Wow! I've really dropped the blog ball while trying to implement a healthier way of life!
I've been reading and implementing The Metabolic Effect Diet Book which my naturopath recommended. Mostly I've started the 20 minute workout 3 times per week and I feel like my muscles are more toned and increasing. It helps that I can do it on my own time in my own home without expensive equipment or membership in a fitness club.
I've worked on getting more sleep, eating more plants and less meat, drinking more water and eating a salad and berries and cruciferous vegetable everyday. Some days are better than others.I do best on the days I start with my workout and a green smoothie.But some days I start with cooked wheat/groats/barley. Having cut vegetables at the ready to snack on and dip in homemade hummus, helps too!
Thanksgiving was a bit of a challenge, but I tried not to overindulge in our traditional foods and make good choices. I started off with great intentions having fresh fruits and cut carrots and a hearty soup ready when out of town family started to arrive.
One tradition we couldn't omit was Josie's Orange Rolls. [Later after dinner, my grandson came in and asked for a snack for his "team" he looked around and took the bag of leftover orange rolls for his team "snack"]. My son in law enjoys Honeybaked ham more than turkey so we had both. Everyone brought side dishes,dessert, appetizers and beverages. It was nice to have everyone contribute and the leftover salad was ready for me to eat the next couple of days. On the third day it was looking a bit limp so I just added it to my green smoothie.
Orange Rolls
1 cube butter
1 Tbsp yeast/pkg. Yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1/2cup sugar
4 cups flour
1 cup scalded milk
3 Eggs
1 orange
Place 1 cup milk in pan and boil to scald. Add 3 Tbsp butter & cool. When cool (so it doesn’t kill the yeast), add yeast, sugar, salt. Add slightly beaten eggs. Add 1 cup of flour and mix well. Let it rise 2 hours. Add remaining flour & mix well with spoon (you don’t have to knead this dough). Cover, let rise 2 more hours. Shape into clover leaf rolls (roll three 1-1.5” balls and put into muffin tins. In the center of each clover, place 1/3 tsp of the following mixture:
1/2 cup (remaining) softened butter
1/2 cup sugar
grated rind of 1 large orange
Let rise in pans until double.
Bake at 350 about 12-15 minutes or till done.
Our family likes to drink eggnog cut in half with sprite. We also enjoy sparkling cider/grape juice. This year I had bought some doTerra essential peppermint oil, so I added a drop or two to a gallon of water as a beverage option. Everyone seemed to like it as much as I do and I had to refill the container at least once or twice during the course of the day!
I have to share the cranberry salsa recipe because it was a real hit! Except for the sugar in the canned cranberries it's a pretty healthy snack. Even better than eating it with tortilla chips, it would be good with veggies dipped in it. I actually quadrupled this recipe and it was gone quickly! Melissa had it on a show where she shared recipes for using Thanksgiving leftovers but why wait for leftovers?!
Cranberry Salsa by Melissa D’Arabian
Ingredients
1/2 cup canned whole cranberry sauce
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Zest and juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeno, coarsely chopped
1/2 white onion coarsely chopped, covered and microwaved for 1 minute
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1/4 cup diced green bell pepper
1/2 cup Mexican-flavored canned tomatoes, drained and chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Place the cranberry sauce, cilantro, lime zest, lime juice, jalapeno pepper, onion, red pepper, green pepper, tomatoes, and salt, and pepper, to taste in a food processor and pulse until blended, but still chunky. Serve with Turkey Taquitos.
Yield: 1 1/2 cups
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Ease of preparation: easy
Another real hit was at another meal where my daughter sauteed broccoli in olive oil with garlic and a little red pepper flakes.
