Aunt Laya's Purple Salad Delight

This is a completely unique salad that I haven't seen anywhere else. It adds color to the presentation of your meal and table. I love a blend of flavors and this one is really delicious.

Ingredients
5 cups shredded or chopped purple cabbage
2 small red apples, cored and cut into bite sized pieces, I think Gala are best but any kind is fine
1/8 cup dried cranberries
1/8 cup almonds OR pecan pieces (or chopped)

Dressing
2 T cold pressed oil of choice (sesame, olive, or even coconut)
1 T apple cider vinegar
1T lemon juice
2 T honey
pinch of salt

All in one bowl and toss so the ingredients of the salad and dressing are a nice blend.

Substitutions: of course you know you can play with this. If you really like sweet you can try candied pecans.  I have also used selon (date honey) in place of the bee honey--a great alternative if you want it vegan (it will make the salad darker).

Asian Salad Recipe

This is my version of an Asian salad and what makes it unique is the combination of sweet and salty dressing. It's a somewhat healthy version using no sugar, no msg, and good oils. Play with the veggies and amounts of things you add to make it the way you like it or follow my ingredients for a no brainer.

The base (this does not have to be exact):
1 cup purple cabbage
4 cups white cabbage
     the cabbage can be from a bag or  you can chop or grate it to your desired look

Add any combination of the following as you like depending on what you have and like:
1/3 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup raw (or roasted) cashews (or peanuts)
1/3 cup thinly sliced red (or yellow or orange) peppers

The dressing:
2 T of cold pressed sesame oil (you can also used roasted sesame oil or olive oil)
2-3 T balsamic vinegar
3-4 T selon (date honey, be sure it is pure without added sugar if that matters to you)
salt to taste
   (this is an important part of the taste of this dressing. You can use tamari or soy sauce if you use it)

Toss it all together and serve!

Here's a photo from my friend Sarah Leah who had the salad at my house and wanted the recipe (which is why you're reading it here now!). She prepared it in advance with the "Salad in a Jar" method. That means you put the dressing in first, then layer the ingredients (start with the crunchiest so the softer veggies don't get soggy). She said it was a hit at her table. I hope you love it too!

Travel Comfort Bag Ideas

On one leg of my last flight I sat next to a wonderful and friendly woman and we gabbed and shared with each other for most of the flight. I pulled out my "comfort bag" and she commented about what a good idea it was. It occurred to me it's time to share this idea too. So here's something that has evolved for me over the years.

My Comfort Bag
I currently use a mesh bag that was a gift from a friend. You can use a cosmetic bag or anything else that is the right size for you and fits what you want to bring. You could even use a clean fabric shoe bag. Here's what I always have ready for lengthy travel:

Tissues
Lip balm
Hand cream
Face oil
Eye drops
Wipees
Panty liners (for refreshening during a marathon trip with layovers)
Reading glasses
Flossers
Toothbrush
Ear phones
Nail file
Feminine hygiene products
Make up essentials (for me that's eye brow pencil, eye shadow with skinny brush for eye liner, and colored lip balk)
Antiacid (Tums or whatever you like)
Sleep mask (to cover eyes and block light)
Herbal tea bags and packets of honey and/or stevia
Vitamins
Inflatable neck pillow
Rescue Remedy (Bach Flower drops to calm nerves)
Headache pills (acetaminophen or ibuprofen etc)
Herbal sleep help (I found a valerian root based product; you can take this for a long flight.)
Pen (for filing out forms on the plane)

I know this sounds like a lot but I have small sizes of everything and it all fits in a cosmetic pouch. I actually have a smaller bag inside the bigger for the feminine hygiene stuff, flossers and make up that I would take into the restroom. I keep my tea and honey in a ziplock. And I keep the little earphones in a small jewelry pouch so the wires are not a tangle.

When traveling domestically within the US, airlines will not usually give you blankets or pillows which you usually do  get transatlantic. So for flights within the US I keep my coat or sweater with me in the seat for temperature changes. Otherwise you can put them in your carryon or overhead storage.

I also never travel without food. Check out my suggestions for travel food.

Happy trails!

Ordering Health Food Store Stuff Online

This is worth checking out people.

My latest find. http://www.iherb.com. You can order from them online (and the shipping to Israel is only $4 flat rate if the package is under four pounds!).

If you haven't ordered from them before, 

you can use this code: 

NDL355 

to get $10 off on your first order!!!

How great is that?

I am very pleased with my order from them and will order again. I love that they have customer reviews for each item as well. I'll add my product reviews to the mix at some point.

If you're in the US, you can get free shipping. Be sure to look at the top of the page to see what they have on sale. They have some products that are drastically reduced so you can try something new. (I did of course!) Enjoy.

(PS This coupon code gets me some goody discount or something so please do use it.)

