COconut French Toast- This is amazing!

1 cup coconut milk (i use the entire can)
1/4 c sugar
1/4 c fat free milk (or 1-2%)
3 large eggs
1 loaf Egg Bread (found in the Publix bakery)- sliced thick
cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 200F. Place baking sheet in the oven (this is to keep the bread warm while making the entire loaf). You don't need to do this if you are eating it as you make it, but it works really well
2. Combine coconut milk, sugar, milk, and eggs in a shallow dish, stirring with a wisk.  Working in batches, dip bread in the milk mixture, and let stand for 1 minute on each side.  Don't soak the bread too much or it will not cook all the way through.  You just dip each side then let it sit on a plate.
3.  Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat and coat pan with cooking spray.  Add 4-5 coated bread slices to the pan and cook for 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown.  Place on warm pan in the oven to keep warm.  Repeat procedure in batches: restir milk mixture before dipping and spray the pan before cooking.

I found the basics of this recipe in cooking light magazine, then modified it a little to actually make it not so "light", but so much more yummy.  You could use light coconut milk and fat free milk, but I promise it will not taste as yummy.  That coconut fat is way good for you anyways! Enjoy!

Wasa bread, white bean hummus

Thanks Alison Carollo for this inspiration. Tomato and basil topped my
homemade white bean hummus.

Second ingredient coconut oil!

A must try! Tastes amazing!!!

Organic pizza muffins!

Ezekiel English muffins, organic pizza sauce and organic mozzarella
cheese! Delicious and nutritious!

Raw milk...

I'm so curious about this raw milk movement.  I'm looking into it now, but it seems very beneficial.  Raw milk is what our ancestors lived on.  Maybe there is something to this idea... I'm reading the Weston Price Foundation web site for information.  I think in nutrition there are always two sides to every food.  Dr. Barnard says don't eat animal products.  Dr. Price says go for the butter, milk, and cheese just make sure they are raw.  It's confusing for me and I've studied nutrition, but they don't teach any of these ideas in school to dietitians.  So it's up to us to use our knowledge on scientific studies to learn what the best decision is for recommending.  I kind of love butter and cheese, who doesn't, so I'm leaning towards Dr. Price's idea.  For now, I'll stick to my organic butter and cheese in moderation.

Sphagetti quiche with snow peas.

Katie's Mexican quiche

 I was watching the Food Network as usual and the chef was making a quiche.  Instant inspiration came over me.  I thought, I have eggs and a deep dish pie crust in my freezer. I should make a quiche.  Then I started looking at what I had in my pantry.  The usual black beans popped out at me and I quickly put together a Mexican quiche recipe in my head.  I had some fresh green onions, this amazing Vidalia onion salsa that you find only in the refrigerated section, some sharp cheese, and sour cream on top.  So I looked online to figure out how many eggs I would need.  4 eggs and all the above ingredients mixed together later, cooked at 350F for 45 minutes, and I had a delicious Mexican quiche.  My husband LOVED it! Oh, also I had a box of Mexican rice in my pantry that I whipped up to go with this entrée.  I love when I use random ingredients in my frig and pantry and it turns out delicious!  Thank you Food Network for inspiration!

Hitting a rut

I'm in such a food rut.  Can you relate?  It's the same thing for breakfast everyday (oatmeal with dates and pecans), then lunch (soup or sandwich), then dinner (random).  Sometimes I just cannot seem to think of anything new or be motivated to try anything new.  I think it's mostly a time factor in my life right now.  My 4 month old baby takes up lots of time, then I want to spend my free time with my husband.  Not to mention the thousands of loads of laundry, cleaning, dish loading, etc...  I don't think ruts are bad as long as they are healthy.  In college, I think I ate a tuna sandwich literally everyday.  I probably have some mercury left over from those 4 years.  Then again, I hope my Dr. Natura detox pulled it all out.
My husband just finished reading Dr. Barnard's book, Breaking The Food Seduction.  This has been so fun for me to hear his comments.  He remembers details like no one I know.  Probably one reason he is able to be a doctor.  So the other night, he suggested we go out to eat to a local Mexican restaurant.  Of course, I was excited not to have to clean or think of anything to cook.  Then he actually surprised me by ordering a bean burrito instead of his usual meat fajita!  I got one too, and we commented on how much better we felt when we decrease our meat consumption.  I love how he is becoming more aware of food, labels, and how they make him feel.
So today, I'll probably have my left over bean soup that I've been making in huge batches, freezing, then defrosting/cooking.   Oh and my newest addiction is Ezekiel english muffins.  They are so delicious, low in sodium, have lots of fiber and protein too.  I do put some salted organic butter on top and toast them.  I promise, I would rather have this any day over a biscuit, or any other yummy bread.  Sadly, only whole foods carries them.  So I trek down there, buy 4 packages in the freezer section at a time, then ration them out to myself.  My rut continues, but I'll keep you posted on any new horizons.

