The Pink Breakfast Smoothie

THE PINK BREAKFAST SMOOTHIE

Thanks to mamaowlblog.com for the recipe!

Probiotics You Make At Home For Almost No Money

Probiotic discussions are popping up all over my circle of the internet lately. I wanted to share this repost......

A probiotic is a mystical and wonderful thing - at least it used to be. Now, it is the first thing I reach for each and every morning. Why? Let me tell you why.....

The term 'probiotic' literally means 'for life.' Looking at this definition, it then seems logical that we can determine what an 'anti-biotic' does. It is 'anti-life.' I even Googled it for you....

When a person takes antibiotics, both the harmful bacteria and the beneficial bacteria are killed. A reduction of beneficial bacteria can lead to digestive problems, such as diarrhea, yeast infections and urinary tract infections. The possibility that supplemental probiotics affect such digestive issues is unknown, and remains under study.

So once again, if we go back and look at the probiotic, it will help alleviate digestive problems, yeast infestations and urinary tract infections. Yet they just finished saying that there is only a 'possibility' that supplemental probiotics do these things. I could beg to differ, but I don't have to beg. I know what they do for me.

There are many probiotics on the market, and some of them are quite amazing, and then there are those that claim they are active cultures, but we end up paying far too much for something that doesn't work because we don't understand it.

The very first probiotic I ever tried was ACIDOPHILUS. We could purchase it in capsule form too, so we were off! Here is the best explanation for what it is that I could find (thanks, New Well Being.Com).

Lactobacillus acidophilus is a "friendly" strain of bacteria used to make yogurt and cheese. Although we are born without it, acidophilus soon establishes itself in our intestines and helps prevent intestinal infections.

Acidophilus also flourishes in the vagina, where it protects women against yeast infections. Acidophilus is one of several microbes known collectively as probiotics (literally, "pro life," indicating that they are bacteria and yeasts that help rather than harm). Others include the bacteria L. bulgaricus, L. reuteri, L. plantarum, L. casei, B. bifidus, S. salivarius, and S. thermophilus and the yeast Saccharomyces boulardii.

Your digestive tract is like a rain forest ecosystem, with billions of bacteria and yeasts rather than trees, frogs and leopards. Some of these internal inhabitants are more helpful to your body than others. Acidophilus and related probiotics not only help the digestive tract function, they also reduce the presence of less healthful organisms by competing with them for the limited space available. For this reason, use of probiotics can help prevent infectious diarrhea.

Antibiotics can disturb the balance of your "inner rain forest" by killing friendly bacteria. When this happens, harmful bacteria and yeasts can move in and flourish. This can lead to vaginal yeast infections.

Whenever you take antibiotics, you should probably take probiotics as well, and continue them for some time after you are done with the course of treatment. Although we believe that they are helpful and perhaps even necessary for human health, we don't have a daily requirement for probiotic bacteria. They are living creatures, not chemicals, so they can sustain themselves in your body unless something comes along to damage them, such as antibiotics.

Cultured dairy products such as yogurt and kefir are good sources of acidophilus and other probiotic bacteria. Supplements are widely available in powder, liquid, capsule,or tablet form. Grocery stores and natural food stores both carry milk that contains live acidophilus.

Interesting, right? Keep in mind that when we hear 'yogurt' that they don't mean the store bought processed yogurt that won't have what we need in it (processed never does). Acidophilus is just one probiotic, and we haven't gotten to the recipe yet - we have to keep moving forward.....

Once I explored wellness further, I learned that if a probiotic purchased at the store isn't refrigerated, it doesn't have much use in our guts. It is broken down and digested/eliminated before we are able to extract anything useful and what we do get ends up a mediocre help to our systems.

So I started buying the refrigerated probiotics. I thought they were incredible! The RENEW LIFE probiotics were expensive to me (I am a very thrifty gal) at $60 for 60 capsules - but I bought them and I know what a difference they made. I felt so much better!

