Blogging Dilemmas

Most of you already know that I am in the process of starting up a food blog. The premise of the blog is going to be showing people that eating organic is doable without breaking your budget as well as posting recipes and giving detailed information about why you should be eating organic and unprocessed foods. I feel at a little bit of a stand still. The concept of the food blog is very much on my heart. It's a topic that I feel passionate about and I think most Americans need to be better informed about the ugly truths behind our food system. With that being said, I am scared to start the blog. I don't want people to feel annoyed with me or to feel that I am trying to tell them what to eat. The concept of food is such a difficult topic to discuss because so many of us are very sensitive about others telling us how to eat. I want to make sure that this blog will be filled with detailed, useful information and I want to make sure that all content is posted very well. I probably won't be able to have it up and running until this summer, but I do hope that my readers of this blog will support me in my new food blog.  I hope that I can post content that is useful without sounding holier healthier than thou. I am putting some concepts below so that you all can know what to watch for:

Organic, unprocessed meal plans on a strict budget

30 days of no processed food challenge- my family will be doing this and we want readers to join us!

Tons of recipes for healthy snacks, desserts, and meals

How to teach your kids to be healthy eaters

Why you NEED to eat organic

These are just  a few concepts. Putting everything together is a daunting task. I am really hopeful to have things up and running this summer so please stay tuned :)

We Had So Much Fun!

I have to post this  quickly before all of the sweetness of today starts to dissipate from my memory. James was out of town this weekend and I knew that I didn't want to sit around the house all day with Sophia. The weather has been so beautiful lately and I have been stuck inside studying and unable to enjoy it for the past two weeks. Today changed that! I have been wanting to check out a local dairy farm in Gilbert called Save Your Dairy  for a few weeks now. Today seemed like the perfect day. When I asked Sophia if she wanted to go see the cows, the vote was unanimous. I grabbed an ice chest and filled it with ice before we headed out the door. Gotta keep that milk COLD if you want there to be any calcium in it! We drove about thirty minutes out to Higley and Riggs. When we got out of the car, there were cows everywhere. We asked a guy on a tractor if we could visit the cows and he said of course! We first met the baby cows and they were loving Sophia! We had the opportunity to watch them eat a grass filled lunch which was really awesome. Then we headed over to the mommy cows who came right over to say hello. We stayed at the farm for close to an hour before I remembered that we had come to purchase milk. Oh yeah, whoops! We walked into the farm shop and talked to the girl behind the counter for a few minutes about the benefits of raw milk as compared to pasteurized. In a nutshell, the only reason that pasteurized milk has calcium and vitamin D is because they fortify it. When they pasteurize the milk, all naturally occuring vitamins and healthy bacteria are destroyed. The raw milk is a creamy, white, delicious, liquid nutrient powerhouse filled with healthy probiotics and CLA (conjugated linoleic acid). There is a lot of controversy over raw milk, but after learning all about pasteurization and calcium and vitamin D in my classes, I am very much in favor of raw milk.   I'll go into more details about this at a later time....

After getting our milk and waving goodbye to our new udderly amazing friends:) we headed to Joe's Farm Grill for a tasty lunch. We had to wait almost an hour to place our order, but that didn't keep us from having fun. We enjoyed playing in the grass and soaking in some vitamin D from the good old sunshine! When we were leaving the restaurant, Sophia starting giggling and turned to me and said, "We had so much fun mom!" That statement made my heart melt. I truly enjoyed the afternoon, but it was sweet to hear her say that she had also enjoyed the day. When we arrived home, Sophia grabbed my hand and said, "Mommy what's on your finger?" I told her, "that's my ring. I wear it because I love Daddy." She then said, "Mommy, I want a ring, I love Daddy too." Definitely my favorite Sophia quote thus far:) Today was one of those days that I especially want to remember. A day for just me and my sweet girl.

Juicy Juice Juice

A lot of people have asked me why I don't give my daughter juice. I wanted to post this to explain my thoughts on the topic. After having Sophia, I made the decision to keep my kids away from juice for as long as possible. This does not mean that I will never allow my children to have juice, it simply means that I will try to hold off on introducing it, and once Sophia does discover it, I will limit her intake of it. Whenever I tell people that my daughter doesn't drink juice, they typically look at me in horror
(not an exaggeration) as though I told them my daughter isn't allowed to play with toys. "Oh my gosh, your poor deprived daughter!" "If she doesn't drink juice, then what does she drink?" "But juice is so healthy, she needs vitamins". blah blah blah. For years we have been told that after introduction of solids, we should add diluted juice to our child's sippy cup while weaning them off breast milk. No one has ever questioned this because people just assume that whatever your pediatrician tells you, must be what you are "supposed" to do for your kids.

