Sunday, November 16, 2008

Don't Join the Army of the Overweight!

Reading the following story has me shaking my head and feeling terribly sad at the same time. A town in West Virginia has the dubious honor of being named "the fattest city in America". The problem is that apparently most people living there don't care. According to the article, they're too concerned with the local economy to worry about treating or preventing diabetes, heart disease and cancer. It so clearly reminds me of the old Fram oil filter commercial of "You can pay me now or you can pay me later". If you choose later, I can guarantee the cost is not only going to exponentially higher but the resulting poor health will be far worse than most can imagine. And here's the kicker: it isn't that hard!!! It's not hard at all. It is simply a case of making a decision, then backing up the decision with action. That means doing whatever it takes - researching, reading, being willing to try new (healthier) things, failing and being willing to try again. When you read the article, see how your attitudes compare to those in the story. Then decide which side of the fence you're going to land on. I hope it's on the side of improving your health on a daily basis for the rest of your life

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081116/ap_on_he_me/med_unhealthiest_city_2

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

White Sugar Now Coming From Genetically-Modified Sugar Beets


One of the things that I try very hard to buy is non-genetically modified foods. A lot of foods are being altered for a variety of reasons, none of which has anything to do with being healthier for consumers. Big chemical companies push the "benefits" of plants that are resistant (read poisonous) to bugs and weeds. Sounds great for the farmers - less work tending their crops - but who knows what the long term health consequences may be. And now they go after sugar...


This year saw the first commercial planting of genetically modified (GM) sugar beets in the United States, with that sugar to hit the food supply soon after. Farmers across the country will soon be planting Monsanto's Roundup Ready sugar beet, genetically engineered for resistance to Monsanto's herbicide glyphosate (marketed as Roundup). John Schorr, agriculture manager for Amalgamated Sugar, estimates that 95 percent of the sugar beet crop in Idaho will be of the new GM variety in 2008, or a total of 150,000 out of 167,000 acres. Finish the article here >

A little exercise goes a long way for severely obese


I found an interesting article on exercise - every little bit helps. Even if you're not used to doing any exercise, there's no time like the present to get started!


NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - When it comes to exercise and physical activity, people who are severely obese often feel defeated and think -- why bother. But a new study shows why they should bother, according to the study team.


Even a little bit of exercise - as little as 1 hour a week - can boost their quality of life and ability to complete everyday tasks like getting dressed, tying shoes and simply moving around, the study found. "This study speaks to the importance of people who are overweight, even severely overweight, paying attention to the fact that increasing their activity even a little bit can make their day to day life better," Dr. Martin Binks told Reuters Health. Read the rest of the article >

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Overboard with greens

I came home from the coop Thursday with a mess of greens. The swiss chard and kale looked so wonderful that I just couldn’t resist. The only trouble was, it’s pretty hard to fit 5 bunches of chard and 4 bunches of kale in a refrigerator – loaded with a weeks worth of produce. So Thursday night, I prepared 2 of the chard for dinner that night, then set out chopping and bagging the remaining greens. For dinner, I simply sautéed a small diced onion until it was tender, then added two diced tomatoes. Next came a dollop of apple cider vinegar, a pinch or two of sugar, a twist of salt and two bunched of chopped chard. I didn’t even bother to remove the stems of the chard. Some cooks will tell you to do that – but the stems aren’t that tough, and I don’t mind a little crunch with my greens. Besides, I am just too lazy and time crunched to remove the stems if I don’t need to. I served the greens along side some leftover eggplant parmesan and everyone truly enjoyed the meal. For storing the remaining greens, I simply chopped the chard – stems and all – and stored them in a large plastic bag. The kale required a little more work because I really don’t like kale stems. The stems are incredibly tough and it seems they just won’t soften in the amount of time it takes to wilt the greens. Removing kale stems isn’t tough, just hold the kale leaves in your left hand, grab the stem in you right hand, and rip up. The stem should easily tear away from the greens and leave you with a handful of kale. It didn’t take long to destem 4 bunches of kale and chop the leaves. Again, I stored the kale in a large plastic bag. I did not wash the greens prior to storing since I didn’t want the added moisture in the plastic bags. In a matter of about 20 minutes, I was able to take all of my greens and fit them nicely in the refrigerator. Greens are so high in nutrients, low in calories, easy to prepare and so wonderful tasting that it’s hard for me to understand why more people don’t try them.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Zucchinni and Sun Dried Tomatoes

