Fill a mason jar with blackberries and fresh basil and top with apple cider vinegar. Place jar with lid in the fridge, and shake when you see it. The longer you leave the fruit soaking the strong the blackberry taste will be. I let it sit about a week. Then strain, and put into a glass container with a lid that seals.
Perfect present for summer BBQs.
In the UK it is said not to pick Blackberries after October 11 (Old Michaelmas Day) because the devil has spoiled them. While the berries may become spoiled and molded, it may have more to do with the cooler, wetter weather around this time, than the devil himself, but who knows right?
Blackberries grow best from dividing up existing plants, where I live they grow wild, so there is not much need to grow them.
Blackberries’ best friends are tansy and stinging nettles, blackberry bushes also create a great environment for ladybugs (which your garden will love) and loads of other beneficial insects.
I freeze blackberries on parchment paper, and once individually frozen, they go into a freezer bag, I use them in smoothies. Wear a long sleeve shirt you don’t care about when picking, blackberries usually have thorns, and stain everything.
Inflammation is our body’s response to injury or attack on the immune system, which is totally normal and healthy. Inflammation on the surface of the body is commonly seen as heat, redness, swelling, and pain. Chronic, low-level inflammation at the cellular level – known as the “silent killer” – develops without pain and can lead to obesity, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.
Inflammation is caused by:
Diet – Trans fat, too much Omega 6 fatty acids, refined sugar, casein, gluten, refined grains, alcohol, food additives, red meat, and dairy
Environmental Factors: smoking including second hand, pollution, pesticides and herbicides, heavy metals, chemicals and airborne irritants
Stress: career, relationships, personal, psychological
Physical Injury: trauma, infections, fractures, cuts
Illness: excess weight, obesity, heart disease, lupus, arthritis, chron’s disease, celiac disease
If you are noticing inflammation, or are being exposed to a lot of things on this list, exercising 3-5 days a week for just 30 minutes will drastically reduce the risk. Plus, incorporating more anti-inflammatory foods into your diet will have amazing results.
I am so excited it is almost here!!!
My teleclass…What Should I Eat to Feel Beautiful and Own My Power?
Learn from a certified health coach and a personal trainer about the importance of a healthy diet, and learn some simple exercises right on the call! And did I mention that it’s free? That also includes a copy of recipes and instructions for the exercises, all totally free of charge, awesome right?
Join us September 9 from 7-830pm MST
Sign up under the events page
This spread tastes amazing and since it is made from beans, it also packs a fiber punch, which will fill you up. I really like to add this to my lettuce wraps.
2 cups cooked white beans
2 red peppers – roasted, seeded
4 cloves of garlic
3 tablespoons of dill
Zest and juice of one lemon and one lime
Pinch of cayenne and cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
Slap it all into your food processor, and chill before using.
Peppers one of my favourite vegetables! They are native to Central and South America and were grown extensively by the Aztecs. Seeds have been found that date back to 7000 BC. Columbus thought he had tasted black pepper, which was really pricey at that time. But the spiciness was due to the hot peppers. This is caused by the alkaloid capsaicin and measured in Scoville units.
Plant your pepper starts (baby plants) when they start to get flowers, this is a common mistake a lot of people make. The plants should be planted 12″ apart. I like to wait a few weeks after the last day of frost, I find it gets warmer and the peppers are happier, up here in Canada.
Capsaicin increases blood flow and is actually used in muscle liniments. It helps to fight a hangover, prevents and helps to relieve bronchitis and emphysema, stimulates endorphins which reduce pain and also create a feeling of well being. Who knew right?
Pepper’s best friends are tomatoes, okra, and basil. Plant them with some friends so you can have lots of peppers this summer.
I feel obligated to mention that hot peppers can burn your skin. Just in case you have been so lucky as to not have been burned before. I worked in a restaurant once where this guy was making suicide sauce, he went to the bathroom and didn’t wash his hands good enough…you can imagine. While we all found it super funny, I am sure he did not. Wear gloves, just do it.
Almost everyone gets sweet cravings, how we handle these cravings is the tricky part. Instead of reaching for processed sugar, try adding more sweet vegetables into your diet. It works so good, my clients are always shocked.
Sweet veggies are very soothing on our internal organs and they also energize the mind. Since so many sweet veggies are root vegetables they will also have a grounding effect, due to the food energetics. This is the exact opposite of processed sugar, which will leave you feeling spacey.
Sweet Vegetables:
Semi-Sweet Vegetables:
Other Vegetables with Same Effect on Body, not actually sweet tasting:
What are your thoughts on sweet vegetables to help with sweet cravings? I’d love to know, post below!
I am so excited to announce my upcoming teleclass, What Should I Eat to Feel Beautiful and Own My Power? Learn from a certified health coach and a personal trainer about the importance of a healthy diet, and learn some simple exercises right on the call! And did I mention that it’s free? That also includes a copy of recipes and instructions for the exercises, all totally free of charge, awesome right?
Join us September 9 from 7-830pm MST
Making salsas, the crazier the better, will help you out huge this summer. You have a condiment, that will take any plain dish to the next level, and you have a snack with some corn chips, that is super easy to bring anywhere, camping, a festival, travelling, or at work. Not to mention that salsas are beyond simple to make, chop and mix ingredients in a bowl.
This is my classic go to salsa for summer; it reminds me of my Mexican vacation and just fills my heart with love.
1 pound of tomatoes – chopped
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/3 cup chopped onion
2 jalapeño – seeded, chopped
Juice from 2 limes
Pinch of cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
Tomatoes originated in the Andes Mountain range, they came to North America at the same time corn did, 2000 years ago, during the human migration. They were first thought to be poisonous due to their strong smell and crazy coloured berries.
I personally believe tomatoes act like a weed. They take over, and will come back again next year, which I think is perfect. Less work for us. The seeds need a soil temperature of 60F to germinate.
Tomato’s best friends are marigolds, basil, parsley, the onion family, nasturtiums and asparagus. Plant them close to their friends so they are happy, and provide you with so many tomatoes.
They are believed to reduce the risk of cancer, and appendicitis. Tomatoes are used in herbal medicine to help liver and kidney complaints and also constipation. However, some doctors believe tomatoes make arthritis worse, and it’s good to note that the stems and leaves are poisonous.
Amanda Greenthumb 