Brown Rice Risotto

This is a very moist rice dish, but should not be gummy. The best way to prevent gumminess is to serve at once. We just made this dish last weekend for a dinner party and it was a hit.

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 clove or garlic, finely chopped
1 cup brown rice
3 cups chicken stock, hot
3 Tablespoons fresh parsely, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon powdered saffron or 6 sprigs dissolved in 2 Tablespoons of the stock
1/2 cup parmesan cheese (not the stuff in a green can...fresh is much better)

Saute onion and garlic in the oil until translucent. Add rice and cook for three minutes more, stirring constantly. Dissolve the saffron and parsley in the stock. Pour 1 cup of the stock into the rice mixture and simmer stirring frequently to prevent sticking(keep adding more liquid as you go after the first amount has been mostly absorbed) It is imporant that it isn't added all at once but in stages. Rice should be tender in about 30 minutes. Stir in half of the cheese, top with the remaining cheese and serve.

Emotional Freedom Technique

EFT(Emotional Freedom Technique)is basically the process of "psychological acupressure" developed by Gary Craig. EFT is based on the same energy meridians used in traditional acupuncture to treat emotional and physical ailments -- but now, you don't need the needles!

I have read alot about this lately and I thought I would give it a try. I know it looks strange but I really feel like it makes a difference. You may want to give it a try or look up information on the internet about it. There are also lots of videos on this topic posted on "youtube"

Fiber Facts

You've probably heard about the benefits of fiber in relation to heart health - fiber can help you lower cholesterol levels, and it provides lots of vitamins and minerals that our bodies need. But did you know that fiber can help you lose weight?

Fiber comes in two forms:

Soluble fiber dissolves in water, forming a gel in the intestines. Sources include oatmeal, barley, kidney beans, some fruits and vegetables. This fiber helps to reduce serum cholesterol.
Insoluble fiber passes through the digestive system, absorbing water and adding bulk to stool. Sources include wheat bran, whole grains, many vegetables and skins of fruit.
Both types of fiber make you feel full, without adding a lot of calories. Fiber-rich foods tend to be low in fat, too.

How much is enough?
You should eat at least 35 grams of fiber each day. If you don't eat a lot of fiber now, increase your intake by small amounts and drink plenty of fluids to prevent constipation.

High fiber foods
4 or more grams of fiber/serving 2-4 grams fiber/serving
All-Bran cereal (1/2 cup) - 9.7g
Prunes, stewed (1/2 cup) - 8g
Lentils (1/2 cup) - 7.8g
Flaxseed, ground (2 tbsp.) - 7g
Artichoke (1 med.) - 6.5g
Chick peas, cooked (1/2 cup) - 6.2g
Figs, dried (1/4 cup) - 6g
Kidney beans, cooked - 5.6g
Bran flakes (3/4 cup) - 4.6g
Green peas, cooked (1/2 cup) - 4.4g
Spinach, raw (1 cup) - 4.3g
Pear - 4g
Soy beans, cooked (1/2 cup) - 3.8g
Carrots, raw (1 cup) - 3.8g
Wheat germ (1/4 cup) - 3.8g
Apple - 3.7g
Popcorn (3 cups) - 3.6g
Potatoes, baked with skin - 3.4g
(without skin - 2.5g)
Almonds (1 oz.) - 3.3g
Strawberries (1 cup) - 3.3g
Prunes, dried (1/4 cup) - 3g
Orange - 3g
Corn, cooked (1/2 cup) - 3g
Broccoli, raw (1 cup) - 2.6g
(cooked, 1/2 cup - 2.2g)


All high-fiber foods contain a mix of both soluble and insoluble fiber. However, foods with significant sources of soluble fiber are scarce. The following is a list of foods with significant amounts of soluble fiber.
Note: the largest source is oatmeal.

oatmeal
prunes
carrots
apples
kidney beans
raspberries
chickpeas
artichokes
oat bran
baked beans
broccoli
great northern beans
corn
yams
black-eyed peas
brussels sprouts


Tips for adding fiber to your diet

For breakfast:
Eat a high-fiber cereal, like All-Bran, Bran Flakes or Shredded Wheat.
Add some fruit to your cereal - fresh (banana, peach), frozen (berries without syrup) or dried (raisins, apricots).

For lunch:
Use 100% whole wheat bread with sandwiches.
Add kidney beans and chick peas to your salad.
Make sure you have a vegetable - for example, fresh spinach and tomatoes on your sandwich, or baby carrots to munch on.

