Broccoli Cashew Quinoa

Last night I tried a recipe from Green Smoothie Girl's book 12 Steps to Whole Foods.  I'm looking for more meatless dinners that my family will actually eat.  I think I found one here.  Only one kid refused to try it! :)

Broccoli Cashew Quinoa

1 TB coconut oil
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 small red onion, finely diced
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes chopped*
2 cups vegetable broth
1 TB white wine vinegar (I used red because I didn't have white)
1 TB agave
2 TB fresh lemon juice
1 Cup quinoa, rinsed well (soak for a few minutes, then drain with a fine strainer).
1/2 tsp sea salt
6 Cups broccoli, cut into small pieces
freshly ground black pepper
1 Cup cashew pieces, toasted in oven

Heat coconut oil over medium heat and saute onion and garlic for 3 minutes. Add sun-dried tomatoes, vegetable stock, vinegar, agave, and lemon juice. Bring to boil. Stir in quinoa and salt, then put broccoli on top. Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 20-25 minutes. Remove from heat when broccoli is tender. Add the ground pepper and cashews and toss.

*The one change I would make to this recipe is the sun-dried tomatoes.  I would use 1/4 cup. Original recipe called for 1/2 cup.  The sun-dried tomato taste was a little too strong for me.  The kids picked them out and asked why there were raisins in the dinner. So next time, I'm doing 1/4 cup and chopping them much smaller.  I think you still need them, just not so much.

About Quinoa
Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) is an interesting food. It acts like a grain in most ways, although it is not technically a grain, it's a seed.  (the plant is not from the grass family). It is a traditional food in parts of South America, and in the past decade or so has become more common in North America as well. It has a mild, slightly nutty flavor.

Quinoa is often touted as being high in protein, although this is not true in the way most people think of a high-protein food. The amount of protein in quinoa is similar to other grains.  The difference is that quinoa contains more of the amino acid lysine than other grains. This makes them more "complete" -- that is, the body can get all of the essential amino acids it needs from quinoa in similar proportions to what is required.  

Nutrients in
Quinoa
42.50 g (42.50 grams)

Nutrient%Daily Value

manganese43%

tryptophan21.8%

magnesium20.9%

folate19.5%

phosphorus19.4%

Calories (156)8%

My Fitness Pal

I am loving My Fitness Pal.  I used to track my calories on Prevention's website, but it took forever because there were so many ads on the page.   My Fitness Pal is better and faster and still free.  I also love that you can download the app on your phone and scan in UPC codes to get the nutrition info on anything with a bar code.  It keeps track of calories, fat, carbs and protein.  And you can also track your weight or inches lost.

Sometimes I need something like this to keep me motivated.  When I can see my progress that helps a lot too.  

Is anyone else out there using it?  Or do you have one that you like better?  Friend me on there if we know each other IRL and we can be MFP pals. :)

Healthy Smoothies and Juices for Kids

       Looking for some good and healthy smoothie recipes?   My friend Amy Roskelley sent me a copy of her book 201 Healthy Smoothies & Juices for Kids.  Her recipes use fresh ingredients and no added sugar.
       I don't have a juicer yet, so I've only tried her yummy smoothies.  I usually make the same 2 smoothies over and over again, so it was nice to get some ideas for something new.  I love to look through recipe books, but my favorite thing about this book is that on each page, below the recipes, are tips to save time or money, advice for getting picky eaters to eat healthy, interesting nutrition facts, and ways to make healthy eating fun for kids.
       If you know me, you're welcome to borrow my copy.  If you don't you can pick one up on Amazon.  You can also check out her website at superhealthykids.com
       I just added a new recipe link to the Healthy Recipes page - Spicy Beans with Coconut Milk.  So tasty.  Thanks to Julie at Salads and Such.  

Kefir

photo: Keeperofthehome.com

My latest healthy change: adding Kefir to my diet.  Water kefir to be specific.  I ordered the grains online and rehydrated them and I've been growing them for about 3 weeks.  Kefir is a probiotic drink that is loaded with healthy bacteria and yeast strains.  It's good for digestion and strengthening your immune system.  To make water kefir you culture the "grains" in sugar water at room temperature for 24-48 hours, then strain out the grains, flavor and drink it.

My 2 youngest like it mixed with cranberry or orange juice. I've been using it in my smoothies in place of the water or mixed with juice.  I can't handle the taste of it plain, but my husband will drink it straight.  The 3 older kids won't even try it.  (They've had it in smoothies but don't know it.)  I've also cultured the grains in coconut water and that works too.

