Tag Archives: University of Chicago’s Celiac Disease Center

Here We Grow Again!!

September 20, 2015 Deidre Leave a comment

Construction Zone!

Change is in the air! How do you like the new banner? We are trying for a look that reflects the broader scope of Foodtalk4you’s message which is reclaiming your health one meal, one breath, and one movement at a time. It’s all about the topic of personal health, which is so much more than physical food.

Food for the mind, body, and spirit!

Doesn’t the crisp, early fall air sort of make you feel like starting anew? January never did it for me. It has always been September that represented a time of rebirth. Maybe it’s being either a student, parent of school-aged children, or a teacher for most of my life that has just programmed me to that ‘back to school’ new start feeling every September. In any case, you are in a construction zone!

There are several projects going on to better serve you, dear reader, so we can stay connected, spread the message to help others, and to more easily share good wellness news. Here’s what’s happening:

1. My book, Toolkit for Health, has almost finished the editing process! Formatting will follow, final book cover selection needs to happen, and then after a lot of other stuff, I hit the ‘publish’ button and it will come out on Amazon. Maybe an audio book, too, in the future!

2. I will need help with the book cover selection process! Believe me, this is like building a house. There are zillions of choices to make all along the way of publication. Book cover design is just one of the more visible ones and I would like your help. Very soon, you will get a notice of a new post that will contain book cover choices you can vote on. Your opinion counts, and while the final decision is mine, your input and comments will be greatly cherished, indeed.

3. The book launch will start off with a BANG! As in FREE! You will be alerted to the free eBook period by way of a new post. If you could get your free eBook copy of Toolkit for Wellness, read it, and leave a (positive) review on Amazon as quickly as possible, that would be great! Reviews drive results, and my goal is to get a best seller launched!

4. We are getting linked to social media! Yay! Soon, you will be able to share articles with others who could benefit. It’s all about sharing and helping others to understand it is never too late to reclaim health and over-all wellness! Foodtalk4you will have its own Facebook page you can ‘like.’

5. With daily writing for Toolkit for Wellness coming to an end, I promise to give you one new article a week that will be of value to the wellness of your mind, body, and spirit. Consistent application of small goals is one of my themes for success in Toolkit for Wellness, and consistent weekly sharing of positive information is my personal goal of giving you up-to-date thinking and research about how we all can keep our wellness journey on an upward path!

There are several awesome, non-inflammatory, and super wholesome recipes I can’t wait to share with you in the coming weeks! I can’t help but notice how people are posting more and more pictures of food on Facebook! Foodtalk4you will be posting on Facebook, too.

It seems to be the season to turn in to the home hearth for great eats! The BIG difference, here, is that our recipes will actually do us good on the insides and will contribute to our physical health, not to our physical breakdown. Of course, we know that improved physical health colors our mental and spiritual health as well!

Can you sense it? Good things are coming! Drink that extra glass of water first thing each morning and then drink up the fresh air as you get the newspaper or mail outdoors! Ah, fall! We can do this!
The most important thing you can do right now is to make sure to subscribe to foodtalk4you so you will not miss out on the FREE period of the eBook version of Toolkit for Wellness! When the hard copy comes out, you will also be alerted to the reduced price launch period as well!

Click the subscribe button now to make sure you do not miss hearing about the FREE book launch!

Thanks,

Deidre

Blogging for good health!

Color My World …

July 22, 2015 Deidre 2 Comments

Looking for an open-eyed tool to turn down the inner stress levels? I mean, mindful breathing requires closed eyes. Meditation, again, is a closed eye thing. All great tools, mind you; but sometimes I want to have my eyes wide open with my mind tuned into something totally different that is, at once, fully engaging my senses but not contributing to added stress. Even relaxing on the back porch is great, but sometimes I see weeds to pull or flowers that need watering, you know?

Help! What to do?

I have an answer that may help you. It has been a life-saver for me this week! It is akin to comfort food, but without the calories, sugar, fat, guilt, or health consequences. Deep down comfort that hails from our childhood.

Remember sitting down with a brand new box of crayons and a cool coloring book? I will never forget moving up to that 64 color pack of Crayola wonderfulness!

Through the years I have often thought that certain days would have been perfect for reliving those moments, but with adult pictures and maybe quality colored pencils!

Well, why not?

Last week, Parade magazine featured an article on a growing trend for adult coloring books! Vaguely aware of this smart return to adult coloring needs, I read with relish about resources now available to answer that inner desire to focus not on learning the latest technology or social media app, but to just apply color to the page!

They even have a free resource at Parade magazine where you can download and print a few sample pictures and designs to get you started! After a trip to Michael’s with a coupon for 25% off entire purchase, I returned home with my new set of 24-count colored pencils! I started to give life to a pretty picture of paper lanterns, streamers, and dangling beads!

Right now, my coloring station is easily accessible on an open space of the kitchen counter. It has become a favorite spot to start my day – after doing planks – and my new way to finish my evening winding down process before bed. It’s amazing what just five minutes of coloring can do for one’s mind and spirit.

