The Crop

Fresh tomato simmer sauce or Soup

3t minced garlic or more
2 leeks chopped fine
1 big onion chopped
2T olive oil
1 green bell pepper chopped
3-4 leaves kale chopped
12 big tomatoes or 3 cans unsalted diced tomatoes
2T fresh thyme or 2t dried
2c water
2 veg bouillon cube
1 sm can green chills
2 bay leaves
1.5 T dry basil
1 t black pepper
1 t salt
1/2 t dry rosemary
1 t cumin
1 T soy sauce
1/4 c red lentils
1/4 c dry split peas

In a large soup pot heat oil then cook the first 3 ingredients on low for 15 minutes.  Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil then simmer for 2 hours.  At this point you have a wonderful soup.  If you want a sauce, use a submersible wand blender and blend the soup to a less chunky texture.  It it is too watery,  cook uncovered until it thickens.  I chose to use this amazing stuff for a very healthy  lasagna.

My kids know that a meal over 500 calories is just too much.

My second oldest son, Sebastian, works at a local marketplace. Recently a customer came in and asked him where she could locate the Velveeta. Sebastian asked her to explain to him what she was looking for “What is Velveeta?” is essentially what he was asking her. She explained it is what his mother would use if she made macaroni and cheese at home. Sebastian said he was really perplexed and told the woman that when his mother makes that dish she uses real cheese. I was so happy when he repeated the story to me!

So, see, I do use heavy calorie laden foods in the house–butter,cream, real cheese! I am also teaching the value of that food. How many people sit and watch TV with their child and the second their child says they want something in an advertisement? Most times my kids see an ad on TV they yell they want it, like it, are interested in obtaining as many of the item as they can. Most parents either explain that the product is junk, ignore the ad completely and the child or tell them to save up to earn the product themselves. I do not know of many parents who will grab that little kid by the shoulders with an excitement to match and yell “GET IN THE CAR! Let’s get it now!”. Regardless of price, they can have it, regardless of quality they can have it, regardless of safety even, they can have it. (See where I am going here or is this still too subtle?)

Money has a distinct value–we can either afford something or we cannot. Food is the same–we can afford some and not afford others. There is no need for people to be all emotional over food education for children. If your child wants to eat 6 donuts in a row–you can tell him no and why. If your child wanted 6 of the EXACT SAME TOY wouldn’t you tell him no? What would he do with 6 of the exact same things? It would be too many, there is no need for 6–you only need one. What would the body do with 6 donuts? Where would it even put all the extra donut after it has used the energy from the first donut?

Did you know if you put out Styrofoam balls in a chicken run they will eat them? They will eat each Styrofoam ball that they can peck at. Peculiar, right? People do the same thing when they are not paying attention to what they eat. I want to make sure my kids learn early on to pay attention and to not be a chicken.

If you are completely unsure on what to make for your kids–don’t forget all our recipes are “kid tested and healthy mom approved”. Pick up a copy today at Amazon.com or your local bookstore!
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On evening I decided I would “google” some weight loss transformations and just read up on things a bit. Do you KNOW how many there are? I saw links to every diet idea there could be. I saw articles for success with pictures of what seemed like miracles to plastic surgery.

I also saw those people; those certain individuals who one day woke up and said ” I will not be held prisoner by this weight any longer” and they changed themselves completely. They went from being depressed, tired and lonely individuals to super hero’s. They had web sites that would light a fire under most people. How did they do it? How did they manage to lose 50, 80 and some even more than 100 pounds? What is the secret they have that millions around the world ache for yet are failing to reach? Did they find a magic bullet; some sort of subliminal trigger that others can’t grasp?

We flip on the TV and 2 out of 5 commercials are for a new weight loss program; pill, procedure, drink, injection etc. It is a multi-billion dollar industry. Science is constantly looking for a gene to blame; a cure for obesity as if it were cancer or some other deadly occurrence to the body. Obesity does kill, but it is a preventable killer in which the cure lies in “eating right and working out” So, again, why are people missing this? Why are other people finding it? Science and western society want an easy answer; clapping their hands or snapping their fingers and POOF a thin lean body. I am glad it is not that easy; now anyway.

