January 11, 2013

Juice Cleanses

Tomorrow, the hubs and I will be starting a three day juice cleanse. This is something we have been planning to do for quite some time as a new year's kick off, and a third the way through January is the soonest we could.

If you have researched juicing, smoothies, and cleanses in general, you know there is a big debate about the usefulness of any. There are also quite a few arguments out there about which is worst, better, and best. I am not a dietician and do not claim one is better than the other or that any can give significant improvements in health. All I can say is I enjoy the taste of juice and getting lots of extra healthy veggies in my diet!

Juice cleanses have become popular over the past year, especially with the resurfacing of some documentaries, including Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead- by far, the most popular of any juicing movie out there. In this movie, Joe (juicer extraordinaire) encourages people with massive health issues and overwhelmingly terrible diets to only drink certain juicing recipes for up to six weeks. The results for some of these people is incredible.

We are not doing anything as dedicated as the six week cleanse, but have decided to complete a three day instead. The three day cleanse that we are using can be found here. I am so uber excited to get started on this and share the process and results with you. Next week we will go over some of my favorite recipes from the cleanse, the process, and the good and the bad of it. If you would like to join us for a three day juicing party, go ahead, I would love to hear how it goes for you! We will be starting tomorrow morning and strictly following the recipe guide until Tuesday.

January 10, 2013

The Benefits of Coconut Butter

by Jenni in Food

When I first read the nutritional information for coconut butter, I thought the world had gone crazy. How could something mostly comprised of saturated fats be healthy? Really??! This question plagued me for quite some time, until I decided to go on a research quest to learn why something so fatty could be so healthy; giving promises of increased health, glowing skin, and stronger hair. Turns out, all those people were on to something. Little did I know, coconut butter is a medium chain fatty acid. This means that our bodies can break the fat down for energy much easier than the long chain fatty acids which include mono and poly unsaturated fats- nuts, eggs, beef, fish, etc. These medium chain fatty acids are water soluble and do not need to go through the same digestive process as the long chain fatty acids. This means that the fat is more likely to be burned for energy than stored. In fact, people find they have increased energy after eating coconut butter.

For this same reason, medium chain fatty acids, specifically coconut oil, has become very popular among athletes. This fat acts more like a carbohydrate in solubility, but does not initiate insulin production. So, you get the same energy boost as eating carbohydrates, but without the fat storing insulin production. Coconut oil even takes it a step further by aiding in weight loss. Thermogenesis is a method for breaking down medium chain fatty acids, our bodies use heat to break down the fats, thus increasing our metabolic rate.

Even better, coconut butter can increase our immune defenses because of it's high lauric acid content. Lauric acid is the thing in breast milk that helps babies gain a nice, healthy immune system when they are at that oh so susceptible age. Lauric acid also aids in destroying viruses and bacteria. Coconut oil is one of the few places that lauric acid can be found, other than breast milk.

Coconut oil is also high in antioxidants that do wonders for our health and our skin. Using coconut oil as a lotion helps with wrinkles, dry or rough skin, and is a natural SPF. The antioxidants are also great for fending off free radicals found in almost any part of the world, especially highly populated, urban areas. Coconut oil can also help repair damaged hair and give it that luster quality we are all after. Heat it and use it as a leave-in conditioner to give dry, brittle winter hair a new, healthy sheen.

Use coconut butter in cooking as a butter replacement to get the full effect. It can even be eaten solo if you need something yummy and healthy to curb a sweets craving. Just make sure to keep it down to 10% or less of your daily caloric intake. Fats should only take up to 30% of your overall diet and medium chain fats should only be a portion of that.

January 3, 2013

Disney's Newest Dining Experince- Be Our Guest

by Jenni in Food

For those that do not know, Disney World here in Florida, has opened a completely new part of fantasy land. The "New Fantasy Land" has three main areas, Ariel's castle, Snow White's home and mineshaft (opening in 2014), and Bell's French town with castle. It is an absolutely beautiful area that we have been counting down to the opening of. We were able to get a look at it back in November during our Disney trip, but the most exciting part had to wait until our last trip on December 31st. Yep, we went to Disney for New Years.

We were able to get reservations for Disney's newest fine(er) dining establishment back in October when the reservations opened, and I have been dying for December 31st to come.