Here is another great dip recipe:
Curried White Bean Dip
by Giada De Laurentiis
Total Time: 30 min Prep 15 min Cook 15 min Yield:4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
* One 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
* 1 packed cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
* 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
* 2 teaspoons Madras curry powder
* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
* 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning
* 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 1 clove garlic, peeled and halved
* Zest of 1/2 large lemon
* [Whole Wheat Pita Chips, recipe follows]
Directions
In a food processor, combine the beans, parsley, olive oil, lemon juice, curry powder, cumin, salt, cayenne pepper, garlic and lemon zest. Blend until smooth. Season with salt.
Pour the dip into a serving bowl and serve with Whole Wheat Pita Chips alongside.
• Whole Wheat Pita Chips
• * 4 whole wheat pita breads
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut each pita bread into 8 wedges. Arrange on a baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper and bake until crisp and golden, 12 to 15 minutes.
My mother-in-law had a tradition on Christmas morning that before anyone went to the tree and gifts and goodies, they had to drink hot chocolate. Maybe we can twist this idea to drinking a green smoothie first?!
Have fun making some healthy food memories for your family the rest of this holiday season!
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Monday, October 3, 2011
A Healthier way of life...
I recently met with a naturopathic oncologist and got loads of direction and advice on healthy changes I should make to keep from getting cancer again. I will share that info with you in an abbreviated form below in case you are curious. One of the things he recommended was limiting my intake of meat. Just think, if you start now at an earlier stage of life you and your family might avert an encounter with the "C" word!
My daughter posted this recipe on her blog and I appreciated it so thought I'd share it with you. If you aren't into going meatless, you could add some browned ground turkey or chicken to this and be fine!
Quick n tasty Veggie Enchiladas
1 cup of brown rice
2 cups of water
1 can Bush's Grillin Beans- Black Bean Fiesta
Shredded mexican blend of cheese
Your favorite tortillas
1 can of your favorite enchilada sauce
Directions:
Put brown rice and water in rice cooker and let it do its thing.
When done mix with can of Fiesta Beans. Spoon into tortillas (I dip mine in enchilada sauce first), sprinkle with cheese, and roll up. Place in a baking pan. Repeat until filling is gone. Pour excess enchilada sauce over the top. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 375* until bubbly and crisping on edges. Top with favorite toppings and enjoy!
Healthy Basics:
There really wasn't a lot of new information the naturopathic oncologist doctor gave me but it won't hurt to review it for you...just keep in mind this was somewhat specific to me, and older, overweight adult.....
•Focus on eating a well balanced, whole foods based diet- with plenty of fruits (2-3/day) and vegetables (6-8/day) as well as a variety of grains, legumes, nuts and seeds.
•Eat a serving of berries daily
•Eat from the allium family (garlic, onion etc.) and Cruciferous family ( cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli etc.)daily.
• Eat modest amount of protein from hormone free lean meats (incl. grass-fed beef or buffalo) skinless poultry and wild caught, cold water fish (salmon halibut, cod, mackeral, herring, sardines). Meat no more than once a day and no more than 2 servings (3-4 oz) red meat per week. Organic eggs and high protein/low sugar yogurt (greek) are healthy source of protein.
Plant proteins include nuts, seeds and nut butter (not peanut), beans and legumes and whole grains.
•Limit dairy (adults), and eliminate alcohol, caffeine and artificial sweeteners.
•Eat a rainbow of colors daily and a green salad daily.
•Eliminate simple and refined starch intake (bread, crackers, pasta, potatoes, white rice etc)
•1-2 cups cooked whole grains daily (brown rice, buckwheat, barley, quinoa etc)Consider using a rice cooker for convenience.
•Get adequate fiber (25-30 g) daily-whole grains, berries,flax seed etc.
•Drink adequate water (64-96 oz) clear and filtered per day
•Exercise ideally aerobic and resistance /strengthening combo 4-5 days /week 45-90 minutes per day.
•Sleep 7-8 hours per night. He gave me "sleep hygiene" tips too.
One of three books he recommended I read Is Food Rules by Michael Pollan. He distills it down to 7 words....
