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!
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!
Being “Designed for Health” means more than learning how to return to eating nutrient-dense foods; it means creating and maintaining that healthy balance in all areas of our life: mentally, spiritually, and physically.
Stress-related insomnia
“Fixing” the food part to meet physical needs is just one part of that healthy triad. Many of us are spinning so many stress-filled plates, the mental and spiritual part of ourselves is going lacking…which then circles back to an unhappy body. Stress hormones play into poor sleep which plays into morestress hormones which play into hormones designed to push us to more starch and sugar which plays into…… well, it’s a mess!
Did you ever say “Stop this stress-go-round, I want to get off!”?
Are you experiencing a dark existential ennui?
Just breathe….
If there is a sunbeam shining right now, make sure to head for it! Take a 20 minute walk in the sunshine every day that you possibly can. Breathe in that fresh air. Look for things you have not noticed before. Something seen. Something heard. Something felt. Something smelled. Even this most basic exercise helps on all aspects of the health triad.
Pet a puppy. Who doesn’t love a puppy?
Breathing helps, too! Not the everyday kind. The stop for a minute and take slow breaths kind. See, our over-active minds are hard to shut off even during a walk – hence the idea of noticing new things – so five methodical breaths are a great way to cleanse the mind, stop the stress-go-round, and lower the anxiety level.
You know the drill:
1. Stop everything
2. Close eyes
3. Drop shoulders
4. Inhale slowly for a count of five
5. Let the air circulate inside of you for a count of five
6. Slowly exhale through your mouth for a count of five
7. Repeat four more times
Concentrate….
Concentrate ONLY on this procedure; if another thought drifts in then gently release it. Concentrate on the feel of the air coming into your body. Imagine it swirling around inside you. Feel the release while you exhale. Mindful breathing can be a beautiful, life-saving thing. Try it right now. Whew…I just did, and the release is just amazing!
Another way to shift our mental and spiritual focus away from the negative can be through being a part of what I have named a Tapestry Group. I am facilitating a Tapestry Group at our church. It is an easily replicated concept you may want to try yourself. The name of this group reflects the thought that each one of us is a part of the larger Tapestry of Life; that each one of us provides a meaningful thread to this tapestry; that the color of our thread may change over time; and that the threads of others are woven along with our own to create the rich and beautiful tapestry we call Life.
Our purpose is the sharing of experiences, reflecting on matters or topics of the day, expanding or clarifying our view points, learning from others, and supporting others and ourselves through the exchange of ideas and thoughts.
At our last monthly meeting, I shared four talking points taken from a book by Karl Moore entitled, “The 18 Rules of Happiness: How to be Happy.” His first four “rules” provided a great resource for reflection and sharing. To paraphrase his book:
1. Stop the pity party; self-pity eats up everything around, except for itself. Elsewhere, I recently read that we have 60-70,000 thoughts each day; while some are not that significant, others may color our whole day. So, stop the negative thoughts and go to rule #2:
2. Be grateful. Well, sure, we’re thankful that semi-tractor trailer missed hitting us on the interstate, but on a daily level—moment-to-moment—we need to be grateful. I have heard of people keeping a gratitude journal whereby they make daily entries, morning or evening, for their items of gratitude. You’ve heard of that old hymn that goes, “count your blessings, name them one by one”? There’s a lot of truth in this process as counting our blessings— mindfully reviewing the positive in our lives—can create a mind-set shift, a general re-focusing on what is important, and a re-framing of how we view what’s on our personal plates.
3. Open yourself to selectively saying “Yes” more. I know, I know; aren’t we supposed to learn to say “No” more….I mean, we are being stretched too thin, right? Well, sure, but some of us have gotten too good at saying “no” and have shut too many doors, shut out light, shut out life. There are random twists in life and unexpected opportunities that come knocking that we need to seize. Sometimes it’s even easier to say “yes” because you participate in a positive flowing forward instead of saying “no” which goes against the flow of life. You be the judge; say “yes” to good things that may be unexpected and that can open up a positive flow in your life.
