Outta the Garden

Lunch.

When gardens are fully loaded with God's bounty, what could be better than picking it right of the vine and setting it right onto the table? Not much!

Veggie Salad

1. put into a bowl:

red pepper-chopped

tomatoes-cut into small pieces

2. put into a steamer for about 30 seconds:

green beans-snapped

bok choy-chopped (green leafy parts too)

3. toss all in one bowl with some olive oil, a dash of Bragg's Liquid Aminos, and fresh pepper

Here is my little fella, showing you his food-messy face and a bite of salad!

~ Did you know? Green bell peppers are actually UNripe peppers. We avoid the green ones in the store and wait for them to turn a brilliant color in the garden.

~ Try something new this autumn...make spaghetti sauce from scratch--wonderful smells will fill your home for about 6 hours while the tomatoes cook down.

My recipe: 15 tomatoes, cored. Blend about half. Chop the other half. Do this while 3 big onions are sautéing in a olive oil. Add tomatoes to onions. Turn heat to low. In about three hours add some herbs (if fresh, use more).

Simmer for about 6 hours. Stir often. When it's done, pour into shallow roasting pans to cool. Put into freezable containers. Place in fridge overnight. Put in freezer in the morning.

Viola! Pizza sauce. Spaghetti sauce. Soup base. Add additional herbs to suit the wintertime meal on the menu.

* If you have noticed a lack of input here on the blog it is because we are knee-deep in food preservation, homeschooling, tending to the ranchola, and praying for this nation. I do believe that it is important to share recipes and facts and ideas and encouragements, but I do think it is more important to tend to those other listed items. If there are any readers left, try something new and fun with God's bountiful harvest!

Protein--Healthy Truth

How do you get enough protein in your diet?

That is one of the most common questions I get in regard to eating a raw food vegan diet. 

Well folks, quite simply put, there has been way too much hoopla regarding "complete" & "high-quality" protein in one's diet. The fact is, you can achieve and maintain a very healthy body by consuming plant-based proteins! Steaks, chops, roasts and burgers have been scientifically proven to promote diseased bodies, whereas the plant-based proteins have been linked to longevity.

If you haven't heard of, read, watched/listened to an interview with Dr. T. Colin Campbell in regard to his book "The China Study," you must make the time to do so. In trying to prove that the meat and dairy way of eating is the best, he came across startling evidence so he undertook a 20-year long study looking at and establishing a cause & effect between protein sources and incidence of disease. Startling evidence...

Early in his career as a researcher with MIT and Virginia Tech, Dr. Campbell worked to promote better health by eating more meat, milk and eggs -- “high-quality animal protein … It was an obvious sequel to my own life on the farm and I was happy to believe that the American diet was the best in the world.”

The research project culminated in a 20-year partnership of Cornell University, Oxford University, and the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine, a survey of diseases and lifestyle factors in rural China and Taiwan. More commonly known as the China Study, “this project eventually produced more than 8000 statistically significant associations between various dietary factors and disease.” 

The findings? “People who ate the most animal-based foods got the most chronic disease … People who ate the most plant-based foods were the healthiest and tended to avoid chronic disease. These results could not be ignored,” said Dr. Campbell.

above quote taken from http://www.thechinastudy.com/news.html

Why are his findings so startling? And why isn't this making headline news on more airwaves, doctor's offices, hospital hallways, and around water coolers? The answer really is simple. Human nature. Human nature dislikes change. Human nature is resistant to reality. Human nature doesn't like to be startled.

I would like you to be startled just enough to educate yourself and then make an informed decision about the health and welfare of you and your family. At least take the first step by reading an excerpt from his book right here. After that, it is up to you to reclaim your health and vitality. I am here to pass along pertinent information and promote an eating style that has proven itself time and again...

