What do I mean? Isn’t fruit full of goodness all by itself? You bet! I am not even going to try to enumerate all of the nutrient rich benefits there are in different berries, apples, and such, lest I leave something out!
But what if we could stir something up that expanded on the nutrient-richness of fruit? How about a truckload of omega 3 fatty acids? How about some collagen joint care? How about protein? Well, I’ve done it! All without added sugar of any kind if you don’t want; and if you do, a small dab of honey.
This warm fruit compote will delight your senses, build strong bones, provide satisfying protein, and increase your omega 3 fatty acid intake. Wow! Let’s get to it!
Warm Fruit Compote
Ingredients:
1-3 Tbs. coconut oil depending upon amount of fruit. I used 3 Tbs
Fruit sprinkled with cinnamon
. for this quantity pictured
1 gala apple, peeled, cored, and chopped into fairly small pieces
1 Bartlett pear, peeled, cored, and chopped into fairly small pieces
Assortment of frozen berries- today I used probably over 2 cups plus
a few slices of frozen peach
Pinch of salt
Cinnamon to taste- a “sweet spice” that can enhance fruit without the need for sugar. Cinnamon also helps control blood sugar levels
Powdered grass-fed gelatin
Ground flax seed
Optional- only if your fruit is sour- a spoonful of honey stirred in at the end
Simmering fruit mixture
Method:
Melt the coconut oil in an enamel non-stick sauté pan and add all of the prepared fruit over medium heat. Generously sprinkle the cinnamon, gelatin, and ground flax seed over the top of the fruit. Add a pinch of salt.
As the mixture warms and begins to get juicy, gently stir.
Both the gelatin and the flax will thicken this mixture as the fruit releases its bounteous moisture. If your fruit compote is too runny, just sprinkle on more gelatin and/or more flax. Lower heat a bit to continue cooking without bubbling.
This refrigerates well and can be eaten warm, cold, or at room temperature. This is my go-to evening snack. So satisfying, filling, good for you and not sugary!
Hungry as a bear for salmon? Try this terrific recipe from Deidre’s recipe book!
There are just some things we always need to keep around and canned salmon is very high on my list! Ever had one of those days when you just wanted to pull something together really quick with little fuss?
Well, this could be the answer for you!
But what to call them? Maybe they are just humble patties. You know, like a hamburger patty; plop them on a grill or throw them into a pan….few minutes on each side…dinner is served. Last year, I may have briefly described my creation without benefit of a recipe as a “fritter.” Sounded more colorful; a little regional, perhaps. Countrified. Then, this month’s Southern Living magazine had a recipe for “Salmon Croquettes” which really looked like MY patties… or…fritters!
A fishy Salmon!
Goggling the moniker dilemma just sort of muddied things up. Both croquettes and fritters, apparently, are deep fried. Nay! Nay! Even Southern Living did not deep fry its croquettes! They are both also dipped in egg and breaded before frying.
Please, so much messy work!
So, I am left with my humble patties. “Croquettes” just sounds like a restaurant raising their price on patties by calling them something elite. “Fritters” just sounds….I don’t know, maybe deep fried in a converted gas station come greasy spoon restaurant.
2 to 4 beaten eggs
I did not have the Greek yogurt Southern Living mentioned to fix up as a dipping sauce which I have done in the past; fortunately, these patties remained quite moist and did not demand a sauce. I will give you some ideas for the sauce, though. Cool thing is, this recipe can be adapted to a variety of ingredients at hand and measuring is not a must at all.
Southern Living’s recipe called for 2 – 14.75 oz. cans of salmon; I used just one. They called for 4 eggs which I actually used between 2 to 4, but I compensated by adding ¼ cup of coconut flour!
Celery
Unfortunately, I did not take pictures of this actual process and all the evidence is eaten, but I did have a couple file photos of a similar recipe to share. So here it goes from my memory for the Best Ever Salmon Patties!
Best Ever Salmon Patties
Ingredients:
1 (14.75 oz.) can salmon, drained
1 large celery stalk, finely chopped
3-4 green onions, chopped with green stalks
3 mini multi-colored bell peppers, finely chopped
½ small can water chestnuts, finely chopped
2 – 4 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. dill weed
Approx. ¼ cup coconut flour, as needed. to make the patties “stick” together
Method
Coconut flour
Beat eggs in a large bowl.
Add the remaining ingredients, except the coconut flour, and mix well to combine. I do this with my hands while wearing latex free gloves.
Add the coconut flour if the mixture is too moist and needs some ‘glue’ to stick together.
Using your gloved hands, form mixture into approximately 1/2 cup patties, pressing firmly to mold.
Pan fry the patties on medium heat using about 2 Tbs. good oil of choice: olive oil, avocado oil, or coconut oil. When the edges start looking a little crispy, flip patties over. Cooking time should be 2-3 minutes on each side.
Ingredient ideas for dipping sauces:
Mix Greek yogurt, lemon, Dijon mustard
Using a base of plain Greek yogurt add:
Dijon mustard, dill weed, lemon zest, lemon juice, pinch of ground red pepper
Or in a blender or food processor combine the following with the yogurt:
English cucumber, dill, salt, pepper for a Greek flair
The delicious end product – Best Ever Salmon Patties!
Ingredients are easily substituted and swiped out. When there is fresh parsley around, I always add it for added spunk and flakes of greenness. No water chestnuts? Leave them out! I just happened to have a few green onions that needed to be used up; any kind of onion could be used.
Just keep a few cans of salmon around to “save the day.”
Enjoy-
Deidre
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With a lot of help from Sheree Alderman and Michael McClendon, we are finally able to present to our readers our first e-booklet covering the recipes posted last year in a usable PDF format! Yay!
Magic Mousse, Broth, Dumplings, Smoothies, Gravy… it’s all there! To get your copy, all you have to do is: Click on the link FoodTalk4U 2014 Recipes and wella!! Just follow the prompts on top of the screen on the right hand side to download it!
