I'm Dreaming of Vegetables!

I've started exercise classes again and I am so thankful that the ladies come over so I can get my butt in gear!  I was actually quite lazy this past fall so it feels good to be back into a routine of exercising and eating healthy!
Sheesh, I actually fell off the bandwagon for awhile there!
But, don't worry if you've done the same! We'll just keep on trying!
So, every week when we have class, we try to add something beneficial to our week.
Last week was trying to get in 12 cups of water a day and this week it's veggies and I was thinking maybe some of you would like to get a little encouragement, too!
Here is the email I sent:
"Hi Everyone!
This week we will continue to drink our water & do our kegels (now is a good time :) and trying to incorporate 1-2 NEW vegetables into our weekly menu!
Here are a few ideas:

*Kale: tear bite size pieces off of the stem and put on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake in 350* oven for approximately 15 minutes or until crispy.
~we love it this way! Also, great in soups, smoothies, and stirfrys.
*parsnips, Brussels sprouts, turnip, rutabaga are all great in roasts & stews.
*seaweed, kelp are easy to crush & sprinkle in soups, sauces, dips, stew, pizza etc.
*bok choy is delicious in stir fry
*eggplant and zuchini can be sliced & topped with tomato & mozzarella for mini veggie pizzas.

*pickled artichoke hearts are great on salad and pizza!

*all kinds of greens can be added to green smoothies

*sautee asparagus with olive oil and spices

*wrap partially cooked bacon around fresh blanched green beans or asparagus and finish baking in oven, drizzle with homemade dressing

*shred a variety of cabbage, beets, etc for a fresh cole slaw

*okra is great in jambalaya

Our local Meijer grocery store has signs above their produce that give suggestions for using the vegetables.

Also, try different ethnic recipes for great ideas for using different veggies and spices. One year around Easter, I made our whole dinner from middle eastern cuisine! It was so fun trying new recipes with 'exotic' ingredients and spices! I felt like quite the gourmet chef making baba ganoush and falafels!

Anyway, I didn't realize how fun it would be to try new veggies and recipes so go ahead and have some fun with YOUR new veggies!"

 

It really IS exciting! You might just want to go get yourself a new apron!

 

Health Tip of the Week!

Health tip of the WEEK (of the MONTH, of the YEAR!):
CUT OUT THE SUGAR!
Sugar is slowly killing us!
It is destroying our immune systems causing disease that sneaks up on us when we least expect it!
It is zapping our energy and making us fat and lethargic!
It interferes with brain function, hormones, sleep patterns, mood, etc, which will in turn interfere with how we will react to stressful situations (and we all know that stress is a killer!)
It affects our relationships and how we interact with eachother!
We are at great risk of losing our health and vitality, our viv and our verve, our joy and our happiness, OUR LIVES, when we feed our bodies this poison!
And the precious children! Oh, how they suffer the consequences of the poison in our food!
There are chemicals in our water supply, chemicals in the food, toxins in the air, etc, etc.
And there is sugar!
Disrupting the body's ability to function properly on top of all of these other assaults taking place!
It reacts as a poison in the body!
It would do a body good to stay away from it all together!

Oh, great!
I am about sure, Laura!
Give me a break!
There is no way to stay away from sugar! It's everywhere! What do you want me to do? Be one of those mom's that don't let her kid eat anything fun!
Don't be ridiculous, Laura!

So, is this what you're thinking?
Probably.
A good way to start eliminating sugar is to not have it at home.
Don't buy it at all!
Stop baking with sugar.
Stop buying the packaged junk!
Leave the pop and juice jugs at the store!
Forget about buying the little sugar-loaded cups of yogurt, puddings, jell-o, candy, cereal!!
Now can you start seeing where it is sneaking into our lives everyday?
It is in almost everything! (And another killer is fast food! It's loaded with sugar and chemicals & slowly destroys all bodily functions!)
So Just stop buying it! (Believe me, you and the kids will be much happier without it! Just wait and see!)

What we do is have no sugar Monday through Friday.
No brownies, no cookies, no ice cream, no juice, no fruit-flovored yogurt, no package cereal, etc.
Not even bakery made with raw organic sugar, sugar cane natural (Sucanat), or any processed sugar.
We will make dessert when friends or company come over on the weekends that may have sugar in them but I will always cut the sugar in half (or more-and I will NEVER bring white sugar into the house at all!) or use a natural sugar substitute like fruit, honey, or stevia.
I made a pumpkin cake for my friend's birthday that had a bit of honey in the cake and crushed pineapple with butter, cream cheese and milk in the frosting! It was very moist and delicious!
Maybe I will post the recipe soon!
Honey has a lot of nutrients and is favored over sugar but can still cause the body harm if overconsumed. It should be treated as a treat, not an everyday indulgent.
I love our local Michigan raw honey that I get from the Country Life co-op www.clnf.org.
There is nothing like it! It's wonderful!
I use it to make granola or granola bars and a teeny bit in my tea on the weekends and for a special dessert.
We will use a bit of honey in homemade chocolate milk for the children when they come in from the snow and cold and even a bit in plain yogurt but we try to keep it to a minimum.
Since we do not have sugar at home, we don't mind if we or the children have it away from home, if it is offered, and on special occasions! The problem lies in the fact that sugar is consumed in huge amounts on a daily basis. Every day is NOT a special occasion!

