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Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Bountiful Baskets = Produce co-op

The other best change I've made to my eating habits is getting involved with a produce co-op, which ensures I have a variety of produce in my home, at an affordable price. The more quantity and variety of fresh produce in your diet, the more health benefits you'll see. If you're like me though, I would go to the grocery store and see the price of produce, and unsure of what I'd make out of it, I ended up only buying the staples that I often used. When I heard about Bountiful Baskets, a local produce co-op, where for $15 a week I could get about $45 worth of produce I figured "why not"?! With this co-op I have to remember to get my order in on Monday if I want to pick up on Saturdays, I don't know exactly what will be in it until I pick it up, and I have to go pick it up, and occasionally go early to help distribute the goods. Even with those "inconveniences" I think it's worth it- in fact I LOVE IT! It's kinda like Christmas each week, finding out what's in my basket. And they usually try to throw in one unusual fruit or vegetable. I like it because it forces me to find ways of getting more fresh fruits and vegetable in my diet. And my whole family is learning to be open-minded to new things. Since I always have a fruit bowl- that's where my kids have learned to go for snacks. I end up searching the internet for new recipes to use vegetables and fruit that I would have not other wise purchased.

I know that in the year that I've been participating in Bountiful Baskets it has grown really fast. My even picks up a basket once in a while up in Washington. There are lots of other food co-ops around. Many of them offer local and organic produce as well. So I encourage everyone to look into it. You'll also be supporting smaller, more local, and more environmentally friendly farmers/growers!

I found this recipe on http://www.myrecipes.com/ When I'd gotten cauliflower and red-peppers in my weekly produce basket and was craving a creamy soup. I've made it at least three times now. It's delicious with some chunky bread for dipping.

Cauliflower and Red-Pepper Chowder

COURSE: Soups/Stews
Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
2/3 cup minced shallots (about 4 large)
1/2 cup sliced celery
2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups water
6 cups finely chopped cauliflower florets (about 1 head)
2 cups finely chopped red bell pepper (about 2 medium)
1 cup finely chopped peeled red potato
1 bay leaf
1 cup 2% reduced-fat milk (can substitute with greek yogurt, kefir, or coconut milk)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons minced fresh or 1 tablespoon dried basil
5 tablespoons fat-free sour cream (optional)

Preparation
Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add shallots and celery; cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add broth and water; bring to a boil. Add cauliflower, bell pepper, potato, and bay leaf; return to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until potato is tender. Stir in milk and black pepper. Cool slightly; discard bay leaf.
Place 1 1/2 cups soup in a blender or food processor (I used an immersion blender and blended it all); process until smooth. Pour the pureed soup into a large bowl. Repeat the procedure with an additional 1 1/2 cups soup. Add the remaining soup to the pureed soup, and stir in basil. Return the soup to the pan, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Spoon 2 cups soup into each of 5 bowls; top each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Green Smoothie Recipe... and Why?

I tell people all the time about Green Smoothies. As far as I'm concerned, its the BEST change I've made in our family diet. After I explain the "Why?" of the green smoothies a lot of people ask for my recipe... Not so simple. I don't really follow a recipe- I kinda just throw stuff in depending on what I've got. I do have a standard one I make and like the most, and all others are usually an adaptation of it. That "recipe" goes something like this:

4 cubes of ice
1 cup of water
1/2 cup of carrot juice
1/2 cup of Acai Juice (Costco just started carrying Sambazon Acai juice and I LOVE it, but I've also used more carrot, or the other Costco concentrated juices like their Mango or other ones)
lots of spinach
1-2 Kale or collard leaves
1 fresh banana
1/2-1 cup mixed frozen fruit or whatever fresh fruit I have on hand. I like the mixed tropical blend at Costco better than the berries, because the berries leave seeds. Mangos and pears are my favorite fresh fruits. If you add strawberries you can leave the green parts on.

The way to keep them affordable is to buy all this stuff at Costco- the only thing you have to get somewhere else is the Kale or collards or other greens. Here's a video of "how to make one:" http://www.greensmoothiegirl.com/videos/videos-page-1/

So now for the WHY?

First things first:
How many of us can say we eat enough raw fruits an vegetables? Especially vegetables!? And if you are eating lots of vegetables they're usually baked, sauteed and steamed, or have come from a can or bottle, right? All those things take away from the powerful nutrition RAW fruits and veggies give us. I knew all this, but always thought I was just doing the best I could. I wasn't a salad hater- but getting my kids to eat them isn't easy. So when my neighbor told me they'd started drinking green smoothies I thought it sounded like a great idea. Then I mentioned it to my husband, who doesn't have much of an appetite in the mornings and he thought it was a great idea. He said smoothies was the one thing that sounded good in the mornings, but the ones he picked up at the local juice shops were always too sweet. And so we began experimenting. Jake and I would have one every morning, and the kids looked at us like we were crazy. That was the beginning.