I am following ‘my bliss’ (see recent blog by same name) by delving into writing my first book! It is designed to go along with the ‘Designed for Health’ series that I teach here in New Bern, North Carolina, a couple times a year but will certainly be a helpful guide for any reader! It’s still unfolding before my eyes, and I look forward to seeing it in my hands… and YOUR hands!
Book writing and self-publishing represents such an exciting learning curve! I am reading more than ever, above and beyond the daily food and wellness research; and then, of course, there’s the writing. Writing, writing, writing. I am trying to garner more resources for you and put together tools for you that will guarantee your personal success at a higher, more complete level of wellness than you ever imagined!
In the meantime, how does your plate look?
Here are two representations that summarize what I have been talking about:
1) The goal
2) How breakfast might be composed.
What’s the ‘green stuff’ in breakfast? Well, usually, I will grab 2 or 3 handfuls of baby spinach or a baby spinach/baby kale combination and throw them into my enamel non-stick pan with ‘happy butter’ from grass fed cows, similarly sourced Ghee, coconut oil or olive oil, and wilt the leaves. It’s a cinch! Stir those babies around a minute and they’re done! Add some pink Himalayan salt or lemon pepper, and you’re all set!
Or…you can reheat last night’s leftover greens. Really, once you start doing this, breakfast will look funny without some healthy greens. Asparagus? Go for it! Sprouts? Green beans? Do it!
I always try to keep some mushrooms around. If they are not leftover, start them first in the pan and when they are finishing browning on the second side, scoot the mushrooms to one side of the pan and cook the spinach. After plating the veggies, you are ready to cook your eggs. Or….you can whip up the eggs, start cooking them, then add the veggies for an easy omelet!
See, you do not have to be a Master Chef to take control of your nutritional destiny!
Nothing says “I love you” to your bones like a fresh batch of broth!
Geez, it’s the season for hearts, flowers, cupid, strawberries and chocolates…and you give me broth?
Yup! We are getting ready to put up the first annual foodtalk4you recipe book which includes my take on broth, but thought I’d do a special post to review the benefits of broth. Many thanks to Paul Stevens from the Star News in Wilmington, NC for interviewing me for his article which ran in the Sun Journal and all of its affiliate papers on Feb. 4, 2015! What an honor to have been included in ‘brothing’ opinions! Catch my 15 seconds of reading fame:
“Deidre Edwards, a wellness educator in New Bern, has written passionately about broth’s benefits on her blog (www.foodtalk4you.com) and teaches how to make it at home in her “Designed for Health” workshops.
“’There is a big interest toward more nutritionally dense food, and bone broth is a way to achieve that,” Edwards said, explaining that many of the attendees at her classes, which are offered for free at New Bern’s First Baptist Church, are concerned about bone health. “Meds for osteoporosis have heavy-duty side effects. Extracting the minerals from a rich bone broth, along with weight-bearing exercises, is a natural way to get stronger bones.’”
Indeed, bone health needs to be at the forefront of our minds at any age. Poor diets, sedentary lifestyles, and eschewing any and all sunlight without benefit of sunscreen all contribute to weaker bones for both sexes. The ability to actually build stronger bones declines as we age, so if you can start that decline with stronger bones, the better it is. The combination of clean, nutrient-dense foods, bone broth, weight-bearing exercises, and sun shine all work together to build stronger bones at any age.
Yes, direct sunlight on skin is important for bone health! Remember the “Sunshine Vitamin D”? But what about skin cancer? I am not asking everyone to strip down, head to the beach, and fry! But according to the experts I have been reading, 10-15 minutes several times a week, if not daily, is not only okay but desirable. Being fair-skinned myself, I can actually start burning pretty quickly, but I try to get some direct sun for a few minutes every day. Mind you, I never leave the house without putting on my facial sun screen, but before covering all exposed parts with sun screen, I definitely enjoy a walking spin around the yard (especially in warmer weather) to soak up a few rays.
Vitamin D supplementation may also be a consideration for you. Friends of mine actually have been tested for Vitamin D levels and are taking prescription strength dosages. I take my over-the-counter Vitamin D with my morning supplements. Some where I read something about taking vitamin D in the morning being a more natural time to take it, day time, -duh- and that taking it at night might contribute to sleep troubles. Made sense to me.
So, back to the broth. Once it is made and strained of the bones (now broken up and falling apart) as well as the over-cooked veggies, it’s time to either A) strain it again with a fine mesh sieve so it is totally drinkable, or B) make soup out of it. Strangely enough, this rich broth is rather mild tasting. I have never found the chicken broth I make to be very chicken-y tasting. You can add all kinds of veggies but a strong essence of anything is lacking unless the spice shelf is opened up and used. My personal favorite is Penzey’s Bavarian Seasoning which is an herb-filled, salt-free, meat and poultry sprinkle. The need for added seasoning is not stressed enough in the recipe which is as follows:
Better Bone Broth and Soup
Many people advocate drinking one cup a bone broth everyday as an elixir for everything from stronger bones to improved over-all health! Make sure your bone broth is up to snuff and you know how to tell the difference! Using a large stock pot, add the following:
Ingredients for flavoring the broth
LOTS of bony pieces of meat, preferably from grass fed animals or free range chickens. We’re talking more than one rotisserie chicken carcass! Today, I used a family pack sized tray of chicken wing parts containing just the two-boned half of the wing, not the single boned mini drumettes. If possible, add 3-4 chicken feet (just don’t tell your family!) which will give added nutrients and the desired “gelling” goodness. For a beef broth, beef knuckles and ox-tails work great.
2-3 carrots cut up into 1-2 inch chunks
2-3 ribs celery cut up into 1-2 inch chunks
½-1 onion cut up into 1 inch ‘square’ chunks
2-4 Tbs. apple cider vinegar which helps extract minerals from the bones
2 Tbs. unflavored gelatin (I use Great Lakes brand for its purity)
Large handful of fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp. ground porcini mushroom powder for an amazing “umami” factor!