The probiotics we bought were always kept in the fridge, and I kept them in the door so I was always reminded at breakfast to take them.

I also made and drank REJUVELAC - a liquid made from soaking brown rice in water. Straining off the liquid, another probiotic is created. Hubby and I had been popping a probiotic capsule every morning, so trying this was definitely more work intensive. It was a learning process and we embraced every new idea or theory with an open mind.

The recipe for the brown rice rejuvelac is in my book, "The Fat Girl Now 50% Lighter. We got the recipe from someone who had been making their own for years. We took it every day in place of the capsule - but we found difficulty in getting around one simple aspect of the self-made rejuvelac.

It tasted like baby puke.

At this point in my wellness journey, it didn't matter to me. I choked it down every day with a water chaser and patted myself on the back for getting through another one. If I didn't rev myself up psychologically, I'd never do it. The smell alone....

The reason I kept taking the horrid stuff? It worked far better than anything else I had tried - and my 'balance' between mind, body and spirit continued to improve. Of course, we weren't simply waiting for rejuvelac to do all the work for me - what I ate still mattered, but the flora balance of my guts kept getting better, making life improve overall.

This year, that same wonderful, amazing rejuvelac maker who had helped me in the past returned to save me yet again. She had with her a new, improved rejuvelac recipe - and this one doesn't taste like baby puke at all! In fact, when hubby and I first went to try it, we braced ourselves - and then we happily discovered it tastes like water. Bonus!

The new rejuvelac is made with spelt berries. They are really spelt seeds, just with a fancy name.

So, the recipe is beyond simple - it goes like this;


DAY 1:
*In a quart jar put 1 cup of spelt berries and 2 cups of water.
*Cover with a cheesecloth.
*Set on your counter top for 24 hours.



DAY 2:
*Drain water and discard this water.
*Add 2 more cups of water to the jar.
*Let stand for 48 hours.






DAY 3:
Do nothing, you're supposed to be leaving it for 24 hours, remember? Think of all the things you can do with this extra time! You could go for a walk - head to the park and take a picnic....or go play in the mud.....or write your friend a letter...on real paper.....but you'll have to do something because you don't have to do this. Not today.





DAY 4:
*Your Rejuvelac is ready!
*Strain the 'water' off and store in a new, clean glass jar.
*This will make up your Rejuvelac.
*Add 2 cups of water to the original jar.
*Let stand for 24 hours.






DAY 5:
*Strain all liquid into the 'straining' jar.
*You should have 1 quart of Rejuvelac in the jar now (no berries - they are in the other jar all alone now).
*Refrigerate your Rejuvelac for up to 21 days!


When we are finished with the spelt berries, we take them and plant them in dirt. Waste not, want not - and we always cut the blades of grass that grow, dry and powder them and use them in smoothies. Spelt berries can be purchased at your local bulk foods place or from an organic grower like Integrity Foods in Riverton, Manitoba. They are far less cheaper and go farther than a store bought probiotic.

The spelt berry grass (as I call it) - if it seems work intensive, I assure you it isn't. They grow all on their own, you merely have to cut and dry it when it is ready. The benefits to our wellness is amazing and it never hurts to keep exploring.

Now - the final instructions. I try to make everything as fun as I can, otherwise it just isn't worth doing.

I take a shot glass and fill it with my Rejuvelac. This will be referred to as my morning 'shot.'

Once I started exploring wellness, I realized there were still some things that I had to psych myself up for.....like the first Rejuvelac recipe I had.

This one is a breeze to take - but hubby and I still put it in a shooter glass each every morning, share a smile, a toast to wellness - then we chug 'er down.

It's empowering to know you're making the right choices for yourself - and doing it like a boss!

How will you know Rejuvelac is working for you? My experience has been this; when I first started taking it, I really noticed that my guts started moving more. Yes, by that I mean I was attending the washroom area of my home more frequently. I could hear the burbling of my tummy as things in the bacterial world started re-balancing.

