Chik’n Qorn Chowder

As you may know from reading my blog I generally try to stay physically fit. I enjoy running and weight lifting and eating a healthy plant-based diet. I get plenty of nutrients from my food because my workouts are pretty moderate. My husband on the other hand has been doing P90x. With a workout this extreme and his interest in building muscles he wanted to start increasing his protein and decreasing his carbs. Our meals are predominately low-fat vegan, but I was able to rustle up a delicious vegetarian chowder with lots of healthy proteins. The soup was delicious and filling and will provide some great fuel for his workouts. The base of this chowder is Quinoa, a complete protein and has plenty of lysine which is essential for tissue growth and repair. To that I added Qorn Naked Chik’n Cutlets which are made from mycoprotein, feta cheese and hard boiled cage-free eggs. Several cups of leafy greens, some garlic and cayenne pepper and you’ve got one light and delicious one-pot vegetarian meal. My husband loved it, but said next time he would add onions or leeks, mushrooms and would scramble the eggs in the boiling soup rather than topping with hard boiled (a la egg drop soup). This soup is great because you can really substitute and omit ingredients to fit what you’ve got in your pantry. No Chik’n cutlets in the freezer? Just toss in some black beans. Vegan? Leave out the cheese and eggs. Want more Southwestern? Use a fresh jalapeno and add some frozen corn. You can really work this soup in so many delicious ways that the basic recipe can keep you full and body building all winter long.

Chik’n Qorn Chowder

1 tablespoon of minced garlic

1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper

3 tablespoons of cumin

1 tablesp0on of lime juice

salt & pepper to taste

1 bunch of cilantro, chopped (or 3 tablespoons of the gel stuff in the tube if you can’t find fresh)

1 cup of quinoa

2 Qorn Naked Chik’n Cutlets (1/2 box), chopped

3 Cups of Spinach (1 bag)

3 tablespoons of pickled jalapeno (I didn’t have any fresh on hand, but that would be delicious).

2 Tablespoons of EVOO (olive oil)

8 Cups of Water

4 eggs, hardboiled and diced

4 oz crumbled feta cheese

Get Cookin:

1. First we’ll need to cook the eggs and the Quinoa, separate but simulataneously to speed things along for a weeknight dinner). Rinse your qinoa in a fine strainer, then add to large stock pot with 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat and once boiling simmer for 10-15 minutes. The quinoa shells will pop off leaving the transulucent grains behind as they expand. Also, boil enough water to cover your eggs in a small saucepan. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook the eggs for 10-15 minutes. The eggs and the quinoa should finish up around the same time.

2. Drain the eggs and set aside to cool for peeling. Drain the quinoa and reserve the cooking water in a separate bowl. Add additional water until the cooking water measures 6 cups.

3. Heat the olive oil in the stock pot and add the garlic and jalapeno. (add leeks/onions/mushrooms now if you plan to use them). Sautee for about 30 seconds or until the garlic begins to brown. Add the chopped pieces of chik’n cutlets and continue to sautee until those begin to brown (about 5 minutes). If the mixture begins to stick add a tablespoon or two of the reserved cooking water at a time to release.

4. Add in the cumin and cayenne and the remaining reserved cooking water and simmer for 10 minutes.

5. Add in the quinoa and spinach and stir until the spinach is wilted, around 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the chopped cilantro and feta cheese. Top with the diced, hard-boiled eggs, a splash of lime juice, a dash of cumin and cayenne and salt and pepper to taste.

Sea Buckthorn Oil: If It’s Good Enough for the Tibetans….

