I know it's hard for people to accept that breakfast cereal is highly processed and difficult to digest and as a result can actually rob your body of vital vitamins and minerals. After all, they have such convincing commercials that they are a great health food! Here is a tip 99.9% of foods that are good for your body are not seen on commercials. Think about it. How many commercials do you see for blueberries, pasture-raised meats, and cabbage?
The way food companies make a profit is to take a substandard substance (like an already processed grain left over from some other food factory) and add lot's of fillers (chemicals, artificial flavors, and colors) to stretch their profit. Then when they market it as a you-can't-get-healthy-without-it product and the price for substandard food suddenly sky rockets. Thus they have money for all the commercials.
On the other hand when the blueberry farmer sells his blueberry you get a blueberry and you pay what a blueberry is worth. As a result there is no money for a multi-million dollar ad campaign for this food. And if we all used common sense there would be no need for one.
So here is a recipe for those of you who still need your cereal fix. This is a granola recipe that my mom and sister gave me and I make it in double batches to have on hand. It is not a soaked grain and I prefer to give my family grains that have been soaked and slightly fermented because it aids in digestion. Phytates present in grains can bind with vitamins and mineral and cause them to be excreted from the body instead of being absorbed. However this is a MUCH better alternative to processed breakfast cereals. Still we try to limit this breakfast item to a couple of times per week. This can be stored for a long time so it's more of a back up breakfast option.
Granola
2 cups oatmeal
1/4 cup flax meal (it's best if you grind it fresh)
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup dates, chopped
1/4 cup chocolate chips (optional)
1/2 cup slivered almonds
Combine dry ingredients
Heat next 4 ingredients
1/2 cup almond butter (can use peanut butter if you must)
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 tablespoons butter or coconut oil
Mix heated ingredients with dry ingredients and press on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes. Let it cool 20 minutes and then move it to an air tight storage container.
Serve as a breakfast cereal with milk or try it with plain greek yogurt. It's also great with keifer or another drinkable yogurt poured over it. Be sure to buy high quality dairy products from your local dairy or make them yourself with fresh raw milk!
Tips:
I always double the recipe to make the most of my time in the kitchen.
Keep unused flax meal in the freezer.
I soak and dry my nuts and seed at a low temperature before I add them. You can skip this step if you don't know how. Or better yet check our Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon to learn how. This process aids in digesting the nuts and you won't get that gassy bloated feeling that people often get from nuts and seeds.
Remember to always use high quality organic ingredients.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Frittata Primer
If your not familiar with the frittata then meet your new best friend! This versatile breakfast favorite is like a giant open face omelet. And because it is not cooked individually like an omelet, it is the perfect one-skillet-family-meal. If you don't need a meal for a whole family, Cut the recipe in half and use a smaller pan.
Just like the breakfast casserole you can make numerous variations of this dish depending on what you have on hand such as steamed or sauteed vegetables, raw cheeses, or pasture raised breakfast meats.
One of my favorite things about the frittata is that it is much lighter than the breakfast casserole since it does not have bread in it. Sometimes it's nice to start the day off light. And yes eggs and cream can be light! Although grains do provide energy, we seem to get them in everywhere! And too many grains lead to inflammation, bloating, weight gain, tooth decay, and chronic disease.
Let's take a look at the basic recipe.
The Basic Frittata
1 cup steamed or sauteed vegetables
1 onion, finely chopped
butter or coconut oil
6 eggs (or more or less as needed for number of people)
1/3 cup raw milk, cream, or creme fraiche (increase milk a bit if you add more eggs. And if you add less eggs, decrease your milk slightly. You won't mess it up I promise!)
1 cup cheese of choice (grated or crumbled)
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh herbs if desired
Saute in butter or coconut oil onions and any other vegetables that may need sauteing like bell peppers, squash, zucchini etc.
Beat together liquid ingredients including eggs. Stir in veggies, salt, pepper, and any other seasonings you may want. Melt butter or coconut oil in your pan. I use a large stainless steel pan with a good handle that can go into the oven. Pour egg mixture into pan and cook over medium heat about 5 minutes. When you are able to sneak a peak at the underside and see that it is golden, you are ready for the next step.
