Lunch: Salad, toast and hummus, strawberries and chai tea.

Wow, I've outdone myself....

This morning, I had some beans soaking for easy preparation today, and after boiling them, I made pinto bean tahini hummus.

For lunch, I wanted to have some greens, so I made a salad, and prepped four extra smallish salads for times when I'm hungry, and in a hurry.

So my lunch came together today as:
Romain and spinach salad with carrots, chive, brocolli, red pepper, tomato, and celery. I topped it with 1 tsp balsalmic vinegar, and 1tsp evoo.

I have some decadent millet vegan bread, so I toasted it up and topped each piece (2) with 1tsbp of my home made hummus.

Over the salad and hummus toast, I sprinkled cayenne pepper, dried kelp, pepper and seasoned salt.

Strawberries for dessert.

Hot, black chai tea to drink.

What did you eat for lunch? Was it good, bad, or just plain? Let me know, i'd love to hear from you!

Amelia

Sprouting: day 1

Everyone knows it is important to eat your vegetables. According to the food guide pyramid from ages ago, the daily requirement was only 3-5 servings, of approximately 1/2 cup of fresh or steamed vegetables. Now, researches are professing that a diet RICH in plant life is not only beneficial to your health, it is NECESSARY for proper cellular functioning.

Vegetables, all of them, have micronutrients. Micronutrients are the minerals and vitamins that your body needs for cellular growth, repair and metabolism. Without micronutrients, our bodies begin to breakdown, cell by cell, and start to decompose, causing more possibilities for cancer and disease to thrive.

My favorite new way to sneak in my vegetables is through SPROUTS!

Sprouts are the shoots and roots formed from germinating seeds and nuts. Not only do you get the benefit of eating the seed or nut, but you also get all of the wonderful benefits of the green plant life that's just emerging from their tiny seed coats.

This week I started making my own sprouts, because there are so many benefits.
1. I buy organic seeds and nuts, so I know my sprouts are 100% organic. Hard to say it they are store bought.
2. Cheap, cheap cheap! I bought the sprouting jar for 4$, and my starter seeds (18oz) for 6$, both at a health food store. The amount of sprouts you get for on Tbsp of seeds is equal to one cup of full grown sprouts. You do the math...
3. It brings a refreshing dose of newly generated oxygen to the kitchen, a place where I spend a lot of time.
4. I can have several jars going, to have a constant supply of fresh sprouts for salads, sandwiches, stirfrys, and MORE.

I already know that my investment in fresh, organic produce is important, but growing my own makes me feel like my footprint on earth is diminishing a little bit.

How to start sprouting:
1. Buy a glass sprouter jar, with a mesh lid, or make your own with a large mason canning jar. Replace the flat metal seal with a mesh piece.
2. Buy organic seeds (any will do!)
3. Rinse seeds, pick out broken ones, and then soak over night.
4. Drain seeds, add to jar.
5. Place jar in dark, warm area. Avoid excess heat and moisture. > 80* is too high.
6. Rinse 2x/day.
7. Once shoots appear, put in semi light.
8. Grow until 4in tall. Transfer to open container. Add water occasionally.
9. Cut, and use immediately, or allow to continue to grown until ready to use.

I am starting a new batch, so I thought I would blog about the process. This picture is the seeds soaking overnight.

Do you eat sprouts? Do you grow your own? If so, let me know! I would love to hear from you!

Lunch: pb&j with tea and an apple!

Today's lunch was inspired by a traditional pb&j, but I really don't like jelly and the large amount of sugar it contains, so I opted for dried cranberries and apples instead.  It truly hits the spot!

Since I'm gluten free, I used whole grain millet bread (also, vegan) and the peanut butter was natural and organic, so no additives like sugar or other oils, just peanuts.

I was running late today, so I wouldn't have packed this if I had had more time, but I was drowsy and pinched for time, so it had to work. I really don't like eating a lot of peanuts because the risk of a fungal infection (Peanuts are easily infected with fungi when improperly stored. Remember that big peanut butter recall?), so this is a bit strange for me, but I need to go shopping and also spend a day in the kitchen prepping more foods like nut butters, fresh bread, fresh chopped fruit, and also hummus.

Yesterday, I had some peanut butter, too, and then later in the evening my stomach was feeling bloated, so I'm doing a little test with my body to see if peanuts are the cause of my discomfort and inflammation. I also had lots of cabbage yesterday, so it maybe was that, but I'm thinking it's peanuts.

According to the NIH, peanuts are the number one cause of allergies, whether serious or just a minor discomfort when ingested, so I really want to know if peanuts are something I should avoid. Not all people are sensitive to peanuts, but MANY are.

I also am drinking some of my *link* Chia stevia green tea limeaid, but today I made it with oranges. Still delicious. I used one less packet of stevia, though, because oranges are sweeter than limes or lemons.


What did you have for lunch today? Did you plan and pack one if you're on the run? Did you eat out? Did you eat to live? Let me know, I'd love to hear from you!

Lifestyle vs. Diet

For many years, I have been prone to picking a new "diet" and trying to make it work, then after several days, or weeks, (if I am strong willed), I go back to binge eating the junk food that my brain craves, (processed carbohydrates like bread and crackers, sweets, and comfort foods high in saturated fats).

Well, trying and committing are two different things. I have been reading Dr. Joel Fuhrman's Eat To Live book, and it is truly amazing to see how I fit in with those people he describes: crash dieting, yo-yo-ing with my weight (+10, -10), and finding it hard to commit to a diet. Well, as he, and several other nutritionists describe, it isn't a diet, it is a lifestyle.

For the past 5 years, I've known that I have a mild intolerance to dairy products. For the past 10 months, I have realized that I have an intolerance to gluten products. And, for the past several months, I have realized how important it is to limit and be wary of any and all animal products. With all of this milling around in my brain, finding a diet (meaning purely the food I eat, not necessarily a "diet") that fits me perfectly isn't something that is written in a book. So, that is what I want to start doing. I want to write about my life, my food choices, and my health. This is the topic of this blog, and I am happy to say I've come up with an acceptable blog title, FINALLY!!

So, if you, too, are out there searching for another diet that is going to help you lose the weight that you want to get rid of, or if you are fighting a serious illness, and want to gain health through nutritional and preventative measures, this is the right spot for you.

To begin telling you about my food lifestyle, I will describe the foods I avoid (or try to):

• non-organic meat
• non-cagefree eggs
• dairy (except goat cheese and greek yogurt)
• soy
• processed anything
• artificial anything
• gluten (wheat products)

The staples of my diet that I DO eat are:

•  fresh, organic (when possible due to availability and cost) fruit and vegetables
•  dried fruit and nuts
•  legumes (beans)
• whole gluten-free grains

The only reason that I am pointing out organic foods is because of the meaning of the word organic.
  Organic- To be grown, produced or farmed with no artifical pesticides, herbacides or fertilizers.

( To be labeled organic, the ingredients must ALL be organic. There is an $11,000 fine if the information given is false!)


The reason those artificial or commercial -cides are not good, is because they always have trace amounts that remain on the crop, even after washing, milling, or cooking. There is no escaping them, and not only do they build up in your system, they can cause cancers, diseases, and DNA mutations. 

Also, the nutrient content of the soil that non-organic produce is grown in is seriously depleted because of the leeching caused by those commercial and artificial -cides. It's scary to think that even though you are eating healthily, the fresh produce you are consuming can also cause other bad problems for you! 

More about organics in another post, but this is where I am at right now. I am reading constantly to learn more about the health and safety of our food for not only my health, but also the health of my son! 

Remember, we must eat to live. Let's eat right. 

--Amelia--10/10/12