Recently while strolling through Whole Foods with my mother we both complained about how dry our skin is this time of year. Not to mention that I’ve been plagued with black heads again and I felt like it was related to my lotion. The helpful lady in the skin section overheard my mom mention that she uses Pond’s and made a noise that sounded a lot like pearl clutching. She expressed that with all of the petro-chemicals that she would never put anything like that on her face. I whole-heartedly agreed and she then made us some lovely samples of face products to try. Some cream for my mother’s face and some oil for me. She also indicated that a woman should never moisturize at night. Something about your face going through a cleaning cycle, etc… For my overly sensitive and uber oily acne prone skin she recommended Sea Buckthorn oil. She said that oil counteracts oil and would clear my skin right up. Having tried the olive oil experiment before and deciding that for my skin it really is best used only as eye make-up remover and under eye moisturizer due to the clogged pores that quickly developed I expressed my concern. She reassured me and noted that Dr. Oz said it’s just fine. She gave me a sample and I tried it out. The first day or two it did seem to make my skin soft, smooth and moisturized. However, again the build up began. Within a week I had oily clogged pores all over my face. Then the irritated white heads grew. My pores increased in size and my face powder began to look dirty and feel like sludge by noon. So, after three weeks I have given up. It wasn’t a costly experiment (only about $13 for a bottle), but unfortunately another failed attempt at using oil as moisturizer. I’m sure for some women this is just the natural product they’ve been looking for, but for my skin it just doesn’t work. I love that it’s cruelty-free, organic and natural, but none of that matters if it doesn’t work. I’ve given the bottle to my husband to use on his painful eczema as the Sea Buckthorn Berry has been traditionally used on many skin conditions throughout the Himalayas. I’ll report back on whether or not he has any better experiences with this wonder fruit. Have you tried the newest organic cosmetic sensation? If so, what was your experience?

The Hamilton Crop Circle

I love Kickstarter so much that I want to share my exuberance with you each time I support a new project. I’ll try to regularly pledge my support to a project that I find personally meaningful. This time I’ve chosen to support the Hamilton Crop Circle.

This project is near and dear to my heart because it’s happening in my very own neighborhood and it supports urban gardening and sustainable food sources. The project also seeks to educate children on producing their own homegrown vegetables which could lead to a healthier lifestyle for city youth. I also love that this gives children life skills as well as providing them with safe, healthy activities that really help them to engage with their communities. There aren’t enough good things that I can say about this project, but Baltimore City really needs more opportunities to these, so I’m happy to pledge my support because I believe that every little bit really does matter and that it’s personally beneficial to focus on positive activities and energy in the city. The people of Baltimore never cease to amaze me with their ingenuity, kindness and community support; keep up the good work Hamilton Crop Circle. So reader, check out the details of the project at kickstarter or on the Hamilton Crop Circle Blog or their website; pledge your support or find a similar opportunity in your city to promote or fund. Thanks!

PunchFork: Recipes made beautiful and easy

I love the internet for many reasons, but one of my very favorites is the access to an impossible number of recipes, often with user reviews and pictures so that I know that even I can do it. This has meant countless apps, blogs, feeds and searching to get just the recipes that I want. Then, along comes Punchfork, with its wide screen, full color, magazine-cover-worthy photos. So tempting, so convenient, so user-friendly. Recently I began using Pinterest to keep all of my favorites in a single location, which is engaging and attractive, but it’s not nearly as easy to capture my recipes as Punchfork. And let’s face it, I’m a sucker for good looks and on that front Punchfork can’t be beat. In the “About” section of the Punchfork web page the mission is clear:

Punchfork makes it easier to find the best new recipes from popular sites like 101 Cookbooks, The Pioneer Woman, Epicurious, Serious Eats, Food Network and The Kitchn. We use conversations on social networks to bring you high quality recipes that passionate cooks are talking about right now.

Even more interesting is the explanation behind how the site is powered. They use some social media wizardry to serve you up the most popular recipes from blogs, Facebook and Twitter.

These real-time updates capture the images and cooking instructions and post them on the site where users can save, by clicking a little red heart, and share by email, posting to StumbleUpon, Tweet, or even capture your own link for embedding into your personal blog and other sites. I love, love, love this concept. While I may occasionally continue to “pin” recipes that I find interesting, I’m likely to do my real searching no Punchfork.

Are you using Punchfork? If so, share your opinions in the comments below.

Bad Cupcake!

