Broccoli and Spinach Soup sounds like it’s going to taste a little too healthy. Rest assured, however…. Although this soup is packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants from the broccoli and greens, the taste is both rich and satisfying.
The depth of flavor comes from roasting broccoli, shallot, and garlic before pureeing with bone broth and a handful of fresh spinach. This alone makes a thick and creamy soup, so adding whole cream or coconut milk is optional (though, delicious).
The flavor of spinach is barely noticeable in the soup. It’s there because it’s a powerhouse green, but also because spinach gives the soup a jolt of bright green color that’s more appetizing than the usual dull green of broccoli soup.
This creamy, comforting soup is a delicious way to get a healthy helping of greens and veggies.
Optional: ½ to 1 cup full fat canned coconut milk or whole cream (120 ml to 240 ml)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400º F/204º C.
Cut broccoli florets from the stems.* Chop the florets up into small pieces and toss with shallot, garlic, avocado oil and salt. Spread broccoli out on two rimmed baking sheets. Roast 30 minutes, stirring once after 20 minutes, until the broccoli is tender and darkly browned around the edges.
*Recipe tip: Save the broccoli stems for snacking or salads. Peel, slice and eat raw.
In a high-powered blender, puree broccoli, shallot and garlic mixture with bone broth and spinach until very smooth.
Pour soup into a pot and bring to a simmer. Slowly stir in coconut milk or whole cream, if desired. Simmer until hot.
The soup can be refrigerated overnight and gently reheated.
Continue!>>> But it’s Friday evening so you’ve finally given yourself permission to feel go(o)d. To relax. To be yourSELF. What I want you to notice is that this feeling of relief and peace was also present last Monday when you had to drag your ass into the office... it was also present Tuesday and even yesterday morning when you woke up and sadly came to the realization that it wasn’t Friday, yet. Feeling go(o)d is your natural state, it’s your baseline, it’s your home vibe, it just gets covered up by thoughts and circumstances and thoughts about the circumstances. You only allow it in sometimes— on payday, on vacay and when your favorite artist finds that pocket 🎶
Now, smile. Bigger. BIGGER 😆 Keep smiling while you finish reading this.
Take a mental snapshot of how you feel right now. Memorize these feels. This is YOU. The real YOU. Choose to be aware of this inherent happiness in every moment by taking your power back from your inner critic, from that annoying coworker, from moody Bae or the dreaded Monday morning. You can allow these go(o)d feels no matter what appears to be going on in your life situation. Choose HER now and before you know it, you’ll be loving and living your best life. #BeHerNow
from Natural Hair Care | Curly Nikki http://ift.tt/2j8HJ49
It’s Friday, everyone! And that means another Primal Blueprint Real Life Story from a Mark’s Daily Apple reader. If you have your own success story and would like to share it with me and the Mark’s Daily Apple community please contact me here. I’ll continue to publish these each Friday as long as they keep coming in. Thank you for reading!
A lot of us work hard most of our life so that we can enjoy our retirement and do all the things we never had time to do when we were younger and worked long hours for little pay. The problem with that, however, is being old can pretty much suck especially with all the chronic disease that is so prevalent in Western society. Being overweight, poor digestion, fatigue and joint pain are symptoms that I am very familiar with and are just part of the aging process……or at least that’s what I used to think. They certainly create major impediments to living an active lifestyle and enjoying life.
I always loved competitive sports growing up especially baseball and football. Although good enough to make the high school teams, I was mediocre at best, but it was still a great experience which I will always treasure. It taught me many valuable lessons which proved critical to me later in life. I also spent 2-3 years of 5 days a week of “home” weight lifting in my basement and then best friend’s root cellar. We had no idea what we were doing but worked hard an hour or two most days and were very competitive. I became quite strong for a wimp weighing 142 pounds (benched 295) but never could put on any bulk. My friend on the other hand bulked up to about 180, left me in the dust, and continues to lift to this day.
So as an adult I took up tennis to get my competitive fix; thinking I could play the rest of my life. When I retired at 60 I was looking forward to playing tennis five days a week and working out at the gym; which I did for a couple years. Then I developed joint issues requiring surgery for De Quervain’s tenosynovitis and again for carpal tunnel syndrome. While preparing for surgery I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. After the surgeries I quit playing singles and focused on doubles as I was having too many cramping issues probably tied to the statin drugs I was taking for high cholesterol; as heart disease runs in my family. The thyroid medications probably didn’t help either.
