organic food Archives - Decadently Fit

Tag: organic food

02
Sep
2013

Skinny Power Potato & Egg Crepes w/ Skinny Hollandaise (giveaway)

categories: Breakfast, Condiments, Gluten-Free, Main Dishes

Most of my recipes come out of thin air. Lots of trial and error from what I have on hand, or what looked good that day at the grocery store. I excel in the ‘create something from nothing’ realm.

This dish was born the morning after my little sister’s bachelorette party. We had a super sized adult slumber party, complete with decadent food, drinks and ice blocking. Wild and crazy we were.

The seven of us that were left in the morning woke up starving. The events from the evening prior led us straight to the kitchen to fill our rumbling, some turbulent, bellies.

Upon scouring my culinary domain for a suitable breakfast, I came up with this satisfying, yet sassy number. I watched the first of the guests as she took her bite. I must have looked like a child waiting for their parent’s life changing approval. Thankfully she gave me an enthusiastic thumbs up. Each of the slumber crew loved it so much they stayed for lunch, and dinner. I was more than happy to oblige.

So, when Klondike Brand Potatoes contacted me to be a part of their *Pile on the Produce promotion and Giveaway, I knew exactly what I was going to make.

Before I give you the recipe for this to die for lean and mean crepe machine, I’ll explain Pile on the Produce. It is a national retail promotion in which retailers build potato displays to promote the health benefits of potatoes. Klondike Brand is encouraging families to incorporate as much produce as they can into meals.

Bloggers like myself have been asked to come up with recipes that use potatoes and at least two other produce items in a healthy dish. By doing this they are hoping to spark your creativity in using the vitamin packed spuds and produce.

To reward all my readers for being such loyal fans, Klondike and I will be doing a giveaway each week in September. There will be a total of 4 winners that will receive a potato prize pack directly from Klondike. Each week I will randomly pick a winner from the entries. Drawings will be done every Sunday at 9 p.m. PST. (unless otherwise stated).

To enter, subscribe to Decadently Fit, like DF’s Facebook, follow DF on Twitter, or Instagram. If you already do, send your friends. Have them subscribe to DF’s blog, like the Facebook, follow Twitter or Instagram. After they have done any of the items listed have them post anywhere on the pages that you sent them. Good luck!

Now the crepe.

A combination of crispy Klondike Rose potatoes, sweet red bell pepper, and onion are warmly wrapped in an egg white blanket, only to be topped by a velvety hollandaise made with fat-free greek yogurt.

Sound good? Then get up and go make this as a nice Labor Day treat for your loved ones.
Happy Labor Day!

For your drooling pleasure…

Recipe

Potato Hash

4 Klondike Rose Potatoes, scrubbed, coarsely grated

1/2 of large red onion, diced

1/2 green bell pepper, diced

1/2 tablespoon coconut oil

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

Pre-heat your oven to 140 degrees. Heat an oven safe medium skill over medium high heat. Saute the bell pepper and onion for 3 – 5 minutes. Stir the potatoes in with the bell pepper mixture. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Create an even layer in the pan, and put the lid on for 3 minutes. Remove the lid and flip the potatoes. Repeat til potatoes are soft. Then repeat without the lid until the potatoes are crispy. Keep warm in oven without lid on.

Skinny Hollandaise (adapted from a recipe by Deantini)

6 oz. plain greek non-fat yogurt

2 teaspoons lemon juice

3 egg yolks (room temp)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

couple dashes Tabasco

Use a double boiler or (since I don’t have one) place your kitchen aid mixer bowl over a large pot of simmering water. Whisk yogurt, lemon juice, egg yolks well. Heat over simmering water, stirring frequently, until sauce has thickened, approx 15 min. Sauce should be smooth and thick. Remove from heat and stir in salt, mustard, and Tabasco. Sauce can be stored up to a week in the fridge.

Crepe

5 egg whites, beaten

Olive oil in a misto sprayer (or non-stick spray)

2 cups baby spinach, ripped into bite size pieces

smoked paprika (optional)

Spray a small saute pan with a small amount of oil. Divide the mixture into 2 or 4 servings. Use either 1/4 of the mixture or 1/2 depending on your decided portions. Pour egg white into hot pan and swirl, coating the entire bottom of the pan. Put pan back on flame and cover for 1 minute. Uncover and gently flip, cooking the other side completely. Do not over cook.

To assemble:

Place the crepe(s) on a plate. Fill each crepe with the potato hash, some of the spinach, roll up and place seam side down. Top each crepe with 2 tablespoons of the hollandaise, and sprinkle with the paprika.

*Oh and don’t forget to go to the Klondike web page where you can be one of four winners to receive an Ipad2! You can also get a great coupon here.