4. Follow your bliss. This is an idea originally from Joseph Campbell. I remember an example of bliss in my students as they practiced what they learned in the classroom and became hands on caregivers to real patients. Their eyes lit up! They couldn’t start their clinical rotations soon enough! The joy poured out of their very beings and flowed around and caressed their patients! Time flew by! Bliss is something money can’t buy. What is your bliss? Probably everyone knows what needs to be done to be happy, but few are brave enough to take the steps to do it. Follow your bliss.
Get a room full of people to reflect and talk about the first four rules of happiness, and you will have a room full of refreshed folks who have a new perspective on life; who have shared and received inspiration; and who have said “Yes” to an opportunity to get outside of themselves, engage with others, and who shared their bliss!
Consider being a part of or forming a Tapestry Group. We were designed for health, and we were designed to be social beings.
Since April of last year when this blog was officially “born,” many topics have been touched upon about moving to a more harmonious relationship with our bodies by eating foods that naturally promote health.
With the idea that we were designed for health and not disease, there must be a way to live, eat, move, and think that boosts health. The world-wide trend toward obesity, heart disease, and autoimmune diseases as western fast-food eating styles that are embraced can be reversed through eating what we were originally designed to eat.
These thumbprint summaries of last year’s material are hopefully a good way to see the bigger picture as we approach our health choices this year. Where we’ve been serves as a launch pad for where we are going, so to speak.
1. It starts in the mind. How we relate to our bodies, health, and the world around us all starts in our mind. The first class session of The Designed for Health series I teach in New Bern, North Carolina, always starts with a sort of “rededication” exercise whereby we reconnect with our body in appreciation for how we are so wonderfully made, and how we want to be in greater harmony with our body by actively listening to how it responds to what we feed it and how we treat it. We are accepting the responsibility for its care rather than just mentally going along for the ride.
2. Something “do-able”: a Keystone Habit. No matter how we want to improve our lives, whether we want to write the great American novel or we want to eat healthier, we have to concentrate on the steps, the repeatable steps, we must take each day to get there. Surely, we are not going to write that novel in one day, but writing for a short, set amount of time each and every day will eventually get us the first chapter. Similarly, we are not going to turn our health status around in one day, but making a single, seemingly ridiculously small and easy-to-repeat tweak to what we eat or drink each and every day will eventually lead to a collection of changes easily incorporated into a new eating and living style that will definitely impact our health. Hence our motto: gradual and consistent.
3. 80/20. Unless there are health dangers such as severe food allergies, becoming totally obsessed about “healthy eating” could ruin the day for you and those around you. Trying to squeeze out that last 20% of perfection each day can actually take some of the fun out of things. So while we gain an understanding what is good or bad for us, striving for perfection can, literally, spoil the party. Aim for the “good stuff” to keep up your promise to yourself, but once in a while a dab of this or that, in the absence of food allergies, can keep the fun in holidays, vacations, and life in general. Once you have converted to better choices, the standard temptations actually will hold less appeal and may not feel “right” when consumed, but- lighten up! 80/20 is good. Having said that, making exceptions back-to-back can be the start of a slippery downward slope!
4. Create an environment for success. Clean up what’s available to eat in the kitchen based on how you want to eat. No more chips and ice cream in the kitchen means you won’t be looking at chips and ice cream praying for the strength to turn away. Enlist the help and support of family and friends. Share what you are learning so you can be a part of a team. Reward your milestone successes frequently with appropriately healthy treats; maybe a walk around the waterfront instead of in the neighborhood.
5. Understand “macro-nutrients.” Understanding how our bodies naturally respond to proteins, fats, and carbohydrates really puts us in the driver’s seat for health! Want to stabilize blood sugar? Dedicate carbohydrate intake to veggies instead of grains and eat good protein and healthy fats which have higher satiety levels than starchy carbs and will not upset blood sugar levels.
