5 tips for the New Year

Phew! It's been a while since I posted. This holiday was a whirlwind, but thankfully it's over now and I survived.

I promise many new and exciting recipes for 2007 but in the meantime, many people have asked me for some easy ways to incorporate more healthy foods into their everyday eating. So...here are 5 easy tips to try if nutrition and healthy eating are on your resolution list.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

1. EAT MORE FRUITS AND VEGGIES - an easy way is to try and make fruits and veggies half of your plate. Another way is to get as many colours as you can in your meals. Variety in colour means variety in nutrients. Try eating fruit salad first thing in the morning.

2. BUY ORGANIC OR LOCAL FOODS - When I say buy organic, I don't mean EVERYTHING, although that would be great. I am mainly talkin produce and non-packaged foods. Many grocery stores have cashed in on this organic craze and have all sorts
of "organic" products. Organic white bread is still white bread and is still processed and of no benefit to your body. Choose good quality ingredients first.
When choosing what produce to buy organic - choose foods that are the most sprayed or those that have a thin skin or grow closest to the ground: like berries, potatoes and roots, plums, pears, apples, broccoli, greens... things with a thick skin like oranges are still great to buy organic but can maybe be next on the list if you are on a budget or can't find everything organic where you are. Try and buy local produce to ensure the least travel times.

3. LOOK FOR GOOD FATS/OILS - Omega 3 is your friend. Most processed foods are too high in Omega 6. Increasing your good fat intake also decreases your cancer risk. Omega 3's are also great for skin health and brain function.
Things like nuts and seeds and avocados are high in good fats. Try sprinkling ground flax seeds on salads or steamed veggies. Flax oil, avocado and lemon all whizzed up in a blender makes a great salad dressing.

4. TRY AND AVOID REFINED FOODS - I am always talking about WHOLE FOODS and this is what I mean. Choose foods with the least amount of stuff done to it. This primarily means avoiding refined sugar and processed wheat products. Both of these things have no nutrient value and will effect your blood sugar and therefore your mood. Go for whole grain and natural sugars (like honey and maple). If you are going to buy packaged foods, go for those with the least a amount of ingredients in their list. If you can't pronounce one of the ingredients, don't buy it.

5. MINIMIZE ANIMAL AND DAIRY PRODUCTS - I am not telling anyone to denounce meat and cheese all together. Becoming vegetarian or vegan is a process that not everyone is ready for. Keeping dairy and meat as a small part of your diet does benefit your body greatly. One great benefit to an animal free diet is less mucous and colds. A good rule is to make at least 4 of your meals during the week meat-free. Hormones that are used in producing animal products is stored in the fat - things like cheese and high-fat meats should be organic to reduce your exposure to toxins.

So that's 5...I should add a 6th one...to ENJOY WHAT YOU'RE EATING always. Choosing good food is of no benefit if you're hating every minute of it. Think about why you make the decisions you make and why you want to change your eating.

Happy eating!

Bundles of Joy

A large part of being "self employed" is finding new and exciting ways to make cash. Last night I found myself rushing off to do a music survey for a focus group company. It was essentially sitting in a room with 200 other women, 30 and over, listening to bad music and then rating it with a pencil on one of those sheets with the circles. Totally odd, but that's a whole other post.

Like a true hero, my wonderful boyfriend took charge of dinner and it was ready lickity split and was SOOOO tasty!


BUNDLES OF JOY

What he did was:
- grate up some carrots and some celery and put it in a bowl with some slivered green onion
- chopped up some portabello mushrooms (you can use any kind) and put them in a small bowl with some tamari (enough to marinate the shrooms)
- grabbed some sprouts, we had a medley of different types
- some leftover brown basmati rice we had in the fridge
- the rice paper
- and some hummus (we had the roasted garlic and onion flavour)



Then you work in an assembly line with all your fillings and the rice paper. Get a large bowl and fill it with warm water for the rice paper. Place paper in the bowl, so that it softens enough to be plyable and not at all papery. Place the plyable paper on a cutting board and fill with hummus, rice, carrot mixture, mushrooms and sprouts.



He was originally inspired to do this from a recipe in How it All Vegan. This idea is not a new one and you can fill your bundles with anything really. Keeping things raw is great. The hummus, sprout, mushroom combo was a taste sensation. With the rice, it was filling enough to sustain me through the 2 and half hours of "hooks".

Holiday Boiling

Since it's the holidays and that means parties and treats, I thought I would post a party treat recipe. I rarely bake, and when I do it's always the same few things that I have perfected over the years. This recipe is tried and true and was given to me by my friend Vanessa. It's not "baking" at all, it's actually boiling and it's easy and so very tasty.


