Food For Health With Lex and Mais: Grapes and Eggplant

Food For Health

Grapes

Spanish Explorers introduced those yummy fruits 300 Years ago and guess what, Grapes are actually a kind of berry.  One cup of grapes provides more than a quarter of the daily recommended values of vitamin k and c.  Hey when you see the grapes with the seeds in em at the store next time go ahead and get em.  The seeds are totally edible and chock full of antioxidants.  

Our favorite way to get my grape vitamins is in our wine.  It takes about 2.5 pounds of grapes to make one bottle of wine.  Thats a whole lotta grapes.  Grapes are also raisins.  If you leave the grapes in the sun for awhile you'll get some raisins, yummy in oatmeal.   Hey if you like grapes and you like wine why not grow some of your own.  You want to find a good place in your yard for grapes because they are a long term plant.  A grapevine can last for 50 to 100 years, damn that is impressive.  In cold areas be sure to plant the grapevines in a sunny area, preferably facing south.  Placing them in the yard facing north to south will provide  better sunshine so you'll get more fruit.

 Make sure you've got good drainage.  Build a trellis.  Grapevines need something to grow up so a fence will work but the trellis method is definitely the best method.  Prune your vine when needed.  To harvest the grapes just go out and eat one when its sweet its ready to pick off the vine.  A Pretty simple plant to grow.  

Eggplant

 The veggie this week is Eggplant.  Its in season right now.   It is super healthy for you so thats a good enough reason to add in to a few dinner and lunch dishes.  Eggplants fight cancer, help you to lose weight and they are super good for your skin.  If you want to grow eggplant its best to plant them in a raised bed.  Eggplant likes a warm soil.  

The recipes this week are super yummy.  We did a grape salsa and of course eggplant parmesan.

Grape Salsa

2 cups coarsely chopped California seedless grapes (use all three colors)

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1/2 cup diced fresh chilies (or diced, canned Anaheim chilies)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro*

2 tablespoons vinegar

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

Combine all ingredients in medium bowl and mix well. Let stand at least one hour before serving. Drain off excess liquid before serving.

*1/4 cup chopped fresh basil may be substituted.

Eggplant Parmesan

3 Eggplant, peeled and thinly sliced

2 eggs, beaten

4 cups italian seasoned bread crumbs

6 cups spaghettis sauce, divided

1 package mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp dried basil

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Dip eggplant slices in egg, then in bread crumbs.  Place in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes each side

3.  In a 9x13 inch baking dish spread spaghetti sauce over bottom.  Place a layer of eggplant slices in the sauce.  Sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.  Repeat with remaining ingredients, ending with the cheeses.  Sprinkle basil on top.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes or until golden brown

Good Talk!!

• 
  

Poetry with Lex and Mais

Strange Images

Lighten Up!

Absolutely not

The earth's crust

Becomes a prison.

Appendages reaching

From the smoldering core

Pierce through the surface

Light begins to pour.

Cracking becomes contagious,

Barriers no more.

Laughter takes over

Sends me to the floor

Clearly what life is for. 

                                            -Mais

Fantasy

Not a moment to waste

To take a glimpse 

Of a place of nonexistence

Where fantasies are allowed

Everything else falls away

Passion, love, lust, and peace appears

Creation of what it cannot be
A creation of magic that always continues

And never fades

What makes this a fantasy?

Or could this be a vision of what it could be?

                                                        -Mahala Slone

Babylon Free for Three

I've learned a lot about me 

On these three days where I am babylon free

I'm addicted to more than booze and smoke

I'm also addicted to carbohydrates, no joke

Noodles and breads have been constantly 

Dancing around in my head

Don't get me started on cheeses

I'm down here on my knees praying to Jesus

To forgive me for this sin 'cause you know I caved in

Besides that though I stayed true to my soul

Veggies have kept me whole 

And I've noticed they helped me grow

Without movies I've had to look inside and learn new things

I've taken the time to dream of the stars 

And learn how wondrous they are
Anyone down for an astral travel?

Go take a spin on your own energies engine

Maybe meet up with the Kin

What fly on a dragon?

