Stay Fresh

Buying organic means your veggies don't last as long, do you know these simple tricks?

Keep root veggies and asparagus upright in a little water. This has saved many of my carrots. 

Also, after buying celery- clean and trim stalks and store them in a container filled with water, make sure they are fully submerged.

What are your favorite stay-fresh tips? 

Recipe: Jam Cookie

I like baking any kind of cookie, but these ones are appropriate for a healthy living blog ;) Trust me, they are delicious. You can use any jam on hand. I had blueberry and strawberry this time around. They go great with tea or coffee breaks, and the best part about them is they don't require any refined sugar or butter to make...or maybe the best is they are so tiny you can eat a few of them at time. The recipe is after the jump.

Gifts!

I got a gift in the mail last week from my Dad, and I thought I would share! My Dad loves shopping on Ebay, mostly for golf clubs, but he recently scored these mid-rise Chuck Taylor All Stars for me.

He started looking into buying vintage versions of the shoes after he found out they are no longer made in the U.S. You might remember when Nike bought out Converse in 2003, and they started producing them in China. Turns out, many people still care about this, and buying USA manufactured "Chuck's" these days is hard to do. 

I love the classic look of these shoes, and although I've been through quite a few pairs (especially when I was a server), I wouldn't be surprised if these are my first American made pair. 

Did you know that Charles "Chuck" Hollis Taylor started wearing these shoes to basketball practice in 1912, then got a job with Converse in 1921 and improved the shoe. One of the things he added to the shoe was the iconic patch on the side, which was actually put there for ankle protection. A couple years later, Converse incorporated this name on the patch of the shoe, and Chuck spent years driving a white Cadillac across country with a bunch of All Stars in the trunk making the shoe what it is today!

This is how I wore them. 

Which kind do you sport? I would love if you sent a link for a picture of you in yours! 

 My Dad in his Chuck's outside my apartment (they spelled the street name wrong in the cement:)

Recipe: Mung Beans

I wish these little beans weren't so hard to find in a "regular" grocery store, because they are seriously awesome. Mung beans are used in Chinese Medicine and Ayurvedic practices for detoxing the body. They are sweet, easily digestible, and versatile. Last night, I made this mung bean and butternut squash stew that was once featured on one of Food 52's recipe contests. It's both sweet and spicy, and the perfect recipe for transitioning from winter to spring. The ginger and other spices make the recipe feel warm and satisfying, but it is also light and easily digested. It made 6 servings, so I froze the rest to have again on a night I don't have time to cook. I served it with warm naan bread that I bought from Trader Joe's. Also, this recipe also gives you and opportunity to use that coconut milk you made.

I love all of the colorful veggies in this stew

 If you find whole mung beans, you can soak them the night before you make this stew. I buy them at Rainbow Grocery, they are labeled under mung daal in the bulk section. You can find this recipe here. 

Happy Friday! 

Movement for Detox

Exercising is essential for cleansing those organs, and when that isn't enough motivation for you, you can watch one of these videos.

 I long to be this strong and graceful on the mat

This video is both entertaining and educational, and proves just a little bit goes a long way.