First off, I apologize as I have really neglected this blog. I own another blog called Weigh Healthy and I have put a ton of energy into that one lately and this blog has suffered because of that. That being said, I wanted to talk today about dried foods and food dehydration in general. This spring and summer I have been reading anything I can get my hands on about drying food. I have a son who is quite interested in eating raw. He is already a vegetarian/vegan and he is wanting to "up" his nutritional life a notch. He and I and his younger sister have been attending raw food pot-lucks and learning a lot. I have learned from a lot of raw foodists that they dry many foods they eat. This was interesting to me, because I thought drying hurt foods. One thing I became quite interested in was the nutritional value of foods when they are dried. I have been happy to learn that they don't change that much actually. This is good news on many levels. It is good because food can store long term(ish), foods become available now year round instead of having to wait until next year, and best of all, they taste great...plus dehydration is one of the cheapest ways to store food. The chances of micororganisms affecting the food (when dried properly) is quite low too. Lots of pluses to drying food. Besides, who doesn't like dried pineapple!
Here are some fun ideas I thought I would share with you about dried foods:
If you would like healthy baby food, simply dehydrate carrots, or corn, or peaches, strawberries, plums, any food and then once dried, blend them in your Vitamix or blender until they are powder. Store in a canning jar or something glass until you are ready to feed your baby. Then simply take warm water and put a few tablespoons of your dry whole food powder and the warm water and Wham-o, you have baby food...with no chemicals or preservatives!
Another fun trick for lunches is whole food delicious "Ramen" noodles...here is who you can do it:
Take a thermos and put a variety of dried foods like peas, corn, carrots, green beans, celery, and onions. Then add one Tablespoon bulgar, a couple tablespoons of small whole wheat pasta, like small shells. Now add boiling veggie broth and shut the lid of your thermos. At lunch time your home-made Ramen will be done and you can eat it free of preservatives!
I just did a google search for fun to see how much dried mushrooms are per pound. The are out of sight expensive. They are about $15 per 2 ounces!!! That is nuts on anyone's budget. Why not dry your own (and sell them). You will know what is in them and they taste fantastic too! Once dried you can blend them to make creamed soups. Use your mushrooms to make stroganoff, or add to a nice curry.
You can also make crackers and chips in your dehydrator that are healthy and yummy. Some may ask why a person would want to do this...the answer is simple: nutrition. Chips and crackers are loaded with preservatives and chemicals. It is fun to eat hummus, dips made from healthy foods and salsa. These dips can add a lot to your nutritional life if eaten with healthy chips. Healthy chips cost a fortune if you look at their cost per pound. Making home made chips from whole foods in an amazing blessing. I will put our a great recipe in a later post of how to actually make chips.
Dried fruits make great snacks in children's lunches for school, and they also go well in trail mixes for park activities. Christmas is a fun time to share your treats with neighbors and friends.
Dried vegetables make stews, soups, and casseroles taste delicious in minutes. When you are in a hurry, throw in dried veggies in your crock-pot soup, or Spanish rice dish in the fall and come home to a gourmet meal all ready to go.
I am new to dehydrating and I will post more ideas as I learn them. Health and dehydration go hand in hand. This is new information to me. For whatever reason I was thinking canning foods would be safer. After education myself, I now see this is not the case. There is need for both types of food preservation for sure. Drying food is fast, cheap, fun, and cost effective.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Lavender Oil
Hi Friends,
This morning while I was cooking breakfast for my family I accidentally placed my forearm on a hot fry pan. I got a nasty burn. I went and grabbed my Lavender oil and put it directly on the burn. It is amazing how much it helps burns. My burn does bother me a bit, but the soreness is nothing like it might have been without the Lavender oil.
Then right after I got burned, my daughter Addy came to me with an itchy back. I looked at her back to see what was bothering her and it honestly looked like she had a bad sunburn. Some sort of odd rash. I again went and grabbed the Lavender oil and put it on her back. Within 15 minutes her rash was gone! She went to school itch-free. Pretty amazing huh?!?
If you want to learn about oils, check out my website at www.butterflyoils.com
This morning while I was cooking breakfast for my family I accidentally placed my forearm on a hot fry pan. I got a nasty burn. I went and grabbed my Lavender oil and put it directly on the burn. It is amazing how much it helps burns. My burn does bother me a bit, but the soreness is nothing like it might have been without the Lavender oil.
Then right after I got burned, my daughter Addy came to me with an itchy back. I looked at her back to see what was bothering her and it honestly looked like she had a bad sunburn. Some sort of odd rash. I again went and grabbed the Lavender oil and put it on her back. Within 15 minutes her rash was gone! She went to school itch-free. Pretty amazing huh?!?
If you want to learn about oils, check out my website at www.butterflyoils.com
Loving Running
Hello My Friends on this cold and wintery day in Idaho. I am sitting here enjoying a delicious bowl of Grapenuts cereal with fresh blueberries and rice milk....yum! I am cooling down after my run today. It feels wonderful to be running again and having this incredible tool back in my life. I am older (almost 50 people) and so I am taking things very slowly with my running. I am still at only 2 miles per day but this is huge for me. In the next couple of weeks I will begin adding distance again. Today I added running at a harder pace. Here is how I do things:
I first begin by walking for about 2-3 minutes on my treadmill at a pretty quick clip. I stretch before and after my runs too, I forgot to mention that. Then I move my speed up and begin to run. I have some fun music my kids dance to and I cranked it up pretty high and I get going. Running is funny, for the first few minutes I think thoughts like "Why am I doing this....it is too hard today." or "My legs feel like wood! I can not do this right now." But I learned an incredible thing from my great friend Felicia who is an AWESOME runner. She told me "Running is hard, and there are times and days that you just have to push through it and make it happen." So while I am running along about the first 5-8 minutes I think deep thoughts (and pray) then my legs start to loosen up a bit and then I get really enjoying listening to the music or lost in my thoughts and then all the sudden I am at about 15 minutes and I am just sort of gliding at an easy pace. (Me! isn't that amazing!)It is the most incredible feeling to be 50 (almost) and to be running more than 5 minutes...and to be running more than one mile. It is so fun and so exciting. So I keep running for another 10-13 minutes or so. Then I increase my speed and make myself really push hard for about three more minutes and the sweat comes and for a runner, that is sort of a badge really. Ya know the cool runners you see along the road running with sweaty shirts and you think "Wow they are so in shape!" Well I sweat like that each day now! I admit not along the side of the road, but down in my basement in the privacy of my own family room, but even so, it is progress and I am proud of me, and now you can be too cause I am sharing this with you. After I run at a higher pace, I slow it down and run the last 5 or so minutes just back down to my beginning pace, but it feels like I am walking almost. I am loving this. I love running. I am so grateful to be moving again.
Do I have lots of pounds to lose? Yes. Am I rather old to be starting this? Probably, but life is for living and I am living and it feels great!
Have a good day. I need to get a shower and wash off my badge.
I first begin by walking for about 2-3 minutes on my treadmill at a pretty quick clip. I stretch before and after my runs too, I forgot to mention that. Then I move my speed up and begin to run. I have some fun music my kids dance to and I cranked it up pretty high and I get going. Running is funny, for the first few minutes I think thoughts like "Why am I doing this....it is too hard today." or "My legs feel like wood! I can not do this right now." But I learned an incredible thing from my great friend Felicia who is an AWESOME runner. She told me "Running is hard, and there are times and days that you just have to push through it and make it happen." So while I am running along about the first 5-8 minutes I think deep thoughts (and pray) then my legs start to loosen up a bit and then I get really enjoying listening to the music or lost in my thoughts and then all the sudden I am at about 15 minutes and I am just sort of gliding at an easy pace. (Me! isn't that amazing!)It is the most incredible feeling to be 50 (almost) and to be running more than 5 minutes...and to be running more than one mile. It is so fun and so exciting. So I keep running for another 10-13 minutes or so. Then I increase my speed and make myself really push hard for about three more minutes and the sweat comes and for a runner, that is sort of a badge really. Ya know the cool runners you see along the road running with sweaty shirts and you think "Wow they are so in shape!" Well I sweat like that each day now! I admit not along the side of the road, but down in my basement in the privacy of my own family room, but even so, it is progress and I am proud of me, and now you can be too cause I am sharing this with you. After I run at a higher pace, I slow it down and run the last 5 or so minutes just back down to my beginning pace, but it feels like I am walking almost. I am loving this. I love running. I am so grateful to be moving again.
