Pee-jay Heart's Quinoa (Keen-wah)

Just a little something I whipped up on the weekend......

We called it: Mediterranean Pesto Quinoa Chicken Stack


Preparation 15 minutes
Cooking 24 minutes
Serves 4

1 cup quinoa
½ Kent Pumpkin
1 Red Capsicum
1 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
Sea salt and cracked black pepper, to taste
1 bunch Fresh Basil
1 100g Organic Cashews
2 garlic cloves, bruised
Mixed herbs of choice
2 x 180g organic chicken breast
1 avocado sliced
50g Persian Feta
50g Semi Sun Dried Tomatoes

1. Slice Capsicum and pumpkin into 5 cm x 10 cm strips. Place on a baking tray and bake for 10-15 mins on 180 degrees.
2. Bring a medium saucepan of water to the boil. Cook the quinoa for 10-12 minutes or according to packet instructions. Drain well.
3. Combine the basil, cashew nuts, fresh garlic, lemon juice & olive oil in a food processor to create a creamy pesto.
4. Fold the pesto into the quinoa until combined evenly. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice and sea salt and pepper to taste; stir to combine.
5. Meanwhile, place the garlic and mixed herbs in another medium saucepan, fill two-thirds of the way with water and bring to the boil. Gently lower the sliced chicken breasts into the water and return to the boil for 30 seconds. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and remove from the heat. Set aside for 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked.
6. Rub the lining of a small container with olive oil. Fill with the pesto quinoa and pack tightly. Tip over onto a plate and slowly tap the container until the perfect shaped quinoa cube is on the plate.
7. Layer the capsicum & pumpkin strips on top of the quinoa. Slice the avocado into 1cm thick wedges and set on top. Top with a few droplets of Persian feta and semi sun dried tomatoes. 

ENJOY!

Pee-jay ♥'s Organic Eggs

A short and simple post today about my love for eggs. Here are four ways eggs can enhance your health:

1. Eggs are an excellent source of low-cost, high-quality protein. One large egg provides more than 6 grams of protein, yet contains only 75 calories. And the protein is "complete," providing all nine of the body's essential amino acids.
2. Eggs are one of the best sources of choline. Found primarily in the egg yolk, one large egg provides 30% of the recommended daily allowance of this essential nutrient, which plays an important role in brain health and the reduction of inflammation. Many people are deficient in choline, which is found in trace amounts of many different foods. 
3. Eggs are a great food for those trying to lose weight. Because of the high amount of quality protein in eggs, they make a very satisfying breakfast, which is especially useful for people trying to lose weight. In one study published in the Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (2007), subjects following low-fat, calorie-restricted diets were randomly assigned to one of two breakfasts: a bagel or two eggs. After eight weeks, the egg eaters experienced 65% greater weight loss, 83% greater decrease in waist circumference, and a greater improvement in energy levels compared to the bagel-eating group. Also worth mentioning is that changes in plasma cholesterol and triglycerides did not differ significantly between the two groups. Researchers postulated that eating eggs for breakfast enhanced weight loss by increasing satiety, resulting in better adherence to a reduced-calorie diet. 
4. Eggs protect eyesight. Egg yolks contain a highly absorbable form of vision-protective carotenoids like lutein and zeaxanthin, which help to prevent age-related macular degeneration and cataracts. Studies published in the Journal of Nutrition showed that eggs increased blood levels of these nutrients without increasing cholesterol or triglyceride levels.

With the increasing choice of designer eggs in our food store shelves, the choice for what type of eggs are best can be a little confusin:

• Cage Free, Free Range, Pastured, and Pasture Raised, Vegetarian? You may feel like you're doing a good deed by purchasing eggs with one or more of these terms on the package. But in truth, these labels really don’t mean a whole lot, as there are no rules or regulations about using these terms.

• Omega-3 Enhanced eggs: When is an egg not just an egg? When it's engineered to contain Omega-3s. The hens that lay these eggs eat a diet rich in Omega-3s, which includes algae or flaxseed. The eggs they lay contain higher Omega-3 content but taste like regular eggs. These eggs may help contribute to your intake of essential fatty acids, but they don’t contain enough to make up for a diet that is otherwise low in Omega-3s.  

