mock "Caesar" Dressing

This is a Caesar type dressing. The recipe is as follows: grind 1/4 cup of pumpkin seeds, 4 TBS olive oil, 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 TBS maple syrup or raw honey, 4 TBS raw apple cider vinegar or the juice from 1-2 lemons. As we lose our sweet tooth, only 1 TBS of sweetener is needed.
1-2 TBS of water can be added to thin if needed

Lentil "meat" balls

We have made several versions of lentil "meat" balls, including Dr Fuhrman's, however we prefer rice free, as well as gluten free, grain based flours.
We like this recipe but replaced the GF flour with arrowroot starch. We also added diced celery, add as many anti-inflammatory foods as possible. We baked the balls at 350 for 20-25 minutes, instead of pan frying them. We then freeze them individually and use as needed. The original recipe is from
http://dairyfreecooking.about.com/od/vegetarianentreessides/r/vegmeatballs.htm

Ingredients:

• 2 cups red lentils, rinsed
• 3 cups vegetable stock
• ½ cup finely chopped onions
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 T. olive oil, plus more for cooking
• 8 oz. crimini or button mushrooms, sliced (we added 1 cup of celery)
• 1 t. dried thyme
• 1 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 cup finely ground flax seeds (also known as flax meal)
• About ¼ cup gluten free flour, such as sorghum or rice flour, more if needed (instead we used arrowroot starch more like a 1/3 cup)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Raw Mediterranean Pasta

This original recipe is at the bottom.
We made it with a raw twist. It serves 2. Next time we make this we will add cherry/grape tomatoes, cucumbers, red peppers, red onion, maybe even chickpeas. I might even make the "food processed" portion to use for a salad dressing.

INGREDIENTS

2 Large Zucchini – spiralized

in a food processor add:

1 Cup Spinach 

2 Cloves Garlic

Salt and Pepper – to taste

¼ Cup Sun-Dried Tomatoes (soaked)

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 Tbs. Italian Flat Leaf Parsley

top with:

10 Kalamata Olives – halved
(add 2 tablespoon capers if you would like)

¼ Cup rawmesan cheese (1/2 cup cashew or pinenuts ground to a powder, 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt mixed together)

http://www.peaceloveandlowcarb.com/2013/12/mediterranean-pasta-low-carb-gluten.html

Curry, chicken or vegan?

We love curry spices and make our blend using this link  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/curry-powder-blend-recipe.html

Tonight we are making a curry dish, one vegan and one with chicken starting off with one pot.

Ingredients:
dice 1 red pepper
dice 1 sweet onion
mince 2 cloves of garlic.
We water sauteed these ingredients.

1 pint of canned tomatoes (we can our tomatoes from the garden with basil and salt)
2 teaspoons curry powder from above
1/2 teaspoon of thyme.

For the hubby we will take a portion (about a third) of this mix adding
1 teaspoon of Hot curry powder
1 cup of diced cooked chicken
and bake for 20 minutes at 350






To the vegan dish we will then add
1 cup of sliced baby portobella mushrooms
1/2 cup soaked, rinsed and drained red lentils (any type will do)
1 cup of vegetable broth

This will be brought to a boil, the heat reduced and covered until the lentils are done, about 20 minutes.

chocolate cherry parfaits

This recipe for chocolate cherry parfaits was posted on facebook this week by the Raw Guru.
We used an alternative chocolate mousse using avocado instead of cashews from this link http://www.choosingraw.com/raw-chocolate-avocado-pudding/
We added 1 tablespoon of lucuma powder and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon to the chocolate pudding recipe. (there are several on the web, this one is sweetened only by dates).


For the Cashew whipped cream we used raw honey instead of agave (maple syrup would also be a great substitute but use 1 tablespoon instead of 1.5). This is sweet, next time we will reduce the honey by a third.