Eat Food•Not too much•Mostly plants
Sounds like the Word of Wisdom to me...
So Water, Sleep, Exercise, Variety,whole foods, nothing from boxes, bags, or cans (AKA Processed foods). I'm trying to make some changes and do what I've known all along I should do. If you want change, you have to make change, right?
My daughter posted this recipe on her blog and I appreciated it so thought I'd share it with you. If you aren't into going meatless, you could add some browned ground turkey or chicken to this and be fine!
Quick n tasty Veggie Enchiladas
1 cup of brown rice
2 cups of water
1 can Bush's Grillin Beans- Black Bean Fiesta
Shredded mexican blend of cheese
Your favorite tortillas
1 can of your favorite enchilada sauce
Directions:
Put brown rice and water in rice cooker and let it do its thing.
When done mix with can of Fiesta Beans. Spoon into tortillas (I dip mine in enchilada sauce first), sprinkle with cheese, and roll up. Place in a baking pan. Repeat until filling is gone. Pour excess enchilada sauce over the top. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 375* until bubbly and crisping on edges. Top with favorite toppings and enjoy!
Healthy Basics:
There really wasn't a lot of new information the naturopathic oncologist doctor gave me but it won't hurt to review it for you...just keep in mind this was somewhat specific to me, and older, overweight adult.....
•Focus on eating a well balanced, whole foods based diet- with plenty of fruits (2-3/day) and vegetables (6-8/day) as well as a variety of grains, legumes, nuts and seeds.
•Eat a serving of berries daily
•Eat from the allium family (garlic, onion etc.) and Cruciferous family ( cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli etc.)daily.
• Eat modest amount of protein from hormone free lean meats (incl. grass-fed beef or buffalo) skinless poultry and wild caught, cold water fish (salmon halibut, cod, mackeral, herring, sardines). Meat no more than once a day and no more than 2 servings (3-4 oz) red meat per week. Organic eggs and high protein/low sugar yogurt (greek) are healthy source of protein.
Plant proteins include nuts, seeds and nut butter (not peanut), beans and legumes and whole grains.
•Limit dairy (adults), and eliminate alcohol, caffeine and artificial sweeteners.
•Eat a rainbow of colors daily and a green salad daily.
•Eliminate simple and refined starch intake (bread, crackers, pasta, potatoes, white rice etc)
•1-2 cups cooked whole grains daily (brown rice, buckwheat, barley, quinoa etc)Consider using a rice cooker for convenience.
•Get adequate fiber (25-30 g) daily-whole grains, berries,flax seed etc.
•Drink adequate water (64-96 oz) clear and filtered per day
•Exercise ideally aerobic and resistance /strengthening combo 4-5 days /week 45-90 minutes per day.
•Sleep 7-8 hours per night. He gave me "sleep hygiene" tips too.
One of three books he recommended I read Is Food Rules by Michael Pollan. He distills it down to 7 words....
Eat Food•Not too much•Mostly plants
Sounds like the Word of Wisdom to me...
So Water, Sleep, Exercise, Variety,whole foods, nothing from boxes, bags, or cans (AKA Processed foods). I'm trying to make some changes and do what I've known all along I should do. If you want change, you have to make change, right?
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Homemade Veggie Patties
In my quest to go more vegetarian, I've tried different veggie burgers and loved some more than others. But one thing I didn't love was the cost! So I thought it'd be fun to try making my own.
I looked up some recipes online and launched my efforts from those ideas. Basically, you can use whatever ingredients you want and each time I make them, I throw in something different. They are packed full of protein vitamins, minerals and great nutrients! They may not be pretty but they're tasty and good for you!
Whatever spices and herbs you add give them yummy flavor. I like to serve mine with a little mayo that I've blended with a little chipotle in adobo sauce.
I didn't give you quantities of each but there should be about 1/4 as much bread crumbs as beans. the rest is done to your taste.
