Frittata with Asparagus, Goat Cheese and Herbs

I discovered a new magazine that looks like it will become another often-referenced source of information for me.It is called "Whole Living - body + soul in balance". There are plenty of healthy recipes and I found one that I decided to cook for dinner tonight. Once again, it seemed fairly simple, had ingredients that are healthy, and that I already had on hand. I modified it somewhat and halved the recipe. I will post the original version and include the changes I made.

Basil Pesto Chicken over Angel Hair Pasta

Last night I had a friend over for dinner - a rarity for me, and decided  make this recipe that I'd been meaning to try and was just looking for a good excuse. I liked all of it's ingredients, though I don't eat chicken often (I am "mostly vegetarian"). Best of all, the recipe seemed pretty simple, and not too time consuming.

Awesome Anti-Aging Skin Cream - Source Naturals Skin Eternal DMAE Cream - A Review

As much fun as it is to talk about (and eat) food, and as much as we might try to eat the right foods, we often need supplements, i.e. vitamins and minerals added to our diet to assure it's complete. Eating the right foods can also help our skin, (the largest organ in out body, by the way) but supplements also come into play here as well.
There is a great facial skin cream that I love, that contains necessary "nutrients" to keep skin healthy and younger looking. This is the stuff: Source Naturals Skin Eternal DMAE Cream.

Skin Eternal DMAE Cream

DMAE is for dimethylaminoethanol, a nutrient that is coincidentaly found in salmon. DMAE acts as a building block for neurotransmitters which communicate with the muscles. These neurotransmitters decline as we age, resulting in decreased muscle tone. Additionally, DMAE acts as an antioxidant, stablizing cell membranes and protecting them from free radical damage. As cell membranes deteriorate, the skin starts to age. DMAE helps the skin cells to be renewed and restored.So much for technical explanations.

I like Skin Eternal DMAE Cream because I feel my skin has more elasticity while looking firmer - if that makes sense. It seems to have a plumping effect and has improved my fine lines and wrinkles. I use it all over my face and neck before I go to bed at night, and in the morning I put it specifically on my crow's feet, under my eyes (be careful not to get it in your eyes) and in my nasolabial folds (smile lines).
It seems a little greasy at first when you apply it, but absorbs quickly into your skin. It is a buttery yellow color with very little smell. A little goes a long way, and a jar will last you several months. I really think that using this religiously has improved my skin and given it a younger appearance.

Source Naturals  carries a whole line of products, many of which I haven't tried, because I like to switch things up and give other product lines a try as well. But I would feel confident purchasing other products in their line as I am so impressed with the results from this  DMAE Cream.

 I will be blogging in the future bout some other products  - from different companies that I also love.

If you would like to read up more on DMAE, as well as other anti-aging topics, I reference this book often, "The Perricone Prescription".

Please always remember that it is important for your skin to stay hydrated. Drinking eight or so glasses of water a day is a simple habit not just for your skin, but for your body in general.

Chilled Melon Soup Recipe

Yesterday I attended the yearly Women's Club Luncheon at the local Country Club in my neighborhood. The best thing they served was the starter - Chilled Melon Soup. The women at the table were all raving about it, and trying to detect the flavors we were tasting.  After the luncheon, I cornered one of the servers to see if he could let me know what was in it. He was kind enough to let me talk to one of the chefs, who gave me a basic recipe for a "home-based" quantity off the top of his head. I am very excited about this recipe, as it is so very refreshing, as well as healthy and low-cal.

Main Ingredients

Chilled Melon Soup Recipe

• 2 cups chopped cantaloupe
• 2 cups. chopped honeydew melon
• 2/3 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup lime juice (2 limes)
• 6-8 ice cubes

 Puree melons with orange and lime juice in food processor. Add ice cubes and blend smooth. Garnish with mint leaves. Serves 4-6.

I pureed the melons separately and poured the two halves in the bowl separately and tried swirling it with a knife. It ended up as kind of a yin-yang thing. I put it in the freezer for awhile to get it really cold and it was delicious. The hint of citrus kept it from being too sweet, and made it a little tangy.

Chilled Melon Soup

Health Benefit of Cantaloupes

Cantaloupe as an excellent source of beta-carotene which, inside the body, can be converted into vitamin A. When you eat cantaloupe it's like getting both these nutrients at once. One cup of cantaloupe is just 56 calories, but provides 100% of the daily value for vitamin A. Both vitamin A and beta-carotene are important for vision health.
One cup of cantaloupe also contains 110% of the daily value of Vitamin C, another antioxidant. Cantaloupe is also very good source of potassium, vitamin B6, fiber, folate, and niacin . This makes cantaloupe a good fruit for supporting energy production. good metabolism and blood sugar stability.

Meanwhile, here's my little snapdragon that the deer thankfully did not find!

Snapdragons

Kiwi Smoothie Recipe - (and Deer Repellent Ideas Needed)

I got up early this morning to do some yard work and gardening, as I knew it was going to be hot outside today. As I did my usual survey of the yard to determine what was the priority for the morning , I found that sometime last night, a deer had snacked on my tiny (and now tinier) newly planted Impatiens, nibbled on my newly planted Day Lilies, and took a good hunk out of my Hostas from last season, that were just starting to look impressive and pretty. I like deer and I think they are pretty animals, but I wish they would stay away from my few things that I have to attempt and make my yard look pretty too!