Do I have lots of pounds to lose? Yes. Am I rather old to be starting this? Probably, but life is for living and I am living and it feels great!
Have a good day. I need to get a shower and wash off my badge.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Running...still
It has been almost three months since I started running. When I started I could only run about one minute. I would run one minute and walk 5 until I gradually added more time. I am happy to report that I am now running 30 minutes per day and running over two miles per day. I hope to be running three miles per day six days per week by summer.
I have learned that if I take small baby steps with life, big things can happen. Three months ago I never would have thought I could run over two miles, but now here I am doing it.
I have a long way to go with getting to the fitness level I want to be at but I am going the right direction and that is what really matters.
Running is defining me in many ways. I am currently facing some hard times with some people I love deeply in my life. Running helps me find some sort of peace with it all. Running helps me deal with the grief I have for the loss of my sweet mother. Running works, it is some sort of magical thing in my life I can't really explain how it is saving me but it is.
If you are dealing with hard things, run, you will get better faster...maybe we "run" to our solution in the end. Interesting idea.
I have learned that if I take small baby steps with life, big things can happen. Three months ago I never would have thought I could run over two miles, but now here I am doing it.
I have a long way to go with getting to the fitness level I want to be at but I am going the right direction and that is what really matters.
Running is defining me in many ways. I am currently facing some hard times with some people I love deeply in my life. Running helps me find some sort of peace with it all. Running helps me deal with the grief I have for the loss of my sweet mother. Running works, it is some sort of magical thing in my life I can't really explain how it is saving me but it is.
If you are dealing with hard things, run, you will get better faster...maybe we "run" to our solution in the end. Interesting idea.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Happy Birthday Moma
Today would have been my mother's 70th birthday. It has been a nice day of thinking about her and how much I love her. My mother loved tulips, so I purchased some white ones and gave a bouquet to my brother and I bought some pink ones for me. My son Jake made a lemon cake in her honor which we will enjoy later tonight with candles. I am proud to be her daughter.
Happy birthday Moma, I miss you.
Happy birthday Moma, I miss you.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
On Drinking Cows Milk
I had a friend email me today and asked me a sincere question with regards to giving her children cow's milk. She is reading a book called The China Study (great book but very frank about animal proteins) and she is now wondering if she should be giving her children cow's milk to drink.
I will explain my opinion on cow's milk, dairy, and drinking water.
I feel that humans are not designed to drink cow's milk or to use dairy. We are designed to nurse our children on their mother's milk and then be weaned to solid foods and pure water, not go from the breast to cow's milk. There is much science, to support my beliefs on this subject and one only has to google "is cow's milk good for you?" to see immediately that this is a hot topic and that there are many sites that will support the drinking of water over milk. There is also a huge (millions and millions of dollars worth) campaign yearly that educates us and our children to drink cow's milk...that would be the Dairyman's Association.
We live in a world and culture where never using any dairy is quite a task to accomplish. My friend is truly searching for answers and is concerned about her children and wants to ensure that they will ingest all the protein and nutrients that their little bodies need to be healthy and strong. I will use my family and my two youngest daughters as examples. We adopted out two youngest children, both girls. I was already nursing our youngest son who was 5 months old when we got Addy, so I chose to nurse her. I nursed them both for a year (I know I deserve a metal!) and then at one year old I moved them to solid food and water. I would have nursed longer if I only had one baby, but two and going a year was pretty monumental. After nursing, I did not move them to cow's milk, I moved them to water. I had read lots of information and I felt that they would be healthier not drinking cow's milk and just drinking water. This ended up being correct. (in another blog I will discuss juice in babies bottles...not good for the teeth or future teeth.)
Now my last daughter was not nursed at all, no breast milk there and so she had formula for about 10 months and was then put on solid food and water. She has never (to my knowledge) ever drank a glass of cow's milk in her 5 year old little life. She is tall, thin, healthy, and ENERGETIC. She loves all vegetables, loves beans, and nuts, and she has healthy teeth.
We don't eat much dairy. I did confess in an earlier post my love of ice-cream which we try to eat only one time per month. So my children do get some sugary dairy-goo in the form of ice-cream every few weeks or less. Sophie (our youngest daughter) never would think to ask for a glass of milk. It is not a part of her life or culture. She does drink water all day though in her own Dora cup.
I am not for juice, or pop, or smoothies either for that matter. I believe that food is best chewed, for many reasons, some physiological, some emotional. I also feel that juice is too much fructose at one time. We eat lots of fruit around here. Pop is obvious: no nutritional value at all, plus it proves negative on our health.
Cow's milk is for calves. In all studies, and in all countries where milk is drank often and in large quantities osteoporosis develops. I won't give a deep science lesson in full here, but these statistics are due to the way the milk is processed in the body and the way the bones leach out calcium to assist in the digestion of milk. The body actually ends up with less protein and calcium when the milk/dairy product is processed in the body than when it started out. We end up with a deficit of calcium in our body after eating dairy. This is why hip fractures are so prevalent in places in the world where milk is drank a lot.
I know this is a sobering and not too fun thought. Our culture uses dairy in just about every dish we eat or prepare. Most people love the taste of cow's milk. We drink it daily and we give it to our children because we love them and we are trying to keep their little bones healthy and strong. Sadly, this is not the case, milk does not provide the calcium our bodies need that will keep our bones strong. I did not want to believe this at all at first. I read many books on this subject and I was finally convinced it is true. I have proved it within the walls of my own family. I have eight children, and my last two have not had cow's milk to drink in their lives at all. We have been living without milk in our lives for over a decade now and we are fine. Please note that cow's milk does not naturally have vitamin D in it, this is added in the processing of it prior to giving it to the public.
The Dairyman's Association is huge and powerful and their advertising campaigns are very convincing. It does not matter though, the science stands firm, that we don't need to drink or use dairy in our diets to be healthy and have strong bones. Using dairy actually does the opposite of what we hope to accomplish, it weakens our bones.
So you might ask: "Where do we get the protein and calcium we need for our bodies if we don't use dairy products?" Great question! The answer may surprise you as it did me...PLANTS! This is where elephants, cows for that matter, and gorillas get their calcium and protein sources from. If we eat salads, dark green leafy vegetables, and nuts and seeds, we will have plenty of calcium and protein in our diets and our bodies will thank us for it!
To learn more on this subject I invite you to read:
The China Study by Dr. T. Collin Campbell
Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman His website is:
http://www.drfuhrman.com/
Also check out the articles on the website called notmilk.com
Some of the articles on notmilk.com come across a bit harsh, so I just watch what I read. I did learn a great deal of good information about the drinking or not drinking of milk though there on this site so it was worth it for me.
I hope this post helps your family at least think about milk in a new light. Our culture really does revolve in a large part around our eating. Changing something in our diet is hard. Best of luck. I am out there trying to eat healthy too.
Yours,
Chris
I will explain my opinion on cow's milk, dairy, and drinking water.
I feel that humans are not designed to drink cow's milk or to use dairy. We are designed to nurse our children on their mother's milk and then be weaned to solid foods and pure water, not go from the breast to cow's milk. There is much science, to support my beliefs on this subject and one only has to google "is cow's milk good for you?" to see immediately that this is a hot topic and that there are many sites that will support the drinking of water over milk. There is also a huge (millions and millions of dollars worth) campaign yearly that educates us and our children to drink cow's milk...that would be the Dairyman's Association.
We live in a world and culture where never using any dairy is quite a task to accomplish. My friend is truly searching for answers and is concerned about her children and wants to ensure that they will ingest all the protein and nutrients that their little bodies need to be healthy and strong. I will use my family and my two youngest daughters as examples. We adopted out two youngest children, both girls. I was already nursing our youngest son who was 5 months old when we got Addy, so I chose to nurse her. I nursed them both for a year (I know I deserve a metal!) and then at one year old I moved them to solid food and water. I would have nursed longer if I only had one baby, but two and going a year was pretty monumental. After nursing, I did not move them to cow's milk, I moved them to water. I had read lots of information and I felt that they would be healthier not drinking cow's milk and just drinking water. This ended up being correct. (in another blog I will discuss juice in babies bottles...not good for the teeth or future teeth.)
Now my last daughter was not nursed at all, no breast milk there and so she had formula for about 10 months and was then put on solid food and water. She has never (to my knowledge) ever drank a glass of cow's milk in her 5 year old little life. She is tall, thin, healthy, and ENERGETIC. She loves all vegetables, loves beans, and nuts, and she has healthy teeth.