I make up a big batch and bake them on parchment or foil. When they cool I cut the paper/foil so that they stay separate and freeze them for future use.
Black bean Veggie Burgers by CJ 7-11
Black beans
Opt. White beans (sometimes I add some beans other than black)
Bread crumbs
Eggs, lightly beaten (1 per 2-3 cups of beans)
Onion
Garlic
Grated carrots
Sprouted wheat
Creamed corn (my hubby loves corn!)
Cilantro
Crimini mushrooms
Jalapeno
Zuccini
Salt & pepper
Cayenne pepper
Smokey paprika
Soak beans (and wheat) overnight/8 hours. Drain and cover beans again with water in pot or slow cooker and cook for 4 hours or until soft.
Put vegetables of choice into food processor or chop finely with a knife. Mix all ingredients together well in a large bowl.
Line baking sheet with parchment or foil. Shape patties and place on prepared sheets.
Bake at 300 F for 40 minutes
You can also bake them for only 30 minutes if you want to cook them on the grill for the additional few minutes.
Serve with Mayo & chipotle in adobo sauce or favorite condiments.
I looked up some recipes online and launched my efforts from those ideas. Basically, you can use whatever ingredients you want and each time I make them, I throw in something different. They are packed full of protein vitamins, minerals and great nutrients! They may not be pretty but they're tasty and good for you!
Whatever spices and herbs you add give them yummy flavor. I like to serve mine with a little mayo that I've blended with a little chipotle in adobo sauce.
I didn't give you quantities of each but there should be about 1/4 as much bread crumbs as beans. the rest is done to your taste.
I make up a big batch and bake them on parchment or foil. When they cool I cut the paper/foil so that they stay separate and freeze them for future use.
Black bean Veggie Burgers by CJ 7-11
Black beans
Opt. White beans (sometimes I add some beans other than black)
Bread crumbs
Eggs, lightly beaten (1 per 2-3 cups of beans)
Onion
Garlic
Grated carrots
Sprouted wheat
Creamed corn (my hubby loves corn!)
Cilantro
Crimini mushrooms
Jalapeno
Zuccini
Salt & pepper
Cayenne pepper
Smokey paprika
Soak beans (and wheat) overnight/8 hours. Drain and cover beans again with water in pot or slow cooker and cook for 4 hours or until soft.
Put vegetables of choice into food processor or chop finely with a knife. Mix all ingredients together well in a large bowl.
Line baking sheet with parchment or foil. Shape patties and place on prepared sheets.
Bake at 300 F for 40 minutes
You can also bake them for only 30 minutes if you want to cook them on the grill for the additional few minutes.
Serve with Mayo & chipotle in adobo sauce or favorite condiments.
Monday, August 22, 2011
When the Moon hits your eye...that's amore´....
Sometimes you just gotta have a big pizza pie!
What a great vehicle for your favorite veggies, sauce and bread...well, okay I added a few slices of pepperoni to please my husband.
I started by making some homemade bread dough...but wait! Don't be held back if you're not into making bread. Just pick up some Rhodes dough and use it for your foundation. In fact, you can use the Rhodes rolls and make individual pizzas. Set out various toppings and let everyone build their own pizza. FUN! [Let's face it, not everyone is gonna love spinach, tomatoes and chopped basil under their layer of grated parmesan and mozzarella.]
When the dough is ready, just roll & stretch it out and place it on a baking sheet or pizza stone. For the sauce you can use any pasta sauce from a jar or can or make your own. I started by brushing on some of my herbed olive oil. Top with your favorite toppings and bake in a 450F oven for about 15-20 minutes and build a big salad while it's baking.
YUM!
WE had a few slices leftover so when my husband heated them up and ate them the next day for lunch he commented "that's good pizza!"
I say, "...that's amore´!"
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Rawsome!
It has been a while since I posted on this blog, and here's why...