Sprinkle with cheese (the top will still be liquid) and place under the broiler until frittata puffs and pulls from the side. It should be slightly golden.
Cut into slices and enjoy!
Variations:
ham, swiss, spinach (puree the spinach and tell your kids it green eggs and ham! So fun!)
zucchini, Parmesan, and a touch of nutmeg
leeks, and just about any kind of cheese
green chilies, chorizo, and Monterrey jack
broccoli and cheddar (or Parmesan, Asiago, Gruyere)
blue cheese (or feta) and asparagus
Basically just make what you have work! Kid tip: keep your vegetables finely chopped if you have a picky eater or consider pureeing them. You really can't start a day off better than with vitamin packed vegetables and brain building good fat from farm fresh eggs and raw dairy! Woohoo! I'm getting pumped just thinking about it!
Just like the breakfast casserole you can make numerous variations of this dish depending on what you have on hand such as steamed or sauteed vegetables, raw cheeses, or pasture raised breakfast meats.
One of my favorite things about the frittata is that it is much lighter than the breakfast casserole since it does not have bread in it. Sometimes it's nice to start the day off light. And yes eggs and cream can be light! Although grains do provide energy, we seem to get them in everywhere! And too many grains lead to inflammation, bloating, weight gain, tooth decay, and chronic disease.
Let's take a look at the basic recipe.
The Basic Frittata
1 cup steamed or sauteed vegetables
1 onion, finely chopped
butter or coconut oil
6 eggs (or more or less as needed for number of people)
1/3 cup raw milk, cream, or creme fraiche (increase milk a bit if you add more eggs. And if you add less eggs, decrease your milk slightly. You won't mess it up I promise!)
1 cup cheese of choice (grated or crumbled)
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh herbs if desired
Saute in butter or coconut oil onions and any other vegetables that may need sauteing like bell peppers, squash, zucchini etc.
Beat together liquid ingredients including eggs. Stir in veggies, salt, pepper, and any other seasonings you may want. Melt butter or coconut oil in your pan. I use a large stainless steel pan with a good handle that can go into the oven. Pour egg mixture into pan and cook over medium heat about 5 minutes. When you are able to sneak a peak at the underside and see that it is golden, you are ready for the next step.
Sprinkle with cheese (the top will still be liquid) and place under the broiler until frittata puffs and pulls from the side. It should be slightly golden.
Cut into slices and enjoy!
Variations:
ham, swiss, spinach (puree the spinach and tell your kids it green eggs and ham! So fun!)
zucchini, Parmesan, and a touch of nutmeg
leeks, and just about any kind of cheese
green chilies, chorizo, and Monterrey jack
broccoli and cheddar (or Parmesan, Asiago, Gruyere)
blue cheese (or feta) and asparagus
Basically just make what you have work! Kid tip: keep your vegetables finely chopped if you have a picky eater or consider pureeing them. You really can't start a day off better than with vitamin packed vegetables and brain building good fat from farm fresh eggs and raw dairy! Woohoo! I'm getting pumped just thinking about it!
Monday, January 24, 2011
Breakfast Casserole Basics
This dish was served at my baby shower years ago when I was pregnant with Savannah. It became an instant favorite and over the years I have adjusted the recipe to accommodate whatever I have in the fridge. I'll share the basic recipe and then give you ideas for variations.
Roasted Red Pepper Brunch Casserole
3 cups bread cubes (sourdough is good or leftover homemade bread)
1 12 ounce jar roasted red bell peppers
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (raw milk cheese of course! If available)
1 cup shredded Monterrey jack cheese (again, raw if available)
1 cup cottage cheese
12 farm fresh eggs
1 cup raw milk
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste.
Butter (or use coconut oil)a 11 x 9 inch baking pan. Place bread cubes in pan and cover with bell peppers. Sprinkle with cheese evenly.
Place cottage cheese in a blender and process until smooth (I skip this step often and it still turns out fine. I just mis it all in a bowl.). Add eggs and process for 10 seconds. Stir in milk and then pour mixture over bread. Sprinkle cilantro, salt and pepper on casserole. Refrigerate for a few hours or over night.
