The New Food Guide - The Food Plate?

So the new Food Guide has come out, and I'm not sure I like it any more than any of the others. It still doesn't really convey how important it is to eat whole nutrient-dense foods, not processed. Or that water is probably the most important element out of all of them. And maybe to focus on organic or homegrown foods over ones laden with pesticides. I mean, how healthy are you going to be if you still follow "The Food Plate" or "The Food Pyramid" but are eating processed foods from the grocery store that have none of the original food nutrients in them but instead have been robbed of them and are now "fortified." Or even simply, foods that are GMO's. I certainly don't know as much as many people about these issues, but I know enough about it to know that people will take the easy way out because the Food Guide is still not clear about what is important to eat and what is healthy! Why don't they make a food guide that says:

Eat whole organic nutrient-dense foods like:

• A variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, preferably grown in your own backyard, with no pesticides.
• A variety of whole grains that have not been processed/refined, like whole wheat bread, oats, quinoa, brown rice, etc.
• A variety of healthy oils/fats, like butter from your own cows or goats, coconut oil, flax seed oil, and olive oils, as well as nuts.
• A variety of protein-rich foods from either/both meat or non-meat sources, both from healthy pesticide/antibiotic/hormone-free sources.
• Large quantities of fresh pure clean water (not bottled)
• A variety of herbs and spices, from pesticide-free sources.

I know I am forgetting some. What one's would you add?

I think that if you are not clear, people will take the easy way out and not change or make a difference in their diet. I think we have to be abundantly clear what is healthy and what is good for you. It's been proven that our SAD (Standard American Diet) of refined/processed foods, is the leading cause of heart disease, diabetes, and a host of other diseases. And that amazingly these diseases are mostly reversible by just choosing to eat healthy and adopt a healthy lifestyle, yet, no one is really taught how to do this or what this means, or even if they are, they may not change.

In making the changes that I have over the years, and teaching myself by reading books and literature, I've realized how much we are poisoning ourselves daily by consuming:

• Pesticides
• GMO's
• Antiobiotics/hormones
• Chemicals
• Highly processed foods like white bread/refined sugar, etc

By even just eliminating these from our diets, we have a better chance of being healthy. Then next by eating foods that are grown in healthy soil, that are allowed to ripen naturally and produce all the necessary nutrients, vitamins & minerals.

I was amazed when I started raising chickens and compared the yolks of my "free-range" chickens that ate bugs, and greens and enjoyed the sunshine, from even "organic" eggs in the supermarket. My yolks were bright orange and full of way more nutrients!

Maybe the trick is going back to growing our own foods at home, raising our own chickens, etc. Maybe this is what will be the best choice for us in the future.

What are your thoughts?

If you were to design a "Food Guide," what would it look like, and what would it say?

Strawberry Summer Cake AKA Serious Noms!

So I received this GREAT RECIPE in my inbox this week, and since I had some strawberries going the way of the DoDo, I knew I had to make it!

First I made a couple of adjustments to the recipe.

6 tablespoons coconut oil (instead of butter)
3/4 cup barley flour and 3/4 all-purpose flour (next time I'll try whole wheat finely ground too)
1/2 cup honey and 1/2 cup brown sugar (instead of granulated sugar)
1/2 cup high fat coconut milk (instead of milk)

Half of our family has a dairy intolerance, so I wanted to make it dairy-free.

I'm not sure if my adjustments made the cake seem gooier or what, but I ended up cooking it too long. It came out sort of brown and sunken. But I tell you what.... it ROCKED!!! I don't think you can mess up this recipe. Even if it looks terrible, it's still finger-licken' good! This will definitely be a staple in our household from now on. I HIGHLY recommend it!

The above picture is what it is supposed to look like. This is what mine looked like:

Not nearly as pretty, but incredibly tasty! As you can see..... :) I forgot to take a picture when it was first done, and then we ate it! I just made this yesterday too!!! I think you will find the same thing happens at your house.


