Monday, October 29, 2012

October (Unprocessed) is Winding Down

This is a post I have started so many times over the last month. Marc and Marie's wedding plans, painting and getting ready for special company and the wedding festivities have kept me going too many directions to sit down long enough to post a recipe.

The October Unprocessed Challenge has surprisingly been well timed. If you haven't checked it out yet, go spend a few minutes on the site and click through some articles. I've been challenged to rethink a lot of my "healthy" choices this month. It's actually made eating more simple during all the busy here and it's helped me lose a couple of pounds. We don't own a scale so all I know is my clothes are more comfortable. I love the fact that my stomach feels better, too and I think I've pin pointed a couple of foods that had been causing some digestive distress. It's been a win-win for me.

So how can it be easier eating less unprocessed food? Keep it simple. Real food doesn't have to be complex and time consuming. Take the salad on the right. It's a creation Chris and I came up with a couple of weeks ago. He has a couple of favorite spots he's been enjoying near the office he's been working with lately. One is a tabbouleh from a great Middle Eastern restaurant and the other is a super food type greens salad at the Whole Foods nearby.  We've made it a couple of times now and each time was a little different.  Our base was a ton of chopped parsley and cilantro. We chopped onions and carrots, yellow beets, jalapenos and garlic into the bowl. We've dressed it with a lime vinaigrette and a lemon version. I think we like the lime  version best. With two chopping it takes less than fifteen minutes to make.

We served it with this soup a few times this month. It's the easiest homemade soup I've created so far. Onions, garlic and fresh ginger saute with spices and simmer in water (no stock needed) until tender. I usually puree the mixture at this point with an immersion blender to give it a creamy texture. Then a pound of red lentils go in with a pound of sliced mushrooms. I season it to taste when the lentils are cooked through and serve it with lots of chopped cilantro.

The wonderful dosas on the plate were a bit of good timing. Martin had a wine tasting dinner at Martin's Curry Rice and was making an enormous batch of neer dosas for the event. I was able to purchase a nice big bag of them to serve during the week. Simple and natural ingredients made it a perfect bread during the challenge.  I hope Martin makes these special dosas more often as they are incredible.

Treats aren't completely out. They just need to be the right treats. Like these macaroon muffins made with coconut flour, coconut oil, shredded coconut with a little natural sugar and Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips.

I can't decide positively if the chips pass the kitchen test or are a deliberate exception but I do know I love these muffins. I also love the concept of deliberate exceptions. There's no cheating with this meal plan. If you decide to eat something that doesn't pass the test you are making a mindful decision to make an exception. I think the few ingredients on the Enjoy Life bag work for me.

Next week when the wedding is over and I've posted a million sweet pics of M&M to facebook I will start posting again with this muffin.

My bff Olive Grace told me these were not muffins, but rather cupcakes. "The best cupcake" in fact. Everyone should have a two year old bff who says such sweet things about your baking!

Oatmeal was breakfast several mornings but sometimes a slice of really good cheese on a warm corn tortilla and a couple of carrots sounded good.  One old favorite I made this month was Spabettie's amazing spinach pancakes - make a stack one afternoon and they make a pretty quick breakfast and a wonderful base to pour curried lentils over. Bean and rice dishes are always a hit here and we had plenty of those, too. It really wasn't hard at all.

For now these are just some brief and random thoughts on how October Unprocessed has changed the way I've thought about food just a wee bit more. I can't encourage you enough to head over and do a little reading as I will be doing again once life settle down a bit.

Until after the wedding. . . .









Monday, October 15, 2012

Bella Monica Ladies Lunch

Laura invited me along to a lunch she and her friend Kinde had planned at Bella Monica.  I couldn't refuse a chance to meet a friend of Laura's, see Laura outside work and eat at Bella Monica now could I? Best of all it came at a very good time - Marc had just moved into his apartment and I was having a hard time adjusting to him flying out of the nest.

