Good news for us!

My mom sent this to me today. My boys LOVE mushrooms however I serve them.

"In the Geometric Signature pattern of the Thyroid, Mushrooms have the highest concentration of Iodine. The edible mushrooms are used as food but also as pharmacology.

The nutrient content of mushrooms are remarkable: 30-40% of their dry weight is protein...they also contain virtually all of the minerals required by the human body as well as Vitamins A, B1, B2, C and D.

Serving Tip: Throw them raw in salads, cook them into soups or saute them in olive oil with a little sea salt - fantastic!"

Sauteing white mushrooms with some butter and onions is so great on top of baked potatoes, rice, and other grains.
I rarely use a recipe with these, but if I can replicate the mushroom saute that we put over rice the other night, I'll post it. What are your favorites?

The Great Health Debate

There have been so many PROVEN diets for people's best health. This is a kindof neat idea: Let's get together all of the experts from these professed "best" diets and have them tell their experience and debate. I never thought I'd hear some of the raw vegans say that 40% of people don't thrive on such a diet, and how and what to add for people's needs. Pretty cool.

They are doing it right now.

Check out this link to listen for free for a short time.

http://www.thegreathealthdebate.com/blog/

My Favorite Starter Smoothie

For green smoothie beginners, I have a special blend I use that is a crowd pleaser for all ages and kinds. I had so many request my "recipe" from the last classes I taught that I thought I'd post it here.

Try this:
a couple handfuls of red grapes
some fresh pineapple (and core if your blender can hack it)
A couple large handfuls of spinach
A large leaf of kale (add more as you develop a taste for it)
Some frozen banana chunks
Water to desired consistency

Aloo Gobi

Indian food done right is a wonderful thing. It is a fantastic option when you are trying to downsize your meat intake because there are lots of vegetarian options and lots of flavor that leaves you feeling like you really had something. I got (and modified) this recipe from my local co-op's newspaper. We really enjoyed it and will be eating it regularly now. It is not too spicy (but you could up the spice ratio if you like by adding more cayenne pepper, or do without it if you want none at all. I just did a bit and we thought it was just right).
One thing I will say is that, for us, this was definitely not enough as an entire meal or even main dish. I will make more next time and/or think of it more as a side dish. But we're big eaters, and I like to have leftovers for lunches. See how it goes for your family.

Aloo Gobi

Ingredients:

5 tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 large cauliflower, cut
1 1/4 lb potatoes washed and cut in half-inch cubes (no need to peel. the peels are good to eat)
1 tsp cumin, divided
3/4 tsp salt, divided
1 finely chopped onion
2 fine-chopped garlic cloves
1/2-1 inch fresh ginger(depending on your taste), diced
2 tsp chopped jalapeno
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper, or to taste
1/4 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp coriander seeds, ground
1/2 cup water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Mix 3 tbsp. of your oil, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp salt, all of your cauliflower and potatoes together in a bowl (or directly in the roasting pan to save a dish), spread in baking pan and roast for 20 minutes or until your potatoes are tender.
2. As the vegetables roast, grab a heavy skillet. Heat the remaining 2 tbsp oil on medium-high heat. Add in onions, garlic, ginger, and jalapeno. Stir frequently until soft (8-10 minutes; the onions should start to turn clear and golden). Add remaining spices (1/2 tsp salt, cayenne, turmeric, coriander, and cumin) and cook for an additional two minutes.
3. Add in water and roasted veggies. Cover and cook on lower heat for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Consume!

As a side note, a great side dish for many things is what we do with carrots. I don't peel them anymore because we buy organic and don't mind them, but you can if the peels bother you.
Chop up carrots however you like, boil them until they are just firm, then drain and add butter, salt, and dill to taste. Yum!

Fish Sticks?

I remember having so-called fish sticks maybe a couple of times in my childhood. I don't think any of the kids liked them much. But I know a lot of people like them and eat them frequently. When I got married I made a concerted effort to start liking fish. I have had some definite success, and I usually plan something with fish in our weekly dinner menu (real fish, of course, not fake fish--I liken fish sticks to chicken nuggets. Use the real stuff).

My favorite starter fish was tilapia because it's thin, white, and not too "fishy." We have tried it several ways, but our old favorite of olive oil and lemon pepper always won out. I think I may have found a new favorite. This recipe came from the "Real Food Has Curves" book. I must admit, I've found some good, and some that taste like only special foods critics and chefs that like lots of vinegar would like...but the winners have been great. Some of them take considerable effort, but these are easy!

Here are their Oven-Fried Fish Fillets:

2 large egg whites
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 c. yellow cornmeal
1/2 c. whole wheat flour (I used spelt, I'm sure you can use a variety of whole grain flours)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. mild paprika
1/2 tsp dried dill
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
Four 4-0z. skinless, white-fleshed fish fillets, like snapper or tilapia

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400.
2. Mix the egg whites and lemon juice with a whisk or a fork in a shallow soup bowl (or pie pan) until foamy and well combined.
3. Mix the cornmeal, flour, salt, paprika, dill, and pepper in a second shallow soup bowl or on a dinner plate.
4. Drizzle the oil on a large baking sheet, then use a wadded-up paper towel to smear it around.
5. Take one of the fish fillets and dip it in the egg white mixture, coating both sides. Let some of the excess run off, then dip the piece in the cornmeal mixture on both sides. Then do it all again with the same piece of fish. Place the fillet on the prepared baking sheet and do it with the other fillets.
6. Bake 9 minutes, then flip and continue baking 9 minutes more. Serve.