These days, I take a shot every morning to maintain things in the digestive world (and all of the other great reasons).

Do you have experience with Rejuvelac? I'd love to hear about it - feel free to leave a comment.
Rock your day!

10 Things to Do Instead of Binging

One of the most popular posts I have ever made centered around binging.

I thought a repost was definitely in order.

I love inspirational lists. 

I used to make them myself when I was sorting out the chaos that was my life, my thoughts and my wellness.

Lists make order of things we can't seem to make order of.....for me, it is all about the visual. I just learn better that way and I feel far more centered organizing thoughts on paper.

I found this helpful list - and although I think that if you really do not want to learn the guitar, you shouldn't have to - this list is great! 

Replace the items in the list with something as appropriate. 

The list itself is only to give us an idea of the possibilities that can help curb cravings 

that lead to binge eating.

You can add or remove items from this list as you choose. It is YOUR LIST.

Heck, rewrite the whole thing - as long as you keep moving forward and feeling improvements - you'll know you're on the right track.

Rock your day!

Carrot & Orange Cake Recipe

Cake, anyone? Carrot and orange cake sounds delicious in itself - but when we realized there was another great recipe out there that would take on our juicing pulp leftovers. If you have juiced, still juice - you know those carrot pulp scraps can build....and what do we do with them?
Although carrot pulp can be somewhat dry (that was the point of juicing - to remove the juice of the little carrot...so you may want to add a touch of liquid to the recipe if you go the route of the pulp.

There used to be guilt over tossing them out - no more! The cake is here......

For the cake

• 3 cups carrots, finely grated
• 2 cups pecans, ground in a food processor
• 1/4 cup raisins, roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 1/2 teaspoon mixed spice*
• Date paste**
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
• 1/2 cup desiccated coconut

* Mixed spice is a blend of cinnamon, coriander seed, caraway, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. You can use pumpkin pie spice.

** Make the date paste by grinding 1 cup soft dates and 1/2 cup orange juice in a food processor until smooth.

1. Thoroughly mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.
2. Shape into individual cakes or press into one large cake, ready to be cut at the end.
3. Place on a dehydrator sheet and dehydrate at 115 degrees F for 8 – 12 hours. If you don’t have a dehydrator, you can simply place the cake into the fridge to set.

For the frosting

• 1 1/2 cup cashews
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons coconut nectar or honey
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth.
2. Place in fridge to achieve a thicker consistency and spread on cake when you’re ready to serve.
3. Garnish cake with nutmeg.

Recipe from: http://www.therawchef.com

Date Coconut Balls

Credit for this post & photograph goes to: City Kitchen Chronicles

DATE COCONUT BALLS

1 c raw (untoasted) almonds
1 c plump dates (a generous cup)
3/4 c unsweetened shredded coconut, divided
1/2 t vanilla extract
1/2 t cinnamon
pinch of salt
1/2 c mini chocolate chips (optional)

0) Optional: pre-soak the dates and almonds in cold water. Almonds: a few hours; dates: 15-30 minutes.

1) Food-process the almonds to small crumbs. (If you have a tiny single-person food processor, you may have to do this in batches.)

2) Add a couple of dates and process again, until combined. Repeat until dates are gone.

3) Add vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. The mixture may look dry and breadcrummy, but it should eventually make a ball. If this doesn't happen, add a couple more dates.

4) In a medium bowl, combine date mix, chocolate chips, and 1/2 cup coconut. Stir thoroughly.

5) To a separate bowl or small dish, add remaining 1/4 cup coconut. With your hands, mold dough into 1-inch balls. Then, roll them around the coconut until coated. 

6) Place balls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or waxed paper. (Or silpat. Or aluminum foil.) Chill in freezer several hours, until firm. "Remove from freezer and serve thawed."

(Note from Suite 101: "You can store these in a sealed container in the fridge or freezer. They taste best when cold, but not frozen.")

