June 2017 - Live Clean n Prosper

My Zucchini Bake or Slice recipe

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Today I’m going to share another recipe. Last night Scott and I got together with a group of friends and I brought along a Zucchini Bake, sliced to share. I received a number of requests to post the recipe today, so here we go.

This Zucchini bake can be made gluten free, it is a healthy meal option and is great for lunch boxes.

The recipe is easy to make and is one way to get children (or fussy adults) to eat vegetables. You can substitute or add different vegetables depending on your preferences. However, I think Zucchini should always be included for the bake to work.

Nutritionally, the Zucchini is one of the very low-calorie vegetables and its peel is an excellent source of dietary fibre. Zucchinis are an excellent source of potassium, and also contain moderate levels of the B-complex group of vitamins.

Ingredients

3 x medium sized zucchinis

2 x medium carrots

1/2 onion or 2 spring onions finely chopped

2 x rashers of bacon finely chopped

(alternatively, I have made this using chicken and also tuna)

1/2 cup grated tasty cheese

1 x tbsp mixed herbs

a little bit of chilli or peppers gives a nice bite

1 x garlic clove – crushed

1 x tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup flour (I use coconut flour)

5 x large eggs

extra grated cheese to sprinkle on the top

Method

First preheat your oven to 180c

I use a grater attachment on my food processor to quickly grate the zucchini and carrots. If I don’t have grated cheese, I put a small piece of cheese in as well.

Put the grated ingredients into a large mixing bowl and add the bacon, onion, garlic, cheese, herbs and mix together.

Add the eggs, oil and flour and mix to combine. Transfer the mix into a baking dish and bake for 40 minutes.

At the 30 or 35 minute mark, sprinkle the extra grated cheese on the top of the slice and return it to the oven.

This bake works really well as a main meal. We cut it into 6 large pieces and serve it with a salad. It also is great as a slice to share , as it tastes equally good cold. Just let it cool a bit before cutting it into squares.

It’s really easy to swap out the meat ingredients or add extra ingredients. Mushrooms and cauliflower also work well. If I add cauliflower, I only put in 1 carrot. The trick is to get the right balance of vegetables and eggs, otherwise it won’t hold together. I have found this out by experience.

I hope that you enjoy this recipe and have fun putting your own spin on it.

Until the next post,

Live Clean n Prosper

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The body’s defense system and allergies

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Today I thought I would write about the body’s defense system and how it reacts to toxins and allergies.

Scott and I try to eat unprocessed, real foods as much as possible. However, there are times when we are out and have a meal that is not ideal and this is normal in every day life. Moderation is the key.

The issue that I have, is that occasionally after eating some things, I end up with a runny nose for the next hour. Sometimes I wake up with sinus congestion.

Quite some years ago, I always had a runny nose. I would always be carrying tissues with me. I thought it was a hereditary thing, as my grandmother was the same. It was only after going on a low carb diet for a while, that I noticed the runny nose seemed to go away.

I did a bit of research into this and found out that this issue has a name ‘gustatory rhinorrhea’. It was also a relief to find out that this condition is not unusual.

So, what is ‘gustatory rhinorrhea’?

Quite simply it is a ‘runny nose while eating’. The most common explanations for this is a food allergy, the temperature of the foods or hay fever. A common symptom of a food allergy is sinus complications. According to MedlinePlus.gov, if you have a food allergy, you can develop nasal congestion, a runny nose and excessive sneezing. The most common food allergies are to fish, nuts, peanuts, soy, wheat, eggs and milk. The runny nose is the result of irritation and inflammation in the sinus cavity from increased levels of histamine.

When you eat something you’re allergic to, your immune system malfunctions and fails to recognize the proteins in the food as safe. The body goes into defense mode, producing antibodies and histamine. These two agents are intended to protect the body from viruses, bacteria and infection. Too much histamine in the sinus cavity leads to a runny nose.

This leads to another part in the body’s’ defense mechanism, mucous.

The fluid around all your cells is called lymph fluid. It moves waste products through various lymph channels and nodes. Your lymph is more active at night while it orchestrates housecleaning.

When your lymph is clogged your body looks for alternative ways to get rid of trash. Plan B is making mucous out of it. Lots of mucous in the morning is a sure sign of a problem. Regular drainage during the day or after eating a meal, are other signs of trouble.

This is why when we contract a virus, like a cold or flu, we suffer primarily from a runny nose. The body is doing its utmost to get rid of the trash, by creating mucous.

Personally, through the process of elimination, I have found that usually most processed wheat products trigger this immune response. This was 1 of the contributing factors to change our way of eating.

I continue to find it fascinating, how our bodies heal themselves.

Till next time,

Live clean n prosper

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Boosting the Immune System

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A couple of weeks ago I wrote about ‘Man Flu’ because Scott was suffering from a cold.

He generously shared it with me, despite my efforts to keep it at bay. However, even though we both became sick, we were feeling unwell for a very short time.

We did not take any of the usual cold and flu medications, as these suppress the symptoms and the body takes longer to heal itself. We did however have some ‘immune shots’ that Scott created, that we drank 3 times a day.

These ‘shots’ consisted of – Echiberry 10ml, Natural Mineral drink by Modere 10ml, Green Qi super green powder by Modere 1 tsp, ground Cinnamon ½ tsp & ground Ginger ½ tsp mixed with approximately 20ml water.

They did taste a bit unpleasant, but most ‘medicine’ does. Scott stated that these shots helped our immune system fight the virus. So, after only spending 2 days sick, I think they really did work. I decided to share with you why these ingredients help us when we are sick.

First the Echiberry, which I purchased from our local health food store.

This liquid combines Echinacea purpurea root extract, Elderberry, Olive leaf extract, NZ Blackcurrant and Manuka Honey.

*Clinical trials have shown Echinacea to be useful in both preventing as well as treating bacterial and viral infections including colds and flu.

*Elderberry is highly regarded by herbalists for the treatment of winter ailments, particularly where there is fever, aches and pains.

*Olive leaf extract has been shown to inhibit a number of bacteria and viruses. It is widely used as a tonic for the immune system.

*NZ Blackcurrants are one of the most potent antioxidant-containing berries in the world. Research has shown the anthocyanins (antioxidant compounds found in blackcurrants) can help reduce the effects of asthmatic lung inflammation.

*Manuka Honey is unique to New Zealand and has a powerful additional antiseptic property not found in other types of honey.

Next is the Natural Mineral drink by Modere

This drink contains Alpine moor mineral extract, which is abundant in plant derived phytonutrients and minerals. Among the benefits of phytonutrients are antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Phytonutrients may also enhance immunity and intercellular communication.

Then the Green Qi super green powder by Modere

A green powder supplement contains all the vitamins and minerals of a multi vitamin. There is also added nutrients such as probiotics, prebiotics, detoxification nutrients and disease-protective antioxidants.

Followed by Cinnamon

Cinnamon is loaded with powerful antioxidants that have anti-inflammatory effects, which may help lower the risk of disease. Cinnamaldehyde, the main active component of cinnamon has antifungal and antibacterial properties, which may reduce infections.

Finally the Ginger

Ginger has a very long history of use in various forms of traditional/alternative medicine. It has been used to help digestion, reduce nausea and help fight the flu and common cold, to name a few. Gingerol is the main bioactive compound in ginger, responsible for much of its medicinal properties. It has powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.

So, in conclusion, all of the ingredients in these ‘immune shots’ assist the immune system. By taking the mixture 3 times a day, we were ensuring that our immune systems were continually fuelled with what they needed to fight the infection.

The result being that we able to get well sooner.

Till the next post,

Live clean n prosper

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