Chocolate Chip Mint and Lemon Balls

I had such a blast last night with all my friends and their children.Happy 1st Birthday Maya!!One of my friends wanted me to post these two delicious recipes from the dessert I brought to the party last night.So Sarah here we go..


Chocolate chip mint balls

Ingredients
1/2 a cup oat groats
1/2 a cup raw almonds or other nuts
1 cup dates
1/4 cup unsweetened chocolate chips (or more if you like)
a few drops peppermint oil

Preparation
Grind the oat groats and the almonds in a food processor or coffee grinder into a fine flour.
Grind the dates in food processor and add the almond-oat flour.Process until you have a dough like consistency.
Transfer to a mixing bowl and add the chocolate chips plus a few drops of peppermint oil.
Mix it all together and form into little balls.

Lemon Balls

Ingredients
1/2 cup raw almonds or other nuts
1/2 cup oat groats
1 cup dates
juice of 1 or 2 lemon
zest of 1 lemon

Preparation
Grind the almonds and out groats into a flour in food processor.Add the dates and process until you have a dough like consistency.
Transfer to a mixing bowl and add lemon juice ( start with less juice to see how much you prefer).
Cut the zest of the lemon into small pieces and add to the dough.
Mix it all together and roll into balls.
You can freeze them as a cool summer treat

THE DAIRY DISASTER

Good morning to all of you!!

What a beautiful Sunday morning it is in the Chicago area..it is about time the weather gets better again,after tornadoes and thunderstorms and 50 degree temperatures.
I want to talk or better write to you about a subject today that is driving me crazy sometimes with all those misconceptions,lies and BS out there.THE BIG TRUTH ABOUT DAIRY!!We all believe that we need milk to grow,to make our bones strong,get our calcium and all the nutrients we need.We grew up with our parents telling us to drink our milk and we see those ''Got Milk" commercials with glamorous celebrities and their children telling us what a miracle drink milk is.The meat and dairy industry spends a fortune every year to keep their products synonymous with good health.They influence American families and indirectly even our government.Industry executives become government regulators then become industry executives again,like a big circle with a lot of money swirling around.As a result the official regulations and guidelines that are so important to public health are often compromised.While misinformation benefits stockholders it doesn't protect us and our children.''Milk;It does the body good.'' we have seen and heard it all a million times!!Milk is milk,doesn't matter if it is ''natural'' milk or milk from cows injected with growth hormones..UGH REALLY??





The National Dairy Council supplies our schools with teaching materials..the food pyramid anybody.That is what our children get taught in school,so no wonder everybody things we would die and fade away without dairy and animal products.We won't trust me,we will feel better,allergies will go away,our digestion will be smooth and little aches and pains will disappear if we say ''bye bye'' to dairy products.Now I would love to see a ''got kale'' commercial from Lady Gaga and seeing Beyonce wearing a ''eat your veggies'' tee at an event.
Milk is meant for babies,baby cows drink their mothers milk,so do baby gorillas,or baby horses..and so do we when we are babies.When we are grown ups we are not meant to drink somebody elses mothers milk..would you go and suck on the cows udders?No,well I didn't think so!!


THE REAL LAUGHING COW



Cow's milk contains three times as much protein as breast milk,because baby cows grow to be big and strong between 1500 and 2000 pounds.Our bodies are not able to digest that kind of protein,we also lose the enzyme lactase to digest the sugar in milk (lactose) when we are about 4 years old.So what happens,it will leave residue in the body and will pile up if consumed regularly.Allergies,eczema,asthma,arthritis,inflammation,zits and ear infections in children can all be linked to dairy.Yes even the skim or nonfat milk sucks!!

Milk is one of the most mucus-forming foods we can cosume.No wonder children suffer from asthma,allergies,ear infections and colds.Reared on formula,cow's milk and dairy- rich diets,their bodies become laden with mucus buildup in just a few short years.Dairy is a tremendous mucus producer and a burden on the respiratory,digestive and immune system.

