Health Food

Apple cider vinegar – a cure for all

Apple cider vinegar is not something new in the kitchen, but because people claim the there are so many healthy benefits of using the cider I want to write about it. I went shopping at Whole Foods this week and picked up a Kalesalad. It was super simple but super tasty.

The salad had 5 ingredients: Kale, red onion, cranberries, goat cheese and pine seeds.

The key to this tasty salad is to make the dressing with applecidervinegar.

Apple cider vinegar has a lot of enzymes, its claimed to be a wonder and I will list up a few examples I spotted on CNN here the other day:

Diabetes – lower blood sugar in people with diabetes 2
Weightloss – a testgroupe lost weight, felt less bloated, helps digest the food
Whiter teeth – rub apple cider vinegar onto your teeth with a cotton swab
Hair, skin and nails – wart remover, whiten dark spots, stop itching after mosquitos bite
Cleaning – disinfecting, remove bacterias
Preserve food – remove bacterias in fruit and veggies
Soar Throat/Cough – Mix with a little honey and consume
Heart diseases and cancer- lower the bloodpressure – has antioxidants like in broccloi and blueberries, studies showed reduction in tumor (Japan)

The Salad:

Cut away the stems on the kale, wash and massage with lemon juice. Cut the pine seeds and red onion. Mix together with goat cheese and cranberries.

Dressing – keep it in the fridge:

2 dl olivenoil

1 tbs Dijon mustard

1 dl honey

1 dl apple cider vinegar (5%)

The best way to use the apple cider vinegar is like this – in your daily salad. Or if you wish – 1 tbs before breakfast and a glass of water!!

PS this dressing lasts for months in the fridge, but its too yummy to last that long..

Best wishes

Monica

Sources: CNN og Whole Foods

28. April 2017 0 comment

Health Food

Plant based Fast Food

written by Monica Øien

I was in San Diego just a few weeks ago attending some Chakra Meditation classes and was actually very eager to visit a plant based fast food restaurant I had heard of. This was my first trip ever to San Diego and I was spending the weekend at Ocean Beach. A small, hippie relaxed beach town with tons of yoga studios and healthy restaurants. Well I guess there is no place on earth more updated and health focused then California. I get surprises and inspired every day. There is always something new to learn, taste and test.

mon sgtrand Luckily I got to meet the owner Jeff Harris who created this concept with a delicious menu. Chicken burgers, but no chicken. Meat burgers, but no meat. And even the most tasty milkshakes I have ever had, but no milk. Jeff even claims that most of their customers are meat eaters who are trying new things and want to make healthier choices. After the interview I will tell you about my experience with the food.

Tell me about the concept and what made you decide build up a healthier version of fast food?

I wanted to build up a plant-based healthier version of McDonalds or Burger King because most of the food available at those types of restaurants aren’t very good for our health. Many of us have driven down the street passing one fast food restaurant after another, wishing that there was something that was fast, healthy and delicious. That’s why we created Plant Power Fast Food. We’ve also been concerned about the devastating impact that animal agriculture is now understood to have on the environment and been painfully aware that the consumption of animal products creates unnecessary suffering for our animal friends. So, we thought that it would be interesting to turn the traditional unhealthy fast food model on it’s head and use it to bring natural, plant-based, GMO free food to a larger audience. Our menu ranges from the burgers, fries and shakes you’d expect to find at McDonalds, In and Out Burger or Jack in the Box, all the way to healthy wraps, smoothies, salads and raw items.

Yes, you serve chicken warps and burgers, but no meat. There’s a great variety of milkshakes but no milk? How do people respond to this?

We’re careful with signage in the restaurant and the use of quotes on our menu to make sure that everyone understands that the “chicken” or “beef” on the menu is in fact plant-based and contains no animal products. Omnivores wouldn’t feel too happy if they were “fooled” into eating vegan food and the vegans and vegetarians who frequent our restaurant need to be assured that the food they’re going to consume doesn’t contain any meat or dairy products. What we keep hearing from our customers is that they didn’t realize how delicious plant-based food can be.

What kind of ingredients are you using?

We use fresh, locally sourced produce and the majority of our products are now organic. Our “meat” type products are made from a combination of grains and vegetable ingredients. Some items, like our “Black Bean Patty” are made from legumes and vegetable products. More and more we’ve increasingly incorporated gluten-free options on our menu as well. All of our products are free of artificial sweeteners, colors and GMO’s.

Where do you get the food from?

