Who Knew?

Athough it’s healthier to give a fruit basket as a gift, keep in mind that most fruit gift baskets are made with fruit that’s not organic. Many “holiday” fruits, like pears, apples, strawberries and cherries are considered the “dirtiest” produce contaminated with pesticide residue. So, always make sure that it’s organic. We called up Edible Arrangements, a fruit basket company, and they said their fruit generally isn’t organic, but each location sources fruit locally and will sometimes have organic produce. The only way to get an organic fruit assortment from Edible Arrangements is by contacting the store that’s making your gift basket and asking them if they have organic fruit available. Some of their baskets, such as the “Peace & Doves Festival” come with fruit dipped in white chocolate that contains partially hydrogenated oil (trans fat). You’d really be better off just creating your own gift basket with organic treats that you pick out yourself. And just an FYI – Harry & David has organic fruit gifts available online too.

Now for the good news, and an alternative worth getting!

I’ve been searching far and wide for the best holiday gift companies and found America’s Best Organics where you can create your own organic gift basket online or choose one of their combinations. I’m really excited about supporting this company because they are all about creating baskets that promote health, wellness and sustainability. Their baskets contain organic products and other eco-friendly items, made by American companies. They clearly list all the ingredients on their website – which isn’t something I generally found when researching other gift basket companies and is very helpful when shopping online.
-Food Babe

Gluten Free Health Fair

Mark your calendars for February if you live in East County (East Portland).
 
The Gresham Natural Grocers will be holding a Gluten Free Health Fair on February 7th from 12-3.

We will have classes, active and passive demo's, lots of great things to taste, some health and beauty product sampling, and much more! If you can pass this information on to your community it would be greatly appreciated. Please let me know if you'd like some further information. Thank you!

Cathy Cooke
Nutritional Health Coach
nutritionist.gh@vitamincottage.com
503-465-0130

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage
407 Northwest Burnside Road
Gresham, OR 97030
Telephone: 503-465-0130

http://www.naturalgrocers.com/store-locations/gresham

Crab Rangoon Dip - A party favorite!

Ingredients:
2 cups crab meat
16 oz. cream cheese (2 blocks)
1/2 cup sour cream
4 green onions, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. gluten free Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp powdered sugar
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp lemon juice
Directions:
1. First, soften the cream cheese in the microwave for about a minute.
2. Chop your green onions. Add them and your two cups of crab meat .
3. Add the sour cream, Worcestershire sauce, powdered sugar, garlic powder and lemon juice.
4. Mix all the ingredients and bake for 30 mins at 350 degrees. Serve hot with chips, gf crackers or gf baguettes. I like Against the Grain Gourmet and Schar brands.

QUINOA WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH, CRANBERRIES & PISTACHIOS

This delicious quinoa stuffing is packed with healthy ingredients and is full of amazing flavor! The perfect winter 'salad' or stuffing for the holidays

PREP: 15 MINS COOK: 30 MINS TOTAL: 45 MINS

INGREDIENTS:

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed (see tutorial for cutting a butternut squash http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/how-to-peel-seed-and-cut-butternut-squash/)
1 red onion, peeled and diced
3-5 cloves garlic, with peel still on
1 Tbsp. vegetable or canola oil (or any high-heat oil)
salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed
3 cups chicken broth, vegetable broth, or water
zest of one orange
2 cups roughly-chopped fresh spinach
2/3 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup shelled pistachios

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

In a large mixing bowl, toss butternut squash, onion, and garlic cloves (with peel still on) until they are evenly coated with oil. Spread then out in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet. Season generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes, or until soft and cooked and the edges begin to slightly brown. Remove and set aside. Discard the garlic peels.

Meanwhile, stir together quinoa, broth (or water), and orange zest, and cook according to package instructions. (Or you can follow my tutorial for how to cook quinoa http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/how-to-cook-quinoa-recipe/). When cooked, set aside.

Add the cooked veggies, quinoa, spinach, cranberries and pistachios to a large mixing bowl, and gently toss to combine. Season with additional salt and pepper if need be. Serve warm.

