The Fiber of My Life: December 2011

Saturday, December 31, 2011

"I'm a little teapot . . .

. . . short and stout"

No, I'm not! (well, maybe the short part!)

I can't seem to get that song out of my head.

Santa brought me this lovely cast iron blue teapot.

"here is my handle, here is my spout . . ."

It has a dragon fly on it on each side where the handle attaches. I like dragon flies.

And it makes the BEST tea!

Somewhere along the line I stopped drinking coffee. Guess I just don't need that caffeine anymore, and quite frankly I really don't miss it. It was not a conscious effort, it jut happened. Since then I have been discovering tea.

My current favorite is Rooibos Tropica from Teavana. Santa brought that to me too. It is so pretty. It's like drinking a garden!

Here's a few benefits listed with this tea:

May support the immune system, promoting well-being
May support digestion
Naturally caffeine free, so great for kids
Superfruit enhanced with strawberries & papaya
Contains uplifting citrus
Peach is a sweet source of vitamin C

Wikipedia says this about Rooibos tea.

Aside from all that, it just has this wonderful taste that makes my mouth happy and warms me up when I am cold.

I add a small spoonful of my favorite raw honey

"get me all steamed up, and I'll shout . . ."

I almost drank it all before I took a picture!!

"...sock it to me baby, let it all hang out!"

Now where did that song come from?? That goes way back!

But now I have it out of my head!

I think I will go make another pot of tea.

Friday, December 30, 2011

I got juiced!

So, tonight I got juiced, and I loved it. Mean green pure pulp free juice.

This was my first glass of juice from my new Breville Dual Disc Processor Juicer.

It was superb! Here is what went into it:

Kale: a super-green vegetable, perfect for supporting weight loss. It is a rich source of glucosinolates, which are powerful detoxifiers, and is also packed with full potent anti-cancer phytochemicals, including the sulfur sulforaphane.

Spinach: is packed with iron, vitamin C and folic acid for healthy blood cells, making it a perfect fatigue fighter. It is also rich in chlorophyll, a substance that, together with the fiber in this juice acts as an effective cleanser and detoxifier.

Cucumber: contains sulfur and silicon - minerals that support kidney and liver function to aid elimination and tackle fluid retention. It is also rich in potassium, which helps maintain a healthy fluid balance.

Celery: is a strongly alkaline and is a great detoxifying food and is calming for the digestion. A well-known diuretic, celery's potassium-sodium electrolyte balance helps to avoid water retention and to reduce blood pressure. Celery is also rich in B-vitamins and vitamin C.

Apples: contain soluble fiber known as pectin, which binds to toxins and helps eliminate them from the body. Fiber can also encourage the proliferation of healthy bacteria in the bowel, stabilize blood-sugar levels and lower cholesterol. Freshly pressed apple juice provides malic acid, which your cells use for energy production.

Pear: contain high levels of dietry fiber to help keep the bowels in good health, and may help reduce the risk of colon cancer. They are also rich in immunity-boosting vitamin C and in mineral copper, which has an antioxidant effect on the body.

Ginger: is a well known digestive aid, and can help relieve indigestion and nausea. Its powerful gingerols possess anti-inflammatory properties know to help reduce pain and inflammation and alleviate asthma.

Now with all those ingredients, and their health benefits, it is no wonder I am juiced!!!

And this is the wonderful machine, in it's new home, that makes it all happen:

This is the Breville in action:

Notice the huge pulp bin. It has a wonderful pitcher with a cover that allows the juice to pour out, but skims the foam off and leaves it in the pitcher. I really like that feature.