Produce is all sourced from local farmers. Other items like bread products and the many ingredients we use to prepare our house-made sauces, deserts and patties are purchased from natural food distributors.

What is the nutrition in a general meal at Plant Power?

Because all of the food at our restaurant is plant-based, everything we serve is free from cholesterol and also from the antibiotics and chemicals which are frequently found in animal products. Also, all of our food is free of GMO’s, artificial ingredients and hydrogenated oils. While the meals are Plant Power Fast Food are much healthier that what you’d find at a traditional fast-food restaurant, some items (like French fries and “chicken” tenders) are not necessarily low calorie. Our burgers, fries and shakes are much healthier than what you’d find at other fast-food restaurants while other items like salads, wraps and raw items could be considered to be “very healthy”. Artificial colorings, sweeteners, preservatives and hydrogenated oils are now understood to be very detrimental to the body and we don’t serve items which contain these types of ingredients. Obviously, this is a big step forward for health and well being. Because it’s very expensive to get a full nutritional analysis for each item, we haven’t been able to do that yet however we hope to complete this in the near future.

Why did you open first in San Diego? (Is this a trendy spot for healthy news?)

Our San Diego location opened up at the end of January 2016 in an area called Ocean Beach. It’s an area where people come to surf, do yoga, run and generally lead healthy lifestyles. That may be part of the reason why our restaurant has been so enthusiastically embraced by the local community. However, I think that the trend towards healthy eating is really a nationwide phenomena. Although our second restaurant) opening in May 2017) is also near the beach, we look forward to building new locations in a variety of different communities.

How would you descibe the succes of your business so far?

We’re thrilled at the success of our first restaurant. From our first day of operation through the end of our first year, sales have far exceeded our expectations. I think that a lot of people have been looking for a healthier alternative to traditional fast food for a long time and that’s one of the reasons why we’ve done so well. We’re also proud to announce that as a business we’ve been profitable in our first year. Our investor group was pleasantly surprised to see us begin to disperse profits by our 2nd quarter of operation. This is extremely unusual for a new business. We’ve been receiving requests from people from all over the country and the world who have asked to franchise restaurants in their cities and towns. Right now we’re in the process of putting together a larger business structure that will enable us to begin expand more rapidly.

What do you believe are the health benefits of switching to a vegan lifestyle?

The consumption of animal products has now been conclusively linked to heart disease, diabetes, an increased risk of stroke, many forms of cancer and a variety of food allergies. Decreasing the amount of animal products in one’s diet is one of the most powerful changes that anyone can make to improve their overall health and increase their chance of longevity. While plant-based food is healthier than animal products, it’s still important to make healthy choices: A plant-based burger or salad is still a healthier choice than a vegan donut for example. And of course, exercise is always an important part of a healthy lifestyle. For anyone thinking about making a change, I suggest reading one of the many excellent books available on the topic or exploring a web site dedicated to plant-based choices. And remember, small changes add up. Some people may change to a vegan lifestyle right away as they understand the many benefits. For others, decreasing the consumption of animal products and increasing the consumption of plant-based food is a great first step.

Would you consider open a cafe in Norway and what would it take?

Well, the easy answer is YES! We do have a very big, global vision for Plant Power Fast Food. However, our first step is to build a new corporate structure which will support that type of expansion. We’ll focus on California for the next year or so but we hope to begin to expand nationally as quickly as possible after that. As I mentioned, we’re getting requests from people all over the world for one of our restaurants in their city, so we know that the need is there. Although we haven’t completed the foundation for our franchise structure yet, we do feel that we will be prepared to develop join venture locations by early to mid 2018. This might allow us to begin to slowly expand beyond the US and look at Norway or other countries where investors and consumers are expressing interest. Of course, I’d love to have a chance to visit my new friends in Norway!

So there you go Norway. If I had the time I would have loved to open a Plant Power back home. I mean I am still dreaming of the milkshakes with nutty and creamy and coffee -ish taste, and the chicken “amazingly yummy” burger. The texture was a blast. So I had lunch at Plant Power and ate a huge menu. Then I was off doing all sorts of things the whole weekend. But before I was going home – I had to drive back to Plant Power to bring a full take away menu in car… I mean I was thrilled. And those shakes…..