Once a person reaches a point of deciding to do something, well, the world is theirs to have. Once they wrap their mind around a concept of weight loss, choose a wellness program to follow etc they do find it IS EASY. Want me to reword that? OK!

For the average person, let’s presume you are an average person…..it is easy to walk. Little thought goes into walking, right? You want to get to a certain point so you get up and walk there. You do not have to say ok, left leg first, ok good, now the right leg and so forth. It wasn’t always this way; we had to learn to walk. Sure, I know we do not remember the determination we had around 1 year of age, but it was there. How about talking, learning to read, algebra? (ok I am still working on the Algebra one) driving, cooking, writing etc.  You can see where I am going right? Everything thing we learned to do in our life took determination, practice and learning from mistakes in order to master a skill. This is all it takes. It takes a want or a desire to really and truly be fit and healthy.

If you are not making steps to be thin and be healthy then you just do not want to be thin and healthy bad enough. You can say you have a genetic make up which makes it harder, an illness which makes it to difficult etc but all it takes is a want which is bigger than those things. Google it, I dare you. You will see so many people over come so many physical odds and illness, finding their own way to fitness.

It won’t be over night, it will be trial and error discovering what works best for your body for weight loss.

It will be a journey of discovery and adventure.

It will teach you more about yourself than you already knew.

There is a super hero inside of you, there really is.

All you have to do is let it out.

You ready?

Not only do we eat by sight, meaning it has to look good to entice us to eat it, but we also eat by texture. You would not take a bite of something and crave more if it had the texture of wet socks in your mouth. Chalk dust brownies never leave you wanting more of them, either. I loved the texture of this cake, if you like the rich fudge like texture of a dessert then you should try this one out!  Nothing grainy, very smooth and luscious–oh yeah and delicious! I may even try it next time with some cocoa powder and see what happens…mhm, great idea actually!

This recipe was from the March 2011 issue of Vegetarian Times magazine. They called for what I thought to be a ridiculous amount of sugar so I omitted all of it–aside from the glaze on the top. it still shocks me to see how adjusted people’s palates are to the overly sweet and overly fattening foods in our American diets–gross. The recipe calls for 1 1/2 cup of dates–plenty of natural sugar for me, adding the contrast of the citrus topping which has sugar in it, this was a win!

Next time you have to go somewhere and want to impress them with your healthy ways but are instructed to bring a dessert, this is the one to bring!

Date Cake
serves  12

1 1/2 cups pitted Medjool dates
1 1/4 cup boiling water
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 cup flour (to make gluten free I used 3/4 rice flour and 3/4 cup amaranth flour + 1 tsp xanthan gum)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 pinch of salt

Glaze
3 tbls confectioners sugar
1 tbls lemon juice
Zest of one lemon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a spring form pan. Place dates, baking soda and the boiled water in a heat proof bowl and let stand for 20 minutes.  In a separate bowl combined the flour with the baking soda and salt. Pulse the dates and vanilla  into a paste using a food processor and mix with the dry ingredients–blend well. Spread the batter out in the prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes.

To make the glaze simply blend the ingredients together. Unmold the cake and transfer to your serving dish–pour the glaze over the top and sides of the cake–slice and serve!

Good Morning

Whenever a new gluten free product comes out in the main stream there is a lot of excitement in the GF community. I was shocked to see Bisquick come out with this but I was excited to give it a try. So far we have made the chicken fingers recipe they have on the side of the box as well as pancakes and waffles–nope I did not make any biscuits with it yet .

Since we have been under the thumb of  heavy snow storms lately the kids have been home more often then not! I love to make them a cozy breakfast of waffles but was out of the healthier types of flours and thought–let’s see how well this mix can hold up to add ins! It held up as you can see. I followed the recipe for waffles but omitted some of the mix and added in almond meal and flax seeds. (1/2 cup meal replaced 1/2 cup mix) The flax seeds were whole but I did add in 1/4 cup ground flax with added water to allow for the mix to stick together better. I thought the almond meal would cause the mix to fall apart in the cooking process.  I also tossed in about 1/4 dark chocolate chips.

Everyone loved the waffles and the added ingredients were a hit! This mix seems to be very versatile and cooks exactly like the original bisquick does. Have you tried it yet?

