organic butter (preferably spring, grass-fed like Organic Valley)

large handful of greens (spinach, kale, chard, bok choy etc. or a combination of these)

2 or 3 organic, free-range eggs

dried, minced garlic and/or hot pepper flakes or sauce (optional and to taste)

sea salt and pepper to taste

Add butter to a ceramic, non-stick saute pan and melt. If using tougher greens like kale add 1/4 cup of water and steam chopped kale to wilt. Then add other softer greens, such as spinach, chard etc. and wilt. Add dried minced garlic if using, and hot pepper flakes. Crack eggs over the greens. You may scramble them into the greens or leave them as they are to cook. If you like, cover the pan with a glass lid to help cook the eggs. I prefer to scramble the eggs into the greens. And there you have it, dinner in less than 20 minutes, start to finish! You can also add more veggies such as snipped mushrooms or onions if you have the time, but this dish is simple and delicious as it is, or with a smattering of hot pepper sauce or minced herbs.

 Enjoy!

The VItamix is your ticket to weight loss and healthy eating. It is the easiest way to get health-promoting greens into everyone’s diet, whether you are talking about meat-loving husbands or finicky children. I have yet to find a child who wouldn’t down a blueberry-spinach smoothie and then sport the purple moustache proudly. It’s easy to use, easy to clean. Isn’t it time for you to own this machine?

I tell you, these machines are not cheap. But this isn’t about some fly-by-night company with a product that will end up collecting dust in the closet. Far from that, the Vitamix will establish itself on your counter and be used for wonderful things indeed. Make your own healthful smoothies for energy and weight loss. Create frozen sorbets with real fruit, ice cream and frappes. Make dips and sauces, soups and nut butters. I could go on and on. I have countless recipes to share with you, as does the Vitamix site itself.

I write to encourage you to visit my site and learn about the VItamix today. Go to www.womensnutritionmatters.com/shop/ and read all about the many reasons you need a Vitamix for your healthy lifestyle and your family’s well being. And check this out: if you order through my website only you will get free shipping and a free 30 day trial. (Not that you need a trial, you won’t give this up, I promise!) Also, as an added bonus, take advantage of my Healthy Spring promotion: if you order a Vitamix through my website and contact me via email by June 20th, 2012, I will email you my collection of favorite smoothies and other Vitamix recipes absolutely FREE. Please take advantage of this offer and order your Vitamix today! And then email me at herbalgem@gmail.com to get your free recipes!

 As a health coach and nurse, I am acutely aware of the problem people face when trying to do the right thing regarding their diets. I, myself, have changed the way I eat several times. I have been vegan for almost a year, added local eggs and wild fish, even dabbled with gluten-free for a while. I added some free-range meats and a bit of raw dairy. Is there a right way to eat? Yes and no.

The key to eating what’s right for your body is to pay attention to how you feel when you eat it. Does the meal energize you or leave you full and sleepy? Are you eating to utter fullness, or eating to satisfy the hunger? Another key question to ask yourself is, are you eating under stress, because you think you’re eating the wrong things?

Here is when I say that we must change the way we think about food. No one food or one meal ever killed anyone. Realize this, and relax. Our needs change with the season, and they change with our age and position in life. Vegetarian diets may be beautiful and satisfying for a time, but then the body may crave animal products. Raw foods may draw you in during the hot months, only to be replaced by cravings for grains and meats in the fall. Listen to your body. Relax. Experiment. Make eating pleasurable and nourishing again, for your body and your soul. Part of our overeating stems from not being present with our food. We must eat and pay attention to our food. We must allow food to fill us emotionally and nutritionally. When we change the way we think about food, we will stop feeling threatened by it, and start feeling in partnership with it. Promise. We will recognize true hunger and not boredom, and eat accordingly. We will innately know to choose healthful foods.

We start by limiting or eliminating the foods we know to be detrimental to our wellbeing: the processed foods, the junk, the foods we are sensitive to. We replace them with healthy choices like vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans and fruits. We notice how we feel. Daily. We become more conscious about not only food, but of life. This is how other cultures treat food and eating. This is how our grandparents approached meals. This is how we take back our health through the love and nourishment of whole, real foods.

Today happens to be more like winter than spring, with the wind blowing clouds about, and the temps not hitting 60 degrees. A perfect day for soup! Rustling through my veggie drawers I come upon a storage cabbage aching to be eaten.

Ah the beauty of cabbage: it keeps from fall/winter harvest right through spring, always ready to give us some anti-cancer goodness! Today I rely on a recipe from WHOLESOME HARVEST by Carol Gelles for her quick and nourishing cabbage soup. It is a crowd pleaser and and easy to put together with things you probably already have in your pantry.

3 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil                                                

6 cups shredded cabbage  

1 1/2 c. chopped onions                                                      

 1/4 c. packed brown sugar

1 tsp. ground ginger

 4 c. water

  32 ounces chopped canned tomatoes with puree (I use even more)

1 tbs. fresh lemon or lime juice (I use lime)                                                                                     

  1 tsp. sea salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper

In a heavy sauce pan or stock pot, heat oil over med-high heat. Add cabbage and onion and cook, stirring, until veggies are softened. Stir in ginger and tomatoes, breaking up the tomatoes with a spoon. Add water, sugar, lime juice, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 20 mnutes. Enjoy with a chunk of crusty sprouted bread.