2 tsp. poultry seasoning if using chicken
1-2 bay leaves, fresh thyme and/or oregano, and garlic if using beef
12-24 hours of cooking time, preferably divided.
Method for broth
Fill the remainder of the stock pot with water. I cook my bone broth for about 8 hours one day, cool it off in a cold water bath, refrigerate overnight, skim off congealed fat, check for gelling which shows how far along the way the broth is- the more gelled, the better- and return to a gentle simmer. IF using meaty bones and you want that meat as a part of a soup, remove the meat after 2-3 hours of simmering and return the bones, cartilage, and skin to the broth for the rest of the cooking time. Refrigerate the meat and use for the soup making later on. Add the parsley in the last hour or two of the cooking time.
Strain the broth using a large colander to remove big chunks and if desiring a really clear broth for daily drinking, strain again using a fine mesh strainer.
Method for soup
Add fresh cut up vegetables to the strained broth, simmer to desired doneness, return meat to the soup, adjust seasoning and serve.
Nut Dumplings for Chicken Soup
Now that you have a rich and healthful chicken broth from the preceding recipe, you can create a hearty meal with the addition of nutritionally-dense veggie choices and add some fun dumplings that will add to the nutritive factor and will thicken the soup as well.
Ingredients for Dumplings
½ cup tapioca flour
1 ½ cups slivered or sliced almonds
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. poultry seasoning
1/3 cup cooled broth
Method for Dumplings
Using a food processor, grind the almonds into a fine flour. Add the tapioca flour, salt, and poultry seasoning and pulse several times to combine. Add the cooled soup broth and pulse until a soft dough forms. Drop teaspoon-sized dumplings into soup that is at a gentle boil. Cook for about 10 minutes.
Soup ideas
While bags of frozen veggies are a quick way to ‘flesh out’ a good soup, chopping up fresh veggies is too! But even if you use a bag of frozen veggies, you definitely will want to add some leafy greens and other sources of great nutrition. Consider these:
Tear up several sheets of sea weed “paper”
Add broccoli florets
Slice up kale, chard, or spinach leaves into strips
It is so economical of time and effort to engage in periodic cook-a-thons; they save on food prep and clean-up time. Such was yesterday afternoon when my kitchen was all about carrots—shredded carrots. No use dirtying up the food processor three separate times … just do it all in one day and create three nutritious recipes!
Broccoli Salad
Broccoli Salad
1 broccoli crown- stem removed and tiny florets created
2 celery stalks, sliced lengthwise and cut into small ¼ inch pieces
¼ red bell pepper, sliced lengthwise and cut into small thin slices
¼ cup red onion cut into thin semi-circular slices
1 cup shredded carrots
Handful of Craisins (cranberry raisins)
2 slices of bacon cooked and crumbled
Just enough mayonnaise to “glue” things together. I use Duke’s because it has the fewest number of ingredients and no high fructose corn syrup.
1 Tbs. coconut milk
Salt
Pepper
Method
Start with maybe a 1/3-1/2 cup mayonnaise, stir in the coconut milk to thin it, and season with salt and pepper.
Toss all ingredients into mayonnaise mixture, adjust seasonings, and enjoy!
Carrot Salad
Shredded carrots—quantity is up to you
Handful of golden raisins
Minimum quantity of mayonnaise
1 Tbs. of coconut milk to thin the mayonnaise
Salt
Method
Thin the mayonnaise with coconut milk and season with salt. Add carrots and raisins. Combine well. Adjust seasoning.
Carrot Pear Nut Muffins
About 2 cups shredded carrots
1 pear, shredded
½ tsp. Anise seed
½ cup coconut flour
1 cup hazelnut flour
Hand-full of activated walnuts (remember: soaked and dehydrated)
Walnuts
2 eggs
½ tsp vanilla
¼ tsp salt
tsp soda
¼ cup sugar
2 Tbs. coconut oil, melted
Method
Put carrots, pear, anise seeds, salt, both flours, nuts, and melted oil into a large bowl and combine well.
Whip eggs with a whisk, add brown sugar and vanilla and whisk to combine well. Pour wet ingredients into carrot mixture and mix well. If the batter is too wet, add a bit more coconut flour 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring well after each spoonful.
Carrot Pear Nut Muffin
Put batter into a greased muffin pan or use baking cup liners. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven or 325 degree convection oven for 25-30 minutes until toothpick can come out clean once inserted into the middle of a muffin. Yield: one dozen.
All a part of a well-rounded dinner: raw broccoli salad, raw carrot salad, one muffin, sliced left-over steak with sautéed mushrooms, onion, and bell pepper. Even Mr. Virgil liked the muffins…They were sweet enough for him even though they are super low sugar! Yay!
The Ten Carrot Plate
Best wishes for successful cooking! Remember to breathe, walk in the sunshine and fresh air, do a few slow-motion squats and counter top push-ups. It’s been a few days since the last time I did those moves and after just five or six “slo-mo” squats and push-ups, I feel decidedly more invigorated and tighter around the tummy! So little work and so much benefit!
Remember “gradual and consistent,” the concept that success comes from consistent small efforts over time will yield greater results versus giant goal-setting?
With the New Year upon us and with conversations whirling around us about resolutions, it would seem an excellent time to reconsider how we can apply this gradual and consistent concept to our daily health and life issues.
Just because the calendar page now says “2015” does not mean we have to reinvent ourselves. But in looking at the array of life issues we are handling, does it not make sense to make sure our minds and bodies are at their best so we can optimally approach our personal challenges? We cannot be creative, resourceful, cooperative, considerate or anything else we may strive to be if we feel awful physically or mentally.
Want to lose 50 pounds by June? Forget it! Just concentrate on how your next meal looks. Then concentrate on how the next meal after that looks. Want to tone up to wear a smaller size by a particular date? Don’t spend a week shopping for the right exercise clothes; what kind of push-ups or planks are you doing right now?
