Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Dr. Fuhrman Again
I am inspired whenever I see ideas such as these for switching out a few of the 'normal' ingredients and replacing them with good, whole food plant strong ones.
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Plant-Strong on a Budget...
Someone asked me recently for some recipes that help to stretch the food dollars. And I've been thinking, too about how there are those who say that eating differently than the Standard American Diet is expensive and that they cannot afford it.
I thought I would share some ideas that speak into both of these...things that have worked well for me and my family for the past 6 years.
don't plan your meal around meat. Besides being expensive, meat eaten excessively leads to disease and also supports environmentally harmful farming practices. Plan your menu around the WHOLE FOOD starch and vegetables instead, using meat (if you are using it) as a condiment or flavoring for the dish.
try to have raw veggies at every meal as much as you can
grow your own food, if you can; in the summer I put up green beans, tomoto products, and
corn for the winter's use. We grow peppers and can sweet pepper strips as well. We grow our own onions and peppers for summer and autumn use, too.
Here is how this idea is applied in my household:
*stir fried veggies with an MSG free Asian sauce, soy sauce and whole grain or whole grain pasta tossed in at the end of the saute period. If dessert is needed, try a piece of fruit per person or an apple with peanut butter.
*green smoothies for the salad, then lentil joes (your favorite sloppy joe sauce mixed into a 1:1 lentil/ground beef blend. I use 1 pt cooked, green lentils for each lb ground beef I use.) You can either make sloppy joe sandwiches with this or serve mashed potatoes with it. If a smoothie is not wanted, how about a cole slaw?
*homemade baked french fries, black bean burgers, and a veggie/hummus plate
*rice and beans, served with fresh pico de gallo and lettuce.
*a nacho bar, complete with home made refried beans, lettuce, tomatoes or pico de gallo, cheddar cheese or cashew cheez sauce, and taco salad dressing
*green beans, sweet potatoes grated with a large hole grater and 'fried' in a little butter with a little salt, and a garden salad. A few white beans or nuts can be tossed over the salad.
*hash browns sauteed with onions, peppers, mushrooms and garlic and a few pieces of sausage cut lengthwise and then in small pieces to ensure more bites with that sausage flavor them. Green smoothies or salad go well with this meal at my house.
*taco soup with 1 quart of beans per lb of ground beef or stew meat; veggies and hummus
*chicken noodle soup with whole grain or chick pea flour noodles (yes, these are easy to make and are a great way to hide those beans for finicky eaters) and a little chicken to flavor the dish. Use lots of carrots, onions, celery and garlic! A salad on the side is great with a bowl of this soup.
*veggie subs: whole grain sub buns with hummus or mayo, lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, peppers, onions, shredded zucchini, spinach, sweet pepper strips, black olives. Shake salt, pepper and oregano over them, just like Subway does.
*buffalo chicken ranch burritoes; whole grain wraps, chopped chicken, pickle relish, ranch (I use either home made or Marie's brand), a little cheddar for flavor and buffalo bbq sauce. Roll all into a wrap and bake at 350 uncovered for 15 to 20 min. Serve salsa on the side, or put salsa inside or both! Add a salad and you have a meal.
*bean soup with a few pieces of sausage added; serve a veggie/hummus tray besides.
*A salad bar; apple crisp for dessert
These kinds of meals have both stretched our food budget and helped us to feed the cells in our bodies with good nutrition. We have enjoyed full stomachs and good health the past 6 years. I tend not to cook with much sugar or flour, meat or dairy. Those are all luxury/specialty items in our household. That both saves $'s and helps to keep disease from finding room to grow.
Starches in our meals consistently follow whole grains, potatoes, and other root vegetables. We make good use of sweet potatoes in the winter as well as red potatoes, and russets. We eat whole grain rice or quinoa frequently. These are good energy foods, especially for growing children and active husband. I try to always serve cooked vegetables and always have something raw at every meal as much as is possible.
This way of eating is not expensive if you learn how to cook whole foods. Whole foods fill bellies much, much faster than processed foods do, thus also saving you money. Consistently eating mostly whole plant foods also saves doctor bill $'s (this is not just my testimony, it is the story of many others as well).
Blessings to all,
Marcia
PS
Anyone with great budget-friendly whole plant strong recipes, feel free to send them to me. I might just go ahead and share them here!
We as a family also take Juice Plus daily for consistent fruit and vegetable nutrition, just because not all our food is balanced as much as we like, nor is food these days raised with as high nutrition as it could be or should be. If you are interested in learning more, please contact me. I would love to help you give it a try.
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Chia Seeds...
I have been thinking of doing a post on chia seeds for awhile now, but one of my friends from Face Book put it so well that I decided to share what she wrote:
Friday, October 4, 2013
Live Simply So that Others May Simply Live...
My ponderings the past while have taken me down similar trails as the following blog post that I am copying here for the sake of my own readers. Please take the time to read this. It is well put and simply put.
"
Everyday I get a lot of e-mails about how complicated eating plant-strong is. I think for most of us (at least who live in the US) our perspective on what constitutes complicated is really skewed.
I have a friend that did not grow up in this country. She grew up in some of the most extreme and awful living situations in a small village in Uganda for 38 years. When I described the way we encourage people to eat, she responded: ”that’s it? that’s the diet? why would anyone have a hard time with that??”
She was so confused by how we, as Americans, in a country where food is abundant, and all of the food that we are supposed to eat is more than abundant could have a hard time.
“But you don’t have to grow any of it Natala”
I laughed, she was right, any of us can walk into any store and pick up what we need, most of it is practically made for us. We can purchase frozen vegetables/greens that we just heat up. We can make brown rice in 10 minutes (or less if we get the already cooked kind). We can buy low sodium beans, already made for us. We can pick up any produce we want in the produce section, and if we really wanted we can buy the stuff already chopped/cleaned and ready to eat. We can make oatmeal in 5 minutes. We can get a healthy meal almost anywhere (if we ask). I’ve lived in cities large and small (one where the town population was 400) and I’ve not once had any trouble, even when the only shopping option was a very small general store.
Very few of us will ever have to worry about starvation. Most of us will always be fortunate to have what we need, a drive away.
So when my friend said “But you don’t have to grow any of it”, it made me think. Why do people see this as complicated?
The truth is that it really couldn’t be more simple. Eat as many vegetables, fruit, beans, whole grains/starches as you want. Skip the rest, the rest is distraction. Walk into any grocery store in the United States, and you have everything you need. Sure, it might take a few minutes of day of planning, but as far as their being harder things to do? Planning a few meals is never that complicated, shopping shouldn’t be that complicated.
So why is it? Why is that what should be the most simple diet on earth seem so complicated?
We are inundated with messages that trigger our addictive nature. Calorie rich and processed food (C.R.A.P)* hits all of our pleasure traps. It becomes like a drug. I’ve been around addiction in my life. And I always had the hardest time understanding why someone could not just stop drinking alcohol or just stop doing drugs. The people in my life who were addicts would always tell me how hard it was, how it was so difficult NOT to partake in those behaviors.
I wanted to yell at them and say “JUST STOP!!” I mean that was it, wasn’t it? Why did they have to complicate things, why were they letting these substances destroy their lives. Why weren’t they just taking what seemed like simple steps to eliminate the problems. Just stop.
Of course, when I realized I was no different, it was a different story. But food is everywhere, I’d say. But it’s all so confusing, all of this different information, I’d say.
I have a friend who struggled with alcohol for a very long time, when I asked why it was so hard, she said “Every time I stop, someone tells me that a little alcohol is good for me, it starts the justification process”
Justification process! That was it. That is the cycle I was constantly in. I would be doing great for a while, and then I’d hear a “study” on why coffee was good, or why using olive oil was good or someone would tell me if I didn’t have bad food I’d probably go crazy or not get what I needed, or that if I was craving bad food it meant that I needed it.
Really? So if a smoker craves a cigarette, it is a sign they need it?
There are so many factors in how we make decisions, and often I think we allow these small lies to get the best of us.
“One won’t hurt”
“I eat better than my friends”
“I need more fat”
“I need more protein”
“I’m craving X, so I must need it”
“The information is so confusing”
“There are different studies everyday”
“I’m going to die anyway”
“I have no time”
“My living partner won’t eat this way”
“I’ll start tomorrow”
The thing is, I don’t believe that these are excuses as much as they are addiction enablers.
Most of us do it, because most of us are addicted to the most addictive substances on earth: salt, sugar and fat. Our brains are going to come up with as many reasons and road blocks as possible to make sure that you feed it what it wants. That little hit, that is what it is looking for.
And once you give it what it wants? It can take a while to pick yourself up again.
It’s why we’re so serious here about what we suggest in the way of food. Everyone on the Engine 2 team knows very well what everyone goes through, we’ve been there/are there. We know what it is like to get that one little thought that starts the justification process, and does not seem to go away. We know what it is like to justify that ONE thing, and then feel miserable about it. We know what it is like to seemingly get conflicting information and let that be the reason to justify consuming something that we just know isn’t the best choice.
It seems so difficult because we are surrounded by tons and tons of temptation. Not just temptation, we are surrounded by people/media telling us that it’s OK to consume it. When we finally get past our coffee addiction someone posts a study (not a well done one) that says coffee is good for us, of course we know better, but it starts this justification that is often hard to stop. As soon as we get 3 solid weeks under our belts, someone says “You’ve been doing SO well, you DESERVE to treat yourself!” and again, the justification pattern begins.
I don’t think any of us mean for this to happen. I don’t think we purposely make things harder than they should be. I think there is a lot going on, psychologically that puts road blocks in the way of us becoming healthy.
If things are too complicated (and by too complicated I mean that I think we actually sabotage ourselves in making ourselves believe things are complicated when they are in no way complicated) ? We have a good excuse to grab fast food or vegan junk food.
If we hear about a study on why wine is good? We (without researching the study) grab a glass of wine.
If we are going out to eat and a friend says “live a little”? We decide they are right, we aren’t living!
In the next few months, as we approach the holidays, I want you to join me in my goal. What is my goal? Thankfulness.
I want to be thankful for everything I DO have, everything I CAN have. I want to feel gratefully abundant when I walk into a store or go out to eat. After all, the very fact that I can WALK into a store, or that I am able to meet up with friends? I should be more than happy and thankful, just for that.
I’m reminded everyday that there are people in this world who would do anything for those 2 tremendous luxuries.
I don’t need more recipes, more gadgets, I don’t need more choices, I don’t need things to be simpler. What I want is to be grateful and thankful for all that I do have, and that there is an answer, a very, very simple answer that really, in the end is the most simple way to live.
Who is with me?
*C.R.A.P. (Calorie Rich and Processed) is a term Jeff Novick, MS, RD came up with."
by Natalia over at Engine 2
From my corner of God's big, big world, I am quietly amening and resounding with a hearty understanding personally of what addiction does...yes, even food addictions. And from my perspective, in the reading and observing I have been doing, to speak very bluntly, most Americans have addictions. Food just happens to be the more acceptable one in the line up of addiction forming substances.
I am so thankful that I am no longer an addict. I put my body into addiction mode, and it was up to me (with God's help and friends) to stop it. It is possible and I am reaping the benefits of it today.
And every day, I want to and I get to live my gratitude by putting clean fuel into my body.
"
Everyday I get a lot of e-mails about how complicated eating plant-strong is. I think for most of us (at least who live in the US) our perspective on what constitutes complicated is really skewed.
I have a friend that did not grow up in this country. She grew up in some of the most extreme and awful living situations in a small village in Uganda for 38 years. When I described the way we encourage people to eat, she responded: ”that’s it? that’s the diet? why would anyone have a hard time with that??”
She was so confused by how we, as Americans, in a country where food is abundant, and all of the food that we are supposed to eat is more than abundant could have a hard time.
“But you don’t have to grow any of it Natala”
I laughed, she was right, any of us can walk into any store and pick up what we need, most of it is practically made for us. We can purchase frozen vegetables/greens that we just heat up. We can make brown rice in 10 minutes (or less if we get the already cooked kind). We can buy low sodium beans, already made for us. We can pick up any produce we want in the produce section, and if we really wanted we can buy the stuff already chopped/cleaned and ready to eat. We can make oatmeal in 5 minutes. We can get a healthy meal almost anywhere (if we ask). I’ve lived in cities large and small (one where the town population was 400) and I’ve not once had any trouble, even when the only shopping option was a very small general store.
Very few of us will ever have to worry about starvation. Most of us will always be fortunate to have what we need, a drive away.
So when my friend said “But you don’t have to grow any of it”, it made me think. Why do people see this as complicated?
The truth is that it really couldn’t be more simple. Eat as many vegetables, fruit, beans, whole grains/starches as you want. Skip the rest, the rest is distraction. Walk into any grocery store in the United States, and you have everything you need. Sure, it might take a few minutes of day of planning, but as far as their being harder things to do? Planning a few meals is never that complicated, shopping shouldn’t be that complicated.
So why is it? Why is that what should be the most simple diet on earth seem so complicated?
We are inundated with messages that trigger our addictive nature. Calorie rich and processed food (C.R.A.P)* hits all of our pleasure traps. It becomes like a drug. I’ve been around addiction in my life. And I always had the hardest time understanding why someone could not just stop drinking alcohol or just stop doing drugs. The people in my life who were addicts would always tell me how hard it was, how it was so difficult NOT to partake in those behaviors.
I wanted to yell at them and say “JUST STOP!!” I mean that was it, wasn’t it? Why did they have to complicate things, why were they letting these substances destroy their lives. Why weren’t they just taking what seemed like simple steps to eliminate the problems. Just stop.
Of course, when I realized I was no different, it was a different story. But food is everywhere, I’d say. But it’s all so confusing, all of this different information, I’d say.
I have a friend who struggled with alcohol for a very long time, when I asked why it was so hard, she said “Every time I stop, someone tells me that a little alcohol is good for me, it starts the justification process”
Justification process! That was it. That is the cycle I was constantly in. I would be doing great for a while, and then I’d hear a “study” on why coffee was good, or why using olive oil was good or someone would tell me if I didn’t have bad food I’d probably go crazy or not get what I needed, or that if I was craving bad food it meant that I needed it.
Really? So if a smoker craves a cigarette, it is a sign they need it?
There are so many factors in how we make decisions, and often I think we allow these small lies to get the best of us.
“One won’t hurt”
“I eat better than my friends”
“I need more fat”
“I need more protein”
“I’m craving X, so I must need it”
“The information is so confusing”
“There are different studies everyday”
“I’m going to die anyway”
“I have no time”
“My living partner won’t eat this way”
“I’ll start tomorrow”
The thing is, I don’t believe that these are excuses as much as they are addiction enablers.
Most of us do it, because most of us are addicted to the most addictive substances on earth: salt, sugar and fat. Our brains are going to come up with as many reasons and road blocks as possible to make sure that you feed it what it wants. That little hit, that is what it is looking for.
And once you give it what it wants? It can take a while to pick yourself up again.
It’s why we’re so serious here about what we suggest in the way of food. Everyone on the Engine 2 team knows very well what everyone goes through, we’ve been there/are there. We know what it is like to get that one little thought that starts the justification process, and does not seem to go away. We know what it is like to justify that ONE thing, and then feel miserable about it. We know what it is like to seemingly get conflicting information and let that be the reason to justify consuming something that we just know isn’t the best choice.
It seems so difficult because we are surrounded by tons and tons of temptation. Not just temptation, we are surrounded by people/media telling us that it’s OK to consume it. When we finally get past our coffee addiction someone posts a study (not a well done one) that says coffee is good for us, of course we know better, but it starts this justification that is often hard to stop. As soon as we get 3 solid weeks under our belts, someone says “You’ve been doing SO well, you DESERVE to treat yourself!” and again, the justification pattern begins.
I don’t think any of us mean for this to happen. I don’t think we purposely make things harder than they should be. I think there is a lot going on, psychologically that puts road blocks in the way of us becoming healthy.
If things are too complicated (and by too complicated I mean that I think we actually sabotage ourselves in making ourselves believe things are complicated when they are in no way complicated) ? We have a good excuse to grab fast food or vegan junk food.
If we hear about a study on why wine is good? We (without researching the study) grab a glass of wine.
If we are going out to eat and a friend says “live a little”? We decide they are right, we aren’t living!
In the next few months, as we approach the holidays, I want you to join me in my goal. What is my goal? Thankfulness.
I want to be thankful for everything I DO have, everything I CAN have. I want to feel gratefully abundant when I walk into a store or go out to eat. After all, the very fact that I can WALK into a store, or that I am able to meet up with friends? I should be more than happy and thankful, just for that.
I’m reminded everyday that there are people in this world who would do anything for those 2 tremendous luxuries.
I don’t need more recipes, more gadgets, I don’t need more choices, I don’t need things to be simpler. What I want is to be grateful and thankful for all that I do have, and that there is an answer, a very, very simple answer that really, in the end is the most simple way to live.
Who is with me?
*C.R.A.P. (Calorie Rich and Processed) is a term Jeff Novick, MS, RD came up with."
by Natalia over at Engine 2
From my corner of God's big, big world, I am quietly amening and resounding with a hearty understanding personally of what addiction does...yes, even food addictions. And from my perspective, in the reading and observing I have been doing, to speak very bluntly, most Americans have addictions. Food just happens to be the more acceptable one in the line up of addiction forming substances.
I am so thankful that I am no longer an addict. I put my body into addiction mode, and it was up to me (with God's help and friends) to stop it. It is possible and I am reaping the benefits of it today.
And every day, I want to and I get to live my gratitude by putting clean fuel into my body.
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Slaying Dragons...
This little video clip is excellent 'laymans' information for those wanting to learn and be reminded of what the reasoning is with plant strong eating. I appreciate Rip a lot and love how simply he explains things.
Friday, September 27, 2013
Secret Ingredient Beef Stew...
Ah, the season of soup has arrived. I love stew in many flavors. This week, I made this beef stew and we enjoyed it very much. I especially enjoyed the no-fuss way of making this in the crockpot overnite and waking up to its wonderful aroma filling the kitchen when we woke the next morning. (oh, but then we had to wait til lunch time to eat it!)
Secret Ingredient
Beef Stew
Into a large crockpot, place 2 quarts shredded zucchini
(I took mine from the freezer, the delightful fruit of summer harvest)
(I took mine from the freezer, the delightful fruit of summer harvest)
1 quart crushed tomatoes
(I had some diced tomatoes in the pantry that I pulse/chopped in the blender)
1 T salt
1 t black pepper
1 T chili powder
sautéed onions, peppers, mushrooms and garlic
(I think I did a large onion, about 2 c. chopped mushrooms, 1 large bell pepper, and 3 cloves garlic)
1 or 2 lb beef stew meat, browned
3 cups potatoes, cooked but not soft
4 cups carrots, cooked but not soft
Stir. Cook in slow cooker on low for 10-12 hours.
Enjoy with crusty whole wheat garlic bread and a plate of veggies and hummus.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Of Emily Boller and Other Things...
I have struggled with weight issues ever since I was 10 years old. I am a classic example of what is happening in America in the form of premature puberty in adolescent girls (among other things). I went from the cabbage soup diet, to different pills that promised weight loss, to the Atkins diet, etc with no lasting results. It was so discouraging to watch my weight just mushroom and the scales go up every year instead of down, as I had hoped.
Then I discovered plant-strong eating and its long-term help in losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight. For the first time in my life, it made sense. And the many thousands of people that Dr Joel Fuhrman and many other doctors like him have helped to reach and maintain a healthy weight has encouraged me greatly.
I have lost slowly the past six years, as my body healed from other issues. But in the past year, as I've employed more of Dr. Fuhrman's recommendations for weight loss, I have enjoyed increased success in losing the pounds I have carried unnecessarily for 17 years. And I am excited!
God used Emily Boller to be the final boost I needed a few years ago to do something positive for my weight problem. Read her story here. If you struggle with excess weight, be encouraged that a few changes now will yield positive results for a life time.
Being overweight is not a good thing. It puts stress on your organs, your skeletal system and your immune system, which leads to diseases that are totally preventable and greatly reduces your quality of life.
Feeding the body good foods, exercising regularly and avoiding excessive amounts of oil, salt, sugar, and animal products = healthy weight and healthy body.
If you want to lose weight without starving yourself or counting calories, while feeding your body nutritiously, here is Dr. Fuhrman's recommended plan which has worked for many:
Then I discovered plant-strong eating and its long-term help in losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight. For the first time in my life, it made sense. And the many thousands of people that Dr Joel Fuhrman and many other doctors like him have helped to reach and maintain a healthy weight has encouraged me greatly.
I have lost slowly the past six years, as my body healed from other issues. But in the past year, as I've employed more of Dr. Fuhrman's recommendations for weight loss, I have enjoyed increased success in losing the pounds I have carried unnecessarily for 17 years. And I am excited!
God used Emily Boller to be the final boost I needed a few years ago to do something positive for my weight problem. Read her story here. If you struggle with excess weight, be encouraged that a few changes now will yield positive results for a life time.
Being overweight is not a good thing. It puts stress on your organs, your skeletal system and your immune system, which leads to diseases that are totally preventable and greatly reduces your quality of life.
Feeding the body good foods, exercising regularly and avoiding excessive amounts of oil, salt, sugar, and animal products = healthy weight and healthy body.
If you want to lose weight without starving yourself or counting calories, while feeding your body nutritiously, here is Dr. Fuhrman's recommended plan which has worked for many:
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
The Food Pyramid...
If you are from my generation and older, you very likely have been taught nutritional 'balance' from the food pyramid that looks like this:
But that is a bit 'off'. I understand that this pyramid was produced
to give business to the meat and dairy industry,
but it has not stood the test well as we look around us
at the diseases that have increased along with the teaching of this
eating style.
As I said yesterday, I am not a vegan.
I am not against eating meat and dairy in moderation,
moderation NOT meaning once a day, but more like
two or three times a week in moderate portions
like for flavoring a bean stew, or something similar.
When I began studying nutrition, I was given this food pyramid
which makes much more sense, given that our bodies actually
fuel themselves the best from whole, raw plant sources.
Check out this pyramid from my favorite doctor,
Dr. Joel Fuhrman:
I love my veggies!
And I love what they have done in healing me,
and thousands of people who were worse off than I was!
Random thought:
Check out the first food plan,
given in Genesis 1:29.
So the idea with Dr Fuhrman's pyramid is that
you eat a large salad (or its equivalent) at every meal
and then fill in with whole grains (sparingly),
potatoes (russet, red and sweet, preferably),
and cooked vegetables.
About a cup of beans in some form every day is a
good source of protein.
For dessert, or a snack later, eat whole fruit.
Fruit juices as a whole are not good for you
to consume in large amounts.
I only consume fruit juice as an addition to vegetable juice
in the form of Juice Plus once or twice a day.
Whole plant foods are easy on the body,
and give it the fuel it needs to produce healthy cells.
Did you know that 50,000 of the cells in your body
will die and be replaced with new cells,
all while you have been reading this sentence?!
That's a lot of cells to maintain and fuel with clean fuel!
I encourage everyone to read up and learn how to protect
this wonderful gift of health that our Maker has given us!
I love my veggies!
And I love what they have done in healing me,
and thousands of people who were worse off than I was!
Random thought:
Check out the first food plan,
given in Genesis 1:29.
So the idea with Dr Fuhrman's pyramid is that
you eat a large salad (or its equivalent) at every meal
and then fill in with whole grains (sparingly),
potatoes (russet, red and sweet, preferably),
and cooked vegetables.
About a cup of beans in some form every day is a
good source of protein.
For dessert, or a snack later, eat whole fruit.
Fruit juices as a whole are not good for you
to consume in large amounts.
I only consume fruit juice as an addition to vegetable juice
in the form of Juice Plus once or twice a day.
Whole plant foods are easy on the body,
and give it the fuel it needs to produce healthy cells.
Did you know that 50,000 of the cells in your body
will die and be replaced with new cells,
all while you have been reading this sentence?!
That's a lot of cells to maintain and fuel with clean fuel!
I encourage everyone to read up and learn how to protect
this wonderful gift of health that our Maker has given us!
Monday, September 16, 2013
Why I Do What I Do...
 |
| photo credit: my beautiful friend Judy Krahn |
I should be used to it
by now...
but every time
it happens, it always takes my breath away
for the ignorance
that surrounds
our society
about the human body and how it is made to function well on
clean fuel from
raw foods from
the Garden,
and then I realize anew just how far from understanding basic good eating habits we have gone through the generations.
Yesterday was one
such day again,
as the words I said were taken in a way that unlearned people often take them, and I was left feeling like
"what is the use?
People don't get it anyway."
But a good chat with my bestest sister who has taught me many things in life, including that good nutrition is not found in eating the Standard American Diet, nor is it found in bandaids such as pharmaceutical drugs or herbal/vitamin supplements, had me encouraged and making sense of the senseless again. This sister has been one of the main reasons that I have stuck with the hard parts of changing from the SAD to the plant-centered way of eating. After talking with her yesterday, I was encouraged that of course we do not argue with people and get into tense moments of disagreement but that we share where we can and live every day the blessing of having the knowledge that we reap what we sow.
Then I read this article by a man who inspired me in my early days of discovering how God made our bodies and what maintains the good health He provided for us. This man, George Malkmus, has blessed me in many ways and I have learned ALOT from him and from others whose research and findings, completely independent of one another, agree and prove themselves over and over again by the millions that they have helped through the years.
So I started pondering. Why do I do what I do when it comes to plant-strong eating? And here is what I came up with:
1. God used sickness to show me His plan that has been in place for thousands of years already: we are made to sustain His gift of health by nutrition from plant foods.*
2. The results of thousands of studies are overwhelmingly clear to me: garbage eaten results in garbage out (disease). I am not going to stand here arguing the facts. I choose to be taught, and to unlearn what I have learned that was false information (like: we need protein from animals to have good health and that milk is good for your bones and teeth). I will just do what I understand to do regardless of who does or who doesn't.
3. I can't go back now. I was privileged to find healing from changing my lifestyle because God graciously showed me the way to change before my body was too diseased and shut down to make a difference anyway.
4. I do not want to be involved in the gluttony and eating-for-pleasure mentality that is running rampant in society around me. I cannot conscientiously eat meat that comes from feedlots, drink milk from factory farms, eat preservatives and altered foods that are known to produce disease. God gave me health. I cannot compromise it with indulging in the garbage that many around me enjoy. I have chosen to maintain that gift God gave me the way He intended for it to be cared for.
In saying all that, I want my friends to know that I do not stand in judgement of them for the way they choose to treat their bodies. I cry for you sometimes, especially when you don't get what I try to tell you from things I have learned. But I love you and bless you however you choose to live your lives.
However, I really do wish that you would choose a lifestyle conducive to preventing the diseases that have been proven by many doctors and others to be totally preventable. Do it for your sake. Do it for your family's sake. Not to 'love your life' selfishly but to care for the gift of good health that God has given you, and to allow yourself quality of life to do the work He put you here to do.
This is why I do what I do. I have been graciously healed and given knowledge. I cannot keep it to myself. I have to pass it on.
He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
Your friend,
Marcia
*plant foods must comprise the majority of the food we eat. Having said that, however, I do believe that animal products that have been raised properly can be a 'flavor' part of our meals. If I hear the word moderation (like I did yesterday!), I agree in as much as it means:
**no dairy milk;
**a teeny bit of cheese (such as today for lunch we had whole grain flat bread to go with our soup. I took about 2 T of shredded cheddar and put it over an 11x15" pan. Very minimal amount compared to the amount of the bread) for flavoring,
*meat in small amounts and not every day (it takes a few days for meat to pass through your digestive system, not to mention that animal fat is a huge culprit in clogging the arteries and creating stroke and heart diseases besides aiding in obesity, something that touches more Americans than it doesn't; minimal amounts of meat would mean like my 15 quart batch of taco soup that calls for 7 qu beans, 7 qu of corn and 7 qu tomato juice for 3 lb of meat. That results in not much meat per serving, but gives flavor to the dish)
**sugar in very low amounts (we work this out in our family by having special desserts that pass the whole grain/low oil and butter test on Friday nights when we have our special family night. Any leftovers may be eaten over the weekend)
**very little oil and salt
**NO white flour, sugar or salt!
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Now Thank We All Our God...
 |
| The view inside my back entry these days... |
Autumn. Need I say more? One of my favorite seasons of the year with all it's jewel tones and fields overflowing with stores of ripened grain.
Today there is a nip in the air in our beautiful Fingerlakes of NY and I do believe it stayed below 60* all day...the perfect kind of day to pull on some leggings and a sweater and head on over to the Windmill, a kind of flea market that appeals to many kinds of shoppers, including a plant strong 'locavore of sorts' such as me...
We came home with evidence of plant strong shopping, too!
Broccoli, cauliflower, pumpkins, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, famous New York grapes in three different varieties, plums, garlic, onions, potatoes, peppers, and even some teeny little munchkin pumpkins and gourds for decorating. Ah, what a fun trip that was! We shall be enjoying the fruit of harvest for days to come!