In Nov 2013 my wife and I took a 30 day trip to Germany to visit our two daughters and grandkids for the holidays. Both of their husbands were in the Air Force, assigned to Ramstein AFB. I also had spent 5 years at Ramstein as a federal civilian; so we were also looking forward to the German brotchen and beer which we both loved. While in transit to Germany I was doing research on wild caught salmon as I decided I wanted to focus more on getting healthy and fit. The article I read came from MarksDailyApple and I became hooked. By the time I returned to the states in mid December I had spent hundreds of hours reading the blog.
I couldn’t wait to start my Primal journey on 1 Jan 2014; thinking it would be too difficult to begin right before Christmas. On 1 Jan 2014 I jumped into the Primal lifestyle and focused on high healthy fats like coconut oil, grass fed butter and avocados. Also lots of meat, fish, fresh vegetables and salads. Although the 80-20 strategy was pivotal to me believing this lifestyle was sustainable; I ended up with about 95-5 compliance. I still drink wine and/or beer almost every day in moderation of course.
A little more background on my body type, weight and the goals I hoped to achieve. I was never considered fat by my contemporaries. Although I wanted to lose some weight (15 pounds) my primary objective was to improve my fitness and quality of life. When I retired in 2006 my weight was 178 and my waist was around 37 inches.
Once I started playing lots of tennis I dropped 10 pounds and could wear 36 inch waist comfortably. I felt pretty good about myself but knew I still had a spare tire around my middle and had lots of muscle cramps and joint pain. On 1 Jan 2014 I started my journey and went from 168 pounds to 150 in 45 days. I was shocked at how fast the weight came off and how much better I felt. I quit all medications as well as over the counter pills like aspirin, tylenol, aleve, etc. Since I previously lost 10 pounds after retiring I thought I was done (28 pound loss) and wanted to see if I could maintain this weight over time.
I became even more focused (my wife would say fanatic) and started reading and listening to podcasts 3-4 hours every day on paleo/primal and functional medicine. I started playing singles again as well as going to the fitness center for 30 minutes 3 times a week for resistance training. I experimented on myself often, figuring I have little to lose and much to gain considering my age. A few of the more important hacks I utilize are Bulletproof coffee (3 cups per day/3-4 Tbsp of coconut oil and grassfed butter), taking potato starch, ACV daily, diatomaceous earth, bentonite clay, etc.
Intermittent fasting and keto have been the two most critical components of continued weight loss. I often only eat one meal per day in the late afternoon primarily because I am not very hungry even though I am pretty active. I do believe that most of us eat too much and that feeling a little hungry is important to a longer and healthier life. I have snacks like nuts and seeds, or a cup of bone broth, boiled eggs, sardines, etc. I average less than 45 carbs per day. My wife thinks I am too thin and I agree I looked better when I was heavier but I feel much better than I have in a very long time. I still have thyroid issues and some joint pain but hope to mitigate that over time. My current weight is 138 plus or minus 2 pounds contingent on my activities.
I will always be indebted to Mark Sisson and his Primal Blog which I continue to refer people to and read on a regular basis. The Primal Blueprint by Mark is a must read for anyone considering the ancestral health lifestyle.
From my perspective the most important impact this lifestyle has had on me is psychological, my outlook on life…….getting old but still looking forward. Growing old can be depressing at times especially if you have numerous health issues and take lots of medications. Living longer might be nice but is not the objective…….being healthy, having fun and enjoying family and friends for the time you do have is. For some strange reason my high school yearbook caption from 1964 was: “The Days of our Youth are the Days of our Glory.” I hope that I can turn that on it’s head and make this decade the best yet. Grok on!
Vital Statistics:
5’8” tall
138 pounds
31 inch waist
Total Cholesterol from 271 (Jan 2014) to 233 (Feb 2017) and don’t want it to get any lower
Hey Ladies,
Nikki was on Dr. Oz yesterday dishing out some serious DIY hair treatments! In case you missed it, here are a couple that you will definitely want to try for damaged hair. itchy scalp and frizzy flyaways!
Nikki's Tea Rinse
This is Nikki's real deal solution to damaged hair without any chemicals. Address breakage, thinning, split ends and color, like they do in the salons, at a fraction of the cost!
Ingredients
2 tbsp fenugreek tea
2 tbsp black tea
1 cup aloe vera juice
Directions
1. Mix together ingredients, then apply directly to scalp all the way down to the tips.
2. Put hair in a shower cap for 20 minutes then rinse, shampoo, condition, and style. Do this treatment twice a month to prevent further damage.
