Announcing The Spring Cleaning: Get the Junk Out! Carnival

March 11, 2010  { 5 Comments }    

If you love fabulous food made a little bit healthier, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for stopping by! Amy

I’ve been invited to be part of an exciting carnival with some top-knotch bloggers.  We’re going to Spring Clean – and not the get-on-your-knees-and-scrub kind of clean, either.

For the next 10 weeks on Tuesdays, we’ll explore topics that you might want to clean out – everything from household cleaners to your pantry, your mental habits to your make-up.

Katie, from Kitchen Stewardship, has graciously orchestrated the event. Here’s what she has to say about it:

“Each week, a different blog will host a theme that fits their mission and a linky for YOU to link up any pertinent posts.

Related posts for the linky might include a tips post, a recipe, a personal story of getting that issue “out”, or even questions you have about the issue.

Here’s the list of hostesses and weekly themes so you can plan to participate. There will be giveaways for each week, with entries both for linking up at your blog and for leaving comments for all you non-bloggers.  New and old posts welcome!

1. 3/23 Katie @ Kitchen Stewardship: antibacterial soap/bleach
2. 3/30 Amy @ Simply Sugar and Gluten Free: gluten
3. 4/6 Beth @ Fake Plastic Fish: plastic food containers
4. 4/13 Donielle @ Naturally Knocked Up: refined sugar
5. 4/20 Micaela @ Mindful Momma: parabens
6. 4/27 Lenetta @ Nettacow: food additives
7. 5/4 Kelly the Kitchen Kop: CAFOs
8. 5/11 Laura @ Heavenly Homemakers: pesticides
9. 5/18 Mandi @ Organizing Your Way: clutter
10. 5/25 Claire @ Saving Money Plan: debt

The Monday Mission here at KS will correspond with the week’s theme, and you’ll find information here about WHY you might want to “get out” a certain topic…then head on over to the hostess blog every Tuesday for multi-level options to help you make a change. You’ll get ideas to take Baby Steps, Making Strides, or a Leap of Faith to get it all out!”

I’ll host “Get the Gluten Out” at a special, totally gluten-free Slightly Indulgent Tuesday.

Mark these dates on your calendar! I’m sure I’ll learn a lot along the way – and hope you’ll join in the fun, too!

Questions or thoughts?  Leave them in the comments below.

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Slightly Indulgent Tuesday – 3/9/10

March 8, 2010  { 12 Comments }    

Welcome to Slightly Indulgent Tuesday!

It’s exam week at Culinary School. I have 3 big tests and a project this week so today’s post is going to be short and sweet. The upside – next week is Spring Break so I’ll have time to catch up on my blog reading.

My submission is about my recent physical results – I’m vitamin D deficient. Thanks to everyone who shared their experience with this.  I’m on the path to full recovery and appreciate knowing how so many of you have achieved and maintained healthy levels of this necessary vitamin.

Go Ahead Honey, It’s Gluten-Free is hosted here this month.  Read about how to submit your Guiltless Gluten Free dish here.

Linking Up Guidelines!!

• When you link, please tell us who you are and what you’re cooking . For example, I would enter:
  Amy @ Simply Sugar & Gluten Free – (Dairy Free Chocolate Coconut Pudding)
• Please link to your individual post, not your homepage and link back to this post so that your readers can find the recipes here.

I hate deleting links…If you find that your link has been deleted it’s because it doesn’t link to your post or you haven’t linked back here.  E-mail me with questions or if you need help.

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Sugar-Free Mocha Frappe & Vitamin D

March 7, 2010  { 20 Comments }    

I’m vitamin D deficient.

The results of my recent physical show my vitamin D levels drastically low – at a 12.  The acceptable range is between 30 and 100. My doctor said that’s one reason I’ve been so tired lately.  I thought it was just my hectic schedule.

She put me on 50,000 IUs of vitamin D a week .  That’s almost 18 times the recommended daily intake. As an added bonus, I’ve been instructed to make return trips to her office for on a regular basis so she can poke me with needles until my levels are normal.

Why Vitamin D is Important

Vitamin D is essential for calcium absorption.  Though my calcium intake is normal, my doctor says it’s likely I’m not absorbing the calcium into my bones because there’s not enough vitamin D in my body.

Over time, that could result in bone thinning, bone pain, and osteoporosis.  In fact, my doctor said she’s seen more and more women deficient in vitamin D lately.

Where does vitamin D come from?

