Water

Hi All,

Ashlee asked me awhile ago to review a book I had read and I'm just getting around to it.  It's called Your Body's Many Cries for Water; you're not sick you're thirsty! and was recommended by an alternative Dr. we have been working with.  The book is not very well written.  He is obviously a physician and not a trained, professional writer.  It reads more like a medical journal in certain places and the content jumps all over the map within each chapter.  The ideas and content of the book was very good, however. Hopefully I can share a little bit about it here.

He reminds me a lot of Dr. Fuhrman in that he has practiced all of his ideas on thousands of his own patients and found great results, but is not taken very seriously by many in the medical profession.  But he claims that so many of diseases and sicknesses that we live with or medicate is due to chronic dehydration: Morning sickness, headaches/migraines, Type II diabetes, alzheimers, peptic ulcers...you name it, he lists it.

It all makes sense to me.  We all know that we are chronically dehydrated people and water should be the first defense.  He does say that once you have symptoms, you can't just "drown it".  You can't just down 64 oz. of water in one hour and expect that to take care of the problem.  You should have it 8 oz. at a time and keep it constantly in your body.  He suggests having 8 oz. when you wake up, at least 1/2 hour before you eat, 2-2 and 1/2 hours after you eat and before bed.  The reason being is that your body can only take in so much water at a time and the rest just leaves the body if you take in too much at a time.  Not that it would hurt to drink more water than less, but you do need to make sure that you consistently and periodically take in 8 oz. glasses throughout the day.  He did a study where he gave 2 glasses of water to someone at the same time and it didn't help the body as much as if you took those 2 glasses of water and spread them out in an hours time.

You've all heard that by the time you feel thirsty you are already dehydrated.  He says it this way: If your body is lacking water, then your most vital organs/functions are going to get the water first at the expense of other organs/functions that aren't as crucial.  The last place you should feel the lack of water in your body is in your mouth.  Your body is designed so that even if the rest of your body doesn't have water, your mouth does, so that you have saliva to break down the food that you eat.  So if your mouth is dry (as it constantly is for people in old age), not only are you lacking water, but it's a clear symptom that nothing else in your body has the water it needs either.

Your brain is mostly water, so there are obviously problems with not having enough water for your brain.  Mucus is also mostly water and helps the body get the bad bacteria/virus/whatever out of your body, so especially if you are sick, you need more water.  I was diligent about this last time I got sick and I think it helped a lot.

As far as the type of water, he says that tap water is best.  He says it's even better than bottled water because you usually always have access to tap water and most people can't afford to drink that much bottled water every single day.  He says if you fill a pitcher up with tap water and let it stand on the counter for an hour or so, a lot of the chlorine and junk in regular tap water evaporates and then it will taste pretty good.  Or you can use a Brita pitcher or something else.

Although this isn't talked about in the book, I know there are a lot of people who swear by alkaline water.  People say that drinking alkaline water does as much for your body as eating raw 100% of the time.  I don't know how accurate that is, but it definitely does help.  The less acid you have in your body, the less calcium is leached out of your bones, etc. to neutralize the acid.  The problem:  You have to buy an expensive water machine to make it, or pay someone who has a machine.  We have a friend that has one and we've gotten some from her before.  She swears by it, and so does our alternative Dr. we have been working with.  His main practice is in Kansas, so we don't have access to it, but he lets his patients just come in with water jugs and get as much water as they want from it because it's so beneficial in his opinion.

I am not sure that I believe that water is the only answer to some of the bigger health problems he lists, but I do think that if we treat ourselves with water first, we won't need as many treatments and medicines.  I know I feel much better when I am diligent about drinking small amounts of water all throughout the day than when I am not as good about it.

I hope that's what you wanted to know, Ash!

Healthy French Fries

Jocelyn kept begging for french fries the other day so I found a better option here.  I don't know that I would totally consider this a health food but compared to the alternative, I felt better about it, and they were delicious!  Next time I am making sweet potato fries...mmmmm

Yummy Breakfast

I followed these instructions and had a great breakfast of oatmeal with sunbutter drizzled with agave the other day! Jocelyn loved it too.

Follow up on Probiotics

So, Cory loves the Good Belly stuff, but it has the equivalent of a multi-vitamin in it, so with being pregnant and already taking a prenatal, he got me the Big Shot (also Good Belly) which has no added vitamins/supplement.  Also, coincidentally it is THE NASTIEST thing I have tasted, and I'm sure part of it is just me being pregnant.  So he went off to find another one for me and found Nature's Life Acidophilus in Berry Blast... it's delicious (for a probiotic) and you only have to have 1 Tbsp. a day.  And I put it in Jocelyn's Happy Shakes and/or Almond milk and she doesn't know the difference.  Just FYI...

Pineapple Banana Sorbet

This is from the recipe section of Disease Proof Your Child.  We made it last night and it was fantastic!  On top of that... it's just fruit!  Woohoo!  I'm thinking this would make some good popsicles too.

1 frozen banana

1 (4 oz.) can of pineapple (drained), or fresh pineapple

Blend in blender until it's the texture you want and serve immediately.

Interesting Articles

Just thought I'd share some interesting blogs/articles that I have read recently.

7 Dangerous Food Additives to Avoid

5 Misleading Food Label Claims I know we're all smart, but these are good reminders.  The "All Natural" thing just bugs me.  What is natural about butter granules?  Just sayin...

Is Sugar Toxic?

Surprising sources of MSG

Food Coloring and Kids

What Happens to Your Body an Hour after Drinking Coke I'm sure we all don't drink coke, but even if you don't read the article, click on the link it has for the sponsors of the American Dietetic Association...yikes.  Don't worry about that at all...

Also, I found a great vegan blog that has some great stuff I'm going to be trying out next week, and let you know if it's worth trying!