I found out (as a result of routine mammogram and subsequent testing) on May 12 this year that I had breast cancer. It wasn’t a huge shock because I have a family history on both sides of breast cancer. My sister had it at age 46 so I felt I dodged the bullet longer than she did.
A year or two ago my daughter told me about making green smoothies and about a blog greensmoothiegirl.com. She and her husband and 3 children have green smoothies at least once a day. [I've mentioned this in earlier posts on this blog]In the past I had shunned “smoothies” because I thought they usually used dairy in them and I have an allergy to dairy. She told me about using carrot juice and such so I gave it a try and liked it, but I had a pretty shallow understanding of the health benefits.
After my cancer diagnosis I started a journey of looking for natural treatment options to augment my fight with cancer. A friend I work with loaned me a copy of a Suzanne Somers book, Knockout which got me pretty worked up about the drug company and conventional medicine approach but it was just a beginning. I started reading The China Study which opened my eyes more to governmental controls on information about diet and cancer and the negative effect of animal protein. Next I reconnected with my “rawsome” friend and college roommate, Lynn, who has been eating 60% raw/whole foods for 25 years and looks and feels fabulous! She inspired me and connected me again with the green smoothie girl and with WISH (Women's International Summit on Health and Raw Divas) calls which has furthered my education and motivated me to start to make changes.
My choice/decision was to combine conventional treatment with natural.
I had lumpectomy surgery May 31 and have been eating more vegetarian and raw and exercising more. I was thrilled when the second oncologist I went to said I didn’t have to have chemo!!! It was an answer to many prayers!
On Monday I begin six and a half weeks of daily (5x/week) radiation therapy. But what I wanted most to share with you and some of you younger followers was something my radiology oncologist said to me when I told him I was combining natural diet and exercise changes to help prevent a recurrence of cancer. After his initial recoil at my statement. He told me that it could help improve my health but it wasn’t going to prevent me getting cancer again. He said that here in the US, if you don’t die of heart disease or an accident, you’ll most likely die of cancer and there is no avoiding it. Now I understand his bias and I may not agree with him but what he also said was that I’d have had to be eating like this (raw/vegetarian) my whole life for it to make a difference. He also said that if I taught my children to eat this way it could make a difference for them. Well, although I think it will still help me at my age, I’m glad he at least validated the teaching of young people how to eat healthy!
If we can spare our children and grandchildren the misery of cancer and prescribed treatments, then LET’S DO IT!
By the way, since I started making changes, and I’m talking baby steps, I’ve lost about 10 pounds and feel more optimistic and healthy. I'm a living testimonial to early detection so be sure to get your mammograms and do self-exams.
Start by adding a green smoothie or 1-2 fresh fruits, veggies and legumes to your diet everyday and cutting back on the amount of animal protein in your diet. Increase your exercise too. We can do it!
Sorry for making this so personal but I wanted to give you some background behind the direction I may be going with this blog.
Eat well and prosper!
I found out (as a result of routine mammogram and subsequent testing) on May 12 this year that I had breast cancer. It wasn’t a huge shock because I have a family history on both sides of breast cancer. My sister had it at age 46 so I felt I dodged the bullet longer than she did.
A year or two ago my daughter told me about making green smoothies and about a blog greensmoothiegirl.com. She and her husband and 3 children have green smoothies at least once a day. [I've mentioned this in earlier posts on this blog]In the past I had shunned “smoothies” because I thought they usually used dairy in them and I have an allergy to dairy. She told me about using carrot juice and such so I gave it a try and liked it, but I had a pretty shallow understanding of the health benefits.
After my cancer diagnosis I started a journey of looking for natural treatment options to augment my fight with cancer. A friend I work with loaned me a copy of a Suzanne Somers book, Knockout which got me pretty worked up about the drug company and conventional medicine approach but it was just a beginning. I started reading The China Study which opened my eyes more to governmental controls on information about diet and cancer and the negative effect of animal protein. Next I reconnected with my “rawsome” friend and college roommate, Lynn, who has been eating 60% raw/whole foods for 25 years and looks and feels fabulous! She inspired me and connected me again with the green smoothie girl and with WISH (Women's International Summit on Health and Raw Divas) calls which has furthered my education and motivated me to start to make changes.