Our bodies can make vitamin D and, being a fat soluable vitamin, it’s stored in our bodies.  According to Nutrition for Foodservice & Culinary Professionals by Lisa Eich Drummond and Lisa M. Brefere, our bodies can make about half of the vitamin D we need with regular exposure to sunlight. For someone fair skinned like me, 15 minutes of sunlight 2 to 3 times a week would be adequate.

In Texas there’s usually lots of sunlight.  Very hot sunlight.  I try to walk before the sun comes up and stay inside during the heat of the day.  I also wear lots of sunscreen in the warm months which can increase the amount of sunlight needed.

Shrimp and sardines contain vitamin D.  The rest comes from foods that have been vitamin D fortified.

Fortified means that it’s been added to increase the original level or it’s been added to a food that didn’t initially have the vitamin present.

What foods are vitamin D fortified?

• Store bought milk – not raw milk
• Store bought almond milk, soy milk, and rice milk
• Some yogurts – Stonyfield Organic Yogurt has added vitamin D
• Processed cereals – most of which aren’t gluten-free

I don’t tolerate lots of dairy, so I don’t drink milk.  Though I eat cottage cheese, it’s not vitamin D fortified. And, I started making my own almond milk which has no vitamin D at all.  I like to bake with almond milk but don’t like to drink it.  Processed cereals – ugh.  Need I say more?

Regardless of what I like, it’s clear I need to make a change.

Necessary Change

Homemade yogurt made with organic milk has become a staple in my diet. It’s vitamin D fortified so that’s a bonus.  I’ve also decided to drink one of these Sugar-Free Mocha Frappes made with my beloved Vita-Mix for a treat on a more regular basis.  I’ve been working on a low-fat dairy based ice cream and some granitas made with alternative vitamin D fortified milks.

Pudding is another way I’ve been getting some more vitamin D in my body.  And though I never thought I’d publicly admit it, I’ve been using sugar-free Jello pudding mix.  It’s not a perfect solution but for now it helps.  I know I can make it from scratch but time is of the essence these days. (Being perfect is over-rated.)

I have more sunlight in my future, too.  The dogs and I will do our daily romps mid-day when we can.

Please don’t take Vitamin D supplements without doctor supervision.  It’s the most toxic vitamin when taken in excess and isn’t safe to take without being monitored.  I’m not giving medical advice. I’m just sharing my experience.

Quacky Nutritional Advice

This gives me the perfect opportunity to share my thoughts on extreme and unsound nutritional advice that seems to run amuck in the blogosphere.

I don’t eat white sugar or wheat but I don’t degrade it.  Wheat and sugar don’t work for me.  If they work for you, fantastic.  My husband eats wheat and sugar with no problem at all.  So do most of my friends.

In my humble opinion, there is a benefit to eating less sugar.  I also see a huge nutritional benefit to eating some of the more nutrient dense gluten free flours, like quinoa, millet, brown rice, oat, and buckwheat.

But I don’t need to knock wheat or sugar to share that with you. And, in the end, I trust that you know what works for your body.

I can always spot a quacky post when it’s emotionally wrought, makes far fetched claims, and has absolutely no credentials or training.  Do your research.  If it sounds crazy, it just might be.

Enough about that….Go Ahead Honey, It’s Gluten-Free is hosted here this month.  The theme is Guiltless Pleasures.  Read about how to submit your post here.

Joe tasted this and loved it – he had no idea that I’d snuck a carrot into this.

Print friendly recipe

Sugar-free Mocha Frappe
serves 2 only if you want to share

1 cup of 1% milk, almond milk, or rice milk
1 cup of ice cubes
1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped into 1 inch sections
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 heaping teaspoon of espresso powder
1 packet NuNaturals Powdered Stevia, or to taste

Place all ingredients in Vita-Mix in the order listed above.  Start with Vita-Mix on variable 1 low, increase to high, then flip to variable 2 and blend until desired consistency is reached.  Pour into a glass, relax, and enjoy.

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Restaurant Style Mexican Black Beans Recipe

March 5, 2010  { 3 Comments }    

I love richly flavored black beans served in Mexican restaurants.  Now you can make them at home with only six ingredients and minimal effort.

Whenever I post about beans one person inevitably mentions avoiding them due to digestive issues.  I learned from Ali at The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen that this is usually caused by a lack of fiber intake. This was true for me.  Increasing my fiber intake solved any unwanted digestive problems.

Cooking Beans

We’ve been eating more beans lately.  I was insistent on mastering bean cooking in the pressure cooker.  Pound after pound, my best efforts yielded a blown-out mushy paste.  Meatballs, chicken, and soups are no challenge at all.  But me, beans, and a pressure cooker seem to be a recipe for disaster.