I think one of the biggest successes at health transformation is balanced blood sugar. This may be of particular importance now as we are coming off of holiday indulgences. Even gluten-free starches can add to the waistline. To paraphrase Dr. Mark Hyman’s article from December 26, 2014, here are three thing that we all can do to help end that need to roam around the kitchen looking for holiday delights.
Broccoli and eggs for breakfast!
1. Commit to booting unnecessary starch. Carbohydrates are an important macro-nutrient vital to body function, but we need to embrace plant carbohydrates and use nuts and seeds as healthy protein snacks. My immediate goal is to incorporate plant carbohydrates at every meal; half my plate is usually vegetables. Even at breakfast.
Prior to the holidays, I activated many bags of nuts to prepare for gift-giving and snacking. My recent reading about nuts have again reminded me that daily eating of walnuts is extremely beneficial as an omega-3 and anti-oxidant resource.
2. Emphasize water and green tea consumption instead of calorie-laden drinks. Forget thinking artificial sweeteners are a caveat to this rule. There is a host of badness happening with those devils that I will share about in a coming post. At the very least, artificial sweeteners tell your body that glucose is on the way, and it’s not; many studies point to over-eating as a natural response to this conflicting communication with the body.
3. Make sure that every meal has high quality protein; especially the first meal of the day. Protein is a vital macro-nutrient that fills, satisfies, and energizes the body for the rest of the day. Do not start your day on an empty tank! From last night’s leftover meat to eggs, nut, seeds, nut butters, or a protein shake/smoothie, high quality protein will keep you going for hours and eliminate the need to roam to a snack machine. Also, use quality fat to cook that protein such as coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, or ghee. A quarter of an avocado will also augment your power resources as well.
So, how to gradually and consistently apply these guidelines?
Start now! Don’t wait until everything in your kitchen is perfectly aligned or the last slice of (gluten-free) bread has been consumed. Whatever you are going to eat or drink next is what counts. Reflect on the adage from Alcoholics Anonymous, “One day at a time.” How about one meal at a time? One snack at a time? Such next-moment goal setting is a proven winner!
In a restaurant? Wave off the bread rolls, peel off the hamburger roll as you eat the insides, double-up on the veggies instead of having a baked potato, choose broiled seafood or fish instead of breaded and fried. You get the picture.
Are you eating Frankenfood?
In the market? Stick to the perimeter of the store as you choose protein and veggies. Skip the isles which generally carry starchy packages of highly- processed “Frankenfood.” Better yet, stop by the farmer’s market for locally grown veggies picked that morning!
Plan for ease of success. I have really become partial to marathon cooking events. Many families gather in the kitchen during the weekend to share in advanced prep-work and actual cooking for the week’s menu. For instance, someone can peel the meat off of a rotisserie chicken in preparation for lunch boxes. Chicken is easily thrown on a salad for a handy meal at home or at work or school.
Today, I prepared a crock pot full of Italian Meatballs—recipe follows. A family could incorporate these in any number of meals or snacks. I will simply freeze half of them for future use. Gluten-free spaghetti is off the menu for a while, so pairing these meatballs with at least half of a plate of veggies and some good fat will more than fill our tummies.
Tonight, our plates will sport leftover collards, raw broccoli salad, and avocado. Mmmmm. When’s dinner?
Italian Meatballs
Yummy! Italian Meatballs!
For the meatballs:
1(ish) pound of ground turkey
1 pound of sweet Italian ground sausage (I used Johnsonville brand because it’s gluten-free and has the fewest ingredients)
¼ of a red onion minced and divided into 2 portions- one portion for meatballs, one portion for sauce
3 cloves of garlic, minced and divided into 2 portions- one portion for meatballs, one portion for sauce
2 eggs
2 tsp. Italian Seasoning (or to taste)
One handful of fresh parsley, chopped
1/3 cup grated Parmesan and Romano cheese
Few shakes of sea salt to taste
1/3 cup gluten-free Panko, Italian Style (I used Ian’s brand)
For the sauce:
1 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
One portion of the minced onion
One portion of the minced garlic
1 can tomato paste (6 oz.)
2 tomato paste cans of water
1 tsp. gluten-free fish oil (for that “je ne sais pas” or umami effect)
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Italian seasoning to taste
1 cup chopped Crimini mushrooms a.k.a Baby Bella mushrooms
Method
Scooping the meat into a ball
Ready for the oven!
Put all meatball ingredients in a large bowl and mix well using gloved hands. Using a 1 ½ inch scoop, push a scoopful of meatball mixture into the side of the bowl to help pack it into shape. Eject the meatball into your other hand to gently finish and place the meatball on an ungreased baking sheet.
The 1.3 lbs. of turkey and 1 lb. of sausage yielded me just shy of 50 meatballs on two cooking sheets. Place cooking sheets into a preheated 350 degree oven or 325 degree convection oven. Roast meatball for 15 minutes, remove pans from oven, turn meatballs over, and return pans to oven for another 15 minutes.
While meatballs are baking, prepare sauce as follows:
Stirring spices into tomato sauce
Gently sauté minced onion in a sauce pan on medium heat for a couple minutes, add minced garlic, and continue cooking for 30 more seconds.
Add tomato paste, 2 cans of water, fish oil, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning.
Adding in mushrooms
Stir to combine.
Add chopped mushrooms and let mixture simmer.
When meatballs are done roasting, put meatballs and sauce in crock pot, making sure all meatballs have been coated in sauce. Set crock pot on low for longer cooking or on medium or high heat if dinner is to be sooner.
I just read the title of the food section in today’s newspaper: “Sweeten up the Holidays!” Gadzooks! Do we really need lots more sugar? Now to be sure, Christmas cookies happen; but we should be looking for ways to celebrate using less sugar!
Medi brand knee highs
I want to share with you the results of yesterday’s cookie baking marathon! Thanks to my new Medi-brand maximum-support-knee-highs-without-a-prescription, I was able to happily crank out three batches of macaroons and not kill my legs. Seriously, a wise young Physician’s Assistant recommended these to me and I can genuinely recommend this leg-saving approach to all those who stand a lot. Save your legs NOW! These knee highs are super sheer and really have made the difference in my legs not getting achy and complaining. The best $45 Christmas present to myself … EVER!