It's not that comfortable so I've heard

But none the less it's not absurd

I've reached with my mind and traveled to Renee's house

She was lying in bed reading a book

I just sat there and took a look

She was beautiful and serene

Just like I remember her being

Staying at home has made me realize

That the space of love is right here before our eyes

We've been making it all along 

Ha!  We are so smart to have a fresh start 

Here in this space that we have all helped to create

I've also learned that to be joyful is up to you

There's no one else but yourself

If people hurt you hug them instead

That is what a wise man said

The wise man oh he sleeps next to me every night

He sits right there and he loves me

Even when it's not always his weight to bare

I've learned that I have to deal with my hurts with love 

instead of frustration because it's the only thing

That can heal a nation and its starts with me and you

And telling the truth

Now this day is coming to an end

Tomorrow is back to the way it has been   

Only this time I'll see you in your dreams

Where unicorns graze and we play in the sun all day

                                                           -Lex

Special thanks to Mahala Slone for submitting a poem.  If you are interested in sharing a poem for our blog please just send us a message with your poem to our facebook under lexmais.  

Lex did a three day cleanse and called it babylon free for three.  The cleanse consisted of no electronics, no using the vehicles, eating mostly raw veggies (and some goat cheese:).  The whole family joined in on the cleanse and wrote a poem at the end of it.  The definition of babylon is a city or place of great luxury, sensuality and often vice and corruption. 

We hope you enjoyed our poems and we hope more of you will share some of your creative writing too!!  If you haven't listened to the latest show just scroll down and push play.  The new show comes out tonight.  

Good Talk!

• 
  
• 
  

What's for Dinner? One Pan Pasta

What's For Dinner?

I religiously check Marthastewart.com because I just love her!  I came across this recipe and I thought "this is Genius!"  School nights are always busy nights.  I spend my time running around being a taxi cab for the kids and by the time we get home dinner has to be quick, easy, and healthy.  I am an avid gardner so I love finding recipes that have ingredients that I can get from my garden.  This recipe is all of those things wrapped into a nice package.  The kids love it and so do the adults in the house.  Scroll all the way down and watch the video too.  Its Great!!

One Pan Pasta

GET MORE

Subscribe to Martha Stewart LivingSign Up for Our Newsletters

INGREDIENTS

• 12 ounces linguine
• 12 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes, halved or quartered if large
• 1 onion, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
• 2 sprigs basil, plus torn leaves for garnish
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4 1/2 cups water
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

DIRECTIONS

1. STEP 1

   Combine pasta, tomatoes, onion, garlic, red-pepper flakes, basil, oil, 2 teaspoons salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and water in a large straight-sided skillet. Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil mixture, stirring and turning pasta frequently with tongs, until pasta is al dente and water has nearly evaporated, about 9 minutes.

2. STEP 2

   Season to taste with salt and pepper, divide among 4 bowls, and garnish with basil. Serve with oil and Parmesan.
   
   
   
   

Sublime a Cover Band??

Sublime a Cover Band??

The word Cover Band seems to have a bit of a negative connotation so of course when we heard through the grapevine (Scott our producer is the one who enlightened us about it) that Sublime did more covers than originals I was quick to say "NO WAY!!"  But as we did more research on the subject we realized that in fact Sublime has covered quite a few more songs than you would have thought.  We both LOVE Sublime no matter if they are a cover band or not.  We actually think even more highly of them now that we know that most of their songs were old reggae songs.  Without Sublime we would have never checked out music by Toots and the Maytals or Dee Dee Warwick to name a few.  Sublime had a Fantastic taste in music and they took those songs and made them their own. Some of them turned out even better than the original, like Scarlet Begonias, originally by the Grateful Dead, redone by Sublime and honestly you've got to admit Sublime did it better (Sorry Dead Heads).  This last show we played some of  the original songs that Sublime covered.  We hope you enjoy listening as much as we did! 

R.I.P Bradley Nowell

Big Salty Tears-The Ziggens

A Message to you Rudy- The Specials



Rivers Of Babylon-The Melodians



54-46 Was My Number- Toots and The Maytals



Lady Madonna- The Beatles







Smoke Two Joints- The Toyes




Guava Jelly- Bob Marley



Foolish Fool- Dee Dee Warwick

Thanks Sublime for being so AWESOME!!

