Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Moving...
I have had different blogs for what I thought were different parts of my life. The thing is that it is all just one interconnected life, so everything is now in one blog: www.dreamjoyfully.blogspot.com
Friday, November 12, 2010
Almond Milk and Chia Pudding
Two simple but wonderfully useful recipes. Happy Eating!
Almond Milk:
1. Soak 1 cup of raw almonds for 10-12 hours.
2. Rinse & drain well a couple of times.
3. Put almonds in blender with 3 - 4 cups water.
4. Blend well on high for 3 - 5 minutes (time varies depending on your blender).
5. Pour through a nutmilk bag, dishcloth or multiple layers of cheesecloth to strain out the pulp. You can toss the pulp or use it in dehydrated crackers or cookies.
6. I like my almond milk plain if/when I get good almonds, but some people like it with a little sweetener &/or vanilla blended in. Add these things & blend AFTER the milk has been strained.
I like to drink almond milk straight, make chia pudding out of it, and use it as a base for smoothies & blender soups. Almond milk will keep in the fridge for about 3 days.
Chia Pudding:
1. Mix 1 part chia seeds with 5 parts almond milk and a little of your favorite sweetener, and stir well.
2. Let it sit out for an hour or two, stirring well occasionally (especially during the first half-hour or so) to avoid/mash up the little gooey lumpy clumpies.
3. After it's done soaking, you can add in things like raw cacao (chocolate) powder, cinnamon, etc.
4. EAT. :)
This is good stuff!
*Note: It is important to use a water-based liquid for making chia pudding, as actual milk will not absorb into the seeds well. Young coconut juice is a good liquid to use in place of almond milk.
Almond Milk:
1. Soak 1 cup of raw almonds for 10-12 hours.
2. Rinse & drain well a couple of times.
3. Put almonds in blender with 3 - 4 cups water.
4. Blend well on high for 3 - 5 minutes (time varies depending on your blender).
5. Pour through a nutmilk bag, dishcloth or multiple layers of cheesecloth to strain out the pulp. You can toss the pulp or use it in dehydrated crackers or cookies.
6. I like my almond milk plain if/when I get good almonds, but some people like it with a little sweetener &/or vanilla blended in. Add these things & blend AFTER the milk has been strained.
I like to drink almond milk straight, make chia pudding out of it, and use it as a base for smoothies & blender soups. Almond milk will keep in the fridge for about 3 days.
Chia Pudding:
1. Mix 1 part chia seeds with 5 parts almond milk and a little of your favorite sweetener, and stir well.
2. Let it sit out for an hour or two, stirring well occasionally (especially during the first half-hour or so) to avoid/mash up the little gooey lumpy clumpies.
3. After it's done soaking, you can add in things like raw cacao (chocolate) powder, cinnamon, etc.
4. EAT. :)
This is good stuff!
*Note: It is important to use a water-based liquid for making chia pudding, as actual milk will not absorb into the seeds well. Young coconut juice is a good liquid to use in place of almond milk.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
How I Plan & Prepare Good, Healthy Food
By reader request, I am writing this post to describe my methods for planning & preparing good, healthy food.
As a teenager, spending time at a friend's house, I was amazed to watch them go to the grocery store every night to buy ingredients for whatever they decided they were going to have for dinner. When I was growing up, my mom always had food around. If we ran out of ketchup, oil or whatever else, she just went to the storage room to get some more. When she shopped for groceries, she bought extra of whatever was on sale. We planned weekly menus together, and my mom would make sure that we had all the ingredients in the house for the week's recipes.
Fast-forward to my adult life and changing over to a healthy high-raw, whole foods diet:
When I first decided to improve my diet, I had several things in the pantry & frezer, but I had very little in the house that was even slightly healthy. I also didn't have the budget to go out & restock my pantry with healthy food all at once, or even to restock it over a year's time. I started small, and I found myself going to the grocery store often to pick up more produce & a couple of other ingredients. I gradually started stocking my pantry with whole foods, pinching my budget to buy things in bulk as I saw it would be the only way for me to stop continually running out of food a few days before the end of the month.
Running out of money every month made me get creative with food. I had to figure out what to do with some carob, sunflower seeds & a few other random ingredients that I didn't have a recipe for. I learned to improvise, and it expanded the variety of what we ate.
Now, several years later, I have gradually built up a little storage in the basement, where I can go & get supplies if I have unexpected company, more almonds if I get a hankering for almond milk before I am planning to go shopping, etc. My menu choices are not limited, and my time is efficient, because I don't have to go shop for specific ingredients very often. It is wonderful!
