Bonita Woods
Wellness Institute
No two bodies are the same. No two diets should be.
Our Kickstarter Campaign needs your support!
Friends, I have a favor to ask of you. I am fundraising on Kickstarter to complete the renovation for my mobile gluten free bakery and educational kitchen. Kickstarter will also help with promotion for projects that are gaining interest. They measure this 2 ways - the amount of money the project has earned and the number of backers who are interested in it. Could you could donate $1 &/or post this request on your social media to share with your friends? A large number of supporters, even with a low $, is enough to get the Kickstarter staff's attention.
Honestly, if I get this funding or not, Chef Bon's Yum Truck will get completed sometime (soonish) and somehow. But with community support is even better. Check it out - I have a lot of great awards and am adding more every few days.
Thanks!!!!!!!
Honestly, if I get this funding or not, Chef Bon's Yum Truck will get completed sometime (soonish) and somehow. But with community support is even better. Check it out - I have a lot of great awards and am adding more every few days.
Thanks!!!!!!!
The Yum Truck Fundraiser is getting good press!
Chef Bon's Yum Truck update 5/12/13:
Our fundraising efforts are getting noticed. Here is a review about Chef Bon's Yum Truck's Kickstarter project. Wish us luck! If we get fully funded by June 1, I can start on our free community nutrition classes by fall.
Over the next few weeks I will host a number of fundraising parties in the Falls Church / McLean / Arlington / Vienna area. You are all invited to all of them! We will also offer a bunch of additional awards and prizes for EACH & ALL of the project investors, even those who just pledge $1! If you like what you see, could you please share this with your friends and ask them to as well? Thanks! We appreciate your support.
Our fundraising efforts are getting noticed. Here is a review about Chef Bon's Yum Truck's Kickstarter project. Wish us luck! If we get fully funded by June 1, I can start on our free community nutrition classes by fall.
Over the next few weeks I will host a number of fundraising parties in the Falls Church / McLean / Arlington / Vienna area. You are all invited to all of them! We will also offer a bunch of additional awards and prizes for EACH & ALL of the project investors, even those who just pledge $1! If you like what you see, could you please share this with your friends and ask them to as well? Thanks! We appreciate your support.
Our first fundraiser!
I have a dream that we can sell healthful treats at an affordable price PLUS teach many, many, MANY people to cook healthfully and live well. Kickstarter is helping us to launch our first fundraising campaign for this effort. We need to fix Chef Bon's Yum Truck up. Converting a gyro truck into a mobile bakery is a lot of (very fulfilling) work. The new cooking equipment will arrive any day. We are halfway through the paint job. After that, we will mount the solar panels for our electric needs.
When complete, we will not just have a mobile gluten free bakery and educational kitchen. We will have the base for our nutritional outreach programs. We will help immigrant families learn to shop healthfully in US grocery stores. We will work with high school students to learn where food comes from and how it affects their bodies. We will teach parking lot healthful coking classes at wellness centers and hospitals. It is my hope that the Yum Truck will become a harbinger of health. So please check out our Kickstart page. Share it with your friends and social networking pages. Please like our twitter & facebook page, too! Over the next month we will host really fun and yummy fundraising events. If you are in Northern Virginia, please join us. If you are elsewhere, we will have skype lines and youtube videos that you can join in on. Good times are here and they celebrate good health!
When complete, we will not just have a mobile gluten free bakery and educational kitchen. We will have the base for our nutritional outreach programs. We will help immigrant families learn to shop healthfully in US grocery stores. We will work with high school students to learn where food comes from and how it affects their bodies. We will teach parking lot healthful coking classes at wellness centers and hospitals. It is my hope that the Yum Truck will become a harbinger of health. So please check out our Kickstart page. Share it with your friends and social networking pages. Please like our twitter & facebook page, too! Over the next month we will host really fun and yummy fundraising events. If you are in Northern Virginia, please join us. If you are elsewhere, we will have skype lines and youtube videos that you can join in on. Good times are here and they celebrate good health!
A special invitation for you!
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Please join Bonita Woods Wellness Institute for the Grand Beginning of Chef Bon's Yum Truck this Wednesday, May 1st from 3 to 7 PM at the Smart Market's Reston Farmer's Market. We will have loads of yummy samples, plenty of fabulous recipe cards and tons of uproarious fun!
