Feeling Fine!

I have just completed my 3rd month of eating fresh, whole foods. I have lost 21-1/2 lbs. and am feeling fine - actually better than fine!!!! When I embarked on this new way of eating I suffered from chronic itching and hives and insomnia (I took some kind of sleep aid every night), my cholesterol was high and my blood sugar was high. Now the itching is gone; I take nothing to sleep and sleep like a baby; my cholesterol is in the normal range (it dropped 50 points); and my blood sugar is in the normal range, which it hasn't been in 15 years, even with medication. I have energy most days and my sinus headaches are few and far between. To sum it up, I have seen huge improvements in my health. Even my doctor was astonished at the improvement in my labs. I no longer eat fast food and when I do eat out I am very selective as to where I go. I eat just a few processed foods and those are organic. I think this way of eating is my new normal!!!

Black Bean Salad

I know a lot of people that turn their nose up at tofu - just mentioning it sets them running in the opposite direction! It is disguised in this wonderful salad. It adds protein and nutrition and takes on the flavors of the other ingredients  so that you don't even notice it is there. If you haven't tried tofu, you gotta try it in this salad.

Recipe

1 16 oz. can organic black beans
6 oz. firm tofu
2 stalks celery chopped fine
1/4 c. chopped purple onions
1/4 c. grated carrots
1/4 c. red and yellow bell peppers
Handful of cilantro leaves
1/3 c. apple cider vinegar
3 T. grapeseed or walnut oil
1 packet stevia
1/2 tsp. Trader Joe's Everyday Seasoning
Lettuce or Spring Greens

Rinse the beans. Crumble the tofu into small pieces. Mix together with all the vegetables. In a glass jar mix the vinegar, oil, stevia and seasoning and shake well until emulsified. Pour over the salad and refrigerate for several hours. Serve on bed of lettuce or greens.

Summer time is Salad time!

The bottom salad I served at a couple of different lunches and it got rave reviews. It is so simple -a bed of lettuce, a scoop of 4 Bean Salad and a scoop of Salmon Salad, sliced cucumbers and sliced tomatoes. You can add any veggies on the side - snow peas, carrots, celery, etc.

The top salad is a bed of spring greens, chopped tomatoes, celery, cucumbers, red peppers and sweet pickles (these really spice it up!) and a large scoop of tuna salad topped with slivered almonds. Sooooo good!

Gimme Salad!!!

I am really enjoying my salad lunches. The Mexi-salad is my favorite because by using salsa instead of dressing I am cutting down on the fats in my diet. It is also simple to make - a bed of lettuce or spring greens, fresh cilantro, whole black or pinto beans, sautéed onions and bell peppers, roasted chicken and homemade salsa. It is filling, healthy, full of fiber and nutrients! You might want to try it.

My Salsa Recipe
3 large tomatoes
1 medium onion
1 large jalapeño pepper
1 garlic clove
1/2 purple onion
Fresh cilantro
2 T. Apple cider vinegar

In a pot of water cook tomatoes and onion, drain and set aside.
Roast jalapeño until skin is charred. Remove seeds and membranes. Leave the charred skin on.
Chop garlic clove and purple onion and cilantro.
Put cooked tomatoes and onion and roasted jalapeno in blender and blend. Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse blend a couple of times so that the salsa is chunky. Stir in vinegar and add salt to taste. Refrigerate a few hours before serving.

Back to Eden

My health journey from a couple of summers ago got derailed for awhile. The results were weight gain and a decline in my health. When I got my last lab results 6 weeks ago I modified my diet quite a bit cutting out sugar and white flour However, now I am ready to take the plunge and head back to Eden - back to eating the foods my Creator provided rather than what the food conglomerates try to tell us is food. My hope is that I can reverse the damage I've done, i.e., get my blood sugar and cholesterol to normal ranges. This time I am using the information in the book The Blood Sugar Solution by Mark Hyman, MD. I am so glad I tracked my last journey on this blog because I can refer back to the meals I was eating and the recipes I developed - knowing that they are something I can not only live with but also enjoy! I will be posting pics of my meals again and recipes.
For the first six weeks I am going dairy free and gluten free plus no grains, fruits (except berries) or processed foods (with a few exceptions).
I am on my 4th day and can already see a difference in my energy levels. Also, I am tickled pink because the warm weather has heated the pool so my swimming season is beginning early this year. I do my exercising in the pool - it is fun and stress free.
Also, my granddaughter and her family have also embarked on their own health journey, eating whole foods and a vegetarian diet. My daughter says she will also join us. Which means that we can be united in our approach to food when we have family gatherings. I am excited!
I love the challenge of creating healthy meals that are also appealing to the eye.
As I was having my morning visit with God I had epiphany: In the spiritual realm, when we become Christians we turn out lives over to God, we turn our thoughts toward God and strive to walk in obedience - that's how we do our part. God's Spirit then dwells in us and produces good fruit - love, joy, peace, etc.
It works likewise with our physical bodies. In our modern society a huge percentage of the food available to us is fake food - laden with fats, sugar and chemicals which makes us not only fat and sickly but addicted to the very food that makes us fat and sickly. Once we become aware of the turth that God provided the food we need which is full of the nourishment that provides energy and good health, then is it not the right and responsible thing to choose to feed our bodies with the fuel created for us? When we do, we our doing our part. That God-given fuel then gives our bodies what they need to keep them strong and healthy. My prayer is that I can remember this and not have this just be a temporary diet but a lifestyle I stick to for the rest of my life.

