I had an invitation this week to come to Uruguay with a business associate, Anthony Zolezzi, to meet with ranchers who raise grass-fed beef. These producers know grass-fed. Uruguay has an ideal climate, with green grass growing throughout most of the year. And, the Uruguayans haven’t gone down the grain-finishing path over the past few decades. In the U.S., we are learning grass-finishing all over again. In Uruguay, they never forgot.

So, this morning, we are headed to meet with some beef ranchers. This is a business trip. But it’s impossible not to play tourist. So, en route to the meeting, we couldn’t resist pulling over as we passed a simple open-air market along the road. To say it was a market may be a bit of a stretch. It was more of a roadside stand, with a collection of wares spread out along the ground. As we stepped out of the car, the delightful aroma of the sausages and cured meats hanging from the rafters filled our senses. The proprietor stepped from behind a small display cooler containing bright wheels of locally made cheese and greeted us with a welcoming “ola’ as we picked our way through the collection of merchandise ranging from rusty branding irons to hand-made shoes.

Countries like Uruguay have rapidly moved into the international marketplace with state-of-the-art production and processing facilities. The little open-air market was a comforting reminder that the old ways remain alive and well.

Does a big box of Valentine’s Chocolates make you feel special?  Or, to look at it from the opposite side of the coin, are you disappointed if you don’t receive your favorite chocolates?  We all know that a big, beautiful box of chocolates is a most popular way to express our love…. and not just with our sweethearts but with our family members as well!

As you are figuring out how to manage your chocolates, here are a few healthy considerations:
#1  –  Go for a brisk walk or engage in some other form of physical activity.  A study compared the effect of being sedentary vs. a 15 minute brisk walk on chocolate cravings in 58 healthy women.  All women had no chocolate for a minimum of 24 hours before the study and some for up to a week.  Across the board, cravings were significantly less after walking in all participants.

#2  –  Individually wrap each piece of chocolate before you start eating them.  OK, you can have one or two to celebrate opening the box but then wrap each piece.  Why??  Well, another study looked at “effort” in association with consumption reduction of food, whether healthy or not.  The researchers found that unwrapping a food product was enough to significantly reduce the amount eaten.

#3  –  Bring the box to work and watch the chocolates disappear!  I have another study to tell you about, and I love this one!  Here, hidden cameras were used to watch 8 different boxes of chocolates that were placed on 8 different hospital wards in 3 different hospitals.  The boxes were unopened when placed.   The results?
●   it took 12 minutes from time of appearance on the ward to someone opening the box
●   74% of the chocolates were eaten right there at the box
●   it took about 1½ hours for the first half of the chocolates to be eaten
●   28% were eaten by healthcare assistants, 28% by nurses and 15% by doctors
So, if you work in a hospital, here you go!  If you work somewhere else, I bet the results will be about the same!

#4  –   Place your box out of sight so you are less tempted.  Now, this is often a problem because the box is pretty and it reminds you that someone cared enough to give it to you.  What to do?  Well, you could empty the box and do suggestion #2 and place the actual chocolates out of sight and leave the box out for a few days.  If you have children around, put sweet messages in the box to brighten everyone’s day.  Valentine’s is not just about the chocolate, it’s about the love.  Or, you could write down something you are grateful for each day for a week and then compare results all around.

#5  –  Make a commitment to eat just one chocolate a day.  Oh gosh, this one takes self-discipline and more.  Another recent study used MRI measurements to see the parts of the brain that were activated during chocolate exposure and chocolate intake.  The results found that those who ate the chocolate and those who resisted the cravings had activity in different parts of the brain … reward centers in the eaters, and cognitive control in the craving resisters.  So, which group are you part of?

We all know that Valentine’s Day is a celebration of love and appreciation.  As chocolates enter the picture, enjoy them … and remember to enjoy your good health too!  Lots of love …

If you’re like me you want something sweet after a meal, and while there are many risks of eating too much sugar, fruit is a natural way to satisfy that sweet tooth without overdoing your daily intake.