Chef Bon's Yum Truck will be present. It is halfway painted and still being fixed up, so we will be just outside the truck with a tent and grill. I will be doing cooking demos and sharing treats all evening. On top of all that, we will be surrounded by wonderful farmer's booths and all kinds of amazing chefs. It will be loads of fun. I hope that we will see you there! |
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Old food never looked so good.....
I have a loaf of Pepperidge Farm 15 grain bread in my office that is over 3 years old and is as squeezably fresh as the day I bought it. It states that it is all natural, has no corn syrup or hydrogenated oil. What is in this food that keeps it shelf stable for years and years?????
Take a look at this video about a fresh looking 14 year old fast food burger. Where is the mold and decomposition? Even the mice and ants won't eat it! It is right up there with the McDonald's sliced apples that sat unchanged on my kitchen counter for 2 weeks.
It is important to look at your food and ask yourself: Is this really food? Or is it a fiend masquerading as something corporate scientists want me to crave?
(This may be really bad, but a small part of me wonders how long before we humans try to find the solution to age the way this burger does... So instead of developing the face lift "pulled back" & constantly surprised look, wealthy old ladies will age like burgers.....
Take a look at this video about a fresh looking 14 year old fast food burger. Where is the mold and decomposition? Even the mice and ants won't eat it! It is right up there with the McDonald's sliced apples that sat unchanged on my kitchen counter for 2 weeks.
It is important to look at your food and ask yourself: Is this really food? Or is it a fiend masquerading as something corporate scientists want me to crave?
(This may be really bad, but a small part of me wonders how long before we humans try to find the solution to age the way this burger does... So instead of developing the face lift "pulled back" & constantly surprised look, wealthy old ladies will age like burgers.....
BWWI's new truck in all it's future glory! (click on picture to make bigger)
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Without the logos and decals. (click on picture to make bigger)
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Don't get too excited yet... although we certainly are! While our truck is getting fixed up at Smokey's Garage, Ursy and I designed the truck. Just now I am looking for an auto shop to paint it and an auto decal company to make the pictures and words. Wish us luck!
BWWI is taking our food on the road!
We received a partial donation of a food truck (ie: We had to pay but not nearly what the truck is worth). Finally, we can get some continuity with our gluten free baked goods! For the past 2 years, we have rented kitchens by the hour or made use of pockets of donated time from commercial kitchens when they are not in production. We spent more time packing up and moving our equipment and product than in the actual preparation and packaging. (BTW - it is really hard to insure a bakery when you don't actually have a physical kitchen!)
Now we have a wonderful food truck that we are converting to a gluten free mobile bakery and an educational kitchen. Parking lot classrooms are coming!
We will debut the truck on Wednesday at 11 AM at the Smart Market's Reston farmer's market.
Until then, we are organizing our menu & packaging, setting up our truck tracker and figuring out our daily food truck schedule. We look forward to this adventure!
Now we have a wonderful food truck that we are converting to a gluten free mobile bakery and an educational kitchen. Parking lot classrooms are coming!
We will debut the truck on Wednesday at 11 AM at the Smart Market's Reston farmer's market.
Until then, we are organizing our menu & packaging, setting up our truck tracker and figuring out our daily food truck schedule. We look forward to this adventure!
Kale Chips: the Spring side dish of choice!
Yesterday I was talking with my friend Karen about what a fun-yum side dish kale chips are for any summer or sandwich meal. The up side of making your own kale chips is that you can control the flavor. The down side is that they take time to bake, your home smells like baked kale and that they can lose freshness quickly. That means they will reabsorb moisture & lose their crispy crunch. If any of that is an issue for you, New Family Naturals (Their Spicy Nacho Kale Chips are my favorite in the world!) makes the best kale chips I have ever tried. Even people who don't like kale go back for more and more of their yummy chips! NFN sells in Northern Virginia but you can also mail order their product. Brad's Raw Chips are also natural and very healthful. They have more of a vegan "cheesy" taste (I guess they use more nutritional yeast?) that I don't much care for (and some of my friends adore!) but... Just like the New Family Naturals, once I start eating Brad's chips, I can't stop. Honestly, I love the fact that I can be choosy over kale chips. 2 years ago, who even heard of them?