For dinner:
Add spinach, corn, lima beans or Brussel sprouts to your plate.
Eat the skin of your baked potato.

For snacks:
Choose raw whole fruits instead of fruit juice.
Eat a bowl of popcorn, air-popped

Honeyed Chicken With Bulgur

1 stalk of celery, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup of bulgur
1 cup of chicken broth (I use fat free)
chicken pieces (probably 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
6 pitted prunes, cut up

Saute celery & onion in a little oil (1Tsbp) until onion is tender (around 3 minutes), Stir in bulgur, low heat, cook until bulgur is coated and starts to color. Stir in chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Lower heat. Cover & simmer until the liquid is absorbed, 10 mins or so. Meanwhile, sprinkle chicken with salt & pepper. Brown the chicken in the remaining 2 Tbsps of oil. Remove chicken. Combine the honey, orange juice, lemon juice and cayenne pepper in a 1 cup measure. Pour off any fat from your frying pan and add the honey mixture, stirring to scrape brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pan with the honey mixture and simmer covered for 20 minutes. Stir in the prunes. Spoon hot bulgur into a baking dish and place the honey chicken mixture on top of the bulgur to serve. If you make this ahead of time and freeze it, it can stay frozen for up to 1 month. To bake later - cover casserole with foil and bake at 400 for 1 hour or until hot(less time if you thaw it first)

*I made this tonight for supper and my family loved it. I will definitely make it again.

About Bulgur Wheat

Bulgur is a quick-cooking form of whole wheat that has been cleaned, parboiled, dried, ground into particles and sifted into distinct sizes. It is a nutritious, versatile wheat product with a pleasant, nut-like flavor and an extended shelf-life that allows it to be stored for long periods.

Often confused with cracked wheat, bulgur differs in that it has been pre-cooked. In contrast to cracked wheat, bulgur is ready to eat with minimal cooking or, after soaking in water or broth, can be mixed with other ingredients without further cooking. Bulgur can be used in recipes calling for converted rice (and it's more nutritious than rice).

Bulgur holds a place in recipes similar to rice or couscous but with a higher nutritional value. Best known as an ingredient in tabouli salad, bulgur is also a tasty, low-fat ingredient in pilaf, soup, bakery goods, stuffing or casseroles. It is an ideal food in a vegetarian diet because of its nutritional value and versatility. It is excellent as a meat extender or meat substitute in vegetarian dishes, and is a component of many varieties of meatless burgers found on grocery store shelves everywhere.

Motivation Tips

Pictures of My Container Herb Garden

This is my herb garden (last year). It is time to think about starting for this year. You can start your garden now by growing some herbs indoors and as the weather gets warmer, you can place the herbs outside for a few hours and bring them back in the house when it gets cooler. This will make for a hardier plant. You can buy plants already started or start your own herbs from seed. I am really looking forward to digging in the dirt.

Container Herb Garden

Blueberry Coconut Smoothie

More on Dietary Fiber

Dietary Fiber which is found mainly in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes is probably best known for its ability to prevent or relieve constipation but fiber also provides a lot of other benefits. Fiber can lower your risk of digestive conditions such as hemorrhoids, irritable bowel syndrome and the develpment of small pouches in your colon known as diverticular disease. Fiber controls blood sugar levels by slowing down the absorption of sugar. Fiber aids in lowering blood cholesterol levels by lowering low density lipoprotein or "bad" cholesterol levels. This is achieved by consuming soluable fiber found in beans, oats, oat bran and flaxseed. Fiber aids in weight loss because you tend to stay fuller for longer and foods higher in fiber are "energy dense" which means they have fewer calories. Also, as mentioned in a previous posting - by the "Fiber Flush Effect".

Kidney Beans

Super nutrients. Soluble fiber, folate, potassium, magnesium.
Serving size. 1/2 cup; 112 calories.
Benefits. Eating beans four times a week--in baked beans, bean dip, chili, or a salad sprinkled with chickpeas or black beans--could cut your risk of coronary heart disease by 20 to 30 percent. Make some of them kidney beans; they're rich in LDL-lowering soluble fiber (2 grams in a 1/2-cup serving) and homocysteine-controlling folate, as well as blood pressure-easing potassium and magnesium.


Bonus: Thanks to healthy doses of fiber and protein, beans give you steady energy, not a sudden rise (and fall) of blood sugar that ups your risk of metabolic syndrome and weight gain.