But where do I get my calcium from?In order for calcium to be absorbed and not leached from the body,magnesium is needed.Dairy products contain very little magnesium.Leafy greens contain calcium and magnesium in perfect ratio for optimal calcium absorption.Other plant based sources are Almonds,Broccoli,lentils,chickpeas,quinoa,tempeh,sunflower seeds,sweet potatoes and many many more...

In a recent study it showed that countries with the highest consumption of animal product intake had the most hip fractures,whereas the countries with the highest vegetable protein intake had the fewest hip fractures.So much for milk keeping your bones strong.One of the best ways to prevent bone loss and build bone density is weight lifting exercise.

All animal products including Dairy are extremely acid forming in the body.I will explain more about the acid/alkaline balance later,but for now you need to know that everything that causes our bodies to be acidic is extremely unhealthy and we get sick and disease can thrive.

Girls and boys getting into puberty being as young as 10 years old!Growth hormones anyone?Drink your milk.Our cows are injected with growth hormone to grow bigger faster and to produce more milk.Like humans female cows only produce milk when they are pregnant so they constantly get chemical crap injected into their bodies to produce more milk.Even most organic dairies use those hormones-just in smaller quantities.Let's not forget the antibiotics they get to treat the infections of their udders.It will get passed on to us and our children if you drink the white poison.Even cancer causing pesticides are found in cows milk.The plants they eat are heavily sprayed and become concentrated in the fat of the animal,especially in the milk.Unlike bacteria,heat processing does not kill these chemicals.

Milk just sucks.I know how hard it can be to cut out dairy from your life but there are some great milk alternatives out there like almond,hemp,oat or coconut milk.You won't even miss cows milk.Cut out the dairy and cheese and you will feel a huge difference in your well being.Have a green smoothie instead and you will never have to worry about your calcium intake again!!!

Love

Jennifer

BANANA ICE CREAM-CAN'T GET ANY BETTER

Hi everybody,
I want to post this super easy, super yummy,healthy and easy ice cream recipe.I eat it all the time and it feels like I just had a naughty treat.You could dress it up by adding other ingredients or just eat as is.So here we go!!



-1 to 2 frozen bananas (peel of the skin of the banana and chop into pieces,put in container or zip log bags and freeze overnight)

-extras like chocolate chips,chopped nuts,chopped fruit,raisins or whatever you feel like...

Put the frozen banana into a blender or food processor and blend for 1-2 minutes until a soft serve ice cream consistency is achieved.You might have to scrape down the sides of your blender a couple of times to blend well.Voila that's it..super easy!Put in a serving bowl and add extras if you like.Eat right away, you will love it!!!Yummy.

Exercise.. so much more than staying skinny!!!

I would like to tell you guys a little bit about moving our gorgeous body's!!
Shaking your booty is just as important to our health than the way we eat and think.Mind, body and soul are connected and only if we take care of all elements we will live a happy and healthy life.
Our body's are made for action.It is the only machine in the world that works better and gets stronger the more we use it.Muscles were made for movement.Without exercise we begin to slowly deteriorate.Like a car parked in the driveway and never used,rest brings rust.



Health benefits of regular exercise

IMPROVES CIRCULATION
-strengthens our heart muscle and gets our blood moving throughout our bodies
-the better our blood circulation the more effectively nutrients are delivered to our cells

IMPROVES METABOLISM
-exercise stimulates digestion and improves metabolism

FIGHTS WEIGHT GAIN
-improved metabolism helps to control weight
-if you take in calories you have to burn them through exercise

GUARDS AGAINST HEART ATTACKS AND STROKES
-helps to control LDL cholesterol which clogs arteries and leads to heart attack and stroke.
-helps to lower blood pressure
-stress reducer
-strenghtens our heart muscle

