This adventure with Maximized Living Chiropractic has been an uplifiting and exciting adventure. Not only are my back issues getting steadily better, also my energy levels have improved significantly and my health is the best it has been in years. And to top it off, I have lost weight over the Holidays. That proves how fantastic these changes can be!
My dilemma today was that I wanted to make a spinach dip for dinner. Sometimes I just get a craving for Spinach Dip and instead of going and buying it at a restaurant with who-knows-what ingedients, I make it myself. Trouble is, I am not eating any grains of any kind right now, so what would I use to eat it instead of chips or crackers? Then I remembered a home made cracker recipe and with a little creative adaptation I got a grain-free cracker with which to eat my Spinach Dip! So you get a two-fer here, Home Made Spinach Artichoke dip and Grain-free home made crackers.
Spinach Artichoke Dip (All ingredients organic of course!)
1/2 chopped onion
3 cloves garlic
6 oz mushrooms, sliced
3 TBSP butter from grass-fed cows
3/4 cup milk from grass-fed cows
4 TBSP tapioca starch
1/2 tsp Himalayan sea salt or to taste
1/2 lb fresh baby spinach leaves
1 jar artichoke hearts (read your ingredients, most have soy oil in them. A good health food store should have some without soy oil).
6 oz. Halepeno pepper jack cheese (organic) shredded, or raw cheese and chopped Jalapeno peppers.
Melt butter in a sauce pan and saute onions, garlic and mushrooms until tender. mix milk and tapioca starch until well blended and add to sauted onions mixture. Heat, stirring, until thickened. Stir in salt. Add artichoke hearts and spinach leaves. Stir until spinach is well wilted. Stir in cheese until melted. Server with crackers or chips or sliced veggies.
Grain and gluten-free crackers
1/3 cup almonds
1 1/2 C Quinoa flour (Quinoa is a seed, not a grain)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp rosemary
1/2 C chopped onion
3 cloves garlic
Heat oven to 375 degrees
Put almonds in the food processor and process until fine and the oils begin to come out. Add the quinoa flour, salt and rosemary and process until well blended. Add the onion and garlic and process until it begins to form a ball. Add a little water if needed. I typically do not need to add additional water. Place dough on a sheet of parchment paper, cover with another piece of parchment paper and roll as thin as possible. Place parchment paper with rolled cracker dough on a cookie sheet and cut into squares. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes. Check at ten minute mark and remove crackers at the edge that tend to turn brown first. Check every 5 minutes for browning crackers on the edges. Continue baking until all crackers are lightly brown.
There you have it! Two quick and easy recipes for a delicious snack with your evening movie at home or for serving guests. Definitely guest dinner-worthy!
Happy and Healthy Living to all!
Grow Foods Market
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Friday, December 9, 2011
Healthy Holiday Meals make Healthy Leftovers!
I am supremely thankful for recipes I gleaned from Maximized Living web sites and inspiration for some of my own as a result for our last Holiday meal. We ate at a friends on Thanksgiving day and that was a challenge for me, as you can imagine. But I made the best of it.
I brought a 100% organic healthy guacamole dip and served it with organic veggies for an appetizer (it was devoured of course). I also brought a flourless sugarless pumpkin pie for myself (sweetened with stevia) so I wouldn't feel deprived when dessert time came around. I ate lamb and organic veggies and an organic salad the hostess made (Yay!) and skipped all the rest. I was satisified and went home not feeling like I had missed anything and the next morning was a pound lighter while everyone else had gained a few pounds!
But no leftovers of course. SO, Saturday I made my own herbed non-stuffed free-range turkey, partnered that with garlic faux potatoes (recipe in previous blog), steamed organic yellow squash and green beans with pumpkin muffins (no flour, recipe maximized living) and a salad. No guilt, no weight gain and lots of leftovers I could continue to eat guilt-free until gone!
I then took the gizzards and neck and bones from my turkey, simmered them with some vinegar, onions, celery and garlic for three days on the lowest heat and made a delightful, delicious turkey soup. I put all non-starch veggies in the soup and it was wonderful! I used butternut squash, cubed, instead of potatoes, included beans, cauliflower, yellow squash, zucchini and LOTS of mushrooms. With the drippings from the pan of my herbed turkey which I included in the broth I made, the soup was amazing! And now I have plenty of broth as well for future use.
I am truly enjoying eating more healthily and the energy that brings as well as the weight loss and health benefits. I wish you all a Happy and Healthy Holiday season!
Happy and Healthy Living to all!
Grow Foods Market
I brought a 100% organic healthy guacamole dip and served it with organic veggies for an appetizer (it was devoured of course). I also brought a flourless sugarless pumpkin pie for myself (sweetened with stevia) so I wouldn't feel deprived when dessert time came around. I ate lamb and organic veggies and an organic salad the hostess made (Yay!) and skipped all the rest. I was satisified and went home not feeling like I had missed anything and the next morning was a pound lighter while everyone else had gained a few pounds!
But no leftovers of course. SO, Saturday I made my own herbed non-stuffed free-range turkey, partnered that with garlic faux potatoes (recipe in previous blog), steamed organic yellow squash and green beans with pumpkin muffins (no flour, recipe maximized living) and a salad. No guilt, no weight gain and lots of leftovers I could continue to eat guilt-free until gone!
I then took the gizzards and neck and bones from my turkey, simmered them with some vinegar, onions, celery and garlic for three days on the lowest heat and made a delightful, delicious turkey soup. I put all non-starch veggies in the soup and it was wonderful! I used butternut squash, cubed, instead of potatoes, included beans, cauliflower, yellow squash, zucchini and LOTS of mushrooms. With the drippings from the pan of my herbed turkey which I included in the broth I made, the soup was amazing! And now I have plenty of broth as well for future use.
I am truly enjoying eating more healthily and the energy that brings as well as the weight loss and health benefits. I wish you all a Happy and Healthy Holiday season!
Happy and Healthy Living to all!
Grow Foods Market
Monday, November 7, 2011
A healthy birthday dinner party - say what???
We celebrated my husband's 50th birthday this month, with friends of course. Talk about a challenge! I am down 14 pounds now and I still wanted to eat healthy but of course I wanted the meal to be enjoyable for everyone. What to do?
Here is the menu I decided on:
Appetizers-
7 layer "dip" with raw veggies for "chips".
Home made guacamole also served with the veggie "chips"
Raw nuts also served with the appetizers
Dinner -
Roasted, herbed free-range turkey
Faux mashed potatoes (made out of cauliflower, recipe in last month's blog post)
The remainder of the veggie "chips" not devoured with the appetizers
Gluten-free sugar free flourless chocolate cake for dessert with a whipped cream frosting.
Response? Delicious! My guests could not get enough and there were very few leftovers! Hurray! Mission accomplished!
The taco seasoning for my dip, the guacamole and the cake recipes I got from the free recipe ebook download on the facebook page for Maximized Living. Go get yours!
Recipe for my 7 Layer dip -
Brown one pound ground grass-fed beef with 1/2 chopped onion and 2 cloves minced garlic
Make the taco seasoning from the Maximized Living free ebook download on their facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/MaximizedLiving
Mix the taco seasoning with the browned beef and put in the bottom of a large bowl (glass if you have it to show off the layers)
Add the following in layers:
refried beans - organic or home made ( I usually make my own)
1/2 raw chopped red onion
guacamole (recipe from Maximized Living eBook)
organic yogurt, or home made yogurt from raw milk
sliced kalamari olives
diced organic tomatoes
shredded raw cheese
Add or remove layers as you see fit. Be creative, this isn't written in stone!
Serve with sliced raw veggies for "chips" and stand back and graciously accept the compliments!
Happy and Healthy Living to all!
Grow Foods Market
Here is the menu I decided on:
Appetizers-
7 layer "dip" with raw veggies for "chips".
Home made guacamole also served with the veggie "chips"
Raw nuts also served with the appetizers
Dinner -
Roasted, herbed free-range turkey
Faux mashed potatoes (made out of cauliflower, recipe in last month's blog post)
The remainder of the veggie "chips" not devoured with the appetizers
Gluten-free sugar free flourless chocolate cake for dessert with a whipped cream frosting.
Response? Delicious! My guests could not get enough and there were very few leftovers! Hurray! Mission accomplished!
The taco seasoning for my dip, the guacamole and the cake recipes I got from the free recipe ebook download on the facebook page for Maximized Living. Go get yours!
Recipe for my 7 Layer dip -
Brown one pound ground grass-fed beef with 1/2 chopped onion and 2 cloves minced garlic
Make the taco seasoning from the Maximized Living free ebook download on their facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/MaximizedLiving
Mix the taco seasoning with the browned beef and put in the bottom of a large bowl (glass if you have it to show off the layers)
Add the following in layers:
refried beans - organic or home made ( I usually make my own)
1/2 raw chopped red onion
guacamole (recipe from Maximized Living eBook)
organic yogurt, or home made yogurt from raw milk
sliced kalamari olives
diced organic tomatoes
shredded raw cheese
Add or remove layers as you see fit. Be creative, this isn't written in stone!
Serve with sliced raw veggies for "chips" and stand back and graciously accept the compliments!
Happy and Healthy Living to all!
Grow Foods Market
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Maximize your diet, your health, your life!
