Girls' Wknd, Blintz & Cheeseburger Dip
life is hard; food doesn't have to be #45 [vol2, 3.1]
Last Thursday I left on a jet plane and met Rachael in North Carolina. I know her from our seminary years in Phoenix. When we met I had a one year old and she was barren, longing for children. Now she has 4 and I have 3. Our health journeys cannot be separated from each other. She introduced me to kombucha and the rest was history.
Rachael, even before turning into a crazy food freak, was crazy about food. Her roots, even though a military kid, are firmly planted in Southern Cuisine. Girl can cook now! When she recommends a recipe it’s gold.
So I pass along to you two recipes she’s shared with me recently. She brought to our girls’ weekend this Baked Blintze by Ina Garten. It can be made ahead and is perfect for a decadent breakfast. We warmed individual pieces in the oven each morning. It was kind of like having cheesecake for breakfast. The sauce calls for blueberries, but she used frozen cherries in pomegranate juice. Heaven! Last year she made the recipe as written with blueberry sauce. Definitely the cherries elevate.
Yesterday she messaged to say she made this Cheeseburger Dip. It’s on my menu plan because I know my people will like it. “It tastes like a Big Mac,” she said. It was a crowd pleaser at her house. They ate it over baked potatoes. She was able to find a jarred queso in the Safeway deli without MSG. We talked about substitutions and I think a block or two of cream cheese will do just fiiiine.
Of course on our girl weekend we talked about all things food. I didn’t bring any, but I told her I’d sourced parchment paper pre-cut sheets. She was thrilled to hear this news. It’s the little things, y’all.
A little poo in your brownies?
Someone tried to convince me once that “It’s just a little bit. It won’t hurt you.” To which I snarkily replied, “I don’t want just a little bit of dog poo in my brownies, either.”
Too many people unknowingly slather their largest organ (the skin) with hundreds of chemicals in small doses daily. And it’s making us all sick. I learned recently that the US beauty industry makes over $1 trillion, annually. It makes me angry that it is regulated by less than a page. (In comparison, the pharmaceutical market was estimated at $1.3 trillion in 2019. Ever seen the pages of disclaimers in a magazine?) It is imperative that we know what is going on our skin.
I read a blog post this week that confirms even low doses of some chemical exposure can bring about hormone disruption.
What is hormone disruption?
Hormone disruption can otherwise be known as infertility, early puberty, cancer of all kinds, thyroid disease, autoimmune disease… the list is long.
Continue to educate yourself about what goes on your skin. When scanning ingredient lists, I look for 4 words (or derivatives of these words) to avoid: parabens, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance.
Parabens are banned in Europe and have been linked to cancer. They have a tendency to mimic estrogen in the body, which wreaks havoc on your hormonal system. Their impact may even be enough to reduce fertility in men. Parabens are extremely common in conventional skin and hair products, so keep a sharp eye out for them.
Phthalates make products more pliable and fragrance stick to the skin. They also disrupt the hormonal system. Children are under 3 particularly at risk because they explore with their mouths. Most plastics are made with phthalates and the reason why I try to store my food in glass. This was an excellent article to help identify phthalates because they are usually identified by acronyms.
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS or SLES) is what makes a lather, or bubbles in soap. It can cause skin irritation, dryness, and trigger allergies. I made the switch to non-SLS soap about 18 months ago. Now when I use a regular dish or hand soap, I can really tell because it dries out my hands so much.
Fragrance is a giant loophole in the industry under the guise of proprietary laws. It hides a huge slurry of toxins like carcinogens, hormone disruptors and skin irritants. Buy flowers or essential oils and get rid of fragrances like the plague. This has been one that I have really zoomed in on lately. It’s in everything!
Please reach out to me with questions. About anything. I want to see you thrive in your health journey!
Julie