Health

Book Review: The Anti-Inflammatory Cookbook 



I’ve already shared a good bit about my history of dealing with chronic pain, but the saying is really true– “You are what you eat” and for many of us,  inflammation can cause problems and symptoms that may be uncomfortable, painful or even unbearable and what we eat can play a significant role in worsening or improving these symptoms.


With The Fast & Fresh Anti–Inflammatory Cookbook, you can continue to enjoy delicious meals with your loved ones, family and friends, while reducing inflammation, becoming pain free and improving your overall health at the same time.

Each of the recipes in this cookbook are made with easy to find fresh ingredients, are simple to prepare, and are either quick to bake, steam or saute, or they make use of a slow cooker, giving you more time to get on with your busy life while dinner’s cooking!

Here’s a “sneak peek” of what you’ll find inside:

  • 150 delicious, mouthwatering recipes including some of my favorites:
    • Sriracha Steak Wraps
    • Spicy Shrimp and Zucchini Noodles
    • Burrito Brunch
  • A 7-Day Meal Plan to start you on your journey to restoring your health
    • Lifestyle planning
    • Morning, Lunch, Dinner, and snack suggestions
  • Comprehensive dietary advice (Food allergies, Gluten Free, Weight-loss/gain, etc.)
  • Guidance to reduce inflammation
    • Including details of various illnesses and diseases and their linkages to inflammation

I think this is a great cookbook and I’m glad I added it to my collection.  I really appreciate the visual appeal of the book and the wealth of knowledge it shares with the reader.

Moreover, the philosophy is really a powerful one– once you take the time to understand the foods that make you feel good and those that flare up your symptoms, you can enjoy more of those healthy foods that help you to feel better, which will help you to manage your weight and your inflammation and symptoms will (hopefully) continue to decrease over time.

Healthy eating, partnered with a good fitness routine and active lifestyle, have been key to managing my chronic pain issues and I’m even more encouraged after reviewing this cookbook!

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this product in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Do or DoNut…. 

Let’s be honest, some days we feel like waking up early and going to the gym and other mornings we would all rather get up and get a donut and watch a few episodes of our favorite shows.

Lately, my schedule has been SUPER busy. So much so, that any downtime I’ve been able to squeeze out of it was quickly occupied by sleeping or a Netflix/Hulu binge (OITNB anyone?  We’re not going to talk about Episode 12. 😢  And have you watched Uncle Buck? I ACTUALLY like it. I didn’t think I would, but I DO! 😮).

I even managed to make a trip to our local Krispy Kreme to pick up some tasty treats after one of my meetings!

(Don’t judge me, the hot sign was on….and it beckoned me… and there was a drive thru 😂) I’m all about balance folks.

… and I was inspired by my new mug, pictured below.

You can’t look at that and not want a donut! Right!?!? Well, I couldn’t. 😇

So, I’ll give myself some grace for the rest of this week and go back to my old routine with a goal to reset my fitness plan after the 4th of July holiday. I haven’t been too crazy with my eating habits and I’m still on target to meet my DietBet goal (yayyyyy)!

Other updates:

I’m working on a few things for the blog. More (and better quality videos), interviews, more podcasts, several deal alerts and product reviews, my couponing tips and recipes and whatever else I think of over the next couple of weeks. I’m excited about it and I hope you are too!

In fact, you can email me at LetsFixIt@FixItWithFran.com with any particular topic requests you may have and I’ll see what I can do to incorporate your interests!

A few final requests:

Please share the blog on your social media networks and invite others to join us! Be sure to sign up for an email subscription if you haven’t already 😉

Guilt Free Pasta

I love pasta!  Especially shrimp pasta!

Sadly, pasta doesn’t love me… 😦  Or my waistline.  So I’ve looked into alternatives. 🙂

Making “zoodles” or zucchini noodles has become a quick and easy solution for my problem and my husboo LOVES them!  He even said he prefers them over traditional noodles!  #SheWon #WifeSkills #WifeyCanBurn 😉

I got the idea for this recipe from SkinnyTaste.  My remixed recipe is below:

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 tsps. olive oil
  • McCormick Basil & Garlic Seasoning Blend (Season to taste– approximately 1 1/2 tbsp.)
  • 8 oz peeled and deveined shrimp
  • 2 tbsps. minced garlic (I like A LOT of garlic and purchase it minced.)
  • 1 large zucchini, spiralized
  • 1 lemon (or 6 tbsps. lemon juice)

Directions:

  1. Spiralize the zucchini. Use a large mixing bowl to toss zucchini noodles in 4 tbsp of lemon juice. This will help to keep the noodles from browning. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place them in the fridge. (Keep the leftover lemon juice.)
  2. Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
  3. Add 1 teaspoon of the oil and the shrimp and season with the McCormick Basil & Garlic Seasoning Blend. Cook 2 to 3 minutes.
  4. Add half of the minced garlic and continue cooking 1 more minute, orBasil and Garlic Zoodles on Fix It With Fran until the shrimp is cooked through and opaque. Set aside on a dish.
  5. Add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon oil and garlic to the pan, cook 30 seconds then add the zucchini noodles and cook 2 minutes or until the zoodles become limp or “al dente.”
  6. Add the shrimp to the pan and squeeze the other lemon half over the dish. Remove from heat and serve. This should be a large enough dish to divide into servings for two people.
  7. Use leftover lemon juice to top off each plated serving. (This final step is optional.)

I used my WonderEsque Tri Blade Compact Spiralizer to make these, most recently. I received the spiralizer as a product review and it is really neat.  It came with its own cleaning brush and is small enough to be stored in a kitchen drawer (unlike my older spiralizers).  You can see more of its features on Amazon.

WonderEsque Tri Blade Compact Spiralizer Review on Fix_It_With_Fran_dot_com

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this product in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

I'm back with this week's round of Saturday Solutions. I gave a quick overview of my favorite Crockpot Chicken Tacos, shared how I make my Fruit Infused Sparkling Water, and included special highlights of the ‪#‎MarkyProducts‬ tumbler and Kuuk ‪#‎pitcher‬ I received to review!

Saturday Solutions on Facebook Live

 


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Tips for Making Fruit Infused Sparkling Water

I’m back with this week’s round of Saturday Solutions.

I gave a quick overview of my favorite Crockpot Chicken Tacos, shared how I make my Fruit Infused Sparkling Water, and included special highlights of the #MarkyProducts tumbler and Kuuk #pitcher I received to review!

Check out the video on Facebook via the link below.

Saturday Solutions


 

Isn’t Long Hair a Woman’s Pride and Joy?


If you haven’t picked up on it by now, I pray about EVERYTHING.  From the major things to the minor things, there is NOT ONE THING that I won’t pray about.  From the time I was a kid in Children’s Church, I was completely convinced that if it mattered to me, it mattered to God.

In addition to that, I learned that there is POWER in praying God’s Word back to Him.  My mom taught me that.  When you take the time to learn what God’s Word says about your particular issue or concern, you get to know God’s heart.

Even more than knowing His heart and what His Word says, you end up developing a RELATIONSHIP with Him and God is not Man that He should lie— in fact HE is FAITHFUL to perform what He has promised.

One of the habits that I adopted during my teens was to become extra diligent about learning those scriptures that applied to things I was praying for.  At that time, I wanted my hair to grow.  During my research, I came across 1 Corinthians 11:15 which reads, And isn’t long hair a woman’s pride and joy? For it has been given to her as a covering.

I made that scripture personal.  It became part of my daily routine.  I would brush my hair and apply carrot oil in the evening before going to bed and my hair eventually reached the length that I was desiring.

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