Here is the full recipe from Smitten Kitchen with my additions: 

Strawberry Summer Cake

6 tablespoons coconut oil, at room temperature, plus extra for pie plate
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup barley flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup brown sugar (though I think I'll do all honey next time, like 3/4 cup total)
2 tablespoons of brown sugar (for on top)
1 large egg
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pound strawberries (give or take), hulled and halved

Preheat oven to 350°F. Oil a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan.

Sift flours, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl. In a larger bowl, beat/whisk coconut oil and brown sugar/honey until pale and fluffy. Mix in egg, coconut milk and vanilla until just combined. Add dry mixture gradually, mixing until just smooth.

Pour into prepared pie plate. Arrange strawberries, cut side down, on top of batter, as closely as possible in a single layer (I overlapped to use up all my strawberries). Sprinkle the 2 tablespoons of brown sugar over berries. This makes the berries turn jam-like.

Bake cake for 10 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 325°F and bake cake until golden brown and a tester comes out free of wet batter, about 50 minutes to 60 minutes... though it took almost 10-15 minutes longer for mine, possibly due to the wetter ingredients and milk-substitution. (As Smitten Kitchen says, Gooey strawberries on the tester are a given. Though I didn't do that... I just shook it to see if it jiggled, then stuck it back in for longer if it looked un-done. Which may be why it got overcooked!) Let cool before digging into.....

Then NOM!

Dreaming of Raised Beds

We have a beautiful and spacious yard, ripe for having a garden. In fact, we tried several times! But the combination between a heavy clay soil, and the burden of responsibility being on myself, we haven't achieved much. Last year we got a few peas and a carrot, oh and some tomatoes.

This year we amended the soil, tilled it, and planted seeds. But unfortunately either by planting to early or around too many hungry birds, we grew nothing but 2 broccoli plants. Oh... and a whole heck of a lot of happy healthy weeds!

Now I'm dreaming of raised garden beds! This would solve the problem of the soil, as well as making it easier for me to be sole-tender of the garden.

All I need is wood & soil/compost!!

Here are some of my inspirational photos:

 

http://www.sunset.com/garden/backyard-projects/ultimate-raised-bed-how-to-00400000011938/

 

http://gardening.sheknows.com/tag/raised-bed-garden/

 

http://www.raisedvegetablegardenbed.com/

 

http://www.homestead-hearth.com/

 

http://blog.ufpi.com/blog/decking-and-outdoor-living/raised-garden-bed-how-to-build-a-raised-garden-bed-in-three-steps

 

http://followinginmyshoes.com/around-houston/finders-keepers/

 http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/how-to-plans/lawn-garden/4308264

 http://www.sunset.com/garden/landscaping-design/raised-bed-vegetables-00400000020697/

 http://raisedvegetablegardenbeds.com/the-simple-way-of-building-a-raised-garden-bed

Hopefully my dreams will become a reality soon enough!! I just don't know how long I can wait........

So if you were planning a raised garden bed(s), what materials would you use to make the bed, and what dimensions would you make it in? I'm thinking cedar and 18-24" high with a dimension of 3x5 or so. I have to be able to access the whole thing easily. Admittedly I have a physical disability, so it has to be easy for me to manage without too much movement on my part.......

Thoughts?

Planning a 2 Year Old's Birthday Extravaganza... or making sure kids AND parents have fun!

So my kiddo's 2nd birthday is coming up in a few months, and I feel like I want to make it special. Last year we didn't have a party at all. I wasn't too worried about it, she was only 1. She wouldn't remember it, and at that age, the party is really for the adult attendees and not the kid. But this year, she's fully conscious and aware of her world, and I think it would be a great year to start making her birthday rituals.

So to start, it's important to me that there be good, healthy food. That there be fun, creative, eco-minded activities or crafts. And that the parents have just as much fun as the kids.

I'm planning a kid menu, activities/crafts for the kids, an adult menu, and beverages for all age groups. Here are some ideas I have so far:

Kids Menu-
Lemon Bars
Fruit salad in coconut yogurt
Mini pizzas on whole wheat sourdough
Sweet potato fries
Frozen banana "ice cream"
Pita with hummus

Adult Menu-
Orzo salad
Frittata (veggies, and one with ham or sausage)
Roasted small potatoes in olive oil, rosemary and garlic
Green salad

Kids Activities-
Finger painting with homemade finger paints (or these yummy edible finger paints)
Playing with homemade play dough
Having a wading pool

Beverages-
Lavender Lemonade

Still brainstorming!!!