We don't eat much dairy. I did confess in an earlier post my love of ice-cream which we try to eat only one time per month. So my children do get some sugary dairy-goo in the form of ice-cream every few weeks or less. Sophie (our youngest daughter) never would think to ask for a glass of milk. It is not a part of her life or culture. She does drink water all day though in her own Dora cup.
I am not for juice, or pop, or smoothies either for that matter. I believe that food is best chewed, for many reasons, some physiological, some emotional. I also feel that juice is too much fructose at one time. We eat lots of fruit around here. Pop is obvious: no nutritional value at all, plus it proves negative on our health.
Cow's milk is for calves. In all studies, and in all countries where milk is drank often and in large quantities osteoporosis develops. I won't give a deep science lesson in full here, but these statistics are due to the way the milk is processed in the body and the way the bones leach out calcium to assist in the digestion of milk. The body actually ends up with less protein and calcium when the milk/dairy product is processed in the body than when it started out. We end up with a deficit of calcium in our body after eating dairy. This is why hip fractures are so prevalent in places in the world where milk is drank a lot.
I know this is a sobering and not too fun thought. Our culture uses dairy in just about every dish we eat or prepare. Most people love the taste of cow's milk. We drink it daily and we give it to our children because we love them and we are trying to keep their little bones healthy and strong. Sadly, this is not the case, milk does not provide the calcium our bodies need that will keep our bones strong. I did not want to believe this at all at first. I read many books on this subject and I was finally convinced it is true. I have proved it within the walls of my own family. I have eight children, and my last two have not had cow's milk to drink in their lives at all. We have been living without milk in our lives for over a decade now and we are fine. Please note that cow's milk does not naturally have vitamin D in it, this is added in the processing of it prior to giving it to the public.
The Dairyman's Association is huge and powerful and their advertising campaigns are very convincing. It does not matter though, the science stands firm, that we don't need to drink or use dairy in our diets to be healthy and have strong bones. Using dairy actually does the opposite of what we hope to accomplish, it weakens our bones.
So you might ask: "Where do we get the protein and calcium we need for our bodies if we don't use dairy products?" Great question! The answer may surprise you as it did me...PLANTS! This is where elephants, cows for that matter, and gorillas get their calcium and protein sources from. If we eat salads, dark green leafy vegetables, and nuts and seeds, we will have plenty of calcium and protein in our diets and our bodies will thank us for it!
To learn more on this subject I invite you to read:
The China Study by Dr. T. Collin Campbell
Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman His website is:
http://www.drfuhrman.com/
Also check out the articles on the website called notmilk.com
Some of the articles on notmilk.com come across a bit harsh, so I just watch what I read. I did learn a great deal of good information about the drinking or not drinking of milk though there on this site so it was worth it for me.
I hope this post helps your family at least think about milk in a new light. Our culture really does revolve in a large part around our eating. Changing something in our diet is hard. Best of luck. I am out there trying to eat healthy too.
Yours,
Chris
Healthy Whole Wheat Bread
One of my family's favorite things to smell when they walk through our front door is fresh baked whole wheat bread. I will share with you my recipe. I have tweaked it from a good friend's recipe (thanks Jenni!) and we love this. I hope you enjoy it too.
Whole Wheat Bread
4 cups very warm water
4 cups whole wheat flour
1/3 cup wheat gluten
2 Tablespoons yeast
Mix all these ingredients in your mixer until they are wet and well mixed (about 45 seconds - one minute). Let this mixture "sponge" (it will swell up in the bowl) for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, add the following:
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup honey
1 Tablespoon salt
3-4 cups whole wheat flour...sometimes I have to add as much as 4.5 cups, to get it to where I wanted the dough. Dough is a funny thing, that each batch is a bit different.
Let this all mix for 6 minutes. Turn oven on to 320 degrees. After six minutes separate dough into 4 bread pans and allow to rise about 5 minutes, just make sure the dough doesn't raise above the pans, or your bread will get WAY too high.
Bake for 30 minutes at 320 degree....then eat and enjoy!
Whole Wheat Bread
4 cups very warm water
4 cups whole wheat flour
1/3 cup wheat gluten
2 Tablespoons yeast
Mix all these ingredients in your mixer until they are wet and well mixed (about 45 seconds - one minute). Let this mixture "sponge" (it will swell up in the bowl) for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, add the following:
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup honey
1 Tablespoon salt
3-4 cups whole wheat flour...sometimes I have to add as much as 4.5 cups, to get it to where I wanted the dough. Dough is a funny thing, that each batch is a bit different.
Let this all mix for 6 minutes. Turn oven on to 320 degrees. After six minutes separate dough into 4 bread pans and allow to rise about 5 minutes, just make sure the dough doesn't raise above the pans, or your bread will get WAY too high.
Bake for 30 minutes at 320 degree....then eat and enjoy!
Monday, December 27, 2010
Save Guilt for Sin
A cousin of mine, Brenda used to have a sign in her kitchen that read "Save Guilt for Sin." I love this saying because it reminds me to keep things in better perspective, a problem for me most of the time. We women (and men too probably) spend far too much time feeling "guilty" about things that are just life or a part of it. For example, we just got through Christmas...did we all eat healthy the whole time? Probably not, but sitting around feeling guilty about meals eaten over the past month is sort of silly. Guilt should be saved for more serious issues in our lives.
I say like Brenda, Save Guilt For Sin, because what really motivates me to do better in my life is love, not guilt. If I love those around me, and love me, then I see things more clearly and I want to do better at living a healthy full life.
Be kind to yourself no matter what you ate, how much you didn't exercise in December (OK in November too), how much sugar you gave to your kids, and how little you flossed your teeth. Get rid of guilt and start working on loving you so you can get to the real important part of your day....LIVING IT!
I say like Brenda, Save Guilt For Sin, because what really motivates me to do better in my life is love, not guilt. If I love those around me, and love me, then I see things more clearly and I want to do better at living a healthy full life.
Be kind to yourself no matter what you ate, how much you didn't exercise in December (OK in November too), how much sugar you gave to your kids, and how little you flossed your teeth. Get rid of guilt and start working on loving you so you can get to the real important part of your day....LIVING IT!
Monday, December 20, 2010
Keep on Running Keep on Running
I ran into a very inspirational friend this past week. She has lost over 100 pounds this past year. She is now a runner. When I saw her I was shocked. I had seen her off and on this past year and I knew she was losing weight, but wow the end results were really something to see! She looks healthy, younger, and happy. We had a fun chance to talk and she inspired me to start running again.
To back up a bit, approximately 1000 years ago, I used to run in high school, and then I ran a lot on my LDS mission when I had a companion who would also run with me. I fell of the wagon when I got home though, dated a not so nice man who didn't treated me like he should have (dumb me) and then I gained a bunch of weight. After all these years and talking to my runner friend, she said something incredible to me that I must share with you: She said "Chris if you want to be a runner again, do it...your body will remember." That really struck a cord with me as this is something we talk about in midwifery...the body remembers from one birth to the next. She said a whole lot of other things that were so wonderful that day. This kind friend also offered to be a mentor to me to help me get some much needed weight off my body and to encourage me to keep on running. We have been talking on the phone and emailing a lot. It has been incredible and her support and encouragement is invaluable to me.
I have to say that I am loving running again. I am taking it slowly as I am not in high school anymore and my body knows this, even though I don't! Each morning before my family gets up and I study for midwifery, I get on my running shoes and I work up a nice sweat and do something hard for me. It is a wonderful feeling to be challenging my body in this way.
If you ever wanted to be a runner, or if you used to be one and you thought you were too old, or too fat, or too late, don't think those thoughts anymore. Take it slowly, don't go out there and kill yourself, but set small attainable goals and each day keep on running and you will be surprised how much fun this really is. You will love it and your body will thank you for it.
I read a book by John Bingham called The Penguiun. He also has a great website at JohnBingham.com. This site is filled with inspirational information and it is all encouraging to the person who may not want to be a competitor at running, but just wants to run for health and fun. His writing style is easy and refreshing. This wonderful man did not start running until late in life and has now gone on to do incredible things. I hope he will encourage you as he has me.
Have a great day, and run run run!
