Perfect Chicken (or Tofu) Noodle Soup!

This recipe is sooo simple but so very delicious!   I stole it from a friend who is a great cook so I can't take credit for it.  It is truly a great staple recipe and a great base for an infinite number of other soups like making it into a minestrone by adding a jar of marinara sauce and a bunch of vegetables. 

Chicken or (Tofu) Noodle Soup:

1)      1)  Saute chopped carrots, celery and onion on medium heat in a large soup pot with olive oil

2)    2)  When onions are translucent and carrots are getting soft fill soup pot ¾ the way full with cold water and bring to a boil.  

3)    3)    Once water is boiling add about 3 spoonfuls of veggie bouillon* to water.  Add another spoon full if it doesn’t taste salty enough.  The kind I use is Better than Bouillon- vegetarian flavor.

4)    4)  Add a box of noodles and keep at a boil until noodles are cooked.  I like to use bow ties or the wheel noodles, something small and hearty.  Shells are good too mixed with orzo.  Halfway through noodles cooking add kale and broccoli.

5)    5)  Once noodles are cooked turn off heat and add chopped cooked chicken or tofu.

6)   How to cook the chicken: 20 min 350 with evoo and s&p

Grilled Veggie Sourdough

Two nights ago we had a delicious grilled veggie sandwich for dinner.  I was too lazy to take a photo so here is an impostor photo of it!

Grilled Veggie Sourdough:  

1)  Marinate zucchini slices (longways), red bell pepper (halved), and portabella mushrooms in balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and s & p. 

2)  Place in tin foil packets and grill on BBQ until soft or bake at 400 degrees for about 20 mins.  

3)  Steam spinach and set aside.  

4)  In a sauté pan grill sliced sourdough bread (the big rounds that come pre-sliced work best).  

5)  Stack sandwiches with veganaise (or regular mayo), spinach, raw red onion slices, marinated artichokes, and the bbq’d veggie mix, making sure to slice the portabellas after they are cooked.  

6)  Serve with sweet potato fries.  Thinly slice sweet potatoes and season with your favorite seasonings and olive oil.  I like Tony's seasoning.  Bake at 425 for 40 mins or until done, turning once.

Enjoy!

Joy...its whats for dinner

After going to a great Jivamukti yoga class this morning I am feeling very joyful so I thought that I would share this with you...

Happy Tuesday!

Vacation Must Haves

Since my recent posts have been kind of intense I thought I would lighten it up with sharing some of my favorite things.  Just having returned from an amazing vacation in Maui (well technically I was working but it was a lot more vacationing than working), I decided to compile a list of my favorite summer/vacation products... hope this gets you excited for sweet summertime!


Jason Family Sunblock SPF 36
-Has that amazing Hawaiin Tropic sunscreen smell that makes me think of sunny California beaches.  Goes on great and stayed on through countless ocean and pool dips.















Alba Hawaiian Green Tea Sunscreen SPF 30
-perfection.  love this stuff.













Alba Un-Petroleum Plant-Powered Lip Care Tangerine SPF 18
-I don't know what goes on with my lips when I'm on vacation but I must have a weirdly protruding lower lip because it always gets horribly sunburnt! This stuff worked wonderfully and smelled and tasted yummy.

Alba Hawaiin Mango Moisturizing Conditioner
-Sunsets, sandy beaches and Mai Tais bottled up into a conditioner.

Alba Kona Coffee After Sun Lotion
-Sensing an Alba trend here?  I love this brand...safe and smells oh so good.
-I used this after sun lotion every day after my shower and smells as promised.  Definitely soothes a sunburn after laying out by the pool all day.







Aveda Be Curly
-There is really no point in fighting my crazy fro...I mean hair in the humid Hawaiin climate so I guess if you can't win 'em, join 'em.  This stuff is great for encouraging your natural wave.



and I can't forget my favorite water bottle...


The countdown till summer begins...

You owe it to yourself to read this book! The China Study by T. Colin Campbell

After hearing about this book from a few sources a friend graciously lent it to me claiming that it was truly a life altering read.  I just got this book yesterday and CAN NOT put it down!  If there is only one book you pick up this year this must be it.  Everyone owes it to themselves (and to their health) to read this book.

The China Study discusses the vital relationship between nutrition and disease prevention.  I am already one who wholeheartedly believes that diet is the main cause of the horrible state of American health and Dr. T. Colin Campbell supports that notion with his many respected years of research in the science industry.

Basically, Americans put bandaids (ie. prescription drugs, surgery, etc.) on their health problems costing the US and themselves incredible amounts of money.  Dr. Campbell suggests fixing the root of the problem, poor diet, with a plant-based diet.  By changing our diet these debilitating American ailments running rampant in our society such as heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and cancer can be prevented and, in many cases, reversed.

People are meant to eat simple food, grown from the earth.  It is really not a complicated process.  Fad diets, protein supplements, vitamin supplements are all useless and unnecessary when we are eating the way that we are intended to eat.  This does not seem like rocket-science, but the current American diet is shockingly off base.  Dr. Campbell backs up his findings with logical and startling research.  This book is written in a way that speaks to the reader as an intelligent individual who deserves to know the truth about leading as healthy of a life as possible.

When it comes to your health there is nothing more important.  Give yourself the power of this book.

Get OFF the bottle..."Tapped" the movie

There is a new and amazing documentary out about the detrimental effects of the bottled water industry to our health and to our environment.  This movie is called Tapped and after watching this film once, I promise you will never pick up bottled water again.  If you think about the logic behind bottled water... well there is no logic behind bottled water.  These mega companies take water from our community water sources (aka where we get our tap water), bottle it, and sell it back to us for 1000%...yes i said 1000% more than its original cost.  So we are now paying for something that we have always had for virtually free... sounds pretty stupid on our part.

You may think that bottled water is healthier for you but that means one thing...the water companies' billions of dollars spent on marketing to you is working.  Tap water is constantly tested and the public water systems are required to tell consumers where their water comes from, how it is treated, and what contaminants it contains.  Bottled water doesn't have to tell us any of this.  Studies have found E. coli, synthetic organic chemicals, other bacteria, and ARSENIC in tested bottled water!  Not to mention the BPA and other cancer-causing toxins.  Bad for our budget and really bad for our health.

And bad for the environment.  So now we not only have started paying for something that we already get for free, but also have ruined our environment by doing so.  Americans use 29 billion single serve bottles of water a year.  That's Americans alone!  So not only is there a plastic mass 2x the size of Texas floating in the Pacific Ocean from all of this plastic waste but the creation of these billions of bottles are polluting the environment and making the people in the communities near these plants very sick.

So what do we do?

1)  Well we STOP drinking bottled water.  Those great re-usable stainless steel water bottles are so convenient and cute.  They will save you money, save the environment, and save your health.  Make sure to get ones that are BPA free though.

2)  Recycling is great but reducing your usage is better..  You can't recycle all of the bottle, it a costly operation, and it uses a ton of energy.  The real answer is to cut waaaayyyy back on your plastic usage.  Remember the saying reduce, re-use, recycle? Reduce and re-use first and then recycle everything else.


3)  Get a filter.  If you are worried about the quality of your tap water get a basic water filter to fit into your fridge.  Or better yet invest in a kitchen filtration system or whole house water filtration system.

Bottom line...Get OFF the BOTTLE!