Here are some of the many nutrition benefits of eating fruit: cholesterol free, low in fat and sodium, and generally high in fiber, potassium, vitamin C and folate. Eating fruit can lower your risk of cancer and may help maintain healthy blood pressure levels.

Here are 2 ways to get your sweet on while increasing your daily fruit intake:

-Cut some fresh fruit and set aside on a platter or in a bowl, and serve it right after the meal. To prevent browning of the cut fruit while you eat your meal, squeeze some lemon or lime juice over it. The acid in citrus acts as a natural preservative. When you eat a sweet food right after a meal, it digests along with the other foods you just ate, and therefore doesn’t spike your blood sugar as much as if the sweet were eaten later or on it’s own in-between meals.

-Core and cut in half an organic apple or pear. Sprinkle with Wild Oats organic ground cinnamon, and add a tad of organic brown sugar or grade A maple syrup. Add some dried oats too if you like, and bake for about 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees. Top with low sugar, low fat yogurt. (This is the kind of dessert that you don’t feel guilty eating for breakfast either!) Makes two servings (1/2 per person).

Do you believe that you have the ability to attract love into your life? Have you ever witnessed someone who seems to have the best love life and you can’t figure out what they are doing that you aren’t? It may seem far-fetched to some, but you can change your love life drastically by opening yourself up and healing your emotions. The truth is that you CAN make your own natural love potion and create the romance you desire.

Are you unconsciously blocking love?
This can be a hard thing to see in yourself when you really want love in your life and have a hard time evaluating your feelings and actions. Maybe you’ve been hurt in the past and decided that you weren’t going to think about it so you just decided to push your pain down deep inside and think about it later. Or, maybe you are so busy in your life that you aren’t making room for the love you truly deserve. This can be tricky, because you may be dating, but you find yourself dating all the wrong people. So in those cases, it’s easy to say, “I just haven’t found him/her yet” when in reality you know that there is an issue you aren’t addressing. When is the last time that you really evaluated all your feelings and actions in an objective way? Try looking in the mirror and actually asking your own refection if you inviting the love you want into your life.

Natural remedies to open up your heart
The good news is that there are lots of natural tools that can help you to break through and find the love that you want. I like to think of these remedies as my own natural love potions that I can use whenever I want to. Keep in mind that we are all different and you might discover something that works for you that is completely different than what I suggest. The point is to open yourself up to the natural tools that will help you create the romantic life you desire. Look and you will find!

Specific Remedies to Attract Love
Do you fear love or just have a lot of anxiety in your life? Perhaps you could benefit from a natural remedy that helps to alleviate fear. Luckily, one of the best is one that you can find in almost every natural grocery store. Rescue Remedy is a stress-relief remedy made from flower essences that can help you if you feel unsure and anxious about love. However, make sure to check out the other remedies in the Bach line for a more exact remedy that describes your emotional obstacles. They offer a number of targeted remedies to help to build confidence and cleanse your emotions. Another great remedy to help with fear is a Vibropathic that I’ve used for sometime called simply “Fear.” This targeted remedy was developed by Hanna Kroeger, known as a pioneer in natural health. You can also utilize crystals, like rose quartz, to bring more love into your life. Another great and easy tool is to utilize essential oils to make you feel more attractive. One of my favorite essential oils for this is Vanilla Essential oil, which is a sensual scent that people find simply irresistible.

Whether you love or loathe Valentine’s Day, everyone falls for a good tart. This rhubarb & berry confection was intended to be an easy whip up (using frozen puff pastry and frozen rhubarb, I thought it would be a snap). In truth- a broken oven sent me to a friend’s for a borrow-a-kitchen favor, and it took rather longer than anticipated. Apt, I suppose- a labor of love for a lover’s celebration!

Along the way I discovered that this is an ideal baking session for a Saturday with the one(s) you love- mon ami was tickled pink to have a lady in the kitchen while he watched soccer and anticipated the final result. The scents are incredible- be prepared for breathless anticipation.

