Thursday, March 27, 2014

Buenos Dias Breakfast

This month I learned that breakfast is definitely the easiest meal to enjoy without using processed foods. Although, if you are a die-hard cereal fan you may disagree. Cereal is a processed food, but there are some exceptions such as Wheetabix, Shredded Wheat, or Bran Flakes. For the most part, though, packaged cereals are highly processed and contain added sugars, colorings and preservatives. So, bad news to the captains of Captain Crunch Berry, but good news for the captains of eating healthy and easy to prepare breakfast meals.

Delicious, easy meals to start your day off right:
  • Fruit salad - Combine your favorite seasonal fruits such as apples, pears, oranges, bananas, pineapple, or kiwi, and eat as is or topped with fresh squeezed lime juice, sunflower seeds, or plain yogurt.
  • Smoothies - Throw all the ingredients in the blender the night before, blend in the AM, pour into a Nalgene bottle or reuse a plastic cup, and enjoy. Be creative. You can use a base of water, juice, coconut milk, homemade almond milk, organic milk, or plain yogurt, then add fresh or frozen fruit, wheat germ/ground flax/chia seeds, nut butters or nuts, seeds, spirulina and a sweetener such as dates, raw honey or maple syrup. Or try one of my creations which in just one serving has 13 g Fiber, 14 g Protein, over 1,000 mg Potassium, 45% Calcium, 25% Vitamin D, 17% Vitamin C, 16% Iron, as well as many other vitamins and minerals. FUNKY MONKEY SMOOTHIE: 1/4 cup chopped dates, 1 banana, 1 Tbsp natural peanut butter, 1/8 cup ground flax seed, 1/2 cup plain organic yogurt, 1/4 cup water. Place all in blender and puree.
  • Oatmeal - Again this can be prepped at night by placing water in a saucepan on the stove and setting out the measured cup of oatmeal with some raisins or dates added to it. In the morning bring water to a boil, place oatmeal and dried fruit in the pan and let simmer while you are doing something else. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, or cloves, along with chopped nuts and seeds for added nutrients. Sweeten or add a liquid of choice.
  • Yogurt and Muesli/Granola - Bob's Red Mill makes a pure delicious muesli or you can try making your own. The night before or first thing in the morning combine muesli with yogurt and let soak. You can add chopped fruit or use organic milk instead of the yogurt. For granola, just add yogurt, milk or try with orange juice, the way I sometimes like it.
  • Eggs - Any way you like them...hard boiled, soft boiled, scrambled, poached or make an omelet or frittata using fresh herbs, sundried tomatoes, olives, mushrooms, broccoli, spinach, and/or a locally made goat cheese. Back when I was in college I lived in Spain and ate Tortilla de Patatas (like a frittata made with potatoes) almost all the time and any time of the day. Yesterday I decided to try my hand at making one and it turned out pretty good. You can find a recipe for it online and then check out this quick video on how to make it (it is in Spanish though).
  • French Toast, Pancakes, Waffles - Try making your own whole grain bread and use leftovers for french toast. Or make your own wholegrain pancake/waffle base to have on hand. Combine dry ingredients and place in an airtight container in the freezer. Just add wet ingredients when you are ready to make them. A new hearty Pancake/Waffle Recipe I developed this month, which serves about 3 and has 10 g Fiber and 10 g Protein per serving, consists of:  1 cup whole wheat flour, 1/4 cup rolled oats, 1/4 cup ground flax, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 Tbsp honey, 1 egg, 3/4 cup coconut milk, 1/2 cup applesauce, 1/4 cup water, 1 Tbsp safflower oil, 1/4 -1/2 tsp almond extract, and frozen raspberries.  I mixed all the dry in one bowl, the wet in another, and then blended the two until just combined. Pour in a waffle maker or make pancakes and press raspberries into the batter before flipping sides. Top with applesauce, yogurt, or real maple syrup, toasted nuts and seeds, or fresh fruit.
So as you can see there are many delicious, nutritious, unprocessed foods to get your day started right. Whether it is a quick bowl of oatmeal and fruit salad or a weekend Spanish brunch, your taste buds and your body will equally enjoy the fruits of your labor. Buenos dias!