We are embarking on an adventure with the Maximized Living Chiropractic office of Dr. Lerner in Orlando, FL. If you have not experienced a Maximized Living Chiropractic event and analysis I strongly encourage you to do so! They not only help you with any back issues you may have, but they help you change your life! We are thrilled because they encourage and support all the same dietary changes we have already made and even take it a step beyond where I was so stagnantly comfortable. But not only that, they also focus on improving your focus and mental attitude, maximizing your exercise routine to get in the best shape of your life and decreasing toxins in your environment in addition to your food. This is a health enhancing journey I can really embrace! Go to MaximizedLiving.com and find a practice near you. Attend an event and get excited about taking the road to health, not the nursing home!
The Maximized Living offices don't just adjust you right now "where it hurts" at the moment, they go further to correct what is the cause of your pains and health issues. This is true health in my opinion. Don't just hand out pills to cover up the symptoms you have, get to the root of the problems and FIX them! Kevin Trudeau said it best... "Noone ever had a headache because they had an aspirin deficiency." I had no idea how many health issues actually have their root cause in the spine being misaligned! So we are on our way to a properly aligned spine and life!
For my own health I am making yet another diet change. This one is temporary as the rest I have made henceforth are permanent. For the time being I have removed ALL sources of sugar in my diet. Mind you I don't eat any refined sugar anyway, but even fruit and potatoes and rice can contribute to insulin resistance, so for me, for now, it all has to go. I have to help my body to begin burning fat, not sugar. Once I have reached my target weight then I can handle the wholesome carbs again. This is only temporary, but it will help my body heal and shed the extra pounds. 9 pounds down so far and I am not at all complaining.
That being said, remember the expression, "The more things change, the more they stay the same."? Well this can be true of a healthy diet change. You don't have to give up the things you love, just the way they are prepared. In most cases simple ingredient substitutions can mean a satisfied craving with no guilt!
My most surprising "change" that stayed the "same" is mashed potatoes. More correctly they would be called "faux potatoes" made from cauliflower of all things! Perhaps you have heard of them? Maybe you tried them or didn't want to try them because you "don't like cauliflower". Well I have to say, prepared like I will share they really don't taste anything like cauliflower and they DO taste a lot like mashed potatoes!
Simple, I promise! Just cook a head of cauliflower in a pot of boiling purified water until tender. I added Himalayan pink sea salt to my water as well. Drain the cauliflower and put it in chunks in your food processor. I also added garlic sauteed in my homemade raw butter I made from raw milk from grass-fed cows. Use organic butter if you do not have raw butter or cannot find it. Add about 1/4 cup more of the raw butter and some raw cream, but you don't want this soupy so don't add a lot. A tablespoon or two, no more. Puree this all together until completely smooth. You can add some raw milk cheese if you like cheesy garlic potatoes. How about some chives or a favorite herb? Experiment!
That's it, really! I have to say this really surprised me! Both the ease of making this and the taste! We had this tonight with a grass-fed beef chuck roast I cooked all day at 170 degrees while we were at market, and a simple salad my hubby threw together when we got home with a home made salad dressing that took minutes to prepare.
More things I enjoy can still be enjoyed with simple changes and substitutions. Life doesn't have to be dull, boring or tasteless! Find a new herb to experiment with. Learn new options for old favorites. Explore healthy recipes like those you can find at these web sites:
www.maximizedliving.com - Nutrition and Detox Tab > Recipes
http://link.maximizedliving.com/c/443/6c8afc8c957c6c82b55e5dd09747987ab968f09760740f9ba269641f382bf16a
http://link.maximizedliving.com/c/443/6c8afc8c957c6c82b55e5dd09747987ab968f09760740f9bbeff4a53b99611c4
http://link.maximizedliving.com/c/443/6c8afc8c957c6c82b55e5dd09747987ab968f09760740f9b46399718bacaf3d5 - Recipes
http://www.maximizedcooking.net/
Don't be afraid to make healthy changes in your life! Pursue health and vitality and you will be richly rewarded indeed!
Happy and Healthy Living to all!
Grow Foods Market
The Maximized Living offices don't just adjust you right now "where it hurts" at the moment, they go further to correct what is the cause of your pains and health issues. This is true health in my opinion. Don't just hand out pills to cover up the symptoms you have, get to the root of the problems and FIX them! Kevin Trudeau said it best... "Noone ever had a headache because they had an aspirin deficiency." I had no idea how many health issues actually have their root cause in the spine being misaligned! So we are on our way to a properly aligned spine and life!
For my own health I am making yet another diet change. This one is temporary as the rest I have made henceforth are permanent. For the time being I have removed ALL sources of sugar in my diet. Mind you I don't eat any refined sugar anyway, but even fruit and potatoes and rice can contribute to insulin resistance, so for me, for now, it all has to go. I have to help my body to begin burning fat, not sugar. Once I have reached my target weight then I can handle the wholesome carbs again. This is only temporary, but it will help my body heal and shed the extra pounds. 9 pounds down so far and I am not at all complaining.
That being said, remember the expression, "The more things change, the more they stay the same."? Well this can be true of a healthy diet change. You don't have to give up the things you love, just the way they are prepared. In most cases simple ingredient substitutions can mean a satisfied craving with no guilt!
My most surprising "change" that stayed the "same" is mashed potatoes. More correctly they would be called "faux potatoes" made from cauliflower of all things! Perhaps you have heard of them? Maybe you tried them or didn't want to try them because you "don't like cauliflower". Well I have to say, prepared like I will share they really don't taste anything like cauliflower and they DO taste a lot like mashed potatoes!
Simple, I promise! Just cook a head of cauliflower in a pot of boiling purified water until tender. I added Himalayan pink sea salt to my water as well. Drain the cauliflower and put it in chunks in your food processor. I also added garlic sauteed in my homemade raw butter I made from raw milk from grass-fed cows. Use organic butter if you do not have raw butter or cannot find it. Add about 1/4 cup more of the raw butter and some raw cream, but you don't want this soupy so don't add a lot. A tablespoon or two, no more. Puree this all together until completely smooth. You can add some raw milk cheese if you like cheesy garlic potatoes. How about some chives or a favorite herb? Experiment!
That's it, really! I have to say this really surprised me! Both the ease of making this and the taste! We had this tonight with a grass-fed beef chuck roast I cooked all day at 170 degrees while we were at market, and a simple salad my hubby threw together when we got home with a home made salad dressing that took minutes to prepare.
More things I enjoy can still be enjoyed with simple changes and substitutions. Life doesn't have to be dull, boring or tasteless! Find a new herb to experiment with. Learn new options for old favorites. Explore healthy recipes like those you can find at these web sites:
www.maximizedliving.com - Nutrition and Detox Tab > Recipes
http://link.maximizedliving.com/c/443/6c8afc8c957c6c82b55e5dd09747987ab968f09760740f9ba269641f382bf16a
http://link.maximizedliving.com/c/443/6c8afc8c957c6c82b55e5dd09747987ab968f09760740f9bbeff4a53b99611c4
http://link.maximizedliving.com/c/443/6c8afc8c957c6c82b55e5dd09747987ab968f09760740f9b46399718bacaf3d5 - Recipes
http://www.maximizedcooking.net/
Don't be afraid to make healthy changes in your life! Pursue health and vitality and you will be richly rewarded indeed!
Happy and Healthy Living to all!
Grow Foods Market
Sunday, September 18, 2011
My raw milk went sour now what?
We had a customer return the milk she bought because it had begun to turn sour. I was thrilled actually! I had wanted to try some things with the soured milk but we always used ours too fast. So this was a bonus for us!
The thing to remember when your raw milk starts to sour is this - DON'T THROW IT OUT!
Unlike pasteurized milk which doesn't sour, it putrifies because it has no healthy bacteria or enzymes; raw milk is still good and actually better for you when it begins to sour. It is chock full of enzymes and beneficial bacteria, the kind you find in buttermilk and yogurt. This benefits the immune system and the digestive system.
If you want more information about the benefits and safety of raw milk read this. http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2009/02/raw-milk-discussing-its-merits-and-safety.html
So now that I had all this sour raw milk what should I do with it?
First I made two batches of yogurt, the first one was fantastic the next one I made two days later and it separated a LOT during fermentation and I wound up with curds and whey. I expect that was because the milk had soured more by then. So I put that in my cheese bag and hung it to drain overnight to make a yogurt cream cheese. Great texture! I'll add salt and herbs to that for a great spread.
Next I took all the cream I could skim and threw it in my food processor and made butter. It takes about 5 minutes to separate it into butter and whey. I then poured the butter whey off and set it aside to ferment into buttermilk. Then I rinsed and worked the butter with a spatula until the water ran clear and added some sea salt. Yay I have butter again!
The buttermilk sat overnight at room temperature and this morning my husband drank it all up! He said it was delicious!
So now I had lots of sour milk left. The only thing left to do was pour it all into my cheese bag and hang it to drain. There was a LOT of whey of course. So I looked up how to make lacto-fermented veggies and I made a batch of that. I used cabbage, carrots, zucchini, cucumber and an apple. The instructions I followed I found here http://www.nourishingdays.com/2009/07/the-benefits-of-fermented-food-lacto-fermented-vegetables/ . Fermented veggies are very high in healthy digestive bacteria, and they are SO easy to make! I see more of these in our future...
