chocolate cake or the plentiful amount of cookies, cupcakes and brownies.

Fortunately for me, I had two JOOS Chia during the day so by the time I arrived at the party, I was nearly full. That didn’t stop me from eating the smoked salmon spread with chips, a piece of quiche and a couple cookies, but I literally couldn’t eat more no matter how hard I tried. I also drank plenty of water throughout the night.

This morning I woke up feeling light, compared to the Twitter and Facebook posts I’ve seen about how horrible people are feeling from over-eating.

I won’t get into details,  but another major benefit is that JOOS Chia helps the flow!

With JOOS Chia, you can still consume chips and beer, but without over-indulging.

You have the right to be healthy and enjoy life!

 

Your Choice to Live in Peace

Posted on by
Reply

Jackie, a very busy mom of 3, had one closet in her home that she couldn’t open. If she did, everything would come tumbling out. Every time she walked by that closet, she felt uptight and stressed. She felt that having that disorganized closet prevented her home from feeling peaceful.

The reason that kept her from cleaning it is because she felt that it would cause an even bigger mess in her home and take hours to organize. She didn’t have the time, but at the same time, she never felt truly at peace with that never ending thorn that panged her every time she walked by the closet.

Here’s something else about Jackie. She was also not content with her weight. She wasn’t terribly over weight, but she did have a good 20lbs to lose. Not horrible, but also a never ending thorn she felt in her side.

Why is it that we prefer to live with the slight pain than to undergo change? Because we may have to endure even bigger pain before we get to that more peaceful place.

When I first met Jackie two years ago and spoke to her about how cleansing is a great way to make emotional shifts in our lives, she snapped at me and said, “Why would I need that?”

A few days later, though, she called me and said, “I need to make the change.”

Jackie did the JOOS Reboot and only lost a few pounds, but she felt her energy levels improve and her stress decrease. Even more, she felt more in control of her life. After the cleanse, she continued drinking one or two JOOS daily and she started to lose weight.

One evening about three months after she did her JOOS Cleanse, I received a call from her saying, “Lauri, I just spent the afternoon cleaning out my closet. It’s done!”

Two years have passed and Jackie has remained at her ideal weight. When life spins out of control, she is more grounded and prepared for it.

The JOOS Cleanse may be one of the most rewarding experiences, especially if you’ve had years of poor eating habits and/or undergone considerable stress.

8 Healthy Snacks for Healthy Kids and US

Posted on by
Reply

First the kids:
A well intentioned mom gave her 4-year-old a processed, sugary snack to calm down her child, but it had the opposite effect: the kid started whining even more.

Now the adult:
Sarah had a terrible day at work and, when she came home, went directly to her cupboards that were packed with processed, sugary foods. The next day, she woke up feeling even more miserable

Here are a few suggestions of snacks you should have readily available, which you can quickly turn to in an emotional jam:
  • joosbites
  • Trader Joe’s Roasted Seaweed Snacks
  • Sunspire grain sweetened chocolate chips
  • Joellyn Ripp’s Banana Peanut Butter Treat (cut bananas into chunks, smear natural peanut butter on one end and roll that end into flax seed. Freeze)
  • Jonathan Meizler’s Chocolate Sorbet (Place unsweetened chocolate almond milk with sliced bananas in Tupperware in the freezer. Can add a tsp of agave. After frozen, place in blender. Can also add other types of fruits.)
  • Erehorn Cereals (with almond milk)
  • Lauri’s Popcorn – Heat popcorn in ghee (clarified butter) or another saturated or high heat oil and sprinkle with Himalayan Pink crystal salt or another unprocessed sea salt and Nutritional Yeast (Brewers Yeast), which is packed with protein, B Vitamins and a lot more
  • Of course, fruits and vegetables (but not pasteurized juices)

I’d love to hear your suggestions for healthy snacks for your children and you!

Kendall Covitz Blogs Days 2 & 3 of Her JOOS Chia Cleanse

Posted on by
Reply
Day 2- Tuesday went really well again. I didn’t feel hungry at all and felt very satisfied with the Joos and healthy snacks.  I stuck fruit, nuts, a raw bar, steamed greens and cucumbers with hummus along with my 3 juices. The only thing that bothered me was how cold I was! I’m always cold and I usually stick to soups over salads in the wintertime to keep warm. Sipping tea throughout the day with my Joos helped me stay warm.

Day 3-Wednesday The delivery driver was sick so the Joos was a little late. Luckily, the driver contacted me and offered to deliver it to my office! I’m so glad that I got it by 9:30 so I wasn’t too thrown off. I was starved by the time the Joos came. I had my Chia Joos and some peanut butter in the morning. I really needed something extra (the PB) because I didn’t have anything for a few hours since I woke up at 6. After that I felt much better. I had my Joos, some tea and read my book during lunch. At around 2:30 I was starved. I ended up having some brown rice mixed with a scoop of hummus. At the end of the day I sipped on my last Joos.
Joos, tea to keep me warm and my yoga book! Perfect lunch break!
After work I taught a private lesson. When I got home after class, I ended up having some homemade soup with broccoli, black beans and corn in organic vegetable broth with some seasonings. I have some left over for tonight too!  Yesterday was definitely my most hungry day. I think it was because the day was so busy and so long!
Overall, the program is still going well and even with a crazy schedule, I feel pretty satisfied.

Here is a quote that I have read in some of my classes this week…

“Welcome the present moment as if you had invited it. It is all we ever have, so we might as well work with it rather than struggling against it. We might as well make it our friend and teacher rather than our enemy” -Pema Chodron

http://www.onaninhale.com/blog.html

Could Snacking at the Playground Cause Poor Eating Habits?

Posted on by
Reply

Jan brings treats (e.g., cookies, crackers, juice boxes, etc.) to the play ground for her 3-year-old daughter, Samantha. Jan complains that Samantha is a picky eater and will not eat dinner at night.

Susan cooks multiple meals for three children at dinner time. One child doesn’t like fish, another doesn’t like rice and the third doesn’t like chicken.

Unsurprisingly, none will eat vegetables.

Stacey fills her cabinets with processed snacks. The kids eat them liberally. Stacey says she doesn’t like to argue with them so she lets this slide. Like Susan, she wonders why her children do not like to eat vegetables and are overweight.

Carole takes her two girls for pizza, but won’t eat a piece herself because, she tells them, she’s on a “diet.”

These are all true stories, but I’ve changed the names in each. All are loving mothers with good intentions.

When I grew up, my mother cooked one dinner and would say, “You get what you get.” She didn’t bring snacks to the playground (although she did bring water).

We went to the playground to play – not to eat. She always kept fresh cut carrot and celery sticks in the fridge. Most nights we had a home cooked dinner as a family and she gave us sensible portions.

We had our share of pizza, submarine sandwiches and fast food. Once in awhile, we’d go out for ice cream as a treat.

I am grateful and very fortunate to have a mother that was such a great role model and instilled in me a healthy relationship with food. The key also was that she was a balanced eater herself.

Are you setting a good example for your children?