Writing this post has motivated me. I am going to make a batch of kale chips this week. I will let you know how they come out! Since I already have a dehydrator & most of the ingredients I need, this is a cost effective recipe for me to make. A reminder for all of us: When you want to make a home version of a seemingly pricey treat, calculate your food cost, determine your labor time, figure how much of this recipe you will actually eat or share... then compare to the cost of buying the item at the store. Sometimes & am delighted with how comparatively inexpensive the store bought product is after I conclude this calculation. Not that this ever stops me from making my own recipe if I am in the mood! But it can give me a greater appreciation of what the manufacturer goes through to sell me a yummy food at what is probably a slim profit margin. Often when I interview the companies, I learn that these crafted food items are indeed a product of love and a desire to share health with the world. That ALWAYS makes me feel good about making a purchase. If you are as curious a buyer as I am, contact your favorite food manufacturers and ask how much love goes into their product. This will spawn interesting conversations for you and possibly change your perspective on your home cooked-store bought relationship. Isn't it wonderful when the commercial kitchens you buy from also have a "home cooked" sense of pride and value?
Writing this post has motivated me. I am going to make a batch of kale chips this week. I will let you know how they come out! Since I already have a dehydrator & most of the ingredients I need, this is a cost effective recipe for me to make. A reminder for all of us: When you want to make a home version of a seemingly pricey treat, calculate your food cost, determine your labor time, figure how much of this recipe you will actually eat or share... then compare to the cost of buying the item at the store. Sometimes & am delighted with how comparatively inexpensive the store bought product is after I conclude this calculation. Not that this ever stops me from making my own recipe if I am in the mood! But it can give me a greater appreciation of what the manufacturer goes through to sell me a yummy food at what is probably a slim profit margin. Often when I interview the companies, I learn that these crafted food items are indeed a product of love and a desire to share health with the world. That ALWAYS makes me feel good about making a purchase. If you are as curious a buyer as I am, contact your favorite food manufacturers and ask how much love goes into their product. This will spawn interesting conversations for you and possibly change your perspective on your home cooked-store bought relationship. Isn't it wonderful when the commercial kitchens you buy from also have a "home cooked" sense of pride and value?
How to make your own Kale Chips at home
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76 Trombone update: We broke the world record!
A big thanks for all of you who shared the joy and excitement as we joined FAME with setting the world record of trombonists playing together. You can read about our musical escapade on the FAME website, the FAME facebook page and the Washington Post. You can watch a video of us playing on The Reston Patch. I think it is impressive that we are as clear & comprehensible as we are. After all, this was in 5 part harmony, our sections were mixed together and we had never practiced with each other... yet we came together as 1 harmonious team. 3 cheers for trombonists!
Our very full Friday: Did we break a world record?
Ice Cream or Berries?
Zander was enjoying a hot afternoon's ice cream when he noticed the mulberries and strawberries in our garden were aromatic & sweetly ripe. What a feast for a boy!
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We owe a big THANK YOU to Foxes Music Company in Falls Church, VA.
They loaned me 2 trombones for a few days so that we adults could brush up
on our technique and join Zander in the ball field.
Thank you Foxes Music for helping to make our crazy dream come true!
They loaned me 2 trombones for a few days so that we adults could brush up
on our technique and join Zander in the ball field.
Thank you Foxes Music for helping to make our crazy dream come true!
Cravings & Substitutes
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Bread Baking at Home click on title to go to Recipe Page
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1 Breakfast, 1 Frying Pan, 2 Dishes!
Zander wanted scrambled cheesy eggs, bacon & toast for breakfast. Sounds good to me! I gave him 2/3 of the meal, added cooked black rice & power greens to the frying pan for my meal. Topped off with organic apple from Toigo Orchards & grass fed milk from Trickling Springs Creamery (my coffee beans were lovingly roasted at Caffe Amouri) and we are good to go! Now we are both happy and there is little mess to clean.
Happy Saturday Morning Everyone!
Happy Saturday Morning Everyone!
Happy Memorial Day!
Zander & I joined scouts of George Mason District at National Memorial Park to join a service and honor those that served our country. The boys placed American flags on the graves of servicemen and women. The boys also picked up trash and guided several visitors to location of their loved ones. As Zander stated: Memorial Day is an even more important holiday than Independence Day since without soldiers fighting for our rights, we wouldn't have a 4th of July.
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Join us today at Viva Vienna!
Looking for something to do today? Come & join us at the Viva Vienna festival! BWWI has a booth at the Caffe Amouri parking lot, where you can also enjoy: The semi-finals of Vienna Idol; lots of live music; an outdoor cafe jointly hosted by Caffe Amouri, Sanctuary on Church Street & Church Street Pizza. It is a party in the middle of a festival!