Bake at 375 F uncovered for 40 minutes.
I love this recipe because I can get breakfast out of the way the night before. And often I make this the afternoon before while the one-year-old naps. For our little family I cut the recipe in half and it seems to be just the right amount.
Once you get the basic recipe down it's easy to manipulate it and use the ingredients you already have in the fridge making it very budget friendly. After all it's cheapest to shop in your own kitchen. Even those of you who never venture from recipes can do this. It's time to think outside the box!
As a rule of thumb never throw away bread. Freeze it and use it in breakfast casseroles. I've used a variety of breads in this casserole-even a few homemade breads that didn't turn out so well-and every time it's turned out great.
The next possible variation is with the veggies. You can skip with roasted bell peppers if you don't have them on hand or they are too expensive. I used chopped fresh broccoli the other day and it was wonderful How awesome to start the day off with veggies! Just throw them in raw and they will steam as your eggs cook.
Here are a few additional ideas. Just change out your cheese and vegetable. I do still put the cottage cheese in though.
broccoli and gruyere or Parmesan (or both)
asparagus and blue cheese or swiss or asiago
brie or mozzarella and sun dried tomatoes and olives
sauteed zucchini and Parmesan
And don't forget you can add meat. Pasture raised sausage, ham, or bacon is always a tasty addition. But the beauty of this casserole is that you can leave it out if you don't have any on hand.
Basically just use whatever you have in the house as long as you keep the egg-milk-bread ratio the same.
Please feel free to share your breakfast casserole combinations and ideas.
Next up my breakfast saving frittata!
Roasted Red Pepper Brunch Casserole
3 cups bread cubes (sourdough is good or leftover homemade bread)
1 12 ounce jar roasted red bell peppers
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (raw milk cheese of course! If available)
1 cup shredded Monterrey jack cheese (again, raw if available)
1 cup cottage cheese
12 farm fresh eggs
1 cup raw milk
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste.
Butter (or use coconut oil)a 11 x 9 inch baking pan. Place bread cubes in pan and cover with bell peppers. Sprinkle with cheese evenly.
Place cottage cheese in a blender and process until smooth (I skip this step often and it still turns out fine. I just mis it all in a bowl.). Add eggs and process for 10 seconds. Stir in milk and then pour mixture over bread. Sprinkle cilantro, salt and pepper on casserole. Refrigerate for a few hours or over night.
Bake at 375 F uncovered for 40 minutes.
I love this recipe because I can get breakfast out of the way the night before. And often I make this the afternoon before while the one-year-old naps. For our little family I cut the recipe in half and it seems to be just the right amount.
Once you get the basic recipe down it's easy to manipulate it and use the ingredients you already have in the fridge making it very budget friendly. After all it's cheapest to shop in your own kitchen. Even those of you who never venture from recipes can do this. It's time to think outside the box!
As a rule of thumb never throw away bread. Freeze it and use it in breakfast casseroles. I've used a variety of breads in this casserole-even a few homemade breads that didn't turn out so well-and every time it's turned out great.
The next possible variation is with the veggies. You can skip with roasted bell peppers if you don't have them on hand or they are too expensive. I used chopped fresh broccoli the other day and it was wonderful How awesome to start the day off with veggies! Just throw them in raw and they will steam as your eggs cook.
Here are a few additional ideas. Just change out your cheese and vegetable. I do still put the cottage cheese in though.
broccoli and gruyere or Parmesan (or both)
asparagus and blue cheese or swiss or asiago
brie or mozzarella and sun dried tomatoes and olives
sauteed zucchini and Parmesan
And don't forget you can add meat. Pasture raised sausage, ham, or bacon is always a tasty addition. But the beauty of this casserole is that you can leave it out if you don't have any on hand.
Basically just use whatever you have in the house as long as you keep the egg-milk-bread ratio the same.
Please feel free to share your breakfast casserole combinations and ideas.
Next up my breakfast saving frittata!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Tricky No More!
