Live Life mindfully. 

More people are adapting to a more holistic way of eating and living. To help raise your nutritional value and remove toxicity from your diet, you can choose plant based products to cleanse your hair and body. Your not only being kind to your health, body and soul, you are being kind to mother earth.

You can potentially reduce the risk of major diseases, like skin disease, hair disease and cancer. Choose real products and enjoy the results of your mindful choices for healthier living.

When I go to the farmers market my favorite thing to look at is the delicate selection of fruits and vegetables they have. The things that make you say, “wow, how do they do that?” when your eating at a restaurant. My favorite thing so far has to be stuffed flowers. One of the easiest flowers to stuff is the Zucchini Blossom. If you have been to your local farmers market or if your local market actually carries Zucchini blossoms, do not hesitate to pick some up.  It is one of the easiest things to prepare and so beautiful, so romantic and so delicate.  So if you want to do something for your friends, like have them over for a tapas night or if your cooking a romantic dinner for your loved one, this is the perfect recipe for you. 

There are male and female blossoms, there are blossoms that actually have a tiny zucchini and there are larger blossoms that have a large flower and a tiny zucchini attached. The best part of this recipe is you can stuff it with whatever you want. If you are a vegetarian you can use mushrooms and onions, if you are a seafood eater you can use crabmeat, or imitation crabmeat (if your are kosher) or lobster. If you eat meat you can use Chicken or beef. You can even just use cheese; there are many great things that make amazing fillings for these Zucchini Blossoms. 

For the following recipe I am going to use Mushrooms and onions. You can use any assortment of mushrooms you like from Shiitakes, to Button, to Oyster or you can mix them all together. I am also going to include my spicy tomato dipping sauce recipe.

Supplies needed:

• Tongs
• Skillet

Ingredients For Blossoms:

• 1 large onion (white or Yellow) Chopped 
• 1/2 pounds of Blossoms or 20 small blossoms
• 4 cups of mushrooms of your choice
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup of flour ( you can use which ever type of flour you like; Wheat, quinoa rice, white, or even pancake mix)
• 1/2 sparkling water
• 1/2 tbsp of Italian parsley or thyme
• Salt and pepper (to taste) 
• Vegetable oil, to cook

Ingredients for sauce:

• 2 tomatoes or a can of tomato
• 2 gloves of garlic (or a shallot) 
• Whatever seasonings you like (oregano, thyme or hot peppers) 
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Clean your mushrooms (you clean mushrooms by using a mushroom brush, never wash) Saute your large onion, for 5 mins, or until iridescent. Slice your mushrooms and add to onion mixture. Season with Italian Parsley, or thyme or whatever seasonings you chose. (At this point I like to add a little feta, I prefer goat feta, but you can use any cheese you like to give the recipe a nice little boost). Let the onions and mushrooms saute for about 5 mins. While your mixture is cooking you can prepare your batter. Take your cup of flour and beaten egg and mix together. Slowly adding your 1/2-cup of sparkling water, until your batter reaches the consistency of pancake mix. (We use sparkling water to make the batter bubbly, instead of using baking powder). Now you are going to stuff each of your blossoms, and dip them in the batter mixture. Hold the tips of the flowers and the bottom of them ans swirl it in the batter. Check to make sure your oil is hot, you want it at about 350 degrees, you can do this by dropping a drop of batter in the oil (if it floats your oil is ready!) or by sticking your spatula in the oil and if it boils around the spatula, then its heated. Then you will dunk your battered zucchinis into the hot oil. Follow these steps for the rest of your stuffed zucchini blossoms. By the time you’ve placed all of your blossoms into the skillet you can go back to the first one you placed in the skillet and flip it over. (Repeat with the rest of your blossoms) Once all your blossoms are golden brown, they are ready. Remove from skillet using tongs and place onto a plate with a paper towel, to drain the excess oil. You can now sprinkle with a little salt and serve this way or you can use the following Spicy Dipping sauce recipe.

Dipping sauce Directions:

• Take your Diced garlic or shallots and saute for about 3 mins.
• Add your tomatoes or tomato juice, saute all together until it starts to thicken and bubble
• Transfer into your blinder 
• Add seasonings of choice 
•  Blind and serve

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did! 

As you know it is the month of September; its my Birth Month. It’s the time for a new season, the season of Fall, where everything is being renewed. I consider myself to be a very holistic person and being in a business where it is very important to be holistic, I try my very best to share my beliefs with my friends, family and clients. I use Natural products, that have a lower toxicity level and are as herbal and vegetarian as possible. The Month of September is the beginning of the renewal season and the start of fall, this is the time where most of the trees start to loose their leaves and plan for the next winter, spring and summer. So because of that I to try to drop my weight 10-15 lb in the month of August to prepare my body for the up coming season changes. My belief is that your body can actually live on its own, by eating its own flash cells, it sounds a little gross but we all know that the strong survive and the weak die. So your body can actually live on the weaker cells and these are the cells that are actually defective or weak. These cells multiply and create other bad things like cancer and tumors. It is good for your body to live off these cells because it is flesh, just like the other meats we consume, they are protein.