6. Enhance your flavor palate. Looking for a sense of sweetness without the added sugar? Try spices and flavorings that remind you of sweetness by using cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and extracts such as vanilla or almond. These “sweet spices” are a great way to enhance the flavor of smoothies without added sugar. Explore various herbs and oils to add endless variety to veggies and salads. Simple asparagus is different each time when lightly sautéed in a choice of olive oil, ghee, grass-fed butter, avocado oil, coconut oil, or toasted sesame oil. Whenever I get a little tired of any cooked veggie, I usually turn to a finishing drizzle of toasted sesame oil to liven things up. Pesto can easily combine with shrimp, gluten free pasta, quinoa, veggies, or scrambled eggs to make a brand new eating experience.7. Keep this plate in mind. Strive for a plate balanced with these proportions. Imagine your plate is half non-starchy veggies. The other half is two-thirds protein and one third good fats and/or fruit. That’s pretty much it!
8. Inflammation is a key and common evil. Food choices can actually ramp up the inflammatory process which is bad because inflammation is at the root of every disease process. Sugar and grains are the biggest culprits; read: wheat, barley, rye for the inflammatory gluten and corn for the phytates.
9. Strive for nutrient dense foods. Nutrient density relates to higher concentrations of vitamins, minerals, and the essential fatty acids and essential amino acids which we have to get from our diet because our bodies can’t make them. Currently on a fat- free diet? Forget it! You’d be missing out on vital fatty acids that your body demands for proper functioning and certain vitamins must have fat in the diet for their absorption. Proper fat ingestion is vital. The good fats contain a better fat profile than we get from the Standard American Diet. Good fats have more omega-3 fatty acids and can be found in avocados, avocado oil, extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, nuts and seeds. Protein ingestion is vital. Strive for clean protein sources that are minimally processed, grass fed if possible, and fresh seafood. There are NO essential carbohydrates; none. So carbohydrate consumption will best serve your body if coming from non-starchy veggies that are packed with nutrients and will not disturb your blood sugar levels.
Planking
10. Less exercise can be more! One of my Keystone Habits is doing a bit of exercise during coffee brewing time, and I have learned from many sources that slow-motion exercises can yield a better effect than those done at regular speed, and that fewer repetitions are needed. Works for me! Counter top push-ups and squats are infinitely more effective when done in an 8-8-8 fashion. For a squat: 8 counts down to the squat, 8 counts holding the squat, 8 counts up. You’ll know when to stop, believe me. A few will do! If that becomes easy, just add a small weight which will increase the workload of the muscles; that’s the key: workload, not repetitions.
11. Other possible Keystone Habits. Consider slipping in a daily boost to hydration by drinking a glass or two of water before leaving the bathroom first thing each morning. Try converting other hydration fluids from juices, colas, or coffees to green tea. Green tea contains poly-phenols that help prevent a host of diseases and conditions and also work with the body to burn fat! Try a more concentrated green tea brew to ramp-up consumption of those helpful components. Some experts aim for 10 bags of green tea a day which would necessitate concentration, indeed!
12. Non-starchy green vegetables. I have dedicated a lot of “blog time” non-starchy green vegetables and colorful vegetables. Eating non-processed foods necessitates cooking, but I have tried to show that becoming a master chef is not required. Basically doing a light sauté or stir fry in a healthy fat is all that is needed for most vegetables, possibly followed by a light steaming on lower heat with minimal or no added water. Cooking veggies without added water is vital because a good portion of the nutrients leech out into the water, never to be consumed. I still read recipes from those who should know better that call for boiling asparagus, for example. No! No! Just roll those babies around on low to medium heat in some good oil until desired doneness… not mush, but still a little crisp…sort of Al dente! Certainly, sneaking baby spinach or kale into a smoothie is a super easy way to add nutrient-dense goodness in a snap!
2014 is over??
Well, that’s foodtalk4you from 2014 in a condensed form. Next, my editor, Sheree, and I will be working on a free e-booklet of last year’s recipes for easy access. Such a feat will require some diligent work on both our parts…just part of my New Year’s goal to be more useful to you, my dear readers!
