“… an extension of love”

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Luz McCook … Remember her name, and make sure you remember that you heard it first from Majestical Lips, INC. Luz is a beautiful mother of two darling boys, a working woman, a chef, and the owner and founder of PopupMIA and Discover Gourmet Catering. If that wasn’t enough to empress you Luz recently started a non-profit organization called Flowers Against Hunger, a food pantry that provides healthy fresh food for hungry families in South Florida. 

I have seen her passion in food through the food she produces, but I had to ask her how she grew to love cooking so much. Luz explained to me that as a child growing up she bonded with her father by cooking with him. That made cooking enjoyable for her, eventually making it a way for her to express herself. Her main ingredient ? Love ❤ Consider yourself lucky if you get invited to her home for any cooked meal, because Luz told me “if i cook for you consider it an extension of love”. Luz specializes in international cuisine, having cooked for celebrities and professional athletes. Before the birth of her youngest son she had an awesome gig cooking for student who lived on campus at FIU. Im sure it was better than mamas cooking !

Through mutual friends and the lovely social media I have had the please of becoming friends with this magnificent woman (If you couldn’t tell I’m all about women empowerment). I am excited to have her as a part of the MLI family. Her energy and positive vibrations are infectious. Growing up with a passion for cooking, Luz has always inspired me with her posts, I made Jamaican Patties years ago since I felt so inspired. None the less her presentation and creativity is beyond any of my home learned skills. Now I leave the cooking up to her and focus of spreading the holistic lifestyle. But, it is has been torturous, salivating over all of her post on Instagram like pan roasted chicken breast braised in homemade roasted chicken stock, served with congri with smoked sausage and steamed veggies YUM !!

I wanted to share Luz with you because Popup MIA will be presenting a series of spring brunches called Nice N’ Easy in the Majestical Lips Garden hosted by herself and Dahlia Brice. The first to be held on April 19, 2015 from 11:00am to 3:00pm Book your ticket here before the 17th and get the early bird special .. A portion of all tickets sold at this event will be donated to Flowers Against Hunger. Flowers Against Hunger is a weekly subscription of $4, with this small donation they send you a small bouquet of flowers for your office or home. So while feeding the less fortunate family you get a little reminder of how awesome you are for donating ! I could go on and on about why she is amazing but, the easiest way for you to find out is by making your way here to meet her and Dahlia for yourself!

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Click the above flyer to purchase tickets …

To contact Luz or Dahlia check out the information below

discovergourmetcatering@gmail.com or popupmia@gmail.com

505-23-miami

Kombucha Love pt.1

Let’s talk about it … the Immortal Health Elixir, commonly known as Kombucha. In a nut shell it is the superfood of beverages, but before we rant and rave about how amazing it is, we need to know WHAT it is.

Kombucha is fermented tea, plain and simple. Fermentation, as per Webster’s definition is, a :  a chemical change with effervescence b :  an enzymatically controlled anaerobic breakdown of an energy-rich compound (as a carbohydrate to carbon dioxide and alcohol or to an organic acid); broadly :  an enzymatically controlled transformation of an organic compound (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fermentation). It is the process of that the ecosystem uses to digest complex matter into simpler molecules, which brings it down to base level to be re-entered into the food chain.

The drink is alive ! After the fermentation process, it has the power to nourish the body with compounds that can detoxify, energize, support your immune system, promote healthy skin, aides in digestion, and elevates your mood.

So, what’s in it ? Kombucha is made with tea, we use a green tea, but you may find it made with white or black teas as well. The tea is sweetened with white sugar. I know, I know, white sugar … this is probably the only time when white sugar is the only option. During the fermentation process the SCOBY, which I’ll get to in a second, eats up all the sugar. Finally, and the most important part of the fermentation process, the SCOBY. SCOBY which stands for Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast, is what gets the party started…. (There will be a later post on how to make Kombucha which I will go into detail about the process and all its ingredients.)

Okay, now that we got the business out the way… let’s talk about how AMAZING kombucha is.

First and foremost it is a probiotic drink. It is rich is many of the enzymes and bacterial acids your body naturally produces and uses to detox your system. While almost every batch can very in it components, I will give you a list of a few of them that have been found by scientific studies.

• Glucosamines – Increases the hyaluronic acid in synovial fluid
• Probiotics – Aides in digestions and fights candida overgrowth
• Acetic Acid – The longer the tea is left to ferment, the higher the levels of acetic acid. This particular acid has the effect of leveling blood sugar spikes by disturbing the process of the breakdown of starches and sugar.
• Caprylic acid – This acid is associated with the reduction of high blood pressure, as well as the treatment of Crohn’s disease. Caprylic acid is often used to treat vaginal and other yeast infections, including thrush.
• B vitamins – Now we all know the importance of B vitamins, in Kombucha you may find …
  • B1 – Thiamine; deficiencies in this particular vitamin can cause optical, neurological, cardiovascular, and other serious diseases.
  • B2 – Riboflavin; This helps to prevent migraine headaches, treat anemia, breakdown fat and carbs, and aides in the production of energy in your body.
  • B3 – Niacin – Decreases the risk of ❤ disease !!! Also, it is helpful in regulating hormones; specifically, sexual hormones.
  • B5 – Pantothenic Acid; helps to regulate the ratio of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol & it is also a great defender against heart disease
  • B12 – Cyanocobalamin; cell maintenance, particularly in the blood and nervous system. It helps with fatigue, Alzheimer’s disease, breast cancer, and anemia.
• Catechins and other polyphenols – Basically … antioxidants. Antioxidants do not live long in the body, therefore it is beneficial to consume them throughout the day. That does not mean that you have to only sip Kombucha throughout your day, it just means that now you have another option to your daily consumption of antioxidants. Oh, and if you weren’t familiar with polyphenols before, you should start. Polyphenols help to reduce body fat. You’re welcome.
• Lactic acid – This particular acid is made by our muscles during exercise, which is what our mitochondria use to maintain performance. Therefore, the more lactic acid our little mitochondria have, the longer and harder they can work. IMPROVED PERFORMANCE.

Those are just a few of the compounds that have been found by multiple scientific studies. Now, and I’ll make it short and brief, I will list a few of the benefits that have been found through cultural wisdom …

• Acid Reflux
• Acne
• Anxiety
• Arthritis
• Atherosclerosis
• Colitis
• Depression
• Diabetes
• Eczema
• Excess Weight
• Fatigue
• Fibromyalgia
• Hangover
• Headaches
• Hypertension
• Hypoglycemia
• Indigestion
• PMS
• Radiation Poisoning
• Rheumatism
• Sluggish Metabolism
• Thinning Hair
• Tonsillitis

and believe me… ask a few different people whose families have been drinking Kombucha for generations, the list would never end.

So, hopefully you have been convinced to, at least try Kombucha, if you haven’t already.

When you do we recommend that you start off with only 4oz a day. I know that it isn’t much, and when you taste it you will be bummed because it actually taste great, but it does contain live bacteria. You want to first introduce it to your body. So, try the 4oz daily for about a week, then increase it to 8oz. Do a week with the 8oz then move up to 12oz. Baby steps people, baby steps. Once you’ve slowly moved up the Kombucha ladder, stop at 16oz. At 16oz a day you will receive all the benefits from Kombucha without it being in excess.

There is a forever growing supply of knowledge about Kombucha. I have recently started my own journey with it and I am already in love. When I make Kombucha, I make it with love and appreciation for its history. I have learned so much from literature but even more from the Kombucha community around me & the shop. I am excited to document my journey and share my knowledge with anyone who is willing to listen … or in your case read.

Until next time !

xoxo,

Meg