Let me present you with two statistics about juice: Juice is the NUMBER ONE leading cause of dental caries in young children and the NUMBER THREE leading cause of childhood obesity. The problem with juice is that if you introduce it very early in life then your child becomes accustomed to it and they will not want to drink boring, plain water.   I have chosen to wait until my kids are old enough to take an interest in juice, and at that point we will discuss the importance of drinking mostly water and just a small amount of juice. For right now, my daughter drinks only water and a small amount of almond milk and she doesn't think that she is missing out on anything.

Is juice bad? No juice is not bad. 100% juice is healthy in moderation and provides a small amount of vitamin C. The "bad" thing about juice, is letting your kids drink it all day long and not teaching them the importance of whole fruits. The lack of fiber in the juice provides for a higher sugar spike and higher glycemic load.


Does juice count as a serving of fruit? that depends on who you ask. I personally do not count juice as a fruit, I count it as discretionary calories.   Unlike whole fruit, juice lacks fiber which contributes to feelings of fullness and satisfaction after eating. Although juice has Vitamin C, it is a miniscule amount. You see, vitamin C is a highly liable nutrient, which means it is very sensitive to its environment. When a carton of juice is packaged, it may provide 30% vitamin C for a 8oz glass, but after that juice sits on a shelf for a few weeks, the Vitamin C literally dissappears! That means most juice you drink, can have as little as 1% of your daily needs!!!! Shocking, but true.

To sum everything up, choosing to not give your kids juice is not cruel. Kids do not "need" juice. If you choose to give your kids juice at a young age, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Every parent has to make their own decisions based on their child. Make sure you choose 100% juice and preferably organic so that your young ones are not drinking pesticides. I would also encourage you to monitor the amount of juice. If you are not careful, your kids could be consuming hundreds of grams of sugar each day just in their juice! Yikes!
For those of you who have been convinced that juice is an essential part of your child's diet, I hope this post will at least make you think a little bit:)

A New Endeavor, Herb'n Flavors

When James picked me up from the light rail this afternoon, I was completely famished! My mom just told me about a new restaurant in Tempe that is organic and local. I knew this would solve our problems for a quick and healthy lunch. We picked up Sophia and quickly headed to Herb'n Flavors for some delicious food. When we sat down, I asked our waitress what was organic on the menu and she kindly replied, "If its not organic and local, its not on our menu". I clarified this even further because it seemed too good to be true. "Okay so your beef is grass fed and your chicken is free range?" "Yep" This is amazing! How can it be that there is a restaurant that offers ALL organic and local? This is the first restaurant that I know of. There are several restaurants that offer a few organic options, but this place has it all. And the prices are very reasonable! If they are able to offer an entirely organic menu with reasonable prices and still make profit, then why are more restaurants not doing the same? I am trying to gradually stop eating at conventional restaurants all together because I am sick and tired of having to look at their disgusting kids menu full of junk food items and nothing but refined pastas and breads. I want to eat real food. ALWAYS. Not just at home. I believe that we deserve to eat fresh, real ingredients, the way that food was meant to be made. Is that too much to ask? Check out their food here

Hummus and dip platter included a vegan spinach dip that was seriously amazing!

My veggie and rice and bean pita. Delish!

James' turkey pita. Yep even their deli meats are organic!

I will be a frequent customer of this place! I want them to stay open forever!

This brings me to my next point. As you all know, I am CRAZY when it comes to food! I really am. I admit it. I think that in order to evoke change, it requires being radical and a little crazy. There is a food epidemic in our country. We are the only country that allows meat to come from factories rather than farms. People are very uninformed about what is in their food and I want to change that!!! I have a huge desire right now to start a website/blog devoted to unprocessed, organic eating on a budget. I want to evoke change in everyone around me and teach people that eating unprocessed foods doesn't have to be a daunting and expensive task. I want to get the message out there to my readers of the severity of conventional food items from a conventional grocery store. I haven't bought meat at a conventional grocery store in three years! All of my meat comes from farmers markets and I will explain why. I am way too busy with school right now to put this website into action. My goal is to start building it slowly and have it up and running in March. My question to all of you is what do you want to learn from the website? What are your areas of interest? Organic meat, factory farming, hormones, pesticides, wild salmon, refined oils, etc. I want to hear your thoughts on this endeavor!

Going Veggie

A few weeks ago, my sister inspired James and I to watch a movie called Forks Over Knives. This movie talks in great detail about how detrimental meat and animal products are to our bodies. There are all these crazy and extensive studies that show that a lot of meat can dramatically lower our life expectancy and increase our rates of numerous cancers.
After watching the movie, James and I decided to take the plunge and see how long we could last without meat. It has been about 4 weeks now, and in that time, I have only had meat twice. Let me remind you, that the average American eats meat for lunch and dinner everyday, which means consuming meat 14 times a week. That's a lot of meat!!! I bet even by slashing that number in half, you can dramatically reduce your disease risks.  I'm no doctor, but I do know that nutrition is a medicine that gets overlooked way too quickly. Eating a plant based diet can give you more health benefits than any pack of pills will ever do. Like I said, I have drastically reduced my meat intake these past few weeks, and I am proud to say that I don't miss it at all. I thought I would be hungry all the time, but I'm very satisfied with eating lots of beans, quinoa, etc.