To back up a bit, approximately 1000 years ago, I used to run in high school, and then I ran a lot on my LDS mission when I had a companion who would also run with me. I fell of the wagon when I got home though, dated a not so nice man who didn't treated me like he should have (dumb me) and then I gained a bunch of weight. After all these years and talking to my runner friend, she said something incredible to me that I must share with you: She said "Chris if you want to be a runner again, do it...your body will remember." That really struck a cord with me as this is something we talk about in midwifery...the body remembers from one birth to the next. She said a whole lot of other things that were so wonderful that day. This kind friend also offered to be a mentor to me to help me get some much needed weight off my body and to encourage me to keep on running. We have been talking on the phone and emailing a lot. It has been incredible and her support and encouragement is invaluable to me.
I have to say that I am loving running again. I am taking it slowly as I am not in high school anymore and my body knows this, even though I don't! Each morning before my family gets up and I study for midwifery, I get on my running shoes and I work up a nice sweat and do something hard for me. It is a wonderful feeling to be challenging my body in this way.
If you ever wanted to be a runner, or if you used to be one and you thought you were too old, or too fat, or too late, don't think those thoughts anymore. Take it slowly, don't go out there and kill yourself, but set small attainable goals and each day keep on running and you will be surprised how much fun this really is. You will love it and your body will thank you for it.
I read a book by John Bingham called The Penguiun. He also has a great website at JohnBingham.com. This site is filled with inspirational information and it is all encouraging to the person who may not want to be a competitor at running, but just wants to run for health and fun. His writing style is easy and refreshing. This wonderful man did not start running until late in life and has now gone on to do incredible things. I hope he will encourage you as he has me.
Have a great day, and run run run!
Friday, December 17, 2010
Living Without My Mother
I have not blogged here in quite some time. I lost my mother to cancer last month and our entire family have been consumed in the caring of my mother, then her funeral, and then taking care of her home, and her estate.
I have learned so many wonderful lessons during this tough time. I have learned that it would have been SO much harder to have lost my mom had we not been really close. As crazy as that sounds, it is true. Being close to someone is wonderful and it makes the separation of death bearable. I guess it is because there are not regrets. I can honestly say that I have no regrets where my mom is concerned. I know she loved me. She knows I loved and adored her too. I called my mom every single day at least once but generally three or ten times. She and I enjoyed talking on the phone together each morning. She only lived 2 blocks from my home, so in-between all of our phone conversations, I made sure to stop by her home a few times per week, just so she could make sure what I looked like I guess.
I have learned that grieving is not depression. It is just simply grieving. Tears and emotions come, and then they go and I am still here, and all is well. I have a strong belief system in my LDS religion that grounds me and saves me. For this great blessing I again have Mom to thank as she raised me in this wonderful religion.
Grieving does take energy. I have also learned that I need more sleep. I need more nourishing foods. I need to cry it seems each day. Not for a long time, but the tears do flow. Running on my treadmill daily is also therapeutic.
I am so grateful for my family. For a wonderful brother who has been right by my side this whole entire time. He has been ever faithful to me in all respects, in all decisions, in all ways. He is my friend, in every sense of the word. His wife is an amazing person who is my sister. I love her so deeply. I have a niece and four nephews who have made this all bearable too. My dear husband who is my best friend has been by me daily and always there no matter how late the hour to talk to me and listen to my tearful yet happy tales of my Mom. My children have also been beacons of energy and caring friends. When you lose someone as dear as a Mommy you realize how much you need your family around you. My close friends have also been so helpful and caring. My best friend from high school came and stayed with me during the week of Mom's funeral. She lives a long way from me and her love was remarkable. Her support impressive. My local friends are also so dear and caring and their love can not be underestimated in how deeply they have helped me get through this hard time.
Death once faced, is do-able. It seems that prior to actually going through this, that I would break apart or something. I don't want to diminish the intensity of the situation or be disrespectful of my mother's life and legacy. I adored her and I do miss her. It is a great thing though to have faced something so difficult and to be able to still see that life is very good. I have not just vanished into a place that is dark. My mother would want me to be as she would say "practical." Which I don't always tend to be for the record! My mother was a good woman who taught me to respect life, to love the Lord, and to live my life. One thing Mom did for me that I treasure is that she listened to me all the time. She loved my dreams and she would listen for long periods of time to me find joy in hearing about my goals and my life. She would say "Chris I am pleased you are becoming a midwife. It would scare me to death, but I am glad for you."
Because of my mother's teachings I feel a love and frankly a responsibility to live a full life. To really live my life and to move forward and to be happy. Grieving is not being unhappy. It is just grieving. My Bishop said something wonderful to me after my mother died, he said "Grieving is the highest level of love we have for someone." I think he is right.
I miss my mom, that is the hard part. I miss her wonderful smell of fancy perfume. I miss her home that was filled with lovely furniture, gorgeous flower arrangements, and lovely everything....my mother was an amazing decorator! I miss her pretty blue eyes and her lovely hands with long nails. I miss her laugh, her voice, her pretty face and hair. I miss her touching my face and saying "I love you Rosebud." These things choke me up. But, I also have a strong belief system and I am eternally thankful to the Lord, who lived and died for me that I may one day be in Heaven with not just my lovely mother, but all of my family, that I adore so much. My mother was a lady, and it is an honor to be her daughter.
If you have lost a loved one, my heart reaches out to you. The Lord is mindful of us, His love is what makes it all as I say do-able.
I wish you all a very Merry Christmas.
I have learned so many wonderful lessons during this tough time. I have learned that it would have been SO much harder to have lost my mom had we not been really close. As crazy as that sounds, it is true. Being close to someone is wonderful and it makes the separation of death bearable. I guess it is because there are not regrets. I can honestly say that I have no regrets where my mom is concerned. I know she loved me. She knows I loved and adored her too. I called my mom every single day at least once but generally three or ten times. She and I enjoyed talking on the phone together each morning. She only lived 2 blocks from my home, so in-between all of our phone conversations, I made sure to stop by her home a few times per week, just so she could make sure what I looked like I guess.
I have learned that grieving is not depression. It is just simply grieving. Tears and emotions come, and then they go and I am still here, and all is well. I have a strong belief system in my LDS religion that grounds me and saves me. For this great blessing I again have Mom to thank as she raised me in this wonderful religion.
Grieving does take energy. I have also learned that I need more sleep. I need more nourishing foods. I need to cry it seems each day. Not for a long time, but the tears do flow. Running on my treadmill daily is also therapeutic.
I am so grateful for my family. For a wonderful brother who has been right by my side this whole entire time. He has been ever faithful to me in all respects, in all decisions, in all ways. He is my friend, in every sense of the word. His wife is an amazing person who is my sister. I love her so deeply. I have a niece and four nephews who have made this all bearable too. My dear husband who is my best friend has been by me daily and always there no matter how late the hour to talk to me and listen to my tearful yet happy tales of my Mom. My children have also been beacons of energy and caring friends. When you lose someone as dear as a Mommy you realize how much you need your family around you. My close friends have also been so helpful and caring. My best friend from high school came and stayed with me during the week of Mom's funeral. She lives a long way from me and her love was remarkable. Her support impressive. My local friends are also so dear and caring and their love can not be underestimated in how deeply they have helped me get through this hard time.
Death once faced, is do-able. It seems that prior to actually going through this, that I would break apart or something. I don't want to diminish the intensity of the situation or be disrespectful of my mother's life and legacy. I adored her and I do miss her. It is a great thing though to have faced something so difficult and to be able to still see that life is very good. I have not just vanished into a place that is dark. My mother would want me to be as she would say "practical." Which I don't always tend to be for the record! My mother was a good woman who taught me to respect life, to love the Lord, and to live my life. One thing Mom did for me that I treasure is that she listened to me all the time. She loved my dreams and she would listen for long periods of time to me find joy in hearing about my goals and my life. She would say "Chris I am pleased you are becoming a midwife. It would scare me to death, but I am glad for you."
Because of my mother's teachings I feel a love and frankly a responsibility to live a full life. To really live my life and to move forward and to be happy. Grieving is not being unhappy. It is just grieving. My Bishop said something wonderful to me after my mother died, he said "Grieving is the highest level of love we have for someone." I think he is right.