I had fun with this gal. I started with a watercolor background. Then did her face with acrylic, pens and colored pencils. Finally I collaged her hair with newsprint from an Italian newspaper.

FINALLY!!!

For months I have had so much trouble accessing my account. I could see my blog but couldn't access my dashboard where I log new posts. I have been so frustrated!!!! FINALLY something clicked and I got in. This is the reason I haven't posted in a very long time. Now I can get up to date...... I am happy to say that once again my creative juices are flowing. Cleaning out my art studio helped alot!!! I now have a clean, orderly place to work. I have spent the last couple of days in the studio and will soon be sharing some of my new work.

My Heart is Feeling the Art

Recently, I took a trip to the coast. Some friends and I rented a house at the beach in the quaint town of Cambria. There are quite a few galleries and art shops in the village and we also visited the Hearst Castle which is loaded with art. I came home very inspired and ready to create again.

Today I picked up my paints and brush and got to work. Ms. Autumn is the result.

Coconut Flour

It's been 3 months since I began this health journey. I am down 18 lbs. and am having many more energy-filled days than I used to have. I am no longer as strict as I was, but as much as possible I do try to eat fresh, natural foods that I prepare myself.

I have discovered and fallen in love with coconut flour. It is high in fiber and low in carbs. I have been making pancakes with it and little tea cakes which have been a big hit with my friends. I can't wait to try it in cookies. I use Truvia as the sweetner, which is granulated stevia.

I am so pleased that this way of eating has also lowered by blood sugar and I seldom suffer from insomnia anymore. I hope to continue to be good to my body by only filling it with good stuff.

Baba Ghanoush

No, that isn't a nickname for a grandparent! Baba Ghanoush is an eggplant dip/spread that is scrumptious!!!! I bought some at the Farmer's Market last week and I absolutely loved it, so today I made my own. It's usually served with pita bread or pita chips but I use it as a vegetable dip. This is low calorie low carb and low fat, and very nutritious! It's easy to make, so give it a try.

Baba Ghanoush

1 large eggplant
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 c. tahini
2 T. sesame seeds, roasted
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. olive oil
salt to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pierce the eggplant with a fork several times, then roast over a burner on the stove until the outer skin is charred. Wrap in tin foil and bake in oven for 30-40 minutes. Let it cool, then remove the charred skin.
Cut up eggplant into cubes and place in blender with all ingredients and puree. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.
Makes about 2-1/4 cups.
9 1/4 cup servings with 88 calories , 7 g. of fat, 6 g. carbs per serving.

Spicing it Up

Having such a restricted diet I have to find ways to spice it up. I discovered tahini and I'm in love! Made a tahini sauce to top some roast chicken, then added roasted sesame seeds - divine!!! Anne went fishing last week and brought home some rock cod. The first batch I fixed was pretty bland. So the next time I marinated the fish in a garlic vinegrette which I made from olive oil, apple cider vinegar and fresh garlic. Then I smothered the top of the fish with chopped almonds and baked it. What a difference! It was so yummy.

Tahini Sauce

1/4 c. tahini

1/4 c. water

juice from one lemon

2 garlic cloves put thru a garlic press

Mix all ingredients together with a fork until well blended.

This is good over chicken or as a dip for veggies.

Detox is the Pits

The past two weeks I have suffered from horrendous detox symptoms - body aches, congestion, sinus headaches, etc. I am hanging on to the hope that these will soon end and be replaced by renewed vigor and energy galore. I complete 4 weeks today and have to say I do not miss bread or sweets. My meals are still pretty simple but are quite tasty. Here are some pics of some of them. By the way, these pics are for my benefit as well as those that read this post. When I get stuck on what to fix I just look over this blog for inspiration. As you can see, I am taking advantage of the fresh vegetables in season - which is why there are so many tomatoes and squash in my meals.

Top picture: Lunch of tuna salad on red leafy lettuce and tabouli salad made with red quinoa (can't say it was my favorite. Next time I'll cook the quinoa a bit.) Instead of mayo, I use my

Avocado- yogurt dressing in the tuna.

Middle pic: Egg omelet made with fresh herbs (it was so yummy!) with sides of fresh tomatoes and avocado (who needs fried potatoes?) The herbs I used were oregano, thyme and cilantro.

Bottom pic: A ground beef patty topped with fresh guacamole, summer patty squash and fresh tomatoes.

Farmer's Market Favorites

The advantage of living in the Central Valley of California is the availability of fresh produce. We have many ethnic communites that grow their own specialty foods, which provides us a wide variety. This has given me the opportunity to try vegetables I wasn't familar with. These are my favorites: Chinese long beans, baby eggplant, baby bok choy, Armenian cucumbers and a wonderful yellow and green squash (I don't know the name of it). These have become staples in my diet. You might look for these in your area.

Quinoa for Dinner

I sure love this new found grain! I served it as a side dish with my salmon dinner. It was delicious!!!

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.