Caribbean Pumpkin Soup

I made this soup today for lunch from the Green Shakes and Giggles blog.  I thought it was good especially if you're sick of just plain old black bean soup, but nothing sensational.  Just a good staple recipe...except that it could be that I made a few substitutions.  I didn't have chipotle chile (I used regular chili powder) or yellow pepper or coconut milk (I used almond milk-hardly interchangeable, I know).  It's probably sensational made the way it's supposed to be made, but It was definitely good enough to make again, substitutions and all.  I liked the lime flavor.

Busy moms

We are all working moms whether we work outside the home or not.  We all want to make everything from scratch to have our kids eat the healthiest foods possible, but sometimes life gets in the way.  I gotta say, since I am in the middle of show week and working on finals and grading, etc. I am becoming more grateful for companies that make healthy pre-packaged food so that we can keep up our healthy lifestyle but be able to have time to do what we have to do.

• My mom introduced Gogurt to Jocelyn, and she begs for it.  I've never bought it because, quite honestly, that blue color does not come out of nature, but I found these Simply Gogurts at the store yesterday.  They're not perfect, but I feel a lot better about them than the traditional Gogurts.  We are off dairy completely except anything that will give us probiotics, so we bought them and she had 3 for breakfast (she usually eats nothing for breakfast).

• Also, have you seen Disney's new "line" of healthy foods?  Jocelyn saw "Pwincess Gwapies" (Princess Grapes) at the store yesterday and had to have them, and ate the entire bag before we got home.  I am so very very happy that there are now healthy options of foods with characters plastered all over them.  I don't love to give in to advertisements, but if it helps us eat healthy it's a win-win.  We have also bought the Donald Duck Orange Juice.  Jocelyn would never even touch Orange Juice before, because it was too "fi-cee" (spicy) and now she guzzles it.

• And who doesn't love Stretch Island Fruit Leather and Fruit strips?  Jocelyn will eat 5 of these at a time if I let her.

• Dole Mixed Fruit Cups in 100% real fruit juice.  She loves them and it's easy to take fruit on the go with us.

• This isn't necessarily a specific item, but I love that I can afford organic granola and raw nuts and all that good stuff in the bulk bins at Winco.  

Here are just a few of my favorites lately, and I was wondering if any of you have some "go to" products that you feel good about buying for your families when you can't make everything?

More on Kefir

I found this interesting article on pro-biotics.  We have found that the pro-biotics in Kefir and Good Belly have really helped our family.  It has helped our immune systems and given us more energy and a better sense of feeling well.  Just thought I'd share.

Shepard's Pie

Shay, I thought your meat and potato man might like this. I got the original recipe from Betty Crocker's Easy Everyday Vegetarian which I checked out of the library this week. I tweaked it, and thought it was better :) So that's what I'm posting :)
Easy Shepard's Pie

2 cups chunky salsa
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen green beans (not in original recipe)
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 can pinto or kidney beans, drained and rinsed (original recipe calls for 2 cans kidney beans... I used pinto because it's what I had, but will stick with it I think)
Mashed Potatoes (I had one large russet potato with about 6 small/med red potatoes- I peeled the russet but left skins on for the red. Boiled till tender, mashed with small amount of trans fat free margarine, rice milk, and smidge of salt and pepper- the original recipe calls for boxed potatoes- yuck! I love the taste of the slightly sweeter red potatoes, and I left the skins on for the added nutrition)

In a covered skillet cook salsa, corn, green beans, carrot and beans until carrots are tender stirring occasionally. (I added a tablespoonish of water). Place in casserole pan, top with mashed potatoes. Cover. Bake at 375 about 5 min until bubbly.

Not a terribly impressive meal, but we thought it was tasty :)

Sweet Lettuce Smoothie

Just thought you guys might like this green smoothie! My kids loved it. They asked for more and I was thinking, "You just DRANK A SALAD!!!" Parker told me it tasted "fresh".

Sweet Lettuce Smoothie
1 c green grapes
1 c romaine lettuce, chopped and washed
1/2 medium apple, halved
1 c ice cubes

Blend and enjoy!
Note: To have enough for me and the kids I made two batches, (there would have been enough room in the blender to just double it but I wanted to try it out before we went whole hog).

Happy Shakes!!

Remember the Happy Shakes I told you about?  We got our package in the mail of all sorts of goodies so that we could make them.  I can't tell you how excited I was to receive this:

I got the Raw Greens powder from our Doctor's office, but the rest was from that site I emailed you about.  The little Orange packages are the sample packs for $2.50 so we could try them out before spending close to $20/pound for each.  We got samples of Maca Powder, Cacao Nibs, and dried Goji berries, and a pound each of cacao powder and bee pollen.

The final result didn't disappoint, either.  It's like chocolate soft serve ice cream with 4 cups of spinach, raw greens powder, maca powder, cacao powder, coconut oil, I put 4 kinds of frozen fruit in (peaches, raspberries, blueberries and bananas), and topped with bee pollen and cacao nibs.  I know it sounds cheesy, but it really does make me happy :).  We've been having this for breakfast every morning.  Even Jocelyn loves it!

Question for Emily or anyone else:  What do you think about giving Maca Powder and other superfoods to kids?  I have only read the beginning of "Superfoods" by David Wolfe and I've just done some internet research.  I'll still do my own research, but I wanted to know what you thought.  Some people think you shouldn't give it to kids, but there's no hormones in it, it just helps your body regulate hormones better, so I don't see what the harm is, but maybe I'm ignorant?

I started thinking about it, though, because she had a lot of my Happy Shake yesterday and she was an energizer bunny all day long.  I mean, she didn't even have any dips in energy, or tired moments all day long, to say nothing of not taking a nap.  Maybe it was something else, but I thought there might be a correlation and I got to wondering.

