Last week when I was unable to move much from a car accident I was in, an old employee and sweet friend came over with her mom to bless me with a meal.  It was so delicious, and totally hit the spot.  She was even kind enough to bring over a copy of the recipe for me, making sure it was safe for Ellington since I’m nursing.  People’s kindness is so humbling!  One bite of her soup, and I was texting her that I would have to blog that incredible recipe.  Yum!  I have been craving it ever since I finished it off, and I made it today for my family to enjoy.  It was a hit with them too!

An added bonus is that it can be used on the Standard Process 21 Purification Program, on the Hallelujah Acres Diet and you can easily add in more protein for pregnant/nursing moms.  I cooked it as the recipe said for JB (vegan diet), and then I added chicken and quinoa for me (more protein).

Here is the recipe.

We have really been enjoying quinoa because it tastes so good, is easy and quick to cook, and provides a great source of protein.  Try it if you’ve never used it before.  It’s easy to replace recipes that call for brown rice with quinoa instead.  You can do so many things with this delicious food!  I ran across this recipe for quinoa that we also tried tonight.  Again, my family loved it!  Plus, I had never roasted garlic before, and I will definitely be doing that more often too.

Here is that recipe.

I sauteed the bell peppers and mushrooms in coconut oil, and added a little bit of tamari to them.

Finally, this third quinoa recipe is from my friend Lesley.  She brought it to a party, and as soon as I tasted it, I begged her to post the recipe.  She did, and we’ve already made it three times at the house; one of those was for mom who insisted she watch and learn how to do it.  It’s really simple and so delicious too.

From time to time, I would like to share that change with you.  Realize please, we are NOT perfect!  We are definitely still growing and changing our ways to become healthier.  I know it is overwhelming to change your life- especially in an area where food is involved.  If there is one thing I know from the cleanse:  Food is a very touchy, emotional subject.  And, as with anything, the key to permanent change is to change slowly over a period of time.  Be encouraged by your small moves towards health and wellness.  We all have set backs, it’s okay, just keep moving forward!

Hopefully, this post will help you get started and implement some small changes to help you and your family.  I will tell you one thing, Harper is being raised eating a lot differently than either of us ever did growing up.  That is something we are so very proud of!  He is reaping the benefits of all of our efforts to change our eating habits; and, every time he eats something healthy that the typical American kid wouldn’t touch (or many adults for that matter), we just smile.  He is our proof that our hard efforts are paying off in a big way.  After all, shouldn’t each generation be and do better than the last?  That is what this is all about:  Changing slowly so you can not only be healthier, but you can teach those after you how to do it right.

Here are some small steps:

1) Drink clean water.  We buy reverse osmosis water (this is really cheap), and we don’t really keep other drinks in the house.  If there aren’t other options, what to drink is a really easy decision!  Make it fun by adding fresh orange, lemon or lime slices- even try some fresh mint sprigs from time to time.  Most people walk around dehydrated and don’t even realize it; the more water you give your body, the more your body will crave water (trust me on this one!). 

This one can be hard, especially if you (or your kids) are used to drinking a lot of juices or teas or sodas.  An easy way to transition, start by drinking as much water as you plan to drink of the other beverage before you drink the other beverage.  You won’t drink as much of the other liquid if you start with water first.  Then, especially with juices/teas (doesn’t work so well with sodas), start diluting the other beverage with water until over time all you are drinking is water.  This last step is a wonderful way to transition kids.

2) Add a little raw vegetables to lunch, dinner and most snacks.  Why?  Raw foods contain enzymes which help you break down and digest your other foods.  Also, you will absorb nutrients better from raw than cooked because these foods are living.  And, just like with adding water, when you add vegetables to your body, your undernourished body will eventually realize it needs this, and you will start craving them!  I know some of you think you could never crave something as healthy as a veggie, again, trust me on this.

