Aloe-so healthy

Hi everyone! Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone is having  a great week so far!

I wanted to share with you all my newest health fad. I am now eating aloe cubes in my water. I don't feel any different yet but I hope to!!! :-) When I went to Aruba many people that live there do this and it is not half bad so when I got home I started buying drinks online with aloe in them. Then I decided I should try to "harvest" my own!

I love the word "harvest"!!! I just does something to me deep down inside...

So here is what I do to harvest the aloe.

Buy aloe leaves - I am happy to report they sell these big ones at Walmart now! Like $3 each leaf! Awesome! They drain the aloin (dark liquid which tastes bitter and is said to cause extreme diarrhea if eaten) out of the leaf before it is sealed so you get to skip that part. Here is one of my leaves I purchased...

First cut off the end with a very sharp knife...


Then slice down each side to remove the spikes down the sides...


This is what it will look like from the side after that step...


I do this all in a 9 x 13 glass Pyrex pan to catch all the gel and keep the mess to a minimum. Then take a vegetable peeler and slice off the skin from both sides of the leaf...


It will look like this...lots of goopiness...


After you take the outer skin off the leaf you can cut it into 2 - 4 inch cubes


I float all the cubes in cold water until I am done cleaning them all.


Here are all my cubes floating in the water...this was about 5 leaves I think.


At this point I cube them all into tinier pieces and put them all in little snack bags and freeze. When I want to use them in a drink; I break them up in the baggy with a meat tenderizer and throw them in. Saving a lot of money on my aloe this way and I know exactly how much I am eating.

Have you heard of eating aloe? Here are the benefits...

• Contains healthful plant compounds. ...
• Antioxidant and antibacterial properties. ...
• Accelerates the healing of burns. ...
• Reduces dental plaque. ...
• Helps treat canker sores. ...
• Reduces constipation. ...
• May improve skin and prevent wrinkles. ...
• Lowers blood sugar levels.

If you want to read about it; there are great articles HERE and HERE.

I hope you all have a fantastic day!

HUGS!!!