New Year, New Recipe!

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HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Now that celebrations are winding down, and you may have a bit more time to yourself, perhaps it's time to pick up that new book you got for Christmas, sit in a rocking chair, and pull up a side table for a glass of rich, chocolatey... er, "malted chocolate beverage." After pulling out the movie "Heidi" the other night, and being inspired by stone houses in the Alps, goat cheese, and oatmeal, I started looking up other Swiss food ideas, and stumbled upon the well-known Ovaltine (R). After looking at the original ingredients, I thought, "Hey, I could make that!"

Ovaltine's traditional ingredients are milk (whey), eggs, malt, and, of course, cocoa. In fact the name was originally Ovomaltine; "ovo" referring to eggs, and "maltine" for the malt. The Swiss version is unsweetened, while the American version has added sugar. Since I don't drink cow's milk at this time, I used coconut milk for the milk, fresh eggs from our chickens, and cocoa. Malt is made by grinding sprouted grains into flour. My mom actually does make her own malt, but since I'm not so sure about eating raw grains due to their high levels of phytic acid (with negative implications for mineral absorption and tooth health), I thought I would use a small amount of maca, which has a malt-like flavor, instead. Maca is a root from South America, which is used for its positive impacts on hormone health (it's an adaptogen) and somewhat counteracting the effects of caffeine. You can read more about the benefits of maca here. So anyway... here is my recipe for a malted chocolate beverage. (All ingredients are recommended to be organic/free range, etc).

Malted Chocolate Beverage

16 oz non-dairy milk or certified raw milk (I used SO Delicious coconut milk, which is already diluted)
2 raw eggs
1 Tbsp organic cocoa
1 tsp maca powder (I used "Maca Magic" brand)
1 Tbsp maple syrup (optional, for "American version")

First, separate the egg white from the yolks. In a blender, blend the coconut milk, egg whites, cocoa, maca, and maple syrup until smooth. At the end, add the egg yolks, and just pulse to blend. Egg yolks are healthier if they are not subject to oxidation via fast blending. Pour into a glass or two, and enjoy. Makes one large serving, or two small.

I tried it without the maple syrup first, and it's actually quite good with no sweetener added. It reminds me of eating a dark chocolate bar. With the maple syrup, it tastes just like I remember the flavor of Ovaltine to be.

A toast to your excellent health in 2011! Enjoy!

109 and Doing Fine: Additional Wholesome Wisdom from Bernando Lapallo

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Hello! Hope your Christmas preparations have been and continue to be a source of joy!

However, if the stresses of the season are wearing you down, turn on some wonderful Classical Christmas music, find an old fashioned rocking chair, and cradle your cares away! On the blog today, I thought I'd take a break from the hustle and bustle, and focus on something new to help improve your health and vitality. In my constant quest to return to vibrant health, I ran across a person whose excellent health and clean living principles never ceases to amaze me...

I first learned about Bernando Lapallo through Paul Nison's "Raw Life Health Show" interview, about a year ago. I wrote a post about that interview here. Since that time, he has become quite popular! He has been interviewed over a number media venues: online radio shows, blogs, newspapers, and even television news stations. Though there are a number of centenarians living in the United States, Mr. Lapallo stands out above the rest with his excellent health and mental capability, and his zest to keep on living! I have even heard that he would like to open a restaurant, and is now trying to reach age 140!

What are some of his secrets? Well, for the full story, you can purchase his book "Age Less, Live More: Achieving Health and Vitality at 107 and Beyond." I have not yet purchased his book, but in the meantime, I have been online listening to interviews with him on YouTube and reading articles that divulge some of his secrets to health and longevity. In one, he shares a recipe for his morning superfood smoothie:

Bernando’s Superfood Smoothie

8-16 ounces fresh juice and water
½-1 cut up fruit (particularly blueberries)
2 Tbsp Dr. Schulze’s SuperFood Plus
1 tsp garlic paste (recipe below)
Dropperful of Dr. Schulze’s Echinacea Plus

Blend ingredients in a high speed blender, and drink in good health.

Bernando’s Garlic Paste

1/3 cup olive oil
2/3 cup garlic

Soak garlic overnight. The next morning, peel, and blend in blender (keep from exposure to air) with olive oil to make a paste. Keep in a tightly closed jar.

I've been eating this smoothie (okay, okay, minus the garlic paste so far) for about a week. It's quite filling and satisfying. I use freshly squeezed orange juice and also add a couple of dried stevia leaves to sweeten a bit. The Dr. Schulze's Superfood Plus is an excellent combination of ingredients that I think takes the place of a few vitamin and mineral supplements. Here's the (all organic/wild-crafted) ingredient list:

Herbal Ingredients: Spirulina Algae, Blue-Green Algae, Chlorella Broken-Cell Algae, Barley, Alfalfa & Wheat Grasses, Purple Dulse Seaweed, Beet Root, Spinach Leaf, Acerola Cherry, Rose Hips, Orange & Lemon Peels & Palm Fruit in a base of Dr. Schulze’s Proprietary Non-Fermentable Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Yeast

Just another way to get in those all important GREENS. :) There must be something to it... 109 and still doing fine...