So because of this, I like to urge people to start something, set a goal for yourself, so that every season you’re cleansing your body. I’m going to give you as my Birthday present to you, my regimen to cleansing my body. If we start this season from the beginning of September, every morning when we wake up, start the day with a glass of water with one whole fresh lemon. It is better to drink the water in sips ( Take a sip and take a breath) rather than drinking it all in one gulp. If it is possible for you to jump rope or do jumping jacks for ten minutes, or jump on a trampoline or shake on any type of vibrating machine. You body is actually detoxifying from 4am to 11am in the morning, so this will help to continue the detoxifying cycle and help with your lymphatic system. 

The lymphatic system and the cardiovascular system are closely related structures that are joined by a capillary system. This is important to the body’s defense mechanisms. It filters out organisms that cause disease, produce certain white blood cells and generates antibodies. In the lymphatic system garbage collectors hang on to each cell of your body and ask for the all the ashes from all the energy that they have burned the day before. Its almost exactly like your fireplace and your car. So without shaking and detoxifying your body, your allowing dead cells to build up. Detoxifying meaning that you will actually go to the cells and collect all the trash that has been collecting and building left over residue that is left over from the oxygen and nutrients that have met in the cells and created the “fire” we call energy. So by Shaking or jumping your body will actually collect the dead cells, because the lymphatic system works by gravity and doesn’t have any pumps in it, this will help move things along. 

By doing taking advantage of these steps, I will wish you the healthiest and happiest life. 

From Nathan, Cynthia, Teagan and your Style team at Sager French.

Beat The August Heat

August is the hottest month of the year and there are many ways to beat the heat! Here are some steps you can take to keep yourself healthy during the warmest time of the year.

• Consuming less food - This being, because smaller meals with less protein will reduce metabolic heat. Whatever your eating should be cool and not require cooking. Like salads, raw veggies, and fruits that are low in sugar and carbs. (e.g. Berries and melons)
• Stay Away from drinks that are high in caffeine - Caffeine is a diuretic, meaning it causes a person to urinate more frequently. Which then results in loss of water retention. So your body become dehydrated, forcing your body need more  and more water.
• Adding fresh lemon Juice to your water - When you hear the word lemon, your mind automatically thinks “Acid”. Yes, lemon is acidic, but it is a very weak acid. The response your body gets from Lemon is very alkaline. Lemon and lime juice promote the release of sodium bicarbonate from the pancreas to support enzyme activity. Drinking water that contains alkaline is most hydrating form of water. 
• Non Vegetarians - Limit your red meat and go for Fish and oysters instead. Foods that are high in protein, such as meats increase your bodies metabolic heat.

                                           Summer Stuffed Zucchini

What a summer!

Going to the farmers market and seeing all the amazing colorful fruit and vegetables from squash to tomatoes, peaches, grapes, plums and figs, makes your weekly farmers market trip even that much more enjoyable. Even though it’s a little late into summer and of the vegetable are not in season, you can take your favorite squashes and turn them into something delicious. Whether you decide to grill, stuff or eat them raw, they can be some of the most incredible veggies that you’ll ever eat. With such a variety of such amazing squashes from Green Italian squash, Crooked Neck squash, Mexican Zucchini, Sage Colored zucchini, Yellow zucchini or white zucchini. You can make such amazing dishes from this vegetable; you can eat them sliced paper thin with a mandolin, with some pesto or drizzled with Extra Virgin Olive oil, or with pin nuts or walnuts rolled in prosciutto. The possibilities of this amazing vegetable are endless, and whatever you choose to pair with it will unbelievable.

Out of all the recipes and summer time dishes I will adding to my blog this summer, this is one of my most incredible recipes. These Summer time Stuffed zucchinis are so basic, but so incredible and most of all fun to make with your friends or family. They have many different ways to be prepared, you can stuff them with ground chicken, chicken sausage, ground beef, or for a vegetarian alternative you can use mushrooms, mixed veggies and rice pilaf.

In the following recipe I will be using chicken sausage.