Magic Kingdom on New Years has been a goal of mine for quite a long time. I have been crazy excited to go this year, and even more excited to try out a dining spot that has been labeled as having some of the best food in Disney. After being at Disney to welcome in the New Year, I would highly suggest everyone do the same at least once in their lives. It was incredible. Everything from the fireworks to the castle to the cast members was memorable. The crowds were massive, but nothing compared to New York... And most of them were quite a bit happier too. Plus, the park is open well after 12 and most people clear out around this time. We stayed after midnight and were able to walk onto Haunted Mansion, walk around the park with ease, get free cookies and hot cocoa, and join the late night dance party- all before 1:30. Epic.

The atmosphere at Be Our Guest is incredible. To get in, you first walk over the bridge guarded by giant gargoyles, Enter through large wooden double doors, and are welcomed in a grand (but dark) foyer. It really does seem exactly like the Beast's castle from the movie. There are three dining areas throughout, the Grand Ballroom, the West Wing, and the Rose room.

The Grand Ballroom lives up to it's name. It is massive and an exact replicate to the movie. There are three large, golden chandeliers, a wall with floor to ceiling windows, and a view of snow covered mountains with snow falling outside (we were there in December). It was beautiful.

The West Wing is exactly what you think it would be, all the way to the torn tapestries and the rose. It is the smallest room of the three and has a completely different ambiance than the other two, more romantic rooms. This room is dark with wood beams, the Beast's slashed picture on the wall, and chandeliers of pillar candles. The best part of this room is in the back corner where you can see the Beast's rose suspended under glass.

The third room we went into was medium in size and had pictures from the movie that look hand painted throughout. It was wonderful to see all the screenshots and be reminded of forgotten favorite parts while dining. But, the best part of this room was the life-size statues of Bell and the Beast dancing in the center of the room. The Rose room matches the grandness of the Grand Ballroom and the mystery of the West Wing with it's elegance and romance.

By the time we were in the restaurant and ready to order, we had already researched the menu and knew what was best. For our entrees we ordered the Sautee Shrimp and Scallops and the Thyme Scented Pork Rack Chop. Both were incredible.

The shrimp and scallop was served in a puff pastry with a lobster cream sauce. It was perfectly cooked and both the shrimp and scallops were larger than what I was expecting.

Although I did not eat the pork, the husband loved it and gave me some of the au gratin pasta to try. It was delicious! I would highly recommend both dishes and get either again.

The dinner was great, but the highlight of the meal was the dessert. A friend and Disney employee had tipped us off about a must have dessert. The Grey Stuff. Yes, from the movie. It is not on the menu and is only given for special events upon request. Our waitress was nice enough to give us one since we asked. I never knew grey stuff could taste so good. Creamy, chocolaty, and delicious... Don't believe me, ask the dishes ;)

Be Our Guest was a fantastic meal, and far less expensive than I was expecting. Whether you are a fan of the movie or not, the restaurant is not one to miss. I completely agree with all reviews that say it is the best food in Magic Kingdom. It is, hands down!

December 24, 2012

Christmas Brunch

by Jenni in Food

It has become a tradition in the Ross family to wake up Christmas morning (late), open gifts, watch a Christmas movie or two, and eat an amazing brunch. Every year I search for just the right meal, and, although it is not all vegetarian, I thought you may enjoy knowing what it will be this year!

We are keeping it a little more simple this year with three main dishes- the first will be a salmon Benedict on bagel with smoked salmon, fresh dill, capers, poached egg, and a lighter hollandaise sauce. I am super excited about this, mainly because of the poached egg! In an episode of The F Word, Gordon Ramsey shows how to perfectly poach an egg. Ever since then I have been dying to try his method. Next up will be a light salad with mixed baby greens, sliced pear, blue cheese crumbles, sliced almonds, and a blue cheese vinaigrette. Then, to bring in the starchyness, we will be adding potato pancakes or rosemary red potatoes. I have not decided yet. The potatoes are a recipe I came up with a few months ago that is very easy with rosemary, salt, pepper, olive oil, and quartered red potatoes. Put them in a saute pan and cook over medium heat. So simple. The salad is something I came up with in the produce section of Publix yesterday, and the Salmon Benedict is a derivation of a recipe I found on Martha Stewart's site.

The Christmas breakfast sounds uber yummy (to me) but is ridiculously easy. Toast a bagel, put salmon and poached egg on bagel, poach egg, add pre-made hollandaise (cheater, I know), top with capers and dill, mix a salad, and cook some quartered potatoes in olive oil and a ton of dried rosemary, a bit of salt, and a dash of pepper. There are no real recipes here because everything is sooo 1-2-3. If this turns out, there may be an "how to poach an egg" article in p+k's future! For now though, have a Merry Christmas and a wonderful Christmas Eve!