We all hear about probiotics, the good bacteria in our guts, and we are starting to understand the health benefits of probiotics. However we are missing one crucial side of the equation in gut health: prebiotics.
What are prebiotics?
Prebiotics are “food” for probiotics. Indeed, they feed the good bacteria already in your gut, helping them grow.
Prebiotics are natural, non-digestible food ingredients that promote good bacteria in the gut. They are in the form of dietary fiber that change the gut microbiome in a beneficial way: by increasing the number of healthy bacteria in the gut.
Studies have shown that prebiotic fibers increase the number of Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli, two of the most beneficial bacteria for optimal gut health. By increasing the number of healthy bacteria in the digestive tract, these fibers can combat unwanted pathogens and provide a number of health benefits.
Unlike probiotics, prebiotics are heat resistant, and they are not digested by the body. Instead, they feed the beneficial bacteria. Therefore, getting the effects of prebiotics is easy, especially when consumed in a supplement form.
What foods contain prebiotics?
Many foods are high in prebiotics; and in general, raw foods have more prebiotic fiber than cooked foods.
The most common type of prebiotic is from the dietary fiber inulin; which is common in many plants.
Some examples of foods containing inulin are garlic, onions, leeks, asparagus, artichokes, and other dark leafy greens such as spinach and kale.
Bananas and whole grains are also high in prebiotics.
There are also many prebiotic supplements to choose from to get enough prebiotic fiber in your diet.
Can you combine prebiotics and probiotics?
Yes! Combining both in one product is called symbiotics, and they are the key to a healthy gut. Indeed prebiotics maximize the effect of probiotics by giving fuel to those beneficial bacteria.
One natural symbiotic is Kefir, a type of yogurt that has been fermented.
A symbiotic supplement delivers both a probiotic, the live bacteria, and the prebiotic, the food for that live bacteria. This kind of supplement promotes healthy intestinal flora.
What you should remember is this:
Probiotics are live, beneficial bacteria, and prebiotics are the “fuel” to help them grow inside the digestive tract.
Both are beneficial to digestive health, and supplements combining both are called symbiotics. You can get both of these from Beyond Tangy Tangerine 2.0 which contains an exclusive prebiotic and probiotic blend that supports digestive health.
One of my favorite photo album memories are the back-to-school pictures. Anticipation shows on their face and I love to record what they are most excited about – old friends, new friends, fresh school supplies and new things to learn. They all look so adorable.
However, our missionary son’s children are home-schooled in Brazil and some of the perks that go along with homeschooling are having your dogs sit right next to you while you work. Here is grandson Ari with Zulu and Snickers. Ah, he loves his life!
Here is a flashback from school days 1999 when our two oldest sons were members of the swim team. The challenge was to come to school with the most unique look. I think Jacob’s hair-do won the contest.
I hope you will enjoy this month as much as I do snapping pictures of the darling students in your life. Please take advantage of the excellent Our Memories for Life sales and you will find the perfect products to make back-to-school pages that you will cherish for years and years.
-Rhonda Anderson, Brand Ambassador for Our Memories for Life
I thought it would be fun to spotlight a Heritage Maker’s team member and share one of her blog posts that really spoke to me. Thanks Jennifer for letting me share this post!
– Candi May, Brand Ambassador for Heritage Makers
I have always been what I call a memory-keeper, but I wasn’t a digital scrapbooker until the perfect storm of 2009. Here’s what happened and why I’ll never go back.
A LITTLE BACKGROUND and WHAT CHANGED
I’ve always been a picture-taker and a picture-preserver. By that I mean that I took pictures and then put them in a book (not a box) and wrote a little memory next to it. I didn’t even really realize that “scrapbooking” had become a thing until long after it had. I was quite late to the scrapbooking party. When I learned about fancy papers and shaped scissors, I joined the bandwagon but was never one to spend hours and hours on one page. I would say my scrapbook pages were fairly cute, but they were also practical.
I’m one of those people who enjoys scrapbooking because it brings back good memories, both while I’m creating pages and when I look back at them later (especially with my kiddos or husband). I always prioritized keeping up on my scrapbooking because it’s more fun to preserve photos when memories are fresh than it is when it feels like a chore. In addition, I had a good friend who was also a scrapbooker. We had kids the same age, so we would get together for scrapbook days. The kids would play together and we would work. It was both fun and productive.
