New Mexican red enchilada sauce

This is my favorite enchilada sauce. Their are no tomatoes, just Chilies, garlic, a little salt, and oregano. Man this sauce is amazing. Smokey, smooth, and a little sweet. Sometimes I like to mix it up by adding different kinds of peppers and maybe some cilantro and cumin.

Ingredients:
6-8 Dried red chili pods, stems and seeds removed
2-4 cloves of garlic
1 tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp oregano
Water

Directions: 
Cover the chilies with water and simmer for 10 minutes. Put that and all the other ingredients in a blender and blend till smooth. Put back into a pot and simmer for 20 minutes. This will keep for 1-2 weeks in the refrigerator or freeze.

That's it! If you want to make a more mild sauce with tomatoes, add in a can of roasted tomatoes when you blend it, or a can of tomato sauce. 

8 reasons why I love coconut oil

Life has definitely changed for me in the last month since having Thomas, but it sure has been a joy! I just have time for a short post today, so here is a list of 8 of my favorite uses for coconut oil.

1. Under eye treatment. It works wonders on dark under eye circles.

2. With cocoa butter for an all over body butter. Melt them together and whip if you like, then keep in a pretty jar.

3. Oil pulling, for detoxing and making my teeth white. Read more about this HERE.

4. It makes excellent toothpaste, find out how HERE.

5. It tastes so good, woks great for high heat (try making orange chicken with it) and is one of the best fats for your body! (Read more about healthy fats HERE.)

6. It makes a nice healing salve. Being antibacterial, and microbial and very healing in general it woks nicely to help wounds heal.

7. Works great for my babies skin. It helped heal his dried skin, the cuts on his feet from the jaundice tests, and his belly button (the cord came off before it healed properly. I didn't want to put anything on it that would make it burn, so I tried coconut oil, it worked so good!)

8. As a light sunscreen. Coconut oil is a natural 5spf which is fine for me since I don't go out in the sun between about 10 and 4 when its to hot for me.


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Easy Asian ground meat with veggies

This is an incredibly easy meal to make, that serves several people on a budget. 

Prep time: 0-5 min Cook time: 20-30 min Serves: 4 or more

Ingreedients:

1/2 cup of rice per person

1 pound of veggies of choice (I love green beans or broccoli)

1 pound of ground meet of choice

1 tbsp of sesame oil

1/4 cup of soy or tamari sauce

2 tbsp of rice wine vinegar (red wine vinegar works nicely also)

1 tbsp of honey

2-4 cloves of minced garlic

1/4 to 1 inch of fresh ginger minced or grated. (you can use powdered) 

Asian hot sauce to taste 

Directions:

Cook the rice however you like, I do 1 cup of rice with 2 and 1/4 to 1/3 cups of water boiled then simmered until it is done. I just kind of guess basically, you may want to follow more specific directions though. 

In a pan or wok cook any onions and hard veggies first. Add in the ground meet and let it start cooking, then add in all the flavors (everything but any other veggies). Once the meat is cooked add in any other veggies you want cooked. I usually add in the frozen veggies now on top and put a lid on. Any water that comes off of the veggies helps to make a sauce. You can always defrost any veggies before, I just always forget and this works fine. add your meat and veggies to some rice and eat up. I never said it was classy, just delicious ;)

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The easiest sauerkraut recipe

This sauerkraut recipe is so simple and takes very little time. You can make this recipe with just cabbage, or with other vegetables and greens or even fruit. Also, you can make it with or without salt. The salt does give it an extra bit of crispiness. No water, culture, or whey is needed. 

Fermenting your vegetables makes them more nutritious, unlocking nutrients and culturing beneficial bacteria to help your body thrive!

For one batch

Prep time: 10 min Fermentation time: 5-10 days

Equipment:

Make sure all equipment is sterile, you do not want to introduce bad bacteria. 

1 bowl

1 mason jar

a knife

a cutting board

something to press your kraut into the jar with (optional, if your hand fits in the jar you can just use your fist/knuckles)

Ingredients:

1 head of cabbage

1 tsp of sea salt (optional)

I like to make mine with cabbage, carrots, beats, and swiss chard, you can also add in apples, dried berries, spices such as caraway, ginger, garlic, celery zucchini, basically whatever you feel like. 

Adding more veggies, herbs such as parsley, and garlic and ginger make for an awesome immune booster. Not only are their going to be more nutrients from the food by fermenting them, the beneficial bacteria are going to make you have a better immune system also. The probiotics, or beneficial bacteria, in our guts protect us from parasites, harmful bacteria,  and toxic substances including mercury! 