1 Tbs. each extra virgin olive oil, organic butter

2 cups chopped onions, and 2 leeks or 4 scallions, chopped

6 cups water

4 medium organic potatoes, chopped into 3/4 ” dice

3-4 Tbs minced fresh parsley

3 organic carrots and 3 stalks organic celery, chopped

2 Bay leaves

1 tsp. sea salt, plenty of freshly ground pepper

4-6 cups chopped organic kale

Heat the butter and oil in a heavy enameled soup pot over medium heat. Saute the onions and leeks until soft and golden, 10-15 minutes. Add water, potatoes, parsley, carrots, celery, bay, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Rduce heat to low and simmer about 45 minutes until all are tender. While soup is cooking, strip the kale off its stems and chop into bite-sized pieces. When veggies are tender, remove bay leaves, remove from heat and blend in batches in the Vitamix, or with an immersion blender until think and fairly smooth. Return to stove, and stir in kale. Simmer on low, until kale is tender, about 5  minutes. Serve with additional salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. A meal in a bowl!

Organic carrots, sliced into 1/4″ coins ( about 2 carrots per person)

1 Tbsp or more of organic butter

1 Tbsp or more of local organic honey

Place the carrots in a safe non-stick skillet, such as Aeternum’s ceramic cookware. Add water and cover, steaming them for about 5 minutes to soften. Remove lid, and allow most of the water to boil off, which happens quite fast. Add the butter and honey, and using a wooden spoon, keep stirring and coating the carrot coins for several more minutes until all is melted and coated nicely. Remove from heat and eat! * Try to keep the carrots a bit crisp-tender, not mushy. The idea is to cook only long enough to tenderize them and to allow their flavor to come through. Enjoy!

2-3 pounds sweet potatoes, cut into chunks

1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil

herbs of your choice: 1 tsp. cumin, paprika, or red pepper, or a combo of minced garlic and chopped fresh rosemary

1 1/2 tsps. ground black pepper

2 Tbs. real maple syrup (optional)

Preheat oven to 400, and line a baking sheet with foil to make clean up easier. In a large bowl, toss the potatoes with the oil and seasonings of your choice, and the black pepper. (If coconut oil is not liquified, warm it by putting it in a small dish inside a larger dish of hot water.) Arrange chunks on baking sheet, in a single layer. Don’t crowd them! Bake about 20 minutes. Remove from oven, and drizzle on the maple syrup if using. Use a spatula to toss the chunks around before returning them to the oven for another 20 minutes.

You can also cut the potatoes into wedges length-wise, and roast them with the garlic and pepper, serving with a homemade catsup. This is divine…

1 free-range, organic egg

2 cups cooked brown rice (Lundberg’s is my favorite)

5 or 6 sliced green onions or chives

2 Tbs. whole grain flour (wheat, bean, rice etc.)

1 tsp. dark sesame oil

extra virgin olive oil for sauteing

In a bowl, whisk egg, then add rice, flour, onions, and sesame oil. Mix well. Preheat a saute pan, preferably a ceramic one, over medium high heat, to which you have added a drizzling of olive oil. Drop spoonfuls of egg/rice mixture into pan, forming neat 3″ cakes. Think pancakes here. Saute until lightly browned on both sides. Serve with tamari sauce or Bragg’s liquid aminos. Yum!

Here is a quick and easy recipe, one that will have you eating the sprouts with your fingers!

2 containers of Brussels sprouts

Extra virgin olive oil

sea salt, pepper and any seasoning blend you like

Preheat oven to 350. Line a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet with foil (not needed, but makes clean up a snap!) Cut the ends of the sprouts, removing any old leaves. Cut them in half length-wise and put in a bowl. Drizzle a couple tablespoons of oil over the sprouts, and with a wooden spoon or your hands, toss them around so that they are lightly covered in oil. Add seasonings and toss. Put the sprouts on the baking sheet, in a single layer. Don’t crowd them! Roast them for maybe 5-7 minutes, but watch them! Take them out and toss them around, and return to the oven for a few more minutes. Don’t worry if they get a bit dark-looking: just don’t let them burn. They cook fast this way so keep watching!!

Remove carefully from oven, let cool a few seconds, and eat! They are almost finger food they are so delish!

1 medium onion, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

2 large garlic cloves, chopped

2-3 Tb chopped parsley

1 Tb each, olive oil, organic butter

8 cups chopped broccoli, including stems

4 cups organic chicken or veggie broth

2 cups water

Veggie seasoning to taste (Mrs. Dash or Veggie Zest)

Sea salt and red pepper flakes to taste

In a dutch oven, melt the butter in the oil. Saute the onions and celery until soft. Add the garlic and parsley and stir, just until warmed and coated, about 10 seconds. Add broccoli, broth and water. Add veggie seasoning. Bring to a lively boil and cook for 8-10 minutes, until broccoli is quite tender. Remove from heat, and carefully use your immersion blender to cream the soup to a  smooth consistency. You can also use your Vitamix. Add sea salt and red pepper flakes to taste, and enjoy! If soup is on the thin side, simmer very slowly without the lid to reduce to desired consistency. Enjoy!