That worked for me for about 12 years. The perfect storm of 2009 was three-fold. First, I moved 2,700 miles away from my scrapbooking friend. Second, I spent a lot of time that year preparing to move, moving out, house hunting, house buying, moving in, unpacking, getting kids registered for school/doctors appointments/play dates/etc. (I took a lot of pictures but didn’t touch them for months, which was highly unusual for me.) Third, Heritage Makers, previously just offering high-quality hardbound books, came out with individual digital scrap pages. It was the perfect storm–a perfect time for a change.
By the way, I’ll talk about individual scrapbook pages here, but all of this holds true for hardbound books as well.
NEVER LOOKING BACK
Because I’d been a traditional (paper) scrapbooker for years, I had a system. I liked the loose-leaf system because I could add in my kids’ schoolwork or class pictures, etc. Although I’d been using Heritage Makers personal publishing for 4 years at that point for precious things like family cookbooks and vacation books to give as gifts to family members, I continued paper scrapbooking because it fit my system.
After the perfect storm I was so excited to have the ease of working digitally and still being able to use my loose-leaf binder system.
Digital scrapbooking with Heritage Makers has been saving my bacon ever since. It is very literally what is 100% responsible for me always being caught up on my scrapbooking. I have 3 kids, so I always made 4 copies of the same page. (Gosh, that sounds so onerous now, thinking back on making each paper page by hand, but I really did it.) With digital scrapbooking, I now just click “copy” and then make adjustments for each kid. That alone cuts my scrapbooking time–digital scrapbooking now takes me 1/4 of the time that paper scrapbooking used to take–not to mention the simplicity of just using the “copy” and “paste” functions instead of physically cutting out multiple borders and picture frames for multiple pages. That makes it tons faster, too!
HOW I KNOW HERITAGE MAKERS DOES DIGITAL SCRAPBOOKING BETTER
A year ago now, the print partner Heritage Makers had been using went out of business without any warning! The home office went searching for a new print partner, but since quality is a high priority for Heritage Makers, and because they have such a wide variety of products, it took longer to find a partner than expected. During that time, I became a little impatient. I had a couple of projects I really wanted to do, and I’m the type of person who can’t get something off my mind until I just do it already. So I did something I had NEVER done in 13+ years of being a Heritage Makers consultant. I looked elsewhere. (*gasp*) I just wanted to find something temporary, but I wanted it to be just as good.
I knew of several “digital photo book” companies that I did NOT want to use. I’ve heard enough stories from my Heritage Makers clients about poor quality and photo privacy issues with certain popular digital photo book companies they used to use that I knew where not to look. I wondered, though, if there was anything even similar to Heritage Makers out there. I just wanted to print a few things until Heritage Makers got up and running again. (It was only a matter of weeks, but I’ll say again: I was impatient.) So I went looking.
In all my looking, I could not find anything as good as Heritage Makers. Nothing.
Here’s what I was used to in Heritage Makers that I didn’t want to give up and couldn’t find anywhere else
1. Quality. I know I already mentioned that, but it’s a big deal. If I’m going to spend my precious time and my precious money on something, I want it to last. I don’t want something as important as my photos and my memories to fall apart a few years from now. I couldn’t find a lot of information on other websites about quality, but I knew there are a lot of bargain-bin type companies out there, so I was wary.
2. Flexibility. The templates I saw out there were not change-able. I would be stuck with whatever pre-designed items that company offered. I am so used to being able to create EXACTLY what I want to create in a book or scrap page that I just couldn’t handle the idea of not doing that. There’s a build-pages-from-scratch option with Heritage Makers, but even templates are completely edit-able!
3. Free photo storage. Some companies these days really tout their photo storage (how you’ll have digital photos stored forever), but that’s a paid service! I couldn’t get over that. I’m not going to pay someone to store my digital photos when Heritage Makers stores ALL the photos I publish in a book/scrap page/other project FOR FREE. There’s also no fee to download them from my Heritage Makers account back to my computer! (Not always the case with other companies.)