Amazing Laura has already blogged about our lunch at The Chronicles of DDL and you should check it out. I thought I knew a lot about Bella Monica but I learned more  reading her post. I won't reinvent the wheel so check out her post for our menu selections as well as what everyone thought. =D

It was absolutely wonderful meeting Kinde and her beautiful daughter Vanessa. Kinde works at Trader Joe's with Laura and has been there for five years and somehow we've never met. I am there at least twice a week. I saw her just once a couple of months ago - she had never seen me. I was so glad we got to finally meet. Vanessa is mature beyond her years and just the sweetest girl. Laura took this gorgeous photo of the two of them.

Kinde took this pic of Laura and me - doesn't she just glow? I know it's a lot of healthy living but I do think you see the Lord just shine through her eyes!

Our lunch was so fun and time just flew by. Since Laura captured everything so well on her post I'll just let you know about the gluten free details.

Bella Monica is on my very short list of favorite places and not to rattle on and repeat myself but I do think it's important to know why.  It's not just because everything there is wonderful but because we can eat all that wonderful food safely. I can sit down just like everyone else and enjoy myself.

Bella Monica is on top of things. The management and staff really know their stuff and they're all friendly and welcoming - you never feel like you're imposing or a problem diner. As Laura mentioned, this place is always packed. Always. Even so they never seem to miss a beat. They color code the gluten free plates so the wait staff knows what to do. They have a dedicated oven just for gluten free goodies. They even market gluten free flat breads to local grocery stores and they are delicious, too.

At many other restaurants ordering gluten free often means skipping bread, pasta or dessert - you know, the good stuff. Not here. As Marc and Marie will tell you, the Bella Monica stuffed shells are to die for. In fact, Bella Monica is catering their wedding and their wedding guests will all get to know just how good it is! Their Eggplant Parmesan made me swoon a visit or two ago but everything has been wonderful.

The flat bread and desserts are made offsite in a dedicated gluten free kitchen by an amazing woman named Ragan who owns De'Lure Desserts & Bakery.  More about her in a few weeks as she's doing the desserts for Marc and Marie's wedding.

On Monday I enjoyed a delicious chopped salad which worked well with the October Unprocessed Challenge and my hopes of fitting into my mother of the groom dress a little more comfortably. You no doubt have already seen Laura's photo of that salad. It was really satisfying - I just love beans and greens together. The vegetarian version was really perfect although I'm sure it would have been great with the optional chicken. The small square of flat bread really should have been off limits but I did enjoy it. I have to admit it wasn't as fresh and soft as usual it was still very good.

I loved the chance to sit down and discuss food and health over a yummy meal. Each of us started our health journey from different places and it was wonderful to learn more from Kinde and Laura. Vanessa was our sole "normal" eater but I think she eats a lot healthier than most girls her age and is much more aware of making good choices. I love to see that!

Laura surprised me at the end of lunch with a bundle of three foil packages of vegan and gluten free goodies she had baked.  She had wrapped it sweetly in a fall motif napkin and tied it with a bow. I had a little sampling at home that afternoon with some herbal tea and it was such a sweet treat. They were all great but the gingerbread was my favorite and I hope she'll post that recipe in time for Thanksgiving - hint, hint!!

It was such a good time and I hope we can do it again soon!













Friday, October 5, 2012

October Unprocessed Challenge 10/5

This challenge is becoming a little less challenging as the days go on. Breakfast has been easy enough as long as I plan in advance. That is really the key - planning - and it doesn't really mean a lot, if any, more work.

Oatmeal is my new friend and it's wonderful with a few berries and walnuts.

Cold, leftover oatmeal patties are delicious fried in coconut oil and drizzled with the teeniest bit of honey.

Some overnight oats will be made very soon.

Lunch has been pretty easy this week thanks to Joe.  Since we homeschool and Joe has been offering, I've let him make lunch which always means nachos.

I can easily skip the chips, cheeses and sauces that don't make the "kitchen test" cut and have avocado slices, queso fresco and creamy cilantro sauce instead.

