Honey for my Homies

Celebs are talking about it, Scarlett Johansson swears by it, Kourtney Kardashian eats it on her oatmeal, and I went through an entire jar of Manuka Honey in one month.  Not only does this raw honey taste amazing in tea, on toast or just by itself, it has some pretty unbelievable healing qualities and quite honestly, I'm obsessed with it.

So what is manuka honey you may ask? It is raw honey that is created from bees that only feed on the manuka bush found in New Zealand. Most manufacturers of manuka honey remove all other plants from the are so the honey is pure. 

Ok so that's all great but the best part about this magical honey is the health properties. People have been using this honey for thousands of years because of it's antibacterial properties.  Some of it's uses include:
- mouthwash
- to heal cuts and prevent burn blisters (woah)!
- as a face mask (put a teaspoon in your palm and mix with a little water. massage on face and then wash off.  It's like a yummy antibacterial exfoliating mask).
- tummy issues
- the common cold and sore throat

Some brands have the initials UMF on the label which stands for Unique Manuka Factor. This acronym is a reference to the unique special disinfectant properties.  The rule is not to rely on the manuka factors unless the rating is above 10.  I like 15+.

You can get it at Whole Foods or online at My Natural Market.

Xo,
Zo

Turkey Lettuce Wraps

If you know me, you know my obsession with The Biggest Loser and Jillian Michaels.  I don't know what it is...but I can watch one episode and immediately feel the need to go run to the gym and drink water from a Brita.  So needless to say, when I'm hungry and watching the show, I always want something they make that looks healthy.  I also went to a baby shower this weekend and ate WAY to many white chocolate covered Oreo's (they were amazing).  So I took a vow of no carbs today.

Lettuce Wraps seemed like the perfect answer.  These little healthy wraps are perfect for a weekday night as well cause they only take about 20 minutes to make and are an instant hit (especially after the gym when you need a little protein kick).

I got this recipe from Delish.com ! Serves about 4.  I modified their version a little bit by adding more veggies.

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb. ground chicken breast (you can make this with turkey or tofu as well - equally as yummy)
2 tablespoons all natural or low-fat peanut butter
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons low sodium teriyaki sauce
1 small can drained chopped water chestnuts
1/2 chopped onion
1 green pepper (or red)
4 chopped celery stalks
4-6 leaves romaine lettuce

 
PREPARATION
1. In a pan, heat olive oil. Add ground chicken and brown; stir occasionally to separate the meat.
2. Add peanut butter, soy sauce; and teriyaki sauce to the chicken until well mixed.
3. Add water chestnuts, onion; and cashews.

I felt that a bloody would go very well with this meal.

4. After chicken is completely brown, let simmer for about five minutes; stirring every couple of minutes. Uncover and cook until a thick consistency.

Ben was waiting for a taste too!  Sorry bud. Ok, I almost gave him some but feel like I heard that turkey isn't good for dogs.

xo,
zo

Tea for Two

It's December.  Everyone is flipping out that it's December and everyone is sick.  It's making me a walking anxiety attack.  So besides from washing the shit out of your hands and putting an air purifier in your office (true story I did that), "they" say that you should be drinking a lot of fluids.  I totally agree but also think that you might as well spruce up your fluids with some health benefits.  Some people think a hot cup of tea can prevent sickness. Do I agree...not really.  BUT I do think tea helps and it tastes good AND there are other great qualities tea brings to the table.  I'm not going to go into them here but take a look at the health effects of tea.

Not all of us have the time or patience to go get loose leaf tea and get all of the utensils needed to make it. Although, if you do, the tea is freakin' awesome and you can find the stuff to make it at Teavana.  If you don't know what you want or need go to one of their stores and an expert will help you.

So below is my top list of grocery store teas. At the grocery store there are usually two tea areas, one near the coffee and another in the health food section.  I have nothing against generic tea but it's like eating two gummy bears in the morning instead of gummy vitamins (that was a horrible example but you get the picture).  So, walk yourself over to the health food section and pick up one of my favorites below:

1. Yogi Tea.  Check out their tea finder so you can find the perfect tea for your mood/ailment.
2. A Mighty Leaf. You want the tea pouches.  This site also has a tea finder.
3. Traditional Medicinals. This stuff is organic so that's cool. Also the purpose of the tea is on the box so you can just go straight to the store and pick what's best.

We used to have this kettle growing up. It whistles!

When all else fails, go for any Celestial Seasonings tea.  They're all pretty good.

xo,
zo