Grilled Lamb Chops With Garlic & Parsley

Bonjour!!

...and Happy Washington's Birthday!!!

One of my favorite meats is Lamb.  If it is your first time cooking lamb I would suggest using rosemary because it is one spice that truly draws out the flavor of the lamb. In this recipe I used the simplicity of garlic and parsley. It is a very quick and easy way to have a great meal without making it too complicated and time consuming.

RECIPE
♥ 7 Lamb Chops
♥ 2-3 gloves of garlic
♥ Handful of parsley
♥ Salt
♥ Olive oil

Chop the parsley and the garlic. Heat a grill pan over high heat with some olive oil until almost smoking, add the chops (with the parsley and garlic)  and sear for about 2 minutes. Flip the chops over and cook for another 3 minutes for medium-rare and 3 1/2 minutes for medium.

For garnished... I made some homemade French fries. I used a very small potato.

©2014 The Pink Macaroon. All rights reserved.

xoxo

♥ Natalia ♥

The Energizer

Bonjour!!
What a lazy day... Today it is Sunday. It is raining in Sacramento, and I have zero energy. It doesn't help that yesterday I had a facial and a massage (I will tell you my experience in another posting).I am still in the detox, relaxed mindset.

This drink is great to increase energy and alertness, which I totally need today. It is nutrient-packed, yet very low in calories. 

Why is this juice good? Because...
Carrots contain the antioxidant beta-carotene, which is converted into the body to Vitamin A (Essential for good vision, vitamin A also aids the body in the formation and maintenance of skin, teeth, skeletal tissue, soft tissue, and mucus membranes.). Note of caution: "Be careful eating too many carrots because they can make the skin to turn orange. We don't want to look like an Umpa Loompa".

How to pick a good carrot: carrots should be firm, smooth, somewhat straight and with bright color. The deeper the orange color the more beta-carotene they have. Carrots with larger diameters have larger core which means that they are sweeter because the sugar is concentrated in the carrot's core. Very important to look at the stem end. If it is darkish color it means that it is an aging carrot.

I took a picture of the juice before I drank it, and even though it doesn't look all that appealing, the carrot flavor is very intense.

RECIPE

♥ Handful of parsley

♥ 6 carrots

Bunch the parsley in your hand first, then place in the feeder of the juicer and push it through with a carrot (fat end first).

Approximately Nutrient Content
Calories 192, Protein 4.6g, Carbohydrate 45g, Fat 0.84g, Vitamin A 1,215RE (RE - Retinol Equivalent), Vitamin C 60mg, Vitamin E 3mg, Thiamine 0.42mg, Riboflavin 0.24mg, Niacin 158mg, Vitamin B6 0.66mg, Folic Acid 97mcg, Sodium 158mg, Calcium 140mg, Magnesium 74mg, Potassium 1,506mg, Iron 3.36mg.

xoxo

♥ Natalia ♥

Recipe from "The Complete Book of Juicing" by Michael T. Murray, N.D.

The Green Drink

Have you ever heard of the old statement, "When you are green inside, you are clean inside"? I do believe there is some truth to that statement. This is probably one of the healthiest juice recipes available.

The color of this juice is bright green, and it smells like grass that has just been cut, however it doesn't taste like grass. According to my husband is "blend", but that's because he likes really sweet juices.

If what you want to achieve is a very sweet green juice, use more apples. I don't because I don't want my sugar level to spike. Another note... be careful with the Kale, it has a bitter taste so the more you put, the bitter the drink will be. The recipe says two kale leaves, however I only put one. Play with the recipe to your taste.

RECIPE
♥ Handful or parsley or wheatgrass
♥ 2 Granny Smith Apples, cut into wedges
♥ 2 Kale leaves
♥ Handful of spinach

Juice the parsley or wheatgrass first, then one of the apples, the kale, spinach, and the second apple. That will allow for the juice to flow better in your juicer.

Approximate Nutrient Content
Calories 189, Protein 4g, Carbohydrate 47g, Fat 1.4g, Vitamin A 766RE (RE - Retinol Equivalent), Vitamin C 56mg, Vitamin E 8.4mg, Thiamine 0.13mg, Riboflavin 0.44mg, Niacin 1.1mg, Vitamin B6 0.6mg, Folic Acid 244mcg, Sodium 94mg, Calcium 145mg, Magnesium 104mg, Potassium 996mg, Iron 4.4mg.

xoxo

♥ Natalia ♥

Recipe from "The Complete Book of Juicing" by Michael T. Murray, N.D.

Omega Vert Juicer

Last year I became a vegan for approximately 5 months. The most difficult thing I have ever done, not only because I love dairy, especially cheese but because I was surrounded by people that were not vegan; great people who loved to bring amazing food at work ... however I could not eat any of it, because I was on a mission. 

There was something on my diet that was making the digestion of my food very difficult and painful. After watching a documentary called "Vegucated" I decided to clean my pantry, and try the "vegan thing" to clean up my system, and then... little by little introduce products to figure out what was making me totally miserable.

That's how I got introduced to juicing. I had a juicer at home, however it was painful to juice because of the mess it created, and the difficulty of cleaning the machine. I have a friend that juices every morning, and he recommended the Omega Vert. There are a variety of juicers to choose from, depending on the use, and what you are looking for. I decided to get the Omega VRT330HD Heavy Duty Vert.

The body of this juicer is heavy (weights 11lbs), be careful when you move it, for sure it could break more than one toe if it falls on your foot. 

The Omega Vert are not cheap (I bought mine in Amazon for $284) in pearl white. I have not regretted my decision. This machine is easy to assemble to start juicing and easy to disassemble and clean. The best part is.. it does not waste product, it really extract the juice out of the vegetables and fruits. The instructions are clear and to the point.

♥ It gives you the order to disassemble

♥ Use the brush to clean thoroughly after operating

♥ Do not use metal sponge to clean, it will damage the machine

♥ Do not use dishwasher to clean

♥ Do not rinse the base with direct water, use dry towel or wet towel to clean

♥ Please dry the attachments after cleaning.

Happy juicing!!

xoxo

♥ Natalia ♥