Getting Back to Cooking

My nights in the kitchen have been seriously sporadic as of late. I'm finding it really hard to get everything done and still have the desire to shop and cook. But I snuck a quick meal in the other night and it was soooo good!

sorry for the not so creative picture...the camera on my phone is
so much more convenient 

Scallops are tricky sometimes because you can overcook them very easily. It is the type of thing that you actually have to pay attention to. But overall this was a quick and tasty dish that I highly recommend you try. Let me preface this by saying I usually do not opt for rice (I'm a pasta girl) but I wanted to try jasmine rice for the first time.... and I'm hooked. I don't know why I've never had it before.

• scallops (6 per person)
• scallop seasoning: paprika, Jamaican curry, cayenne pepper, garlic powder
• jasmine rice (1 c. per 2 people) 
• snow peas
• cilantro
• scallions
• garlic
• ginger
• shredded coconut
• olive oil

1. Soak the rice for 20 minutes in room temp water
2. Coat both sides of each scallop in it's seasonings
3. Saute the garlic, ginger, & scallions in olive oil, put aside to mix with rice
4. In same pan, saute snow peas for a few minutes
5. Drain rice and add new water (1 1/2 c. per c. of rice), bring to boil, stir, cover, let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Cook scallops in same pan used for snow peas. Add more olive oil if necessary (should lightly cover entire pan). Cook 4 minutes per side.
7. Mix garlic, ginger, scallions, and coconut into rice. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro.
8. Done & done!

This whole meal should take about 30 minutes, and it was D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S! The sweet rice goes really well with the spicy scallops.

Enjoy!

Self Doubt Creepers

I know I've used this cartoon before but it is very fitting for today

Over the past few days I've been feeling the self-doubt creeping into my thoughts. Mainly I guess because I'm starting something new and I'm just nervous that it isn't going to work out. I'm going into uncharted territory in the world of Jess and it’s F-ing nerve-racking. 

So I started my day out yesterday with a much needed convo with my business coach and we hashed out all of the S-H-I-T in my head. Haha, actually at one point she said 'your head isn't a litter box so get that shit out of there!' Love her! Usually I'm the one telling people to stop thinking bullshit thoughts and sometimes I guess I need the same advice. 

Something that I had worked on a few years ago when working through the hard core anxiety I used to have was asking myself if my thoughts were true. Like, when I would start what-if-ing about hypothetical situations that might happen. All I had to do to challenge it is say to myself... what are the chances that that particular situation would happen the way I think it's gonna happen? Slim. What happened to all of the catastrophes I conjured up in the past? They never happened the way I thought!

Anxiety and negative thoughts are not healthy! In fact I think they might be equally as bad as eating fast food. (Just my personal theory)

All I had to do this morning to whip myself back into shape was realize that I was being Debbie Downer and told myself to STOP! and THINK POSITIVE THOUGHTS so I can move on and conquer the juice world!

Thanks Tracey!

Cooking Chickens

If you've been reading me for a while you know that I'm obsessed with eating soup in the winter. I'm in soup mode now and have my cooking itch back now that the Christmas season is over and things are settled with the re-branding of Raw Generation.

I made a really great soup a few days ago from one of the chickens I picked up from the farm I get my meat from. I was shocked at how much soup I got from 1 chicken. I made 2 different stocks which I'll describe below. Both were super easy, but do take some time.

Broth #1:

• 1 chicken, whole
• 1 onion
• 1 apple
• 1 container organic vegetable broth
• water
• salt, pepper, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, coriander, cloves (just a touch), bay leaves, garlic powder
• olive oil
• celery
• 4 sml. red potatoes
• carrots

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Put whole chicken in lg. baking pan/ casserole dish breast side down. Pour in vegetable broth and fill pan to cover half of chicken with water.
3. Add quartered apple, chopped onion, spices, and drizzle chicken with olive oil.
4. Bake for 1.5 hours
5. Let chicken cool, take out of broth, and cup up breast meat. 
6. Add meat back in to broth with chopped carrots, celery, & potatoes (chop small).
7. Simmer on stove for 10 minutes at medium high heat.
8. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Broth #2

• Chicken from Broth #1
• 1 onion
• water
• salt, pepper, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, coriander, cloves (just a touch), bay leaves, garlic powder
• celery
• carrots

1. Pull chicken from broth #1 apart into pieces and put in lg. pot on stove.
2. Add in onion and spices.
3. Fill pot with water and boil for 10 minutes. Turn heat down to simmer for 45 minutes.
4. Let cool and strain broth into another lg. pot, catching chicken pieces into a strainer.
5. Pull meat off of chicken pieces and put into broth.
6. Add in chopped carrots & celery and simmer on stove to 15 minutes.

Both ways make good chicken soup, but they are a little different. Broth #1 has a stronger flavor and Broth #2 is more like traditional chicken soup. This one chicken made a little over a gallon and a half of soup! I put some in the refrigerator and most in the freezer. Definitely a great way to stock up! 

