New Year Black-Eyed Peas
Every year, I like to make a traditional New Year's Eve dish. According to Southern tradition, eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Day will bring a year's worth of good luck and/or monetary gain, so why not give it a try!? 

Ingredients:
  • 1 pound dry black-eyed peas
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 62 Ounces of chicken broth (we use our bone broth that we made with bones from chicken eaten earlier in the month)
  • 8 cups water
  • 1 (14.5 ounce) box of diced tomatoes
  • 5 pepperoncini peppers (honestly we didn't add these and my hubby added white vinegar and some crushed red pepper to give it a similar flavor)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon ground thyme
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • Some people add 1/4 cup of bacon, a large ham bone or pork belly to give this dish a smoky yummy flavor
Instructions:
  1. Place black-eyed peas into a large container and cover with several inches of cool water; let soak at room temperature, 8 hours to overnight. Drain and rinse; set aside.
  2. Heat olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir until onion becomes translucent, about 5 minutes. Pour in broth and water; bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Stir in black-eyed peas, ham hocks, tomatoes, pepperoncini, bay leaf, garlic powder, thyme, salt, and pepper.
  3. Cover and simmer until peas are tender, ham meat is falling off the bones, and broth is thickened, about 3 hours.



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Meet Leah Negrin

 
I am a bold, beautiful, sometimes timid, usually happy, essential oil, nutrition junkie. Although at 39 I feel as if I've had several careers over a lifetime (or at least sometimes when I look back at my resume that is what shines through). I've been a paralegal, an office manager, an administrative assistant, worked in commercial lending and have finally landed on nutrition.

My journey to nutrition started many years ago when my sister was diagnosed with celiac disease and food had to change for the family. From there, along my own health journey I’ve helped people not only figure out what to eat but how to do it so that it can work for them sustainably. For almost seven years I’ve been counseling people on their nutrition and weight loss journeys. 

Finally getting some sunshine in Southern California *Photo credit  Brittany Hassett 

I am knowledgeable about what purpose food serves your body and I focus on finding sustainable options when it comes to food; this also led to my love of essential oils. I had the opportunity to attend a workshop where a registered dietitian spoke about using essential oils in her practice to help her patients. I was floored. I knew that #plantsheal but I didn't realize that others in the 'conventional' medical community thought that as well!! Learning that it was possible to incorporate these magical little bottles gave me a huge sense of hope.


Alina, myself and Caitlin (oily bffs) *Photo credit Anne Negrin

 
As I learned more about these oils I was diagnosed with increased intestinal permeability or as many of us know it, leaky gut. Leaky gut has been around for quite awhile but many of us are just learning what this is or why this is even more common these days than ever before. Many issues can be related to leaky gut including autoimmune diseases. Receiving this diagnosis just led me down a path further to learn about nutrition and how to best serve my body and take care of myself.


Enjoying a vegan ice cream cone in Budapest! *Photo credit to Michelle Owen 

Since birthing our sweet baby boy at home earlier this year I’ve been incredibly passionate about helping other women too who are pregnant and new mothers with their nutrition. Eating healthy for your pregnant body and your postpartum self is a game changer for both mother and baby.

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