Thursday, March 20, 2014

First Few Weeks of Unprocessed Meals

My first few weeks of eating unprocessed whole foods has been fun and delicious. I have spent a bit of time in the kitchen, but not an unreasonable amount. Also, most meals that I have made were reheated for leftovers.

For one breakfast I created a whole-grain pancake/waffle batter made with King Arthur whole wheat flour, ground flax seed, rolled oats, coconut milk, applesauce, and almond extract. I tried the batter as a pancake and added frozen raspberries, then tried the batter plain in a waffle maker. Both were equally yummy and hearty especially after topping them with plain yogurt, applesauce, and sunflower seeds.  Another breakfast was a Tropical Kale Smoothie (recipe below) that included baby kale, blueberries, pineapple, coconut water and chia seeds.  It had an earthy, yet sweet and lovely flavor.

For a light lunch I made a cashew pate which is a raw food made from blended cashews, red pepper, green onions, and fresh herbs. I spread the pate on puffed kamut cakes and topped it with avocado and sea salt.  Other lunch options were big, beautiful salads and homemade soups.

Dinner one night consisted of Shepard's Pie made from a layer of cooked lentils and vegetables, sweet peas, and mashed potatoes. I actually prepared the meal during the day, when I had time, and when I came home in the evening I just had to pop it in the oven for 20 minutes. Dinner another night consisted of brown rice, black beans with cumin added, sauteed onions/mushrooms/peppers, homemade pico de gallo and avocado. Yum! The pico de gallo is so easy to make that it seems silly to even consider buying it or salsa pre-made ever again. I just mixed together finely diced tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumber, green onions, cilantro, jalapeno, garlic, sea salt and lime juice and Voila!

With the leftover rice I poured in coconut milk, a dollop of butter, a beaten egg, soaked raisins and dates with a little of the soak water, raw honey, sea salt, nutmeg, cloves, and a cinnamon stick and let it simmer for about 3o minutes.

Every meal so far I have made from scratch (except for the puffed kamut cakes) and loved it. It feels good to eat things that I prepared with my bare hands and not from a box. And to cut down on wheat, dairy, and sugars makes my body very happy. So far, so good.

TROPICAL KALE SMOOTHIE
3 cups baby kale
1 cup frozen blueberries
3/4 cup pineapple
1 cup coconut water
1/2 cup orange juice
1 Tablespoon chia seeds

Place all ingredients in blender and blend till smooth.  Add more water or juice to thin to a consistency that you like.  Pour in your favorite glass  and enjoy!

Sunday, March 16, 2014

Natural Foods Pantry

Before embarking on the journey of this month long unprocessed food challenge, I had to fill up my pantry with lots of healthy, natural and tasty foods. Here is a list of the basics needed to cook up delicious and nutritious meals:

GRAINS: Brown rice, wild rice, rolled oats, quinoa, cornmeal, spelt or whole wheat flour; moderate use of whole-grain pasta, soba noodles, rice noodles, couscous, bulgur.

LEGUMES: Dried, low-sodium preservative free canned, frozen or fresh - black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, garbanzo beans, white/navy beans, adzuki beans, green beans, wax beans, lima beans, lentils, split peas, sweet peas, sugar snap peas, snow peas, edamame.

NUTS AND SEEDS: Unsalted and raw nuts - walnuts, almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, peanuts, pecans, pistachios. Unsalted and raw seeds - sunflower, pumpkin, flax, sesame.

SPECIALTY FOODS: Preservative free coconut milk, pure peanut or almond butter (no hydrogenated oils, sugar, or preservatives added), capers, olives, artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, unsulphured dried fruits - apricots, figs, raisins, dates, prunes.

OILS, CONDIMENTS, AND SEASONINGS: Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling or dressings, olive oil for cooking, sesame oil, flax oil, safflower oil, coconut oil, vinegars - balsamic/white wine/red wine/rice/apple cider/white, nama shoyu/tamari, tahini, raw honey/maple syrup/agave nectar, nutritional yeast, dijon mustard.

HERBS AND SPICES: Sea salt, black pepper, cumin, cayenne, crushed red pepper flakes, paprika, ground coriander, curry powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, dry and fresh ginger root, cardamom, dill, rosemary, basil, oregano, thyme, parsley, garlic, onion.

