Sweet Fast for an Addict

Following Christmas, I began reading a very challenging book called, “If It’s Not Food, Don’t Eat It!”  I hope to write a bit more about this book some other time.  Upon reading a section regarding stimulants, I couldn’t help but think I very likely had at least a small addiction to sweets.  I think many people would laughingly say they were addicted to sweets, and, though they are probably somewhat serious and actually quite correct, they wouldn’t really consider it serious enough to do anything about it.  Not like we would consider maybe say an alcohol, drug or nicotine addiction.

Yet food has become a serious issue, especially when you begin to consider the extreme rise in obesity, heart disease, diabetes, etc. over the last 50 years… rises than coincide rather nicely with the increase in processed convenient foods in our culture.  I’m not here to point fingers at anyone.  I’m still learning and changing (and enjoying a night off of cooking to eat at a restaurant where I can’t easily control the quality of food).  Still, there is something awry with the food industry and “food”‘ we eat, and the deeper I delve the more I am forced to recognize many of the foods we are used to eating and are bombarded with on a daily basis are detrimental to our health.  But, I’m straying…

Toward the start of January, I recalled some reasons for believing I may have a sweet addiction.  I can’t (or at least don’t) say no to my favorite sweets set before me.  I have eaten sweets I’m not even that crazy about because they remain a sugary temptation.  I have scrounged for sweets when I’m craving them and they aren’t around (we usually don’t bring them in the house, unless they are baking goods). I eat sweets in excess if they are around and until they are gone, and during cravings I have dwelled on sweets an unhealthy portion of day. Maybe that doesn’t sound all that bad to you.  Maybe that’s because you do the same thing?  Maybe not.  Yet, what if you replaced the word “drugs” for the word “sweets” in those scenarios listed above. Read it over that way and see if I don’t sound like a “drug” addict.

At this point I decided to start a sweet fast on January 12th.  I had a little over a week or so to empty out the sugar in the house from the holidays, slow down my sugar intake, and also indulge in a few favorites.  My husband’s birthday falls on January 9th, so I reasoned I had to at least wait for any celebrations to pass.  Start date: January 12th.  Duration: ONE MONTH.  End Date: February 12th.  Just in time for Valentines.  Cohorts (aka people I weaseled into joining me):  my husband, my mom, and my cousin.

I can still remember Day 3 of the fast. DAY 3!!!  My husband was away on business, and I’m pregnant and caring for a 1 and 3-year-old.  My 1-year-old got an ear infection.  This led to two very sleepless nights.  By Friday (Day 3 of the sweet fast), I was exhausted.  I spent the first part of that day dreaming of Starbucks coffee, the sugar-dosed kind.   The last part of the day I fixated on rich chocolate desserts.  I did not cave.

Day 4 we had a large family gathering at a pizza place.  I went without soda.  It was just a little sad.  I’m not a big soda drinker (we never have it in our home), but with pizza?  Come on!   My aunt also had cheesecake at her house following lunch.  I tried not to stare at it too hard.

Day 12 was a particularly hard day for no known reason.  But, apparently I wasn’t the only one.  One of my cohorts momentarily fell off the wagon that day.  Another cohort did the same a few days later… maybe there’s something about nearing the 2 week marker.

Day 18 I went to a candy store.  CRAZY!!!  Surprisingly I did not have near the difficulty I imagined.  I just repeated, “Poison food” in my head as I passed each jar full of candy.  Just kidding… kinda.  Of course, I did get a small bag for my wide-eyed daughter.

I’ve noticed that about 2 days out of the week I REALLY want sweets.  Some days I could care less.  Sometimes it’s a passing thought.  Sometimes I mentally obsess, which usually leads to me eating fruit and counting down the days until the fast is OVER.

