'Tis the Season For Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler

This is actually adapted from a pie recipe I've made dozens of times. I was craving this pie but couldn't bring myself to buy white sugar or white flour and have them sitting in my cupboard. I haven't had either for months now. You could certainly make the crust for a one crust pie (see "pastries" within this blog) and put a crust under this. I was just too lazy tonight for that.

4 cups chopped rhubarb
4 cups sliced strawberries (1 lb package)
1/3 cup sucanat
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup water

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sucanat
1 cup whole wheat flour

Mix rhubarb, sucanat, honey, and flour. Stir until flour is distributed throughout. Add water. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Remove from heat when liquid is thick and bubbly. Stir strawberries into the hot mixture. Pour into deep dish pie plate or 2 qt casserole dish.

In a food processor, pulse together butter, sucanat, and flour until crumbly. Pour over fruit mixture and spread around. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Tomato Cream Shrimp Linguine, a fast gourmet dinner

7 oz whole grain linguine
2 T butter
½ cup chopped onion
1 tsp minced garlic
¼ cup whole wheat flour
2 cups milk
14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 lb raw, peeled, deveined shrimp

Boil pasta in salted water. Saute onion and garlic in butter. Add flour and stir. Add milk and tomatoes. Stir until thick. Do not boil. Add salt and pepper. Add shrimp and cover. Steam shrimp until they are pink throughout.

Peanut Butter Bars: and how I adapted the recipe

(click on image to enlarge)

The original recipe (notice the naughty brown sugar, white sugar, and white flour)

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 tsp soda
½ tsp salt
2 cups flour
2 cups oats

With my modifications. Sugars are replaced, flour is replaced. I also opted to use all-natural chunky peanut butter in mine. These are LOVED by all my family and no one is missing the processed ingredients at all:

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sucanat
1/2 cup honey
1 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 tsp soda
½ tsp salt
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups oats

Preheat oven to 325. Beat the first 6 ingredients together. Stir remaining ingredients together and add to the rest. Drop blogs of dough all over a greased lipped cookie sheet and press out using greased hands or rubber spatula. Bake for 15 minutes.

The original recipe also suggested frosting these with chocolate frosting. Instead, I made up the chocolate sauce below. I found this concoction here:
http://thefrugallyrichlife.wordpress.com/2010/03/16/homemade-reeses-peanut-butter-cups-refined-sugar-free/

1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla

I put the ingredients in a squeeze bottle, microwaved them, and shook the bottle. It was a perfect topping and so easy to drizzle on the top.

A shameless plug for Meg Dickey's recipes

Meg Dickey, I gotta say I love you. Love the soaked buttermilk biscuits and make them all the time. Now, I am in love again. This soaked applesauce cake is perfect for breakfast. Start the soak the night before and measure the rest of the ingredients. When you wake up the next morning, you just take one minute to stir it all up and put it in the oven. By the time you take a shower and get dressed, you have hot cake, ready to serve.

http://megdickey.wordpress.com/2009/12/14/soaked-applesauce-cake/#comment-348

Here's a great site all about grains and what to do with them!

Thanks, Andrea, for the tip. This site is full of great information!

http://www.versagrain.com/

Simple Cinnamon Drop Cookies

click on image to enlarge

This is just an adaptation from the red/white checkered "Better Homes" cookbook

1 cup room temperature butter
1 1/2 cups sucanat
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups whole wheat flour (freshly ground hard or soft white wheat preferred)
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon

Blend together butter and sucanat. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat one minute. Add flour and baking powder and mix thoroughly. Drop onto a silpat or parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 8 or 9 minutes.

Whole Grain Banana Cake

click on image to enlarge

This cake is divine. Definitely company worthy and easy to make. I substituted melted butter for the peanut oil and opted not to sprinkle it with the coconut. My daughter hates coconut. I also used freshly ground hard white wheat for the pastry flour. This comes from the same site where I found the yummy oatmeal cookies I posted a couple of months ago. The picture on the site is prettier than mine; check it out.

http://www.wholegraingourmet.com/recipes/41-cake/81-whole-grain-banana-cake.html

Cake Ingredients:
•1 1/2 cups whole grain pastry flour
•1 tsp baking powder
•1/2 tsp baking soda
•1 tsp ground cinnamon
•1/4 tsp salt
•3/4 cup sucanat (Evaporated Cane Juice)
•3 large eggs
•1/2 cup peanut oil
•2 large ripe bananas
•1/2 cup milk (any kind)
•2 tsp vanilla extract

Frosting Ingredients:
•4-oz cream cheese, room temperature
•1/4 cup butter, room temperature
•3 tbsp wild honey
•2-3 tbsp milk
Topping
•Unsweetened coconut flakes
•Toasted pecans


Cake Preparation:
1.Preheat oven to 350F.
2.Grease a 9-inch round cake pan, bottom and sides.
3.In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon and salt.
4.In a small pan over low heat melt sucanat in oil- just till its partially liquidfied, may still be a bit crumbly.
5.In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, bananas, milk and vanilla extract.
6.Add sucanat liquid to dry mix and stir till covered in mixture.
7.Add egg mix and stir until no streaks of flour remain visible.
8.Pour into prepared pan.
9.Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the cake springs back when lightly pressed.
10.Turn cake out of the pan onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Frosting Preparation:
1.Beat cream cheese and butter together
2.Slowly add honey and milk until creamy smooth.
3.Top cool cake with frosting, pecans and unsweetened coconut flakes.

Tisha's Lentil Enchiladas

click on photo to enlarge


click on photo to enlarge

Ingredients
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp unrefined oil or butter
1 cup dried lentils
1 heaping tablespoon of my taco seasoning (see post with crock pot pinto beans)
2 cups broth, any kind
1 cup thick salsa
8 whole wheat tortillas (see previous post)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
1 can enchilada sauce (we like Stokes pork flavored sauce; clean ingredient list and yummy)
lettuce, tomato, black olives, sour cream, etc.. for toppings

Directions
Saute onion and garlic until tender. Add lentils and spices. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Add broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Uncover. Cook 10 minutes more, allowing liquid to reduce. Add salsa. Heat through. You may need to put this in a colander to remove some of the cooking liquid. Spoon 1/4 cup lentils into tortillas. Roll and place in a 13x9 pan. Cover with enchilada sauce and cheese. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Top with desired toppings

The BEST Whole Wheat Tortillas Ever

I've made lots of whole wheat tortillas and have often found the results to be too "wheaty", too thick, and just not right. I'm a tortilla connoisseur. When we lived in Nampa, Idaho (a town with a high Mexican population), I found a little bakery called "Rita's." If you are ever in Nampa, please go eat the lingua tacos (yup, this is tongue; just trust me) from their walk-up window. Then go inside their little shop. Buy their flour tortillas . Also buy their little cinnamon sugar coated cookies. Both are made with white flour but its a treat that you won't find anywheare else, so I think you should splurge. Anyway, I digress...... tortillas......Because of Rita's, I must have my tortillas thin and cooked just right. THIS recipe is the one:

Ingredients
4 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1.5 cups boiling water

Directions
Put flour, salt, and baking powder into a good mixer and mix, using the paddle blade. Pour boiling water over this and mix thorougly. Switch to dough hook and knead for 2 minutes. This helps the gluten in the flour develop and absorb the water. Shape into 24 balls right on your counter and lay plastic wrap over the top. You can freeze them at this point if you want. Let them rest on the counter for at least 20 minutes or up to 24 hours (this would be considered "soaking" as I've described in an earlier post about getting more from your whole grains, but without an acid solution).

Heat a cast-iron griddle or non-stick pan to medium high heat. Roll out on an unfloured, ungreased countertop (if you need flour, just use a tiny bit). I'm not super picky about shape. Mine are often square-ish. Roll as thinly as you can and stretch the dough when you pick it up to place it on your hot griddle.

Cook on both sides.

Slip the hot tortilla into a zip-lock bag and zip it up. Keep doing this. The trapped steam keeps the tortillas soft.