Disclosure: I was provided with a 5 lb bag of Klondike Rose Potatoes and The Culinary Guide to Klondike Potatoes from Potandon Produce L.L.C. as part of the Pile in on the Produce Promotion. All opinions are my own.

16
Aug
2013

Enchilada Casserole (gluten free)

categories: Gluten-Free, Main Dishes

This past week I started a gluten-free experiment. All of the pasta, bread, tortillas and cereal I consumed lacked gluten. Not because I have Celiac Disease or an intolerance, but because I know I have a lot of readers that do. I wanted to know how hard it was to eat gluten-free. I wanted to know if it took more time to prepare meals.

Part of me felt bad for the gluten-free community. Being excluded from eating any type of food is sad to me. I get to enjoy most foods without side effects (except milk). To be told no more pasta or bread would be pure torture for me. Or so I thought.

Honestly after doing my little experiment I no longer feel sorry for them. I actually feel sorry for anyone who hasn’t tried the gluten-free products. I made a brown rice pasta rigatoni with pesto, and my entire family devoured it. CT (my little guy), even asked to take it to school for lunch. The cutie next to him went home and told her mom she wanted that for lunch too. Needless to say it was a huge hit. No one missed the gluten.

The brown rice pasta has a smooth texture that rivals it’s gluten filled counter part. The taste is slightly nutty, and pairs great with any sauce.

Even though brown rice contains a modest amount of protein, the high quality lysine does it’s job perfectly. The protein repairs and build muscles.

The fiber in brown rice is hard to digest, so all of the bad stuff is dragged out of the body with it. Think of fiber as as the nightclub bouncer, toxins as the unruly club goers. When the bouncer realizes the toxins are doing harm to your body, they grab hold and don’t let go till they, um, well, exit your body. (Women should be consuming 25 grams of fiber per day. Men should be consuming 38 grams daily).

My next experience with a gluten-free product, was brown rice tortillas. I didn’t even know they existed till a recent Trader Joe’s trip. I was in the tortilla aisle searching for a healthier option. I grabbed the last package and read it’s stats. At 24 grams of carbs for one, I wasn’t sold. I put them back and made another lap around the store. When I came back around to the tortilla section there was a ruckus. Customers were extremely upset that the brown rice tortillas were gone. They wouldn’t be back till the next day. I’m a middle child and hate to be left out of the fun, so the next day I went back and got some.

I really didn’t think I was going to like them. When I pulled them out of the package there was a rubbery type feel to them. Scared me a little bit. But, then a bright figurative light bulb went on. I had just made a home made enchilada sauce, I would make enchiladas with the rubbery discs. Yeah, I know how that sounds, but keep reading.

When I rolled the first enchilada, the light bulb started to flicker and dim. The rubbery little suckers completely fell apart! I started feeling bad for the gluten-free community again. How could they live in a world where enchiladas were an impossibility. It just wasn’t fair. So I did what I normally do when a recipe doesn’t go as planned, I stared blankly at everything.

Whilst staring at the broken tortilla, with all it’s insides spilling all over the cutting board, the solution hit me. The light shone brightly again, and my feelings of sadness left as fast as they came. I rebuilt that enchilada into a casserole, tearing up the tortilla, and layering the ingredients.

What I ended up with was a gluten-free, protein filled masterpiece. After baking it, the tortillas were no longer rubbery. They were delicious! When I tallied the nutrition facts I was excited to see that the meat and beans gave the dish a whopping 21 grams of protein. The tortillas added a nice 4 grams of fiber.

The entire casserole was gone by lunch time the next day. Yes, all 8 servings, split between my husband and I for 3 consecutive meals. It will most definitely become a regular on the dinner rotation.

And seriously, never buy a can of enchilada sauce again. It only takes 10 minutes to make your own, and you can’t beat the taste of a fresh sauce.

So hurry, run to Trader Joe’s and grab brown rice tortillas. I hear they move off the shelf rather quickly.

Recipe

1 lb. organic ground beef

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 red onion, diced

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 can of organic black beans, preferably low-sodium

1/2 cup part skim cotija cheese, crumbled

1/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

4 – 6 brown rice tortillas

2 green onions, chopped (optional)

1 large tomato, diced (optional)

Enchilada sauce

1/4 cup grapeseed oil

2 tablespoons gluten-free flour (I like Bob’s Red Mill)

1/4 cup Hatch chili powder (or regular chili powder)

1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

1 1/2 cups water

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

salt to taste

Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in flour and chili powder, reduce heat to medium, and cook until lightly brown, stirring constantly to prevent burning flour.

Gradually stir in tomato sauce, water, cumin, and garlic powder into the flour and chili powder until smooth, and continue cooking over medium heat approximately 10 minutes, or until thickened slightly. Season to taste with salt.