4. Heirloom Assurance. I couldn’t find another company that offers Heirloom Assurance like Heritage Makers does. In fairness, Heirloom Assurance is not posted on the Heritage Makers website, so maybe it’s not posted on other companies’ websites, either. But I can’t stand the thought of not having all my digital scrapbooks and scrap pages and other projects saved in my account forever with the option of getting a replacement at half price if those precious projects are ever damaged (fire, water, dog, toddler, etc.).
5. Digital art. I didn’t realize how accustomed I was to (okay, spoiled by) the Heritage Makers digital art collection. It is to die for. I couldn’t find anything out there that would hold a candle to it! New collections are being added every month. PLUS, IT’S FREE TO USE!!! There is no way now that I would consider using any company that made me buy digital art. (See? Spoiled.) Let me show you a few collections. (Videos are about 1 minute and represent just the new art added that month. There are over 200,000 pieces of digital art available in Heritage Makers creation program, Studio.)
I always thought Heritage Makers was the best, otherwise I wouldn’t have become a Heritage Makers consultant back in 2005. But after this experience of looking around for something I might actually want to use as a (temporary) substitute, I was convinced.Heritage Makers just does digital scrapbooking better.
Are you ready to start digital scrapbooking? Whether you’re upgrading from your current digital scrapbooking method or you’re looking to transition from paper to digital, Heritage Makers is your answer.
Have you wanted to create a photo gallery wall in your home but weren’t sure how to get started??
My long-time friend, Karen, had a large wall in her home that she wanted to update. There are all sorts of things that she could do; hang a piece of art, rearrange the furniture, or select some photos to print and frame.
A blank wall is one of the biggest challenges in decorating. We all know that feeling and coming up with a plan can be pretty overwhelming, right?
Recently, Karen and I were chatting about this space in her home. She shared that her family had some great memories of their time in Guam. That’s it!
Their trip to Guam would become the theme of her new Photo Gallery!
With some planning and a few simple steps, Karen was able to create a welcoming space that brought back lots of wonderful memories for her and her family.
Step 1 – Measure the TOTAL space where the Photo Gallery will be.
Step 2 – Check out the size options available in the Snap2Finish site, in the Wrapped Canvas category.
Step 3 – Select how many photos you want to use and which size canvas for each.
Step 4 – Using paper, measure & cut paper templates the size of the canvases you want to make. Space them out and tape them to your wall.
Once you’ve received the canvases you created and ordered, you can easily hammer a nail through the paper template to create a small hole where you will hang your canvas. The small 5 x 5 canvas can actually be hung with a thumb tack, putting an even smaller hole in your wall.
Look at this beautiful & welcoming space Karen created in her home!!
You can too!! Snap2Finish can help you bring those photos off your digital cameras, smart phones and computers and back into your life. Every day you’ll get to enjoy these memories! I want to give a BIG THANKS to my dear friend Karen for choosing us to print her memories!
Tip: Check out Karen’s idea to add a text box to the SIDE of each canvas identifying the beach, waterfall, etc. from their time in Guam.
Your body requires a variety of trace minerals to support specific functions and systems. Many of us know we need calcium for strong bones, and sodium for fluid balance, but what about other essential minerals? One specific mineral which is vital to your health, and should not be absent from your diet is selenium. Although it’s only required in small amounts, selenium delivers powerful benefits that are backed by science to support your overall health.
Serves as a Dynamic Antioxidant
The main function of selenium is to help combat free radical damage and inhibit oxidation of lipids. Free radicals are unstable molecules that can cause damage to healthy cells in your body. When there are too many free radicals present in your body, this causes oxidative stress, which has been linked to numerous diseases. The powerful antioxidant properties of selenium help to minimize the damage caused by free radicals and oxidative stress.
May Reduce Risk of Certain Cancers
There is still much that is being learned about cancer and its risk factors. However, one thing we do know, is that selenium may help prevent certain types of cancers. Research has found that low levels of selenium have been linked to certain cancers of the colon and rectum, prostate, lung, bladder, skin, esophagus, and stomach. Additionally, some studies have found that high levels of selenium from food products may help protect against certain cancers.
May Help Prevent Heart Disease
Heart disease is a reference to a variety or diseases pertaining to the heart. This includes coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, cardiac arrest, stroke, and many others. It’s currently the leading cause of death worldwide and includes many risk factors. From age to poor diet to stress, heart disease can be caused by many things which can make prevention complex.
