Health Benefits of Rosemary Oil

check out this link for some interesting facts

Health Benefits Of Rosemary Oil | Natural Essential Oils | Organic Oils

rosemary

Spring is here, some of my seeds have been started and garden planning is in full gear! I found hope and inspiration while enjoying a coffee, waiting for my car repair. Just outside the cafe window I spotted a rosemary bush that has survived a few seasons in our climate. "Hope" and "inspiration," strong word to use for rosemary? Not if you have tried season after season to find a varietal that can survive our temps.

http://www.sclydeweaver.com/home.aspx

I love rosemary. I blend it's essential oils with others and almond oil using it as a moisturizer. It is fabulous for cooking and I may experiment with rosemary in baking this season (when I am off this detox and can eat what I bake). The scent of rosemary also reminds me of my parents and their home cooking. There is another post I'm sharing that you should check out if you are interested in the scoop on rosemary. I also encourage you to check out one of the blogs I follow, http://cloverleafherbs.blogspot.com/
Long and short, I spoke with the store manager about his rosemary tree (okay, it was not that big but it all depends on your perspective). Before she rang him, the barista assured me that he loves talking about his plantings. She was not wrong, the gentleman was gracious with his time and knowledge. He shared that his varietal is a Rosemary Officinalis, Hill Hardy but that the Gorizia type is also hardy for this area. I would love a bush this size...imagine the skewers I could use for kabobs!

The manager wrote this information on the back side of scrap paper, that turns out is a recipe card. I'll share that too!

Blue Cheese Salad Dressing

• 1 cup mayonnaise
  
• 3 T milk
• 2 T white wine or lemon juice
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp dry mustard
• 4 oz blue cheese
  

put all ingredients in a blemder but withhold half of the cheese to crumble into the mixure. Makes 1 1/2 cups

a little something sweet with no added sugar

I have made many posts since birthday dinner at my in-laws...but only in my head. This "no white detox" is going well but pushing me to be a little creative and prepare food in advance because finding time to cook when I'm home at 7 is not easy.


After a long day outside, clearing garden beds, finding a possum in our barn and wrestling with our raspberry bushes I was ready to kickback and enjoy the sunset. Last night I made a veggie curry with organic short grain brown rice. I had dessert on my mind while preparing dinner. Costco has champagne mangoes and mine are ripening slowly. I can't add sugar and the naturally sweet coconut and mango was so yum, sweet and creamy.


coconut creamed mango dessert

3 tablespoons of organic coconut milk

1/4 cup of organic sweet brown rice

1/8 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup chopped mango, chilled



mix all but the mango and gently warm. top with mango and enjoy!!

a dash of cinnamon might be nice

broccoli soup but what's for dessert?

We are planning to visit Dan's family tomorrow night to celebrate a birthday. I got wind of the menu: wiener schnitzel (dan's father makes a beautiful schnitzel), peas, scalloped potatoes, boy's salad (a strawberry and banana jello mold with a layer of sweetened sour cream), and an eclair cake. I am sure there will be freshly baked bread too. So, based on this detox program I can eat the peas... Plan #1 remove my contacts for dinner Plan #2 take food

In preparation for tomorrow, just baked off one of the last spaghetti squash from my garden. I cut the squash in half and before putting it cut side down on the baking tray added garlic cloves, a splash of olive oil, and a dash of oregano. I also steamed some french beans and made a batch of broccoli soup.

The broccoli soup was simple and is quite tasty. I caramelized onions, added pressed garlic then broccoli pieces and broth. After about 15 minutes on medium heat, I used an immersion blender to smooth the soup. A few last additions included: quinoa, a splash of unsweetened soy milk, salt, white pepper and grated Parmesan cheese.

Lastly, I prepared a baked portabella and eggplant parmesan. Alton Brown shared a neat trick to substitute eggplant for pasta, like a fettuccine. He thinly slice the eggplant lengthwise, added a tad bit of salt, placed on a paper towel in a sieve and let it loose it's water while in the fridge. Presto, a healthy non-pasta. Anyway, I grilled some portabella (that was coated in pressed garlic), put it in a baking pan, topped it with ricotta cheese (mixed with minced garlic, oregano and mozzarella), the eggplant shreds, sauce, and finally a mix of mozzarella and smoked mozzarella.

not your mom's dieter soup...

...because it is lacking the ranch dressing flavor packet. Does anyone else remember this soup? Made of cabbage, a can of diced tomatoes, string beans, potatoes (maybe) and a packet of dry ranch dressing. Is it weird that I thought it was quite tasty? I feel this is more an early sign of my love of veggies rather than love of dieters . . . anything.

I raided the fridge last week to make something that followed this new 6 week detox. I'm calling it a detox because it sounds chic and it is more of a detox than a diet, whatever! Back to my fridge raid, I found the cabbage and collard greens, ginger and lemons. Soups on! Use any veggie you find as the yum is in the lemony, ginger broth.

I sauteed shallots and finely diced ginger then added the sliced cabbage and collards. The chicken stock was next followed by some quinoa. At the very last, I added slices of lemon. Lemon juice makes the best secret ingredient to most soups! Lastly some leftover cilantro. I enjoyed the simplicity of this soup.

Funny story(if you know Dan), I packed a hearty serving of soup for my lunch. The following day, when I was ready to head to work I could not find my soup. I called Dan to warm him he took my healthy soup in error. Now, he might have been spinning the truth but that night he said he, "actually enjoyed the soup"

phoebe vs. the tastykake kandy kake

if you live outside of the north eastern region of the US you may have never had a Tastykake. It is true what they say, "nobody bakes a cake as tasty as a Tastykake." When I went off to college it was Tastykake and a great pizza that I missed the most (in terms of food). Growing up we were never indulged with goodies and this may be were my sugar fix is rooted.

As part of a challenge from my boss (a healthy chiropractor), we are removing sugar from our diets. She may have more willpower than I, I tried to have some Jif with my apple this evening. I have trained Dan too well, he knew Jif is junk and has loads of sugar in it. I actually enjoyed the almond butter instead.

I'd rather master my cravings than have them master me! So what masters you? How much healthier would you be if you cut it out of your diet?

juz' sayn...