What ideas do you have? I'm looking forward to hearing some great ideas!

My 9 Year Old Daughter Wants to Be a Vegetarian

As a family, we eat as an omnivore. Individually, we eat differently. I, myself, am mostly vegetarian, though I do eat meat when it feels right. My youngest daughter eats like I do. We also do not eat dairy. This is due to a milk allergy. My eldest daughter and my husband have been mostly die-hard meat-eaters. This is why her request/desire surprised me. Not to say I wouldn't be overjoyed at the very least! But I also wanted to make sure it was what she really wanted, and needed, at this point in her life. I'd like to say I take a balanced perspective.

One thing that may have motivated her desire to be a vegetarian, is her understanding of the treatment of animals in order to become food for the masses. To me, it is important that my family (or anyone for that matter) be aware of where their food comes from and how it is produced. That goes for vegetables, processed foods, and yes, meat. I don't want my kids growing up being disassociated from the foods they eat. I don't want them going into a store to buy their food and not understand what it takes to get it there, and all the hard work before that. I want them to be connected to their food source. I want them to be educated and make educated choices.

I felt my eldest was old enough and intelligent enough to begin to understand where her food comes from, and to make choices for herself as to how she should be eating. I mean, afterall, she will be taking care of herself eventually, and making all of her own choices eventually. So why not start now? I also use this as part of my parenting technique. If a kid understands WHY to do or not do something, and is allowed to make that choice for themselves (consequences too) then I think this teaches them to think intelligently.

I only do the best that I can as a parent. I try to lead by example. I try to give the materials and education my child needs (inside & outside the classroom). I try to provide learning tools at ripe learning moments. And then it's up to the child to go from there.

So in the case of my daughter wanting to be a vegetarian; what is right for her? I don't know. But I do know we are going to watch "Food Inc" and I am going to give her books and materials to help her make her own choices. This includes varied nutrition books, books on vegetarianism, books on whole foods nutrition & eating healthy meats and foods grown with love, books on eating closer to the source, and materials from PETA and the ethical treatment of animals. Basically everything she needs to make an intelligent choice for herself.

And of course, reminding her that if she were a vegetarian, there'd be none of her favorite foods... like bacon, ham sandwiches, etc.

I admit, I would try to steer her towards the idea of first starting with eating foods closer to the source. Eating foods that have not been processed. Eating foods that have been made with love. All of those things go into making healthier more nutritious foods. I would encourage her to start small. Like by eating meats that were, as animals, cared for lovingly and given free range to roam.

And if she still wants to be a vegetarian, then great! I'm all for teaching her how to do that in a healthy way.

I understand her desire! She'd said to me the other day, "I just don't think I can eat something I care about. I don't want to eat chicken anymore because I love them." Who can argue with that?

We do teach her that eating meat is part of survival for many species. And that if you care for and honor the animal, that this is better than how they are treated in factory-farms. But I am all for not having as much meat in the house.

I myself was raised a meat-eater. But I became I vegetarian when I lived with my father and step-mother for several years. They are die-hard vegetarians! So much so, that my step-mother said she would not marry my father if he dare ate any meat, ever again. To me, this is a bit severe. I was a vegetarian when I met my husband. And he, a die-hard meat-eater!! VERY much so! We've figured out how to blend our diets some, so that we can live together. He knows I will not cook much meat, so if he wants it, he will have to make it himself. I will cook simple meats to add to their meals, like heating sausage for example. Or I enjoy making fish at times. So, not having to cook as much meat, is fine by me.

But I am also not that selfish as to steer her choice because of my desires. I want her choice to be her own. And as I said, I will give her the tools to make an educated choice. That is all I can do.

HEALTHFUL RECIPES: Whole Wheat Honey Raisin Oatmeal Cookies

Okay, so I was in the mood for something sweet and had nothing good in the house to satiate my desires. It was up to me to make something quick!

