One of my personal favorite Jack’s Harvest flavors is Go Bananas with a Cherry.  Check out the nutritional power punch cherries pack.

Help Fight Cancer and Disease
Cherries, along with many other berries, are a rich source of antioxidants. They help prevent or repair the damage that is done to the body’s cells by free radicals. This means that antioxidants replace free radicals in your body before they can cause any damage.
Queritrin–a flavonoid–is rich in cherries, and has been found by researchers to be one of the most potent anticancer agents. When eating cherries, the queritrin is set free to fight off all the body’s cancerous cells. Cherries also contain ellagic acid, a naturally occurring plant phenolic known as an anti-carcinogenic/anti-mutagenic compound. Some researchers say that ellagic acid may be the most effective way to prevent cancer.  Another compound found in cherries–perillyl alcohol (POH)–is extremely powerful in reducing the occurrence of all types of cancer. Researchers found that POH stops the growth of cancer cells by depriving them of the proteins they need to grow. It has worked on every kind of cancer that POH has been tested against.
Help Cure Migraines
By helping to reduce inflammation in the body, the anthocyanin and bioflanoids in cherries also help eliminate migraine headaches. These compounds are known to have similar activity to aspirin and ibuprofen.
Improve Body’s Circadian Rhythms
Extensive evidence points out that the antioxidant melatonin, which is also rich in cherries, is significant in improving the body’s circadian rhythms. Since melatonin is found in small quantities in the body, a slight increase can produce great results.
Help You Sleep
Melatonin is also found to help the body’s natural sleep patterns. Since the body so rapidly absorbs melatonin, cherries can increase melatonin levels in the blood, therefore improving the way you sleep.

Here is a great way to have all those health benefits and a decadent dessert at the same time i.e. have your cake and eat it too!!!  Heat 1 cube of Go Bananas with a Cherry per serving –  drizzle over vanilla ice cream and top with Hot Fudge – Heaven!

Happy Fourth of July everyone!  I hope that your plans include some grilled meats, salads made with macaroni or potatoes and sparklers – maybe a Mango Margarita or two??!!!  Today we celebrate all that makes this country great and if you are watching the news from around the world,  we really do have a pretty good thing going here in the USA. Recession and economy woes aside.  So enjoy your fourth and for the little ones (and not so little ones) in the family we recommend our most patriotic flavor Blueberrytastic Banana. We love this flavor as you get so much flavor, color and nutrients in one cube. The bananas bring potassium to the party and the blueberries as you all know are just bursting with cancer fighting anti-oxidants.  We never cook our blueberries as those cancer fighters don’t respond well to the heat.  Enjoy the day and have a fun and safe 4th! Love,  Heather

Here at Jack’s Harvest we are great believers in the healing properties that can be found in nature.  We add sage, mint, ginger, cinnamon and vanilla to our flavors.  The herbs and spices do a variety things, they enhance the flavor of the food, they provide a myriad of health benefits like reducing blood sugar and inflammation in the body and they also expand the taste palate for your children.  It is easy to incorporate some of these healing herbs and spices into your daily meals and you can grow them yourself.  You don’t need a lot of space to create a beautiful, fragrant, flavorful and healing herb garden, in fact, all you need is some good organic soil, some medium sized pots and you are ready to go.  Here are some of my favorites.

• Peppermint - aid in digestion, has cooling and stimulating properties.  Delicious in salads, tabouli not to mention delicious Mojitos and mint infused iced teas.
• Lavender – when used in aromatherapy soothes and calms wonderful in a bath or dried in sachets.  It also has antimicrobial and antiseptic properties.
• Thyme – has powerful antimicrobial properties, clears congestion and soothes sore throats.  It can be made into a tea with sage and used as a gargle to ease the pain of sore throats.  Not for use medicinally when pregnant!
• Yarrow – the beautiful flowers on the yarrow plant make it a great addition to any garden.  It’s green leaves can be applied to cuts to staunch bleeding it is also great in a tea with elder flower and peppermint for colds and flu – again not if you’re preggers!
• Chamomile – this plant is also beautiful and well known for making a soothing tea that calms nerves and eases digestion.  Pick the flowers and let them dry in a clean glass jar with a lid.