Because i am not crazy about coconut, and coconut flour is overwhelming to me, we used almond flour instead for the walnut crumble. Coconut Oil or butter doesn't seem to bother my taste buds as much.

We used frozen organic cherries.
Our son loved this as a snack!!!!

The recipe link is  http://www.rawguru.com/raw-food-recipes/raw-chocolate-cherry-parfaits.html.html

Healing Multiple Sclerosis with Diet?

We know several people with Multiple Sclerosis. It is a dis-ease that is suppose to progress.

While delivering food to shut-ins, we met another woman with MS. That was 2007. While delivering food to this woman, i also worked a Kaiors team where a resident told me she had MS and that vitamin D and a vegan diet were a huge help to her. She had found it doing research on MS. Years later this is published "New Study links this Vitamin Deficiency with MS"
http://www.drcolbert.com/blog/?p=466

Four years ago,  Deb Lentz sent us a youtube video titled "Minding Your Mitochondria" from  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLjgBLwH3Wc because it was suggested that our son may have mitochondria issues. This diet has yielded progress with our son, HOWEVER, the diet is for those with MS.
Dr Terry Wahl cured her advanced MS with diet. Her story is in the Huffington Post.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/meryl-davids-landau/multiple-sclerosis-diet_b_2258056.html

Other sources recommend raw foods to aid with the healing of MS
http://blogs.naturalnews.com/heal-your-body-from-multiple-sclerosis-lose-weight-with-a-raw-food-diet/

Dr Gregor has medical journal information at http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/multiple-sclerosis/

When googling Multiple Sclerosis and diet, there are books published as well. Amy Meyers, MD, has a new link on MS http://www.dramymyers.com/2014/02/24/functional-medicine-approach-multiple-sclerosis/

Isn't it amazing what food can do?

Anyone interested in nutritional research that doesn't make the news????

We heard Michael Gregor, MD speak a few weeks ago. After listening to him speak, watching his slides containing research we decided to check out his website http://nutritionfacts.org .
We were so amazed at what isn't publicized that we subscribed to his daily newsletter. Five days a week we receive either a video or a blog document that will cause your jaw to drop. He also has an annual review video.
We highly recommend at least looking at his website.

herb directory

This amazing link is a directory of Culinary and Medicinal Herbs.
It has herb garden designs. It has drying and storing methods. It has herbal healing basics and an A-to-Z guide to Culinary and Medicinal Herbs. The guide includes how to grow the herb and how to use it for cooking and/or healing.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/herbs-directory-culinary-medicinal-zl0z1401zhir.aspx?newsletter=1&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=HE%20eNews&utm_campaign=01.27.14%20HE

5 easy steps to clean up your diet

This is a great way to begin changing one's diet towards a more alkalizing one.
It discusses alkalinity and gives 5 steps to start working towards a healthy life.
The steps are with the details in the link below.
1. keep hydrated
2. go green
3. adding
4. oxygen
5. supplements
http://www.hungryforchange.tv/article/5-easy-steps-to-clean-up-your-diet

Eat to Beat Inflammation

Several years ago, we received a free ebook titled Eat to Beat Inflammation by Vegetarian Times. Inflammation causes most dis-ease, if not all dis-ease. It listed foods that are firefeeders and firefighting.
"a whole food, plant based diet that is low in saturated fats, refined grains, and added sugars" help beat inflammation. Anti-inflammatory foods include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. Also balancing one's omega fats assists with beating inflammation. This does NOT take into consideration food sensitivities or allergies.