On another note, after canning 200 qu of tomato products the past 2 weeks, I am officially finished harvesting my garden for winter. There are a few tomatoes for fresh eating, red beets for a meal or two, a row of sweet corn to enjoy a few last times before winter snows arrive, and a few rows of broom corn for my feathered friends.
The past 6 weeks, we put away harvest for two families: 200ish quarts green beans, 280 quarts corn (for more than 2 families), 100 quarts peaches, about 10 pints pickled pepper strips, 150 qu tomato juice, and 50 qu ketchup. I am officially tired, but very happy to have all that food put aside for winter's use. I thankful that I am well and could even bless my family in this way, something that I could not do for many years.
And I am especially grateful to my Father God, the Creator of all, who daily loads us with benefits, and Who brings us rain in fruitful seasons.
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Sweet Pepper Strips...
Recently a friend who was a guest in my home for a weekend shared two jars of home canned sweet pepper strips with me and my family. They were so delicious! Now I have a new idea of how to preserve the bumper crop of peppers we are harvesting from the garden!
Ever get a Subway veggie sub and they asked if you want to put sweet peppers on it? Now you can do it at home, without the preservatives and food coloring!
2 pounds sweet peppers, seeded and cut into 1/4 or 1/2 inch strips or ringspickling salt (leave this out if you do an ice brine)
2 t. salt
2 cups apple cider vinegar
2 cups water
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 or 2 T pickling spice mix (I got mine at Penzey's)
Fill jars with pepper strips. Heat other ingredients until sugar is dissolved. Discard pickling spice before adding the sauce to the jars. If you want, you can add a few onion slices to each jar, and even a clove of garlic and/or a thin slice of fresh ginger root.
Fill jars with hot sauce up to neck. Wipe rims clean, top with a heated lid, a ring and do a hot water bath for 10 minutes.
I am so looking forward to having these on veggie and hummus wraps, or on sandwiches, or added to a garden salad. Yummy!
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
My Favorite Utensils...
Eating plant-strong sure requires a lot of chopping and dicing. For much of that, I often turn to my trusty Rada 'tomato slicer' knife. I use it to chop broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, tomatoes, onions, peppers, and mushrooms. It gets used to cut watermelon, cantaloupe, grapes, strawberries, and pineapples.
I think it is safe to say that this knife gets used several times every day.
Then, there's my good old Kitchen Aid kitchen scissors. It's even pink! I use that scissors to cut lettuce and other greens for salads. We like our salad greens chopped fairly small and that scissors is a real time-saver for that task.
I think it is safe to say that this knife gets used several times every day.
Then, there's my good old Kitchen Aid kitchen scissors. It's even pink! I use that scissors to cut lettuce and other greens for salads. We like our salad greens chopped fairly small and that scissors is a real time-saver for that task.
 |
| an onion from my garden in 2013 |
Then, there is the set of cutting mats I bought a few years ago that have served their purpose well! I use them for most of my chopping and dicing jobs. They not only help to keep my knives from dulling too quickly, but they protect my counter top as well.
Monday, August 19, 2013
Step out the Back Door...
...and snip a few HUGE leaves of kale for a green smoothie!
Yep, I give it a huge thumbs up!
Kickstart Your Health...Recipe
I have been silent for quite awhile lately and I apologize but I've been hosting several different sets of out-of-town guests and harvesting/preserving produce from my garden and have been kind of busy!
The other evening, we were hosting guests and I wanted to make an appealing, but plant-strong meal for us all. So here is what I came up with:
The other evening, we were hosting guests and I wanted to make an appealing, but plant-strong meal for us all. So here is what I came up with:
Black Beans and Pasta
Cook a 16 oz box of whole grain pasta
(mine was made from ancient grains; a 'salvage grocery store' find)
Drain and rinse.
Saute
2 medium to large onions, diced
1 large red or green bell pepper
2 cups diced brown mushrooms
(I often use baby bella mushrooms)
When veggies are soft, add 3 or 4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
Toss and remove from heat.
Take a quart of black beans, add a quart of crushed tomatoes or
pasta sauce, and 1 rounded T taco seasoning mix. Stir well.
Toss all ingredients in a casserole dish.
Pour more pasta sauce over top, if needed or desired.
Sprinkle with a tiny bit of cheddar for flavor, optional.
Bake at 350* for about 1 hour or til heated through.
You can also freeze this casserole for a "convenience food"
on busy days.
Menu idea:
Black Beans and Pasta
Garden Salad
Green Beans
Melon Medley
(a mixture of cubed melons sprinkled with blueberries)
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Taco Soup...
Convenience food.
We all like it, don't we?!
One of the things I try to always have on my shelf for fast grab on days when I'm doing school with my children, or busy gardening, or sewing is taco soup. This recipe came from my mother to me and then I tweeked it so much that now I call it mine. :-)
I do a 15 quart batch at a time and can it up, but if you don't want to do that, I have some notes for you at the end of this post. We enjoy ours with corn chips or rice and a sprinkling of cheddar.
God bless my Grandma for blessing me with this 20 qt stockpot
on my wedding day. It has seen many batches of
taco soup, ketchup and tomato juice.
I love the rich colors and thickness of this recipe.
It is comfort food on rainy days like today,
and on the snowy days of winter.
the recipe:
Into a large stockpot, place
3 large onions, diced (or 3 rounded T dried onions)
1 qt diced peppers
(my girls freeze them from my garden in summer)
3 qt whole kernel corn
3-4 lb ground beef or beef stew meat cubes, browned
6 qt beans
(I canned them last evening*; I use a combination; this time
it was 2 qu small red beans, 2 qu black beans and 2 qu pink beans)
6 qu crushed tomatoes or tomato juice
(sometimes I use a combination of these two)
5 rounded T taco seasoning
1 rounded T salt
1/2 T black pepper
1/2 c sugar
Heat through and then fill jars for canning.
Place lids and rings on jars.
Can pints at 15 lb pressure for 30 minutes.
Can quarts at 15 lb pressure for 40 minutes.