Boiled Chocolate Cookies
NO SUGAR, CAN BE NO DAIRY

1/2 cup good quality coconut oil or non-Gmo margerine or you can use organic butter (I use coconut oil or butter)
1/2 cup rice milk (or soy)
1/2 cup honey or maple syrup
a pinch of cayenne
1/2 cup pure cocoa
2 1/2 cups rolled oats



Put butter, milk, honey and cocoa into saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir often. Boil about 5 minutes.



Remove from heat, stir in rolled oats, drop by teaspoons onto wax paper. They should look like little blobs. Put into freezer for 1 hour, then transfer to tupperware containers. Store them in the freezer to keep them firm and cold.

ENJOY!

I *heart* my crockpot

I received a crockpot as a gift months ago. I have always thought of slow-cookers as a useless appliance that only lazy people thought they needed but I had a busy day with no time for cooking... so I took it off the shelf and put it to work. It's buttons confused me, there were only two. Is this all it is, I thought. I didn't let it stop me. I chopped up some things and added some liquid and turned her on. As I left the house I took one last look at it's little light and wondered about the energy field it was creating and whether I was a bad person for leaving a running appliance on.

BUT...I went to work for a few hours, did some errands and came home to sauce. Delightful! I think I am part of the crockpot masses now. It truly is a good way to eat more beans and things without too much hassle or stove top worry. And the slow-cooking really does make flavours more intense. Welcome to the future.

This dish can be vegan if you want to stick with nutritional yeast instead of cheese (stay tuned for my nutritional yeast blurb at the end of this post). The cumin adds a smokey taste - It took a while for us to place what this dish reminded us of. All we could come up with was bean burrito on pasta...in a good way.

Lentil Pasta Sauce With Greens - crockpot style



1 cup lentils, rinsed and drained
1 medium onion, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp red chili flakes
1 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups water
about ½ cup greens (kale, rapini, chard, etc), chopped
¼ cup nutritional yeast or parmesan cheese or both
brown rice pasta of choice (about 1.5 - 2 cups)

Throw everything but the greens and nutritional yeast in the crockpot and leave on low for 6 hours or until the lentils are soft and mushable. Then add chopped greens and nutritional yeast – put cover back on and leave for another 5 minutes or until greens are wilted. Serve on pasta and sprinkle nutritional yeast or parmesan on top.

it serves about 6 - enjoy!

What is NUTRITIONAL YEAST?

Nutritional Yeast is actually grown on molasses. It comes in flakes and is incredibly high in protein (more than meat). It contains 18 amino acids, making it a complete protein. It also has B12, which is a plant rarity. It should be a vegetarian staple. It is also beneficial to diabetics as it helps to regulate blood sugar.

It adds texture to food and can be used as a substitute for cheese. It has a woody, nutty flavour. It's great on popcorn. I also love it sprinkled on top of steamed greens.

Raw Milk is a whole food

If you live in Canada and follow the news, then chances are you've heard of the big RAW MILK SCANDAL - Michael Schmidt and the recent bust of his farm. Schmidt sells raw milk to hundreds of people every week. Selling raw milk commercially is illegal. He gets around that by running his farm like a coop, so his customers technically "own" the cow. Drinking raw milk from your own cow is perfectly legal. Since the raid, Schmidt has been on a hunger strike - drinking only one glass of raw milk everyday until his farming equipment is returned to him.

What makes me so angry is the Health Canada and the Dairy Council are taking this opportunity to scare the bejeesus out of everyone, telling the media how bad unpasterized milk is for you. They are telling people that raw milk could be contaminated with e-coli or other bacteria. This could definitely be the case, but farmers like Schmidt that other organic farmers take care in the production of their milk. The milk is fresh and people have been buying it from him for years. Buying from a trustworthy farmer is perfectly safe. Further than that, it comes down to choice. It should be our choice as to what we put in our bodies.

The truth is, that milk in it's raw form is the way we should be drinking it. When milk is processed, it's enzymes are taken away. It is the lack of these enzymes that make milk to hard to digest - enter lactose intolerance. We develop lastase, the enzyme needed to digest milk and with constant milk drinking, the enzyme runs out. Most people do not have this enzyme as adults. Raw milk contains the needed enzymes so your body does not have to produce them itself. It's like any raw food. Raw milk also contains nutrients in their whole form. Vitamin C, folic acid and calcium that the dairy councils tell you is in milk is actually added back in to the milk after it is heated. Raw milk does not need to be enriched.

I am not a milk drinker, nor do I recommend it as a necessity in the diet. That being said, I am much more of a proponent of raw milk and cheese and think everyone should have a right to buy them. Raw milk is a whole food. The crappy thing is that this man's life was taken away for selling something that's good for people while anyone can legally eat at McDonald's or buy a slab of discounted meat from the grocery store. I stand firmly behind farmer's rights to produce and sell it and I wish Michael Schmidt the best of luck.