3) Replace all of your salt with sea salt.  We use Real Sea Salt, which is sold in many stores and very easy to find.  Real Sea Salt is very different from the salt most people are used to.  Why?  First of all, it looks different, it is not bleach white and is quite colorful.  This is a great sign because it lets you know it hasn’t been bleached and processed and it tells you all of the minerals have been left in it.  This salt has so many wonderful nutrients in it, which are healthy for you.  Yes, now you can use salt without worrying about the harmful side effects.  Even if you are pregnant, because of all the essential nutrients this salt contains, you can salt to taste and not worry about the side effects.  You may be surprised, but this salt tastes so much better than the salt you’ve been used to all of your life.  And, it takes a lot less of it to bring out wonderful flavors in your food.  This company sells many flavored salts and seasonings, start trying them out.  I’d love to hear what you think.

4) Join an organic food co-op.  We belong to Monica Brown’s Healthsource Group.  I know I have said a lot about how much I love this in previous post.  This is such an easy way to transition, try it!  You can buy a member’s share when they are out of town, you can split a share with someone until you decide you want a full one, and/or you can try the co-op for a few weeks to see what you think.  Why is this so essential?  Several reasons:  It forces you to try different types of organic produce that you may not usually buy.  Do you know how many ”weird” things we eat/do because we first found out about them through the co-op.  And, don’t let this scare you.  First, you choose how “weird” you want to be .  No, seriously, in the co-op you will find most of the produce are normal things you would eat (salad, tomatoes, potatoes, oranges, apples, onions).  You get a lot of the usual things you pick up at the store, but at first, there are usually a couple of things which you have never seen before.  What a great opportunity!  And, everyone on the co-op board shares their ideas/recipes.  Google is a great recipe tool too.  Many things we now love to eat, and “have to have” on a weekly basis got their start in our co-op bin, as we would question, “What is that?!”.  Try it!

5) Find one new, healthy recipe to try every other week.  Again, many of these have become our staple meals.  And, what’s the worse that can happen?  None of your family, including you, thinks the recipe is edible so you get to enjoy a meal out after cooking.  See, it’s worth the try just for the possibility of getting to dine out.  Pick a recipe from my blog, or from the Nourishing Traditions book or from any of the other cooking sites I have mentioned.  Have fun!

There you have it, some tips to get you started.  One more thing, notice how every trick I have offered mentions adding something in or replacing it?  If you start with taking everything out and thinking, “I can’t do or have this.”, you will never stick with it.  It is human nature to run away from pain and towards pleasure.  Don’t make this a painful process!  Start slow and have a worthy goal! 

Any ideas you wish to share on how you transitioned?  I would love to hear them!  And, check back often, I will try to share lots more ideas.

Sunday night, I made my Whole Foods run for the week.  I am pretty bad about making out menus for the week, but doing this is vital to surviving the cleanse.  I was feeling rather proud of myself, I had a menu, a grocery list and had times planned out to prep and cook.  My alarm was set for a decent hour Monday morning.  I had it all planned out- plenty of time to cook before heading into the office…  Well, as often happens, babies have other plans.  In my line of work, you have to learn to roll with this.  It’s good at keeping me from being too uptight!  So, after the unexpected phone call, I rushed to drop Harper off at my mom’s, and as I am attempting to speed across town to see this baby’s grand entrance, the little red Jeep in front of me is determined to go 5 miles an hour on a two lane, no pass road.  Urgh!  I finally arrive, park, and run into the house to hear the midwife say, “You can push as soon as Cindy gets here.”  They waited on me!  Thank-you, Jesus!  A precious baby boy was born 5 minutes after I walked into the house.  That was enough excitement for one day; so, I gave myself the freedom to postpone cleansing until Tuesday.  There is my long explanation as to why today marks day 2 for me instead of day 3.  I know, you want to know what all I have been doing cooking and eating. 

We start out with our shakes; which, I am learning to make taste better and better.  Harper loves them so much he comes and dances and screams when he hears the blender going.  And, yesterday we had a precious routine that I could have enjoyed all day:  Yell for my shake, give Harper a sip, Harper smiles and hugs me with his head rested on my shoulder as he pats my back, yells for my shake, and so on and so forth.  Priceless!  And, what better way to get your kids to take their supplements than to add them to a nutritious shake?  Even the pickiest of children would enjoy it.  Yesterday’s shake was just so/so, but today’s was divine! 