Good ideas:

Rinse canned kidney beans before using to remove sodium. Toss them into chili, casseroles, and soups.
For a quick tamale pie, serve warm kidney beans over a piece of cornbread and top with grated cheese.
Make a better three-bean salad: Combine kidney, black, and white beans, then mix in chopped tomatoes and scallions. Dress with olive oil, lemon juice, and black pepper.
In a food processor or blender, combine cooked kidney beans with garlic, cumin, and chili peppers for a delicious spread that can be used as a dip for crudités or a sandwich filling.

Almonds

Super nutrients. Monounsaturated fat, magnesium, calcium, potassium, fiber.
Serving size. 1 ounce (about 24 almonds); 160 calories.
Benefits. A single serving of these crunchy, protein-packed nuggets provides a whopping 9 grams of monounsaturated fat to help slash LDLs ("bad" cholesterol) and boost HDLs ("good" cholesterol). Simply choosing almonds instead of a doughnut, chips, or pretzels for two snacks a day could cut LDLs nearly by 10 percent. Almonds also pack 6 percent of your daily calcium quota and 20 percent of the magnesium you need--two minerals proven to help lower blood pressure. Bonus: You get 35 percent of the Daily Value (DV) for vitamin E, an artery-protecting antioxidant, as well as 3 grams of fiber. Just be sure to stop with one handful at snack time--advice that holds true for all nuts because they're calorie-dense.


Good ideas:

One serving of almonds fits neatly into an empty Altoids mints tin. Fill the tin each morning and slip it into your purse or briefcase.
Toss some almonds into salads, stir-fries, fruit salad, or hot or cold cereal.
Keep slivered and sliced almonds on hand (store them in the freezer for freshness) to add to vegetable dishes, muffins, and cookies.

Dad's Crunchy Granola

4 cups rolled oats
1 ½ coconut
1 cup raisins
1 cup light vegetable oil
1 ½ cups wheat germ
1 cup mixed nuts (unsalted)
¾ cup honey

Mix in a large bowl. Stretch out on a cookie sheet (I use two and cover them with the no stick reynold’s wrap). Bake at 300 degrees for 15 mins. Turn over and bake another 10 -15 minutes – flip over (keep an eye on it because it can turn dark quickly and you don’t want to get a burnt taste) Cool on foil to get crunchy. Keep in air tight container.


P.S. I add flax seeds after it is cooked just because they are good for you. Tried adding it before it was cooked and it ended up burning. Also, I have made this and replaced half of the oil with liquid lecithin which is very good for you. I will write more about lecithin and its healing properties later.

High Fiber Chili

INGREDIENTS

1/2 pound lean ground beef

1/2 pound lean ground turkey

1 cup chopped onions

1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

1 cup All-Bran® Original

1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce

1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes

1 can (15.5 oz.) kidney beans

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons chili powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 bay leaf


DIRECTIONS1. In 4-quart saucepan, cook beef, turkey, onions and green pepper over medium
heat, stirring frequently, until meat is no longer pink. Drain off fat and liquid.

2. Stir KELLOGG'S ALL-BRAN cereal and remaining ingredients into meat mixture.
Bring to boil, stirring frequently. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook 1 hour longer,
stirring frequently. Remove bay leaf before serving. Yield: 7 cups, 7 servings

Note

VARIATION:
For vegetarian chili, omit both beef and turkey. Add 1 can (15.5 oz.) great northern
beans. Place all ingredients in 4-quart saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring frequently.
Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook 1 hour longer, stirring frequently. Remove bay
leaf before serving. (I have also tried substituting tvp (textured vegetable protein) for half of the meat and that works well, I have put a 1/2 can of pumpkin in to get more veggies in, tip-if you rinse the meat after browning it, that will wash away extra calories. Also, I have put oat bran in place of the all bran and that works & add extra spices if you like it spicy...some hot sauce, whatever you like)

Yield: 6 1/2 cups

Healthy Pizza

For those of you who would rather make your own crust and have it be 100% whole wheat- here is a recipe
1 Tablespoon dry yeast
2/3 cup warm water
1/2 cup olive oil
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

Mix 1 Tablespoon dry yeast into 2/3 cup warm water, let stand for 5 minutes. Then mix in 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour and the oil and knead for 5 minutes on a floured or oiled surface and place on a pizza pan. You can add all of the ingredients that are shown in the above video and bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes or until done.

