What is a Froodle......?

Apple Fig Fruit Leather Roll Ups

Over the weekend, I had the chance to visit my dear friend, Health Educator/Nutritionist  and author of "The Pantry Principles", Mira Dessy . We had a wonderful time chatting while we toured her beautiful Lakeside home. She has the most amazing orchard guild on her property with several Fig Trees that were loaded with fruit.

We decided to do our own little "Food Swap" ......she shared her delicious figs, fresh basil, blackberry bushes and many seeds from her garden FOR my fermented habanero kraut, kefir, kale chips and my herbed goat cheese.

Fresh Figs and Basil warm from the sun

I had so many ideas of how I wanted to use these beautiful figs. Like the fig and goat cheese tart, that I am making tonight, and a savory jam. But first, in honor of Mira and her "Ingredient Guru" status, I wanted to REcreate something that is a common store bought snack item. One that claims to be a healthy alternative..... Fruit roll ups! (YUCK: loaded with petroleum dyed high fructose corn syrup)

 So, I combined some of the figs with a few organic apples and made a VERY tasty treat. When I was wrapping the roll ups, I decided to play a bit and cut them (with a pizza cutter) into Froodle. This was a snack that I used to make my kids about 5 or 6 years ago. This is a great way to not only preserve seasonal fruit, but to get those picky eaters(Children AND adults)to consume some extra nutrient dense fruits and veggies. Another favorite combination is a banana and spinach leather.....add lemon juice to create a sour patch flavor. Have leftover green smoothies? Mix with an apple or banana,pour and spread onto teflex/nonstick screen, dehydrate at 105 degrees overnight and slice into fruit noodles, using a pizza cutter AKA "Froodle" and enjoy. will keep for a month or more in an air tight container. I have and LOVE my Excalibur 9 Tray Dehydrator- Its 10 years old and still going strong!

This is "Froodle"......!



Hello Monday......!

I hope everyone enjoyed  their long holiday weekend. We stayed so busy working on farm projects for the NEW house, we did not have time to celebrate with the fourth with our friends, family and fireworks. However, we did manage to get away for an evening sunset swim on Saturday. We were invited to enjoy our friends pool while they were away. We enjoyed relaxation and a beautiful bottle of Cab Franc. We went to a movie, on Friday night-- ("Tammy"), it was a total DIVA thumbs up for some silly laughter (best medicine ever for stress). I snuck some garlic pepper cashews and Kombucha soda into the movie, shhhhh......don't tell.  Real foodist deserve to have snacks at the movies too, right?

Hubby made a home made corned beef from a grass fed brisket.....so I did indulge a bit on Sunday with a Gluten Free Rueben, our Three Goats Farm Sauerkraut , raw Swiss cheese, horseradish, olive oil potato chips and a delicious peach vanilla frozen kefir(honey sweetened). And yes, more amazing wine (oops, SUGAR!)

This was a delicious Reuben On GF toasted GF bread (thanks UDI's)

Peach, Vanilla bean and Honey Frozen Kefir (sorry for the poor lighting) trust me that it looked way more beautiful during the few seconds before it was gobbled up.

So, hello Monday and back to my program. I am excited for my workout today-my workout buddy can't make it. So hubby will join me (evil grin). Ya know if you love your Monday, it will love you back!

Breakfast was a very nourishing "balanced breakfast  bowl" ...with high protein Quinoa, egg, spinach, peppers, turmeric,garlic and olive oil! Remember : protein+carb+fat= vitality energy and hormonal harmony!

I will be back later to share some supplement and beauty tips

nourished and ready to rock my week!

In health and happiness,

Melissa The Primitive DIVA

Anti Inflammatory Tea...AKA, Magic!

My workouts this week had left some residual aches and pains....yes, getting old (errrr I mean "older") just takes a bit more magic to recover. I brewed a soothing Ginger, Tumeric, Vanilla Bean and Stevia Leaf Tea. Amazing health benefits of each of these SUPERFOODS! 

In Health and Happiness,

Melissa ~ The Primitive DIVA

Oh, by the way, I found a few benefit summary visuals on Pinterest. I love Pinterest, don't you?  Each has it's source credits listed for you to research further. Thanks for sharing.......LifeHack and Think Healthy Diet! 

MACA Munch Granola

2 cups soaked and rinsed raw almonds

2 cups of finely shredded unsweetened coconut

1 cup soaked (softened) medjool dates

1/2 cup cacao nibs

2 Tsp Himalayan salt

1/4 cup MACA (I used Navita brand* found in my amazon store on right)

Blend all ingredients in food processor by pulsing until chunky but not forming solid "dough". Place on dehydrator tray (screen) and dehydrate at 105 degrees for 12 hours. Place in an airtight container for storing. I enjoyed mine for breakfast with raw kefir and organic blueberries. Munch straight or add your favorite milk and fruit!

ENJOY!

Good Morning Sunshine

2 Egg Yolks (fresh free range)

6 ounces of raw Kefir (mine was goat milk obviously)

1 Tbsp grass fed Butter

1 Tbsp Coconut Oil

2 Tsp Tumeric

2 Tsp Cinnamon

2 Tsp Ginger

2 Tsp Cardamom

1 heaping Tbsp of MACA

What a beautiful way to NOURISH your body! This smoothie is loaded with healthy fats, whole protein, adaptogenic foods, antioxidants, anti inflammatory foods, beneficial bacteria (probiotic), enzymes, endocrine hormone balancing compounds, liver support and MORE!......Let Food Be Thy Medicine

A new twist on one of my favorites!