I speedily googled "healthy cookie recipes" and found this RECIPE with which to work off of. I tweaked it a bit and came up with this:

Whole Wheat Honey Raisin Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup freshly ground whole wheat flour (I had a cup leftover in my fridge)
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup raisins

Being in a rush and feeling lazy, I threw it all into the mixer at once. First I mixed it mostly that way, then I used a spoon to mix the last bits so that it would not be over-mixed, but definitely mixed. I found I had a lot of WW flour on the bottom of the bowl, so it took a bit of spoon-mixing to get it combined.

Then I used my mini cookie scoop and cookie sheet with silicone liner. Placed 12 cookies on the sheet in nice little round balls. Didn't bother flattening or anything else. Just shoved them in the oven.

I used their suggestion of 335 degrees. I didn't pre-cool (again in a rush). I'm not sure how long they cooked, but suffice to say, I looked to see that they were golden brown. :)

And Yes, they were delicious!!! Okay so the freshly ground whole wheat was a bit crunchy. I definitely need a way of grinding finer grain. But it was wonderful regardless!

And yay... I have sweets! Sweets I even feel good sharing with my 21 month old. :)

 Posted on Real Food Wednesday

Fresh & Healthy Eggs! Our relationship with our chickens...

After reading about some of the horrors of how farm-factory chickens are treated, and about how you can't even really trust Organic "Free-Range" Chickens to actually mean FREE RANGE, I realized it was time to have our own chickens and thus our own eggs.

Our first attempt at chickens; we bought 3. We lost one to some wild animal. It was terrible. I think the little chick was dragged through the bars. We learned quickly why bars are a certain size. One of the hens turned out to be a rooster, after weeks of us thinking she was just a butch hen. I guess the crowing should have given it away, but we fought for her, thinking that she was just taking over the male role. She also regularly attacked our 9 year old. So "she" had to go. At that point, "she" also developed spurs. Yep... She's a HE. So we found a nice family who wanted a rooster. We, of course, no longer wanted to be woken up in the wee hours of the morning with "her" crowing.

The 3rd hen... well, I can't remember what happened to her (I will have to ask my husband. He remembers every little detail. I unfortunately do not. He is a Virgo however.) I do know that we have 2 hens now. We did have 3 again. We'd named them "Pixie" "Emerald" and "Angel." We lost Angel. I think it was another wild animal. So now we have Pixie & Emerald.

So after over 2 years now, one of them has never laid an egg. Yes, we only have one layer. "Pixie" is our only layer. Emerald is good for poop, company, and making nice soil and compost with her scratching. Oh and eating the snails and slugs.

Have only one egg a day (or less) has never been enough to feed our family of four. So we finally gave in and recently got 5 more chicks.

 "Blondie" "Mochacchino" and "Cinnamon"

 "Mochacchino" "Speckles" "Ginger" and "Blondie"

 "Mochacchino"

 "Speckles"

So now we will have a dozen eggs every 2 days(ish)!

My husband has been diligently fixing op the coop and making a bigger and better run for our hens and soon-to-be hens. We have moved the coop to a prettier area and snazzed up their home. I figure happy hens make better healthier eggs, yes?

One of the things I was amazed about with Pixie's eggs was the color of the yolk!!!! It was BRIGHT orange! Like NEON ORANGE! It really showed me how much store-bought eggs are lacking in nutrients! I am so excited about having fresh eggs everyday.

 Here is an example of a store-bought "free-range" organic egg, and our REAL free-range egg.

The trick to having orange yolks is to make sure that your hens get out every day. We let them out of the coop to "free-range" the entire yard, to get sunshine, to eat bugs and other foods, and generally to enjoy themselves. Though, the girls do like to eat our dog's food too, and you can see them being chased by Thunder (our dog) as he protects his "golden" nuggets.

And in reality, hens are a joy to have around. They are silly and fun. They follow us around and want to be a part of the action. They keep our garden pest-free. They help make great compost. Their uses are endless!

Oh and here is a great article from Mother Earth News:

Meet Real Free-Range Eggs