Not the greatest picture, but oh well. The double breading is great. Just thick enough, and crispy, with the fish perfectly flaky on the inside. I served them with some home-made oven fries and some dipping sauces of tartar sauce and ketchup. Make sure to include a nice salad, of course. Yum!

Whole Foods Holiday Treat

My brother is into whole foods, so for his birthday I made him a new treat in place of a traditional cake. I'm glad it turned out so well. Everyone liked these...unlike the new whole foods cake I tried for my son's birthday. Oh well, you win some, you lose some. Never know until you try.

Chia Snowballs



1 c. peanut butter*
1/2 c. honey (raw is preferable)
1/2 c. brown rice syrup (available at health food stores)
4-5 cups brown rice cereal
3 Tbsp. chia seeds
optional: 1 c. finely shredded unsweetened coconut

Mix all ingredients except for coconut. Roll mixture into balls and then roll the balls in coconut. If you opt for no coconut, press the mixture into an 8x8 pan. Refrigerate 1 hour, and store any leftovers in the fridge.
(If the balls get too sticky to roll, try dipping your hands in water first, or put the mixture in the fridge for a few minutes, or both.)
* natural, no sugar added--and chunky gives nice texture if you like. Also, you can use almond butter if there are food allergies.


These taste like peanut butter and honey rice krispie treats, or I heard someone say they hinted at Butterfingers. Since they had no chocolate, I'd say more like chic-o-sticks. But it's up to you--little chocolate chips (or cacao nibs), or dipping in chocolate might give a more Butterfinger-like result. Either way, these are good.

Here's some chia facts to get you excited:
Chia seeds are high in:

• Protein;
• Fiber;
• Magnesium,
• Calcium, and, best of all,
• ALA, a type of omega-3 fatty acid. (In fact chia seeds contain more Omega-3's than any other plant source, including flaxseed).

An ounce of chia seeds contains 137 calories, and will get you four grams of protein and 11 grams of fiber.

Pretty cool.

Easiest. Breakfast. Ever.

This one goes out to my BFF, Shayla, for her innovation and inspiration to me about the best way ever to eat steel cut oats.

I personally grew up never having had these or noticed them until rather recently in my life. To my knowledge, you can get oats in three basic states (I know you can do flours and such, but for the sake of simplicity): groats, steel-cut, and rolled. If you grew up like I did, you likely had them only rolled--oatmeal. Perhaps for some of you it was processed even further to be "quick oats."

Groats (funny word, I know) are the least processed of these--the whole grain oat. Here's a picture for your viewing pleasure:

Steel-cut are a step of processing further down the line, just the groats cut in halves or thirds or so. Like this:

Rolled oats, with which we are most familiar, are processed differently than steel cut in that they are steamed and rolled flat--still a whole grain, but more processed, and therefore (in my opinion), at least a little less beneficial than the less processed counterparts. Cooking and exposure of the insides to air speeds the loss of vitamins and minerals.

Most people say that the nutritional value does not differ between steel-cut and rolled, but they also go on to tell these comparisons:

(Steel-cut oats have:)

• Much longer cooking time (30 minutes)
• More cholesterol lowering soluble fiber than other oatmeal
• Takes longer to digest so you stay fuller longer
• Chopped with steel blades resulting in a "chewier" oatmeal
• Steel-cut oats contain more fiber

Seems different to me. The only down side I see is the long cooking time. Who wants to wake up earlier to make a hot breakfast? Not me. Here's where Shayla comes to the rescue!

Here comes a recipe for the EASIEST whole grain breakfast ever. Plus, it has endless flavor possibilities!

Shay's Steel-Cut Oats
*4 cups water
1 cup steel cut oats

Bring water to a boil. Add in oats. Cover. Turn off heat. Leave overnight. Done.

Servings: You can make as much as you like--as long as the water to oat ratio is 4:1. I did 1 1/2 times as much and had leftovers after three adults and one child had their fill.

I put a sprinkle or two of salt in the water before it boiled and added in, as Shayla often does, some cinnamon (to taste--maybe a couple teaspoons) to flavor it overnight. In the morning I heated it and added in some real maple syrup to taste.

Other add-in possibilities are really endless.
This morning we had raisins and slivered almonds (try the almonds soaked in salt water and dehydrated again. YUM.).

My hubby had his new favorite, just some fresh pomegranate seeds (good idea from my brother John).
Once at Shayla's house we had it peaches and cream style (add peaches, cream, and sweetener to taste).
You could do apple cinnamon, bananas--anything really.
Use your favorite flavors and imagination. Plus, you could flavor each bowl to the taste of the eater, if necessary.

I love it when trying something new is easy.

*In case you still have water left in the morning, you can just cook it down and add 1/4 to 1/2 cup less water the next time.