Please share this site with a friend or two, so we can reach more people with the message that improved health is within reach without reaching for another pill!
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!
As mentioned in the last post, developing Keystone Habits was described as a way to set our bodies up for success. The earlier in the day, the better. Drinking two glasses of water first thing in the morning is a great way to prime our bodies for adequate hydration which, in turn, facilitates smoother operation of digestive function. Isn’t that what better health from better eating is all about? To get the digestive system functioning the way it was designed to be?
In our second session of Designed for Health classes held in New Bern, North Carolina, at the First Baptist Church, we spoke about a second Keystone Habit of consuming a great breakfast. Knowing that many of us are on a grab-and-go mode as we rush out to work, we pretty much polished off discussions about the practicality and convenience of smoothies. Please check out last week’s post that reviews the “method of the smoothie madness.” Enough said.
We will next broach the topic of solid breakfast food but what is the measure? What is the goal for a Keystone Meal that will jump start your day? To paraphrase the approach used by the author of the text we are using in class, our measure will be:
– Is this food going to satisfy my appetite or will it just make me want more?
Starchy carbs and sweets actually are not very satisfying. Who does not want more pasta or dessert? Carbs actually contain FEWER calories and provide LESS energy. Remember how you and others react to a carb-heavy meal? Everyone wants to pass out in the living room. Time for a nap. Think about it.
– Is this food more likely to easily turn to fat?
We are talking about foods that require insulin to bring blood sugar levels back to normal. Insulin is the hormone of fat storage.
– Is this food packed with nutrition; meaning, the essential elements that will keep my body going: vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, and essential amino acids?
Protein structure
Did you know there are NO essential carbohydrates? Really! Don’t get me wrong, we do not need to eliminate all carbohydrates, but given a diet totally devoid of any carbs, you would not die. There are societies around the world that have no carbohydrates for months at a time. Our body can cobble together carbohydrates, but it CANNOT make proteins or fats. That’s why we talk about ESSENTIAL amino acids and fatty acids; they are the building blocks of protein and fat; we have to get them from our food.
Regardless of the moniker we apply (SANE, whole food, nutrient dense, clean eating, or Paleo); our food must be of the highest quality possible to make our “engines” run the smoothest and at an optimal level. We were designed to process clean, pure sources of protein, natural fats, non-starchy vegetables, and fruit in moderation. Read the label of your favorite packaged food, and you won’t find that. Most of the words are unpronounceable, reflect a high level of processing, and are filled with chemical additives that try pitifully to restore the food values lost in processing.
But cooking takes sooooo long! Nonsense! My breakfast plate is usually always 50% veggies. If there are no left-overs from the night before, it will take me about 60 seconds to wilt two or three handfuls of spinach or other greens in a non-stick fry pan on medium heat in coconut oil, olive oil, or “happy butter” (from pasture raised cows, you know; Kerrygold rules!). Today, I added a bit of ground nutmeg to my baby organic spinach…yum! Transfer greens to the plate. Whip up two eggs along with a splash of unsweetened coconut milk with salt and pepper to taste. Cook eggs in the same pan used for the greens with a bit of butter; today, I added a teaspoon or two of homemade pesto to mine, and voila! No sweat!
My husband likes toast, so I served his eggs folded around his beloved cheese, and placed it on top of a slice of pan grilled gluten-free toast. No greens I know. Bless his heart!
So how did your breakfast measure up? Good protein? Fat with a good profile of Omega 3s? At least 1 serving of non-starchy nutrient dense greens? Dairy-free? Gluten-free? Sugar-free?
It’s also called an anti-inflammatory meal. Knowing that virtually all diseases are rooted in some kind of an inflammatory process, a meal like this will not contribute to inflammation. Without a big sugar hit from starchy or sweet carbohydrates, you are guaranteed level blood sugars throughout the morning; especially without the toast. Your mind and body will have the fuel needed to be at their best, and you won’t need a trip to the vending machine mid-morning.
