Tag Archives: gluten-free

Food That Says, “I Love You”

February 10, 2016 Deidre Leave a comment

Times have changed in some respects; and in others, not at all. I remember reading aloud the Laura Ingalls Wilder series of Little House on the Prairie to our children every night as we all learned of Laura and Almanzo’s adventures. Today, our grandchildren listen to The Adventures of Harry Potter. I don’t know what the children eat at the Hogwarts School, but Almanzo’s favorite repast had to include fried apples ‘n’ onions.

Being more of a city girl transplanted to small town North Carolina, this notion of apples ‘n’ onions did not beckon to my palate or culinary desires. Too bad.

First of all, they aren’t fried- as in deep fried. I don’t deep fry anything. In country jargon, frying apples implies sauteing and browning until tender and even possibly cooked down to a mush.

But apples ‘n’ onions? Really?

Well, this is the month of love. If you fix apples ‘n’ onions you will LOVE the flavor of this impossibly delicious side dish that happily occupies its spot in the perfect plate fruit/fat component and part of the veggie area. Pair this side with any kind of dark-green leafy veggie, along with lean chicken or pork protein, and you will have a meal that says, “I love you”!

With just three ingredients, this is a cinch to do, and quantities vary according to what’s on hand.

Apples ‘n’ Onions Recipe

Apples – 3-4 apples

Onion (I used a Vidalia onion) – one medium-sized onion

Coconut oil- 1-2 Tbs. of coconut oil to coat the pan well

Method:

In order to activate the beneficial anti-inflammatory enzyme, allicin, slice up the onion first so it has 10 minutes to rest before heating.
Peel, slice, and core the apples into desired shape. I use an old-fashioned hand crank apple peeler/slicer/corer and just cut the slices into smaller pieces.

Melt 1-2 Tbs. coconut oil into large sauté pan on medium heat and add prepared apple and onion slices. You may want to add a pinch of salt.

Stir occasionally and gently cook until browned and tender. Serve warm.

Recipe number two involves an oft’ forgotten little green nugget that used to be buried under an avalanche of melted Velveeta. Boy, once you stop eating “food-like substances,” as found in dairy “products” such as Velveeta, the very thought of returning to them sends chills down the spine. Ick!

IMG_1853-1 — Raw Brussels sprouts and cranberries

So, what to do with that bag of Brussels sprouts? This latest recipe supersedes any I have tried thus far! My book contains a great pan-cooked version of Brussels sprouts that’s really fine and has similar ingredients, but these roasted sprouts are the BEST!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Fresh Cranberries and Pecans

1 pound fresh Brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half

1 cup activated pecans*, coarsely chopped

½ cup fresh or frozen cranberries, (not dried and sweetened), coarsely chopped

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 Tbs. finely chopped shallots

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tsp. Kosher or sea salt

½ tsp. ground pepper

Optional: 2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar to toss in after roasting

Method:

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Using a large baking pan, toss all ingredients together except balsamic vinegar. When all ingredients are mixed and coated with oil, arrange Brussels sprouts so the cut side faces down in baking dish. Roast for 25 minutes or until golden brown on the edges.

Optional: Toss with balsamic vinegar when roasting is complete. These smelled so good and tasted so good right out of the oven; I forgot the vinegar and never missed it.

*Activated Pecans: Soak raw pecans in salted water 24 hours; drain; dehydrate 105 degrees in dehydrator 14 hours or bake at lowest oven temperature until crispy. This process is explained in my book, Toolkit for Wellness, and makes the nuts way more digestible and yummy.

So, there you have it! Healthy anti-inflammatory eating at its very best. Some old-school goodness from the past and some modern farm-to-table style of today!

Say, “I love you” with some good eatin’!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

-Deidre

Blogging for good health!

New Year – New Beginning = New You!!

January 1, 2016 Deidre Leave a comment

As we contemplate turning the calendar page over to a new year, it seems so natural to consider what we want to accomplish for ourselves in 2016. Beyond returning to work, beyond picking up the pieces after happy holiday clutter, and beyond the next trip to the market – what are our goals for 2016? Can making a resolution EVER result in triumph? I think so. I know so!

Don’t you think it is a commendable thing that we consider turning over a new leaf? Even though resolution making has become almost an empty effort because of poor track records, it does reflect hope in self-betterment.