Yet, research has found that low levels of selenium has also been linked to an increased risk of coronary artery disease. Likewise, another study found that taking selenium supplements helped decrease inflammation markers in individuals with coronary heart disease and increase levels of glutathione peroxidase; another powerful antioxidant. This makes selenium an important factor is helping to prevent heart disease.
Supports a Healthy Immune System
Perhaps the greatest overall benefit that selenium delivers to the body is the role it plays in your immune system. Your immune system is your defense system against harmful microorganisms. Selenium’s high antioxidant capacity helps to boost your immune system’s defense mechanisms especially when combined with vitamin E. They work synergistically to produce antibodies and to help maintain a healthy heart and liver. Selenium is an essential nutrient for a healthy immune system.
How much do you need?
The human body needs trace amounts of selenium to deliver benefits. The recommended intake for children 1 – 13 yrs is 20 – 40 mcg and adults 14 yrs and older is 55 mcg daily; and must be obtained through diet or supplements. Ultimate Selenium is an all-in-one solution, providing selenium and other trace minerals, vitamins, and nutrients known to support overall health, like vitamin E. Adding an antioxidant-rich supplement like Ultimate Selenium to your diet may deliver additional benefits to help you live a healthier, longer life. Always remember to talk to your health practitioner before adding any supplement to your diet.
My passion for photo albums was again confirmed when my sister and I received our DNA results last week. We were fascinated by our similarities and differences, however, we were both so grateful for the rich history in pictures and stories that already exist in our heritage photo album. We know amazing family details that provide a wonderful glimpse into the lives of our ancestors.
It is never too late to start a Heritage album for your family and this month, Our Memories for Life has great sales on a variety of products that would be perfect for your Heritage album. Discovering your heritage – in big ways and small – gives you an appreciation of who you are and what family traditions, culture, challenges and experiences have helped shape the person you have become.
If you are wondering how to get started, here are some great questions to ensure that you capture the most important details about your family.
What’s your oldest memory? What was school like? How did you spend your spare time? What was your favorite holiday and how did your family celebrate? What was family time like? What sports and games did you play? What were your favorite home-cooked meals? What’s been the greatest advancement of your lifetime so far?
One of my favorite songs is called “Here by the Water.” A line in the song says, “Someone that I know has walked here before.” Every time I hear that line, I think about the importance of my ancestors. Just imagining their lives and the roads they’ve walked before me encourages me. I can almost literally feel strength coming from my grandparents, my great-grandparents and other faithful relatives who have come before me.
Take that step today and make sure your family stories are documented for today and future generations.
-Rhonda Anderson, Ambassador for Our Memories for Life
Omega-3 is an essential fatty acid (EFA) and one of the 90 Essential Nutrients recommended by Dr Wallach for optimal health. It’s essential because it’s needed for a wide-range of functions in the body and must be consumed in one’s diet. Omega-3 plays a vital role in brain function, normal growth and development, and helps reduce the risk of heart disease. Additionally, Omega-3 helps reduce inflammation; which helps lower ones risk for a variety of chronic diseases. In a country where so many individuals suffer from heart disease, cancer, and arthritis, consuming Omega-3 is becoming more and more vital.
Sup-Optimal levels of Omega-3s
Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, found that 95.7% of a nationally-representative sample of Americans have sub-optimal levels of Omega-3s. The real concern here is that Americans are consuming extremely high levels of Omega-6 (polyunsaturated fatty acids) from unhealthy food sources such as vegetable oils. Although we need Omega-6 in our diets, as it is essential for a variety of functions, high levels of Omega-6 from unhealthy food sources are pro-inflammatory and can wreak havoc on your health.
A healthy 1:1 or even 2:1 ratio of Omega-6 to Omega 3 would be ideal. However, for 95% of Americans, this is simply not the case. Today’s modern diet ratio of Omega 6 to Omega 3 is close to 20:1; meaning inflammation is highly elevated in most American diets. Consuming a diet from healthy sources of Omega 3 and Omega 6 is essential for optimal health.
Below are a few examples of ideal Omega-6 and Omega-3 food sources.
