Teacher giveaway, recipes

About a month ago, I asked my teacher-readers for input and advice regarding Harry's class assignment this year. You all offered wonderful insight and I promised y'all a little thank you for your kindness. So, if you are currently a teacher, please let me know the comments. In fact, tell us parents how we can better support teachers. I will have Harry randomly pick one of you to receive your choice of either a Starbucks gift-card or a Barnes and Noble gift-card.

To update you on the situation with Harry's class. I decided to keep him in the class and I am so glad I did. His teacher is the ESL trained teacher for 3rd grade and his class is extremely diverse. In fact, Harry's best little buddy is from Israel. Harry and I have had some great discussions regarding religious and cultural differences. There is a world map in his class indicating where all the students are from and only 4 or 5 children are from the US originally. But most of the children speak English. There are a handful of children who struggle with the language. One little girl joined his class from Saudi Arabia last week and speaks no English at all. Dave taught Harry how to say hello to her (he lived in Libya as a child) and I told him to smile because that means hello in any language.

Harry's teacher is AMAZING. She is truly meeting each child where they are. Harry is being challenged and stretched. She has re-ignited his love for reading through a challenging literature circle for him. And he goes to gifted and talented class for 3 hours a week. He is an extremely good student. His report card usually has grades ranging from 95-100. But this week he earned a B on a test. This was a first. He had never earned less than an A on a test since kindergarten. He was a little upset but I was secretly glad he got a B. That told me that he was being challenged and that he would have to study a bit more. This is a good lesson to learn. I think kids need to be challenged.

We talked about his B at the dinner table...Harry said, "I got my first B today." Will quickly quipped (offering a high five), "Welcome to the club, Harry." Harry (not missing a beat) said, "yeah well my membership is temporary. This is a club I do not want to be in." My boys crack me up.

I want to share two recipes with you. I fell off my juicing wagon BIG time with Kate's surgery and the boys being so sick. And I noticed three things: a) I gained weight--my pants were tight and b) my skin did not look so good and c) I was tired and irritable. So, I am trying to get back to my daily juicing. This week, I am focusing more on fruits and have a recipe to share.

1 cup organic green grapes

2 oranges, peeled

1/2 lemon, peeled

mineral water

Juice the grapes first, then the oranges and finally the lemon. The grapes might splash out a bit. Mix with mineral water (50%). I am not a huge fan of mineral water and plain water is fine too. This has great vitamin C and A, folic acid, and calcium which I need now because Will and Kate have colds. This makes enough juice for 2-3 servings. From The complete book of Juicing.

Here is another recipe that is not really healthy but a special occasional treat. Harry was at a sleepover one night and I made this. Harry cannot eat butter or cheese so I cannot make this when he is home. Although you could substitue olive oil for the butter and it is equally as delicious!

Oregano Shrimp

1 1/2 lbs fresh large shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 tbs fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup bread crumbs (gluten free work well too)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbs chopped fresh parsley

2 tbs freshly grated parmesan cheese

2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano

1 stick of unsalted butter, melted

1 lb of angel hair pasta, cooked al dente (we used gluten free)

Preheat the over to 325 degrees. PLace shrimp in a 9 X 13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle shrimp with lemon juice. Combine bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, parmesan and oregano in a small bowl. Sprinke bread crumb mixture over shrimp. Pour melted butter on top. Bake 10-15 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Serve over pasta.

From Stop and Smell the Rosemary.

Hope you are all having a GREAT week. It is rainy here and I am enjoying hanging out at home and cooking cozy fall food. Oh and don't you LOVE Season Premiere Week? I laughed so hard last night watching Modern Family!

A hair update and juicer questions answered

I am doing a little better about the hair. Thank you for all your supportive comments. Kate looks so young with it short.  As we go about our day, I do feel slightly compelled to explain to people that we did not cut her hair like this on purpose (I haven't though).  The length is not the awful part.  The awful part is that it is still a mullet (short over the ears and longer in back)~it is just a shorter mullet.  Anyone have any hair growing tips?  Kate's hair grows SO INCREDIBLY PAINFULLY slow.