This whole process has been really fun because it has allowed me to experiment so much with different foods that I would not normally try. I have found so many ways to use beans! I have also discovered tempeh- similar to tofu but very rough and grainy. Below I have posted some of my favorite recipes that we have enjoyed.

Tempeh Curry Stirfry: Modified from http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/tempeh-curry-recipe.html 

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds waxy potatoes quartered
2 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp organic butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion chopped
3 tsp curry seeds
4 tbsp curry powder
1 tbsp turmeric
dash of cayenne pepper
1 cup diced tomatoes with juice
1 can organic  light coconut milk
8 oz tempeh or tofu cut in strips
cilantro to taste

 Directions
Bring a few inches of water to boil in a large pot. Place the potatoes in a steamer (see head notes), sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the salt and cook until tender throughout - about 20 - 30 minutes, depending on how large your potato pieces are.
In the meantime, in a large skillet, melt the butter in the olive oil, add the onion and cook over LOW heat until they are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cumin seeds, curry powder, turmeric, and cayenne pepper, wait about thirty seconds, then stir in the tomatoes, coconut milk, and the other teaspoon of salt.
Once the curry is back in the pan, add the tempeh and bring barely to a simmer. Let the tempeh cook for 5 minutes or so, then add the potatoes when they are finished steaming. Transfer to a large family-style bowl, and sprinkle with cilantro before serving. Serve with brown rice or quinoa if desired.
Serves 4 - 6.


Ridiculously awesome veggie burgers :http://ohsheglows.com/2011/07/13/our-perfect-veggie-burger/
These burgers provide all the heartiness and substance of a normal burger and they are loaded with monounsaturated fats and tons of protein. Delish!!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• Flax eggs: 2.5 tbsp ground flax + 1/2 cup warm water, mixed in bowl
• 1 cup oats, processed into flour* (other flours might work)
• 1.5 cups bread crumbs (I processed 3 pieces of Ezekiel bread until fine crumb)*
• 1 cup grated carrots
• 1 cup cooked black beans, rinsed and roughly pureed or mashed
• Heaping 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley (or fresh herb of choice)
• 1/3 cup almonds, chopped (toasted if preferred)
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds, (toasted if preferred)
• 1 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 tbsp Tamari (soy sauce)
• 1.5 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. oregano
• Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste (I used about 1/2 tsp kosher salt)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F (if baking). In a large skillet, sauté onions and garlic in 1/2 tbsp oil. Mix your flax egg together in a small bowl and set aside for at least 10 mins while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
2. Place all ingredients (except spices and salt) into a large mixing bowl and stir very well. Now, add seasonings and salt to taste.
3. With slightly wet hands, shape dough into patties. Pack dough tightly as this will help it stick together. I made 8 medium patties.
4. Place burgers on a heated skillet. Cook on each side until brown. Apporximately 6-8 minutes per side.

Skip, Hop, and pack your lunch

Okay so I tend to get excited over very silly things. And this is just one of those things. As most of you, we are a family of 3 very healthy eaters, which means I usually pack food for my daughter whenever we go out somewhere so that we don't have to resort to fast food. Its always a hassle to pack everything in tupperware and try to keep it cold. Problem solved! My genius sister found this set of BPA free containers at Buy Buy Baby and they come with a tote bag and freezer pack. There are endless possibilities for Sophia's lunches now!

No yucky Bisphenol A!

I love the brand Skip Hop. They make everything from feeding supplies to backpacks and toys!

It actually comes with six containers. We were using one for a snack. It has an elastic band to hold the sippy cup too. Absolutely awesome.

The Great Organic Debate

Okay, okay... This topic is very controversial and it something that I am incredibly passionate about. As a country, we are very mislead about what foods are healthy and what are not. I want to give my honest thoughts on organic food versus conventional. I am no expert. I have done a lot of research and I have learned a lot about the dangers of pesticides in our foods through my college nutrition courses. So here we go:

First of all let me start by clearing up some confusion about the term ALL NATURAL. Unlike the term ORGANIC, ALL NATURAL is not regulated by the FDA which means that food producers can label anything as all natural and it literally doesn't mean a thing! That makes me angry, but its just the way it is. If you really want to rest assured that your food is not full of preservatives and junk, then you have to buy organic.

What is "organic"?

