organic

Pears, like apples, are also great for losing weight

Pears, like apples, are also great for losing weight

Full of flavor and packed with phytochemicals, trace minerals and amino acids, pears are one of the world's healthiest foods that you can eat for weight loss

Pears suppress our appetite and prevent overeating

A close kin to the apple, pears are another must-have food to include in your diet.  Pears are known to be high in dietary fiber, offering us that feeling of being full and satisfied with hunger levels to the point that we don't overeat during meals or in between meals either (similar to eating bananas for losing weight).  The sweet flavor that a pear brings satisfies our hunger (and/or suppresses our appetite) and their electrolyte makeup serves to stabilize our blood sugar, giving us natural boosts in energy without the crash afterward.

Yellow watermelon fruit bowl

Yellow watermelon fruit bowl

Fruit bowl made out of watermelon shell and filled with organic yellow watermelon pieces

The Basics

  • Prep time 5 minutes 
  • Servings 3-4

Ingredients

1 whole yellow watermelon (organic if available)

Mashed pOpaya!

Mashed pOpaya!

Organic papaya cut, sliced, scooped then mashed and sprinkled with a few papaya seeds on top

The Basics

  • Prep time 2 minutes 
  • Mash Time 2 minutes 
  • Servings 2-3

Ingredients

1 whole papaya (organic if available)

Curbing your appetite (and losing weight) with cranberries 

Curbing your appetite (and losing weight) with cranberries 

Reach for the cranberry to help you lose weight while you naturally suppress your appetite

First things first: If it ain't working, fix it!

Whether the summer months are on the distant horizon or not, we're talking weight loss and health goals big time these days.  With an estimated 1-in-3 Americans now considered medically obese, the world is clearly in need of some proper education about healthy eating habits and lifestyle practices in general. The diet pills, fad diets and bogus workout plans are evidently still not working (nor will they ever work as is).  This is a call to consciousness, if you are tired of being overweight and are ready to make a true change in your lifestyle, you and only you can take the first step!

Cherry sweet dreams 🍒

Cherry sweet dreams 🍒

Cherries, an all natural source of melatonin, help to provide a good night sleep for all who eat

Melatonin (mel·a·to·nin)

Melatonin, scientifically known as N-acetyl-5-methoxy tryptamine, is a hormone (produced by our pineal glands) that regulates our sleep and wake cycles.  Our bodies naturally produce melatonin for us but, dependent on our current wake-sleep cycles; the amount of sunlight we take in with each day; and the overall settings of our body's internal system (i.e. circadian and biolgical rhythms), our melatonin levels may not be at their most optimal conditions.  Perhaps one of the most common afflictions resulting from an imbalance in melatonin is difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep and staying awake throughout the day, otherwise known as insomnia.  Although some research and/or studies claim that one-half of the human population will experience symptoms of insomnia in any one given year, there is truly nothing to fret or even be alarmed about as you can always use natural remedies to increase your melatonin levels and improve your sleeping patterns.  Perhaps the easiest and 100% all natural method for increasing melatonin in our bodies is by utilizing the foods within our medicine cabinet (i.e. fridge) and, at the top of the list of the foods that we can eat to naturally boost melatonin and create sweet dreams with are, CHERRIES.  So, prepare to fully hit that snooze button and make yourself ready for a good night sleep with this sweet bedtime story about, cherries, one of Mother Nature's (many) natural sources of melatonin.

Side Sweet Greens

Side Sweet Greens

Collard Greens & Red Beets Cooked Down with Miso Master Mellow White Miso

The Basics

  • Preparation Time: 5 minutes
  • Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes
  • Servings: 2-3 servings

Ingredients

1 red beet (chopped)
1 cup (chopped) collard greens
1 tablespoon (mellow white) miso
1/2 tablespoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Peppery Pear Salad

Peppery Pear Salad

Wild Arugula Salad with Pear, Avocado and Tomato

The Basics

  • Preparation Time: 5 minutes
  • Servings: 2-3 servings

Ingredients

1 pear
1 round tomato
1 avocado
1/2 lemon
1/2 lime
1/2 cup diced organic arugula
1/4 tablespoon turmeric
1/4 tablespoon cracked black pepper
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Crockpot Cooked Jambalaya

Crockpot Cooked Jambalaya

Slow Cooked, Cajun Style Jambalaya with Plant Based Ingredients

The Basics

  • Preparation Time: 15 minutes
  • Cooking Time: 90-120 minutes
  • Servings: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon red miso
1/2 tablespoon turmeric
1/2 tablespoon cracked black pepper
1/2 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
2 red tomatoes (diced)
7-8 pieces of okra (sliced)
1 cup sliced butternut squash
1 orange bell pepper (sliced and diced)
2 celery stalks (finely diced)
2 leaves of collard greens (diced)
1/4 cup red lentils
1 cup long grain brown rice
3 1/4 cups natural spring water
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Organic Whole Grain Yellow Rice Medley

Organic Whole Grain Yellow Rice Medley

1 Box Lundberg Organic Yellow Rice Mix stuffed with Collard Greens, Broccoli Leaves, Lentils, Tomato & Straightneck Squash

The Basics

  • Prep time 10-15 minutes 
  • Cook Time 35-45 minutes 
  • Servings 3-5

Ingredients

4 leaves collard greens (chopped)
4 leaves broccoli leaves (chopped)
1 tomato (sliced into ~8 pieces)
1/2 cup red lentils (rinsed & drained)
2 cups vegetable broth
1 tablespoon miso paste
1 red cayenne pepper (diced)
1 lb yellow straight neck squash (sliced)
1 tablespoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 box lundberg organic whole grain yellow rice mix
1 teaspoon sea salt

Finding Organic Produce in New Orleans, LA

Finding Organic Produce in New Orleans, LA

Going Organic in a Town Flooded with Blue Runner Billboards and Popeye's Fried Chicken Commercials

Whether you're a New Orleans resident or just a patron traveling through, finding organic fruits and vegetables at the local grocery stores may deem somewhat problematic in the Big Easy. What the popular Nola groceries (like Rouse's, Zuppardo's and Winn Dixie) do try and carry is next to impossible to find, with organic labeled fruits and vegetables spread out sporadically in random baskets and shelf spaces.  Without an actual map to get you through the produce puzzle at these groceries, you might find yourself leaving said grocery store(s) with a lot more confusion and frustration in your cart than actual organic produce.  Nonetheless, there is some light at the end of the levee down south, with a few (Whole Foods Market) grocery stores in New Orleans carrying organic fruits and vegetables.