I love free stuff, and I love sharing it with others even more!
Genesis Organic Juice company is offering a free bottle of their juice in exchange for your name, address and email address. Simply visit their website:
http://www.genesisorganicjuice.com/
I recently purchased a bottle of Ginger Lemonade at my local PCC market before I knew I could get a free coupon on their website. I chose this variety because I LOVE ginger, and I liked that it was not pasteurized, all organic and sweetened with agave nectar. I found the drink to be very fresh tasting, but a bit too sweet for my likes. I ended up diluting the drink over the evening and sipping on it. The lemon was definitely pungent and sour, which I attribute to not being heat-treated during processing.
Here is a cute video commercial for the company:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca2b1t-u2C0
Give it a try and let me know what you think.
January 9th, 2010
I recently interviewed my good friend, Robin Wyll, about her website that shows you how to grow organic tomatoes that you can turn into tomato sauce. She is a wealth of information. Now if I can just get her to send me some samples to stock my pantry…
What is your business?
I guess what you’d call it is an “e-business.” I’m new to this concept–I hadn’t really considered it a business. I have published an information-based website to turn my tomato sauce gardening passion into tips, ideas and information from which others may benefit. I also hope to generate income through google adsense and some affiliate links to products that I use in my garden and kitchen. In addition, I may offer products in the future such as sauce tomato seedlings.
What got you into this business?
A friend told me about her success with a website she created through “Site Build-It (SBI).” SBI provides information, tools, guidance and more to make it simple to create a website around your passion and successfully generate income. Since writing is something that I enjoy, I saw this as a great way to communicate my gardening knowledge to others that have a similar interest. The possibility of generating passive income at the same time was very appealing to me as a stay-at-home, homeschooling mom. Site Build-It walked me through the entire process of building a website that I am proud of, without my having to learn HTML. Site- Build-It is an incredible resource for anyone with a passion they want to share. Here’s the website for more information, testimonials, a free trial and more: http://magic.sitesell.com/Robin456.html.
What does your garden look like now?
I have about 40 sauce tomato plants divided among five beds. Most of the plants range from 5 to 8-feet tall. They are loaded with green tomatoes although we just started harvesting a few ripe sauce tomatoes from a couple of the plants. With the cooler weather and rain we are getting now, I am keeping all of the tomato beds covered using a structure upon which I can attach clear plastic. This will keep the plants warm and dry so the fruit can continue to ripen in spite of the weather.
How many tomato plants do you need to grow per a jar of sauce?
That is difficult to estimate due to different qualities of the types of tomatoes grown, environmental factors, pruning techniques and more. Additionally, the amount of sauce you get depends on how long you roast the tomatoes and how meaty vs. watery they are. Using the methods on my website, we get about 1 cup of sauce per pound of tomatoes.
Are you an organic gardener? How do you tend your plants? Pest and weed control, etc.?
Growing organically is one of the best reasons to grow food. Organic, homegrown food has a higher nutritional content, better taste and is free of chemicals that can affect your health, not to mention the flora and fauna around you. Gardening organically is being a good steward of the earth. Plus organic gardening is less costly and time consuming than using conventional methods. The most successful way to control pests and weeds for me has been composting directly in the beds all winter and then applying compost tea directly to plants and soil on a regular basis during the growing season. These are my keys to developing strong plants that resist disease and pests. I have more tips on this on my website.
What is your current step in making tomato sauce?
Currently we are in harvest-mode. That involves picking the ripe fruit, roasting it in the oven and freezing the puree. Since they don’t all ripen at once, it’s very easy to process the tomatoes a bit at a time without it becoming overwhelming. This will go on through the month of October and possibly into November, depending on weather.
What will be your next step?
Once all of the fruit has been harvested, roasted and frozen, I will snip each tomato plant at the soil level leaving the roots intact and toss the plant material into my compost bin. Then I will top dress each bed with a layer of coffee grounds and a layer of leaves (after running over them with a lawn mower). This will feed and encourage the worms to work the soil all winter long.
What should someone do to get started?
If you would like to make tomato sauce now–you can look for locally-grown, organic tomatoes in specialty grocery stores, farmer’s markets or a neighbor’s backyard garden. Get sauce or roma tomatoes if you can, but even regular slicing tomatoes will work. Follow the steps on my website. If you wish to grow your own sauce next year, start now by assessing your growing space: check out your soil, maybe have it tested; build raised beds and top dress them with coffee grounds and leaves for the winter. Sign up to recieve free catalogues from tomato seed companies. I have a list of my favorites on my website.