Today Chris was home and I wanted to make a variation Spicy Sriracha Potatoes but the sriracha sauce doesn't pass the kitchen test which really surprised me.


So I grabbed some peppers from the garden and made my own. While it wasn't quite as hot or thick as the original it worked really well.

Quick Pepper Sauce

In a food processor place:

6 large Cayenne Peppers
6 small Thai peppers
1/3 cup Rice Vinegar
1 teaspoon Sea Salt

Process for about two minutes or until well blended.  Keep in small glass jar.

For today's lunch I wanted to add some green to the potatoes so took a couple of pounds of small yellow potatoes and added one pound of fresh brussel sprouts, washed and cut in half lengthwise and a large bunch of kale, washed and torn into bite sized pieces into the usual all potato dish.

It was just as easy as using all potatoes. The potatoes went in the pan first, when they were browned I added the sprouts and let them start to brown. At that point I threw the kale on top to steam.

As soon as the kale was wilted I tossed everything together and served with a side of kimchee. It was a healthy, spicy lunch.

I've learned a lot these last few days. There are some things I can't wait to get back to and many I'm confident won't be making a return to the pantry.

Grocery shopping, even for all natural products, has been eye opening. Like everyone, everywhere our lives are busy and I had become complacent about our diet.

I have to say the first couple of days were hard - I really craved chocolate - but that has gotten better already. I think there will be some great changes this month.












Tuesday, October 2, 2012

October Unprocessed Challenge 10/2

The October Unprocessed Challenge has been really eye opening and it's only been two days!

Being mindful of what I'm eating and why is great - realizing some favorites aren't the best choices has been surprising and a little disappointing if I'm honest.

Although things are really busy with Marc & Marie's wedding just around the corner, I'm taking a few minutes here and there to look at what I'm eating.

I realized yesterday that none of the gluten free baked goods in my house qualify as unprocessed via the kitchen test. Makes that quick slice of toast smeared with peanut butter a no go for breakfast. Corn tortillas popped in the toaster oven have worked fine. This is the bread I'll be making and I have all the ingredients ready to go tomorrow.

Dairy free milk was a little easier than I thought. My favorite Trader Joe's light coconut milk fits the bill for me since it has no additives and can be used for a bowl of oatmeal, baking, cooking up a quick curry and it's yummy in hot chocolate. I think that will be my chocolate fix this month because chocolate - that's not so easy on the challenge.

Last night's dinner was wonderful and right on target for the challenge - fish tacos made everyone happy. What I originally planned for dinner tonight worked the guys but didn't work for me so I quickly made our green salad into the salad above. Artichoke hearts, garbanzos and beets made a yummy combination so that was easy and fast.

You may want to check out the October Unprocessed Challenge yourself because there is great information on healthy eating.  Great food for thought. There's also a Pinterest page to inspire you.

Monday, October 1, 2012

October Unprocessed Challenge

October Unprocessed 2012
Saturday night I opened Facebook to find that two bloggers I follow had just posted about the October Unprocessed Challenge. Shirley at Gluten Free Easily and Deanna at The Mommy Bowl are two blogs I love to check out - very different but equally wonderful.

I had never heard of Eating Rules and Andrew Wilder before let alone the October Unprocessed event.  Skimming through his site I realized how close we are to eating unprocessed but how certain products still make it in to my cart on a regular basis.  That's not great for our health or my wallet. I love Andrew's definition of "kitchen test" and the way he challenges you to decide for yourself whether a product works for you and if you need to make any exceptions for the challenge.  The official guide is HERE.

I think back to 2005 when we were struggling to figure out Joe's migraines and the way we ate - the fake colors of processed kids' food and trips through the drive-throughs and I cringe. We were so fortunate to find Feingold and ditch the food dyes and preservatives. Through the online members' board I "met" so many people who helped me learn more and more about nutrition and health and I researched with book after book and site after site on health and nutrition. The blogging community helped me take it to another level.

We've come so far in this journey and we feel so much better but I know that good health is a process and I'm ready to take the next step. What about you? What steps do you take towards good health?