Best wishes

Monica

18. February 2017 0 comment

Health Food Spirituality

Soul Food in Beverly Hills

written by Monica Øien

I went online to see if I could find any upcoming courses with a woman I truly admire, Seane Corn. She is an internationally celebrated yoga teacher, known for her inspirational style of integrating the physical and mystical aspects of yoga practice. I had been doing her Awareness Yoga Training and found that she was lecturing this weekend in Beverly Hills for The first tuesday LA Epic Day. So this made my weekend!

The host for the event is the Holistic Psychotherapist& Humanitarian Visionary, Marcy Cole.

Seane Corn is one the speakers -here together with Marcy Cole

So, here I am in with a bunch of fantastic women at The Women`s Club in Beverly Hills. We are receiving sound healing and enjoying the beautiful spiritual sounds by Donna De Lory who traveled the globe for 20 years as an accompanying vocalist and dancer for Madonna. Donnas integration of sparkling pop savvy with deeply felt sense of spirituality has won her a strong fan base in the yoga community. We are all here feeling love & light gathered for a greater cause.

So happy to meet all these inspiring women. here together with Donna!!

We are a group of extraordinary women sitting at a round table. It´s interesting to learn while introducing ourselves that we also are a group of female force with so much energetic power in common.

Dr.Lisa M: Valle has meets her clients in a private setting at Oasis in Santa Monica

We are physicians, healers, coaches, spiritual teachers, yoga teachers, writers and educators. We are probably here at the same table for a reason.

Connecting and exchanging stories, vibes and love

So the first lecture coming up which attracted me is by relationship expert, lecturer and NY Times Best Selling Author of , “Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus.” Oh my, I remember this book like one of the top books inspiring me and serving me the truth about men and women. His Books have sold over 50 million copies in 50 different languages around the world.

When John Gray arrives suddenly the energy changes. We all know about him, have read his books and as the expectation arises the murmur among the girls calm down. John sets the agenda right away and we listen when he talks about women`s power with men. John said, “Women often feel that they are giving more then they are receiving, but it doesn’t have to be like that. The male side of us (which women also have) is the power to get things done. The female power (which men also have) is to get other people to do things for us. It´s fun being feminine, but to much makes us picky.” We listen in silence and can relate to this.

john2

John continues to teach and entertain us about the differences in men and women:

“Women pack everything they could possibly loose, men pack the day before.”

“Men like uniforms, find one suit that looks good, and the question is -“why change it?”

“The female energy is the feeling part of us. The male is the practical one. The women has a little GPS, they manage everything. <for example, their husbands travel and make them check in when the flight has landed.” And he is sharing his personal experiences from his 35 years of marriage. ” Sometimes I need to pretend that I am worrying about my wife.”

john1

John gives us a few advices, after all we are here to learn and make improvements in our lives:

“If a man could say to his tired wife after a day of work; you give so much to so many people, let me give you (massage, dinner..) now. ” What we need to pay attention to is what we actually feel when when we receive! Do we feel appreciation?

Usually when women are unhappy they are doing things for others and not doing enough for themselves.

“You need to have that awareness in order to balance it out. Man in general is better at delegating work and things. Women are better at doing it all, maybe even twice.”

Your female power is not to do more for your man, but respond more to him. He feels good when you think he is a hero.

“We have to understand why we need a man, we dont want another child to take care of. We want a grown up man. And we need to understand who that man is? It´s a man who doesn’t go over to his female side when you as a woman talk. We are under a constant wave of oestrogen and testosterone.”

The sofa

“What happens when a woman sits down on a sofa? Well, she says that she starts thinking about all the things she needs to do, or she would love to talk and connect. So what happens when a man sits down on a coach? Well, he relaxes, tune out and take a break.”

book

You can purchase John Grays Books here

John Gray´s new book ” Beyond Mars and Venus” is about how to strengthen your bond and grow in love together for lasting happiness and a fulfilling relationship. It´s about soulmate relationships which give support over time. Men detach themselves, women talk about emotions. It´s about “you time” and “me time” and her love needs and his love needs. Mars and Venus finally comes together.

I can´t wait to get a copy of his new book as it´s being released this coming week. John Gray is surely entertaining and smart, he is easy to follow and you don`t want to miss any of his reflections.

John Gray is a warm, wise & wonderful man.

I would love to, I can´t. (why can’t you, i need good reasons…)

We are ready for a lunch break. Vegan food is on the menu served with maccacino. We are excited about what we have learned so far, and it´s kind of unbelievable that there is so much more on the program. I can`t wait to share my experience with Seane Corn in the next blogpost! Stay tuned!

Best wishes,

Monica

5. February 2017 0 comment