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 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 approximately1/4 cup sugar and stir
3) Add1/4 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.

I then cover the jar with a coffee filter or other breathable material, secured with a rubber band (if you 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 and look forward to continuing this experiment!

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I love a good cup of chai tea on a cold winter morning. Black tea has antioxidants that help the body to eliminate free radicals from the body, thus fighting colds and flu, heart disease, and possibly even cancer, but when you have some delicious organic chai to sample when the weather heats up it’s a bit of a dilemma. Thank goodness for the noggin’ using person who thought of iced tea!

As with any gourmet drink or dish there is an art to making the best iced tea, and it starts of course with the chai tea itself. I had the opportunity to try out a new to me organic decaf chai tea from LeafSpa makers of premium organic loose leaf teas.

The LeafSpa decaf chai is a spiced Darjeeling black tea infused with organic cinnamon, organic ginger, organic cardamon, organic pink peppercorn, and additional organic cinnamon, vanilla, and ginger flavor. That’s a lot of organic goodness that combines to make a delicious nicely spiced warm and soothing chai tea. But again, unless you are in the middle of a thunderstorm and need the warm reassurance of a good cup of chai you’ll want another use for your tea during the hot summer months.

Along comes iced chai the summer savior for tea drinkers. But here is a healthy indulgent iced tea recipe with a twist: a chai tea shake a-la-natural health goodies…

Our Chai Tea Shake Recipe

(or if you like fancy names it could be the Natural Health Goodies Secret Ingredient Goody Goody Gum Drop Chai Tea Shake without the Gum Drops – but that takes longer to say than it takes to make so maybe not)

First make up a batch of chai tea:

• Use 1 tsp loose leaf chai tea per 6oz cup of water
• Heat cold water to a rolling boil and let sit until the temperature is between 180-200 Degrees F
• Steep tea for 2-3 minutes or to desired strength

Allow your chai tea mixture to cool (it can be left in the fridge over night if you like) and then pour into a blender along with enough vanilla frozen yogurt so its nice and creamy…..

Last but not least is the super secret natural health ingredient.. drum roll please… bda bda buda bda (how do you type a drum roll anyway?)

Vanilla Kefir!

Kefir, if you haven’t heard is a probiotic yogurt-like cultured milk that has tons of good for you digestion and immune boosting benefits and makes a nice addition to smoothies or in this case chai shakes.

Blend all ingredients until frothy and rich pour and enjoy. And then try to say “Natural Health Goodies Secret Ingredient Goody Goody Gum Drop Chai Tea Shake without the Gum Drops” five times real fast.

I have several more LeafSpa teas to try so please subscribe and stop by again for more LeafSpa Organic Tea reviews and recipes.

This Post Shared on Real Food Wednesday and Fight Back Friday

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.

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.

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

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.

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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…

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Are you looking for an easy way to get a jump on a cold winter morning? Here’s a simple to make powerful cold fighting natural 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.

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.

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 carbs 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.

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. 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 Post Shared on Real Food Wednesday

Ok so you’ve got your Valentine e-cards all ready to send, your Valentine flowers are on order, you’ve even got your Valentine theme ipod case all wrapped up for your sweetie or teeny bopper but what about a little love for yourself. (what do you mean you bought the valentine theme ipod case for you – naughty naughty)

Well if you are looking for a little something to relax and enjoy now that you have all these things checked off your to-do list try Yoplait YoPlus yogurt. We’ve tried a couple flavors so far and they are mighty tasty. Plus as you might infer from the “Plus” they have a little extra that other yogurts don’t always have. Yoplait YoPlus is loaded with antioxidant vitamins A and E, fiber and probiotics for digestive health, and calcium and vitamin D for bone health. Let me touch on a couple of those ingredients if I may.

First off the vitamin D is very important not only for bone health but it is great for cold and flu season because higher vitamin D levels are known to be naturally immune boosting. Vitamin C and zinc get the celebrity treatment when it comes to cold and flu season but vitamin D may actually be more effective in fighting off the sniffles and sneezes.

Second the probiotics in Yoplait YoPlus are basically the good bacteria the body needs to regulate digestion and keep the bad bacteria from causing any number of health problems. It is also good to note that YoPlus has the prebiotic fiber inulin from chicory root extract which is necessary to help keep good-for-you types of bacteria strong and effective.

