Get Grounded by Winning a Pair of Juil Sandals!

A few months ago, after a wearing a pair of super uncomfortable heels all day, I decided to make a commitment to myself: stop wearing things that make me miserable! I looked through my closet and realized that I was avoiding more than half of my shoes, because I knew that after 2-4 hours in them, I'd end up in pain. As part of this endeavour, I began researching shoes known for their comfort. That's when I came across Juil.

Juil sandals and shoes are more than just comfortable footwear, they help you connect to the natural healing energy of the earth. The shoes were created based on the concept of Earthing, the belief that the Earth has an energetic field of charged free electrons. It seems that we are seldom connecting to this energetic field because we wear shoes that insulate us from it. According to a recent study published by the National Institutes of Health, Earthing has been showed to reduce blood glucose levels in diabetics and improve thyroid function. After reading the study and watching the video interview below with Dr. Stephen Sinatra, a cardiologist, the idea of Earthing really began to me.

Have you noticed how much better you feel when you're on vacation and spending lots of time running around barefoot outside? And that feeling of wellness goes beyond just the fact that you are vacation...





So I invested in my first Juils and I bought a pair of Brios.





These sandals are equipped with 12 copper alloy conductors (one for each toe and another at the heel) that conduct the Earth's charged electrons and help you be "grounded", or connected to the Earth's energy. Mostly importantly, while wearing them I feel more aware of the connection I have with the Earth and it's energy. I'm sure that may sound a bit new-agey for some you, but it's the truth.

The wonderful people at Juil sent me a pair of Copenhagen clogs to compare to sandals. Both the Brio sandals and the Copenhagen clogs are by far the most comfortable shoes I've ever owned. I also think that it's great how a pair of shoes has helped me be more mindful. Also, I have definitely felt a difference in my mood when wearing my Juils walking outside. In comparison to the days when I don't, I feel more energized and more upbeat. To be honest, I love these shoes so much that I tend to wear them 3-4 times a week.

I want to share my love for these wonderful shoes, so I am giving away a pair to one lucky reader. To be entered into the contest, first visit my Facebook page and like ACraftyGourmet. Then visit Juil.com and leave me a comment about which pair you'd like to own. If you've already liked my page in the past, no worries, just let me know if your comment. Only those who have commented below and liked the page will be eligible. You have until Thursday, September 13th to enter. Good Luck!!

Going Dairy Free, It's Not As Hard As it Used to Be

Living in the Bay Area, I am extremely lucky when it comes to alternative grocery shopping. There are countless co-ops and Whole Foods stocked with a variety of dairy and grain alternatives, making living dairy and grain-free much easier than in many other places. Recently, I discovered this the hard way when visiting family in Chicago. I was surprised with the lack of organic produce at the local Whole Foods and the sheer absence of free-range organic meats. And don't get me started on the organ meats...there were none to be found. While I was very disappointed, I was more disturbed. I am constantly being reminded about how difficult it is in this country to eat healthy, even when shopping at Whole Foods.

As I was complaining about the lack of organic produce, I realized this Whole Foods didn't even exist 8 years ago when I originally gave up wheat and dairy. In recent years, with the growth in Whole Foods locations, the amount of milk alternatives has also grown exponentially. Before, you were lucky if your local grocery store carried soy milk or rice milk, but nowadays having many dairy alternatives is a necessity for stores to meet the needs of their customers. Going dairy free has a huge following. Did you know that Zooey Dechanel and Kim Kardasian are both dairy free? So if you are considering joining the club, you are in good company :). With all the alternatives out there, here are some of my favorites to consider:

Great Alternatives to Milk

Rice Milk: Watery, light, but lacks protein and fat
Soy Milk: Good protein and fat content, contains phytoestrogens, use sparingly for men
Almond Milk: Sweet, nutty, good fat and protein content
Flax Milk: sweet nutty, good fat and protein content, contains phytoestrogens, use sparingly for men
Coconut Milk Beverage: good fat, rich texture, light coconut flavor, but lacks protein
Oat Milk: Rich texture, not always gluten-free, earthy flavor
Hemp Milk: Creamy texture, good fat & protein content

Many of these can easily be made at home by soaking the nut or seed in water overnight and then running them in a juicer or a Vitamix and then through a nut milk bag.