Here is a letter, written by the farmer after the raid:

Thank you all for coming to save one farm at a time . . . to save one farmer at a time and to save the dignity of us farmers. On November 21, Glencolton Farms was raided as part of an 18-month investigation triggered by an incident NOT connected to this farm and NOT connected to farm fresh milk, the details of which were suspected but never proven. The Government and bureaucrats are now fabricating stories in order to justify their actions against free and sovereign individuals.

In 1994, I was charged and found guilty for exactly the same offences, that is, providing a service to our customers with products that they wanted. I was placed under probation for two years, meaning that I was not to produce and process any milk. During that time, I offered the Government this farm as a research facility for the production of farm fresh milk.

In 1995, I wrote letters to the Minister of Agriculture and Food, Elmer Buchanan, to the Minister of Health, Ruth Grier, and to the Ontario Milk Marketing Board. I notified all of them of my intention to continue the service of providing people with farm fresh milk from their own cows.

On March 16. 1995, the Toronto Star, Kitchener Waterloo Record and the Owen Sound Sun Times, along with many Farm papers, all carried the story of my attempt to work together with the Government. When there was no response, I announced that I would conduct my research independently and made it clear at that time that, if the farm were subjected to any more raids and interference, I would go on a hunger strike.

Yesterday’s event means that I must act on what I said more than 11 years ago. As of now, I will begin the hunger strike until all of the equipment, documents and other items removed from this farm have been returned. The Government has to agree to be financial liable for the personal property of cow share-owners. As well, they need to agree in writing that the farm is to be left alone, so that it can carry on its service to the 150 families, until and unless all of the issues have been dealt with in court or in the Legislative Assembly or House of Parliament.

This farm has been able to function for over 11 years with the full knowledge of every level of government. That it has been doing so has been public knowledge for over 11 years. The Government of Ontario and the Bruce Grey Owen Sound Health Unit, including Dr Murray McQuigge, at that time chief medical officer of health, had all the information at hand. They all decided to leave me alone. They had two choices at that time: to arrest me because I broke the probation or to leave me alone and let me continue. The fact that they left me alone, in my opinion, legalized this farm’s activities, and made the Government liable for their actions. A lawsuit from our side will follow, if necessary.

The cow share programme on this farm enables families to obtain their own milk. I am providing shelter, feed and care for their animals. I’m not arguing the fact that raw milk is better; I know it is better; it is the cow owners’ choice to drink their milk. This fight is not about me; it’s not about the farm; it’s about the freedom of informed choice for every individual in Ontario.

We are farmers who care with our heart for the land and the people. Government is regulating and controlling the farmers and consumers with bureaucrats and raw power. Everyone should have the right to own a cow and drink the milk that nourished our parents, our grandparents, our great grandparents, and us. Milk is nature’s perfect food. Let’s restore our respect for the land, our respect for the farmer who cares for the land, our respect for all human beings who are quite capable of making their own decisions.

The Queen of England has just turned down a submission to ban raw milk in England. She is drinking milk from her own cows. Please, all of you bureaucrats and government officials, respect our human right to choose.

Michael Schmidt, Glencolton Farms

Eat more Cabbage

I cannot believe that it's December 1st! Holy, this year flew by. Maybe it has something to do with it being jam-packed with changes, but this year went by too fast. Maybe I am inspired by it being the end of a year - the whole resolution thing. Wait, I don't do resolutions. Ok, maybe it's just a coincidence but I am really trying to make an effort to eat more of a variety. Along with the variety thing is eating more raw. First on my list is CABBAGE.



Cabbage is part of the Brassica family and is also a cruciferous vegetable. Cruciferous basically means it's an edible Brassica. Whatever you call it, it's classification is the granddaddy of all anti-oxidants. These anti-oxidants work at the DNA level to rid our bodies of toxins. This is why they are said to be so good at fighting off certain types of cancers, like colon and breast.

Raw is best in order to get the benefits of cabbage. Cabbage provides glucosinolates, which are formed by the activity of myrosinase enzymes that are released when cabbage is sliced or chopped. Cooking denatures the myrosinase enzyme, which prohibits the glucosinolates. Sound confusing? The rule with all veggies is to try and eat raw when you can, or steam them when you can't.

Cabbage is also high in Vitamin C. Red cabbages is six to eight times higher in Vitamin C than white cabbage. When cabbage is cut, it begins to loose it's Vitamin C content, so avoid buying pre-cut or pre-shredded cabbage. This also means that it's best to use up your cabbage within a few days of cutting into it.

Have I convinced you? A great way to get some raw cabbage in you is this salad. I made a bowl and ate the whole darn thing.

PURPLE CABBAGE SALAD

Half a purple cabbage, shredded
One medium beet, grated (optional)
About ½ cup feta cheese
1 tbsp apple juice
1 and 1/2 tbsp of sesame oil
salt and pepper


Mix it all up in a bowl. Sprinkle with sesame seeds or flax seeds, depending on what you have/feel like.

Dee-lish!