 Organic fruits and veggies and grown completely naturally with no pesticides whatsoever. Conventional fruits and veggies are not only given pesticides, they are also genetically modified and are sometimes grown in a laboratory. Gross!

Organic milk comes from cows that graze freely. The cows are never given antibiotics or growth hormones. The conventional milk at the grocery store that claims to be "rBST free" is a huge marketing scheme, they are using other growth hormones, so don't be fooled!!

Organic meat comes from animals that graze freely and are fed their natural diet rather than animal bi-products or corn. The animals are never injected with salt enhancers or growth hormones. Conventional meat cannot be trusted unless it is labeled ALL NATURAL and there is a pledge on the packaging that discloses the conditions of how the animals are treated and fed.

Why is organic better?

That's a great question. I thought you would never ask! Researchers believe that the pesticides* on our fruits and vegetables are so unnatural that overtime they can cause illness and even cancers such as colon or pancreas.This makes sense because these toxins have to pass directly through the pancreas and colon.

Research shows that the hormones in milk and meat alter our hormone levels A LOT! Ask your grandma when she developed breasts ( I bet she was a teenager) and then look around you and notice how many young girls have breasts.  This is not a coincidence, its because these hormones are very present in our food. Fifty years ago, everything was organic, now everything is altered and unnatural, even more so than we realize. An excess of hormones in your body is dangerous no matter how old you are, but it is especially dangerous for a young child.

What do I feed my family?

Okay so this may shock you, but I don't eat all organic. I can't afford to! My daughter consumes only organic meat and dairy products and this is something that I want to uphold through her entire childhood. I endure a lot of criticism for this, but my husband and I decided that our family's health is one of our top priorities, so its worth it. Once in a while, she has non organic cheese, but this is very rare. My husband and I eat organic meat and milk at home, but if we go out to dinner, we will eat  conventional meat. We try to limit eating out as much as possible, but sometimes its inevitable. Young children are much more at risk for exposure because their bodies are so premature compared to a grown adult. As for organic produce, I always buy organic when it comes to the dirty dozen. http://www.organic.org/articles/showarticle/article-214

Everything else I just wash very very thoroughly.

I hope this post will be informative to everyone. If you are still a skeptic, do your research and make an informed decision for the well being of your family. Please leave your comments too. I want to hear your thoughts!

*Unlike with dairy and meat, you can wash off the pesticides from your produce. Water alone is not enough. Make a solution with 2 parts water, 1 part vinegar, a squeeze of lemon and several tablespoons of baking soda. You will be amazed by how much dirt and gunk you see in the water!

Flourless, Eggless, Sugarless, Delicous!

This recipe is slightly modified based on http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/nikkis-healthy-cookies-recipe.html . I was very skeptical of this recipe. How can these cookies not have sugar in them and still taste good? For those of you who don't know, I take a lot of pride in feeding my family all natural foods including very limited sweets. I must confess, despite being a "health nut" , I have an incredible sweet tooth! Needless to say, I had to give these cookies a try. The end result is outstanding. The coconut brings a great texture that compliments the heartiness of the oats while the chocolate chips add the perfect amount of sweetness.

Here is the recipe below:

Enjoy!

3 large, ripe bananas, well mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut oil, barely warm - so it isn't solid (or alternately, olive oil)

2 cups rolled oats
2/3 cup almond meal
1/3 cup coconut, finely shredded & unsweetened
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder

6 - 7 ounces chocolate chips or dark chocolate bar chopped

Pizza Pizzaz!

The Loaded Bowl!

I came across this recipe from a girl at school. She was having a dinner party and described this recipe that she was making. It sounded delicious, so I of course had to look it up. I am all about making new recipes, especially ones that contain quinoa. Quinoa is one of my favorite "superfoods". Along with being high in fiber, it is also high in protein and unlike other grains, it supplies all 9 essential amino acids which means its a great protein source for vegetarians. There is quite a bit of chopping involved, but other than that, this recipe is quick and easy. I served it at room temperature and it was perfect! If you want to add a kick to it, add some cayenne pepper or tabasco. ENJOY!

Recipe:
2 avocados diced
3 cups cooked quinoa
2 lemons
3 limes
1-2 cans black beans rinsed
1 cup cilantro
1 pint grape tomatoes halved

Dressing:
1/4 cup EVOO
1/4 cup white vinegar
2-3 cloves of garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. Cook quinoa according to directions. Set aside
2. Dice avocados, squeeze with lemon juice to prevent browning. set aside
3. In a large bowl, combine beans, tomatoes, cilantro, juice of lemon and lime.
4. In food processor combine EVOO, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper. Mixture should become creamy.
5. Add quinoa to bean mixture. Drizzle with dressing. Garnish with avocado.

Bon Apetit!