GUARDS AGAINST CANCER
-keeps our immune system strong which is our primary defense against cancer cells
-helps to speed up metabolism - we can eliminate toxins quicker and better which prevents colon and rectal cancer
-increased oxygenation of our cells-cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated environment
-exercise lowers level of female hormones which can prevent breast cancer

FIGHTS OSTEOPOROSIS
-weight- bearing exercise makes bones strong by retaining calcium in the bones,which prevents osteoporosis

NEUTRALIZES THE EFFECT OF STRESS
-our pituitary gland releases hormones called endorphins into the bloodstream about 30 min after cardio exercise which gives us a happy feeling and is a great stress reliever
-gives us a sense of personal accomplishment
-helps us with discipline

OTHER BENEFITS
-increased lung capacity
-lower breathing rate
-lower heart rate at rest
-lower uric acid level
-increased flexibility
-increased energy
-improved functions of all organs
-detoxifying

And my absolute favorite benefit that keeps me motivated..THE BODY HEALS EIGHT TIMES FASTER WHEN YOU EXERCISE REGULARLY..EIGHT TIMES!!!

Dust of your gym shoes and get moving....run,jump,swim,dance what ever makes you happy..trust me after you are done you will feel like a million bucks.

Bring it

Jennifer

GREENS BABY GREENS

Hi all of you,
I had such an amazing and fun weekend.Me and my hubby are still house hunting still didn't really find the right place for us but I am positive we will get there.
On Saturday we went to a tiny little farm to get some organic produce and I was amazed about how different the fruit and veggies look and taste.They were so much smaller and sweeter like you just picked them from your own garden.The lady even went outside and picked some fresh mint and lemon balm for me.Heritage Prairie Farm is an all organic and family owned farm where you can find fruit and vegetables in season and they have a little store were you can find natural foods like breads or honey.
 I always buy organic but I hardly get to the farmers market.Especially in the Chicago area you can't really find a lot of organic farmers market.There is a great market in Chicago which is called ''the green city market'' and all the food you buy there is organic and most of it is grown locally.It takes me about 90min to get there so for me it is more like a day trip that I  have to plan ahead..can't wait to live closer to the highway..awwww!!
My husband had a very long night yesterday.He wasn't really feeling so well this morning so I made him one of my amazing delicious and nutritious green smoothies.I added some kale,bananas,black and strawberries plus some mint and lemon juice to detoxify his liver.He jugged it down right away and felt better instantly.

Greens are miracle workers, calorie for calorie,perhaps the most concentrated source of nutrition of any food.They are a rich source of minerals (including iron, calcium, potassium and magnesium) and vitamins like vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin E and many of the B vitamins.They also provide a variety of phytonutrients including beta-carotene,lutein and zeaxanthin which protect our cells from damage and our eyes from age- related problems, among many other affects.Dark green leaves even contain small amounts of omega 3 fats.
They reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer,they are low in fat and high in fiber plus nutrient dense.The high level of vitamin K in greens makes them important in the production of osteocalcin, a protein important for bone health.The risk of hip fracture in middle-aged women was decreased 45% for one or more servings/day of green, leafy vegetables compared to fewer servings.One study showed that an increment of one daily serving of green leafy vegetables, lowered the risk of cardiovascular disease by 11 percent.

There are plenty of different types of leafy green vegetables, however the 4 most nutritious have been mentioned below.

Kale is a descendant of wild cabbage and was a very well liked vegetable among the peasants in the Middle Age’s. Kale is definitely one of the most nutritionally dense vegetables around. Simply take a look at the nutrition facts and you will see, that for just 50 calories, Kale presents 3 times the volume of vitamin A necessary for a daily diet. That’s astounding! Kale also is rich in vitamin b folic acid and has a lot of potassium.

Spinach is believed have originated in Persia. At this time, the USA is among the best commercial producers of spinach across the globe. Popeye references aside, spinach is quite nutritious. It’s high in vitamin A and C and comes with a lot of iron.

Swiss chard is much like spinach. In the fourth century B.C., the Greek philosopher Aristotle wrote concerning the health rewards of chard. Swiss chard is full of vitamin C and vitamin K as well as loaded with calcium.

