The other Grain’s

23 Oct 2012 Recipes & Home Remedies

 

The buzz has been al about Quinoa and Rice, but there are a whole host of grains that we would like to recommend you try.  They vary in healthy ingredients with some having more fiber and other’s having more protein.  But all will give you a healthy boost and are less harsh than their wheat counterpart.  We are going to share just a few, to get a complete list stop by our office and pick on up in the waiting room.  All the grains can be cooked in a rice cooker for easy and efficiency.

 

Barley non hulled is a great breakfast or dinner dish and is helpful for modulating blood sugar levels.  Barley is below a 55 on the Glycemic index without much of a bitter taste to it.  It also does contain Fiber and is a great source.  Not only does is have fiber but it contains vitamin’s B1, B3, minerals selenium, iron, antioxidants and phytochemicals.  One negative is that Barley does contain Gluten at 5-8% so people with extreme intolerance to gluten should consult their doctor before eating it.

 

1 cup Barley pearled

3 cups of water

Cook time 50-60 min

Yield 3 ½ cups

 

 

Amaranth is an herb as well as a grain and is from South America it is been used by many people for their belief in its supernatural powers.  We like it for it’s super vitamins (A,B6, C), Minerals (Calcium, potassium and manganese), protein (30% higher than wheat), Fiber.  Also it is gluten free so a great option for gluten intolerant people.

 

1 cup Amaranth dry

2 ½ cups water

Cook Time 20-25 min

Yields 2 ½ cups

 

Millet is a less used grain but a great one that our ancestors used frequently it’s origin’s are from China and it is packed with nutrients.  It looks like a small version of quinoa and a little like birdseed.  It is great cause it not only has packed with vitamin’s ( B) and minerals (magnesium, calcium, phosphorus) it also; acts as a prebiotic for your micro flora nourishing and feeding them, provides serotonin to make you feel calm, hydrates the colon, is alkaline and contains no gluten.

 

1 cup Millet dry

2-4 cups water

Cook Time 20-25 min

Yield 3 ½ cups

 

 

 

Foods That Treat your Body

23 Oct 2012 Recipes & Home Remedies , ,

It’s estimated that up to 60 percent of cancers are diet related. Being obese or overweight increases the death rate from several conditions including heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, stroke, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea and several types of cancer.

That old adage, “You are what you eat,” isn’t far from the truth! Time and time again, studies show that choosing healthy foods can reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer or other diseases. But we can take that one steep further. While a good diet is great preventative care we are finding that many foods can also help certain conditions. Here are some great foods that will get you on the road to feeling better!

Tired of the aches pains of arthritis? Think berries, ginger, pumpkin and red bell pepper.

  • The vitamin C in berries may help slow the wear and tear on your joints and its antioxidant activity may keep free radicals from wreaking havoc. Plus, vitamin C plays an essential role in the formation of collagen, a key component of cartilage and bone.
  • Ginger contains compounds that work similarly to some anti-inflammatory medications. You’ll want to have ginger everyday—try a few slices in hot water to make a great tea.
  • Pumpkin is high in antioxidants and can reduce inflammation. Pumkin puree can be added to almost anything like puddings, yogurt, sauces, and soups. Try to eat a can every week.
  • Red Bell peppers are rich in inflammation-fighting carotenoids and they have more than 250% of the recommended daily amount of vitamin C. Try to eat three peppers a week.

PMS and cramps have you down and out?  Think dairy with cheese, pineapple, almonds and flaxseed.

  • Studies show that women with PMS have lower levels of calcium around ovulation than women who are symptom free. Adding dairy products, like cheese, is worth a try. Try to eat three servings of calcium-rich food daily.
  • Pineapple is a triple threat (in a good way)! It’s one of the best sources for manganese that can help prevent mood, swings, breast tenderness and cramping. It’s also water-rich which will help banish the bloat, and can satisfy your sugar craving in healthy way. Have a cup a day in the 10 days prior to your period.
  • Almonds are a great source of magnesium that can help with headaches, mood swings and bloating. Enjoy an ounce of almonds every day.
  • Flaxseed can inhibit the release of prostaglandins (what makes you crampy) by providing omega-3s. Try to have 1 or 2 teaspoons daily over cereal, a salad, or mixed in a smoothie.

Want to help control your Type 2 diabetes through diet? Think beans, egg whites and nuts.