Tonight I took dinner over to Nana’s house so that my wonderful husband could watch an NBA play-off game on TV. (We have the most basic cable channels you can get. They are a “package deal” with the high speed internet service we have.) Nana doesn’t cook very often since most nights she is eating at our house so I had to use my imagination to create a meal which required very few pans and/or spices. I decided tacos, refried beans and some stir fried zucchini would fit the bill – especially since I already had made guacamole and salsa. The trick was to figure out an appealing way to prepare the zucchini without any interesting spices. (Since Nana doesn’t cook, her selection of spices is not only VERY limited, it’s also VERY old – and probably not very tasty.) So, I quickly grabbed a yellow pepper, an onion, the zucchini and some sun-dried tomatoes that had been looking at me very accusingly for quite a while. I love sun dried tomatoes – just right out of the bag – and had bought some quite a few weeks ago at our old produce market. I had eaten a few and then forgot about them – until today. So, once at Nana’s I sliced the pepper and onion, water sautéed them until tender. Next, I added the zucchini and some salt and pepper. I occasionally stirred the zucchini until it just started to turn tender, and then I added the chopped sun dried tomatoes. Boy, not only was it delicious but it was also very colorful. Sometimes a little creative ingenuity is all that is needed to make a new dish that every one loves.

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Yellow Squash Casserole - easy as pie!

I just stepped out of the kitchen after preparing a wonderful yellow squash (crookneck squash) casserole. The whole house is full of the delicious smell of sautéed onions and mushrooms and Italian seasonings. Normally, I sauté all of the ingredients together in one pan, toss in the bread crumbs and vegan cheddar style cheese, mix and then slide it into another casserole dish to bake for a little while. Not tonight. I decided to use my largest cast iron skillet and bake it in the oven in the same pan I did all of the sautéing in. All of the taste, with less of the clean up. And, since the cast iron skillet is larger in diameter than my casserole dishes, it should bake in a fraction of the time. My children are already asking how long until daddy gets home. I think the smell has perked up their appetites as well – or it could be that my son just wants some help from dad with the capture and breeding of his favorite toads!

The casserole is really easy to prepare – simply sauté a sliced onion, add 8 ounces of mushrooms and sauté a little more. Then add sliced crookneck squash (about 3-4 medium sized ones). Let the ingredients cook for a few minutes until the squash softens up. Then, turn off the heat, add some Earth Balance (about 2-3 Tablespoons), ¼ cup of cheddar style vegan cheese, 1 teaspoon of Italian Seasoning and enough bread crumbs to make it all the right consistency. Top it with cracker crumbs or some more grated cheese and bake it in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Pretty easy – and the family will think you slaved over it for hours. I normally make it the center dish and tonight we are having spinach with garlic and speckled butter beans on the side. Should I dare say what we are having for dessert? Warm sautéed pears – my daughter’s absolute favorite!

Saturday, May 03, 2008

The value of persistence and repetition!

Last night we had our Pasta Fagioli that I made the day before. Some soups just really taste better when they sit for a day. I recently changed the recipe on the website to include directions for what I do when I am using my pressure cooker. It also makes enough for several meals. Remember, cook once, eat twice! I had planned on having a nice salad on the side but I had also just cut up a delicious cantaloupe. Yes, Florida Cantaloupes are just coming on the market and we are gorging ourselves on them. Right now, they are dropping in price and increasing in taste. There’s just something about getting a lope from the fields only 2 hours away, versus getting one from a country half a world away! You might not be near Florida but as the warmer weather spreads through the country, the fruits and vegetables make their march too. Soon, we will be enjoying Georgia fruits and veggies, and eventually by the end of the season, we will be munching our way through New Jersey produce. We always try to really enjoy and overly indulge in the fruits and veggies that are more local – somehow they just taste better. We also try to stock up and freeze what we can while the prices are lower. Frozen cantaloupes taste great in smoothies and as the price drops, we will be busy slicing and freezing. The funny thing is last night I served my darling daughter cantaloupe instead of a salad and she was rather disappointed – and I was rather surprised! It was just a few months ago that she would rather eat just about anything than a tossed salad. Then I discovered two things – the beauty of a chopped salad and how important it is to serve a dish MANY times before I expect the children to like it. Now, she likes salads. I guess I am never too old to learn the value of persistence and repetition!

