Drink your Tea and Eat it too!

This post is inspired by my love for DAVIDs TEA. On any given day I drink 5-8 cups of tea. From Nepal Black to Long Life Oolong to Orange Blossom and Midsummer Night's Dream my obsession for tea keeps growing one Perfect Mug at a time. It sure helps that I work as a Store Manager for them at one of their Toronto locations. Now that I am getting the swing of things at my new gig my creative juices are flowing once again. I've created two recipes using their tea. Organic Turmeric Snap and Sleigh Ride.  The recipes are easy, economical, vegetarian and nutritious. Buon appetito!

Sweet Potato, Lentil, Mung Bean Turmeric Stew

Sweet Potato, Lentil, Mung Bean Turmeric Stew

1 cup Sprouted lentils

1 cup Sprouted mung beans

(I like: ShaSha Bio-Buds)

4 cups boiling water

4 cups vegetable stock

½ cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup chopped carrots

½ cup chopped celery

3 medium sweet potatoes, cubed

3 fresh or canned roma tomatoes

¼ cup olive oil

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

¼ tsp black pepper

2 bay leaves

and...

3 Perfect Measuring Spoon of  Organic Turmeric Snap

Wash and pick over lentils and mung beans

Soak in 2 cups water for 25 minutes

In soup pot sauté onion, garlic, carrots, celery and sweet potatoes in olive oil until tender. 

Add Organic Turmeric Snap and mix well.

Add lentils, mung beans, water, vegetable stock, tomatoes, salt, pepper and bay leaves; bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and cook for 1.5-2hrs until lentils and mung beans are soft.

Remove bay leaves.

Stir and serve.

Snap! That's a good stew!

Yield 8 servings

Protein approx. 32 grams

Cinnamon Apple-Raisin Banana Bread

Cinnamon Apple-Raisin Banana Bread

1 scant cup of Dark brown sugar

2 Eggs

1/2 cup butter or margarine (I use: Earth Balance)

3 ripe Bananas

1 1/4 cup All-purpose Spelt Flour

1 tsp Baking Soda
and...

4 Perfect Measuring Spoons of Sleigh Ride (this is where the Cinnamon, Apple-Raisin comes from!)

Steep 4 Perfect Measuring Spoons of Sleigh Ride for 7 minutes in 4 cups of boiling water

Place sugar, eggs, butter and bananas in mixer until blended

Add flour and baking soda. Mix.

Drain steeped tea (don't discard the liquid...make yourself a cup!) and add to mixture. Mix.

Pour into 9x5-inch greased loaf pan or mini loaf pan

Bake at 350 for 55 minutes. Cool and remove from pan. 

Enjoy with a hot cup of Sleigh Ride!

Some of the photos in this post belong to Melissa Macchione.
Unauthorized use is prohibited. If you have any questions please contact the administrator.

Why you need Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Review and Giveaway

Chances are you've heard the terms fatty acid, EFAs and omega-3 before, but do you know what a fatty acid really is or why your body needs it? No sweat! I make it all very easy for you to understand.  What about the different types of fatty acids, what foods you can naturally find them in and whether or not you should supplement? 

 

Fatty acids are important for all systems of the body to function normally, including your skin, respiratory system, circulatory system, brain and organs. The two essential fatty acids that the human body cannot produce are the omega-3 fatty acid and omega-6 fatty acid, which are important for brain development, immune system function and blood pressure regulation. Today we are going to talk about Omega-3. Stay tuned for my write up on Omega-6.

What is Omega-3 Fatty Acid?

Omega-3 fatty acids, also known as "good fats,"  are essential for optimal health. Like vitamins and minerals, omega-3 must be provided by our diet as it is not produced by our bodies. Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) are the active forms of omega-3 required by the body to perform vital functions.