Directions:

• Wash your cabbage. 
• Take of the first 1 to 2 layers of leaves off your cabbage and discard.
•  Take off another layer and save it for later.
•  Take out the core of your cabbage and shred it by slicing it thinly with a knife (I do for one batch) or with some sort of cheese grater. If you are adding any thing else you will want to shred it as well, except for greens like swiss chard just chop those finely. 
• Place all ingredients in a bowl with the salt if you are using it.
• Using your hand, squish and kneed the mixture until the juices are getting released. 
• Press the mixture into some sort of jar with a lid that will seal, such as a mason jar. You want this to be packed tight!
• Using your reserved leaves, cover the top to take up any extra space.
• Cover and keep in a pantry or some place similar. You want the area to have little to no light, be dry, and not to warm or cold. 
• Let it sit from 5-10 days. A week usually works perfect for me but if it is unusually warm or cold it may take less or more time. You may want to keep a tray underneath because it has a tendency to bubble and leak. 

Middle eastern type tomato chicken stuff... or something like that

This was something that I made the other day trying to use up the chicken and couscous that I had, and it turned out really well for such a simple recipe.
Chicken in a tomato and turmeric sauce with vegetables and couscous.

Prep time: 3-5 min Cook time 8-15 min Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces.

1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes

2 tbsp curry seasoning or 1 tbsp each of coriander and turmeric (you can fiddle around with the spices)

2 tsp to 1 tbsp of garlic powder

1 pound of fresh or frozen veggies, cooked (I used broccoli) 

1 cup of couscous 

1 1/2 cups of chicken or vegetable broth (water will work if need be)

salt and pepper if you used tomatoes and broth without salt

Directions:

Bring the broth to a boil. Add in the couscous, cover and turn to low cooking for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, fluff the couscous, cover and let sit for another 10 minutes.

Cook the chicken breast in a bit of oil in a pan. Add in the tomatoes (with the juice) and the seasoning. Let that heat up. You can cover it and let it cook on low for a bit to let the spices integrate more if you would like. Put down the couscous first, then the veggies, and then the chicken and tomatoes layered on your plate. Now you have dinner for two. 

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Kefir, yogurt, and prebiotics

We have all heard of yogurt, but maybe not kefir, and quite likely you have not heard of prebiotics (not to be confused with probiotics). They all have to do with intestinal health, and consequently the health of your entire body, but they all have different functions.

Prebiotics are the food for your intestinal flora, or the beneficial bacteria in your colon. Prebiotics consist of fiber that our bodies can not digest, but the flora can. Not all fiber is food for the probiotics, the fiber that isn't basically just cleans out the colon. Where fiber that isn't a prebiotic is still beneficial, if you aren't getting a wide enough range of fruits and veggies you may be hindering the health of your intestinal flora. 

You can take prebiotic supplements, but foods like asparagus, Jerusalem artichoke, leeks, onions, cabbages (including broccoli, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts) radish, rutabaga, leafy greens, bananas, kiwis, etc.

Yogurt contains probiotics, but not very many and different kinds of probiotics than kefir. The probiotics in kefir do NOT colonize the colon, but rather provide food for the beneficial bacteria already in your intestines. If fiber is the broom that sweeps out your colon, then yogurt is like a mop that cleans and makes everything happy. Yogurt is so easy to make, my cousin has a marvelously easy recipe that you can find HERE.

Kefir is awesome. Let me tell ya, where yogurt fails, kefir succeeds at colonizing the intestinal tract with over 30 types of beneficial bacteria. It also has way more of the bacteria in the actual amount of product. Where 500 ml of yogurt contains close to 1.5 trillion organisms, kefir has 5 trillion in 500 ml. Not only that but it also has beneficial yeast that take out the bad yeast and parasites. The kinds of  yeast and the probiotics in kefir create more nutrition as well. Kefir has many amino acids, calcium, magnesium, loads of B vitamins, phosphorus (the second most  abundant mineral in the body which is critical in helping our bodies utilize what we put in it).

Kefer is so good at what it does, that when E.coli is put into kefer the beneficial bacteria obliterate it within 24 hours. Kefer also creates a protective lining on the intestines that keeps parasites from going through, and creates an environment where harmful bacteria can't thrive but beneficial bacteria can. Kefer is also a natural antibiotic because it protects the body from harmful bacteria. Various medical reports have shown that Kefir has been helpful in the treatment of psoriasis, eczema, allergies, migraines, gout, rheumatic arthritic conditions, candidiasis and colitis. The World Health Organization has

reported that Kefir has been effective in treating tuberculosis and typhoid fever. 