Macaroons
Back to macaroons. After our daughter treated us to some designer coconut macaroons from a whole-food-type grocery store, I have longed to recreate some of that tastiness. I think I have found a recipe that can be tweaked in different flavor directions such as mocha, peppermint, cherry, and the like, that could become the centerpiece for your SANE-ish cookies.
Lemon Coconut Macaroons
INGREDIENTS
3 extra large egg whites, room temperature (save those yolks for scrambled eggs using egg whites from a carton)
3 Tbs. raw honey
Honeycombs
2 Tbs. lemon juice (about ½ lemon)
Zest from a whole lemon
1 tsp. lemon extract
2 cups unsweetened finely shredded coconut
3 Tbs. all-purpose gluten free flour
1/8 tsp. sea salt
DIRECTIONS
Macaroons
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Combine coconut, gluten free flour, and salt in a prep bowl.
Beating egg whites
Using the whisk attachment to a hand-held or standing mixer, whip egg whites to soft peaks. Gradually add the honey, lemon juice, zest, and extract while continuing to whip until the mixture is glossy and forms stiff peaks.
Pour dry ingredients in and gently fold to incorporate using a rubber/silicone spatula.
Use a cookie scoop or ice cream scoop to drop ball-shaped scoops of cookie mixture onto prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, depending upon the size of your scoop.
Yield is about 22 cookies if you use a 1 ½ inch scoop like I did. That size gives a good dimension that is not excessive (trying to hold things down for the holidays), but is enough for a treat.
Now, sugar and honey net the same bodily response. They both turn into glucose and cause an insulin response. My goal with a sweet treat is to keep the sweetness in rein so there is not a major swing in blood sugar levels. Many prefer the unrefined nature of raw honey as in the previous recipe, and that is good. I did use white sugar in the next recipe, but there is just 1/3 of a cup spread out over 20 small macaroons, so I am happy with that. I am sure the sugar could be replaced with honey (probably less than 1/3 cup) if you wish.
Chocolate macaroons
Chocolate Coconut Macaroons
INGREDIENTS
1 1/3 cup unsweetened coconut
3 Tbs. all-purpose gluten-free flour
1/8 tsp. salt
¼ cup cocoa
2 extra large egg whites, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
¼ tsp. almond extract
Chocolate drizzle macaroons
Chocolate Drizzle: ¼ cup dark chocolate morsels melted with 1 tsp. coconut oil
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Blend coconut, gluten-free flour, salt, and cocoa in a prep bowl.
Using a hand-held or stand mixer with whip attachment, whip egg whites to the soft peak stage. Gradually add the 1/3 cup sugar and almond extract and whip until glossy and stiff peaks can be formed.
Gently fold in the dry ingredients using a rubber/silicone spatula until all is incorporated. Using a cookie scoop or spoon, place ball-shaped scoops of mixture onto prepared cookie sheet.
Bake about 25 minutes for 1 ½ inch scoop-sized macaroons which will yield about 20 cookies.
If desired, drizzle with melted dark chocolate.
I can easily see how this recipe could use espresso, mint, or finely chopped almonds to change up the flavors!
My third recipe? Well, always being one who is keen on the flavor of almonds, I bought my first-ever box of almond paste and I followed the recipe as printed on the box for almond macaroons. No coconut in these. The reason was, I really wanted to pipe these out with a pastry bag! But because they are sooo sweet (in my book), I made them quite small. You know, “a little dab will do ya’?” My sweet-aholic husband loved these the most, of course! The box’s recipe is follows:
Almond cookies
Almond Macaroons
INGREDIENTS
1 carton Solo Almond Paste
1 extra large egg white
½ cup sugar
They called for maraschino cherries halves for the top, but after reading an article about what’s in those little delights, I decided not to. Yes, I will eat one once in a long while but not this time.
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Break almond paste into food processor, add sugar and blend together. Add egg white and blend until a dough ball forms.
Bam! That’s all, folks!
Form into desired shape. I used my largest star tip, (#1M), to create many little treats! Bake in prepared cookie pans. Time in the oven depends upon size. My little guys were done in 12 minutes.
I hope this helps you get into a festive mood to fix treats that aren’t so awful for your health. As you start heading off to holiday parties, remember to either eat correctly before going out and then just nibble at the best choices you can make at the party, or concentrate on the veggie and meat trays and eschew the sweets altogether. If gluten is an absolute no-no for you, remember most store processed meatballs are made with gluten-y bread. Also, no one would fault you if you brought your own gluten-free crackers for dipping or spreads.
Holiday exercise? What holiday exercise? I am trying to awaken my “sleeping bear” of a body now! Let’s not wait until January to fix the damage. Not a big deal, but in addition to the jog out to the mail box, I am dedicating coffee brewing time for a little bit of kitchen exercises: kitchen counter push-ups done in slow motion—eight will do, thank you. Eight slow motion squats. Eight palm-up, straight arm, slow motion arm “flaps.” It’s amazing how refreshing coffee-brewing time well used can make me feel!
Best wishes for a blessed, safe, health holiday season to one and all!
We all were reluctant to bring our Designed Health Series to an end. After setting the ground work for a new way of thinking about our entire approach to what is the best for us to eat and why, we were smack in the middle of reconstructing our menu content and sharing recipes when time ran out! But our link remains here until we meet again for follow-up sessions.
NOPE! THE OTHER MOOSE…..
Have you made any “Magic Mousse” yet? There is nothing to it! It really is: just melt the chocolate while stirring in the water and dash of salt, then beat the melted mixture in a bowl placed in an ice bath for several minutes with a whisk attachment to your mixer and “Voila!” mousse appears! Check the Halloween post for details. You can do it! Use regular whipped cream if you have to, but the Coconut Cream is so yummy and dairy free!
