Coconut Oil Benefits Series Part 1

Coconut Oil Benefits for the human body

Polysaturated vegetable oils are very susceptible to lipid peroxidation. Peroxidation is a chemical process that causes fats to become rancid. These rancid oils end up interfering with the normal cell function.

When oils become rancid, they create destructive free radicals. Free radicals are highly reactive molecules that literally rip other molecules apart, causing irreversible damage to cells.

Our only means of self-defense against free radicals are anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants help prevent lipid peroxidation and the formation of free-radicals. OUR BODIES MAKE ANTI-OXIDANTS FROM THE NUTRIENTS IN OUR DIET. The most common anti-oxidants are nutrient’s from vitamins C, E, beta-carotene, and the mineral zinc.

Coconut oil is higher in saturated fat than any other dietart fat. For this reason, it is very stable and highly resistant to peroxidation. It is so stable that it acts as a protective anti-oxidants and helps protect against formation of free radicals.

FTM: Brown Rice and Banana Cereal

Is baby ready for purees? Yes

Can baby sit on his own unsupported? Yes

Well once these 2 questions are answered for me I go ahead and start the weaning journey.

This recipe can have expressed breastmilk added to it, it's healthy, it's wholesome and adds a lot of nutritional value to your sons life. You don't need an oxford dictionary to pronounce the contents and you wont twist your tongue in the process of sharing the ingredients with your fellow moms.

Ingredients
1 Cup of brown rice

Method
Pick, wash and boil the rice until it is soft enough to blended.

That's it. Easy as ABC.

On the other hand if you have the already ground brown rice, add desired quantity to boiling water and stir until properly cooked (about 10mins). At this point you can sprinkle some cinnamon on it.

Now to the difficult part of this recipe, you'll need a toddler to help you out with this bit.

"Cut out 1 banana from the bunch and take off each peel gently."

Put some of the cooked brown rice and banana into a blender (the picture below shows some corn added, this is optional) and blend to desired consistency. I encourage mums to taste their baby's food, share in their new meals.



Add milk of your choice and viola! FOOD IS READY!

If you made a huge batch of brown rice, I suggest you store them in ziploc bags or small bowls to be used later.

A Letter to My Already Born Toddlers...

Dear Children,

I spend hours thinking about breakfast and putting in effort to make it and then you eat only bread because you don't like the veggies I put in it. Today, is the dawn of a new beginning, all that will end. Introducing the new mummy upgrade MOM 2.0, she will make you eat your veggies without you realizing you are actually eating your veggies.

Today's Breakfast:

Spinach French Toast and Apple-Banana-Oatmeal

Ingredients for Spinach French Toast:

1 egg

Bell Peppers

Garlic

Onions

Butter

Canola Oil (or substitute with Olive oil)

4 slices of bread (you can get creative with the bread and cut out shapes)

Frozen Spinach Pesto (Check for Spinach Pesto Recipe on the blog)

Method:

- Prepare and cut up the garlic, onions, bell peppers into a small bowl, pour the canola oil and spinach pesto into the bowl and blend, add the eggs into the mixture and blend.

- Melt some butter in a large skillet over low heat. Pour the egg mixture into the skillet, place slices of bread into the pan (depending on how they fit in and cover the eggs). When one side has soaked enough flip the eggs and allow the reverse side to soak up the remaining egg mix.

- Fry the toast until both sides with the eggs are fried the way you like it ( I burnt mine while looking for my phone to take pics with)

- I served mine with Apple Sauce and bananas, you can add whatever fruits are available to you at home.

Ingredients for Apple-Banana Oatmeal:

4 tbs Oats

3 cups of water

1 Apple, cored and peeled

1 Banana

A pinch of cinnamon

Method

- Add oatmeal, cinnamon and apple to boiling water

- Reduce to low heat and allow to simmer, remove apples after 2mins.

- Blend the fresh bananas and steamed apples

- Pour blended mix back into the pot of oats, 2 mins before taking it off the stove.

- Pour oatmeal into bowls and add milk and honey

Bon Apetite!

Lemon Peels...

Recently, I've been on a path of discovery about natural foods that have amazing benefits and I have tried some for myself, so according to Hippocrates 'Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food' I've decided to let food be my medicine and eat my way to good health, cause I strongly believe God put everything on earth for a purpose.

Enough said, here's a picture of my tryout and trust me when I say lemon peels are bitter, but I believe its quite potent. I've mixed my lemon peel with some grated ginger for an early morning smoothie.

AMAZING FROZEN LEMONS

Place the washed lemon in the freezer.

Once frozen, get your grater, & shred the whole lemon (no need to peel it) and sprinkle it on your foods! 

On vegetables, salad, ice cream, soup, cereals, noodles, spaghetti sauce,

rice, sushi, fish dishes, ... the list is endless. 