Some of the known health benefits of live Kefir made from live Kefir grains (from http://www.orhaolam.com/uploads/KefirInShort.pdf):
1. Strongest natural remedy against any allergy
2. Strongest natural antibiotic without side effects
3. Treats liver disease
4. Treats gallbladder, dissolves gall bladder stones
5. Clears the body of salts, heavy metals, radionuclides, and alcoholic products
6. Cleans the body of chemical antibiotics
7. Treats kidney stones
8. Good bacteria in kefir are able to fight off pathogenic microorganisms
9. Lowers level of LDL cholesterol
10. Cleans the gastrointestinal tract
11. Treats Irritable Bowel Syndrome
12. Treats gastritis
13. Treats pancreatitis
14. Treats ulcers
15. Prevents and treats colon cancer
16. Improves digestion
17. Improves the body functions
18. Improves the human immune system
19. Cures Candida
20. Cures hypertension
21. Stops growth of cancer cells
22. Speeds up healing process
23. Treats psoriasis
24. Treats eczema
25. Treats inflammatory diseases
26. Reduces size of tumors
27. Treats heart disease
28. Reverses calcination of blood vessels
29. Clears the blood vessels
30. Boosts the bodies energy
31. Natural “feel good” food
32. Treats lung infections
33. Normalizes metabolism thereby can be used for weight loss
34. Cures acne
35. Has anti-oxidants and anti-aging properties
36. Nourishes hair
37. Treats the gum disease parodontosis
38. Lessens side effects of medicines
39. Replenishes body of good bacteria after antibiotic
40. Balances the microflora of the body’s digestive system
41. Regulates blood pressure
42. Lowers blood sugar
43. Lowers blood lipid levels or cholesterol and fatty acids
44. Treats diarrhea
45. Treats constipation
46. Promotes bowel movement
47. Anti-stress properties
48. Treats sleeping disorders
49. Treats depression50. Treats attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
51. Improves the brains neuro functions like reflexes, memory retention, attention, the five senses
52. Reduces flatulence
53. Lactic acid fermentation enhances the digestibility of milk-based foods. People who cannot otherwise digest milk, can enjoy the vital calcium rich Kefir.
54. Treats yeast infection
55. Eliminates vaginal odors
56. Cures wrinkles
57. Treats arthritis
58. Treats colitis
59. Treats gout
60. Cures migraines
61. Treats rheumatism
62. Treats other stomach disorders
63. Detoxifies the body
64. Improves protein quality of milk, and enhances absorption and digestion
65. Good bacteria manufacture B vitamins such as B3, B6 and folic acid.
66. Aids in treating tuberculosis
67. Treats stomach cramps
68. Treats chronic intestine infections
69. Treats liver infections
70. Treats asthma
71. Treats bronchitis
72. Treats sclerosis
73. Treats anemia
74. Treats hepatitis
75. Healing effects on catarrh, digestive nodes, astral nodes, bilious complaints
76. Treats leaky gut syndrome
77. Prevents metastasis

You can make kefir from patruized or raw milk, although the raw milk will be better for you, and if you have any feer of "bad stuff" in your milk the kefer grains will kill it. You can also make it from nut milks, coconut water, juice, and sugar water, however kefir from dairy milk has the most benefits.
How to make Kefir
How to make almond milk kefir

http://www.kefir.net/kefir-vs-yogurt/
http://simplyhealthyfam.blogspot.com/2011/03/kefir-vs-yogurt-put-this-on-your.html

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2 Recipes with Summer tomatoes

Summer tomatoes are the best. They are so ripe, and have such incredible flavor and I have bean using them like crazy.  

For the first recipe I took 3 medium-small tomatoes (2 red and 1 yellow) from our greenhouse and one sweet pepper from farmers market. I sliced them and roasted them with olive oil, salt, pepper, kalamata olives, and basil on 2 slices of bread (I used a sprouted grain bread) then topped them with some raw monterey jack and some herbed goat cheese. You can either roast everything separate from the bread and then top the bread with it later, or you can put the bread on a sheet pan with some olive oil on the bottom and put all of the toppings on it minus the cheese and broil it for 10-20 minutes in the middle of the oven then top with the cheese and let it melt.The 2nd option is a little more tricky to get the bread toasted and the veggies roasted just right, but either way you are left with deliciousness. 