My choice/decision was to combine conventional treatment with natural.
I had lumpectomy surgery May 31 and have been eating more vegetarian and raw and exercising more. I was thrilled when the second oncologist I went to said I didn’t have to have chemo!!! It was an answer to many prayers!
On Monday I begin six and a half weeks of daily (5x/week) radiation therapy. But what I wanted most to share with you and some of you younger followers was something my radiology oncologist said to me when I told him I was combining natural diet and exercise changes to help prevent a recurrence of cancer. After his initial recoil at my statement. He told me that it could help improve my health but it wasn’t going to prevent me getting cancer again. He said that here in the US, if you don’t die of heart disease or an accident, you’ll most likely die of cancer and there is no avoiding it. Now I understand his bias and I may not agree with him but what he also said was that I’d have had to be eating like this (raw/vegetarian) my whole life for it to make a difference. He also said that if I taught my children to eat this way it could make a difference for them. Well, although I think it will still help me at my age, I’m glad he at least validated the teaching of young people how to eat healthy!
If we can spare our children and grandchildren the misery of cancer and prescribed treatments, then LET’S DO IT!
By the way, since I started making changes, and I’m talking baby steps, I’ve lost about 10 pounds and feel more optimistic and healthy. I'm a living testimonial to early detection so be sure to get your mammograms and do self-exams.
Start by adding a green smoothie or 1-2 fresh fruits, veggies and legumes to your diet everyday and cutting back on the amount of animal protein in your diet. Increase your exercise too. We can do it!
Sorry for making this so personal but I wanted to give you some background behind the direction I may be going with this blog.
Eat well and prosper!
Sunday, June 12, 2011
A Choice diet
Well, my daughter does a better job at this than I so I thought I'd share the link to her blog with you!I'm sure those of you with young children can relate to it!
http://achoicediet.blogspot.com/
http://achoicediet.blogspot.com/
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Sushi Sweet Sushi!
Before I get started on Sushi, I wanted to share a link with you Mom's out there. http://www.momsmenuplanner.com/ is a great resource for menu planning, recipes and shopping lists.
Now, back to Sushi like you've never seen it before Candy Sushi!. My first exposure to this was some time ago when Becca posted pictures on facebook of a candy sushi party she went to.
This week my sister was asking me for ideas for fun snacks for a Young Women event and I mentioned this idea. We looked up candy sushi on the internet and saw some pretty crazy fun creations! I think the creative aspect of this is even better than the sweetness of eating it. It's a great birthday party activity.
There are even some ideas from Rachel Ray, a video and ideas for kids if you google it. One site with several other links is http://www.notmartha.org/tomake/hostesssushi/ .
This is also a fun family activity! Check out this family's blog with pictures of their creations http://www.bufordfamily.com/sushi.php
Enjoy the sweetness without the fish ;)!
....and I didn't even mention CHOCOLATE Sushi......
Now, back to Sushi like you've never seen it before Candy Sushi!. My first exposure to this was some time ago when Becca posted pictures on facebook of a candy sushi party she went to.
This week my sister was asking me for ideas for fun snacks for a Young Women event and I mentioned this idea. We looked up candy sushi on the internet and saw some pretty crazy fun creations! I think the creative aspect of this is even better than the sweetness of eating it. It's a great birthday party activity.
There are even some ideas from Rachel Ray, a video and ideas for kids if you google it. One site with several other links is http://www.notmartha.org/tomake/hostesssushi/ .
This is also a fun family activity! Check out this family's blog with pictures of their creations http://www.bufordfamily.com/sushi.php
Enjoy the sweetness without the fish ;)!
....and I didn't even mention CHOCOLATE Sushi......
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