There is no multi-tasking with applying color to paper. There is no halfhearted or distracted effort here, coloring gently requires our full attention. The only thing I am thinking about is applying the chosen color to the paper in a way pleases me. It is completely engaging, yet unstressful in nature. It’s like meditating with your eyes wide open!

There are repetitive patterns available such as paisley prints or mandalas, and there are pictures for adults as well such as “The Secret Garden.” The Parade link will give you a variety to choose from so you can experiment with the coloring experience before actually buying a full book.

Crayons, markers, pastels, or colored pencils- it does not have to be complicated. Certain markers may bleed; crayons quickly get rounded points- that’s why I went with colored pencils.

Another calming effect with this coloring activity is that it enables you to organize and put order to the page. I have seen and heard of people who rely on jig saw puzzles to help them to have a sense of putting their lives back in order during or after stressful or traumatizing events. With coloring, I think the therapeutic power is magnified because there is also a creative process going on. Rather than piecing together a picture someone else created, you are giving color, life, order, and beauty to something to which you actively contributed.

If you can give life, color, and beauty to a printed design, then maybe

you can do the same in a certain area of your life? In any case, you will leave from the coloring experience much more relaxed and with a stronger inner calm to either face the day or to ease into a restful sleep.

Make sure to click on the subscribe box so you can get an email reminder when a new post is up.

Book update! I am aiming for a fall release this year, paired with offerings for seminars on wellness! There is a lot to coordinate, but it is an exciting process and a real growth curve! Every week I meet people who come to me seeking advice and direction about their issues for mental, physical, and spiritual wellness. My goal is to help. I do not claim to have all of the answers, but I hope to encourage people as they head in a better direction with pointers for success along the way!

In health-

Deidre

Blogging for good health!, Recipes

Peaches Gone Wild!!

July 10, 2015 Deidre Leave a comment

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1/2 cup whole flax seeds

1 cup almond flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. Kosher salt

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

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

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

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

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

1 Tbs. coconut oil

2 peeled and finely-diced peaches

1 Tbs. lemon juice

1 Tbs. sugar

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

Prepare the filling as follows:

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

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

3 large eggs

1/3 cup sugar

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

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

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

Add gelatin mixture and continue whisking one more minute.

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

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

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

Going, going, gone!

Just peachy!!

Deidre

Blogging for good health!

Just One (Good) Thing After Another!

May 14, 2015 Deidre Leave a comment

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1. Mindful breathing

2. Gratitude each day

3. Drink some extra water

4. Taper-off and eliminate added sugars

5. Eat real food. Eat food without labels!

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

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

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

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

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

11. Keep a regular bedtime and get enough sleep

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

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

14. Simplify, simplify, simplify!

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

16. Smile!

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

Have a great summer!

In health and wellness-

Deidre

Blogging for good health!

Note to Self – Just Don’t…

April 25, 2015 Deidre Leave a comment

Congratulations, self! You decided to break away from sugar as the one good thing you were going to do. A little tough at first, perhaps. No Pop Tart for breakfast. No mid-afternoon cookie break. Cake for dessert? Nope. No added sugar this week!

And you did it! Funny how, after the first three days, the yearning for sweet stopped! It felt so good, too! Those knee joints didn’t hurt so much. There was enough energy all day long! That mandatory afternoon nap wasn’t even needed or missed! I could just sit down and relax while reading a book and not fall asleep mid-sentence.

Why, then, oh why, did I think I could reward myself with a sweet dessert? Why? Why would I want to break the “spell” of being FREE from sugar? And not just as a habit! Why, oh why, did I think that one dessert would not have an effect on me?

Immediately, I felt physically weighted down.

The sofa beckoned me for a nap…

Where did my pep go?

Why was I hungry later on?

This is how it was for one of our Designed for Health class participants last week. Great progress in sugar habit modification, and an even greater personal example to her about the power of sugar.

Not only does sugar contribute to blood sugar and hormone imbalances, but it is addicting to the extreme, contributes to body-wide inflammation, disrupts thyroid balances, provides fuel for cancer tumors, and generally mucks things up.

Note to self…once off sugar, stay off!

Another case, this time with yours truly—who should know better – I know, I know… We were eating lunch at our favorite destination, Carolina Bagel. Passing on the bagels is not even hard; I just do not do gluten, but I am not Celiac. I forgot to ask to have the croutons left off the salad. I had no trouble removing them from my plate, but…oh, there were a couple left and they are seasoned so well…
What’s a few measly (delicious) croutons? Was I going to be above any reaction at all? No.

Just 30 minutes later there was a knot in my gut for a while; and why did that nameless malaise suddenly appear?

Note to self…listen to your body and do not eat the gluten. Ever!
Those were the things I noticed right off; but what was happening on levels I could not immediately appreciate?

We all may think we can be above it all, be the exception, but “no.”
Don’t beat yourself up for temporarily not thinking…although, not thinking is a choice, too…. But okay, you may goof. Just pick yourself up, dust off, appreciate that your body ALWAYS tells you the truth, and recommit to listening better and thinking smart.