Approximate Calories, Fat, and Price Per Piece
83 calories, 5 g fat, $0.18

Calculations

1 c raw almonds: 821 calories, 72 g fat, $1.75
1 c plump dates: 628 calories, 0.3 g fat, $2.00
3/4 c unsweetened shredded coconut, divided: 480 calories, 44 g fat, $0.75
1/2 t vanilla extract: 6 calories, 0 g fat, $0.06
1/2 t cinnamon: negligible calories and fat, $0.02
pinch of salt: negligible calories and fat, $0.01
1/2 c mini chocolate chips: 560 calories, 32 g fat, $0.80
TOTAL: 2495 calories, 148.3 g fat, $5.39
PER SERVING (TOTAL/30): 83 calories, 5 g fat, $0.18

You may want to leave out those chocolate chips.....the choice is yours. ;)

Rock your day!

Wanna Eat a Petri-Burger?

 
 

It's beef....as we know it. Reddened with beet juice and saffron, the grown tissue was fried up after being researched, developed and created in a petri dish over the course of 5 years.

They kind of resemble the boxed burgers we already have in stores.......

Would you eat it?

I Took a Deep Breath.....

 

Whatever it is.....repeat after me......

 

Today - I commit to 'letting it go.'

The Canadian Prairies Has A 'Super Fruit'

 

If you're going to be categorized as a 'super fruit' you're going to have to be worthy of the name. So what makes a super fruit? If something is high in antioxidants, it can soar above other foods in the ability to fight cancer, inflammation, aging, cardiovascular disease and boost our immune systems - and that my friends is a super fruit.

 I read that they were more antioxidant than blueberries.......

Saskatoons are grown strictly in Canada, with the three main provinces that host this plant being Sakatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba.

 

 I looked into saskatoons a little more and discovered this;

 

Saskatoon Nutrients  The Journal of Food Science

Volume 47 1982  Dr. G. Mazza

Saskatoons appear to be an excellent source of manganese, magnesium, iron, calcium, potassium, copper and carotene.  A 100 gm serving of fresh saskatoons will supply 88 mg. of calcium or 11 % of the Recommended Dietary Allowance.  Saskatoons can be considered a better source of calcium than red meats, vegetables and cereals. 

Saskatoons supply 33.8 % of the Recommended Dietary Allowance of manganese and 7% of the Recommended Dietary Allowance of copper.

Recent research indicates saskatoons have very high components of phenolics, flavonols and anthocyanins.

Saskatoons are high in sugar, rich in Vitamin C, and also contain more than three times as much iron and copper in the same weight as raisins.

 

I was thrilled to learn that my yard is surrounded by bushes of saskatoons! They may need some TLC to get them really producing berries, but it is a step forward!

 

All of the information is great, but we need to put it to good use to make a difference in our lives - so off we went to pick what we could find. I prefer mine in something like a smoothie - the rest of the family loves them fresh picked.

 

There are benefits all around us - natural, cost effective ways to boost our immune systems and feel better overall.

Saskatoons are one of those great ways! Rock your day....and eat some berries!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Black Bean Burgers

I have never been a real fan of beans. I mean, really, there is nothing terribly exciting about a bean. They are virtually flavorless....unless 'yuck' is a flavor.

I avoided beans for one reason. Other stuff tasted better. I never realized (or wanted to) that beans may not look or taste all that wonderful alone, but they can be coupled with other flavors and magic is made. Not only that, but beans have the power to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. Let's not forget the fiber!

So, when we made the transition and started incorporating more beans into our diets, the world of nutrition really started opening up. Food became more interesting - do you know how many types of beans there are? Beans are also an excellent meat replacement....y'know....if you're looking for one.

Enough chatting....time for a recipe!

Beans. Try them - you'll be just as surprised as I was!