Garlic cream Ezekiel pasta ingredients.

This is seriously delicious and my husband actually said "I think this is the best thing you have ever cooked for me."  Now, this is no super healthy low calorie meal, but at the same time it's so worth the yumminess.  I love taking something like Ezekiel pasta which is incredibly healthy (tons of fiber and protein per oz serving) and putting it in a cream sauce to make it super tasty.  A side note on Ezekiel brands, they are wonderful, but sometimes hard to swallow without the right mix of things.   I've also discovered the Ezekiel english muffins.  These are to die for with some butter on top toasted.  Ok, back to how I made the garlic cream sauce.  I just googled garlic cream sauces and found a simple one to get the ratio of garlic: butter: heavy cream.  Have you ever wondered why restaurant pasta sauces taste so good?  Well, it's because they use heavy cream in them!  When I worked at California Pizza Kitchen, I saw this first hand.  So even though cream is super fatty, used in moderation, it's just fine.  Plus, it has zero sugar and very low salt.  I used two tablespoons of heavy cream in my single serving of garlic cream sauce.  This along with a half tablespoon of butter and 1/4 tsp of minced garlic simmered in olive oil in a pan, and there you have it.  Instant garlic cream sauce! Plus, you know I used all organic ingredients that made me feel so lovely on the inside.  Oh, and I chopped up a tomato and threw it into the simmering sauce for a few minutes just to heat it up too. One last note, add the cooked pasta into the dish after the sauce is simmering.  Stir it around in the simmering sauce, then add the tomatoes.  I'm really just not into cutting calories these days.  Honestly, I'm mostly thinking how can I cook something that will actually fill me up for more than a few hours.  Maybe this is partly because I eat healthy choices to begin with that are low in calories.  Then again, it could be because I'm breast feeding which burns a lot too.  Either way, I'm breaking out my butter and heavy cream and enjoying it!

Cooking up some veggies for my soup!

Lentils!! So good for you!

My first real chef knife and cutting board.

Thank you hubby for a perfect Valentine!  Now that I have opened this knife and used it on my cutting board, I feel like a real chef.  Well, at least a wanna be one.  I'm also thinking, how could I have lived this long without knowing how awesome a great knife can be.  It's like when people tell you about something great, and you think, well yeah, but then you try it for yourself and it blows you away.  That is what happened when I used this knife to cut my first tomato.  It cut through it like it was nothing.  I was in my happy fun place.  Now when I watch the food network cooking shows, I really look at each vegetable and how they cut it.  Cooking is an art and I want to learn every detail.

Mexican pie

Easy to make mexican pie: a great vegetarian option.

I'm so into making vegetarian dishes, but sometimes it's hard to think of quick easy meals with lots of protein and fiber.  Well, this is an easy one for sure.  Just buy some black beans (I bought Bush's Black bean fiesta because it already has spices, peppers, and corn), tortillas (I'm just trying these Ezekiel ones today), and a little cheese.  I used a pie pan, layered the tortillas, beans, and cheese for a total of two layers of beans. Then cook it in the oven at 350F for about 15 minutes.  I came up with this easy alternative from a recipe in a vegan cookbook.  I think it tastes better when you buy the veggies and cut them up fresh for this dish, but if you are strapped for time, then try the Bush's black bean fiesta.   I'm not ready for the vegan's cheese alternative, soy cheese, so I just modify the original recipe with sharp cheddar cheese (organic is best).  Maybe one day I'll give up the very addicting cheese habit, but not yet.  Did you know that scientists have found morphine in cheese, no wonder it's addicting.   So for now, I'll give up having meat everyday.  It was interesting to see how much lower our food bill for the week was when my husband and I gave up meat for a week.  Plus, I feel like my stomach feels better when I eat beans and veggies versus meat and a starch.  So my challenge to you is to explore some veggie night options.  Skip that chicken breast and try a bean dish.  There are so many and you might just find yourselves a lot more full and satisfied.

Mexican pie main ingredients

gredi

Pasta!!