May is National Celiac Month. I will be sharing some new information about gluten, grains, and intestinal permeability a.k.a. “leaky gut” on this blog and in my Designed for Health classes at First Baptist Church.

If you are in the New Bern, NC area, please join us next Wednesday at 6 pm in Building A. We will be sharing information about healing our guts through supplementation and food choices.
Stay tuned-
Deidre

Blogging for good health!

Have We Got News For You!

April 14, 2015 Deidre Leave a comment

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

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

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

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

Hope to see you Wednesday!

Deidre

Blogging for good health!, Recipes

Fruit – With Benefits

March 10, 2015 Deidre Leave a comment

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

. 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

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!

Hope you enjoy this fruit…with benefits!

Deidre

Blogging for good health!, Recipes

The Best Ever Salmon Patty Recipe!

March 6, 2015 Deidre 1 Comment

Hungry as a bear for salmon? Try this terrific recipe from Deidre's recipe book! — Hungry as a bear for salmon? Try this terrific recipe from Deidre’s recipe book!

There are just some things we always need to keep around and canned salmon is very high on my list! Ever had one of those days when you just wanted to pull something together really quick with little fuss?

Well, this could be the answer for you!

But what to call them? Maybe they are just humble patties. You know, like a hamburger patty; plop them on a grill or throw them into a pan….few minutes on each side…dinner is served. Last year, I may have briefly described my creation without benefit of a recipe as a “fritter.” Sounded more colorful; a little regional, perhaps. Countrified. Then, this month’s Southern Living magazine had a recipe for “Salmon Croquettes” which really looked like MY patties… or…fritters!

Goggling the moniker dilemma just sort of muddied things up. Both croquettes and fritters, apparently, are deep fried. Nay! Nay! Even Southern Living did not deep fry its croquettes! They are both also dipped in egg and breaded before frying.

Please, so much messy work!

So, I am left with my humble patties. “Croquettes” just sounds like a restaurant raising their price on patties by calling them something elite. “Fritters” just sounds….I don’t know, maybe deep fried in a converted gas station come greasy spoon restaurant.

I did not have the Greek yogurt Southern Living mentioned to fix up as a dipping sauce which I have done in the past; fortunately, these patties remained quite moist and did not demand a sauce. I will give you some ideas for the sauce, though. Cool thing is, this recipe can be adapted to a variety of ingredients at hand and measuring is not a must at all.

Southern Living’s recipe called for 2 – 14.75 oz. cans of salmon; I used just one. They called for 4 eggs which I actually used between 2 to 4, but I compensated by adding ¼ cup of coconut flour!

Unfortunately, I did not take pictures of this actual process and all the evidence is eaten, but I did have a couple file photos of a similar recipe to share. So here it goes from my memory for the Best Ever Salmon Patties!

Best Ever Salmon Patties

Ingredients:

1 (14.75 oz.) can salmon, drained
1 large celery stalk, finely chopped
3-4 green onions, chopped with green stalks
3 mini multi-colored bell peppers, finely chopped
½ small can water chestnuts, finely chopped
2 – 4 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. dill weed
Approx. ¼ cup coconut flour, as needed. to make the patties “stick” together

Method

Beat eggs in a large bowl.

Add the remaining ingredients, except the coconut flour, and mix well to combine. I do this with my hands while wearing latex free gloves.

Add the coconut flour if the mixture is too moist and needs some ‘glue’ to stick together.

Using your gloved hands, form mixture into approximately 1/2 cup patties, pressing firmly to mold.

Pan fry the patties on medium heat using about 2 Tbs. good oil of choice: olive oil, avocado oil, or coconut oil. When the edges start looking a little crispy, flip patties over. Cooking time should be 2-3 minutes on each side.

Ingredient ideas for dipping sauces:

Using a base of plain Greek yogurt add:

Dijon mustard, dill weed, lemon zest, lemon juice, pinch of ground red pepper

Or in a blender or food processor combine the following with the yogurt:

English cucumber, dill, salt, pepper for a Greek flair

The delicious end product - Best Ever Salmon Patties! — The delicious end product – Best Ever Salmon Patties!

Ingredients are easily substituted and swiped out. When there is fresh parsley around, I always add it for added spunk and flakes of greenness. No water chestnuts? Leave them out! I just happened to have a few green onions that needed to be used up; any kind of onion could be used.

Just keep a few cans of salmon around to “save the day.”

Enjoy-

Deidre

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Blogging for good health!, Recipes

Just A Little Something From Me to You!

February 24, 2015 Deidre 1 Comment

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 easy!

Enjoy the FoodTalk4U 2014 Recipes

Deidre

Blogging for good health!, Recipes

It’s A Ten Carrot Day!

February 3, 2015 Deidre Leave a comment

Not those kind of carats... unfortunately.... — Not those kind of carats… unfortunately…

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

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)

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.

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!

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!

Deidre

Food Talk 4 You

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Reclaim your health one meal at a time

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Reclaim your health one meal at a time