If you want to freeze these, let the bag cool and then place it in the freezer.

Nutritional Info
Servings Per Recipe: 24
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 67.7
Total Fat: 0.4 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 102.3 mg
Total Carbs: 14.7 g
Dietary Fiber: 2.4 g
Protein: 2.7 g

Simple Lo Mein Dinner

1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken or pork (totally optional)
1 lb bag frozen stir fry veggies
1/2 a 13.5 oz box of whole wheat linguine or spaghetti
1 cup reduced sodium broth
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tbsp minced garlic from a jar

Get your pasta water going in one pan. Heat a skillet or wok and drizzle with evoo. Saute your chicken until cooked through and then add 1/4 cup water. Add your frozen veggies and cover. Steam for 5 minutes on high. Meanwhile, put your pasta in to cook. Whisk together the broth, juice, soy sauce, flour, and garlic. Pour this over the chicken and veggies and leave uncovered, stirring often until the sauce thickens. Drain your pasta and dump it right into the pan with the chicken, veggies, and sauce.

This serves 2 adults, 3 kids under 10, plus another adult for lunch the next day.

Homemade Mayonnaise and Miracle Whip

Here's another food that I had to stop buying when I read the label. What the heck IS all of that stuff? I found a recipe online and then tweaked it. When I made sandwiches with it, they were declared "the best sandwiches ever" by my 10 year old.

THE MAYONNAISE RECIPE ALONE
2 egg yolks
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp honey
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 cups cold pressed, unrefined canola oil (this is tricky to find)

THE PART YOU ADD TO THE MAYO TO MAKE IT LIKE MIRACLE WHIP
2 tbsp whole wheat flour
1 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp vinegar

1. Pulse the eggs, salt, honey, and lemon juice in your blender
2. Turn blender on and pour the oil in kinda slowly. It magically becomes mayo. You can stop here if you want. I like the flavor of the rest of the ingredients.
3. Whisk the flour, mustard, paprika, and garlic powder together in an unheated sauce pan. Add the water and vinegar. Whisk until it is all smooth. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
4. Stir the mayo with the hot mixture and refrigerate.

I honestly don't know the shelf life of this stuff.

Crock pot Great Northern Beans

I wanted to cook a pound of Great Northern Beans because I love the idea of replacing half of the meat in a recipe with beans, and Great Northerns are so mild and versatile that I love to use them for this purpose. However, I usually forget to cook them ahead of time and end up using all the meat the recipe called for anyway. This is what I put in my crockpot at 9:00 last night:

1 lb dry Great Northern Beans
10 cups hot tap water
1/4 cup organic no-salt seasoning blend (Costco)

I turned the crockpot on low and left it until 6:00 this morning, so 9 hours. The beans are perfectly cooked and still had some broth as well. I love the flavor of the no-salt seasoning but you know what is missing? Salt. lol. When I make them again, I'll add a tablespoon of salt. I suspected this might be the result but because of my detox, I'm avoiding salt. I ended up with 6 lbs of beans. Here they are:



CLICK ON IMAGE FOR A CLOSE UP

Crock Pot Pinto beans and stuff you can make with them!

Just look at the sodium content in a can of beans one time and you'll choke. They are pretty high in sodium. I hate when I go to buy a "healthy" food and find that it has been modified this way. Grr... So, I make my own version. I put them in jars for the sake of this blog because stuff looks pretty in jars. Usually, though, I put these in 2 cup portions in ziplock baggies. 2 cups of beans (with yummy juice included) weighs about 14 oz, which is the same size as a can of beans.



8 cups water
3 cups dry pinto beans
1/4 cup homemade taco seasoning (see below)
1 can tomato paste
1 Tbsp Chicken base (I use organic, low sodium, "Better than Boillon"

put in crockpot on low for 8 hours. I don't recommend trying this with other beans. I hear the cooking time can be WAY different so I can only say this works with pintos.

HOMEMADE TACO SEASONING

Storebought taco seasoning is full of junk you don't want. If you want the flavor with NO unknown ingredients and NO sodium, mix 1/2 cup each cumin, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and oregano in a quart jar and use it to flavor just about anything. This is also WAY cheaper than those little packets

MEXICAN HAYSTACKS

2 cups cooked rice
2 cups crockpot pinto beans
cheese
sour cream
lettuce
tomato
black olives
salsa

CHILI SOUP

2 cups crockpot pinto beans
2 cans chili seasoned tomatoes
1 can low sodium beef broth (or homemade broth or broth from beef base)
1 can whole kernel corn, drained)
2 tbsp chili powder
1 lb cooked ground beef, turkey, or elk (optional)
1 cup cooked barley (optional)

simmer for a while and serve with grated cheese, sour cream, cilantro, etc.. if desired.

BEAN AND CHEESE ENCHILADAS

2 cups crockpot pinto beans
8 whole wheat tortillas
2 cups grated cheese
1 small can enchilada sauce (check label for a short, clean ingredient list)

warm your tortillas so they are soft. Fill with beans and 1/2 the cheese and place in a baking dish. Cover with enchilada sauce and remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes (you want your cheese good and bubbly). You can top with lettuce, tomato, black olives, sour cream, etc. if you want but I really like them best with just sour cream, I'm ashamed to admit. I like my veggies on the side for this one.

Easy Chicken Parmesan with Chunky Tomato Sauce

1 slice of whole wheat bread, toasted and crushed into crumbs
4 b/s chicken breasts, sliced into 8 pieces, halved horizontally

3 tbsp olive oil
1 diced onion
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 28 oz cans diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning

6 oz mozzarella cheese

8 oz whole wheat(or whole wheat blend), or other whole grain pasta

Mix bread crumbs and parmesan cheese, set aside. Saute onion and garlic in olive oil. Add tomatoes and Italian Seasoning and simmer. Spread 2 cups of the sauce on the bottom of a 13x9 pan and keep 2 cups warm for serving over your pasta. Put the remaining 2 cups away and use it for pizza sauce or for a spaghetti lunch. Lay chicken pieces over the sauce. Sprinkle bread and cheese over the chicken. Top with mozzarella.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, covered. Uncover for the last 10 minutes. Boil pasta during that last 10 minutes of baking.

Calories: 380.9
Total Fat: 13.1 g
Cholesterol: 85.7 mg
Sodium: 427.9 mg
Total Carbs: 28.6 g
Dietary Fiber: 4.4 g
Protein: 39.3 g

(this nutrition information is skewed because it includes the whole recipe for the sauce but you'll really only 2/3 of that)

4 Recipes with "soaked" whole grain flour

Don't make the mistake I did and say "that's weird." Make all 4 of these and then start thinking about your own recipes and how easy it would be to just start them the night before. For the first two, I followed recipes that already included the grain soaking thing. The next two were me experimenting with recipes I already had and loved, and they WORKED!! The first two came from this blog:

http://megdickey.wordpress.com/

RECIPE #1 SOAKED WHOLE WHEAT BREAD


the night before:
Combine 3 cups whole wheat flour with 1 cup warm water + 2 tablespoons lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. Knead til smooth. Place in bowl, cover tightly.
(The original recipe said: "I set my bread machine on the dough cycle and let it run til the rising session, then unplug and leave overnight")

the next morning/day:
add 2 tablespoons melted butter (or olive oil, or melted coconut oil)
1-2 tablespoons sweetener honey or sucanat
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons yeast
(the original recipe did not say to add more liquid but I added 3 Tbsp warm water with the yeast)

Mix thoroughly, and knead til smooth. Let rise in an oiled bowl til doubled (about an hour in a warm oven..preheat to 170, then TURN OFF). Punch down, shape into a loaf, place in pan and let rise til doubled (about 45 minutes ). Bake at 350º for about 40 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer registers 200 degrees. (The original recipe said, "I use the whole wheat setting on my bread machine, and just pull it out after the first rising and bake in the oven.")

It also makes fantastic rolls!