I just made this delicious pasta that at first bite tasted like a veggie lovers pizza.  Probably because I used onions, garlic, tomatoes, and kale sautéed in extra virgin olive oil over pasta with parmesan sprinkled on top.  I discovered this high protein pasta when Tom and I were on our meat fast for a week.  It seriously has almost as much protein as a chicken breast!  Plus, the huge benefit is the fiber that keeps you full and not craving sweets!
I was recently reading a health book advocating eating pasta and I thought, I must check this out.  Well, it's true, pasta is good for you!  I used to think it contained way too many carbohydrates, but it also contains so much fiber and protein that we need.  Now watch what you put on it all you mac and cheese lovers.  I'm talking about a good quality pasta with veggies on top!
So have a pasta night, but skip the tomato sauce or cream sauce, use extra virgin olive oil instead to saute your pasta in for a few minutes after you boil it.  It gives it that restaurant like flavor. Then add some veggies with a parmesan sprinkle, and there you have a complete healthful meal.

Pasta that tastes like pizza!

10 grams of protien in only 2 oz!

My new favorite pasta!

Savory pancakes!

Do you ever make something delicious and healthy and get stuck on eating it? I do!  So this is my current so healthy and easy to make addiction: kale pancakes.  Oh, and yes, they are YUMMY!

I want to challenge you all to think outside the usual pancake box which means we have to eat them with lots of maple syrup dumped on top.  I like to think of them like a chameleon.  According to webster's dictionary a chameleon is "one that is subject to quick or frequent change in appearance".  So think of your pancakes like this and have fun adding anything in your fridge.  You could cut up an apple in little bits, chop a banana,  add nuts, a vegetable leftover, or anything else really!

Pancakes do not have to be sweet!

Kale pancakes again!

Beef or Bison : Meat Follow Up.

A friend asked me about the difference between using 90% lean ground beef versus "regular" ground beef.  The 90% is a great ground beef choice, but I want to challenge you who buy beef to think about switching to bison.  You might have to take a trip to whole foods or a special meat market to find it, but it would be so worth it to stock up and maybe even freeze some.  I have bought bison at Kroger next to the organic packaged ground beef, but it was pre-packaged.  There is something about the meat at whole foods that seems so much fresher!  Plus I kind of love supporting the movement!  Another point for bison that I made on my last blog entry is the more humane treatment of the animals.  So far, I know of no bison factories, like the cow factories that produce beef.  This means, the bison are free to roam and eat grass which is so much better for them and our environment.

I also want to challenge you all to decrease your meat consumption in general.  My new goal is to eat meat about 2-3 times per week.  This is so hard if you are married to a meat loving man, but so possible.  Just think bean soups, mexican bean pies, and lentils!  Did you know that lentils have 13 g of protein in 1/4 cup dry beans.  That is almost as much as a chicken breast.  Plus you get the benefits of all the fiber that fills you up!  Meat has zero fiber.  So you are left hungry and in need of that side of carbohydrate.  So cook up some beans or lentils for dinner instead of meat.  Save the meat for weekends and special times.

Also a quick thought on beans.  First, please look for the lowered sodium if you buy canned.  We get way too much sodium in our diets, it dehydrates us, then we feel even more hungry when we are really just thirsty.  Did you know that your body only needs 300mg of sodium/day to function!  However, we get around 2,000-5,000mg per day.  Dry beans do take a while to cook, but what I've started doing is cooking an entire bag at once.  Then I make a delicious beans and rice, carrots, celery soup, and have leftovers for a long time.  My husband loves this with a side of oven fresh cornbread!  I freeze the soup in tupper ware containers for later consumption.  For a quick and easy alternative, try lentils or split pea soup.  Throw some veggies in with whatever you are cooking.  They even have organic lentils and split peas in bags at Whole Foods. Buy some parsley and cook them in chicken broth for added flavor.

Take time to think about your food, where it comes from, who is profiting from it, and you will usually be better off health wise if you do.

Cincinnati Chili

When I met my husband, he bought cases of this Cincinnati chili.  He told me it was a childhood favorite, and I could tell he had fond memories associated with it.  When I looked at the opened can, well, it scared me a bit.  Mainly because there was a lovely reddish oil that sat at the top of the can when you opened it.  Also, the sodium content was out of control.  So in my quest to give his chili a health make-over, I came up with an alternative to the canned favorite.  First, I figured out it was the spices in the chili that he loved.  So I looked online and ordered the spice package.  This way I could buy the meat fresh, then just add the beloved flavor.  Then I thought, I don't just want any ground meat.  I want the most healthy, eco-friendly meat.  That is when I discovered grass fed bison meat at Whole foods.  Bison is usually leaner compared to beef.  Also, bison are not kept in cow factories, therefore they eat grass and roam freely.  Cows are usually fed a corn based diet which is not what they normally eat.  The corn is not digested well and causes them to get fat, make which makes more $$ for the owners.  Seems really sad to me.  If you have seen the movie Food Inc, then you know what I'm talking about.  If not, then you must watch it.