Romaine lettuce has been grown since, at the least, 4500 B.C. It was initially cultivated in the USA in 1493 by Spanish Missionaries in California. Currently, California is the lettuce capital of the U.s.. Lettuce is also very balanced. The more dark the lettuce, the better. Lettuce carries tons of magnesium.

                                                     Miracle worker kale

Health Benefits

Body Odor	Blended or chewed well, leafy greens cleanse the system of toxins that cause body odor.
Bones	The combination of calcium and magnesium they contain make all leafy greens an important component of bone health and maintenance.
Digestion - General	When eaten raw, leafy greens stimulate digestion and digestive enzymes.
Hair	Reverse greying of hair. Should be well blended to assimilate available nutrients.
Hormone Balance	Provide a wide variety of nutrients necessary to maintain proper hormone balance.
Immune System - General	Provide essential nutrients to the endocrine system and make the body more alkaline, thereby strengthening immunity.
Sleep Cycle	Most provide tryptophan which aids in sleep. They make a light, low-fat meal, which allows for a peaceful night's rest.

When eating a salad, usually people do not sit and chew their greens until it becomes juice. With the hustle and bustle of everyday life, people swallow each bite as soon as the food enters the mouth. All leafy greens have cell walls composed mainly of cellulose, which is very difficult for our bodies to digest in order to access the dense nutrients that the greens supply.
So, in essence the greens go in one way and exit the other with much of the nutrients still intact.That is were the green smoothie comes in.If you blend your greens a lot of the chewing work is already done for us by the blender.We are getting much more benefits from our vegetables by drinking them,it is easier on our digestion and we are absorbing the nutrients better.

                                                    My favorite breakfast




Love

Jennifer

	.

PERFECT IS BEIGE..

Wow what an amazing weekend I had..I went to see Kris Carr speaking about her journey with cancer and health at the Hyatt lodge in Oak Brook yesterday.And man did she inspire me!!For you people who don't know who she is,Kris Carr is a cancer thriver,best selling author of her awesome book Crazy Sexy Diet, motivational speaker, wellness coach and she inspires people all over America to have a holistic approach to medicine and health.She has been living with a very rare form of cancer in her liver and lungs for almost 10 years know and it is stable.Doctors told her that there is not much to do besides wait and see,so she started her own journey and healed herself through a plant based way of eating and a healthy mind.She did a documentary on her journey called Crazy Sexy Cancer and has a web side with lots of information at crazysexylife.com.Kris regularly lectures at medical schools, hospitals,wellness centers,Whole Foods and Eat Right America and Harvard University.Television appearances include;
CBS Evening News,The Early Show,The Today Show and yes even the Oprah Winfrey Show.


Kris Carr


There were about 300-400 people most of them cancer survivors listening to her and 3 other great health advocates  which included Julie Fulton who is a dietitian and fitness professional,Jackie Glew registered Dietitian and licensed Nutritionist and Peggy Maglaris-Kopley who is the General Manager and Co-founder of Prasino which is that great organic,vegan friendly restaurant I told you guys about.They are located in St. Charles IL, La Grange IL and are soon opening another one in our great city Chicago.