Things that are usually in my pantry/basement:
*Almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds, flax, chia, sesame seeds, coconut
*Olive oil &/or grapeseed oil, coconut oil
*Dry beans (black, adzuki, garbanzo, pinto, mung) and lentils
*Wheat, barley, rye, quinoa, buckwheat, oat groats
*Honey, stevia, palm sugar (coconut sugar), blackstrap molasses, dates
*Sun-dried tomatoes
*Alfalfa seeds for sprouting
*Greens powder
*Peanut butter, tahini
*Herbs, spices, RealSalt, balsamic & apple cider vinegars, vanilla, nutritional yeast
The freezer has an ever-changing variety, but always frozen fruits, and often grass-fed meats and portions of prepared foods that I can thaw for a quick meal or snack (well, it is quick the next day - after it thaws out).
The fridge & countertop produce bowl have any or all of the following:
*Raw milk
*Cultured dairy products (kefir, yogurt, creme fraiche, cultured cream cheese, cultured butter, etc.)
*kale
*avocados
*lettuce
*fresh fruit: apples, grapefruit, etc.
*lemons & limes
*spinach
HOW I WORK:
The way I prepare healthy food varies depending on my schedule, my tastes, the seasons, and what I have in the fridge, freezer, pantry or garden, but there are some general things I seem to do all the time.
When I am NOT hungry:
*I put something in water to soak - like almonds or sesame seeds for milks, dry beans for cooking the next day, alfalfa seeds (or grains or mung beans) for sprouting, nuts to later season & dehydrate, etc.
*I grind a few pounds of flaxseed to keep in the freezer.
*While I am doing something else in the kitchen, I warm cream or raw milk & stir in the culture for various things like creme fraiche, yogurt, etc. Then it just has to sit until the next day & it's ready to go in the fridge.
*I buy fruit &/or greens in large amounts (sale prices help dictate the timing & availability of this) & divide them into smoothie-sized portions for the freezer.
*I make things like hot soups, nori rolls, etc. that take some time to prepare.
*I make things in big batches & save some for later: salad dressings, soups, muffins, kale chips, flax crackers, desserts that freeze well...
When I AM hungry (and/or short on time), I eat things such as:
*boiled eggs
*a smoothie (yogurt or kefir with greens, a little fruit, some stevia, and sometimes spices like cinnamon or ginger)
*a piece of raw cheese
*a simple salad (usually just greens, avocado & dressing)
*sliced avocado with sea salt & cayenne
*soaked, seasoned & dehydrated nuts or seeds
*a muffin or two spread with good butter or cultured cream cheese
*a sprouted grain tortilla filled with whatever is in the fridge: sprouts, greens, cooked beans, chopped veggies, raw cheese, avocado, etc. and seasoned with salt or salad dressing
Other things I do that make food prep easier include making a smoothie to drink or grabbing some raw crackers or seasoned nuts/seeds to nibble on while I prepare several other things. I sometimes like to take two or three hours to prepare a bunch of things all in one day.
If you want to eat healthy, you are probably aware that it will require planning ahead and spending some time in the kitchen, but it doesn't need to be a full-time job to shop for & prepare healthy food. :)
ENJOY!
As a teenager, spending time at a friend's house, I was amazed to watch them go to the grocery store every night to buy ingredients for whatever they decided they were going to have for dinner. When I was growing up, my mom always had food around. If we ran out of ketchup, oil or whatever else, she just went to the storage room to get some more. When she shopped for groceries, she bought extra of whatever was on sale. We planned weekly menus together, and my mom would make sure that we had all the ingredients in the house for the week's recipes.
Fast-forward to my adult life and changing over to a healthy high-raw, whole foods diet:
When I first decided to improve my diet, I had several things in the pantry & frezer, but I had very little in the house that was even slightly healthy. I also didn't have the budget to go out & restock my pantry with healthy food all at once, or even to restock it over a year's time. I started small, and I found myself going to the grocery store often to pick up more produce & a couple of other ingredients. I gradually started stocking my pantry with whole foods, pinching my budget to buy things in bulk as I saw it would be the only way for me to stop continually running out of food a few days before the end of the month.
Running out of money every month made me get creative with food. I had to figure out what to do with some carob, sunflower seeds & a few other random ingredients that I didn't have a recipe for. I learned to improvise, and it expanded the variety of what we ate.
Now, several years later, I have gradually built up a little storage in the basement, where I can go & get supplies if I have unexpected company, more almonds if I get a hankering for almond milk before I am planning to go shopping, etc. My menu choices are not limited, and my time is efficient, because I don't have to go shop for specific ingredients very often. It is wonderful!
