The Whole Foods Diet - The Convincing of a Starch-Loving Chocoholic

You should know I love chocolate. And meat. And bread. And sugar. Well... I did. Until something happened. A few things happened really, that together convinced me that a whole foods diet is a good idea. 

First, information got me:

I began watching documentaries, reading and talking to friends about health and food. "Food Matters" and "Forks over Knives" were well researched, fact-based (not sensationalist) looks at how diet impacts - and dictates - our health. Specifically, how plant-based foods aid our health, and how processed and animal based foods contribute to disease. It wasn't long before I became convinced. (Watch them and you'll see what I mean...) I wasn't ready though, to sell out and make the commitment of eating well. (I did mention that I LOVE chocolate, bread, meat and sugar, right?) I was not yet willing to give it up. 

Then there was chip night... 

Feeling the pressure to make a lifestyle change but not yet willing to actually DO it, I decided to console myself with a giant bag of chips and a mountain of yummy, yummy dip. I munched and crunched on those salty circles until the foil bag lay empty. I got to enjoy those chips the next day too - I felt full all the next day from those little liars. I thought they would make me feel better. They didn't.
I also got to enjoy those chips for the next month - I could see them everyday, resting as a soft pillowy addition to my waistline. Every glance in the mirror reminded me that the taste is not worth it!

And finally there was the hamburger incident...

I stared up at the menu above beeping tills, and chose a Big Mac. I hadn't had a McDonalds burger in years (usually I order a wrap), but the coupon convinced me.  It went down tender, and oh-so good. Salty fries and a soda finished it off. 

An hour later, I lay on the couch. We're talking fetal position, holding my stomach. It's not that the burger was bad - its only crime was being a burger; a greasy, salty, heavily processed food item that my body was not used to.  But there on the couch, with a hard rock of remorse in my gut, and crying out 'why?!', I swore to never again eat another take out burger. It wasn't a difficult decision.


Now, dare I say, I've made the switch. Not all the way immediately - I  mean, I had a quiche for lunch (animal based), and dipped chips in my hummus (Small amounts of chips - not a bag!!!) But, I am indeed convinced beyond inaction. It makes no sense to go on eating what makes me feel awful and will eventually contribute to disease.

After a month of eating well, I can tell you -I feel a whole lot better physically and mentally. I'll post on that later.  I'll also post on how I'm not going totally hard-core or getting it perfect.

 In the meantime... 

Here's a peek at the evolution 

of this starch-lover's eating habits: 

2 years ago:  

4-8 cups of coffee daily. Each contains 3 tsp of sugar. (2 years before that, it had been 4-6 tsp)
Daily chocolate break. (1/2 cup or more of chocolate chips, every afternoon with my coffee)
Meals = 50% meat, 50% white starch, and finishes with a baked dessert of some kind. (no veggies. ever.)
Snacks - cookies and muffins. (3-6 pieces per day) 
End the day with chips and dip and diet pepsi

The last year: 

2 cups of coffee daily. Each contains 1/2-1 tsp of brown sugar
Meals = 30% meat, 35% brown starch, 30% vegetables. (no dessert usually)
Snacks = crackers/cheese, homemade granola bars. 1-3 pieces per day. 
End the day with  popcorn. and diet pepsi

But this month? Even better: 

2 cups (or less) of coffee daily . Each contains 1/2 - 1 tsp of brown sugar
Meals = 30% starch, 70% vegetables & legumes
Snacks = nuts, seeds, fruit, vegetables
End the day with popcorn and water

Crazy, eh? I look back and wonder, "who AM I?" But it's not a difficult way to eat. I don't spend my days wishing I could please have some chocolate pudding or a burger or a big bag of chips (you did read about the incidents, right?) What's to miss? They just make me feel like junk.

I can't wait to share some recipes, and especially can't wait to tell you how I feel as a result! It's quite interesting how food really does affect our bodies...

"Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food." - Hippocrates 

**The 'just incase someone thinks I know what's best for them disclaimer': 

Any of the statements made by the author are opinions. Nothing here should be taken as legal or medical advice, 

or any other kind of advice that could cause you to lose your mind and sue me. 