I miss my mom, that is the hard part. I miss her wonderful smell of fancy perfume. I miss her home that was filled with lovely furniture, gorgeous flower arrangements, and lovely everything....my mother was an amazing decorator! I miss her pretty blue eyes and her lovely hands with long nails. I miss her laugh, her voice, her pretty face and hair. I miss her touching my face and saying "I love you Rosebud." These things choke me up. But, I also have a strong belief system and I am eternally thankful to the Lord, who lived and died for me that I may one day be in Heaven with not just my lovely mother, but all of my family, that I adore so much. My mother was a lady, and it is an honor to be her daughter.
If you have lost a loved one, my heart reaches out to you. The Lord is mindful of us, His love is what makes it all as I say do-able.
I wish you all a very Merry Christmas.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Yummy Orange Rice
I made a delicious rice the other day that you might like to try. I invented this little recipe all myself, so I am quite proud of it.
Here is what I did:
I took 2 onions and chopped them up finely and placed them in a large stock pot where I had heating 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
I let this fry for about 2 minutes and then I added: 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon of ground cumin, 1 teaspoon of curry powder.
I allowed this to fry and then I added 3/4 cup of organic sugar. Once this was frying it sort of created a runny mixture, I then added one entire frozen can of unsweetened orange juice undiluted into the mixture.
I then added 4 1/2 cups of rice (Basmati) and allowed this to cook for 1-2 minutes. I then added 9 cups of water, allowed this to boil, then turned down the heat and let this cook for 20 minutes at which time I turned off the stove and kept the lid on the rice and let it continue to steam for an additional 10 minutes.
Fluff rice with a fork, and serve. YUM!
Here is what I did:
I took 2 onions and chopped them up finely and placed them in a large stock pot where I had heating 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
I let this fry for about 2 minutes and then I added: 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon of ground cumin, 1 teaspoon of curry powder.
I allowed this to fry and then I added 3/4 cup of organic sugar. Once this was frying it sort of created a runny mixture, I then added one entire frozen can of unsweetened orange juice undiluted into the mixture.
I then added 4 1/2 cups of rice (Basmati) and allowed this to cook for 1-2 minutes. I then added 9 cups of water, allowed this to boil, then turned down the heat and let this cook for 20 minutes at which time I turned off the stove and kept the lid on the rice and let it continue to steam for an additional 10 minutes.
Fluff rice with a fork, and serve. YUM!
Blessings 40 days After the Flood
I want to share today some of the wonderful blessings that have come to me and my family by having a huge flood. I will back up and tell you what happened this past August. Our cousins were visiting with us from out of state and while I was out shopping with my daughters and female cousin, someone in our family that was home accidentally clogged our upstairs toilet. Thinking it might just shut off or something, they left. Well the toilet kept running for several hours! This created damage for our basement as well as our upstairs. Long story short, we ended up replacing carpet in four bedrooms, most of our basement, and in a library upstairs, and our entire hardwood area (over 1000 feet) had to be replaced. We also had to remodel our upstairs bathroom. Most of our home was repainted. We pulled all the carpets ourselves and did all the painting to save money. It ended up being $15,000 in damages!
We built our home 10 years ago and I have continued to say that I will NEVER move again, it is just too much work. Well when you have a flood, you get to move, you just don't go anywhere. Here is how it went for us: We moved all the furniture that was on the carpet, to the hardwood areas. We have a large home and a lot of hardwood on the main floor. So we moved the three bedrooms that were upstairs on the main floor hard-wood areas. We have many books. We have lots of everything actually. One day in all of this crazy moving stuff this little light went off in my head..."We have too much junk!" I thought. I had heard a saying that went like this "If it does not enhance your life, get rid of it." I looked at all the books I had collected over the years and it dawned on me I was being ridiculous. I do happen to have a library card. Why in the world did I need my own library? Well I decided in that moment of all that crap piled around me that I was going to change my life. No more stuff that did not enhance my life! So I started de-junking right then and there. I got rid of over 200 books, and 100 movies that day. This started a chain reaction and I then went through all of my clothes. I got rid of all the clothes that are too small, too large, the ones labeled "I will wear that someday" and all the shoes that I don't ever wear. I love to cook, but I also had to de-junk my pots and pans. I got rid of my baking tins that I never use, bowls that don't match my sets any longer, extra potato peelers (I mean how many potatoes can I peel at once anyway?) and all of my odds and ends of plastic bowls and on and on. I just started looking at my home and asking if this picture really enhanced my life, or that knick-knack really meant that much to me? I got rid of cookbooks I have never cooked from, coats that no one likes, towels that were thread bare, and tons of sheets that we never use. We had snow boots that fit nobody, trikes no one rides, shovels that are broken and earrings that don't have a mate. All now gone!
I am far from done de-junking my home, but we have made a ton of progress. We no longer wear shoes in our home. With our new pretty floors, I want to keep them clean all the time. I now have a shoe shelf that sits right inside our door way and we actually use it! We all have clean bedrooms and every bed in our home is made each day. Our fridge is clean all the time. Just yesterday which was Saturday I told the children it was time to clean the house. In the past "pre-flood" we would use our Saturdays for heavy cleaning and that took most of our day. Yesterday not so, we had our whole home clean and tidy in about 40 minutes. For us this is a miracle. We have a three car garage and we have not parked in it in two years...well all that has changed...our new van is sitting in there asleep as I write this blog entry! I am amazed how the excitement I have felt about getting organized has caught on to my family. Again another success just yesterday: My son Jake was finishing up cleaning his room, which only took about 10 minutes and he decided on his own to clean up his closet. It was admittedly a bit out of control. Within a half hour, it was so clean I was shocked. He had hung up all his shirts and organized them, his shoes were in a tidy row and he had his toys all clean and orderly. This was without his mother nagging him!
I have realized that I am not a naturally organized person. (I know; Duh!) My mother is. It is hard to compare her to me though as she had two children that were seven years apart. Her home was always neat and tidy. When I married, I had 8 children in 15 years. My home was very different than the one I grew up in. I like some things better in the home I created, but I did not like my lack of organization. This flood has helped me have a reason to get rid of stuff. I just simply didn't want to put it all back. But then I just kept going and organizing lots of areas. As I said, it is an ongoing project, but I am slowly working through my closets, my shelves and my drawers. It is very rewarding to me to see myself becoming a more organized person. I have realized a couple of important things that perhaps you can relate to. First off, my new mantra is:”If it does not enhance my life....get rid of it!” So now instead of just accepting that something should be at a certain place, I evaluate if it enhances my life or the life of those I love. Secondly, I am not naturally organized, so if I have less to manage, life becomes much easier for me. I am learning that I don't need to live with so much. Less really is better. I don't need a library to dust. I have lots to do in my life that for me is far more important than managing stuff. The blessings that have come to our family are truly amazing. We are no longer embarrassed of our home if someone just drops by, it is usually clean. We don't trip on things any more. We have more time to do what we want to do. We can find things when we need then. We feel pride in our home, and it just simply feels more cozy to be here. Our home is a very pretty home, but I think we forgot that when we were messier. We appreciate and use what we have now. There is less visual “noise” when a home is clean, I feel much more at peace.
There is something magical that happens when you start cleaning out old junk and become organized. It is sort of infectious. You want to do more and more. My children are noticing things that they never noticed were out of place or dirty before. Just yesterday our oldest daughter Bailey was found in the kitchen cleaning our microwave! I had not asked her to do it either. YAY! When one area gets clean, the contrast of another area starts to show, and we all want things to look nicer, so we are all finding new areas to get cleaned up. It is very exciting!
I don't recommend over flowing your toilets, but if you are like me, and being organized is an issue for you, you might want to start by de-junking one drawer. Then work on your linen closet. I felt pride in cleaning out my silverware drawer the other day. I realized how many miss matched forks we had, and I went out and purchased new ones and got rid of the ones we don't like or that don't match anything. Having an organized and clean home is a life long goal and it is not something that happens over night. If I work at it a little bit each day though, it does eventually start to work. My family which is huge compared to most is now “on board” with me. They actually mocked me at first and were offended that I was getting rid of our “stuff.” I kept going though and was sensitive to be throwing out my stuff not theirs. My room got cleaned first...then it started to grow. They started to see the vision and it really did catch on with my whole family!
I wish you clean closets, less clothing to wash and iron. I hope you will be able to have only the pots and pans you need. I wish for all of us to have only in our lives what truly enhances our lives. It is a wonderful way to live. I am finally at almost 50 years old seeing this.
Happy closet cleaning!