Here is a table with the omegas
Omega 6 foods                                                Omega 3 foods
corn oil                                                           non-GMO canola oil
soybean oil                                                     hemp seeds, butter and oil
safflower oil                                                     flaxseeds and oil
sunflower oil                                                    chia seeds
peanut oil                                                       walnuts and oil
cottonseed oil                                                 pastured eggs
sesame oil                                                     olive oil

Here is a table containing firefeeders and firefighters
Firefeeder foods                                               Firefighter foods
transfats                                                          extra virgin olive oil
vegetable oils                                                   whole grains
dirty dozen fruits and vegetables                        lentils
sugary drinks                                                   grapefruit
refined grains                                                   turmeric
salty foods                                                       pistachios
high-fat animal products (all but Omega-3 fish)    celery
potato chips                                                     ginger
                                                                      kale and other dark leafy greens

There are many websites that can be googled on inflammation but we do like this better than most. We also like Andrew Weil, MD. He recommendations are similar. His link is http://www.drweil.com/

This is another article concerning foods that cause inflammation from Mother Earth Living

Curried Butternut Squash Lentil Soup

We love curry and soups, so this recipe is ideal for us. Of course, we have to add celery to this recipe to get as many anti-inflammatory foods as we can. We added another teaspoon of curry powder (a total of 4 teaspoons) because we love curry. Our son loved it!!!
http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-12273/curried-butternut-squash-lentil-soup-its-vegan.html

herb wheel

We love this!
http://www.tasteofherbs.com/fe/57309-taste-of-herbs-flavor-wheel?orid=99918&opid=8
Use your mouse on the above link to see which herbs satisfy which taste bud, which are warming or cooling!!!

Kombucha tea

Several years ago, while visiting Deb Lentz's farm, she introduced us to kombucha tea, giving us a scoby with the directions to make it. (If you want to get started with kombucha tea and live in our area, we have scobies to give away weekly, just contact us and let us know.)

Now we make kombucha tea twice a week and drink 12-16 ounces a day, a bottle each a day.
It is easy to make and the health benefits are amazing. There is a link at the bottom for health benefits,

For a 1-gallon jar (as in the picture above) the directions are as follows:

one will need:

1-gallon glass jar

cheese cloth or dish towel

filtered water

tea bags (we use green, it must be caffeinated) 

sugar (we use organic)

DON'T USE ANYTHING METAL!!! Metal kills the scoby.

brew 2.5 quarts of sweet tea using 1 cup of sugar and 6 tea bags

add the cooled brewed tea to the starting scoby in the glass gallon jar. Then cover it with a towel/cheese cloth. Place it in a dark corner and don't disturb it.

after 7-10 days pour off the tea into mason jars or some other glass container, leaving the scoby and about 1 cup of tea in the gallon jar. Repeat above in bold.

For secondary fermentation, leave the brewed tea in the refrigerator for another 3-10 days. I add a slice of ginger, lemon and lime or tart cherry juice. It can be mixed with juice or fruits. We used mason jars prior to receiving the bottles. The bottles can be purchased at any brewing store.

Here is a wonderful link with second fermentation ideas
http://www.culturesforhealth.com/flavoring-bottling-kombucha

We have 2 teas brewing one in a gallon jar and one in a 2.5 crock. Many people have continuous brew in the crock as at the following link  http://wellnessmama.com/8638/how-to-continuous-brew-kombucha/
I don't continuous brew. It is easier for us to batch brew due to enjoying the second fermentation; however, we DO LOVE the spigot. If you do use a ceramic crock, make sure the spigot is NOT metal.

Here is a link for health benefits. There are many links on the internet for Kombucha tea, this is one we selected.

http://www.cheeseslave.com/kombucha-health-benefits/
and  http://www.draxe.com/7-reasons-drink-kombucha-everyday/?utm_source=DrAxe.com+Newsletter&utm_campaign=2cb5b75573-Kombucha&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c497e2bf69-2cb5b75573-276650141&mc_cid=2cb5b75573&mc_eid=19041e04da

Great article on the health benefits for kombucha tea
http://www.motherearthnews.com/natural-health/health-benefits-of-drinking-kombucha-tea-ze0z1303zcalt.aspx?PageId=1#axzz2wPPMdvK8

Again, if you want to get started with kombucha tea and live in our area, we have scobies to give away weekly, just contact us and let us know.