Many of these dairy alternatives are enriched with calcium, and if you are concerned about calcium intake, here is a great snack recipe:

Hummus with Kale Chips

Ingredients for Hummus:
1 16oz can of Organic Chickpeas
2 tbsp Tahini
1/2 lemon
3 tsp Celtic Salt
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 Smoked Paprika

Ingredients for Kale Chips:
1 Bunch of Curly Kale
2 tbsp Sunflower Oil
1 tbsp Pilsen Latino Seasoning

Process:
For Hummus:
1. Put all ingredients into Vitamix or food processor

2. Blend/Process until desired texture
3. Sprinkle a little Smoked Paprika on top

For Kale Chips:
1. Tear leaves from Kale stems
2. Massage oil and spices into Kale
3. Bake on 350 for 20-22 minutes

Is Dairy Making You Sick?

I recently spent time with a family where everyone was suffering from an upper respiratory infection  after having mild colds. The condition is very familiar to me because I suffer from it almost every time I get sick. Before the age of 5, I was hospitalized several times for severe anaphylactic laryngitis (my throat would close up and I couldn't breathe or speak). It would begin with a mild cold and, as a "home remedy," my parents would give me a glass of warm milk with melted butter to drink. Then shortly after, my throat would begin to tighten and I would be rushed to the hospital. Much later in life, I would have the same issue without even drinking milk.

What I know about this family is that dairy is the main staple of their diet. Milk, yogurt or cheese are served at most meals. Many others foods they eat are processed and contain dairy. They are a typical American family that tries to eat healthy. They buy low-fat yogurt and string cheese for snacks and low-fat lattes and thin bagels with cream cheese for breakfast.

I recently discovered that much of my joint pain was related to my consumption of dairy. While I had given up cow dairy for the past 8 years, I had been eating large amounts of goat and sheep dairy for the last three years. When I completely gave it all up, severe pain I was feeling in my hip joints basically disappeared. Only to return again when I began drinking whey based protein shakes as part of my cleanse. Once I realized the correlation, I stopped drinking the shakes and again, within three days, the pain improved by 75%. After 8 days, I was almost completely pain free. I was amazed by this connection.

Realizing how dairy, even goat and sheep, which are easier for humans to digest, were affecting my health, I decided that they simply aren't worth it. And so empowered with my discovery, I suggested that this family, struggling with asthma and bronchitis, try giving up dairy for three weeks.

According to both Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurvedic Medicine, dairy consumption forms phlegm and mucus in the body. Usually when we are sick, the phlegm is in our sinuses and can travel down to our lungs. Even Western doctors often suggest not drinking milk during colds because it makes the already existing mucus thicker and harder to expel. Over time, because our bodies lack enzymes to properly digest dairy (prehistoric humans did not usually drink/eat other mammals' milk), the phlegm and mucus accumulate in our intestines and even our joints. This increased accumulation can lead to digestive issues and arthritis.

"But what about calcium? Isn't dairy a necessary part of our diet?" they asked.

What many people don't realize is that milk doesn't even contain much calcium, especially in comparison to other foods. Yogurt has 252mcg of calcium per serving, where sesame seeds have three times more in the same 100g serving size. Likewise, collard greens and kale have almost an equal amount per 100g serving size. And while many of my Eastern European ancestors consumed dairy, it was fermented, raw and full-fat. What most of us consume today is over-processed, over-medicated, and lacking true nutritional content.

So finally, the father had asked me: "Can I just switch to goat's milk?" I smiled. I was happy to hear that he was even considering it. And I told him: "Do it for 3 weeks, try the goat and see how it makes you feel" Our bodies are brilliant machines and, if we just listen to them more, they can easily tell us what makes us feel our best.