Omega-6: Avocados, nuts & seeds, eggs, grass-fed meat (including chicken and pork) and coconut oil.
Omega-3: Fish (wild-caught), fish oil, nuts, eggs, flaxseed, and other marine sources.
The Omega-6s that most Americans are consuming aren’t coming from healthy food sources. Below are a few examples of daily omega-6 consumption.
The current low levels of Omega-3 are putting many individuals at risk for a variety of chronic disease; the most prevalent being heart disease. It’s going to take more than just a few salmon filets and eggs to fix the current suboptimal Omega-3 level; supplementation is necessary. Ultimate™ EFA Plus™ contains over 500mg of Omega-3s (ALA, EPA and DHA) with a little more than 100 mg of Omega-6 from healthy sources. While you are consuming healthy EFAs through supplements, you also want to make necessary dietary changes and keep your Omega-6 intake low. Consuming Omega-3 supplements, while continuing to eat unhealthy foods high in Omega-6, will do nothing to benefit your health. Be sure you’re making all the necessary changes to live a long and healthy life.
Have you heard of the Aroma Share Club? It’s a product offered each month and this year, it includes a carrier oil, only available in the club, plus one or more essential oils. Even better, a recipe sheet is created with ideas for using the carrier oil and essential oils. You can find previous month’s recipes in the Youngevity Resource Center, under Essential Oils, Essential Oils Recipes.
Back to School
The September Aroma Share Club helps you get ready to go back to school and we’re giving you an advance look at what you’ll receive for products as well as the recipes.
The following recipes may help with what is suggested in the recipe’s title. Please not the age information for these. For a PDF version of these recipes, check the Youngevity Resource Center in September, once the Club is on sale.
Swollen Lymph Node & Sore Throat Rub
2 oz PET plastic flip top essential oil safe bottle 10 drops Youngevity Bay Laurel Essential Oil 1 oz Youngevity Sesame Seed Carrier Oil 1 oz Youngevity Grapeseed Carrier Oil
In the open bottle add the Grapeseed oil and essential oil. Replace cap tightly, making sure flip top is snapped shut. Shake well 50 times. Open and add Sesame Seed oil to the shoulder of the bottle. Replace cap tightly and shake well again. Apply a small amount in hand and massage with fingers on nodes and throat in a downward motion. May help when being treated for sore throat or lymph node swelling (Lymphedema). – For ages 5 years and older.
Hand Sanitizer Spray
1 oz essential oil safe mister bottle, glass or PET plastic 1 oz pure water 4 drops Youngevity Bay Laurel Essential Oil 2 drops Youngevity Marjoram Sweet Essential Oil
In the open mister bottle add 0.5 oz of water, then add essential oils. Replace cap tightly. Shake well 50 times. Remove cap and add remaining water. Replace cap tightly and shake well again. Shake before spraying. To use, mist on hands, then rub hands together. Also mist on shopping cart handles, and even cash before handling. Those germs are everywhere! – For ages 5 years and older.
First Day of P.E. Muscle Relief Oil
2 oz PET plastic flip top essential oil safe bottle 10 drops Youngevity Marjoram Essential Oil 1 oz Youngevity Sesame Seed Carrier Oil 1 oz Youngevity CM cream
In the open flip top bottle add the Sesame Seed carrier oil and essential oil. Replace lid, making sure flip top is snapped shut. Shake well 50 times. Open bottle and add the CM cream to the shoulder of the bottle. Put lid back on tightly and shake again. Use a popsicle stick or makeup applicator stick for application. Apply to muscles before and after workouts.
Back to School Anti-Anxiety Spritzer (for Kiddos and Parents!)
1 oz. essential oil safe mister bottle, glass or PET plastic 1 oz pure water 4 drops Youngevity Bay Laurel Essential Oil 2 drops Youngevity Bergamot Essential Oil
In the open mister bottle add 0.5 oz of water, then add essential oils. Replace lid, making sure flip top is snapped shut. Shake well 50 times. Remove lid and add remaining water. Put lid back on tightly and shake 50 times. Shake before spraying. To use, mist on parents and kids before getting on the bus or heading off for the day. Help start the day feeling confident, loved, and protected. – For ages 5 years and older.