Kris was doing a little personal coaching session on some volunteers and of course I was really interested in that so I was the lucky one that got picked.We were talking about my eating habits,stress level,exercise regimen and about the way my mind is driving me crazy sometimes.She was such a sweet person and told me that I put to much pressure on me about being perfect and that I have to realize that there is no perfect...PERFECT IS BEIGE AND I AM RED HOT...those were her words!!
I think a lot of us put so much pressure on ourselves to be the perfect wife,the perfect mom,have the perfect body,eat a perfect diet,be the perfect friend,be perfect in our jobs or at school,be the perfect son or daughter and live the perfect life.Well, there is no perfect and who is the one that says what perfect is anyway?!
And if we are perfect at the end are we really happy?Isn't it so much more important to be happy and healthy,to be able to laugh and cry and help people out and be loved and give love,to feel full filled and enjoy life instead of spending every little minute of your life on trying to be perfect.When we want to be perfect most of the time we are doing it to please other people.We think if we are perfect we get more attention or more love.We think all our problems will fade away and we can finally be happy!!If we fail and we never become our perfect selfs we beat ourselves up every single day until we realize that nobody has the right to make us feel that we will never be good enough,or that we are a failure.It is not our fault that sometimes people just don't know any better.
Most of our doubts and low self esteem come from our childhood.Everything we learn,we learn when we are children..little innocent children.Our parents are our role models and everything they say or do we suck in to our little brains where the memories can get stored forever.And our parents love us and they don't mean to hurt us!!Very often that is how they have been raised and that is all they know so they continue with that kind of parenting not knowing that sometimes that child has to deal and struggle with his or her feelings way into the adult life.
When we want to beat ourselves up because we failed again we need to look at us when we were kids and be the mom or dad.Would we punish our child and give him a bottle of vodka to drink or stuff it with cookies,because he or she wasn't perfect?Would we sit him in front of the TV for the whole day and not let him get any fresh air because he didn't get an A at school?Would we lock our teenager in his room for two days because he failed on his driving test?NO NO and NO...
So why do we punish ourselves if we are not perfect?It is up to us to brake that circle and teach us and our future children better.We need to take responsibility for our own life's and realize that we are not children anymore and that we are in control of our life's.Nobody can blame or hurt us for things anymore if we don't let them.Nobody can punish us anymore or treat us bad!!We have to stop playing the victim role,grow up and forgive whoever we need to forgive...not because of them but because of us..in the end if we are mad and angry with people in our life's for what they did to us,it causes negative energy in our body's and minds.It doesn't hurt them it hurts us..You don't have to forget but you have to forgive..
And we have to realize what a huge impact our mind and thoughts have on our life and well being.A healthy diet and exercise is never enough if we have poisened thoughts.We can be whoever and whatever we want to be no matter what has happend to us in the past...prayers,meditation and counseling can move mountains.You just have to believe that PERFECT IS BEIGE AND YOU ARE RED HOT!!!


love and hugs

Jennifer

My grandmas poem..

I digged out a poem today that my grandma from Germany once gave to me.It is so beautiful and inspires me to never forget that we are all unique and strong individuals.I will post it in German because that is how it is supposed to be..Love you grandma Gerda!!!

Vergiess es nie;
Das du lebst war keine eigene Idee
und das du atmest kein Entschluss von dir
Vergiss es nie;
Das du lebst war eines anderen Idee und
das du atmest sein Geschenk an dich.Vergiss es nie;
Niemand denkt und handelt so wie du's grad tust.
Vergiss es nie;
Niemand sieht den Himmel ganz genau wie du und
niemand hat je,was du weisst gewusst.
Dein Gesicht hat niemand sonst auf dieser Welt
und solche Augen hast alleine du.
Vergiss es nie;
Du bist reich.egal ob mit oder ohne Geld.
Du kannst Leben, niemand lebt wie du.
Du bist gewollt,kein Kind des Zufalls.
Keine Laune der Natur.
Du bist ein Gedanke Gottes
ein genialer noch dazu.
Du bist Du!!!!!




Here is the english translation

Never forget;
That you are alive was not your idea
and that you are breathing not your decision.
Never forget;
That you are alive was somebody elses idea
and that you are breathing his gift to you.
Never forget;
Nobody thinks and acts like you
and nobody smiles like you right now.
Never forget;
Nobody sees heaven exactly like you do
and nobody ever knew what you know.
Never forget;
Nobody has your face
and only you have those eyes.
Never forget;
You are rich,with or without money.
You can live,nobody lives like you.
You are wanted, not a quincedent.
Not natures mood.
You are a thought of God
and a great one too.
You are you!!!