Enchilada Casserole

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat brown the beef, and drain the fat. Return back to skillet. Lower heat to medium-low, and add onions, garlic, salt, pepper, and cumin. Stirring frequently cook till onions are translucent.

Stir in the black beans into the meat mixture.

Put 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 9 pan.

Tear up the tortilla into large pieces, and cover the enchilada sauce.

Sprinkle half of the meat mixture on top of the tortillas.

Layer half of the cotija onto the meat.

Layer half of the remaining sauce onto the cotija.

Repeat the tortilla, meat, cheese, sauce layering again.

Sprinkle with the cheddar, then the olives.

Bake for 20 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Garnish each slice with tomatoes and green onions.

Servings: 8• Size: 1/8 of casserole • Calories: 383• Fat: 22g • Carb: 31g • Fiber: 4g • Protein: 21g • Sugar: 2g • Sodium: 548mg • Cholesterol: 62mg

23
Jul
2013

Zucchini Lasagna – Low Carb

categories: Low Carb, Main Dishes, Uncategorized

Every year I plant a summer garden in my backyard. I use a 4 X 8 raised planter bed and fence out the animals (bunnies & squirrels) with chicken wire.

I spend a good amount of time planting each plant carefully. Making sure each has a symbiotic plant to fight off disease and pests. When everything is planted, I watch those babies like a hawk. I go out everyday and make sure they have enough water, sun, and aren’t being invaded by insects. In a nutshell, I love gardening.

Unfortunately, this year, I have not been able to plant one. We tore up our back yard last December. Now, very slowly it is being put back together. Slow, like dripping molasses.

I miss the tomatoes right off the vine. I miss the wafting smell of the basil as I approach the planter bed. Most of all, I miss being able to harvest the vegetables of my labor.

I really shouldn’t complain though, I have an ever better substitute for my garden. My neighbors L & L have the best home garden I have ever seen. No exaggeration. Rows of high tomato plants, zucchini, cucumber, apples, avocado, grapefruit, oranges, lemons and peaches.

L is very good at what he does. He had special soil, called sandy loam, trucked in just for his garden. Whether it be the soil or his green thumb, the quality and the quantity he produces far exceed what my little 4 X 8 bed could.

That being said, I have been able to survive the summer with the fruits of his labor. Once a week I receive a surprise delivery on my door step. Sometimes that even includes eggs. We are very spoiled by them.

Recently Mrs. L had surgery that limited her mobility. Mr. L was going to have to take care of the Mrs. and her live in mother on a daily basis. Upon hearing this, I immediately offered to make them dinners. It was least I could do for all they have done for us. Not only have they been generous with their crops, but also a myriad of other things. We are blessed to live next door to them.

It just so happened that the day before I was to begin working on their meals, L dropped off one of his infamous bags of produce. It had all the usual suspects, including a few gorgeous zucchinis.

There are so many ways to prepare zucchini, but one of my absolute favorites is a zucchini lasagna. A zucchini lasagna replaces the pasta sheets with zucchini. Lowering the carb count and increasing the nutrients.

In my recipe, I make two sauces, a marinara and bechamel. Marinara is a fancy name for tomato sauce. Bechamel is a fancy name for cheese sauce. I make my bechamel lower in fat and carbs by using chicken broth instead of milk, Melt, instead of butter. The two sauces intertwine in each bite, creating a tomato cream sauce.

The sauces are layered between the zucchini ‘noodles’. It is up to the chef whether to add ground turkey, pork, or sausage. The sauces are bold enough to stand with the zucchini alone, for a vegetarian version.

This lasagna can be baked and served immediately or it can be covered tightly with plastic wrap and foil, then frozen for up to 3 months. Either way, it’s worth the work. You won’t be disappointed I promise.

It’s a dish that feels indulgent, yet is much healthier than eating a traditional lasagna. According to L & L it was a great use of their zucchini, and helped Mrs. L get on the road to recovery.

Recipe

3 – 4 large zucchini, sliced on a mandoline ( <— click for the same one I use)

sea salt

16 oz. mozzarella low moisture, part skim or any cheese blend (I used a pizza blend)

1 lb. ground turkey, pork or turkey sausage, cooked and any fat drained

Marinara

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 28 oz can organic diced tomatoes

1/2 brown onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 small carrot, diced

2 teaspoons dried basil

sea salt and pepper to taste

Place zucchini slices on a paper towel and sprinkle lightly with sea salt. Let sit for an hour. Blot dry, turn over and repeat step on other side. This will pull excess moisture out of the zucchini, so your lasagna won’t be soupy.

Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Add the carrots and basil, saute for 2 – 3 minutes. Add in the onions and saute till translucent. Add in the garlic and saute for 1 minute, constantly stirring so it doesn’t burn. Stir in the tomatoes, and de-glaze the pan (scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan). Simmer for 20 minutes on low, stirring every 3 minutes or so to avoid burning the sauce. Using a stick blender, blend the sauce partially. I like mine to still have some chunks. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside. (Whatever you have left after making the lasagne can be frozen).

Bechamel (not traditional)

4 tablespoons Melt butter (smart balance or ghee)

4 tablespoons whole wheat flour

2 1/2 cups low sodium organic chicken broth

1/2 cup shaved Parmesan

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

Melt the ‘butter’ over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, stirring constantly for 3 – 5 minutes or until the mixture smells like popcorn. Constantly whisking, slowly stir in the chicken broth. Continue to whisk till the mixture is fully incorporated. Lower the heat to low. Stir in cheese and pepper. Take off heat.

To Assemble Lasagna

1. Ladle a thin layer of marinara on the bottom of a 9X13 pan.

2. Layer zucchini noodles on top of the marinara, overlapping slightly.

3. Ladle 1/2 of the bechamel on top of the zucchini.

4. If you have a meat layer, add it on top of the bechamel.

5. Layer 1/3 of the cheese on top of the meat.

6. Ladle the remaining 1/2 of the marinara on top of the cheese.

7. Repeat steps 2 – 6 one more time.

8. The last layer should be the remaining cheese.

9. Bake for 20 – 30 minutes or until bubbling and golden brown.

10. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

*Servings: 8• Size: 1/8 of the lasagna • Calories: 205 • Fat: 13g • Carb: 13g• Fiber: 3g • Protein: 12g • Sugar: 6g • Sodium: 677mg • Cholesterol: 20mg

*(nutrition facts are shown without meat)

20
Jul
2013

Almond Muffin (made in the microwave)

categories: Breakfast, Main Dishes, Quick Meal

My boys will be starting school in exactly 17 days. Who’s counting? During the school year I am notorious for not eating breakfast. Why? Well, raise your hand if you are guilty of not eating a healthy breakfast because it takes more time, and you would rather not eat junk. (raises hand).

I like sleeping in. So I will push the limits as far as I can sometimes. When I finally do drag myself out of bed I stumble half awake to the Keurig. Pop in the k-cup, stare at the dripping, addicting substance till it fills my cup completely. Pour in my creamer and stevia, then sit on the couch watching the Food Network while gulping down my dark liquid friend. Sometimes I will jump on the computer and start a blog or respond to emails.

On a normal day I look at the clock at some point and become frantic. Realizing that I have just enough time to wake the boys up, make them breakfast, make sure they are dressed, teeth and hair are brushed and all the right accompaniments are in their back packs. Then frantic part two sets in when I realize I forgot to pack their lunch. I scramble to the kitchen, throw together a sandwich and throw in some healthy sides and a drink. Throw the lunch box in their back pack and run out the door to get them to school on time. Phew!

Sound familiar? Not one part of that chaotic routine includes me eating breakfast. As much as I would love to get up earlier to incorporate a well-balanced meal, it most likely won’t happen. BUT, if I can spend 5 minutes between the chaos making and eating something healthy, I will.

My clean eating, health conscious friend, Alicia, posted a great busy morning mom recipe on her facebook last week. A clean, protein filled muffin that you can make in the microwave. The clean up is minimal because you mix and microwave the muffin in a coffee cup. So brilliant.

I tweaked her recipe a little to meet my dietary needs, so I am going to post her recipe and mine. You can decide which meets you needs or swap between them.

I know this will become one of my staple breakfasts during the school year. Because as we all know, if you don’t fire up your metabolism in the morning, you are doing body a disservice. I no longer have an excuse not to eat a clean, health breakfast. Thanks, Alicia!

Alicia’s Flaxseed Muffin Recipe

1/4 cup Bob’s Red Mill Organic Flaxseed Meal

1tsp baking powder

2tsp cinnamon powder

1tsp coconut oil

1 egg

2tsp honey

Mix all ingredients in a coffee mug. Pop in the microwave for 50 seconds then dump on plate and enjoy!

Servings: 1• Size: 1 muffin • Calories: 248 • Fat: 16g • Carb: 24g • Fiber: 2g • Protein: 9g • Sugar: 21g • Sodium: 386mg • Cholesterol: 185mg

My Almond Muffin Recipe

1/4 cup Bob’s Red Mill Flour Almond Meal

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch of sea salt

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 egg

1 teaspoon real vanilla extract

Servings: 1• Size: 1 muffin • Calories: 345 • Fat: 18g • Carb: 40g • Fiber: 7g • Protein: 12g • Sugar: 24g • Sodium: 388mg • Cholesterol: 195mg

19
Jul
2013

Hatch Chili Honey Corn Dog

categories: Cheat Day, Main Dishes, Uncategorized

Fair season in the O.C. is upon us. The G family loves the fair for many different reasons. Mr. G and I love trying the various foods offered. We used to seek out the Australian Battered Potatoes, but have since moved onto the Texas Sized Maple Bacon Donut. For the most part, the fried menu items don’t interest us as much as they used to. Probably because our stomachs really can’t handle the grease anymore.

