Showing posts with label recipes and cooking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recipes and cooking. Show all posts

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Eating Vegetarian

I've been eating a plant-based diet for six weeks. Why? Because I felt like crap and had to make a change to keep from being taken out with the garbage.

Processed foods are high in sugar and wheat flour. I have to avoid them or take them in limited amounts because according to my lab work, my body has decided not to process sugar. I thought chocolate was good for me! Ha! Meat is high in trans fats, cholesterol, contaminates, and acidity. Not good for anyone.

This means I am now vegetarian (almost vegan) and practically gluten free. I would be vegan if there was a health food store near where I live. Soy cheese, yogurt, sour cream, coffee creamer are hard if not impossible to find in a traditional grocery store.

My entire kitchen cabinet and refrigerator are in shock! One, because of the change in the groceries I bring home: quinoa, chia seed, millet, amaranth, teff, and other whole grains very high in nutrients--even protein. Lots of green veggies, soy products, legumes, and strange things like buckwheat flour, polenta, and almond meal. And, two, because I'm in there cooking—something I had not done since I learned that my husband would do it for me. :)

At home, my new eating regime is not a problem. In fact, I now love cooking because it’s creative like art! And, I'm never hungry because the foods are so nutritious, I stay full. Besides, I can always have a snack such as an ice pop make from the remainder of my morning smoothie!

If we go out to dinner, it requires going to extra lengths to find a restaurant that offers a nutritious menu. If I’m at someone's house and can’t eat what they prepare, I hope they will not take offense. Going on vacation in May will require some extra planning but with a positive attitude I can manage.

I think I'll share some of the new recipes I've been making. Every day is a new experience and I love it!

Asparagus sautéed in garlic oil, tomato topped with fresh parsley and feta cheese, purple cabbage slaw, and grain mix of quinoa, amaranth, and millet.


Spaghetti with marinara sauce and pinto beans, tomato topped with feta and quinoa, spinach with artichoke salad, corn fritters with quinoa, chia, and amaranth!

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Lemon-Gingerade Green Tea Recipe

As promised yesterday, here is the recipe to make a delicious and healthy green tea lemonade with fresh ginger root and honey.

1. Add three small green tea bags to one cup of boiling water.
2. Add one ounce of raw honey to the hot tea and stir to dissolve. (You can substitute stevia for sweetener.)
3. Squeeze the juice and pulp from two fresh lemons (or equivalent of Real Lemon juice).  Add to a small pitcher with one quart of cold water.
4. Grate one inch of fresh ginger root. (I use the smallest-sized side of the grater.) Add to the pitcher of lemon water.
5. Stir the hot tea and honey mixture into the pitcher.
6. Chill and serve over ice with a sprig of lemonbalm.

It's not only delicious, but very healthy.