This morning I woke up SOAR! I went to a Pilate's class last night that I thought wasn't doing much for me but this morning I was proven to be wrong. I kind love it when that happens! I always push myself when I am taking a class and sometimes it is just not enough. My back hurts a bit but I think that is because I tried to do some dead lifts. No more for me! That is the culprit I believe. Which is sad because it is one of my favorite exercises to do...Oh well, a girl has to do what a girl has to do. With only two real working days this week it when by super fast! This weekend I am going to hang out with some friends, get a oil change and relax if at all possible. I am hoping that Karen will be home on Saturday because the biggest thing since sliced bread is going to happen if she does...
I have officially watched all 6 seasons of Sex and the City and now I am allowed to watch the movie!!! Karen would not let me watch the movie until I watched all six seasons. I know that I am one of the last people on earth that had not watched the television show but honestly I couldn't relate to it when it came out. I was in a relationship about to get married and watching 4 single girls gab about men and their experiences while going through single hood just didn't spark any interest for me. Now is a different story. From the very first episode I was hooked. I absolutely LOVE this series. I couldn't relate more to it now. Karen would kill me if I saw the movie without her so I am just waiting here at home for her to get through with the movie that she is working on and watch the damn thing with me. We have it all planned out too. We are going to get dressed up, go to our favorite tapas restaurant (Casa Mia) eat, drink some sangria, go home with a bottle of red and crawl into her bed to watch the movie. That sounds like the PERFECT Saturday night to me! We will see if it happens this weekend though, she is a busy lady! I just want to post another picture of Kerri...She is what I would call perfect. 
Seriously this is my idea of what my perfect body/hair would look like. She is so gorgeous. I only hope that I age that well. She has got to be in her ;ate 30's here and I don't think that she could look any better. Kerri I love you!
Ok, enough weirdness, lets get to business! I have a review and my food today is spectacular! Of course it is Friday so expect two drinks from me. I am going back to allowing two glasses of wine on Friday and Saturday. No drinking during the week. I am okay with that, that just makes the weekend that much better. No more beer either! I had some amazing local beers in San Fransisco and it was my treat. I have a love hate relationship with beer. I LOVE beer so much (not the cheap stuff) but I hate the way it interacts with me. It makes me a bloated mess and I swear I can have a few beers and the next day I am 5 pounds heavier. The other night someone tagged me on face book with a old picture of myself. It was so gross. I was about 20 pounds heavier and in one hand had a miller high life (gross). I looked so fat! Of course the beer in hand might of had something to do with that. I was about 22 in the picture and back then I didn't even know what a calorie was. Can you believe that? My plate for the day would consist of white cheese dip, chips, salsa, a taco salad and a pitcher of margaritas. I ate that way all the time and I wondered why I was fat...Now a days that makes my heart race just thinking about it! I am going to get through this summer feelin and lookin good if it kills me! No more dead lifts though ; )
MY breakfast was so Delicious. I had organic oats, chia, wheat bran, egg whites and some sugar free creamer (15 cals) just to sweeten it up. And if that wasn't enough I decided a melted Adora calcium disk would do the trick. Throw some raw nuts and some almond butter in there and you have yer self the best breakfast ever! 
When the adore disk melted in the oats oh my was it good! This afternoon I will be eating a great restaurant and will be having this salad. Minus the nuts and the fried won tons. I will get the salad dressing on the side and use about a tablespoon of the peanut sauce. This is going to be so big that I am not going to have my scheduled snack for the day.
I love this salad. I have it all the time. In fact it is pretty much the only restaurant that I will eat at because they don't mind me being super picky and getting exactly what I want. It usually comes with noodles but I 86 those and the other yucky stuff that makes a good salad bad! I cant wait for this. For dinner it will be the same as last night but this time I am going out and will have two vodka's and soda with fresh lime. Yum! I am thinking about it right now.