If you are looking for creative and healthy Valentine ideas or just a fun Valentine’s day activity for kids try this fun and easy yogurt shaped frozen treat recipe. This homemade Valentine treat idea comes from the February issue of “Your Big Backyard” magazine.

What you’ll need:
1. Your favorite yogurt – like Yoplait Yo-Plus for example
2. Several heart shaped cookie cutters

Here’s the fun part:
1. Place the cookie cutters on a plate or baking pan
2. Fill each heart shaped cookie cutter with yogurt
2b. make sure you sample some yogurt (what’s kitchen fun without some free taste testing – plus you’ll need the extra nutrients in the yogurt to help fend off the barrage of “is it ready yet” every 2 minutes)
3. Place your heart shaped creations in the ‘ol freezer for a couple hours
4. Lift off the cookie cutters and have some tasty healthy Valentine treats – yum yum

This Post Shared on Real Food Wednesday

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 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)
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 – 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)

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Thieves oil or more properly an essential oil blend coined Thieves (since it is a registered trademark of Young Living Essential Oils™ who sells a wide range of Thieves oil products) has been found by a Weber State University study to have a 99.96% success rate against airborne bacteria. That’s a pretty huge claim to make, but many people swear by their Thieves oil recipes and concoctions.

The basic Thieves oil recipe consists of Clove, Lemon, Cinnamon Bark, Eucalyptus and Rosemary. All of these essential oils have powerful healing properties. Cinnamon and clove make a viral infection less likely to occur by fitting the cell receptor sites normally reserved for viruses – just like a puzzle piece – or I suppose more like a wad of chewing gum and the underside of a park bench. I know from experience that clove oil is exceptional at fighting off colds after trying a natural toothpaste that includes clove and other bacteria fighting ingredients.

Many people already know about lemon’s antiseptic properties since it is used in cleaning products everywhere. According to Jean Valnet, MD, the vaporized essence of lemon can kill meningococcus bacteria in 15 minutes, typhoid bacilli in one hour, Staphylococcus aureus in two hours, and Pneumococcus bacteria within three hours. Even a 0.2% solution of lemon oil can kill diphtheria bacteria in 20 minutes and inactivate tuberculosis. (as stated in the book Essential Oils Desk Reference
) Wow! Once you get past the tongue twisting barrage of scientific terms there lemon seems like a miracle cure.

Rosemary helps protect against and destroy bad bacteria, yeasts and fungi – and we’re not talking the fungi from your monster Angus beef, onion and Shiitake burger, more like the fungi crawling between your toes after a fast paced game of basketball. (sorry to those of you who just enjoyed a Shiitake burger, didn’t mean to ruin your fine meal – although you know if you have a bit of bad breath from the onion a bit of Thieves oil might just clear that up)

And let’s not leave out Eucalyptus since it is quite the little gamer itself. We all know about the stimulating aroma of Eucalyptus and its known properties for helping relieve cold and flu symptoms, but it is also adept as an antibacterial and helps stimulate the immune system, It acts as an anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and even analgesic. (that last really isn’t as dirty as it sounds – it just means pain killer – man get your mind out of the gutter).

When you slip all these powerhouse essential oils into a bottle and give it a catchy name like Thieves Oil (with a sordid myth based potentially on the truth) you have a natural remedy winner on your hands. There are a billion and one uses for Thieves oil from use as a household cleaner, mold destroyer, cold fighter, hand sanitizer and even treating or preventing the common flu or H1N1 Swine Flu. Since Thieves oil is safe for ingestion a few drops can be added to your toothbrush to fight bacteria in the mouth and on the toothbrush itself.

You can make up an easy Thieves oil recipe your self by mixing 1-tablespoon each of Clove Oil and Lemon Oil, 2 1/2-teaspoons of Cinnamon Oil and 2-teaspoons of Rosemary Oil and Eucalyptus Oil with a cup of Jojoba oil or other carrier oil.

If you aren’t a DIY apothecary type you can always find plenty of good deals on pre-made Thieves Oil at your local natural health store or patiently look for a good sale on ebay.