Burton Kale

Hey friendies... I was just wondering how many of you have greens on the side, and how you like to eat them? I am trying to serve a dark leafy green with every dinner. We try and vary the greens, and have a few favorites. Broccoli and Brussel Sprouts are easy go-to's, but we have been trying to branch out. Kale is the newest member of our family. I buy it at Walmart in this HUGIE HUGE bag, and it is already cut and washed which makes it easy. It seems to last well, and price wise totally comparable to buying a bunch, sometimes cheaper. This is our favorite way to eat it:

Burton Kale

Olive Oil
Tons of Kale- washed and chopped
Veggie Broth
Red Wine Vinegar
Italian Blend Mrs. Dash

I put about a tablespoon of the oil in, and heat it up. Next goes in the Kale - as much as I can stuff in the pan. Then I pour a bit of broth and vinegar over the greens, and season with Mrs. Dash. I put a lid on to steam it down a bit. I stir occasionally until it is the cook-edness that we like.

Anywhooooo... I would love any suggestions of how you do greens at your house. We do salads and stuff, but I don't like some of these heartier greens like Kale in salad. Too much for my teeth... and while my boys are awesome salad eaters, they won't do it either. Any ideas would be appreciated :)

One Success and One Failure

Let's go with the failure first... get that out of the way... This morning Aly and I decided to make zucchini bread. Yummm! But I wanted to incorporate all of our new goals so I couldn't use our standard recipe. I started by finding a no-sugar recipe HERE. Then I thought... okay how can fat-free-veganize it?!? So I used applesauce instead of oil, and a combo of baking powder/water for the eggs. IT WAS DISGUSTING! Like... WOW. So, so gross. Bummer!

Now here is my success story: Chocolate Pudding! Original Recipe HERE. It was quite tasty indeed. I doubled it with just a few adjustments... not too many... and it worked out great. Aly and I loved licking the spatula this morning, and I can't wait to serve it to the whole fam after dinner. It is chilling in the fridge right now in darling little ceramic bowls that are the perfect size! I have had these bowls forEVER, and never had a use for them. Now I do! The thing I am most excited about: Jack will eat it, I'm positive, and that is good because he has NOT liked avacados in normal form- on top of mexican recipes and whatnot- but I know he needs those good-for-you-fats! Okay enough chatter. Here's the recipe:

Vegan Chocolate-Avacado Pudding
(2 servings)

In a blender blend thoroughly:

1 peeled and pitted avacado
3 heaping tablespoons raw cacao (I used normal cocoa powder because I had it on hand)
1/3 cup agave nectar (I think this must TOTALLY depend on avacado size. Mine were medium and I got away with less... plus also, since I was doubling, I did half agave, half honey... you could definitely taste the honey, but I didn't mind it)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (I used kosher, and again- less)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup water (I was tempted to use almond milk, but it didn't need it, it was VERY creamy)

Serve right away or chill for later :)

I thought her suggestion of using this as a fruit fondu was great. It would go with any kind of berry or banana or kiwi etc. beautifully! If you happen to try this Shay, I hope Jocelyn likes it! Maybe call it something different than pudding?!? To not associate it with the memories of the puddings she didn't like? I'm curious... did YOU like the puddings you made?

Avocado Tortilla Soup

This lovely recipe comes to you courtesy of my Vitamix cookbook. :) Not everyone in my family will vouch for it's deliciousness, but not everyone in my family likes cilantro. Paige, Parker and I enjoyed this, Brandon and Andrew ate it, but didn't love it.

Avocado Tortilla Soup
2 c broth
5 Roma tomatoes
1/3 bunch cilantro
1 garlic clove
1/2 t black pepper
1/2 avocado, peeled and pitted
1/2 lime, peeled
1/2 c canned black beans, drained
1/2 c corn

Now, if you're lucky enough to have a vitamix, you put everything but the beans and corn in the blender, and mix it until it steams through the lid, (about 5 minutes....how cool is that?! Dinner in 5 minutes!) Then you turn down the speed, toss in the beans and corn for 20 seconds, and serve with tortilla chips. I suppose without one, you would cook everything first then process it until smooth, toss it back in the pot and add the corn and beans. I doubled this recipe for our family, but still ended up with a bowl or two leftover. I also didn't have tons of fresh tomatoes, so the second batch was a can of diced tomatoes. Knowing that my family doesn't love cilantro, I maybe used 1/3 of a bunch total, and after tasting the first half of the batch, didn't add in more lime. Enjoy it how you like.

A Recipe and an Update

I'll start with the recipe in case you don't care to read on. ;) This comes from Dr. Fuhrman's book Disease Proof Your Child: Feeding kids right.

Mild Bean Chutney
1 c diced tomatoes
1 c shredded green cabbage
1 c shredded carrots
1 c diced green peppers
1/2 lemon
1/2 c diced red onions
1 c frozen corn, defrosted
1 c chickpeas
1 c frozen green peas, defrosted
1 t cumin
1 T wine vinegar
1 t Mrs. Dash
1 t garlic powder
1 c kidney beans
1 c black beans

Add the tomatoes to a small covered pot and steam the shredded cabbage, carrots and green peppers for only 5 minutes on the lowest flame possible in the pot. Stir in juice of 1/2 lemon and the onions, corn, peas, spices, and beans. Serve cold on top of shredded lettuce.

Will I get kicked out of the club if I admit I served it all warmed through on brown rice? And, I used canned beans, so I didn't want to waste the bit leftover after a cup. So it made a ton. But it was good. My kids all ate it without a fight, and even though I could tell Brandon didn't love it, he did say it was good and he would eat it again. And I do think the leftovers will be lovely cold on a salad today.