GOOD TALK!!

13 things to do on Friday the 13th

What is it about Friday the 13th that makes so many people un-easy?  This superstitious date goes all the way back to 1780 B.C.   Some people think that the number 12 signifies completeness, there are 12 signs in the zodiac, 12 months of the year, 12 hours on the clock, 12 tribes of Israel, among other famous dozens.  This could contribute to the number 13 having a bad rap.  So what makes Friday and the number 13 an unlucky day?  Well according to biblical sources Friday was the day that Eve offered Adam that juicy Apple that he just could not resist and Friday was the day that Jesus was crucified :( Poor Jesus.  The wonderful people in the film industry just had to put even more of a stigma on the whole day when they came out with the slightly cheesy, yet still pretty scary movie Friday the 13th.  Who can forget the psychopath in a hockey mask going murdering innocent victims who just couldn't run fast enough?  The sound of a chain saw still gives us the creeps to this day.  In the 1880s a group of New Yorkers went to great trouble to squash this superstitious date.  They got a group of 13 men that would get together on Friday the 13th (apparently sitting 13 people at a table is bad luck, legend has it that one of the 13 would die within the year, a story that has roots all the way back to Jesus' last supper) and the group would do everything a superstitious person would not do on this unlucky day which is enter the room by walking under ladders and opening umbrellas indoors.  This group of men actually made a club that was very popular in the 1880s.

So now you know the history behind Friday the 13th what to do on the unluckiest of days?  Well here are 13 things to do on Friday the 13th.  Lets Have some FUN!!

13.  Grab a bakers dozen 

12.  Ride your bike for 13 miles

11.  Laugh in superstitions face walk under a ladder, open the umbrella, spill some salt on purpose

10.  Get a tatoo

 9.   Get a pizza but insist that it is sliced with 13 slices

 8.   Do some homework Do you know what friggatriskaidekaphobia is?

 7.  Make someones Friday the 13th Lucky maybe leave a $13 tip for your barista this morning

 6.  Find the tallest building in town and ride the elevator to the 13th floor

 5.  Pet a black cat

 4.  Read 13 pages of a book

 3.  Watch a scary movie

 2.  Buy 13 lottery tickets and hope for the best

 1.  Put $13 of gas in your car :)

Check out this cool link to take a fun Friday the 13th quiz http://www.theguardian.com/quiz/questions/0,5961,472962,00.html 

I got all those fun facts and ideas from these sites 

http://www.history.com/news/friday-the-13th-history-of-a-phobia 

http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/local_news/water_cooler/13-things-to-do-on-friday-the-13th

Far Out with Lex and Mais: Lucid Dreaming

FAR OUT

The definition for lucid dreaming; a lucid dream, in simplest terms, is a dream in which one is aware that one is dreaming. The term was coined by the Dutch psychiatrist and writer Frederik van Eeden (1860–1932).

A dream isn't lucid unless you are controlling the dream, there is no need to have any spiritual beliefs to lucid dreams, lucid dreaming cannot hurt you any more than any other dreams.

Here's most peoples question when they find out about lucid dreaming "why would I want to lucid dream?  What's the point?"  Well really it's just a fun time.  When you can control your dreams you can make all sorts of things happen like flying or visiting a loved one.  Maybe there's a situation going on in your life that you'd like to have go a certain way lucid dreams can help you put yourself in scenarios and act accordingly so when you face the real deal in life you're confident.  Really the possibilities are endless you can do whatever you'd like in your own dreams.

So how do you lucid dream?  Well one thing you can do is pinch yourself several times a day to make sure that you are awake

Keeping a dream journal is one of the most important parts of lucid dreaming.