Shake Recipe:  1 cup of coconut milk, 2 scoops of SP Complete, 1 tbsp of SP Whole Food Fiber, 1/4 organic banana, handful of organic fresh spinach, 1/4cup frozen organic mangos and 1/4 cup frozen organic cherries with a dash of cinnamon and nutritional yeast

For snacks, I have had celery and carrots dipped in hummus, clementines and apples.  Because I am nursing and need extra protein and do not have digestive issues (if you did you would want to avoid these), I have done some almonds and eggs too.  For lunch yesterday, we went to Jason’s Deli and enjoyed the salad bar.  For dinner, we had baked organic sweet potatoes with organic butter, sea salt and organic cinnamon with a salad.  Harper ate an entire huge sweet potatoe by himself.  Then, for lunch today, we had a big, fresh salad (organic lettuce, organic celery, organic tomatoes, organic carrots and organic avocado) and sweet potato fries.  Also, we had some leftover stir-fry from yesterday.  That was one of the best stir fries we have had- yum! 

Stir Fry Recipe:  Organic Beet Greens (cut the stems/greens off of a bunch of beets- I had red ones), organic celery, organic carrots, organic brocoli, and organic red onion.  Stir fry diced veggies in coconut oil and season with sea salt, pepper, Bragg Organic Sprinkle and nutritional yeast.  Serve over brown rice.

I haven’t decided what we are having for dinner yet.  But, I am so thankful we got a co-op delivery yesterday.  Again, I highly recommend a co-op like the Healthsource Group.  They make my life so much healthier and easier!!  I feel like we have already gone through half of our share in just one day.  Of course, that is taking into account that Harper is addicted to the clementines!

I will share some new websites that I have found and really like too.  One is Kelly’s.  A few weeks ago, I stole a chicken taco recipe from her.  Bonus?  It’s made in the CrockPot, and who doesn’t love that?!  I have to tell you, I will be making chicken like this more often.  It is so easy, and so delish!  I didn’t know that you could cook chicken breasts in a CrockPot and they would flake apart with a fork.  Not only was this taco recipe great, but you could use chicken cooked like this in soups, sandwiches and salads.  The possibilities abound!  Here is the Taco Recipe.  I used the “Simply Organic Southwest Taco Seasoning” and homemade chicken stock (cooked using Sally Fallon’s ”Nourishing Traditions” recipe I have posted on this blog before) in mine.  Make sure you check all package ingredients- packaged spice companies tend to hide things in them like “partially hydrogenated oils” and “MSG”.  These would ruin your cleanse and your meal, and definitely shouldn’t be fed to your family!

A new veggie dish that we really like too is roasted butternut squash and brussel sprouts.  It is really tasty and simple!  Roasting the brussel sprouts really removes the bitter taste.  In a casserole dish, combine cubed butternut squash and brussel sprouts (bottoms trimmed and cut in half).  Toss with sea salt/pepper and coconut oil.  Roast at 375-400F for 30-45minutes until the edges are brown.  Stir occasionally while roasting.  Enjoy!  Harper likes these too.

For our sweet tooth that we developed over the holidays, we will be using this next recipe on the cleanse a lot.  I love it!  My friends, the Browns, treated us to these the other day.  They are wonderful!  Like I shared last time on the cleanse, I would make my “Almond Joy” version by stuffing with almonds and shredded coconut.  I love this new idea though.  Take organic medjool dates, slice them in half and remove seed.  Mix almond butter (or whatever nut butter you prefer) with a dash of organic cinnamon, sea salt and flax seed.  The flax adds great fiber and a wonderful little crunch (we crave texture a lot on the cleanse).  Spoon the nut butter mixture into the middle of the dates, and enjoy.  Yum, yum, yum!