  • Beans are a super food with a great combination of carbs, protein and fiber that help stabilize blood sugar. Add beans to your diet as much as possible.
  • Egg whites are low in calorie, high in protein and are cholesterol free. They will help you maintain your weight and keep your blood sugar levels in check. Eggs are the perfect addition to any meal. Try to have three or four egg-based meals a week.
  • Nuts are a great source of healthy fats and protein. This combination helps keep your blood sugar stable by slowing down the rate that your body absorbs carbs. They can also improve cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Grab an ounce of your favorite nuts every day.

Want to ensure a good night’s sleep? Think tryptophan-rich foods and carbs.

  • Tryptophan is nature’s sedative as it is one the ingredients necessary for the body to make serotonin. In turn, serotonin makes us feel calm and drowsy.
  • Combine tryptophan rich foods with carbs that help move the tryptophan into the brain where it will make you feel sleepy. Try cheese toast, cereal and milk, a turkey sandwich or cottage cheese and berries.

Worried about osteoporosis? Think broccoli, skim milk and yogurt.

  • For great bone building nutrition look to Broccoli, which is rich in vitamins C, and K, potassium and calcium. C and K help with bone density while potassium protects you against bone loss. Try for three servings a week.
  • A cup of skim milk contains 300 mg of calcium, which is a third of the recommended daily amount. You can use milk in almost anything that calls for the addition of water. Or, be a purist and grab a cold glass of milk and dunk some cookies!
  • Yogurt is great source of calcium and protein, a winning combination for bone strength. Check out Greek-style yogurt to get twice the protein.

Does heart disease run in your family? Think oatmeal, sweet potatoes and wild salmon.

  • Oatmeal is rich in soluble fiber which attaches itself to cholesterol and carries it out of your body. Studies show that eating 2.5 servings a day of whole grains will lower your stroke and heart attack risk by 21%. Try to eat oatmeal at least three times a week.
  • Sweet potatoes are fiber-rich and potassium-packed, which can reduce the negative effects of sodium on blood pressure. Eat them baked or mashed twice a week.
  • Wild salmon is high in omega-3s, which can lower the risk of heart disease and arrhythmia. They also can help lower triglycerides, raise your good cholesterol (HDL) and reduce inflammation that has been linked to an increased risk in Diabetes and heart disease. Try to eat salmon twice a week.

Do migraines take time away from your life? Think quinoa, ground flaxseed and spinach.

  • Quinoa provides 30% of your recommended daily amount of magnesium, a mineral that can be helpful in warding-off menstrual migraines. Try to eat quinoa at least three times a week.
  • Flaxseed is high in omega-3s that can reduce headache-causing inflammation. Sprinkle a tablespoon a day on your food or add to a smoothie. You’ll reduce menstrual cramps as well!
  • Vitamin B can reduce the frequency and severity of headaches. Spinach contains magnesium, as well as riboflavin which is a B vitamin. Enjoy three servings a week.

For more information on foods that treat, check out this great book “Joy Bauer’s Food Cures”.

Easy Dates to Make Your Date Day/Night Rate #1

23 Oct 2012 Recipes & Home Remedies, Women & Pregnancy , ,

Dates don’t have to be in the evening!  Make a day of it. Start the morning with a latte and then head out on one of our beautiful Bay Area back roads. Stop for a romantic lunch at a fine restaurant. It will cost less than dinner and be less crowded. On the drive home you can stop at another restaurant to watch the sunset and enjoy happy hour before you head home for some romancing.

Do you and your sweetie have special memories of a great date or other romantic moment? Have fun re enacting it!

Always dreamed of travelling abroad but have lacked the time or funds to do so?  Rent a movie filmed in a country you’ve always wanted to visit~ Italy for instance.  Grab a bottle of Chianti and make an authentic pasta dish while listening to beautiful Italian music.  After dinner, plan your dream trip with a pile of travel brochures and tour books. Then cuddle up for your romantic film.

Grab a sexy “how-to” book and start studying!  A less lusty and more romantic how-to guide is “The Art of Kissing:  Book of Questions & Answers by William Cane.

Start, instead of end, your date in the bedroom.  When you’ve already made the physical connection, the emotional connection is heightened and you’re in less of a hurry to get home.  P.S.  Your man is less likely to fall asleep if he hasn’t had dinner yet!

Looking for a way to get to know the new love in your life a bit better? Make each other a playlist of your favorite music. Make sure to include music from your high school and college years. Then grab a bottle of wine and turn up the tunes. You’ll learn so much about each other, as music is so often associated with life’s memories.

Play tourist in your own backyard. Visit the local tourist spots, like the Winchester Mystery House. Don’t forget to take plenty of photos!