I encourage you to look up any information regarding the affects of sugar on the body and any recipes for natural, sugar-free food. (Please, NO FAKE SUGAR! It is even more of a poison than processed sugar! Any food that is man-made & processed is not food!) You know what I'm talking about~if we cannot pronounce the ingredients, we shouldn't be eating it!

Here are a few ideas for sugar-free snacks!

No-sugar snacks & food ideas:
1) Fresh fruit
2) Apples or bananas with peanut or almond butter
3) Popcorn
4) Hardboiled eggs
5) Plain yogurt with berries, mashed bananas, etc
6) Cheese sticks
7) Veggies~plain or with hummus, artichoke dip, avocado dip, etc.
8) Celery with peanut or almond butter and raisins
9) Raw nuts & seeds (with dried fruit & dark chocolate chips on occasion)
10) Mini crustless quiche cups made in muffin tins

A Good Book and Barbeque Chicken

I just finished reading one of our favorite children's book to my 'students'. "The Bronze Bow" by Elizabeth George Speare. It is a wonderful book about truly learning to forgive.

It's set in the time of Jesus when the Romans were taking over Israel. A young boy has only one purpose: to avenge his father's death by defeating the hated Romans.

It is full of action, determination, tenderness and hope.

Parts of the story correlated with our Sunday School lessons, which made it come more 'alive' to us. We were hanging on every word and couldn't wait to find out how it ended!

We highly recommend it as a read-aloud book for the children, but would be great for silent reading for older children and adults, alike.

Now, while we were reading, we didn't want to worry about what to have for dinner. I threw a whole chicken in the crock-pot with homemade barbeque sauce. We served it with rice and a salad.

And we read chapter after chapter!

Homemade barbeque sauce:

~2 x 14 oz. cans chopped or diced tomatoes

~1 onion, finely chopped

~1 tablespoon black molasses

~3 tablespoons worcestershire sauce

~garlic powder, as desired

~Mix all together in a bowl and pour on top of chicken in crock pot.

~Set crock pot on low and cook for 8-10 hours.

~The sauce gets nice and thick on the chicken and enough left over to use as a gravy on rice or potatoes.

Have fun reading!

Simply September

Ahhh, September!
I love it!
I am so happy to be on a schedule again!
Of course, I don't want every minute scheduled~
We need time to relax and chill, too!
(As if we haven't been doing that all summer!)
I love the change of seasons and the change of schedules.
It makes life exciting and interesting.
Oh, but I do love a simple life!
Hmmm.
What can simple mean?
Let's see.
~More time at home.
~Less running around.
~Less clutter.
~More time for faith and family.
~More time outdoors.
~Listening to beautiful music.
~Reading wonderful children's books.
~Talking and listening to God.
~Simple, healthy meals.
~Enjoying the beautiful things in life.

So I said to myself~
"Stop dreaming, Laura, and start simplifying!"

The first thing I thought to simplify was our meals.
I came up with this plan that makes it easier for me to think about our meals.

A Meal Template!
Yay!
This is what it is: (I plan on using it until I am sick of it.)
I picked a main food for each day of the week and I create my meals from that.
~Monday is chicken or turkey day.
I cook a chicken dinner with 2 whole chickens along with all the vegetables. I then boil the bones and tiny bits of chicken into broth so I can use it for other meals.
~Tuesday is rice, bean and veggie dishes.
I know it's coming, so I pre-soak the beans the day before. I can even cook the rice before and then add whatever veggies and spices I want.
I could do Mexican, middle eastern, greek, italian. Whatever we are in the mood for.
Next Tuesday, I plan on making black bean and rice burritos with all the toppings.
~Wednesday is salad day.
I am thinking hearty salads, like cobb, chef, taco, greek etc.
I will add bread of some sort.
~Thursday is fish day.
Fish, veggies and a salad.
So simple!
Everyone loves it!
~Friday is homemade pizza day.
Lenny decided he will be the pizza maker.
He's all fired up!
He made it once and considers himself quite an expert!
It was really good~crispy crust, yummy sauce!
He found a thin crust recipe online.
I will post the recipes at a later time.
Every week could be a different flavor. There are so many types of good unusual recipes for pizza!
Now Saturday. Soup and sandwich day.
This is our running day and I didn't want to worry about what we were going to have for dinner, so I thought this would be a good meal.
I plan on using the crockpot and just making sure there are sandwich fixings in the fridge.
It could be as simple as vegetable soup and broiled tomato, basil and mozzarella sandwiches.
Sunday. Pasta day.
I plan on putting this meal together in advance.
I plan on lasagna this week so I will make it Friday and probably freeze it if I do not have enough room in my fridge.
I'll put it in the oven on Sunday morning before church. Or I could layer it in my big electric roaster. I have even made lasagna in a crockpot.
Other pasta ideas: spaghetti and meatballs, turkey tetrazinni, greek pasta salad etc.