I read in a book called “Real Food Has Curves” that one reason sweets are so addicting to us is that they are often connected to really good memories or at least to comfort.  My husband and I have gone on “Starbucks dates”.  Homemade cookies has the nostalgia of holidays or fun baking memories.  Have you ever just gone out with a friend for dessert?  How fun is that?  I think a large part of my sweet addiction is MENTAL.  We had a blizzard last week (and I’m not talking about the ones you get at Dairy Queen) and we were snowed in.  I saw on Facebook that my aunt was baking cookies.  I was having no sweet issues until I read that.  Suddenly, I wanted cookies like a ravenous dog. The thought of the smell wafting through the air and biting into a warm cookie straight from the oven overwhelmed me.  MENTAL, I tell you.  At least 90% of my sweet addiction is mental.

The sweet fast is coming to a close… less than four days!!!  I won’t pretend I’m not excited.  I’ll post again soon with a few parting thoughts and future goals.  But for now, dear friends, if I can do it, so can you.

Catching Up

Ah, yes! The holidays are well past, and New Year Resolutions are in high gear, right?  Right?   Or maybe already forgotten considering it’s been a month already!   I’ve been on a bit of a blogging hiatus during the holidays (and then some), but I haven’t given up on my quest for “Rediscovering Real Food.”  In fact, in my Christmas stocking, my husband got me to books to expand my knowledge.  Now, don’t get the wrong idea ladies, they aren’t diet books.  He’s a really wonderful husband who knew my focus is on learning more about whole, healthy and real foods.  I was really happy to get them, and actually finished reading them both over the course of the month I haven’t been blogging.  We’ll call it my research time.

Speaking of the holidays… is that not the hardest time of the year to eat well?  I fixed cookies this year: Chocolate Chip and my Grandma’s Sugar Cookie Recipe.  We stocked our stuffings full of yummy candies too.   Then I began reading my healthy eating books, and immediately felt convicted of all the sugar.  Allow me to suggest healthy books with apples and oranges in your stocking OR candy with a cookbook about desserts, but do not interchange.

So, Christmas wasn’t flawless by any sense of the word.  There’s that overwhelming need for me to justify, “It’s Christmas!”  ”It’s just once a year!”  And to some extent there is truth to that.  But, perhaps with each year, we can take baby steps toward better foods.  Here’s a few examples of little things we did BETTER this year:

1.  Instead of buying my husband Mark beef jerky from the store for his stocking (yes, he LOVES that stuff), I tapped my ever so helpful brother-in-law to make some beef jerky for me to give him, using fresh beef (part of which was his own natural grass-fed beef… more on that another blog).  My brother-in-law makes a great recipe that I even like and make homemade beef jerky with his dehydrator.  I was so happy to have avoided all those nitrites and nasty preservatives.  Plus, Mark likes the homemade jerky the most.  Win. Win.
2.  Believe it or not, we did cut back on the sweets we stuffed in each others stockings.  Not near enough, but we were more intentional. Next year we’re determined to give each other even less.
3.  After feeling bad about the sugar in our house, we used a few family gatherings (big and small) to have others partake in the sugary “poison” goodness we call candy.  Isn’t that nice?   Spread among various people, our personal sugar intake decreased.
4.  This holiday season we didn’t make Mark’s family recipes for yummy hot chocolate and spiced tea mix.   They are so good and nostalgic for Mark.  They are also chocked full of sugar and unnecessary calories.

What about you?  What did you do differently OR rather what COULD you do differently?  Baby steps my friends, especially through the holidays.

When Your Best Friends Are Your Worst Enemies

I don’t know about you but from what I’ve read concerning the “best” foods, we should all be filling up on fruits and vegetables.  I must admit these fresh from the earth foods have a certain purity about them.  You can’t read the ingredients for what’s in an apple.  It’s an apple!!!  The more I read up on foods the more I learn all the amazing nutrients, vitamins, and minerals packed into these “best” foods.  So, if there is a food group to deem my best friends (and if I’m not going by my sweet cravings and therefore thinking it’s chocolate), I think I’d have to give the honor to our dear friends, the vegetables and fruits.