China Study excerpt 

Oh yes, back to the protein topic. We learned in our high school biology class or basic nutrition in health that amino acids are the building blocks of protein. Some amino acids we make within our bodies and others we must consume. In the old days, food combining was thought of as the best way to assist our bodies in the manufacture and utilization of "complete" proteins. But nowadays, it  has been shown that our bodies keep an amino acid pool. And from this pool, our body can assemble and assimilate "complete" proteins! 

These amazing bodies that God gave us in the Garden were first made to consume only plant-based foods, remember? So, God already made our bodies with the intent to survive and thrive on a plant-based diet. Hmmm.

I for one have noticed over the years as I refine my diet (my story) that my muscle mass is more lean, I recover from athletic endeavors quicker, and I have way more energy. Tri-athlete (Brendan Brazier) and even some champions in the Mr. Universe and body building world are vegans. Hmmm.

Cows. Horses. What do they eat? Where do they get their muscle mass? Where do they get their energy? How do they grow, reproduce, lactate, and live? Yes, indeed those massive animals eat plant-based diets. Hmmm.

In a future post or two I will go into more detail about protein, but I just wanted to give you a taste (pun intended) of what your protein source is doing to your health --or lack thereof.

 

Coke & Pop-tarts Are NOT Breakfast!

This video clip is Ann Cooper, the director of Nutrition Services for the Berkeley Unified School District. Ms. Cooper is the author of "Lunch Lessons: Changing the Way We Feed Our Children." In this clip she is speaking at a 2007 conference. 

Ann Cooper is also known as the "Renegade Lunch Lady." It is sad that when one is an advocate for wholesome, healthy food they are called a renegade. Well, then that makes me an official crazy lady too! Crazy for kids. Crazy for health. Crazy for you to make informed decisions.

Back to the video clip...she tells it exactly like it is. If I were standing on a stage voicing the facts and stats on this topic, this is exactly what I would want to come outta my mouth! Please take the time to watch this and pass it along to anyone you know who has kids in the public school system. 

What are the kids eating at your public schools?

What diseases are your kids at-risk for by eating at the public schools?

I love this breakdown she gives in her address:

- $110 billion spent on fast food

- $100 billion spent on diet pills

- $50 billion spent on veggies

- $200 billion spent on diet-related illnesses

Spend less on fast food & more on veggies, then the other amounts will decrease! Duh. This is a huge "duh" moment.

Do you know, we more money is spent on one gourmet cup of fancy-pants coffee than is spent within the school system per child, per week for their lunch food! 

Watch out for the crazy ladies. We are comin' round the mountain!

Dirty Dozen, Cleanest 12

Buying organic produce is very important to me and my family. And it should be to you and yours too. We don't need any sort of toxic residue, film, coating, or gunk covering the produce we eat. Simple. Eat the fruit & veggies plain & simple!

Click the above "photo" to view the short lists in pdf format. And for more details [i.e. did you know that peaches carry 100% load of pesticides? Bad news if you eat conventional peaches folks!], click the link below. 

PESTICIDES IN PRODUCE

I know that 100% organic isn't always easy or even possible for all of us, so I want you to know which foods you definitely want to buy in organic and which one you can get away with buying the conventional variety--only occasionally.

Here is a simple way to think about buying conventional produce...ask yourself this question. Would you take a spoon with you to the stinky, gagging, overwhelming, chemical control area of your local garden store? A spoon? 

Yes, would you take a spoon and ask the sales clerk to pop the top on the assorted poisonous pesticides and/or herbicides? Just so you could get a good taste of what will coat your produce if you use those chemicals on your own garden or purchase conventional produce in your marketplace. Would you go to a taste-testing party at your garden store's chemical section?

Uh, no, not likely. Think about that the next time you are strolling through or looking over fruits & veggies at your farmer's market, grocery store, produce stand, or your very own garden. 

Would I like a spoonful of poison to make the produce go down?!

CSA & Lettuce Boats

Ahhh, it must be summer...CSAs and boats. What?!

What is a CSA you ask? 

