My New Eating Blog...

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Be sure to check out my new eating blog
here!

Healthy Spicy Hummus & Colorful Slaw. My Way!

I can't resist homemade slaw and hummus, how about you?
My lunch-> Joseph's Flax Oat Bran & Whole Wheat Pita Bread filled with colorful slaw, hummus, alfalfa sprouts, and a few shakes of Rice Vinegar over the top of the heap. YUM!

Colorful Slaw Recipe: 1/2 head purple cabbage shredded, 5-6 carrots, grated; 6 oz package of broccoli slaw. Mix well. For a tasty dressing recipe, click here.


HUMMUS RECIPE

I mix the following in a food processor until the consistency & taste is the way I like it.

• 1 can of organic garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
  
• garlic cloves, minced
  
• Sprinkle of Cayenne Pepper
• Sprinkle of Ground Cumin
• Few shakes of Hot Sauce
• 1 tomato
• few large dollops of natural peanut butter
  
• few squeezes of fresh lemon
• 1 green or red jalapeno pepper
• Sprinkle of fresh ground peppercorn
• Broccolli florets (sprinkle florets in food processor)
• freshly ground peppercorn
  
• little water

No more refined white sugar, white flour or aluminum!

Because I love to make a tasty quick bread, I looked closely at the ingredients to see how I could make a healthier loaf. Here are a few changes I'll be experimenting with...

SUGAR: Replacing white refined sugar with Sucanat or Organic Agave Nectar.
WHY? 76 Ways Sugar Can Ruin Your Health

BAKING SODA: Replacing baking soda with Bobs Red Mill Aluminum-Free Baking Soda.

BAKING POWDER: Replacing aluminum-based Calumet Baking Powder with Bob's Red Mill Non-Aluminum Baking Powder.
WHY? Aluminum Health Risks

FLOUR: Replacing white refined flour with King Aurther's 100% Organic White Whole Wheat flour.

WHY? Ugly Truths About White Flour

Let me know if you've been experimenting with any of the above ingredients!
How were your results?

Crockpot Black Eyed Peas

Have you ever made black eyed peas before?
Here's my recipe for making them using dried black eyed peas.
Black eyed peas on a bed of brown rice garnished with
pear slices. Tasty!

Recipe here...

Step 1) Rinse, sort and wash peas.
I usually cook up 8 oz-1 pound at a time and freeze the extra.
How to refrigerate or freeze black-eyed peas

Step 2) Soak peas overnight in cold water. I soaked these for 12 hours.

Step 3) Rinse and wash peas again after overnight soak.

Step 4) Set crockpot on HIGH and add peas with mixture of fresh water & 1 can of beef broth.

Step 6) Use food chopper to mince 1 onion and 4-5 garlic cloves. Add to crock.

Step 7) Add rest of ingredients to crock. Sprinkle of chili powder, Adobo seasoning, and cumin.
Cook in crock for a few hours or until peas are tender.
Optional: Sprinkle the Spanish Rice Seasoning on peas after you dish it up.

RICE: I use Lundberg Organic Long Grain Brown Rice.
Replace water with Beef Broth.

Visit my cooking blog here to see more recipes!

Do you use the Magic Microfiber cloth?

HOW TO DUST YOUR HOUSE WITH NO CHEMICALS: Simply dust with a slightly damp reusable microfiber cloth. No more dusting with chemicals!

These colorful cloths are my favorite!

Replacing conventional items for safer/healthier products!

How can you go green in the kitchen? By replacing conventional items with safer/healthier products. Here are a few things I've done...

COOKWARE-->>Replaced non-stick cookware with stainless steel. Why? Polytetrafluoroethylene or PTFE, the chemical name for the coating on non-stick cookware can be toxic to humans.

POPCORN-Replaced microwave popcorn with stainless steel stove-top popper-> Why? A chemical coating used in microwave popcorn bags breaks down when heated into a substance called perfluorooctanoic (PFOA). The EPA has identified PFOA as a “likely carcinogen.”