Our early sessions had to do with our mind-set. Everything starts with that ole’ central computer! All of what we do, really, is a habit, so we deconstructed what habits were and how they worked in order to understand how to “tweak” them in a more favorable direction for improved health. Understanding that a habit “trigger” could be just walking out to get the newspaper each morning, which could easily be switched to jogging out and back to the mail box. Not a big deal but a little something in the right direction. With this cooler fall weather, it’s a cinch to jog out and back to the mailbox. Then, maybe, once the daily quick jog is second nature, longer walks or jogs could be added; maybe just around the house before returning inside to read the paper. Most of us are using the initial swish of water first thing each morning to be our trigger to drink 1-2 glasses of water. It’s a habit now, with no real thinking involved.
Something I am working on is finding the motivation to start a load of laundry. True confession: I tend to let things pile up in that regard until I am faced with marathon loads. So, I am starting a load of laundry now as I make my path to the kitchen to start the coffee. No decision making. No conversation with myself on if I want to start a load. Just, “what am I washing today?” So far, this has been very successful for me to incorporate into my daily pattern. We agreed that the goal is not the “Goal” but the process of minute gradual improvements that are consistent.
We began following Jonathan Bailor’s explanation of the Calorie Myth concept wherein counting calories is pretty pointless if that process is in exchange for looking at the quality and content of our food. Clearly, 300 calories of candy bar will have a different effect on the body than 300 calories of leafy green veggies or 300 calories of protein. He cited studies and individual cases where simply reducing the number of calories consumed each day—and possibly exercising more—was actually a recipe for failure at long-term weight loss and control. Disaster, really.
We studied what major nutrients are derived from food and how they interact with our body. Starchy carbohydrates and sugary foods not only cause great swings in blood sugar, but can actually feed the craving for more starches and sugars through the stimulation of the opiate receptors in our brains. Thus, starchy and sugary foods are not satisfying in the long term.
What is satisfying? What can we eat to “hold” us for hours? Proteins, whole food fats from avocado, coconut, olives, nuts/seeds, and non-starchy vegetables. Class participants shared how a veggie-filled omelet held them past their usual lunch hour! No toast, no bagel—just protein and veggies cooked in a pan with “good” fat—“happy butter” from grass fed cows, coconut oil, or olive oil.
We looked at what constitutes an anti-inflammatory diet. With virtually all diseases having roots in the inflammatory process, not contributing to inflammation through our food choices seems natural, basic, and what we were designed to do. Sugar is inflammatory. Grains are inflammatory. Grains—that includes wheat, barley, and rye to eliminate the gluten, and the other grains as well such as corn, soy, rice, and the legumes to eliminate the phytates which block absorption of minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, and others.
While not everyone has the natural response to gluten which should be a total “no-go,” some of us have evolved to tolerate some level of the “poison” in our bodies. Which are you? How do you know for sure? There certainly are blood tests which are delineated on the Celiac.org website, but try going totally gluten-free for 30-60 days. Not only will you lose weight because of not eating starches at every meal, but you will likely discover a more pain-free body. Those achy joints won’t be crying out for more pain meds. You belly will be happier. Less bloating; less gas. Then, at the end of 30-60 days, see how going back to gluten works for you………….
One of my sweetest moments recently was when a Designed for Health class participant pulled me aside to show off her remarkably slimmer body; her decidedly slimmer face; and best of all, her ability to once again wear a ring! Getting off gluten and onto an anti-inflammatory diet clearly took away the inflammation in her previously swollen finger joints. She was joyous to don that precious family heirloom on her finger as a testament to how much better she was feeling!
One night in class, we changed the old IN-SANE food pyramid to create a SANE plateful of food:
We then started sharing how we were doing this. Recipes started flying around the room! Norman has much success grilling not only his meats but his vegetables—all coated with olive oil—even beets! Ellen described her carrot/beet/parsnip fritters. Someone else offered her recipe for chocolate pudding: ¼ cup cocoa, 1 avocado, 3 Medjool dates, ¼ cup coconut/almond milk all whipped up in a blender or food processor.
Raw ingredients
Speaking of beets….with much fear and trepidation, I bought my first EVER fresh, raw beets to use in fixing Ellen’s fritters. My childhood exposure to canned, diced beets used to stretch left-over stew into something called “Red Flannel Hash” had left me permanently traumatized! It would be hard to appreciate what it took for me to “man up” right there in the green goods isle at Harris Teeter to look at, touch, and put three fresh beets with long stems and admittedly beautiful leaves into my basket! But with Ellen and Norman’s words ringing in my ears, I did it!
We were leaving the class the last night and Ellen was trying to remember all of the ingredients to her fritters, and I added some onion as well, so here’s our recipe”:
Carrot, Beet, Parsnip Fritters
Put ingredients in mixing bowl
2 carrots- peeled and grated
1 parsnip- peeled and grated
1 beet- peeled and grated
¼ of a large onion- grated
1-2 eggs
1-2 large cooking/serving spoons of coconut flour
Salt and Pepper to taste
Method
Place all of the grated vegetables into a bowl.
Toss/mix veggies
Mixing up veggies
Add first egg and first large spoonful of coconut flour along with salt and pepper. Combine to incorporate all ingredients. If your mixture looks and feels like it needs more “glue” to stick together into patties, then add the additional egg and coconut flour. I did because the beet and parsnip seemed to be large.
Adding in the egg and flour
Here’s the tricky part. I formed the patties by hand, squeezing a little extra as Ellen advised, but they still seemed a bit loose. Next time, I will be tempted to use a hamburger press. Just be aware that there will be beautiful red juice dripping out when squeezing and forming these patties, so have a juice catcher handy or squeeze over the sink. Amazing though. As beautiful and rosy red as the beet juice is, it never stained my counter tops! I’ve had strawberries stain my counter and I was prepared to have quite a time cleaning up, but there were no problems! Beets! My new friends!
Saute
Anyway, form the patties and place in a hot skillet with olive oil and fry a few minutes on each side.
In the meantime, slice up the beet tops and sauté in olive oil and season with a bit of crushed red pepper and sea salt.