Things that are usually in my pantry/basement:
*Almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds, flax, chia, sesame seeds, coconut
*Olive oil &/or grapeseed oil, coconut oil
*Dry beans (black, adzuki, garbanzo, pinto, mung) and lentils
*Wheat, barley, rye, quinoa, buckwheat, oat groats
*Honey, stevia, palm sugar (coconut sugar), blackstrap molasses, dates
*Sun-dried tomatoes
*Alfalfa seeds for sprouting
*Greens powder
*Peanut butter, tahini
*Herbs, spices, RealSalt, balsamic & apple cider vinegars, vanilla, nutritional yeast
The freezer has an ever-changing variety, but always frozen fruits, and often grass-fed meats and portions of prepared foods that I can thaw for a quick meal or snack (well, it is quick the next day - after it thaws out).
The fridge & countertop produce bowl have any or all of the following:
*Raw milk
*Cultured dairy products (kefir, yogurt, creme fraiche, cultured cream cheese, cultured butter, etc.)
*kale
*avocados
*lettuce
*fresh fruit: apples, grapefruit, etc.
*lemons & limes
*spinach
HOW I WORK:
The way I prepare healthy food varies depending on my schedule, my tastes, the seasons, and what I have in the fridge, freezer, pantry or garden, but there are some general things I seem to do all the time.
When I am NOT hungry:
*I put something in water to soak - like almonds or sesame seeds for milks, dry beans for cooking the next day, alfalfa seeds (or grains or mung beans) for sprouting, nuts to later season & dehydrate, etc.
*I grind a few pounds of flaxseed to keep in the freezer.
*While I am doing something else in the kitchen, I warm cream or raw milk & stir in the culture for various things like creme fraiche, yogurt, etc. Then it just has to sit until the next day & it's ready to go in the fridge.
*I buy fruit &/or greens in large amounts (sale prices help dictate the timing & availability of this) & divide them into smoothie-sized portions for the freezer.
*I make things like hot soups, nori rolls, etc. that take some time to prepare.
*I make things in big batches & save some for later: salad dressings, soups, muffins, kale chips, flax crackers, desserts that freeze well...
When I AM hungry (and/or short on time), I eat things such as:
*boiled eggs
*a smoothie (yogurt or kefir with greens, a little fruit, some stevia, and sometimes spices like cinnamon or ginger)
*a piece of raw cheese
*a simple salad (usually just greens, avocado & dressing)
*sliced avocado with sea salt & cayenne
*soaked, seasoned & dehydrated nuts or seeds
*a muffin or two spread with good butter or cultured cream cheese
*a sprouted grain tortilla filled with whatever is in the fridge: sprouts, greens, cooked beans, chopped veggies, raw cheese, avocado, etc. and seasoned with salt or salad dressing
Other things I do that make food prep easier include making a smoothie to drink or grabbing some raw crackers or seasoned nuts/seeds to nibble on while I prepare several other things. I sometimes like to take two or three hours to prepare a bunch of things all in one day.
If you want to eat healthy, you are probably aware that it will require planning ahead and spending some time in the kitchen, but it doesn't need to be a full-time job to shop for & prepare healthy food. :)
ENJOY!
Monday, April 5, 2010
Eating
There are some days when it seems I hardly get anything else done because I spend so much time eating, and other days I just eat as I work. Either way, I eat a lot. I know there are some who say I should feel lucky, because some people wish they could eat more. I used to get frustrated by this phenomenon (and I stil do when I look at my budget combined with my desire to eat nutritious food), but mostly I am just amazed. It is just past noon, and already today I have eaten four times. Here's what it's been:
3 eggs
4 more eggs
1 piece of raw carrot-onion "bread"
5 cups of green "apple pie" smoothie (2 apples, 1 cup kefir, a little honey, spices, a few ice cubes, and stuffed to the top of the Vita-mix with spinach)
The only (possible) consolation is that the smoothie fills me up with air & liquid so I don't eat again as quickly...
3 eggs
4 more eggs
1 piece of raw carrot-onion "bread"
5 cups of green "apple pie" smoothie (2 apples, 1 cup kefir, a little honey, spices, a few ice cubes, and stuffed to the top of the Vita-mix with spinach)
The only (possible) consolation is that the smoothie fills me up with air & liquid so I don't eat again as quickly...
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Sauerkraut!
The last several months have been a wonderful whirlwind of changes & growth in my life, and I've been learning some fun things in the kitchen amid everything else.
Perhaps the biggest one for me is that I finally learned how to successfully make SAUERKRAUT!!! After a few failed attempts, I was beginning to wonder if I would ever figure it out, and I probably will let the next batch ferment longer, but for the first time, the jar is in the fridge instead of dumped into the garbage. Woohoo! It is too salty, so now I am going to have to figure out what to eat it with to calm down the taste...