Serves: 6

Supplies needed:

• Deep Skillet/ Baking sheet
• Foil (if baking)
• Watermelon Scooper

Ingredients:

• 2-3 pounds of zucchini (they can be green, sage colored or Mexican zucchinis. The size of a golf ball or tennis ball. you don’t want them bigger than a tennis ball)
• 4 Chicken sausage or 1 pound of ground chicken (you can choose any type of chicken sausage you like, whether its Basil, Sun dried tomato or cheese)
• Large Onion (yellow or white, finely chopped) 
• Cup of Italian Parsley 
• 3/4 Teas. paprika
• 3/4 Teas. Cumin
• 1/2 Teas. Salt 
• 3/4 cups rice 
• 3 Tbsp. of Extra virgin Olive oil 
• 4 cups of chicken stock ( you can substitute fo vegetable stock, water or tomato juice, or Lemon juice and garlic)
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste  

Directions

• Begin Soaking your quater cup of rice in luke warm water
• pre heat skillet, on medium heat, add about a tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
• Clean your squash and cut tops off zucchini
• With your watermelon scooper, scoop the insides of the squash out. Leaving around 3/4 an inch or 1/8 of an inch of thickness.
• Add your finely chopped onions to pr heated skillet ans saute until onions become slightly translucent.
• Once onions are translucent add your cup of Italian parsley 
• Add a quater teas. of cumin and paprika to onion parsley mixture
• add your teas. of salt
• take your pound of chicken sausage add to onion mixture (saute for about 5-7 minutes to assure chicken i cooked all the way through)
• Drain rice and add to your chicken mixture
• toss with olive oil
• Let mixture cool for about 15 mins
• Take your clean, cut zucchinis, stuff them with your chicken sausage mixture (do not stuff compacted , leave on the loose side) 
• Place in Skillet or on deep baking sheet
• Place stuffed zucchinis in your pan or on baking sheet, nest to each other 
• Add your 4 cups of chicken stock (vegetable stock, water or tomato juice)
• add your 2 Tbsp. of tomato paste to pan or baking sheet
• cover and let simmer for 25 mins.

If cooking in the oven 

• cover zucchinis with foil to keep them juicy and really gorgeous looking
• bake on 350 F for 30 mins
• In the last 2 mins uncover and let them broil (this will give them an incredible color) 

Enjoy!!

This is one of the most incredible recipes to make for summer, so light and fresh. It can be served as an appetizer or as a main dish, serving 2/3 per person.

Dear all:

Cynthia and I will be away on business in June. BOOK NOW—appointments will fill up very fast before and after!! 

Our last day in the salon will be on June 11th, and our first day back will be on June 30th!

The salon will still be open, but we will not be here!

Thank you!

Ingredients:

2 Large vine ripened tomatoes, cut tops off (stem top)

2 Cloves Garlic, chopped

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 eggs

1 Jalapeño (not required if you dont want it!)

Salt and pepper

Your favorite cheese, grated

1/2 Cup Basil leaves, chopped, or or favorite pesto sauce

Directions:

In a skillet, pour olive oil in as pan heats up to med/high heat and add the garlic and jalepeño.

Scoop out the insides of the tomato and keep them in a small bowl on the side

Place tomato shells on skillet, and season each with salt and pepper

Crack one egg in each tomato, and top with cheese and a little basil/pesto. Season again with salt and pepper.

Cover skillet and reduce heat to med/low. Let cook for 5 minutes.

Take tomatoes out and place aside to cool. Add the insides from the tomatoes to the skillet and combine with the garlic and jalepeño.

Once well incorporated, drizzle this over the top of the tomatoes and sprinkle the basil/pesto (and more cheese if you desire) on top!

Make any one’s mouth water with this extra simple, extra delicious treat! Make a hearty or sweet addition to your meal, or enjoy as a quick appetizer snack! Filo Dough is versatile enough to go with any flavors that you choose, such as seasoned vegetables or caramelized fruit. Getting hungry yet?

There are basically two parts to this recipe: The filo dough and the filling. You will cook each separately and then combine them at the end!

Note: The pictures above are a variety of different recipes. The recipe below is for the cups with the apples. You may take any hearty ingredients such as your favorite vegetables, meats, and spices and make your own filling and top it with your favorite cheese or seasoning!

Ingredients:

Cupcake Pan (6/8/12 cupcake slots)

Filo Dough  (about 6-8 layers/sheets)

2 Large Apples, chopped

1 tsp Cinnamon

1 tsp Nutmeg

3/4 Cup Crushed/diced Almonds or Walnuts

3 Tbsp Olive oil or melted Butter

Directions:

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees

Brush some melted butter or olive oil between each of the 6-8 layers, or between every two layers.

Slice the long stack of filo dough into 6-12 square shaped sections.

Brush the cupcake pan with olive oil and place each filo dough section into a respective cupcake mold in the pan.

Bake Filo dough for 10 minutes (or until golden in color…watch closely, the dough can burn easily!)

While Filo Dough is cooking:

In a small pan, sautee the chopped apple, cinnamon, nutmeg, and butter until apples just start to caramelize. You may completely caramelize them if you want them extra gooey!

After taking out the filo dough, scoop the apple filling into each filo “cupcake” cup. Sprinkle the almonds over the top with a little extra cinnamon or honey if desired.

