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:
Muscles toned by planking!
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?
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.
What do I mean? Isn’t fruit full of goodness all by itself? You bet! I am not even going to try to enumerate all of the nutrient rich benefits there are in different berries, apples, and such, lest I leave something out!
But what if we could stir something up that expanded on the nutrient-richness of fruit? How about a truckload of omega 3 fatty acids? How about some collagen joint care? How about protein? Well, I’ve done it! All without added sugar of any kind if you don’t want; and if you do, a small dab of honey.
This warm fruit compote will delight your senses, build strong bones, provide satisfying protein, and increase your omega 3 fatty acid intake. Wow! Let’s get to it!
Warm Fruit Compote
Ingredients:
1-3 Tbs. coconut oil depending upon amount of fruit. I used 3 Tbs
Fruit sprinkled with cinnamon
. for this quantity pictured
1 gala apple, peeled, cored, and chopped into fairly small pieces
1 Bartlett pear, peeled, cored, and chopped into fairly small pieces
Assortment of frozen berries- today I used probably over 2 cups plus
a few slices of frozen peach
Pinch of salt
Cinnamon to taste- a “sweet spice” that can enhance fruit without the need for sugar. Cinnamon also helps control blood sugar levels
Powdered grass-fed gelatin
Ground flax seed
Optional- only if your fruit is sour- a spoonful of honey stirred in at the end
Simmering fruit mixture
Method:
Melt the coconut oil in an enamel non-stick sauté pan and add all of the prepared fruit over medium heat. Generously sprinkle the cinnamon, gelatin, and ground flax seed over the top of the fruit. Add a pinch of salt.
As the mixture warms and begins to get juicy, gently stir.
Both the gelatin and the flax will thicken this mixture as the fruit releases its bounteous moisture. If your fruit compote is too runny, just sprinkle on more gelatin and/or more flax. Lower heat a bit to continue cooking without bubbling.
This refrigerates well and can be eaten warm, cold, or at room temperature. This is my go-to evening snack. So satisfying, filling, good for you and not sugary!
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.
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!
Don’t despair at the thought of having to re-invent your yearly feast. You do not have to throw everything out the door either. We are talking about quality protein; check. Non-starchy vegetables; check, check, check. A small bit of stuffing that’s gluten-free; check. Minimal sugar- yes, it can happen.
A free-range turkey
Let’s look to see how our plates can look still brimming with Designed for Health goodness.
Turkey hunter
Protein: Turkey for me! There are many approaches here. If you have deep pockets, free range turkeys would be the optimal choice. If you don’t have deep pockets, maybe you know a hunter who could supply you with a real prize bird! I am left with the local grocery store, so I aim for a bird that is minimally processed and minimally “enhanced” with very salty broth. Honestly, eating turkey should NOT cause us to have nearly unquenchable thirst after dinner!
If turkey is not your forte, then ham. Certainly, ham will be a big hit on salt, but if you can cut down on adding a lot of salt to the rest of the meal, go for it. Just check the labels on the ham. I have seen hams at Sam’s that are labeled gluten-free. Apparently somewhere in the processing of hams there is gluten involved; maybe as wheat starch. So if you are especially sensitive to gluten, better read the labels carefully. If you are one to use the glaze packets that come with many hams, beware of the long list of ingredients which can contain the unpronounceable Franken-chemicals we do not need to be eating. Try stirring up some organic marmalade with a bit of Dijon mustard for a healthier glaze.
Kale
Non-starchy vegetables are a cinch at Thanksgiving! Collards; Mmmmmm! Asparagus. Carrots. Kale. Spinach. Green beans. The list goes on. The problem, if there is to be one, is what we add to these wholesome foods that renders them unfriendly to our happy, non-inflamed, functioning belly. Adding a can of condensed soup is going to add, not only gluten, but also a long list of unfamiliar ingredients, and an excess of salt. Try just cooking with good fats (olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil) and season with herbs.