These are my opinions and experiences. That is all **

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Homemade 'Goldfish' Crackers

They're actually called 'Cheddar Crisps', and they're not fish shaped, but they taste a bit like goldfish crackers. 

... and they contain all natural ingredients! 

Here's the recipe:

1 cup      flour
3/4-1 tsp salt
1-2 tsp    paprika
1/4 cup   butter
8 oz        shredded cheddar cheese
5-8 tbsp  cold water

Preheat oven to 375F (Preheating is KEY).  Blend flour, salt, paprika, butter and cheese until crumbly. Add water and press into a ball. Wrap in plastic bag and chill in fridge for an hour.

Divide dough in half and roll out to 1/8" thickness. Cut into squares. Bake on cookie sheet for 15 min.
Cool completely and store in air tight container. 

Voila. Homemade crackers! 



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Healthy Granola Bar Recipe

This fabulous recipe from a friend has become a staple in our home.

They're healthy, soft and chewy, and oh so good! 


1/2 cup      brown sugar
1/2 cup      corn syrup or honey
1/2 cup      melted butter 
2 tsp          vanilla
1/2 cup      raisins
2 tbsp        sesame seeds (I omit)
2/3 cup      peanut butter
3 cups       oatmeal
1/2 cup      sunflower seeds
1/3 cup      wheat germ / flax seed
1/3 cup      chocolate chips
2 tbsp        molasses (can use in place of sugar too if desired...)

Blend sugar, syrup, margarine and vanilla. 

Add the rest. Mix well and press into 9x13 pan. 

Bake at 350F for 15 min. 

That's it. 


I play around with ingredients, I omit sugar in place of  molasses...
add crushed peanuts or almonds... skip raisins... I used to make it without molasses, but I find it adds a richness I'd now rather not do without...

Enjoy!

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Homemade Ranch Dressing

Oh yes. I'm going totally overboard. But I love knowing I'm not feeding my family as many chemicals, 'modified' food ingredients and other engineered oddities. There's just something so peaceful about that... 


That reminds me.  Weeks back, I'd gone into a natural store. I was looking for natural snacks ... in a box. A friend reminded me that a natural snack might be, say... a carrot? Yeah. Still thinking inside the box, but I'm working on it.


Back to homemade dressing. If you're not on board with the whole 'natural' thing, this is still a great recipe for any ranch dressing emergency, or if you just want to try something different. 


Enjoy!

Homemade Ranch Dressing

1 tbsp      parsley
1 cup       mayonaise (homemade if you prefer) 
to taste    vinegar (I use 1/2-1 tsp)
to taste    worcestershire sauce
to taste    dill (lemon dilly dip mix from Epicure works)
to taste    sugar

1/2 cup    sour cream (shoot! I just realized sour cream has 'modified

                                   milk ingredients' and 'modified cornstarch' 

                                   and other 'engineered oddities'. Oh well...)

Mix and enjoy! 




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Someone Bring Me Some Bell-Bottoms!

Oh dear ... I may be morphing into some kind of hippie. Miss green-jeans.

Bring on the multi-grain, flax encrusted, organic ingredients, all natural groceries.

I don't buy into the whole 'save the earth 'cuz there's just not enough for everyone' thing. I'm not about 'save the earth', but I am about being real. So, not wanting to ingest (or feed my family) chemicals and fabricated engineered things that salespeople tell me is 'food', eating and shopping habits are changing around here.

I guess it's been building.

My dairy farming friend told me that cheese isn't even made from milk, but 'modified milk products'. What? She's right.

Then there's the whole 'margarine is made from plastic' thing. I don't entirely buy that, but we're on butter anyway. Cream, salt. That's the ingredient list. Okay. I know what those are.

Then my nieces and nephew came over. Those healthy-eating young'ens inspired me to make a bunch of changes:

• We're off white bread. - Just Whole Wheat and Light Rye now. 
• We have veggies at most meals. (I routinely forget vegetables are a food group, so that's a biggie) 
• I offer healthier snack options - sometimes no snack. We've been a dough eating family. Cinnamon buns, cookies, cakes ... mmm! Snacks these days are  more fruits, veggies, crackers and cheese, or yogurt. ... or granola bars, but I'm the only one who eats those. 