But taking things from resolution to reality can often seem overwhelming and usually result in feelings of frustration and failure soon after the resolution is made.

That’s why I spent considerable time sharing with the readers of Toolkit for Wellness there IS a good way to create change in our lives. We are all too aware of our ‘failure’ at fleshing out our resolutions each year, but this need not be so. Exacting any kind of change or additional projects in our lives is best done in small steps, not in giant leaps, and with a solid, measurable plan.

Consider the differences between wishful thinking and successful planning. One big difference is, when thinking of a goal or resolution, we tend to think BIG and very GENERAL:

• Lose weight
• Exercise more
• Drink more water
• Eat healthier
• Start my own business

What does any of that mean? Do you have a plan? What does it look like day-to-day? What are the individual daily steps you need to take to get you there?

Before you join a gym, commit to doing home exercises each morning while your coffee brews. Rack up success at this small commitment first. My book gives you ideas and a plan on how to do this.

Take the bread/starch component out of just one meal a day – namely, breakfast – and enjoy daily success at feeling better. Add a serving of vegetables to breakfast in the form of a giant handful or two of spinach or baby kale lightly sauteed in a dab of extra virgin olive oil to go along with your bacon and eggs. You will never miss the toast and your meal will last for hours.

Toolkit for Wellness readers absolutely KNOW how to drink more water, AND are DOING it! It’s EASY because it is NATURAL!

Understand what ‘healthier eating’ means. If you have made that one small change to breakfast, you are well on your way! Keep up the good work with breakfast every day and notice the boost in your sense of accomplishment and self-esteem! This is a resolution that will be lasting, perhaps for the first time!

Take a look at lunch in February. Rome was not built in a day, but with small DAILY steps, a strong sense of accomplishment, a proven track record, and a plan in your Toolkit for Wellness, you are DOING this!

Starting that business? Are you learning how to do it? Dream. Write it down. Learn all you can. Stay inspired with other like-minded people. Take the first preparatory step. Do some tiny thing each day to move you forward. Tell others. Share your excitement. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

Becoming an author was at least a five-year dream for me. A few false starts, sure; then, Toolkit for Wellness actually began to take form in February 2015 and was published November 2015. Much learning. Big support group. Stretching beyond my comfort zone. And SO worth it! I am empowering others with hope and a plan!

My resolutions for 2016

Strengthen my morning routine a.k.a., ”Series of Good Things,” with special emphasis on an expanded exercise routine with added weights, and more time in meditation and prayer. Take notes, journal, and make this my next book.
Write once a week for foodtalk4you,com and add value for my readers from sharing in-depth research
Prepare for and do more Designed for Health Seminars
Expand the reach and presence for Toolkit for Wellness by planning my first book signing early in the New Year, and getting it into key retail locations.

What are your resolutions? Care to share? We can cheer each other on! Leave a comment!

In 2016, readers of FoodTalk4You will see more recipes for healthful eating that will reflect an anti-inflammatory diet, more stress-relieving ideas, and more exercise ideas – all food for our body, mind, and soul!

I wish each of you the happiest and healthiest of New Years!

Deidre

Blogging for good health!

Let’s Get Back to the Basics!

December 4, 2015 Deidre Leave a comment

Are the basic tenets of personal wellness slipping as the hustle and bustle of the holiday season reaches a fever pitch? Add the daily responsibilities of work, family, and household needs, and we have a recipe for feeling over-whelmed and out of control. Just the opposite of what we want to be about! Let’s rein in this downward spiral by taking just a few minutes to return to the basics.

What are the basics?

As discussed in my new book, Toolkit for Wellness – Master Your Health and Stress Response for Life, before leaping into drastic changes in order to be “more healthy,” a few mindful steps must occur.

B-R-E-A-T-H-E and connect with yourself and your creator…
Amidst the hustle of publishing my book and the increasing responsibilities as a care-giver, I was just as guilty of dropping my stress-reducing practices as anyone else might. Today, that stopped.

Coffee brewing time exercises continued as usual; but calming breathing time and connecting time had slipped by the wayside.
I mean, if I don’t take five minutes for this, what’s the point to living?

