Monthly Archives: July 2023

Anti-Inflammatory Foods, Blogging for good health!, Recipes, This -n- That

Oopsie! Quinoa – Part 2

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A Better Mouse Trap

Well, I latched on to an idea a little too soon and shared it with you. My deepest apologies. Seems Quinoa has a dark side – and not just the saponins that need rinsing off as I had indicated a couple weeks ago.

There are also lectins.

Boo! Crank up the spooky music!

Really.

Lectins can be unfriendly to the gut for many people – causing:

  • Bloating
  • Fatigue
  • Joint pain
  • Gas
  • Stomach discomfort
  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • Constipation

Sound familiar? I am acquainted with 3-4 of these symptoms and never suspected my dear quinoa.

Apparently, the Incas who thrived eating this ancient grain, prepared it differently than we do. They soaked the grains for a l-o-n-g time, virtually fermenting them in water for one or more days prior to rinsing and cooking – effectively removing the lectin content and making the grains easier to digest.

But have no fear – we do not have to go to that much trouble.

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We can easily soak quinoa for 8 hours as described HERE: SOAKING QUINOA

OR we can use an Instant Pot pressure cooker to neutralize the lectins without soaking as described HERE: INSTANT POT QUINOA

Next time I cook this versatile ‘convenience’ food, after thoroughly rinsing the grains under running water to conquer the saponins, I will simply use my Instant Pot to neutralize those lectins.

So, where does that leave my visions of chocolate covered clusters of popped (unrinsed/unsoaked) quinoa?

Sigh.

What I saw online of how to do that sounded tricky – involving a very hot pan, unwavering attention, and precise timing when popping very small batches of grains.

Maybe I’ll pass.

I just know that when I soak raw nuts overnight and then dehydrate them, they are so much easier to eat and digest – it’s amazing.

The same will hold true with quinoa: if you can soak first, great – and if you can’t, use an Instant Pot to cook the rinsed grains.

There’s nothing like a happy belly and I’ll do whatever I need to keep mine happily functioning – because we are on the same team!

In health –

Deidre

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Blogging for good health!, Exercise, Habit Building, Stress Reduction

Let’s Get To Steppin’!

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Step Up

Is anyone else struggling to get enough extra movement into their day?

If the heat index isn’t shooting down walks outdoors that might happen any later than 7 am, it’s poor air quality from the Canadian wildfire smoke drifting over our area – or a million other things.

Geez – finding an excuse NOT to exercise is terribly easy.

Truth be told – I do not like being sedentary. My body gets antsy if I sit for long periods. The reminders to stand and move from my watch are a blessed relief I am now using to ‘tweak’ into expanded benefits.

When that reminder buzzes me out of my writer’s concentration:

  • I grab the water jug by the computer and take a stroll back and forth in my upstairs loft,
  • Drinking at least 8 ounces of water enhanced with some Liquid IV –
  • Followed by a quick minute or two of either planks OR this blast from the past: Graduated Steps.

Going through the archives of videos I have posted here on foodtalk4you, I discovered this old gem about Graduated Steps.

In the video, I explain how to do the exercise using 20 steps for each level, but lately, I am doing just 10 steps for each level because I want to get back to work. With 10 steps each, I do this mini- exercise routine in under 2 minutes – perfect for a quick break from sitting.

FINAL STEP VIDEO

Granted, 10 repetitions are not all that challenging for me, but it does get the blood circulating and helps energize my mind. You can see on the video, 20 repetitions caused my talking to be a little ‘breathy’ toward the end – showing what an excellent exercise it is.

You can tailor Graduated Steps to fit your own fitness goals, time, and abilities. This is tremendous for building and maintaining balance both at the beginning and end of the routine – but always safe if you stay near a counter-top or chair back.

Check out the video of my demonstration and then customize the routine for yourself.

Okay – back I go to finish the last self-editing round for Toolkit for Caregivers, before sending it off to the editors. I am so excited to be taking this flagship double book to the next level to reach even more caregivers with words of hope, wisdom, and confidence-building skills.

Let me know how you are doing with Graduated Steps in the comments!

You don’t want to miss a post – make sure to subscribe to foodtalk4you. Scroll to the bottom of your screen or up to the left of your computer screen to fill out the simple subscription form. 

In health –

Deidre

Anti-Inflammatory Foods, Blogging for good health!, Habit Building, Recipes

Summertime – No Excuse For Convenience Foods!

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No, I’m not throwing away all I stand for. But – convenience foods? That brings visions of little boxes of mac ‘n cheese.  

Egad – no.  

I’m talking about something we love to eat this summer; but it could also become a key convenience ingredient for winter soups.  

What is it? 

My new best friend – large bags of done-for-you kale salad!  

When combined with another favorite – homemade Quinoa Salad – well, we just can’t stop raving. 

In this hot, humid North Carolina summer weather with heat indexes over 100 degrees, we are scrambling for meals that won’t heat up the kitchen, provide leftovers, and are easy to pull together.  

Raw kale is packed full of goodness. As described on healthline.com:  

  • Kale is a nutrient-dense food, as it’s low in calories and high in many important vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

  • For example, 1 cup (21 grams) of raw kale contains only 7 calories (about 1 minute of running), but is an excellent source of vitamins A, C, and K. It’s also a good source of manganese, calcium, copper, potassium, magnesium, and several B vitamins. 
  • This vegetable is likewise packed with antioxidants. These molecules help counteract oxidative damage caused by compounds called free radicals and may reduce your risk of conditions like heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and certain forms of cancer. 

