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Thursday, August 29, 2013

Cilantro Lime Chicken


Hey Guys! I've had lots of requests via: Facebook//email//Instagram to share some of my recipes! Here is one of my faves that I cooked up the other night. I actually learned of this recipe from a friend that was in one of the freezer swaps that I did. However, her recipe called for parmesan cheese and some other things that I didn't want to include. So I revamped the recipe and created my own parings.

I typically prepare my meals with extra. Why? I love to freeze portions so that I can have another meal later. It's alot easier to buy extra chicken than it is to go out and buy all of your ingredients to prepare the same meal in a month. I'm kind of a freezer fanatic. I love the idea of having healthy//easy meals on hand for a night I don't feel like cooking. 

So heres what you'll need:


Marinade
-2lbs Organic Chicken Cutlets (1lb for freezing)
-4tbsp Cilantro 
-2 Fresh Limes (I also use the zest)
-2tbsp Olive Oil
-1/2 tbsp Red Pepper Flakes
-1/2 tbsp Red Chili Powder
-2 tsp Ground Cumin
-1 tsp Sea Salt

Parings
-Spring Salad
-1c. Quinoa
-1 Avocado
-1 Heirloom Tomato
-1tbsp Greek Yogurt

I let this marinate for at least two hours and then sauté. While my chicken is cooking I prepare my quinoa.

I serve the chicken on top of a bed of spring mix and quinoa. Throw in some heirloom tomato, avocado and some greek yogurt and VOILA! It's delishhh!

I hope that you enjoy!

Xoxo

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Dear Bird,


Uhm. Yea...
Why are you so damn cool?

No really. I can't seem to figure out where it came from...

She is the kind of girl despises the labels like "princess" & "diva" and prefers terms like; trendy and chic.
She has been known to wait by the mailbox for her latest Allure Magazine.
She's the kind of girl that listens to Simon and Garfunkel,  prefers an outdoor flea market over any playground and loves a great unique eatery.
She has never been able to find signature pieces at stores like Children's Place or Gymboree and prefers labels like hello apparel & thiefandbandit.
She can attest to the power of the little black dress, yet appreciate the colorful patterns of Boho chic.
She prefers a Vietnamese spring roll over any brand of children's puffs and knows the power of a green smoothie. 
She has a penchant for good illustration...
And finally...she would NEVER leave home without wearing her mocs! 

She is ELLA BIRD Axness!

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

DIY Garlic Tincture


So flu season is just around the corner and anyone that knows me knows that I like preventive. Why? Well..I don't like the idea of antibiotics, etc. So for me, the best thing to do is keep healthy so I (or my family) never get to that point. Elixirs, tinctures and homeopathics is something that I have become very interested in! I can't wait to share with you one of my favorite preventative measures-garlic.

Why garlic? Garlic has a crap ton of antiviral//antibacterial properties. Some even call it "natures penicillin"! When made into a tincture it can be used orally (without the risk of stinky breath) and topically. For topical uses garlic has been known to treat athletes feet, fungal infections and tons of other things.

(as I'm typing this the garlic smell is radiating from my hands, ha!)

You will need the following:


-Garlic (like 2 bulbs...thankfully I have been getting tons in my veggie coop pick-up)
-Vodka
-A mason jar or sealable glass container
-A tincture (with dropper top)



The directions are pretty simple..

To extract the medicinal properties of the garlic place the chopped garlic in a glass jar. Put twice the amount of vodka as garlic into the jar. For example, if you used 1 cup of garlic put in 2 cups of vodka.

Screw the lid on the jar tightly and shake it. Allow the garlic tincture to rest in the jar for 2 weeks. Shake the tincture daily. It's helpful to label the jar, "garlic tincture" and add the date of preparation, so you know when the 2 weeks has passed.

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Currently



Loving: This Paleo Veggie Frittata! If you haven't checked out Paleoaholic then you should! They have awesome recipes and meal plans. I just found them :)

I mean look at this...doesn't it look delish? You should make it and tag me @everydaybaby on Instagram!

 

Watching: Breaking Bad! My husband and I love this show...I'm really loving this season already!

Thinking About: Having another baby. I have caught "baby fever" (shhh...don't tell). My husband and I have been discussing and it looks like we will be trying again in the Spring (maybe).

Anticipating: September! I'm really excited that fall is around the corner! Ella Bird is getting old enough that we can begin a few Fall Traditions! I've been pinning ideas left//right! Do you have traditions that your family look forward too? I'm looking to add a few! Don't hesitate to share!


Wishing: Oh man! I'm wishing for these boots, this sweater and for...uhmm...peace on earth (pageant answer)?!

Wearing: 

**But ONLY when the hubby is at work!...He's not a big fan...**
Making me happy: Life. Seriously...

Xoxo!

Saturday, August 24, 2013

The Uh-Mazing Placenta!