So, sit down by the window if it’s too cold or wet to be outside and do the following:

• Close your eyes

• Rest your hands palm side up on your knees to be open to the universe

• Take several mindful breaths – feel the air enter, circle around your lungs, and exit gently

• Think only on the movement of air within you – if thoughts creep in, gently release them

• Acknowledge there have been times when you strove to be in total control and the sole source of power – sort of like relying upon a paper match that only dimly lights and is soon consumed; when, in fact, you should have plugged in to the Power of the Universe instead

• Connect with your “Forever Power Source” to recharge, praise, and seek guidance

• Renew you commitment to working with your body as a team. We all want our bodies to work properly 100% of the time, but are we fueling it properly 100% of the time? Knowing our cars won’t work properly to get us to our destinations if they are not properly maintained and filled with the proper fuel, how can we expect our bodies to get us there if we ignore how we treat and fuel them? At what point today do you not care if your body is functioning properly?

• Remember Thanksgiving! We should count our blessings every day; be thankful you have been equipped to meet the needs of this moment and this day

These basic steps to starting the day take just a very few minutes and will help us all refocus and keep our inner selves on track, even while we do the many extra activities that come with the holidays. These basics may also help us redefine what is really important and what is worthy of our time!

To a calmer, more centered December!

Deidre

Toolkit for Wellness is available as an eBook on Amazon for just $0.99 until December 24th! Just click on the tab under the banner to buy it.

Paperback version is going to be out very soon! I know many of you prefer holding an actual book! Not only will it be nice to have something to hold, but many of you have also said it will make a perfect gift to give this year! I’ll keep you posted about it.

Blogging for good health!

“Toolkit for Wellness” Free Today and Tomorrow! Hurry!!

November 30, 2015 Deidre Leave a comment

This is a birth announcement! Toolkit for Wellness, Master Your Health and Stress Response for Life, is now on Amazon for FREE in its eBook version! Weighing in at 237 pages, it’s already at the top of 2-3 growth charts – depending on which ones Amazon displays! Loyal readers, please help me spread the word to others that improved health is just one easy breath, one anti-inflammatory meal, and one movement away. Help yourself and others know what tiny, daily steps can be taken, which are easily repeatable, and will pave the way to a healthier life.

How to help? Download your FREE copy today or tomorrow and share this opportunity with your friends. You do not even have to own a Kindle; there is a button to push that will enable you to download your copy of Toolkit for Wellness to ANY device!

If you miss the FREE days, don’t worry, Toolkit for Wellness eBook will be just $0.99 until Christmas!

To make sure you take advantage of this exclusive offer, CLICK HERE!

I know most of you want a paper copy as well. The soft cover version will be released VERY soon. There will be plenty of time to get your copies before Christmas. What could be a greater gift for someone than a ‘toolkit’ they can easily, naturally, and successfully use every day for their life-long health!

There will be a book signing in New Bern, North Carolina. Date, time, and location to be announced!

Thanks for everyone’s support in this huge project!

Humbly yours-

Deidre

Blogging for good health!, Recipes

The Pumpkin Patch is Open!

October 6, 2015 Deidre Leave a comment

Do you do a happy dance when all things pumpkin-flavored reappear in the fall? It’s a short season, so I look for every way imaginable to ramp up pumpkin goodness. I have two pumpkin delights to share with you today. First, a pumpkin version of Bulletproof Coffee, and a pumpkin spice version of my Breakfast Cookie recipe.

My early morning solo-brew is either loose leaf green tea or Bulletproof Coffee. It’s a part of my Series of Good Things that starts most days:

Large glass of water after swishing out the cobwebs first thing each morning.

Water on face to open eyes – a real must to enjoy what follows.

Open all the curtains.

Head for my mat in the guest room to do full and half planks, full and half push-ups, and a slant. (All exercises are explained in my Toolkit for Wellness which is finished, but still needs formatting, subtitle, and a NEW book cover- more on that in a bit).

Make my way into the kitchen to preheat tea pot/French press pot and start heating water.

Do my step-to-jog-to-run-in-place exercise while the water is heating.

Brew either the coffee or the tea for 5 minutes.

Do squats and lifts with a kettle bell or arm exercises during brew time.

Pour and enjoy.