Now for the update......for anyone who's dying to hear about the new Vitamix. I LOVE IT!!!! I wish I could have taken a picture of my green smoothie for you this morning but my camera is dead. It was good; a splash of OJ, banana, a blend of frozen strawberries, peaches, mango and pineapple, spinach, flaxseed, and spirulina. We also had a little homemade granola with almond milk, (which Andrew said looked like dog food, but he still ate). The vitamix has made it so easy to eat things raw that we otherwise would have a hard time with in much quantity. It's definitely kick starting us into eating lots of veggies. Plus it can do all sorts of things like make nut butters and is an awesome food processor.

So our new lifestyle is consisting of lots of green smoothies and veggie juices, salads, and dinners like Dr. F's posted above. And making Em's raw treats. I feel so great! I finally have some energy coming back, and the best part? I feel so full! Even though I don't feel guilty about Emily's treats, I have one and I'm good. There's no internal fight to stop. And when I went to Walmart last night to stock up on more fruit, I walked right past the doughnuts and the Easter candy and thought, "Nah....not hungry." It feels great not to feel so "weak" in that area. My skin has cleared right up again as well. And I LOVE almond milk. MMMMMM......tasty. Even Paige has come to like having salad with me. The boys still prefer veggies and dip, but I'm sneaking enough greens in their smoothies that it's okay. I even had one chalk full of broccoli the other day and they thought it was so cool. Drank it right up. I'm hoping to move ever closer to being raw....but for now I feel like we're doing pretty well. No more dairy! YAY!!! That was huge for us. Next up will be learning to sprout grains, and dehydrate things. Do you do that Emily?

Oh and by the way.....if you can afford it, spirulina is SO COOL. No more B12 worries!

Emily, I'm so glad you're posting again....I'm trying all your stuff. I wished I lived closer to you so I could learn from you. Maybe I'd have done all of this a lot sooner. :) My husband is especially appreciating the treats. He thought "raw food" meant that he'd be gnawing on carrots and cabbage all day.....and that everything would taste like cardboard.

Thanks for all your support ladies! It's good to have friends like you. ;)

Raw Granola Bars

2 cups of your favorite nuts ( I like using cashews or walnuts for this recipe)
2/3 cup soft dates (If they are not soft soak them in water)
1/4 cup seeds ( any kind is fine but I like hemp or sesame for this recipe)
pinch of salt

Chop nuts or put in food processor until ground up.I like my nuts a little chunky.

In separate bowl combine all ingredients and mix together with hands. The dates and nut/seed mixture will get all goopy.

Put in a small cake pan, flatten it down with hands, cut into granola bar size and eat. You can keep these in the fridge.

So easy! So fast! So yummy!

I love that you are all eating more raw! It makes me feel normal:)

web site

This is where I order my super foods. My friend is a member so I order with her and get the member price. A membership is only $35 for a year. www.earthshiftproducts.com

date balls

1 1/2 almonds
3/4 cup dates
1 tbsp of honey or agave
pinch of salt

Put in food processor until well mixed.

Roll into little balls.

Rolls balls in finely shredded coconut (unsweetened).

Eat!

You can put them in the fridge if you want.

PIE

You need a food processor and blender. You might be able to get away with just a blender.

PIE

Crust

1 1/2 cup of your favorite nuts (I like almonds, cashews or macadamia).
3/4 cup dates
1 tbsp of honey or agave
pinch of salt

Put in food processor until all ground up and fine. Put in pie pan,smash it all down with hands, put in freezer until next step.

Filling-

4 mango's
2/3 cup coconut oil (melted)

Put in blender until creamy. Pour filling over crust. Stick in reezer until firm. Then eat!

I made this once using fresh pineapple and strawberries instead of mango. You could do any fruit you want. Good luck and let me know how you like this.

You could also just make the filling, put it in your freezer and eat as an ice cream or put in your fridge and eat as pudding. There is so much you can do with this simple recipe:)

Cauliflower Soup

I got this "recipe" from my student who has been doing this Healthy eating switch with me and I thought it was fantastic and super easy.  Thanks, Ellie!

She cooked 1/2 onion, 2 celery stalks, 1 carrot, 1 head cauliflower and 8 cups veggie broth... Cook it in a pot and then blend it! She put some mrs. Dash in it too!  I added potatoes and it was great!  I also did a few green onions instead of half an onion.  I used an immersion blender so I didn't have to transfer it from the pot.

I am here

I am here and reading some of the posts. I have not posted in a while but I do have some yummy recipes that I want to share. I love all of you!!!

Emily

Quinoa Skillet and Cornbread

I made this and this over the weekend.  Cornbread got rave reviews!  The quinoa,  not so much, but I loved it!  My favorite quinoa dish so far.

Kefir

Sorry for all the posts today.  I'm on Spring Break, can you tell?

So, I have been trying to include Kefir into our diet more.  Even though it is dairy and we've been trying to get off dairy 100%, Cory and Jocelyn are about to begin an aggressive pro-biotic treatment through this specialist that we've been working with, and I thought I'd do whatever I could to help it out.  Have any of you done those little shots of pro-biotics that they have in the refrigerated section of whole foods stores?  Just wondering if they would help/work.

So we made these waffles (I won't repost, but here's the link), which were a hit.  We used Maple Syrup for the sugar which gave it a nice flavoring. My cousin tried it and didn't think they were that great, but we thought they were good... I guess take my review with a grain of salt.

And then I've been making extra smoothies with Kefir in them and freezing them for popsicles.  This particular kind has blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, banana, almond meal, ground flax seed, etc.

In my research, I've also found that you can substitute Kefir in any recipe that calls for Buttermilk.

But what I'm wondering is how you gals feel about Kefir?  I'm so new, but it seems that doing the little bit of dairy in Kefir is worth it if you want/need the pro-biotics.  Also, my question is, does cooking the Kefir alter the effectiveness of the pro-biotics?  I can't find the answer anywhere online.  Thanks in advance for educating me!