You guys know how much I love my kale chips. I have been so busy lately, I have only made a batch or two. I did try a few bags of premade ($7-$10, Gulp!)and they were awful. So,while shopping last night, i grabbed a few bags of kale and a .79 bag of TJ's Taco Seasoning. I have discovered an amazing combination that makes the most delicious kale chips ever AND they are so easy. All the ingredients came from my FAVORITE store~Trader Joes! Have I said Thank YOU to the TJ'S decision to build a store in the Woodlands, Texas. I mean, its still 45-60 minutes from me at the farm in Montgomery BUT their selection of organics, beautiful produce, raw cheeses, my kids favorite sourdough, natural cleaning products, organic wines....and of course their prices are GREAT! 

Two bags of TJ's Organic Tuscan Kale

1 package of TJ's Taco Seasoning mix (no MSG-woo hoo!)

1/2 cup Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 to 1 Tbsp Sea or Himalayan Salt

1 cup of Nutritional Yeast

A few cloves of crushed Garlic

Mix all together in a large bowl, spread onto dehydrator screen and dehydrate at 105-110 for several hours until crispy OR spread onto cookie sheet and place in a 170-200 degree (or lowest setting) oven until crispy.

 I kept a bowl of the seasoned kale to enjoy as a salad at lunch topped with pico, avocados and some of my goat cheese. 

I hope you try these.....they are very delicious!

The MANY Benefits of Infrared Sauna

Enjoying the benefits of Dry Brushing and Infrared sauna

 

 I found this amazing little place, on the lake nearby, Planet Beach Contempo Spa. One of the services they offer is a 30 minute full detox therapy in a Sunlighten Infrared Sauna. Years ago, I had a sauna in my home and I had  some pretty incredible health benefits from using the sauna daily. The practice of using heat to heal and cure the body has been in place ,for several centuries, throughout the world and many cultures. Native Americans had sweat tents/lodges and Romans had their famous steam bathing, to mention a few.

 

 

I visited the Sunlighten site to do some research on the many benefits of infrared.  Here is a general list of benefits, that you should know. I have a sauna on my WISH list for the new house. In the meantime, I love that I can visit my newly discovered mini spa and enjoy a sauna whenever I like.

 

Infrared Sauna Health Benefits

Infrared saunas are an effective tool for natural healing and prevention. Infrared light has the ability to penetrate human tissue which in turn produces a host of anti-aging health benefits making infrared saunas one of the “hottest” home therapies for overall healthier living. If you want to get yourself back into balance, an infrared sauna may be the ticket to achieving your wellness goals.

Detoxification

 

Sweating is the body’s safe and natural way to heal & stay healthy. Far infrared heats the body directly causing a rise in core temperature resulting in a deep, detoxifying sweat at the cellular level, where toxins reside.

 

Weight Loss

Studies have shown that an infrared sauna session can burn upwards of 600 calories while you relax! As the body works to cool itself, there is a substantial increase in heart rate, cardiac output and metabolic rate, causing the body to burn more calories.

 

Relaxation

Unlike traditional saunas which operate at extremely harsh temperatures, infrared is a gentle, soothing and therapeutic heat that promotes relaxation and improved sleep. Infrared sauna therapy helps you relax while receiving an invigorating deep tissue sweat, leaving you fully refreshed after each session.  

Pain Relief

Infrared heat penetrates tissue, joints, and muscles to relieve anything from minor aches and pains to chronic pain conditions such as fibromyalgia. Pain management professionals incorporate infrared heat therapy into treatment plans to decrease pain and muscle spasms and to speed up recovery time.   

 

Lower Blood Pressure

Infrared saunas induce a deep sweat to make the heart pump faster, which in turn increases blood flow, lowers blood pressure and helps circulation. Scientific evidence shows that using an infrared sauna a couple times a week lowers blood pressure.  

 

Improved Circulation

Heating the muscles with infrared rays produces an increase in blood flow similar to that seen during exercise. Regular infrared sauna use—especially in the mid IR range—can significantly stimulate blood flow up to twice the normal rate.

 

Anti-Aging & Skin Purification

The near infrared wavelength (sometimes referred to as Red Light Therapy) is the most effective wavelength for healing the epidermis and dermis layers of the skin. Near infrared treatments stimulate collagen production to reduce wrinkles and improve overall skin tone 

 

Wound Healing

Scientific research has concluded that near infrared therapy greatly enhances the skin’s healing process by promoting faster cell regeneration and human tissue growth. Human cell growth increases to repair wounds and prevent infection

 

Cell Health

Near infrared therapy stimulates the circulatory system and more fully oxygenate the body’s cells. Better blood circulation means more toxins flow from the cellular level to the skin’s surface to improve cell health, aid in muscle recovery and strengthen the immune system

 

So, if you have interest in trying out a sauna for yourself, check into visiting your LOCAL Planet Beach Contempo Spa. Tell them Melissa Humphries- THE Primitive Diva referred you! Hee Hee, maybe I might get a free Sauna or two.