For my next post, I'll share some tips about going dairy free for three weeks, including recipes for dairy-breakfasts and snacks.



Have you tried being dairy-free? How did it make you feel? Considering it? What's holding you back? I'd love to hear all about it! Please comment below.

AND I'm DONE! 21-Day Detox over!: Stuffed Delicata Squash

So after 3 weeks, I'm glad to say that I'm done detoxing! I'm extremely proud and excited. The greatest thing is that I've been reminded about how I want to be eating. Being dairy, grain, and sugar free has really made me feel physically and mentally better than I have felt in a long time. I've also had a lot of fun coming up with new recipes to make eating at home interesting. In total, in the 6 weeks that I have not been eating dairy and grains, I have lost about 10 lbs. I know that I will gain and need to gain back most of them and as I reintroduce nuts and more meat into my diet. Like I mentioned prior to the start of the cleanse, I am not doing this to lose weight, nor do I feel like I need to lose weight. I'm perfectly okay with gaining the weight back. What I've lost is the bloat, the tiredness, and the fogginess. And that's enough for me.

Now that the cleanse is over, I'm not going to stop eating dairy-free, grain-free, and refined sugar-free. I'm really looking forward to sharing all of my recipes, including fun delicious deserts that won't make your blood sugar spike and crash. As a fan of eating out, I will also share my restaurant experiences, where I will be ordering gluten-free and dairy-free meals. For my last cleanse meal, I made a wonderful squash dish. It was super delicious and extremely satisfying:

Stuffed Delicata Squash

Ingredients:
1 bok choy
1 Delicata squash
1 celery stalk
1/2 tsp cardamon
1/2 tumeric
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cayenne pepper

Process:
1. Cut Delicata squash in half and remove seeds

2. Chop celery and bok choy

 3. Place in a bowl and mix with spices, salt, and oil

4. Spoon mixture in squash

5. Cook in oven at 350 degrees for 35 minutes and leave in oven for 20 minutes with oven off

6. Serve with Kidney Stew
7. Enjoy!!

21-Day Detox Day 20: Sweetbreads with Sumac: Sweetbreads aren't sweet or breaded but they sure are tasty

I have two favorite foods: foie gras and sweetbreads. Unfortunately, due to a lack of ethical ways to cultivate foie gras, California has banned its sale. Foie gras is an over-enlarged liver of a duck or a goose. These animals are forced fed to produce these large livers, which are almost pure cholesterol with a rich, buttery flavor and texture. In the absence of this delicacy, I have become obsessed with the sweetbreads. Luckily, my favorite butchery gets a delivery of pastured veal sweetbreads every few weeks. When they call me to tell me that the sweetbreads have arrived, I rush over to grab a bag.


Sweetbreads are usually extremely expensive when you order them at a restaurant, and as I mentioned a few posts back they aren't always that well cooked. They actually are really easy to prepare and are a great way to introduce a little gourmet into your life for a fraction of the restaurant price.


Sweetbreads with Sumac
1/2 lb sweetbreads
2 tsp sumac
1 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp ghee


Process
1. Sweetbreads need to be precooked, preferably the day before.
2. To pre-cook them, just cook them for 20 minutes in boiling water.

3. Place cooked sweetbreads in a container and store overnight

4. The following day, take the sweetbreads and slice them

5. Sprinkle with sumac and salt

6. Place on a heated grill pan with ghee

7. Cook for 5-8 minutes
8. Serve with Bok Choy

9. Enjoy!

21-Day Detox Day 19: Offal is not awful, I promise: Delicata Squash & Beef Kidney Stew, Root Vegetables Roasted with Lamb

Sorry that's its been a few days since I've posted, but I have been on vacation with my family. I haven't had a free moment to breathe until now!