This next recipe is even easier. Cut up some sweet peppers, tomatoes, and cucumbers (I used lemon cucumbers) and toss with olive, a bit of vinegar (balsamic or red wine) goat cheese, basil and/or other herbs, salt and pepper. This recipe is so easy to change that it makes a great salad to start with if you are wanting to start branching away from recipes to make your meals more personal.

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The Truth About Fat.

I'm starting a series on food. Specifically posts that will focus on a food group, but I'll probably decide to  post about some diets and whatever else informational that comes to mind. Today though I am going to focus on fat. This is probably one of the most difficult concepts for people to grasp now days, but FAT IS GOOD! Yes it makes food taste good, but it is also so good for us! Isn't that exciting? Also, not to blow your minds or anything, but fat can help you LOOSE weight! YES! I am totally serious and this is based from science people, SCIENCE! 

When you eat fat with sugar it makes it so that you don't have a crazy sugar spike that raises your insulin levels and makes you gain weight. Saturated fat plays an important roll in the communication of your metabolism and for your body to know how much insulin to produce. (If your not getting enough saturated fat, then your metabolism gets all whacked out) Also, when you eat fat, especially fat with longer chain lengths (molecularly speaking) they take longer for your body to use, giving your body longer to use the calories in the fat and the other food you eat with it as well as keeping you full longer. Don't focus on the chain lengths, it's pointless and if you do get it all figured out your body is going to get unbalanced from you trying to eat just one type of fat. If you eat healthy fats from  meats, dairy, and healthy nut oils you will get a good variety of short to long chained fatty acids. 

The shorter chained fatty acids absorb quickly into the body, giving you an initial boost of energy. They also have anti-microbial properties to them which kills viruses, yeast, and harmful bacteria, protecting your body from whatever you put into it from the start. Medium chained fatty acids also have anti-microbial properties. 

You must have fat for brain health. The brain can consist of as much as 60% fat. The calories in mothers milk is 50% from fat, most of that is saturated fat. Children need good fats and cholesterol for proper development, especially for the brain. If your brain isn't healthy then the rest of you isn't going to be ether. Fat is important for the absorption of vitamins A, D, E, and K. If  you have a vitamin deficiency may be you might just need more fat to be able to absorb that vitamin.

Lets talk a bit about saturated fat. I know what you'r thinking, "Run away! It's evil! It's going to give you heart disease!" Well, no, it's not. Before the 1920's heart disease was extremely rare in America. How can this be when it is now the main cause of death? Heart disease has bean the main cause of death since the mid-1950's even.  From 1910 to 1970 the proportion of animal fat in the American diet went down from 83% to 62%. American used to eat 18 pounds of butter per person a year, and now it is only 4. The cholesterol intake has only increased by 1% so it can't be that, but vegetable and refined oil consumption raised 400%! The consumption of sugar and processed foods increased by 60%. I doubt that this is the only reason for heart disease, but all of the studies of people groups that I have seen show that the groups that eat only healthy fats mostly from animals and some from nut and olive and none from processed vegetable oil such as from corn, soy etc show that the people who eat a lot of saturated fats and good cholesterol had less heart problems, were a healthier weight, happier and generally healthier in every way. I know that this seems really weird to you, but their is very little proof that diets low in saturated fat or cholesterol lowers heart disease. 

Here are some nifty facts that I pulled out of Nourishing Traditions:

• Cell membranes consist of at least 50% saturated fatty acids giving them integrity. 
• For calcium to be effectively incorporated into your bones, at least 50% of your fat intake needs to be saturated
• Saturated fats lower LP, a substance in the blood that indicates a proneness to heart disease
• Saturated fats protect the liver from Alcohol and toxins
• Saturated Fats enhance the immune system
• Saturated fats are needed for your body to be able to use other fatty acids properly
• Saturated fats surround the heart for it to use in times of stress. Yes, your heart loves saturated fat, it is its the best food for it.
• Short and medium chain saturated fatty acids protect us from harmful microorganisms in the digestive tracts.
• People who live in the tropics that use coconut and palm oil have less intestinal and bacterial problems than people in the tropics that use processed vegetable oils because coconut and palm oil kill harmful bacteria and fungus.
• Cholesterol actually protects from free radical damage
• Like certain oils, cholesterol can become damaged by high heat such as high temperature frying, which can cause damage to arterial cells and plaque buildup in the arteries. 
• Bile salts are made from cholesterol, which is vital to digestion.
• Dietary cholesterol is important for maintaining the health of the intestinal wall. 