Enjoy a little role-playing and fantasy. Get dressed separately, meet in a local restaurant bar and pretend you don’t know one another. Always wanted to have that slightly trashy one night encounter? Go for it without any guilt or second thoughts!

Channel the fun and frivolity of being a carefree child. Head to the zoo or playground and leave life’s cares behind for a few hours.

Do It Yourself Seed Sprouting

23 Oct 2012 Recipes & Home Remedies , ,

  1. Put 1-2 Tbsps. of seeds or 3-4 Tbsps. of beans in a wide mouth jar.
  2. Cover with netting or cheesecloth and secure with a rubber band.
  3. Rinse a couple of times, then fill the jar ¾ full with pure water and soak 6-8 hours or overnight at room temperature with room temperature water.
  4. Drain soak water.  Rinse 2 or 3 times in cool water.
  5. Invert jar and prop at angle in sink or bowl to drain.
  6. Rinse 2 to 3 times twice a day in cool water.
  7. Place sprouting jar in bright light, but not direct sunlight, except for last sprouting day to allow chlorophyll to form, which is the green healthy stuff.
    Enjoy in three to seven days.

Seed sprouts, like alfalfa or red clover are 1” (2.5 cm) to 2” (5cm) long when ready. Bean sprouts, like lentils or peas are ¼” (.5cm) to ½” (1 cm) long when ready. These are more tender when small.  Mung beans are 1” (2.5cm) to 2” (5cm) long when ready. They are best grown in the dark to prevent bitterness.  They should be rinsed 3 to 4 times a day.  Taste the sprouts as they are growing to see when you like them best.

Drain well.  Cover the jar with a lid, or transfer to a covered container.  Refrigerate to store.

Food Hours to Soak Days of Sprouting
All Beans 9-12 2-3
Alfalfa 5-10 3-5
Almond 8-10 2-3
Buckwheat 10-12 2-3
Clover 8-10 3-4
Corn 10-15 3-5
Fenugreek 10-12 4-5
Lentils 10-12 2-3
Millet 8-11 1-2
Oat Groats 8-10 1-2
Peas 9-12 2-3
Quinoa 8-10 2-3
Rice 9-12 3-4
Rye 9-12 2-4
Sesame Seeds 8-11 3-4
Spelt 6-12 3-4
Sunflower Seeds 6-8 2-3
Triticale 9-12 2-4
Wheatgrass 10-12 7-10

Choosing the Right Detox Plan

23 Oct 2012 Recipes & Home Remedies , ,

This is the time of year when the doldrums often surface. The excitement of the holiday season is over and those well-intentioned New Year’s resolutions might be waning. A great way to get back on track is to boot the toxins from your body with a detox or cleanse.

A detox or cleanse will:

  • Dissolve and eliminate toxins that have formed in any part of the body
  • Cleanse the kidneys and digestive system
  • Purify the glands and cells
  • Eliminate waste and hardened material in joints and muscles
  • Relieve pressure and irritation in nerves, arteries and blood vessels

These diets fall into two general categories; ones that allow you to eat and ones that don’t!

A typical seven day cleansing diet that includes food will often cut out all meat, fish, dairy products, processed foods and simple carbohydrates. Raw, organic fruits and vegetables and whole unprocessed foods like grains and nuts will make up most of the diet along with freshly squeezed juices. Numerous cleansing diets can be found online so you can look for the one that will work best for you.

For the diet that doesn’t include food -one of the most popular detox diets is the Lemonade Diet, also known as the Master Cleanse. The program was written by the late Stanley Burroughs in 1940 and was entitled “The Master Cleanser”. Today’s version was published in 1976 and is a small booklet that outlines the diet.

Master Cleanse is not for everyone because of the lack of food. Daily “food” consumption is 60 ounces of water, 12 tablespoons each of maple syrup and freshly squeezed lemon juice, and half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper along with a laxative tea and a salt water flush.

It should be considered strictly a cleansing plan. While weight loss occurs, the majority is water and at least half of the weight returns after weaning off the plan.

If you are interested in a detox or cleanse program, contact us and we will be happy to guide you in choosing a program that is right for you.

Chewy Granola Macaroons

23 Oct 2012 Recipes & Home Remedies

Chewy Granola Macaroons

From Cooking for Healthy Healing by Linda Reetor-Page

Makes 4 dozen cookies: Preheat oven to 350°.