Greetings From the "Little Cabin in the Wood"

Christmas is less than two weeks away!

Where did the time go? Goodness, it's been a while since I have done any blogging. Autumn seemed to come and go overnight, and we are now quite in the heart of winter, at least here in the north country! Tonight, the temperature is predicted to drop to -18... a good time to do things like listening to "A Prairie Home Companion" as I am now (We Minnesota Lutherans do get a kick out of it!), and take some leisurely steps toward Christmas preparations.

Things certainly have changed since the days when I would start decorating right after the Thanksgiving dishes were cleared! Cut-out sugar cookies are also a thing of the past, since I started focusing on more healthful eats. However, all is not lost! Traditional Christmas cookies are not requisite for holiday happiness; there are a lot of delicious alternatives to comfort and satisfy. Actually, one of my latest discoveries is cinnamon tea-- quite simple, and quite seasonal!

Cinnamon Tea
For a cup of tea, all you need is one cinnamon stick (preferably Ceylon, which is "true" cinnamon), broken into pieces. Cover with boiling water and steep for ten minutes. Strain out cinnamon sticks, and enjoy!

Cinnamon is great for keeping your blood sugar under control (just in case you DO plan to eat those sugar cookies!), and has been shown to improve brain function-- especially the memory. So, enjoy in good health! In fact, cinnamon tea is the preferred beverage of a gentleman I mentioned in an earlier post, who is now 109 years old, and still in excellent health. He drinks cinnamon tea every morning. Perhaps that's one of his secrets to never being sick a day in his life... It's worth trying! Try some instead of your morning coffee. --After all, "variety is the spice of life" and cinnamon is a good spice to start with!

Cool as a Cucumber...

Creamy Cucumber-Mint Salad with Borage Flowers

...and getting cooler! As the nighttime temperatures have been dropping, we have been doing our best to make use of the last of the garden produce and fresh herbs. Off-season cucumbers from the grocery store just aren't the same! So... we have to savor them while we can. I love eating plain, salted cucumbers, as a rule, but once in a while it is nice to enjoy them in a new and dressed up venue, which will still enhance their delicate flavor. Here's a recipe to help you enjoy your last cucumbers of the season:

Creamy Cucumber-Mint Salad with Borage Flowers

1 lb cucumbers (about eight small cucumbers)
4 Tbsp chopped fresh mint + whole leaves for garnish
1 cup of diluted coconut milk or plain yogurt
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Sea salt
a handful of fresh borage flowers

Scrub cucumbers and peel alternating strips, so that you have striped cucumbers. Thinly slice and put in a bowl. Add chopped mint, coconut milk or yogurt (or coconut milk yogurt, for that matter!), coriander, lemon juice, and salt, and toss until well-combined. Pour into a serving bowl and garnish with whole mint leaves and borage flowers. Chill before serving. Serves 4.

Dandelion Pesto... the Delicious Result

Here it is!

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned a recipe for making dandelion pesto, and a few days ago I got around to trying it. I can't say it has an exotic flavor or anything. With the basil in it, it still has the taste of regular pesto, however the dandelion greens do add a bit of bitterness. However, the result was definitely worthwhile, and yet another way to get excellent greens in your diet: eat gourmet and cleanse your liver too!

I enjoyed the dandelion pesto on broccoli and cauliflower florets at an al fresco lunch with a friend ~ a lovely way to spend a day in May! :)

Again, dandelion greens have all kinds of health benefits, so it's well worth your while to reap these wily weeds!

Vitamins A, B, and C

Beta Carotene
Calcium
Magnesium
Phosphorus

Look at this list for all the benefits of dandelions:

http://www.leaflady.org/health_benefits_of_dandelions.htm

Want more recipes for using dandelions? Check these out:

Wilted Dandelion Greens Salad and Dandy Greens Pasta

You can use Google to find all kinds of other ways to use dandelions...

Dandelion wine

Dandelion root tea (easily found at a health food store, and a great coffee substitute!)
Dandelion salads (you can use both the leaves and the flowers)
Dandelion fritters
Dandelion omelets
Dandelion floral jam
Dandelion soup

...Use the greens any way you would use bitter greens (pizza topping?) and the flowers wherever you would use any other edible flower. I used the greens in a fresh juice (with green apples, romaine, and ginger) yesterday, and in an omelet (with spinach and chives) today.

While weeding your garden, you can put together a soup or salad at the same time! Happy weeding and eating... : )  

Homemade Peppermint Patties to Celebrate Spring

The peppermint is up in our garden, and I have been using it for a number of recipes. However, I'm afraid the poor plants don't have a lot of leaves to spare just yet. So, to still enjoy that fresh burst of flavor, but without stripping the peppermint plants of all their leaves... here's a recipe (or rather, more of a how-to) for making your own peppermint patties with peppermint oil, while still avoiding chocolate and sugar! It's easy too.

The idea was inspired by the recipe on Elana's Pantry.

Peppermint Patties

For the "chocolate" coating, use equal parts of:

• coconut oil (melted)
• lightly roasted carob 

I used about a Tbsp of each, just to make a small batch (I believe I made only 4 patties). Mix together and set aside.