Bad Cupcake by knitmotorcycle on Etsy.com

I like to fancy myself a pretty healthy person. I try to eat well (as close to vegan as I can muster), I exercise (not as often as I should, but I do), I gave up smoking and I meditate. I am currently following the Mahayana Buddhist path which encourages a healthy lifestyle and finding balance, all things that are good for me. It seems that I have a real issue with balance in my life. Luckily, nothing that’s caused me too much long term damage and I’ve always been able to pull myself back from the brink before I’ve completely gone over the edge. As mentioned, I gave up smoking after 20 years and it feels wonderful. I’ve significantly cut back on my drinking with the intention to eliminate that as well. I have one last major obstacle…sugar. I love, love, love sugar. As a young girl I would hide under my grandmother’s table and eat directly out of the sugar bowl. As a teenager I would eat packets of the stuff that I grabbed at McDonald’s and carried with me everywhere. As an adult my relationship with sugar has gotten even less healthy, if that’s possible. I love sweet, so I’ve tried replacing it with Coke Zero and stevia, which is all well and good until I get my hand’s on the real stuff and go completely insane. At work, I’ve made what is known as “cup cake”. That is to say that I take a huge cup and fill it with cake and then eat it with a spoon. I never really buy or make sweets at home, but I frequently run into them at the office or parties and go bonkers. I think to myself, you’ve been such a good girl with your healthy living, you deserve an enormous piece of cake…and then comes the guilt. Yesterday I actually ate two donuts, a sugar cookie, and handfuls of Easter candy followed up with a home made mango sticky rice. Seriously? Who does that?!? Anyway, I’ve decided that I have an unhealthy relationship with sugar. It’s time to go cold turkey and get myself under control. So, starting today…that’s it. No sugar until I can learn to live without it and then I’ll think about letting it come to the party every now and then.

To get me motivated I’ve done a bit of reading about sugar and it’s effects as a reminder to what I already know, eating sugar isn’t very healthy.  Also, the adorable Bad Cupcake image above from Knitmotorcycle on Etsy is a delicious reminder of the danger of that hot looking cupcake over there. “Here is the “Bad Cupcake”. You know the type; creamy good looks, wavy frosting and sprinkles, with a badboy gleam in his eye. Who can resist? You know he is bad for you, but he looks so good.”

Here’s a few helpful strategies that I’m going to try to get my sugar addicted mind on the wagon:

Top Ten Sugar Craving Strategies by Verne Varona

The following could be individual or collective reasons for sugar cravings. Read each suggestion and notice how it applies to your eating or lifestyle. Reducing your desire or addiction for sugar should not require Herculean will power. Becoming conscious of the physiological and lifestyle factors that stimulate sugar cravings should make taming your sweet tooth a piece of cake–so to speak.

1. REDUCE SALT & PRODUCTS WITH SALT

The need for dietary salt from natural sources (sun-dried sea salt) is dependent on several factors; a lack of salt can cause fatigue, stimulate a desire to overeat and often result in a craving or animal protein. However, with the availability of good quality sea salt, miso paste, tamari soy sauce and natural pickles, it’s quite easy to overdose. Thirst and a craving for sweet foods is one of the most reliable indicators of excess dietary salt.

2. REDUCE ANIMAL PROTEIN

The standard four basic food group propaganda was force-fed to the American public along with the myth that animal protein should be a dietary staple. The meat and potatoes mentality has to re-think its philosophy since established research shows excess animal protein can lead to colon and prostate cancer. If this applies to you eat less in volume (2 to 4 ounce servings) and limit it to three to four times per week (maximum), as opposed to daily.

3. REDUCE FOOD VOLUME

Overeating leads to fatigue and sluggishness. This makes a stimulant like sugar (or coffee) more appealing. Eating more frequently will allow you to reduce overeating with a minimum of effort.

4. EAT MORE FREQUENTLY THROUGHOUT THE DAY

One of the most common reasons for sugar cravings–especially at night. By skipping meals or waiting long periods you stop supplying your blood with glucose. The blood sugar drops and by the time you finally get around to eating, you’re going nuts for simple sugar. You’re also likely to end up overeating or craving something fatty as a compensation for sugar. Initially, don’t wait more than 31/2 to 4 hours between meals.