I’ve heard about the power of anti-oxidants in berries.  I know peppers are packed with all sorts of amazing nutrients.  Celery is supposedly one of the negative calorie foods where it takes more calories for your body to digest it than what it actually contains (too bad I like fattening peanut butter on it most of the time).  The most nutritional part of the apple is the skin.  And oh, those leafy greens… that’s what we all need to stuff ourselves with if that’s possible.  The list can go on and on.

I’ve been reading more about food, whole foods, organic foods, the best foods.  I’m trying to buy as much organic as possible for our pocket-book and what the non-specialty stores in our area provide.  In studying up on my fruits and vegetables, the number one health concern is PESTICIDES.  Those pesky pests of chemicals that saturate our best food friends.  As I was walking through the grocery store last week, I kept eying those fruits and vegetables (the ones all the health experts tell you, you can’t eat enough of), and all I could see were nasty chemical pesticides covering the “healthiest” of foods.  It was as if my best friends were becoming my worst enemies.  And I could only find solace in the arms of organic fruits and veggies.

Now not all vegetables and fruits are sprayed equally though.  Some are worse than others based on a high percentage of a type of fruit or vegetable containing pesticides (say 85% of a certain type of fruit tested had traces of pesticides) or by the sheer amount of various pesticides located on one piece.  Did I lose you?  Basically, some fruits and vegetables on average contain a lot of pesticides.  So say your budget doesn’t completely fit a total organic diet.  Which fruits and veggies should you buy organic?  And which “regular” ones can you get away with buying?  Here’s a list to take to the store or imprint in your mind of fruits and veggies to BUY ORGANIC when at all possible:

1. Peach
2. Apple
3. Sweet Bell Pepper
4. Celery
5. Nectarine
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Kale  (Pretty much all Leafy Greens)
9. Lettuce
10. Grapes – Imported  (Though at my local grocery store they were all domestic.  Hooray!)
11. Carrot
12. Pear
13. Collard Greens
14. Spinach
15. Potatoes

Again, these are the top fruits and vegetables to BUY ORGANIC.  I’ve also seen red raspberries, blueberries, green beans, and winter squash on other WORST lists (organic must-buys).  Tomatoes have been on both the naughty and nice list.  What I’ve gathered is they used to be worse than they are now for reasons unknown.  The BAD list seems to cover too many good fruits and vegetables, so what’s left to somewhat safely buy? (Keep in mind the only fruits and veggies not allowed to have chemical pesticides placed them by law are organics).  Here’s a list of your safer (less contaminated) fruits and vegetables:

1. Onion
2. Avocado
3. Sweet corn (frozen)
4. Pineapple
5. Mango
6. Asparagus
7. Sweet peas (frozen)
8. Kiwi
9. Cabbage
10. Eggplant
11. Papaya
12. Watermelon
13. Broccoli
14. Tomato
15. Sweet potato

That day while shopping I was armed with these lists, and I found myself in a few predicaments.  I couldn’t find organic sweet bell peppers or any kinds of organic berries.  I bought non-organic peppers and passed sadly on the berries (my girls LOVE blueberries).  I was able to find organic potatoes, spinach, leafy greens, carrots, celery, oranges and apples.  I bought domestic grapes.  My other predicament: whether to buy organic pineapple and kiwi… two on the safe list that were available as organic.  That day I walked out with an organic pineapple and kiwi for two reasons.  1.  Though on the “safer” list, they can still contain pesticides (just in lower amounts due to their skins) unless organic.  2.  I need to support the organic farming business.  If I want organics to exist, I must participate in making a market for it. In the end, the “safe-er” list gives me peace of mind when I am unable to obtain organic avocados, onions, eggplant, broccoli (all of which were on my grocery list that day), etc. due to a lack of options where I live.