Bulletproof Coffee is special coffee made from mold-free coffee beans. I learned from Dave Asprey, who writes the Paleohacks newsletter and sell it, that most all coffees are polluted with mycotoxins that can adversely affect people. Think sinus congestion, headaches, and other ailments. Enter mold-free Bulletproof Coffee.

After the coffee is brewed, I add the healthy fat of 1-2 teaspoons of organic ghee and blitz it in my Vitamix. Ah-mazing!

Being it is pumpkin season, I have been adding a couple tablespoons of pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, and -yes- a half teaspoon of sugar! This is truly a sensory delight! My own pumpkin spice latte right at home! Even GOOD for me!

What would go great with a pumpkin latte, but Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies? Below is the annotated recipe I have published before on this blog and am putting into my new book, Toolkit for Wellness. We are not interspersing pictures this time so you can see it all together.
Breakfast Cookies freeze well and are a staple to have around for a light meal (2 cookies) or a light snack (1 cookie).

This is like a sneak preview of what is in the recipe chapter of the book!

Breakfast Cookies

Adapted from a recipe by Danielle Walker

This is a large recipe that makes about 27 cookies using two large parchment covered cookie sheets. I use an 11-cup food processor to mix most of this, followed by a final stirring using a large bowl to incorporate the two batches of ingredients.

In a food processor, place the following ingredients and pulse 2-3 times for 15 seconds each. Pulse until dates are in very small pieces and bananas are smooth:

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

3 large, ripe bananas broken into chunks

7 medium-sized dates /or/ 5 large Medjool dates, soaked in warm water for 15 minutes and drained

2 Tbsp. ghee /or/ palm shortening

1 cup unsweetened applesauce /OR/ replace with pumpkin puree

Pour the majority of this mixture into a large bowl. Scraping is not needed. Then place the following ingredients into the processor bowl and pulse for 5-6 bursts until incorporated:

1 cup of hazelnut /or/ almond flour* – This time, I used 2/3 cup almond and 1/3 cup coconut flour

1/4 cup ground flax seed

1/4 cup hemp seed hearts

1/4 cup Great Lakes gelatin

3 tsp. cinnamon /OR/ replace with pumpkin pie spice

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tsp. baking soda

Add the following to the nut flour mixture and pulse 3-4 bursts until incorporated:

1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

1/2 cup dried fruit of choice usually a berry /OR/ golden raisins

Add contents of food processor to those in the large bowl and hand mix using a large wooden spoon or spatula until well-combined. The batter is a bit wet, but should hold its shape well. If it seems too wet, add some more nut flour.

Using a golf ball-sized cookie scoop, form dough and place onto parchment paper-covered cookie sheets.

Using damp fingers, gently press each on down a bit.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. I used a convection oven, which automatically lowers the temp to 325 degrees. A regular oven may take a little less time at the higher setting. Cookies will still be a little bit soft but not mushy when done. Place cookies on a cooling rack where they will firm up.

A couple of these make an awesome breakfast, especially when spread with almond butter alone or almond butter mixed with a tad of Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut Butter. Justin’s version of Nutella has organic cane sugar as the third ingredient after hazelnuts and almonds and contains only 8 grams of sugar compared to the others 21 grams of sugar as the first ingredient!

* I have used various combinations of flours depending upon what I had in stock. Coconut flour will dry dough, so the amount of moistness will change depending on how much coconut flour you use.

Click this link for a printable recipe of FoodTalk4U-Breakfast Cookies

NEWS from Toolkit for Wellness!

The book cover currently posted on our Facebook site is NOT the one I’ll be going with! I know everyone just loved the “blue cover” but deep down inside, I just knew it was not representing the larger message. A member of a Facebook Community I am in, not only gave me some pointers as an author, but also shared with me a concept cover based on what he had gotten from my book. Well, folks, he was spot on! So, off to a graphic artist I went and I am waiting to see how this turns out!

A new cover means a delay, but if something is worth doing, it’s worth doing right! I look forward to sharing the new look with you as soon as possible.

Like us on Facebook!

Here’s to pumpkin!

Deidre

Blogging for good health!, Recipes

Peaches Gone Wild!!