5. AVOID EATING PRIOR TO BED

If your body’s digesting when it requires much needed rest, you’ll require more sleep, dream excessively and find it difficult awakening with alertness. Good deep sleep will result in wide-awake days. Eating to close to bedtime creates a groggy awakening craving the stimulation of sugar (or caffeine) the following morning. Eat a light evening dinner at least 21/2 to three hours before retiring.

6. AVOID SUGAR

This might sound obvious, however, continuing to eat simple sugars results in a falling blood sugar. This stimulates a need for more sugar and the cycle continues. Even though fruit is a simple sugar, switching to fruit instead of sugar is a good first step. Eat the skin of the fruit as well since fiber slows blood sugar elevation.

7. EXERCISE MODERATELY, BUT CONSISTENTLY

Daily aerobic exercise will increase circulation and strengthen will power. Brisk walking, biking, light jogging, etc. naturally increases sensitivity to the effects of sugar. Try to get 20 to 30 minutes of some type of pleasurable exercise at least 5 times per week. Enjoy this. It should not be a chore.

8. EMPHASIZE NATURAL WHOLE COMPLEX-CARBOHYDRATES

If your daily diet is includes whole grains (brown rice, oats, millet, barley, etc.), vegetables (roots, greens and round vegetables such as squashes, cabbages, etc.) as a primary fuel, you’ll find you automatically crave less sugar. Emphasizing sweet vegetables such as carrots, cooked onions, corn, cabbage, parsnips, squashes, etc., adds a natural sweetness to meals. Introduce some sea vegetables (aka “seaweeds”) for much needed minerals to enrich blood.

9. DON’T SUPPRESS FEELINGS

This doesn’t mean you have to broadcast every feeling–only those that matter and to those who really matter to you. Food indulgence, especially with sweets, is a convenient way to anesthetize feelings. Sugar can consume you with sensory pleasure, temporarily providing mental relief from whatever might be stressful. However, sweets can hinder energy levels and mental clarity so in the long run your emotional coping ability becomes compromised.

10. BEWARE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL TRIGGERS

The many psychological associations we connect with food have a powerful influence. Beware of family associations, movie rituals, familiar restaurants, childhood habits, etc.

Verne Varona
Author of “Nature’s Cancer-Fighting Foods”- www.vernevarona.com

After reading that, I realize that I am soooo guilty of so many of those. I definitely overindulge in salt. I have low blood pressure, so I’ve used this as an excuse to crank out the sea salt on everything I eat from salad to pizza. I should cut that out anyway. Easy enough, I’ll start applying these tactics today. In case you ask, why is sugar so bad for you? Here’s some more information that I came across to arm myself with as I prepare for my sugar withdraw. A few excerpts from, The Dangers of Sugar by Paulette Mills:

Sugar is qualified as an addictive substance by the following two responses: 1) Eating even a small amount of sugar, for example, one candy or one bit of cake, creates such a desire in some people that they can’t stop; 2) When one quits sugar cold turkey, withdrawal symptoms appear, for example, strong cravings, depression, fatigue, mood swings, and possibly headaches.

Uh, oh…that definitely does not sound good. But it gets worse:

Excessive sugar consumption is believed to be involved in many common health problems: hypoglycemia, diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol, obesity, indigestion, myopia, seborrheic dermatitis, gout, hyperactivity, lack of concentration, depression, anxiety, and more.

Yikes! As if that weren’t enough the recent article “Is Sugar Toxic?” which appeared in the New York Times earlier this month sealed the deal. I, like many others, had viewed high fructose corn syrup (hfcs) as the enemy, assuming that plain old sugar was a healthful alternative, but according the article, “marketing aside, the two sweeteners are effectively identical in their biological effects. “High-fructose corn syrup, sugar — no difference,” is how Lustig put it in a lecture that I attended in San Francisco last December. “The point is they’re each bad — equally bad, equally poisonous.” The article and researches have clarified that sugar in the types and quantities at which many of us, myself included, are consuming is going to us. Either through obesity, diabetes or cancer. “In animals, or at least in laboratory rats and mice, it’s clear that if the fructose hits the liver in sufficient quantity and with sufficient speed, the liver will convert much of it to fat. This apparently induces a condition known as insulin resistance, which is now considered the fundamental problem in obesity, and the underlying defect in heart disease and in the type of diabetes, type 2, that is common to obese and overweight individuals. It might also be the underlying defect in many cancers.