Ingredients:

Pastry:

• Save some time with Frozen pre-made puff pastry

Filling:

Part 1:

• 1 lb. frozen rhubarb
• 6 oz. raspberries (1 small container); save some for decoration
• 10 oz. strawberries (3/4 large container); save some for decoration
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup organic raw cane sugar
• 1 orange, for rind; approx. 2 tsps. zest

Part 2:

• 1 room temperature egg
• ¼ cup butter (half an 8 oz. stick)
• ⅓ cup coconut flour
• ⅓cup organic confectioner’s sugar (aka powdered sugar)
• ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp. bourbon vanilla powder (substitute extract for more vanilla flavor)

Ideal tools:

• Tart tin with removable bottom (a worthwhile investment)
• Rolling pin (though a clean glass bottle filled with water will do the trick)
• Pastry brush
• Pastry stones
• Whisk
• 2 mixing bowls, one large, one medium
• Medium sized pan
• Fine grater for zesting

First up: Set your puff pastry out to thaw. Do this before you do anything else, or you will add 30-60 minutes of wait time (trust me). Set an egg out to reach room temperature, along with your butter to soften it. Preheat oven to 375 °

Lightly sprinkle a clean surface with flour; you can use aluminum foil to cover a table for easy clean up.

Place the frozen rhubarb in your large mixing bowl and let thaw slightly. Wash and trim your berries; slice strawberries thinly, and set aside.

Over medium heat, warm your pan. Add the water and sugar. Stir occasionally, until the sugar is fully dissolved. Drain the water from your thawing rhubarb, and add to syrup mixture. Lower heat slightly, and let simmer for 5-8 minutes.

Roll out your thawed puff pastry, making it as circular as possible. Place in tart tin, folding over the excess to make a thicker crust around the rim. Cover with tin foil, and place in the freezer for 5-10 minutes.

When the rhubarb is ready, remove from heat, add your berries, and cover for 15 minutes.

Remove tart tin from the freezer, and, if you have pastry stones, place them in the center to prevent rising. If you do not have pastry stones, an 8-inch cake tin will fit nicely; press down firmly. You can use dried beans to add weight. Place in oven. Cook for 15 minutes, then remove from oven, remove tin foil and stones/cake tin, and place back in the oven for an additional 10-15, until golden brown.

Place the fruit back on low heat, adding a pinch of zest. Cover, and let simmer for 5-10 minutes.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together your softened butter and confectioners sugar. Set aside.

Remove pastry from oven when ready, and let cool completely. (Place it in the fridge if you are time-crunched).

While your pastry cools, whisk your egg, spices, and coconut flour into your butter/sugar mixture. You want it to be as fluffy as possible, but don’t sweat if it turns out more thickly- it will taste delicious regardless. Spread the resulting mixture into the bottom of your cooled tart-shell, and place in the oven for a few minutes.

Return to your simmering fruit- strain out the fruit into your mixing bowl, and return liquid to heat uncovered. Let reduce to create a slightly thicker glaze. Remove tart from oven, and add the fruit, spreading evenly. Return to oven until sauce is ready, then remove tart once more. Use your pastry brush to spread your glaze over the top of the tart, then sprinkle on the remaining zest. Using your decoration-berries, design the top of the tart to please yourself. Lightly dab the raspberries with glaze, and return to the oven for 5-10 more minutes. When done, remove and let cool before serving.

A few extra notes:

If you have an abundance of puff pastry, you can use it to decorate your tart as well- hearts, anyone?- just follow the same treatment as the tart. I made some puff pastry hearts and baked them in tinfoil to maintain their shape with no fuss. As you can see, there are a number of stages in this recipe, which means down-time between. Use this to clean up as you go for a stress-free presentation to your Valentine.

While I was waiting between stages, I happened upon a cookbook in my friend’s kitchen that I had never seen before- Miss Kay’s Duck Commander Kitchen. Opened at random to a recipe for Italian Crème Cake, I came across the following quote-“This…cake takes a little longer to make than a cake from a mix, so it really says, ‘I love you.’” Well then- this tart certainly get’s the point across!

I hope you and yours have a marvelous Valentine’s Day, wherever you may be.