And then:
We started to actually enjoy them. We never hated them- but they did taste "healthy" rather than yummy. But our bodies started really liking that powerful punch each morning. The kids started asking for a taste. When they stopped crinkling their noses and saying "gross" I would give them about a cup full too. If they drank it, great. If not- I didn't make a big deal about it. Jake and I immediately noticed we had more energy throughout the day. Not so much lag in the afternoon. We also found ourselves making better choices on the other stuff we ate. We didn't want to "ruin" our day by eating too much sugar or heavy foods after we'd started off on such a good foot.

Later I found about the green smoothie girl. I read her book. I couldn't switch to the RAW diet as she has, but I took bits and peices and couldn't argue with most of her points. Jake and I went on vacation. We didn't have green smoothies while we were gone. When we came back we were CRAVING them. Jake had gained 7-8 pounds, I'd gained about 5. We started doing smoothies for breakfast AND one with dinner- just to clean out our systems. And try to reach the quart a day that Robyn (the green smoothie girl) recommends. Within two weeks we'd both lost our vacation weight. Then we both lost about another 2 pounds. My four year old Dekker, who'd held out the most, would down them at dinner and ask for more.

Perhaps the most interesting thing to me, was the green smoothies made all other dietary changes easier. I really wanted to eat and be healthier. I made a concerted effort to cut out refined sugars for 4 days for myself. I started buying healthier snacks for my kids. My kids started asking for carrots, apples, pistachios and other such snacks instead of all the sugary stuff they used to eat. They even started eating more salads and vegetables at meals. Some of this I also attribute to the produce co-op Bountiful Baskets I'd been doing- which piled lots of fresh produce on my counter and in my fridge (post on this to come at another time) but I really noticed a general swing in EVERYONE's appetite from the not-so-healthy to the fresh yummy stuff.

If you search about the benefits of raw, organic produce you'll find lots and lots of benefits. For me, it was something that just made sense, wasn't too difficult to implement, and I found to have great value and impact for my family.

And no- I don't own an expensive Blend-tec or Vita-mix. I bought above average Kitchenaid- had to have the blade/bottom replaced once, and haven't had any issues since.

What I'm making tonight

When Jake is gone I usually make lasagna. He got really sick on the mission once eating lasagna, and hasn't really been able to stomach it since. The kids and I love it though, and I found a few vegetarian versions and combined/adapted them to my taste. You could even make it vegan by using crumbled tofu instead of the dairy parts!

I don't like my lasagna too cheesy/greesy, so you might want more cheese. Or if you don't like a lot of cheese, I've even made this without any ricotta/cottage cheese and just used alfredo sauce layered over vegetables instead.


Lasagna Primavera

*Serves 6-7

1 cup chopped carrots
2 cups diced zucchini
2 cups diced yellow crook-neck squash
2 cups chopped broccoli
1/2 cup diced onion
some chopped fresh spinach
2 cups ricotta cheese (or cottage cheese, or crumbled tofu)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2-3 cups mozzarella or other favorite cheese, shredded
1 cup Parmesan cheese
2 (24-ounce) jars pasta sauce (I like to use one marinera, one Alfredo) and I sometimes have some sauce left over.
12 no-boil lasagna noodles (I like the Barilla brand), or 12 regular lasagna noodles, boiled and drained

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all the chopped vegetables (carrots, broccoli, zucchini, squash, spinach) with 1/2 teaspoon salt and saute in a pan coated with olive oil till tender. Set aside.

Lightly grease a 9X13-inch pan. Spoon about 3/4 cup sauce onto the bottom of the pan and spread around. It will be a thin layer. Cover with four no-boil lasagna noodles, overlapping slightly. Spoon in 1/3 of the vegetables evenly. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta (or chosen substitute) over the vegetables then sprinkle with 1/3 of the mozzarella and 1/4 of the Parmesan cheese. Pour 1/3 of the remaining sauce over the cheese, lightly spreading it to the edges. Repeat the layers (noodles, vegetables, ricotta, mozzarella/parm, sauce) two more times, ending with the last of the sauce. Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan cheese over the top.

Cover the lasagna with a sheet of lightly greased foil and place the 9X13-inch pan on a large baking sheet lined with foil (this is in case the lasagna bubbles over the edge a bit as it bakes). Bake, covered, for 50 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes longer. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Our Basic Weekly Diet 2011... and a glimpse at my philosophy on eating.

This is what our weekly diet looks like these days:

Tuesdays and Thursdays are "no sugar" days.
Tuesdays and Sundays are "no meat" days.
All other days are called "you choose" days.