The countries where people live the longest (Japan, Switzerland, Greece, and Austria) eat healthy fat, and little processed foods. Japan has increased in longevity since World War II along with an increase of fat and animal protein in their diet. The Swiss eat one of the fattiest diets in the world, but are second in longevity. I seriously think that we really used to have a good thing going for us, and as evidence shows, people in Japan, Switzerland and other countries can be healthy eating the way our forefathers ate, why cant we? Their is all this nonsense about diets and what is best and what isn't. and so much confusion when we just need to get back to our roots. Being healthy, and eating healthy isn't difficult. It isn't bland, and tasteless. It's full of fatty goodness, rich spices, and beautiful herbs that give our bodies so much nutrition and vibrant health. 

The good fats:

(I am not including shellfish, pork, or other unclean meets simply because... well, parasites are nasty.)

Fats from grass fed beef, goats, mutton/lamb, etc.

Fats from grass fed dairy products (better if raw)

Flax seed oil (high in omega 3's)

Macadamia nut oil (balances your omega 3's and 6's)

Olive oil (has a long fatty acid chain so it can make you put on more fat than butter or coconut oil. Odd isn't it?)

Peanut oil (in small amounts because of its high omega 6 content)

Sessame oil (in small amounts because of its high omega 6 content)

Palm Oil (very good for you, can be used at high heat, and is high in lauric acid which is anti microbial.) 

Coconut oil (also extremely good for you, can be used at high heat, and is high in lauric acid)

Oils to not ingest:

Safflower, Corn, Sunflower, Soybean, Cottonseed, and Canola oils. These oils go rancid easily. They can not be heated, or they go rancid, creating free radicals that damage your cells. Canola can cause a deficiency in vitamin E which is necessary for a healthy heart, and can also cause heart lesions from its erucic acid content. 

I hope you found this beneficial. You can subscribe over on the side bar with either email, blogger, or google. 

further reading

On coconut oil. Highly recommend you read this!  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/10/22/coconut-oil-and-saturated-fats-can-make-you-healthy.aspx

http://wellnessmama.com/1265/why-you-need-saturated-fat/

A book and a recipe

I read "The Fault In Our Stars" By John Green yesterday. Let me tell you, it is one of the best books I have ever read. Though it is a young adult book, adults would love it too. This book is narrated by a 16 year old girl with terminal cancer who meets a boy at a cancer support group. The two make a hilarious and insightful duo that ask and attempt to answer so many questions that most of us don't think about because we oftentimes like to think ourselves invincible or at least years from death. Yes, their is a lot of melancholy to this book, some might even call it down right depressing, but it is beautiful non the less. This book had me laughing even during the darkest moments. Truthfully I laughed far more than I cried, which really helped to give it a balance that left my heart feeling light.

Now for a recipe. This is just a simple way to cook eggplant, zucchini, bell pepper, onion, and tomatoes.
Slice up your veggies width wise so that you form circles. You will want them to be about 1/4 of an inch thick, but my husband likes them to be more like 1/2 an inch thick.

For the sauce you will need to pure 8 ripe tomatoes with 5 sun dried tomatoes that have bean soaked, 1/4 cup of olive oil, salt, pepper, 1-2 cloves of garlic, and a small handful of basil.

Pore a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of a pan and put down a layer of veggies. A layer of sauce, a layer of veggies. Continue until you have reached the top but make sure you have sauce on the top. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 45 min to one hour.
*When preparing eggplant make sure to drain the bitters. Put down a layer of paper towel with salt on it, and your eggplant, more salt, and more paper towel. Make as many layers as needed and put some bricks or canned food on top to squeeze out the bitter juices. Depending on how thick the slices are it takes usually takes 1 to 4 hours. 

Basic Quiche recipe

Today I realized that I have never posted a quiche recipe. Which really, is quite a shame because I love quiche and make it all the time, especially in early fall because it gets me back into the baking mood. Quiche is so versatile and you can make it for any meal. Basically whatever type of food you'r in the mood for, you can make a quiche to go with it. If you want a Mexican quiche then cilantro, green chilies, cumin, Mexican cheese and whatever sounds good can go in. Even some beans if that sounds good to you. For an Italian quiche doing a margarita style with mozzarella, basil, and tomatoes tastes great! You can go with a home style quiche with bacon and cheese or even sausage. Greens such as kale and spinach taste great too. I like to use amaranth greens in place of spinach because it grows much better in the summer than spinach. I usually just use whatever needs to be used up. You can always cook the veggies first, especially if you want caramelized onions, but the only veggies that you must cook before are root vegetables and squash. (Zucchini and yellow squash don't need to be cooked before hand) harder vegetables need to be cut up small so that they will cook. 