RECIPE #2 SOAKED WHOLE WHEAT BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

the night before:
2 1/2 c. of whole wheat pastry flour
8 tablespoons butter
+/- 1 c. buttermilk (although they are EXTRA good if you use cream, although you will need to add 1 T whey or lemon juice as well)

Cut the butter into the flour with a pastry cutter, or a knife and fork, until the mixture resembles small crumbs (or do this in your food processor). Add the buttermilk – I’ve found I need to add less depending on the humidity in my home, but it’s always right around 1 cup. Combine until no dry flour is left. Cover tightly and leave on countertop overnight.

see how it doesn't look like "soaking?" It is just a resting dough.

The next morning/day, preheat oven to 375˚
Add:
1/2 t. baking soda
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
(the original recipe did not call for extra liquid but I added 2 Tbsp milk)

The mixture should be slightly sticky, but not wet. You should be able to form the dough with your hands into 2 in. balls. Place on parchment covered cookie sheets 2 inches apart, and bake for 15-20 minutes. Makes 8-10 biscuits.

here they are before baking. I just rolled and flattened them a bit.

and we ate them with honey-sweetened strawberries and real cream whipped with honey and vanilla

RECIPE #3 SOAKED WHOLE WHEAT GARLIC PIZZA CRUST

the night before:
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup hot water
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp vinegar

knead this together and cover. Leave on counter overnight.

when you are about 90 minutes away from wanting pizza, add:
1 tbsp yeast
2 tbsp warm water
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic, minced

knead this and place in an oven that has been preheated to 170 and TURNED OFF. Allow to rise for about an hour then divide into two balls and press or roll onto two 12 inch round pizza pans or stones. Top with sauce, cheese, or whatever and bake at 425 for 20 minutes. Stay tuned for my chicken parmesan with chunky tomato sauce; that sauce is yummy for pizza.

RECIPE #4 BUTTERMILK CORNMEAL PANCAKES

This recipe came from Epicurious.com but I changed it up.

the night before:
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
4 tbsp melted butter
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup whole wheat flour

stir these ingredients and cover. Leave on counter overnight.

in the morning:
3 eggs
2 1/2 tbsp honey or sucanat
1/2 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

add these ingredients to the soaked grains. Add water or milk to thin as needed. Cook as usual for pancakes. Serve with real maple syrup and/or fruit.

How to get more nutrition out of your whole grains

6 years ago, when I started this whole natural food thing, I read about soaking whole grains to make them easier to digest. I think I tried one recipe. It seemed "too weird" so I stopped doing that. I've revisited it and you know what? It isn't really weird at all. Take any recipe that contains whole grain flour and liquid (so any pancake, muffin, biscuit, bread, cake, etc) and allow the flour to sit in that liquid for 7-24 hours before you finish the recipe. Seriously, that easy. Why did I think that was weird?

Why do this, you ask?? Because whole grains contain phytic acid, which actually blocks the absorbtion of nutrients. If we soak it, ferment it, or sprout it, the phytic acid gets neutralized and the nutrients are more available. In addition, this helps break down the grain a bit and makes it easier to digest (particularly the gluten, which some people have trouble with). This also makes for a lighter, fluffier product than other whole-grain recipes usually produce.

Soaking is easy, as I stated above (and you don't soak and drain it like soaking a stained shirt, you just let it sit and then continue baking). Fermenting is easy too. You can just add a little lemon juice, vinegar, buttermilk, or yogurt to the liquid and fermentation occurs. Sprouting is still "too weird" to me. I'll get back to you on that when I get gutsy enough to learn how.

Something else I learned 6 years ago, but forgot, is that freshly ground flour loses 40% of its nutrients within 24 hours of grinding (unless sealed or refrigerated) and 80% is lost in 3 days. So using freshly ground grains, or refrigerating store-bought ones preverves the nutrients.

Information about natural sweeteners from another blogger

I've been finding that there are lots of "us" out there in the blog-o-sphere. Many have done their research and are helping me on my journey quite a bit. Here is a link to some great information about natural sweeteners, including how to substitute them in recipes:

http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2008/09/my-favorite-natural-sweeteners.html

I learned that some of my stand-by's aren't maybe as healthy as I thought. For instance, I hadn't thought about the damage that heat does to liquid sweeteners. Heating a liquid sweetener above 118 degrees damages it and can even change the molecular structure. Well, maple syrup and agave nectar start out looking like water and must be boiled down until they are syrup consistency. They get way over 118 degrees and become something different and not quite as healthy as they were before. Pasteurized honey gets over 118 as well, and with that one, beneficial bacteria are killed off in the process. We have to worry about botulism in honey because pasteurization kills off the natural honey killer that God put in there!! I'm thinking they are still way better than refined white sugar, but it is something to think about.

I learned, also, that Stevia is best bought in its ground leaf form, and not in the white powdered form, because that white powder is super-processed. Good to know.

I'm thinking, based on what I learned, that Succanat and RAW honey are our best choices for sweeteners, as long as we don't cook the honey. So succanat should go in things that will be baked or cooked on the stove, honey can be stirred into or drizzled onto already-cooked or fresh items. I don't think this will make me give up my Maple Syrup on pancakes, and I'm not going to go back and change all my recipes because this is all about growth. I have no doubt that yogurt sweetened with cooked honey and blueberries is heathier than commercially sweetened yogurt. It's just good info to use in the future.

A good explanation of why some oils are good and some oils are bad

I was recently asked to defend my position on what fats I've deemed good and bad. I had to admit that I had done the research and that I used to know, but that I couldn't remember the specifics. Now I remember:

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/t043800.asp

"Oils are liquid fats. Most commercial oils come from plant sources, such as nuts and seeds. Oils are an important part of a balanced diet because, besides being a rich source of energy, they provide essential fatty acids which are the building blocks for cell membranes, especially cells in growing brains. Oils help the body absorb certain vitamins, such as A, D, E, and K, and contribute to healthier skin. And oils carry and intensify flavors in food and give it a pleasurable feel in the mouth.

Most oils come from the seeds of plants, which are crushed and pressed to remove the oil. Heat can damage oils and alter the fatty acids, creating harmful substances, so the best oils are produced with minimal heat. This is called cold pressing. However, when you see the term "cold-pressed" on a label, don't assume that the oil in the bottle was not heated during manufacturing. "Cold-pressed" is a little fib that appeals to consumers who are savvy enough to equate heating with damage to oils. The problem is that the term has no chemical, legal, or technological definition, and it means something different to a manufacturer than it does to the consumer. To a manufacturer, cold-pressed simply means that no external heat was applied during the pressing of the oil, yet the press itself, which comes in contact with the oil, may become quite hot anyway and damage the oil. A more informative label would state the temperature at which the oil was processed, which ideally should be below 110 degrees. The words "omegaflow process" on a label means that the oil has been protected from reaching high temperatures during processing.

Most of the oils you'll find in the supermarket have not only been extracted with heat or solvents, but have also been refined with potentially toxic substances. These processes improve shelf life and make oil cheap to produce, but they take the product further away from its natural state and leave chemical residues behind. If the label does not boast that the oil is "unrefined," you can assume that it has been through some kind of chemical process that makes it worse for your health."

My strolls through Barnes and Noble... and the natural foods store

I have been asked to give a healthy eating presentation at church next week. I decided that I wanted to actually OWN the handful of books that have led me to think the way I now do, and to set them out for people to look at and leaf through. I also wanted to see what else was out there on the topic of clean eating, whole foods, "real" eating, etc... I found Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon. I've checked it out from the library a dozen times and decided that frugality is silly when it comes to this book. I MUST own it. I also found Master Your Metabolism by Jillian Michaels. I didn't find any other books that I'd recommend or set out as an example of my beliefs.

I looked for new books, too. I found NOTHING. There is a book called The Eat Clean Diet by Tosca Reno. She won't use butter and she does use white flour, white sugar, and white pasta. How is this clean? Other books, whose exact titles I forget now, claimed to be "whole foods" cookbooks but contained dessert recipes using white sugar and white flour. They also contained white pasta, arborio rice, meats full of nitrates and sodium, vegetable oils, margarine, and other foods I don't consider "whole." Apparently, if you only use a little, these foods become "whole" all-of-a-sudden.