Don’t give up on your best food friends!  Buy organic for the worst (and ponder opting out if unavailable).  Oh, and I also ran across this fruit and veggie wash that supposed to be made of all safe ingredients.  What’s the good of spraying chemicals on your fruits and vegetables in order to wash off chemicals?  I may try this one out:   “Wash Dem Veggies,” and if I do I’ll let you know what I think.  Then maybe I can buy non-organic blueberries for my girls and not feel quite as guilty.  We can only do our BEST.

http://www.sixwise.com/Newsletters/2009/April/01/The-15-Most-Important-Fruits-and-Vegetables-to-Buy.htm

http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/Dirty-Dozen-Foods

http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/Save-on-Sustainable-Gallery-44032808

Transforming the Feast

After being gone the week before Thanksgiving, and then coming home just in time to prep for the holidays, I haven’t had the opportunity to blog any recent food thoughts or experiences.   Being that we just said good-bye to Thanksgiving, though, I thought I would take a little time to share some things we did differently this Thanksgiving Feast 2010.

First off, let me say, I love Thanksgiving.  My mom started years ago having Thanksgiving at her home (rather than us rotating between our grandparents every year).  Sometimes it was just my parents, brother and I.  But, often each year has brought some special extended family member(s) or dear guests to our table.  We love this.  When my mom cooks for Thanksgiving, it’s mostly from scratch, and the meal is wonderfully DELICIOUS!  By the time we cook up ALL our favorite dishes, we have enough to feed a small army.  So unexpected guests are easily welcome, and usually Thanksgiving dinner becomes Thanksgiving dinners for the next few days.  The last few years we’ve tried cutting more out, and this year we probably did our best ever at accomplishing this.  Still, Thanksgiving dinner is quite a FEAST.

This year, some things stayed the same.  They had to or it wouldn’t be OUR Thanksgiving feast.  Some things had slight improvements to recipes to make them healthier.   Some recipes were thrown out and replaced altogether.  So here’s our list of Thanksgiving foods.  I am including recipe links to some of our BEST changes toward the end of this blog.

Recipes That Will Never Change:
1.  My Mom’s Made from Scratch Dressing. AMAZING!
2.  Mashed Potatoes and Gravy both from scratch,too.
3.  My Mom’s Homemade Cherry Pie NOT made with canned cherry filling or store-bought crusts.  Within our families, her cherry pie is infamous.
4   Pumpkin Pie, which is the recipe my Grandma always used.

Recipes We Made that We Should Skip Next Year:
1.  Strawberry Dessert. Despite the name, we like to pretend this is a “fruit” option, though quite obviously it’s a dessert.  This recipe requires a decent amount of processed foods, so we may need to wish it farewell.  But, we chose to enjoy it this year.
2.  Pumpkin Pie Cake. While quite yummy, I don’t plan to fix it next year, because it requires using yellow cake mix– a processed food, plus too much butter.

Recipes We Slightly Improved On:
1.  Homemade Apple Pie.  Ok, so it’s only a small improvement, but I did buy organic apples for this pie, because apples are one of the worst fruits for being smothered in pesticides.
2.  Cranberry Salad.  This has five ingredients: heavy whipping cream and sugar (to make a fresh whip cream), fresh cranberries, crushed canned pineapple, and marshmallows.  After making the whip cream base, you stir in the other ingredients.  This recipe has a great mix of sweet and tart.  We love it.  This year, I nixed the marshmallows, so I’m pretty sure that helps cut out some of the sugar content, calories, and the processed food.  We didn’t miss them at all.
3.  Baked Carrots. I didn’t change this recipe, but we did replace it for a broccoli casserole (which contains condensed soups), and corn casserole (which has lots of crackers and such).  This carrot recipe does have a cream sauce with it (made from onion and celery sautéed in butter along with a bit of flour and milk) and bread crumbs on top.  Still, you make it basically from scratch (where you can control the ingredients) and it has a great taste (even if you put way too many onions in it like I accidentally did this year. Oops!).
4.  Pumpkin Cookies.  I made these for a different Thanksgiving gathering, but when I made them I did half all-purpose flour and half whole wheat flour.  I also substituted butter (still fattening I know) for shortening, which contains hydrogenated oil that is NOT good at all.   Also, I think I should get some points for making cookies with healthy pumpkin in them rather than say chocolate chips.  I must admit, I put each person’s initials from our gathering on the cookies with cream cheese icing.  This adds a cute flair and little extra sugary delight.  While icing is awful for you, it was minimal.  These cookies are delicious!