 The placenta is a wonderful and complex organ that forms in a pregnant woman’s uterus to nourish her developing baby. It forms during the fourth week of pregnancy, after implantation, when the embryo’s cells divide in half- half will become the mother’s son or daughter, and half will become the placenta. The placenta provides the developing baby with nutrients via the umbilical cord, and allows for waste elimination and gas exchange via the mother’s bloodstream. The word placenta comes from the Latin word for cake and the Greek plakóenta/plakoúnta, meaning flat or slab-like, which describe the placenta’s shape.
                  Cultures with pre-Roman languages have other words for the placenta, translating to phrases like “little mother”, and “grandmother”. These definitions speak to their reverence for the placenta’s role as the developing baby’s lifeline during pregnancy. While it is typical in Western civilizations to incinerate the placenta after it is delivered, other cultures have ceremonies and rituals honoring it. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1ioVfHCNFo) In keeping with the halving of cells that occurs in the fourth week of pregnancy, the Ibo of Nigeria consider the placenta the deceased twin of the baby, and conduct full funeral rites for it. Native Hawaiians plant a tree over the placenta near the home of the baby, which will grow alongside the child throughout his life.
Burial and other rituals for the placenta are common, but placentophagy, or consumption of the placenta, is less so. Placentophagy is common in Eastern civilizations such as China, where it is dried and consumed for health reasons. Additionally, midwives and traditional healers have known of the helath and restorative properties of the placenta for thousands of years. After all, humans are one of the only mammals who do not eat their placentas after birth.
Though the nutritional value of placenta consumption is documented in animals, in humans it still remains “alternative”. More and more mothers are becoming vocal about the benefits of placenta consumption (Why Encapsulation? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVwN6x1nbg8), but the subject is not breeched in the popular “pregnancy Bible” What to Expect When You’re Expecting, nor is it likely to be covered in most pregnancy and childbirth education classes. The topic of eating placenta has been launched into the media sphere by celebrities like January Jones who, recognizing the health benefits of her placenta, decided to consume it to speed her recovery postpartum. “I was never depressed or sad or down after the baby was born, so I’d highly suggest it to any pregnant woman,” she told Glamour magazine in April 2013. The actress attributes her ability to return to set in only three weeks to the consumption of her placenta.
                  The consumption of the placenta can “alleviate postpartum depression, aid in breastmilk production and lactation, act as a uterine tonic, and replenish nutrients lost during pregnancy," according to Atossa Araxia Abrahamian author of The Placenta Cookbook. The placenta is full of nutrients and hormones that provide amazing healing properties. The placenta contains high levels of prostaglandin which stimulates involution (an inward curvature or penetration, or, a shrinking or return to a former size) of the uterus, in effect cleaning the uterus out. The placenta also contains oxytocin which eases birth stress and causes the smooth muscles around the mammary cells to contract and eject milk.
 Consuming your placenta stabilizes your hormone levels, which can be effective in mother’s who are at risk for postpartum depression. It also provides natural pain relief from the birthing process, and provides interferon and gammaglobulin, which protect against infection by boosting the body’s immune system. In addition to the wonderful hormone benefits, the placenta also provides vitamins such as iron and B-vitamins that sustain energy and replenish the body postpartum. The combination of hormones and nutrients in your placenta is perfectly created for you, by you. After labor and birth, your body needs the hormones and nourishment that only your placenta can provide. (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=290152694351173&set=vb.323660920495&type=2&theater)
So how do you go about consuming your placenta? Perhaps the easiest and most appetizing way is by ingesting dehydrated encapsulated placenta. The pills resemble prenatal vitamins, and can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer indefinitely, to be used throughout the postpartum period and even beyond, as the benefits of consuming your placenta during times of hormonal change such as menopause have also been documented by mothers.
Placenta tinctures are another wonderful modality to extend the purported benefits of placenta remedies for a lifetime.  Tinctures can be used after capsules pills are gone to reduce stress and aid in coping with life’s transitions. Many mothers use their tincture to ease emotional upheavals, anxiety, and stress during PMS, weaning, returning to work, illness, and even perimenopause.  Mothers report that placenta tinctures restore emotional and physical balance.
                  The placenta can also be eaten raw, such as ground up in smoothies, or cooked in recipes as a meat replacement. A tincture can be made using high grain alcohol and a portion of your placenta. The tincture method can maintain a very long shelf life and even be used during your menopausal years   as a hormonal supplement (see photo above). Although do-it-yourself recipes and methods are available to mothers, the safest and most effective way to ingest your placenta is probably through a method discussed with a Certified Encapsulation Specialist, meaning she has been trained and certified and adheres to ethics and standards of care of the placenta. You can find a Certified Encapsulation Specialist here: http://placentabenefits.info/specialists.asp. If you live in the Gulf Coast region of Florida like I do, Danielle E. Lorrraine www.GulfCoastPlacentaLady.com, provides excellent services. Consulting a professional will ensure that the most nutrients possible are retained in your placenta regardless of which method of consumption you choose.
                  If you have the luxury of delivering your baby at home, then you will have full control over what happens to your placenta postpartum. If you are delivering in the hospital, however, measures should be taken to ensure that your health care provider and the staff who attend to you during your labor and delivery are aware of your intentions for your placenta. You and your birth team should be verbal and vigilant to make sure that all are aware that you intend to take your placenta with you. Unfortunately, because of the routine nature of placenta incineration, your placenta could be whisked away for testing by a well-meaning nurse or staff member and then taken with bio hazardous waste, or put in formaldehyde rendering it inedible. Make sure that your placenta stays with you in your delivery room at all times to avoid this.
                  Although there is still little scientific evidence backing placentophagy, mothers all over the world are singing the glorious praises of their placentas. The placenta is an incredible organ whose purpose need not be over when your baby has gained all she can from it. It can be used by you to combat mood swings and depression, and aid in all aspects of postpartum recovery.

If you are in the Sarasota, Florida area our store will be holding a class on the Amazing Placenta!

https://www.facebook.com/events/1407659869452349/


Other Placenta Resources: