I just drank a farmer's market in a bottle, well at least part of one - I think they left out the organic lotions and grass fed beef thank goodness.

This time of year when my garden is two feet under snow it gets a bit hard to just step outside and enjoy some fresh greens not to mention the 31 varieties of super foods that are found in a bottle of Cell-nique. Plus you won't find Bladderwrack in my garden (what in the world bladderwrack is I don't know, sounds like one of those coin operated games where you take your aggressions out on a poor plastic gopher with a big mallet)

Whatever it is it's in there and it's organic even - so it must be good for you. In fact all the ingredients in a bottle of Cell-nique are certified organic.

According to their site "Cell-nique is the first and only delicious Super Green Vegetable Base Drink made from a blend of 31 USDA Organic Super Foods containing: super vegetables, super fruits and super plant botanicals that support and promote nourishment, cleansing/detoxing, alkaline-forming and rejuvenation of your cells by bathing them in pure phyto-nutrients and anti-oxidants." In other words if you drink these every day you'll live to 110, half of which will be spent in the bathroom.

All kidding aside I enjoyed my farmers market in a bottle as they claim, plus I got to type Bladderwrack which I never thought I'd get to do - guess I can cross that one off my bucket list - in fact if I keep drinking Cell-nique I'll have to make a longer bucket list.

Cell-nique is available in nine super funky flavors in three categories (one for each meal perhaps) EARTHY: Japanese Roasted Tea, Apple; FRUITY & REFRESHING: Pomegranate, Lemon-Ginger, Tropical, Berry-Grape; DECADENT: Citrus Vanilla, Root Beer, Dark Chocolate.

Coming soon is the rest of the farmer's market with peppermint lotion grass fed T-Bone, well maybe not (I hope) it would be unique though.

If you'd like to try your very own Cell-nique they do have a few 12 pack varieties of Cell-nique for sale at Amazon for a little less than I've seen it for at stores - check it out below.

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Cell-nique Organic Super Green Drink - Citrus Vanilla Flavor - 31 Superfoods w/Agave List Price: $60.00 Sale Price: $48.00 You save: $12.00 (20%)   Eligible for free shipping!

Cell-nique Organic Super Green Drink - Kukicha Tea Blend - 31 Superfoods w/Agave List Price: $60.00 Sale Price: $57.01 You save: $2.99 (5%)   Eligible for free shipping!

This Post on Cell-nique Superfood Drink Shared on Real Food Wednesday and Fight Back Friday

Pass the farmers market please: Cell-nique 31 Super foods in a bottle is a post from: Natural Health Goodies

Winter chills bring sniffles and pills but with this all natural cough remedy, a food based cough syrup you can give your kids some relief without risking harmful over the counter "medicines".

There is nothing worse than hearing one's child suffer through a winter cold and the hacking night time cough that keeps them tossing and turning all night. It gets to the point where you'll even consider giving them over-the-counter medications (that frankly have some pretty dangerous ingredients) just to give them a few hours of relief. If you've been trying to replace as many harmful children's medicines with all natural ones take a look at Maty's Quiet Relief Cough Syrup - a natural cough suppressant.

Many natural cough remedies for children (and adults for that matter) get a bad rap when it comes to how well they work so you may wonder "does Maty's Quiet Relief cough syrup work?" I'm always interested in trying a new natural cough remedy so when I was looking for something to give the kidieos some bliss from a particularly nasty night time cough I thought I'd try some and I am glad I did. ( I tried the Maty's Kid's Quiet Relief Cough Syrup, Caramel Banana Flavor)

After about 7.5493 minutes (okay I didn't actually time it but I'd say around 5-8 minutes) the coughing stopped and they finally fell into a peaceful sleep - peaceful for them as well as us! The directions state to take it every 4 hours and that is about how long the relief lasted, 4 or 5 hours, so it would be nice if it had a longer duration but to find a natural cough syrup that actually works and works pretty fast I will certainly buy it again.