* Next year, I may try a “healthier” dessert option.  We actually tend to make even more dessert options than those listed above. Isn’t that awful?  So this year we cut out a few of those desserts.  Go us!

Our Greatest Recipe Change Accomplishments:
1.  First, we decided to skip my Mom’s homemade chicken and noodles.  This is probably one of our favorite dishes.  But, let’s face it, we have enough carbs in our feast already.
2.  We bought a fresh turkey through our local nutrition store from a nearby Amish town.   That’s gotta be a better quality turkey.
3.  No more Green Bean Casserole.  Meet your new and improved green bean dish:  Green Bean and Mushroom Medley.
4.  Here’s our fresher, more tasteful sweet potato recipe than we’ve ever made before:  Sweet Potato Casserole.
5.  We exchanged store rolls for homemade oatmeal bread (made into muffins).  Here’s the recipe for Honey Oat Quick Bread.
6.  Good-bye Cinnamon Applesauce (made with red hots candies!).  Welcome Homemade Applesauce that my girls adore!

I hope you check the links directly above for the recipes of our 4 newest additions to our Thanksgiving Feast.   I think they are worth a look and even a taste all year round.  We loved them!

Green Bean and Mushroom Medley

This recipe is AMAZING!  I came across this recipe on the internet while looking for a fresher, healthier substitute for the traditional Green Bean Casserole.  If there is a vegetable holiday dish that most everyone has tasted or seen, the Green Bean Casserole has to be it.  They even make kits for it now.  I like the Green Bean Casserole, but I kept wondering what could replace the condensed soups and fried onions.  When I spotted this recipe, it sounded delicious, and I must say it disappointed NO ONE.   In fact, hands down, we decided this recipe would replace the good ol’ Green Bean Casserole.   Really this recipe is one to try anytime of the year.    And please, please try it.  Your taste buds will thank you.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb fresh green beans  (I probably used more than this)
• 2 large carrots cut into thick short strips
• 1 lb of mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 1/4 cup butter (I used the whole amount as a first timer to this recipe, but would use half that amount in the future.  Or maybe even use a healthy oil option.)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp season salt
• 1/4 tsp garlic salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper (I added a bit more)

Directions:

• Place green beans and carrots in 1-3 inches of boiling water.  Cover and cook until tender but firm.  Drain.  (I cooked mine until tender, because my husband likes his veggies tender more than crisp.  And if that helps him eat and enjoy veggies, that’s what I’ll do)
• Melt butter in a large skillet.  Saute mushroom and onions til almost tender.  Reduce heat.  Cover.  Simmer 3 minutes.
• Stir green beans and carrots into the large skillet of mushrooms and onions.  Then add all salts and pepper.
• Cover and cook all ingredients 5 minutes over medium heat.
• Enjoy!

Honey Oat Quick Bread

My family (our little gals included) has all thoroughly enjoyed this bread.  We tried it in a loaf form two days before Thanksgiving, and found it to be worthy to exchange for rolls.  For our Thanksgiving dinner, I placed the bread dough in muffin pans, so each person could have their own little “muffin” as a roll substitute.  Even if you may not want these for your Thanksgiving feast, as a certain roll recipe may hold a special place in your heart (everyone at our table on Thanksgiving loved them, though), I think you’d really enjoy them on a regular basis.  In fact, I would consider this an all year round recipe, not simply for Thanksgiving.  This just happened to be a really healthy homemade bread that I came across right before Thanksgiving.  I actually liked this recipe better in the muffin form (rather than the bread) because they are easier to grab and great for breakfast, a snack, or a side with a meal. Don’t be frightened by the oatmeal.  It will not overwhelm you.  In fact, if you didn’t know better, you wouldn’t know it was even in the bread.  Anyway, as you’ll see, this is full of healthy ingredients.  Even better, you have a moist tasty bread (or muffin) to sink your teeth into.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tb plus 1 cup of old-fashioned rolled or quick-cooking (but not instant!) oats, divided
• 1 cup all-purpose flour  (I only used 1/2 cup and put an extra 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour in it)
• 1 1/3 cups of whole wheat flour (or white whole wheat flour)
• 2 1/4 tsp of baking powder (tip:  look for aluminum free baking powder next time you shop)
• 1/4 tsp of baking soda
• 1 1/4 tsp of salt
• 8 oz (scant 1 cup) of non or low-fat plain yogurt
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 canola or olive oil (I used olive oil)
• 1/4 cup of honey
• 3/4 cup of milk