And while shopping tonight, I was reading labels, trying to avoid glucose-fructose, mechanically separated meats or ingredients I don't recognize. I must have looked like a first-time shopper. ... I guess I kind of was!

I came home with a few new items - Organic salsa, Stoned Wheat Thins, whole grain Tortilla chips, tangerines and other fruits, veggies, Organic 'shreddies', frozen blueberries and brown bread. (... should I be barefoot, prancing in a field of flowers?)

These healthy items are more expensive than their processed NoName counterparts, but I was pleasantly surprised that my grocery bill was lower than I expected. 

My favorite part is that my family is eating it! This may actually work! 

Now all I need is to paint some groovy flowers on my car - and someone bring me some bell-bottoms!

New Cooking & Meal Planning Resources!

Just came across two new cooking / meal planning resources you may just love ..

Baffled by menu plans? Puzzled about what to make for supper? 

Ever wish someone would just tell you what to do so you could get on with doing it? -Here it is! 

The Working Woman's Cookbook is more than  just a cookbook  ... it offers ...

• 12 Weeks of Menus - Each week has 6 recipes (we'll do the math for you) that's 72 recipes!!
• Shopping Lists - with each ingredient referencing back to the recipe so it's easy to customize the list to the meals you want to prepare for the week.
• Nutritional Information - so you know how healthy our recipes really are! 

• Serving Suggestions - So you don't even have to think about what to serve with our recipes.

• Vegetarian and Kosher Options

• And much, much more ... (the second resource is also offered on the 'Working Woman's Cookbook' page)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Enjoy!
  
  
  
  

Don't Toss Your Cookies ... Re-Use Them!

Ever have those last two dried-out cookies in the cookie jar that you end up throwing away? I sure do.

Ever ruin a batch of unbaked cookies and have to toss them?  Stop! Don't toss your cookies just yet ... we can re-use even those!

6 Uses for Cookie Crumbs:

1. ice cream topping
2. delicious addition to your trifle
3. use Unbaked Cookie crumbs as chocolate chips when baking cookies or cakes
4. birthday cake garnish (dirt on a construction cake, or sprinkle on sides and edges on a grown-up cake, stencil shapes ... )
5. cupcake topping
6. pudding / cake parfait - mix it in!

I'd have to experiment, but I think these could work with any number of cookies - ginger snaps, unbaked cookies, chocolate chip, oatmeal, jam cookies, Grandma's Icing cookies ...

I think I'll start a container of cookie crumbs in my freezer. Then I'll always (or more often) have cake garnish and ice cream toppings on hand!

I'd love to hear your ideas!

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9 Creative Uses for Ice Cream Cones

Wondering what to do with those ice cream cones? They're not just for ice cream ... imagine that! I was surprised to find so many ideas out there. Here are some of them:

1. Ice-cream Cone Muffins
• Here's a great video on how to make these - it's EASY!!
2. Decorating Element
• use on a birthday cake as a tree, castle, wizard hat ... whatever.
3. Fill With Popcorn
• I think I may just use caramel popcorn, wrap and give as gifts or party favors for a birthday party ...
4. Serve Cheesecake in It
• Pipe cheesecake filling into your waffle cone, garnish, and voila! Easy and unique cheesecake dessert - no pans, no forks, just yum.
5. Ice Cream Cone Pie
• Waffle cones can be crumbled and used instead of graham cracker crumbs to make the base for ice cream cake.
6. Chicken Tenders
• waffle cones can also be used to coat chicken. Huh. Who knew?
7. Pudding Parfaits
• in a waffle cone, layer pudding, cake, candy and whip cream (in any order) for a yummy treat
8. Christmas Trees
• Dip cone in melted white chocolate, invert on a plate, and decorate with your favorite candies. Sounds like a great christmas craft and treat.
• Or, make it with frosting - watch the utube video here (by the hungry housewife).
9. Trail Mix
• Break those cones into pieces and combine with trail mix

There we go! No more excuses for having that box of ice cream cones just getting old in the back of the cupboard ...

Top 10 Kitchen Rescue Tips

I recently found a book (at the local thrift shop for $.50) called the Frugal Senior. No, I'm not a senior, but frugal is frugal whatever your age.