This is the first official public outreach event for BWWI. As much as we prepared, we am not even close to ready for this event. If you are in Vienna, swing by to wish us luck and see how well we promote BWWI's upcoming projects while simultaneously selling little baggies of freshly baked granola. No matter what happens, we can guarantee that it will be entertaining!
This is the first official public outreach event for BWWI. As much as we prepared, we am not even close to ready for this event. If you are in Vienna, swing by to wish us luck and see how well we promote BWWI's upcoming projects while simultaneously selling little baggies of freshly baked granola. No matter what happens, we can guarantee that it will be entertaining!
The praying manti were so small on 5/15/2012
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On 5/26/2012 they have grown and are a wonderful insect repellent. Mosquitoes & aphids are disappearing fast!
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Good soil = healthy plants = happy "good" bugs
Our baby praying manti are growing! Here is one enjoying a healthful snack. I noticed they are all over our aphid covered rose bush. I am so glad; since this is the reason I didn't take care of the aphids 2 weeks ago, when I wanted to dust the rose bush. Healthful & natural food is important for all of us, including insects. This mantis (along with about 100 siblings) is on our rasp & black berry bushes. As they grow older, they will spread through our yard and beyond. Happy eating little manti!
Looking for something to do this Wednesday night?
FREE LIVING WELL COMMUNITY SEMINAR: "Dining for Energy and Vitality"
Date: May 23, 2012
Time: 6:30-8:15 p.m.
Place: Brooke Grove Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, 18131 Slade School Road, Sandy Spring, MD 20860
Event Cost: Free
Additional Information:
Contact: Toni Davis, director of marketing
Contact Phone: 301-924-2811, option 3
Contact Email: tdavis@bgf.org
Join Chef Bonita Woods of the Bonita Woods Wellness Institute as she demonstrates some of her favorite healthy, fiber-rich recipes and shares samples sure to tantalize your tastebuds! According to Chef Woods, diet and lifestyle have a huge impact on our health, energy and well-being. Many of the same ingredients that are good for a heart-healthy diet also help to maintain stable blood sugar and digestive comfort, keeping energy up and helping with weight management. The seminar will be held from 7 to 8:15 p.m. and will be preceded by a complimentary lite supper beginning at 6:30 p.m. Please RSVP to Toni Davis.
Date: May 23, 2012
Time: 6:30-8:15 p.m.
Place: Brooke Grove Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, 18131 Slade School Road, Sandy Spring, MD 20860
Event Cost: Free
Additional Information:
Contact: Toni Davis, director of marketing
Contact Phone: 301-924-2811, option 3
Contact Email: tdavis@bgf.org
Join Chef Bonita Woods of the Bonita Woods Wellness Institute as she demonstrates some of her favorite healthy, fiber-rich recipes and shares samples sure to tantalize your tastebuds! According to Chef Woods, diet and lifestyle have a huge impact on our health, energy and well-being. Many of the same ingredients that are good for a heart-healthy diet also help to maintain stable blood sugar and digestive comfort, keeping energy up and helping with weight management. The seminar will be held from 7 to 8:15 p.m. and will be preceded by a complimentary lite supper beginning at 6:30 p.m. Please RSVP to Toni Davis.
Chef Bon hosting a Colonial American lunchat TJ Elementary School. Students learned just how much our daily meals have changed over the years!
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Master Tao Porchon Lynch is 93 years old and going strong!
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You can invite Chef Bon to your school!
If your school is in the Greater Washington, DC metropolitan area, you can invite Chef Bon to visit your school! The Bonita Woods Wellness Institute offers a variety of culinary, nutrition and wellness programs for students. Our programs are fun, educational and memorable.
No matter where you are in the USA, you can also get Food Health type programs through Chefs Move to Schools & Prevent Obesity. Both programs are part of Mrs Obama's Let's Move! campaign, and Chef Bon is active with all of them.
Why do we do this? Because our children have the right to grow up healthfully and age as gracefully as Master Tao... and Chef Bon's mom, Ursy Potter. Ursy just returned from horseback riding & hiking very steep mountains of San Miguel, Mexico, where she took pictures of Monarch Butterflies (at the final stop of their southern migration). As soon as she was back home, Ursy and her husband Carter Hearn went kayaking at the Needles section of the Shenandoah River.
All 3 of these amazing adults are an inspiration to us all!