Hummus

Our friend Jill Powell gave us this recipe years ago. It is the best hummus recipe! We sometimes add artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red pepper, or olives, but it is wonderful just as it is. The hummus in the photograph is with sun-dried tomatoes.
The ingredients are as follows:
 1 can chickpeas, drain liquid.  (we cook our bean from dried and freeze them so there is no liquid)
1/4 cup tahini (we process our own because there is no added oil but it can be bought at the grocery store)
2-3 cloves of garlic
zest and juice from 1 lemon
1/2 tablespoon cumin (to me the cumin makes it outstanding)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup olive oil (if using 1/4 cup of artichoke, roasted peppers, or sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, we use 1/8 cup of olive oil and add more water as needed)
up to a 1/4 cup water as needed

Directions: place all the ingredients in a food processor. Process until it is a smooth texture. Add water to make it the consistency you like.

Place in a container and top with olive oil and paprika

Serve with your favorite veggie or pita or cracker. It is also wonderful on a baked potato!!!

comparing what is right for you

We follow Sara Gottfried, MD on facebook and her blog http://www.saragottfriedmd.com/ . She follows a Paleo AND vegetarian lifestyle. She also seems to be on the cutting edge of things. I really enjoyed the summit she hosted a few weeks ago. Most of her speakers did follow a paleo lifestyle (or O blood type diet for those who have followed Dr. d'Adamo for so many years), but many felt that until one's auto-immune system calmed down, one should follow a paleo/vegan lifestyle. Once the body calmed down one could add some organic non-grain fed animal products.
One of the reasons we really like Joel Fuhrmanm, MD is he believes as Sara (and many of her speakers), go Paleo/vegan until one is healthy and then 1-2 servings of organic grass fed animal products a week and no more than one whole grain serving a day can be added back to one's life.
Another thing we like about Sara Gottfried, MD is she suggests fermented  foods and beverages. We add raw (non-pasteurized) sauerkraut and  (non-pasteurized) kombucha daily.
Remember everyone has his or her opinion. You have to listen to your body for what is right for you. We are able to keep tabs on how our bodies is doing by checking our urine and saliva pH on a weekly basis. We have written about it at  http://heal-thy-self-cb.blogspot.com/2013/08/alkalizing.html

21 day Vegan-Kickstart

We were first lead to put our son on a vegan diet, someone told us about this diet plan. We had been vegan for a couple of months and didn't know what to do. A friend, Michael Pocinki, told us about the 21 day vegan kickstart at  http://pcrm.org/kickstartHome/ . A new 21 day plan was just starting. The site runs several of these a year. The recipes are easy and good. The site supplies the shopping lists for each week. When one signs up for the program, the menu is sent to you along with inspirational sayings, even phone calls. There is a page on facebook if that is an easier way to receive information.
One of our favorites was the broccoli soup

Paleo pumpkin pudding

Pumpkin is so healthy for everyone and our son loves it. We make pumpkin pudding in the crockpot/slow cooker. The original recipe came from Make it Fast, Cook it Slow by Stephanie O'Dea. We altered it to make it paleo. The ingredients we used are as followed:
first we wipe down the inside of the crock with oil (any type will do)
1 can pumpkin
1 can coconut milk (or a can of evaporated milk, we have even used almond milk)
1/2 cup coconut palm sugar (or 1/2 cup sugar)
1/4 cup coconut flour (or 1/2 cup flour)
2 eggs
2 TBS flax meal
2 TBS coconut oil (or oil of choice)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
2 tsp vanilla
we blend it in the crock with a immersion stick
cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-6. The top will crack similar to a pumpkin pie.

Pups and Grandpups' Valentine's

We made the pups and grandpups Valentine dog biscuits.

Our pups LOVE pumpkin. It is good for them, great for getting rid of parasites. This is a double recipe since it is for 4 pups.