I found vegetarian cookbooks loaded with ingredients I won't use. Sure, there's no meat on the plate, but there's margarine and refined oil and processed cheese and a whole bunch of other crap I found "sugar free" cookbooks full of Nutrasweet and Splenda. People don't get that replacing one refined product with another even more refined product isn't smart. I did find a couple of books that I might have considered except they used at least two ingredients in every recipe that I'd never heard of or that I KNEW were expensive or difficult to find. There really is very little out there, in the mainstream bookstore, for people who want to eat "close to the earth," but who also have restricted time and resources, like me.

Prior to this visit, I found myself walking through our huge, beautiful, food co-op. I went there for rapadura. It is the only place I can buy it, locally. I was frustrated as I wandered aisle upon aisle of processed, packaged foods that say "all natural" and "organic." Are people really fooled by this? If Paul Newman makes your oreo cookie from white sugar and white flour and calls it organic is it suddenly a health food? Gluten free organic cheese puffs are still cheese puffs. Organic mac and cheese made with white pasta and some cheese-product is still not real food. Makes me crazy, I tell ya. And what I kept asking myself was, "who buys this stuff?" Are there people willing to spend $3 a box for organic mac and cheese with zero nutritional value instead of .79 cents a box for the non-organic version? Don't they see that fake food without pesticides isn't much better than fake food with pesticides???

Gaaaah.....

thanks for listening.

Cuban Black Beans with Pork and Brown Rice

Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup diced bell pepper
1/2 cup diced onion
1 tsp garlic
14 oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
pinch of cayenne or 1/8 tsp black pepper
1 bay leaf

2 cups cooked black beans
8 oz diced leftover pork roast

1 1/3 cups cooked brown rice

Directions
Cook rice ahead of time and keep hot. Saute pepper, onion, and garlic in olive oil. Add tomatoes and spices. Simmer 5 minutes. Add pork and beans. Simmer until heated through. Remove bay leaf. Serve 1/3 cup of rice with 1 cup bean/meat/tomato mixture.

Number of Servings: 4

Calories: 356.5
Total Fat: 9.8 g
Cholesterol: 44.8 mg
Sodium: 101.3 mg
Total Carbs: 41.8 g
Dietary Fiber: 10.3 g
Protein: 25.8 g

Kid's Favorite Peanut Butter Spread

Kid's Favorite Peanut Butter Spread

This is lower in calories and fat than peanut butter alone and is sweeter and creamier. Great on toast, pancakes, sliced apples, ice cream, whatever.

Ingredients
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
2 Tbsp Honey
2 Tbsp Real Maple Syrup
1/3 cup milk

Directions
Put all ingredients in a 1 pint glass canning jar. Microwave for 30 seconds. Stir. Microwave for 30 more seconds. Stir. Refrigerate and use within one week. Makes 16 one tablespoon servings.

Number of Servings: 16

Calories: 69.5
Total Fat: 4.1 g
Cholesterol: 0.4 mg
Sodium: 2.4 mg
Total Carbs: 5.6 g
Dietary Fiber: 0.5 g
Protein: 1.9 g

Vegetarian taco soup

Snuck this one past my bean hater. Everyone loved this, even company. Score one for the team!!I forgot to take a picture, sorry picture lovers.

Vegetarian taco soup

Ingredients
1 cup raw barley
1 onion
2 tsp olive oil
2 tbsp taco seasoning (equal parts onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, cumin, and chili powder)
15 oz can chili-ready canned tomatoes (or regular and add some chili powder)
15 oz canned corn, drained
2 cups cooked kidney beans
6 cups beef broth (I make mine with "better than bouillon"). If you are a real vegetarian, you can obviously choose vegetable broth instead.

9 oz Baked Tostito's Scoops
2 1/4 cups grated colby jack cheese
9 tablespoons light sour cream

Directions
Saute onion in a the olive oil. Add taco seasoning, barley, and the beef broth. Cook until barley is soft (if you use "quick" barley it'll only take 10 minutes). Add tomato, beans and corn. Cook until heated through. Each one-cup serving should be topped with 1/4 cup grated cheese and 1 Tbsp of the light sour cream. Serve with one ounce (about 15 chips) of baked tortilla chips.

Number of Servings: 9

Calories: 308.0
Total Fat: 10.5 g
Cholesterol: 27.7 mg
Sodium: 850.3 mg
Total Carbs: 42.0 g
Dietary Fiber: 9.0 g
Protein: 14.2 g

When you gotta have some Chocolate!!

Microwave Mini Cakes

Ingredients
2 Tbsp Cocoa powder
1/3 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tbsp 2% milk
1 egg
splash of vanilla
3 Tbsp Honey

Directions
Mix flour and cocoa powder. Mix wet ingredients together. Stir all together and pour into 4 sprayed 1/2 cup ramekins or microwaveable tea cups. Microwave 2 minutes. Run a knife around the edge and turn onto a plate.

Number of Servings: 4

Calories: 209.8
Total Fat: 13.5 g
Cholesterol: 84.3 mg
Sodium: 101.9 mg
Total Carbs: 21.8 g
Dietary Fiber: 2.1 g
Protein: 3.8 g

My friend's story. I'm so proud of her I had to share.

What my friend did is so impressive. I think the HARDEST part of eating right is doing so when the chips are down, when our life gets crazy, when the routine is off, and when we are exposed to lots of bad options and few good ones. Here is how it is done, folks:

I have spent a considerable amount of time in hospitals. I have one daughter with an ongoing kidney condition and another who has dabbled in serious illness a time or two. These hospital stays were always terrible for the children and draining on me. Since few services are provided for the parents of pediatric parents, it was often necessary to forage for meals and fend for my own needs. The easiest thing to do was to eat quick snack foods from vending machines, drink sugared, caffeinated sodas available to parents and constantly sit by the bedside of my sick child to insure not a need went unanswered by the overworked nursing staff. I always felt awful and packed on the pounds when a child was hospitalized, without exception.

This last time, I was determined to break the pattern of weariness and weight gain as my daughter had to be hospitalized for a few days for a surgical infection. I began my “new routine” by declining the soft drinks offered on the floor. At first opportunity, I ran down to the snack bar and bought a variety of flavored waters to keep stashed in the hospital room. Instead of falling to the temptation of a greasy burger from the grill, I opted for a bag of whole grain pretzels to tide me over until the hospital cafeteria opened and I could scout healthier choices there. In the cafeteria I found a wonderful yogurt bar with a variety of berries and granola toppings, so instead of the traditional greasy spoon fare, I bought 2 cups of yogurt and berries and asked for foil to cover them. I ate one for breakfast and asked the nurses to keep the other in the floor refrigerator so I could have it later. I also asked family to bring us fresh fruit, apples and oranges that I kept in the room and could have when I needed a quick snack. When dinnertime rolled around, I requested a double serving of veggies and asked for the entrée to be served without high calorie gravy and sauces.

My food choices weren’t the only change. When things were quiet and my child occupied, I would tell the nurses I was stepping out for a minute and would ask if they would keep an eye on my child when I was gone. They were always happy to oblige. I would go to the stairwell walk down the steps and climb back up to stretch my legs and get my heart pumping. It only took a few minutes and I would feel so much better when I would return to my daughter’s bedside. I also took the steps whenever I needed to go anywhere in the hospital. These little steps added up and I felt a sense of accomplishment that I was finding opportunities to take care of myself while taking care of my sick child.

When my daughter was well enough to go home, I found that my transition into regular life and routine was easier than it had been before. Although I was tired, I was not exhausted and bloated from the experience. I felt pretty great!

All Natural Oatmeal Cookies

these came from this site:

http://www.wholegraingourmet.com/recipes/43-cookies/58-healthy-oatmeal-cookies.html

a lot of the recipes have sugar in them that I won't use but many of them don't. I have a whole file in my computer of recipes from there that I want to try. So far, so good. We love these ones.