Black Bean Burgers from Ultimate Vegetarian Global Cafe Cookbook
by: Denise

Makes 10 (1/3) cup burgers

Olive Oil or water to cook onion
1 Med. onion, finely chopped
3-4 cloves garlic minced
(2) 15 oz Cans black beans, drained OR 3 cups cooked black beans
1 1/2 cup soft breadcrumbs of more if needed (we make our own)
1 tsp chili powder or substitute
1/2 tsp.ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt

Cook onion until tender in olive oil or water in non-stick pan.

Mash together beans, bread crumbs, chili powder, cumin and salt.

Stir in cooked onion and garlic, mix well. (If too moist, add more bread crumbs).

Very lightly coat a non-stick pan with coconut oil, then drop about 1/3 cup portions into skillet and flatten into burgers. Brown on both sides.

Serve with spelt bread buns, sliced tomato, onion or lettuce. Add parmesan cheese if desired... or just serve as you like!

Enjoy!

Stress - Tell It To F*** Off!

Stress.

We hear the word and shoulders everywhere tighten up. No one wants to let stress in, or admit they already have done so. Stress is looked at these days kind of like the way we breathe in pollutants all day long and we say nothing. We just live with it - another pollutant.

Stress is a normal physical response to events that make you feel threatened or upset your balance in some way. When you sense danger – whether it’s real or imagined – the body's defenses kick into high gear in a rapid, automatic process known as the “fight-or-flight” reaction, or the stress response. Psychologist Connie Lillas uses a driving analogy to describe the three most common ways people respond when they’re overwhelmed by stress:

• Foot on the gas – An angry or agitated stress response. You’re heated, keyed up, overly emotional, and unable to sit still.
• Foot on the brake – A withdrawn or depressed stress response. You shut down, space out, and show very little energy or emotion.
• Foot on both – A tense and frozen stress response. You “freeze” under pressure and can’t do anything. You look paralyzed, but under the surface you’re extremely agitated.

I was always the 'foot on the gas' stressed out person. I could get it done if you just  got out of my way - and when I couldn't, I never quit just in case I could. It was irrational and ridiculous to even think I should have to stress myself over anything.

I remember back when I had to leave my house to go to work, the winter weather would make me nuts. I was stressed out every night going to bed wondering how the highway drive in to work would be the next day. I would play out scenarios about my husband and child in a car together - the 'worries' we create out of nothing are simply our silly selves creating unnecessary stress.

I was also the type of gal who never admitted to having stress.

First things first - we have to admit it.  We all have some elements of stress in our lives - it is how we deal with it that counts. If we find ourselves displaying behaviors as seen in the lists above, some adjustments are on the way. Everything can cause us to lose our ability to cope if we let it.

Our coping skills matter. Do you have innovative ways of dealing with stress? Share in the comments section.....and then tell stress to f*** off. ;)

Thanks to this website for the information!

Superfood Brownie Recipe

Part of the transition from garbage, Standard 'American' diet food is the realization that most of the favorite comfort foods fall by the wayside due to lack of nutritional content. No matter, we humans adjust well and in no time we can replace those old habits with new, nutritionally viable alternatives.

Take these brownies for example.....you're welcome.

Not only are they packed with real flavor - not that chemically created laboratory Franken-flavor - these are actually good for you.

Yup. It's here. The food revolution is happening!

Not only will you feel better about having one....or three of these suckers, you'll have more energy and get your nutrients too!

 

Ingredients

2 cups whole walnuts (finely chop 1/2 cup)
2 cups Medjool dates, pitted
1 cup raw cacao
1/2 banana, mashed
1 Tbsp coconut oil
¼ tsp sea salt

Methods/steps

In a food processor grind 1 1/2 cups of the walnuts until fine, then add the dates and pulse until blended. 
Add the raw cacao, banana, coconut oil and salt.  Once smooth stir in the 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts.

Spoon brownie batter onto a square cake pan lined with parchment paper or plastic wrap, or form the batter into small squares and set onto a large plate.