For the filling:

• 1/4 cup (?) unsweetened coconut (processed in coffee grinder)
• 2 Tbsp (?) raw honey (It tends to be thicker than heated honey)
• a couple drops of peppermint oil (to taste)

Mix the filling ingredients together (I used my hands) until fully blended. The resulting paste should be thick enough to roll into small balls, and then flatten into patties. Put in freezer to make them firm. This also helps for making the coating cool on them right away. Then dip/coat in carob mixture and put in freezer on waxed paper-lined trays. They may need a second coat.

Enjoy!

New Niches for Familiar Foods: Daikon Radish

Well, maybe daikon radishes aren't that familiar. I ran across them for the first time at a farmer's market a couple of years ago. They caught my attention as they are so big! In fact, the word is Japanese, and means "large root." Daikon radishes look kind of like large white carrots. They are often used in Asian soups with miso. Think you need to eat a ton of oranges this winter to get your vitamin C? Try Daikon radishes! They have 1/3 of the recommended Vitamin C in a 3 oz serving, which is also only 18 calories worth. They are mild-flavored, so they are really quite versatile... and make a perfect substitute for pasta. Low-calorie, high vitamin C.... that's a lot more than you can say for plain old spaghetti!

I believe it was first through following the Specific Carbohydrate Diet a few years ago that first introduced me to the concept of using strips of zucchini as a substitute for traditional pasta. When I got started on the raw food vegan diet, I came across all kinds of recipes calling for "noodles" made from all kinds of different vegetables. You can have fun with...

• radish noodles
• zucchini noodles
• yellow squash noodles
• carrot noodles
• cucumber noodles
• beet noodles
• asparagus noodles
• even young coconut noodles

You can makes these using a spiralizer, a grater, and mandolin slicer, a vegetable peeler, or a knife. The sauces can be anything from marinara sauce to creamy mushroom sauce to pad thai sauce. The possibilities are endless! To soften the "noodles," just let them marinate in whatever sauce you use. No cooking required. "Easy Peasy," as they say.

This is great if you are trying to cut back on processed grain noodles, eat gluten free, eat more vegetables, or just have some more variety in the kitchen!

So, above, I created a sort of Mediterranean noodle dish. It is daikon noodles (made on a mandolin), marinated in a sauce of: sun-dried  tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, onion, basil, rosemary, thyme, with sunflower sprouts and asparagus. I warmed it in the dehydrator for half an hour before eating, and served it with a balsamic-dressed salad.

Not bad for eating raw food in a northern Minnesota winter!

18 Ways to Dramatically Improve Your Diet

Now that the decorations are put away, the cookies are eaten, and our lives are devoid of the hustle and bustle that took place just weeks ago, it seems like a good time to replenish our energies, restore our health, and look forward to the longer days and sunshine ahead. Of course, those of us who live within just a couple of hours' drive from Canada will have to wait just a little longer than the rest of you!

In the spirit of this rejuvenation, here's a list of what you can do now to contribute to your health and wellbeing as we begin 2010! :   (In no particular order...)

1. Decrease your consumption of animal protein, and eat more greens and raw fruits and vegetables.
2. Buy as much organic food as you can, especially for the dirty dozen.
3. Eat only organic/free-range/grass-fed meats and eggs.
4. Don't buy commercial milk. --Learn to make your own nut milks (It's easy!).
5. Have a green smoothie every morning for breakfast.
6. Learn to make your own salad dressings, using organic extra virgin olive oil.
7. READ LABELS. If you don't understand the ingredients, don't buy it.
8. Replace canola or "vegetable" oils with organic extra virgin olive oil (for dressings) and virgin coconut oil (for cooking).
9. Eliminate all genetically modified foods. These depress the immune system and cause a host of other problems, most of which have not even been recognized yet. (Look out for PLUs starting with 8). Avoid these common GMO ingredients: corn, canola, cottonseed, soy.
10. Eat only organic fermented soy: tamari, miso, tempeh, for example, and only on occasion. Don't eat soy substitutes, i.e. veggie burgers, soy milk, soy ice cream, etc. Soy messes with hormones and depresses the thyroid, among other things.
11. Eat a big salad of organic leafy greens every day. Add different fruit and vegetable combinations to keep it interesting.
12. Avoid SUGAR in all forms! White sugar (and brown sugar) is a drug. See William Dufty's book "Sugar Blues." Natural sweeteners are an improvement (maple syrup, honey), but are best eliminated for several months before added back in moderation. For your sweet tooth... try different kinds of fruit. Have you ever had a persimmon? a pomegranate? a dragon fruit? Have fun discovering new things!
13. Eliminate gluten (this means wheat, rye, barley, spelt, kamut, triticale, and oats unless labeled "gluten-free") from your diet. It is one of the most common allergens. Unfortunately, these are very prevalent in the standard American diet (SAD). Look out for pizza, pasta, crackers, breads, cereals, etc. There are gluten-free substitutes, but the healthiest way to consume any grain is in their "whole" form. Some gluten-free options include amaranth, buckwheat, millet, quinoa, brown rice, and corn.
14. Start weaning yourself from caffeine--especially coffee. Try Teeccino, Roma, or other natural coffee substitute. If you need that "lift" or mental focus try Yerba Mate tea, green tea, or Think O2 from Traditional Medicinals.
15. Avoid alcohol... at least for now. You can always add back some organic wine down the road for special occasions.
16. Avoid restaurant food. There's more in it than you'd ever want to know. It's easy to bring a salad for lunch, or pick up some organic fruit to grab on the go.
17. Instead of candy bars or even protein bars, try a Larabar. It's made of basic ingredients like dates and other dried fruit, nuts, and spices. You can even find a recipe to make your own! (just Google it)
18. When there's not much in season in the produce section, don't forget about frozen foods. You can get frozen asparagus, broccoli, peas... etc. Frozen is the next best thing after fresh. Avoid canned food!