Nikki's "AHA" Treatment
Looking for the perfect remedy for dry and itchy hair scalp? – “aha” ingredients aloe vera, honey, and apple cider vinegar are just what you need! Mixed together you get moisture to combat dryness, and apple cider vinegar has anti-fungal properties which can help eliminate dandruff. Keep the leftovers in a mason jar in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
2 cups aloe vera gel
2 tbsp honey
4 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Directions
1. Mix together ingredients, then apply on roots and strands.
2. Leave in for 5 minutes before you begin your regular shampoo. Do this once every 2 weeks.
Nikki's Oil Serum Treatment
Nikki has the solution for those pesky flyaways and frizz that are common after blow-drying, especially in the winter. In place of a silicone-based serum, which can actually dehydrate hair over time, this oil-based serum has vitamins and fatty acids to help soften the hair and promote growth.
Ingredients
1 tbsp avocado oil
1 tbsp castor oil
1 oz flaxseed oil
5 drops of essential oils of your choice
Directions
1. Mix together ingredients and apply to dry hair once a day. Store in the refrigerator.
from Natural Hair Care | Curly Nikki http://ift.tt/2i8tvzm
I remember my grandmother waking my sister and me up in the wee hours of the morning to watch Princess Diana’s funeral. As a 10-year-old American, I thought Princess Diana’s death was certainly a terrible tragedy; still, I was confused about why we were made to view the funeral proceedings as if we were distantly connected to the fallen royal. Years later, I would learn that older Jamaicans, including my maternal grandmother, have an almost unhealthy obsession with “Mother England” and particularly the Royal Family. Blame it on colonialism. With a few exceptions, American Black folk don’t exactly get geeked about Queen Elizabeth and her heirs. In fact, she’s often regarded with quite a bit of skepticism and even intense disdain.Ask Paul Mooney.
But with the recent news of Prince Harry proposing to American actress Meghan Markle, Black folk have been almost ecstatic about the prospect of a Black woman openly occupying a space in the royal family. (There are several theories that there have been other Black royals but theirracial identities weren’t widely discussed or acknowledged.)
Continue
There were tweets, memes, and gifs that featured Black folk and their desire to attend the #RoyalWedding. There were interracial couples who stepped forward to share their particular delight in the union,“It shows how diverse and modern the Royal Family are.” Girl Tyler on Twitter developed the catchphrase “We got us a Black princess, y’all” and startedselling merchandise.
Midway through the second day of celebration, I started getting concerned. While I don’t doubt that Meghan and Prince Harry are in love; the collective investment into their story as if we’ve all won a prize because she was chosen, was alarming to me. Not to mention, her relationship with Prince Harry as one bi-racial Black woman doesn’t exactly represent a great leap for diversity in the royal family. I knew that my opinion was an unpopular one so I ran my thoughts by my sister to make sure I wasn’t being unreasonable.
“I’m trying to be happy for Meghan Markle but I feel like so much of the excitement around her engagement is centered around White validation...I mean, I’m happy for her but I’m...concerned about the reaction from Black people.”
My sister said that Black people were excited because Meghan Markle was effing up the hierarchy. There were plenty of people who already deemed her unworthy and her entrance into the royal family would be a personal insult to all of those racists.
I could see where she was coming from. But I still wanted to see what other people had to say so I conducted an Instagram poll. Aside from myself and two other women, (one of which said she could see both sides), most of the women who responded shared my sister’s sentiments. According to some, Meghan was not only going to challenge the image of the royal family, she was going to symbolize a different type of possibility for Black girls and women.
Vogueitself said that now little Black girls all over the world could see themselves in the soon-to-be princess.
Despite the arguments, the hoopla still made me uncomfortable. And just as I was about to accept defeat and admit that maybe I was making too much of this whole thing, my cousin DMed me a screenshot of this piece fromPhilly.com.
That was it. That was when I knew I wasn’t crazy. There is a special, undeniable type of excitement about Meghan Markle, that was directly attached to the man she was marrying. As if true happiness wasn’t and isn’t accessible to Black women who marry Black men, men who aren’t royalty. Furthermore, Meghan Markle is far from the first Black princess or Queen figure for us. There have been centuries of them in Africa, past and present. Yet, those women didn’t seem to mean as much. There have even been other Black women who’ve married into European, even the British royal family in one way or another.My friend wrote a whole slideshow featuring both of these Black women. Some of them you may have even heard of, so why did this particular marriage represent a new chance for happiness for us, Black women?
I think it goes back to that White validation. Despite the fact that the British empire has, for centuries, oppressed and continues to collect off the oppression of people of color all over the world, it’s still their cosign and approval that means the most to us. We still want to be accepted, invited, included in their systems. Never mind that these are the same systems that exploited our land, our resources, our culture, contributions and even our bodies, without recognition or reward.