Our boys love all the rides, and playing the games to win yet another stuffed animal to add to the menagerie. They also love the corn dogs and the roasted corn.

I can remember loving corn dogs at the fair when I was little. For some reason they taste much better there. It has to be the ambiance that enhances their flavor.

We live 45 minutes from the above mentioned fair. We will most likely go once during the season. So if any of the G family wants to eat a corn dog any other time of the year we must venture off to the frozen food aisle or make our own. I’m sure you can guess which one I prefer.

I’m going to go off onto a completely differently tangent for a bit and then come back full circle. Bear with me.

hatch cookbook — Buy your cookbook on Melissas.com

Recently, I was invited to Melissa’s Produce Hatch Chili Cookbook Launch Event. Their wonderful chefs Ida Rodriguez and Marco Zapien made a delicious lunch for us with Hatch Chili as the main ingredient in every dish.

For those of you who have never had a Hatch chili grace your presence, let me introduce you. The chili is grown in a region of New Mexico, surprisingly named, Hatch. Hatch is the perfect breeding grounds for this chili due to the hot days and cool evenings.

They are large, green peppers, with a waxy appearance, similar to an Anaheim pepper. The heat sneaks up on you and builds, but it is not an unbearable heat.

The growing season is only 6 weeks, and usually begins the first week of August. The estimated start of the 2013 season is August 8th. The most interesting part about the chili is that it can vary in heat from mild to hot. They are wonderful roasted or used in the powder form.

It was fun tasting each of the 15 items, with the chili being used differently in the individual dishes. My favorites were the *Honey Mustard Pretzel Crunch, Chocolate Chip cookies, Chicken Salad Sandwich and the Cornbread. But the item that pushed the menu over the edge was the hatch chili lemonade. Each guest added their own hatch chili ice-cube to fresh lemonade. It was refreshing, sour, sweet and spicy. Perfect.

After I left the event, warmed by the heat of the chilies, I immediately started pondering how to use them in a healthy dish. On my way home I saw a billboard for the O.C. Fair, and started dreaming of the food. That is when it hit me. I said to myself, “I bet the hatch chili powder would be awesome in the corn dog batter!”.

There are times when my ideas and reality don’t mesh well. There have been many disasters. I can say without question that my little experiment worked well. I was able to concoct a healthy version of a spicy corn dog.

In this recipe I took an organic, nitrate and preservative free hot dog, and covered it with a sweet and spicy hatch chili and honey cornbread coating. To leave room in my arteries for the fatty fair version, I baked this version. I replaced the milk in the mix for club soda for a fluffier texture. Coconut oil replaced the vegetable oil. I used foil boats (see pic to the left) to maintain their form. Although, they still took on a funky shape, they still looked like the original version.

This substitution will knock your socks off and even make your nose run a little. You won’t have to feel guilty about eating these. Just remember, even though they are healthier, they are not low-fat. So remember to share with a neighbor or two.

Recipe

1 box Natural Honey Corn bread mix (I used Krusteaz)

3/4 cup to 1 cup club soda (depending on thickness of batter , it must stick to the dog)

1 egg (room temp)

1/3 cup coconut oil

2 1/2 teaspoons mild hatch chili powder (this will be remotely spicy, adjust to your tastes)

10 -12 organic, nitrate, preservative free hot dogs (Applegate is wonderful)

10 -12 Popsicle sticks or skewers

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Make foil boats for the amount of hot dogs you have. Place each boat side by side on a cookie sheet. Spray each boat with olive oil cooking spray.

Thread a skewer or Popsicle stick into each hot dog. Leave enough room for a handle.

Pat each hot dog dry with a paper towel. Roll each dog into the dry corn dog mix. Set aside.

Mix the remainder of ingredients in box until combined.

Using a spoon, cover each dog with the cornbread mixture, till completely covered. Shake any large clumps off into the bowl. Set the covered dog in the foil boat. Repeat till all dogs are covered.

Bake in oven for 15 minutes or until completely cooked and slighting golden.

Chef’s Note:

If your kids won’t touch spicy with a ten foot pole, divide the mixture in half and only add half of the hatch powder to one half. Or don’t.

Servings: 12 • Size: 1 corn dog • Calories: 273 • Fat: 14.4g • Carb: 28.9g • Fiber: 1g • Protein: 9g • Sugar: 10.7g • Sodium: 686mg • Cholesterol: 38mg

*Melissa’s Hatch Chili cookbook contains the recipes for the dishes that were made for the event. I highly recommend purchasing one!