Every child also has the right to also be an inspiration of fun & healthful living!
No matter where you are in the USA, you can also get Food Health type programs through Chefs Move to Schools & Prevent Obesity. Both programs are part of Mrs Obama's Let's Move! campaign, and Chef Bon is active with all of them.
Why do we do this? Because our children have the right to grow up healthfully and age as gracefully as Master Tao... and Chef Bon's mom, Ursy Potter. Ursy just returned from horseback riding & hiking very steep mountains of San Miguel, Mexico, where she took pictures of Monarch Butterflies (at the final stop of their southern migration). As soon as she was back home, Ursy and her husband Carter Hearn went kayaking at the Needles section of the Shenandoah River.
All 3 of these amazing adults are an inspiration to us all!
Every child also has the right to also be an inspiration of fun & healthful living!
My stepfather Carter Hearn with my stepbrother Davey Hearn, his wife Jennifer & their son Jesse. No matter what age, my family loves to have healthful adventures!
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the 57th Potomac Downriver RaceKeeping in shape can be fun! My family (Carter, Davey, Jennifer & their son Jesse) loves playing in nature. While I am a fair weather kayaker (I can't even Eskimo roll!), the rest of my family loves going through whitewater and down waterfalls. Add in camping, hiking and rock climbing, and you have a good picture of how we keep in shape.
If you have a neighborhood gym that you enjoy or you like to shoot hoops with your friends, go for it! So long as you are (safely) having fun, breathing hard, sweating and working your muscles, you are doing it right. |
Please help us to help end childhood hunger!
Health and wellness education is important for our kids. Equally important is making sure that all children have access to healthful food. Please visit No Kid Hungry to give your voice in asking Congress to protect SNAP (formerly food stamps) and other federal nutrition programs in the Farm Bill. Also, you can add your email to the pledge. Your support will be very helpful!
Want to learn more? Check out these sites: FRAC, USDA, and SNAP.
(pictured: Every child needs to eat healthfully!)
Want to learn more? Check out these sites: FRAC, USDA, and SNAP.
(pictured: Every child needs to eat healthfully!)
A day at Touchstone Farm
click of pict to see this year's photos
Last year Zander & I built a garden behind our kitchen - partly because he did a Garden Merit Badge for Boy Scouts, partly so we can have lovely produce at the tip of our fingers, but mostly for fun. (After all, what is a chef without a garden?) Please check out our 2011 facebook photo albums (1, 2 & 3) to see how we are did!
The secret to our amazingly blooming Garden of Paradise? We went to Touchstone Farm in Amissville, VA to get sheep manure to mix with our soil (and a dash of Miracle Grow). I seriously think this is the best fertilizer in the world! So last weekend, Zander and I returned to Touchstone Farm. Several friends and my parents asked us to get manure for them, too. Also some sheep wool mulch. This is amazing! You put a thin layer of the dirty sheep wool around your plants and it is the best mulch you could imagine. It helps keep the soil moist and the bits of dirt & sheep poo left in it act as additional fertilizer every time you water your garden.
The secret to our amazingly blooming Garden of Paradise? We went to Touchstone Farm in Amissville, VA to get sheep manure to mix with our soil (and a dash of Miracle Grow). I seriously think this is the best fertilizer in the world! So last weekend, Zander and I returned to Touchstone Farm. Several friends and my parents asked us to get manure for them, too. Also some sheep wool mulch. This is amazing! You put a thin layer of the dirty sheep wool around your plants and it is the best mulch you could imagine. It helps keep the soil moist and the bits of dirt & sheep poo left in it act as additional fertilizer every time you water your garden.
PortionSizeMe - One kid's healthful perspective on food
Thank you Cecilia for pointing this article out to me. You can read about Marshall's innovative program here in today's New York Times article.
What a wonderful program this young man has started! Look further at http://portionsize.me/
What a wonderful program this young man has started! Look further at http://portionsize.me/
 Maddy is watching you! Maddy the Cat's feline friend Croaker showed this whimsical video to us, so now Maddy wants to share it with you. This has nothing to do with diet but everything to do with enjoying nature and having fun.
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Just posted on the BWWI facebook page
If you are not already a fan of our BWWI facebook page, please check it out. We post news and conversations there as well as on this website. We just added articles on Cosmetic Surgery and Stem Cell Burgers. Sounds disgustingly enticing? You have to read it to believe it!
Check it out!