Olive oil
Many clean-eating, SANE-eating, Paleo-eating folks really enjoy their sweet potatoes and yams. Bravo to you all; wish I could join you but those healthy tubers just are not in love with my belly. Again, enjoy your tubers, but pouring on brown sugar and marshmallows is a recipe for skyrocketing blood sugars! Be careful. Roasting a pan full of all kinds of root vegetables, tubers, broccoli, onions, and garlic that all have been coated in olive oil and seasoned with herbs is a feast in itself and will not destroy inner balance- even for one day!
Mashed cauliflower
Okay. Mashed potatoes….. Many people have switched out mashed potatoes with mashed cauliflower! I have done that, but I have not been happy with the leftovers. Since there are only two in our house and one of those two declines cauliflower in any form, then it’s sort of hard to fix just a small amount. For me, there will probably be a very modest portion of garlic mashed spuds.
Turkey gravy is great! I hope you are using all of the giblets finely minced in your gravy! Organ meats are infinitely good for us to eat. I save the liver for a pate to help tide us over until dinner is ready; great on gluten-free crackers. Thickening the gravy can easily be done not with flour or corn starch, but with arrowroot flour. Just stir the arrowroot into a half cup of water and stir into the gravy pot as you would have done with cornstarch. Just another way to love your belly!
Stuffing
Stuffing or dressing? Which do you say? I think I switch back and forth! Anyway, since going gluten-free, I have relied on Bob’s Gluten-free Cornbread Mix as a basis for the dressing, augmented by a few slices of gluten-free bread. Sauté a bunch of onion and celery in “happy” butter (Kerrygold brand) with a generous addition of poultry seasoning. Maybe add some chicken broth. Stir in dried and chopped up cornbread and sliced bread, maybe some nuts and dried cranberries, bake, and voila- stuffing! Pass the gravy!
Cranberry sauce is a family favorite, not only as a tasty additive to
Cranberry sauce
our meats, but especially because of the tradition that goes with its preparation. Cleaning and sorting cranberries was my first job in the kitchen as a young child. Such pride and joy in actually helping cook! So much fun to play with the bright red berries floating in the rinse bowl of water! It’s a tradition lovingly passed down to both our children and our grandchildren. We will have to wait until Christmas time to once again to watch our grandchildren being tutored by our daughter, their auntie, in the fine art of cleaning, sorting, seasoning, adding other fruits, and stirring the mystic pot-full of glorious red!We have come to learn that just a half-cup of sugar is enough for one bag of berries when you add the flesh of a sweet orange, a minced Gala or Fugi apple, and a minced pear. I have also added some raspberries for a subtle added flavor. With fresh clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon, it is a family favorite.
Pumpkin pie
Pumpkin pie, anyone? Oh, yes! Where we will be eating this year, I’ll just not eat the crust because of the gluten, but sometime soon, I’ll be preparing a pie of our own using a gluten-free crust. I have used the mix by Glutino which gives a good result, but do not expect to roll it out as with standard pie dough. It’s better to just press the dough into the dish; I have never succeeded rolling out that dough and have always ended up pressing it into the pie pan. There are certainly many gluten-free recipes out there for pie crust; I just haven’t personally settled on one as a favorite. Pie crusts merit a separate blog on another day. If you are really benefiting from going absolutely gluten-free and fixing any kind of crust is too much bother then there is really no hard and fast rule that there has to be pie crust at all! Grease a dish with coconut oil, fill with pie filling, and bake!
Sheree
Best wishes to one and all for a truly heart-felt day of thanks– hopefully with the loving companionship of friends and family. It’s a time of sharing our plenty and giving our thanks. I am so grateful to my co-creator, Sheree Alderman, who fleshes out my ramblings with creative titles and extra pictures when needed. Many thanks to my Designed for Health class participants for their enthusiasm and encouragement; keep up the good work and thanks for sharing your progress with me!
In the coming months, my goal is to give my subscribers a free download ebooklette! It’s still under wraps, but is definitely coming your way! Please share this site with your friends so we can journey together toward the health we were designed to have. As always, your personal information is never shared when you subscribe; you will just get an email notice and link when a new post is made.
