Making Yogurt Cheese

Yogurt cheese is really really simple to make... It's the creamy white cheese you get when the liquid whey drains from the yogurt. Not only does it taste great, but you know exactly what is in it. Yogurt cheese is mild in taste- and I started buying it because it is lactose free and pretty much au natural. Trader Joes carries 2 sliced yogurt cheese options- one plain and other with jalapeno- both are quite delicious. The one I am making is more like cream cheese in taste and texture, but just as yummy.
What you'll need:
1. Yogurt (I used Hawthorne Valley Farm - which is not only organic, but also biodynamic)
2. Sea Salt
3. Cheesecloth
4. Strainer
5. Bowl
6. Lid
To start, take almost 2 cups of yogurt (or more depending on how much yogurt cheese you want to make) and mix with a teaspoon of sea salt in bowl. Give it a good mix. My set up is a strainer, over a glass container lined with a couple of layers of cheesecloth. Pour the mixture into the cheesecloth.
The whey will start to drain out as you can see in this picture.
Cover with a lid and put in your refrigerator for 24-48 hours. It takes some time for the whey to separate from the curds (curds and whey) and get some shape.
Here it is after about 15 hours... More whey drained and it is becoming firmer. Then I gather into a ball and tie at top with a rubber band- strictly for shape. It still needs to drain some more and it goes back into the fridge for another 15 hours. As you can see - what the almost 2 cups make is pretty small. Next time I will probably make the whole quart.
Here it is all done- right before I took it out and put it on the plate. You can see how the texture changed. A little over a cup of whey drained and I am left with a little nice yogurt cheese ball that will fit in my hand. You can also flavor your yogurt cheese- use herbs, onion, garlic, etc and mix in when you start. Here is a recipe for spiced yogurt cheese Syrian style (lebneh).

Later today I will be eating my yogurt cheese with some Red Hot Blues chips (they are divine) by Garden of Eatin (no gmo + organic!)- along with olives, cucumbers, avocado and whatever else sounds good at the moment. Enjoy!

Kefir... Getting Started with Water Kefir Grains + the Gut

Though kefir is new to me... I am well aware that our health is directly related to the health of our gut. In fact, 80% of our immunity is located in the gut. I take probiotics (Ultra Flora Plus DF Capsules by Metagenics and Arabinogalactans by Pure Encapsulations) pretty much daily, to help and maintain a balance of good bacteria, which keeps my gut healthy.

I recently, learned about kefir, and all it's wonderful benefits from listening to a really good interview with, Amanda Love, on Patrick Timpone's, OneRadioNetwork about kefir's, and I thought it would be fun to try to make and incorporate in my diet. Love, makes many good points (I agree with most everything minus the "raw meat" part, or the "meat" part for that matter- even grass fed), and I highly recommend you check out this interview as it is very informative- plus she has a lovely voice.
Love's main point is that we need a healthy gut to thrive and a sure way to achieve this is to be eating and incorporating some sort of fermented foods into our diet on a regular basis- as all cultures did (before our current modernized/western culture). Love mentions that even in those cultures who smoked and drank too much- they were actually healthier, because their gut was "cleaner" due to them eating fermented foods (i.e. sauerkraut, kimchi, fermented veggies, yogurt, kefir, etc).

Kefir grains by definition, are a combination of bacteria and yeasts in a matrix of proteins, lipids, and sugars. Traditional kefir is fermented at ambient temperatures, generally overnight. Fermentation of the lactose yields a sour, carbonated, slightly alcoholic beverage, with a consistency similar to thin yogurt.
I purchased "water kefir grains" from, Marilyn- the Kefir lady (Love purchased from her as well). She also sells "milk kefir grains" - the difference being the milk kefir grains feed off of lactose found in milk and the water kefir grains need water and sugar. For $20 you will receive instructions, support from Marilyn, food for your first round with the water kefir grains, water kefir grains, and priority shipping. The kefir grains supposedly last a lifetime as they are to grow and multiply. Here they are close up...
Here is their food (mix of: 1/3 cup organic cane juice crystals, 1 tbl rapadura, 1/8 tsp baking soda, 1/8 tsp calcium carbonate, slice of candied ginger)...How to: Take the 2 packets and combine in a glass jar with a quart of spring water and let sit for 24-36 hours on the counter (room temperature).
It should look something like this.... here is the quart of water, the kefir food and the kefir grains all mixed together.Once the kefir is ready (first batch could take up to 5 days), the next step is to drain the liquid (this is the kefir) and enjoy! Use the kefir grains again and again adding more water + food, as before- which makes more batches of kefir. Over time, the kefir grains multiply and you have the options of making other kinds of kefirs. I am excited to make some coconut water and ginger kefirs!

Here is a pic of the water kefir grains after about 4 days... I hope they are ok. The kefir was an amber color and not so fizzy and I was getting worried that the grains might need more food so I am on the 2nd trial. Will keep you posted with the progress. Another site to check out that might be helpful is... here.

Love compares our guts to soil. And we know that healthy plants grow out of healthy soil, so if the soil does not have proper nutrients neither will the plant. We need to make sure our soil is well nourished. Enjoy your kefirs!

Green Smoothies

Every morning, without fail (unless I am traveling) - even in cold weather, I have a green smoothie. Green smoothie = greens, fruit, and water mixed together.

Today's smoothie mix... organic: spinach, spring mix, strawberries, blueberries, mango and spring water. I have a Vitamix 5000 and LOVE it! If you are a naysayer (i.e. you say things like "I would never spend that much money on a blender!")... trust me as I used to say those things too- you will never regret it. Amazing investment and not only will it last your lifetime, but you will make even more amazing- fast and smooth smoothies. ;)
Here it is all blended. The photo makes it appear pink-y brown, but it was probably more brown looking. The more blueberries you use the more brown it will be, and the less blueberries the more green it will be. Even though brown looking - it is still a "green smoothie" and still very good for you!

