Although I indeed do love to wander around and shop at Whole Foods, the grocery store, that is not what I am talking about today when I say 'whole foods'...I simply mean eat foods that are whole! I had someone tell me not long ago that if it doesn't have a mother or come from the ground, we really shouldn't be eating it! I agree, but am a work in progress too - so must admit that not everything we eat falls into this category.
I've had some great feedback recently in regards to food dye and removing it from our general diets. This has given me a chance to do some thinking about how going gluten free led me to going dye free which has led me in turn to eating healthier, closer to home and working towards the goal of more whole foods in our diets. It's hard and takes a conscious effort! I can't just leave home and think, if we get hungry we'll pull through McDonalds - not a choice. Nor is it a choice to have a bag of dye filled fish crackers in the car, or pesticide laden raisins...I have to plan and take the food with us - sliced apples and cheese, homemade granola, almond butter GF sandwiches etc...
When you stop and think about it, when your focus is on whole foods, you will naturally eliminate the food dye, preservatives and other 'unnatural' man made junk that is thrown in our food chain. It really is pretty simple to prepare, store and plan better meals and snacks. And truly in the end, more cost effective! You will feel better (physically, mentally and emotionally) and you will be healthier! And really once it's a habit you won't want to 'go back'...I think about a trip my husband and I took 8 years ago this summer. We were Coke drinkers - especially if it came from a restaurant fountain drink! This particular trip was a road trip, with two very small children, and needless to say we were drinking 4-6 cans a day! UGGGH! Anyhow, when we got home we challenged one another to see who could avoid it the longest...well, I've never gone back! A week turned into a month, which turned into a year and when I tasted it, it was AWFUL! I rarely even drink the natural soda I keep on hand for the kids - it's too sugary! Give me my water with a lemon slice any day and I am happy!
However, I caution baby steps are best and being realistic too! This process is years in the making for me. It's taken a true effort to prioritize what my goals are and I only take one thing at a time and implement it into our daily lifestyle. I am still hopeful to change a few more things and yet am okay with what we've accomplished! As I said earlier, we don't follow the whole foods policy 100% of the time...however, I bake all our baked goods, I make as much of our food from scratch as possible and when a treat is in order it's a dye free, minimally processed treat!
Like I've said before, I'm a bit of a food freak...and you know with this territory will come those who don't believe and think your crazy! But if this is what crazy is, I am okay with it :)
Happy Sunny Day!
Friday, February 25, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Hummus!
Okay, I'm the first to admit it - hummus took a bit of time and maturing for me to like! But, really it's not just something I like, I LOVE it! This stuff is great, you can put it with anything - my favorite way is simply with whatever veggies are on hand! It's great, filling and when you make it yourself is low calorie and fat!
My friend, Julie, shared her recipe with me that she also had passed along to her by a friend. With a few tweeks of my own I am proud to say I can make hummus from scratch! YIPPEE! Yet another dish that I know exactly what is in there! I know what I'm eating, I like that :)
Sooooooo easy to do, you'll love it! Now I used Julie's basic recipe below and added about another 1/4 cup of broth, 2 more tablespoons of olive oil and another teaspoon of cumin. If I had sundried tomatoes on hand I'd put a dollop of those in the middle for presentation. You could also start with dried beans, cook them in your crockpot for 3-4 hours and proceed from there. Really, work with this basic recipe and design the hummus to your tastes!
2 cans Garbanzo Beans (Chickpeas), about 3 cups, drained and rinsed
3 large garlic cloves, pressed
Lemon Juice, fresh squeezed from ½ a lemon
3 Tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup vegetable broth
1 teaspoon cumin (or more to taste)
½ teaspoon salt
Drain and rinse your chickpeas. Place all ingredients into food processor and mix until smooth. Taste and
adjust seasonings to your liking. Serve with fresh or blanched veggies, or use as a spread.
*super low fat due to swap veg broth for tahini* adjust to your tastes, but very basic starter recipe! :) Enjoy!
My friend, Julie, shared her recipe with me that she also had passed along to her by a friend. With a few tweeks of my own I am proud to say I can make hummus from scratch! YIPPEE! Yet another dish that I know exactly what is in there! I know what I'm eating, I like that :)
Sooooooo easy to do, you'll love it! Now I used Julie's basic recipe below and added about another 1/4 cup of broth, 2 more tablespoons of olive oil and another teaspoon of cumin. If I had sundried tomatoes on hand I'd put a dollop of those in the middle for presentation. You could also start with dried beans, cook them in your crockpot for 3-4 hours and proceed from there. Really, work with this basic recipe and design the hummus to your tastes!