We all were reluctant to bring our Designed Health Series to an end. After setting the ground work for a new way of thinking about our entire approach to what is the best for us to eat and why, we were smack in the middle of reconstructing our menu content and sharing recipes when time ran out! But our link remains here until we meet again for follow-up sessions.
NOPE! THE OTHER MOOSE…..
Have you made any “Magic Mousse” yet? There is nothing to it! It really is: just melt the chocolate while stirring in the water and dash of salt, then beat the melted mixture in a bowl placed in an ice bath for several minutes with a whisk attachment to your mixer and “Voila!” mousse appears! Check the Halloween post for details. You can do it! Use regular whipped cream if you have to, but the Coconut Cream is so yummy and dairy free!
Our early sessions had to do with our mind-set. Everything starts with that ole’ central computer! All of what we do, really, is a habit, so we deconstructed what habits were and how they worked in order to understand how to “tweak” them in a more favorable direction for improved health. Understanding that a habit “trigger” could be just walking out to get the newspaper each morning, which could easily be switched to jogging out and back to the mail box. Not a big deal but a little something in the right direction. With this cooler fall weather, it’s a cinch to jog out and back to the mailbox. Then, maybe, once the daily quick jog is second nature, longer walks or jogs could be added; maybe just around the house before returning inside to read the paper. Most of us are using the initial swish of water first thing each morning to be our trigger to drink 1-2 glasses of water. It’s a habit now, with no real thinking involved.
Something I am working on is finding the motivation to start a load of laundry. True confession: I tend to let things pile up in that regard until I am faced with marathon loads. So, I am starting a load of laundry now as I make my path to the kitchen to start the coffee. No decision making. No conversation with myself on if I want to start a load. Just, “what am I washing today?” So far, this has been very successful for me to incorporate into my daily pattern. We agreed that the goal is not the “Goal” but the process of minute gradual improvements that are consistent.
We began following Jonathan Bailor’s explanation of the Calorie Myth concept wherein counting calories is pretty pointless if that process is in exchange for looking at the quality and content of our food. Clearly, 300 calories of candy bar will have a different effect on the body than 300 calories of leafy green veggies or 300 calories of protein. He cited studies and individual cases where simply reducing the number of calories consumed each day—and possibly exercising more—was actually a recipe for failure at long-term weight loss and control. Disaster, really.
We studied what major nutrients are derived from food and how they interact with our body. Starchy carbohydrates and sugary foods not only cause great swings in blood sugar, but can actually feed the craving for more starches and sugars through the stimulation of the opiate receptors in our brains. Thus, starchy and sugary foods are not satisfying in the long term.
What is satisfying? What can we eat to “hold” us for hours? Proteins, whole food fats from avocado, coconut, olives, nuts/seeds, and non-starchy vegetables. Class participants shared how a veggie-filled omelet held them past their usual lunch hour! No toast, no bagel—just protein and veggies cooked in a pan with “good” fat—“happy butter” from grass fed cows, coconut oil, or olive oil.
We looked at what constitutes an anti-inflammatory diet. With virtually all diseases having roots in the inflammatory process, not contributing to inflammation through our food choices seems natural, basic, and what we were designed to do. Sugar is inflammatory. Grains are inflammatory. Grains—that includes wheat, barley, and rye to eliminate the gluten, and the other grains as well such as corn, soy, rice, and the legumes to eliminate the phytates which block absorption of minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, and others.
While not everyone has the natural response to gluten which should be a total “no-go,” some of us have evolved to tolerate some level of the “poison” in our bodies. Which are you? How do you know for sure? There certainly are blood tests which are delineated on the Celiac.org website, but try going totally gluten-free for 30-60 days. Not only will you lose weight because of not eating starches at every meal, but you will likely discover a more pain-free body. Those achy joints won’t be crying out for more pain meds. You belly will be happier. Less bloating; less gas. Then, at the end of 30-60 days, see how going back to gluten works for you………….