Chef Bon has new posts on her blog page, Food Health...Our Daily Blog. If you have any links, tips, recipes or tricks you want to share, please feel welcome to contact us by email or the BWWI facebook page. We are always happy to share the informational wealth!
1 Pan Meals
Tips from a tired Mom trying to enjoy meals with a picky eater... and also keep her sanity in a good place
- meals and - meal plans |
Chef Bon's New Articles
Chef Bon has a few more articles to share with you
How Buying Local Impacts the Global Economy and Healthful Detox |
Plus new Gluten Free recipes!
We are adding more tomorrow, too :)
Granola is happening!
If you want to see what all the fuss is about, check out our new line of gluten free baked goods at Falls Church's Local Market and Vienna's Caffe Amouri. More gluten free treats & locations coming soon. We can't tell you how excited Chef Bon is about this!
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Everyone has the right to eat healthfully!
 Even my godchild Emmy Alex the Cat!
After her yummy breakfast, Emmy Alex napped in my lap, daring me to try to work without disturbing her. ..
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It's good to be back!
Zander & me at a family dinner
Check out our latest articles on Our Daily Blog and Chef Bon's Baked Treats to see where we have been
In this photo, you see:
Chocolate Cloud Cake made with tofu, low fat cottage cheese and yogurt
Key Lime Cheesecake made with low fat cream cheese and tofu
Cherry Blueberry Tarts
Who says that desserts have to be bad for you to taste good? No one noticed the added health value to my desserts but they did notice how good they felt after eating them!
In this photo, you see:
Chocolate Cloud Cake made with tofu, low fat cottage cheese and yogurt
Key Lime Cheesecake made with low fat cream cheese and tofu
Cherry Blueberry Tarts
Who says that desserts have to be bad for you to taste good? No one noticed the added health value to my desserts but they did notice how good they felt after eating them!
BWWI has a new logo
We had over 100 designs submitted by artists from around the world. The winner was Chloé Durand of www.ct-realisations.co. If any of you are looking for an artist, we could not recommend anyone better! She researched us, went all through our website and captured the essence of our mission. We love how Chloé incorporated both the joyousness of health and nature. The colors are perfect! For those who read colors, green represents physical health and blue is for spiritual well being. How perfect for us!
You can see our new logo design gracing our new line of granola treats currently being test marketed in local stores. Learn all about our venture into the world of baked goods on our Yum Bites and Granola page. We at BWWI are so excited. Wish us luck!
You can see our new logo design gracing our new line of granola treats currently being test marketed in local stores. Learn all about our venture into the world of baked goods on our Yum Bites and Granola page. We at BWWI are so excited. Wish us luck!
Everyone has the right to eat healthfully!
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Spicy Banana Pepper Marmalade - so good!
Last night Michael Amouri of Vienna's Caffe Amouri came by for dinner & to play with making chocolate bark in my kitchen. First we stopped by the Local Market because I love that store so much! Then Michael & I experimented with cracked espresso bark & peppermint bark. You will see both at his coffee house this winter.
Michael's favorite dinner item was a condiment - my Spicy Banana Pepper Marmalade. I made it off the top of my mind, but the basic recipe is:
6 hot banana peppers, 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 1/4 cup raw apple vinegar, 1 teaspoon lime juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Simmer the peppers in the oil. Add lime juice, let simmer a moment to take out the rawness. Add vinegar and simmer with a low bubble (not a full boil). Add salt. Adjust flavor to your taste.
this was a great addition to our dinner... and my breakfast... and lunch... dinner again tonight. So spicy & flavorful!
Michael's favorite dinner item was a condiment - my Spicy Banana Pepper Marmalade. I made it off the top of my mind, but the basic recipe is:
6 hot banana peppers, 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 1/4 cup raw apple vinegar, 1 teaspoon lime juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Simmer the peppers in the oil. Add lime juice, let simmer a moment to take out the rawness. Add vinegar and simmer with a low bubble (not a full boil). Add salt. Adjust flavor to your taste.
this was a great addition to our dinner... and my breakfast... and lunch... dinner again tonight. So spicy & flavorful!
How fat is too fat?
Our nation is so inundated with artificial ingredients, partially hydrogenated fat, overhanging midriffs (muffin tops), disinterest in exercise or real cooking... We are becoming jaded to the term "national obesity epidemic".