Our culinary journey continues with a new set of Saveur spices, salts, and Dukkahs! And to help you start your voyage through the Mediterranean and beyond, we’re sharing some amazing new recipes that will help you bring friends and family together for memorable meals.
Mix cream cheese, cheese, balsamic, California Onion Mix & olives in a bowl. On a piece of cling wrap, sprinkle the Mediterranean Almond Dukkah. Roll cream cheese mix into a log or ball and roll onto dukkah until covered. Wrap in cling wrap and allow to firm in fridge. Serve with crackers and crudités.
Dukkah Crusted Eggplant
Ingredients:
1 large eggplant/aubergine cut into 8 slices 1-2 tbsp ghee 2 tbsp pomegranate seeds 2 tbsp Saveur Mediterranean Almond Dukkah 3 cups rocket/arugula ½ cup Greek yogurt 2 tsp Saveur Gyro Spice 2 tsp lemon juice
Method:
Brush eggplant with ghee and grill on a medium heat till charred and completely softened, then place on a lined baking tray. Sprinkle with Mediterranean Almond Dukkah & bake for 5-10 mins in medium oven until dukkah looks toasted.
Mix Gyro Spice & lemon juice in Greek yogurt and set aside. Place eggplant on top of rocket/arugula, sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and yogurt mix.
Orange & Beet Salad with Dukkah Cream Cheese (adaption from Sweet & Savour)
Ingredients:
1 block Philly Cream Cheese, cut into small pieces 1 tbsp melted butter/ghee 1-2 tbsp Saveur Egyptian Cashew Dukkah 1 tbsp Saveur Garlic Mix 1 tsp Seasoned Salt 4 large beetroot, peeled and cut into wedges 3 oranges Handful of mint leaves 2 tbsp toasted cashews, roughly chopped
Method:
Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
Place the philly cream cheese on a tray and drizzle with butter, scatter with dukkah and toss to coat. Spread the beetroot on a second tray and drizzle with butter and toss with Garlic Mix & Seasoned Salt. Bake both for 20 mins or until the philly cheese is golden brown around the edges and the beetroot is cooked to your desired level. (Note: beetroot may take longer to cook)
Zest about ½ of 1 of the oranges in long strips then peel and segment the oranges over the bowl to catch the juice as you go to dress the salad.
Arrange the beetroot, orange segments and philly cheese
on a serving plate. Scatter with mint, cashews and orange zest, then drizzle with reserved orange juice. Serve immediately.
Vegetarian Indian Butter Chicken
Ingredients:
400 g/14 oz broccoli, trimmed cut into small florets 2-3 tsp Saveur Indian Butter Chicken Spice 2 tsp ghee 1 brown/yellow onion diced 1 small chili (optional) 2/3 cup tomato passata 250 g/9 oz haloumi 1/3 cup creme fraiche, plus extra to serve (Greek Yogurt can be used) Mint and coriander to serve (optional) ¼ cup toasted flaked almonds to serve Steamed rice to serve
Method:
Blitz onion, ghee, chilly and Butter Chicken Spice to form paste.
Heat a wok over high heat. Add the broccoli and stir fry for 2 minutes. Add ¼ cup water and stir fry for 5 mins or until the water has evaporated and the broccoli is tender and crisp. Transfer to a bowl.
Add the paste to the wok and stir fry for 1 min or until aromatic. Add the passata and 1/3 cup water. Simmer for a few minutes or until reduced slightly.
Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Cook the haloumi for 1-2 minutes each side or until golden. Transfer to a plate.
Add the crème fraiche/Greek yogurt, broccoli and haloumi to the wok. Simmer, stirring for 1 minute or until warmed through. Divide among bowls. Top with extra Greek yogurt, coriander/mint and almond. Serve with the steamed rice.
Use your dukkahs as crusts on salmon/chicken/roasts/haloumi/vegetables/cheese
Traditional Indian Butter Chicken
Ingredients:
1.5lb/750g chicken thigh fillets cut into bite sized pieces
Marinade ingredients can be blitzed for a smoother paste if desired. Combine the ingredients with the chicken in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight or minimum of 3 hours.
Heat the ghee over high heat in a large fry pan. Take the chicken out of the marinade (do not shake off excess or pour the extra into the pan). Cook for around 3 minutes in the pan, or until white all over.