If what happens in laboratory rodents also happens in humans, and if we are eating enough sugar to make it happen, then we are in trouble.”

So that’s it folks. I’m off to eliminate added sugar from my diet wherever I can. I’ll continue to eat fruits and vegetables that contain sugar, but I’m going to have to learn to let the rest go. My unhealthy attachment to cookies has finally bested me and I want to get off the treadmill (quite literally). I’ll try to tweet and post up my progress. Wish me luck kids, because this may be my toughest battle yet.

Stuff I Love: Paper Made from Poo!

Yes, you did read that correctly. I am referencing paper recyled from excrement. Ewwww…. Well, The Great Elephant Poo Poo Paper Company has a cute little slogan that reads, “We take the OO out of Poo”. This paper has been crafted from the undigested plant fibers left behind by elephants. It’s allowed to dry, cleaned and then made into paper. According to their website, they can make 25 large sheets of paper from a single elephant dropping. In addition, their website gives great elephant facts, including this one:

Did You Know? – Surprising Facts About Elephants

~ Elephants eat 300 – 600 lb (130 – 270 kg) of food per day – 60% of that food leaves the elephant’s body undigested.

 I love this product because it’s unique, sustainable and helps endangered elephants while creating a useful and attractive final product. The line of safari and sea life paper products are adorable! The best thing is that by developing the recycled poo paper industry they are contritubting to the welfare of elephants:

 

Basically, our sustainable cycle works like this: as with all creatures on our planet, elephants need a clean environment and a good diet. With these needs met, an elephant produces a lot of dung, which we collect and use to make our products. We work with various conservation parks (and mahouts) to gather the dung (which is full of fibrous material and makes great paper). We then process the dung into paper sheets from which our productsare made. The more we sell to customers like you and to stores across the country and around the world …the more we can contribute as a portion of the profits from each item you buy is contributed to elephant welfare and conservation programs!

What a great cause! They also offer fundraising for clubs, associations and environmental groups. So, embrace the poo, it may just be the paper of the future.

Vinegar and Duct Tape!

Well, my husband is smart. Or at least kind of a smart alec. So, imagine my surprise when I excitedly bounced up behind him on the steps and said, “Guess what?” and unapologetic he replied, “Vinegar or Duct Tape?” Wow. That really took the wind out of my sails and gave me a darn good nasal snorty chortle. Ok, so at the end of the world it will likely be me attempting to build a shelter out of duct tape and stockpiling vinegar, but I’m sorta ok with that. But, I digress….here is my latest use for apple cider vinegar, my favorite natural health care tonic. You may recall my previous post where I used apple cider vinegar (ACV) to relieve perioral dermatitis. Well, I’ve done it again! This time, when my dandruff/seborrheic dermatitis became totally unmanageable, I turned to the vinegar. My daughter and I both suffer with it and it’s itchy, burning and embarrassing. My former stylist had recommended a dandruff shampoo to keep it under control and for a few years, it did a pretty good job. However, I had to use the shampoo religiously or risk looking like a snow globe. Eventually though, my daughter began to notice that her hair was getting more and more oily and the flakes were getting worse. I had the opposite experience. My scalp was getting drier and more itchy and the flakes were getting larger. I had burning red patches at my temples that were causing my hair to thin and I constantly had disgusting scalpy bits all over my shoulders and occasionally even stuck in my hair. It was awful… I tried tea tree oil shampoo and just straight tea tree oil, but no luck. The, while researching I red somewhere that it runs in families and people with acne were prone to have it, but that also, someone once again thought it might be yeast. Just like my perioral dermatitis (POD)! What?!? Apple Cider Vinegar to the rescue! I whipped out an old shampoo bottle and filled it with ACV and kept it in the shower. Then, I doused my head in the smelly stuff and let it soak. I gave my scalp a good massage and let it just sort of hang out while I did the rest of my washing up. After about five minutes and some tingling/burning I gave it a good rinse, then used my normal shampoo and conditioner and styled my hair. No flakes! Not a single one. In fact, my head felt refreshed, less itchy and my hair was soft and full of body. Since I used my strongly scented coconut conditioner, I didn’t  notice any after smells. My ears continued to have some itchy peely bits though in the top inside flap and at the back of my ear so the very next day I carefully gave my ears a good wash while I let the vinegar set. I’m down to using the vinegar two or three days a week now (on the mornings that I work out actually) and I’ve noticed a complete improvement. The best part is that previously I was paying about $20 for little bottle of fancy dandruff shampoo, but I can get an entire jug of apple cider vinegar for just a few bucks. So, in the end I have to say that it works spectacular, it’s inexpensive and all natural. I think that just maybe, vinegar and duct tape can save the world.