Prince Harry might play a large role in Meghan Markle’s happiness. I think there’s a strong likelihood that he will be good to her and her to him. But I would never advise Black women, worldwide, to look at Meghan’s engagement as a larger symbol of our worth in the eyes of White people, the British empire or the world at large. That’s something we’re going to have to find on our own.
Veronica Wells is the culture editor at MadameNoire.com. She is also the author of“Bettah Days”and the creator of the websiteNoSugarNoCreamMag. You can follow her onFacebookand on Instagram and Twitter@VDubShrug.
Do you feel some black women are using this engagement to a royal as a way to validate themselves?
Listen up as popular hair vlogger Zara speaks about why she loves protective styling, amidst the sea of naturals condemning it, and why it may not be working for you. Let us know what you think!
We prayed for Paris when there was a terror attack; profile pictures were quickly changed to show support. We prayed for Houston after Hurricane Harvey and rallied together by sending money and supplies to Texas. We prayed for Puerto Rico and raised our voices when aid wasn’t rushed to them after Hurricane Maria left the island without power and resources. In October CNN reported that men were being auctioned for as little as $400 and being sold into slavery. The auctioneer per CNN offered up the man being auctioned as one of a group of “big strong boys for farm work.” In 2017!
I’ll be honest my first reaction was to turn away and not click on posts regarding it when they started to show up in my newsfeed. I could not let one more thing against black people make me more upset this year. We have had such a hard year already. I just couldn’t imagine how grown black people could be auctioned off in this day and age. We saw the auction scene in Jordan Peele’s movie Get Out and thought it could never happen. Well it is happening and the images will make your stomach churn and your heart hurt.
Thousands of migrants from all over Africa are fleeing economic hardships and conflict and ending up in Libya, a country in Northern Africa at the Mediterranean coast with hopes of being able to flee by sea to Europe with dreams for a better life. What is happening is that too many people are showing up and there has been a crackdown on the Libyan coastguard resulting in fewer boats leaving and many people being left in Libya. They can’t go back home because they have sold all their belongings or are fleeing and can’t go back. This is where smugglers come in, they are the new slave masters and come from Europe to buy these men to take back to their countries as slaves to work as laborers.
Bouquet Ismael Escaped After Being Sold Multiple Times In Libya
Because of CNN’s reporting and videos, the world is aware of this atrocious human rights violation. United Nations (UN) Secretary General Antonio Guterres has urged the international community to come together and unite in ending the atrocities taking place in Libya. In a statement, Guterres said “Slavery has no place in this world. These actions are the most outrageous to ever happen.”
As for us, we cannot feel hopeless and stay mute. We must raise our voices and lend support like we do for all other causes. We must stay informed and keep up to date with what is going on in Libya. All the information we need is at our fingertips, all we have to do is research it. Most importantly we must raise awareness with our friends and family through our social media and in face to face conversations. We cannot allow this to happen on our watch.
What can we do about this atrocity?
Mwabi Kaira is an African girl navigating her way in an American world. She is of Zambian and Malawian heritage and moved to the USA in 1993. Writing has been her passion since she could put a sentence together on the page. Mothering her sons is her pride and joy. She has been an avid runner since 2013 and has run 10 half marathons and a full marathon. Keep up with her athttp://ift.tt/2vLOcKn
from Natural Hair Care | Curly Nikki http://ift.tt/2kieZJH
A lot of us work hard most of our life so that we can enjoy our retirement and do all the things we never had time to do when we were younger and worked long hours for little pay. The problem with that, however, is being old can pretty much suck especially with all the chronic disease that is so prevalent in Western society. Being overweight, poor digestion, fatigue and joint pain are symptoms that I am very familiar with and are just part of the aging process……or at least that’s what I used to think. They certainly create major impediments to living an active lifestyle and enjoying life.
So as an adult I took up tennis to get my competitive fix; thinking I could play the rest of my life. When I retired at 60 I was looking forward to playing tennis five days a week and working out at the gym; which I did for a couple years. Then I developed joint issues requiring surgery for De Quervain’s tenosynovitis and again for carpal tunnel syndrome. While preparing for surgery I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. After the surgeries I quit playing singles and focused on doubles as I was having too many cramping issues probably tied to the statin drugs I was taking for high cholesterol; as heart disease runs in my family. The thyroid medications probably didn’t help either.
A little more background on my body type, weight and the goals I hoped to achieve. I was never considered fat by my contemporaries. Although I wanted to lose some weight (15 pounds) my primary objective was to improve my fitness and quality of life. When I retired in 2006 my weight was 178 and my waist was around 37 inches.