Another big breakfast favorite of mine is an ever-changing version of Original Joe’s. There’s a story here. Back when I was growing up in San Jose, California, my dear friend introduced me to a great menu item in a downtown restaurant. Behold, Original Joe’s! A ground beef and onion mixture with small broccoli florets glued together with the addition of eggs! Oh, heaven! Only salt and pepper needed.
So simple.
Depending on the leftovers available, my Original Joe’s could have flaked baked salmon, diced up steak, diced up hamburger…you name it, combined with spinach, okra, sautéed onions and peppers, or broccoli, and finished off with a couple eggs. All with leftovers.
Heat up ingredients without the eggs to get everything hot, then pour on the eggs and stir occasionally to cook. This can all happen while the coffee is brewing. No special skills involved. One pan. With a really BIG pan, you could feed an army!
I will touch upon some solid foods that would still work for the grab-and-go crowd in a future post.
One of the class participants thought a weekly challenge would be a good idea. Without even being challenged, most of the class is drinking two glasses of water each morning already! Way to go, team! As we are not focusing on a major life goal, but are looking at very small, doable, and repeatable improvements, I recommend a Keystone Breakfast. Don’t concentrate on the other meals. Just breakfast. I think that how your Keystone Breakfast will make you feel will automatically make you want to “keep that lovin’ feeling” all day long! Feeling better is kind of sneaky like that!
I feel as if I have sort of dropped the ball with the Detox, Plan, Moves, and Life Series. Starting a major project on the cusp of vacations may not have been the wisest approach. Hopefully, you have been able to garner enough “ammunition” to take strides into more healthful eating habits and patterns even while on vacation! I am trying to address at least two of these basic topics in each current post.
I am in the midst of planning out the scope-of-course and lesson plans for my Designed for Health Classes in New Bern, North Carolina. Classes will be held at the First Baptist Church from 6-7 pm on Wednesday evenings starting September 10th and will continue for 7 weeks. If you are interested in attending, please call the church office at 252-638-5691 to reserve both your slot and a copy of the book we will be using for the class. The class is open to anyone in the community who would like to attend. If you would like more information, please leave a comment here or email me at foodtalk4you@gmail.com
Well, my coffee brewing time is really getting busy! While waiting for the java to brew, I am working on planks, squats, and arm circles! Remember when I mentioned how much easier it is to slip a new habit into sharing a time slot already committed to something else? Well, apparently there is a name for that! According to James Clear, it’s called “habit stacking.” Who knew? Makes sense to me.
We’ve all done this when parking farther out from the store so we can get a bit more walking in. Only takes a minute longer, but the leg stretch is easily acquired without special scheduling. Then when it’s time to walk out to the mail box, we jog instead…maybe we even jog around the house one time. Waiting for water to boil? Do some slow motion squats or some TTapp-inspired arm motions as described in previous posts. Stack a good habit on top of some period of time that is “already there” so-to-speak. Try it! Let me know what you do to “habit stack.”
There are two approaches to being gluten-free. You can replace starchy baked goods with gluten-free versions. That’s fine and good sometimes. There are days when a breakfast just needs some toast to sop up that yummy egg yolk! However, incorporating the idea of nutrient density into our meal plans usually eliminates the additional carbohydrates found in baked goods. Therefore, the second approach should include, perhaps, a vegetable or a good fat source such as some avocado. Again, I am not saying no gluten-free breads ever again, I am saying that for at least 80% of the time we should be aiming in favor of nutrient density.
Therefore, I would like to revisit Cashew Gravy; this time with pictures of my latest batch! I was grilling some burgers the other night and knew some gravy would really add some “Umami” to my meal. Umami is that extra “something” that makes this delicious, yummy, and delightful. So here’s the recipe:
The ingredients you need
Slicing onions is no big deal, and a knife and cutting board are a snap to clean. Since I was going to use my food processor, which has four parts to clean for additional tasks, I chose to use it instead. After making the gravy, I sliced up more onion and then a bag of Brussels sprouts to prepare Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Vinegar to complete the meal.