She told me this morning that she wanted her hair back now.  So, I know she does regret it. One of the boys mentioned that all of the princesses have long hair (she is obsessed with princesses).  Their point was to tell her not to do it again.  She thought about it and said, "Mulan cut her hair with a sword." Damn that Mulan!

Okay, now onto the juicer questions...

1.  I noticed your juices are mostly veggie juices. What about fruit juices?

I have made fruit juices for my kids (watermelon and blueberry).  They liked it but they prefer smoothies.  Fruit juices are okay  (in terms of health) but they do have a lot of natural sugars and can spike your blood sugar.  So I have not done many. Also, I have not really craved the fruit juices as I think they are really sweet. It is my understanding that the veggie juices really pack the nutrients.  I use fruit to sweeten the veggie juices.

2. Do your kids like it too?

Harry is very willing to try all the juices.  He liked the beet and green veggie juice I made yesterday.  He also likes the carrot, apple, ginger juice.  However, I only make them for myself unless they ask.  Right now, my strategy is to be a role model for the children.  I am hoping that by seeing me drink them and feel energized (and hopefully Dave), they will ask for more.  I typically pour Harry a small cup from mine when he asks.  Also, for children the juices ought to be diluted with pure water (it can be too much for their little systems).  

3. What kind of a juicer do you have...brand/model?? Do you like it enough that you would purchase the same kind again? Is it easy to clean??  

I bought the Breville Juice Fountain Elite.  I got it at Bed, Bath and Beyond using a 20% off coupon so I saved quite a bit. It retails for about $300 but you can find it on Amazon for $259.00.  I paid slightly less than that at BBB and really I was impatient and did not want to wait on shipping. 

I LOVE my juicer! In fact, I wish I could take to with me when we travel:) It took me a few tries to figure it all out but now it is super easy.  Cleaning takes 5-10 minutes.  All the pieces are dishwasher safe but I hand clean them because they are big and I don't want to run the dishwasher twice a day.  I did a lot of research and for my needs and budget, this was definitely rated the best.  Martha Stewart uses it too:)  Have a look here to see her juicing...

4. The taste - did you have trouble getting past the taste of some of these mixes?

You would be surprised!  They taste very good to me. I put either a pear or an apple in all of my veggie juices and they really sweeten any bitterness of the greens.  I actually CRAVE the green goddess every day and I have missed it when I was away. Try one at whole foods or a juice bar sometime!

The carrot juices are a little strong for me but I try to drink one or two a week because I have premature cataracts (it is hereditary!) and carrot juice is GREAT for that!

5. Do you drink the juices in replacement of breakfast and lunch? 

I did not start juicing for weight loss so I was just adding the juice to my diet.  But I generally drink one large veggie juice for breakfast now. I was never a big breakfast eater though.  I want to start adding spirulina (a protein) but I have not gotten around to purchasing it yet. I know many people do replace meals with juice and lose lots of weight.  I hope to do a juice fast (1-2 days) when the kids return to school as a small detox.

6.  I really am curious if the juices would be better though that eating the fresh/organic fruits & veggies I eat? 

Okay so here is what I have read....When you eat a carrot your body absorbs 11% of the beta carotene because your stomach works so hard to break down the food and extract the nutrients. If the carrot is cooked even less is absorbed because cooking destroys the enzymes.  When you juice a carrot, you get 100% of the beta carotene.  Juice is live, full of enzymes and super easy to digest so it gives your stomach a rest (which is why I started juicing). So, while you don't get all of the fiber, you get TONS more of the the live enzymes and nutrients (which fight cancer).  I am NOT an nutritionist or an expert.  This is purely what I have read from the experts.  I would certainly read all you can about juicing before you decide if it is right for you.