It stands for Community Supported Agriculture. And as much as I hate to admit it, I have known about this sort of thing for several years, but have never participated. That has changed now, folks! Since my dietary conversion to a SIMPLE RAW FOOD diet, as one might imagine, our family's grocery bill is mainly produce. And since my garden is sputtering around and taking off like a water-tainted moped gas tank, I freely admit that I need some produce help!

Oh, Community Supported Agriculture is a marvelous way to obtain your produce! Here are some highlights and insights of a CSA:

- you buy a share of a local CSA farmer's garden--usually at the beginning of the season

- each week (or a time frame set-up by your CSA) you pick up your share of that week's crop

- your money pays for produce grown locally and the miscellaneous & assorted costs of running a large-scale garden (labor of those working the farm--most times family members and locals from your community, seeds, water, equipment and so on)

- your money does NOT pay for fuel and the transportation across countries and/or states for supermarket produce, nor does it pay for a supermarket to advertise their trucked-in goods, and so on

- when you buy a CSA farm share, you also buy into the risk of that local farmer, so if a storm comes through and wipes out a crop, he loses that revenue and you lose that potential produce

- if you choose a Certified Organic CSA farm, you are protecting the environment from nasty chemicals, not to mention yourself and your family!

- when you buy local, you support your local economy in so many ways other than monetary

- your cost can vary but for the local CSAs that I researched, my cost would average $20/week -- and that is for ORGANIC produce! By the way, that is a savings!

Community Supported Agriculture (And Other Farm Subscriptions)

Many farms offer produce subscriptions, where buyers receive a weekly or monthly basket of produce, flowers, fruits, eggs, milk, coffee, or any sort of different farm products. A CSA, (for Community Supported Agriculture) is a way for the food buying public to create a relationship with a farm and to receive a weekly basket of produce. By making a financial commitment to a farm, people become "members" (or "shareholders," or "subscribers") of the CSA. Most CSA farmers prefer that members pay for the season up-front, but some farmers will accept weekly or monthly payments. Some CSAs also require that members work a small number of hours on the farm during the growing season. A CSA season typically runs from late spring through early fall. The number of CSAs in the United States was estimated at 50 in 1990, and has since grown to over 1000 ~ italic information above taken directly from the website www.localharvest.org

You could do a google search and find tons of information too. 

Please keep in mind that my mantra of SIMPLE does not always mean easy. SIMPLE harkens back to a time of my grandparent's generation when families toiled in the soil for their food, when folks bought goods from locals, when families worked together, when sweating took place in the garden or on the tractor and not in the gym (no offense to my city-dwelling friends), and when you took pleasure in eating the food you had a hand in growing.

So for those of us with sputtering gardens and/or no room for gardens, participate in a local CSA! Put your dollar where it should be--locally. Build a relationship with your farmers. Stand up for farmland protection policies. Realize that they are trying their utmost to do something simple, yet in this day & age, something awe-inspiring -- grow quality produce to nourish you and your family! SIMPLE RAW HEALTH at its best people!

If your hands cannot grow your very own produce, put your money (and therefore the resources and ability) into the hands of someone you trust to do it! 

Here are some photos of the produce loot I scored last week from my local Certified Organic CSA. This is what my $20 bought! Amazing quality, goodness, freshness, and quantity! I am a satisfied customer indeed. And here is a link to their spot at Local Harvest-- Willow Grove Gardens.

What about the boats?!

And here is a SIMPLE lunch I made from my wonderful produce. Lettuce Boats! 

- a few large pieces of lettuce

- assorted chopped produce (beets, zucchini)

- soaked raw sunflower seeds

Just grab the sides and start chomping away at the end closest to your mouth! YUM! If you need some spice, add some. Or you may drizzle some

 cold-pressed organic olive oil on top. Do what works with what you have!

SIMPLE RAW FOOD MAMMA says, "Not only should you eat your veggies, but you should know who grows 'em!"

Thrive!

Good day to you! Monday, the beginning of the week. This first full week of summer. It is a great time to make some changes to be a healthier, happier you! Why not start with your dietary choices? Let's do it--right now!