Decorate the top of the brownies with Goji berries, cocoa powder or shredded coconut and place into the refrigerator for an hour to chill and harden a bit.

Brownies will keep in refrigerator for a few days - but they'll be long gone by then.

Thanks, Raw Food Recipes.Com.

Rock your day....and have a brownie for me!

10 Things to Do Instead of Binging

I love inspirational lists. I used to make them myself when I was sorting out the chaos that was my life, my thoughts and my wellness.

 

Lists make order of things we can't seem to make order of.....for me, it is all about the visual. I just learn better that way and I feel far more centered organizing thoughts on paper.

 

I found this helpful list - and although I think that if you really do not want to learn the guitar, you shouldn't have to - this list is great! 

 

Replace the items in the list with something as appropriate. The list itself is only to give us an idea of the possibilities that can help curb cravings that lead to binge eating.

 

 

 

Rock your day!

 

 

 

 

 

Red Pepper Hummus in Cucumber Cups

Wellness and eating right doesn't have to be boring or taste bland. That was one of forty bazillion fears I had when I started this whole 'new me' endeavor. It didn't stop me - fear rarely has, but it did make me frown more than a little to know that I would be without those cozy foods I had grown (bigger) to love so much.

We can adjust to most anything.........

Those who have read my book, The Fat Girl Now 50% Lighter know that I didn't start on this wellness journey to get fit, feel great or lose weight. I started 'changing my ways' after I realized my health had been severely compromised after years of ignoring myself.


Things change - and now we enjoy trying new and flavorful foods that also keep us well.

I found this recipe and wanted to see if the red pepper aspect of it tasted like those yummy appetizers of yesteryear.....it does, only better.

Ingredients

• 2 cups canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 7-oz. jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1/3 cup tahini
• 1/4 cup lemon juice (from 1 large lemon)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil                               
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin                
• Salt and pepper                
• 2 English cucumbers                

 

Preparation

Combine chickpeas, red peppers, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, salt, pepper and 1 T bsp. hot water in food processor and puree until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.

Cut cucumbers into 1/2 -inch-thick slices and scoop out seeds with a small spoon or melon baller, leaving bottom intact to form a cup. Fill each cup with hummus and serve.

(thanks myrecipes.com.)

Mango Mint Shake - Get Summer Started!

 


I love summertime! In my neck of the woods summer stays for a couple of months before the season fades to winter again.

No matter, every moment is enjoyed - and with this drink, you'll be sure to savor all of that summertime flavor.

I enjoy nothing more than relaxing in my yard after a good day's efforts and sipping on a drink that not only cools me, but I know is good for me.

Fruit smoothies you buy at the stores or fast food places can't touch a home made concoction! Those other drinks? Not much but sugar in all of its various forms.

Instead of spending too much money on that stuff, why not try this......

Mango Mint Shake

2 cups fresh mango chunks
1½ cup chilled almond milk
12-15 fresh mint leaves
2 tablespoons honey, or according to taste (this recipe originally called for sugar, but I have adapted it).

Blend together all the ingredients until smooth and creamy. Serve in tall glasses, and garnish with mint leaves.

Thanks to Induget'sCooking for the recipe!.

Lemon Dream Bars

Lemon Dream Bars
Makes 6 bars

Crust:
1 cup raw pecans
2 pitted and chopped dates
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
1 - 2 teaspoons of honey
Pinch of sea salt

Filling:
1 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup coconut oil softened at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 1/2 - 4 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon honey
Pinch of sea salt
Zest from rind of one small lemon