What you need is:

1 pie crust (if it is homemade then bake it for 10 min)

4 eggs (if you don't have very many fillings then you will need 5)

1/2 cup of whole milk

1/2 cup of cream

Whatever fillings you want

Bake at 350 for about an hour or until a knife comes out clean. 

Foraged goodness.

   I made two delicious treats yesterday, bolth with foraged goodness in them. One was a cherry pie filling, and the other was a delicious pineapple smoothy. For some reason I forgot to take a picture of the smoothy, but the next time I make it I'll put a picture up.

To make the pineapple smoothy, cut off the skin and the pokey things. Core it and dice it. Put the diced bits in a blender with some foraged mint,  you can also add in some other greens such as comefrey, dandelion, mallow or barrage. You can also add in some alovera just not to much or it will make it taste funny. If it needs some sweetener then add in a bit of honey. Add in some water just to help it get started. You don't need much because the pineapple is plenty juicy. Blend and drink. If you want it a bit colder add some ice or frozen strawberry to your glass. This will make a meal for two people, but as a drink it will serve at least six.

It's cherry season right now, and that means that all those people who don't eat the fruit off of their trees let us go and pick all we want. If you notice a fruit tree on someone's property that isn't being harvested, then chances are if you ask they will let you pick to your hearts content. But, if the branches are hanging over the fence then in many towns the fruit is considered public property, just make sure your not breaking any laws. Or don't, just causally pick a few as you walk by, no one will ever notice. Well, except for maybe the old guy that always hangs out at the buss stop.

Step one, get a husband or a slave or something.  Step two, canoodle or order that husband or slave to go pick some fruit (in this case, cherries)
Feel free to pick fruit too, or don't, thats what we have them for! Lol
Step three, pit the cherries. If the cherry is still on the stem, hold the stem and pull the cherry off by pinching it away from the stem. Almost like rolling it away from the stem and off the seed. The seed will probably be attached to the stem and not to the fruit. It dosn't always work quite right,  but I'm sure you'll get it.
Step four, heat the cherries on medium heat, just until they start to let go of their juices.
Step five, add in some cornstarch or arrow root powder. The amount you use will depend on how much starch to add. About 1 tbsp for every cup. You may need to add more or less. Once the powder has turned from making the juice milky-ish to being the color of the cherries see if it needs to be a bit more thick or if you need to add a bit of water. To do this take a spoon and dip it in the stuff and let it cool. If you like the consistency then it's time to move to the next step.
Step six, sweeten to taste. If you have honey bees, use that honey, if not use whatever sweetener you like, and however much of it you want. I recommend honey,  sugar,  or like xylitol or stevia. Just not something thats going to alter the taste to much like maple syrup. 
Step seven, add in a touch of almond flavor.

You can use this in pies (duh), jam filles cookies, on ice cream, whatever sounds good. Y ou can can it, use it right away or keep it in the fridge for like a week.

Happy foraging!

Beans, are they healthy?

Yes! In fact they are highly nutritious.
Beans are high in fiber, protein, iron, potassium, magnesium  B vitamins, zinc, magnesium (which is low in many diets) and copper! Like, WOW! Have you ever heard of a book called The Blue Zones? It is a book about the certain people groups around the world who live the longest. These groups of people live in a city or area in either Japan, California, Italy, Costa Rica, and Greece. One of the things in their diets that they all have in common are beans! They also eat fruits and veggies, don't really smoke, are fairly active, and are family and community oriented. But Beans! Who would have thought that such a cheap, readily available food could be, dare I say it? Considered a supper food? Eating beans regularly could decrease your risk of heart disease, colon cancer, and diabetes. How exciting is that?! So maybe I shouldn't hop right on to the "beans are a supper food" band wagon, but they are just so awesome that I don't know if I can help myself!

Want to know a great way to cook your beans so that you don't get that gas that usually comes with it? It is so easy. When you cook your beans, add in some seaweed! Not only dose it add some nutrients and flavor (from the minerals and salt) but is also for some reason makes it so that you don't have awful gas afterwards. If you want to, you can leave the seaweed in when they are done cooking, or take it out. It all depends on what you like. I know what you might be thinking, but No, the seaweed wont make you beans taste fishy.  

Ancestral diet Recipes

I promised you recipes from what I have bean eating this week during my cleanse thingy. I'm still not sure what to call it... But I have bean forced to be a bit more creative. For a while all I was really eating was fried kale. Which is yummy, but it got boring. So here are a few really easy recipes that I came up with this week. When I say easy, I mean like really incredibly easy. Most of these take 5 min or less of your time. 