  Keep the journal by your bed. The dream journal helps you recognize your common dream elements (people from your past, specific places, etc.), and also tells your brain that you are serious about remembering your dreams! It will also help you to recognize things that are unique to your dreams. You will be able to recognize your own "dream signs." These will be recurring things or events that you may notice in your dreams.  Learn what time of the day is the best time for you to have a lucid dream.  Studies suggest that taking a nap a couple of hours after you wake in the morning induce lucid dreams.   Give yourself suggestions about what you want to dream about and then say to yourself I will be aware that I am dreaming or something to that effect, there are several other techniques so check out this site for some more great information on ways to lucid dream http://www.wikihow.com/Lucid-Dream

 One thing that I think is really important is to put a protection of light around yourself before you try the lucid dreaming just to make sure your dreams are always light and fun.  Just close your eyes and relax yourself.  See a bright light in the center of your chest where your heart chakra rests, take a deep breath in and on the exhale see the bright light expanding around yourself.  See yourself sitting in a bubble of bright light.  See you in dreams :)

GOOD TALK!!

Get Stoopid With Lex and Mais: Bob's Burgers, Fit Fix App, Urban Dictionary Word, naturallysavvy.com

GET STOOPID

Netflix of the Week:

This week our Netflix choice was Bob's Bugers we know this is a cartoon, a very very funny inappropriate cartoon, but we love cartoons, and we love Bob's Burgers.  There's two seasons of this golden nectar, and it's also aired on Fox for those of you who still have TV, and don't have to wait for new seasons to become available on Netflix like the rest of us stuck in the 20th century?! 

The series was created by Loren Bouchard who also wrote Home Movies. Jim Dauterive, who joined the King of the Hill writers, and Bouchard serve as executive producers and writers. BOB'S BURGERS was nominated recently for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program, and it also was a 2012 Critics' Choice Television Award nominee for Best Animated Series.  Our favorite character is Louise the little girl who always wears the bunny ears. 

The series follows the ups and downs of BOB, played by H. Jon Benjamin who is also Archer and Coach John McGuirk in Home Movies, Bob runs Bob's Burgers with the help of his wife and their three kids. 

He has big ideas about burgers, but his family falls short on service and sophistication. Despite the greasy counters, lousy location and dearth of customers, Bob and his family are determined to make every "Grand Re-Re-Re-opening" a success. His Burger of the Day is the best!

Urban Dictionary Word of the Week:

Burger

A woman's vagina when her legs are close together

"She revealed her burger to me"

APP of the Week:

Speaking of fattening food, our app of the week is a helpful one to work off the fat with Fit Fix.  It's a free app that helps you get your work out on whenever, wherever from yoga to cardio. There's preloaded workout routines and videos and you can also create personal workouts and custom schedules tailored to you. There's even offline access and scheduled reminders so you can easily stick to your training and fitness goals. 

 We like this app because there is all different ideas for your usual routines. We like to run when we get our fitness on, but just running around the block can get boring. On the app they give you different circuit type ideas from walking to running....even jogging.

Website of the Week:

This is a great website for natural moms and dads.  There's great information on health and wellness for grown-ups, different ideas to keep the kids healthy and happy, and some great alternative news.  Check it out!! www.naturallysavvy.com 

GOOD TALK!!!

Food For Health with Lex and Mais: Pomegranates and Spinach

FOOD FOR HEALTH

Spinach:

Spinach offers up twice as much fibre as other veggies, its an antioxidant and of course its good for the heart and fights cancer.  Overcooking spinach makes it loose its nutritional value but if you lightly sauté it concentrates the fibre and nutrients giving you more bang for your buck

Here's some fun facts about spinach.  The smaller the leaves the yummier the spinach.  If spinach is kept in direct light in the stores it will have higher nutritional value. Juicing spinach is the best way to get the nutrition from the spinach,There’s a compound in spinach called oxalic acid, which blocks the absorption of calcium and iron. An easy way to solve this problem is to pair spinach with a food high in vitamin C. Mandarin oranges and cantaloupes spring to mind here. Another way to reduce the power of oxalic acid is to boil the spinach leaves for at least two minutes, freezing spinach diminishes its health benefits,

Hey why not grow some spinach for your own garden.  Spinach likes moist nitrogen enriched soil.  It likes to be in the shade.  If it gets too much sun it will seed and the leaves become tough and bitter.  You can plant it next to some corn or beans and they will help shade the spinach.