July 10, 2015 Deidre Leave a comment

Tired of swooning over the covers of Southern Living and other magazines just wishing you could join the rest of the world in cool summertime deliciousness? Except, you have wisely chosen to no longer eat gluten; and since giving up sugar, you really do not want to get that addiction started again. So, you stand in the line at the checkout counter at the grocery store and you salivate at the magazine covers looking pitiful and deprived. It could be embarrassing:

“Clean up at register 5; customer weeping buckets and drooling on the floor!”

I regularly prepare what I like to call “Fruit with Benefits” which is a concoction of already healthful berries, sometimes an apple or a pear, and varying amounts of Great Lakes gelatin and ground flax seed. This gives me all the goodies of the berries PLUS protein, PLUS more fiber, PLUS Omega-3 fatty acids! A small scoop of this satisfying dessert and you are a happy camper.

Since developing my “Fruit with Benefits” skills, I am always looking for ways to squeeze in some more nutrition. Therefore, when presented with this mouth-watering spread in the magazine about icebox pies, I began to wonder…and as the imaginative and creative juices flowed, an idea formed… Well, I think I’ve done it!

There is a bit of sugar, just over ½ cup total, for the entire pie but that’s compared to way over 1 cup of sugar in the original recipe that uses store bought peach preserves which have who knows how much sugar?!

The original recipe called for folding gobs of whipped cream in the filling, but I chose to not even convert that by using more whipped coconut cream. Enough is enough.

I have tried lots of gluten free pie crust recipes, but this one is the best. One of the things I especially liked were the occasional whole flax seeds that had escaped the food processor blade; it not only tasted great, but it looked great, too!

So, do not despair my lovelies, this will be a great treat, not sweet enough to initiate binge carb fests, but smooth and creamy and peachy enough to make you smile!

This recipe has plenty of bone and joint health benefits of gelatin and boosts in protein from not only the gelatin and eggs but from the flax seed that also gives omega-3 fatty acids! Win! Win! Win!

Prepare the crust first so it can completely cool before adding the contents.

Put the following ingredients into a food processor and pulse until well-combined:

1/2 cup whole flax seeds

1 cup almond flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. Kosher salt

6 Tbsp. butter from pastured cows, melted- (I use the Kerrygold brand)

Pat dough into a smooth ball and press into a 9-inch, lightly- greased pie plate. Evenly distribute the dough, pressing it up the sides.

Create an edge. I just pressed a fork into mine.

Bake 6-10 minutes at 325 degrees until golden. Remove from oven and cool.

Prepare fresh “jam” by putting the following ingredients into a sauté pan and cook on medium until it comes to a boil, check for sweetness, and take off heat:

1 Tbs. coconut oil

2 peeled and finely-diced peaches

1 Tbs. lemon juice

1 Tbs. sugar

1 Tbs. gelatin that is wisked together with 1/4 cup boiling water: NO lumps!

Prepare the filling as follows:

Fill a 3 1/2 quart sauce pan with water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium to keep at a simmer.

Using an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the following together in a 2 1/2 quart glass bowl:

3 large eggs

1/3 cup sugar

Place bowl over simmering water and cook while whisking constantly five to six minutes or until mixture becomes slightly thick and sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and the simmering water.

Place 4 tsp. gelatin in a small bowl and pour 1/4 cup boiling water over it, whisking constantly until gelatin is completely dissolved.

Using the handheld electric mixer, whisk the egg mixture on high speed for 8-10 minutes until ribbons form on surface of mixture when beater is lifted.

Add gelatin mixture and continue whisking one more minute.

Fold in the peach “jam” and a pinch of kosher salt.

Spoon filling into cooled pie crust and arrange thin slices of 2 medium peeled peaches over the filling. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze 2 hours.

Serve slices of pie with a dollop of whipped coconut cream sweetened with a pinch of sugar and a splash of vanilla!

Going, going, gone!

Just peachy!!

Deidre

Blogging for good health!

Just One (Good) Thing After Another!

May 14, 2015 Deidre Leave a comment

My absolute favorite morning routine sets me up for greeting the new day with renewed and centered energies. Whenever possible, this is what sets me on a great path. I call this a “Series of Good Things.” We started talking about this in the fall series of Designed for Health classes, and with my deeper understanding of habits and habit formation, it is all coming together for me with positive results.
Let me share:

Rise and shine at the same time each day! In doing so, I am waking naturally a few minutes before my gentle phone alarm announces itself. With more consistent bedtimes, waking up is not so problematic. Sleeping in has robbed me of too many retirement mornings, and I regret it when I do. No. Getting up at a consistent time is my first good thing.