Here is a little clip from WebMD covering the benefits of flax seeds:

Some call it one of the most powerful plant foods on the planet. There’s some evidence it can help reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes. That’s quite a tall order for a tiny seed that’s been around for centuries: flaxseed.

Flaxseed was cultivated in Babylon as early as 3000 BC, according to the Flax Council of Canada. By the 8^th century, King Charlemagne believed so strongly in the health benefits of flaxseed that he passed laws requiring his subjects to consume it. Fast-forward 13 centuries, and some experts would say we have preliminary research to back up what Charlemagne suspected all those years ago.

These days, flaxseed is found in all kinds of foods, from crackers to frozen waffles to oatmeal. In the first 11 months of 2006, 75 new products were launched that listed flax or flaxseed as an ingredient. Not only has consumer demand for flaxseed gone up, agricultural use has also increased — to feed all those chickens laying eggs that are higher in omega-3 fatty acids.

Although flaxseed contains all sorts of healthy components, it owes its healthy reputation primarily to three ingredients:

• Omega-3 essential fatty acids, “good” fats that have been shown to have heart-healthy effects. Each tablespoon of ground flaxseed contains about 1.8 grams of plant omega-3s.
• Lignans, which have both plant estrogen and antioxidant qualities. Flaxseed contains 75- 800 times more lignans than other plant foods

Will you scream?

“What is your favorite healthy food ingredient?“– I am asked this question a lot.  I answer “avocado” automatically, no thought goes into my response at all because I know the question so well. 9 out of 10 times I hear about how the inquisitor does not like avocado at all as they recant a story of the worst guacamole they ever tried, the terrible texture etc. Honestly, I rarely give listen to the response–because the ones who do not like avocado are the ones who have never really had an avocado aside from some store bought pseudo food product green in color with the word avocado written on the label. I am sick of the reputation this wonder food has! I  can never find anything negative to say about this food–it works in almost any dish, from dessert to main course and anything in between. (Yes, dessert THEN the main course, those are the rules!) I have been known to open the fridge, grab an avocado, peel it and eat it as it. I don’t care–I am wild like that–the avocado and I are wild like that when we are together!

So, reading food blogs about ice cream I got to thinking about how wonderful a coconut milk and avocado ice cream would be. Could you imagine? The idea in my mind was just perfect, so smooth,complimenting and sweet. Both tree fruits ( I declare them tree fruits) can fit in any dish–I bet I could even put them in a pasta meal without you even noticing!  My only drawback was I did not have an ice cream maker–till now. (insert maniacal laughter once again)

Today we created a sugar free (meaning no added sweetener of any kind) dairy free ice cream. We did it and I will do it again!

Cherry Coconut Ice Cream
makes 6 scoops

1 whole avocado peeled and pitted
10 ounces coconut milk
1/4 cup frozen cherries (or fresh)
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a blender or food processor combined all ingredients aside from the chocolate and the cherries. Blend well and add to your ice cream maker. Follow your ice cream makers instructions on when to put in the add ins.

Now on a lot of the blogs i was noting that their ice cream was melting as they were taking pictures so I put my ice cream in the freezer to really set firm before I served it.

The texture was smooth like the butter fat types of ice cream you get here in New England. It was a lot like Ben n Jerry’s Cherry Garcia in fact.  the almond extract complimented the frozen cherries really bringing out the flavor of the fruit. No sugar is even needed in this, the chocolate, the natural sweetness of the coconut milk and the cherries was perfect.  This is a great treat for the entire family to try! I cannot wait now to try out more ice cream recipes–tamarind ice cream perhaps?

Blogs I looked at for ice cream were:

• Dokuzuncubulut
• Kitchen Heals Soul

Cool off your summer days with Sorbet!

Strawberry Lemonade Sorbet

1.5 lbs fresh strawberries, trimmed
½ c lemon juice
¾ c water
½ c sugar- or less if your fruit is really sweet

Puree the berries and juice together in a food processor or blender.  Place the water and the sugar in a microwave safe dish and heat for a minute and a half and stir until the sugar is dissolved.  Once the sugar is dissolved, cool the mix in the fridge or add a few ice cubes to it.  Now add the sugar syrup to the berries and blend well.  Chill.  Now you have to follow the directions for your ice cream maker.  I added my fruit mix to the maker, surrounded the container with ice, turned it on and had a luscious sorbet in 30 minutes.