It's true that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Numerous studies have shown that what children eat for breakfast effects their school work and concentration. FYI, those same effects don't stop when you become an adult. I don't know why we thing we can get by on something as empty as a doughnut and then wonder why we are irritable when going into work.
The truth is that when you eat sugar for breakfast you soon crash. One of my favorite studies on the subject involved a group of kindergartners who were given a sugary breakfast cereal and then asked to draw a giraffe. The pictures looked like blobs. Then on another day they were given a breakfast that was protein based without all the sugar. When asked to draw a giraffe that day, they did! Another study along these lines measured IQ scores. The same children actually had a significantly higher IQ score on the day they didn't have sugar.
So please know that even though your kid's (or your) breakfast cereal markets themselves as a whole grain with protein, it's still crap. That's not a very professional word but if the shoe fits! Besides the fact that cereal is HIGHLY processed (even the "healthy" organic kind), stripped of all naturally occurring minerals, and difficult to digest, it still has lots of sugar and little natural occurring protein. And if your cereal boasts a "high protein" label, you can bet you are eating a Frankenstein food.
Okay, I really got off from where I was going with this post but here is my segway to get back on track. Once you take cereal out of the breakfast equation, people are lost at what to prepare for this meal. Which I understand because cereal use to be my comfort food.
I'll dedicate the next few posts to a few breakfast ideas that work around here. We are going to take the "tricky" out of your breakfast menu!
Just recently I tried the Heavenly Homemaker's pancake and sausage muffins and they were a hit with our family. There is no sugar in the baked muffin it's self (outside of the carbohydrates naturally occurring in the grain and buttermilk) and it has the added benefit of protein from the sausage. Best of all, it's portable which is a big plus for my husband who forgets about breakfast until he is walking out the door. You can of course serve them with syrup as the pancake portion of the title indicates. But if you don't share the full title with your family you may just slip one by them! But if you must use syrup just add a smidgen.
Next up will be my make ahead breakfast casserole recipe.
The truth is that when you eat sugar for breakfast you soon crash. One of my favorite studies on the subject involved a group of kindergartners who were given a sugary breakfast cereal and then asked to draw a giraffe. The pictures looked like blobs. Then on another day they were given a breakfast that was protein based without all the sugar. When asked to draw a giraffe that day, they did! Another study along these lines measured IQ scores. The same children actually had a significantly higher IQ score on the day they didn't have sugar.
So please know that even though your kid's (or your) breakfast cereal markets themselves as a whole grain with protein, it's still crap. That's not a very professional word but if the shoe fits! Besides the fact that cereal is HIGHLY processed (even the "healthy" organic kind), stripped of all naturally occurring minerals, and difficult to digest, it still has lots of sugar and little natural occurring protein. And if your cereal boasts a "high protein" label, you can bet you are eating a Frankenstein food.
Okay, I really got off from where I was going with this post but here is my segway to get back on track. Once you take cereal out of the breakfast equation, people are lost at what to prepare for this meal. Which I understand because cereal use to be my comfort food.
I'll dedicate the next few posts to a few breakfast ideas that work around here. We are going to take the "tricky" out of your breakfast menu!
Just recently I tried the Heavenly Homemaker's pancake and sausage muffins and they were a hit with our family. There is no sugar in the baked muffin it's self (outside of the carbohydrates naturally occurring in the grain and buttermilk) and it has the added benefit of protein from the sausage. Best of all, it's portable which is a big plus for my husband who forgets about breakfast until he is walking out the door. You can of course serve them with syrup as the pancake portion of the title indicates. But if you don't share the full title with your family you may just slip one by them! But if you must use syrup just add a smidgen.
Next up will be my make ahead breakfast casserole recipe.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Farm Fresh Even In Winter
Winter can leave those of us who seek farm fresh produce craving the bountiful days of summer. Once the Farmer's Markets pack up for the season, most of us are left with the dull, flavorless, and expensive produce at the grocery stores. Not very appetizing is it?