This morning I checked the drained soured milk and poured out the cream cheese left in the bag into a bowl. It was sweet and a wonderful texture. We had fresh cream cheese on toast with our breakfast this morning. Yum! I have lots of this so I think I will be making some flavored cream cheeses and dips out of it. It is surprising to me the sweet flavor of the cream cheese made from soured milk. Oh what I've been missing!
Lesson learned for me. NEVER throw out soured raw milk!
Happy and Healthy living to all!
Grow Foods Market
The thing to remember when your raw milk starts to sour is this - DON'T THROW IT OUT!
Unlike pasteurized milk which doesn't sour, it putrifies because it has no healthy bacteria or enzymes; raw milk is still good and actually better for you when it begins to sour. It is chock full of enzymes and beneficial bacteria, the kind you find in buttermilk and yogurt. This benefits the immune system and the digestive system.
If you want more information about the benefits and safety of raw milk read this. http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2009/02/raw-milk-discussing-its-merits-and-safety.html
So now that I had all this sour raw milk what should I do with it?
First I made two batches of yogurt, the first one was fantastic the next one I made two days later and it separated a LOT during fermentation and I wound up with curds and whey. I expect that was because the milk had soured more by then. So I put that in my cheese bag and hung it to drain overnight to make a yogurt cream cheese. Great texture! I'll add salt and herbs to that for a great spread.
Next I took all the cream I could skim and threw it in my food processor and made butter. It takes about 5 minutes to separate it into butter and whey. I then poured the butter whey off and set it aside to ferment into buttermilk. Then I rinsed and worked the butter with a spatula until the water ran clear and added some sea salt. Yay I have butter again!
The buttermilk sat overnight at room temperature and this morning my husband drank it all up! He said it was delicious!
So now I had lots of sour milk left. The only thing left to do was pour it all into my cheese bag and hang it to drain. There was a LOT of whey of course. So I looked up how to make lacto-fermented veggies and I made a batch of that. I used cabbage, carrots, zucchini, cucumber and an apple. The instructions I followed I found here http://www.nourishingdays.com/2009/07/the-benefits-of-fermented-food-lacto-fermented-vegetables/ . Fermented veggies are very high in healthy digestive bacteria, and they are SO easy to make! I see more of these in our future...
This morning I checked the drained soured milk and poured out the cream cheese left in the bag into a bowl. It was sweet and a wonderful texture. We had fresh cream cheese on toast with our breakfast this morning. Yum! I have lots of this so I think I will be making some flavored cream cheeses and dips out of it. It is surprising to me the sweet flavor of the cream cheese made from soured milk. Oh what I've been missing!
Lesson learned for me. NEVER throw out soured raw milk!
Happy and Healthy living to all!
Grow Foods Market
Friday, September 16, 2011
Tuna salad SALAD
I quit eating tuna for many reasons some time ago. The fishing practices, the mercury, and the BPA in the cans are the main reasons. Well I found wild caught tuna in BPA free cans that was tested for mercury levels, so I brought some home. My husband beat me to them and I couldn't be more pleased...
A couple of weeks ago I made my own mayonnaise and added chipotle powder to it as a taste experiment. I also added a couple of teaspoons of honey and a little lemon juice. Maybe I'll use lime next time. Anyway I used this chipotle mayo to make deviled eggs and loved it! I also used it in my potato salad that week and was equally pleased with that flavor combo. I made a lot of it so there was still some left.
This time my husband used the last of the chipotle mayo with the tuna I brought home. But instead of making your typical tuna salad he made the most delicious entree!
Tuna salad with chipotle mayo:
Mix together about 1/2 cup of a home made or organic mayonnaise, two teaspoons honey, 1 teaspoon lemon or lime juice and chipotle powder to taste - feel free to substitute another seasoning - have fun, experiment! Mix with tuna and if you have extra mayo use it for something else.
On dinner plates arrange (all organic of course) lettuce leaves of choice, thinly sliced onions, grape tomatoes or sliced tomatoes, cucumber slices and whatever other salad ingredients you wish to add - sprouts would be terrific! Drizzle salad dressing or a balsamic vinaigrette of choice over the salad. Fry two free range eggs per person to your preference and lay on top of each salad. Top with a large spoonful of the flavored tuna salad.
This looked almost too beautiful to eat when my husband served it, but I managed to eat every morsel somehow... Yum! I love when he gets a new idea for dinner!
Happy and Healthy living to all!
Grow Foods Market
A couple of weeks ago I made my own mayonnaise and added chipotle powder to it as a taste experiment. I also added a couple of teaspoons of honey and a little lemon juice. Maybe I'll use lime next time. Anyway I used this chipotle mayo to make deviled eggs and loved it! I also used it in my potato salad that week and was equally pleased with that flavor combo. I made a lot of it so there was still some left.
This time my husband used the last of the chipotle mayo with the tuna I brought home. But instead of making your typical tuna salad he made the most delicious entree!
Tuna salad with chipotle mayo:
Mix together about 1/2 cup of a home made or organic mayonnaise, two teaspoons honey, 1 teaspoon lemon or lime juice and chipotle powder to taste - feel free to substitute another seasoning - have fun, experiment! Mix with tuna and if you have extra mayo use it for something else.
On dinner plates arrange (all organic of course) lettuce leaves of choice, thinly sliced onions, grape tomatoes or sliced tomatoes, cucumber slices and whatever other salad ingredients you wish to add - sprouts would be terrific! Drizzle salad dressing or a balsamic vinaigrette of choice over the salad. Fry two free range eggs per person to your preference and lay on top of each salad. Top with a large spoonful of the flavored tuna salad.
This looked almost too beautiful to eat when my husband served it, but I managed to eat every morsel somehow... Yum! I love when he gets a new idea for dinner!
Happy and Healthy living to all!
Grow Foods Market
Monday, September 12, 2011
A cool cucumber dip
Need another suggestion for what to do with your home made yogurt? Here it is!
2 cups organic yogurt (home made is best!)
1 organic cucumber cut in quarters (you can peel it if you prefer, I don't peel mine)
1/2 small organic onion cut in quarters
3 cloves organic garlic (more or less as desired)
3 teaspoons dried organic dill or several fronds of fresh organic dill from the garden
Ok here are the complicated directions...
Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until well pureed. Chill overnight or serve immediately if desired. Serve with organic chips or veggies of choice. I double this recipe since it seems to keep disappearing no matter how much I make!
Happy and Healthy living to all!
Grow Foods Market
2 cups organic yogurt (home made is best!)
1 organic cucumber cut in quarters (you can peel it if you prefer, I don't peel mine)
1/2 small organic onion cut in quarters
3 cloves organic garlic (more or less as desired)
3 teaspoons dried organic dill or several fronds of fresh organic dill from the garden
Ok here are the complicated directions...
Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until well pureed. Chill overnight or serve immediately if desired. Serve with organic chips or veggies of choice. I double this recipe since it seems to keep disappearing no matter how much I make!
Happy and Healthy living to all!
Grow Foods Market
A healthy Barbecue recipe! Can you imagine?
Every working woman needs a slow cooker, don't you agree? We bought one for my daughter last week and she needed a little help learning to use it. So here's her first recipe. :-)
Easy Slow Cooker Barbecue Pulled Chicken or Pork
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Mom to the rescue again! - Black Bean lentil soup
So I started an internal cleanse this week. It's a regimen of various herbs and extracts to cleanse the body of parasites, cleanse the liver, kidneys, lymph system, lungs, skin etc. It isn't a difficult thing to do but I do need to be more strict with my diet to get the best results.
I was talking to my mom about what I was doing and she gave me another wonderful gem, a black bean and lentil pureed soup. Just what I needed right now. Thanks Mom!
I actually started boiling the carcass of a turkey three days ago from the turkey I baked last weekend. Of course it was a free-range organically raised turkey and it was fantastic! A free range chicken would do just as well, naturally.
My mom reminded me to add vinegar to the water when I boiled the bones to draw out the gelatin and collagen. I have a very large stock pot so I am making about 2 gallons of turkey stock. I added a whole onion chopped, 6 or 8 cloves of garlic and three stalks of celery to it yesterday. I will freeze what I don't use in my soup today.
Now I am soaking black beans and lentils for an hour.
Here are the ingredients (I use all organic ingredients) -
1 lb black beans and 1/2 pound of lentils. - soaked overnight or cooked in 4 inches of water just to a boil, then cover and soak for an hour.
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
4 medium carrots, coarsely chopped
3 stalks celery coarsely chopped
8 cloves of garlic- coarsely chopped
Lemon Pepper, or Garlic pepper or all purpose seasoning to taste - (any seasoning that you would like really these are just my suggestions)
2 teaspoons crushed hot red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or to taste
1 TBSP Himalayan Pink Sea Salt - or to taste
12 - 16 cups home made turkey or chicken stock
Once the beans are soaked, drain and cook in 12 cups stock until tender. At the same time cook the chopped veggies in 4 cups stock until tender and add to the beans when they are done and add seasoning.
( I really don't see why you can't just cook the veggies with the beans. Feel free to do so!) Pour in batches into a food processor or Vitamix type machine and puree until smooth. Serve warm with a dollop of yogurt (home made is the best of course!)