We built our home 10 years ago and I have continued to say that I will NEVER move again, it is just too much work. Well when you have a flood, you get to move, you just don't go anywhere. Here is how it went for us: We moved all the furniture that was on the carpet, to the hardwood areas. We have a large home and a lot of hardwood on the main floor. So we moved the three bedrooms that were upstairs on the main floor hard-wood areas. We have many books. We have lots of everything actually. One day in all of this crazy moving stuff this little light went off in my head..."We have too much junk!" I thought. I had heard a saying that went like this "If it does not enhance your life, get rid of it." I looked at all the books I had collected over the years and it dawned on me I was being ridiculous. I do happen to have a library card. Why in the world did I need my own library? Well I decided in that moment of all that crap piled around me that I was going to change my life. No more stuff that did not enhance my life! So I started de-junking right then and there. I got rid of over 200 books, and 100 movies that day. This started a chain reaction and I then went through all of my clothes. I got rid of all the clothes that are too small, too large, the ones labeled "I will wear that someday" and all the shoes that I don't ever wear. I love to cook, but I also had to de-junk my pots and pans. I got rid of my baking tins that I never use, bowls that don't match my sets any longer, extra potato peelers (I mean how many potatoes can I peel at once anyway?) and all of my odds and ends of plastic bowls and on and on. I just started looking at my home and asking if this picture really enhanced my life, or that knick-knack really meant that much to me? I got rid of cookbooks I have never cooked from, coats that no one likes, towels that were thread bare, and tons of sheets that we never use. We had snow boots that fit nobody, trikes no one rides, shovels that are broken and earrings that don't have a mate. All now gone!
I am far from done de-junking my home, but we have made a ton of progress. We no longer wear shoes in our home. With our new pretty floors, I want to keep them clean all the time. I now have a shoe shelf that sits right inside our door way and we actually use it! We all have clean bedrooms and every bed in our home is made each day. Our fridge is clean all the time. Just yesterday which was Saturday I told the children it was time to clean the house. In the past "pre-flood" we would use our Saturdays for heavy cleaning and that took most of our day. Yesterday not so, we had our whole home clean and tidy in about 40 minutes. For us this is a miracle. We have a three car garage and we have not parked in it in two years...well all that has changed...our new van is sitting in there asleep as I write this blog entry! I am amazed how the excitement I have felt about getting organized has caught on to my family. Again another success just yesterday: My son Jake was finishing up cleaning his room, which only took about 10 minutes and he decided on his own to clean up his closet. It was admittedly a bit out of control. Within a half hour, it was so clean I was shocked. He had hung up all his shirts and organized them, his shoes were in a tidy row and he had his toys all clean and orderly. This was without his mother nagging him!
I have realized that I am not a naturally organized person. (I know; Duh!) My mother is. It is hard to compare her to me though as she had two children that were seven years apart. Her home was always neat and tidy. When I married, I had 8 children in 15 years. My home was very different than the one I grew up in. I like some things better in the home I created, but I did not like my lack of organization. This flood has helped me have a reason to get rid of stuff. I just simply didn't want to put it all back. But then I just kept going and organizing lots of areas. As I said, it is an ongoing project, but I am slowly working through my closets, my shelves and my drawers. It is very rewarding to me to see myself becoming a more organized person. I have realized a couple of important things that perhaps you can relate to. First off, my new mantra is:”If it does not enhance my life....get rid of it!” So now instead of just accepting that something should be at a certain place, I evaluate if it enhances my life or the life of those I love. Secondly, I am not naturally organized, so if I have less to manage, life becomes much easier for me. I am learning that I don't need to live with so much. Less really is better. I don't need a library to dust. I have lots to do in my life that for me is far more important than managing stuff. The blessings that have come to our family are truly amazing. We are no longer embarrassed of our home if someone just drops by, it is usually clean. We don't trip on things any more. We have more time to do what we want to do. We can find things when we need then. We feel pride in our home, and it just simply feels more cozy to be here. Our home is a very pretty home, but I think we forgot that when we were messier. We appreciate and use what we have now. There is less visual “noise” when a home is clean, I feel much more at peace.
There is something magical that happens when you start cleaning out old junk and become organized. It is sort of infectious. You want to do more and more. My children are noticing things that they never noticed were out of place or dirty before. Just yesterday our oldest daughter Bailey was found in the kitchen cleaning our microwave! I had not asked her to do it either. YAY! When one area gets clean, the contrast of another area starts to show, and we all want things to look nicer, so we are all finding new areas to get cleaned up. It is very exciting!
I don't recommend over flowing your toilets, but if you are like me, and being organized is an issue for you, you might want to start by de-junking one drawer. Then work on your linen closet. I felt pride in cleaning out my silverware drawer the other day. I realized how many miss matched forks we had, and I went out and purchased new ones and got rid of the ones we don't like or that don't match anything. Having an organized and clean home is a life long goal and it is not something that happens over night. If I work at it a little bit each day though, it does eventually start to work. My family which is huge compared to most is now “on board” with me. They actually mocked me at first and were offended that I was getting rid of our “stuff.” I kept going though and was sensitive to be throwing out my stuff not theirs. My room got cleaned first...then it started to grow. They started to see the vision and it really did catch on with my whole family!
I wish you clean closets, less clothing to wash and iron. I hope you will be able to have only the pots and pans you need. I wish for all of us to have only in our lives what truly enhances our lives. It is a wonderful way to live. I am finally at almost 50 years old seeing this.
Happy closet cleaning!
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
We are alive! Just wet, but all is well.
I apologize for not writing in here long before now. We had a huge flood in our home and we have been dealing with that mess for a couple of weeks. We actually had to move out of our home for most of last week but we are home now and I hope to get back on track of writing in here more regularly.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
What the heck is Seitan...and Making Seitan
Some refer to Seitan as "Wheat Meat." Seitan (Pronounced SAY-Tahn) is a wonderful, fabulous, tasty, high-protein, incredible, yummy meat substitute that looks a lot like meat, but without all the unhealthy elements of meat. When I make Seitan for our brood of eight children, the kitchen smells so fantastic and inviting that my children beg me to give them a piece when it first comes out of the steamer.
As a protein source, Seitan contains about 31 grams of protein per 4 ounce serving (which means it has more plant protein per serving than tofu), provides a modest amount of B vitamins and iron and contains no saturated fat or cholesterol. A 3 1/2 ounce serving contains 118 calories, 18% protein and less than 1% unsaturated fat. The same amount of beef has 207 calories and 32.2% protein and is high in saturated fats. As recent studies have shown, our need for protein is much lower than previously believed and any opportunity to remove saturated fats from our diet would be an excellent improvement.
I have tried many recipes for Seitan. I have baked it, boiled it but my all time preferred way to cook it is by steaming it. My favorite recipe is credited to Terry Hope Romero who wrote my favorite vegan cookbook called "Viva Vegan!" Her book is wonderful and every recipe I have tried has turned out beautifully.
The main ingredient that you will need to make your own Seitan is called Wheat Gluten. You may make your own but I am not that ambitious yet, so I purchase my gluten in bulk at my local grocer for pennies. It resembles flour but is finer and softer and is a slight beige color.
I will include Ms. Romero's recipe for you at the end of this post. First, you may ask what would you use Seitan for? We use it in any way that one might use animal protein. I fry it in stir fries, I drop it in soups, we chop it and use it in casseroles, we wrap tortillas around it for fajitas, and many more delectable meals. We marinate it in anything from BBQ sauce to exotic oriental and Tia sauces. One of our all time favorite tricks to use our Seitan is to steam Jasmine rice, and then to cube up some fresh warm Seitan and to take my home-made Crab Apple Jelly and boil it into a sauce and use it as a sort of sweet and sour sauce over the rice and chunks of Seitan. You could also take grape jelly and put it in the microwave and do the same sort of thing. Microwaving jelly allows it to become a liquid. I like to use our own home made jellies because I prosses them with organic sugars.
Here is that Seitan recipe for you. If you take the time to make this recipe you will enjoy a healthy and delicious food that will impress you...I promise!
Steamed White Seitan
by Terry Hope Romero (Go purchase her book she has 200 other recipes in it that will blow your mind!)