But did you know that produce grows year round here in Texas (and in many other areas as well). But several gardeners head inside for winter and leave their gardens behind where greens, carrots, sweet potatoes, rutabagas, lettuce, beets, and onions could be growing. I too am quilting of abandoning my garden at summers end. It seems by then the plants and myself are burned out by the summer heat.
This is a great place for your local CSA to step in. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. By joining you are buying a share of a local farm and in return you receive a weekly portion of produce. And when I say, "produce" don't picture the stuff you see at your local grocery store in your head. Instead think of crisp spinach leaves harvested just an hour before you arrive, fresh tender baby carrots free of pesticides, and a few vegetables that you have never even seen before!
Check out localharvest.org to find a CSA near you. Several groups will give you a deal on the price if you volunteer a few hours of farm work (a great project for kids). And the owners are usually generous with recipe ideas for those new veggies you will be taking home. They will also offer tips for storing and freezing excess so nothing goes to waste.
For those of you who are local, I use Bill's Organic Gardens and they are wonderful people! Every week we receive a very generous portion of organic vegetables some of which have been new to me and I am a dietitian! This forces me to get out of my rut and eat a variety of vegetables and discover new favorties. Those of us in this group often exchange the new recipes we've discovered to help each other out. It's one of the cheapest and healthiest adventures I have ever been on!
I put off joining a CSA for a long time because I have grown my own garden since I was in college (think pots on an apartment balcony). But I know now that I have been missing out!
Bill (from Bill's Organic Gardens) has just expanded his land and crop so it's a good time to join. There is a link above to his website where you can get more information and contact him. You can always contact me for questions too. If you do join, be sure to tell him that I sent you!
For the sake of full disclosure I must tell you that I do have a financial relationship with Bill's Organic Gardens. But that financial relationship did not happen until after I became a customer and saw the quality and value. Now I am anxious to get the word out and Bill has asked for my help.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Warm Up To Melanie
I realized a moment ago as I curled up with one of my favorite comforting hot beverages on this snowy night, that I cannot keep this secret to myself. I must go now and blog this simple cozy recipe. Now!
Here is how you make a Melanie.
Warm raw milk on the stove just enough that it is pleasurable to drink. Be careful not to get it too hot and pasteurize it! (Gosh I wish I could see people's faces when they read that :) If it's boiling, you've gone too far.
Pour into your favorite mug and add a drop of pure organic vanilla. As you stir be sure to take in that soothing aroma. The smell alone is almost as comforting as being wrapped in the quilt my grandmother made for me. Almost.
This warm creamy beverage was named by my myself and my old best friend, Carly in Junior High after a beloved character from our favorite movie at the time. The character was genuinely sweet, not too sweet mind you, reliable, comforting, and nourishing. Okay, I must tell you that is was Melanie Hamilton from Gone With The Wind. Cheesy, isn't it? None the less, you will love it!
Here is how you make a Melanie.
Warm raw milk on the stove just enough that it is pleasurable to drink. Be careful not to get it too hot and pasteurize it! (Gosh I wish I could see people's faces when they read that :) If it's boiling, you've gone too far.
Pour into your favorite mug and add a drop of pure organic vanilla. As you stir be sure to take in that soothing aroma. The smell alone is almost as comforting as being wrapped in the quilt my grandmother made for me. Almost.
This warm creamy beverage was named by my myself and my old best friend, Carly in Junior High after a beloved character from our favorite movie at the time. The character was genuinely sweet, not too sweet mind you, reliable, comforting, and nourishing. Okay, I must tell you that is was Melanie Hamilton from Gone With The Wind. Cheesy, isn't it? None the less, you will love it!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Getting What You Want
Years ago when I was in college studying to be a registered dietitian, I never dreamed I would work in a clinical setting. And when most people think of a dietitian they think of a lab coat adorned hospital dietitian. I had no desire to step foot in something so sterile and uncreative as a hospital although I knew it would be something I had to endure in graduate school. My goal was to get my registration and continue my master's degree in food science. After all, food is the best aspect of being a dietitian!