Cleansing the body of toxins is challenging but very rewarding to your health. It brings the body into balance and make it easier to get and stay healthy. It helps clear up health issues caused by poor eating habits or medications. Once a cleanse is finished if you can change your diet to keep toxins out of your body as much as possible the rewards will last you for many years of good health! I encourage everyone to try an internal cleanse some time in their life. Do a search for internal cleanse and find one you like. I love the one from a site called blessed herbs.
Healthy and happy living to all!
Grow Foods Market
I was talking to my mom about what I was doing and she gave me another wonderful gem, a black bean and lentil pureed soup. Just what I needed right now. Thanks Mom!
I actually started boiling the carcass of a turkey three days ago from the turkey I baked last weekend. Of course it was a free-range organically raised turkey and it was fantastic! A free range chicken would do just as well, naturally.
My mom reminded me to add vinegar to the water when I boiled the bones to draw out the gelatin and collagen. I have a very large stock pot so I am making about 2 gallons of turkey stock. I added a whole onion chopped, 6 or 8 cloves of garlic and three stalks of celery to it yesterday. I will freeze what I don't use in my soup today.
Now I am soaking black beans and lentils for an hour.
Here are the ingredients (I use all organic ingredients) -
1 lb black beans and 1/2 pound of lentils. - soaked overnight or cooked in 4 inches of water just to a boil, then cover and soak for an hour.
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
4 medium carrots, coarsely chopped
3 stalks celery coarsely chopped
8 cloves of garlic- coarsely chopped
Lemon Pepper, or Garlic pepper or all purpose seasoning to taste - (any seasoning that you would like really these are just my suggestions)
2 teaspoons crushed hot red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or to taste
1 TBSP Himalayan Pink Sea Salt - or to taste
12 - 16 cups home made turkey or chicken stock
Once the beans are soaked, drain and cook in 12 cups stock until tender. At the same time cook the chopped veggies in 4 cups stock until tender and add to the beans when they are done and add seasoning.
( I really don't see why you can't just cook the veggies with the beans. Feel free to do so!) Pour in batches into a food processor or Vitamix type machine and puree until smooth. Serve warm with a dollop of yogurt (home made is the best of course!)
Cleansing the body of toxins is challenging but very rewarding to your health. It brings the body into balance and make it easier to get and stay healthy. It helps clear up health issues caused by poor eating habits or medications. Once a cleanse is finished if you can change your diet to keep toxins out of your body as much as possible the rewards will last you for many years of good health! I encourage everyone to try an internal cleanse some time in their life. Do a search for internal cleanse and find one you like. I love the one from a site called blessed herbs.
Healthy and happy living to all!
Grow Foods Market
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Gluten-free and craving cookies
Since we went gluten-free it has been a challenge to find deserts we can eat. And being corn and soy free makes it even more of a challenge! I have searched high and low for acceptible desserts and it has been tough let me tell you!
So where do you always turn in times of stress I ask you? Well to your own mother of course! Now my mother does NOT follow the same dietary regime that I do, but she has made a LOT of healthy changes for which I do applaud her heartily. Go Mom!
Nonetheless in the midst of a conversation about diet and recipes she came up with a delightful gem for me. Gluten-free chocolate meringue cookies! I was awe-struck and SO grateful, you have no idea!
The recipe is simple and of course I had to make changes for my specific dietary needs. Farm fresh free-range egg whites of course for the meringue, organic chocolate we get from santa barbara chocolates on line, a little raw apple cider vinegar, a little Himalayan sea salt, organic walnuts, vanilla my daughter brought me home from Costa Rica (it is by far the most amazingly fantastic vanilla in the WORLD in my humble opinion), and the sugar I use is made from the sap of coconut flowers - beyond wonderful! It takes approx 15 minutes to throw together and 45 minutes to bake and then heaven opens up and sings a hallelujah! - well for me anyway :-)
You want the recipe? Ohhhh I am NOT going to publish it here for the world to see, oh no! You will have to email me for it with the express promise not to publish it or use it for commercial enterprise whatsoever! I will gladly share with those who are willing to make me that promise. Go to http;//growfoodsmarket.com for our email address please.
Happy and healthy living to all!
Grow Foods Market
So where do you always turn in times of stress I ask you? Well to your own mother of course! Now my mother does NOT follow the same dietary regime that I do, but she has made a LOT of healthy changes for which I do applaud her heartily. Go Mom!
Nonetheless in the midst of a conversation about diet and recipes she came up with a delightful gem for me. Gluten-free chocolate meringue cookies! I was awe-struck and SO grateful, you have no idea!
The recipe is simple and of course I had to make changes for my specific dietary needs. Farm fresh free-range egg whites of course for the meringue, organic chocolate we get from santa barbara chocolates on line, a little raw apple cider vinegar, a little Himalayan sea salt, organic walnuts, vanilla my daughter brought me home from Costa Rica (it is by far the most amazingly fantastic vanilla in the WORLD in my humble opinion), and the sugar I use is made from the sap of coconut flowers - beyond wonderful! It takes approx 15 minutes to throw together and 45 minutes to bake and then heaven opens up and sings a hallelujah! - well for me anyway :-)
You want the recipe? Ohhhh I am NOT going to publish it here for the world to see, oh no! You will have to email me for it with the express promise not to publish it or use it for commercial enterprise whatsoever! I will gladly share with those who are willing to make me that promise. Go to http;//growfoodsmarket.com for our email address please.
Happy and healthy living to all!
Grow Foods Market
Friday, September 2, 2011
How to avoid GMO Foods
I realised after my last post that I did not provide any information on how to actually avoid GMO foods! So here are my suggestions.
1. Avoid the BIG FIVE. The largest number of crops that are grown from GMO seed are soy, corn, cotton, sugar beets and canola. Read ingredients and don't buy anything with these products. And be careful because that means avoiding soy lecithin, cottonseed oil, canola oil and all corn products including corn syrup, corn oil, corn meal, corn sugar, and of course high fructose corn syrup. This pretty much illiminates ALL processed foods, I know! Trust me, your body will thank you!
2. Buy and eat ONLY certified organic foods. The only exception I make to this is if I know the farmer and they are not certified because they can't afford the certification, but I know they use heirloom seed (no GMO) and no pesticides. This includes meat by the way. Remember, what they eat YOU eat in their meat. Buy only organically raised meats and grass-fed only beef, lamb or buffalo. - My husband spoke to a woman at market this week who told him the buffalo she was buying and he called the company. Guess what? They GRAIN FEED their buffalo and admitted to him they use GMO corn! So much for healthy buffalo meat huh? Always find out what your suppliers feed their animals. Stay informed!
3. Don't eat anything sold in a box, can or bag unless it says "certified organic" on the package. "All natural" means absolutely nothing when it comes to GMO.
4. Don't eat at restaurants of any kind unless they use certified organic ingredients and say so on the menu.
5. Make your own food so you know what is in it and what is NOT in it! Use only organically grown ingredients of course!
Follow these guidelines and your diet will be GMO free. Check out the non-GMO shopping guide if you need more information:
http://www.nongmoshoppingguide.com/shopping-guide.html
I don't believe in participating in my own demise if I can possibly help it. Remember, we are NOT lab experiments unless we choose to be. I choose not to be a GMO lab experiment!
Happy and healthy living to all!
Grow Foods Market
1. Avoid the BIG FIVE. The largest number of crops that are grown from GMO seed are soy, corn, cotton, sugar beets and canola. Read ingredients and don't buy anything with these products. And be careful because that means avoiding soy lecithin, cottonseed oil, canola oil and all corn products including corn syrup, corn oil, corn meal, corn sugar, and of course high fructose corn syrup. This pretty much illiminates ALL processed foods, I know! Trust me, your body will thank you!
2. Buy and eat ONLY certified organic foods. The only exception I make to this is if I know the farmer and they are not certified because they can't afford the certification, but I know they use heirloom seed (no GMO) and no pesticides. This includes meat by the way. Remember, what they eat YOU eat in their meat. Buy only organically raised meats and grass-fed only beef, lamb or buffalo. - My husband spoke to a woman at market this week who told him the buffalo she was buying and he called the company. Guess what? They GRAIN FEED their buffalo and admitted to him they use GMO corn! So much for healthy buffalo meat huh? Always find out what your suppliers feed their animals. Stay informed!
3. Don't eat anything sold in a box, can or bag unless it says "certified organic" on the package. "All natural" means absolutely nothing when it comes to GMO.
4. Don't eat at restaurants of any kind unless they use certified organic ingredients and say so on the menu.
5. Make your own food so you know what is in it and what is NOT in it! Use only organically grown ingredients of course!
Follow these guidelines and your diet will be GMO free. Check out the non-GMO shopping guide if you need more information:
http://www.nongmoshoppingguide.com/shopping-guide.html
I don't believe in participating in my own demise if I can possibly help it. Remember, we are NOT lab experiments unless we choose to be. I choose not to be a GMO lab experiment!
Happy and healthy living to all!