All the foods will get an unexpected wonderful taste!

Most likely, you only think of lemon juice as vitamin C ??

Not anymore!

What's the major advantage of using the whole lemon other than preventing waste & adding new taste to your dishes? 

Lemon peels contain as much as 5 to 10 times more vitamins than the lemon juice itself & that's what you've been wasting!

Lemon peels are health rejuvenators in eradicating toxic

elements in the body. 

The surprising benefits of lemon is the miraculous ability to kill cancer cells! It is 10,000 times stronger

than chemotherapy!!

Why do we not know about that? 

Because there are laboratories interested in making a synthetic version that will bring them huge profits. 

You can now help a friend in need by letting him/her know that lemon juice is beneficial in preventing the disease.

Its taste is pleasant and it does not produce the horrific

effects of chemotherapy. 

How many people will die while this closely guarded secret is kept, so as not to jeopardize the multimillionaires large corporations? 

This plant is a proven remedy against cancers of all types.

It is considered also as an anti microbial spectrum against bacterial infections and fungi, effective against internal parasites and worms, 

it regulates blood pressure

& an antidepressant, combats stress & nervous disorders. 

The source of this information is fascinating: it comes from one of the largest drug

manufacturers in the world, says that after more than 20 laboratory tests since 1970,the extracts revealed that It destroys the malignant cells in 12 cancers, including colon, breast, prostate, lung & pancreas... 

The compounds of this tree showed 10,000 times better effect than the product Adriamycin, a drug normally used chemotherapeutic in the world, slowing the growth of cancer cells.

And what is even more astonishing: this type of therapy with lemon extract only destroys malignant cancer cells and it does not affect healthy cells. .

So, give those lemons a good wash, freeze them and grate them. Your whole body will love you for it!!

Please share with friends and family!

Spinach Pesto For Baby

In my bid to serve baby nutrient dense foods, I'm constantly looking for ways to make it tastier and interesting without compromising on the quality.

Last week I tried some home made Pesto modified with ingredients I had available in the cupboard at home.

Ingredients:
Spinach
Lemon Juice
Garlic
Onions
Olive oil
Black Pepper

Method:
Add all the ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth.
If you have some fresh or dried basil, this can also be added.

This homemade Pesto freezes well.

I usually add it to baby foods such as Potatoes, Plantains, Rice... Allow the frozen cubes to melt, then add to baby food being cooked or reheated 5mins before it is taken off the stove.

Another way of preparing spinach is to steam the Spinach in water but do not use the remaining water from the pot, as it is believe to have a high acidic content.

Benefits of Spinach
Spinach is full of vitamins, anti-oxidants and minerals. Spinach has an extremely high nutritional value and is rich in anti-oxidants. It is a good source of Calcium and Potassium.

Homemade frozen Carrots

I've come to realize that frozen foods are more realistic than buying fresh produce for baby each day...
Here's a pictorial explanation of how I store my carrots for daily use... A carrot a day keeps your baby healthy, it boosts their immune system, aids digestion, increase cardiovascular healthy, body detoxification and a couple more pros... so increase your little ones carrot intake.
These carrots have been steamed - Pureed - Frozen - Stored

Quinoa

Quinoa pronounced Keen-wa

Quin-what?! That’s the question that’s crossing many-a-mind as this gluten-free grain skyrockets into popularity. With its mild flavor, light crunch and impressive protein content, quinoa is the perfect gluten-free substitute for pasta, rice or couscous.

Quinoa is native to Bolivia and is a relative of Swiss chard, spinach and beets—bet you didn’t know that. What’s more, it’s a nutritional powerhouse. Just one cup contains 8g of protein, 5g of fiber, 15% DV iron, 30% DV magnesium, 19% DV folate and heart-healthy omega 3 fatty acids.

Quinoa is also a complete protein, which means it provides all nine essential amino acids necessary for good health, hence the name “essential.” Your body can’t produce these nutrients itself, so you have to get them frequently through food. Amino acids support strong muscles, keep our immune systems in tip-top shape and do lots of other stuff to keep our bodies healthy—thing is, not all plant-based proteins are created equal. Wheat, rice and most other grains are missing one or more essential amino acids, but quinoa is a one-stop shop. Nice, right? Suddenly the word “wholesome” takes on a whole new meaning.

Source: Ancient Harvest Quinoa

I'm back...

I know it's been ages since my last post, but a lot has happened since then... I've had a baby... (yep that's the summary of it all). Babies are a blessing and they take up all of your time and they come with a lot of pounds, but I'm not complaining. 3boys after 4yrs of marriage is indeed a blessing and a full time job.
During the year I've discovered so many more healthy foods and their benefits and I can't wait to start sharing,  but first I need to try it out for myself and share the results along the way, so stay tuned and lets stay healthy.