Breakfasts-
GREEN SMOOTHIES and oatmeal, oatmeal cereal, Cheerios Multi grain or other "healthy" cereal with rice/coconut/almond milk. Toast with peanut/almond butter and honey/jam. Occasionally eggs, breakfast burritos/wraps, whole wheat pancakes or WAFFLES*

Snacks-
I find most of these at Costco: Cliff's Zbars for kids, all natural fruit leathers, chocolate covered berries, pistachios (the kids quickly learned to open and eat them themselves- and love them), carrots and dip (ranch or hummus), chips and salsa, mandarin oranges, apples, bananas, pretzels, yogurt.

Lunches-
Peanut/almond butter and honey/jam/sliced banana sandwiches (whole wheat bread), quesadillas, refried bean and cheese burritos/quesadillas, nachos, tuna melts, simple pastas (whole wheat or spinach)*, leftover dinners, tomato soup and grilled cheese*, vegetarian chili*. Bagel or english muffin cheese pizzas.

I bought the vegan patties at Costco one time- didn't like them too much as burgers, as they tasted a lot more like egg rolls to me- but I love them with a little soy sauce wrapped in a fresh cooked tortilla for lunch.

One Sunday I threw together a skillet "hash" that became one of my favorites- I sauteed some onion and garlic in olive oil, threw in sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, some diced tomatoes and black beans with a little cilantro. mmmm. my mouth is watering!

Dinner-
GREEN SMOOTHIES and...
This is where I need to spend some time pulling together my recipes but as a general list with a few recipes I have handy or have REALLY liked...

* items above can be used for quick/easy ones, and/or for dinner I'll make them a little more "special" in the recipe/effort/ingredients I use

When I started trying to cook more meatless meals I started by thinking about what I already like to eat, and seeing if I could adapt it- it's surprising what you can do. I also found it interesting that foreign dishes are often easiest to adapt. It's us Americans that get caught up in making meat the star of the show.

There are lots of mexican meals that are vegetarian with just beans instead of meat i.e. burritos, enchiladas, tostadas, salads, nachos

There are also lots of italian dishes that are vegetarian- lasagna, risotto, all kinds of vegetables and noodles/pastas different kinds of sauces

Tons of asian dishes can also very easily be made vegetarian- Quinoa is high in protein and can be used instead of rice in many of these to make sure you're still getting lots of protein, I also use mostly brown or wild rice instead of just white rice in many of these. There are lots of variations on stir fry, sweet n sour, teriyaki etc. Indian/thai dishes are some of my favorites because you can use sweet potatoes (which I've fallen in love with), carrotts, sweet peas, other potatoes in all the different curries, soups, etc.

Seafood-
I also cook seafood once or twice a week. I have no major qualms with seafood, so by adding this to our menu it's an easy way to move toward my goal of only eating meat in 5-10% of our diet. I love salmon, mild white fish and shrimp, so it's easy for me. I know some people have an aversion to these though.

Don't stress the rest-
The rest of the time I don't stress too much about meats and sugars. I try to sensible of course, but when we are out with friends and family or celebrating a special occasion I don't want to be constantly saying "NO! We can't/won't eat that!" I still believe that food and dining is often a social and cultural experience and I don't want to be so strict that we can't enjoy those things. I have noticed though, that even in those social or cultural events there are healthier options- and when available I try to choose those.

When we eat out- if I'm craving a steak or burger- I eat it. But I often use this opportunity to explore other no-meat or healthy options. Did you know that I don't even miss the meat in a Costa Vida or Cafe Rio salad? Cafe Paesan, Malawi's Pizza, and other Italian places all have fabulous no-meat dishes. And I pretty much LOVE Rubios fish or salmon tacos. Oooh and Zupas has some great soups and salads. SEE?! There are LOTS of options out there.

"You choose" days spent at home with family I usually try to still reduce the amount of meat we eat. A little meat can go a long way. I try to find recipes that use less meat. By using meat in salads, wraps, casseroles and soups you can often get by with 1-2 servings of meat for a dish that feeds 4-6 people. Bacon and sausage, (though some of the most unhealthy meats) pack powerful punch in flavor and can go a long way! Try baked potatoes with crumbled bacon (and cheese and/or sour cream).

Sweets and treats-
I personally no longer like cheap pre-packaged or processed treats. Seriously. I think Junior Mints and peanut M&Ms with popcorn are the exceptions. I do however like home-made baked/made goods in moderation. I like high-quality dark chocolates. Costco's chocolate covered Acai Berries are my "stash" for a sweet fix. Dekker still loves his sugar in the form of suckers and candies. I let him choose that. Everyone else seems to like the home made more "real" stuff better now too.

I allow honey, maple syrup, and agave even on no sugar days for recipes, and even on PB&Js. I figure the more raw form- the less I need to stress over it.