1 1/2 cups cold vegetable broth
4 cloves garlic grated
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups vital wheat gluten
1/4 cup chickpea (garbanzo) flour (I grate my own flour in my Vitamix and I purchase the garbanzo beans in bulk at WinCo Foods)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
In a measuring cup whisk together the broth, garlic, and olive oil. In a large bowl combine the wheat gluten, chickpea flour, nutritional yeast, thyme, paprika, cumin, and salt and form a well in the center. Pour liquid ingredients into the well and stir with a rubber spatula until the dough leaves the sides of the bowl. Knead the dough for 2-3 minutes to develop the gluten. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes, then knead again for about 30 seconds. Place the dough on a cutting board and with a sharp knife cut into 4 equal parts. Shape each piece of dough into a small "loaf." Place each loaf into a piece of foil making sure to allow the foil enough room for the Seitan to expand during steaming. Place foil wrapped dough into steamer basket and steam for 30 minutes. After steaming allow the dough to cool for a few minutes before handling.
You now have a beautiful Seitan that you can use in your recipes just as you would use any other meat product.
A word or two from me (Chris) about clean up with gluten. Gluten sticks to cloth or to scrubby kitchen tools quite easily. What I do is use my hands and cool water to get off the remaining gluteny dough from my bowls, and spatulas. Once the gluten is down the sink, I then can use my kitchen dish rag to wash my bowls. I have ruined dishrags in the past because the gluten really does like cloth and even after being laundered I would see little "pills" of gluten on those rags. If I take the 2 minutes to hand wash those utensils with cool water, I don't have these issues.
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do. Please comment and share your experience and if you have any recipes using Seitan, we would love to see them.
Have a great day!
As a protein source, Seitan contains about 31 grams of protein per 4 ounce serving (which means it has more plant protein per serving than tofu), provides a modest amount of B vitamins and iron and contains no saturated fat or cholesterol. A 3 1/2 ounce serving contains 118 calories, 18% protein and less than 1% unsaturated fat. The same amount of beef has 207 calories and 32.2% protein and is high in saturated fats. As recent studies have shown, our need for protein is much lower than previously believed and any opportunity to remove saturated fats from our diet would be an excellent improvement.
I have tried many recipes for Seitan. I have baked it, boiled it but my all time preferred way to cook it is by steaming it. My favorite recipe is credited to Terry Hope Romero who wrote my favorite vegan cookbook called "Viva Vegan!" Her book is wonderful and every recipe I have tried has turned out beautifully.
The main ingredient that you will need to make your own Seitan is called Wheat Gluten. You may make your own but I am not that ambitious yet, so I purchase my gluten in bulk at my local grocer for pennies. It resembles flour but is finer and softer and is a slight beige color.
I will include Ms. Romero's recipe for you at the end of this post. First, you may ask what would you use Seitan for? We use it in any way that one might use animal protein. I fry it in stir fries, I drop it in soups, we chop it and use it in casseroles, we wrap tortillas around it for fajitas, and many more delectable meals. We marinate it in anything from BBQ sauce to exotic oriental and Tia sauces. One of our all time favorite tricks to use our Seitan is to steam Jasmine rice, and then to cube up some fresh warm Seitan and to take my home-made Crab Apple Jelly and boil it into a sauce and use it as a sort of sweet and sour sauce over the rice and chunks of Seitan. You could also take grape jelly and put it in the microwave and do the same sort of thing. Microwaving jelly allows it to become a liquid. I like to use our own home made jellies because I prosses them with organic sugars.
Here is that Seitan recipe for you. If you take the time to make this recipe you will enjoy a healthy and delicious food that will impress you...I promise!
Steamed White Seitan
by Terry Hope Romero (Go purchase her book she has 200 other recipes in it that will blow your mind!)
1 1/2 cups cold vegetable broth
4 cloves garlic grated
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups vital wheat gluten
1/4 cup chickpea (garbanzo) flour (I grate my own flour in my Vitamix and I purchase the garbanzo beans in bulk at WinCo Foods)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
In a measuring cup whisk together the broth, garlic, and olive oil. In a large bowl combine the wheat gluten, chickpea flour, nutritional yeast, thyme, paprika, cumin, and salt and form a well in the center. Pour liquid ingredients into the well and stir with a rubber spatula until the dough leaves the sides of the bowl. Knead the dough for 2-3 minutes to develop the gluten. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes, then knead again for about 30 seconds. Place the dough on a cutting board and with a sharp knife cut into 4 equal parts. Shape each piece of dough into a small "loaf." Place each loaf into a piece of foil making sure to allow the foil enough room for the Seitan to expand during steaming. Place foil wrapped dough into steamer basket and steam for 30 minutes. After steaming allow the dough to cool for a few minutes before handling.
You now have a beautiful Seitan that you can use in your recipes just as you would use any other meat product.
A word or two from me (Chris) about clean up with gluten. Gluten sticks to cloth or to scrubby kitchen tools quite easily. What I do is use my hands and cool water to get off the remaining gluteny dough from my bowls, and spatulas. Once the gluten is down the sink, I then can use my kitchen dish rag to wash my bowls. I have ruined dishrags in the past because the gluten really does like cloth and even after being laundered I would see little "pills" of gluten on those rags. If I take the 2 minutes to hand wash those utensils with cool water, I don't have these issues.
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do. Please comment and share your experience and if you have any recipes using Seitan, we would love to see them.
Have a great day!
Nutritional Yeast...yum yum!
I first heard about Nutritional Yeast about 5 years ago. Nutritional yeast is a yellow flaky product that looks like flat fish food. (Sounds icky, but it tastes great!) It offers those of us who don't use animal products much a great source of vitamin B12. I am not a huge fan of cheese but I do enjoy the cheesy flavor Nutritional Yeast offers my food. I sprinkle it on my salads, we include it in our Seitan (a substitute meat product we make) and we use it in salad dressings, and many other things we eat. I will include for you several websites that I feel do a great job explaining the nutritional value of including Nutritional Yeast in your diet. There is one comment in the articles that you will read that states that purchasing Nutritional Yeast in bulk form is not the best way to purchase it due to it being exposed to the light so much. I have purchased our Nutritional Yeast for years in bulk form and we have done just great. That is our experience but you may try buying it in smaller quantities if this suits your family better.
I hope you will have an opportunity to try this wonderful and healthy food into your diet. You might want to pop a large bowl of pop-corn and sprinkle some Nutritional Yeast over it and eat this tasty and healthy snack while you read all the fun articles I shared with you! Enjoy! Here are those sites I promised you.
http://www.bulkfoods.com/yeast.htm
http://www.smdp.com/Articles-c-2009-04-24-52910.113116_Singing_the_praisesof_nutritional_yeast.html
http://www.bestnaturalfoods.com/nutritional_yeast.html
I hope you will have an opportunity to try this wonderful and healthy food into your diet. You might want to pop a large bowl of pop-corn and sprinkle some Nutritional Yeast over it and eat this tasty and healthy snack while you read all the fun articles I shared with you! Enjoy! Here are those sites I promised you.
http://www.bulkfoods.com/yeast.htm
http://www.smdp.com/Articles-c-2009-04-24-52910.113116_Singing_the_praisesof_nutritional_yeast.html
http://www.bestnaturalfoods.com/nutritional_yeast.html
It's just another perfect day!
I have a large vinyl sign that is located over my kitchen table that reads "Its Just Another Perfect Day!" It is about 4 feet long. I was inspired by a commercial for a car company that used these words once at a movie with my children. I could not get those words out of my head for days and days. I kept asking myself if such a concept could really be true? Could every single day really be "perfect?" I have a friend who does vinyl lettering as a business and I asked her to make me this fun sign and I put it up on our wall. Just shortly after this sign was up my father passed away. I recall coming back from the hospital after he had died and looking at that sign. I felt very sad, but there was peace inside me that yes it was still a perfect day. My father was a very happy person, and I know he would have wanted me to feel like his day of passing was perfect.
I have found that one of the best ways to health is by deciding to be happy. Health and happiness are choices. I have a dear friend who is currently going through an horrible and sad divorce. I am amazed at this lady's fine example of taking what most would consider a tragedy and making her life beautiful each day. She has decided that life may be hard, but it is going to be very good in spite of her situation. Very inspiring.
Life throws us curve balls, there is no getting around that, but in spite of those hard times, life can be perfect each day. It becomes perfect because we decide it will be perfect. Perfection is not about the perfect budget, or the perfect home, or even perfect health. It is about having a perfect attitude. Not that we are or ever will be perfect, but if we try perfectly, then each day can guide us to happiness, and we can be at peace with what we have and where we are.