Again, I would love to hear about your favorite healthy recipes!

Did you know that the acronym for the “Standard American Diet” spells out “SAD”?  The majority of households in America, on a daily basis in and outside of their homes, are eating food that makes their bodies very sad.  Therefore, should I be surprised that when I start to educate people in my office on changing their diet, they have a lot of questions?  Gone are the generations that taught the next generation how to eat real food.  When people want to change over their diet, get back to what God intended for us to eat and get healthier, there is a lot of teaching that has to be done.  It can be exhausting, but it is so worth it!

Yesterday, as I sat in a mall food court, feeding my 14 month old Harper, I was saddened and amazed when I looked around.  Directly behind me, a grandfather was commenting with laughter about how long it took his grandson to eat a french fry.  Yes, he was feeding a french fry to a baby who couldn’t have been older than 5 months.  The table to my right had two children- probably 2 and 5 years old- both happily munching down on their McDonald’s Happy Meals.  Funny name, as those meals are setting them up for anything but happy.  And, the people at the table in front of me were giving their toddlers sips of Coke.  Lovely!  Have these people not seen Supersize Me?  Probably not, and the worst part is, they think nothing of eating this way and worse yet of feeding their children this way.

It took Jim Bob and I several years to change over our diet to something we were pleased with, after learning all we learned about food in school and from our classmates.  Our diet is something we put a lot of thought, effort and work into.  And, we are very proud of it.  I love the quote that says, “Either pay the farmer now or pay the doctor later.”  This is definitely something we apply to our food choices; but, don’t get me wrong, food doesn’t have to be pricey to be healthy.  As much pride as I take in preparing food for Jim Bob and me, I take even more pride in what I feed Harper.  Why?  I think one of the ways I show Harper how much I love him and I invest in his future is through food.  I love that Jim Bob and I have a clean slate with Harper.  He hasn’t, and will never, grown up on McDonald’s, so as an adult that is a horrible habit he will never have to break.  We are so blessed to be given the opportunity to shape and mold children, shouldn’t their eating habits be included in this process?  Absolutely!  And, whether or not parents realize it, they are shaping and molding their children’s eating habits (and a lot more behind the scenes of that too- like taste buds, and health).

When parents realize this, I get a lot of questions about what to feed their children.  And, the easiest place for me to speak from on that question, is to give them examples of what we do at home.  A good friend of mine who is a lactation consultant and dietician gave me one of the best pieces of advice when we started solids with Harper.  She said when it comes to eating you have choices:  What to eat, how much to eat, where to eat and when to eat.  As a parent, you are responsible and choose the what, when and where.  The only choice the child gets is how much.  I love that!  I get a lot of parents when trying healthy and/or different foods with their kids who will report back to me, “Susie just won’t eat that.”  Really?  See, in our house, Harper doesn’t get a choice.  We decide what he eats, when he eats and where, and he tells us how much.  This rule really does cut down on him being a picky eater.  And, I promise, if they are hungry enough, they will try it.  You, as a parent, want them to try it because you know it’s good for them, their taste buds are constantly developing and changing, and the more tastes/textures they are exposed to at an earlier age, the more variety they will like as they age.

I know, I know…  Because I hear it on a daily basis, you are yelling at your computer screen, “Stop talking and give me some specific ideas…  What does Harper eat?!”  Well, we never started him out on formula and/or rice cereal and/or dairy, and I’d recommend you don’t start your children out on that either.  In fact, I know you will gasp when I say this, but babies/toddlers never have to have any of those things.  Yes, my mother still ask me on a daily basis, ”Don’t you think a little rice cereal would help him sleep and feel him up?”  Rice cereal is a big deal in our society, part of the way we start out on that SAD diet adventure.  It’s a standard for babies, and it shouldn’t be…  Another post for another day.