Jamie Wilson

How easy is this? How much better for you is this as well?  Clean eating ROCKS!

I love this time of year in the garden–well in the miraculous growth in my yard, really. I am not an avid gardener like other people are–I compost and stir the land and then scatter seeds and wait and hope the earth will allow it all to grow. I am not the organized boxed Gardner like I want to be–rather, I look and see the ripe rich green of the natural flora of my yard and hope the seeds I scatter will follow suit.  Some do–some do not. I do not mind that some do not grow because I get over joyed with the ones that DO!

Right now I have some wonderful sage, coriander, tarragon and oregano overflowing the garden edges and seducing the air with their textured leaves and sultry green life forces. I love to just pluck a leaf or two off each one and rub them together in my hand and just inhale the fragrance of them. They smell like nature, rain fall on a hot summer night, healing and sustenance–they smell like life.  The fresh herbs do not lose any flavor in the food you add it to, cooked or raw. They dance around the dish touching it all lightly with their own voice. How can I not cook with them?

I had some chicken breast in the fridge and some new quinoa in the cupboard and they each seem to go perfectly with the fresh herbs I grabbed from the garden. Even though the settings were off on the camera ( I really need to learn how to USE this camera of mine!) I had to share the images and the recipe is really a must try. If you do not have the herbs growing in your yard–hop the fence of the neighbors and see if they do. If they also do not, consider listing your house and relocating as well as checking your local farmer markets for samples of what other people may be growing. I would also ask for some sprouts to plant since you will fall in love with this combination  and will be in dire need for more.

Quinoa Chicken Salad with Garden Fresh Herbs

serves 4

1 pound raw boneless skinless chicken breast-cubed
1 cup rinsed raw quionoa
2 cups vegetable broth
Zest of 1 lemon
2 tbls fresh lemon juice
2 whole fresh scallions
1 green bell pepper
1 handful each tarragon, sage, coriander, oregano

Place raw chicken in a bowl, add to it 2 teaspoons sea salt and cover with ice water–set aside.  Cook quinoa in the vegetable broth for about 15 minutes or until all the broth is absorbed into this magic little seed. Set quinoa in the fridge and allow to cool.  To prepare the herbs, rinse them with cold water and remove leaves from the stems. You easily remove the leaves by holding the stem upside down in your hand and then just pinch the stem between your thumb and pointer finger of your other hand and gently slide your pinched fingers down the stem–the leaves come right off.

Next heat a non-stick skillet on medium high heat–add in chicken and herbs. Cook chicken all the way through while stirring to prevent burning. Even with the raw meat, look how fantastic the herbs look–trying to restore life to the meat!

Once the chicken is cooked through add in the fresh lemon juice and remove from heat. While the chicken is still warm dice the peppers and scallion and stir into the chicken.  Stir in cooled quinoa and store in the fridge until the entire dish is chilled. Serve on a bed of cucumbers and enjoy!

Other Good Ideas:

–add different spices, anything you can think of!
–make extra and bring to a summer picnic
–add in some mango and use lime juice

vegetables are good for you–I know we should know this but it is so over looked in todays world.  Most people use them as a steamed or boiled boring side dish or try and choke them down in a salad (OK, disclosure i also love salads–if you are choking on a salad I can NOT relate–but I love you just the same.) Here is a fantastic, delicious  way to prepare some vegetables in such an easy way–and so hardy that is can be the entire meal–if you dare!

Vegetables in a Pot
serves 8
16 ounces low sodium pureed tomatoes
1 large head red cabbage cored and chunked
1 large red onion peeled and chopped
10 baby potatoes left whole
1lb baby carrots
2 slices uncured bacon diced
3 cloves garlic
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 sprig fresh sage
1 handful fresh basil leaves
1 sprig fresh rosemary

Add all ingredients to a crock pot and set on medium heat for the entire day–set this and forget this *snaps fingers*

Serve topped with Greek yogurt and a sprinkle of pine nuts.

Nutrients in 1 Serving