The ingredients we used are as followed

4 eggs

1 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons dried almond pulp (dried milk could also be used)
5 cups sweet potato starch (whole wheat could be used but we have a gluten sensitive pup)
and water as needed

Directions:
1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2 Blend eggs and pumpkin together; add salt, dry milk, and flour.

3 Add water as needed to make the dough somewhat workable.

4 The dough should be dry and stiff, don't be concerned with crumbs being left in the bowl.

5 You will need to mix this with your hands because it is too stiff for an electric mixer.

6 Roll to 1/2-inch thick.

7 Cut into shapes. We used hearts for Valentine's Day

8 Place 1" apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

9 Bake for 20 minutes on one side, then turn over and bake another 20 minutes.

They store best in the refrigerator.

Vegetable Broth

When we did the GAPS diets, all those years ago, we drank bone broth every day. Once our son could no longer have animal products, we gave up the broth. Several classes over the last few weeks have suggested a quart of vegetable broth a day for similar reasons such as gut healing and quick nutrient uptake.

This is the recipe we have been using for the two of us:

Ingredients:

2 large onions chopped, leaving the papery skin on

4 carrots

2 cups butternut squash (any winter squash should do)

2 cups parsnips or turnips

4 cups spinach

1/2 cup parsley

4 celery stalks

1 cup cabbage or kale

4 inches of sliced ginger

4 cloves of garlic whole, leaving the papery skin on

1 cup mushrooms
2 bay leaves
the juice of a lemon or a lime

6 quarts of filtered water.

Bring to a boil and then simmer for several hours

strain the vegetables out (our chickens love them)

in 6 quart size mason jars add 1/4 - 1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt and 1/2 tsp turmeric or curry spice mix. Pour the broth filling the mason jars, cap. Refrigerate for up to 4 days. If just one person is drinking it, half the recipe.

Raw Key Lime Pie

Since i made the guava cheesecake for the three oldest guys in our family we could leave out our youngest (or myself). We made for him a raw key lime pie. The farmers' market had key limes. We juiced and zested the key limes for the pie. Boy is this good!!!
We used the following link for the recipe.
http://www.rawfoodrecipes.com/recipes/raw-key-lime-pie.html

Guava Cheesecake

My hubby loves guava cheesecake and we haven't made it in several years. The farmers' market had a pound of guava for $2, so we made guava paste using the following recipe  http://www.ehow.com/how_8099814_make-guava-paste.html

We were able to make an 8x8 square of guava paste. This is a quarter.

To make the cheese cake we used the 9" graham cracker pre-made crusts because we didn't want the gluten flying around our kitchen.
For the cheesecake filling we used the following ingredients:


2 8-oz packages of cream cheese at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup sour cream
4 oz of guava paste cut into small cubes

directions:
Beat the sugar and cream cheese until smooth, about 3 minutes, scrapping the bowl as needed. Add one egg at a time mixing until smooth. Place the guava paste cubes on the pre-made crust evenly around the crust.
Bake at 325 for 50 minutes
For the topping we used guava paste and laid a quarter of the sheet on the the warm cheesecake to melt.

On-the-go egg breakfast

Our girls are giving us an abundance of eggs right now. When we have extras we either make quiche or these egg cups. We make these using the following:

Ingredients:
1 diced onion
1 diced red bell pepper
1 cup diced baby portobello mushrooms
These are sauteed until tender.
We fill the muffin cups 1/3-1/2 with the sauteed vegetable mix. Then we whisk 8-12 eggs adding salt and pepper to taste. We pour the whisked eggs into the cups until the cups are almost filled.
Bacon, cheese, or whatever else one would desire can be used instead.
Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.
These freeze well and can be reheated and taken in the car to be eaten.

Sweet potato Muffins

We found this recipe in the February issue of Be More Magazine. The link is
http://bemoremagazine.well.org/t/95412 . The Article is Sweet Potato Muffins, To Satisfy & End Sugar Cravings.