All Natural Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups oats
1/2 tsp each of baking powder, baking soda, and salt
1 Tbsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves

1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup honey
1 Tbsp Molasses
1 egg, beaten with 1 Tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup raisins, dates, cranberries
1/2 cup pecans, walnuts, or other nut

Directions
Mix dry ingredients. Mix wet ingredients. Stir together. Mix in raisins and nuts. Bake at 335 degrees for 15 minutes on a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet. Makes 24 cookies using the pampered chef medium cookie scoop.

Number of Servings: 24

Calories: 129.6
Total Fat: 6.3 g
Cholesterol: 19.0 mg
Sodium: 166.3 mg
Total Carbs: 17.6 g
Dietary Fiber: 1.8 g
Protein: 2.3 g

Whole Wheat Pie Crust (for two crust pie)

Here's the crust made up into chicken pot pie. It is good with any filling, sweet or savory. Click on image to see it bigger.

Okay, since this is a two-crust recipe, it packs a whopping 254 calories and 17 grams of fat per serving (just the crust; no filling). It is "clean" but it is not going to make you slim. I CAN say that it is the best of many such recipes I've tried and is well worth the calories if you eat it not-so-often. Of course, if you don't make a top crust, you'll cut your calories in half. I've made chicken pot pie with just buttered bread crumbs for the top (added the last 20 minutes of baking), fruit pies with an oat/butter/honey mixture on top, or pudding pies with no top crust at all.

Whole Wheat Pie Crust (for two crust pie)

Ingredients
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks), cut into several pieces
1/2 cup very cold water

Directions
Put flour and salt into food processor, pulse. Add butter and process until it resembles course crumbs. Run processor and pour water into hole in the top until the dough forms a ball. This may not take all of the water. Divide into two disks, wrap with plastic wrap and chill 30 minutes. Roll out dough and place in pie tin. Fill as desired. Roll out second crust, cover filling. Most pies bake at 375 for 45-60 minutes.

If you are going to pre-bake this, line the crust with a circle of waxed paper and pour 1/2 cup of dry beans into it and bake at 450 for 10 minutes. Remove the waxed paper and bake for 5 more minutes

Number of Servings: 8

Calories: 254.0
Total Fat: 17.8 g
Cholesterol: 45.7 mg
Sodium: 413.5 mg
Total Carbs: 22.0 g
Dietary Fiber: 3.6 g
Protein: 4.2 g

Chocolate Pudding Pie with Oatmeal Crust

Oatmeal Pie Crust

Ingredients
1/2 cup oats
3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp Agave Nectar
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup cold butter cut into pieces
1/4 cup very cold water

Directions
Process oats in food processor until fine. Add flour, agave nectar, and salt. Pulse a few times. Add butter and process until it looks like coarse crumbs. Run processor and pour water through the hole in the top until it begins to come together. Shape into a disk then roll out between 2 layers of plastic wrap. Press into pie plate and crimp edges as desired. If you want to pre-bake the shell, line with a circle of waxed paper then pour 1/2 cup dry beans into that. Bake at 450 for 10 minutes. Remove paper and beans and bake for 5 more minutes.

Number of Servings: 8

Calories: 129.4
Total Fat: 8.1 g
Cholesterol: 20.1 mg
Sodium: 250.0 mg
Total Carbs: 12.8 g
Dietary Fiber: 1.9 g
Protein: 2.4 g

All Natural Chocolate Pudding Pie filling

Ingredients
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup corn starch
1/4 cup salt
2 cups milk
1/2 cup agave nectar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions
Whisk together cocoa powder, corn starch, and salt. Add 1/2 cup of the milk and whisk until it forms smooth paste with no lumps. Add remaining milk and agave nectar and whisk until combined. Cook over medium high heat until mixture thickens, stirring often, and constantly at the end. Stir in vanilla. Pour into pre-baked pie shell. Cover with plastic wrap, allowing the wrap to touch the top of the pudding. Chill 2 hours.

Number of Servings: 8

Calories: 99.9
Total Fat: 1.6 g
Cholesterol: 4.9 mg
Sodium: 98.6 mg
Total Carbs: 19.0 g
Dietary Fiber: 0.9 g
Protein: 2.6 g

An article that explains that "evil" gluten to me.

Gluten-free cuisine: is avoiding the protein better for us?
E: The Environmental Magazine, Jan-Feb, 2005 by Kimberly Jordan Allen

While perusing the lunch offerings at a local health food store recently, I overheard the chef say to a customer: "You have to try my vegetarian lasagna. It is gluten-free, which is better for you, of course." I had heard that wheat and gluten sensitivities could cause health problems for some people, but calling these foods unhealthy surprised me. Could gluten actually be bad for us?

Gluten is the elastic, water-insoluble protein found in wheat and other grains such as rye, barley, kamut, spelt and oats. It is also found in a surprising number of products on supermarket shelves. Gluten is used as a thickener and binder in thousands of such products as soups, sauces (including soy sauce), candy, artificial cheese, pharmaceuticals and even envelope glue. In the typical Western diet, wheat is the primary source.

For someone suffering from celiac disease, also called celiac sprue or celiac enteropathy, all forms of gluten are toxic to the digestive system. This means sufferers must avoid gluten in every form. The protein causes an immunological reaction in the small intestine, resulting in the disintegration of the finger-like villi that facilitate the absorption of nutrients. People who have been afflicted with this condition for extended periods of time lose their ability to process food normally, thereby leading to potentially severe health problems.

Long misdiagnosed, due to a lack of education, new studies suggest that up to one in 133 people are afflicted with celiac disease. People can also go years without being diagnosed due to the multifaceted symptoms, which include diarrhea, gas, bloating, weight loss, water retention, constipation and dermatitis. Long-term effects of the condition are anemia, malnutrition, osteoporosis and cancer. Some people also suffer an immediate allergic reaction to wheat or gluten, and others say they just feel better without it. But to deem gluten simply unhealthy seems to be a stretch.

For some consumers of organic and healthy foods, a generous chunk of whole grain bread can be the cornerstone of a nutritious meal, a staple bordering on iconic. Bleached white bread is rightfully condemned for its lack of nutritional value, but whole grains have long been praised as a good natural source of nutrition and fiber. The notion that wheat is unhealthy is definitely not the norm, but in the era of Atkins and South Beach anti-carb diets, people may be tending to think of wheat as junk food. Some are choosing to minimize starches altogether, while others partake in a gluten-free diet that allows more complex carbohydrates. Many are losing weight on these higher-protein, higher-vegetable diets, but nutritionists caution they may be missing out on important nutrients once grains are removed, such as B vitamins that are found in whole grain wheat.

Some people experience gluten sensitivity without knowing it. Melissa Diane Smith, a nutritionist and author of the book Going Against The Grain, warns that glutenous grains might be wreaking havoc on our health. "Gluten sensitivity is a hidden health problem that many Americans don't know they have," says Smith. "When a gluten-free diet is strictly followed, long-standing health problems clear up." This is obvious for those with celiac disease, but for the people who suffer subtler forms of intolerance, it could take years to discover sensitivity.

Claire Williamson, a nutritional scientist at the British Nutrition Foundation, disagrees that gluten sensitivity is more common than currently believed, and she stresses that wheat is an important part of the daily diet. "We would not recommend a wheat/gluten-free diet for a non-celiac sufferer," says Williamson. "Wheat forms a staple part of the diet, and avoidance of wheat is far from an easy task," she says. Most Western physicians and dietitians believe that in the absence of strong symptoms of intolerance, a gluten-free diet is unnecessary.

It may be a good idea to get checked for intolerance if you experience chronic digestive disorders that have gone undiagnosed, however. In a 2002 article in the peer-reviewed American Family Physician, Dr. David A. Nelson, Jr. of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences concluded, "Gluten-sensitive enteropathy commonly manifests as 'silent' celiac disease (i.e., minimal or no symptoms)." A blood test can determine if you have the antibodies that signify the disease is present. An intestinal biopsy verifies the presence of the problem. A gluten-flee diet promises relief.

