Fruits of My Labour

After much watering during this hot summer, the tomatoes are turning a beautiful cherry red! Not sure how the cucumbers and peppers are turning out but the tomatoes look divine! Here are some first picks....

Orange and Red

I went to the Wychwood Barns Organic Market this morning and picked up these beautiful bunches of carrots and beets. A while back I had seen Jamie Oliver make this recipe on tv and it looked easy and delcious. Jamie Oliver is my kind of chef, no measurements, a pinch of salt, a spring of thyme and glug of olive oil. Here is the recipe, sans pork chops, of course!
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/jamie-oliver/roasted-carrots-and-beets-with-the-juiciest-pork-chops-recipe/index.html
Here are some pictures of the process.....

fresh from the market
carrots, garlic, fresh orange juice and basil
beets, balsamic and garlic
mixed together!

I really loved the carrots so I think next time I would mix the carrots and beets together and add the orange juice (I used the fresh orange and squeezed) with the garlic and basil (I did not have fresh thyme). Divine!

Kale Chips

We went to the Dufferin Grove Organic Market last thursday and I picked up this beautiful bunch of kale for 2$. (i wish a would have taken a picture of it all bunched up). I decided to make kale chips from it and they turned out fantastic! What a wonderful way to get one of the most nutritious greens into little kiddies. Kale is rich in vtm A, C and K plus is an important part of the cruciferous vegetable group that aids in fighting cancer cells, esp. breast and prostate.

I simply washed the kale and broke it up into smaller pieces, getting rid of the heavy stalks. I put all the small pieces in a big mixing bowl and tossed with a little olive oil and sea salt. I then bake them in the oven at 325F and 10 minutes later perfectly crispy chips came out!

before going into the oven
crisped!enjoyed!

just a small warning: if your teeth are anything like mine (velcro-like!) have some dental floss on hand.....

Bean, Beans are good for your......

I made this bean salad the other day and turned it into several different meals for all of us. The kids ate quesadillas and ewan and myself turned it into a healthy dinner. Beans have a good amount of protein, low in fat, very low in the glycemic index (sugar scale), high in fiber, help lower bad cholesterol, assist in weight loss and are inexpensive.

Look at these comparisons I found for Lean Ground Beef Vs. Black Beans

LEAN GROUND BEEF
Amount: 4 ounces
Calories: 306
Fat grams: 20
Protein grams: 23
Fiber in grams: 0

BLACK BEANS
Amount: 8 ounces (twice as much as the beef above!)
Calories: 227
Fat grams: .09
Protein grams: 17.9
Fiber in grams: 15

What difference in fat and fiber! and you almost get the same amount of protein!

I used 1 can of the Eden Organics black beans and 1 of the small red beans (this brand does not line their cans with Bisphenol-A)
I then added finely chopped tomoato, red onion, cilantro, orange peppers, corn and avocado. Tossed these ingredients and added a little sea salt.

I spoon some of the mixture into a flax tortilla for the kids with a little chesse and grilled in the panini press.

Hers (on top of some basmatic rice and a spinach/arugala mix)

and His.....(the works....)

Just Jump!

Did you know that a 10 minute jump on a rebounder (mini trampoline) is equivalent to a 30 minute run with 80% less stress on your joints! We have one in the backyard and the kids LOVE jumping on it. I am actually debating getting another as taking turns seems to be quite an issue these days. Another amazing benefit is that it moves your lymphatic tissue (which eliminates viruses, bacteria and cancer cells!). It also tires active kiddies out which is always helpful at the end of a day!

Backyard Beauty

Our old house had a beautiful perennial garden and we simply lived in this garden oasis. Our new house, well, not so much. With all this nice weather we started out with building a deck over the concrete slab that existed(more on this soon...). We have an old wooden bench that I decided to paint. I normally would never paint wood, but for some reason today I felt the backyard needed a splash of colour, and since we still have to garden, I thought I would colour up the backyard with a fresh coat of yellow paint on an old bench. In colour therapy, yellow stimulates mental concentration, aids in liver cleansing and brings joy to one's life. Hmmmm......

after a quick sanding
helping
done!

Gratitude

Thank-you so much for all that attended last nights seminar. There was tons of information, and I hope people left feeling inspired and not too overwhemled! I knew I would not get through all the stuff I wanted to talk about, my plan is to have a part 2 to the session in september and then we can focus on the things we really want to try avoid in our food and cosmetic products.
I wanted to summarize some key things and leave you with some of the statistics I mentioned last night.
1. Aim for Vegetarian Meals: higher in vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and anti-oxidants. Less environmental chemicals as they are lower on the food chain.
2. Alkalanize your diet: Eat Geens!!
3. Stabalize Blood Sugar levels: remember about glycemic index and coupling foods that are higher GI foods with some fiber, protein or fat.
4. Eat High Fiber Foods
5. Assess for food sensitivities

Facts:

1. A 2004 sudy evaluated USDA food composition data of 43 garden crops between 1950 and 1999 show that as a group the vegetables contained:

• 16% less calcium
• 9% less phosphorus
• 15% less iron
• Protein down 6%,
• Vitamin B2 down 38%
• Vitamin C down 15%

2. Study:
http://depthome.brooklyn.cuny.edu/anthro/faculty/mitrovic/davis_2009_food_nutrient.pdf
looked at declining nutritional values and came to the following conclusion: “Recent studies of historical nutrient content data for fruits and vegetables spanning 50 to 70 years show apparent median declines of 5% to 40% or more in minerals, vitamins, and protein in groups of foods, especially in vegetables.”

3. By choosing five servings of fruit and vegetables a day from the clean list, most people can lower the volume of pesticides they consume daily by 92%, the report says. A study by Harvard School of Public Health found children exposed to pesticides had a higher risk of developing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

4. In a study of over 1,200 men conducted at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, WA, men eating 28 servings of vegetables a week had a 35% lower risk of prostate cancer, but those consuming just 3 or more servings of cruciferous vegetables each week had a 44% lower prostate cancer risk.

Here are a few pictures from the night!