Ten Kitchen Rescue ideas by author Rich Gray:

1. Rescue an Over-Salted Dish: drop a peeled potato into the cooking pot. The potato will absorb exess salt as it cooks. ... just remember to remove the potato before serving.
2. Rescue Over-Baked Cookies and Cakes: drizzle a combination of sugar syrup and some form of liqueur over them. (brandy, Grand Marnier, Kahlua etc)
3. Oops! Don't Have Salmon?: In a recipe calling for canned salmon, canned tuna serves as an inexpensive substitute.
4. Rescue Those Bananas! Brown, overripe bananas can be tossed in the freezer. With or without peel doesn't matter. (I store it in its peel). Use for baking muffins, cakes, etc.
5. Leftovers: Don't throw them away! Use them to make another meal or three. Careful meal planning helps to avoid leftovers or use them effectively.
6. Rescue Rock Hard Raisins: Cover with cold water in a pan, bring to a boil and turn off heat. Let sit for 5 minutes. Drain, cool, and they're ready for use.
7. Rescue Used Cooking Oil: Oil used for cooking fish can be reused - you can remove the 'fish taste' by cooking potatoes in the oil. Potatoes will absorb the taste and voila - usable cooking oil.
8. Rescue Bacon Grease: rather than tossing bacon grease, freeze it. (freeze in ice cube trays is Gray's suggestion) Then use in recipies that call for bacon grease. (I personally only have one recipe that calls for grease - gravy)
9. Revive Stale Crackers: Spread crackers on a baking sheet and bake at 300F for 5 minutes. Cool completely before storing in air-tight container.
10. Rescue Smelly Sponges: Kitchen sponges getting a bit nasty? Toss it in the dishwasher - it helps to deodorize and sanitize them.

I haven't used them all, but the ones I have definately worked for me!

Happy Kitchen Rescuing! :)

How I Save Money in the Kitchen

Prone to waste food, I try to pinch every penny in the kitchen. ... okay, not EVERY penny ... I throw away styrofoam plates when I use them, and use paper napkins ... but I'm pinching more pennies than before. The goal is improvement, not perfection.

Anyway, here are some of the little things I do that, I think, go a long way to stretch my grocery dollars:

• limit chocolate milk.
• My son loves chocolate milk, and would drink nothing else if I allowed it. For a long time I did allow it - it is milk after all, and he's a growing boy, right? Yes ... but we don't really need to drink ONLY chocolate milk. Now we do white milk mostly, and add water and juice to the selection too.
• No more chocolate chips.
• I'm baking more raisin cookies, pies, and healthy muffins. ...I thought I might go into severe shock and withdrawal without some source of chocolate in my house, but it's been fine. And, when I do need a chocolate fix (I used to climb into a bag of chocolate chips for that...) I bake a brownie. ... of course, having a giant Toblerone bar on hand from Christmas has really helped to take the edge off :)
• Ration raisins in baking.
• This one is a slow, sneaky process. I don't want to be cheap with raisins ("we eat oatmeal raisin cookies for the raisins!"), but I think I can use fewer raisins and still have a satisfied family. ... they haven't said anything so far ... :)
• Use leftovers
•  This one is big for me. I had no idea how much planning and creativity is required to fully use a meal (and subsequent leftovers). So, I'm working on better meal planning. If I plan to serve Ham Roast on Sunday, then Monday I can use some in sandwiches for lunch, chop and use in Quesadillas or pizza for supper, and freeze the remaining (chopped), for omelettes, quiche, or these Cheesy Apple Bacon Muffins.
  

These work for me so far. How about you? What are some ways you pinch pennies in the kitchen?