*I can my own beans because
1. it's much much more economical than buying them
2. it's easy and I can do other things while I wait for the canner to get finished
3. I know where my beans come from and what is in the jar.
More than I can say for most commercially processed beans.
Did you know most of them have sugar in them, among other things?!
4. I can reduce the amount of waste I send to the landfills!
To can, fill jars with
1 1/3 c dried beans, 1 t salt (optional)
fill with water to neck of jar.
Process at 15 lb pressure:
quarts = 50 minutes
pints=35 minutes
To make this soup recipe without canning, I figure the following as a rule of thumb
(the closest to a recipe you'll get from me!
My girls keep getting me to try and write my recipes down,
which is hard since I rarely use a recipe!)
For every qt of beans, use 1 qt tomato juice, 1/2 lb beef (optional),
2 c corn, 1 rounded T taco seasoning, 1 t salt, 1 onion, 1/2 c peppers,
1/2 t black pepper and a scant T sugar.
Simmer a good half hour and serve.
Monday, July 29, 2013
Breakfast on Chilly Mornings...
It's 59* at my house this morning. We are wrapped in our sweaters and went to the sock drawer for warm footwear! My children were asking for something warm for breakfast this morning so I made one of their favorites which they had after their cocoa protein smoothies:
Baked Rice
Into a casserole dish place:
2 c brown rice
4 c hot water
1 T butter or olive oil
1 tsp salt
Bake at 400* for an hour or until done.
My children enjoy it plain or with a bit of cheese sprinkled over it,
but usually plain.
We also use this recipe for anything we are making
that includes rice.
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Community...
 |
| my front porch; photo credit: Angela Zimmerman |
And with it, seems to have gone the communal passing of an extra basket of green beans over the back fence to the neighbor lady who doesn't garden...or exchanging dill for a few tomatoes...or some other such neighborly act.
When I started changing my lifestyle and eating plant strong, I did my own juicing. For a time. But it would come and go and I would think "I wish I had more inspiration to get my juicer out and then wash it up at the end of that job." But inevitably, either the phone would call me away or I would discover I didn't have an ingredient for the juice recipe I was going to use. Sigh.
Juicing is a way to get nutrition into the body fast and at a cellular level. It is a good addition to a plant-strong diet because
1. many of our soils are not as high in good stuff as they should be and maybe we aren't getting as much nutrition from the food we eat as we think we are and
2. we don't eat as perfectly as we want to eat every single day. (at least most people that I talk to)
So here's where community comes into action. About a year ago, I first learned of Juice Plus, a company devoted to bringing to us nutrition through fruit and vegetable juices that are dehydrated into powder and sold in capsules. I was intrigued but cautious as I purposed to learn more before I dismissed it or accepted it.
As I've heard friends share, and seen the results they have been blessed to know, it dawned on me that this is community.
Many people do not wish to invest in a juicer and the time it takes to juice on their own.
So there is Juice Plus.
I think it is a neat idea and also enjoy the fact that
1. there is more variety in Juice Plus than anyone can put into their homemade juicing (altho there is certainly a benefit from home done juice) and
2. it is more economical than the consistent use of home done juice.
So I decided I would go ahead and use Juice Plus as the juiced nutrition part of my family's diet.
I am happy to know that every day I am getting a hefty dose of fruits and veggies at a cellular level besides the fiber-rich plant eating I do.
With Juice Plus, there are no overdosing possibilities as warned of when taking vitamin supplements.
It's just whole-food based nutrition.
I'm happy to have found this product and I bless the company for filling a communal need.
If you have any questions or interest about Juice Plus, feel free to contact me. I would love to hear from you and share the blessing as my way of entering into the spirit of community.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Monday, July 22, 2013
Quinoa...
Today's lunch: Quinoa and Veggie Stir-Fry.
We have already put veggies with whole wheat couscous (and when I was thinking about what starch to add to the veggies today, my daughter suggested couscous) but today I decided to use quinoa for several reasons:
1. couscous is a flour product and I try not to over use flour products
2. quinoa is a complete protein
3. quinoa is a whole food
4. I have 25 lb of red quinoa waiting to be used in my pantry.
5. quinoa is delish!
We have already put veggies with whole wheat couscous (and when I was thinking about what starch to add to the veggies today, my daughter suggested couscous) but today I decided to use quinoa for several reasons:
1. couscous is a flour product and I try not to over use flour products
2. quinoa is a complete protein
3. quinoa is a whole food
4. I have 25 lb of red quinoa waiting to be used in my pantry.
5. quinoa is delish!
Here is what I used today:
red onion
red pepper
zucchini
(had a half quart left after my daughters processed a
5 gal bucket full from my garden this morning and put in the freezer)
green beans
(had a pint in the fridge leftover from the weekend; also garden fresh!)
mushrooms
garlic
red quinoa
soy sauce
Adobo
(can be found in the
Goya/international/ethnic foods aisle at the grocery story)
I stir fried the veggies while the quinoa was cooking.
(double the water from the amount of dry quinoa you use)
Then I stirred together in a serving bowl and served
with various Asian sauces:
sweet chili
General Tso's
sweet and sour
(I was tickled to find a line of Asian sauces at our local grocery store
without MSG or its cousins!)
We all thoroughly enjoyed our lunch.
Finished with some watermelon.
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Putting it Into Perspective...
I am a huge fan of simple. This pretty much covers it for me in the health realm.
Friday, July 19, 2013
Ah, Summer, How I Love Thee!
Here is what I am up to these days!
many squash flowers = prolific yields = winter stir fry options
that free up the budget for something else!
"General Tso's" Stir Fried Veggies with Rice Noodles...
a wonderful lunch on any day!
3 (65 foot) rows of green beans and 12 squash plants = aching back and leg muscles
Thank You, God for bountiful harvest! Thank You for plants to provide fuel for my body.
And thank-You, God for a 13 year old daughter
who made cherry pie Laraballs for me after she did the breakfast dishes,
a wonderful "after-bean-picking" snack!
does this spell 'summer', or what?!
