Heather's View on Food

These are my personal views and beliefs about food. This is my personal blog so therefore these are my personal thoughts…inspired by many, influenced by a lot, but you are free to believe as you wish! I also believe in God so he ties into my thoughts as well.

So that being said, I have a bottom line when it comes to food and nutrition….and if you’ve asked me for nutritional advice and you’re religious you’ve heard me say this! Bottom line: GOD KNEW WHAT HE WAS DOING. I believe God gave us plants, nuts, seeds, and even animals as resources for food. However, that being said…lets look at how [we’ll call them] the “cavemen” used to eat. They would gather their own food and because of that plants, fruits, etc were much easier to obtain. For meat, the man would actually have to hunt for an animal. While I don’t think that we need to hunt for our animals, I do believe that God intended us to treat them with respect and not eat massive amounts of them. I think it’s okay if people choose to eat meat, but I feel it should be in a responsible, respectful way. I also think it’s okay if people choose not to eat meat. I also think that God knew what he was doing when he made corn, soy, etc….he did not intend us to go genetically modifying things so that we could get rich & be lazy! I think eating should nourish our bodies and should be earth and animal friendly.

Animals should be raised and killed humanely, cows should be fed grass and not corn which they can only tolerate for so long, all animals should be vegetarian fed (no animal byproducts in the feed), NO antibiotics, NO carbon monoxide in the packaging to make the meat red longer. Also meat was meant to be on the side, NOT the main dish. Think about how much you eat & if you know where it comes from.

Produce should be local when possible, in season, NO pesticides/chemicals, and should NEVER be genetically modified

Dairy products should be from cows where NO rBST was given & are raised per above

Everything we eat should contain NO artificial ingredients or chemicals! We should strive to eat whole ingredients whenever possible with minimal-to-no processing (think as close to the earth as possible!)

So I have always been one to eat pretty healthy. I’ve always loved & eaten lots of fruits & vegetables and whole grains. I make healthy choices, don’t add a lot of extra condiments, etc. But I have also known how I should be eating. In 2010 I started to cut out processed foods as much as possible. I got off to a great start but slacked later on in the year. So 2011 I chose to eat how I truly believe. It is a little more expensive, I’ll admit that but for me & my health its worth it. And since I’m almost a vegetarian now (only eat meat a couple times a week, if that) I save plenty on not buying meat. Beans, lentils, and whole grains are much cheaper :) So what do I eat? Lots of vegetables, fruits, grains, beans/legumes, and some dairy. I no longer have sugar or sweetener in my home and use agave nectar. Does this mean I never cheat? Of course not! I allow myself to have processed foods on occasion (otherwise I’d never be able to go out to eat!!) and if I eat meat I make much smarter choices for my meat source. Plus, as I’ve always felt…if you have a healthy base then those treats are okay every once in awhile.

This might be too dramatic of a change for you to make, but for me it was a matter of stopping the excuses I was making to myself. I knew the truth on how I should be eating but I was being lazy about it. So even if you want to just make a small change in one area, that’s how it starts! It was small changes for me too :) And with allll this being said – you might start to notice some changes in the recipes I post. They might not be as traditionally family friendly as before, but they will be more health, animal, & earth friendly :) Which is just the kind of thing I plan on teaching my family when I have one.

"Perhaps more than any other, the food industry is very sensitive to consumer demand." - Michael Pollan

“Our food should be our medicine and our medicine should be our food.” – Hippocrates

“Those who think they have no time for healthy eating, will sooner or later have to find time for illness.” – Edward Stanley

“You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces - just good food from fresh ingredients.” ~ Julia Child

http://truefoodnow.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/cfs-shoppers-guide.pdf
http://www.letsretakeourplates.com/

Wisconsin Cauliflower Soup

When I visited my family in December we ate at Zupas. I ordered the Wisconsin Cauliflower soup and fell in love! So much in love that when I got to pick were we went for a girls lunch with all the aunts & GMa (just a couple days later) I knew I had to have more soup! I also made others fall in love with this soup. So when my sister sent me the "knock-off recipe" I was excited to try it! I was also excited because this is a creamy soup so I was expecting it to be made with cream. It does have a lot of cheese in it but I used skim milk and no butter. So my soup wasn't quite the amazingness as Zupas, mostly because of the texture. I think I was too anxious to eat this soup that I didn't let my cauliflower cook long enough so my soup wasn't perfectly smooth. But if I don't compare it to Zupas it was still super delicious. Watch your portions due to the cheese but the rest is pretty great - don't use butter, cauliflower, onions, & skim milk for some healthy moves! I also used vegetable broth...that's what I had and I only eat small amounts of meat now. And vegetarians can make this soup as well.

Wisconsin Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp Margarine Or Butter (¼ Stick)
1 medium Onion, chopped
¼ cup All-Purpose Flour
½ tsp Salt
2 cups Milk
1 can (13 ¾ to 14 ½ ounces) Chicken Broth
1 head (2 ½ pounds) Cauliflower, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 cup Pepper Jack Cheese

Directions:
In 4-quart saucepan, melt margarine or butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook until golden, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in flour and salt; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Gradually stir in milk, chicken broth, and 1 ½ cups water; add cauliflower and heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 10 minutes. In blender (with center part of blender cover removed to allow steam to escape), blend cauliflower mixture at low speed in small batches until very smooth. Return cauliflower mixture to saucepan; heat over medium heat until hot, stirring occasionally. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in mustard and 1 ½ cups cheese until melted and smooth. Garnish soup with remaining cheese to serve.