Easy Stir Fry

I always keep these all natural noodles on hand at my house to make an easy stir fry with whatever veggies you need to get rid of, but I never seem to have a good sauce to put on them.

I just found this recipe for Teriyaki Sauce and I think it's perfect!  I use Basalmic Vinegar instead of the Sherry, but you could use any other kind of sweet vinegar or vinegar with a little bit of sugar (or sugar replacement) and it would be just fine too.  I used agave instead of the white sugar and it was great.  It came from allrecipes.com.

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup cooking sherry
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 clove garlic, minced

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, sherry, sugar, ginger, and garlic.

Lentil Soup

This is less of a recipe and more of a how-to.  I make a ton of this at a time, because it freezes well and then I don't have to make more for awhile.

You saute an onion, cut up carrots, cut up celery, and sliced mushrooms in a little bit of oil then add a tablespoon or two of flour (I did 2 heaping tablespoons of wheat flour), and then I added 5 cans of beef broth or veggie broth. Then I diced up as many potatoes as I wanted in and added it and 2 cups of lentils and let it boil/simmer until the lentils and potatoes are soft.  

The original recipe came from an Inn in Portland and you add a sliced up keilbasa type sausage in the saute stuff before.  I just made it without and I thought it was yummy.  It is good the first day, but as it sits in the fridge, it gets better and better, but you do have to add more liquid to keep it a soup.

I actually just made this this week in the slow cooker and it was super easy and I ended up with 4 meals worth out of it, because I packed that slow cooker as full as it could go!  To make it for slow cookers, just put the carrots and potatoes in first so they're touching the bottom and sides of the pot because they take the longest to cook.  Then put the rest of the veggies in on top.  Sprinkle the flour in, add the lentils, and then add enough liquid to cover the veggies plus an extra little bit (maybe up to an inch above the veggies).  I cooked it on high for 4-6 hours.  Just until the potatoes and carrots were totally done.  

I put the leftovers in bread pans and freeze them and then you can transfer the soup to food saver bags (or just regular freezer ziploc bags) once they are frozen solid.  Then just pull out a brick of soup later and heat up and you have instant dinners!

Black Bean Soup

This was originally from Kraftfoods.com.  I've been making it for years and it still is the very best bean soup, in my opinion.  Sorry I don't have a picture.  Ashlee, haven't you made this quite a bit too?  I remember I gave it to you forever ago and you made it a few times...

Black Bean Soup

1 Medium Onion chopped or grated
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper (optional)
2 Tbsp. oil
1 can (14.5 oz.) reduced sodium chicken broth (I've just been doing water instead and it doesn't seem to make a difference, but veggie broth would be great too)

3 cans (16 oz.) black beans, undrained
1 jar (16 oz.) salsa
2 Tbsp. lime juice
1/2 cup lowfat plain yogurt

cook onion, garlic, cumin and pepper flakes in oil in 4 qt. saucepan on medium heat 3 minutes or until onion is tender; remove from heat. Place 2 cans beans w/ liquid in batches with broth in blender; cover. Blend until pureed. Stir into saucepot. Stir in remaining beans, salsa and lime juice. Heat mixture to boil and reduce heat to low to simmer 30 minutes. Ladle soup into bowl with a dollop of yogurt.

Maple Spice Muffins

Maple Spice Muffins-From Doubly Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld

Nonstick cooking spray

1/4 cup trans-fat-free soft tub margarine spread

1/2 cup pure maple syrup 

1 (6 oz) container of low-fat lemon yogurt

1/2 cup nonfat sour cream (I just put plain yogurt in for this)

1 large egg

1 large carrot, washed and grated

1 small apple, grated

1/2 cup raisins

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (I just did 2 cups of whole wheat pastry flour and took out the all purpose.  It was still great)

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. allspice

1/2 tsp. ground clove

1/4 tsp. salt

preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray or line with paper cups.  In a large bowl, stir the margarine, maple syrup, yogurt, sour cream, egg, carrot, apple and raisins, breaking up the margarine with a spoon.  Sprinkle the 2 types of flour, baking soda, powder, cinnamon, allspice, clove and salt over the margarine mixture.  Stir until just combined, but don't overmix-the batter is supposed to be lumpy.  Divide the batter among the muffin cups.  I can get a full dozen mini muffins and a full dozen full sized muffins out of this batter.  The mini muffins bake for about 10 minutes.  Bake until the tops of the muffins are lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center, 20-25 minutes.  Turn muffins out onto a rack to cool.  Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days, or wrap individually and freeze for up to 1 month.

Jocelyn can eat all-literally ALL-of the mini muffins in one day (all 24 pounds of her), and I always have to make a double batch because in Cory's words, "They're Addicting!" and I feel good about them because they have a lot of good stuff in them.  I get requests for these almost weekly.

Whole Grain Pie Crust

I haven't tried this yet, but I found this while looking for a decently healthy pie crust to make a quiche, and I wanted to remember it.  It is from cooks.com and it has quite a bit less butter and more whole grains than other recipes I found.  Let me know if you try it.

3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats, finely ground
2 teaspoons granulated sugar (or sugar replacement)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
2 to 3 tablespoons very cold water

COMBINE flour, ground oats, sugar and salt in medium bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender or two knives until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle with water; blend together with a fork until mixture holds together.

SHAPE dough into ball; place on lightly floured sheet of wax paper. Top with additional piece of wax paper; roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Remove top sheet of wax paper and invert dough into 9-inch deep-dish (4-cup volume) pie plate; slowly peel away wax paper. Trim excess crust. Turn edge under; crimp as desired.