What is Maty's Quiet Relief Cough Syrup and how is it a natural cough remedy?

Maty's cough syrup is food based so it doesn't have any harmful ingredients, sweeteners, corn, soy, dairy, wheat or yeast. I don't know the process by which it is made but I would guess that this is a raw food cough syrup which is even better because all the healing properties of the ingredients would be kept at their most potent levels.

Maty's cough syrup is made from antioxidant rich Buckwheat honey which has been shown to improve respiratory function. It also contains Cinnamon, Zinc, Apple Cider Vinegar, Cayenne Pepper, Sea Salt, and Lemon Balm each of which have numerous healing properties - too numerous to list even, but here is the information from the box.

Maty's Natural cough remedy ingredient properties

• Cinnamon: promotes healthy breathing
• Zinc: provides immune support
• Apple Cider Vinegar: promotes healthy mucus flow
• Cayenne Pepper: aids circulation
• Sea Salt: naturally neutralizes toxins in the body
• Lemon Balm: has a calming effect

While we tried the Maty's natural cough remedy for children it also comes in a regular, basically the same without the extra banana flavor.

This post on Maty's natural cough remedy shared on Real Food Wednesday and Fight Back Friday

Ahhh Sweet Surrender: A Natural Cough Remedy That Works is a post from: Natural Health Goodies

I went to a local fermentation meetup group about a year ago, eager to learn more about how to make kombucha tea at home, and in the process I stumbled across a "new" (at least to me) type of fermented drink called water kefir. Water kefir has actually been around for thousands of years and goes by many different names including Japanese water crystals. The girl who had brewed this tasty lightly carbonated concoction had flavored it with fresh blueberries after it had been fermented. I was immediately impressed by the versatility of this probiotic wonder drink-which is purported to contain trillions of naturally healthy bacteria to aid digestion and the immune system.

Unlike milk kefir, water kefir is perfect for those who are lactose intolerant. This summer I decided to try brewing my own water kefir and found that it’s actually quite easy to prepare-and easier and more fool-proof than kombucha.

Here is a basic water kefir recipe that helped me get started:

1) Fill a quart sized jar with room temperature mineral water* leaving about 2 inches of space at the top
*(or spring or tap water with most of the chlorine filtered out. Reverse osmosis water isn’t recommended, although I have tried it without ill effect. The main thing to remember is that minerals are beneficial to the functioning of water kefir grains, so if they’re not getting minerals from the water, some mineral rich fruit should be added)
2) Add approximately 1/4 cup sugar and stir
3) Add 1/4 cup Water Kefir Grains
4) If available add 1/4 cup starter water kefir, otherwise you can add half a peeled lemon to the brew for your first 2 or 3 batches.
5) Then wrap a small handful of dried un-sulfured fruit into an unbleached coffee filter or a reusable fabric pouch (So far I have tried: dates, dried mango slices, raisins, figs, and apricots or a combination thereof)

I’ve also tried dried candied ginger in my primary ferment. Maybe it was just me, but that batch seemed a little flat. I might eventually give ginger another try in a secondary ferment though, after it has established some zing.

Water Kefir Recipe Fermentation Stages and Tips:

I then cover the jar with a coffee filter or other breathable material, secured with a rubber band (if you are using metal try to make sure the rim is completely dry before securing so the metal won’t rub off and contaminate your grains). I leave the brew alone at room temperature for 2, sometimes 3 days. The longer it brews the stronger the flavor starts to get and the more carbonation it will acquire. If you like a sweeter more soda pop taste, one day might be sufficient. You can sample the brew or give it a stir now and then with a plastic spoon or straw.

After the primary ferment, sometimes I’ll do a secondary ferment. This involves straining out the water kefir grains for the next batch, discarding the fruit, and then bottling the water kefir (minus 1/4th cup for your starter) in a sealed container and then letting it sit on the counter for a day to add even more carbonation. You should leave about an inch of head space and crack the lid open every few hours for just a quick burp to let some of the gases escape (this helps prevent the bottle from bursting).