On to my review for the day! It is from a company that I have had my eye on for about a year now and I should have contacted them earlier. They were super nice and sent me over a sample of everything that they had!
This stuff you gotta try: Here is the history behind garlic!
For the last 4000 years of human history, Garlic, also known as Allium sativum, has been both cherished and reviled, both sought for its healing powers and shunned for its pungent after effects. From miracle drug to vampire repellent to offering for the gods, this unassuming plant has had an undeniably important place in many aspects of human history, and today enjoys a renewed surge in popularity as modern medicine unearths the wonders of this ancient super food.
Garlic in Antiquity
Unlike that mysterious Tupperware lurking at the back of your fridge, garlic has been employed in a variety of functions for millennia. Archaeologists have discovered clay sculptures of garlic bulbs and paintings of garlic dating about 3200 B.C. in Egyptian tombs in El Mahasna. A recently discovered Egyptian papyrus dating from 1,500 B.C. recommends garlic as a cure all for over 22 common ailments, including lack of stamina, heart disease and tumors, and it’s been said the Egyptians fed garlic to the slaves building the pyramids to increase their strength. Garlic proved itself worthy to peasant and royalty alike as Tutankhamen (Egypt’s youngest pharaoh) was sent into the afterlife with garlic at his side.
In ancient Greece and Rome, garlic enjoyed a variety of uses, from repelling scorpions to treating dog bites and bladder infections to curing leprosy and asthma. It was even left out as an offering to the Greek goddess Hecate. Early Greek military leaders fed garlic to their troops before battles to give them courage and promise victory (and perhaps in an attempt to fell the opposing army with one good whiff.) Even Greek Olympic athletes counted on garlic to stimulate performance. Ancient Transylvania, home of the vampire legend, found garlic to be an effective mosquito repellent as well as a way to ward off toothsome visitors. In the Middle Ages garlic was thought to combat the plague and was hung in braided strands across the entrances of houses to prevent evil spirits from entering. While modern day experience cannot confirm garlic’s effect on evil spirits, it has been proven that garlic, at the least, will prevent a goodnight kiss at the end of a date.
For many years, garlic was shunned by Western cultures such as Britain and America because of the residual stench it left behind. In seventeenth century England, garlic was considered unfit for ladies and anyone who wished to court them, and it was avoided in America even early into the 20th century, when famous chefs would substitute onion for it in recipes. As America experienced a huge influx of immigrants during the 19th century, however, garlic slowly gained a foothold in the American palette.
The Science of Garlic
Beyond superstition, modern research has confirmed what our ancestors believed about the health benefits of garlic. In 1858, Louis Pasteur documented that garlic kills bacteria, with one millimeter or raw garlic juice proving as effective as 60 milligrams of penicillin. During World War II, when penicillin and sulfa drugs were scarce, the British and Russian armies used diluted garlic solutions as an antiseptic to disinfect open wounds and prevent gangrene. Though not completely understood at the time, today’s research has confirmed that garlic’s healing powers stem from hundreds of volatile sulfur compounds found in the vegetable, including allicin, (which gives garlic its offensive odor), alliin, cycroalliin, and diallyldisulphide.
Garlic’s Health Benefits
The allicin in raw, crushed garlic has been shown to kill 23 types of bacteria, including salmonella and staphylococcus. Heated garlic gives off another compound, diallyldisulphide-oxide, which has been shown to lower serum cholesterol by preventing clotting in the arteries.
Vitamins in garlic, such as A, B, and C, stimulate the body to fight carcinogens and get rid of toxins, and may even aid in preventing certain types of cancer, such as stomach cancer. Garlic's sulfur compounds can regulate blood sugar metabolism, stimulate and detoxify the liver, and stimulate the blood circulation and the nervous system.
In many cultures, garlic is also considered a powerful aphrodisiac and a vegetarian alternative to Viagra. Some say it’s even able to raise a man’s sperm count. In Palestinian tradition, a groom who wears a clove of garlic in his buttonhole is guaranteed a happy wedding night.