Almond Milk

Once again, you all probably know all there is to know about making your own Nut Milk, etc.  But just in case, I thought I'd post some of the things I learned the hard way in my experimenting throughout the last month or so.  And if you have tips for me, I'd love to hear them.  I am a complete novice, but I've learned a thing or two.  I was desperate after spending almost $11 for a gallon and a half in one visit to the grocery store...ouch!

There are a ton of great videos on Youtube on making your own Almond Milk that you can go check out, and it's very easy.

Step 1:

Soak 1 cup of raw almonds in water at least 4 hours, at most overnight.

Step 2:

Rinse almonds and put in blender with 3 cups filtered water.  If you want a thicker milk, put only 2 cups water.  If you want thinner, put in 4 cups.

Step 3:
Blend.  I thought this would be too much for my little hand me down garage sale blender, but the almonds are so soft it doesn't take much to make a thick frothy milk.

**You can drink it like this if you prefer. Or...

Step 4:
Strain the milk through either cheesecloth (Walmart has a pre-packaged cheesecloth in the fabric section, Winco has it next to the kitchen gadgets...if you do use cheesecloth, you might want to double it up to catch more), or a Nut Milk Bag (anywhere from $8-15 online), a sprout bag (online or Good Earth has them for about $13, a strainer (I have a handheld strainer that has tiny holes and works really well, but I have to use a spoon to press the nut meal down to get all the liquid out), or you can even use a paint strainer bag from a home improvement store (they have 2 for $2, so it's obviously more cost effective).  If you use a bag, strain the milk through the bag, and then use your hands to squeeze out the liquid.  Save the Almond Meal for other uses.

**You can drink it like this if you prefer. Or...

Step 5: pour the milk back in the blender and sweeten however you prefer.  This is where there's a ton of trial and error.

First, some almonds leave a pretty bitter taste.  For some reason, the Good Earth bulk almonds made some gross almond milk.  BUT...I put it in the fridge and was planning on just calling it a loss, but a few days later, the bitterness settled at the bottom with the dregs and the stuff on top was delicious!  So don't throw it out if it's not good at first!

Once you have a good base, you can try anything as sweetener.  I tried Stevia and thought it was nasty (does anyone have a good use for Stevia?  I spent $11 on that stuff and it grosses me out).  I tried just agave and it was pretty good.  I've tried honey and medjool dates with marginal success.

Our best successes so far have been Banana Almond Milk (put 1 cup of milk in the blender with half a banana and a pinch of nutmeg...Jocelyn calls it a milkshake and I feel good she's getting some fruit too), and Vanilla Bean (Scrape the seeds of one vanilla bean and put it in the entire batch of Almond Milk.  I also added a bit of agave and I think it doesn't taste too far off the yummy store-bought vanilla stuff, although it's less "manufactured" tasting if that makes any sense).  And if you live near a Sunflower Market, that is the cheapest place I've found for Vanilla Bean.  $4 for 2 beans.  Last summer I bought 2 beans for $12 to make Pioneer Woman's Vanilla Bean Scones which were literally To. Die. For. although not in keeping with this lifestyle :(

Winco is the best source I've found for almonds so far ($3.68/pound in the bulk section), but someone told me Costco has a great deal too. I just haven't checked it out yet.

Bottoms up!

OH!!  There's quite a bit of Almond meal left over from each batch, so I've been getting double duty out of the almonds (they're so expensive, you may as well use them twice and get the entire nut in your body!).  Keep it in the fridge in a ziploc or other airtight container.  I put some of the almond meal in my smoothies every morning.  I've put it in smoothie popsicles I made for Jocelyn, and I've put it in some muffins and breads, etc.  There's a lot of recipes online for almond meal pancakes, etc. but my meal isn't very fine, so I haven't used it in anything that you can't conceal it very well.

Do any of you have more tips to add?  I am all ears!

Green Cleaning

Just in time for St. Patrick's Day...

I just read Katie's post about the baking soda for Shampoo, and I am going to start tomorrow!  Super excited about it!

You all are amazing women, and probably already clean your whole house with baking soda and vinegar, but just in case someone out there is looking for some more green cleaning ideas, here are some things that have worked for me.

Toilet Bowl Cleaner-I have two that I use depending on what I have around the house.  


1) pour some baking soda in the toilet and scrub it around a little.  Then pour some Apple Cider Vinegar in the bowl to make the soda fizz up.  Do one more scrub-a-dub and flush.  Or...


2) Pour borax in the bowl and scrub with the brush.  Flush.  I usually end up using this one, because I'm lazy and it's one less step.  It works just as well as the other for me anyways.


Mopping the Floor-I  have a little pail for cleaning that I fill with water and then add a cup of regular vinegar.  Use a rag and mop your floor.  Does just as well as the clorox mop (what I used for years and years)


Best Shower Cleaner ever-I take a cereal bowl and pour a bunch of baking soda in it and then put enough liquid dish soap (for handwashing dishes) and stir it up to make a paste.  I use a big hand brush with it and scrub the shower down while I'm taking a shower and nothing gets my shower whiter.  I used to use a lot of yucky stuff just to get my shower clean and it didn't work as well.


Stainless Steel cleaner-mineral oil (aka baby oil).  Wipe it on and buff it off.


Multi-purpose cleaner (a la martha stewart)-Fill a squirt bottle with water and pour a few drops of dish soap in.  I use this to clean everything first and then if it doesn't work, I try something else.  It does a great job and is a great every day cleaner.  Just shake the bottle before each use.


There's plenty of laundry soap recipes, so I'll not post mine... it's pretty similar, although, thanks Katie for the idea to use the food processor to chop up the Fels Naptha.  I've been using a cheese grater, and it's the only part about making the soap that I have hated!


