A Candy-Free Halloween

As someone who’s been gluten-free for a while now, I should know better. But yesterday I “glutenated” myself with a mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. (Ok, so it was obviously more than one. It’s a well known fact that no one can eat just one.) I really used to love those things, but I now know all too well just how bad they really are. I also noticed a weird chemical after taste that I don’t remember ever existing before. And of course, being highly sensitive to whatever is in these little cups besides peanut butter, I was sick for the rest of the night.
Which brings me to my Halloween decision for this year — a candy-free Halloween! I’m not being a revolutionary deciding this, as there are clearly lots of families who’ve given up the candy idea for healthier, more fun options. I read a fun blog post, “Real Food Tips: 20 Ways to do Halloween without candy” listing all kinds of alternatives to handing out candy along with some great ideas on what to do with all the masses of candy your kid will collect on his or her Trick or Treating outing. I personally love the idea of handing out the glow sticks. And as I read through the comments on the post, one person mentioned decorating clementines like little jack-o-lanterns with a Sharpie! Love that idea, too.

So, if you want to kick the GMO candy habit and go for something fun and healthy, use a little imagination and come up with something creative on your own. Or use one of the many fun ideas floating around on Pinterest and several blogs out there by super crafty moms. There’s nothing wrong with sharing a great idea and keeping all the nasty, GMO-laced candy out of our kiddos this Halloween. Or all the candy-filled holidays to come, for that matter. There’s no better time to start building healthy habits for our children than right now.

And just in case you aren’t familiar with all the GMO candies out there, here’s a great list.

Incidentally, GMOs are not the only reason to forego the candy at all the holidays, of course, but they happen to be completely unchecked in 90% of the candy out on the market that our kids just love to beg for. If you happen to live in California, you can help make a huge difference in the fight to get GMOs labeled in ALL foods, including all the candy within your child’s reach at every check out counter on the planet. California residents please VOTE YES to PROP 37!! We all have a right to know what’s in our food, especially the food our children love to eat!

A bowl full of fun surprises…stickers, dracula teeth, scary finger tips, whistles…none of which contain GMOs or contribute to sugar overload. Win-win!

Have a safe and healthy Halloween!

To a happier, healthier and longer life.

A Long Hiatus

Greetings!

Yes, it’s been a few months since I’ve posted anything, but I’ve been in a huge transition. I had no idea just how crazy it would be to move from Germany to California with a couple of stops in between. But we’ve finally landed and gotten all of our stuff unpacked. Whew! It’s been a big learning experience, to say the least. Have I mentioned that I really hate moving?

California desert living, though, has been pretty awesome so far. The temperatures are amazing, the mornings and evenings are cool while there’s plenty of sunshine all day long. I missed the sunshine during my time in Germany, so this has been heavenly. We’ve also moved to California at a very interesting time – Prop 37, which will require GMOs to be labeled on food packaging, is being promoted very heavily across the state of California leading up to the big election. President Obama and Gov. Romney are having their big debates, too. America is quite heated on both sides of the fence and the tension is growing. How exciting!

But now, as fall arrives, I’m distracted by all things of the season. I love fall and am excited to be back stateside for the fall season this year. I signed up for an organic produce delivery here on base, www.abundantharvetorganics.com, and pick up lots of fun local produce every week. I love it! Along with the traditional produce, each week something that I’m not really familiar with comes along, like Chinese okra, or Delicata squash. Fun things that give me a chance to learn something totally new to me. Eeek!!!

I’ve been inspired so much since arriving here in SoCal. I’ve taken up canning and I’m expanding my knowledge base in this area. I’ve always made my own salsa and canned it, but now I’m venturing into jams and soups and have plans to can more diverse foods for my shelves. I canned salsa and soup yesterday with plans to do more jam this week. When my box arrives, I’m always excited to see what fun things will inspire me. These past two weeks it’s been pomegranates. And they’re amazing! So, I’m making some variety of pomegranate jam, probably combining them with some peaches or pears or both.

So, this is a short post this week, but I wanted to get back here and let everyone know that I’ve made it from one part of the world to the other safely and happily. I have some work to do today, so I’ll write more next time. And don’t worry, I’ll be sharing my food adventures with you all soon!

To a happier, healthier and longer life.

 

Eat Your Dark Greens For Breakfast? YES!

I had the best time in my kitchen yesterday morning.  I found a recipe that I got really excited about in my latest Cooking Light magazine and just couldn’t hardly wait to get in there and give it a whirl. It was a traditional Korean dish called – bibimbop. My husband said that when he was in Korea for a year he saw lots of people eating variations of this dish all the time. He never ventured to try it himself, though. But that’s because my hubby is a vegephobe. He won’t go near any visible vegetables – ever. (Shhh….don’t tell him, but I have a habit of sneaking them in when he’s not looking!)

So, I was so excited about my cooking experience with bibimbop that I made my very first video log! That’s right – I’m reaching beyond my comfort zone!