A couple of sites with good information on Kefir and how to make it:
Yemoos.com 
CulturesForHealth.com 
KeepOfTheHome.com
 I'm still a beginner, so if any of you experienced kefir people have any tips or recipes, please share.

Insuring Health vs. Health Insurance

Regardless of whether we are required to purchase medical insurance, know that we can only buy real health insurance in the produce section of the local supermarket.

Certainly, some aspects of medical insurance coverage are in need of reform.  But a much greater need exists – the need for Americans to reform their health by reforming their diets.   -Dr. Joel Fuhrman

I really believe this!   Type II Diabetes is a life-style disease.  Heart disease is preventable and reversible.  Cancer risk is also largely tied to lifestyle. The American Institute for Cancer Research estimates that about one-third of common cancers could be prevented by following a healthy diet, exercising, and maintaining a healthy weight.

Why don't more people do something about it?  Why are Americans so unhealthy?  Are people really so uninformed?

Is it that: 

A)  They think these diseases just happen and there's nothing they can do about it?

B)  They truly don't know what a healthy diet is?

C)  They've decided that it's just too hard to eat healthy food?

D)   All of the above. 

If your answer was A,  You might want to read The China Study by Dr. T. Colin Campbell for research on the connection between what we eat and disease.  I found it very interesting and I wondered as I read it why I'd never heard this stuff before!  Another one that's an easier read is the Culprit and the Cure by Steven Aldana.

If you answered B, you should read Dr. Joel Fuhrman's Eat For Health or Eat To Live.  His focus is on eating the most nutrient dense foods possible and he tells you which foods those are.  I also follow his blog diseaseproof.com

If you answered C, there are a bunch of people who blog about following a healthy diet and they have some great recipes.  Some that I follow: are Green Smoothie Girl, My Green Diet, Unconventional Kitchen, Super Healthy Kids, and WHOLEmade.  It's not hard to eat healthy.  It's kind of fun trying new recipes and using new ingredients.  It also makes it easier knowing you're not the only one.  Healthy eating means different things to different people.  I take what I want from these blogs and ignore the rest.  You do what's right for you, right?

If you're answer was D (like mine) you've got a lot of reading to do!

 

Trying something new - Jicama

I tried something new last week.  Jicama.  I had no idea what it would even look like when I went to find it in the produce section. It's not pretty, but in the right recipe, it wasn't bad at all.
I tried this recipe for Jicama Salad With Mango and Dried Blueberries from Section89.com.

picture & recipe from section89.com

 I also ordered Green Smoothie Girl's Twelve Steps to Whole Foods Manual.  I needed something to get me motivated again.  I've been wanting it for a while.  It's working.  I'm back to eating almost 100% good real food.  That 3 pound weight gain I mentioned a few months ago turned into 7 pounds.  But after a week of good eating it's back down to 3 pounds.  When I'm eating right my body naturally drops the weight, I have more energy and I feel so much better.

ps.  If you have any more jicama recipes, send them my way.

Seasoned Popcorn

1 cup popcorn (unpopped) I use organic
2-3 TB  pure extra virgin Coconut Oil, melted
3-4 TB nutritional yeast (I buy this from Winco or Good Earth in bulk)
popcorn salt*

1 large paper bag

*to make popcorn salt, just blend salt into powder in your blender. It sticks to the popcorn so much better.

Pop the popcorn in an air popper 1/2 cup at a time.  Pour it into the paper bag.  Pour in the coconut oil (trying not to get it all over the bag) and sprinkle in the nutritional yeast and popcorn salt.  Shake and serve.

Two years ago I quit eating microwave popcorn. I love popcorn and I missed it, but microwave popcorn contains the chemicals perfluorooctanoic acid (linked to liver and prostate cancer) and diacetyl (used as a flavoring agent which  causes the lung disease bronchiolitis obliterans in the popcorn factory workers who breath it.)  I'd rather not eat chemicals on my popcorn.  I started eating it plain which was just, well, plain.  I'm so glad I found this way to make it.  The bag is essential, I've tried it in a bowl and it doesn't work as well.

I've heard that most corn grown in the US is genetically modified, so I buy organic popcorn in bulk at the health food store.  I get the nutritional yeast there too.  Nutritional yeast can be a good source of vitamin B12.

This popcorn doesn't contain hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils either.  Coconut oil is one of the good fats.  Some people take coconut oil as a supplement


This recipe makes a A LOT of really good popcorn.