I'm your huckleberry....

Q&A
 
I’ve had lots of questions lately, which I LOVE, and I’ll share a few with you as they could benefit everyone.  

Q:   How do you transport your Green Smoothies? What containers do you recommend?

First and foremost, I recommend either BPA-free plastics or stainless steel.  Now, since you are filling it with green smoothie (which can get rather thick) whatever container you choose needs to be rather simple and void of any nooks and crannies that are hard to clean.  This cancels out most sports bottles.  I used to live by stainless steel as their lids are easy to clean and I know that there isn’t anything leaching into my smoothie.  Then I discovered Contigo’s spill-proof BPA-free plastic bottles.  They are much lighter, cuter, and easier to drink from.  They are a little harder to clean, but if you have a good bottle brush you should be fine.  I usually buy mine from Costco for half the price that they sell from the manufacturer.  There are LOTS of different containers to choose from out there, so have fun finding bottles.  Oh, and since I usually do a liter of smoothie at a time, 2-3 bottles are full and I take my time drinking them.

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Q:  What is in your recipe book? How do I buy it?

The Living Raw By Grace UnCookBook
Table of contents: 
1.       A Healthier Way
2.       Appliances
3.       Tips and shortcuts
4.       Raw for Breakfast
5.       Unbaked: Breads & Crackers
6.       The Spread: Dips and Dressings
7.       Entrées & Main Dishes
8.       Guilt-free Desserts
9.       Glossary
 
Once finished and bound, you can purchase it off my website and have it shipped to you, you can buy the e-book and download it from my website, you can buy it at one of my Raw Recipe Nights, I will have a stand at Momma’s Organic Market on the 3rd Saturday each month, or you can simply email me and we can work something out.

The price is still being discerned and negotiated, so when I find the best price for YOU, I will let you know!

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I'm your huckleberry

There are lots of strange berries out there that you won’t come across in the stores: gooseberries, huckleberries, elderberries, boysenberries, dewberries, mulberries, and loganberries, to name a few.  Most grow wild – and there is a whole blog post about wild edibles coming soon – and are filled with wonderful nutrition.  If you have any berries that grow wild near you, you might want to check and see if they are edible!  Now, for those of us who live in AZ, we can only dream, but those of you who live in lusher climates, go for a walk!  I walked through my father’s neighborhood up in the Poconos of Pennsylvania and came across countless huckleberry bushes growing on his property.  He had mentioned them, but complained of their seeds.  They look and taste very similar to blueberries, but their seeds remind me of figs.  Small and edible, I found it to be a wonderfully pleasant berry.  I wish I could have picked and picked and then brought home, but I only discovered them hours before I left. 

Huckleberries are antioxidant powerhouses because of a phytonutrient called anthocyanidin, which gives them their blue color.  The huckleberry is rich in vitamins C, E and B, iron, potassium, manganese and dietary fiber.  Recent USDA studies show blueberries and huckleberries to be number one in antioxidant activity compared to forty other fruits and vegetables. The health benefits are numerous: they help support and speed up the metabolic rate; keep skin and muscle tone healthy; improve immune system function; promote cell growth and division (including red blood cell production); and help prevent pancreatic cancer. They also help protect against immune deficiencies, cardiovascular disease, prenatal health problems, and eye disease. Huckleberries also act to protect the cells against the damaging effects of free radicals; and helps prevent premature skin wrinkling.  It also contains minerals that are essential in the proper functioning of nerve and muscle tissues, such as the heart and the skeletal muscles.  Another important health benefit of huckleberries is their specific effect on the pancreas. Huckleberries help the pancreas in digesting sugars and starches, thereby preventing the blood sugar levels to rise.