While experts vary in opinion regarding the recommended daily amount of dietary garlic, most of them agree that fresh garlic is better than supplements. To negate the aromatic after effects of fresh garlic, herbalists recommend munching on fresh parsley (it’s more than just a garnish, folks) or fennel seed.
Public awareness about the health benefits of garlic has slowly but dramatically increased in America, aided by several landmark studies and a $176,000 grant from the FDA a few years ago. Now, garlic supplements abound and Americans are clamoring for more of the bulbous vegetable, which compliments other recently recognized “super foods,” such as olive oil and tomato sauce, so well.
Growing Garlic at Home
Growing your own garlic at home can be fun and relatively easy, even for those without a green thumb. Garlic grows from the individual cloves, with each clove producing one plant with a single bulb, which may in turn contain up to twenty cloves. Because of this, garlic is self-sustaining. Garlic’s unique fungicidal and pesticide properties can also help keep neighboring plants healthy.
Garlic typically enjoys a Mediterranean climate, but can be grown in cooler climates as well. Choose a garden site where the soil is not too damp and sunshine is abundant. Plant the cloves individually, standing upright and about an inch under the surface. Cloves should be planted about 4 inches apart, with rows about 18 inches apart. The best time to plant garlic in the USA or Europe is early spring or late fall/early winter. Although knowing when to pick garlic isn’t an exact science, a good rule of thumb is to harvest your garlic when half of the leaves around the base of the bulb are green and the other half are turning brown and dying off. Take your garlic inside right away, brush off any dirt, and store in a cool, dry place.
Although sometimes maligned, garlic has had an amazing array of nutritional and medicinal applications throughout human history, and it’s still improving the health of many today. So grab a clove and enjoy the many benefits of nature’s oldest super food: garlic.
Garlic in Antiquity
Unlike that mysterious Tupperware lurking at the back of your fridge, garlic has been employed in a variety of functions for millennia. Archaeologists have discovered clay sculptures of garlic bulbs and paintings of garlic dating about 3200 B.C. in Egyptian tombs in El Mahasna. A recently discovered Egyptian papyrus dating from 1,500 B.C. recommends garlic as a cure all for over 22 common ailments, including lack of stamina, heart disease and tumors, and it’s been said the Egyptians fed garlic to the slaves building the pyramids to increase their strength. Garlic proved itself worthy to peasant and royalty alike as Tutankhamen (Egypt’s youngest pharaoh) was sent into the afterlife with garlic at his side.
In ancient Greece and Rome, garlic enjoyed a variety of uses, from repelling scorpions to treating dog bites and bladder infections to curing leprosy and asthma. It was even left out as an offering to the Greek goddess Hecate. Early Greek military leaders fed garlic to their troops before battles to give them courage and promise victory (and perhaps in an attempt to fell the opposing army with one good whiff.) Even Greek Olympic athletes counted on garlic to stimulate performance. Ancient Transylvania, home of the vampire legend, found garlic to be an effective mosquito repellent as well as a way to ward off toothsome visitors. In the Middle Ages garlic was thought to combat the plague and was hung in braided strands across the entrances of houses to prevent evil spirits from entering. While modern day experience cannot confirm garlic’s effect on evil spirits, it has been proven that garlic, at the least, will prevent a goodnight kiss at the end of a date.
For many years, garlic was shunned by Western cultures such as Britain and America because of the residual stench it left behind. In seventeenth century England, garlic was considered unfit for ladies and anyone who wished to court them, and it was avoided in America even early into the 20th century, when famous chefs would substitute onion for it in recipes. As America experienced a huge influx of immigrants during the 19th century, however, garlic slowly gained a foothold in the American palette.