I've always loved offal, aka organ meats. Growing up in a Russian/Jewish immigrant home, I was no stranger to liver and kidneys. In fact, one of my favorite things to eat was that one chicken kidney that was left at the bottom of the pot when my mom cooked chicken soup. I really loved the texture. That's the thing to most offal-you really must enjoy the unusual texture prior to even thinking about flavor.

One recent addition into my diet, based on the suggestion of my acupuncturist, Vincent Kan, are beef kidneys. Beef kidneys contain a very large amount of several essential B vitamins, specifically B12, B2 (riboflavin), and B6. B vitamins are extremely important for the proper functioning of the immune and nervous system. A B12 deficiency can impair cognitive functioning, memory loss, neuropathy, and even psychosis. Three ounces of beef kidneys provide more than 800% of your daily required amount. I think that buying an organic pastured raised kidney for less than five bucks a pound is much cheaper than buying high quality B supplement (and tastier).

Well cooked kidneys will have a texture similar to well done liver with a little bit of added crunch. They can been grilled or broiled, but I preferred to have mine stewed.

Delicata Squash & Beef Kidney Stew

Ingredients:

1 lb beef kidney
Juice of one lemon

1 onion

2 celery stalk

1/2 a medium sized Delicata squash
1 tbsp ghee
5 springs of parsely
3 tsp Celtic salt
2 tsp Choucroute Garni 
1 cup beef marrow stock 

Process: 
1. Soak kidney for 3-4 hours in the juice of 1 lemon and enough water to cover kidney

 

2. After 3-4 hours, remove kidney and cut into small pieces, discarding the fat in the middle

3.  Heat Ghee in a Dutch Oven

 4. Add sliced onions

  

5. Add cubed squash, parsley, and celery, spices, and salt and stew for ten minutes

  

6. Add cubed kidney and stock

7. Bring everything to a boil and reduce to low heat. Cook for 50 minutes.
8. Enjoy!


I enjoyed this stew for lunch.

For breakfast, I cooked Kale in my beef marrow stock and added a pastured egg to the bowl of "soup."

For dinner, I roasted root vegetables with lamb. I ate the lamb the following day, since I had my 4oz of protein for lunch.

Root Vegetables Roasted with Lamb
Ingredients:
3/4 lb of pastured grass fed lamb
2 rutabagas
3 carrots
3 tsp Celtic Salt
2 tsp Sunny Greek Islands Seasoning



Process:
1. Peel carrots and rutabagas
2. Cut into 1 inch chunks, placed on unbleached parchment paper in a baking pan












 3. In a bowl, add 1 tsp salt and 2 tsp seasoning and coat lamb. Then place lamb on top of vegetables

4. Add the rest of seasoning over everything
5. Cook on 350 for 1 hour, remove lamb so it doesn't overcook
6. Continue cooking vegetables for another 40 minutes.
7. Remove and mix lamb back into the vegetables.
8. Enjoy!

And the winner is!! 21-Day Detox Day 18: Basic Bone Marrow Broth, Spicy Lamb & Vegetable Soup & Greek Lamb & Zucchini

So now I'm a on a warming and nourishing kick now. With this cleanse coming to an end, I've been brainstorming different ways I can add heat creating foods into my diet. One such food is bone marrow broth. Broths in general are extremely helpful with a variety of ailments. It provides minerals, especially calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. These minerals support bone, heart and muscle health. It's no coincidence that in the Jewish heritage, chicken soup is the ultimate panacea for colds, upset stomachs, and other complaints. Prior to my cleanse, I had been eating soups daily prepared with well cooked stock. A really good beef broth/stock should be cooked on a low heat for at least 24 hours, (chicken can be cooked less than that 6-12 hours). These way you get as much of the minerals from the bones and cartilage as possible. I'm going to be playing around with a variety of nourishing soups in the upcoming weeks, but today I made a very simple broth to start.