The ingredients are
3 cups of roughy chopped peeled sweet potatoes
4 organic pastured eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk (we used almond milk)
2 cups filtered water
1/2 tsp cinnamon
a dash of sea salt.


Directions: Combine all the ingredients in a high speed blender. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender with a spatula.
You made need to add more water to get to a pourable, thick consistency, so add more water 1/4 cup at a time.
Pour mixture into silicone baking cups and bake at 350 for 15=20 minutes until firm.

This made a dozen medium muffins plus 6 jumbo muffins.

week 4 total results

We are seeking to optimize our bodies and health, for me that means losing ~ five pounds and clearing my skin. For our son, he needs to gain weight, reducing even more the apnea and cyanosis episodes, and any skill improvements would be icing. From past experience we know that grains/starches and animal products daily or even more than a couple of times a week are not good for him, nor are a lot of kidney shaped beans. Soy is also not his friend.

For exercise we use this 7-minute workout (total of 9 minutes) from  http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ECxYJcnvyMw

Here are our total results after following Fuhrman's meal plan for 4 weeks:

•  from my waist an inch and a half  and i did lose 5 pounds. I feel wonderful and energetic. Cravings are gone. We also check our urine and saliva pH. During these 4 weeks my urine went up 1 and saliva 0.25.
• He gained 5 pound and increased his waist by 2 inches. This week's highlight has been his sports interactions. His eye contact and attentiveness has continued to increase. We also check our urine and saliva pH. Both of his have remained the same.

I am encouraged for both of us. We would love to know how you are doing as well.

February Potluck 2014

This month's potluck was a wonderful time of food, fellowship, and laughter.
We had the roasted brussel sprouts, a quinoa Greek salad, lettuce, oranges, and zucchini manicotti.


The brussel sprouts were roasted with garlic and olive oil, topped with nuts and raisins.

The quinoa Greek salad contained quinoa, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, chickpeas, and a Greek dressing or Dr Fuhrman's Almond Balsamic Vinaigrette https://sites.google.com/site/hgkprintablerecipes/dr-fuhrman-s-almond-balsamic-vinaigarette





The zucchini manicotti recipe can be found here
http://heal-thy-self-cb.blogspot.com/2014/02/raw-zucchini-manicotti.html
Our next potluck with be March 8th.

Raw Zucchini Manicotti

We have used the best parts of the living lasagna recipe to make manicotti from http://www.rawguru.com/recipe13.html . This is much easier and still flavorful.
The next time we make this we might add a layer of spinach on top of the sauce and cheeze. 

After assembling we dehydrated at 110 for several hours to blend the flavors and heat it.

Herb Ricotta Cheeze

1 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup mac nuts
2 tbs. pine nuts
1/2 tsp. Celtic sea salt
2 tbs. lemon juice
1 tsp. fresh basil, thyme, oregano, parsley, etc..
1 cup filtered water, more or less depending on desired consistency 

How to: Combine everything in a food processor and process till smooth. Add more water to give it a ricotta cheeze consistency, add less water if too watery. When smooth, put into a glass bowl, cover it with a moist terry cloth towel and set it out for 6 hrs. at room temp. After 6 hrs. keep it refrigerated till ready to use.

Tomato Sauce
2 cups sun dried tomatoes soaked for 6 hrs.
7 roma tomatoes
4 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbs. red or yellow onion
3 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
2 tbs. lemon juice
2 tsp. dried basil
1-2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
3 pitted dates

How to: Blend everything together till smooth. Set aside.

Noodle sheets and toothpicks
4 zucchini sliced with a julienne peeler 

To assemble: overlap two sliced zucchini noodles. dab the tomato sauce along the center of the noodles. dab the cheeze in a similar way. Roll and place on a dehydrator tray lined with a sheet. Dab the sauce on top. Dehydrate until warm at 110. Dehydrate more sauce for serving.
The leftover sauce can also be frozen for later use.

as they go into the dehydrator