How much fish should I eat? Doesn't Fish Contain Mercury?

 Fresh Tuna Steak cooked in olive oil with pepper steak seasoning and grilled onions to garnish.

Fresh Atlantic Salmon coated with raw honey and lemon pepper.

Fish and shellfish contain high-quality protein and other essential nutrients, are low in saturated fat, and contain omega-3 fatty acids. However, nearly all fish and shellfish contain traces of mercury. Women who are pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant should not eat fish containing high levels of mercury. Do not eat Shark, Swordfish, King Mackerel, or Tilefish because they contain high levels of mercury. You can eat up to 12 ounces (2 average meals) a week of a variety of fish that are lower in mercury. These being salmon, canned light tuna, pollock, and catfish. I personally love Atlantic salmon. Tuna steak I love to eat too,  but limit this to once every few weeks or once per month. And if you don't like fish or don't eat enough of it, pick up a odorless omega-3 fish oil supplement to take daily. This also helps with your digestion.  I take EPA-DHA Meg-3 Balance. (all mercury is removed) by Jarrow Formulas. And if you live near the ocean take advantage of it!:)

The Best Meat Ball Soup

Since the evenings have been chilly out, I made the best meatball soup ever last night! I had already grilled up some meatballs with my leftover grass-fed hamburger meat so I already had that part done. Get a big pot and pour 1 can Beef Broth. Then add big can diced tomatoes. Add 1 cup of pasta sauce(any kind). Then sprinkle good amount of thyme, basil, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Dice up carrots(cut thin), celery, green beans and then throw your meat balls in. This soup had so much flavor and zest! It is one of my new favorites. (And my husbands too!)

Raw Cheese and Brown Rice Noodle Ragu

Now that it's turning fall outside I have the perfect comfort food that takes you back to childhood without the guilt! In this recipe I cook brown rice pasta, drain, and pour already heated organic tomato pasta sauce in and add Raw Grass-fed Sharp cheddar cheese. Next throw in some cut up red peppers. The last step is to already have grass-fed hamburger meat already cooked and add into the cheesy pasta mixture. Salt and pepper to taste. It tastes better than Mac-N-Cheese! Let me know what you think!

Organic cinnamon Butternut Squash Soup for Fall

I was at a friends house the other night and they made the most incredible soup so of course I had to post it on my blog! This soup is perfect for fall and tastes sooo delicious! It warms your tummy!

The recipe is: Organic Butternut Squash Soup from trader Joe's. Add cinnamon to taste. Cut up sweet potato into pieces and add to soup. Then grill zucchini in coconut oil in a pan and sprinkle cinnamon as well. Add to soup. Lastly add Agave to taste. This soup is amazing thanks to Marcus!:) Try it today!

Switch Up Your Salads

I love adding different ingredients on my salads so you never get tired of the same salad all the time. Check out a few of these tasty salads!

Spring mix w/ arugula and cherry tomatoes, strawberries and raw white cheddar cheese.

Spinach and spring mix with radish and beets shredded.

Cucumber and heirloom tomato salad with basil, parsley, lemon, olive oil, and coconut vinegar.

I've been eating organic heirloom tomatoes instead of regular tomatoes and man, what a difference! The tomatoes have more flavor and are crisper. Then I use organic persian cucumbers instead of regular cucumbers. It's such a refreshing salad! Enjoy!

If Your Going To Eat meat- Eat Grass Fed Meat

Yes, a good burger tastes so yummy now and then. As you know I choose to eat 80% raw and the rest if  I have meat I like to have good fresh meat that is not treated with hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, growth implants, animal by-product, or steroids. I know for some people who are sick they have to be careful what meats they will consume because of bacteria counts. When I had Lyme Disease I couldn't eat sugar, gluten, or meat because I was already trying to get rid of bacteria in my system. Now that it is gone I can eat meat again but I am very choosy about what meat I will eat. Pork is an animal that is very dirty and full of bacteria. My doctor and many other health professionals say to never eat pork, or lobster because they are ground feeders. Also eating fast food meat is sometimes asking for it. If you can get your meat from a grass fed farm or read labels in your grocery store. Some will carry meats like Trader Joes. I am very excited about a company called Beyond Organic that will be carrying the purest meats and foods and they will bring them right from their farms to your door. (which is pretty cool!) For more info go to my page called Beyond Organic. The food will be available starting November 1st and you can sign up for free now to be a part of this new movement of families no longer eating what the food industry tells you to eat but realizing it is important what we consume and put into our bodies. I don't know about you but with cancer on the rampage and so many other diseases out there, I want to do the best I can with the body I have been given! Don't wait until you are sick to make a change. Do it today!

In The Kitchen With Crystal Rome

Watch how to make one of my favorite smoothies!
Coconut milk smoothie

Get Your Health Buddy Today!

So many of us try to do things on our own. And many times that doesn't work out to well. You all know the new years resolutions! This year I'm going to ... I always suggest when you want to start eating better, lose weight, or feel healthy, it's always better to have support. Reach out to a friend, a family member, or FB partner:) to make the changes with you. When it comes to your health why wait? Get a friend on board too and take turns making meals together. It's more fun making a raw soup with a friend and sharing new recipes and encouraging one another! I love to have people over and show them how to make healthy, nutritious foods. And then in turn they show someone else and when more of your friends are eating good food it encourages you too! Just start with one friend or buddy partner and have some fun! It should be fun to eat good not miserable! Like I've said before raw organic food is full of life, tasty, and not to mention healing for your body. Dive into the spices and have fun, and feel great that you've made a change! Sometimes it's babysteps but that's better than doing nothing at all! Start with one green smoothie a day. I believe in you! So go get your health buddy today!