One of my sweetest moments recently was when a Designed for Health class participant pulled me aside to show off her remarkably slimmer body; her decidedly slimmer face; and best of all, her ability to once again wear a ring! Getting off gluten and onto an anti-inflammatory diet clearly took away the inflammation in her previously swollen finger joints. She was joyous to don that precious family heirloom on her finger as a testament to how much better she was feeling!
One night in class, we changed the old IN-SANE food pyramid to create a SANE plateful of food:
We then started sharing how we were doing this. Recipes started flying around the room! Norman has much success grilling not only his meats but his vegetables—all coated with olive oil—even beets! Ellen described her carrot/beet/parsnip fritters. Someone else offered her recipe for chocolate pudding: ¼ cup cocoa, 1 avocado, 3 Medjool dates, ¼ cup coconut/almond milk all whipped up in a blender or food processor.
Raw ingredients
Speaking of beets….with much fear and trepidation, I bought my first EVER fresh, raw beets to use in fixing Ellen’s fritters. My childhood exposure to canned, diced beets used to stretch left-over stew into something called “Red Flannel Hash” had left me permanently traumatized! It would be hard to appreciate what it took for me to “man up” right there in the green goods isle at Harris Teeter to look at, touch, and put three fresh beets with long stems and admittedly beautiful leaves into my basket! But with Ellen and Norman’s words ringing in my ears, I did it!
We were leaving the class the last night and Ellen was trying to remember all of the ingredients to her fritters, and I added some onion as well, so here’s our recipe”:
Carrot, Beet, Parsnip Fritters
Put ingredients in mixing bowl
2 carrots- peeled and grated
1 parsnip- peeled and grated
1 beet- peeled and grated
¼ of a large onion- grated
1-2 eggs
1-2 large cooking/serving spoons of coconut flour
Salt and Pepper to taste
Method
Place all of the grated vegetables into a bowl.
Toss/mix veggies
Mixing up veggies
Add first egg and first large spoonful of coconut flour along with salt and pepper. Combine to incorporate all ingredients. If your mixture looks and feels like it needs more “glue” to stick together into patties, then add the additional egg and coconut flour. I did because the beet and parsnip seemed to be large.
Adding in the egg and flour
Here’s the tricky part. I formed the patties by hand, squeezing a little extra as Ellen advised, but they still seemed a bit loose. Next time, I will be tempted to use a hamburger press. Just be aware that there will be beautiful red juice dripping out when squeezing and forming these patties, so have a juice catcher handy or squeeze over the sink. Amazing though. As beautiful and rosy red as the beet juice is, it never stained my counter tops! I’ve had strawberries stain my counter and I was prepared to have quite a time cleaning up, but there were no problems! Beets! My new friends!
Saute
Anyway, form the patties and place in a hot skillet with olive oil and fry a few minutes on each side.
In the meantime, slice up the beet tops and sauté in olive oil and season with a bit of crushed red pepper and sea salt.
Beet tops cooking
When everything is done, you will have a beautiful serving plate full of color and nutrition! I was absolutely amazed at the mild yet wonderful flavor of the beet tops! And the fritters were such a treat.
This recipe ended up making a lot of fritters! I enjoyed them as-is as leftovers, but one thing I really loved was adding some of the fritters (or the crumbly parts that didn’t want to stick together enough) to my chicken soup. Turns out I was working on gradually eating a fresh “vat” of rich chicken bone broth soup that I have posted on before. By adding the beet fritters, not only did I add even more nutrition to my soup, but I instantly turned it into Borscht (Russian for beet soup)! What color! What flavor!
Finished product!
Beets are not just red. They are more like a deep raspberry red. What a great color! Now I have a new, powerhouse vegetable to love!
Until next time when I’ll share a great resource for kid-friendly recipes that are “Designed for Health” and two versions of gluten-free waffles. Just in time for a chilly morning!
At the conclusion of the seventh and last session of my Designed for Health series, I was able to share with the participants a little magic secret: Two (or three) Ingredient Chocolate Mousse!