Hope everyone in the NE stays warm and safe during the snow storm!!! Have a great weekend!

Corn & Crab Chowder

not a very appetizing picture, but I assure you it was FANTASTIC!

This might be my favorite new recipe that I've ever made... ever! The recipe I found online was super complicated, which I can't stand. So I seriously simplified it for you guys. I made this for the Superbowl, and it was a pretty big hit. But this is one of those things that you can make for just about anything, and I plan on making it way more than once and a while.

• 3 cans organic sweet corn
• 1 lg sweet onion, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 small red potatoes, chopped into small cubes
• 1 box organic chicken stock
• 1/3 box organic vegetable stock
• 2 containers crab claw meat
• 1/4 stick butter
• olive oil, a few splashes
• salt, pepper, ground cloves, seafood seasoning to taste
• 2 c. half & half

1. Heat olive oil and butter in pot on med/low heat. Chop onions & saute in butter/oil mixture. Add in garlic after onions are soft. 
2. Add in 1 can of corn and chopped potatoes. 
3. Take other 2 cans of corn (including water) and blend in blender/vitamix until it is a creamy consistency.
4. Add in corn and chicken stock. Bring to a boil for 10 minutes. Stir every few minutes.
5. Turn heat to low.
6. Add in seasonings a little at a time, stir, and taste, adding until desired taste. (Go easy on the cloves at first...they are a very strong flavor.)
7. Add in crab meat and half and half to desired creaminess!

If you are making it for a party, you might want to set some aside for yourself as leftovers (we did). It goes fast with seafood lovers! 

Enjoy!

Last minute cornbread

If any of you are looking for a last minute quick recipe for something you can bring to your Superbowl party... here it is. I made these last night in 30 minutes and they taste amazing!

• 1 c. organic cornmeal
• 1 c. whole wheat bread flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 container of plain Greek yogurt (6 oz)
• 1 c. half & half
• 1 lg jalapeno (diced), take out seeds if you don't want it to be too spicy
• 2/3 can organic corn 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners or heavily grease w/ organic butter
2. Put all ingredients in Kitchenaid mixer (or you can do it the old fashioned way with a bowl and a wooden spoon)
3. Batter is going to be thick and gooey so you will have to spoon it in.
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Hope you all enjoy tonight!

The GMO Experiment

If you've been reading me for a while, you might have read my rants on how aweful GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) are. Well this video documents what's wrong with our food (the fact that GMO's are in everything!!) very well. I won't write much because the video is pretty detailed about the negative effects and what you can do about getting them out of your diet.

If you like the video, please help them out by voting them as the "Top Transformational Video of 2012". Vote here by Feb 3rd (Sunday)!

Snack Attack

I've been feeling pretty scattered with everything lately.... and especially my eating habits. I did a juice cleanse a few weeks ago and felt pretty good afterwards. But what always happens when I'm busy is I end up eating whatever and/or eating out a lot more. And once again I'm starting to feel it... and see it... on my ass.

Ughhhh. So I've decided that I'm going to stock up on healthy snacks so I don't end up overeating or eating random junk for the foreseeable future. Yesterday I was starving and ate a GIANT veggie burrito for lunch... and then was so full I ended up taking a nap for a few hours. Last night I was a little hungry after the gym, but all I had was chocolate (it was really good dark chocolate at least) and my roommates pretzels (sorry Kelly!). I found out if you alternate eating pieces of chocolate and pretzels it tastes like chocolate covered pretzels. If you ever need to improvise... just sayin'.

So, today I'm going to the store and getting lots of healthy things I can snack on. I need to get back on track. More juicing to come too! Gotta get back to my daily juicing.

Who wants to do a juice cleanse with me???

Raw Generation's back in biz

I completely apologize for the lack of posts lately. I've been focusing pretty much all of my time for the past few weeks on re-branding Raw Generation and launching our new Skinny Cleanse.

So.... if you are in severe need of dropping a few pounds (like I was) or want to start getting some greens into your diet... check it out! I created this with someone like myself in mind: always busy, doesn't always have the time or energy to prepare juices, and wants a fast food option other than McDonald's, Subway, or Taco bell.

Every once and a while it's nice to hit the reset button. That's what this is. It floods your body with real nutrition which allows it to detox and burn fat. I hate to sound all sales-ie so I'll put it this way... STOP WISHING YOU CAN LOSE WEIGHT! All you have to do is drink juice! I tell everyone this. The more juice you drink the more weight you will lose and keep off!

Even if you don't want to do a strict cleanse, but you want a variety of juices... the Skinny Cleanse will work. It's 6 juices a day... 3 green, one citrus, one root veggie blend, and one on the lighter side with cucumber, pineapple, and aloe vera juices.