A painful surrender culminated in my red enameled cast iron dutch oven simmering away with black beans and aromatics.  Needing no attention, I sat down with a stack of text books.  Before long I was surrounded by warmth and comfort. Smiling, I was reminded that sometimes letting go is the best solution.

Uses and Leftovers

The latest batch of black beans has been wholly enjoyed with cilantro-lime marinated pork one night and as breakfast burritos with eggs the next.  I’ll finish them off for lunch today with some quinoa accompanied by jicama and cucumber salad.

Health Benefits

Beans in general are a good source of fiber, which can help lower cholesterol and stabilize blood sugar.  Black beans in particular are quite nutrient dense.  Named one of the world’s healthiest foods, they’re also a good source of folate, iron, magnesium, and when combined with a whole grain make a complete protein.

A Fun Side Note

On Sunday, I finally met my good friend, Alta from Tasty Eats at Home, along with Natalie from Natalie’s Killer Cuisine and Karol, The Dallas Gourmet Food Examiner.  Alta and I started a group called the Dallas Food Bloggers – she graciously gave me credit for the idea on her blog but the truth is that she was able to connect the dots between all the different bloggers.  There would be no Dallas Food Bloggers without her.

Alta took all the pics so instead of trying to top her fabulous post, I decided to just send you her way.

School has been wild – it’s final exam week for some classes, midterms for others.  Couple that with volunteer events and cater-outs…I’m happily exhausted.  Missing my blog and the interaction has spurred me toward hope for some sort of balance.  I do have culinary school stories to share in the coming weeks.

Reminder – I’m hosting Go Ahead Honey, It’s Gluten Free! this month and it’s all about Guiltless Pleasures. Read about how to submit your post here. You don’t have to be a gluten-free blogger to participate – so please share a gluten-free dish with us.

Print friendly recipe

Restaurant Style Black Beans
serves 6 – 8

1 pound dry black beans, rinsed and picked over
1 medium onion, diced small
4 cloves garlic, grated on a microplane
2 tablespoons cilantro
2 – 3 teaspoons salt, or to taste

Rinse and sort beans.  Cover beans with filtered water, making sure water is 2 inches higher than the beans, and soak overnight or for 6 hours.

Drain beans and place into a large sauce pot or dutch oven. Cover with filtered water, making sure water is once inch higher than the beans.  Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer.  Skim any foam off the top as it rises.  Once there is no more foam, add the onion and garlic.  Let beans simmer for 45 mintues or until they start to soften.  Add cilantro and 1 to 2 teaspoons of salt.

Continue cooking for another 30 to 45 minutes until beans are very soft but still intact and the broth has thickened.  Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.  This is where a good cook thinks about how the beans taste and adds necessary ingredients.  Do they need more garlic, salt, or maybe a little more cilantro?  Do they need a little more water?

Serve as desired.  Refrigerate or freeze leftovers.  When reheating, add water to if needed to get the right consistency.

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Slightly Indulgent Tuesday – 3/2/10

March 1, 2010  { 12 Comments }    

Sometimes it’s a struggle to come up with a unique way to say “Welcome back to Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays!”  It’s one of those times.  So though my welcome may not be original, it’s completely from the heart.

The fabulous food made healthier that’s been shared seems to get better every week.

My Submission

This week it’s quite unique – not a food at all but an invitation to participate in Go Ahead Honey, It’s Gluten Free’s March edition – Guiltless Pleasures.  For those of you who don’t know about this, it’s a  monthly round-up featuring gluten-free recipes.  You don’t have to be a gluten-free blogger to participate – just make a healthier gluten-free dish, post it, and send it to me.  Read all the guidelines here.

I know that all of you have a Guiltless Gluten-Free dish just longing to be gawked at.  Send them my way.

Healthier Highlights from Last Week

A few unique and tasty dishes I’d love to try…

• Vietnamese-Style Turkey Burgers with Quick Pickled Veggies
• Creamy Hot Carob & Coconut (I love carob!)
• Nut Free & Gluten Free Breakfast Cookies

Linking Up Guidelines!!

• When you link, please tell us who you are and what you’re cooking . For example, I would enter:
  Amy @ Simply Sugar & Gluten Free – (Dairy Free Chocolate Coconut Pudding)
• Please link to your individual post, not your homepage and link back to this post so that your readers can find the recipes here.

I hate deleting links…If you find that your link has been deleted it’s because it doesn’t link to your post or you haven’t linked back here.  E-mail me with questions or if you need help.

Like my recipes? Don't miss one - subscribe via RSS or e-mail today.

Follow me on Twitter.