So here are the onions after processing….
Processed onions
You can purchase cashew butter already made, but I usually make my own by putting them into the food processor and processing them for a looooong time. Sure enough, a paste will form. If you are making your own, it will take a bit more than a cup of nuts to make a cup of nut butter. If there is extra, don’t worry. It will taste great on some gluten-free toast!
Yummy cashews!
Then sauté the onions for a long time- probably 20 minutes- until they caramelize. Not much stirring is needed early on in the process, but as they become more cooked, more frequent attention is needed.
Powdered cashews
Once the onions are starting to turn golden, add the water, cashew butter, tamari (wheat free), pepper, sage, or Mural of Flavor spice.
Caramelizing the onions
After incorporating the ingredients and allowing them to cook a few minutes, process in about three batches in the food processor or blender, blitzing until smooth. Pour the now smooth gravy into a sauce pan to finish cooking a bit.
Enjoy on just about any kind of meat. It was great on my lamb burger; is awesome on beef, and can make poultry sing! This gravy also freezes very well!
Have you ever cooked a turnip? Not exactly your go-to tuber? Well, me either! However, I have discovered a way to turn turnips and carrots into highly flavorful baked fries that are a real treat to eat! I don’t have many pictures to share with you on this, but pictures aren’t really necessary to master making these fun potato fry alternatives.
Parsnip Fries
Peel and cut about 4 parsnips into 3-4 inch long fry shapes and place in bowl
Melt 2 Tbs. of ghee and pour over fries
Sprinkle ½ Tbs. of curry powder and salt and pepper to taste over the fries
Toss or mix the fries to coat evenly
Place coated fries in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper
Bake in oven set at 350 degrees for about 15-17 minutes; stir fries around; continue baking for about 15 minutes more until golden and crispy.
Enjoy!
Spicy Carrot Fries
Peel and cut about 5-6 carrots into 3-4 inch fries and place in a bowl
Drizzle enough olive oil over fries so that they are evenly coated after stirring them around
Sprinkle the following seasonings over the fries in amounts to taste:
Paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, salt and pepper
Stir seasoned fries to coat all sides of fries with seasonings
Place fries in a single layer on parchment lined baking sheet
Bake in oven set at 350 for about 15 minutes; stir fries around; continue baking for about 15 minutes more until crispy.
I usually do these at the same time and I still can’t decide which I prefer. It’s a fun addition to grilled meat. All you need is a salad to complete the meal and, voila, nutrient-dense, yummy, fun food!
Talk about nutrient dense! What could be better than bone broth? Do you know why? Yes, Mom gave us chicken broth when we were under the weather, but did you know that savory bone broth just might keep you out of “bad weather”?
Particularly in terms of osteoporosis? Being gluten and grain free enables our bodies to better absorb calcium and other minerals because there are no phytates blocking that process. (1) So, bring on rich bone broth as something just to drink everyday as many are doing, but also as a basis for some yummy soup.
Honestly, there are so many wonderful foods we can be eating every day, I have a hard time fitting them all in; but I do try to whip up a vat of sturdy bone broth at least once or twice a month. In the fall I use ox tails, but right now it’s chicken!
Right here, I have to make an addendum before going to the recipe below. Is it broth or is it stock? I have just finished ready several postings from about the web and rather than having things clarified, the issue is even murkier than before. So to avert a landslide of bad press, I am sharing a recipe that cooks meat-laden bones and flavor-enhancing vegetables for a while, removing the meat and returning bones for a lengthy simmer for the purpose of making a soup base. Call it what you will.
I have learned today of another way to do things by just using bones
Ox tail bones
for the sole purpose of making a perfectly clear ‘broth’ that may be even healthier. According to Summer Brock’s recent post, she parboils the bones-only broth for a few minutes and discards the water before the 24-48 hour boil and simmer in a new vat of water. This eliminates some of the foam junk that accumulates in the beginning that may be not that beneficial to consume. This method renders a very rich ‘broth’ that can be the base for some Pho or just used as a daily bone-boosting beverage.