Below is a quote from an article by Brendan Brazier, a vegan athlete from Canada. Actually he is a top Iron Man athlete. He eats a plant-based diet. He is the epitome of thriving, not just surviving. In fact he wrote a book entitled "Thrive," a best-seller up north. Click on the link to read the article in its entirety.

Have a blessed day and think before you eat because you indeed are what you eat! 

"I like to start with the dark leafy green leafy vegetables, which are a rich source of chlorophyll, the lifeblood of all plants. Able to significantly reduce lactic acid (a destructive by-product of exercise) chlorophyll also cleanses and oxygenates the blood, making it an essential modern world food and a true performance enhancer. More available oxygen in the blood translates to better endurance and an overall reduction in fatigue. In their raw state, chlorophyll-containing plants possess an abundance of live enzymes that promote the quick rejuvenation of cells. My favourite green food is chlorella because it is the richest source of chlorophyll and nucleic acids in nature, plus it provides a reliable supply of vitamin B12.

I also highly recommend a daily dose of a complete, raw plant protein such as hemp protein. Raw plant protein offers several advantages: Naturally occurring live enzymes, present only in raw protein, are absorbed and utilized in a far more efficient manner than processed proteins, and feeding the body natural whole food sources of protein greatly reduces the amount needed by improving efficacy."

http://www.vistamagonline.com/articles/page.php?tp=1&p=1&id=14&s=whole_food_diet

Meet Your Meat

This posting is something that makes me dizzy with madness and sadness. It will likely gross you out. Please, if you eat meat, watch this. If you buy meat in a store, watch this. If you order meat from a menu, watch this. 

"Oh, I don't want to see something gross," may be what you are thinking. Let me tell you, you need to watch this. For your health, the health of your family, and the health of our planet. 

My mission is education. I want people to have the information and education to make informed decisions about their health and well-being. You have control of what you put in your mouth. I want you to make the best choices based on the information at-hand. 

It is true that my blog primarily focuses on the goodness of eating healthy, that is a positive thing. And that is what the majority of information and education will be about. Goodness. Eating fruits & veggies. Having fun with the food you consume. Fueling your body for great health. Quite to the contrary, this information today focuses on the badness of eating meat raised for the mass market, that is a negative thing.

Imagine for a moment if you switched to a vegan (no animal products) diet. One, how many more people could our planet feed if all the land devoted to animal feed crops were turned into organic farms and orchards? Have you ever thought about land use in that manner? Okay that is only one issue...

I am not going to stay perched on my soap box...just watch the video. And do come back to this blog. My intent isn't to make you feel guilty or that you are doing something wrong, I just want you to be informed. Do you want to make changes and feel better? Do you want to thrive or just survive? 

Did God really intend for us to treat animals this way? Even if you have no inclination to stop eating meat, at least change your purchase habits and buy it from a reputable farm...no antibiotics, no hormones, no tumors, no disease, no madness... Please.

Taste Buds

Food, food, food. We eat it at least 3 times a day, most often times more than that. What are you putting into your body? And the bodies of your children?

My son and I were doing our regular Monday mid-day thing, watching a vegan whole foods cooking pbs show called "Christina Cooks" when we both looked at each other and professed our hunger out loud. Since my husband and I have raised our son as a vegan (see post below for definition!), it didn't surprise me when he requested soup for lunch. 

Can openers and microwaves are not the way we make soup around here. I quickly chopped some sweet potato, red onion, asparagus, and carrots. Tossed them into a pan with olive oil and sauteed for a couple minutes--still with lots of crispness left! Added in some water. And then some rice noodles. I reserved some raw veggies and added those in with the hot soup. In mere minutes, there was homemade, healthy, wonderful soup--pleasing to the 4 1/2-year old taste buds of my kiddo!

Some say "wow" about the variety of veggies he downs with enthusiasm. As a 6-month old starting on "baby food" we took great care in what he ate. And in the order he ate it. 