Here's one for my fellow Longhorns, my sentiments exactly Mack.

"I felt like I had a hangover after the '09 national championship game. I'm not sure I've ever taken a loss so hard"

-Mack Brown

Meatballs with Peppers & Pineapple

(cooking on the stove, sauce hasn't thickened yet)

A friend posted on Facebook how much she loved this recipe and I finally got around to trying it. Its a recipe from The Pioneer Woman's cooking website (which I love!) I used ground turkey breast for my meatballs, whole wheat panko bread crumbs, and in place of sugar I used ~3 tablespoons of agave nectar (I don't use refined white sugar anymore). I also used a very small amount of oil to cook my meatballs. I wanted that crispy crust but you could bake them if you wanted to. I served it on sticky sushi rice & it paired like a charm. I LOVED LOVED this recipe!! And it was delicious a little spicy! It took a little longer than I thought to prepare but the end result was so worth it! YUM!!

Meatballs with Peppers & Pineapple (links to original recipe)

• 1-¼ pound Ground Beef
• ½ whole Onion, Diced Very Finely
• 1 whole Egg
• ½ cups Panko Bread Crumbs (or Regular Breadcrumbs)
• 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
• ½ teaspoons Crushed Red Pepper, More To Taste
• ¼ cups All-purpose Flour
• Canola Oil, For Frying
• 2 whole Green Bell Peppers, Seeded And Diced Roughly
• 1-½ cup Fresh Pineapple Chunks
• 2 cups Beef Stock Or Broth
• 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
• ½ cups Sherry Or White Wine Vinegar
• ⅓ cups Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
• Salt To Taste
• Crushed Red Pepper, To Taste
• Extra Beef Stock If Needed

Combine ground beef, diced onion, egg, salt, pepper, breadcrumbs, and crushed red pepper. Mix with hands until combined. Roll meat mixture into small balls and place on a cookie sheet. Freeze on the pan for 15 minutes to firm.

Mix together beef stock, soy sauce, sherry (or vinegar), sugar, and cornstarch.

Heat canola oil over medium-high heat. Roll meatballs in flour, then fry in two batches until nice and brown, about two minutes per batch. Remove meatballs and set aside on a separate plate.

Pour off oil from pan and return pan to medium high heat. When pan is hot, throw in the chopped green peppers and cook for one minute. Add pineapple to pan and cook for one minute, stirring gently. Pour in stock/soy sauce mixture, then add meatballs. Stir gently to combine and allow to cook and bubble for a few minutes, or until sauce is thickened. Add salt and crushed red peppers to taste. (Hint: this dish is yummy if it’s a little spicy.)

Serve over cooked brown or white rice.

"Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world" -Desmond Tutu

Stress

"When life becomes intolerably stressful the temptation is often to blame external influences. But it is often we who are responsible for holding ourselves back from getting the most out of life and realizing our full potential"

~Speaker at our work retreat (sorry I forgot his name)

Artichoke and Broccoli Pasta Salad

Another recipe I got from Whole Foods. Yum! Variation - I added some fresh squeezed juice from some mandarins I had. I also used black olives and goat cheese instead because that's what I had! You can also add more veggies & do less pasta if you want.

Artichoke and Broccoli Pasta Salad

Ingredients:
Salt And Pepper To Taste
¾ pound Penne Pasta
2 tablespoon(s) Champagne Vinegar Or White Wine Vinegar
2 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 (12-ounce) Jar Marinated Artichoke Hearts,drained and chopped
1 small Red Bell Pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
1 small Green Bell Pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
2 cups Small Broccoli Florets
½ cup Sliced Pitted Kalamata Olives
½ cup Sliced Basil
½ cup Grated Parmigiano Reggiano Or 1 Cup Crumbled Feta Cheese

Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add pasta and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain well and set aside to let cool.

In a medium bowl, whisk together vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper. Slowly drizzle in oil while continuing to whisk constantly to make a dressing. Add pasta, artichoke hearts, bell peppers, broccoli, olives, basil, cheese, salt and pepper, toss gently to combine and serve.

Notes: Per serving: 300 calories, 12g total fat, 2g saturated fat, 5mg cholesterol, 460mg sodium, 40g total carbohydrate (4g dietary fiber, 3g sugar), 10g protein

"Do one thing a day that scares you. You'll either step forward in growth or you'll step back in safety" - Abraham Maslow

Charity Never Faileth

"Real charity is not something you give away; it is something that you acquire and make a part of yourself. And when the virtue of charity becomes implanted in your heart, you are never the same again. Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, when we don't judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give each other the benefit of the doubt or remain quiet. Charity is accepting someone's differences, weaknesses, and shortcomings; having patience with someone who has let us down; or resisting the impulse to become offended when someone doesn't handle something the way we might have hoped. Charity is refusing to take advantage of another's weakness and being willing to forgive someone who has hurt us. Charity is expecting the best of each other. Charity is the pure love of Christ. It is the highest, noblest, strongest kind of love"

~Marvin J Ashton