Add the tomato passata, cream, balsamic and salt. Turn down to low and simmer for 20 mins. Do a taste test to see if more spices or salt is required.
Garnish with cilantro/coriander and serve with Basmati Rice.
Middle Eastern Lamb Shanks
Ingredients:
4 lamb shanks, trimmed 2 tbsp gluten free flour 2 tsp Saveur Cinnamon Blend Baking Spice 4 tsp Saveur Za’atar Spice Blend 4 tbsp ghee 3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced 1 cup chopped brown onion 1 cup sliced carrot 1 cup sliced celery ¾ cup currants 1 400 g/14 oz can diced tomatoes 2 cups white wine ½ cup coarsely chopped parsley ¾ cup slivered almonds, toasted Saveur Chili & Lime Sea Salt Flakes to taste
Method:
Place the flour, Cinnamon Blend Baking Spice & Za’atar Spice in a plastic bag and add the shanks 1 at a time, shaking to coat each thoroughly. Keep any leftover flour.
Brown the shanks in half the oil in a large casserole dish. Add the remaining oil, garlic, onions, carrot & celery and cook gently to soften but not brown.
Stir through any leftover flour at this stage as well as wine and tomatoes. Add a little water if necessary to cover the bottom of the lamb & season well with Chili Lime Sea Salt Flakes.
Bring to a simmer on top of stove then bake at 160/320 for 2 hours. Remove from the oven and add parsley and almonds. Serve with creamy mashed potato or polenta.
Za’atar Labne
Making your own labne truly is so easy & Saveur makes your choices of flavors amazing.
In a clean dishcloth or muslin place 1-2 cups of Greek yogurt in the middle.
We know that our microbiome is made up of trillions of bacteria; some beneficial and others not so much. There are the Firmicutes, the “bad” kind of bacteria, and the Bacteroidetes, the beneficial bacteria. Both types of bacteria are present in your gut, and depending on your diet, you might have more of one kind over the other. This is because the food we eat feeds these bacteria, and certain types of foods will feed Firmicutes (think red meat, sugar, and other fatty foods), while other foods feed Bacteroidetes. To support your microbiome, there are foods you can eat to help increase the number of good bacteria in your gut – which in turn will improve your overall health.
Here are 6 foods you should eat to improve your gut health:
Bananas: This fruit is full of soluble fiber, which is what the good bugs feed on. Bananas are considered a prebiotic, fuel for the beneficial bacteria.
Greek Yogurt: Yogurt with live and active cultures is a great source of probiotics, the good bacteria. By eating yogurt, you add the good Bacteroidetes to your gut. Make sure the label says “live and active cultures” and keep it refrigerated. And be sure to aim for fewer than 15 grams of sugar per serving; sugar can feed the bad bugs in your gut.
Kefir: Kefir is a fermented version of yogurt, and it is full of healthy, living bacteria that contributes to our microbiome by delivering good bacteria and also helping the synthesis of vitamins B12 and K, therefore contributing to improved gut health. Kefir is 99.9% lactose free, so for those allergic to dairy, this is a good alternative source of probiotics.
Kombucha: This fermented, fizzy black tea with a tangy taste is filled with beneficial bacteria to coat your digestive tract. In addition probiotic benefits, the fermentation process also creates healthy B vitamins for energy.
Sourdough Bread: This bread is made with a lactic acid starter that contains strains of Lactobacillus, a beneficial type of bacteria that adds good microbes to your gut. Lactobacillus is one of the most common types of probiotics.
Dark Chocolate: This is not too good to be true! Research has shown that the bacteria within our GI tract can efficiently ferment chocolate and even produce anti-inflammatory compounds that are good for the heart! The good microbes, such as Bifidobacterium and lactic acid bacteria, feast on chocolate and lessen inflammation. Look for dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa content.
Supplement your diet
You can also help support your gut by adding a probiotic supplement to your nutrient intake. Flora FX contains 3 probiotic strains to support a healthy microbiome variety in your gut. Remember, a healthy gut will promote a healthy immune system! Prevention is the key!
By the way, I’ll talk about individual scrapbook pages here, but all of this holds true for hardbound books as well.
Mediterranean Cheese Log
Traditional Indian Butter Chicken