Half-eaten Hosta

If anyone has some good deer repellent solutions, please post them for me, as that now has to be added to my ever-growing project list. I recently ordered 50 day lily bulbs from Smokey's Daylily Gardens for a barren area in the back yard that I don't want to be turned into a midnight buffet stop for the neighboring deer. So any suggestions will be appreciated.

Yard work is now done, for the day at least, and I decided it was a good time to treat myself to a refreshing smoothie. I bought a couple kiwi fruit yesterday, so the decision was easy:
 A Kiwi Smoothie.


Kiwi Banana Smoothie Recipe

Fresh Cut Kiwi Fruit

• 2 very ripe Kiwi, peeled and chopped
• 1 ripe banana ( mine was pre-cut and frozen)
• 1/2 cup cold plain almond milk (vanilla would be good too)
• 1/2 cup Chobani plain, non-fat Greek yogurt (or something similar)
• 1 tbsp. pure organic honey
• throw in a few ice cubes, if you'd like 

Add all the ingredients to your smoothie blender and blend on low power til smooth. Serve immediately, and enjoy!

Kiwi  Banana Smoothie

Kiwi Fruit Health Benefits:

Kiwi Fruits are are rich in  antioxidant Vitamins C, A and E , flavonoids and minerals. In particular, they contain more Vitamin C than oranges, as much potassium as bananas, and a good amount of beta-carotene. They have a  high content of dietary fiber. High fiber helps improve diseases such as diabetes, by controlling sugar levels, and colon cancer, since fiber binds to toxic compounds in the colon and helps to expel them. All in all, a tasty and healthy fruit!  (Check out more of my healthy Smoothie Recipes here.)

As promised in my last post, here is today's flower to enjoy. The first Day Lily bloom! - Fortunately I took this photo before the deer sneak attack. Now, who knows how long it will be before I get new blooms.

Stella De Oro Day Lily

Wild Caught Salmon/Grilled Salmon and Asparagus Salad

Wow, I just tried this recipe and LOVED it! A great light and healthy dinner to have on a warm day, it takes no time to fix. This Grilled Salmon and Asparagus Salad is a variation of a recipe I found in Coastal Living Magazine - one of my favorite magazines not only for recipes, but for the beautiful coastal water photos and the great design ideas for coastal (or non-coastal) homes if you desire a relaxed beachy feeling. But I digress. Here is my recipe:

Serving Size: for 2; Prep: 8 minutes; Cook: 11 minutes

Grilled Salmon and Asparagus Salad

Two 6-7 oz Alaskan salmon fillets
6-8 leaves of romaine lettuce
1/2 lb. asparagus spears
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 Roma tomatoes
1/2 Vidalia Onion cut into a couple "chunks"
Salt and pepper to taste
A Lite vinaigrette dressing of your preference
(I used Ken's Sun-dried Tomato Vinaigrette)

Brush salmon and toss asparagus with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill salmon over medium-high heat (350 to 400 degrees) for 3-5 minutes on each side, or until desired degree of doneness. Grill asparagus and onion, turning occasionally, 3-5 minutes, or until tender.

Divide chopped Romaine evenly on two plates, top with flaked salmon, asparagus, onion and tomatoes. Serve with vinaigrette dressing.

This is not the clearest picture I've ever taken! I blame the 2 glasses of wine I had before we even started eating. Won't do that again..... But you get the gist.

The recipe from Coastal Living used arugula instead of romaine, yellow cherry tomatoes, and didn't include the onions. They also left the asparagus spears whole, but my friend chopped them up before I had a chance to stop him. (Guys aren't too great about reading directions or, in this case, even looking at the picture.) No matter, still came out pretty darn delicious!

Health Benefits of Salmon
First and foremost, go for the salmon labeled Pacific or wild caught, as opposed to Atlantic or farm-raised. One store I went to for this salmon had only "Color-infused, Chilean farm raised Salmon".  Nothing about that sounded good, nor did the $10.99/lb price tag. I went to another grocery and found wild caught salmon on sale for $5.99/lb. Wild caught salmon have fewer toxins than farm raised, as they are not kept in confined pens and are also leaner as they get more exercise in open waters through their migration patterns.

Salmon are high in omega-3 fatty acids which protect against heart disease and reduce inflammation. They are a rich source of niacin, magnesium, and vitamin B12. One serving contains more than the daily requirement of selenium, said to regulate thyroid function and boost the immune system.

Global 5.5-in. Fish Bone Tweezers This is a really cool gadget if you eat fish often, and especially if you have a fisherman in your household who brings you fresh fish to fillet. These fish bone tweezers are the kind used by many sushi chefs. The fish bone tweezers will help you quickly and easily remove pesky bones and such from whole fish. The textured handle that makes it extra easy to grip and maneuver. It's made of stainless steel so it will remain new looking forever. This is a great gift for a kitchen aficionado or even for the fisherman who will clean his "catch" for you. (Available from Cooking.com. Coupon offers of this page!)

In my continuous quest for less stress, gardening is one of my solutions, so I will try to start a trend here, following up on my post with the dahlia photo. Here is my first hibiscus bloom of the season.

Hibiscus flower