Also, we tried the dishwasher detergent 2 dishwashers ago and it pretty much ruined our machine.  It left major film, though we added vinegar, and then for the rest of its' life, it continued to leave a white film on everything.  I got online to troubleshoot and it seemed that about half of people loved it and had no problem, and the other half had the same problem as we did.  And I could never tell if it was because of the hard water or what?  Do any of you have tips for homemade dishwasher detergent?  


What else do you use to clean green that I should try?  Or do you have a better recipe than something I'm using?  I also would love any tips on homemade deodorant (I've been hesitant to try) or toothpaste or anything else you gals do!

White Corn Tortilla Soup

Had this for dinner last night... yummmmmmmm.

White Corn Tortilla Soup

3 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 1/2 7" corn tortillas, cut into 1" squares
1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
2 tablespoons minced white onion (I used yellow, it was fine)
1 1/2 teaspoons minced jalepeno peppers
1 pound white corn kernels (1 lb=16 oz - I could only find it in cans)
1 1/2 pounds plum tomatoes, chopped
1/3 cup tomato paste
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon kosher salt (yes tablespoon- the tomatoes aren't canned and it needs more than normal recipes, although... I didn't do the FULL tablespoon)
1/8 teaspoon white pepper (I had white, but I'm sure black would do)
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 1/2 cups water
32 oz. veggie broth

Garnishes:

Tortilla Chips
Cilantro

In oil, fry tortilla squares over med-high heat until beginning to crisp. Add garlic, onion, and jalepenos. Continue to cook 1-2 more min. Remove from heat. Add 1/2 of the corn, and remaining ingredients except garnishes. Bring to boil. Boil 5 min stirring frequently. Either with a handheld blender, or using a blender in batches- blend until you have a course puree. Return to pot if necessary. Add remaining corn and bring back to a boil being VERY careful not to scorch. Remove from heat and serve with garnishes.

We had ours with sides of refried/salsa beans, and cooked kale. Kale didn't go great with it, but it was sure yummy anyway!

Three-Bean Chowder

Another recipe from 101 More Things to do With a Slow Cooker.  I use whatever beans I have in the house, but the refried beans makes the soup a little thicker and less "watery".  It's a good way to get more beans into your diet.

1 can (16 oz.) kidney beans
1 can (16 oz.) fat-free refried beans
1 can (15 oz.) black beans
1 can (14 oz.) vegetable broth
1 can (14.5 oz) diced stewed tomatoes, with liquid
1 medium onion, chopped (or 1/2 cup dried minced onion can be substituted)
3/4 cup chunky salsa
1 tsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. cumin

Combine all ingredients in greased slow cooker.  Cover and cook on low heat 6-8 hours.

Vegetable Spaghetti Sauce

This is a hit at our house!  It makes a very hearty, thick and chunky veggie spaghetti sauce.  We had a ton of it left over one day and made a homemade wheat pizza crust and just spread the sauce on the top, no cheese, and baked it and it was so good, Jocelyn ate only the sauce and vegetables and left the crust.  This recipe is from 101 More Things to do With a Slow Cooker.  You just have to love anything that starts out looking like this in the pot, right?

1 large onion, chopped
8-10 baby carrots, cut in thirds
2 cans (4 oz.) mushroom pieces, drained (or one 8 oz. package of fresh mushrooms
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cans (14.5 oz. each) diced Italian tomatoes, with liquid
1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
1 can (6 oz.) Italian-style tomato paste
2 tsp. sugar (I did agave)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. italian seasoning

Combine all ingredients in greased slow cooker.  Cover and cook on low heat 6-8 hours.  Stir well and serve over hot cooked spaghetti or other pasta.

Another good resource

A friend sent me this link with lots of recipes at No Meat Athlete

Q and A

Sorry, it's me again.  I hope you don't get sick of me, but I have a lot to learn!  I was just wondering what your opinions are on sugar replacements.

 We have been doing 100% raw organic agave, and then I read the debate on whether it's actually much better than High Fructose Corn Syrup, etc.  I think it is if it is raw and organic, but maybe I'm just ignorant?

Also, what do you think about Xylitol?  It seems like with all the benefits to xylitol, it's a no brainer to use that in place of sugar, but I've heard it's not very good to bake with.

Stevia?  Sucanat? Etc? Help!

Also, do any of you use nutritional yeast?  I've heard people use it in place of parmesan cheese sprinkled on their pasta, etc.

Some great recipe sources

Thanks again for letting me be a part of what you all have going here.  I really appreciate having a place to go for recipes and answers, and to put recipes and ideas that I've found so I can find them easily again!

Here are some of the best sources I've found for recipes so far, and I thought you might be interested.

The May Files   This is my cousin's friend's blog.  If you click on the recipe links on the side she's got a ton of information and fabulous recipes.  I'm going to try her sweet cornbread and quinoa artichoke skillet this week.

Veg Family    This site has a ton of great recipes, and it also has some great information if you click on the topics on the side bar.  There is a "pudding" they have listed to help vegetarian toddlers get enough fat in their diet that I'm going to try this week.  My little one is small enough without having her lose weight because of this lifestyle change.

Happy recipe hunting!

Homemade Raisin Bran

(Please forgive the bad cell phone picture)

1 and 1/4 cup water

3/4 cup coarse ground wheat flour (I don't have a grinder, so I just used regular wheat flour)

1/2 cup wheat bran

1 tsp. salt

Mix together, and pour onto 2 baking sheets with silicone baking mats, or the like.  Tap the pan to spread it as thin as possible (I used a spoon to help get it thin enough) and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until brown and crispy.  It will get crispier as you take it out of the oven and it sits for awhile.  Break it up into little pieces and add 1/4 cup of raisins.

I got this recipe from an old High School friend, and my almost 3 year old was a gigantic fan! She helped me break the flakes apart and put one in her mouth for every one that went in the bowl.

