Do you know how you often hear women say that when their husband is sick it’s like having another child to take care of? Well, it is totally the opposite in our house. If Mike is sick it often will take me all day to realize it. Me on the other hand, well let’s just say he definitely knows it when I’m not feeling well.
As a mom though, whether or not you’re feeling well there are too many things and too many people to take care of to just spend the day in bed or on the couch. Instead we get dressed, down some vitamin C, and do what we need to do as best we can (and hopefully find a little time to rest on the couch).
Not that long ago my go-to defense for a cold was to drink mug after mug of concentrated Vitamin C in hot water. The problem with that was my Vitamin C of choice came in a little package with a lot of other ingredients. After Sloane was born and I became a diligent label reader, I decided I needed a new, more natural remedy.
So, as I am writing this tonight, in my sweatpants on the couch, I have 2 drinks sitting on the coffee table. One is my mug of hot lemon water and the other is my superfoods shake, and both have my new go-to cold relief…
The last time Sloane and I went to Florida to visit my parents and sister, I took Sloane to visit my mom at work. My mom works at this adorable little shop called “From Olives and Grapes”. Can you guess from the name what kind of a shop it is – – it’s an olive oil and vinegar shop. My mom is a little bit of a nerd when it comes to oils and vinegars (love you mom), and she loves not only figuring out creative combinations and uses, (chocolate balsamic over strawberries anyone?) she LOVES the health benefits.
I love olive oils, but I’ve never been a fan of balsamic, so when she took me over to the balsamic tasting area I was all set to say “no thanks”. Then she introduced me to white balsamics. I had never heard of such a thing and as she handed me the little tasting cup in my head I was already telling her it wasn’t my thing. I had no idea balsamic could be so mild and sweet. Now I wanted to try all of them, but that’s a lot of balsamic and luckily my mom knows my taste pretty well. This is when she introduced me to Honey Ginger Balsamic (I feel like little angels should fly off the page as I write this). The taste alone was enough for me to buy a bottle, but of course we started talking about all of the health benefits of balsamic vinegars. In addition to the antioxidant properties, and all of nutrients including iron, calcium, and magnesium, there were 2 benefits that really caught my attention:
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Balsamic vinegars are alkaline and help balance the pH level in your body. This is so important as diseases grow and thrive in an acidic environment.
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Balsamic vinegar stimulates digestive enzymes, breaking down proteins into amino acids, aiding in protein absorption.
On top of these benefits the Honey Ginger that I had already fallen in love with would help alleviate upset stomachs, and sore throats. 1st trimester morning sickness and knowing I wouldn’t be able to take cold medicine while pregnant, I knew I would get a chance to try this out (and worst case I had some delicious salad dressing). Now that my first trimester and winter are both a distant memory I can say that I will always keep a bottle of this particular balsamic vinegar on hand.
Of course I couldn’t go home with just one bottle, so I had to keep tasting. It was a tough decision, but pineapple and coconut were my other two favorites that day and I brought home a bottle of each and a dream of skinny pina coladas this summer.
I thought balsamic was only good for salad dressing, but low and behold I was wrong. Here are a few of my new favorite ways to use balsamics:
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As a marinade for meat and fish
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Drizzled over roasted veggies
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Drizzled over sponge cake, fresh fruit, and yogurt for dessert
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Create flavor infused waters
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Added to smoothies and shakes
And if you want to see even more ideas, recipes, and balsamic flavors visit From Olives and Grapes at https://www.shopfromolivesandgrapes.com/
Have a favorite recipe that uses balsamic vinegar? We’d love to hear it. Share it and tag @momeefriendsli and @jessicadooley_mamabefit
Xoxo,
Jessica
My name is Jessica and I am a wife, mom, and wellness coach. I love keeping my family healthy and happy and my passion is sharing my family friendly recipes and workout tips with all of you. If you enjoyed this workout tip please follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/JessicaDooley.mamabefit/