7. Will you share what brand you have and where you get your recipes?

I originally asked someone at the juice bar at the beach and she told me on the sly the vague ingredients of my favorite juices and from there I have looked up recipes on-line and experimented.  I have my favorites for sure but you are supposed to switch around the combinations so that you don't become sensitive to any foods.  Food rotation is super important to avoid allergies.  My next step is to get a few juicing recipe books.

Another tip I will share with you is that I put my juicer out on the counter (and put away the coffee maker). It looks good too! I also made sure I had 3-4 days supplies of produce for the juices.  That way, I see it every morning and I make the juice. It is no harder than making a pot of coffee.   If it were in a cabinet or the pantry, I think I could get lazy. Please let me know if you have any more questions.  I am always happy to share information on things that have helped me but I know this is definitely not for everyone.

As promised, my newest obsession...

My secret weapon

(there I am reflected in the middle of the juicer:o)

Snekcip (a loyal reader) keeps me on my toes here...she reminded me that y'all were waiting to find out my new discovery.  

Well, there is a story. All summer I had been having major stomach pain.  I was convinced that I had an ulcer or stomach cancer (yes, I can be a hypochondriac).  The pain would wake me in the middle of the night. I could not eat.  I could NOT get in to see a doctor or a gastroenterologist.  It was awful.  I finally got an appointment to see a general practitioner who did a blood test for h.pylori (which was negative) and then he handed me a pack of prilosec and told me most Americans are taking it now. As you might suspect, I am not big on drugs, so I decided to take a more natural approach (surprised?).  First, I gave up caffeine.  That was hard.  I LOVE coffee but I had read that it is AWFUL for your stomach. Then, I began reading about juicing.  

I considered buying a juicer but I don't LOVE vegetables or fruit so I thought it might be a waste of money.  Around this time, we left for the beach.  The first thing I saw in Seaside was a raw organic juice bar.  I decided right then and there that I would try one everyday on vacation. Each morning Will and I went to the juice bar and I tried a few veggie juices (with an apple or lemon  too). Well,  I felt GREAT.  I had no headaches from caffeine withdrawal.  I had more energy than I have had in years. I was in a great mood all week.  And my stomach pain COMPLETELY disappeared.  

When we returned from Seaside, I immediately bought a juicer and I have been juicing about twice a day.  I feel so much better.  Here is a list of benefits that I have noticed immedately:

~my skin is better

~the whites of my eyes are brighter

~I am sleeping better

~I have MUCH more energy ( I cannot overstate this one)!

~my moods are more stable (except on the days I did not juice due to being away).

~my stomach feels great

~we don't own a scale but my clothes are looser so I think I am losing some weight.

~I am craving more healthy foods all around.  I want salads all the time.

I LOVE my juicer.  If anyone has any questions, I will try to answer them but as I have only been doing this about a month, I am not an expert at all.

I want to share a book with you that I LOVE if you are interested in nutrition.  It is called Food as Medicine: How to use diet, vitamins, Juices and herbs for  a healthier, happier and longer life.

It has very specific suggestions for what to eat, juice and supplements for various illnesses (cancer, diabetes, stomach issues, ulcers, hormonal problems, aging, skin problems, allergies, ADD, asthma, etc).  I can not recommend this book highly enough. 

Green Goddess Juice 

(celery, cucumber, parsley, fresh greens ~I rotate kale, spinach, watercress, red leaf lettuce etc~, an apple and half a lemon)

Carrot, apple, ginger juice

Beet and veggie juice

I just want to end by saying that juicing is a commitment of both time and money.  The good juicers are expensive (about $300) and you need to use fresh, organic produce .  It takes me about 20-30 minutes to prepare a juice and clean up.  It is very worth the time and the money for me...but I want to be very realistic here. There are SO SO many health benefits of juicing.  I did not want to go into it all here but you can google "health benefits of juicing" and you will be amazed.