Holiday Enjoyment and Recovery!

Holiday Enjoyment and Recovery!

What are you doing for Labor Day?

We’re cruising to Alaska. Today we stop in Juneau, then we’re on to Sitka and Ketchikan. We won’t be barbecuing, but we’ll have a lot of great food on the ship.

Here’s a fun recipe if you’re looking for something different to serve on Labor Day.

Ditch the Dairy in Creamy Soups

Ditch the Dairy in Creamy Soups

Do you have a dairy sensitivity yet love creamy soups? Well, that’s me. I grew up on cream of potato soup and creamy corn chowder. But I don’t do well with dairy. I’m sensitive to the casein. Some people are lactose intolerant. Other people just get congested or their sinuses are affected (well that’s me). If you love creamy soups but not the cream, you can thicken your soup with rice or cashews or a number of other ingredients that I cover in my new book Souping is the New Juicing.

Holiday Almond Butter Balls & Cranberry Apple Cocktail

YUMMY! Holiday Almond Butter Balls & Cranberry Apple Cocktail

Tis’ the season for treats. Rather than gooey sweets made with sugar, make something you can enjoy that won’t depress your immune system or send your blood sugar soaring. I made these Almond Butter Balls for gifts for my neighbor and a friend. You can package them in a Christmas tin or a decorative Christmas box. If you have a special event to attend, take a healthy treat. At least you’ll know you have something there you can eat. I love to make these with Sweet Leaf Vanilla Creme or Sweet Leaf English Toffee stevia. Serve them with a delicious cranberry apple juice cocktail.

The Healthy Detoxifying Benefits of Arugula

The Healthy Detoxifying Benefits of Arugula

With its spicy flavor, arugula adds a lot of zip to a salad. But that’s not all it’s up to! It’s known to be cleansing for the blood, skin, and liver.

One of it’s unique cleansing properties is to counteract the destructive effects of heavy metals, particularly in the liver.1 A member of the cruciferous vegetable family, it is rich in detoxifying antioxidants. It also sports an abundance of flavonoids, phytonutrients that are known to help prevent cholesterol from sticking to the arteries, lowering blood pressure, and quelling inflammation. One study found that it could also help in fighting gastrointestinal ulcers.2

St. Patty’s Arugula Spinach Detox Salad

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup arugula leaves
• 1 cup baby spinach
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 1 small shallot, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, chopped
• 2 tablespoons mint leaves, chopped
• 2 tablespoons basil leaves, torn
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
• 1/2 teaspoon thinly sliced red chile or pinch of red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons toasted cashews, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds
• Pinch of sesame seeds
• 1/2 avocado, sliced (optional)

Instructions

Toss together arugula, spinach, blueberries, shallots, and fresh herbs in medium bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, ginger, salt, red pepper, and olive oil. Pour dressing over greens. Sprinkle the cashews, pomegranate seeds, and sesame seeds the over top. Arrange the avocado slices on top, if using.

Notes

1 (Cure Liver Cancer Treatment, http://www.theimmune-system.com/curelivercancer/, July 2012; from http://foodfacts.mercola.com/arugula.html accessed 3/12/16)

2 (http://foodfacts.mercola.com/arugula.html accessed 3/12/16)

Chocolate-Cherry Anti-Inflammation Shake

Chocolate-Cherry Anti-Inflammation Shake

I made this delicious shake on the second day of our cruise. The chef provided for us the most delicious middle eastern dark chocolate I’ve ever had.

Cruise Chef receives book from Cherie!

We’ve known that dark chocolate is rich in antioxidants, namely catechin and epicatechin. But recent studies have shown that gut bacteria breaks down and ferments components in dark chocolate, turning them into anti-inflammatory compounds that benefit your health. And if you consume cocoa with prebiotics, you’ll encourage polyphenols to convert into highly absorbable anti-inflammatory compounds in your stomach. Prebiotics are undigestible carbohydrates found in whole foods, which good bacteria can digest.

Tart cherries may help reduce chronic inflammation, especially for people suffering from joint pain and arthritis. Researchers suggest tart cherries have the “highest anti-inflammatory content of any food” and can help people with osteoarthritis manage their disease. A study from University of California at Davis found that regular consumption of cherries for twenty-eight days produced a decrease in biochemical signs of inflammation in blood, including a 25 percent reduction in C-reactive protein (CRP), the most widely studied marker of inflammation. Elevation of CRP in blood is associated with an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.

Chocolate Cherry Shake

• 1 Tbsp. unsweetened, unprocessed cocoa powder
• ½ cup frozen dark cherries, pitted
• 1 cup coconut, almond, or flax milk
• ½ tsp. pure vanilla extract
• Several drops of liquid stevia (suggest Sweet Leaf Vanilla Crème)
• Ice cubes as desired

Place all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.