What if a person lives in an apartment? Can you still grow tomato sauce if you don’t have a huge garden area?
I just read an article about a man who consistently grows thousands of tomatoes every year in a very small yard in California. You do not need a lot of space and you can grow sauce tomatoes if you live in an apartment. For example, I have information and photos on attractively growing a 6-foot tall sauce tomato plant in a wine barrel.
What else should people know about growing tomato sauce?
Just give it a try! It’s fun and rewarding in so many ways. Plus, in addition to great taste and nutrition, tomato sauce has been shown to contain effective cancer-fighting properties.
Where can people get more information?
Visit my website at www.Grow-Tomato-Sauce.com! While there, you can sign up for my free ezine to have monthly tomato sauce garden tips delivered right to your e-mail box to keep your garden on track.
September 29th, 2008
A mom recently mentioned The Sneaky Chef cookbook to me and I was surprised that I had not heard of it before! It sounded like a great idea, but I needed to investigate further. After reading more about the recipes and ideas behind the recipes, I have mixed feelings about this book. I like that this cookbook focuses on increasing the nutritional value of foods that kids are already eating. I think it is a great first step in changing the eating habits of your kids (and husband, wife or partner). It would be great for a stay-at-home mom or dad that has time to prepare the purees used to sneak veggies into the recipes. It would also be great for a family that has established VERY picky eaters – mom, dad and/or the kids.
What I don’t like is that this book perpetuates the myth that kids will only eat kids foods. If these recipes are used long-term, you are doing nothing to encourage the enjoyment of healthy foods, especially fruits and veggies that are now thought of as impossible to get kids to eat without drenching in ketchup or ranch or hiding some how. Also, the purees used to sneak fruits & veggies into the recipes do take a considerable amount of prep time. Plus the amount of time that is required to cook the veggies down to a soft mush results in the loss of a considerable amount of nutrients. And the amount of puree used in each recipe (1/4 to 1 cup), when divided among the serving sizes, results in a tiny amount of these fruits and veggies actually making it into your kid. If they currently don’t eat any fruits or veggies, this is an improvement though!
I do recommend the using it as a short-term stepping stone, or as a supplement to your repertoire of healthy cooking options. Not recommended though, as your sole cooking method, especially for long-term development of healthy eaters!
Pick up a copy of The Sneaky Chef at a discount here.
September 25th, 2008
Here is a great service for busy people that really want to eat healthy, but don’t have the time (or don’t know how to cook!): Fresh, gourmet organic meals delivered to your front door by Delicious Planet of Seattle. The current menu contains many mouth-watering dishes! Like:
Molasses Glazed Pork Loin
Local Carlton Farms Pork Loin stuffed w/Organic Pears, Gorgonzola & Organic Orange Braised Root Vegetables w/Organic Garlic Braised Greens from local Full Circle Farms. Gluten Free – $14.95
Can you say YUM??
All the food is local and organic and includes a wide variety of salads, sandwiches, wraps, entrees, desserts and baked goods. Only a $40 minimum order, with a $6.95 delivery charge and no contracts or commitments. Plus you if you order by 4 pm, you can get next day delivery – now that’s convenient. Prices range from $12-$17 for regular size; $14-$20 for large entrees. Most meals are delivered fresh (not frozen), which makes for very quick heating. Delivery area: greater Seattle metro (des moines to Lynnwood, Issaquah, Sammamish – doesn’t look like they’ll take the ferry).
A very unique offering is the special detox meals (which start in October) which is great for anyone on an elimination diet!
About Founder Randi Carter
“Recognizing the need for those living an active lifestyle to still enjoy healthy, wholesome and flavorsome foods, I founded Delicious Planet in Seattle in 1998. I began the business as a Personal Chef service, personally visiting and cooking meals in people’s homes. As my client list grew, Delicious Planet evolved into a gourmet home delivery service to better accommodate those it served. I was trained in Nutrition at Seattle’s Bastyr University, an accredited private institution known as one of the world’s leading centers in the natural health sciences, where I advanced my knowledge in wholesome, organic cooking to promote a healthy lifestyle. My goal as founder and nutritionist for Delicious Planet is to keep the service as client-focused as it was in its initiation by using only the highest quality ingredients, paying close attention to client’s needs and doing my best to educate along the way.”