Top Ten Worst Foods To Eat

Some Tips

1. Have a snack mid-morning and mid-afternoon (three balanced meals and two snacks a day are a better option) - this can be 1 oz of almonds, pecans, walnuts or a 123 g fat free yogurt or raw veggies...something like that.

2. Eat high quality foods - Real food with great flavour instead of convenience foods that are prepackaged and filled with chemicals.

3. Don't eat out of the bag or container if you are eating convenience foods. This way you will keep track of how much you actually did eat.

4. Eat foods that are filling. Eat more veggies with your meals. This will stop you from reaching for junk later on.

5. Don't shop on an empty stomach. Make a list and stick to it. Buy enough vegetables for the week. You can eat the fresh ones at he beginning of the week and frozen ones near the end.

6. Eat as a family. This allows you to focus on conversation and the events that happened that day.

PS: Once you get on to picking the high fiber foods and the ones that make you feel really good, it will become easier and easier to make the right choices.

HOW TO GET MORE FIBER IN YOUR DIET WITHOUT REALLY TRYING

These Simple Changes Will Add More Fiber to Your Diet
Looking for simple ways to add fiber to your diet? Fiber helps keep your digestive system healthy, slows down absorption of sugars in your diet, and helps to control cholesterol. Here are some easy ways to increase the amount of fiber in your diet without making any drastic dietary changes:
Eat an orange rather than drinking just the juice. The pulp contains the fiber.
Eat all of that apple. Eat whole fruits. The seeds and skin contain the fiber you need.
Don't peel your potatoes. Rather than peeling your potatoes, include the skins - that is also where much of the nutrition is found.
Buy whole grain breads. Whole grains contain the fiber that is normally processed out of white flour.
Add more vegetables to your beef stew. Meat doesn't contain any fiber, so add a few more vegetables or even some beans to your stew to improve the fiber content.

Our Temperment Is Greatly Affected By The Food We Eat

Research into brain function reveals evidence that the emotions of love, faith, joy, fear, depression, and even our sense of purpose in life, are not merely attitudes created through our mind's thought processes. They are actually produced and reinforced by biochemical activity within the brain.

From the book "Prescription for Dietary Wellness - Using Foods to Heal" by Phyllis A. Balch, C.N.C & James F. Balch, M.D.

Life Saving Health Food Tips

Helpful Healthy Eating Tips

Hummus Video

I made this and it turned out great. Only changes that I made were I added the juice of 1/2 a lemon and 1/2 a lime and I only added 1- 19oz can of organic chickpeas. At the end if you want it a little wetter, you can add a little more extra virgin olive oil like he does in the video or put some extra lemon juice in along with a little more oil. It was really good and it makes quite a bit.

Fiber Flush Effect

Fiber has an added bonus that sounds almost too good to be true. Fiber helps reduce the absorption of calories that you have already eaten. How does that happen? People who eat diets high in fiber excrete more calories in their stool. Many studies have been done over the years (Department of Nutrition & Food Science at the University of Kiel in Germany, US Department of Agriculture) and it was determined that for every gram of fiber you eat, about 7 calories gets excreted in the stool. So, if you consume 35 grams of fiber each day as recommended, you can potentially excrete 245 calories each day. Over one month, if you eat 35 grams of fiber each and every day, you can excrete 7,595 calories (245 calories X 30 days) = 2.17 pounds in a month and in a year that would add up to 26.04 pounds. That is a lot!!!!

The picture above is what fiber looks like in your system.

100% Whole Grain Bread

Whole grains, like the kind found in whole wheat bread, contain fiber and antioxidants such as Vitamin E and selenium, iron, magnesium, zinc and B vitamins. Fiber is a very beneficial nutrient that is found in whole grain products. Fiber helps to reduce the risk for some chronic diseases such as constipation, hemorrhoids and diverticulosis. Fiber is also linked to prevent some cancers like colon cancer. Fiber may help reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes. It is also a helpful diet aid, it has no calories and helps keep you full longer

Eat Colourful Produce

There are hundreds of nutrients found in colorful produce. Try to make your plate look like a work of art. Vitamin E can be found in avacodo and nuts, Vitamin C in citrus fruits, bell peppers and tomatoes, antioxidants in berries and carotenoids in green leafy vegetables, bright orange vegetables and sweet potatoes. Quercetin can be found in broccoli and onions.Cartenoids are the pigments responsible for the colors of many plants, fruits and flowers. The role of the cartenoid is to provide the dietary source of Vitamin A.Quercetin is one of hundreds of phytonutrients thought to have potent antioxidant and anti-infammatory benefits.