Month: July 2016

Midweek Mashup

On By Cultivate WellnessIn Cooking, diet, disease, health, Health and wellness, Nutrition, Recipes, wellness3 Comments

MIDWEEK MASHUP

Welcome to Wednesday! You’ve made it this far, you should be proud! There’s a lot of health and wellness information coming out this week, and I’m excited to share some of it with you.

Have you ever wondered what might happen if you gave up sugar for an entire year?  Like, really gave it up.  No white sugar, no fruit juice concentrate, no maple syrup, no honey? If I’m being honest, the thought of giving up sweet stuff altogether makes me shudder. I grew up in a house in which my sugar consumption was very strictly monitored. My sister and I would ride our bikes to the corner store to buy candy bars behind our mom’s back. For years afterwards, I was a total candy and soda addict and couldn’t control myself around sugar. I finally figured out how to regulate. Now I raise my daughter differently, to have access to sweets in moderation and to teach her how to self moderate. It’s not easy though, and we sometimes get off track. A reboot sounds like a good idea from time to time. Not a year, but maybe like a week? Read this to find out how one family did it, and how they felt at the end of the year. Thanks to my friend Annie for forwarding this along to me!

I have been subscribing to HelloFresh for a few weeks now, and overall I’m pretty pleased. I love their vegetable boxes because they are more affordable and we are also trying to eat more vegetarian meals. I cringe at the waste of packing materials but we are recycling them so I feel better about that. I love that we get to try new recipes that helps me get out of my meal ruts, especially when time is short and I have less time to give it thought. Tonight I made black bean quesadillas with caramelized onions and they were so good even my 11 year old gobbled them up. Click on the link for the recipe so you can make them at home! Use whole wheat or gluten free tortillas if that’s what appeals to you.

And finally, if you’ve been thinking “Gee, I really wish there was a funny food blog I could read today” look no further than ProntoPup. His most recent post on his attempt to go vegan, only to realize that he’s really a “vaguean” (not that there’s anything wrong with that) is hilarious, honest, and will make you wish you could have dinner with him. Spoiler alert, I get to have dinner with him, and it will probably consist of tofu steak!

Have a great rest of your week, you guys.  Don’t forget to check back on Friday for a new cocktail recipe!

 

Friday Cocktails! The Hot-As-Heck Margarita

On By Cultivate WellnessIn cocktails, Cooking, Recipes, summer7 Comments

Friday Cocktails

If you live in the U.S. chances are you’ve endured one of the hottest weeks in a very long time.  Here in the north, we’ve had 115 degree heat indexes with dew points that make it nearly unbearable. I grew up in Phoenix, when 115 degrees was par for the course. But when you add oppressive humidity it becomes an entirely different ball of (melted) wax.

On days like today I feel like we all deserve a fun drink recipe to help usher in the weekend.  Today I’m featuring Hot-As-Heck Margarita recipe to accompany our equally hot weather. It is said that spicy foods actually cool you down internally by stimulating the heat receptors in your mouth, which enhance circulation and in turn causes you to sweat. So, you know, drink up.

*Disclaimer: you actually need to drink a lot of non-alcoholic and non-caffeinated drinks to stay hydrated when it’s hot.  Be smart!

Margarita

HOT-AS-HECK MARGARITA

Ingredients

Method:

  1. Pour enough salt onto a small, shallow plate to cover the surface. Use a wedge of lime to wet the rim of two margarita glasses.
  2. Fill glasses with ice.
  3. Pour the tequila, triple sec, lime juice, agave nectar or maple syrup, and jalapeno into a cocktail shaker over ice. Cover, and shake vigorously until the outside of the shaker has frosted. Strain into the prepared glasses, and garnish with lime wedges to serve.

Happy Weekend!