We are fat and getting fatter while we pursue diets that boast "Eat all you want and still lose weight!" How is this possible? A large percentage of us actually think this is OK. Instead of making healthful choices, we would rather "manipulate" or "trick" our body chemistry. What ever happened to the good, old fashioned program? You know - the one where you eat healthfully and exercise?
As our nation increases in pounds and inches, I offer this sage advice: drive less & walk more. Eat more produce (fruits, veggies & whole grains) and less prefab food. If you have a 100 calorie snack bag of cookies and a 100 calorie fruit salad, which should you chose for your snack? (insert sarcastic response here) In that case, why would you ever have a snack bag of cookies when you can carry an apple, orange or banana (each well under 100 calories) instead? While I am not pushing any particular diet, I do recommend that everyone eat minimally processed food as often as possible. My grandmother called this "food that sticks to your ribs", meaning it keeps you full and energized for a long time. This is different from the processed food that sticks to your ribs, gut, thighs, butt, and all those cellulite loving areas...
Our digestive system is a lot like a checking account. It is all about calories in balancing with calories out. The easier it is to digest the food, the more your body wants to grab those calories and hold on to them. The rougher and less refined the food, the harder your body has to work to break down and digest it, & the less you absorb the calories. Your body has to work at digesting unprocessed food and needs energy to do that. It is easier to use the calories in the food to provide digestive energy than to store them. That"s right - eating high fiber food burns calories! So that 48 calorie apple becomes more like a nutrient dense & potentially calorie free snack! That is why, the rougher food = more nutrition and less calories. The more refined food = less nutrition and more calories.See? Basic math just like your bank statement. Not mine, which I can never properly balance, but hopefully yours.
We are fat and getting fatter while we pursue diets that boast "Eat all you want and still lose weight!" How is this possible? A large percentage of us actually think this is OK. Instead of making healthful choices, we would rather "manipulate" or "trick" our body chemistry. What ever happened to the good, old fashioned program? You know - the one where you eat healthfully and exercise?
As our nation increases in pounds and inches, I offer this sage advice: drive less & walk more. Eat more produce (fruits, veggies & whole grains) and less prefab food. If you have a 100 calorie snack bag of cookies and a 100 calorie fruit salad, which should you chose for your snack? (insert sarcastic response here) In that case, why would you ever have a snack bag of cookies when you can carry an apple, orange or banana (each well under 100 calories) instead? While I am not pushing any particular diet, I do recommend that everyone eat minimally processed food as often as possible. My grandmother called this "food that sticks to your ribs", meaning it keeps you full and energized for a long time. This is different from the processed food that sticks to your ribs, gut, thighs, butt, and all those cellulite loving areas...
Our digestive system is a lot like a checking account. It is all about calories in balancing with calories out. The easier it is to digest the food, the more your body wants to grab those calories and hold on to them. The rougher and less refined the food, the harder your body has to work to break down and digest it, & the less you absorb the calories. Your body has to work at digesting unprocessed food and needs energy to do that. It is easier to use the calories in the food to provide digestive energy than to store them. That"s right - eating high fiber food burns calories! So that 48 calorie apple becomes more like a nutrient dense & potentially calorie free snack! That is why, the rougher food = more nutrition and less calories. The more refined food = less nutrition and more calories.See? Basic math just like your bank statement. Not mine, which I can never properly balance, but hopefully yours.
Chef Bon's new cooking videos!
Chef Bonita and her favorite nutrition partner Laurie Young are having fun making cooking videos. To answer the questions running through your head: No, we have no idea what we are doing. Yes, they will get better over time as we figure out how to do this right(ish). Yes, we are so happy & having a blast! Have any recipe requests? Please let us know! We would love to hear from you. Currently, we have 5 recipes on Youtube. We will get a bunch more starting in a couple of weeks. Check them out here. :)
Check out Chef Bon's Blog: FoodHealth
11/12/2011: update on Scouting for Food - local scouts brought 4500 pounds of donated food to the local food bank at Knox Presbyterian Church in Falls Church. This will help a lot of families in need to have a festive Thanksgiving! (photos here)
Hungry? (click here!)
Try Chef Bon's Chocolate Cherry Yum Bar!
A great powerbar that is super easy to make.
How is Chef Bon's Diet going? Find out on our diet page!
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Bon's Daily "Get Fit" Challenges |
What do I love about my diet? My pants fit! ...kind of...
It is wonderful to be able to wear my clothing again.
It is wonderful to be able to wear my clothing again.
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