PLASTICS-> Replaced plastic storage containers with Pyrex glass storage sets
Why? Source:http://www.sprig.com/7_Everyday_Environmental_Causes_of_Breast_Cancer
"Bisphenol-A, a chemical used to make plastic stable but also leaches out of the plastic and into the food or drinks you ingest. The danger: "Sustained exposure over time can effect your estrogen system to disrupt your normal hormone function of your breast cells to possibly feed and promote cancer," says Janet Gray, Ph.D., director of the Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Center at Vassar College."

SPORTS BOTTLES-->Replaced plastic sports bottles with stainless steel bottles. Why? Plastic bottles contain a number of chemicals, some of which are unhealthy. Use Code 2468 to receive 8% off your order here.

CANNED FOODS-> Limiting my canned food intake. Why? Many canned foods are lined with a plastic coating made from BPA, which can leach into the food. BPA (bisphenol-A,) is an endocrine-disrupting chemical.

What's the Problem With Perfume?

Let's talk about perfume for a minute.

Did you know most perfumes are filled with toxic chemicals? Did you know these toxic chemicals can be a health risk to those who wear it, the air around them, and those in their household? YES! Read this article to learn more.

I avoid perfume and limit the products I use that list fragrance as an ingredient. Instead, I use 100% Natural Vanilla on my pulse points when I want to wear a hint of vanilla. This blend is pre-diluted with jojoba oil so it's ready to use. I enjoy the health benefits from wearing natural vanilla oil. Are you willing to risk your health for a spritz of perfume?

What is so bad about Fragrance?

Fluoride & Aluminum in my Green Tea? Oh MY!

I guess my daily intake of organic green tea is going to come to a halt.
I wasn't aware of the fluoride or aluminum in tea.

Green Tea Side Effects from Caffeine, Fluoride & Aluminum

Pineapple Zucchini Bread. Delicious!

Okay, so I've given up sandwich bread but I can't resist a delicious quick bread!
I wanted to eat this whole bundt loaf at one sitting...
Feel free to share your quick bread recipes in the comment section:)

Pineapple Zucchini Bread

Original recipe from Light & Tasty June/July 2007 magazine

Yields: One bundt pan or one loaf pan

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup Jarrow Formulas Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
• 1/3 cup Applesauce
  
• 2 egg whites
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup shredded zucchini
• 1/2 can crushed pineapple, drained
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat with a mixer-> the sugar, applesauce, coconut oil, egg whites, egg, and vanilla until well blended. Gradually beat into sugar mixture->flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda. Stir in the zucchini, pineapple, and walnuts.
• Transfer mixture to bundt pan.
  
• Bake for 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  
• Let cool completely before taking out of the bundt pan.

Green Your Life with Beans!

It's never too late to incorporate beans into your daily diet.

Beans = superfood!

Health Benefits of Black Beans

Below is my recipe for the spicy bean & rice dish shown above.
Instead of a sandwich for lunch, eat beans and rice instead!

Spicy Black Beans

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound (8 0z) dried black beans
• 4 oz can diced Jalapeno peppers
• 14.5 oz can Chili Ready Tomatoes
• dribble of Cayenne Hot Sauce
• 1 Onion
• 4-5 cloves of garlic
• 2 Cans Beef Broth
• Lundberg Long Grain Brown Rice Gluten Free (get $5 off when you use Code CEL445 at iherb.com)
  

How to Make:

• Wash and sort dried beans. Place beans in bowl and cover with cold water plus a few extra inches (I use a large glass canister with cover on my counter). Soak beans for 8 hours.
  
• Rinse beans again, discard water.
  
• Put beans in crockpot and cover with fresh water plus a few extra inches of water.
  
• Cook on LOW in crock for 10-11 hours or until beans are almost cooked.
• Add Jalapeno peppers, tomatoes, onion, garlic cloves, and hot sauce and cook on HIGH for 1 1/2 hours longer, or until beans are tender.
• Cook Lundberg rice. I replace the water with Beef Broth and this gives it a delicious taste. I like to make 8-10 servings of rice at a time to last throughout the week. Which is=2 cups of rice PLUS 4 cups of Beef Broth. Read directions on package. This rice takes atleast 50 minutes.