My mom and I had this for dinner the other night. Lightly toss some greens such as a spring mix with a bit of balsamic vinegar. Place artichokes that have bean preserved in water onto that and cooked salmon onto that. Mix up some goat cheese with sour cream or kefer, dill, parsley, pepper, and olive oil. Top the salmon with it and some capers. So good!

Blend up a bunch of parsley with the juice of 1 lemon, 1/3 cup of olive oil, salt and pepper, and 4 garlic cloves. Pore that over chicken breast. Blend up 4 tomatoes and pore them over the chicken. Top with one minced red onion. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Let some cheese of choice melt over the top if you so desire. So, so, so Good! Top with olives if you so desire and serve with green beans or other vegetables of choice. This would also be good with some pasta. slice the chicken and place on linguine pasta. The extra sauce in the pan will be marvelous as a sauce for the pasta.

My new favorite smoothie. Kefer, strawberries, cinnamon, vanilla, and maca powder as a sweetener  Maca is a fruit from South America. It has a sweet maple flavor and is a supper food. 

I have bean heating frozen blueberries in my toaster oven, and mixing them with kefer. It is also yummy to have with ricotta or cottage cheese. Yummy spices to add would be, cardamom, cinnamon, orange or lemon zest, floral extracts like rose, or adding a bit of vanilla are all lovely. This is my version of yogurt with fruit on the bottom since I can't have sugar and all the ones at the store have cane sugar in them. 

I have actually bean doing really well. I didn't think that I would go all sugar crazy, but I thought that I would a little bit more than I have. The only things that I have bean wanting are dried fruit and nuts. Which suck because I cant have vary many kinds of nuts until Thursday  but I have bean eating freeze dried berries. They are sooooooo yummy! 

Happy Cooking! 

Ancestral diets

I decided to do a cleans. Well, actually not necessarily a cleans and much as a body reset. I have bean eating way to much sugar and grains lately and I do not need to get addicted to them. I decided to go on an Ancestral diet, with no grains, no fruit except for berries, lemons, and limes, a bit more meat but only organic or grass fed and not unclean meats such as shellfish and pork. Also I have bean eating a lot of greens and fermented foods like kefer. I am doing The Makers Diet 40 day program thing, and so far it has actually bean really easy. 
You can find the list of foods that I will be eating Here. I do not think that we should not eat grains at all, seeing as how even ancient humans ate grains. In fact the whole thing of not eating grains because our hunter gatherer ancestors didn't eat them is completely baseless. The remains of humans from way back thousands of years ago have bean found with grains still in their teeth. However I do think that the processed way that we eat grains is unhealthy. The ancient Egyptian ruling class suffered from many of the healthy problems such as osteoporosis  heart disease, arthritis  and cancer! that we face today, where as the lower class did not. I prefer sprouted, fermented (sourdough), and freshly ground grains. They are more easily digested when eaten this way. But I still don't think it is best to have a diet that consists mainly of grains, and since my body dose not do very well if I eat to many grains that basically turn into sugar I feel like I need to cut down on my grain and sugar consumption. 
I have bean focusing on getting lots of greens and eating a bit more meat. I know that it sounds a bit backwards to eat more meat on a cleanse, but like I said, I'm not really doing a cleans per-say  but more of a body reset. I have bean finding more of what my body dose best with, and it seam to actually do really well on more meat. I have also been drinking apple cider vinegar in warm water in the morning, and drinking kombucha during the day and much more water. I have been eating only raw cheese and Goat milk Kefer for my dairy. I can't have any beans until the first two weeks are up, but I have bean using lentils instead. After the First two weeks are up, I can incorporate corn, sweet potatoes, yams, all other kinds of dairy (that is still a whole food) and more types of beans. I also can only have certain types of nuts and seeds right now, but I will be able to add more as the weeks progress. I can of course have any types of veggies except for the ones that I will be adding in a week and white potato. I highly suggest trying out a more primitive diet with lots of whole foods, and fermented foods as well. People who eat primitive diets have way less health problems than people with processed foods diet have. Like, way, way, WAY less. Basically everything that causes the most deaths in the US, are non existent to them, and they have no need for braces on their teeth which like everyone gets anymore  It's really sad actually how much our diets are killing us. Any hoo, I have bean feeling so supper amazing! I feel like I'm back to my old self. I will post some recipes soon. Have a great Wednesday! 