Image and recipe via Gimme Some Oven: http://ow.ly/FO5pT

Food Babe's Protein Rich Carrot Ginger Lentil Soup

 

Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

45 mins

Total time

1 hour 15 mins

 

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1 and ½ cups yellow split lentils soaked for at least 8 hours or overnight
• 2 tsp coconut oil
• 1 large onion diced
• 1 pound or 6 large carrots diced
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• 2 inches of ginger minced (an inch more if you really like ginger)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ⅛ cup maple syrup or about 3 tablespoons
• 1 bay leaf (optional)
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 2 cups water
• salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Soak yellow lentils for at least 8 hours or overnight
2. In a large pot, heat coconut oil on medium
3. Sautee onions and carrots for about 5 mins
4. Next add ginger, garlic and cinnamon and cook another 2-3 minutes
5. Add all other ingredients including the soaked lentils, bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for at least 30 mins
6. Before pureeing make sure lentils are soft but still intact – if they are still hard, simmer for another 10 mins or so
7. Remove bay leaf, then puree soup in batches using a blender or directly in the pot using a hand blender
8. Serve immediately

Notes

It’s hearty and satisfying and goes perfectly with a nice raw green salad. ***Please buy all organic ingredients if possible***

10 Foods to Fight Candida

Coconut oil

Coconut oil naturally contains a fatty acid, called caprylic acid. This anti-fungal interferes with Candida growth and replication by poking holes in the walls of the yeast cells, causing them to die off.

Garlic

Garlic contains allicin, a sulphur-containing compound with natural antifungal properties, specific to Candida. When eaten raw, this little food is one of the best antifungals around.

**Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is the one type of vinegar allowed on a Candida diet. Research on apple cider vinegar is limited, but it appears to contain enzymes that help break down Candida.

Cruciferous Vegetables

Cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, arugula, cabbage, and radishes, contain isothiocyanates, the sulphur- and nitrogen-containing compounds that attack Candida.

Ginger

Ginger contains gingerols and shogaols, the anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal components of the ginger root. While ginger is not the most powerful antifungal of the group, it does provide significant liver support while your body is detoxifying the Candida overgrowth.

Olive Oil

Olive, flax, avocado, and primrose oils contain polyphenols, which are antioxidants that can help your body fight Candida.

Cloves

Cloves naturally contain eugenol, a powerful essential oil and extremely effective antifungal when taken internally. Clove oil can also be effective as a topical aid for fungal infections of the toe and fingernails.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is an anti-inflammatory spice with added anti-fungal properties. Similar to caprylic acid, it appears to damage yeast cells, causing them to denature and eventually die off. Cinnamon appears to be beneficial in the treatment of Candida, H. pylori, and even head lice, but it should not be used while pregnant or in the presence of a stomach or intestinal ulcer.

Wild Salmon

Wild Salmon is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are also known to fight fungal infections.

Lemon Juice

The essential oil of lemons contains mild anti-fungal properties.  Lemon’s main role in the diet is to help detoxify your liver as it tries to fight off the Candida.

*Fermented foods are considered ‘food’ for the good bacteria in your gut, however it can feed Candida as well.  Therefore, I recommend eradicating the Candida overgrowth first and then adding in fermented foods to help build-up your army of beneficial bacteria.

If you would like to find out for sure if you have candida overgrowth, consider seeing a functional medicine doctor, who is trained in detecting and treating candida.

-Amy Myers, MD

For more help check out my Guide to Candida eBook

Elana's Pantry Recipe

Cookie Mix in a Jar

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• 1 16 ounce mason jar (for dry ingredients)
• 1 4 ounce mason jar (for wet ingredients)
• 1 small tag
• 1 piece of ribbon
• 1 ¼ cups blanched almond flour
• ¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ cup chocolate chunks
• ¼ cup grapeseed oil
• ¼ cup agave nectar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Place dry ingredients in the 16 ounce mason jar
2. Place chocolate chips on top of dry ingredients in mason jar
3. Place wet ingredients in the 4 ounce mason jar
4. Punch a small hole at the top of your tag
5. Tie larger jar with ribbon and tag
6. Give the gift of high protein yum to a friend