I was not compensated for this post. However, I did take home a cookbook, and hatch chilis from the event. Thank you Melissa’s!

Thank you to marthastewart.com for the photo inspiration.

06
Jun
2013

FIT tip of the day 6.6.13

categories: Fit Tips, Health Tips

I have had a lot of my readers ask me what a GMO is. What they do and why they are bad. I hope this snippet can shed some light on the issue.

ge·net·i·cal·ly modified organism

n. Abbr. GMO

An organism whose genetic characteristics have been altered by the insertion of a modified gene or a gene from another organism using the techniques of genetic engineering.

(article snippet is from www.webmd.com)

*The term genetically modified food (also known as biotech or genetically engineered food) refers to crop plants that have been modified in the laboratory to enhance desired traits, such as resistance to herbicides or improved nutritional content. Experts say this science, like any other, has no guarantees.

Risks include:

Introducing allergens and toxins to food
Accidental contamination between genetically modified and non-genetically modified foods
Antibiotic resistance
Adversely changing the nutrient content of a crop
Creation of “super” weeds and other environmental risks

Benefits include:

Increased pest and disease resistance
Drought tolerance
Increased food supply*

None of the benefits listed affect our bodies. All of the risks can cause serious consequences to our bodies.

Whether you choose to buy GMOs or not, you should at least know what they are. Sometimes we don’t have a choice. Buying exclusively organic can be very expensive. That is why I personally do not. A majority of my purchases are, but I do have a budget to stick to.

Here is something to keep in mind, the more organic produce and products we buy, the more likely the price will come down. Then we can all afford to have a choice.

*Information copied from www.webmd.com*

03
Jun
2013

Fit Tip of the Day 6.3.2013

categories: Fit Tips, Uncategorized

Marketing is everything. For someone just starting to join the Food Revolution and eat healthier, a food product with the word diet seems appealing. Trust me, I fell for it too, in my early weight loss days. For a long time ‘sugar-free’, ‘diet’ and ‘low-fat’ reeled me in. I bought products that contained these labels religiously. I thought I was doing myself and my family a favor. I couldn’t figure out why I wasn’t losing weight.

Then I learned that there are no free calories. There is an inherent costs to chemical substitutions. We think we are eating healthy by choosing low-fat, sugar free options, but in reality they are more harmful than their original counterparts. If one ingredient is taken out, another equally bad component is usually added in so the flavor isn’t jeopardized.

As consumers, especially consumers trying to purchase healthy consumables, we need to get in the habit of reading labels. My rule of thumb is to try to buy as few products with ingredients that I am not familiar with. I love the Dryer’s commercial with the child trying to pronounce ingredients off of another brands ice cream label. Such chemicals are not in our everyday language, because we don’t know what they are. Food companies don’t want us to know. If they were good for us, we would know. They would be advertising the benefits. I have never seen an ice cream commercial, organic or not, educating the population about healthy benefits. My thought is, if I am going to eat something that isn’t healthy I might as well not poison myself too. So, yes, I will eat the full fat version with the best ingredients, in moderation. Preferably home-made. (Home-made ice cream is the BEST!)

My point is, living a clean diet is all about knowledge. Look for people and brands that support a clean, healthy way of living and learn from them. Don’t get trapped by the buzz words that make you think you are living healthy. Double check labels that contain these words: low-fat, sugar-free, fat-free, reduces cholesterol, helps digestion, natural, reduced sodium, etc. Make sure they do what they claim before you sabotage your goals.

What are some of your favorite truly healthy brands?

23
May
2013

Kid Approved, Mom Approved Boxed Mac & Cheese & Hot Dogs

categories: Cheat Day, Fit Tips, Main Dishes, Quick Meal, Side Dish

I despise processed foods. Before I go on a tangent about why I don’t like them, I feel the need to clarify what they are. Processed foods are packaged in boxes, cans or bags. They are usually loaded with fat, salt and sugar. Convenience foods, that are “designed for ease of consumption”. They are usually full of ingredients that can not be easily pronounced.

Livestrong.com best states the reason why I am a processed food hater, “While food preservation methods greatly enhance your ability to eat what you want when you want it, they also remove soluble fiber and other natural nutrients from raw foods and add ingredients that are, potentially, harmful to your health and well-being”. If that statement is true, why is the United States the lead consumer of processed foods? The answer is convenience. According to the N.Y. Times, Americans eat 31 percent more packaged food than fresh food, and they consume more packaged food per person than their counterparts in nearly all other countries. Most of us are so tired and stressed at the end of the day. Making a meal from scratch is the last thing on our over stimulated minds. So instead of making a meal packed full of nutrition, we opt for the easy way out, grabbing a box of Hamburger Helper, Rice-A-Roni or Macaroni & Cheese, or driving through the Golden Arches.