Beet tops cooking
When everything is done, you will have a beautiful serving plate full of color and nutrition! I was absolutely amazed at the mild yet wonderful flavor of the beet tops! And the fritters were such a treat.
This recipe ended up making a lot of fritters! I enjoyed them as-is as leftovers, but one thing I really loved was adding some of the fritters (or the crumbly parts that didn’t want to stick together enough) to my chicken soup. Turns out I was working on gradually eating a fresh “vat” of rich chicken bone broth soup that I have posted on before. By adding the beet fritters, not only did I add even more nutrition to my soup, but I instantly turned it into Borscht (Russian for beet soup)! What color! What flavor!
Finished product!
Beets are not just red. They are more like a deep raspberry red. What a great color! Now I have a new, powerhouse vegetable to love!
Until next time when I’ll share a great resource for kid-friendly recipes that are “Designed for Health” and two versions of gluten-free waffles. Just in time for a chilly morning!
At the conclusion of the seventh and last session of my Designed for Health series, I was able to share with the participants a little magic secret: Two (or three) Ingredient Chocolate Mousse!
No, not this kind of moose!
With the Halloween season upon us, it’s only fitting to add some magic to the scene. Knowing that chocolate is a very allowable whole food fat source, this is a tasty, satisfying, and potentially elegant way to enjoy all of the goodness that chocolate can impart. The best part, this is so rich that one recipe will go a long way—I seriously wanted to use demitasse spoons to serve this, but I didn’t have any.
Anyway, there are a few versions of this floating around cyberspace, but this one does it for me and proved to be a real crowd-pleaser. Follow me as we journey through the land of Magic Mousse!
Recipe for Magic Mousse
4 oz. dark chocolate
3 oz. water **
Pinch of salt
Recipe for Magic Whipped Topping
Coconut cream from one can full fat coconut milk
Vanilla or almond extract
½ tsp. sugar- optional
Method
While higher concentrations of cocoa are desirable– because a big hit of sweetness is not the goal of eating chocolate that is good for you as opposed to sugary concoctions disguised as chocolate that are not good for you—I settled on a bar that’s 60% cocoa and is also flavored with mint. This is a good level of cocoa especially for palate’s not accustomed to higher concentrations.
I actually doubled the recipe for the mousse, so these chocolate pictures reflect double ingredients. Place the chocolate and water in a sauce pan and slowly melt, stirring with a whisk. Being someone who does not waste a drop of chocolate, I used the whisk
Melting chocolate
attachment from the electric beater I will use in a few moments.
**Note: the fluid amount of 3 ounces could be a combination of 2 oz. water and 1 oz. of spirits! I have used brandy in the past, and the results are superb!
Melted chocolate
Once the chocolate is melted and the fluid incorporated, remove from the heat. Transfer the melted chocolate mixture into a small bowl and place that bowl in an ice bath (ice cubes and water).
Chocolate in ice water
I am blessed to own these flexible silicone bowls (thank you Pampered Chef!) and the flexibility really comes in handy here. I pinch the bowl top together during the first few minutes of whipping to avoid chocolate spray going everywhere! What you do here is beat, beat, beat….
This double recipe took me every bit of 12 minutes! I remember the single recipe taking over five minutes. But this is where the MAGIC is! You think nothing is ever going to happen. You check. Nope. You check again. Nope. Then you think you noticed a slight change in the texture…was it real? Then, BLAM! It’s mousse! It can actually be easy to over-beat this and get something much firmer than mouse– which would require re-heating and re-beating. My mousse has turned out a little on the firmer side, but it is still nice!
So now, you dish this Magic Mousse into the desired serving dishes. I was taking this batch to class, so I used 2 ounce condiment containers with snap lids, but at home I would use 2 ounce soufflé cups. For extra fanciness, one could use a pastry bag and prettily pipe the mousse into the cups!
Moose
For the Magic Whipped Topping, chill the can of full fat coconut milk for 2 hours in the fridge or 30 minutes in the freezer so when you open the can, you are greeted with beautiful, white coconut cream.
Carefully spoon the coconut cream into (the same) small bowl—again, I just do not want to waste a drop of the chocolate, so if there is left-over chocolate on the whip or in the bowl—fine by me! Save the rest of the coconut milk for a smoothie, a gravy, or cook in some rice for added lusciousness.
Whipped cream in ice bath
With the coconut cream bowl in the ice bath, whip, whip, whip… when things start looking like whipped cream, add the vanilla or almond extract and dab of sugar, if desired, and keep beating away until it looks like this:
Whipped cream
Then put a dollop of the whipped cream on the mouse, and voila!
You have yourself an amazing creation that looks and tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen— but that can be our little secret!
Seriously, this is rich! I prefer to savor this using a tiny spoon we used to feed our babies, so I am definitely in the market for demitasse spoons now!
My next blog will be a summary of what was covered during our Designed for Health Series and will also include some recipes the class participants shared as they are eating foods that are naturally healthful.
You know what a keystone is, right? It’s the V-shaped stone placed at the top of an arch. It holds the whole thing together. Remove the keystone and the arch, along with everything above it, it will collapse. There are keystone habits we can do each day that will set us up for a great day of feeling balanced and ready to meet the tasks ahead of us and will keep our “engines” running for a smooth ride.
In our first session of a seven-week series of classes called “Designed for Health,” held at First Baptist Church in New Bern, North Carolina, we touched upon the mechanics of habits and how we might nudge those habits in a way that would still give us the desired reward (which is emotional), but would yield improved results in terms of body chemistry outcomes (as in increased nutritional value).
Dr. Tom O’Bryan states that there are three important things we must do for great, balanced health:
1) Drink 2 glasses of water each morning,
2) Eat an anti-inflammatory diet, and
3) Basically, don’t sweat the small stuff; enjoy the moment.