Directions:

• Set oven for 375 degrees
• Coat a 9×5 bread pan (or muffin tin) with cooking spray.  Sprinkle 1 TB oats in pan.
• In a large bowl combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• In a medium bowl blend yogurt, egg, oil, honey, and oats.  Then stir in milk.
• Combine dry ingredients with wet ingredients, until thoroughly incorporated but not overly mixed.
• Put in pan.  Sprinkle final 1 TB on top.
• Bake 40-50 minutes (or 25-30 minutes for muffins).  Let cool 15 minutes, use a knife to pop out bread.   Let cool 45 minutes.

* I used a convection oven when I made a bread loaf (not the muffins, because I was baking other dishes with it at the same time), and I set it at 350 degrees and only baked it for 35 minutes.

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/honey_oat_quick_bread.html

Sweet Potato Casserole

So, I’ll admit.  My mom never introduced us to sweet potato casseroles of any kind.  I guess she never cared for them or they weren’t on her family radar.  Anyway, they have always been absent from our Thanksgiving  family feast, until I met my husband.   His family made sweet potato balls, and that was one of his favorite dishes for Thanksgiving.  I started making them at my family Thanksgiving just for him.  I’ll list the few ingredients:  canned sweet potatoes, margarine, marshmallows, pecans.   Probably not the healthiest of dishes nor the freshest ingredients.  Now don’t get me wrong, my husband’s family often makes very healthy meals.  This side dish just doesn’t happen to be one of them.  But, that was the only one I knew about, and one that had nostalgic value to my love.  So, that’s what I’ve fixed.

I’ve tasted some sweet potato casseroles here and there at a few other gatherings, but I’m not a connoisseur by any means.  This year I decided to search for a healthier sweet potato recipe, and I came across this recipe on a website with healthy recipes.  So, this Thanksgiving we tried it out, and it was fantastic.  Even my mom (not a big sweet potato fan) commented on the great taste.  This recipe includes an orange flavor, which does stand out in the dish but in a truly delightful manner.   I’d have to say this is the best sweet potato experience I’ve ever had (which granted is not extensive).  Though it’s a bit more effort than the sweet potato balls I’ve made in the past, this recipe is still fairly easy, much healthier, and super tasty.  Whip it up, and take a taste for yourself.

Ingredients for Sweet Potatoes:

• 2 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes (3 medium potatoes), peeled and cute into 2 inch cubes
• 2 large eggs
• 1 TB canola oil
• 1 TB honey
• 1/2 cup low-fat milk
• 2 tsp of orange zest
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1 tsp of vanilla

Ingredients for Topping:

• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 4 tsp of frozen orange juice concentrate (less if you want a lighter orange flavor)
• 1 TB of canola oil
• 1 TB butter, melted
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

• Place sweet potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water.  Bring to a boil.  Cover and cook over medium heat until tender (10-15 minutes).  Drain.  Return to pan.  Mash and use 3 cups of the mashed sweet potatoes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Coat an 8 inch square dish with cooking spray.
• Whisk eggs, oil, and honey in medium bowl.  Add mashed sweet potatoes and mix well.  Stir in milk, vanilla, and salt.  Put in dish.
• In a small bowl, make topping.  Mix together flour, brown sugar, OJ concentrate, oil, and butter.  Blend with fork until crumbly.  Stir in pecans.  Sprinkle over casserole.
• Bake until heated through and top is lightly brown (35-45 minutes).

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/sweet_potato_casserole.html