Perhaps the biggest one for me is that I finally learned how to successfully make SAUERKRAUT!!! After a few failed attempts, I was beginning to wonder if I would ever figure it out, and I probably will let the next batch ferment longer, but for the first time, the jar is in the fridge instead of dumped into the garbage. Woohoo! It is too salty, so now I am going to have to figure out what to eat it with to calm down the taste...
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
My "New" Diet
I am a type 1 diabetic & have been raw most of the last 4 1/2 years. I have had a lot of problems with insulin resistance (which isn't normally a type 1 issue) & other health challenges in those years (although some of the health issues existed before that, too). Not only have I had health problems, but in the last year and a half (since I was hospitalized for complications of diabetes), I have put on almost as much weight as I lost in the first three months of eating raw. Weird. Anyhow, I recently experimented with eating more cooked foods as I wasn't feeling great eating raw & thought maybe I was missing something. In August (while continuing to eat lots of cooked whole foods as they made me feel better than my raw diet had), I started using herbs, supplements and some amazing essential oils, which helped a lot in how I felt, and my insulin sensitivity has been gradually improving since then. I still hadn't lost weight, though. In fact, I was only three pounds away from my highest weight ever - which was pre-raw. I found Dave the Raw Food Trucker on Youtube, and watching him I felt like maybe I should get back to raw, but do a low-glycemic raw diet, since my body wasn't processing high-glycemic carbs well (I would eat a piece of fruit & get really irritable & crash & have to sleep for an hour). I recognized that I'd been drawn to low-glycemic cooked foods, so I wondered if maybe low-glycemic was the key I needed. I went to eating a low-glycemic raw diet, and I drank loads of fresh green vegetable juice for two or three days. I have never felt good/healthy being vegan long-term, but I felt that there was an element of truth/power for in Gabriel Cousens's eating plan, so I was planning to stick with the low-glycemic raw vegan diet for 6 months to see how I felt. Well, after six days, I felt a shift - that I didn't need to do it any more because I had reset the body-mind connection and now wanted to eat just what was best for my body, so I didn't need the rules any more. I added some grass-fed beef and a few more carbs into my diet & continued to feel better. At some point in this self-discovery process, I remembered a discussion about agave (months ago) in which I became aware that most of my crazy blood sugar issues started at the same time I started using agave. I dismissed it at the time, but it came back to me this past week. I use muscle-response testing (kinesiology) in my practice as a holistic health coach, so I decided to muscle-test myself to find out if there was/is a certain diet I need to follow, or if I can just eat intuitively, etc. I tested specifics of my ideal diet, based on the thoughts & intuition I'd had, and I discovered something amazing, which shouldn't have surprised me one bit! The diet my body wants is the exact diet I was following the first six months: when I lost weight, had more energy & experienced lots of health improvements (including better insulin sensitivity). One of the main things about this diet is NO AGAVE. I am eating plenty of carbs again, I have energy instead of crashing afterward, I get more energy every time I eat...in short, I feel better from my food than I have in the last four years since I started using agave. I have also finally started losing weight - seven pounds in the last two weeks since I got back to "my diet" - mainly raw but with no agave.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Another BLOG!
I just wanted you all to know that I have started yet another blog. www.dreamjoyfully.blogspot.com will be about any & all aspects of my life, growth & learning. Don't worry, though; I'll keep the kitchen open!
Yesterday, I made a raw pizza, spicy-cheesy dehydrated cauliflower snacks (no, I don't think they are really like "popcorn", but it's a tasty & nutritious snack all the same!), and dehydrated buckwheat "crunchies". I'm meeting the colder weather with dehydrated food. Salad is good (and I had a big one for breakfast today), but I tend to like some dry &/or salty food to keep me warm in the winter. Speaking of cold weather, I'm also mourning for the loss of my garden to the freezing temperatures. The cucumber & tomato plants are covered & haven't completely died off yet, but I'm not thinking they'll last much longer. I hope to get at least one more good harvest of cucumbers to juice - I'm loving my green juices!
Yesterday, I made a raw pizza, spicy-cheesy dehydrated cauliflower snacks (no, I don't think they are really like "popcorn", but it's a tasty & nutritious snack all the same!), and dehydrated buckwheat "crunchies". I'm meeting the colder weather with dehydrated food. Salad is good (and I had a big one for breakfast today), but I tend to like some dry &/or salty food to keep me warm in the winter. Speaking of cold weather, I'm also mourning for the loss of my garden to the freezing temperatures. The cucumber & tomato plants are covered & haven't completely died off yet, but I'm not thinking they'll last much longer. I hope to get at least one more good harvest of cucumbers to juice - I'm loving my green juices!
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