Before putting the finished water kefir into the fridge I also like to tape on a label with all pertinent info that I’ll soon forget-like what ingredients I used, when the primary ferment began and ended, if and how long the secondary ferment lasted, and my impression-like “wow, super fizzy.” One word of caution, I’ve heard that the more carbonated it is, the higher the alcohol content. I believe the alcohol % in water kefir is a fairly trivial amount like less than 0.8% but it bears mentioning. Part of what sparked my renewed interest in water kefir is that the kombucha I usually buy at the store was recalled because they were having trouble keeping the alcohol content below 0.5% and it ran into regulatory issues.

I actually made a batch last week that reminded me of the Kombucha Botanica Elderflower I used to buy and love. I used one dried fig and some raisins in a full 3 day primary ferment. I noted that it was really potent-maybe too potent and decided to skip the secondary ferment and put it in the fridge for 5 days—and when I took a cautious sample, it was irresistibly delicious. I’m still new at this little hobby and am eager to learn more about fermented foods and water kefir health benefits. I’ve purchased a book that came highly recommended called Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods that has a bunch of water kefir recipes to try - I look forward to continuing this experiment!

If you have a favorite water kefir recipe please share in a comment below.

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Water Kefir Grains Sale Price: $2.50   Eligible for free shipping!

KEFIR GRAINS - LIVE ORGANIC Sale Price: $2.75   Eligible for free shipping!

This post on my first water kefir recipe shared on Fight Back Friday and Real Food Wednesday

My Water Kefir Recipe: a Fermentation Experiment is a post from: Natural Health Goodies

I was just perusing Amazon's special offers this morning (if you've ever bought anything on Amazon you'll know those offers spring up like a batch of dandelions) most dealing with a timely nudge to be green for Earth Day when my attention was grabbed by the roots by the number one selling book on Amazon - All New Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew.

Since everything is starting to green in our yard I've had the itch to start a garden, nothing fancy maybe just a little patch in the corner, but I'm a terrible procrastinator (like right now I should be writing the rest of this post yet I am going off on a tangent about procrastinating) Now where was I?

Oh, yah this intriguing book that has been on the Amazon top 100 book list for over 3 years! That's what caught my attention - next was how does a gardening book stay in the top 100 for 3 years not to mention who knows how long at number one.

Looking at Square Foot Gardening I can see why - it is a super simple method to gardening that claims 100% of the yield with 20% of the space - which fits right in with my plan for a little back yard garden. Not only that but Mel reveals his secret soil mix for perfect growing conditions (and never a need for fertilizer): 1/3 compost, 1/3 peat moss, and 1/3 agricultural grade vermiculite spread out in a 4ft by 4ft box. (oops did I just ruin the secret?)

This new version of Square Foot Gardening called All New Square Foot Gardening (pretty original title huh?) Reveals 10 new and improved methods to make the whole process more efficient, easier, and well, garden-tastic. Take a peek at the video and see if you are as excited to get outside as I am - in fact I'm outa here the sunshine is calling...

One last note though, Mel has also written a delightfully delicious book called All New Square Foot Gardening Cookbook (he's got a good thing going with his naming so why change it I guess) that looks to be as savory as the fresh herbs and veggies coming out of the garden.

What are you planting in your square foot garden this Spring? (and when can I come over for dinner?)

This post shared on Fight Back Fridays

Spring is Calling and So is My Square Foot Garden is a post from: Natural Health Goodies

Someone asked me the other day "can you dehydrate green smoothies?" It got me thinking and the answer is of course you can. The easiest way to dehydrate green smoothies is to calculate the coefficient of friction by dividing the volume of smoothie in Liters by the Square Root of Pi... well ok it might be even easier than that (and more fun if advanced math gives you the willies).