I used to do the same thing. Rice-A-Roni was a staple item in my grocery cart. Frozen bagged, one pot dinners were an easy go-to. If that blue box of macaroni and cheese was in my cart, it was usually made the same day. Then something changed, I had two beautiful boys, that I didn’t want to be tainted with preservatives and unhealthy food choices. I wanted my kids to eat the best food they could, so they could live the best life possible. Seems like something easy to do, till you realize you have to change your eating habits as a parent too.

The change didn’t happen over night, and it hasn’t always been easy, nor is it something we do 100%. My husband didn’t like the change at first. People around me did not support my choices. But, I decided in this case I knew what was best, and no one was changing my mind. Slowly my husband came around, and now embraces the changes. Granted he still brings home items I would rather not see in our home, but every now and then donuts and chips aren’t going to ruin us.

Today, our everyday diet is approximately 75% clean 25% processed. I make dinner almost every night, from scratch. If we have processed foods, most of them are organic or contain natural preservatives like celery juice. The blue boxed mac and cheese makes appearances only when the husband goes to the store, which is rare. American cheese is a never in our home, fruits and veggies are offered before any other snack item.

Yes, it is more work to make meals from scratch, but it’s worth the time I am taking to ensure we eat well. If you find that it is hard to make a well-balanced dinner every night, freeze meals when you do have time. Make two times the amount every time you make dinner, freeze the rest. Figure out what meals are fast to make. My fast go to dinner is salmon, frozen organic broccoli and frozen brown rice. It takes only 10 minutes from start to finish, with virtually no clean up.

Another quick meal is organic boxed Mac & Cheese with all natural, preservative free, antibiotic free beef hot dogs, served with a side of organic apple slices. Don’t knock it till you try it. Once you do, that blue box will only be making cameo appearances in your pantry. My ‘recipe’ is below.

Recipe

2 boxes of organic macaroni and cheese (I use 1 box of original flavor and one box of white cheddar)

1/2 cup of Smart Balance Butter

1/4 cup – 3/4 cup pasta cooking water (instead of milk, trust me you won’t miss the milk)

2 packages of the powdered cheese from the boxes

Boil the noodles, per the package directions. While the noodles are cooking cut up the hot dogs into bite sized rings, set aside. When the noodles are cooked, turn off the heat, and scoop up an entire coffee cup full of the pasta water, set aside. Drain the rest of the water from the noodles. In the same pan, heat the hot dogs. Once the dogs are heated through melt the Smart Balance in the pan, then pour the noodles back in and mix with the butter and hot dogs. Pour in a 1/4 cup of the pasta water and the cheese powder, mix. Continue to add more pasta water till creamy.

Enjoy the preservative free version of this vintage dish!

18
Apr
2013

Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes

categories: Side Dish

When you think ‘health food’, the word mashed potatoes usually doesn’t exist. When I found out those words could co-exist in the same recipe I ran home and made a batch. I think it’s been about 8 years since I first made them, and they are still a go to recipe.

This recipe is simple and translates into any mashed potato use you can think of. I have used it on top of Shepherd’s Pie. I have made ‘potato’ cakes. Of course you can eat them in their simplest form too.

Regular mashed potatoes, made from scratch have a calorie count of 239 calories, for one cup. A whopping 79 calories are from added fat. The carb count comes in at 35.5g and the sugar content is 3g. It would take you 27 minutes of jogging to burn off the spuds.

For the same amount of cauliflower mash, there are 90 calories. 40 of them are from healthy fat, the carb count is 5.1 g, fiber 3.3g and sugars are 1.7. This version only takes approximately 10 minutes of jogging to burn off. Kind of a no brainer nutritionally. Especially because this healthy version of the mashed taters will have you saying “potato who?”.

Recipe

Serves 6 – 8

1 head of cauliflower, core removed and florets pulled apart into smaller portions

4 tablespoons Smart Balance butter

salt & pepper to taste

Steam the cauliflower florets until they are soft enough to mash.

When cooked, put the florets into a food processor with the remaining ingredients and process until it reaches your desired consistency. I like mine a little chunky.

Servings: 4

Calories: 94 • Fat: 5g • Carb: 2 g • Fiber: 1 g • Protein: 1g • Sugar: 1g Sodium: 99mg • Cholest: 0mg

11
Mar
2013

Tips and tricks to have the body you want

categories: Health Tips

Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a magic wand we could wave and automatically lose the weight we want, and drop all health problems? Of course it would be nice, but it is not reality. If you are currently in unhealthy cycle of eating food that is not nutritious and not exercising it can be hard to break those habits. My advice is to do it slowly. Add in one new habit every week. Master that habit, make it part of your everyday life, then add a new one in. For instance, an easy one to add would be to drink green tea twice a day. The health benefits gained from drinking this green liquid outweighs the effort to make it twice a day. When added into your daily routine, studies show your chances of getting cancer and heart disease become lower. This is largely due to the high amounts of antioxidants in the tea. Green tea has also been know to boost our metabolism, without increasing your heart rate. Even though green tea won’t help you drop a significant amount of weight, when added into a healthy regimen, it can most certainly help your cause.