You might also like:

Friday Cocktails: The French Pear

Friday Cocktails: The Great Gatsby

Weekend Cocktails! Brandy Old Fashioned

 

Midweek Mashup

On By Cultivate WellnessIn Cooking, exercise, family, health, Health and wellness, Kids, Recipes, summer4 Comments

MIDWEEK MASHUP

AHHH, Summer.  Those endless, lazy days when you have all the time in the world to cook and bake and harvest the vegetables you’ve lovingly grown in your backyard….

Vegetable_Cart_in_Guntur

HAHAHAHAHA.  Why do I always think this is what summer will be?  When it’s January and 20 below and I need something to help get me through those frigid dark days of winter, this is the image that sustains me. But, let’s be honest. It’s TOTAL BULLCRAP!

Summer is busy and frenetic and essentially consists of me shuttling my 11 year old to and fro. In Minnesota the weather is warm for only a short time, so we also cram as much outdoor activity as we can. Which means the house is messy and the chores don’t get done and there’s constantly flip flops and sunscreen scattered everywhere. And now for some inexplicable reason we have a problem with flies. Also, my tomatoes aren’t growing well and the dill never even came up and I can’t even get my geraniums to stay alive. But, you know, SUMMER. So anyway…families still need to eat.

That’s why I like these strategies for putting dinner on the table in a shorter amount of time.  Because everyone’s busy!

You now what else falls off during the summer?  My workouts. Sure, I golf a ton (I always walk and carry my bag, so there’s that). I’ve been getting to barre about once a week as well. But there’s no routine and it can’t be counted on. I’ve done this 7 Minute Workout by the New York Times in the past and love it. It’s challenging and works my whole body. It’s perfect for anywhere, including when you travel. Knock it out once a day and you’ll feel stronger in no time.

And finally, here is my all time favorite summer recipe for Caprese Pasta. I make it once a week and it’s so easy. When tomatoes and basil are in season, it is so fresh and delicious. Everyone likes it and it’s easy to throw together at the last minute.

Enjoy the rest of your week! As always, please leave a comment and share this post if you like what you read!

 

Friday Cocktails: The French Pear

On By Cultivate WellnessIn cocktails, family, holiday, Recipes, summer8 Comments

Friday Cocktails

 

It’s nearly the weekend!  Woohoo!  And if you live in the United States, it also most likely means a nice long holiday weekend for you.  You’ll need some cocktail recipes up your sleeve for the long weekend, don’t you think?  Sure, cold beer is nice, but nothing is better than an well crafted cocktail, in my opinion.

Last night we went out for drinks to celebrate birthdays with our neighbors.  We call each other “Framily” because we are family in many ways.  We have kids around the same age, we help each other out, and we love to spend time together.  Three of us have birthdays around this time, so typically we celebrate together.  I like to say I am halfway to 84.  Makes me laugh every time. I’m so funny melancholy.

Last night we walked to one of our favorite restaurants that features great cocktails.  My friend Catherine and I both ordered a French Pear. This one had a bit of a twist in that it also featured ginger. Catherine thought the drink tasted like “a Jolly Rancher in a glass”.  I love a sweet martini and had the urge to gulp it down, but now that I’m halfway to 84 I decided to behave like a grown up and sipped it instead.

I do agree with Catherine that it could have been a bit less sweet, and in doing that it would probably taste a bit brighter.  The ginger could have been more prominent, too.  A bit of a spicy bite from  more ginger would have offset the sweetness.

Overall I give it a 7/10.  We followed the French Pear with a good, solid dirty gin martini.

If you want to try the French Pear yourself, here’s how.

FRENCH PEAR MARTINI

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 ounces pear flavored vodka
  • 1/2 ounce ginger liqueur
  • 1 ounce simple syrup
  • 1 ounce lemon juice
  • Lemon twist, for garnish

METHOD:

  1. Place all ingredients except the twist into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously to mix.
  2. Strain into martini glass and add a lemon twist garnish.

 

Have a great weekend!  Keep it safe!

You might also like:

Friday Cocktails: The Great Gatsby

Cocktails! Prickly Pear Margaritas

Weekend Cocktails!

Midweek Mashup