Grow Foods Market
Why I do not eat GMO foods
Genetically Modified foods are foods that have been altered at the DNA level by inserting specific genes or “turning on or off” certain expressions of DNA and genes. Hence the term GENETICALLY modified. I am not talking about hybridization or cross breeding, that has been done since the beginning of time. But what has been occurring in the last 50 years is scientists are modifying the genetic structure of the DNA of plants and animals. One of the problems is that in the process of this modification they admit they do not know all the consequences of their DNA tinkering. Other things can be expressed they did not anticipate or have any idea would occur. Independent scientists who do REAL studies are proving they are causing birth defects and multitudes of increased diseases and cancers and 100% infertility in just three generations. Farmers are reporting livestock are having spontaneous abortions and birth defects and infertility issues affecting their livelihood and the health of their stock.
The GMO is causing destruction of the soil because it not only is modified to kill pests affecting the crop, it also kills the beneficial bugs and microbes in the soil and is turning land to barren land and generating super weeds and super crop viruses and molds. There have been thousands of suicides by cotton growers in India whose GMO cotton has far underperformed the cotton they used to grow and they cannot repay the debt to Monsanto as a result and they go bankrupt. Livestock that is allowed to go eat the stalks of GMO cotton are actually dying from it.
Glyphosate is the main ingredient of Roundup used on GMO crops. Roundup is of course owned by Monsanto. It alone is destructive and the GMO plants are modified to accept 10 times MORE of it than non-GMO plants.
http://www.naturalnews.com/031138_Monsanto_Roundup.html
GMO is the most destructive thing we have allowed into our food supply and environment. It isn’t just an “oh well nothing we can do, it’s the future” ho hum issue. This is serious and we are sleeping our way to destruction as a society by not staying informed and fighting this destructive practice.
Monsanto is actively buying all the seed companies so no one can buy seed except from them and they patent them so you can’t regrow from seed from your own plants as farmers have been doing since the beginning of time. They are also suing nearby farmers whose crops get cross contaminated by their GMO seed for patent infringement and putting them out of business.
http://www.naturalnews.com/029325_Monsanto_deception.html
Bt corn is modified to make its own pesticide as part of the corn. So when people and livestock eat it they have proven it continues to manufacture the pesticide in our bodies and this pesticide is being found in the blood of fetuses still in the womb! This is the reason I will not eat meat from cows that eat grain. Once this toxic poison is in their body it goes in the meat and it does not leave no matter if they go back to grass or not. It doesn’t matter. People who want grass-fed meats want them to be ONLY grass fed for this reason. I have people all the time ask me specifically “Were they EVER fed corn or soy?” It is a very important issue to those who want to avoid these toxic poisons. Ranchers that sell their meat as “grass-fed” meat when it has been on grains at some point are being deceptive to the consumers who want grass-fed ONLY.
http://www.naturalnews.com/032407_Bt_insecticide_GMOs.html
“Set to be published in the peer-reviewed journal Reproductive Toxicology the new study shreds the false notion that Bt is broken down by the digestive system, and instead shows that the toxin definitively persists in the bloodstream.”
http://www.naturalnews.com/030959_GM_corn_insecticides.html
Corn plants genetically modified (GM) to produce pesticides in their tissues are contaminating water supplies across the US Midwest, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.
"Manipulating genetic material changes the expression of proteins and antigens in foods, a situation that could lead to allergic reactions. ... Another concern is that some GM foods, such as GM corn, are being manipulated to resist synthetic pesticides. As a result, more of the pesticide is being used and humans' exposure to toxic pesticides is actually increasing while insects develop resistance to the pesticides' toxic effects."
http://www.naturalnews.com/028245_GM_food_side_effects.html
The American Academy of Environmental Medicine has warned that the public should avoid genetically modified (GM) foods, stating, "There is more than a casual association between GM foods and adverse health effects. There is causation."
A large number of studies and incidents have implicated GM foods in a wide variety of health problems, including accelerated aging, immune dysfunction, insulin disorders, organ damage and reproductive disruption.
For example, female rats fed a diet of GM soy experienced a drastically higher infant death rate, and their surviving infants were smaller and less fertile than the offspring of rats fed on a non-GM soy diet. Male rats fed the GM soy had their testicles change from pink to blue, and the GM soy was also observed to damage the DNA of sperm and embryos. Fertility problems such as abortion, infertility, premature delivery, prolapsed uteri, infant death, and even delivery of unformed infants (bags of water) have been observed in farm animals fed GM cottonseed and corn.
http://www.naturalnews.com/031473_GMOs_pathogens.html
Huber, in other words, is not just some ranting civilian. He's someone who has worked around pathogens for many decades and whose warnings about pathogenic threats must be taken seriously. In his letter, Huber warns about a new pathogen, unknown to science, "...that appears to significantly impact the health of plants, animals, and probably human beings. Based on a review of the data, it is widespread, very serious, and is in much higher concentrations in Roundup Ready (RR) soybeans and corn -- suggesting a link with the RR gene or more likely the presence of Roundup."
This pathogen appears to be link to widespread spontaneous abortions among cattle. As Huber explains, "450 of 1,000 pregnant heifers ...experienced spontaneous abortions."
That's a spontaneous abortion rate of 45 percent!
GMO and Roundup go hand in hand and is causing the destruction of farming land over time. It is in more recent years that the increase of GMO crops and the increased use of Roundup has begun to reveal the destructiveness to the land. Because it is becoming more wide spread now we are seeing the effects more clearly than in the past.
This is the best and most complete article about the plant and land destruction being cause by glyphosate. Check out the pictures.
http://www.naturalnews.com/031138_Monsanto_Roundup.html
I watched a video called “Seeds of Destruction” that went into detail about the science and how much the GMO producers know and won’t tell us, and just how much they DON’T know and won’t test to find out about what the Genetic Modification is actually doing to the DNA of the plants and to people and animals as well. It isn’t pretty. This is why I am so careful to avoid ALL GMO. I refuse to be a lab rat for the GMO industry. I am not an experiment and will not allow my body to be used for any GMO experimentation. I am in horror of the way I ate and fed my children when I did not know about these things. I have one child with fertility issues and feel responsible, not guilty since I was uninformed, but definitely responsible. Hopefully my grandchildren will be fed more healthily!
Here is a page full of articles about the destruction GMOs are causing to farming land and human and animal health. There is just so much here of which to be concerned. Please educate yourselves.
http://naturalnews.com/gmos.html
The GMO is causing destruction of the soil because it not only is modified to kill pests affecting the crop, it also kills the beneficial bugs and microbes in the soil and is turning land to barren land and generating super weeds and super crop viruses and molds. There have been thousands of suicides by cotton growers in India whose GMO cotton has far underperformed the cotton they used to grow and they cannot repay the debt to Monsanto as a result and they go bankrupt. Livestock that is allowed to go eat the stalks of GMO cotton are actually dying from it.
Glyphosate is the main ingredient of Roundup used on GMO crops. Roundup is of course owned by Monsanto. It alone is destructive and the GMO plants are modified to accept 10 times MORE of it than non-GMO plants.
http://www.naturalnews.com/031138_Monsanto_Roundup.html
GMO is the most destructive thing we have allowed into our food supply and environment. It isn’t just an “oh well nothing we can do, it’s the future” ho hum issue. This is serious and we are sleeping our way to destruction as a society by not staying informed and fighting this destructive practice.
Monsanto is actively buying all the seed companies so no one can buy seed except from them and they patent them so you can’t regrow from seed from your own plants as farmers have been doing since the beginning of time. They are also suing nearby farmers whose crops get cross contaminated by their GMO seed for patent infringement and putting them out of business.
http://www.naturalnews.com/029325_Monsanto_deception.html
Bt corn is modified to make its own pesticide as part of the corn. So when people and livestock eat it they have proven it continues to manufacture the pesticide in our bodies and this pesticide is being found in the blood of fetuses still in the womb! This is the reason I will not eat meat from cows that eat grain. Once this toxic poison is in their body it goes in the meat and it does not leave no matter if they go back to grass or not. It doesn’t matter. People who want grass-fed meats want them to be ONLY grass fed for this reason. I have people all the time ask me specifically “Were they EVER fed corn or soy?” It is a very important issue to those who want to avoid these toxic poisons. Ranchers that sell their meat as “grass-fed” meat when it has been on grains at some point are being deceptive to the consumers who want grass-fed ONLY.
http://www.naturalnews.com/032407_Bt_insecticide_GMOs.html
“Set to be published in the peer-reviewed journal Reproductive Toxicology the new study shreds the false notion that Bt is broken down by the digestive system, and instead shows that the toxin definitively persists in the bloodstream.”
http://www.naturalnews.com/030959_GM_corn_insecticides.html
Corn plants genetically modified (GM) to produce pesticides in their tissues are contaminating water supplies across the US Midwest, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.
"Manipulating genetic material changes the expression of proteins and antigens in foods, a situation that could lead to allergic reactions. ... Another concern is that some GM foods, such as GM corn, are being manipulated to resist synthetic pesticides. As a result, more of the pesticide is being used and humans' exposure to toxic pesticides is actually increasing while insects develop resistance to the pesticides' toxic effects."
http://www.naturalnews.com/028245_GM_food_side_effects.html
The American Academy of Environmental Medicine has warned that the public should avoid genetically modified (GM) foods, stating, "There is more than a casual association between GM foods and adverse health effects. There is causation."
A large number of studies and incidents have implicated GM foods in a wide variety of health problems, including accelerated aging, immune dysfunction, insulin disorders, organ damage and reproductive disruption.