(Herbal) Iced Tea Recipe

This is SO simple and a healthy alternative to soft drinks. When I first started serving this, I really did it for myself. I don't drink the sugary lemonade that I make (from concentrate) that the rest of my family likes. I would warn guests that it was only lightly sweetened with stevia and was more like a flavored water. But people do drink it and I serve it regularly now. It does not go in the same quantities as the sugary stuff, but that's OK by me since I enjoy it. :-)

• In a clean glass jar (old honey jar) I put 6-8 tea bags with the tags on the outside. 
• Add filtered water to the top. 
• Set it in the sun (this will also work without sun, by the way but better in the sun) for an hour or so--this does not have to be exact.
• Squeeze out the tea bags to get every drop of flavor and toss them
• Use half the tea concentrate to 2 liters of water and one packet of stevia
• Serve in a pretty pitcher or carafe

If it makes you happy, you can of course garnish with real fruit pieces or cinnamon sticks. 

FLAVORS
I make two kinds of tea blends: in the summer months I make a combo of the fruity teas: cherry, plum, strawberry, hibiscus, etc., what ever you love. You get a bright color for the concentrate which becomes very pale when diluted, but it's still pretty. Alternatively in the winter months during colder weather, I use the spicy teas that are mostly cinnamon flavored. You can use any flavor you love and you don't have to use only herbal teas.

Stevia is a natural plant extract that is used as a sweetener. It has an unusual taste and I have found that if you just use a small amount it tastes best. It can be an acquired taste, and not everybody likes it. It's worth repeating: if you don't like the taste, you might be using too much.

I also add a few drops of the liquid stevia to my lemon water and it helps me drink more during the day.

Finding a safe room in emergency

Where to go in your home in emergency...

Emergency Preparedness

Whether it's a natural disaster like a hurricane or earthquake, or a man made disaster like war, every home can take action to be prepared. This post is not complete but a beginning. There are many, many resources on the Internet and government websites as well.

If you see that I should add something to this list, please comment or send me an email and I'll edit this post.

First of all, every home should have a three day supply of bottled water. That's enough water for each family member for three days and that adds up to a lot of water. The number that comes up most is 4 liters of water per day per person.
Tip: when you finish a bottle of bleach, just fill it up with tap water for emergency use. That water can be used for cleaning or flushing if need be. If it is pure bleach, the water can be boiled and it will become potable. If it has soap in it, do NOT boil, use it only for cleaning or flushing.

Non perishable food supplies, also for three days.
Canned goods: fish, fruit, veggies, beans, I also love to have stuffed grape leaves
Dry goods: cereals, crackers, nuts, dried fruits, granola bars, cookies or other comfort foods
Other canned goods: peanut or other nut butters, tahini, jams, honey

Here are some other supplies you should have on hand:
Flash lights plus extra batteries and/or candles
Baby supplies: formula, cereal, diapers, wipes 
Medications: over the counter pain medicine as well as a reserve of prescription meds
Feminine hygiene products
Wipes 
Battery operated radio plus extra batteries
Blankets
Sturdy shoes (there can be a lot of debris to clean up after a disaster) and work gloves
Toys or stuffed animals for kids (crayons and paper, cards etc), games
Books, both spiritual and other, include for each family member. 


First Aid Kit:
Adhesive tape
Gauze
Bandaids
Meds (both Rx and over the counter)
Alcohol
Scissors
Soap

Family Papers:
Have a list of all doctors and phone numbers
Have all medical insurance cards or copies
Passports, ID cards
Cash

Family planning: 
It's possible that not everyone will be home in a disaster. So be sure everyone in the family has an out of town number for where to check in, in case phone lines are down or busy.

Make sure that children are prepared with what to do or where to go in the event of an emergency.
In Israel:
Kids who could be home alone in Israel should know where gas masks are stored.
Know where your closest bomb shelter is and make sure it's either unlocked or that you have a key!

Many sources teach that you should have a To Go Bag of supplies that are packed in case you need to evacuate suddenly. That's another list which I'll post later.

What Should I Pack???

What should you pack when you travel?

Here's a tool to help you travel light!

Here's a nifty little tool that asks you some questions about your trip plans and then generates a suggested packing list. Of course it's up to you to decide if it's relevant for you.

Here's the link:
http://upl.codeq.info

I found this from a neat blog called http://onebag.com

Safe and happy travels!

How to Chop an Onion

I came upon this video randomly on wimp.com (it's what I do when I want to play around) and gave it a try. It is a wonderful way to chop an onion and I really do get burning eyes less with this system!

Fish Recipes

Here are some recipes I've found online that we've made at our house.

This one is a new family favorite. That means there's never any leftovers!

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/blackened-tilapia-with-secret-hobo-spices/

We don't always have the exact spices for the recipe so we use what we have and it's always been divine!

We've made this one too and it's pretty good as well.

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/fish-recipes/the-nicest-tray-baked-lemon-sole