Just take your favorite green smoothie recipe (you can try our favorite green smoothie recipe if you don't have one yet) but use less water so the constancy of the smoothie is thicker. Spread that out on a non-stick dehydrator sheet or some waxed paper in your dehydrator (or use a new fangled Excalibur food dehydrator with the mesh screens) and twiddle your thumbs until it looks nice and chewy. Roll that baby up and take it to go.

The beauty of dehydrated green smoothies is that you retain all that healthy raw food goodness but don't have to lug around a big vat of smoothie - plus you don't get the "what are you DRINKING!" comments from that one skeptical guy at work who always scoffs at you from trying to eat healthy at work.

When I was growing up we went through a few dehydrators, in fact my dad even made one himself that was mighty cool - and big! We had so much fun thinking of dehydrator recipes - I just wish back then I knew about green smoothies, I would have whipped up a batch in no time. Now that I have the urge to experiment again I'll have to pick one up.

If you don't have a food dehydrator yet either, the creme de la creme in food dehydrators among raw foodists (especially for smoothie leathers) is the Excalibur 3900 Deluxe Series 9 Tray Food Dehydrator. Usually on sale at Amazon for $219.95. You can also get highly rated dehydrators from Nesco for around $50 depending on what features you are looking for. But many have said drying fruit leathers is inefficient and messy with the round style dehydrators, and you can't dry bulky items like flowers or granola because the space between trays is limited.

Have you tried dehydrating green smoothies? What is your favorite smoothie recipe to dehydrate?

This post shared on Real Food Wednesday and Fight Back Friday.

Can You Dehydrate Green Smoothies? You Betcha! is a post from: Natural Health Goodies

Are you looking for more natural egg dyeing tips or recipes this Easter? Just look in your back yard or even refrigerator! Natural dyes made from roots, nuts, flowers and berries have been used for ages before we had the unfriendly red dye number whatever. Plus it is much more fun to experiment with a handful of red cabbage from your fridge than using chemically made dyes - kids love to be creative and they will love collecting these natural ingredients from your own yard or pantry.

Here are a few household and backyard natural egg dyeing recipes to try - Just boil your eggs in water with a bit of vinegar and one of these ingredients below, then let simmer for at least 15 minutes (The longer the egg soaks, the deeper the final color will be):

• Purple grape juice or blueberries (for lavender)
• Red cabbage (for blue)
• Spinach or Red Pine needles (for green)
• Carrot greens, Tumeric or lemon peels (for yellow)
• Coffee or black walnut shells (for brown)
• Yellow onion skins or carrots (for orange)
• Beets or cranberries (for pink)
• Crab apple bark or Rose hips (for red)

Dyeing tips:
• Before dyeing the eggs, draw shapes or pictures on them with crayons or a piece of wax. The wax won't absorb the color so the designs will show through.
• Wrap the eggs in rubber bands to make tie-dyed eggs.
• Wash eggs in warm soapy water to remove oily residue that may impede color from adhering to the eggs.
• After dyeing - for a textured look, dab the still wet egg with a sponge.
• After the eggs are dry, you can rub the eggs with coconut oil to give them a soft sheen.

For a very extensive list of egg dying tips and recipes here is a great article on natural plant dyes from Pioneer Thinking. These natural dyeing tips are more geared toward fabric dyeing but they will work just fine for egg dyeing as well - because after all I don't think the Easter bunny had Paas egg dying kits a thousand years ago - he must have used a dash of Tumeric and a cluster of lavender, with some fresh bunches of red cabbage to make his best eggs.

If you've used natural dyes for dyeing your Easter eggs please share your favorite dyeing recipes we'd love hear what has worked for you.

This Post Shared on Real Food Wednesday

Egg Dyeing Tips and Recipes Using Natural Plant Dyes is a post from: Natural Health Goodies

If you've read my green smoothie inspiration you'll know our recent adventure into the world of green smoothies has begun with a splash. And true to our kitchen creative nature we had to do some tinkering with the basic green smoothie recipe from the video.

We've discovered the fun and versatility of making green smoothies, and to my surprise we now have kids who can't wait to eat their green leafy vegetables - who would have thunk.