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What We're Eating (2 week menu plan)

Okay, I'm ready to save mega bucks by using a menu plan. ... I think. I'm nervous about committing to a menu plan (what if I don't WANT chicken on Thursday??), but I think balance and flexibility must be part of a successful menu plan. (or part of a successful anything, for that matter)

So, here's what we're eating based on what I have in our pantry and freezer:

Week 1:

 Monday:        Lunch = sandwiches
                       Supper= meatloaf, potatoes, corn
Tuesday          Lunch = sandwiches
                       Supper = lasagne, salad, garlic bread
Wednesday    Lunch =  soup
                       Supper = steak, potatoes, corn
Thursday        Lunch = sandwiches + soup
                       Supper = chicken, potatoes, stuffing, corn
Friday            Lunch = macaroni + cheese
                       Supper = pizza
Saturday        Lunch = leftovers
                       Supper = beef stew
Sunday           Lunch = roast (beef, pork or deer...)
                       Supper = leftovers

Week 2

Monday          Lunch = sandwiches

                       Supper = Fried roast + potatoes

                                                               OR

                                     Chkn Fettucinni Alfredo, Salad

Tuesday          Lunch = sandwiches

                        Supper = meatballs, gravy, mash potatoes, corn

Wednesday     Lunch = soup

                       Supper = Spaghetti, meatsauce

Thursday        Lunch = soup

                       Supper = tacos, salad

Friday             Lunch = macaroni +cheese

                       Supper = Chicken Pot Pie

Saturday          Lunch = soup + sandwiches

                        Supper = leftovers

Sunday            Lunch = roast, potatoes, carrots

                        Supper = leftovers

That's it. I love looking at other people's menu plans (especially when they have pics & recipes for what they're cooking). Maybe one day I'll have pics and recipes for you too :)

Meal Plan = Save Money

I'm beginning to understand how meal planning can save money.

• I shop less often (out of the store = no impulse buying)
• I buy less
• instead of buying whatever I might need, I buy only what I know I'll need
• with a meal plan, I'm forced to learn how to portion better. When I portion better, I waste less.

Meal planning, I notice, requires some kind of technique. No, I don't have one yet, but I did learn something. I sat down to make my schedule of meals for the upcoming two weeks. I began listing our favorite meals .. then I realized "I'm doing this backwards!"

I went to the cupboards and freezer and listed what meals I could make from what I had. A quick peek through everything, and I had a list of 40 suppers, 8 lunches, and 5 variations of breakfast. That's nearly a month of eating! The only thing I would need to buy would be lettuce for accompanying salads. Wow.

Here's the Supper list:

3 - Pork Chops, Potatoes, Corn
5 - Chicken Noodle Soup, Biscuits or Buns
3 - Chicken Fettucinni Alfredo, Ceasar Salad, Garlic Bread
3 - Pizza
4 - Potato Soup, Biscuits, Salad
3 - Chicken, Stuffing, Potatoes, Carrots
2 - Holubshi, Potatoes, Corn
2 - Sloppy Joes, Rice
2 - Spaghetti & Meatsauce, Ceasar Salad, Garlic Bread
1 - Lasagne, Salad
6 - Beef Stew, Bread
6 - Steak, Baked Potatoes, Peas / Carrots

Suppers = 40

Here's the Lunch list:

5 - Chicken Salad Sandwich
2 - Macaroni & Cheese
8 - Tuna Sandwiches
2 - Tuna Noodle Casserole
1 - Chicken Nuggets
2 - Ham & Cheese Crackers
4 - Tomato Soup with Soda Crackers

Lunch = 24 (plus we can usually have leftovers for lunch)

Here's the Breakfast list (loosely estimated):

4 - Waffles, strawberries
10 - Oatmeal
4 - Omelette
10 - Cereal
5 - Pancakes

Breakfast (loose estimate) = 33


Hmm. 40 Suppers, 24 lunches and 33 breakfasts, and all I really had to buy was salad, milk, eggs and bread. I had no idea there was so much food in our house!

At this point you may be wondering, "Yes, but what about when you depleat your supply? How do you maintain a low grocery budget THEN?" I'm with you. I wondered too. Then I was reassured by Life As Mom's post, "But What if I Can't Refill My Pantry?".

Anyway, Week 1 of the menu plan saw some changes, mostly because I do not yet portion properly. But, I'm hopeful :)

Have any tips on how menu planning has worked for you? What do you do? I'd love to learn from your experience ... :)

Pantry Fears ...

New to 'eating from my pantry' and cutting back my grocery budget, I can't help but think ... what do all of these pantry-pros do? What does their pantry look like? Their freezer? Is mine too full? To empty? Should I stock up or stock down?