Drinking that first full cup of cold water right after swishing out the “cob webs” from my mouth is good thing number two. Start the day with the best “hydrater” of all: water.

If my husband is up, I will make the bed on my way to the closet to dress. Good thing number three. The bedroom is neat and I am already on a roll!

Moving into the kitchen, I pass the refrigerator first, so I grab my cold Bragg’s apple cider vinegar from the door, pour a tablespoon-full into a glass, add about 6 ounces of water, and chug. This is a personal experiment; many in my spring Designed for Health class are doing it for cholesterol benefits. My research has netted a zero on scientifically proven health benefits except for well-documented benefit of improved blood sugars. I am doing it to add acid to my stomach in hopes to improve some reflux issues. While we refer to acid reflux, often it can be a result of not enough acid in the stomach. We will see. No harm for sure, and – hey- that’s more water! Good thing number four.

Then, I have to start my day feeding my menagerie of birds and squirrels! Watching their antics off the back porch is our major amusement and delight. That’s number five.

Taking a few deep, mindful, meditative breaths while pausing to sit on the porch swing helps me calmly set myself up for a new day. “Thank you, God, for this new day; thank you, Lord, in every way for your blessings great and small; make me a blessing to others this day. Amen.” Six.

Then, while the coffee or tea is brewing, number seven is my favorite to check off because, not only do I enjoy doing this, but getting to it can be hard for me. Plank time! Starting with a child’s pose to stretch my lower back, I move forward to do my two minutes of planks: full body plank followed by a “restful” half-plank from the knees.

The rest of coffee brewing time is dedicated to slow motion squats, kitchen-counter slow motion push-ups, palms up arm circles, ballet-bar style toe points to the front, side, and back: very good for balance. That is number eight!

Bing, bing, bing! Coffee’s ready! That’s number nine!

So – exercise minimums are met, bed is made, water is drunk, nature is fed; well… it’s a series of good things!

To keep that good vibe, I make sure half of my breakfast plate is veggies! Leftovers work great as a side to my two eggs or they can be scrambled together as a frittata. If all else fails, after frying the bacon and before cooking the eggs, I will grab a giant handful of greens to sauté with a bit of good oil (coconut, avocado, or olive). That’s number ten!

I hope that you, too, have a “series of good things” you are doing for yourself each day. Please share them with me!

To summarize some good things we have covered here and in class about improving our over-all wellness:

1. Mindful breathing

2. Gratitude each day

3. Drink some extra water

4. Taper-off and eliminate added sugars

5. Eat real food. Eat food without labels!

6. Half of your plate each meal should be (mostly green) veggies

7. Use good fats- butter and ghee from pastured cows, coconut oil, olive oil, avocado oil

8. Supplements should include Vitamin-D, omega-3 fatty acids, probiotics, and magnesium with your calcium

9. Toss the grains- they cause inflammation seen and unseen, and work against vitamin and mineral absorption

10. You may also want to toss the legumes: dried beans and peanuts- because they can have an adverse effect on digestion, can block absorption of vitamins and minerals, and can be inflammatory

11. Keep a regular bedtime and get enough sleep

12. Move and stretch your body every day. I have just started weekly Yin Yoga classes and am just loving it! More restful sleep; greater inner awareness and calm; and a more balanced feeling.

13. Set tiny, repeatable “tweaks” to move yourself toward better wellness.

14. Simplify, simplify, simplify!

15. Rather than getting more “stuff,” gather experiences in your life!

16. Smile!

As I concentrate on finalizing my book, preparing single day seminars, and simplifying my own possessions by cleaning and tossing out, I will be taking a bit of a blogging sabbatical. There may be the occasional summer recipe or thought, but I am going to practice what I preach by simplifying and daily application of things that make our ultimate goals come true!

Have a great summer!

In health and wellness-

Deidre

Blogging for good health!

Have We Got News For You!