Basic Bone Marrow Broth

Ingredients:
1 lb grass-fed beef marrow bones
1tbsp Celtic Salt
2 bay leaves
1 leek stalk
5-10 peppercorns
3 in ginger root sliced lengthwise
1 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar

Process:
1. Set oven to 350, put bones on baking sheet covered with unbleached parchment paper

2. Roast bones for 20 minutes in oven

3. Remove bones and place in pot, fill with water and add remaining ingredients

4. Let stock boil, reduce to low heat
5. Simmer for at least 24 hours. I cooked mine from 12pm until 8am the following morning

While my stock was cooking, I also put another soup on for dinner. I made sure to include a variety of warming ingredients like leeks, ginger and lamb.

Spicy Lamb & Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:
1/8 lb lamb stew meat
1/2 delicata squash
2 small leeks
1 celery stalk
2 small carrots
2 inch ginger
5-10 peppercorns
2-3 bay leavea
3 tsp Celtic Salt

Process:
1. Place all ingredients in a pot
2. Bring to boil
3. Simmer for 4-6 hours on low heat
4. Enjoy!

And finally, once dinner was cooking, I made myself some lunch! I bought over 1lb of lamb stew at my favorite butchery in San Francisco, Olivier's, so I've been using it all day to make up my 4 oz quota. For lunch, I sauteed a small piece of the meat with zucchini.

Greek Lamb & Zucchini

Ingredients:
1 tbsp Ghee
1 small piece of lamb stew (it's really mostly for flavor)
2 tsp Spice House Greek Islands Seasoning
2 tsp salt
3 small zucchini
Juice from 1/2 a lemon

Process:
1. Using peel, shave zucchini into noodle shaped strings
2. Heat ghee in pan, once hot, add lamb

3. Add spices and salt

3. Saute for 5 minutes
4. Add zucchini, saute for 10 minutes
5. Toss everything with lemon juice
6. Enjoy!

 

So finally what you've all been waiting for, the announcement of the winner of the Fabrikator's gloves! The winner is Irina Newbold! Please email me your address at Gaby@acraftygourmet.com and I will get them sent to you! Thank you to everyone who participated!

21-Day Detox Day 17: Incanto Restaurant Review

As someone who is used to eating out often, going a whole 17 days without a meal prepared by someone other than myself has been hard. Luckily, living in San Francisco, there are plenty of places where someone on a cleanse can find a gourmet meal. One of my favorite places in San Francisco is Incanto, where the chef/owner, Chris Cosentino, delivers rustic Italian head-to-toe meals. Head-to-toe cusine has become popular on foodie scene in recent years, with more restaurants cooking kidneys, livers, sweetbreads and other parts of the animal usually considered to be garbage.

When I saw my acupuncturist today, he recommended that I eat more organ meats because of their warming and nourishing nature. On my way home from work, I decided I didn't want to cook and called Incanto looking for a reservation. As expected, they were booked but did have tables available for walk-ins. And so, I picked the hubby up (he was working from home) and we headed over.

As an appetizer, we ordered the house-cured olives. The olives arrived warm, which was a pleasant surprise. Since I haven't eaten a significant amount of salt on this cleanse, the olives seemed extremely salty to me. It was like a salt field exploded in my mouth. It was so bizarre because we had olives there about a month ago and they tasted just fine. How amazing that 17 days into this 21 day cleanse, my senses are so enhanced.

Because I knew an entree  portion of protein would be too much, I ordered an appetizer. The one that jumped off the menu were the sweetbreads. Sweetbreads is an umbrella term for a variety of glands usually from veal or lamb. They are rich in digestive enzymes and important minerals that help normalize blood sugar. The chef prepared them with radishes and herbs. I happen to cook sweetbreads at home fairly often and have to say that I was pretty disappointed with this dish. Organ meats have a funky texture if they are undercooked or overcooked, resulting is a very chewy experience. And so, these sweetbreads were very tough and even lacked flavor. It kind of sucked to have gone to a restaurant for a meal and then realizing I can make the same dish better for a fraction of the price.