Pesto Quinoa

This is my first success with Quinoa.  I have shared it with a few others that have tried and loved it as well.  The picture and recipe is from allrecipes.com.

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons basil pesto
• 1 tomato, diced
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Bring the quinoa and chicken broth to a boil in a saucepan; cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the moisture is completely absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat; stir the pesto through the quinoa. Fold the tomato into the mixture. Season with salt and pepper to serve.

Nutritional Information 

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 207 | Total Fat: 6.4g | Cholesterol: 5mg

Inducting a New Veggie Lovin Friend

Hello Ladies,

I write to you tonight to tell you I am hereby inducting a new member into our society. Her name is ShaylaBaylaBillingsBott but most people just call her Shayla or Shay. Shayla has been my friend ever since I had a memory. We danced together growing up and I am pretty sure you have all met her at one time or another. Em, she is the friend we went and saw perform that one night... remember? And if you haven't met her in person I know for a FACT that I have mentioned her to you.

Besides being a sensational dancer, she is a loving and conscientious mother, a caring and devoted wifey, and one of the best friends a gal could ever ask for.

I admire Shayla for her work ethic, her love and concern for her family and friends, and her constant efforts to improve herself. She is Christlike and beautiful!

I recently told Shay about Eat to Live and she read Dr. F's book "How to disease proof your child." She also read "The China Project," - so she is one step ahead of me!

Shayla, I will leave the rest of the introduction up to you- where you are food wise etc. if you want to (no pressure you're not in an audition).

I hope you will all join me in welcoming Shayla. I have added her to the list of blog authors and also to receive comments. If you don't want that Shayla let me know!

Welcome Shay! I am so glad to have just one more thing that helps me connect with you more regularly!

Banana Ice Cream

I love this so much! It has become a favorite in our home; along with family and friends.

4 bananas
1 Tbsp Coconut oil (optional)
1/4 cup agave or honey
1tsp vanilla or one vanilla bean

Cut bananas in small pieces and freeze the night before.

Mix Vanilla with honey or agave the night before (you could also use mint and then just take the mint leaves out the next day).

Mix all ingredients in food processor (you could use a blender but if you do only add a little banana at a time). You will have to scrape down the sides a few times. When it is creamy and fluffy then it is time to eat.

There are so many things you could do with this recipe.

Enjoy!

Sweet Broccoli Apple Slaw

Ashlee's Sweet Broccoli Apple Slaw

1 bag (12 oz) Broccoli Slaw or Rainbow Salad
1 large apple, shredded
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
a sprinkling of dried cranberries
Raspberry Pecan Vinaigrette

Toss and eat!

Yummmmmmm. Today broccoli slaw was on a MAJOR sale and so this is what I concocted for my lunch.

From the Broccoli Slaw alone I got:

200% Vit A
360% Vit C
16% Calcium
16% Iron
48% Folate
8 G Fiber
8 G Protein

and all for just 100 calories. Dr F would be proud.

Hope you guys are having a great day!

Tuscan White Bean and Garlic Soup

We had this for dinner tonight and it was a big hit! Andrew, who is notorious for going several nights in a row without dinner had two bowls full! I wasn't sure how having a soup without any chunky stuff in it would go....they usually don't like that, but I gave them some curly straws and they went to town. Now, to give fair warning, (and credit) this is a recipe from Giada of the Food Network; however it's not as rich as most of her stuff.

Tuscan White Bean and Garlic Soup

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 shallots, chopped (I used an onion)
  
• 1 sage leaf
• 2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 4 cloves garlic, cut in 1/2
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1/2 t freshly ground black pepper

In your soup pot, heat the butter and olive oil, (not sure why she used both.....obviously this could be changed to "healthify" the recipe but I went with it). Add the shallots and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the sage leaf, (mine looked kind of small, so I used two for good measure) beans, garlic, and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for at least 10 minutes. I turned mine down way low and simmered for over an hour; I had the time and wanted the beans to be nice and soft and the flavors to have plenty of time to cook in. Next, pour the soup into a blender or food processor in batches. Puree until smooth. Return to soup pot and add cream and pepper. Serve.

Now for those that don't like cream....okay, let's face it we all LIKE cream, but for those who are dieting better than me, you could totally leave it out if you wanted. The soup was creamy from the beans alone...it just added a little more flavor and depth. And let's face it, coming out of that first trimester morning sickness fog, my family is lucky to have dinner at all. Brandon's actual words tonight were, "No offense, but this was great. The first dinner in a while that hasn't tasted like cardboard." Yeah ladies....I was in a bad way. Nothing sounded good, therefore I made no effort. Glad we're past that.

By the way Ash, I took your advice and used real garlic instead of the stuff from the jar for the first time. I may have turned a new leaf! It was every bit as good as you said it would be. And for full disclosure, one of my cloves of garlic looked a bit small, so I used 5. Livin' on the edge!

One more thing: Emily, I made your banana cookies this week and they were awesome!! Everyone in my family loved them, and I loved them having a treat with no sugar! ;)

A Cry For HELP

Hello Ladies,

Question... what do you eat for lunch? What do you feed your kiddos for lunch? I have gotten into a very bad rut and our lunches have been just AWFUL lately. It's easy to do a healthy breakfast and dinner, but what about lunches... and snacks for that matter? This pregnancy really has thrown off our normal eating habits in a bad way and I need help getting back on track. PLEASE any ideas would be appreciated!

-Ashlee

ps- I love you guys!

Quiona

Make your quiona like normal (water and quiona, bring to boil and then let simmer until soft).

When it is done cooking add a little bit of honey, cinnamon, and fruit.

I like putting blueberries and strawberries in mine. I think apples, bananas or pears would be good too.

Sometimes I add other spices like ginger, nutmeg and cloves.

This is a yummy treat and filling. Ayo and Simeon even like it.