Soo.....................What does this mean for me and my food choices? We're gonna keep eating it. We don't seem to have any sensitivities here. My recipes contain quite a bit of wheat and oats and I was starting to feel guilty about that. I'm over it.

Sweet and Sour Turkey Patties with Brown Rice

24 oz of very lean ground meat (turkey, chicken, elk)
1 cup oats
1/3 cup low sodium chicken broth

3 Tbsp agave nectar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp garlic
2 tbsp corn starch
8 oz can crushed pineapple (drained, juice reserved)
water to make the juice = one cup
1/2 cup diced bell pepper

2 cups cooked brown rice

Mix meat, oats, and chicken broth. Shape into 8 patties. Fry in vegetable oil spray.

In a sauce pan, whisk together the agave nectar, vinegar soy sauce, garlic, cornstarch and the juice from the pineapple add water to make one cup of liquid). Bring to a boil and boil one minute. Add the crushed pineapple and the bell pepper.

One serving = 1/2 cup of rice, 1 patty, and 1/8 of the sauce

Number of Servings: 8



Calories: 261.0
Total Fat: 2.7 g
Cholesterol: 62.0 mg
Sodium: 218.4 mg
Total Carbs: 28.4 g
Dietary Fiber: 2.4 g
Protein: 28.6 g

Another yummy pancake that feels like dessert!

Now that I know what I know about carbs at night, we splurge on our carbs on Saturday and Sunday morning and save dessert for special occasions. We all get our sweet teeth taken care of, but in a healthy way, and without that evening carb issue.

Hawaiian Pancakes with Maple Pineapple topping

1 cup quick oats
1 1/4 cups 2% milk
1/2 cup juice, drained from a 20 oz can crushed pineapple
1 medium banana, smashed
2 tbsp melted butter
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1/2 cup reserved pineapple juice
drained pineapple from above

Mix oats, milk, juice, banana, butter, and eggs in a mixer until combined. Mix flour, baking powder and salt and mix into batter. Transfer batter to a 4 cup measuring cup and add water to make 4 cups total. Use a 1/3 cup measuring cup to make 12 large pancakes.

Mix cornstarch, syrup, and pineapple juice. Bring to a boil, stirring. Add crushed pineapple. Makes 1 1/2 cups.

One serving = 2 pancakes with 1/4 cup pineapple sauce.

Number of Servings: 6

Calories: 219.5
Total Fat: 7.5 g
Cholesterol: 85.1 mg
Sodium: 390.3 mg
Total Carbs: 32.3 g
Dietary Fiber: 2.6 g
Protein: 6.1 g

So..... I'm browsing for cookbooks on Amazon and....

I came across a GREAT book.....at least I think it's great because I LOVE what the author says on one of the pages I got lucky enough to see in the "Look Inside" portion. I'm waiting for the book through interlibrary loan right now, because I hate to buy a book, only to find out that I don't really love it after all!

Anyway, the book, should you wish to look it up, is called:

Feeding the Whole Family: Cooking with Whole Foods by Cynthia Lair, and Peggy O'Mara.

I like what the authors say on this ONE page because they think like me, of course. They say "to determine whether a food is whole or not, we must be conscious when making food choices" Didn't I say that?? The authors say that before we eat it, or even heat it up, or even put it in our cart, we need to think about where it came from. They run it through the following questions:

1. "Can I imagine it growing??" Marshmallows, diet soda, fruit loops? Yeah, hard to imagine them growing, isn't it??

2. "How many ingredients does it have? A whole food has only one ingredient--itself. No label of ingredients is necessary on simple ingredients like salmon, apples, and wild rice"

3. "What's been done to the food since it was harvested? The less the better. Many foods we eat no longer resemble anything found in nature. Stripped, refined, bleached, injected, hydrogenated, chemically treated, irradiated, and gassed, modern foods have literally had the life taken out of them"......."if it isn't something that you could possibly make in your kitchen or grow in your garden, be wary. For example, you can make tofu, but you can't make isolated soy protein."

4. "Is this product part of a food or the whole entity? Juice is only part of a fruit. Oil is only part of the olive. When you eat a lot of partial foods, your body in its natural wisdom will crave the parts it didn't get."

I'm going to add to her list.... egg whites are only part of an egg. An apple or potato without its skin is only part of an apple or potato. Obviously, this logic only goes so far. We don't want you eating egg shells or banana peels.....

5. "How long has this food been known to nourish human beings?...... Putting something on my toast or in my tea that the FDA just approved last month warrants caution......Most whole foods have been on the dinner table for centuries."

ISN'T THIS AWESOME????? I love these criteria. They are similar to mine, but written so much better and make more sense than all my ramblings.

Fruit Slaw

All 5 of us loved eating this sweet summery side dish with our black bean burgers last night. What a great way to get cabbage into kiddoes!

3 cups Cole Slaw Mix
1 large granny smith apple, diced
1 cup crushed pineapple (drain juice and reserve)
1/4 cups dried cherries

1/2 cup low fat plain yogurt
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp reserved pineapple juice
the zest of one orange

2 tbsp sunflower seeds



Mix slaw, apple, pineapple, and cherries. Mix yogurt, honey, pineapple juice, and orange zest. Stir to combine. Makes 8 1/2 cup servings.


click on image to see it bigger

Calories: 88.3
Total Fat: 1.3 g
Cholesterol: 0.9 mg
Sodium: 26.6 mg
Total Carbs: 18.6 g
Dietary Fiber: 1.7 g
Protein: 1.5 g

California Black Bean Burgers

I give this recipe 5 stars, but I LOVE beans. You gotta like beans to like these burgers. You aren't going to fool anyone into believing that they are eating meat. At my house, 4of 5 family members liked this recipe a LOT. Bean lovers, all. The 5th (my 10 year old bean hater) actually gagged and ate a whole wheat bun with lettuce, tomato, and condiments for dinner, sans-bean burger.

2 cups cooked black beans (I put taco seasoning in the cooking water)
1 4 oz can diced green chilies
1 egg
1 1/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
5 whole wheat hamburger buns (170 calories each)



In food processor, mix beans, chile, egg, breadcrumbs until combined. Shape into 5 equal sized balls, and then shape into patties. Put cornmeal onto a plate and press both sides of the burger into the cornmeal. Fry in vegetable oil cooking spray until brown on both sides and firm. Serve on bun (calories included) with desired toppings.


click on image to see it bigger


click on image to see it bigger


click on image to see it bigger

Calories: 416.7
Total Fat: 4.9 g
Cholesterol: 42.5 mg
Sodium: 337.7 mg
Total Carbs: 75.8 g
Dietary Fiber: 9.4 g
Protein: 17.1 g

If you have a Costco, buy this yummy stuff

A 2 Tbsp serving has 35 calories, 2 carbs, 3 fat, 1 protein. Here, you see it pictured with one cup of sliced cucumber and 3 oz leftover chicken breast. 267 calories, 9 carbs, 15 fat, 26 protein. With only 9 carbs, I think it would be a safe evening snack as well.

Here, I made an omelette with 2 eggs, 3 cups of spinach (diced and sauteed until it became about 1/2 cup; I'm always amazed by this, 1/2 tsp garlic, 1/4 cup mozzarella, and 1 tbsp of that yummy Greek stuff on top. 270 calories, 7 carbs, 16 fat, 23 protein.

Tex Mex Sloppy Joes with Corn and Peppers

1 lb ground elk or other VERY LEAN ground meat
1 large red onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 yellow pepper, diced
4 tsp chile powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 medium tomatoes, diced
the corn from 2 ears of fresh corn
1 tbsp low sodium tomato paste
1 cup water
2 tsp soy sauce

Brown ground meat. Add peppers and cover. Steam for 2 minutes. Add onion and cover. Steam for 4 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and stir. Cover and reduce to a simmer. Simmer 10 minutes.