This may seem overwhelming, so I recommend doing it a little at a time. Each week, pick one thing to work on. By summer you'll have made excellent progress and will likely reap benefits that come from eating healthy foods and eliminating the toxins so prevalent in our food supply. If that seems like too much to think about right now, start with this: Buy some buckwheat groats (they're gluten-free!) and make the buckwheat porridge pictured above. Here's the how to make it:

Buckwheat Porridge
(serves 1)

1/2 cup whole buckwheat groats
1/2 to 1 whole banana
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 to 1 tsp vanilla

Soak buckwheat groats in water overnight. Drain and rinse in the morning. Pour into blender. Add other ingredients and blend until smooth. Pour into a bowl to serve, and top with fresh (or thawed frozen) berries or fruit, perhaps sweetened with a bit of stevia. Enjoy!

An Epiphany: Raw Vegan Hot Fudge Brownie

Happy Epiphany! Today is the Twelfth Day of Christmas, and the day we western Christians (who follow the historic Church Year) commemorate Epiphany, the visit of the Magi to the Christ Child. Since "Epiphany" comes from the Greek word for "appearance" or manifestation, this day celebrates God's appearance (in the Person of Christ) to the Gentiles (non-Jews), including in this case the Magi.

In other countries, there have historically been special celebrations and traditions that surround this day. Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" or "As You Like It" was written to be performed at this time. Food, of course, is also a major player in such celebrations. In France, they celebrate with a special cake; in Spain, with a sweet bread; in India, a sweet rice pudding.

So, for a log house in the northwoods (in my case), how about a clone to a hot fudge brownie... maybe with some coconut creme? It's even good for you! ;) There's no chocolate, no sugar, no flour... and believe it or not, it's delicious!

This is more of a prescription than a recipe, but here goes:

Raw Vegan Hot Fudge Brownie with Coconut Cream
[This serves 1]

1-2 Tbsp Roasted (okay, so it's not completely raw) carob powder
1-2 Tbsp (same amount as carob) virgin coconut oil, liquified
2-3 Tbsp almond flour (almonds ground in coffee grinder)
1/8- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Coconut milk/cream (refrigerated, so it's nice and thick)

Slightly warm coconut oil to liquify. Meanwhile, spoon carob into a small dish. Pour coconut oil over it and stir. Mix in vanilla. Add almond flour as desired, to form a thick dough, yet just a bit "fudgey." Top with a dollop of coconut cream right out of the fridge. Enjoy!

Conscience-Friendly Christmas Delights: Part I

Christmas Eve is 10 days away! Now the crunch time is on... Christmas baking, Christmas shopping, Christmas programs, Christmas cards, Christmas letters... Christmas PARTIES. There are so many tempting cookies, candies, Christmas drinks, pastries...  And then there are those great Hallmark Christmas movies, where everyone seems to be making delicious sweets and goodies. Who can resist such a heavenly aroma? How can a person survive this time of year without the pounds of butter in those cookies adding pounds on the bathroom scale? After all, Christmas cookies and such are simply part of our Christmas tradition. I guess the January resolutions and weight-loss programs are also part of the tradition! (wink)

This time of the year, people gather for all kinds of parties and family get-togethers. There is generally so much food around, it's difficult to resist! And if you're the host, you'll have left-overs to tempt you for perhaps weeks ahead. We all know that the staples of Christmas baking (white flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, powdered sugar, butter, peanut butter, vegetable oil, etc) are not good for us. Is there a way to have some special foods this time of year without sabotaging our health at the same time? Definitely. Here are some simple ideas:

Appetizers:
Crudites! This is simply raw vegetables. Arrange sliced vegetables of a variety of colors on a beautiful platter. Broccoli, Cauliflower, Celery, and Red Bell Pepper make for a festive Christmas display. A delicious dip is the following:

Creamy Basil Brazil Nut Dip:

2 cups Brazil nuts, soaked overnight
1/8 cup lemon juice
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup water (or as needed to thin)

Add the brazil nuts (discard soaking water), lemon juice, garlic, basil, and salt to a high speed blender, adding water as needed, and blend until smooth. Adjust consistency as desired. (It will thicken once refrigerated). Serve with mixed raw vegetables.