1. Place the pecans and cashews in separate bowls and fill each of them with water. Let the nuts soak for 2 hours.
2. For the crust, drain and rinse the pecans and place them in a food processor with the salt and dates. Blend the nuts until finely chopped. 
3. Add the lemon juice and honey to the food processor. Blend until the nuts are a dough-like consistency. Taste and add more honey or a little olive oil to make sure the nuts stick together.
4. Fill a muffin tin with cupcake liners. Use 2 liners for each compartment, which will provide added strength.
5. Gently press a portion of the nut crust into the bottom of each cupcake liner in the muffin tin. Use a spoon to flatten the nuts together. Place the muffin tin in the freezer for about 30 minutes to let the small crusts firm up.
6. When the crusts have been in the freezer for about 30 minutes, start making the filling.
7. To make the filling, wash your lemon. Grate or zest the outermost rind of the lemon.
8. Drain and rinse the cashews. Place the cashews in a high-speed blender. A Vitamix blender works best for this filling. 
9. Add the coconut oil, vanilla, honey, salt, lemon juice, lemon zest, and water. Blend until the mixture has the consistency of thick melted ice cream. 
10. Taste the filling and add more lemon, honey, water, or vanilla to develop the flavor to your liking.
11. Take the muffin tin out of the freezer and pour a portion of the filling on top of each tiny crust. You may have some leftover filling that you can use as a topping on fresh fruit.
12. Place the muffin tin back in the freezer and let your lemon bars harden. This might take a couple of hours. You can leave them over night in the freezer and serve them the next day if you choose.
13. Before serving, take the muffin tin out of the freezer, remove each lemon bar (still wearing its cupcake liner), put them on a plate, and place them in the refrigerator for a couple of hours to let your lemon bars soften a bit before eating.

7,776 Casserole Meal Ideas In One Blog Post.

Looking for meal ideas that are healthy and not just saying they are? Look no further! I was toodling about one day and came across a piece of paper my mom had given me awhile ago. She, like a few other ladies I know, is always looking out for me when it comes to new recipes and ideas. I store them in one area until I can get to them, explore or create them and then review them.

The title caught my eye first; "In Case You're Stuck." I can't tell if mom typed this out or it came from a book. Either way, she knows me well.

You wanna talk protein combinations? Wow!

Here's what the paper says;

"The work of Anna Gordon, dietician at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, makes casseroles particularly worthy of mention. Eating better for less (Rodale Press) called it, 'an amazing piece of work' (and I agree), and reports, 'Anyone who says meatless eating is boring should take a look at this chart. Using only thirty ingredients, it has an unbelievable 7,776 possible meals.

As always, I was intrigued!

How It Works

 

1.> Choose an item from each category. There are 5 categories.

2.> Take the first 4 ingredients and combine them.
3.> Bake for thirty minutes at 375 celcius.
4.> Select 1 ingredient from column 5 for topping, bake for 15 more minutes at 325 celcius.
5.> Season to taste at the table and serve with whole grain bread.




MILLET

CATEGORY #1: (2 cups cooked of either):
Brown Rice
Whole Wheat Macaroni
Millet
Whole Wheat Spaghetti
Bulgar Wheat
Whole Wheat Noodles

 

 

 

 

 

 

CATEGORY #2: (1 cup cooked of either):

 

KIDNEY BEANS

Pinto Beans

Lima Beans

Peas

Kidney Beans

Black Beans

Garbonzo Beans (Chick Peas)

  

CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP

CATEGORY #3: (Sauce):

Cream of Tomato

Cream of Potato

Cream of Mushroom

Cream of Celery

Cream of Leek/Onion

Cream of Pea

 

 

 

 

 

 

CATEGORY #4: (Veggies to make 1 1/2 cups):

Sautéed Celery and Green Onion

Mushroom & Bamboo Shoots

Sautéed Green Pepper & Garlic

Cooked Green Beans

Cooked Carrots

Sautéed Onion & Pimento

CATEGORY #5: (Topping):
Wheat Germ
Slivered Almonds
Soy Grits
Grated Cheese
Nutritional Yeast
Sunflower Seeds







There are certain things I would choose to do differently with these recipes. I wouldn't select the grated cheese one, but I may substitute feta. I wouldn't use nutritional yeast, but I would enhance one topping with a ground flax mixture. I would also make my own home made soups for sauces before using canned soups. The sodium alone.....yikes.....