Makes 7 one cup servings. Serve open face on whole wheat buns (calories for bun not included)

Number of Servings: 7
Calories: 159.6
Total Fat: 2.0 g
Cholesterol: 47.3 mg
Sodium: 153.4 mg
Total Carbs: 14.6 g
Dietary Fiber: 2.6 g
Protein: 22.0 g

Mexican Quinoa Bake

1/2 lb ground beef or turkey
1 Cup cooked pinto beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can corn, drained
1 can black olives, drained
2 C cooked Quinoa (instructions below)
1 C grated cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp Taco seasoning (equal parts garlic pdr, onion pdr, chili pdr, cumin, oregano)

Brown ground beef.
Cook Quinoa JUST like you would white rice. 1 cup quinoa, 2 cups water, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.

Put quinoa in the bottom of an 8x8 casserole. Mix Meat, beans, tomatoes, and corn together. Spoon over top of meat. Sprinkle with cheese and olives. Bake at 350 for 20minutes.

Number of Servings: 8
Calories: 284.7
Total Fat: 15.4 g
Cholesterol: 38.9 mg
Sodium: 269.7 mg
Total Carbs: 37.0 g
Dietary Fiber: 5.1 g
Protein: 15.9 g

Lasagna Primavera

12 whole grain lasagna noodles

4 Tbsp butter or olive oil
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
2 C fat free 1/2 and 1/2
1/2 C whole wheat flour

3 C cut broccoli florets
2 cups shredded carrot
1 green pepper, diced

2 C part skim ricotta
1/2 C parmesan cheese
1 egg

2 C mozzarella cheese

Cook noodles. To make alfredo sauce, melt butter and stir in garlic and seasoning. Stir in flour. Add fat free 1/2 and 1/2. Stir until thickened.

Mix ricotta, parmesan cheese, and egg.

Layer sauce, noodles, ricotta mixture, veggie mixture, and mozzarella. Repeat until ingredients are used.

Number of Servings: 12
Calories: 315.8
Total Fat: 13.1 g
Cholesterol: 56.9 mg
Sodium: 397.0 mg
Total Carbs: 35.9 g
Dietary Fiber: 5.7 g
Protein: 17.4 g

Blueberry Apple Cobbler

Blueberry Apple Cobbler

2 cups frozen blueberries
one peeled, sliced apple or pear
2 tbsp agave nectar
2 Tbsp minute tapioca
sprinkling of cinnamon

1 cup whole wheat baking mix (listed in a previous post)
1 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup agave nectar
one egg
pinch each of salt, cloves, and nutmeg
zest of one orange

Put first list into the bottom of a 8 inch square pan.

Mix second list and pour over the top.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes until the top of the cake portion is cracking and no longer moist looking.

6 good sized servings.

Calories: 240.1
Total Fat: 8.0 g
Cholesterol: 54.3 mg
Sodium: 174.6 mg
Total Carbs: 39.2 g
Dietary Fiber: 4.1 g
Protein: 5.0 g

Ezekiel Pancakes

1 cup Ezekiel Flour
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp melted butter
1 Tbsp honey
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Mix thoroughly and add more milk if needed. Cook on a medium-hot sprayed griddle. Flip when bubbles in center begin to pop.

Ezekiel Flour

I mentioned this in a much earlier post, but I've been doing some more experimenting, so I'll share more now. Ezekiel, in the Old Testament, was told to make a flour out of a combination of beans and grains and to make a cake with it. He lived on this cake, along with water, for nearly a year before other foods were again available to him. Here's a recipe that includes all the grains and beans mentioned in the bible verse, Ezekiel 4:9:

2 1/2 cups hard red wheat berries
1 1/2 cups spelt berries
1/2 cup barley
1/4 cup millet
1/4 cup lentils
3/4 cups mixed beans

mix all of this together and then run it through a grain mill.

Spelt is very similar to wheat but more expensive. I use all wheat, and I use hard white instead of hard red. Barley and millet are gluten-free grains. You can substitute other gluten-free grains like brown rice, quinoa, or amaranth if you prefer. As for the beans and lentils, use whatever dry beans you have. I have a bucket of pinto beans so I often use just those.

You can replace the flour in any recipe with Ezekiel flour to make it more nutritious. It will change the texture and flavor. In yeast breads, I've replaced 1/4 of the flour with desireable results. I've made pancakes with Ezekiel flour only, and they are a favorite around here. I told the kids the story about Ezekiel and they latched right onto it. They make for a very filling meal.

Easiest Whole Wheat Bread

click on image to enlarge

I have a giant loaf pan that holds both loaves. You'll probably make 2 smaller ones. This is how mine looks. See the tiny holes on top? They are from my instant read thermometer. And the white bubbles are BUTTER. Click on image to enlarge

Lemon juice in this recipe acts as a dough enhancer which gives bread a fine, light texture. Gluten, a natural protein derived from wheat, provides elasticity and strength, added texture, helps retain moisture, prevents crumbling, and extends the shelf life of the bread.

3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (freshly ground hard white wheat preferred)
1/3 cup vital wheat gluten
1 1/4 Tbsp. yeast
2.5 cups hot tap water
1 T salt
1/3 C melted butter
1/3 cup honey (can use part molasses for depth of flavor)
1 1/4 T bottled lemon juice (or a crushed vitamin C tablet)
2 1/2 more cups whole wheat flour

Mix together first 3 ingredients with dough hook. Add water all at once and mix for one minute. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Add salt, butter, honey, and juice (or vitamin C) and beat for one minute. Add last flour, 1 cup at a time, beating between each cup. Beat for 6-10 minutes until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Preheat oven for one minute to lowest temp setting and then turn off. Turn dough onto oiled counter and divide. Shape into loaves into 2 standard-sized sprayed bread pans. Let rise in the warmed oven until dough rises above the top of the pans. Do not remove bread from oven; turn oven to 350 degrees and bake for 30-40 minutes, unitl the internal temperature is 200 degrees. Unwrap the end of a stick of butter and rub this all over the loaf to make the crust softer.

Servings Per Recipe: 32
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 99.7
Total Fat: 0.5 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 1.3 mg
Total Carbs: 20.1 g
Dietary Fiber: 2.8 g
Protein: 5.5 g

To make a 2 loaf recipe of this bread every other day for 1 year, you will need 275 lbs of wheat ground into flour, 32 sticks of butter, 46 lbs of honey, 8 lbs of yeast, 61 cups gluten, 2 2/3 quarts of lemon juice or 52 vitamin C tablets, and 7 lbs of salt.

I have been known to substitute up to 2 cups of the flour in this recipe with "Ezekiel flour" which I'll elaborate on in another post.

Fish with Tarragon Tomato Sauce

Ingredients
1 lb Mahi Mahi Fillets
1 cup chopped onion
1 tsp minced garlic
14 oz diced tomatoes, no salt added
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup water
1 T dried parsley
1T dried chives
2 tsp dried tarragon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Directions
Simmer all but fish for 15 minutes. Add fish, cover, simmer 10 minutes more, turning fish once.

Number of Servings: 4

Calories: 161.2
Total Fat: 1.4 g
Cholesterol: 106.7 mg
Sodium: 468.7 mg
Total Carbs: 9.7 g
Dietary Fiber: 2.7 g
Protein: 28.2 g

Because Jami asked.... low carb evening snacks

You pretty much need to pretend you are on the Atkin's diet from the time you finish dinner until an hour before you go to bed. After that, don't eat at all. See previous entry about eating at night for more details.