Raw Vegan Macaroons

I love these. They are so yummy! If you have ever had a Hail Merry macaroon and you liked it then you will love these for their taste and there price.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of shreded coconut (if you onlt have flakes on hand run them through a food processor)
1/3 cup of maple serup
1/4 cup of coconut oil
3/4 cup of almond or coconut flour
1 Tbsp of vanilla powder or extract
1/3 tsp of sea salt

For chocolate macaroons add in. Tbsp or two of coco powder.

Mix all ingredients together. Using a melon baller, cookie baller thing (I'm not sure what its called) or roll them into balls yourself. I like using my small cookie baller thing because it gave me the exact shape I wanted easily. 

  
Oven method: put on a cookie sheet and place in the oven. If you have a gass stove this is going to be really easy. Just turn it to your warm setting (about 200) for like a minute every hour, and have the oven barely cracked. It took only a couple of hours for them to be dried out on the outer layer.
Dehydrator: set your dehydrator to 100 and leave them in their for about a day. You can do this at lower temperatures also, you will need to just keep them in longer.

Gummy Worms

I made gummy worms the other day from scratch. They are so easy, and so yummy!

This first recipe is for gummy worms completely from scratch.

1 cup of juice and 6 tbsp of gelatin. Heat up the juice, and stir in the gelatin. Place in a 8x8 inch greased pan and chill. Cut into strips, and with a spatula, scrape them up from the bottom. You have gummy worms!
*vegetarian alternatives below

With jello mix. You can also take 2 packages of jello type mix in a pan with 1 cup of water along with 4 tbsp of gelatin to the mix. Heat and dissolve  Place on a greased baking sheet with sides and chill. Cut in strips, and scrape out with a spatula. You have gummy worms! My grocery store has a brand called Natural Desserts which has a "jello" product that is supper tasty and great for vegetarians. 

I recommend using some sort of vegetable oil that doesn't have any flavor or one of those silicone pad things that you use in a dehydrator to line the pan with. I liked using a non-hydrogenated shortening and I did NOT like coconut oil. but that could have bean the flavor of worms I made also. 

If you want sour gummy worms, dip them in a mixture of half citric acid and half sugar or sugar substitute as long as it is not a liquid like honey or maple syrup.

*For vegetarians Marry Jane from "Marry Jane's Farm" has a product called, Chill over powder but Natural deserts also has an unflavored "gelatin". find the link for that here.

On the benefits of Gelatin

Gelatin is supper good for you. With our overly skinned and boned meats, under eating of dark leafy greens  and over use of the unhealthy vegetable oils we Americans are not reaping the vast benefits of gelatin. It is an animal product, derived from skin, connective tissue, and bones. I know that for some of you it sounds a bit weird, but it is so good for you! Even if you aren't a fan of "Jello" (which by the way is very unhealthy for you. Way to many processed sugars, artificial dyes, and who knows what else) you can still simply dissolve it in water and drink it. In fact taking it with water when you wake up, and before you go to bed is the most recommended way of taking it. I like to take it in the morning and then add it to food whenever I feel like it. I use Great Lakes Kosher Gelatin which is from grass fed cows and is only like $15 at my local health food store.
So what dose it do exactly? It supports skin, hair, and nail growth as well as tightens the skin. It also supports joint health and is a source of protean. It helps to move food through the digestive tract, and it has 18 amino acids. Have you ever heard of a little something called collagen? Well this a fantastic way to get it!
Basically it helps you to look and feel younger. Yes, I'm only 19, but hey, why not start getting this into my diet so that I don't have so many problems when I'm older.
Mamma natural has an awesome video on gelatin. Click here for that video.

Ready for a gelatin recipe? It is so supper easy. All you need is 2 cups of juice, not from concentrate, and 2 tbsp of gelatin.
Place 1/2 cup of the juice in a saucepan and heat on medium  When it has bean heated a bit, add in the gelatin, and stir to combine. Add in the rest of the juice and place in the container that you want it to chill in. Place the container into the refrigerator and chill, just until the mixture begins to set up, approximately 30 to 40 minutes. If you want to add in fruit, now is your chance. Stir in some fruit, then place back into the refrigerator to chill completely. 

Want to know how to make gummies that have fiber in them? Blend 2 cups of fruit with 1/2 cup of the juice from some sort of citrus fruit. Place in a saucepan with 4 tbsp of gelatin. Heat and stir until combined. Place on a baking sheet and refrigerate until firm. Cut into squares with a knife or shapes with a cookie cutter. You have Gummies!

Here is a sight for a bit more info.