Thursday, May 01, 2008

Five minutes to spare!

Wow – It’s almost 5 o’clock and I am actually getting to sit down at the desk for a couple of minutes! Today was a good day – actually got quite a bit done – including school with the children. I also made fresh bread (which is baking in the oven now) and Pasta Fagioli (for dinner tomorrow – it always tastes better after it sits for a day.) Tonight we are having some Tofukey bratwurst that I bought on sale and we all love. I’m also planning on some sweet and sour cabbage and some leftover lentils. We tend to eat quite a bit of cabbage – probably because it’s not only incredibly healthy, it’s also normally pretty inexpensive. Our local produce store normally sells cabbage for about 45 cents a pound or less – and that’s a great price for budget conscious healthy eaters. When shopping and planning for our meals, if I can find fruit or vegetables for 99 cents a pound or less – we get them. Just the other day we found D’Anjou pears for only 99 cents a pound. This has been a great year for tasty pears and we eat them plain, diced on our salads, sautéed with a tiny bit of Earth Balance and brown sugar, and we enjoy them in pies and cobblers. Cobblers are what I call desert when I am too lazy to make a crust and just top the pears with the crumbly topping I normally put on our pear pie. With my pressure cooker, I can get the sweet and sour cabbage ready for the table in less than 5 minutes. I don’t know what I would do without my pressure cooker – except not have time to sit and blog for 5 minutes so close to dinner time.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Sea Veggies in Pressure Cookers

Pressure cookers are fun, easy and a real time saver. But they are also a wee bit persnickety! Tonight while making some fresh garbanzo beans, I decided to add a few sea vegetable flakes to them for extra seasoning. I have recently learned quite a bit about the importance of iodine in our diet and sea vegetables are an easy and tasty way to add a natural occurring source of iodine. (No, I am not really weird – just health conscious and if I can improve our diet and nutrition without spending much money – I do it. I don’t like supplements – I like getting what we need from whole foods. Besides, I love sea weed salads when I go out to eat and I love vegetarian sushi – although I can rarely afford it.) Anyway, so I tossed in the soaked beans, added the water and then added about a tablespoon of seaweed flakes. (Seaweed flakes are much less expensive than seaweed sheets and if you aren’t making sushi – go for the flakes!) Well, much to my surprise, my pressure cooker began to make some pretty strange noises. Just enough strange noises to make my children leave the kitchen in a real hurry – they are a little scared of my pressure cookers and convinced they are going to blow up some day. Quickly, I grabbed the jiggle valve and removed it from the cooker – only to see a lot of brown ooze coming out of the vent. Oh my! Sea Vegetables! I released the pressure, drained and rinsed the beans, cleaned the cooker and the pressure valve, and put the beans back on. Next time, I think I’ll pay a little extra for the sea weed sheets if I am going to use them in the pressure cooker!

Monday, April 28, 2008

Finally - they are eating salads!

It’s only been recently that my son has started begging for a green salad. Oh – music to a mother’s ears. For years, I have tried to get my children to eat a nice green salad. I have tried plain salads, many different greens, a wide variety of toppings and an even greater variety of dressings. Anything to easily get nutrient dense, raw foods in my children. Although they have always had to eat what I have prepared – it kind of took the fun out of family dinners when I watch their faces as they eat. Then – I went to visit a friend of mine and watched how she served salads to her children. The lettuce and all of the ingredients were finely chopped or grated. My husband says I chop them so fine he almost doesn’t even have to chew. Although I don’t quite chop them that fine, I do chop, dice, grate, toss and mix so that the salads are easily eaten with a spoon (no more struggling to get them on a fork) and the texture is quite appealing to the children. I have also found that I use much less salad dressing when I chop the salad. Once the lettuce, carrots, cucumbers and bell peppers are mixed together, I add their favorite toppings – black olives and garbanzo beans. My daughter is still a little resistant, but my son now says salads are his favorite thing to eat and he even likes to eat them with no dressing. That’s pretty good coming from someone who would be happy to eat toast and rice krispies at almost every meal – if I let him. Now my biggest challenge is to keep his little hands from trying to grab handfuls of salad as I am mixing them up. Someday he just might just lose a finger if he isn’t careful.