The convenience of having the kale leaves washed and chopped with the tough center stem removed is a no-brainer for me. The addition of grated cabbage and carrots only makes these packaged salad greens even better. 

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To see how I’ve been putting the kale salads together, check out this printable recipe HERE: 

KALE-SALADDownload

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Then there’s part two. Quinoa salad. I consider quinoa a convenience food as well. In just a few minutes, you can cook a pot of quinoa and have a versatile cooked grain that can be: 

  • Eaten as is 
  • Dressed up as a hot cereal with butter, cinnamon, and dairy options  
  • Added to cookie or muffin batter  
  • Sprinkled on salads 

What’s so special about quinoa? The folks at Harvard say it best: 

  • Though technically a seed, Quinoa is classified as a whole grain and is a good source of plant protein and fiber. One cup cooked provides about 8 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber. Unlike some plant proteins, quinoa is a complete protein, meaning that it contains all nine essential amino acids that our bodies cannot make on their own.

  • Quinoa is also naturally gluten-free and can be eaten safely if one has  gluten intolerance such as celiac disease.

It’s important to rinse off the quinoa grains before cooking to remove the saponins, which create a natural pesticide. Place the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and run water over the grains – I like to use the spray setting on my kitchen faucet. Allow to drain, and then put the grains in the pot with water to cook.   

Outside of using quinoa (“Keen – wah”) at breakfast and in baking, I’ve been preparing regular batches of this powerhouse grain for Quinoa Salad. Taking a recipe for Greek Pasta Salad and swapping out the pasta for quinoa, created a wholesome meal.  

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Sheree has prepared this second recipe for your viewing and printing pleasure HERE:

QUINOA-SALADDownload

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While flying out to Hawaii to meet my newest grandchild recently, the airline offered little chocolate covered, puffed quinoa cookies. Delish! Having just learned that quinoa grains can be popped like popcorn, I will be doing some experimentation to try to duplicate these treats. 

Stay tuned – there will be more recipes coming up with popped quinoa! You don’t want to miss those – make sure to subscribe to foodtalk4you. Scroll to the bottom of your screen or up to the left of your computer screen to fill out the simple subscription form. 

In health –  

Deidre  

Some additional resources:

Nutritional benefits of kale – click HERE

Quinoa – A Harvard perspective – click HERE

Blogging for good health!, Habit Building, Stress Reduction, This -n- That

Battling Our Trials And Achieving Success!

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Struggle and Gratitude 

Most everything worth doing or achieving contains struggles. 

As we pause in the USA to remember our nation’s history and its path to independence, all our foodtalk4you readers around the world should take a moment to recognize and honor their own personal struggles, and how they dug deep within themselves to get to the other side of those challenges. 

We have had more than a few challenges this week at our blog site.  

Our editor, Sheree Alderman, is probably shopping for a wig because she might have pulled out all her curly red locks. She had to untangle technical difficulties many layers deep to rebroadcast last week’s post to alert you of an important poster and linkage, showing the signs and symptoms of heart attacks. Please check that post out HERE – it makes so much more sense with the poster. 

Trying to unravel that problem opened a hornet’s nest of other woes – but with perseverance and an undauntable mindset, she finally got the clarification and technical help she needed.  

My heart is full of gratitude for Sheree and for the one person who finally helped her – and us – otherwise, you would not be reading this.  

And a big thank you goes to a long-time reader of foodtalk4you and author, Shaun L. Griffiths, in Poland, who alerted me of the missing link. I’ve reviewed Shaun’s books on foodtalk4you before – do check out his awesome young adult fantasy books HERE.

Sheree is an author as well! Check out her beautiful and inspiring children’s books HERE.

Speaking of books and gratitude – my deepest thanks to each one of you who so generously pre-ordered my future new release, Toolkit for Caregiver Emotions. Your identities are hidden from my eyes, but I am so touched and humbled by your support for this book and its success.  

You also know by now that your pre-order has been canceled. The Emotions book is still going to be published, but the time frame for that new release could not be modified enough, following Amazon’s guidelines, to get the job done in the way I wanted. 

As I mentioned in the 20 June post, the Caregiver Series is going to get the ‘Cadillac treatment’ it deserves through new cover designs, formatting, advertising – the works. I am creating added follow-up support for readers based upon their needs. This all takes time, effort, and perseverance through struggles.  

So, let’s all pause for a moment to reflect on what personal characteristics have helped us move through the challenges of life. How did you power through adversity? How did you find inspiration, the answer to a problem, or that last burst of energy? What priority did you use to do the right thing? How did you find patience? 

Those are great starting points for writing that personal identity and affirmation statement I wrote about on the 20th – have you penned yours, yet? Please let me know if you have and how you use it. 

I am enough. 

I am learning. 

I am changing and growing. 

Become a subscriber to foodtalk4you so you won’t miss our weekly post. Scroll to the bottom of your device or to the top left of your computer screen to fill out the subscription box. We never share your information. 

In health and gratitude –  

Deidre  

Note from Sheree: We’re just real people here behind your computer screen, working hard every week to share our knowledge, experiences – and sometimes, the chaotic and crazy moments of our everyday lives.  

Happy Independence Day – Let freedom ring! S’