And here it is, so check it out!

(I don’t know what happened to my video – it disappeared into the YouTube abyss, I’m assuming.)

It was such a reward to sit down and try one of these tasty little bowls. Here is how mine turned out.

Bibimbop

Don’t they look scrumptious? The recipe called for Korean chili paste, but I didn’t have any on hand and used Frank’s Red Hot, one of my most favorite condiments, instead.

Here is the recipe from Cooking Light Magazine.

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/bibimbop-50400000119700/

Yes, it’s a little involved, but if you’ve got about an hour to spend in the kitchen, this is such a great meal to prepare ahead. I’m thinking of making everything but the egg for the next time I make this. Then, I can just cook one egg and pile it on top of the prepared bowls and my egg won’t get hard in the microwave.

I know I’ll be making this one for a long time. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

To a healthier, happier and longer life (full of leafy green veggies!)

Cherry Cinnamon Apple Bake Courtesy of Joe Cross

My husband and I recently watched the documentary “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead” by Joe Cross. It is a docu-journey that chronicles Joe’s fight against his ailing health, his obesity and struggle to regain his health through “juicing.” I was truly inspired by the film and told my husband that we need a juicer. We are getting ready to return to the U.S. – to sunny California, no less – so he told me I have to wait until then. But I really wanted to give juicing a try as soon as I saw the film.

Well, I went on the website, www.jointhereboot.com, and set up a profile. I was very excited to find recipes! And not just for juices…for FOOD!!! I couldn’t hardly wait to try some out. And one of the first ones I tried was a breakfast recipe. The Cherry Cinnamon Apple Bake. YUM!

You have to try this recipe to believe it. It’s so super simple and absolutely divine. I make it most weeks now and have it for breakfast often.

Cherry Cinnamon Apple Bake

• 1 cup Cherries (cut and discard pit)
• 2 Apples cored and chopped
• 3 tbsp Raisins (choose golden variety for a twist)
• 1 tbsp Cinnamon (or more to taste)
• 1/2 tsp. Nutmeg

Coat baking dish with canola oil (I use coconut oil instead to avoid GMOs) and place fruit in dish. Coat with cinnamon and nutmeg. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes. Enjoy!

How simple is that???

And you’ll be surprised at just how lovely it is in the morning for breakfast. Fast, simple and delicious. You just can’t beat that!

Here’s how mine looked…

There are a couple more recipes on the website that involve baking fruit and I want to give them a try, as well. So, stay tuned…

To a healthier, happier and longer life.

You Gotta Love Dr. Oz – Especially When He Confronts Monsanto and GMOs

I was playing around researching writing projects on Facebook yesterday and came across this awesome video of Dr. Oz asking a panel about GMOs. I really do love to watch Dr. Oz. He always discusses contemporary topics on his show and brings a handful of people who know what they’re talking about to debate the subject. It’s fun to watch! And he’s very well-informed when it comes to health and nutrition so he pipes in when it’s necessary, facilitating a well structured argument.

So, when he had three people on the show to talk about the dangers of GMOs and Monsanto‘s role in the production of them, I was really excited. And it was even better than I imagined it would be. The woman representing Monsanto, or at least the use of GMOs in our food supply, couldn’t intelligently defend herself against the allegations, studies and research that link illnesses to GMOs and especially the Round-Up Ready varieties.  Monsanto, true to form, couldn’t be bothered with participating. Instead they sent a couple of lines of copy to debunk any naysayers in the argument.

The plain truth – the reason Monsanto can’t actually defend itself against these allegations is that Monsanto’s drive behind keeping the public in the dark is purely and simply money. On the show, Dr. Oz mentioned he did a survey asking if people knew they were eating GMOs would they continue to buy and consume them. Well, the response was 80% against consuming them.

That tells me that Monsanto has a lot to lose if the labeling bills passed into law and companies had to let consumers know they were using GMOs to make their products. If food manufacturers can’t sell their products containing GMOs, they will no longer have a reason to do business with Monsanto. It could essentially shut down this monstrous company that bullies farmers and deceives the public. Wouldn’t that be something….

But, alas, today is just another day in the fight against the big food companies, the FDA, Monsanto and the use of GMOs, and our right to know what is in our food supply. Today, I have to go to the grocery and buy more food. I can always make my voice heard with my dollar!

Enjoy the Dr. Oz video…it’s fun to watch! The most important thing is that this subject is now in the mainstream. People are talking about the use of GMOs on prime time television. And that’s a huge leap forward. Yay.

To a healthier, happier and longer life.

I’m Not Trying to Be Hip – Just Healthy

I just read this article “Just because you have given up sugar, gluten and carbs – don’t ram it down my throat,” and I expected to be really pissed off. But in the end, I actually chuckled and realized the writer has a point. And I’ve noticed it, too.