Tracy Anderson Mat Workout + Green Juice

Practically every morning of late, I start my day with Tracy Anderson's Mat Workout...which I think is fantastic! It probably has been about 2 weeks since I've been adamant about keeping it up and I can definitely see a difference! :) If you read the reviews on Amazon the program received so-so stars, but I say keep it up. When learning anything new - it takes time and discipline. Most of the complaints about this workout routine have been about the lack of direction (when she is changing moves, poses, etc), but once you do it a couple of times you will have the hang of it. Also, you will be thanking her later on for keeping more mum, as many "workout" dvds get repetitive and I think this helps to alleviate that. Here is a YouTube Video I found to give you an idea of what the program is like.



The Tracy Anderson Method is all about awakening and working the "accessory muscles" so that they can pull in the larger muscles which make you look longer, leaner, teeny and toned. The mat workout is about an hour in length and all you need to do it is a chair (used for balance), a yoga mat, and 1, 2 or 3 lb weights (never more than 3lbs).

Tracy suggests you do the mat workout (it's about an hour long) 4-6 times per week, and also a cardio routine (she has a cardio video too!) for 45 minutes in combination with the mat workout. I am still working my way thru the cardio routines. Focusing on routine #2. The cardio is a little harder for me to do as I have to constrain my movements due to limited space, but I still am working on it. I think there are something like 12 cardio routines (not exactly sure on the # as I haven't watched the whole DVD just yet) on the DVD so you can mix it up.

After the workout today I had myself a nice green juice- yum!


Today's juice was a mix of curly kale, cucumber, apple, lemon (actually I used 2 lemons), ginger- all organic of course! I have a nice Breville- which is pretty much all metal and I like it cause it is heavy duty and easy to clean. It is a centrifugal juicer vs a masticating one and when I purchased this one I had done a ton of research and this one was a better fit for me.
Green juice = instant nutrtition and soooo good for you (chlorophyl, trace minerals, vegetable protein, enzymes, alkalizing abilities). Once you start incorporating "greens" you will be amazed that your body will actually start craving them. More details on green juice benefits here.

Yah for Tracy Anderson's Method and Green Juice!

Allergies + Sinus Pain... Why and How to Fix- Naturally!

Yesterday, I had a terrible sinus spell. It has been a LONG time since I experienced that much debilitating and uncomfortable pain. For those of you who have sinus and allergies know too well what I am talking about.

Many people and doctors will have you popping antibiotics and typical allergy medicines or drugs- which basically just mask the symptoms, but we're all about getting to the problem and fixing it. :) The main reason people have allergies, sinus pain and pressure is due to an over wrought liver. I got myself back on track in one day by doing the following 6 things...

1. Sinus Rinse: I use NeilMed Sinus Rinse on occasion and that day I did once in the morning and in the evening. It is basically using warm saline water to rinse out the nasal passages. A Warning- DO NOT use just warm water- I did this once and it burned soooo badly! You need the saline packets.

2. Took 4 capsules of NAC from Pure Encapsulations.
* N-Acetyl-l-Cysteine (NAC) is a derivative of the dietary amino acid l-cysteine. NAC has a high affinity for lung tissue, which it supports through mucolytic and antioxidant action. By disrupting disulfide bonds, NAC thins mucus. It is a powerful free radical scavenger and thus supports the body's natural defense system. NAC supports tissue levels of glutathione, a key component of the antioxidant defense system. It also has the ability to help chelate heavy metals.

NAC provides powerful nutritional support to cells as an antioxidant and specifically supports healthy lung functioning through its mucolytic capability.

3. Took more LivCo by Standard Process (I already take 2 LivCo per day everyday and I took 5). LivCo is a combination of herbs (see below) which help to strengthen and tone the liver.
The combination of Schisandra, Rosemary and Milk Thistle provide a range of compounds including dibenzocyclooctene lignans, phenolic diterpenes (including carnosol and rosmarinic acid), other terpenes, flavonoids and flavanolignans (collectively known as silybin or silymarin). The Milk Thistle component of this tablet is standardized to contain 24 mg per tablet of flavanolignans to ensure optimal strength and quality. LivCo can help to:

• aid in the elimination of toxins and cleanse the liver
• support healthy liver function and tissue integrity
• protect liver tissue by supporting normal cellular defenses
• provide antioxidant protection
• support and maintain cellular health
• stimulate the biosynthesis of protein and liver glycogen
• support digestive health
• ease the effects of everyday tension and stress

4. Enjoyed hot tea made from spring water with fresh lemon, ginger, mint and a little honey (this is my favorite tea- I drink it all the time usually without the lemon).

5. Ate very little and what I did eat was fresh fruit and greens. It's best during these times to eat light. Stay away from dairy (mucus forming) and heavy foods. Your body needs more energy to heal, and eating a heavy meal will dilute your energy to digesting foods rather than to getting better.

6. Sleep. I slept allot that day. Mostly because I was in pain (head and face felt like it was going to explode from the pressure and I had a slight fever not to mention a headache and neck pain), and that is all I could really do.
The good news is the next day I awoke and was 100% better. :)

Some other ideas that might be helpful... take a hot bath, use Tiger Balm on your neck or where you might have muscle pain, ice packs and heat packs for your face, and of course some green juice (kale, cucumber, lemon, apple, ginger).

Be kind to your liver and your body and it will take care of you.