Fresh and Dried Fruit & Nut Arrangement: This can be a beautiful tray. You may want to put the nuts and dried fruits or any especially juicing fresh fruits in smaller bowls on the tray to prevent anything from going soggy. Decorate with greenery, like fresh rosemary. Here are some ideas:

Dried fruits: cherries, white figs, medjool dates, mango, prunes

Fresh fruits: kiwi slices, apple slices (cut horizontally, so that you see the star in the middle) dipped in orange juice (to prevent browning), a small bowl of pomegranate seeds with a spoon, clementine oranges, pineapple chunks
Nuts: whole pecans walnuts, almonds, pistachios (not dyed), hazelnuts-- whatever you most enjoy.

Fruit Bowl: Pile it high with small apples, clementine oranges, baby bananas, and green pears. A centerpiece and healthy snacking all in one!

Pomegranate Punch: A beautiful ruby red festive Christmas beverage, garnished with orange and lemon sunbursts:

Pomegranate Punch
1 organic orange, unpeeled
1 organic lemon, unpeeled
1 bottle (2 liters) seltzer water, chilled
1 1/2 cups unsweetened 100% pomegranate juice
Sweetener (optional): raw honey or organic maple syrup to taste, some stevia, or a combination

Remove ends from orange and lemon and then cut four slices from each fruit. Combine seltzer, juice, and orange and lemon slices in a pretty pitcher or punch bowl.

What are those truffle-like cookies in the picture, you ask? Stay tuned... I'll tell you how to make them in an upcoming post!

10 Easy Ways to Stay Thinner and Healthier Through the Christmas Season

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Well, it's December, and we are only a couple of weeks away from Christmas!

What an exciting time of year! There's so much preparation that goes into these few weeks before Christmas, be it sending out Christmas cards, shopping for gifts, and oh, the food preparation! Cookies, fudge, candy, galore! It's kind of interesting how we spend lots of time shopping for special ingredients and making all kinds of delectable treats, and then eating with no thought to tomorrow or our long term health. Then, come January 1st, we make all kinds of new resolutions for solving the problem we created over Christmas: e.g. eating better, exercising more, etc. Is it possible to delight in some of the delicious food this season has to offer without having to make some major resolutions when we hit the new year?

I think so! Here are a few tips for participating in all the munching that goes on at Christmas parties and gatherings in the weeks ahead:

1. Drink... plenty of water! That will help to keep you from over-doing it when you get into the line for food.

2. Avoid/Limit... the SWEETS, especially made with white or brown sugar. Do what you can with less refined, more natural, sweeteners: dried fruits, honey, maple syrup, molasses, sucanat/rapadura (unrefined cane sugar). However, even these ought to be used sparingly. It's better to stick to whole foods.


3. Indulge... in lots of negative calorie foods. These are foods that require more energy (calories) to digest than they contain in themselves.

• Watch vegetable trays for: broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, cucumbers, radishes
• At a restaurant dinner, order a salad.
• For breakfast, have a grapefruit or a fruit salad of apples, mangoes, oranges, and pineapple
• Try frozen berries, especially in a green smoothie.

You'll notice all these things are high in fiber. So, whenever you can choose foods higher in fiber, you will help yourself to maintain (or help shrink) your waistline.

4. Enjoy... the natural whole food delights of the season: fresh pomegranates, oranges, apples, pears.

5. Be FESTIVE... with salads! Just another way to EAT those GREENS! Here's a recipe (more or less) for the festive salad pictured below, full of seasonal flavors:

Orange Spice Spinach Salad (all organic)
for One

Salad mix:
3 cups spinach
1 small apple, chopped
dried cherries and/or cranberries
unsulfured dried apricots, sliced
walnuts

Dressing:
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp orange zest
1/4 tsp nutmeg
salt to taste

Mix dressing ingredients together. Combine spinach and chopped apples, and toss with dressing. Arrange in bowl and top with dried fruit and nuts. *Tip: Another good addition would be clementine orange sections.

6. Create... eats and treats with coconut oil! Coconut oil helps to speed up the metabolism and aid in weight loss. You can learn all about the benefits of coconut oil at http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/. Some of the ways I enjoy using it are the following:

• Fruit Smoothies with the addition of 1-2 Tbsp of melted coconut oil blended in.
• Coconut oil instead of olive oil on a salad.
• Steamed sweet potatoes with coconut oil (instead of butter) and sea salt, as a side dish.
• Steamed broccoli or cauliflower... "        "as a side dish.
• Organic poporn popped in coconut oil, with sea salt.
• "Mounds" candy bars from the Nourishing Gourmet or Coconut Bark-Almond Joy at Real Food Living

A good resource for recipes is Eat Fat, Lose Fat: Lose Weight and Feel Great With the Delicious, Science-based Coconut Diet, by Mary Enig and Sally Fallon.

7. Stop eating at 6:00... on most occasions.  This simple rule will help to keep you from packing on the pounds. To help conquer cravings... have some herbal tea. Licorice and Peppermint are especially nice this time of year. For something more substantial, try some rooibos tea, which is more full-bodied.