Yes, it’s true – everyone’s giving up something these days – sugar, gluten, dairy, etc. And I’m one of them. I gave up gluten last August, and in January it was dairy. I feel like I’m just another one of the many people out there who are taking on the air of superiority because I have eliminated whole food groups. I know what she’s talking about – I’ve seen it and heard it myself.

But I’m not one of those people. I did have conversations with my doctor. I did get tested for Celiac. (I tested negative, thank goodness!) My doctor and I had very candid conversations about what was going on with my body and how to make it feel better.

In the end, once we figured out which two (yes, TWO) foods I had to give up, he asked me, “Can you live like that?”

I knew right then that I had to make a choice – to either fully give up two food groups that I dearly loved or suffer the consequences, including surgery to “correct” a problem in my stomach. Is surgery preferable over changing my diet? I don’t think so…

So, yes, I do understand why this person (and many others, I’m sure, as is evident from the various quotes in the story) have come to hate on the abstainers. Normal people must look at us GFCF (Gluten-free Casein-free) folks and the other various groups out there who have given up on the good stuff and think we’re idiots.

Who would give up all bread, pasta, cake, cheese, yogurt, etc. if they didn’t have to? Seriously!!

So, I agree with her point – not everyone should be doing this! If you don’t have to give up food groups, then DON’T!! It’s really a lot more of a challenge than you might think. And it’s sooooo hard to do every day.

It’s almost as hard as giving up cigarettes.

I read Dr. Davis’ book, “Wheat Belly” and couldn’t stop reading it.  I actually agree with him on most of what the book talks about, especially the fact that wheat has been fundamentally changed, and is now a widely used GMO. And giving up wheat is probably a very good idea – or at least cutting down.

The real problem is that we, as in humans, eat far too much of it. No wonder it has had such an impact on our waistlines over the past 20+ years. No one was ever meant to eat bread three times a day! That’s a lot of starch…

But what of the superiority? What about the fact that in my childhood, food allergies were so miniscule, I never knew anyone with a food allergy until college, at that was one of those Anaphylaxis types to nuts!

No one ever had food allergies. No one ever had Celiac (never even heard of this until much, much later.) No one was sensitive to certain foods.

And no one weighed 200 lbs. at age 14, either.

Today’s world is not the same one we grew up in. We’ve been subjected to far too many changes in our food supply. I strongly believe there are consequences for that. We have been eating highly processed food for far too long and the effects of that are catching up to us.

Yes, we have a lot more intolerances and allergies these days. What we’ve been eating has attacked our defenses and made us all more vulnerable. I think that living the way I did for more than 20 years created a perfect storm in my body, causing it to attack itself when certain foods came into play. And wouldn’t you know it? It was the two food groups I ate most of the time – bread and cheese! I think my body just got to a point where it just couldn’t handle it any more. It was trying to let me know by acting out – like a child.

I hate that I can’t eat bread or cheese anymore. It really sucks. But at least I don’t have to have surgery.

And if I ever get all high and mighty with my friends about the fact that I’m GFCF, I would hope that they care enough about me to let me know I’m starting to sound a bit like an ass.

To a healthier, happier and longer life.

A Small Triumph in the Food Industry Fight – No More Pink Slime!

I just read this news post on U.S. News – McDonald’s is discontinuing its use of the “pink slime.” You may not have been aware of this, but that’s what you’ve been eating every time you ate a burger from McDonald’s. And they aren’t the only ones!

I remember when I saw this clip by Jamie Oliver from his Food Revolution show. He demonstrated how meat manufacturers take scraps of meat and turn it into “edible pink slime.”  It made my stomach turn…seriously. I can’t believe what our government has allowed to be passed as food for so many years. Really – who is looking out for the consumers?

Pink slime, in case you aren’t aware, is formed from a scrap meat separating process. The meat manufacturers take scraps that would normally be considered the lowest level of meat and most likely discarded or used for dog food, and treat it with ammonium-hydroxide and run it through a machine. This creates a meat-like paste that Jamie Oliver referred to as pink slime. And this is what they make burger patties from and sell them to fast-food chains everywhere. Gross.

According to the USDA, it’s a process and therefore not an ingredient. So, manufacturers of this pink slime do not have to include the ammonium-hydroxide on their food labels. Leaving consumers none the wiser as to the origin of their meat. And it’s not only beef – this process is used in poultry and pork, as well.

According to Todd Bacon, McDonald’s senior supply chain officer, McDonald’s  discontinued using the pink slime at the beginning of the year and are complying with social interests in the food supply.

He further claimed in a statement to the Daily Mail that the decision “was not related to any particular event, but rather to support our effort to align our global beef raw material standards.”

Well, whether it was or wasn’t related to Jamie Oliver’s show, it seems as though our cries for higher food standards are slowly having an affect. I’m ecstatic to hear that at least McDonald’s is smart enough to listen when the consumer speaks out.

One battle won…many more to go.

To a longer, healthier and happier life.