Lemons are very common, and can be found almost anywhere. They are used for cleaning, for their aroma, and in food and drinks… as both an ingredient and a garnish. But these little yellow jewels are far beyond an ordinary fruit. And although life may hand you a lemon… you can do so much more than just make lemonade!

 

 

The perks lemons can provide to the body are endless.

For the Skin: Lemon water cleans the skin, ridding it of bacteria and preventing breakouts. This leaves your skin looking fresh and healthy! Lemon pulp is also excellent for the skin and can also soothe insect bites and stings. Topically applied, it can help stop bleeding (though it may sting a bit). If you add equal parts of water, lemon, and sugar, the mixture can be used to keep the hands smooth.

Relieve Fevers: Lemon is very good for cooling the body. It does this by encouraging the body to sweat. Lemon juice combined with water and honey is the best natural tonic to take when you have a fever.

Relieve Hiccups: For every person that hates the hiccups, there is an equal amount of theories on how to get rid of them. The best way… lemon and warm water! So stop standing on your head and take a drink!

Digestion: Lemon with hot water acts as a liver tonic and eases a multitude of digestion problems including nausea, heartburn, and gallstones. Lemon stimulates your body’s production of bile, aiding in prompt food digestion.

Weight loss: Lemon is a natural diuretic and helps flush out toxins and bacteria. On top of being an easy calorie burner, lemon and water help detoxify your system.

Two super easy tips to help you incorporate lemon into your diet are to add slices of fresh lemon to all of your beverages, especially water. It will give it and you a refreshing boost. Use lemon as a flavoring to eliminate some sodium in your dishes.

Here are some great recipes to start you off on your journey with lemons.

 

Lemon Basil Vinaigrette
1/8 cup Olive Oil
1 Tbl Dijon Mustard
½ Lemon, juice and zest
TT Black Pepper
TT Salt
1Tbl Basil, chopped
1 tsp Honey

1- Mix Olive Oil, Mustard, Lemon, Salt, Pepper, Basil, and Honey until thoroughly combined.

 

 

Blueberry Lemon Poptarts
3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 tbs sugar (plus more for sprinkling)
1/2 lb unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch cubes and frozen
6 tbs coconut butter, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
3/4 cup ice water
1 egg, lightly beaten
Blueberry filling (recipe follows)

1- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and sugar. Freeze the flour mixture, butter, shortening.
2- Pulse the mixture in food processor, in five second bursts until the butter and shortening are the size of small peas. Add the ice water and pulse until the dough just comes together.
3- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, divide in half, flatten each half into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
4- Preheat oven to 350F.
5- Remove one dough from the refrigerator and roll until 1/8 inch thick.
6- Cut 14 – 3″x2″ rectangles of dough.
7- Place 2 teaspoons of blueberry filling on 7 of the rectangles, leaving a 1/4 inch border all around. Lightly brush border with egg wash and top each with another rectangle of dough. Crimp edges of the pocket with the tines of a fork to seal and slash the tops of the pockets with a very sharp knife.
8- Place pockets on a parchment lined baking sheet. Lightly brush the tops of the pockets with egg wash and lightly sprinkle with sugar.
9- Bake for 25-30 minutes, rotating the pan 180 degrees at the halfway point, until the pockets are golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool on a rack. Poptarts are best served warm.

Blueberry Lemon Filling
1 cup blueberries
1/4 cup water
Zest of 1 lemon
2 tbs cornstarch
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
Pinch of salt

1- In a bowl, combine the cornstarch and lemon juice and mix until the mixture is smooth.
2- In a small saucepan, combine the water, blueberries and lemon zest and heat to a simmer. Let cook for 3-4 minutes, until the berries soften.
3- Add the cornstarch mixture, sugar and salt and cook for 1-2 minutes more, until the mixture is translucent.
4- Remove from heat and let cool completely before using as blueberry pocket filling.

“If life gives you lemons, make some kind of fruity juice.” -Conan O’brien

 

… and in everything else… YUM!
Cherries have a lot of reasons to boast, after all, they do have a long list of nutritional goodness. These small little treats pack a powerful punch for their low calorie count. They are crammed with nutrients that help fight inflammation and cancer. And, in case that wasn’t enough, two compounds contained in cherries, have been shown to inhibit the growth of tumors and even cause cancer cells die. These little red jewels also have antiviral and antibacterial properties.

Aim to eat a cup of fresh cherries every day while they are in season, and when they are not… make sure you have a stash in your freezer. Doing this can help your body reduce inflammation and curb pain. Regular consumption may also lower risk of heart attack and stroke.

Tips:

A) Keep a bag of frozen cherries in your freezer year round. Frozen cherries retain 100% of their nutritional value and make a great addition to smoothies, yogurt, and oatmeal.

B) Buy organic or wash thoroughly, since conventionally grown cherries can be high in pesticides.

Recipes:

Cherry Chocolate Chip Cupcake
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup finely chopped fresh pitted cherries
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line your cupcake/muffin cups with paper liners. Set aside.
-In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt.
-In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar.
-Add egg, and extracts and combine well. Working in two or three additions, gradually mix in the dry ingredients, alternating with the buttermilk and ending with an addition of the last of the flour mixture.
-Stir in chopped cherries & chocolate chips.
-Fill prepared cupcake liners 3/4 full. Bake for 16-19 minutes, or until the toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool before transferring them to a wire rack. Wait until they are completely cooled before frosting.

 

 

Chicken with Cherry Sauce

1 pound fresh or frozen pitted sweet cherries

1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh gingerroot
4 chicken breasts
1 tablespoon butter

-Set aside 3/4 cup cherries.
-In a blender, combine orange juice, remaining cherries, soy sauce, honey, lemon juice, garlic and ginger; set aside.
-In a large skillet over medium heat, brown chicken on all sides in butter.
-Place chicken skin side down in an ungreased baking dish. Top with cherry sauce.
-Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 20 minutes; turn chicken. Top with reserved cherries.
-Bake, uncovered, 25-30 minutes longer or until chicken juices run clear.

 

February is National Heart Health Month and what better way to get your heart in shape then starting with what you eat. Super-foods will help put you on and keep you on the right path to an happy heart. You probably are already eating them but you you may not know that they are natures prime ingredients. They are nutrient dense and calorie sparse, so good for the heart AND the waistline. They offer superior quantities of anti-oxidants and essential nutrients (nutrients the body cannot produce).

A healthy diet loaded with super-foods helps our bodies function at their best. There are hundreds of nutritious foods, but the dozen on my list not only contribute healthy nutrients and help you heal BUT are culinary easy to use. Every food on this list boasts multiple healing effects, AND they are easy to come by. Eat my All Star picks and you’ll start feeling pretty super yourself.

Kiwi
Spinach
Onions
Cherries – Berries
Carrots
Broccoli
Lemons
Sweet Potato
Beans

Stay tuned because tomorrow I will break down the reasons why each of my Super Foods are just so darn, well, SUPER… but until then, start adding them in whatever you can, cook, juice, eat! Just trust me!