8. Spike your drink... (that is, your water) with apple cider vinegar. This can help curb cravings and also help to break down body fat. Add a couple teaspoons to your water bottle and sip throughout the day. It will help keep your blood sugar level.

9. Don't stress it... Stress messes with your hormones, which can contribute to weight gain. Remember what Christmas is really about

10. Play... that is, exercise! Go play in the snow! Make snow angels, meet friends for an afternoon of ice skating, go cross country skiing, build a snow man, go sledding, try snowshoeing, go for a hike in the woods! Join the kids for some old fashioned fun in the snow. Have FUN!!!

It's November!

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Let the feasting begin!

 ...And look out for all those rich foods and junk foods coming your way!

It seems as though the trick-or-treat candy of Halloween marks the beginning of a season full of candies, rich foods, and baked goods. The fresh produce of summer and harvest time seems to fade into oblivion while rich meats and sugary treats take center stage. And it takes a toll on our health and well-being too. I do rather wonder if there's any connection between the increase in colds and flu as winter approaches and the increase in these less than ideal culinary indulgences...?

Here are a few ideas for HEALTHY SWAPS this upcoming holiday season:

Instead of: heavy, fattening stuffing or dressing...

Why not try: a lovely wild rice pilaf? (onions, pecans, parsley, dried apricots?) You can even add the additions after cooking the wild rice on its own. OR... you can sprout the wild rice and create an all raw dish!

 Instead of: adding butter and brown sugar to steamed squash...

Why not try: coconut oil (which aids in weight loss) and raw honey or organic maple syrup, plus some spices like cinnamon (stablizes blood sugar) and nutmeg?

Instead of: a creamed vegetable side dish...

Why not try: a crisp salad of romaine lettuce, fresh pears and/or apples, raw nuts, and dried cranberries, with a homemade vinaigrette?

Instead of: coffee with cream and sugar...

Why not try: caffeine-free rooibos (red) tea with coconut milk and organic maple syrup?

 Instead of: gooey sugary caramels...

Why not try: naturally sweet and chewy Medjool dates?

Instead of: the traditional baked apple pie...

Why not try: a raw version with nuts and fresh fruit?

What kind of healthy food options do you have in mind for these upcoming weeks as we approach Thanksgiving?

Pear, Walnut, and Sprout Green Salad

I had this delicious salad the other day, and just thought I'd share it with you. This salad features collard greens, which I think are not commonly thought of as a raw salad green. Collard leaves look like large flat fans. Their leaves have a bit of a waxy feel to them. The best way to make them into a raw salad is to cut out their stems, stack them up, roll them up, and use a chef's knife to cut across the roll, making 1/2-inch (or so) long ribbons! Then, put into a medium bowl with sea salt and an oil and vinegar dressing, and massage with your hands. That helps to break down the fibers to give the collards more of the feel of cooked greens. Arrange artistically in a salad bowl or plate. Then, top with remaining ingredients.

Here's the recipe (serves one hungry person for a main dish):

4 collard leaves

1/2 red bartlett pear

1/2 cup of lentil sprouts (or other sprouts)

1/4 cup of apple juice-sweetened dried cranberries

1/4 cup of raw walnuts

sea salt to taste

Dressing: I used a recipe from The Body Ecology diet. Basically, you could make one of apple cider vinegar, olive oil, and mustard. Follow directions as given above.

This is an excellent salad for fall... featuring many fall crops: pears, cranberries, walnuts. The lentil sprouts are another story-- perhaps another post. Sprouts are a great way to make it through the winter without the wide variety of produce. The are super-high in Vitamin C, B-vitamins, and.... well, I'll save that for another post. :)

Here's the salad 3/4 of the way through. Plan a good amount of time to eat... there's a lot of chewing involved! Bon Appetit!

Autumn Apple GREEN Smoothie

Photo Credit

So, I'm on this salad and green smoothie diet for another six weeks or so: Green smoothie for breakfast, salad for lunch, green smoothie for dinner. So far, I've been doing this for about a month and have therefore consumed 66 GREEN SMOOTHIES!!! If I'm going to pull this off for another 6 weeks, it's definitely time to get creative!

Today was a rather blustery, chilly, fall day here in northern Minnesota. On a day such as this, one craves something like spiced apple cider. But-- green smoothies are the thing right now. Besides, green smoothies are cleansing, revitalizing, and promote excellent health and energy. ~A wonderful way to get more GREENS in one's diet.

Here's a delicious way to get more GREENS in YOUR diet!

Spiced Apple Green Smoothie

8 oz (or so) of apple juice
1/2 a frozen pear (fresh works too)
a big handful of red leaf lettuce or mixed baby greens
1 tsp vanilla
Cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg to taste

If you're using a pear out of the freezer, let it sit in the blender with the apple juice to thaw it a bit. Add the greens and spices and blend. Add the spices to taste and blend until smoothie. Pour into a glass, sprinkle some nutmeg on top, and enjoy!

A Delicious Early Fall Snack: FIGS!