Amidst these subconcious worries, I found that I'm not alone. My fellow bloggers have the same fears but offer encouragement. To briefly sum up some of Life As Mom's encouraging points,

• We're not the same
• everyone's pantry will look different
• Our budgets are different
• Our reasons for doing this are different.
• You get to choose
• you decide on your own budget, shopping schedule, meal plan, pantry appearance and style - full or empty

I was encouraged to hear that. Thanks, Life As Mom. Now I can move forward confident that I'm shaping this plan to my family, my budget, and my taste.

BTW - to those of my friends who made fun of me for suggesting 'soup files' (freezing soup in ziploc bags - flat - and then storing them like a file) ... well ... there are others (teehee) I love, love, love the picture of this woman's freezer. I see she has soup files. Yes! I want my freezer to look like that.

Aaaah. Order.  "Caint hardly wait" :)

Eat From the Pantry Challenge

My fellow bloggers at Life as Mom and Money Saving Mom have issued a challenge - Eat from the Pantry!

I'm intrigued and up for the challenge. I know I can do more with less, waste less food and spend less on most everything.

Now, I'm not willing to eat mainly beans and rice, or stock my pantry with bulk amounts of powdered milk and powdered eggs ... but I'm willing to change SOME things.

Being a newbie, I really don't know much about frugal living - this is a learning process for me. I've heard and read over and over though, that menu planning and baking for the freezer saves  money. I don't know exactly how ... maybe it keeps me out of the grocery store? I know THAT would save me money!

Anyway, you can check out the challenge for yourself here. I'm in! Wanna join us?

Don't Need It!

My mental shopping list has contained several things, including
1) a coffee butler or carafe
2) bag clips (for chip bags, etc)

I attended an event recently where the party hostess, for lack of a coffee butler, used a THERMOS. Brilliant! I have one of those! Okay, it's not showy or glamorous, but it's a free coffee butler that keeps coffee or tea warm.

One of the guests received clothespins as a prize. Her response was "Oh good! Chip clips!" ... Brilliant!! I'd never thought of that! ... of course, when I expressed my excitement, people who'd used them this way for years looked at me like I'd been living under a rock. Maybe I have :)

I guess now I can take those items off of my shopping list! Thanks ladies, you saved me some money and helped me to become a little more thrifty!

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Re-Use In The Kitchen

3 meals a day, snacks, desserts, prep, cleaning ... I spend alot of time in the kitchen. I think it's also the area where I waste the most. Food, paper, plastic ...

I got pretty excited though, when I started to see some things I could re-use.

Aluminum Foil                   
Crunch up leftover foil into a ball and use to make taco bowls. Even better, after you've made the taco bowls, keep the ball for next time!

• Wipe and re-use. Yes, I'm serious. Wrap other foods with it. You've wiped it ... it's okay. Just wouldn't re-use something that was used for raw meat.
• Crafts. I wiped and re-used foil to make a star topper for our tree. The kids love it. They can make their own ornaments. If they're too young to cut and wrap foil around a cardboard tree, let them glue colorful shapes to it.

Cereal Bags

• I learned this one from my mother-in-law. She used a cereal box to separate hamburger patties. Brilliant. I never thought of it as free wax paper before! Now I do. Great for wax paper needs - unbaked cookies, freezer wrap ... I just wouldn't use it in the oven or microwave :)

Boxes
-Kleenex, Mac & Cheese, all kinds of boxes can be cut and used to sort and separate.  

• Utensil drawer - sort your cutlery or cram it behind your cutlery tray to prevent it from sliding around.
• Movie Drawer - Our movie drawer opens just enough that it's impractical to store movies in the back 1/3 of the drawer. I use a pepsi box to fill that space so that my movies don't slide around, and I don't have to fuss with unreachables.

• Kids' store - since infancy, they prefer boxes to real toys, don't they? Weirdos.  ... just kidding! :)  My kids love their store full of egg cartons, margarine boxes, milk cartons, etc. We line them up on a bookshelf and shop with baskets and cloth bags just like grown-ups!

Hope you find these tips helpful. I sure do!


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