I have cut out evening eating completely. Works for me. HOWEVER, I happen to have some friends who love their evening snacking and must have SOMETHING after dinner. I did some research and here is a list, followed by some recipes:

• Celery with tuna salad
• Celery with natural, unsweetened peanut butter
• Cucumber with vinegar and olive oil
• Hard boiled eggs
• Deviled eggs
• Dill pickles and cheddar cheese (no kidding, it’s a great combo)
• 1/4 cup berries with 1/3 cup cottage cheese
• Nuts
• Sunflower seeds (get them in the shell so it will take longer to eat them)
• Other seeds
• Jerky
• Cheese sticks, such as string cheese
• Cheese with a few apple slices
• Smoked salmon and cream cheese on cucumber slices
• Lettuce Roll-ups –- Roll meat, egg salad, tuna or other filling and veggies in lettuce leaves
• Spread bean dip, spinach dip, or other low-carb dip or spread onto very thinly sliced meat (find a low sodium kind) or lettuce and then roll it up
• Raw veggies and spinach dip, or other low-carb dip
• Mushrooms with cream cheese spread inside
• Low-carb snack bars (watch out for sugar alcohols, especially maltitol)
• ½ cup strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries
• A slice of watermelon
• A slice of honeydew or cantaloupe
• Veggies with hummus
• Broccoli with melted cheese
• Sliced tomatoes with cubes of mozzarella with vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper
• Leftover meat

Low Carb Smoothie
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 scoop protein powder
• 1/3 cup frozen berries
• 2 Tablespoons Flax Seed Meal
• 1/2 - 1 cup water (less if you want it thicker)

Put all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth

Bean Dip
1 ½ cup cooked beans
4 oz fat free cream cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
¼ cup salsa

Put all ingredients in food processor and blend until smooth.

Spinach Dip
• 1 10 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1 1/2 cup of low fat or fat free sour cream
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon some kind of powdered herb, such as Greek seasoning

If you're using a food processor, pulse the spinach alone a few times. Then add the rest of the ingredients and blend well. If not using a food processor, stir to combine the ingredients in a bowl.

Cheese Crisps
These are an oven-baked version of the Italian frico. It's just basically thin rounds of baked cheese. One of the cool things about it is that they are moldable when still warm. If you drape them over an upturned glass, they will form a cup that you can fill with anything you like. It makes a really nice presentation for a party.

• 1 cup cheese

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Note on type of cheese: You can use any kind, really, but the results will be different. Hard cheeses, such as Parmesan, Romano, Asagio, etc, will make a crisp "shell," whereas cheddar will be more chewy and "lacey" (the fat separates out), though still firm. Softer cheeses such as mozzerella will not work well.

Toss cheese with any seasonings you'd like -- garlic powder (about half a teaspoon for a cup of cheese), hot pepper powder, even cinnamon. Or leave plain.

Pile 1 to 4 Tablespoons of cheese (depending on the size you want) on a baking sheet covered with a silicone mat or parchment paper oiled on both sides. Flatten the tops so they are in more or less an even pile. There should be at least two inches between smaller mounds, 4 inches between larger ones.

Bake 5 to 6 minutes until they are a light golden brown (they will be a little darker at the edges). It happens fast, so watch carefully.

If you want to mold them into a shape, you want to "drape" them while still warm. You can make cups over an upturned glass, or "taco shell" shapes by draping over any cylindrical object that is at hand (rolling pin, side of glass)

A non-environmentalist's take on helping the environment.....

You know, when we were kids, we were taught "Give a Hoot; Don't Pollute." I still believe that, but I don't group myself with the environmentalist movement. Things have gotten out of control. The term "environmentalist" has left a bad taste in our mouths because of the crazies. As I've been really paying attention the the food that goes into my body, however, and have begun to see results, I am thinking more about things like organics and natural products. I haven't thought about them in terms of saving the world but in terms of doing what it takes to make sure that the mechanisms of my body work their best.

I have learned that if it didn't have a mother or grow from the ground, I shouldn't eat it. Why put fake food in my body? My daughter asked me why we didn't have Tang anymore. I told her, "because Tang is just a fake version of orange juice and orange juice tastes better." I am on a mission to eat REAL food, not FAKE food because I am beginning to recognize that my body functions best this way. I sleep better, and I don't need naps. I am not depressed. My periods are normal for the first time in 10 years. I like sex more. Because the systems of my body are not confused by foreign stuff, they function like they should

So if I won't eat FAKE food, why would I want to eat real food with fake stuff all over it? Why would I want to contaminate my home with cleaners and sprays with perfumes and dyes and other harsh chemicals that will enter my systems and make them confused? I wouldn't want that at all, so I'm slowly making some changes.

Organic foods are expensive. I can't take the plunge and go completely organic, but there are many things I CAN do to keep those system-confusing contaminates out of my home and out of my diet:

1. Make sure the dairy I buy does not include growth hormones (rbgh or rbst). Many non-organic ones have a label on them that tell you this.

2. Wash my produce thoroughly, especially peaches, nectarines, apples, peppers, celery, berries, lettuce, and grapes.... these are the worst.

3. Encourage my husband to hunt and fish. We currently have a freezer full of elk meat that we bought from a friend who hunts. The elk lived in the woods behind a farmer's alfalfa field. It is lean and tastes fantastic. It isn't "gamey" at all and I KNOW it was never given shots or steroids or synthetic food. It ate alfalfa all its life. Wild game is healthier than store bought meat. We live in Montana so, when in Rome....

4. Plant an organic garden and use the produce from it, or buy locally raised produce from farmers markets. The fresher your produce is, the more nutrients are available for your body. This also prevents the food from having to be shipped in big exhaust-producing semi-trucks, trains, or planes. Good for you.... good for your world.

5. Buy cleaners without dyes or perfumes. Go easy on the bleach, ammonia, Pine Sol, and stuff like that.

6. Avoid the use of #3, #6, and #7 plastics, especially with hot foods, and never put these in the microwave or dishwasher.

7. Go to www.safelawns.org to find ways to treat my lawn and garden without using harsh chemicals. Weed and feed makes me sick. It really does. I have previously used it 3x a summer to keep my lawn pretty. I need to find another solution. Haven't done this yet, but I need to.

Sodium, the Silent Saboteur of Skinny

Watch this video. Jillian says what I would have said, only she's hotter than me, and has visuals and stuff.

http://video.aol.com/video/jillian-michaels-america-takes-it-off-2008-jillian-michaels-sodium-tips/2040026

If you ever wonder why you gained a pound without doing anything "wrong" or you lost a bunch of weight fast, without doing anything particularly "right," it is probably the result of sodium.

About eating at night...

I just learned A LOT from Jillian Michael's new book Master Your Metabolism. She confirmed quite a bit of what I already knew, and have been teaching you, which was a big confidence boost for me. However, there were many new ideas in her book, which I'm going to share with you here. First, she explained WHY eating at night (especially carbs) makes you gain weight. I've always heard that, but never understood why.

I didn't know any of this....................

1. You have a hormone, called Cortisol, that tells your body to store fat. Your body makes less of it in the morning than it does in the evening and night time. So eat your carbs in the morning and eat fewer as the day goes on, and NONE at night.

2. Your gastric emptying rate (or the rate at which food leaves your stomach) slows down at night.

3. Your ability to process glucose (sugar) is best in the morning, slower in the evening, and almost nil when you sleep.

4. About one hour after you fall asleep, when you are sleeping hard, your body releases its largest pulse of growth hormone for the whole day! Growth hormone builds cells and burns fat!!! Insulin slows growth hormone production. You know what makes insulin, right? Sugar (aka carbs). Carbs at night = high insulin = low growth hormone = less restoration for your body and less fat burned!!

5. Deep sleep is best achieved when your hunger hormone, Ghrelin, is high. All foods that make you full depress Ghrelin, of course, but carbs depress it more than any other nutrient.

So...... we need to be in a semi-fasting state when we go to sleep, so we can fall into deep sleep sooner and make the most of the most beneficial hormone release of the day!

DON'T eat carbs after dinner. If you MUST eat, snack on leftover lean meat or non-carb veggies. Carbs will make your insulin high and your Ghrelin low, which will limit your production of fat burning growth hormones!

DON'T eat anything in the hour before you fall asleep. You need to be a bit hungry (high hunger hormone, Ghrelin) to fall into deep sleep.