Ever tried a fresh fig? I hadn't until just a couple months ago. Wow... what a great experience! Go find some while it's still FIG SEASON! :) It's almost over!

Figs have been part of the culinary scene for a very long time. We can be sure they were a frequent treat in the Garden of Eden, as the noted presence of their leaves (Genesis 3:7) makes quite likely. They can be used in all kinds of different ways... in salads, as a sauce, on a pizza, in ice cream... I like them best like this:


Doesn't it look delicious?! YUM.

There are a few different kinds of figs that are usually available in our grocery stores (if you, like me, do not live in "fig country"). The kind pictured is called a Brown Turkey fig. Other common varieties are the dark-colored Black Mission, and greenish hued Kadota, Calimyrna, and Adriatic. Each has its own unique flavor, some sweeter, others less so.

According to the World's Healthiest Foods website, figs are a good source of:

• Antioxidants
• Dietary fiber
• Calcium
• Potassium
• Manganese
• Their leaves have also been used to treat diabetes, cancer, and conditions of high triglycerides.

Their season is June through early October... so get some while you can! (If you do miss out though, dried figs are also delicious).
Here are some ways to use fresh and dried figs:

• Fresh Fig and Rose Smoothie: http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2008/07/fresh_fig_and_rose_smoothie.php (Add some red lettuce to make it more nutritious, without spoiling the color with greens)
• Fruit Salad of fresh figs, grapes, and kiwi
• A HUGE salad of leafy greens (mixed spring greens or fresh herb salad) + grapefruit sections + dried figs (cut in halves or quarters) + pecans + dressing of olive oil, grapefruit juice, honey, sea salt
• Add dried figs to your favorite homemade granola recipe
• Stir dried figs into your breakfast porridge
• Eat a fresh fig like an apple and savor the flavor...
• Take a dried fig in one hand and some good organic dark chocolate in the other. Nibble some fig, then chocolate, then fig, then chocolate. Get more figs and chocolate. Continue. ;)

How about you? Have you had fresh or dried figs? How do you most enjoy them? Any ideas or recipes to share?

"Go Green"... with Green Smoothies

Photo Credit

Just about everyone knows they *should* include more green leafy vegetables in their diet. However, those are just the foods at which children tend to turn up their little noses. It took Popeye the Sailor Man half a century ago, to encourage the eating of spinach. After all, he knew it would help build strong muscles and give him lots of energy. It's true! (Although canned spinach hardly compares to fresh, raw greens). Green leafy vegetables, including spinach, chard, kale, collard greens, mustard greens and the like are full of important nutrients:

• Vitamin C
• Vitamins A, D, E, and K
• Fiber
• Cancer-fighting compounds
• Vitamin K, Calcium, and Magnesium, which help strengthen bones
• Heart-protective nutrients
• Anti-inflammatory agents
• Protective nutrients for eyesight
• Vitamins to improve cognitive function
• Iron for energy
• B Vitamins for energy and the ability to deal with stress
• Manganese to help balance blood sugar, activate enzymes, and improve thyroid function
• Trace minerals, which most Americans seem to be deficient in these days

These a truly "super-foods!" With all those benefits available to us, why should we skimp on our greens?!

Okay. So, not everyone likes to eat salads three times a day. Especially not for breakfast. And those green leafies are a lot of fiber and can take FOREVER to eat properly (chewing *at least* 30 times per mouthful until you have created a watery "bolus," but that's another discussion). So, how can we make sure to get our greens--reducing them to a pulverized state so our bodies can digest them well-- without taking an hour or two for each meal?

Ann Wigmore (1909-1994) was co-founder of the Hippocrates Health Institute and the author of several books on "living foods." She was both a holistic health practitioner and a nutritionist, and a strong advocate of a diet that consists of only whole, raw, "living" foods. To include more greens in a form that is easier on the digestive system, she pioneered the blending of greens into raw "soups," which were then served at the Hippocrates Institute to those who were working to overcome serious illness.

Green Smoothies were made popular by a woman named Victoria Boutenko, a Russian woman who came to America with her husband and two children in the 1990s. She was invited to teach about Russia at community college in Denver. When she and her family first arrived, they were thrilled with the new variety of "foods" sold in American grocery stores... things that were convenient and didn't take much time or effort to make, i.e. our great variety of processed foods. After consuming American processed foods from grocery stores and fast food restaurants nearly exclusively, all four of the Boutenkos became very ill. The father had rhumatoid arthritis, the mother was obese, the son had juvenile diabetes, the daughter had athesma. After a lot of research and networking, they stumbled onto the raw food vegan way of eating. Gradually, their health problems went away, and they regained vibrant health. As a part of this new way of eating, Victoria struggled to get more greens into her family's diet, in a way that was palatable and more exciting than simply eating salads all the time. The answer? Green Smoothies! She even wrote a book about the benefits of including daily green smoothies as a part of a healthy diet: Green For Life.