Now, my hubby wants his chili about once a month, and I feel so much better about him eating it with my health makeover.  I usually enjoy a chili hot dog too.  My chili hot dog is about as wonderful as a trip to the southern favorite, the Varsity, but with so much less fat, sodium, and calories.  I buy organic turkey dogs, organic hot dog buns, and use a little organic mustard with a sprinkle of sharp cheese.  I have this theory that if enough of my ingredients for my chili dog are organic, then I feel a lot better about eating it.  I would advise people to NEVER consume regular hot dogs.  Why? Well, because the meat is so highly processed, no one really knows what is inside.  Talk about taxing your body.   However, if once a year or so you go to a baseball game, then I realize a hot dog is called for.  Please, just wash it down with some whole food based vitamins and lots of fruits and veggies the rest of the day.

Yummy!!

A tribute to my husband's favorite chili

My daily vitamins

Fasting & Calories

For all of you who chose to do a 2011 fast, hats off!  Great job!  Fasting is such a break for your body.  Think of all those enzymes and cells that constantly work for you 24/7 breaking down foods, storing, and then creating energy for you. Even your liver needs a break from processing all that fat, protein, vitamins, minerals, and possible medicines you take regularly.  I've had a few friends ask me, what about calories, carbs, and protein needed during a fast, such as the Daniel fast.  So I want to answer a few common questions.  First, a fast is just like the word explains, you are limiting yourself in order to achieve a health benefit or spiritual benefit.  If you are a Christian, a fast can get God's attention for a needed break through.  Hallelujah, there is a way to get God's attention more that praying alone. Try fasting and praying and just see how much more quickly your break through comes.  I believe, even a partial fast, such as giving up processed sugar or meat, can get God's attention too.  Keep in mind, doing a fast requires a goal.  Set your goals high!  Tom and I chose to write down all our 2011 goals, needs, and wants for the year, then we fasted sugar (21 days) and meat (7 days).  Each time we craved a food, it reminded us of our goals and to pray for them.  We even wrote down on our list goals for people we know.  Plus, fasting meat forced us to think outside the "meat=protein" box that we so easily get caught up in.  We started eating lots of beans and felt great!
So back to how many calories do I really need.  I recently finished the amazing book, Breaking the Food Seduction, by Dr. Neal Barnard, and he has a great rule of 10 that I believe is easy to follow.  He states that you take your current weight (say 150lbs) and multiply by 10X (150lbs x 10 = 1500 calories).  This gives you the least amount of calories you want to consume in order to keep your metabolism working correctly.  In other words, you would not eat less than 1500 calories because if you did, then your body might think you are starving and slow your metabolic rate down.  All the calorie calculators out there on the internet are not completely accurate.  Every person is different based on factors such as age, genetics, lean muscle mass, fat mass, etc...  We learned in school that the most accurate way to know how many calories your body uses daily is to use this thing called a bod pod.  The only problem is these contraptions are thousands of dollars and usually owned only by athletic departments.  Georgia Tech has one that is used for it's athletes. My advice is to not focus on calories, but more on quality of the foods your are eating and how you feel.  Do you have energy?  Are you sleeping well?  Do you get sick often?  Are you constipated? Everything you put into your body affects so many aspects of your life.  Personally, I take a probiotic (New Chapter Organics) in the morning first thing on an empty stomach.  This helps keep me regular and increases my immunity.  Also, I don't have to think about getting my yogurt.  Most yogurts have way too much sugar anyway.  Then I eat breakfast, usually oatmeal with dates and pecans or some other non-processed grain (stay away from cereals).  Then take a whole foods based multi-vitamin (New Chapter Organics), 2500mcg of biotin (for my skin, hair, and nails), and fish oil (costco brand).  At lunch I try to get a protein and vegetable in.  I'll have a few snacks such as dried apricots and apples, then a protein and vegetable for dinner.
If you are having lowered energy, drink more water, get more rest, decrease your stress, and increase your carbs.  I challenge you all to fast that food that your feel like you have to eat or cannot live without!
I would always love to hear your questions and feedback, so feel free to leave your comments.  It might help someone else too!

