Laundry DYI from Nancy, Director of Wellness
Hurrah! Spring has arrived, and we’re finally able to start
hanging our laundry out again. Not only does this help conserve energy, but
there’s something special about the smell of clothing and linens dried on the
line.
Try this Lemon Fresh Linen Wash
for soft, bright and sanitized laundry…
2 cups liquid castile soap
½ cup aloe vera juice
½ cup white vinegar
1 cup water
1 Tbsp powdered citric acid
2 tsp grapefruit seed extract
15-20 drops lemon (or lemongrass) essential oil
Combine all ingredients in a plastic container, preferably
one with a pour spout. Give the formula a gentle shake to make sure all of the
ingredients are evenly distributed before adding it to the washing machine. For
an average load, use ¼ cup.
Spring Juice from Susan, General Manager
I love juicing, especially when I can get my hands on new produce to try out.
Apples are a great source of fiber. Did you know that they are also high in antioxidants?
Kale is a nutritional powerhouse high in Iron, Vitamin A, Calcium, has anti-inflammatory properties, and is great for detox.
Dandelion greens are an amazing detox plant. They also are high in Calcium, Iron, Protein, and also have anti-inflammatory properties.
Here's my latest juice recipe:
2 Apples (Red Delicious are great for juicing because of the amount of liquid in them. Try your favorite apple. For optimal juice, use apples left out at room temperature vs. refrigerated apples)
Several Kale leaves
Several Dandelion leaves
In a juice extractor, add apples, kale and dandelion. For a less bitter juice, add more one additional apple.
Feel free to add other greens or fruit and make your own signature blend. I choose to use a juice extractor instead of a mixer like Vitamix or Ninja so that the juice is "pre-digested" without the body doing additional work to get all of the nutrients.
How to Properly Grill a Steak with The Healthy Deli Cook, Derek
With grilling season finally upon us, I wanted to talk about
how to properly grill a steak. While it is a simple procedure, it seems common
to go to cookouts and bite into a steak that is overcooked, dry, and
flavorless. It doesn’t have to be this
way. With a few simple tips you can cook
a great steak that will make your guests ask where you went to culinary school,
or at least wanting more.
- Allow your steaks to reach room temperature to allow for even cooking.
- Brush oil on both sides of the steak for better grill contact, nicer grill marks, and to help the salt and pepper stick.
- Season both sides of the steak with coarse ground salt (I prefer kosher salt) and fresh ground black pepper.
- The general rule of thumb is that it takes 10 minutes of cooking per inch of steak to achieve a medium doneness. If you like medium rare (my favorite), aim for 8 minutes or so.
- Once your grill is hot, find the hottest part and place the steak on it. After a couple of minutes, rotate the steak about 90 degrees. This will give you those nice diamond grill marks that improve the presentation. After a couple more minutes you should flip the steak and do the same on the other side.
- Use the finger test to check if your steak is done. Open your hand and touch the fleshy part between the thumb and the base of your palm, this is what a raw steak feels like. Now touch your thumb and index finger together and feel the same area, this is how a rare steak feels. Thumb to middle finger equals medium rare, thumb to ring finger equals medium and thumb to pinky equals well done.
- Once your steak is cooked to your preferred doneness you have to let it rest (about 5 to 10 minutes). And when I say let it rest, take it off the grill and don’t touch it, don’t even think about it! This is the biggest mistake I see people make with steaks, and I know it’s tempting. Resting lets the juices circulate and improve the flavor.
- The last thing you can do before serving to really amp up the flavor and presentation of your steak is to brush it with melted butter. This is a trick many restaurants use and the reason why a lot of home cooked steaks don’t taste quite the same.
I hope these tips work for you and that your steaks taste
delicious. Have a happy grilling season!