September 21st, 2008
The corn growers must be feeling the pinch from the recent backlash against High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) because they put out this unbelievable video telling you that HFCSs are not so bad. The video claims it is “OK in moderation”, but the problem is that it is in almost everything! It may seem obvious that HFCS would be in the big jug of artificially colored non-juice, but what many don’t realize is that it has been included in foods as far reaching as canned soup, frozen dinners, breakfast bars and even meat products!
Many manufacturers are yielding to the concerns that this substance probably isn’t so good for us and removing it from their list of ingredients and substituting plain old sugar. Even retailers, like PCC Markets here in the Seattle area, are banning the killer corn juice from their entire store. If this video brainwashing ploy fails, where will we put all that good cheap corn?
Maybe the corn growers and Big Tobacco should team up and produce some public service announcements proclaiming, “Have a cigarette and some Sunny D! Because you know they are OK in moderation…”
September 14th, 2008
Relatively new comer to the tea scene is Yogi Tea. The appealing packaging drew me in (I love a well designed product…). A wide and unique variety of flavors piqued my interest. The first box I bought was Green Tea Kombucha. Probably the best tasting green tea I’ve ever had. Most green teas leave a bitter after taste, but Yogi Tea’s blend was delicious. I picked up a new flavor at Redmond PCC yesterday, “Chai Black”. Since I recently switched from drinking coffee to chai, I thought I’d give this blend a try. Very full flavored, nice level of spice, no bitter after taste. After reading the ingredient list, I’ve figured out a couple of the ways that Yogi Teas ensure a superior flavored tea. For one, they use natural oils in addition to the usual tea and dried herbs used to flavor traditional teas. This enhances and intensifies the flavors. The other ingredient in most of their tea blends is stevia. Brilliant! This gives the tea a slight sweetness, which American’s are conditioned to prefer, but without calories or adding to your insulin load.
Click here to receive a free sample of their tea.
September 13th, 2008
Finding people you trust and respect to do business with is very important. Looking to your friends for recommendations is a great way to find reliable, trustworthy people. After seeing some amazing before and after pictures of the results of a new home spa tool, the Galvanic Spa, I interviewed my good friend Jennifer Erwin Furlong about her new endeavor. Jennifer is definitely in my category of people that I trust and respect and would recommend anyone and everyone do business with her! She is very personable and makes everyone feel like a friend, even when she’s just met you. (Email Jen if you’d like to see the before and after pictures – they are amazing!)
Tell me a bit about yourself and your background.
I’m 49, with 3 grandkids & a great hubby. The majority of my career life was in Pharmaceutical/ Biotech sales, until last September, when I decided that it was time to have a less stressful job.
What is the company you represent?
NuSkin Enterprises
Why did you pick this company?
First of all, I didn’t pick NuSkin…it picked me, if that makes sense! I’ve always believed that when doors close, others open…which is what happened here. I left my biotech career, went traveling, returned & started wondering what I would be doing next. A friend introduced me to NuSkin…the rest is history!
What do you really like about this company?
I love that there is science behind most of the products being sold by NuSkin. Not only does it satisfy my own needs to know that I’m not making false claims about what our products can do, but it allows my customers the ability to NOT have to buy the skin care or nutritional products we market on blind faith! I also love the fact that the company offers money back guarantees, on many of our products, should the results promised not occur!
What is unique about your products?
Most of our products have been developed via NuSkin scientists working in collaboration with researchers at prestigious institutions such as UCLA, Stanford & Purdue. Some of the data is available on our website, while additional data can be obtained from the company. Being able to demonstrate the difference makes NuSkin products unique from most other skincare companies.
What are the health benefits?
From a nutritional standpoint, the supplements we sell are scientifically proven (and guaranteed) to increase your caratenoid levels (anti-oxidant), which means that your body is more capable of fighting off illnesses. From a skin care perspective, it’s more about skin improvement. We have various skincare lines addressing different “health” issues, such as discoloration, acne and aging.
What should someone do if they’d like more information?
Contact me! agelessjen@gmail.com or 206-919-2759
September 11th, 2008
B12 deficiency can cause depression, anemia, fatigue, dementia, poor memory and numbness and tingling in the hands and feet. Now, according to new research, low levels of vitamin B12 is being linked to brain atrophy. Brain shrinkage is linked to mental decline as we age, and specifically Alzheimer’s disease.