Kale Pancakes

So I'm staring in my refrigerator, starving, thinking that I should make something with this kale, but all I want to eat right now is pancakes. For any one who does not know what kale is, it is a leafy green vegetable that is loaded with nutrients.  I bought mine organic at Whole Foods. You want to take out the vein parts too.  Then I thought, why not chop up a few kale leaves in my pancake mix.  This way I get a serving or two of vegetables while still having my delicious pancakes.  Now, I don't put syrup on my pancakes because it would be kind of gross with the kale and I'm still on my sugar fast.  I believe the key to these pancakes tasting really good is to use a high quality yummy pancake mix like the one I love, Pamela's pancake and waffle mix.  At first I thought I would use my buckwheat mix, but that could be too much of a good thing all in one.  I recommend using the buckwheat pancake mix with blueberries or apples chopped up for a sweeter flavor.  Then after I tasted my kale pancakes, I decided I would use some left over mashed sweet potatoes along with the rest of the kale in the next batch.  I love taking a loved item, like pancakes, and mixing in something healthy!

Split pea soup and herb tubes.

Last night I made split pea soup.  It's so easy to make this soup without breaking out a can.  Just buy a bag of split peas (Whole Foods has organic for so cheap), follow the directions on the package, which tells you how much water to add and how long to boil them.  Then add a few ingredients.  I simmered mine for over an hour because I like them soft.  I also cut up half a bag of baby carrots into small chunks and added that in too.  A little mined garlic and parsley flakes adds a nice touch of flavor.  Oh, and I tried throwing in some garlic salt which gave the soup a different taste than regular salt.  This is one of those few veggie type meals that my husband will eat.  I'm working on learning how to prepare various vegetables that do not make his face churn.

Have you seen the "fresh herb" tubes in the refrigerated herb section at the grocery store.  My husband came home with one of these when he could not find the actual herb, parsley, and I love it.  I know it's not as fresh as a piece of parsley, but it sure tastes close to me.  Although in the long run, I'd recommend buying the bunch of whatever you are cooking because the cost of this herb tube is no joke.  Once I get my chef's knife, and I cannot wait, I feel like I'll be more motivated to chop herbs.  Have you ever watched the food network and admired how they just chop everything up so perfectly?  Well, I think it all starts with having the right tools (knife and cutting board).  I'm just realizing this.  So I went to Sur La Table at Perimeter Mall in Dunwoody, and they let me try different knives.  They even have a cutting board with carrots that you can practice on with German or Asian knives.  I prefer the German, mainly because I like German manufactures.  The sales associate informed me that it's all about how the knife feels in your hand.  Also, I never knew the reason chef's always cut on wooden cutting boards is because they need a softer surface than their knife.  It some how protects the knife blade when the surface is soft, like wood.  So interesting to me.  I took a picture with my iphone of the knife I want and will make sure my hubby sees it before Valentines Day.

Dates & Oatmeal.

I have this new yummy breakfast habit, dates on my oatmeal.  I will have to thank my Mama for the idea, and I started doing this for a sweet addition to an old favorite.  Oatmeal can become so boring, the same old butter, sugar, cinnamon story.  Well, instead of the sugar, add some pitted chopped up dates!  Look at your food labels and make sure there is no added sugar in the dates.  My husband and I have a week more of our "processed added sugar" fast, so I'm looking for alternatives to sugar for a sweet affect in my morning oatmeal.  I was excited to find that dates are so naturally sweet.  They have this brown sugar like flavor too.  I add some chopped pecans and a little butter too.  Today we went to Whole Foods, glorious food shopping, and I found some organic dates that look like they are on steroids.  I'm looking forward to using them tomorrow in my oatmeal, and I'll let you know how they compare to the packaged ones I bought at Kroger.  Oh, one more note about oatmeal.  I'm reading the book, Breaking the Food Seduction, by Dr. Neal Barnard, and he explains the benefits of choosing "old fashioned" oats versus quick packaged oats.  I never knew that the quick oats were chopped up more finely and this actually digests faster which could leave you a lot more hungry than the old fashioned oats.  Plus, the old fashioned oats only take 2 minutes in the microwave, sounds quick to me!

What would Jesus eat?

I love the book, What would Jesus Eat?.  It breaks down healthy eating and reminds us as Christians that our bodies are not our own, but temples of the Holy Spirit.  Wow! What a thought!  So while this may make us feel guilty about putting some junk in our bodies, let's not let the enemy win that battle, and fight for what we know is true.  We need to treat our bodies as temples with love and respect.  Why you may ask?  Well, to put it simply, if we put a bunch of junk in our body, then we will eventually become ill, sick, overweight, depressed, etc.  In all of these states, we are not well equipped to do the work of God.  Whether that work includes influencing others, being the light at work, or just being a great spouse.  Let's not take it lightly what we put in our bodies.  Let's not joke about it or think it trivial.  There are so many people that need our love and energy, and we need to be functioning at optimal levels in order to do all God wants us to do!!  Yippie! I love nutrition and health! Praise God!