•  Certified Organic: These hens that lay these eggs are cage-free, have outdoor access, and eat a 100% organic and vegetarian diet. Organic eggs that earn a seal from the USDA or a similar Australian regulatory must come from hens that were not subjected to antibiotics, hormones, pesticides or herbicides, as well as the food that they ate. Fewer toxins and pesticides make for a healthier environment, as well as happier chickens. (These are the type that I pick up). They are usually a few more dollars per dozen but skipping one takeaway coffee a week will surely cover the difference between toxic and non-toxic eggs. AND you are endorsing the happy & healthy environment for the chickens that produce the eggs. Peace & harmony for everyone-including the chickens.

Over and out
love from pee-jay

Detox me NOW

We are all probably feeling a little sluggish after over indulging over the festive season and I am guessing most of us didn’t stick to our strict exercise-diet regime over the holidays. Correct? Well there is a simple way that we can help flush out those nasties with not too much effort.

   

A simple way to flush away those extra toxins that we ate, drank and nibbled on through the silly season, and continued to snack on over the 1st, 2nd and every day until the turkey and pudding was gone, is taking a pro-biotic. On rising, take a good pro-biotic on an empty stomach and before your breakfast. I like Inner health plus (dairy free) or Nourishing Flora Multi-pro-biotic blend. This will help to re-balance the good bacteria in your intestinal tract and will almost give you immediate relief from the bloating caused by overeating and drinking excess amounts of alcohol. Other benefits from taking this supplement is clearer skin, and increased immune system functions. Make sure you buy the pro-biotic that has been refrigerated and take the bottle straight home to your refrigerator to keep the bacteria live.

Secondly, in addition to the pro-biotic, another way to flush away those extra toxins is liquid chlorophyll. Chlorophyll has the power to regenerate our bodies at the molecular and cellular level and is known to help cleanse the body, fight infection, help heal wounds, and promote the health of the circulatory, digestive, immune, and detoxification systems. Chlorophyll consumption increases the number of red blood cells and, therefore, increase oxygen utilization by the body. Chlorophyll also reduces the binding of carcinogens to DNA in the liver and other organs. It also breaks down calcium oxalate stones for elimination, which are created by the body for the purpose of neutralizing and disposing of excess acid.
So in addition to helping to rebuild and replenish our red blood cells, chlorophyll, being highly alkaline, also gives the body the following benefits:

Anti Carcinogenic: Chlorophyll protects against a whole host of carcinogens found in fungus-laden foods such as nuts and grains, the toxins from cooked meats, and air-borne carcinogens (from pollution). It blocks the metabolism in the body of harmful chemicals known as pro-carcinogens that damage DNA. Studies published in the journals Carcinogenesis and Food and Chemical Toxicology clearly display that chlorophyll inhibits carcinogenesis.

Antioxidant & Anti-inflammatory: containing high levels of the vitamins A, C and E, chlorophyll has strong antioxidant capacity and has also been found to help reduce inflammation.

Chelation of Heavy Metals: chlorophyll is one of the most important chelates in nature. It’s ability to bind to and remove toxic heavy metals such as mercury makes it an extremely powerful healer. I’m about to have four mercury fillings removed, and you can bet that I will be getting PLENTY of chlorophyll into my body after the procedure!

Antiseptic: while chlorophyll doesn’t actually have antiseptic properties of its own, it, quite remarkably, DOES have the ability to aid our body’s tissue in destroying germs. By strengthening tissue, it increases the disease resistance of cells and, at the same time, prevents the growth of bacteria!

Treats Bad Breath: This one is a real bonus and really works! Chlorophyll has a double-action remedy for bad breath. Firstly, as a deodoriser, it will eliminate odours in the mouth and throat, but secondly (and more importantly) it promotes a healthy digestive tract – which is the primary reason for bad breath. And if you need more – here is another blog post on foods for bad breath!

Rapid Delivery of Magnesium: this has a highly alkalising effect on the body and helps to deliver much needed oxygen to cells and tissues.

Contains vitamin K, C, folic acid, iron, calcium, protein: which are all also essential in building and repairing red blood cells and boosting our immune system.

You can get a spearmint flavoured Chlorophyll liquid from Coles and Woolworths for approximately $12 which will last you a couple of weeks. Take one to three teaspoons daily, mixed with a full glass of water or juice. It can also be used as a refreshing mouthwash. I take three teaspoons in water every night before I go to bed and YES it tastes pleasant.
If you are only going to do 2 things this January to aid your detox process than I recommend the probiotic and the Chlorophyll.

So if you want more energy, and cleaner insides, go and get yourself some. It’s really that easy!

Peace & love

Pee-jay