Fat Flush Soup

http://annlouise.com/

2 tsp. olive oil
1 ¼ lbs lean ground beef, turkey or shredded chicken
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 (14 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
1 (32 oz.) bottle reduced-sodium tomato or vegetable cocktail juice (HW: I like knudsens organic very veggie juice) 
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 (14 oz.) can black, navy or pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 Tbs. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. cayenne, or to taste
¼ cup each fresh cilantro and parsley, chopped

1. In stockpot, heat olive oil over medium-high setting. Sauté meat/poultry until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. Sauté onion, garlic, peppers and mushrooms until soft, about 5 minutes.
3. Stir in remaining ingredients, except cilantro and parsley. Cover and simmer 20 minutes. Stir in cilantro and parsley.
4. Cover; simmer 10 minutes longer. Store soup in refrigerator up to 5 days. Freezes well. Make 12-14 cups. 1 serving = 3 cups.

One Day Fat Flush Miracle Juice

Ann Louise Gittlman's “Miracle Juice.” Every ingredient has been specially chosen to stave off hunger, balance your blood sugar, rev up your metabolism, and keep you feeling fit, energized, and trim.Ingredients:

2 quarts Cranberry Water (8 ounces unsweetened cranberry juice to 56 ounces purified water)
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¾ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Stevia Plus to taste (2 packets seems ideal)

Directions:
• Bring Cranberry Water to a boil; reduce heat to low.
• Place cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg into a tea ball; add to the Cranberry Water.
• Simmer 15 to 20 minutes; cool to room temperature.
• Stir in the orange and lemon juices. Add Stevia Plus at this time, if desired.

2. Upon rising and before bed, take 1 serving of a colon-caring supplement chosen from the following:
• Cold Milled Flax seeds or Chia Seeds (2 to 3 tablespoons mixed in 10 to 12 ounces of water or 8 ounces Miracle Juice)
• Super-GI Cleanse (3 capsules, taken with 10 to 12 ounces of water or 8 ounces Miracle Juice)

3. Alternate drinking one cup (8 ounces) of filtered water and one cup (8 ounce) of Miracle Juice during the day. Drink at least 72 ounces of filtered water throughout the day, in addition to the Miracle Juice. Make sure you drink at least a cup of liquid—either the Miracle Juice or water—every hour from waking to sleeping.

4. Engage in only light exercise—either a 20 minute walk or 10 minutes on a rebounder (mini-trampoline).

What to Avoid While Fasting
As far as vitamins are concerned, this is one day when you should NOT take dietary supplements. You want to give your digestive track a complete rest when it comes to digestion—whether that be foods or vitamins and minerals. There will be plenty of time to re-integrate your dietary supplement regimen the day after when you begin to eat real foods—like easily digestible and steamed veggies, stews, and soups to further assist the cleansing process with water-based dishes. Light proteins such as poultry and deep sea fish would be ideal, too.

I predict that fasting may become one of your favorite seasonal detox rituals just as it is mine.  Let’s fast one day at a time -just for the health of it!

*Although fasting is an excellent therapy for better health for most people, there are some who should not fast. You should not fast if you have cardiac arrhythmia, type I diabetes, congestive heart failure, ulcers, liver disease, or kidney disease or if you are struggling with anxiety, depression, or bipolar disorder. You should not fast before or after surgery as it might compromise your ability to heal.Email

Christmas Morning Punch

JensFavorite cookies

Christmas Morning Punch

Ingredients:
2 cups orange juice
2 cups cranberry juice
1 cup pineapple juice
1 cup ginger ale (HW_ homemade version on this blog under drinks label) 
Directions:
Combine ingredients in a pitcher. Serve cold

Homemade Ginger Ale

You begin by making a ginger syrup, which can be stored in the refrigerator for a few weeks. Just add the syrup to chilled sparkling water or club soda when you’re thirsting for fresh ginger ale. It’s easy peasy, lemon squeezy!

• 1½ organic lemons
• 1 cup finely chopped fresh ginger (I peel mine before chopping)
• 1¼ cups organic cane sugar (find it here)
• 2½ cups filtered water (find the best purification systems here)
• natural, unflavored seltzer water or club soda (make your own with one of these gadgets)

Make ginger syrup

Juice lemons, reserving one thick slice from the middle. Add lemon juice, lemon slice, chopped ginger, sugar, and water to a pot. Stir to combine. Bring mixture to a boil, then decrease heat to a simmer. Simmer gently for 15 minutes. Using a strainer or cheesecloth to catch solids, pour liquid mixture into a large glass measuring cup. (Compost solids or save ginger for other uses.) Make note of the amount of liquid you have. Return liquid to pot and continue simmering for 20-25 minutes, or until liquid has been reduced by half. Allow syrup to cool and transfer to a glass jar with a lid. Refrigerate until ready to mix drinks.

DIY Hand Sanitizer

http://www.keeperofthehome.org

20 drops of tea tree oil, 10 drops of lavender, and 5 drops each of lemon and sweet orange oil

Witch hazel

Aloe Vera 

METHOD

Start by pouring your essential oils into your glass bottle.