So I have a plan.
Will I use it?
Yes, I will.
But I am enlisting every single child I have to help me!
I am not doing it by myself!
I don't need to!
The kids need to learn their life skills, you know!
I will ask each one for specific ideas for each meal and we are going to put on our aprons together!
Actually, maybe I will hang up mine and go take a nap!

I do know that every day won't be as easy as it sounds, so on those days, I have a back-up plan: breakfast for dinner!
Oh well!
It's better than the fast food on the corner!

Anyway, I look forward to more simplifying.
Does anyone want to share their simplifying ideas?
Oh, Please!!!
I long for simplicity!

Carol's Carrot Muffins

My Dear neighbor, Carol, brought over these DELICIOUS whole-grain agave-sweetened carrot muffins and EVERYONE loved them!

Even the pickiest eaters!

Of course, I HAD to get the recipe!

Here it is:

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/2 t cinnamon

1 t baking powder

1/4 t salt

4+ carrots

2 large eggs

1/3 cup sucanat (natural sweetener from health food section)

1 t vanilla

1/2 c agave syrup (natural low-glycemic sweetener from health food section plus Costco is carrying it now at a great price!)

1/3 cup olive oil

Heat the oven to 375*F. Line or grease muffin cups and set aside.

Whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Grate the carrots and stir together with the remaining ingredients. Stir the carrot mixture into the flour mixture. Divide the batter between the baking cups and bake until a skewer inserted into muffin center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Immediately remove muffins from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

12-16 muffins

163 calories, 5 grams of fat

Perfect for anytime of the day!

Very moist and tasty!

Where Are The Beans?

Sometimes I have to be quite sneaky in order to make sure our kids are eating a well rounded selection of foods.

I know some people who have to sneak in ways to get their husbands to eat good foods!

I've snuck in spinach & greens into spaghetti sauce and ground up nuts and seeds into bakery, etc.

I came across a great article by First magazine called "10 brilliant ways to use white beans."

White beans have a mild flavor and one of nature's best sources of slow-digesting soluble fiber and plant protein. They actually have the ability to block the body from turning carbs into sugar thus boosting weight loss!

They also give us tons of energy!

Some of these I have tried, others I will try very soon.

1. Lean & Juicy Burgers: Mix 1 cup of pureed beans into 1# of lean ground beef and shape into patties. Grill 10 min., turning once.

2. Mexican Pizza: Spread 2 cups of mashed beans on dough. top with queso blanco, cheddar, chorizo, olives, onions and jalapenos. Grill until cheese melts.

3. Sicilian-Style Pasta: Cook crumbled italian sausage 4 min. Stir in 1 cup of beans, a handful of spinach and a spoonful of capers. Toss with hot cooked pasta.

4. Mediterranean Dip: Puree 2 cups of beans, 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese and the juice of half a lemon. Serve with pita chips and crudites.

5. Tuscan Bean Toss: Combine 2 cups of beans with olive oil, minced garlic, chopped rosemary and a sprinkle of coarse sea salt. Serve with rustic bread.

6. Hearty Tuna Salad: Combine 1/2 cup of beans, canned tuna, diced tomatoes, minced red onions and chopped parsley. Serve on whole-wheat bread.

7. Rich Brownie Bites: Pruee 2 cups of beans and combine with 1 box of your favorited brownie mix. Bake according to package directions.

8. Chocolate-chip Cookies: Replace half the butter in your favorite chocolate-chip cookie recipe with the same amount of pureed beans. Bake as usual.

9. Bean Gratin: Heat oven to 400* F. Combine 2 cups of beans, garlic and 3/4 cup of broth in baking dish. Top with bread crumbs; dot with butter. Bake until bubbly.

10. Southern Succotash: Saute chopped onions, garlic and bell peppers in butter until soft. Stir in corn and 1 cup of beans; cook 3 min. Season with black pepper.