So, here is Harper’s menu.  I say “menu” because I am trying to think of all the things we choose from to feed him.  Another words, this is the list we choose from, not what he eats in one setting.  Although as he grows, I feel like he eats the entire list in one setting.  My gosh, how do people afford more than one boy?!  I am getting a little worried!  Also, remember that when possible, we try to feed him as much organic and local produce as possible.  But, like you, we simply strive to do the best we can (sometimes that is simply not an option).

Harper’s Breakfast Menu:

Fruit: Banana or Pear or Grapefruit or Apple or Grapes or Orange

Steel Cut Oats (these only take 10minutes to cook, or you can CrockPot them).  I add sea salt and cinnamon to them.  Sometimes, I will also add extra virgin coconut oil or nut butters for added taste and good fats.  This is a favorite of Harper’s.

Apple Sauce.  Again, enhance the flavor with cinnamon, if you want.  Cinnamon is great for blood sugar!

Scrambled Eggs

Brown Rice

Harper’s Lunch/Dinner Menu:

Brown Rice

Lentils (check my blog for different recipes)

Nori Sheets (one of Harper’s absolute favorites)

Black Beans

Vegetables:  Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans, Squash, Pumpkin, Green Beans, Kale (he really likes kale chips, check my blog for recipe), Butternut Squash, Cucumbers, Carrots, Peas, Avocado (I know it’s a fruit!), Acorn Squash, Brocoli, Brussel Sprouts, Bell Peppers

Chicken Stock (Nourishing Tradition’s recipe.  We are not doing meat until he has molars, but this provides him good minerals.  It’s messy to feed, but he LOVES it)

Harper’s Snack Menu:

Vegetables and/or Fruit from Just Tomatoes (I adore this company, they have made my life so easy!  We do not do wheat or processed sugars with Harper, so this is my easy snack, our answer to “Puffs”)

Raisins (usually Newman’s Organic)

Brown Rice Crackers (they have nothing in them but brown rice)

Dried coconut

If it is available in your area, I highly recommend an organic co-op, like this one.  They make eating organic, fresh possible and cheap.  Many times, our organic groceries from them, are cheaper than the same non-organic ones in the store.  Not to mention, there is a whole community to help walk with you and teach you that comes with these co-ops.  We are so thankful to the Brownsfor our awesome co-op (can’t say enough here)!  Also, our BabiesRUs and WholeFoods/Central Markets are carrying a new product which really helps when we are on the go (a must for car rides):  squeezable packets of baby food.  We have tried ones from this company and this one and this one and this one.

Occasionally, we will give Harper some coconut water in his water (I used to mix it with his breastmilk bottles to make them go further too) because it provides great nutrition.  However, we don’t give him any juice (too much sugar).  He drinks water and breastmilk, that’s it.  Things like applesauce and oatmeal and some baby foods are great though because we use them to mix in his supplements.  He will take his fish oil by itself because he loves the taste, but we mix in his Standard Process supplements and probiotic with his food.

What about you?  I would love to hear some great ideas that you have fed your kids, please share!

The Nourishing Gourmet

Hallelujah Acres

Monica’s Healthsource Group (e-group on Yahoo is very helpful!)

Raw Sacramento

Alissa Cohen

Raw Guru

Those are just a few, hope they help add to your menu.  Please share your favorite sites and/or recipes by commenting on this post.

1 small red onion

2 grapefruits

2 avocados

extra virgin olive oil

sea salt/pepper to taste

Slice the onion very thinly, peel and cut grapefruits into wedges, slice avocados and combine with olive oil/salt/pepper.  Enjoy!

Coconut Rice

2 cups of organic brown rice (I like jasmine or basmati for this recipe)

coconut oil

14oz. can of coconut milk

2 cups of water

chopped dates (to taste, sweetens recipe)

1/4 cup organic shredded dry coconut

1tbsp. butter

Toast dry rice in coconut oil by stirring until the rice has a nutty aroma.  Pour water and coconut milk over rice, add chopped dates and bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer over low heat until all the liquid is absorbed (about 40 minutes).  Toast shredded coconut in melted butter over low heat.  Add toasted coconut to cooked rice, enjoy!