“In this study out of the University of Oxford in England, 107 volunteers ages 61 to 87 underwent MRI scans and cognitive and blood tests. They were all cognitively normal.
After five years, the individuals with lower vitamin B 12 levels at the start of the study, showed the greatest decrease in brain volume, twice that when compared to those in the highest level of B12 group, even when age, sex, and education were factored in.
Interestingly, none of the participants registered in the “deficient” range, they were just at the low end of a normal range. It’s estimated two out of five people are deficient in the vitamin.”
Notice that those who experienced the most significan brain shrinkage were NOT considered deficient, simply on the low end of the NORMAL range.
While this study may make you want to run out and buy a B12 supplement, I wouldn’t advise this. You may think I would recommend increasing your consumption of B12 containing foods – primarily foods of animal origin (meat, eggs, fish, poultry, milk, etc.). Surprise – I don’t think this is the solution either. I would bet that those with a higher B12 level did NOT have a higher intake of foods containing B12.
What may have been different was the ability of these individuals to absorb the B12 they were consuming. B12 is an interesting vitamin in the way that it is assimilated in the body. Although it is absorbed in the intestines, like other vitamins, it can’t be absorbed unless it is attached to a special co-factor (intrinsic factor), which is produced in the stomach. If your stomach is not functioning optimally, you will not be absorbing B12 optimally (plus a host of other nutrients).
B12 absorption often decreases with aging, as does stomach acid production.
How do you get your stomach to function to the best of it’s ability? Hire a stomach coach? Positive affirmations (”Good boy, Stomach, you’re doing such a great job!”)? Eating a wide variety of whole foods is a good place to start. Avoding refined sugars and flours. Improving your intestinal health by increasing fiber (whole foods) and consuming probiotics (supplements, fermented foods) will also improve digestion. Some individuals will also benefit from increasing stomach acid. After ingesting another Pepsid AC, you probably feel like you have PLENTY of stomach acid. Check out the book “Why Stomach Acid is Good for You” . More on this subject later…
September 9th, 2008
And yet another outbreak of salmonella. Linked last to tomatoes (or did they decide it was the jalapeños?), and now to alfalfa sprouts (or Brussels sprouts?). Their reactive stance is to recall the product and scare the general population into avoiding all similar products. The unfortunate outcome is that the public becomes more and more fearful of buying and eating whole fresh foods. (You never see an outbreak in Doritos after all, now do you?).
They do try to prevent contamination, but not early enough. Salmonella comes from fecal matter that is infected, which is spread to the food supply. The current way of thinking is that salmonella is inevitable, therefore you just have to be neat and clean. How do we get the cows wash their hands after using the bathroom though?? Very tricky indeed. But what if we could prevent the cows (and people) from getting infected in the first place? Anyone who’s read Michael Polan’s book “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” will understand how the diet we feed most of our cows disrupts their digestive and immune systems so severely, that they are more prone to infections, like salmonella. If we could simply allow cows to feed on grass, in pastures, as nature intended, I postulate that there would be a marked reduction in salmonella outbreaks.
More info on the virtues of grass feeding:
www.eatwild.com
And until Purel hand sanitizer stations are installed in every cow pasture, it would be beneficial to look into finding a real solution.
September 8th, 2008
If you are one of my clients, you know I’m a huge fan of having a well stocked pantry to facilitate quick and easy meals. This is what I made for lunch today with plenty of leftovers for future quick and easy meals!
4 cups chicken broth
15 ounce can of red kidney beans
1/4 cup dehydrated kale (see notes below)
1 carrot, sliced
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons tamari
dash cayenne
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup penne pasta
Combine all ingredients except the pasta in a large stock pot over high heat. Bring to a boil and then add the pasta. Reduce heat and simmer for 8 minutes.
I like to serve it with a nice piece of whole grain bread spread with butter. Yum!
Serves: 8
Time: 15 minutes
NOTES: I like to dehyrate my kale so that there is no prep time when I add it to recipes. You can substitute 4 torn leaves of fresh kale in this recipe until you have your own stock of dehydrated kale.
To dehydrate kale, rinse fresh leaves. De-stem by holding kale by the stem, then run your hand down the stem pulling the leaf away. Tear into small pieces and place into your dehydrator. Remove when they crumble easily in your hand (Depending on dehydrator, 4-6 hours). Crumble into small pieces and store in the pantry for future “fast food”.
September 5th, 2008
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