Grain for the Day:Quinoa

This morning I tried quinoa - a whole grain that is a complete protein. It is also high in several minerals (http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?dbid=142&tname=foodspice). It has a mild nutty taste which I really liked. I served it with a Veggie/Turkey omelet (tomatoes, purple onions and green peppers and diced leftover turkey), avocado slices and pear tomatoes. This is a hearty breakfast, nutrition wise. It should keep my blood sugars level for several hours. Boy, am I enjoying this adventure in fresh foods! I don't even miss the junk foods.

The only legume I can have right now is lentils. I happen to like them and today decided to make some Lentil Chili. Considering I made up the recipe on the spot, I have to say it came out very good and had a bit of a kick to it. I served it on a bed of spagetti squash, and garnished it with fresh oregano. My salad was greens, alfalfa sprouts, avocado and cherry tomatoes.

Lentil Chili

3/4 cups dry

2 stalks celery

1/2 onion

2 cloves garlic

1 T. olive oil

1/2 lb. organic ground beef

2 large fresh tomatoes

1 tsp. chili powder

1/4 tsp. chipolte chili powder

1/2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 T. fresh oregano or 1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. salt

Soak the lentils in 3/4 cup water with 1 T. apple cider vinegar for 7 hours or more. Finely chop the onion, garlic and celery and saute in olive oil. Put lentils in crockpot with 2 1/2 cups water. Add sauteed veggies and cook on low overnight. In the morning, cook ground beef. Blanche tomatoes and remove skins, then chop into small pieces. Combine all the dry spices and salt with the fresh oregano leaves. Add the beef, tomatoes and spices to the lentils and continue to cook on low for another couple of hours. Makes apx. 4 servings.

Nutritous Breakfast

This morning my breakfast featured a grain called millet (http://chetday.com/millet.html). It is a very nutritous grain that is 15% protein and easily digestible. Unlike other countries where millet is used as a significant part of the diet, in this country it is used mainly as bird and cattle feed. I liked it alot! It sure is healthier than fried potatoes. With it I served scrambled eggs and a sliced fresh tomato. I know the picture makes this breakfast look a bit bland but envision it with a sliced creamy avocado! The ones I have aren't ripe yet but perhaps manana....

SALAD SUPPER

This main course salad was made with tuna salad on a bed of mixed spring greens and sunflower sprouts. At this stage of my diet I can't have mayonnaise, so I used my yogurt salad dressing and added chopped hardboiled eggs to the tuna for extra protein. It was a refreshing meal on a hot summer day.

Summer Salad Meals

When I started on this journey I was not a great fan of raw vegetables. As for salads, I could take them or leave them. But now I am hooked since I can find a wonderful array of greens and fresh vegetables at the Farmer's Markets. This one is made with mixed greens, baby bok choy, long beans, and pear tomatoes(fresh from my friend's garden). The protein is a hardboiled egg and canned Albacore tuna. It was a very satisfying meal.

Sunday Dinner

I had an opportunity to use herbs out of my new garden today. I made an Herb Roasted Turkey Breast using a recipe by Ina Garten. It was to die for!!! The best turkey breast I've ever eaten. My friend, Mary Ann, who had dinner with me said it was "simply divine"!!! By the way, that white side dish is not rice but mashed cauliflower

After shopping at the Farmer's Market this morning I had the makings for this delicious dinner. Organic grilled beef pattie, Vegetable Medly (made with baby eggplant, long beans, onions, tomatoes, fresh garlic and fresh basil) and Lemon Cucumbers with a Yogurt-Basil Dressing. It was so yummy!!!
Here is my recipe for the dressing. I make it in small batches so it can be used with 2 or 3 days.

Yogurt-Basil Dressing
1/4 cup olive oil
3 T. raw apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 tsp. dried or fresh basil
3 drops Stevia
Put all ingredients into a small bown and whisk until well mixed. Put into jar and refrigerate.
Shake jar well before using.

My new herb garden - English thyme, tarragon, oregano and varigated basil. This is sure going to provide flavor for my dishes. In other locations I have spearmint, chocolate mint and rosemary.

Eating God's Way

I have not blogged all year due to ill health. I have not had the energy or inspiration to do much of anything creative. I finally decided to take control of my own health. After much research and the help of Ion Baths I came to the conclusion that I have an overgrowth of candida in my system. I have, therefore, embarked on a healing journey through detox and a change (DRASTIC change may I add!) in diet. As I started my new eating plan I decided to view this as a great challenge, rather than deprivation or restriction. I am one week into the new eating plan and I am so jazzed! I have started going to Farmer's Markets in both my town and a neighboring town and shopping at stores that offer quality, fresh food like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. I enlisted two friends to join me on this trek so we are supporting one another, shopping together and cooking together. Today they even helped me plant an herb garden.
I am now going to change the focus of this blog to HEALTH - my health journey. I will be posting pictures and recipes since I am having fun making my own salad dressings and dips. (I am not using anything processed or prepackaged or bottled).
The Maker's Diet by Dr. Rubin is a great resource and inspiration to me and once I am on maintenance I will follow his eating plan. I am not following his diet yet because I am first going to adhere to The Candida Diet to rid my body of candida. (http://www.thecandidadiet.com/)
So if anyone out there is interested in health follow along with me in this and feel free to put in your two cent's worth or share any recipes made with fresh ingredients.