Having said all that, I have adapted a recipe by Kelly Bejelly (in her blog A Girl Worth Saving) for Chicken and Dumplings by adding a couple ingredients, vastly extending the cooking time, and staging things differently because of the more beneficial cook time. When these bones are finished, the cartilage at the end of the bones has turned to jelly and the ends of the longer bones are practically falling off!
Bones are the operand word here; bones, joints, necks, and –yes- chicken feet! OMG! You may say, but it’s true! I actually have run out of chicken feet for this batch, but they are easily found at a Piggly Wiggly grocery store. Buy a bag of chicken feet, use 3-4 and freeze the rest! This may be the part of the soup making process you need to hide from your family. We are not going to eat those poor feet, but they add so much gelatin and collagen which makes bone broth worth its weight in gold!
Chicken and Nut Dumpling Soup
To make the broth:
Chicken parts – This time, I used 4 leg/thigh quarters, 2 wings, back and rib bones (saved the breast meat for kabobs)
1 ½ – 2 tsp. of poultry seasoning
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
2 Tbs. gelatin dissolved and stirred into ½ cup water
2 carrots peeled and cut into large pieces
½ onion cut into large pieces
3 ribs of celery cut into large pieces
Your soup pot should look something like this:
Cover contents with water – it took 10 cups for me – and add about 2 Tbsp. of apple cider vinegar. The vinegar helps to break down the bones and to release their minerals.
Bring to a gentle boil, reduce to a simmer, and forget about it for 3 hours. At this point, I use a slotted spoon to bring the meat/bones out into a bowl. Let the meat/bones cool, and remove most of the meat but return all bones and clumps of cartilage to the broth. Save the cooked chicken meat to finish the soup or to use for other purposes. The bones should continue to cook for a total of at least 12 hours. With my sensitive sense of smell, I am not a fan of over-night cooking, but if you are not bothered by cooking aromas in your sleep, go for it. I usually cook several hours one day, cool off the pot, and place it in the refrigerator until next days’ simmer.
Once the bones are falling apart, strain the broth using a colander or sieve and a large bowl or another soup pot. Discard the bones and the way-over-cooked veggies. You could stop here and just drink a cup – full of broth every day; many do. If you want to go on to soup, keep cooking!
To make the soup
Cut into your favorite soup-sized pieces:
2-3 carrots
½ onion
2-3 ribs of celery
Cut up and add as much of the cooked chicken meat as you like at this time, using the rest for other purposes such as chicken salad.
Add to pot of broth to simmer. Adjust seasonings to your taste.
While the veggies are cooking, prepare the Nut Dumplings as follows:
1/3 cup of broth, cooled
½ cup Tapioca flour
1 ½ cups of sliced or slivered almonds, preferably have been soaked and dehydrated to inactivate the phytates which will make the broth’s mineral richness more absorbable to the body.
½ tsp. sea salt
½ tsp. poultry seasoning
Place the Tapioca flour, almonds, salt, and seasoning into a food processor or blender and process until the nuts are pretty much like flour. With the machine running, gradually add the cooled broth to the flour mixture until you have soft dough. Shape the dumplings to your preferred size by scooping out a spoonful of dough into your hands and gently rolling into balls. I like making really small ones, pinching off a bit of dough using an iced teaspoon, and dropping it into the pot.
Bring the soup to a low boil, and add shaped dumplings gradually. At this point, you could also add some quick-cooking vegetables as well: small broccoli florets, zucchini or summer squash. I also add a lot of fresh parsley leaves, chopped, at this time for added richness!
When veggies and dumplings are cooked, serve and garnish with added parsley if desired. Bon appetite!
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!
ing ‘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!
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!
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!
nutritional destiny!
Slicing onions is no big deal, and a knife and cutting board are a snap to clean. Since I was going to use my food processor, which has four parts to clean for additional tasks, I chose to use it instead. After making the gravy, I sliced up more onion and then a bag of Brussels sprouts to prepare Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Vinegar to complete the meal.