So here it is folks, drum roll please... our first green smoothie recipe dubbed by our 4 year old... The smoothie you can chew.

Green Smoothie Recipe #1: The Smoothie You Can Chew

1 Mango (minus what you sample while cutting - so probably a half mango)
1 Banana
3 Strawberries
3 Broccoli florets
Handful of fresh Spinach leaves
2-3 Green Kale leaves
1-2 basil leaves
1 Tbsp Flax seed
Splash of Pomegranate Kefir
10-12 ounces of water or to desired thickness

Blend that baby up and enjoy some vibrant green goodness - Don't worry you don't really need to chew it. (unless of course you have a dull blender...)

This post on our first green smoothie recipe shared on Fight Back Friday and Real Food Wednesday

The Smoothie You Can Chew: Our First Green Smoothie Recipe is a post from: Natural Health Goodies

Today I was blasted with a Green inspiration (just the thought of green sends warm flashes of Spring coursing through the room - I just wish some would flow outside where it is a not so springy 17 Degrees Fahrenheit). I was introduced to Victoria Boutenko and her series of books on Green Smoothie recipes thanks to a fellow natural health blogger and her recent post Drink Your Greens. She shared a video (see the video below) of Victoria talking about the wonders of green smoothies and a little taste test of a banana, mango, pear kale smoothie - a very vibrant green smoothie recipe that I look forward to trying since we just picked up some nice juicy mangoes.

After watching the video the green smoothie monster grabbed me by the hand and forced me to look up some of Victoria Boutenko's green smoothie recipe books. The video mentions Green for Life which is her highly lauded 2005 release. I also discovered her recent 2009 book Green Smoothie Revolution: The Radical Leap Toward Natural Health which includes 72 pages of green smoothie recipes submitted from all over the world. It is rather inspiring to hear the great reviews these books get and the stories of increased health and wellness from introducing green smoothies into their diets. I immediately reserved both books at the library, but if you aren't the waiting kind they are both for sale at Amazon.

Now I'm off to get some kale to go with that nice juicy mango... (and hey some of that Green inspiration must have spread outside after all... it's now a balmy 24 Degrees outside)

Update: I'm still waiting on those books from the library, but in the mean time we've been experimenting with some green smoothie recipes of our own - and I've been blown away! The kids actually LOVE these! I'll get a post up on one of our favorite recipes soon, but first I have to make our morning smoothie...

This post shared on Fight Back Friday and Real Food Wednesday

My Green Smoothie Inspiration and a Green Smoothie Recipe to Boot is a post from: Natural Health Goodies

Are you looking for an easy way to get a jump on a cold winter morning? Here's a simple to make powerful natural cold remedy that helps boost metabolism, brain activity, and the immune system all in one shot - plus it has plenty of other mighty fine heath benefits.

Simply make a mug of hot lemon water and spice it up with cinnamon and fresh ginger! Kapow - instant superfood celebration and natural cold remedy.

The Secret Superfood Ingredients in an Immune Boosting Cold Remedy

Natural Cold Remedy Ingredient Number one: Lemon

Lemon is widely known for its high Vitamin C content and digestion aiding effects but the real powerhouse here is the cinnamon and ginger and the combination of all three.

Natural Cold Remedy Ingredient Number Two: Cinnamon

In traditional Chinese remedies cinnamon is praised for its warming qualities (sounds pretty good on a cold winter morning) and has been used to provide relief when faced with the onset of a cold or flu, especially when mixed in a tea with some fresh ginger. Cinnamon's scent has also been shown to boost brain activity so when you add a touch of cinnamon in your morning tea make sure you give it a big whiff to help get those cobwebs out of the brain and perhaps help you remember where you put your keys.

When consumed with high carb foods cinnamon can help lessen carbohydrates impact on your blood sugar levels because cinnamon reduces blood sugar as well as cholesterol and triglycerides. It also has anti-microbial properties that help stop the growth of bacteria and can be effective in preventing candida overgrowth.