TEA 101 – Make tea with fresh or dried herbs.  Pour boiling water over herbs (1 teaspoon dried or 2 teaspoons fresh) in a teapot or mug.  Cover and steep for 5-10 minutes.  Strain and enjoy.  Keeps for a day if refrigerated.

It is the greatest irony of being a new parent that once you actually get to sleep through the night it can be really hard to kick the nighttime feeding schedule and get back to sleeping through the night.  So you’re so tired, but you can’t sleep, so you’re even more tired and YAWN, I’m getting tired just writing this.  Here are some great tips to help get your sleep schedule back at least to the degree that we parents ever get a full night’s sleep.

1.  Go to bed at the same time and wake up at the same time every night.

2.  Get some exercise and fresh air during the day.

3.  Turn off all the electronics and dim the lights an hour or so before you are planning to go to sleep.

4.  Make your bedroom a relaxing place.   Remove all Cherrios from the bed, take the Lightning McQueen cars out of your pillow case, light a candle if that helps.  Make sure you have a comfy supportive pillow, the temperature is right for you and that you are wearing loose fitting pjs.

5.  Give yourself a couple of hours with no food before bed.  This helps alleviate any heartburn or other digestive problems that can disrupt your sleep.

6.  If all else fails try a natural sleep supplement like Melatonin, some sleepytime tea before bed or even a nighttime pain reliever to help you get back on track.

Nighty, night!!!

Ok, so yesterday my son Jack told me that I was the “meanest mommy in the world.”  I won this coveted title because I made him a grilled cheese sandwich, pirate’s booty and I had the audacity to slice up some gorgeous Georgia peaches and put them on his plate – I know, just horrible parenting!  So, not that I need them, but here are some relaxation ideas for you, not for me, I am fine, really, I’m fine!

Back by popular demand – join us for Ladies Night! We will start the evening with Jack’s Harvest’s famous Baby Bellinis and hors d’oeuvres. Then stroll around Whole Foods’ booths to receive free makeovers, skin consultations, hand massages and more! Leave with a good bag of beauty essentials to help bathe yourself in natural beauty.

*due to limited space, you must pre-register for this event.

Please call customer service at 404.236.0810 or email jennifer.mccormick@wholefoods.comto register.*

^Event info also on our FB page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jacks-Harvest-Frozen-Organic-Baby-Food/41164966265?ref=ts#/event.php?eid=106911875742

Jack’s Harvest was invited to participate in a panel of speakers at the Whole Foods on Ponce here in Atlanta regarding the local food movement.  The movie Food Inc. www.foodincmovie.com is premiering across the country on Tuesday.  Early reviews are promoting this as the Inconvenient Truth of the food industry. I hope that you will all try to see this very important and eye-opening movie.   The panel was made up of Will Harris who raises grass fed beef at his ranch White Oak Pastures  http://www.whiteoakpastures.com; Andrew Thompson who raises healthy ‘free range’ pigs at his ranch Thompson Farms http://www.thompsonfarms.com; the head of marketing for Georgia Organics, Cheryl Galway from Whole Foods, Todd Fitts of ImprovEat and Love is Love farms.

Mr. Harris and Mr. Thompson both raise their animals with humanity and compassion.  They are devoted to the concept of animal husbandry.  Their efforts create a ripple effect that changes the amount of environmental impact, improves the health of their animals thus reducing/eliminating the need to medicate the animals and fosters a respect for the animals that feed our families.  Whole Foods is creating an initiative to support animal husbandry and is committed to ensuring that livestock is treated with dignity.  