Beat together:

  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup maple sugar granules
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 1 ½ tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp sea salt

Add and mix in:

  • 1 cup shredded coconut
  • ¼ cup raisins
  • 1 cup coconut/almond or other granola 

Drop spoonfuls onto greased baking sheets, and bake about 10 minutes until golden.

Nutritional analysis: per cookie; 46 calories; trace protein; 6gm carbohydrate; trace fiber; 2gm fats; 8mg cholesterol; 9mg calcium; trace iron; 6mg magnesium; 40mg potassium; 48mg sodium; trace zinc.

Cajun Seasoning

23 Oct 2012 Recipes & Home Remedies

Table salt, 26 oz

Cayenne pepper, 5 Tbsp

Black pepper, 3 Tbsp

Onion Powder, 3 Tbsp

Garlic Powder, 3 Tbsp

Chili Powder, 3 Tbsp

Thyme, 1 Tbsp

Sweet Basil, 1Tbsp

Bay leaf, 1 Tbsp

Blend Together

Gluten Free Dark Chocolate Brownies from the Gluten-Free Goddess

23 Oct 2012 Recipes & Home Remedies

 5 ounces Belgian dark chocolate (I used Trader Joe’s)

1/2 cup butter or vegan margarine such as Smart Balance
2 organic happy free-range eggs
1 cup packed organic light brown sugar
1/2 rounded cup almonds, processed into a fine meal
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Optional:
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, if desired
1/2 cup extra semi-sweet chocolate chips for the top, if desired

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8-inch square baking pan with foil and lightly oil the bottom.

Using the microwave, melt the dark chocolate and butter in a large (microwave safe) measuring cup. Stir together to combine. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs on medium high till frothy. Add the brown sugar and beat until the mixture is smooth. Add the melted chocolate mixture into the egg-sugar mixture a little at a time – incorporate it slowly- and beat well for a good minute. The chocolate will look smooth and glossy.

In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients: almond meal, rice flour, fine sea salt and baking soda; whisk together. Add the dry flour mix into the chocolate mixture and beat well for a minute. Add the vanilla, beat another half a minute or so. You now have your brownie batter. If you are adding nuts, stir in the nuts by hand and spread the batter into the prepared baking pan [this brownie batter is much thinner than any brownie mix batter I’ve tried- don’t worry, it’s going to be wonderful]. Shake the pan a little bit to even out the batter.

Layer the semi-sweet chips all over the top of the batter and press them in slightly, if adding. Bake in the center of a preheated 350 degree F oven for 33 to 35 minutes, or until the brownies are set. Don’t overcook. (Err on the side of gooey, if you must- that’s what I do; I find gluten-free brownies taste better slightly undercooked and soft in the middle than over-cooked and crumbly.)

Cool on a wire rack; and remove the brownies from the pan by gripping the foil edges. Chill before cutting. We saved out two squares, and wrapped the rest for freezing. These brownies were outstanding slightly chilled. Intense, chocolaty and tender. This is a fabulous recipe. And I have to Clare to thank for it.

Makes 9-12 servings (we cut nine medium squares).
Source: glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com

Vegan Brownies

23 Oct 2012 Recipes & Home Remedies
Ingredients:

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 cups white sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup vanilla soy milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup applesauce

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Directions:

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Pour in soy milk, vegetable oil, applesauce and vanilla. Mix until well blended. Spread evenly in a 9×13 baking pan.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until the top is no longer shiny. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting into squares. Cook longer for a less gooey brownie.

 

Broccoli Walnut Salad

23 Oct 2012 Recipes & Home Remedies

Broccoli Walnut Salad

From Cooking for Healthy Healing, by Linda Reetor-Page

Makes 6 servings

Pan roast 2/3 cup large walnut pieces in 2 tbsp olive oil until brown and aromatic.

To make the dressing- whisk together:

  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • ½ tsp lemon/garlic seasoning
  • Drops of hot pepper sauce
  • ½ tsp dry Basil
  • ½ tsp dry mustard
  • ½ tsp sesame salt

Chill dressing while rest of salad is being prepared.

Blanch 2  bunches of broccoli florets with 2 chopped broccoli stems with 2 cups sliced zucchini rounds in boiling water or light stock until color changes to bright green. Drain and chill.

Toss vegetables with dressing and top with walnuts. Serve in lettuce cups.

Nutritional analysis: per serving; 206 calories; 6gm protein; 10gm carbohydrates; 5gm fiber; 17gm fats; 0 cholesterol; 82mg calcium; 63mg magnesium; 2mg iron; 575mg potassium; 113mg sodium; 1mg zinc.

1 … 7 8 9

Search

+