Hummus
3 large garlic cloves, pressed
Lemon Juice, fresh squeezed from ½ a lemon
3 Tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup vegetable broth
1 teaspoon cumin (or more to taste)
½ teaspoon salt
Drain and rinse your chickpeas. Place all ingredients into food processor and mix until smooth. Taste and
adjust seasonings to your liking. Serve with fresh or blanched veggies, or use as a spread.
*super low fat due to swap veg broth for tahini* adjust to your tastes, but very basic starter recipe! :) Enjoy!
Monday, February 7, 2011
Mmmmmmm! Pumpkin Bread!
I was in the mood for baking today - but couldn't decide what it was I wanted...cookies, muffins, chocolates, what? Obviously, something on the sweeter side seemed to be fitting the bill! As I finished up some of my Monday chores, it felt like a pumpkin kind of day - pumpkin bread that is!
Out to the freezer I went - yep, you read that right, the freezer! See in my crazy food world I use fresh pumpkin, not canned! This past fall when we were bustling about the pumpkin patches full of those bright orange gems, I gathered myself six perfect sugar pumpkins!
They are super easy to cook down and freeze, just cut them up into chunks (after seeding them, of course), place in a shallow (I use a 9x13 pan) baking dish with a bit of water and put them in the oven at 250 degrees for a bit (probably an hour to an hour and a half). You'll know their done when you put a fork into it and it slides right out. Let them cool real well, peel the skin off and run them through your food processor. Most all of my recipes call for 2 cups of pumpkin, so I put them in 2 quart freezer bags by the 2-cup portions, place the bags on a cookie sheet and freeze. Once they are frozen you can remove them from the cookie sheet. Note to self...take my word for it and use a cookie sheet! If not, be prepared to pull frozen pumpkin from between the 'rungs' of your freezer shelf...not that I've ever had to do that or anything!
Honestly, you will never taste a pumpkin muffin, bread or pie that tastes better than those made with fresh pumpkin! And, did you realize how good pumpkin is for you? It's low in calories and FULL of disease fighting nutrients like alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, fiber, vitamins C and E, panthothenic acid, potassium and magnesium. I could go on and on...but really - I do love pumpkin and it's a great benefit that it is good for me too! Makes me feel a wee bit better about making a sweet treat!
So - here's what I did...using my tried and true pumpkin bread recipe, I swapped out the regular flour for my rice blend, adding the appropriate amount of xanthan gum.
Then I added a few extra spices! Have I mentioned how much I LOVE good spices and herbs? I am a fan of Penzey's, and added these yummy spices to the mix...
Then I finished mixing and voila! Pumpkin bread that is oven ready! I like to add chocolate chips to my pumpkin bread, makes for such a decadent treat!
And the finished product leaves my house smelling AMAZING, my kids' tummys full and a smile on my face that once again I enjoy one of my favorite treats, sans the gluten!
Out to the freezer I went - yep, you read that right, the freezer! See in my crazy food world I use fresh pumpkin, not canned! This past fall when we were bustling about the pumpkin patches full of those bright orange gems, I gathered myself six perfect sugar pumpkins!
They are super easy to cook down and freeze, just cut them up into chunks (after seeding them, of course), place in a shallow (I use a 9x13 pan) baking dish with a bit of water and put them in the oven at 250 degrees for a bit (probably an hour to an hour and a half). You'll know their done when you put a fork into it and it slides right out. Let them cool real well, peel the skin off and run them through your food processor. Most all of my recipes call for 2 cups of pumpkin, so I put them in 2 quart freezer bags by the 2-cup portions, place the bags on a cookie sheet and freeze. Once they are frozen you can remove them from the cookie sheet. Note to self...take my word for it and use a cookie sheet! If not, be prepared to pull frozen pumpkin from between the 'rungs' of your freezer shelf...not that I've ever had to do that or anything!
Honestly, you will never taste a pumpkin muffin, bread or pie that tastes better than those made with fresh pumpkin! And, did you realize how good pumpkin is for you? It's low in calories and FULL of disease fighting nutrients like alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, fiber, vitamins C and E, panthothenic acid, potassium and magnesium. I could go on and on...but really - I do love pumpkin and it's a great benefit that it is good for me too! Makes me feel a wee bit better about making a sweet treat!
So - here's what I did...using my tried and true pumpkin bread recipe, I swapped out the regular flour for my rice blend, adding the appropriate amount of xanthan gum.
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