Omega-3 Foods

Fatty Fish, Eggs, Nuts and Seeds, Flax Seed and Flax Oil, Leafy Green Vegetables, Spirulina

Omega-3 function in the body    Promotes cardiovascular health   Reduces inflammation   Supports mental focus and cognitive function   Supports positive mood and emotional well-being Promotes brain, eye and nervous system health   Supports healthy immune system function   Enhances appearance of skin and hair Promotes optimal fat metabolism Health Benefits of Omega-3 Fatty Acid    Research on the health benefits of omega-3 fatty acid have shown that it may be useful for supporting the following conditions. Asthma  Diabetes  Arthritis  Osteoporosis  Some Cancers  Skin Problems High Cholesterol  High Blood Pressure  Attention Disorders Depression Digestive Disorders Obesity

Why you Should Supplement

If you don’t eat fish—the main food source of the omega-3s DHA and EPA—at least two to three times a week, you might consider a supplement. Go for DHA+EPA. Studies suggest that this combination of omega-3s is best for overall health (e.g., preventing heart disease and depression, promoting healthy brain development). A third type of omega-3 fat, alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), found in flax, is not very effective at promoting overall health but is still very healthy for you and a great complement to a whole and healthy diet.

Individuals who consume a high amount of fatty fish in their diet tend not to need to supplement with fish oil  as much or as often, however you should also remember that many of the fish varieties do contain higher levels of mercury, which also needs to be monitored in the human body.

If these levels of mercury get too high, that can cause a boat load of problems, so it's vital that you keep a good balance. A high quality and trusted fish oil supplement along with fatty fish on occasion will be the best way to meet your body's needs safely.

Giveaway

A BIG thank-you to Ascenta Health  for awarding one lucky My Wholesome Home follower a prize pack valued at $150 which includes:

NutraSea Mango
NutraSea with Vitamin D
NutraSea Canine
NutraSea Feline
NutraSea Kids

Why I love Ascenta products

Every Ascenta product is manufactured under government audited, Good Manufacturing Practices. 

Before their products leave their facility, they are sent to an external laboratory to ensure that they 

exceed the stringent quality standards of the World Health Organization and the  

Global Organization for EPA and  DHA (GOED).  Their fish oils do not smell like a fish market! 

Instead they smell and taste of fresh ripe fruits likes mangos and citrus. You can easily add your oil 

to a smoothie, yogurt or salad. All Ascenta products are third-party tested for contaminants 

including mercury, PCBs and dioxins. Now that is a clean and high-quality product if you ask me!

 

My personal supply of Ascenta products

To Enter

Become a My Wholesome Home blog follower and visit Ascenta Health. and leave a comment here about your favorite product or something you learned about the product and/or company.

Extra Entries (leave a separate comment for each one):

* Blog about this contest 
* Subscribe to my updates
* Follow my blog via Google Friend Connect
* Follow @mywholesomehome on Twitter and tweet this giveaway, leaving a link to your tweet in the comments. You can tweet once per day (leave a comment each day). You can copy and paste my tweet if you'd like: Win an @Ascenta_Health Gift Pack at @mywholesomehome http://mywholesomehome.blogspot.com/2012/02/why-you-need-omega-3-fatty-acids-review.html #giveaway
*Follow @Ascenta_Health on Twitter
*Like me on Facebook
* Read one of my blog entries and leave a comment
*Facebook mention this giveaway (include link to my blog)

If you posted on your blog, Twitter or Facebook page (one entry each per day) be sure to include it in your post so I can check it out and also so I can return the follow.

Canada Postal addresses only.

You must do the first entry in order to enter.
 
You will have until Monday March 12, 2012. at 11:59pm EST to enter.
 
The winner will be chosen via random number generator (www.random.org) the next day and notified by email. I'll also post the winners on my blog in the comments below. If I don't hear back from the winner within 72 hours, I'll pick another.

Good luck!

For more information on NutraSea, NutraVege and their amazing products for children and pets, visit their website: www.ascentahealth.com