We think planting spinach in a pot is the best way to grow it.  That way you can move it around to shady spots and protect it from the bugs.   Spinach needs a lot of water to cool down the soil it really does not like to get warm so make sure you water your spinach on hot days even water it twice a day.  Spinach is a winter veggie so you can get spinach for a long time as long as you protect it from the frost.  It will grow well inside as long as it gets just enough sun.

Spinach and Garlic Sautee

Spinach and Garlic

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds baby spinach leaves

2 tablespoons good olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped garlic (6 cloves)

2 teaspoons kosher salt

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Lemon

Sea or kosher salt, optional

Directions

Rinse the spinach well in cold water to make sure it's very clean. Spin it dry in a salad spinner, leaving just a little water clinging to the leaves.

In a very large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil and saute the garlic over medium heat for about 1 minute, but not until it's browned. Add all the spinach, the salt, and pepper to the pot, toss it with the garlic and oil, cover the pot, and cook it for 2 minutes. Uncover the pot, turn the heat on high, and cook the spinach for another minute, stirring with a wooden spoon, until all the spinach is wilted. Using a slotted spoon, lift the spinach to a serving bowl and top with the butter, a squeeze of lemon, and a sprinkle of salt.

We got that information from these links:

http://home.howstuffworks.com/spinach3.htm

 http://www.care2.com/greenliving/8-surprising-health-facts-about-spinach.html#ixzz2dHxMk9nq

 http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/garlic-sauteed-spinach-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback

Pomegranate:

The fruit this week is pomegranate.  Its in season this month.  Pomegranates are one of the oldest fruits recorded in writings and artifacts.  This fruit has been revered as a symbol of health, fertility, and eternal life.  It is the most powerful antioxidant of all of the fruits.  It helps to relieve depression and osteoporosis, its a cancer fighter and of course great for your heart.  They also prevent breast cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer, and leukemia.

Well pomegranates are so good for you so might as well grow a tree. of your own.  Plant in a place that gets plenty of sun, they prefer a warm and dry spot in the yard, and water regularly pretty darn easy!!  

Raw Kale Salad with Balsamic & Pomegranate – serves 6

1 large bunch (about 1 pound)  kale – tender leaves cut away from the stems & the tough stems discarded

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

2 tbsp. good quality balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp.  extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

airils from 1/2 pomegranate, cleaned and rinsed

1/4 cup grated firm goat’s milk cheese – I used Cypress Grove’s Midnight Moon

1 cup of pine nut

In a small mixing bowl, combine the Dijon mustard, balsamic vinegar and evoo. Salt and pepper to taste and pour over the raw kale, which should be in a large mixing bowl so you can get your hands in there. Massage the dressing into the kale for 1-2 minutes until it starts to wilt. Add in the toasted pine nuts, pomegranate seeds and mix again to combine. Grate the 1/4 cup goat cheese into the bowl and toss again quickly to combine. Serve immediately.

We got that information from these links:

http://www.runningwithtweezers.com/kale-salad-zinfandel-prunes/

http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/pomegranate.html

Cocktail: 

Pomegranate Martini

2 oz citrus vodka
1/2 ozfresh lemon juice
1/4 ozfresh pomegranate juice
1 oz simple syrup

Shake all ingredients well with ice and strain into a chilled martini glass. Add a dash of rose water if available. Garnish with flamed orange peel, and serve. Our fan Murray W. on Facebook recommends trying the recipe with Grand Mariner [or Cointreau] instead of simple syrup.

Read more: Pomegranate Martini recipe http://www.drinksmixer.com/drink7405.html#ixzz2eVowJsvH

GOOD TALK!!

Wea You Stay? With Lex and Mais

Wea You Stay?

This week we went and saw UB40 in concert.  It was a pretty great time.  Mais Spilt some red red wine on her shirt Lex helped her scrub it out at the port-a-potty.  We sang and we danced and the music brought back some great childhood memories.  Unfortunately the beer was real real good so Lex drank a little too much and lost her phone WA WA.  No pics of that concert this time.  Oh well :(

GOOD TALK!!