A Cold Remedy Just isn't Complete Without Ginger

Natural Cold Remedy Ingredient Number Three: Ginger

Ginger completes the digestive three way tag team because it is an intestinal spasmolytic (a substance which relaxes and soothes the intestinal tract). Ginger is also an excellent carminative (a substance which promotes the elimination of intestinal gas) so you don't have to ride the toot toot train all the way to work with this cold remedy. Ginger was shown to be far superior to Dramamine the motion sickness drug and is well known to be very useful in reducing the nausea and vomiting of pregnancy. Ginger contains very potent anti-inflammatory compounds called gingerols. Ginger extracts have been shown to have both antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor effects on cells and is especially effective in inducing cell death in ovarian cancer cells.

Ginger is not only warming on a cold day with its spicy kick, but helps promote healthy sweating, which is helpful when you have a cold or the flu. So if you are doing a winter detox adding a little ginger in the morning will really help the detoxification process. A good sweat may do a lot more than simply assist detoxification as German researchers have found that sweat contains a potent germ-fighting agent called dermicidin. Dermicidin is manufactured in the body's sweat glands, secreted into the sweat, and transported to the skin's surface where it provides protection against invading microorganisms, bacteria and infections.

Now after all that appetizing talk of sweating and digestion why not lose yourself in a spicy sweet hot mug of lemon ginger cinnamon tea.

This Immune Boosting Natural Cold Remedy Shared on Freaky Friday and Fight Back Friday

Winter Detox, Brain and Immune Boosting Cold Remedy is a post from: Natural Health Goodies

As I sit here with my hot mug of Jasmine Dragon Phoenix Pearls tea laced with a bit of oolong I longingly look outside and wonder what it would feel like to bask in the warmth of a natural hot spring right about now. I suppose I shouldn't complain it is a balmy 31 degrees out, but there is a bit of a nip in the air and I can see a faint whiff of the seasonal cold bug flitting through the air.

My thoughts turn to a past article on the many benefits of lemon that sits atop my blog fodder pile and my attention is peaked by the mention of bourbon. Bourbon and lemon the natural cold and flu fighting wonders of the world. And let's not leave out honey - our poor honey who is feeling left out of the celebration (and shame on us to forget about our honey so close to Valentines Day).

It is an age old natural cold remedy the use of lemon, honey and bourbon to fight off sore throats and stuffy noses - in fact Mr. Hot Toddy as he is so affectionately called by some, has been with us since the nineteenth century in India and the UK - a fine place to enjoy the herbal delights of such a concoction as the cold wind whips over the cobblestone streets and the gas lamps belch their sputtering coal powered flame.

But alas, today in my comparatively warm home I enjoy my tea and wonder if perhaps something stronger might fight off the cold a bit better. But alas again since my first alas was the former I am without the natural cold fighting comfort of bourbon, but perhaps if you are lucky (yet unlucky enough to be besotted with the lover called the common cold) to have a bit of bourbon you might try an evening dance with Mr. Hot Toddy.

Natural Bourbon Cough Cold and Flu Elixir
2 ounces bourbon whiskey
1/2 lemon, juiced (about 2 ounces)
Couple slices of lemon filled with cloves
Several cubes of diced ginger
2-4 ounces water (optional)
1 tablespoon honey or heck lay it on thick and shoot for a bit more

The mixture is up to you really depending on how intimate you want to get with Mr. Bourbon, basically mix up lemon, honey, water and bourbon to taste, add any extras like clove or ginger - heat that baby to a nice warm glow and enjoy before bed.

For me I have a date with more tea - if you've enjoyed a dance with Mr. Hot Toddy please share your stories below (and please keep them to a respectful smolder there may be children peeking over your shoulder)

This post on a Hot Toddy natural cold remedy shared on Real Food Wednesday

My Date With Mr. Hot Toddy A Natural Cold Fighting Remedy is a post from: Natural Health Goodies