A note about bottles: You want to use glass bottles when using essential oils. The essential oils will eat away at a plastic bottle rendering this formula useless. Glass bottles are easy to find at a local health food store or online.

When mixing essential oils for a spray, the rule of thumb is to add 10-15 drops of essential oil per ounce of liquid.

I added 20 drops of tea tree oil, 10 drops of lavender, and 5 drops each of lemon and sweet orange oil.

Gently swirl the oils together in your glass spray bottle. Then, fill the remainder of your bottle with witch hazel and aloe vera.

I used a witch hazel and aloe vera formula I got from our local health store. If you’re using them separately, then just fill your bottle 2/3 with witch hazel and the remaining 1/3 with aloe vera.

Put the lid on your bottle and give the mixture a good shake.

If you have Vitamin E oil, then add a few drops to your mixture as well. This is not necessary, but it will extend the shelf life of your hand sanitizer as well as add additional healing properties to your spray.

Label your spray bottle and use your DIY hand sanitizer when you’re out and about during the cold and flu season.

Flea Prevention Dog Treats

WHAT ABOUT CATS??

http://www.healthstartsinthekitchen.com: I also give my cats some of this combination in a small bowl near their food and they lick it when they feel like it – I don’t give them a specific does at all because, well…. cats are fickle creatures. And I feel very strongly that animals instinctively know what they need! Sometimes our cats lick it up quickly, other times it will sit around for a couple weeks – regardless it’s astonishing that our indoor/outdoor cats are also FLEA FREE without using any other flea preventions or treatments!

Not to be confused with any other type of yeast, Brewers Yeast, is an inactive yeast that is a popular dietary supplement. Brewers Yeast has several uses for dogs. It is a source of B vitamins such as biotin, trace minerals such as zinc, proteins and amino acids. The amino acids and vitamins can help make a dog’s skin healthier and its coat shinier. Brewers Yeast is often recommended by holistic vets to help strengthen dogs’ immune systems.

She recommends 

BENEFITS OF COCONUT OIL FOR DOGS

The coconut, also known as the “tree of life”, has been found to have many benefits not only for humans, but for our best friends as well. Many diseases and ailments, like yeast infections, smelly coats, hot spots, cuts that have been infected, and even cracked paws, can all be cured with just a jar of coconut oil. When all forms of diet remedies have failed, then it is time to try out this miracle natural medicine for your dog. Lauric acid, a medium chain fatty acid, can help prevent bacterial and viral infections. This is most commonly found in a mother’s milk and builds the immune system. Fortunately, dogs can benefit from the same kind of protection and health advantages it gives throughout their lives. (any high quality coconut oil is fine to give your pets – However we do exclusively give Tropical Tradition’s Pet Coconut oil because I trust their quality.)

Sh also says says it has anti-cancer properties.

The recommended dose is roughly 1 teaspoon of coconut oil daily per 10 pounds of body weight.

Ingredients

• 1 & 1/8*cups organic coconut oil for petsmelted
• 1/2cup Brewers Yeastslightly rounded
• 2small paw print silicone pans 
• It features fifteen paw- shaped cavities and each cavity measures 1-1/2x1/2 inch
• This package contains one 9x5-1/2 inch silicone paw pan

Instructions

1. Combine melted coconut oil and brewers yeast together in your blender. Blend for roughly 10 seconds until smooth.
2. Transfer blended mixture into a plastic condiment bottle (trim tip to 1/4 inch opening) and use to fill 2 - small paw print silicone pans.
3. Chill in the refrigerator or freezer until set & solid.
4. Remove from the pan and store in refrigerator or freezer for up to 6 months

Recipe Notes

*1/8 cup = 2 tablespoons

Give up to 1 small paw print Flea Prevention Dog Treat per 10 pounds of body weight daily.
For dogs under 10 pounds, give 1 treat every other day.

Flourless Double Chocolate Sunbutter Cookies

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large Egg
• ½ cup Dark Brown Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• ¼ cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• 1 cup Sunflower Seed Butter
• ¾ cup Chocolate Chips (Dairy-free, if needed)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare 2 large baking sheets by lining with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk Egg. Add Brown Sugar and Vanilla Extract and whisk well until combined. Add Cocoa Powder, Baking Powder, and Salt, and whisk to combine. Next, add Sunflower Seed Butter and with a strong spoon, stir very well until completely combined. Dough will be thick, stiff, and almost crumbly in texture. Stir in chocolate chips, and do your best to evenly distribute them through the dough.
3. Using your hands, roll dough into golfball-sized balls. The dough is pretty crumbly, but the warmth from your hands will help the dough stick together.
4. The cookies do not spread much during baking, so if you’d like, carefully press down on the dough balls to slightly flatten.
5. Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes, until edges of cookies are set. Cookies may look slightly underbaked, and this is what you want! Allow cookies to cool on the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. Store cookies in an tightly sealed container at room temperature for up to 1 week or in a ziplock freezer bag, in the freezer, for up to 3 months.