For example, female rats fed a diet of GM soy experienced a drastically higher infant death rate, and their surviving infants were smaller and less fertile than the offspring of rats fed on a non-GM soy diet. Male rats fed the GM soy had their testicles change from pink to blue, and the GM soy was also observed to damage the DNA of sperm and embryos. Fertility problems such as abortion, infertility, premature delivery, prolapsed uteri, infant death, and even delivery of unformed infants (bags of water) have been observed in farm animals fed GM cottonseed and corn.
http://www.naturalnews.com/031473_GMOs_pathogens.html
Huber, in other words, is not just some ranting civilian. He's someone who has worked around pathogens for many decades and whose warnings about pathogenic threats must be taken seriously. In his letter, Huber warns about a new pathogen, unknown to science, "...that appears to significantly impact the health of plants, animals, and probably human beings. Based on a review of the data, it is widespread, very serious, and is in much higher concentrations in Roundup Ready (RR) soybeans and corn -- suggesting a link with the RR gene or more likely the presence of Roundup."
This pathogen appears to be link to widespread spontaneous abortions among cattle. As Huber explains, "450 of 1,000 pregnant heifers ...experienced spontaneous abortions."
That's a spontaneous abortion rate of 45 percent!
GMO and Roundup go hand in hand and is causing the destruction of farming land over time. It is in more recent years that the increase of GMO crops and the increased use of Roundup has begun to reveal the destructiveness to the land. Because it is becoming more wide spread now we are seeing the effects more clearly than in the past.
This is the best and most complete article about the plant and land destruction being cause by glyphosate. Check out the pictures.
http://www.naturalnews.com/031138_Monsanto_Roundup.html
I watched a video called “Seeds of Destruction” that went into detail about the science and how much the GMO producers know and won’t tell us, and just how much they DON’T know and won’t test to find out about what the Genetic Modification is actually doing to the DNA of the plants and to people and animals as well. It isn’t pretty. This is why I am so careful to avoid ALL GMO. I refuse to be a lab rat for the GMO industry. I am not an experiment and will not allow my body to be used for any GMO experimentation. I am in horror of the way I ate and fed my children when I did not know about these things. I have one child with fertility issues and feel responsible, not guilty since I was uninformed, but definitely responsible. Hopefully my grandchildren will be fed more healthily!
Here is a page full of articles about the destruction GMOs are causing to farming land and human and animal health. There is just so much here of which to be concerned. Please educate yourselves.
http://naturalnews.com/gmos.html
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Eating Well - tips and tricks
In order to improve my health and the health of my husband we have made many changes in our diet over the last two years. I would like to share some of those with all of you. I advocate making as many changes as you feel comforatable making. Take it slow. Make more changes when you are comfortable and want to see more improvements. I am not going to include links for all the information I wish to share. Please use a good search engine to find more info. I suggest signing up for the newsletters from Naturalnews.com and Mercola.com and searching their sites for more information on healthy eating and living.
1. I use only purified water for drinking and cooking. Not distilled, distilled water and reverse osmosis water are devoid of minerals and we need minerals in our water. Add a little Himalayan salt if you use distilled or reverse osmosis. Fresh spring water would be best, but I have no source for that. We use a Berkey gravity water filter at our house. The added advantage is it uses no electricity and is portable should we need to use it somewhere other than our home for any reason, and if there is a power outage we are not affected.
2. Absolutely no GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms)of any kind. This means we eat ONLY organically raised produce and meats. We buy from local farmers and ranchers as much as possible. Not everything is certified organic, but I know the produce growers and know the ones I buy from use no pesticides and only heirloom seeds and the livestock are raised free-range and grass-only for the beef and lamb. Did you know conventionally raised livestock get pesticides with their grain of course and that concentrates down into the meat? (Read more on Mercola.com) The factory farmed meats are actually 5 times higher in pesticides than non-organically grown produce! Not to mention they are eating GMO grains and their meat will also have GMO in it. Grass-fed only beef is high in vitamin e and beta carotenes as well as CLA which is a cancer fighting property. Check out http://eatwild.com/ for more info on grass-fed and free-range organically raised meats, eggs, and milk.
3. We drink raw milk, make our own butter, and raw milk yogurts. Raw is best! My husband is "lactose intolerant" for processed milk, but he can drink raw milk with no problem at all. It still has the active enzymes that help us digest it when it is raw, plus gut-friendly bacteria. I don't pasteurize it when I make yogurt either. Our gut flora is very happy! This aids in digestion and strengthens the immune system. Please read more about raw milk on naturalnews.com and mercola.com.
4. The hardest change for us was going gluten-free. We did it first as an experiment and after 6 months realized so many benefits we have stayed gluten-free. All our arthritis symptoms are gone, and the joint aches and pains are all gone. Gluten stays in the system for 6 months so you really can't cheat. I suffered for weeks after I gave beer a try again. I won't do that again! If you want to try going gluten free please commit to a 6 month trial and DON'T CHEAT! That is the only way you will know if it works for you.
5. We use only Himalayan pink sea salt in our house. No other salts of any kind. This is the most complete salt with the best crystal structure to aid the body in utilizing every healthy mineral in it. There are over 84+ minerals in the exact proportion as your own blood. You are helping your body when you eat this salt, not harming it. Read more at Mercola.com.
6. Absolutely no soy of any kind. I use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce and it is wonderful! Soy crops are 98% GMO today so I don't use it at all in my diet. Corn crops are 95% GMO as well so I avoid corn as well. The only exception I make is certified organic blue corn chips. If I want chips, that is what I choose.
7. No canned foods. The canned foods today are found to have BPA which is a hormone and endocrine disruptor which also gives you a chemical estrogen. I buy only jarred foods if I need something that is "canned". I make my own soups, sauces, dressings, etc. so I don't buy anything canned with the exception of tomatoes for my spaghetti sauce. I buy that in glass jars and re-use the jars for other things. I make large batches and freeze. My next goal is to learn to can things myself.
8. No processed foods of any kind, and I don't eat out at restaurants unless it is a certified organic restaurant. I am lucky to have some of those available. Restaurants use CAFO meat (Confined Animal Feeding Operations) and soy products and pesticide laden produce as well as canned foods; all the things I have removed from my diet. I really don't miss it. I save a lot of money too! I always bring my own lunch and snacks to work so I am not caught in a position where I am hungry and there is nothing I want to eat available. It's not that I CAN'T eat those things; I choose NOT to eat them. There's a difference.
9. I drink only purified water, freshly juiced organic fruits and vegetables, green teas, and organic expresso for my coffee. I buy no juices or bottled water or sodas. I use steel water bottles, no plastics.
10. We grow as much produce as we can in raised beds. We use organic methods of course and heirloom seeds. Gardening is so fun and rewarding!
11. I buy only natural household products for all my cleaners and personal products. There are carcinogens in most makeup, deoderants, toothpastes, shampoos, soaps and cleaners. I carefully researched products I can trust made from ingredients I can actually eat. If it goes on your skin, it goes into your body to some degree!
12. I use only raw virgin coconut oil for any heated cooking. Other vegetable oils, including olive oil, create free radical when heated to a high temperature. If I want an olive oil flavor on sauteed vegetables I add it after removing it from the heat, and I sautee in the coconut oil. Our body does actually need saturated fats to be at optimal health and coconut oil is the ideal fat. It does not go rancid and does not create free radicals at high temps. It is also wonderful for your skin and can help heal rashes and dry skin issues. I only use olive oil for cold dressings or for making my own mayonnaise or to flavor things after they have been cooked. Read more about the benefits of raw virgin coconut oil on naturalnews.com and mercola.com.
There are many other things I could say I avoid, such as High Frustose Corn Syrup, processed white sugar and white flour, but really, avoiding all processed foods covers that. I recommend you read Kevin Trudeau's book "Weight Loss Secrets They Don't want you to Know About". He really makes the reasons for these changes very clear. I didn't go so far as to do the HCG diet he suggests, but making the other changes has helped me lose 75 pounds rather easily. It is appalling to me what we eat in the Standard American Diet (SAD) and what I used to eat when I was uninformed. No wonder I got fat and sick! I regret not making these changes when I was raising my children, but hope my grand-children will be raised on a much healthier diet than I gave them. All I can do is point the way.
I hope you have success making healthy changes yourselves! Any changes you make will bring improvements in your health. When it comes to money I would rather spend more money on food that keeps me healthy than less money on food that destroys my health. Medicine and doctors are far more expensive than healthy food! And remember, don't diet! A DIET is something you do temporarily and then go back to the unheathy ways after the diet is over. Make dietary and lifestyle CHANGES instead that are permanent and your health WILL improve!
Please visit out Facebook page to read news articles on health, our food freedoms, and GMOs. Search for Grow Foods Market and "like" our page! We are committed to true GMO-free healthy living and eating.
Healthy happy living and eating to all of you!
Grow Foods Market
1. I use only purified water for drinking and cooking. Not distilled, distilled water and reverse osmosis water are devoid of minerals and we need minerals in our water. Add a little Himalayan salt if you use distilled or reverse osmosis. Fresh spring water would be best, but I have no source for that. We use a Berkey gravity water filter at our house. The added advantage is it uses no electricity and is portable should we need to use it somewhere other than our home for any reason, and if there is a power outage we are not affected.