Green smoothies, as mentioned in a previous post, are simply delicious fruit smoothies with a handful or two of leafy green goodness blended right in! Some basic guidelines follow:

• Fruit or berry base (frozen berries, fresh or frozen bananas, other fruit or combinations: pears, oranges, pineapple, coconut flesh, apple, etc)
• liquid to thicken (water, coconut water, coconut milk, juice, low-or non-caffeinated tea)
• sweetener (soaked dried fruit like dates, raw honey, stevia)
• greens (spinach, kale, collards, arugula, chard, mustard greens, dandelion greens, foraged greens, parsley, cilantro)
• optional additional herbs/spices/flavorings: mint, basil, coconut oil, vanilla, almond extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, etc)

Challenge for the week:

Using the guidelines above, experiment on your own. If you come up with a particularly delicious recipe you'd like to share, post it below!

For more information:

http://www.rawfamily.com/

http://www.greenforlife.com/

http://www.whfoods.com/

The Ecopolitan + Green Smoothie Recipe

Hi everyone! Just thought I'd let you know what's occupying my time lately. Since I got back from foraging, I have been staying at the Ecopolitan restaurant in the Twin Cities, where I am receiving treatment from the doctor who owns it, Dr. Adiel Tel-Oren. He is an M.D., a retired chiropractor, a nutritionist, and a professor at the University of Natural Medicine in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with a number of other degrees and certifications. If you're wondering about his name... it is Israeli. He also has clinics in Israel, Italy, and California-- He gets around!

So, while I have been here, I have been receiving various therapies and eating 3 meals a day at the Ecopolitan organic, vegan, raw food restaurant. You can read more about it here: http://www.ecopolitan.com/healthyfood/the-restaurant/129-healthy-restaurant-gold-standards Since I'm in the recovery process, my choices are limited to green smoothies and salads, but they are incredibly good! Since I also have discovered I have a number of food sensitivities (46, in fact), I can't really order straight off the menu. So, I get to do the "Custom Salad" and "Custom Smoothie." My smoothies are always Green Smoothies.

What is a Green Smoothie, you ask? Well, basicly, it's just a fruit smoothie with a handful or two of leafy greens. Options include kale, arugula, spinach, lettuce, parsley, cilantro, mustard greens... really whatever you have. Freshly foraged greens are even better! Frozen fruit helps make the smoothie cool and refreshing-- a good reason for picking berries in the summer and freezing them for fresh tasting smoothies through the winter months ahead. Here's an especially delicious smoothie I had the other day:

Frosty Kiwi-Pear-Cilantro Green Smoothie:

2 frozen pears

2 fresh kiwis

1 handful (or 2 if you're brave!) fresh cilantro

Blend, add water to thin if necessary, and enjoy!

A Delicious Pumpkin Smoothie

Photo Source

So, I really wasn't ready to think about fall just yet... But since I'm on this 4-day rotation diet, and therefore limited to what I am allowed to eat each day, I resorted to using some canned pumpkin yesterday evening to make a rather filling smoothie for dinner. It turned out quite delicious, so I thought I'd share the recipe. I adjusted ingredients "to taste," but here's the general recipe:

Creamy Pumpkin Smoothie

1/2 cup canned organic pumpkin
1/4 cup full fat coconut milk
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup ice cubes
1 Tbsp of honey or maple syrup (I used 1 packet of Sweet Leaf stevia)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp maca powder, optional (used to build the adrenal glands)

Combine ingredients in a blender and BLEND. Add additional water to thin as necessary, and adjust the other ingredients "to taste." Try cinnamon, cloves, ginger, or pumpkin pie spice, if you like. (Serves one)

Enjoy!

Blackberries!

 

It's September 1st! I suppose that means the end of summer... but I'm not quite ready to give up on warm sunny days and maybe even some swimming in the lake just yet. Not having to head "Back 2 School" as they say, I'm still thinking about things like foraging for wild berries. :) The last few weeks, I've made almost daily trips to a couple spots not far from our house to pick wild blackberries. Somehow, it's just thrilling to be able to go outside and come back with a container full of free (organically and locally grown!) food.

There's always a lot of talk in the health world about what they call "Superfoods": goji berries, acai, cacao... The question is: why are these superfoods always from other countries? It's great that the blueberries are gettings some credit, but what about blackberries?

Some of the Health Benefits of Blackberries include:

• A high level of anti-oxidants which protect against cancer and chronic disease
• Reduction of inflammation
• Anti-Bacterial activity
• A good source of Vitamin K, which aids in blood clotting and in the absorption of Calcium

Besides... they're DELICIOUS!
If you don't have access to wild blackberries near you, they are often available at Farmer's Markets and of course in the supermarket.
Some of the ways I recommend using them are:

• Smooshing them into a sort of "jam." Spread some sourdough toast with nut butter, top with blackberries, and finish with a drizzle of honey over the top (a good way to avoid sugar)
• As a topping for plain yogurt with a drizzle of honey
• In a fruit salad with other berries (raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, even cherries)
• As a topping for homemade frozen yogurt or ice cream
• In a smoothie with coconut milk or yogurt, sweetened with maple syrup
• As a sauce for pancakes (either blended raw with a squeeze of lemon juice or cooked on the stove)
• Blended into a sauce for a fruit salad of peaches, cherries, and plums.

What a wonderful way to end a summer!