The view from my kitchen sink window these days...
This is my favorite garden, filled with herbs and all my favorite perennials...
many tailgate lunches and suppers for my Farmer.
Thank-You, God that I have a healthy husband who works hard
and provides well for his household.
These are the some of the joys of summer in my life.
What are the joys of summer in yours?
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Kickstart Your Health 5
I am getting a little long in between posting menu ideas, but it is summer so please forgive me as I am busy weeding veggie and flower gardens, mulching and stringing tomatoes, harvesting zucchini and yellow summer squash, organizing freezers, cutting cilantro, dill and mint from my herb garden, enjoying red beets from my 'bit of earth', and picking bushels of green beans for winter's use.
Here is a plant-strong menu idea:
Breakfast:
Shredded Potato/Mushroom/Pepper/Onion and Garlic Scramble
Green Smoothie with ground chia and flax seeds
Lunch:
Strawberry and Spinach Salad
(layer spinach, sliced strawberries, pine nuts, red onion on a plate; drizzle with strawberry balsamic vinegar and walnut oil)
Baked Sweet Potato 'fries'
(peel sweet potatoes and cut into wedges. Layer onto a pan lightly sprayed with olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt and chipotle pepper. Bake at 350* for 45 minutes or til done)
Supper:
Rainbow Salad
(layer chopped red and green cabbage, romaine, shredded carrots, diced red onion, chopped cilantro, broccoli, and diced tomatoes in this order in a glass baking dish or pretty glass bowl; serve with a low oil Italian dressing)
Rice and Beans
(in a baking dish place 2 c brown rice, 1 t salt, 1 t dried onion flakes, 1/2 t pepper, 1 rounded T taco seasoning mix without MSG-I use McCormick's brand. Add 4 c hot water, 1 T olive oil or butter to prevent grains from sticking together, and 1 quart black, red or pink beans. Bake at 350* for 1 hour or til done. I often do this in the crockpot on high for 4 hours)
Pineapple/Strawberry Medley
(fresh pineapple chunks and sliced, fresh strawberries; toss in a pretty bowl and serve)
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Food Is Fuel...
I was sick and tired of being sick, but scared after I found a lump on my neck. Scared enough to get pushed to doing something radical.
Like change my diet from the Standard American Diet to a plant strong diet.
Like buy a juicer and juice veggies and fruits for myself.
Like make green smoothies in a VitaMix.
Like dramatically lowering dairy consumption in my home.
Like eating a salad at every meal.
Like eating a potato under my salad on meatless days.
I was a strange 'duck' to many and still am.
But that's ok. The results I got were so immediately blessed that I have been sold ever since!
Very shortly after being radical, I totally got rid of or drastically reduced every health issue I had.
6 years later, the ones that left are still gone, and the rest are following in steady pursuit.
I am so blessed to have been given the gift of Life and good Health.
The Garden truly does present life-giving substance!
But here's what I really wanted to say in this post:
As I was getting better, and learning that it makes total sense why this radical change worked (i.e. we have so many trillion cells in our bodies and every day thousands of them die, needing to be replaced by new ones. New, undiseased cells are a result of whole plant-food eating), it clicked:
Food is Fuel
Why I had never made that connection before, I do not know! I am excited to know that when I put a forkful of plants into my mouth, I am blessing those new cells with clean fuel, and thus, participating in the science behind the facts: plants prevent disease, when eaten on a normal, consistent basis.
I was amazed to discover (having grown up a feed miller's daughter, and now a farmer's wife) that many people understand how to successfully formulate cow food but they do not understand the concept when it comes to people food! We understand that putting clean fuel into a vehicle will result in it running well and longer. But we don't seem to get it that people need clean fuel, too! How can these things be?
Maybe it's because we don't get it that food is fuel?
I am once again amazed and blessed to think of how 'fearfully and wonderfully' we are made, as David reiterated in Psalm 139. God our Creator has a perfect design. We mess it up so often in so many areas, including what we put into our mouths as food.
Food is fuel. Eat your plants and give glory to the One who created them and you!
Monday, July 15, 2013
Thursday, July 11, 2013
The Taste of Summer...
I had a wonderfully plant-strong lunch today!
I loved it...
especially the fact that all but the potatoes on this plate
came from my 'bit of earth'
filled with veggies and weeds!
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Banana Split, the Healthy Way
I was totally thrilled
to find this
recipe today.
First of all,
it is so pretty,
and it
has none of the
junk that 'real'
banana splits have.
I think this looks like
one of those
fun summer things
to bless
the children
with.
Maybe at the family
gathering
we are hosting
in August.
I found the recipe
here.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Kickstart Your Health 4
Breakfast
Green Smoothie
Ezekiel Sprouted Grain Muffin with Peanut or Almond Butter and Honey
Lunch
with Brown Rice
Veggies and Dip
of your choice
(ranch, hummus, etc; just keep it free of excess oil and dairy free)
Apple with almond butter
Dinner
Roasted Broccoli with Asian Sauce of Choice
Strawberry "Shortcake"
This is what I use for shortcake. It has no added sugar except from the chocolate:
Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
In a Vitamix or powerful blender place:
1 c pitted dates, roughly chopped
1 c plant-milk
1 c water
3 T Chia seed meal
(I grind ahead of time in my Vmix or Magic Bullet and freeze)
1 c mashed banana
1/2 c chocolate chips
Mix the following together in a mixing bowl:
2 c whole grain flour
(for GF use 1 c buckwheat flour, 1/2 c millet flour, 1/2 c tapioca starch)
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 t ground nutmeg
1/2 ground cinnamon
Pour wet mixture over dry ingredients and mix.
Bake in muffin tins for 25-30 min at 350*.
I usually make a double recipe and bake in a 9x13 pan
for 40 minutes or until done.
Tip:
Make enough soup to freeze for convenience food.
You can also serve the soup with a dollop of Almond Cream and garnish with cilantro.
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