FRUIT: Seasonal fresh or frozen fruits to your liking - apples, pears, bananas, oranges, mandarins, grapefruit, berries, peaches, plums, kiwi, pineapple, mango, melon, grapes, etc. Keep a fresh supply for quick snacks. Also, good to have on hand are lemons and limes for cooking with their juices. Unusual fruits to have on hand - avocados, persimmons, pomegranate.

VEGETABLES: Items used often- onions - red/sweet/white, green onions, potatoes - red/yukon/russet/sweet, bell peppers, carrots, celery, tomatoes, greens - mixed lettuce/arugula/chard/kale/spinach, fresh herbs - parsley/basil/mint/cilantro/rosemary. Keep a fresh supply of local, seasonal vegetables for your meals. Mix it up and try to get a good variety in your diet - broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, squash, mushrooms, seaweeds. cucumber, eggplant, brussel sprouts, radishes, beets, asparagus, leeks.

OTHERS: If you choose you may want to add organic cage free eggs, organic milk, organic butter, organic plain regular or greek yogurt, organic locally made preservative free cheese, organic/natural/grass fed meats and quality fish.

Hope this helps you prepare your grocery list to stock up on healthy, natural, minimally processed quality foods. Most grocery stores and even super Target and Wal-Mart are carrying organic and high quality foods now. Some items such as raw nuts and seeds, quinoa, and condiments may need to be purchased at your local health food store. Happy shopping!

Thursday, March 6, 2014

My Month of Unprocessed Food

Happy March!  Spring is on its way and is a perfect time to cleanse and renew one's eating habits.  In honor of this time of year I am devoting the month of March to a month of unprocessed, healthy foods. In this month I will list basic ingredients to get your unprocessed, healthy kitchen pantry prepared, recipe ideas, thoughts and challenges, and whatever else arises during this fun little project.

Already this project has presented me with questions as I prepared my grocery list wondering what is considered processed food. Some processed foods are still considered healthy, so how was I going to navigate through this? Well, I decided to use my judgment on what I feel are unhealthy processed foods and stay clear of those. Easy examples of processed foods are: almost anything that is already made for me such as cereal, crackers, granola bars, breads, etc; bleached all purpose flour; pasta made with bleached AP flour; refined sugar and anything that contains it; frozen pizzas, entrees, breakfast foods, etc.; flavored yogurt, processed cheeses, ice cream; fake meats and other tofu products because tofu is processed; white rice and any grain stripped or bleached; and basically anything that is in the entire middle of the grocery store. Obvious foods that I will include are: fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables; dried unsulphured, preservative free fruits; raw, unsalted nuts and seeds; all legumes, including canned ones that are preservative free because I am terrible at cooking dried beans; rolled oats, brown rice, ground flax seed, quinoa, millet, amaranth; eggs; olive oil, spices, seasonings and fresh herbs; and sea veggies. Other foods that I had to question but decided to include are: plain organic yogurt and occasionally organic milk, butter, or local high quality unprocessed cheese; sesame oil, safflower/sunflower oil, tahini, nama shoyu/tamari; occasional pasta made with unbleached and whole grain flours; and potentially seitan or tempeh though I am not sure how processed these are. I am sure some days I will slip because again, some processed foods are still healthy. So, feel free to send me your thoughts on what you think processed foods are. It is a tricky question, because in today’s world it seems like everything is processed even if it is a seemingly healthy item. For the sake of convenience and time in our fast paced society, most foods are already made for us for example: salsa, hummus, spaghetti sauce, pasta, condiments, dressings, bread/tortillas, granola/bars, and the list goes on. We don’t really have to cook much any more except maybe to warm things up. So this challenge is really making me look at food, where we get it, how it’s made, and what exactly is healthy for us. In this fast paced world how can we not eat processed or pre-made foods, especially since they are making them seemingly healthier for us? And do we really have the time to shop, clean, prepare, and cook whole foods anymore? Or is it about striking a balance between cooking and using high quality prepared/processed foods, and making educated decisions to maintain a healthy lifestyle with convenience and ease. Hmmm, well join in on the journey and we'll see!