I challenge you today to look at your day as just another perfect day and then whatever today gives you I hope for your that you may take it and make it a perfect curriculum for your circumstances to use and make you a better you. I am here rooting for you as I work through my own day too.
I have found that one of the best ways to health is by deciding to be happy. Health and happiness are choices. I have a dear friend who is currently going through an horrible and sad divorce. I am amazed at this lady's fine example of taking what most would consider a tragedy and making her life beautiful each day. She has decided that life may be hard, but it is going to be very good in spite of her situation. Very inspiring.
Life throws us curve balls, there is no getting around that, but in spite of those hard times, life can be perfect each day. It becomes perfect because we decide it will be perfect. Perfection is not about the perfect budget, or the perfect home, or even perfect health. It is about having a perfect attitude. Not that we are or ever will be perfect, but if we try perfectly, then each day can guide us to happiness, and we can be at peace with what we have and where we are.
I challenge you today to look at your day as just another perfect day and then whatever today gives you I hope for your that you may take it and make it a perfect curriculum for your circumstances to use and make you a better you. I am here rooting for you as I work through my own day too.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Bounce Dyer Sheets
My Uncle sent this to me today...I think it is worth Blogging to you all. It is a "greener" way of doing things. I like that.
Bounce This Along
My mail carrier told me that the U.S. Postal service sent out a message to all letter carriers to put a sheet of Bounce in their uniform pockets to keep yellow-jackets away.
Use them all the time when playing baseball and soccer. I use it when I am working outside. It really works. The insects just veer around you.
All this time you've just been putting Bounce in the dryer!
1. It will chase ants away when you lay a sheet near them. It also repels mice.
2. Spread sheets around foundation areas, or in trailers, or cars that are sitting and it keeps mice from entering your vehicle.
3. It takes the odor out of books and photo albums that don't get opened too often.
4. It repels mosquitoes. Tie a sheet of Bounce through a belt loop when outdoors during mosquito season.
5. Eliminate static electricity from your television (or computer) screen.
6. Since Bounce is designed to help eliminate static cling, wipe your television screen with a used sheet of Bounce to keep dust from resettling..
7. Dissolve soap scum from shower doors. Clean with a sheet of Bounce.
8. To freshen the air in your home - Place an individual sheet of Bounce in a drawer or hang in the closet.
9. Put Bounce sheet in vacuum cleaner.
10. Prevent thread from tangling. Run a threaded needle through a sheet of Bounce before beginning to sew.
11. Prevent musty suitcases. Place an individual sheet of Bounce inside empty luggage before storing.
12. To freshen the air in your car - Place a sheet of Bounce under the front seat.
13. Clean baked-on foods from a cooking pan. Put a sheet in a pan, fill with water, let sit overnight, and sponge clean. The anti-static agent apparently weakens the bond between the food and the pan..
14. Eliminate odors in wastebaskets. Place a sheet of Bounce at the bottom of the wastebasket.
15. Collect cat hair. Rubbing the area with a sheet of Bounce will magnetically attract all the lose hairs.
16. Eliminate static electricity from Venetian blinds. Wipe the blinds with a sheet of Bounce to prevent dust from resettling.
17. Wipe up sawdust from drilling or sand papering. A used sheet of Bounce will collect sawdust like a tack cloth.
18. Eliminate odors in dirty laundry. Place an individual sheet of Bounce at the bottom of a laundry bag or hamper.
19. Deodorize shoes or sneakers. Place a sheet of Bounce in your shoes or sneakers overnight.
20. Golfers put a Bounce sheet in their back pocket to keep the bees away.
21. Put a Bounce sheet in your sleeping bag and tent before folding and storing them. It will keep them smelling fresh.
22. Wet a Bounce sheet, hose down your car, and wipe lovebugs off easily with the wet Bounce.
Bounce This Along
My mail carrier told me that the U.S. Postal service sent out a message to all letter carriers to put a sheet of Bounce in their uniform pockets to keep yellow-jackets away.
Use them all the time when playing baseball and soccer. I use it when I am working outside. It really works. The insects just veer around you.
All this time you've just been putting Bounce in the dryer!
1. It will chase ants away when you lay a sheet near them. It also repels mice.
2. Spread sheets around foundation areas, or in trailers, or cars that are sitting and it keeps mice from entering your vehicle.
3. It takes the odor out of books and photo albums that don't get opened too often.
4. It repels mosquitoes. Tie a sheet of Bounce through a belt loop when outdoors during mosquito season.
5. Eliminate static electricity from your television (or computer) screen.
6. Since Bounce is designed to help eliminate static cling, wipe your television screen with a used sheet of Bounce to keep dust from resettling..
7. Dissolve soap scum from shower doors. Clean with a sheet of Bounce.
8. To freshen the air in your home - Place an individual sheet of Bounce in a drawer or hang in the closet.
9. Put Bounce sheet in vacuum cleaner.
10. Prevent thread from tangling. Run a threaded needle through a sheet of Bounce before beginning to sew.
11. Prevent musty suitcases. Place an individual sheet of Bounce inside empty luggage before storing.
12. To freshen the air in your car - Place a sheet of Bounce under the front seat.
13. Clean baked-on foods from a cooking pan. Put a sheet in a pan, fill with water, let sit overnight, and sponge clean. The anti-static agent apparently weakens the bond between the food and the pan..
14. Eliminate odors in wastebaskets. Place a sheet of Bounce at the bottom of the wastebasket.
15. Collect cat hair. Rubbing the area with a sheet of Bounce will magnetically attract all the lose hairs.
16. Eliminate static electricity from Venetian blinds. Wipe the blinds with a sheet of Bounce to prevent dust from resettling.
17. Wipe up sawdust from drilling or sand papering. A used sheet of Bounce will collect sawdust like a tack cloth.
18. Eliminate odors in dirty laundry. Place an individual sheet of Bounce at the bottom of a laundry bag or hamper.
19. Deodorize shoes or sneakers. Place a sheet of Bounce in your shoes or sneakers overnight.
20. Golfers put a Bounce sheet in their back pocket to keep the bees away.
21. Put a Bounce sheet in your sleeping bag and tent before folding and storing them. It will keep them smelling fresh.
22. Wet a Bounce sheet, hose down your car, and wipe lovebugs off easily with the wet Bounce.
Vegeniase
If you love potato salad or cole-slaw or sandwiches smothered in Mayonnaise and you are trying to live a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle, you will be happy to learn about a product called VEGENAISE. It looks exactly like typical Mayo but it is a completely animal free product plus it tastes fantastic.
Look here for more details on this wonderful product:
http://vegetarian.about.com/od/guideproductpicks/qt/vegenaise.htm
We use it all the time and we love it.
If you are trying to avoid animal products in you life...you can still smother your garden burger in a yummy Mayo-like sauce...just switch it for Vegenaise and you will enjoy your "burger" guilt free!
Look here for more details on this wonderful product:
http://vegetarian.about.com/od/guideproductpicks/qt/vegenaise.htm
We use it all the time and we love it.
If you are trying to avoid animal products in you life...you can still smother your garden burger in a yummy Mayo-like sauce...just switch it for Vegenaise and you will enjoy your "burger" guilt free!
Deliverance
If you have not yet had a chance to visit my website on essential oils...shame on you! Just kidding...but it is pretty cool. It is bright orange, one of my favorite colors. We sell an oil called "Deliverance." It is fantastic for beating a summer cold. If you have used other Multi-Level-Marketing companies oils, and you have ever used an oil called "Thieves" or "Spice Traders" Deliverance is our oil very much like these oils, only I like it better.
If you have a sore throat of a fever, just rub Deliverance on your throat or neck or on your back or feet. You may dilute this oil 1 to 5 drops using a carrier oil if you feel it is too hot on your skin. We don't dilute it, but we may be used to it as some folks tell me it is hot on their skin.
Deliverance is an essential oil I always have on hand especially in the fall when it seems that our children catch colds a bit easier.
Check out my website at www.butterflyoils.com and you will see Deliverance under "Blends."
If you have a sore throat of a fever, just rub Deliverance on your throat or neck or on your back or feet. You may dilute this oil 1 to 5 drops using a carrier oil if you feel it is too hot on your skin. We don't dilute it, but we may be used to it as some folks tell me it is hot on their skin.
Deliverance is an essential oil I always have on hand especially in the fall when it seems that our children catch colds a bit easier.
Check out my website at www.butterflyoils.com and you will see Deliverance under "Blends."
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