Enjoy!

Warm, incredibly sunny weather is slowly creeping back into our lives! Time to get going with your summer regimens to keep your body happy!

As beautiful as it is, the summer can take a toll on one’s body:

• Sunburns —> damaged skin —> aging skin. Some of this damage can be irreversible!
• Vacations, parties… though fun (and WELL deserved on your part) can set you back greatly on that summer-ready body that you worked so hard for! 
• Spend a lot of time and money to keep your best accessory (your hair of course!) in tip-top condition? The sun and heat can fade, damage, and age your hair faster than you could ever imagine!

What to do? Luckily, there are just a few things that you can get in the habit of doing to keep all of those potential set-backs in check. The sooner you commit to these routines, the less stress you’ll be under when enjoying your well-deserved relaxation and fun this season!

1. SUNSCREEN. Even if you are lucky enough to tan to those perfect golden browns every year, you should always protect your skin from the damaging part of our sun’s rays. Always wear at least an SPF 15, applying every 30-45 minutes when continuously in the sun, and especially if you are hanging out in or near the water. Don’t forget to protect those areas that are not often remembered, like on your ears, neck, and your hair line. Those areas burn just as easily as anywhere else, and are almost always exposed! For even more protection where the shade is scarce, a sun hat or an umbrella are perfect too.
2. DAILY EXERCISE. Pick a small regimen of exercise that is easy for you to do each morning, afternoon, night, or all three! Pick something new each week to keep your motivation fresh and your body challenged. Also, pick something that you can do no matter where you are(that way you’re not desperate for a gym on vacation!). It doesn’t have to be more than 20-30 minutes, and can really improve your day. It keeps your mind, body, and (thankfully) metabolism in balance so you not only make better decisions throughout your day about food, drink, and activity, but you also keep less of it from turning into added weight! Remember all of those yoga/pilates/cardio videos you never watch? Pick a 20 minute segment from any one of those if you’re low on ideas. You can also easily look up an efficient little routine on the internet. If you’re planning on a nice hike, walk, or run, that counts too and mixes things up nicely :) Added bonus… if you already know you’ve worked out, you wont feel so terrible having that little slice of cake at the party!
3. PRETTY, WARM WEATHER… DAMAGED HAIR! Just like your skin, the sun and hot weather can greatly damage your hair, causing it to fade and dry out. FAST. If you invest the time and money into keeping that color and style updated and fresh, you really need some extra products to protect that investment throughout the summer. A simple heat or sun protector line will do the trick. These lines of products are different from the normal regimen you use because they include extra moisture, extra repairing nutrients, and actual sunscreens for your hair and scalp. Also, your hair will grow faster in warmer weather because your hair follicles are more open and circulated with the heat, making the hair regeneration process faster. Therefore, these sun-protecting products are key to keeping that new-growth as healthy as possible from the start!

What now?? Where to start? Here are some helpful links to get your summer party started! Enjoy every second!

• Easy exercise tips: http://www.worldfitness.org/quick-exercise.html
• Ten ways to make exercise a habit: http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/guide/exercise-habits
• Facts about Sunscreen: http://www.revolutionhealth.com/conditions/skin/skin-care/sun-exposure/sunscreen-facts
• Sunscreen ratings from Consumer Reports: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37319591/ns/health-skin_and_beauty/

• Fabulous and 100% natural sun-care line that is safe for every day use and guaranteed to work on all color and hair types: http://www.en.renefurterer.com/products/line/sun-care-in-the-sun

You may do this recipe on stove top or in a slow cooker. Below are directions for both!

This recipe is enough for 6 people.

Ingredients:

6 Chicken legs (dark meat—you may also use red meat if you prefer)

4 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tsp Corriander

1/2 tsp All Spice

1 tsp Cumin

1 tsp Sweet Paprika

1 tsp mild/medium Paprika

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 Tbsp Chilies or Chili powder (less if you are sensitive to the spicy heat, more if you want more!)

1 cup Orange Juice

1 cup Chicken Stock (STOVETOP ONLY)

Zest of 1 Orange

Salt and Pepper, to taste

1/2 cup grated, very dark,  unsweetened chocolate. 

Stove top directions

In a large saucepan, add 2 Tbsp of the Olive Oil

Wash and pat dry the chicken legs/red meat

Sear the meat on both sides, about 2 minutes each side, or until browned on each side

Add in all of the seasonings and spices and stir well 

Add the Orange Juice, remaining Olive Oil and the Chicken Stock, and bring to a boil

Lower the heat to medium, and let simmer, covered, for 40 minutes

Sprinkle chocolate over chicken before or after you serve it onto the plates 

Slow Cooker Directions

Sear the meat in the same way

Add the meat and all ingredients (no chicken stock!) to slow cooker

Mix well and let cook for 7-8 hours.