One of the key points that I took away from this panel discussion was that we vote with our forks.  When we choose local, artisnal, free-range foods we are telling the big food corporations that we don’t believe that high fructose corn syrup is good for us, we don’t want trans fatty acids in our food and that we won’t tolerate the travesties we have seen about the treatment of animals in the large facilities.  This is one area where we all make a difference.   I left this panel with a renewed commitment to buying local, buying organic and making my shopping decisions on value rather than price.  Yesterday I made dinner with peas and a salad with cukes, lettuce and tomatoes fresh from our small backyard garden.  The peas were so fresh and delicious we were eating more of them raw than cooked.  If you buy local for even one day a week here are some of the benefits we all reap. 

• Exceptional Taste and Freshness
  Local food is fresher and tastes better than food shipped long distances from other states or countries. Local farmers can offer produce varieties bred for taste and freshness rather than for shipping and long shelf life.
• Strengthen the Local Economy
  Buying local food keeps your dollars circulating in your community. Getting to know the farmers who grow your food builds relationships based on understanding and trust, the foundation of strong communities.
• Support Independent/Family Farms
  There’s never been a more critical time to support your farming neighbors. With each local food purchase, you ensure that more of your money spent on food goes to the farmer.
• Enhance your Family’s Health
  Knowing where your food comes from and how it is grown or raised enables you to choose safe food from farmers who avoid or reduce their use of chemicals, pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, or genetically modified seed in their operations. Buy food from local farmers you trust.
• Protect the Environment
  Local food doesn’t have to travel far. This reduces carbon dioxide emissions and packing materials. Buying local food also helps to make farming more profitable and selling farmland for development less attractive.

We are hoping that you can join us this Saturday June 13 from 11-1 at the Whole Foods Ponce for a panel discussion in regards to a new movie called Food Inc.  After the panel discussion Connie and I will be hosting a tasting – with coupons for Jack’s Harvest.  Here are some links to reviews of the film Food, Inc. (including one from Whole Foods Market) for reference. 
 
http://blog.wholefoodsmarket.com/2009/06/food-inc-is-hungry-for-change/
 
http://blogs.ajc.com/table-talk-blog/2009/06/10/food-inc-inconvenient-true/
 
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/07/movies/07seve.html <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/07/movies/07seve.html> 

Food, Inc. Panel Discussion and Tasting

11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Free 
Learn about your food’s journey from farm to table.  Listen in on a panel discussion about organic farming and sustainable living with representatives from Georgia Organics, the Center for Disease Control, Harris Family Heritage Local Grass-Fed Beef, Thompson Farms Local Pork, Jack’s Harvest Organic Baby Food, Persimmon Creek Vineyards, and Whole Foods Market.  Then taste some of our great local and organic food, plus games and prizes, including passes to the advance screening of Food, Inc. on Tuesday, June 16th.  Find out more about the film at http://www.foodincmovie.com/.

Connie is on the road again tonight she is going to be serving up our amazing Bellinis with JH baby food.  See the recipe below.  

• Where: Balance Atlanta Family Chiropractic  360 Pharr Road,Atlanta, GA 30305 (404) 261 4848
• When:        Thursday, June 11 from 7-9 PM
• What:         The evening will be all about spending time out with familiar faces and meeting some new people.  
• Who are the featured guests:

• Jen Boaz – Jeweler - www.jenboaz.com
• Lindsay Mast – Photographer - www.sweetsnapsphoto.com
• Connie from Jacks Harvest – Frozen Organic Food for Kids - www.jacksharvest.com
• Dr. Caroline von Fluegge – Balance Atlanta Family Chiropractic - www.balanceatlanta.com
• Chris Buckley – Fitness Together Personal Trainer - www.fitnesstogether.com
• Viola – Massage Therapist – Spencer Malay Salon
• Colleen Lafita – Natural Glycerine Soaps
• Cari Barocas – Sugar Sugar cupcakes

Jack’s Baby Bellini
Be the toast of the town with this chic drink, perfect for baby showers and girl’s night out.

Pour Prosecco, champagne or sparkling cider over 1 frozen heart-shaped cube of Jack’s Harvest (Papplesauce and What a Pear work best) and garnish with a raspberry.