We made our own baby food...

Initially we mashed up some avocados. Then some bananas. Then some brown rice blended. We slowly introduced veggies and then fruits. Raw and mashed. Sometimes cooked a tad. He ate what we ate... just mushed and mashed. That is the simple way. That is the healthy way.

Recently a friend (Eat Healthy, Be  Happy) and I were talking about "baby food" sold in jars. Gross. Even if it is organic it is still cooked beyond recognition. And people wonder why their tots won't eat veggies with gusto?! Children learn a lot through their mouths...so do adults.

Take the time to teach them well. Feed them right. Build an appreciation for the simple things of life...

Back to lunch, I had leftover salad from dinner last night. I dressed mine with raw food "sour cream" (recipe I made quite by accident a couple months ago), pine nuts, currants, red bell pepper and dill. Yum! 

What are you having for lunch today? 

Yes, simple healthy food looks awesome and tastes even better! You heard it from SIMPLE RAW FOOD MAMMA so it's gotta be true  ;-)

Nourishment

Whether or not you fancy going all raw or just making some improvements in your dietary choices, good for you! We need to look at what we eat as nourishment, not a "diet." The D-word speaks to me of weight loss (and gain and loss and gain), but NOURISHMENT speaks to me of caring for our God-given body.

If your first step to healthy eating is throwing out all of the white junk (white flour, white sugar, and white rice), then do it. What is in your home? Does it nourish or does it deplete? Along with the ugly whites, toss the corn syrup. Toss that in a toxic waste dump! Did you know that corn syrup is illegal in Europe? 

Hellooo America. If you have any pre-packaged boxed foods in your cupboards, see if corn syrup is in there. Oh, it is. Corn syrup actually makes your body think it is hungry when it is not. It messes with our innate internal messenger service to trick our minds into thinking the body is hungry. Toss the diet cookies and eat an orange!

Oh yes, how could I forget the one white with many ill-side effects, milk. Gag, sputter, choke. Milk and all of its cohorts (cheese, yogurt, ice cream, cream cheese...) do one thing well. They create mucus. Gross. Mucus gunks up your body...especially your intestines and your sinuses. It creates snot and sludge. It coats the intestines and interferes with nutrient absorption. 

In fact we don't have dairy in this house, but my husband likes to eat it every now and then--I imagine out of habit and sometimes societal pressure. The last dairy event was a milk shake on his way home from work one afternoon. 

Afternoon? Yes, he was taking off early to get home early so we could do some work outside. He walked in the door and fell onto the couch. I said, "Oh, no. What did you eat on the way home?" He confessed. Then he moaned and groaned and could hardly keep his eyes open. After my son and I let him snooze for few minutes, we woke him up and told him we were going outside for our family work time. He pulled himself off of the couch and came out.

Later on I asked him if it was worth it. He said, "No." He even referred to dairy as "poison that pollutes the system." We are indeed weak. So pray! Pray for some guidance and strength and direction. We take the time to nourish our souls with prayer, nourish our minds with reading the Bible, so we also must take the time to nourish our bodies with wholesome foods.

By the way, the next morning my husband had the nasal sludge he had grown accustomed to going without. Yuck.

Let me add another note (or two) about dairy. Cow milk was meant for baby cows. God created animals with the life-giving mother's milk to nourish their own baby. Human babies suckle from their mammas, foals from their mares, and calfs from their cows. Most people who suffer from seasonal allergies, asthma and the like, will notice a huge improvement in symptoms by cutting out the white squeezed-from-an-animal crud, otherwise known as dairy.

In our strive for eating nourishing foods, first our family tossed the whites. Then we tossed the pre-mades. And then we took it farther and adopted raw foods as the main source of nourishment. Whatever you decide to do to improve the quality of foods you eat, keep in mind these questions, "How will this nourish my body today? And will it actually bring harm to my body for tomorrow?"

So, whether you take one step at a time or jump into the deep end with me, do it because you deserve it. Nourish yourself.