2. Absolutely no GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms)of any kind. This means we eat ONLY organically raised produce and meats. We buy from local farmers and ranchers as much as possible. Not everything is certified organic, but I know the produce growers and know the ones I buy from use no pesticides and only heirloom seeds and the livestock are raised free-range and grass-only for the beef and lamb. Did you know conventionally raised livestock get pesticides with their grain of course and that concentrates down into the meat? (Read more on Mercola.com) The factory farmed meats are actually 5 times higher in pesticides than non-organically grown produce! Not to mention they are eating GMO grains and their meat will also have GMO in it. Grass-fed only beef is high in vitamin e and beta carotenes as well as CLA which is a cancer fighting property. Check out http://eatwild.com/ for more info on grass-fed and free-range organically raised meats, eggs, and milk.
3. We drink raw milk, make our own butter, and raw milk yogurts. Raw is best! My husband is "lactose intolerant" for processed milk, but he can drink raw milk with no problem at all. It still has the active enzymes that help us digest it when it is raw, plus gut-friendly bacteria. I don't pasteurize it when I make yogurt either. Our gut flora is very happy! This aids in digestion and strengthens the immune system. Please read more about raw milk on naturalnews.com and mercola.com.
4. The hardest change for us was going gluten-free. We did it first as an experiment and after 6 months realized so many benefits we have stayed gluten-free. All our arthritis symptoms are gone, and the joint aches and pains are all gone. Gluten stays in the system for 6 months so you really can't cheat. I suffered for weeks after I gave beer a try again. I won't do that again! If you want to try going gluten free please commit to a 6 month trial and DON'T CHEAT! That is the only way you will know if it works for you.
5. We use only Himalayan pink sea salt in our house. No other salts of any kind. This is the most complete salt with the best crystal structure to aid the body in utilizing every healthy mineral in it. There are over 84+ minerals in the exact proportion as your own blood. You are helping your body when you eat this salt, not harming it. Read more at Mercola.com.
6. Absolutely no soy of any kind. I use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce and it is wonderful! Soy crops are 98% GMO today so I don't use it at all in my diet. Corn crops are 95% GMO as well so I avoid corn as well. The only exception I make is certified organic blue corn chips. If I want chips, that is what I choose.
7. No canned foods. The canned foods today are found to have BPA which is a hormone and endocrine disruptor which also gives you a chemical estrogen. I buy only jarred foods if I need something that is "canned". I make my own soups, sauces, dressings, etc. so I don't buy anything canned with the exception of tomatoes for my spaghetti sauce. I buy that in glass jars and re-use the jars for other things. I make large batches and freeze. My next goal is to learn to can things myself.
8. No processed foods of any kind, and I don't eat out at restaurants unless it is a certified organic restaurant. I am lucky to have some of those available. Restaurants use CAFO meat (Confined Animal Feeding Operations) and soy products and pesticide laden produce as well as canned foods; all the things I have removed from my diet. I really don't miss it. I save a lot of money too! I always bring my own lunch and snacks to work so I am not caught in a position where I am hungry and there is nothing I want to eat available. It's not that I CAN'T eat those things; I choose NOT to eat them. There's a difference.
9. I drink only purified water, freshly juiced organic fruits and vegetables, green teas, and organic expresso for my coffee. I buy no juices or bottled water or sodas. I use steel water bottles, no plastics.
10. We grow as much produce as we can in raised beds. We use organic methods of course and heirloom seeds. Gardening is so fun and rewarding!
11. I buy only natural household products for all my cleaners and personal products. There are carcinogens in most makeup, deoderants, toothpastes, shampoos, soaps and cleaners. I carefully researched products I can trust made from ingredients I can actually eat. If it goes on your skin, it goes into your body to some degree!
12. I use only raw virgin coconut oil for any heated cooking. Other vegetable oils, including olive oil, create free radical when heated to a high temperature. If I want an olive oil flavor on sauteed vegetables I add it after removing it from the heat, and I sautee in the coconut oil. Our body does actually need saturated fats to be at optimal health and coconut oil is the ideal fat. It does not go rancid and does not create free radicals at high temps. It is also wonderful for your skin and can help heal rashes and dry skin issues. I only use olive oil for cold dressings or for making my own mayonnaise or to flavor things after they have been cooked. Read more about the benefits of raw virgin coconut oil on naturalnews.com and mercola.com.
There are many other things I could say I avoid, such as High Frustose Corn Syrup, processed white sugar and white flour, but really, avoiding all processed foods covers that. I recommend you read Kevin Trudeau's book "Weight Loss Secrets They Don't want you to Know About". He really makes the reasons for these changes very clear. I didn't go so far as to do the HCG diet he suggests, but making the other changes has helped me lose 75 pounds rather easily. It is appalling to me what we eat in the Standard American Diet (SAD) and what I used to eat when I was uninformed. No wonder I got fat and sick! I regret not making these changes when I was raising my children, but hope my grand-children will be raised on a much healthier diet than I gave them. All I can do is point the way.
I hope you have success making healthy changes yourselves! Any changes you make will bring improvements in your health. When it comes to money I would rather spend more money on food that keeps me healthy than less money on food that destroys my health. Medicine and doctors are far more expensive than healthy food! And remember, don't diet! A DIET is something you do temporarily and then go back to the unheathy ways after the diet is over. Make dietary and lifestyle CHANGES instead that are permanent and your health WILL improve!
Please visit out Facebook page to read news articles on health, our food freedoms, and GMOs. Search for Grow Foods Market and "like" our page! We are committed to true GMO-free healthy living and eating.
Healthy happy living and eating to all of you!
Grow Foods Market
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Fun with Duck
My husband brought me home a duck to cook a couple of weeks ago. I wanted to cook it right so I went hunting for a good recipe. You don't cook it the same as a chicken I discovered. I found this recipe and followed the instructions to the letter. Perfect duck!
http://www.thehungrymouse.com/2009/02/11/the-best-way-to-roast-a-duck-hello-crispy-skin/
I remind my readers to buy your duck or any meats from sources that you know are raising the animals in ethical, free-range, organic conditions.
The duck turned out fabulous, but I did make one change.
The recipe for the orange sauce I changed to the following:
1/2 cup honey
3 Tbls. orange juice
1 Tbls. coconut aminos (not soy sauce, I don't use soy at all in my kitchen. This is healthier and tastes very much the same.)
1 1/2 Tbls. Garam Marsala (adjust to taste)
I had been looking for something to try the Garam Marsala in and this was absolutely perfect. The flavor was out of this world! Garam Marsala is a curry from the south of India. It has such an intriguing smell and flavor. I have fallen in love with this spice!
Now for some additional fun I had some of the orange sauce left over and decided I would mix it with some home made mayonnaise and make a Waldorf Salad with it. It was a hit! Now I just want to make more sauce to make another Waldorf Salad. What a wonderful flavor combination!
http://www.thehungrymouse.com/2009/02/11/the-best-way-to-roast-a-duck-hello-crispy-skin/
I remind my readers to buy your duck or any meats from sources that you know are raising the animals in ethical, free-range, organic conditions.
The duck turned out fabulous, but I did make one change.
The recipe for the orange sauce I changed to the following:
1/2 cup honey
3 Tbls. orange juice
1 Tbls. coconut aminos (not soy sauce, I don't use soy at all in my kitchen. This is healthier and tastes very much the same.)
1 1/2 Tbls. Garam Marsala (adjust to taste)
I had been looking for something to try the Garam Marsala in and this was absolutely perfect. The flavor was out of this world! Garam Marsala is a curry from the south of India. It has such an intriguing smell and flavor. I have fallen in love with this spice!
Now for some additional fun I had some of the orange sauce left over and decided I would mix it with some home made mayonnaise and make a Waldorf Salad with it. It was a hit! Now I just want to make more sauce to make another Waldorf Salad. What a wonderful flavor combination!
Monday, August 29, 2011
Adventures with yogurt
I visited my daughter one weekend and discovered to my delight she was buying raw milk. To my further delight I learned she was making her own yogurt and butter from the milk. I was thrilled and intrigued. I grew up eating the yogurt my mother made but I had never tried my own hand at it. Well if my daughter could do it, there was no reason for me not to try!
I bought a yogurt maker to help me keep a steady reliable temperature. Basically it is just a warmer and nothing more. The MAKING of the yogurt is quite simple and only takes minutes.
Being a raw food enthusiast I wanted to make RAW milk yogurt. I learned this is a little tricky and the yogurt turns out quite thin and runny compared to regular yogurt you buy at the store, but I was not to be dissuaded. I used raw goat's milk my first time out and it turned out quite pleasant, but runny as expected. The trick is to warm the milk to 110 degrees F and no warmer, then add your starter and pop it in your yogurt warmer. There are several methods to heat and warm the yogurt to allow the culture to grow but I am not going to go into them. To make my own life easy I bought a yogurt warmer and I love it!
So how to make a nice thick raw milk yogurt? I called my mother to tell her of my adventures and she shared an important nugget with me "Don't you know I used gelatin in my yogurt?". Well of course I had no idea! But here's my problem with that. I stopped buying any meat or animal products from CAFO farms 2 years ago. CAFO is Confined Animal Feeding Operations, or factory farms. I feel they are unethical and inhumane in the way they treat their animals. Gelatin comes from cow hooves and bones and I am QUITE sure they are from CAFO operations, so gelatin was not an option for me. However I did have another option, I had Agar Agar. This is a gelatin made from sea plants, so no problems with CAFO there! It is tasteless too so it would not affect the flavor of the end product.