The world is our oyster - and these 7,776 recipe combinations just made life a whole lot simpler!

Enjoy - and share what you make. ;)

Cruciferous Cauliflower

Cruciferous. It stirs up visions of crusty weirdness in my mind when I hear it. It is the one true word I have related only to the cauliflower since learning it all of those years ago. Now you have gained V.I.P access into the inner workings of my mind. Lucky you!

So, the cauliflower - that's what I'm getting at. That delicious florette filled numiness that I love, especially coupled with dill. There are so many ways to prepare and enjoy this delight that I thought I'd share some of them whilst offering a plethora of nutritional benefits.

I give you.....

The wonderful cauliflower. Looks good, doesn't it?

I saute cauliflower in coconut oil, add fresh dill and garlic and toss until lightly browned. Just before plating this treat, I squeeze in the juice of half a fresh lemon - it is to live for! My family loves this dish.

You can also roast cauliflower florettes in the oven with a little sea salt and coconut oil - tastes remarkably like popcorn! You're welcome....

So, I never used to wonder about things like nutritional value - but these days I'm all about learning.

Here are some interesting facts about the cauliflower:

1.> It fights diseases with two main ingredients; indole-3-carbinol, or 13C, and the photonutrient sulforaphane. This element cleans toxins from the system. 13C couples with the sulforaphane to create an anti-estrogen. Too much estrogen in our bodies (high levels) supports rapid tumor growth so we want to avoid that where possible.

2.> Vitamin C and Folate (B9) are found in cauliflower. Both work for us when it comes to keeping our immune systems working efficiently.

3.> More B Vitamins are covered - niacin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, and thiamine are included in the jam packed mix.

4.> It helps digestion - it's all that dietary fiber that we get when we eat it.

5.> Allicin - it's what is in cauliflower that helps prevent strokes, heart attacks and can even lower cholesterol.

6.> If you count the calories, cauliflower is very low in calories but dense in flavor and fiber.

You can use cauliflower as a mashed potato replacement - steamed is delicious and does maintain some of the nutritional value of the veggie, but raw is always best.

Cauliflower is a versatile vegetable that has far reaching benefits. Make sure it's on your shopping list, or growing in your garden.

More cauliflower, please!

Let's Make a Date.....Paste.

We're always looking for ways to sweeten things we make without using sugar. We have tried them all - even agave which we later learned is worse for us than high fructose corn syrup if you don't get the truly raw stuff. Due to it being so ridiculously expensive, most of us aren't buying it or even being able to locate it with ease - so we turn to other more financially viable options.


Want to learn how to make date paste?

I knew you would!

It is super simple - take a cup of dates (without the pits) and soak them in 1 1/2 cups of water until soft. You could even soak them overnight.

If you stick around to watch, the dates will go from this hard, candied like object and turns into something that sort of resembles a cockroach in a swimming pool. I know, not pretty......but wait!

While the dates are soaking be sure not to stand there watching too long. There are other things to be doing....we'll come back when it's time.....

 ONE OVERNIGHT LATER:

It's time!

We soaked our dates in a bowl and then tossed it into the blender/Magic Bullet

**(Note to self: Talk to the Magic Bullet people about all of these selfless promotions I am giving them).

 The mixture will look like this.

The sweetness offered by this natural method saves so much time and we know exactly what is in this blender. Dates and water.

When a recipe calls for a certain amount of agave, be sure to add double the amount of date paste.

Blend the heck out of this stuff until it is creamy and smooth. I tend not to wait, so mine may have little bits in it - but by the time you toss it into a recipe, it isn't going to matter much.

I use my date paste a little thinner than usual, but you can make it whatever consistency you prefer.
We discovered this little treat and now we add it to so many dishes! Store in the fridge up to a week or two!
Enjoy - and let me know what you think! Comment below. :)