Understanding how habits work is critical to modifying them. First, there is a “trigger”: something that initiates the habit. A trigger could be a thought, emotion or circumstance, just about anything that leads us to the actual thing we do which is the “action.” With the action comes the “reward” for having done the action. Rewards are usually mental/emotional. We like the results. Understanding the results we want is key to modifying habits in order to maximize positive habit results for long-term health rather than a fleeting flash of a blood sugar high, which can have dire results metabolically.
Case in point: I have made swishing out my mouth first thing each morning to be a trigger to remind me to drink a glass of water. Drinking the water is the action. The reward is the knowledge that I am doing my body a favor, assisting it to function at an optimal level, and I have already done something positive for myself before my eyes have really opened. The second trigger is right before I leave the bathroom; I drink the second glass of water. Downing two glasses of water at once is too much for me, so I have found that drinking a glass of water at the beginning and end of my morning routine works best. There! I am on a roll now of doing positive things, so that leads me into the bedroom to take 30 seconds to make the bed! Wow! Two pluses and the day has hardly begun! Keystone Habits!
Once we enter the kitchen, there is another Keystone Habit that can pave the way for a day of even energy flow, maximum nutrition, and stable blood sugars. A great breakfast is the answer, but so many of us do not have the time to scramble a couple eggs in “happy butter” (from pastured and totally grass fed cows) served with a generous portion of veggies.
Some of us actually dash out the door, stop off at the nearest fast food chain for a highly-processed, gluten-filled, greasy biscuit filled with some kind of highly-processed, edible food-like substances, followed with a sugary drink or a sugar-laden latte to be eaten at in the car or first thing at work. Stomach in knots, blood sugar levels guaranteed to plummet later, and require to be “fixed” by a vending machine snack…. So goes the day. Sound familiar?
If you do not have the time to reheat last night’s protein and veggies, or to cook from scratch each morning, may I introduce you to a Smoothie? I’ve spoken of them before, but would like to share some different ideas today. Smoothies can actually be made the night before. It’s fun to concoct a blender-full with someone else. It could be a family affair; chances for family-wide buy-in to drinking a nutrient-dense smoothie skyrocket when everyone helps.
First of all, smoothies are not about being sweet. The goal is nutrient density. Fruit is just a part of it. If your goal is for the most stable blood sugar levels possible, fruit choices should remain in the berry category. Blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries should be at the top of the list because of their low glycemic load, followed by strawberries. In any case, fruit should be measured at about ½ cup per 8-ounce drink. The rest is a choice of seasonings (salt, vanilla extract and “sweet spices” as I call them), fluid (water, coconut milk, almond milk, coconut water, or strong green tea), a good fat (avocado, coconut oil, or flax oil), and a good protein (nuts or nut butters, whey protein, powdered egg whites, and various seeds that also provide a good fat profile: hemp, chia, and flax), and greens (baby spinach, kale, and chard). Believe me, those greens really do not change the flavor substantially, but they are vital to make this the Keystone/Powerhouse drink we want to hold us for hours and help our bodies function optimally.
Now here’s the thing. You put the fruit, seasonings, fluid, and fat in the blender and blitz it; then you add the protein and seeds; blitz some more. Pause. Enjoy the color! If blueberries were your choice, you’d have a great blue/purple color. Lovely! If red berries or cherries were your choice, wow! Gorgeous pinks and reds!
But, wait! There’s more! We haven’t added our nutrient-packed greens, yet! OK. You remember art class back in school? Red and Green makes……right………brown.
Now this is where my being the instructor of future medical students comes to play. I remember the speech now…. Class, what color is blood? Red. Very good. Now is blood in its natural form dry or wet? Wet. Excellent. So, from now on, when you see blood, it will be pointless to scream like someone who has never seen that red, wet fluid, won’t it? Get over it. Blood is red and wet. Done! No screaming!
Either you can handle the potentially gloomy transformation of your beautiful, colorful concoction into varying shades of brown or puce, or you can’t. If you can’t “man-up” about it, or if your car-pooling colleagues might grab for a barf bag, or if you just don’t want to start “that” conversation again at work, I have a solution!
Before
Let’s look at before and after pictures of today’s recipe of 2-3 Tbs. coconut cream, 1 cup coconut milk (unsweetened), enough water to make things a good consistency (about 1 cup or so), cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, salt, 2 coffee scoops each of hemp hearts, ground flax seeds, and chia seeds, ½ banana, and 1 cup of mixed berries and cherries. This recipe is for at least 4 servings.
Beautiful, isn’t it?
See that spinach on top; yet to be blended?
After
Just makes you want to drink it, right?
Yummmmm!
Well, I can handle it; maybe because I used to be a nurse, but many people can’t. So here is my answer to the problem! Behold, the Mason jar decorating trick!
This could be a great family project! I selected watermelon shades that would remind me of the previous look of my beverage, before the greens.
First thing you do is clean the surfaces to be painted with alcohol
Then you apply the first coat, making sure to keep any painted area well away from the drinking area- at least ¾ of an inch.
First coat applied
Wait one hour for the first coat to dry, then apply the second coat.
With second coat
Wait another hour before painting in the watermelon seeds.
Finished!
Once your creation is totally dried, put the pieces in a cold oven. Shut the door. Turn oven to 350 degrees. When the oven has come up to temp, set the timer for 30 minutes. At the end of 30 minutes, turn the oven off and WAIT. Wait until the oven has thoroughly cooled down. I did this one evening and just waited until morning to take the jars and lids out. DO NOT open the oven to peek at any time because that could crack the finish. Once completed, the objects are dishwasher safe.
So, enjoy your smoothie! Whether it turns out to be a green monster (I like those, too!) or something that’s perfectly puce, you can have fun while enjoying your nutrient dense drink and get the reward of knowing you are doing something really good for your health and well-being that will set you up for smooth running all day long! Keystone Habit!
Hope arts and crafts time is fun for you and yours-
But what if we could stir something up that expanded on the nutrient-richness of fruit? How about a truckload of omega 3 fatty acids? How about some collagen joint care? How about protein? Well, I’ve done it! All without added sugar of any kind if you don’t want; and if you do, a small dab of honey.
filling, good for you and not sugary!