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Plate full of green tonight!

We had a wonderful dinner tonight – full of green vegetables. Yesterday I stopped at the produce market and just couldn’t resist the first of the Florida okra. I had stopped for only some Kirby cucumbers, but ended up with a basketful of veggies – including some of the best okra I have seen in months. My kids love fresh okra. It wasn’t always that way. I have always loved fried okra and when we owned our own produce market, I finally started making it myself. Now, when I say fried – I don’t mean breaded and deep fried. I simply slice the okra and pan fry – without any breading – in a very hot cast iron skillet with a very small amount of oil. (I used to try breading the okra, but the breading always ended up in the bottom of the pan and my okra was naked. So, I started leaving off the breading and discovered how much we like it that way.) To make a long story short, my children’s love affair with okra took many, many, many meals before they became as enamored as I am. Now, I have to buy at least 2 pounds of okra to satisfy everyone’s appetite. I have found that quite a few of the vegetables and main dishes I serve the family take several presentations before they are well accepted. Taste buds can be trained and old unhealthy habits replaced with new ones, but it takes time. Rome wasn’t built in a day – and neither was our overwhelming love of okra. I can’t wait for summer when fresh okra is available all the time!

Friday, April 25, 2008

Just returned from a week of fun camping!

As many of you know, we just came back from a long week of camping. We had a wonderful time enjoying the spring weather in Florida and the beautiful sunny gulf coast beaches. We managed to squeeze all of our bicycles in the back of our van so we even managed to do quite a bit of bike riding at several state parks while on vacation. Camping is an activity everyone in our family loves. Although I still have to prepare all of the meals while we’re gone, it just doesn’t feel like work when it’s done outside while enjoying God’s marvelous creation. As we sat outside the camper enjoying our dinners – made all the more delicious by our camping appetites – we talked about how different our meals are than most people’s meals. But, boy, we do love ours! We really ate well on this camping trip without a lot of hassle. I brought some bags of frozen vegetables (just kept them cold until we ate them) and a wide variety of produce that didn’t require refrigeration. We feasted on sweet potatoes, white potatoes (both fried and baked), cabbage, corn on the cob, broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, apples, pears, bananas and dried fruits and nuts. I also made some healthy muffins, bean spreads, spinach dip and salads before we left. A small investment in ice kept it all nice and cold and delicious. Last year I wrote an article on 10 Tips to Healthy Eating While Camping – which outlines a lot of what we do while on the road. The most important thing is that we had lots of fun and could have stayed another 7 nights!

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

What the world eats!

Someone at work sent an email with pictures of what typical families from around the world eat in a week and how much they spend. It was really an eye-opener to see the differences between various cultures. I was amazed at how little produce there was on most people’s menus. (You can view the photo essay by clicking here http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1626519,00.html ) We are a blessed country in that we have a wide variety of foods available to us - so you won’t hear me complain at all. However, what a shame that there is so little recognizable food on most people’s dinner plates. No wonder we have such an epidemic of lifestyle diseases. Go green – eat fruits and veggies and leave the highly processed foods alone! Let’s try to make our menus look like a poster advertisement for farmers!

Monday, January 21, 2008

Delicious warm pears for dessert!

We have really been enjoying the cooler weather. It has increased our appetites – especially for warm and tasty deserts. We have also been enjoying pears this season. We have had a hard time finding great apples this year – but the pears have been out of this world! While camping, we “discovered” a very easy, very delicious dessert made with fresh pears – although I would imagine canned pears would work also. We simply peel, or not depending on my mood, and slice pears. Slip them into a sauce pan with a tiny bit of Earth Balance and brown sugar and heat thoroughly. You want to make sure the pear does not lose its texture – but just heats nicely through. Walla! We scoop out the heated pears and their juice and enjoy. I guess if you wanted to be decadent, you could top with a soy vanilla ice cream – but so far, the pears have been so wonderful that we have not wanted to dilute their flavor with anything else! This has worked well with both Bartlett and D’anjou pears. We love to eat these two varieties of pears right off of the core, like an apple, so we always have them on hand. They are also a great addition to a tossed salad!