Mock CornNuts 

1 Can of Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) drained and rinsed

Seasoning of choice (like sea salt, cumin, paprika, pepper, garlic)

Olive or coconut oil

Combine chickpeas with about 2tbsp. of olive oil (enough to lightly coat).  Spread onto a baking sheet, and add seasoning.  Bake at 400 for about 30 minutes (stirring occasionally) until crunchy.  This recipe satisfies the crunch craving!

I am still taking 3 Gastro-Fiber 3 times a day, and so is JB, along w/ his 7 SP Cleanse 3 times a day.  Our shake, although not our breakfast of choice this morning, really did taste good and helped our cravings go away.  Here’s what is consisted of this morning: liquid (1/2 water, 1/2 coconut water), large handful of fresh spinach, a banana, a few frozen strawberries, 1/3 cup frozen pineapple, 1/4 cup organic shredded coconut, 2 scoops of SP complete, and 1/2 scoop of DFH Whey Protein.  For lunch, we are having one of our favorites- red curried lentils and brown rice.  I am excited to share the recipe with you.

2 cups vegi broth (more if you want more soupy)
1 cup red lentils (sorted / rinsed)
 
Boil lentils in broth
Reduce to med. low / partially cover and simmer appox 10 mins. until lentils are tender
 
1 Tbs. coconut oil
1 med. onion, chopped
2 gloves garlic (or to taste)- I use 4
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (or to taste)
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground tumeric
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
NOTE:  I just use curry powder to tast in place of 3 above
1 Tbs. tomato paste
1/2 cup organic coconut milk (or to taste / consistancy)- I use a full can
2 tsp. fresh lime juice (or to taste)
 
Heat oil / add onion / garlic / red pepper saute approx. 5 mins.
Add spices saute approx. 3 mins.
Add tomato paste stir approx 3 mins. (will begin to carmelize / do not let burn)
Add coconut milk mix well
Add lentils
Season with salt / pepper / lime juice to taste

Here is the finished product, delish:

Even if you don’t like lentils or curry, this is like nothing you have ever tried before.  Please try it, we love it! 

Here’s how it looked during prep, these are the onions and lentils cooking:

Simmering before serving:

I will explain in a later post how to cook brown rice.  Lentils are great for blood sugar control, we use them a lot during the cleanse.

And, Harper?  He enjoyed avocado and sauerkraut for lunch!  He is enjoying the cleanse, see:

And, I am headed off to my second birth today and still have one mom “overdue” after this one.  I am trying my best to keep up with the blog.  The cleanse goes on, no matter what, but if my posting slows it’s because babies are here!  I will see you soon.  Please think of all these sweet moms and keep them in your prayers- my job is so fun!

Hence, I am so happy that I have awesome patients who share great recipe finds with me, that I can pass on to you.  These two come from Maggie G. and LeighAnne D., thanks ladies!  I haven’t done the turnip fries yet, so I will take pics and let you know how that one goes over soon.  But, we have done the Kale Chips on many occassions.  Get ready, you will cook a bunch, and if it’s anything like in our house, there will be NONE left in just a few minutes.  Harper even loves kale!

Kale Chips:  1 bunch of Kale, 2tbsp of Olive Oil, Sea Salt to taste.  Heat the oven to 375, wash kale, pull kale leaves off of stem, discard stem.  The stems are extremely tough, so make sure you get them all out.  Tear leaves into bite size pieces.  Place kale in a large bowl and cover w/ the Olive Oil and Sea Salt (massage leaves to make sure everyone gets covers).  Place on a baking sheet, again making sure none overlap.  Bake for about 10-15 minutes until crispy and edges have browned.  I usually flip once while cooking.  Enjoy!

Here is the kale chips being prepped w/ Olive Oil and Sea Salt

Ready for baking!

Ready to crunch and munch on!

Turnip Fries:  Just peel and slice a turnip into “fries”, season with olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper.  Bake at 425 for 30 minutes, flip, and then broil for 8 minutes!  Enjoy.