More changes you can make are listed below:

Remove all processed foods from your home unless they are an organic product. When you remove processed, chemical laden foods from your diet, your body wins. Why? Processed foods contain high amounts of salt, cancer causing preservatives like nitrates, and have little to no nutrients. So in order to get any nutrients at all you need to eat more of the processed food. When you eat food that is full of nutrients you don’t have to eat as much. An obvious benefit of eating less is more weight lost. Plus the nutrient laden food will give your body what it needs to heal or stay healthy. If getting sick less and losing weight is something your interested in, don’t buy the chemical induced products. Your body will thank you.
Eat Green. Green foods like spinach, kale, broccoli, brussel sprouts, and asparagus are full of vitamin C and other healthy inducing vitamins and minerals. “Kale in particular also has bone-boosting vitamin K, vision- and immune-boosting vitamin A, and even anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids. Another potent cruciferous veggie, Brussels sprouts have vitamins A and C as well as birth-defect fighting folate and blood pressure-balancing potassium”. Asparagus is full of fiber, and has a an amino acid called asparagine that cleans out all the bad stuff from our bodies. Have you ever noticed that weird smell in your urine after eating the stalky green vegetable? That is the asparagine letting you know it did it’s job.
Eat Organic foods when possible. Yes, I know, organic foods can be more expensive, but from personal experience, they are not always. Vons, the store that I shop in, has their own store brand organic products. I love them. They are on sale a majority of the time, and can be cheaper than a non-organic. If they aren’t they are usually only a few cents more than the non-organic version. If you can’t commit to a full organic line up, staying away from the dirty dozen is a great way to start. The dirty dozen refers to the foods with the most pesticide residue. They are : apples, celery, sweet bell peppers, peaches, strawberries, nectarines (imported), grapes, spinach, lettuce, cucumbers, blueberries (domestic), and potatoes. It is not proven that buying an organic apple versus a non organic is more nutritious. But, I personally tout buying the organic version because of what you consume when eating non-organic. Non-organic foods contain chemical pesticides. Hormones and antibiotics are given to non-organic animals. Plants can be genetically modified (a whole other post), and they are full of food additives (MSG, fats, food coloring, sugars, etc.). If you are truly passionate about your health, the additions in non-organic foods will not help you achieve your goal. At this point we aren’t even completely sure what those items can do to us over time. I personally don’t want to find out.
Eliminate carbohydrates from your dinner. Unless you are training for a marathon or working out 7 days a week, chances are you don’t need the additional carbs. Your body doesn’t have time to burn the extra carbohydrates from the time you eat dinner till it’s time to go to bed. You should be able to consume enough during the earlier part of the day to sustain you. I have a lot of recipes in this blog to help you achieve that. Eat cauliflower rice instead of a traditional rice. Make cauliflower mash potatoes with a turkey meat loaf. Use zucchini noodles to make a lasagna. Use spaghetti squash in place of your favorite pasta. There are so many delicious substitutions you can make. I always make my husband and I the non-carb version and add carbs in for our boys. Children truly do need the carbs and it is not hard to make them a side of sweet potatoes fries or brown rice.
Hydrate! Would you drive your car without oil? I hope not. Same theory applies here. Consider water the oil to your engine. Your engine being your body. Our bodies are made up of 60% water. Without it your body will stall, then completely stop working. Water takes all of the bad stuff like free radicals, and toxins out with the trash, so to speak. It keeps all of your organs running like a well ‘oiled’ machine. Plus, it keeps hunger at bay. Most people confuse thirst for hunger. Next time you feel your tummy grumbling, down a glass of water and wait. The sensation to feed your face may dissipate.
Be prepared. Benjamin Franklin stated it best when he said, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail”. It means exactly what it says. If you don’t plan what you are going to eat during the week and prepare, it is going to be much harder to succeed. I have two suggestions to keep you on track. First, prepare meals on Sunday for the week. Chop all your veggies and protein, then separate all the ingredients into different bags or Tupperware. Second, if you have the time make your meals for the week on Sunday and freeze them, if possible. If you don’t have the time to this, there are personal chefs that will do this for you. Either way, prepare yourself. Have snacks on hand, especially if you know you are not going to be at home. If you make a plan and stick to it you are going to be successful.