No, not this kind of moose!
With the Halloween season upon us, it’s only fitting to add some magic to the scene. Knowing that chocolate is a very allowable whole food fat source, this is a tasty, satisfying, and potentially elegant way to enjoy all of the goodness that chocolate can impart. The best part, this is so rich that one recipe will go a long way—I seriously wanted to use demitasse spoons to serve this, but I didn’t have any.
Anyway, there are a few versions of this floating around cyberspace, but this one does it for me and proved to be a real crowd-pleaser. Follow me as we journey through the land of Magic Mousse!
Recipe for Magic Mousse
4 oz. dark chocolate
3 oz. water **
Pinch of salt
Recipe for Magic Whipped Topping
Coconut cream from one can full fat coconut milk
Vanilla or almond extract
½ tsp. sugar- optional
Method
While higher concentrations of cocoa are desirable– because a big hit of sweetness is not the goal of eating chocolate that is good for you as opposed to sugary concoctions disguised as chocolate that are not good for you—I settled on a bar that’s 60% cocoa and is also flavored with mint. This is a good level of cocoa especially for palate’s not accustomed to higher concentrations.
I actually doubled the recipe for the mousse, so these chocolate pictures reflect double ingredients. Place the chocolate and water in a sauce pan and slowly melt, stirring with a whisk. Being someone who does not waste a drop of chocolate, I used the whisk
Melting chocolate
attachment from the electric beater I will use in a few moments.
**Note: the fluid amount of 3 ounces could be a combination of 2 oz. water and 1 oz. of spirits! I have used brandy in the past, and the results are superb!
Melted chocolate
Once the chocolate is melted and the fluid incorporated, remove from the heat. Transfer the melted chocolate mixture into a small bowl and place that bowl in an ice bath (ice cubes and water).
Chocolate in ice water
I am blessed to own these flexible silicone bowls (thank you Pampered Chef!) and the flexibility really comes in handy here. I pinch the bowl top together during the first few minutes of whipping to avoid chocolate spray going everywhere! What you do here is beat, beat, beat….
This double recipe took me every bit of 12 minutes! I remember the single recipe taking over five minutes. But this is where the MAGIC is! You think nothing is ever going to happen. You check. Nope. You check again. Nope. Then you think you noticed a slight change in the texture…was it real? Then, BLAM! It’s mousse! It can actually be easy to over-beat this and get something much firmer than mouse– which would require re-heating and re-beating. My mousse has turned out a little on the firmer side, but it is still nice!
So now, you dish this Magic Mousse into the desired serving dishes. I was taking this batch to class, so I used 2 ounce condiment containers with snap lids, but at home I would use 2 ounce soufflé cups. For extra fanciness, one could use a pastry bag and prettily pipe the mousse into the cups!
Moose
For the Magic Whipped Topping, chill the can of full fat coconut milk for 2 hours in the fridge or 30 minutes in the freezer so when you open the can, you are greeted with beautiful, white coconut cream.
Carefully spoon the coconut cream into (the same) small bowl—again, I just do not want to waste a drop of the chocolate, so if there is left-over chocolate on the whip or in the bowl—fine by me! Save the rest of the coconut milk for a smoothie, a gravy, or cook in some rice for added lusciousness.
Whipped cream in ice bath
With the coconut cream bowl in the ice bath, whip, whip, whip… when things start looking like whipped cream, add the vanilla or almond extract and dab of sugar, if desired, and keep beating away until it looks like this:
Whipped cream
Then put a dollop of the whipped cream on the mouse, and voila!
You have yourself an amazing creation that looks and tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen— but that can be our little secret!
Seriously, this is rich! I prefer to savor this using a tiny spoon we used to feed our babies, so I am definitely in the market for demitasse spoons now!
My next blog will be a summary of what was covered during our Designed for Health Series and will also include some recipes the class participants shared as they are eating foods that are naturally healthful.
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.
could do it, but just not in front of everybody. Wise chap.
thing 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!”