April 14, 2015 Deidre Leave a comment

Designed for Health classes have re-commenced at First Baptist Church, New Bern, NC, and it is not too late to start joining us for an hour of wellness techniques! With so many folks enjoying Easter Break out of town last week, I want to make sure to remind everyone that we are starting a new series!

Come join us each Wednesday evening from 6-7 pm for the next five weeks. Class is held in the main sanctuary building, just off of the breezeway entrance. There are plenty of signs and people to guide you!

This week’s main topics are about sugar, sugar substitutes, and starchy vs. non-starchy vegetables. We will also re-visit last week’s topics of how to establish new habits.

The class is free to all who attend, and we always have a great time!

Hope to see you Wednesday!

Deidre

Blogging for good health!

A New Trend In Exercise – The Plank

April 7, 2015 Deidre 2 Comments

A svelte model, I am not.

One to turn heads in spandex, no.

Worth a second look fully clothed….maybe.

I just know that I want tighter abs and stronger back muscles. My poor chiropractor has to re-assemble my lower back every month, and it never seems far away from “going out.” Then, there is the flat tummy thing. After two babies, each weighing over 9 pounds, those lower regions have been stretched to kingdom come! Even returning to my pre-pregnancy weight back then never gave me “abs of steel”!

Coupling these two needs with my application of recent advanced studies in habits, I have made fantastic progress!

A little history, first. The whole idea of doing planks was brand new to me. I thought we just walked on planks of wood…it’s called flooring; but, my fifth period junior boys were showing off to each other their prowess at doing planks. Students taught me things all the time; this was cool! I was eager to learn!

It seemed simple enough: get down on the floor, face down, with body touching floor only at the elbows and forearms and toes, and stay there a minute. The two boys who were having a plank-off seemed to be having a tough time after about 30 seconds. Their whole bodies seemed to tremble at the 45 second mark. They were wiped out after a minute.

One boy hung back, not wanting to participate. Seems he boasted he could do it, but just not in front of everybody. Wise chap.

Needless to say, Mrs. Edwards went home to try it out for herself…in private…away from photo sharing students who would have lit up Facebook with embarrassing pics of their teacher. That was over three years ago.

Sure enough, seemed like I had found yet another exercise I couldn’t do! I played around with it every now and then, making it easier by bending my knees and cutting the work load in half. Still…I naturally did not master it because I did not consistently do it. And…it was a little boring!

But there was something intriguing about this exercise. I kept reading about it and watching it on videos. “Great exercise for core strength!” “Perfect for those efficient 10 minute workouts!”
Ten minute workout? That’s me!

So, ok. A little here….a little there…once a week….twice a week…every few days…. Is it any surprise things were still no good? I decided that, sure as I want to become a better writer, so I needed to write every day; I needed to do this (and other exercise) every day as well, if I wanted to see progress.

If all I could do was a half-plank for 15 seconds, then fine! Who does not have 15 seconds? So I did 15-second, half-planks every day. Period. No skipping. Naturally, as I got stronger, it was easy to extend my time to 30 seconds. Every day. Then 45 seconds; then a full minute!

But that was a half-plank, so I moved on to a full body plank: only elbows/lower arms and toes on the floor. I followed up full-minute half-planks with a 15-second full plank.

You can imagine how this is going to play out. From 15 seconds to 20…to 30…to 40…45…50…a full minute! Wow! What elation! What happiness! I did it!

Then I learned about straight-arm, full-body planks! You got it! Right now, I do:

A full-body elbow-toe plank for a minute

A half-plank for a minute as a rest, then do a straight-arm plank for a minute!Three minutes of plank-ness! ME! Non-exercise-y me!
And you know what? That straight arm plank so looks like the starting position for a push up…..!

Always wanted to do push-ups……

Maybe I’ll start on my knees with those….

Whatever you are trying to accomplish remember to:

1) break it down to a manageable, easily repeatable task that takes just a little time, knowing that what you are doing is right, and will pay off in time, and

2) show up every day to do it!

When doing a teensy good thing, it is easy to do!

But it is also easy NOT to do, as well…

If you miss doing your 15-second plank today…no harm? People who succeed would tell you that, yes, there’s harm in not doing it. The world is full of people who do not succeed. Their teensy little things just do not get done. It’s easy to do and equally easy not to do! As a result, they reflect that daily choice just the same way those who do that teensy little thing also reflect the result of their daily choices.