I didn't really want this to be a bash session against one of my favorite restaurants but the kitchen was off it's game tonight. In addition to the sweetbreads, we ordered a side of braised leeks with salsa rustica (chopped eggs with herbs) and braised onions. Both dishes were bland and lacked flavor. Hubby ordered the gnocchi and he said they were okay, but nothing really special. Considering that this one the restaurants where I've had two of the best meals ever, I was pretty confused about this meal. I'm pretty sure that we aren't going to heading over there again in the near future.

Going out also reminded me how much cheaper and tastier cooking at home can be. It's been pretty hard to be cooking almost daily, but I've been doing that to keep from being bored. Once I'm done with the cleanse, I'll be posting recipes for a variety of one pot wonders that should last you and the family for a couple days. That way there aren't any excuses for not healthy real food!

21-Day Detox Day 16: Grain-Free Pumpkin Pie Breakfast Porridge

Firstly, don't forget about my first contest, click here.

Ever since my back pain has started up again, I've been reanalyzing some of the food choices I've been making during the cleanse. There are so many opinions about what is the best way to eat. Some people believe you should only eat meat and very little vegetables (Atkins), some believe you should never eat meat or any animal products (Vegan), other believe we should eat like our ancestors (Paleo). There truly isn't one way to eat that works for everyone. After spending several months researching a variety of different diets, I've decided that there isn't any one diet that will work for everyone all the time. Moreover, we all know, diets don't work. If you want real change in your body and your mind, you need to adopt a brand new outlook and lifestyle. There is no other way.

I chose to do this specific cleanse because I wanted a reboot. A starting point from which I could begin my journey to redefining my relationship with food. Sometimes, no matter what you have read and what you already know about the "right" way to eat, it's never easy to actually do it. That's what I've always struggled with. I've been told so many times by so many practioners about what is best for me, but I haven't loved myself enough to actually stick with something. And so, I keep coming back to the same place. A new beginning, a new outlook, a new lifestyle.

One small issue with this cleanse for my constitution is that it's too cold.  Pain, especially joint pain is often related to a cold constitution. TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) recognizes that when joint/muscle pain is fixated in one area, that is usually related to too much "cold" in the body. When I started exploring this pain, I had an MRI. The MRI showed that I had burstitis of the hip joint and tendontitis on the gluteus medius (butt). These are both inflammatory conditions. All of the raw foods and cold juices I've been enjoying may have aggravated my condition. And so, I've decided to be really dilligent about eating more appropriate foods for my constitution. Foods that have more warming properties, such as cabbage, pumpkin, root vegetables like parsnips and rutabagas, and herbs like cinnamon and black pepper. I am going to be limiting the amount of green juices I am drinking, especially in the morning when you need more digestive fire.

I didn't really have time to cook too much the night before, so I couldn't eat all cooked foods today. I did have a very nice satisfying breakfast made with pureed pumpkin.

Grain-Free Pumpkin Pie Breakfast Porridge

Ingredients:

Half a package of Fig Food Co. Organic Pumpkin

1 tbsp Ghee

2 tsp Spice House Pumpkin Spice 

5 drops of Stevia (optional)

Process:
1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl and heat in Microwave for 1 minute and 30 second.
2. Enjoy!

For lunch, I stopped by Whole Foods to gather organic salad fixings from their salad bar. They had shoestring zuchini, beets, carrots and I also got some black olives. While I usually have my daily 4oz of protein for dinner, today I decided to have sardines in my salad. Sardines are high in B vitamins, Omega-3's, and a variety of minerals. They are very important as part of an anti-inflammatory diet. I mixed everything from Whole Foods with  organic mixed greens and edible flowers from yesterday's farmer's market. As a dressing, I squeezed in half a lemon and added a table spoon of organic olive oil. I also added baked Kale for texture.