Red Pepper Sweet Potato Surprise

I am so excited to post this soup recipe that I made the other night with my blender. It was my favorite yet! And so fast! We had company over and they could not stop saying how yummy it was!

To start you can either use a sweet potato base from Trader Joes and add ingredients to it, or make with 2 cups water. I have made both ways and both were delicious! If you make it with water add part of an onion and cashews for more flavor.

In Blender
2 cups sweet potato base or 2 cups water ( if making for 4 people add more base )
half of one sweet potato
half of large red pepper
half of large carrot
1 garlic clove
sprinkle generously Tumeric
sprinkle generously Ginger
sprinkle generously Curry
sprinkle generously  Cayenne Pepper
Then heat briefly on low in pan on stove. Don't cook all the nutrients out! Now you have gourmet!
Cut up avocados and sprinkle in center with basil. Enjoy!

Make a salad to go along with it and use a few spoonfuls of the soup to mix in your salad dressing. Tons of flavor!
Olive oil
Coconut vinager
part of lemon
3-4 spoonfuls of soup
sprinkle tumeric
sprinkle ginger
sprinkle curry
sprinkle cayenne pepper
sprinkle cumin
Mix well and pour over salad. I love to make extra and keep on hand in fridge.

Calling All Coffee Drinkers!

This is for everyone who has to have a cup of Joe every now and then! The best thing to do health wise is to make your own coffee at home and resist Starbucks!! I know it's hard but so much healthier! You can use your own organic coffee without the use of harmful chemical fertilizers and pesticides. A brand I love is Cafe Altura regular roast that you can pick up at your local health food store. And in the summer of course the iced coffees and blended is the way to go! But when you go to coffee houses they will only give you syrup flavors with sugar and artificial sweetners' that are actually worse than sugar for your health. And if you're lactose intolerant you don't have many choices. So why not make your own iced coffees at home with organic coffee and sweeten with Agave Nectar, Brown Rice Syrup, Coconut Syrup or Stevia. These sweeteners are low Glycemic and taste better than sugar!

I put handful of ice in the blender then poured coffee in with some almond milk and Organic Raw Blue Agave. Blend and pour in cup and top with more ice. You can sprinkle cinnamon or put chi tea bag in for chi coffee! I made this the other day and I can say it was better than Starbucks which is hard to do!

Making soup in a blender

 In the blender we put water, cashews, purple cabbage, red peppers, zucchini, onions, sweet potato, carrots, and spices. Wow it was gourmet! The best soup I have ever tasted! Soup in seconds!

 The salads had arugula, and organic greens with cucumbers, tomatoes, avocados, zucchini, shredded raw cheese and salmon on the side with flax seed crackers. Homemade dressing made with coconut vinegar, olive oil, soup base, cumin, ginger, tumeric, cayanne pepper.

Last night for dinner we had the most incredible soup and salads! If you have a good blender( I recommend blendtech) you can fill it with vegetables and goodies and blend away until thick and creamy like soup and the blender will actually heat it for you. It pours out steaming! How cool is that for a fast dinner. I will be putting up some videos soon on how to make fast healthy meals, since we all have crazy schedules!

Prevention for Illness

There are many things that we can do for prevention from getting sick. The phrase " you live to eat" should actually be " you eat to live!" You are what you eat! The change might not be over night but you can start with adding more greens to your diet and checking your PH with PH strips to make sure you are not too acidic. Your body will start craving good food. I noticed this that when I cut out sugar and had a green smoothie a day that if I hadn't had my greens for the day I would crave it like a candybar! Crazy! Your body will be running on all cylinders and can fight off bacteria and infection much easier. So start today!

                                                       Green Smoothie ( click on smoothie page for recipes)

Jazz up your salads with flavor and spice!

Healthy Green Salad

Start with spinach and mixed greens with bitter herbs then top with cucumbers, tomatoes, shredded radish and beet. Can add raisins, sunflower seeds, and flax seeds. Then add dressing!
 
Dressing
Organic Hemp oil or olive oil
coconut vinegar
squeeze 1/2 a lemon
sprinkle turmeric
sprinkle curry
sprinkle ginger
sprinkle cayenne pepper
sprinkle cumin
(optional) coconut syrup

Funny Food For Thought:

I was just thinking today how funny it is that when I think about the junk foods I used to eat, I now don't even crave them because I know how processed and modified all those foods are. Not to mention what they do to your body and overall health. I guess sometimes it takes getting sick to change your way of thinking and open your eyes. At least for me this was the case. I thought I ate good, but little did I know! Now I know there are lots of yummy foods that are healthy and an array of spices and flavors. Eating more of a raw diet doesn't mean all you can eat is salads. Through learning how to make new things when I was forced to make a change, now I have a passion for good food and to encourage people they can do it too!

Hello friends! Thanks for coming to my blog!

Your body is a temple! Don't poison it! Eat raw alkaline and superfoods. Eat organic, fresh, raw unprocessed,-grass-fed meats. Try to get your food at your local farmers market(organic certified). No pesticides- grass fed beef is best! Starting in October I will be ordering meat and other great foods from a Beyond Organic, a new company by Gordan Rubin that is going to provide the purest foods on the planet! For more information you can visit my page called Beyond Organic.

Try to eat no refined sugars, flours, or vegan junk food. There are now so many gluten free alternatives, but be careful and read the labels! Read sugar content, trans fats, chemicals, and artificial sweeteners, MSG, ect. There are so many great sugar substitutes that I have found taste even better! Coconut crystals are a great sugar replacement when baking and coconut syrup, coconut butter,  agave nectar, raw honey, and brown rice syrup. Start experimenting and try some of my gluten-free cookie recipes! Delicious!!

 My Carrot Raisin Muffins! Gluten-Free! See Recipes!