If you are already juicing at home and looking for some new recipes, we are giving our eBook away for free here... 30 Juice: Juice Your Way to a Skinnier Body

Oh and we are running a PRE-SALE from now through midnight on February 3rd. 20% OFF the Skinny Cleanse. 

Any questions... post them in the comments below.

xoxo!

7 lbs later...

The holidays are over and I've assessed the damage. I officially gained 7 lbs over the holidays, which is the first time I've gained weight in over 2 years. Needless to say, as soon as I found this out I immediately started kicking my ass. 

Coincidentally, I am in the process of launching a juice cleanse for Raw Generation. So last week I did a 3 day juice cleanse to start off. The reason I didn't write about it last week was because I wanted to see if I could actually complete it successfully before I go and blab about it. 

I spent Monday easing into it by eating a ton of fruit and not much else. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thrusday was all juice and a little bit of fruit to curb the need to chew. Friday was a few juices, homemade guacamole, and a regular dinner. **It's important to ease into and out of a juice cleanse for at least a day before and after. After the holidays were over I felt stuffed and bloated, which pretty much went away after the first day. All in all I lost 5 lbs and felt sooooo much better!

I didn't really have any negative side effects other than that on day 3 I was literally starving all day. No matter how much juice I drank or fruit I ate. I had read that this would happen on day 1 or 2. A few people asked me if I pooped everything out, and I have to admit as much as I was hoping this would happen, it really didn't. I mean the first day was a little more than normal, but other than that it was business as usual. Apparently, the detox magic starts to happen after you reach the point of feeling like you are starving but I wasn't prepared to do it any longer.... so, I'm going to do a 5 day juice cleanse next week to see what happens. 

If you are interested in being alerted when we launch go to www.rawgeneration.com and enter in your email address. You also get a free copy of our new juicing recipe eBook!

Has anyone else done a juice cleanse? Good results? Bad reactions?

You have other options...

My sister, me, Nani, my brother

When my grandmother (Nani) was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer about 3 years ago she was given very few options. In her case it was chemotherapy or nothing. It astounded me that in all these decades of treating cancer, doctors give three options depending on the cancer... chemo, radiation, surgery, or a combination.

It's appalling actually because since then, I have researched and found at least half a dozen different doctors and organizations that are having success by treating cancer patients with "alternative" medical treatments. I have written about The Gerson Therapy before along with other alternative treatments (you can find it here) but I received an email from them today with a success story that I wanted to share.

"It's now 7 ½ years since I was diagnosed with stage IV mantle cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and turned down all four of the chemotherapy drugs they wanted to put into a port near my shoulder. I'd been a member of the Gerson Institute for many years and I always figured that, if I were ever to get cancer, I'd start Gerson Therapy immediately. On the way home from Dana Farber Cancer Institute where the lymphoma specialist told me what treatment he wanted me to take, Pete and I stopped at a health food store and loaded up on organic produce. I followed Charlotte's book to the "T."  

When I returned to my oncologist's office with my follow-up lab reports a couple of months later, he exclaimed, "This is absolutely fantastic!" Then, he wrote me a letter saying, "Keep doing what you are doing. The chemo would not have cured your cancer anyway." At the five year point, I was called in to my local oncologist's office who had been ordering the lab work and CT scans since diagnosis. She said I didn't have to be followed any longer and added, "Had you taken the recommended chemo, I doubt you'd be alive today." My oncologists were very compassionate and pleased to watch me doing so well with my holistic approach.

--Joyce Forsythe

Unlike many people faced with the devastating diagnosis of stage IV cancer, Joyce already knew of alternative treatments she could turn to. She had learned of the Gerson Therapy years before by living near Dr. Gerson's center outside New York City. Joyce had also been a member of the Gerson Institute for years and heard the stories of the many patients who recovered by strictly following the Therapy protocols.  

While deciding not to take your doctors' advice may never be easy, it is easier when you have been able to learn about the alternatives before you find yourself in a situation of fear and stress. That's why your support is pivotal. As cancer rates rise and toxins in our foods, air and water become more prevalent, it is important that people learn about that there are viable alternative treatments, like the Gerson Therapy, before they become ill. 

We know that the Gerson Therapy may not be the right choice for everyone. It requires a strong commitment to a very new way of eating and living. But it is a path for many people - and could be the path for many more, if only they know about Gerson before they become ill. Please help us spread Dr. Gerson's message of hope and healing today. Help by donating The Gerson Institute directly.

I thought it important to share success stories with you because you don't usually hear about them. And you sure as hell don't hear about them from Oncologists. It's very frightening when you are sitting in the doctor's office waiting to hear the odds of survival of someone you love and being told the treatments that they do have don't even work. Hopefully this makes it into the hands of someone who can use it before they waste precious time.

If you or someone you know has cancer, please forward this to them or direct them to Alternative Cancer Therapies.