But the love of a good man (AKA my husband) swayed me to move far away from civilization (okay, maybe I am being a little dramatic) and into the country where the only work I thought I could do in my field was clinical. And to the hospital I went where to my surprise I enjoyed myself for a while. It was not the work that kept me happy but rather the extremely social environment that working at a large hospital provides. If you are looking for a social network that outperforms facebook, check out employment opportunities at your local hospital!
The hospital work kept me busy for several years but I rarely felt like I helped anyone. Providing diet instruction to patients about to walk out the door from a long hospital stay is hardly productive. How much can you remember from one 30 minute conversation? And am I suppose to relay enough information to live off of in that short time? Can I regurgitate my degree in so brief an encounter? I think not.
(Side note: I do feel like I was able to help those intubated and sedated who needed tubefeeding or TPN. It was not however an ideal setting for life-altering diet instruction.)
Eventually being a mother won out and I left that job missing the people I worked with but none of the work. But this past year seems to have brought new life to my career. It feels as though I awoke suddenly - although in reality it was not suddenly - and I was teaching a nutrition class where I had full control of the content, a voice into the community on health, a chance to do some writing on my favorite topics with the hopes of reaching a larger audience and a steady stream of folks at my door picking up food from the food co-ops I run out of my house (yes, that's plural. co-ops.) When did I take on a full time job? The phone began to ring, text messages on my cell phone collected rapidly, and my email in-box filled all while the door bell was ringing, dinner was buring, and a baby was crying.
And in the midst of the chaos I realized that I had my dream job through these various outlets. Now what the heck do I do with this mess?
Last fall I stopped blogging, cut out a few other extra activities, and shut my self in for a while to regroup. If this was what I love, I had to find a way to make it work without sacrificing my family along the way.
After much brainstorming and planning, the new year is starting off with co-ops reorganized in a way that they can manage themselves without the need of constant emails and text messages. And other responsibilities have been realigned as well. My dream job may have snuck up on me and caught me off guard but I think we are back on track now. And I think it is safe to say you can expect more posts soon!
Happy New Year everyone! I pray you too are starting the year off regrouped and energized!
But the love of a good man (AKA my husband) swayed me to move far away from civilization (okay, maybe I am being a little dramatic) and into the country where the only work I thought I could do in my field was clinical. And to the hospital I went where to my surprise I enjoyed myself for a while. It was not the work that kept me happy but rather the extremely social environment that working at a large hospital provides. If you are looking for a social network that outperforms facebook, check out employment opportunities at your local hospital!
The hospital work kept me busy for several years but I rarely felt like I helped anyone. Providing diet instruction to patients about to walk out the door from a long hospital stay is hardly productive. How much can you remember from one 30 minute conversation? And am I suppose to relay enough information to live off of in that short time? Can I regurgitate my degree in so brief an encounter? I think not.
(Side note: I do feel like I was able to help those intubated and sedated who needed tubefeeding or TPN. It was not however an ideal setting for life-altering diet instruction.)
Eventually being a mother won out and I left that job missing the people I worked with but none of the work. But this past year seems to have brought new life to my career. It feels as though I awoke suddenly - although in reality it was not suddenly - and I was teaching a nutrition class where I had full control of the content, a voice into the community on health, a chance to do some writing on my favorite topics with the hopes of reaching a larger audience and a steady stream of folks at my door picking up food from the food co-ops I run out of my house (yes, that's plural. co-ops.) When did I take on a full time job? The phone began to ring, text messages on my cell phone collected rapidly, and my email in-box filled all while the door bell was ringing, dinner was buring, and a baby was crying.
And in the midst of the chaos I realized that I had my dream job through these various outlets. Now what the heck do I do with this mess?
Last fall I stopped blogging, cut out a few other extra activities, and shut my self in for a while to regroup. If this was what I love, I had to find a way to make it work without sacrificing my family along the way.
After much brainstorming and planning, the new year is starting off with co-ops reorganized in a way that they can manage themselves without the need of constant emails and text messages. And other responsibilities have been realigned as well. My dream job may have snuck up on me and caught me off guard but I think we are back on track now. And I think it is safe to say you can expect more posts soon!
Happy New Year everyone! I pray you too are starting the year off regrouped and energized!
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