The first try with Agar Agar was ok, yes the yogurt was thicker, but not as thick as I wanted, so the next batch I used 4 times as much. FAIL! The yogurt came out with the texture of school paste! OK, so I backed off and used 1 tablespoon on the next batch and it was a little rubbery in texture, but thicker than my first batch, so I am getting somewhere with it. The flavor was good and not like paste at all. I think probably 2 or maybe 3 teaspoons for a quart of yogurt will be the perfect batch. Next try will be just right!
This last weekend I made raw milk yogurt from Cow's milk but I let it ferment 4 hours too long by accident. It was a thin runny yogurt like my first attempt and rather more sour in flavor from fermenting too long. But it was not unusable. I discussed it with my husband and we started talking about making a dip out of it and I got a brilliant idea, cucumber yogurt dip! Yes!
I used a yogurt cheese cloth bag and poured my thin runny yogurt in it to strain off some whey. (I used the whey to soak my brown rice for the evening meal, double plus!) I pureed two cucumbers, chopped up onion and garlic and added dill and about a teaspoon of lemon juice. Voila! Yogurt cucumber dip to die for! Yum!
I have also strained off my yogurt and made a cream cheese with it when it is dry enough. Flavored with organic herbs it is a delightful spread.
I am thoroughly enjoying my yogurt adventures. I don't know why I waited so long in my life to try making this wonderful food. How satisfying to eat this product I made myself!
I bought a yogurt maker to help me keep a steady reliable temperature. Basically it is just a warmer and nothing more. The MAKING of the yogurt is quite simple and only takes minutes.
Being a raw food enthusiast I wanted to make RAW milk yogurt. I learned this is a little tricky and the yogurt turns out quite thin and runny compared to regular yogurt you buy at the store, but I was not to be dissuaded. I used raw goat's milk my first time out and it turned out quite pleasant, but runny as expected. The trick is to warm the milk to 110 degrees F and no warmer, then add your starter and pop it in your yogurt warmer. There are several methods to heat and warm the yogurt to allow the culture to grow but I am not going to go into them. To make my own life easy I bought a yogurt warmer and I love it!
So how to make a nice thick raw milk yogurt? I called my mother to tell her of my adventures and she shared an important nugget with me "Don't you know I used gelatin in my yogurt?". Well of course I had no idea! But here's my problem with that. I stopped buying any meat or animal products from CAFO farms 2 years ago. CAFO is Confined Animal Feeding Operations, or factory farms. I feel they are unethical and inhumane in the way they treat their animals. Gelatin comes from cow hooves and bones and I am QUITE sure they are from CAFO operations, so gelatin was not an option for me. However I did have another option, I had Agar Agar. This is a gelatin made from sea plants, so no problems with CAFO there! It is tasteless too so it would not affect the flavor of the end product.
The first try with Agar Agar was ok, yes the yogurt was thicker, but not as thick as I wanted, so the next batch I used 4 times as much. FAIL! The yogurt came out with the texture of school paste! OK, so I backed off and used 1 tablespoon on the next batch and it was a little rubbery in texture, but thicker than my first batch, so I am getting somewhere with it. The flavor was good and not like paste at all. I think probably 2 or maybe 3 teaspoons for a quart of yogurt will be the perfect batch. Next try will be just right!
This last weekend I made raw milk yogurt from Cow's milk but I let it ferment 4 hours too long by accident. It was a thin runny yogurt like my first attempt and rather more sour in flavor from fermenting too long. But it was not unusable. I discussed it with my husband and we started talking about making a dip out of it and I got a brilliant idea, cucumber yogurt dip! Yes!
I used a yogurt cheese cloth bag and poured my thin runny yogurt in it to strain off some whey. (I used the whey to soak my brown rice for the evening meal, double plus!) I pureed two cucumbers, chopped up onion and garlic and added dill and about a teaspoon of lemon juice. Voila! Yogurt cucumber dip to die for! Yum!
I have also strained off my yogurt and made a cream cheese with it when it is dry enough. Flavored with organic herbs it is a delightful spread.
I am thoroughly enjoying my yogurt adventures. I don't know why I waited so long in my life to try making this wonderful food. How satisfying to eat this product I made myself!
Friday, August 26, 2011
Greetings to all who are dedicated to healthy eating and living!
My husband and I made significant changes to our diet 2 years ago and the health benefits have been wonderful! I had been gaining weight significantly for some time and was having no success getting it under control. My health was suffering as well as my self-esteem. My husband likewise was suffering health and weight issues and we were getting nowhere.
I stumbled upon some wonderful books by Kevin Trudeau and others and began to piece together what I believed was the cause of my health issues. I took a long hard look at what we were eating and began making important changes. These changes had an immediate effect on my health and the weight began to come off fairly easily. To date I have lost 75 pounds, have no health issues and take no medications.
I do not and will never diet again! I made significant diet CHANGES and will never go back to eating the old unhealthy ways again. My health and well-being would suffer too greatly if I did!
The most important change I believe we made was to completely remove all foods that had or might have Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO). I learned how harmful these foods are to us and our environment. How do you avoid GMO when most foods at the store today contain GMO? The only way I know is to commit to eating only 100% organically raised foods. Get to know the producers of your foods. Buy local from farmers who you know and trust. Visit your local Farmer's Markets to see what is available, but be careful; just because it is local does NOT mean it is organically raised! Join an organic produce co-op if you have any available in your area.
Pesticides and GMO foods are toxic to our bodies and harm our health. I am committed to finding ways to cook and eat that do not include these toxins. I make everything myself now and do not buy anything prepared in a box or a can. I make my own sauces, dressings, breads, desserts, soups etc. I began this blog to share what I do so others can learn how easy it is to make this shift.
We have been brain-washed to believe the microwave mentality that we have no time to make our own foods. Here's a shocker - I threw away my microwave altogether for health reasons! *GASP* How do I do it you ask? We THINK we are saving time by buying processed foods and cooking with the microwave oven, but in most cases it really does not take that much longer to cook from scratch or warm things up in a pan. I plan ahead more and freeze more and I make large batches.
This blog is an outlet for us to share our tips and thoughts as a supplement to our web page. My husband and I own a business selling organically raised meats, cheeses, eggs, herbs and spices and salts at the local Farmers Markets. We are dedicated to being a part of the solution!
I hope you will benefit from the things we share here. We are passionate about fighting to eliminate or at the very least LABEL GMO containing foods so people have a real choice about what they are eating. I post news articles concerning food news on our Grow Foods Market Facebook page. Check it out and "like" us!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/GROW-Foods-Market-Green-Raw-Organic-Whole-Foods/154805117892421
Visit our home page http://growfoodsmarket.com/ for more information about our business and the Farmers Markets at which we sell our products.
Healthy Living to all!
I stumbled upon some wonderful books by Kevin Trudeau and others and began to piece together what I believed was the cause of my health issues. I took a long hard look at what we were eating and began making important changes. These changes had an immediate effect on my health and the weight began to come off fairly easily. To date I have lost 75 pounds, have no health issues and take no medications.
I do not and will never diet again! I made significant diet CHANGES and will never go back to eating the old unhealthy ways again. My health and well-being would suffer too greatly if I did!
The most important change I believe we made was to completely remove all foods that had or might have Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO). I learned how harmful these foods are to us and our environment. How do you avoid GMO when most foods at the store today contain GMO? The only way I know is to commit to eating only 100% organically raised foods. Get to know the producers of your foods. Buy local from farmers who you know and trust. Visit your local Farmer's Markets to see what is available, but be careful; just because it is local does NOT mean it is organically raised! Join an organic produce co-op if you have any available in your area.
Pesticides and GMO foods are toxic to our bodies and harm our health. I am committed to finding ways to cook and eat that do not include these toxins. I make everything myself now and do not buy anything prepared in a box or a can. I make my own sauces, dressings, breads, desserts, soups etc. I began this blog to share what I do so others can learn how easy it is to make this shift.
We have been brain-washed to believe the microwave mentality that we have no time to make our own foods. Here's a shocker - I threw away my microwave altogether for health reasons! *GASP* How do I do it you ask? We THINK we are saving time by buying processed foods and cooking with the microwave oven, but in most cases it really does not take that much longer to cook from scratch or warm things up in a pan. I plan ahead more and freeze more and I make large batches.
This blog is an outlet for us to share our tips and thoughts as a supplement to our web page. My husband and I own a business selling organically raised meats, cheeses, eggs, herbs and spices and salts at the local Farmers Markets. We are dedicated to being a part of the solution!
I hope you will benefit from the things we share here. We are passionate about fighting to eliminate or at the very least LABEL GMO containing foods so people have a real choice about what they are eating. I post news articles concerning food news on our Grow Foods Market Facebook page. Check it out and "like" us!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/GROW-Foods-Market-Green-Raw-Organic-Whole-Foods/154805117892421
Visit our home page http://growfoodsmarket.com/ for more information about our business and the Farmers Markets at which we sell our products.
Healthy Living to all!
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