After work, I went to a yoga class. One of my favorite teachers is Stephanie Snyder. She used to teach at Yoga Tree and now has moved on to a new donation based yoga studio, Urban Flow. Stephanie's classes are amazing. I usually leave very sweaty, very limber, and extremely relaxed. Her 90 minute classes are intense and non-stop, pushing you to the edge of your practice. At the same time, her motherly nature creates an energy of openness and compassion I rarely feel in other classes. Because her classes during the week are at 6:15, I don't get to enjoy them as often as I used to before my daughter was born, but when I do, it's really a treat. I also end up feeling sore for days after, so I know I get an amazing workout for not just my mind and soul, but my body too.

Because I came home late from Yoga and had to rush to put my daughter to sleep, I didn't have time to cook dinner. So I made myself a beet, carrot, apple and kale juice and added my shake. It was plenty of food, since I wasn't that hungry after the intense yoga class anyway.

21-Day Detox Day 15: Buttery Celery Root Puree & Greek Island Chicken

My new favorite Wednesday evening activity is heading over to the Castro Farmer's Market with my daughter after picking her up from daycare. The farmer's market is open from 4pm-8pm and has a variety of organic farmers who sell beautiful produce, pastured eggs, and free-range meats.

One of my favorite vendors at the market is Farmhouse Culture. They make a variety of amazing sauerkraut, ranging from traditional caraway to curry cauliflower. I've been buying a pound of Ginger Beet each week, which my daughter picked out herself. The kraut is extremely authentic and was created by Kathryn Lukas, who was a chef-owner of a restaurant in Stuttgart, Germany. Headquarterd in Santa Cruz, Farmhouse Culture serves up a variety of flavors with local charm, like Apple/Fennel. According to their site, "sauerkraut is a true raw superfood, high in Vitamin C and full of beneficial pro-biotic enzymes. Naturally fermented raw vegetables are rich in lactic acid, an essential aid to good digestion. In fact, forkful by forkful, you’ll get more vitamins in raw sauerkraut than in plain raw cabbage, since the fermentation process boosts and concentrates vitamin levels and digestibility. Research suggests that raw sauerkraut may also have anti-carcinogenic benefits–benefits that are largely lost when kraut is industrially processed." You can also find them in Whole Foods and Rainbow. I really recommend you pick up a jar or 2 or 3.

For breakfast, I made a batch of Cool as a Cucumber

For lunch I made a celery root puree. Celery, aka Celeriac, is a vegetable the reminds me of Paris. I am a huge Francophile. I love everything French. I recently redecorated our bedroom and master bathroom to feel like a Parisian getaway. Whenever I have celery root, I feel transported to the City of Lights. And so, I try to eat it as often as possible to reminisce and to feel transported. Celeriac tastes a bit like celery but with a more nutty flavor. It also shares many healing properties as celery. It cools heat in the liver, which is often associated with headaches and a desire to overeat. It helps renew joints and connective tissues due to its high silicon content. Celeriac is also useful for arthritic conditions such as gout.

Buttery Celery Root Puree

Ingredients:
1 celery root
2 tbsp ghee
1 tbsp Sunny Paris Seasoning
1/4 tsp cayenne
3 tsp salt

Process:
1. Clean celery root by cutting off "skin

2. Cut up celery root

3. Place celery root in pot with water and cook until soft (20-25 minutes)

4. Once cooked, place celery root, ghee, seasoning, cayenne, salt and 3/4 cup of cooking water into a Vitamix or other blender

5. Puree, if using Vitamix, puree on level 4 for about 2-3 minutes
6. Scoop out and Enjoy!

For dinner, I served the celery root with chicken thighs and sprinkled it with kale chips for added texture and with a side of Ginger Beet sauerkraut.

Greek Island Chicken

Ingredients:
3 organic chicken thighs
1 tbsp ghee
3 tsp salt
3 tsp Sunny Greek Island Seasoning
2 tsp Sumac

Process:
1. Heat oil on grill pan
2. Sprinkle thighs with seasoning, sumac, and salt

3. Placed thighs on grill pan and cook for 8 minutes on one side

4. Flip and cook for another 6 minutes


5. Enjoy!