Endive Salad with Orange-Mustard Dressing

Something quite interesting is going on in my house. My 16 month old son has this fascination with books. He is always with a book, 'reading' in some corner, flipping through pages and it goes on for minutes at a time. He even 'reads' off his diaper box ...anything that has words. I hope this stays long after he starts really reading. Anyway just wanted to share that with you.. here is a collage of the times I've had the camera near.

ENDIVE FACTS:

 I remember when I first found out about this beautiful-looking greens. I use them in my smoothies, juice it and eat is as a salad. Some people find it slightly bitter but I don't. I have never been the kind to shy away from something because of taste especially if I know it's beneficial to my health. Did you know that when compared to other green leafy vegetables endive is the richest source of Vitamin A? and if you remember from your nutrition class in school vit. A is particularly important for eyesight and good vision. Endive is also a great source of dietary fiber, magnesium, Vitamin E, C & K, Thaimin, folate, calcium, Iron, zinc and a host of other minerals.

Other health benefits of endive include clearing up the skin of acne, in combination with parsley and celery in juices it's a great blood tonic for those who are anaemic. Endive is also a very low calorie (it has just 1 calorie per leaf) food so it is great for those who want to lose weight to eat it as often as they can. It also relieves constipation because it is high in dietary fiber and helps to clean the liver and gall bladder. Now, do you see why I love this vegetable?


ENDIVE SALAD WITH ORANGE-MUSTARD DRESSING


Ingredients:

I head/bunch of endive, wash, fixed and set aside
1 granny smith apple, 1/2 apple julienned and 1/2 sliced

Mix together julienned apples and endive and put in a bowl. Place sliced apples over salad.

Orange-Mustard Dressing:

2 oranges, peeled and halved
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp fresh parsley
1tsp dry mustard powder
2 medjhool dates

Blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Dress salad with about 4 tbsp of orange-mustard dressing and save the rest in a tight-lid container and put in the fridge.

photo by Nina Lakota

My daughter likes to take pictures of me during my workouts. Someday I will be able to use just my upper body strength to do a pull-up, for now I am quite content with one leg on a stool.

Remember to EAT & DRINK TO YOUR HEALTH, YOU'LL THANK ME LATER!

Dare to be a Daniel

Sing it!

"Dare to be a Daniel;
Dare to stand alone;
Dare to have a purpose clear;
Dare to make it known."

Do you remember that refrain? I do. I decided to be a Daniel, to stand alone from the pack, to have a clear purpose of what I want and where I'm going and I--as my friend Anze would say--obnoxiously make my purpose known whenever I can. I am not afraid of change because change is constant and beautiful, change is a challenge I welcome because it pushes me to be better than I was the day before. Are you a Daniel? can you set yourself apart?, do you want to claim your birthright of living a healthful, dis-ease-free life? Are you letting those around you know what you want, are you seeking the help you need and the support from those who can give you? DARE TO BE A DANIEL...STArT. NOW. did you notice the hints on this line?

Super Carrot Juice, freshly made.

I am super proud of my mom. She has accepted not only the changes in diet but she is now doing my thorough three-day cleanse. My aunt also joined my mom and I have been juicing carrots for two days straight. It is fun and fulfilling to help others and watch their eyes sparkle when they do the things they thought they could never attempt. My daughter said to me "Mummy, you are changing people's lives" and that statement alone made my entire year of 2009. You have not been a blessing until you've touched other people's lives; I learned that from the greatest woman I know--my mother, someday you will read or watch the story of her life. I can't wait to do a second weighing and record her amazing progress. Yesterday, for the first time, my mother didn't use her asthma spray at all! The excitement in her voice was contagious and I silently thanked God. We have been given everything we need to be healthy; fruits, vegetables and nuts.
Ever wonder why the squirrel is so active and full of energy? I bet it is because he is on his natural diet. The only reason we are sick or become sick is because we stray away from the basics of fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts and prescription medications just mask the symptoms and we think we are cured or healed but the moment you stop taking them, your symptoms reemerge...medications worsen the conditions of the body, it stops the body from healing naturally and forces it to instead use up energy to clean out the new toxins which we think are miracle cures.
Rick, and my little angel, Nina, making some carrot soup for my mom.

A gallon of fresh carrot juice made with lots of love

Have you ever seen such a beautiful color? carrots, well, organic carrots have such a rich orange color. The carrot gets its characteristic and bright orange colour from β-carotene, which is metabolised into vitamin A in humans when bile salts are present in the intestines.[3] Massive over consumption of carrots can cause carotenosis, a benign condition in which the skin turns orange. Carrots are also rich in dietary fibre, antioxidants, and minerals.

Lack of Vitamin A can cause poor vision, including night vision, and vision can be restored by adding Vitamin A back into the diet.


Nutritional Value of carrots per 1009 or 3.5oz

Carbohydrates 9 g
Sugars 5 g
Dietary fibre 3 g
Fat 0.2 g
Protein 1 g
Vitamin A equiv. 835 μg (93%)
- beta-carotene 8285 μg (77%)
Thiamine (Vit. B1) 0.04 mg (3%)
Riboflavin (Vit. B2) 0.05 mg (3%)
Niacin (Vit. B3) 1.2 mg (8%)
Vitamin B6 0.1 mg (8%)
Vitamin C 7 mg (12%)
Calcium 33 mg (3%)
Iron 0.66 mg (5%)
Magnesium 18 mg (5%
Phosphorus 35 mg (5%)
Potassium 240 mg (5%)
Sodium 2.4 mg (0%)
Info from wikipedia

25 pound bag of organic carrots

GO GREEN!