The Science of Garlic
Beyond superstition, modern research has confirmed what our ancestors believed about the health benefits of garlic. In 1858, Louis Pasteur documented that garlic kills bacteria, with one millimeter or raw garlic juice proving as effective as 60 milligrams of penicillin. During World War II, when penicillin and sulfa drugs were scarce, the British and Russian armies used diluted garlic solutions as an antiseptic to disinfect open wounds and prevent gangrene. Though not completely understood at the time, today’s research has confirmed that garlic’s healing powers stem from hundreds of volatile sulfur compounds found in the vegetable, including allicin, (which gives garlic its offensive odor), alliin, cycroalliin, and diallyldisulphide.
Garlic’s Health Benefits
The allicin in raw, crushed garlic has been shown to kill 23 types of bacteria, including salmonella and staphylococcus. Heated garlic gives off another compound, diallyldisulphide-oxide, which has been shown to lower serum cholesterol by preventing clotting in the arteries.
Vitamins in garlic, such as A, B, and C, stimulate the body to fight carcinogens and get rid of toxins, and may even aid in preventing certain types of cancer, such as stomach cancer. Garlic's sulfur compounds can regulate blood sugar metabolism, stimulate and detoxify the liver, and stimulate the blood circulation and the nervous system.
In many cultures, garlic is also considered a powerful aphrodisiac and a vegetarian alternative to Viagra. Some say it’s even able to raise a man’s sperm count. In Palestinian tradition, a groom who wears a clove of garlic in his buttonhole is guaranteed a happy wedding night.
While experts vary in opinion regarding the recommended daily amount of dietary garlic, most of them agree that fresh garlic is better than supplements. To negate the aromatic after effects of fresh garlic, herbalists recommend munching on fresh parsley (it’s more than just a garnish, folks) or fennel seed.
Public awareness about the health benefits of garlic has slowly but dramatically increased in America, aided by several landmark studies and a $176,000 grant from the FDA a few years ago. Now, garlic supplements abound and Americans are clamoring for more of the bulbous vegetable, which compliments other recently recognized “super foods,” such as olive oil and tomato sauce, so well.
Growing Garlic at Home
Growing your own garlic at home can be fun and relatively easy, even for those without a green thumb. Garlic grows from the individual cloves, with each clove producing one plant with a single bulb, which may in turn contain up to twenty cloves. Because of this, garlic is self-sustaining. Garlic’s unique fungicidal and pesticide properties can also help keep neighboring plants healthy.
Garlic typically enjoys a Mediterranean climate, but can be grown in cooler climates as well. Choose a garden site where the soil is not too damp and sunshine is abundant. Plant the cloves individually, standing upright and about an inch under the surface. Cloves should be planted about 4 inches apart, with rows about 18 inches apart. The best time to plant garlic in the USA or Europe is early spring or late fall/early winter. Although knowing when to pick garlic isn’t an exact science, a good rule of thumb is to harvest your garlic when half of the leaves around the base of the bulb are green and the other half are turning brown and dying off. Take your garlic inside right away, brush off any dirt, and store in a cool, dry place.
Although sometimes maligned, garlic has had an amazing array of nutritional and medicinal applications throughout human history, and it’s still improving the health of many today. So grab a clove and enjoy the many benefits of nature’s oldest super food: garlic.
Wow, I know a lot of info right? I thought that it was interesting enough though to post. It is on their website as well.
Last night for dinner I used some of the oil and the garlic spices. Wow! What amazing products they have. The garlic wasnt over powering at all but gave my food the perfect flavor. I LOVE garlic so I don't mind if I have to deal with the smell. This was not the case though. I am in love with the garlic sprinkles! I actually carry it with me so that I can sprinkle this on my food with having to add any sauces. This is a great idea in my book. Garlic Gold over all really is terrific! You guys really know your stuff. Thanks so much to the people at Garlic Gold for allowing me to sample their products. Please go and check them out at their web site, you'll be glad you did!
So that is going to be my Friday in review. Be ready because I tried out Barney Butter and will be back to review that. Now I know what all the raves are about.... Hope you all have a great weekend!
By the way, check out this amazing give-a-way!
See ya!
-Heather