I chose to do a plank. What do you want to choose?

Deidre Edwards, “Planker” Extraordinaire!

Blogging for good health!, Recipes

Good Morning, Glory, Power Muffins!

March 29, 2015 Deidre 2 Comments

March on Morning Glory Power Muffins

Sometimes you just really want a muffin! I know that often, muffins are just glorified little cakes full of unnecessary carbohydrates. Popping on the label saying they are gluten-free is NOT necessarily a pathway to improved health. There is so much around these days with the label “gluten-free,” and once again, the advertisers are wooing us with products still replete with chemicals, highly refined oils, starch, and sugar!

So, I was determined to make a nutritionally dense muffin that would satisfy and be truly delicious.

I did it!

These Morning Glory Power Muffins have received rave reviews, and it is my pleasure to share this recipe with you today!

Morning Glory Power Muffins

Yield- 20 muffins

Preheat oven to 350

Ingredients:

½ cup golden raisins

4 Tbs. hemp seed hearts

3 Tbs. ground golden flax seed meal

¾ cup unsweetened coconut flakes

1 cup grated carrots

1 cup crushed pineapple no sugar added

1 cup chopped walnuts*

2 medium-sized ripe bananas, mashed

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 ½ tsp. vanilla

3 eggs

1 tsp. cinnamon

¼ tsp. ground ginger

¼ tsp. kosher salt

1 ½ tsp. baking soda

1 cup gluten-free flour

½ tsp. xanthan gum

¼ cup coconut flour

1/3 cup coconut oil, melted

Method:

In a large mixing bowl and using an electric mixer, beat the eggs until creamy yellow; add the banana, vanilla, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and baking soda, beating until well-combined. Add the melted coconut oil and mix well. Add the flours and the xanthan gum, beating to combine.

Then, using a wooden spoon or spatula, stir in the raisins, hemp and flax seed, coconut, carrot, pineapple, and walnuts. Make sure to mix all ingredients well.

Fill muffin tin lined with baking cups about 3/4 full.

Bake in pre-heated 350 degree oven for 28 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean after being inserted.

*Prior to using, soak walnuts at least 4-6 hours in enough water to cover and 1 tsp. sea salt. Rinse soaked nuts very well, blot dry on a towel, and dehydrate in oven or dehydrator. This process activates the nuts, makes them more digestible, and increases their crisp tastiness. While I do own a dehydrator, this was the first time I used my oven for nut dehydration, and I was totally satisfied with the results. After using the oven for another purpose, I spread these walnuts out on a large rimmed metal pan and put them in the pre-warmed oven (350) which I then turned off. After a few hours, I stirred the nuts around, closed the door and warmed the oven up to about 200 degrees; then I turned it off, and let them dehydrate some more. This was done before going to bed. By morning, they were crisp. Once you have tasted activated nuts, you will never want to eat plain raw ones again!

I hope you agree that these are the “Best Ever Morning Glories”! Their power comes from the hemp, flax, and walnuts which give great forms of “good fat” as in Omega 3 fatty acids, and in protein! Certainly, the other ingredients aren’t too shabby, either!

News Flash!

Deidre has been a little absent from this blog because there is so much good stuff going on!

Sorry for my absence here, but I have been preparing for the next cycle of the Designed for Health Classes, AND I have been working on my book in which I am putting all of this wellness thinking into one work! Plus, I have been doing so much research into habits are born, and how to develop our daily energies into something more powerful than we could ever imagine!

Designed for Health, Series 2 classes will be held at First Baptist Church, New Bern, North Carolina. They will be held in Building A for six weeks on Wednesday nights from 6-7 pm. If you are not a member of First Baptist Church, that’s fine, just email me at foodtalk4you@gmail.com to let me know you want to attend. I want to make sure we have a room big enough for everyone, so a head count is always good to have in advance. This series is free to all.
If you are interested in a class closer to where you live, or your organization would like me to speak with them, please contact me at the same email address to schedule a class or single presentation.

Food Talk 4 You

Tag Archives: gluten-free

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Good Morning, Glory, Power Muffins!

Reclaim your health one meal at a time

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Reclaim your health one meal at a time