Spring Cleaning Time Again: DIY Natural All-Purpose Cleaner Recipes

This weekend is spring cleaning time again around my house.  As you may have read in previous posts I try to use inexpensive, effective and natural cleaners wherever possible. I swear by vinegar for cleaning counter tops, stainless steel and cutting boards, but when it comes to all purpose cleaners for bathrooms, floors, etc. I have a new recipe:

All-Purpose Cleaner

1/2 Gallon of Water

2 tsp Borax

1/2 C vinegar

As for everything in the bathroom, when in doubt, just use borax. It’s abrasive and natural and leaves everything clean, shiny and fresh. I sprinkle some around inside my toilet and let it sit while I clean, then I just use my little scrubby brush and voila! It’s clean and fresh! Essentially, some mixture of vinegar, borax and water can clean anything in your house. If you have stains and you need some abrasive, just add the borax.  For dusting, cleaning wood floors and furniture polish though I recommend buying. I use Method’s Wood for Good because it removes scratches and leaves everything smelling almondy and rich,  but there are lots of healhty and natural options out there. You can even use a bit of olive oil and lemon juice to make a good wood cleaner/polisher if you want. I don’t have to use it enough to be concerned about the economic impact of my wood cleaner because I use mostly all-purpose cleaner around my home. What about you? What natural and/or DIY cleaners do you use around your home? Do you have any great recipes to share? If so, leave them in the comments below.  Happy Cleaning!

Flourless bread? Yeah, I ate it….

As I was strolling through the freezer section of my local grocery store I looked up and saw a stash of bread and bagels and thought to myself that it was a bit odd and because I’m me, I immediately decided to investigate. As I craned my neck to see this unusual bread in the freezer I noticed that it was made from sprouted grains and flourless. Now I was really intrigued. I had never heard of flourless bread. I know that I’ve read that sprouted grains are good for you.  In fact I have  a friend and co-worker who eats sprouted brown rice on the regular, and she seems to like it. Well, this seemed like an excellent opportunity to try the sprouted grain bread and see if it actually tastes like real bread. The bread and English muffins were both made by a company called Food for Life. What was most interesting though was that the packaging made reference and was named after Bible verses. It reminded me a bit of Dr. Bronner’s soap when I saw it. I grabbed both books of the Bible, I mean types of bread: “Ezekiel 4:9® Organic Sprouted Whole Grain” and the “Genesis 1:29 Sprouted Grain & Seed Bread”. I got one bag of muffins and one loaf of bread. I took them home and put them in the refrigerator as instructed and the very next morning popped out a muffin, toasted it and put a little pear spread. OMG, it was delicious! I can’t say that it tasted significantly different from your standard English muffin, but I do love English muffins. It tasted a bit more like wheat or other whole grain breads. It was hearty, a bit chewy, a little earthy and little bits that had a tiny pop when you chew. Overall I’d say that I really enjoyed it and I’ve had one every monring for breakfast for the last week and I’m just as happy with them today as I was the very first morning. The best part is that it leaves me feeling very full for the entire morning. I must insert here that I eat like a teenage boy, despite the fact that I am a 33-year old mother. However, in my defense, I do work out regularly, race mountain bikes and generally stay pretty active about town in a variety of pursuits. Typically I eat breakfast around 9am and then am looking for a snack somewhere around 10:30 before diving into lunch at 11:30. I’ve noticed that I’ve been holding off for lunch until closer to 12:30 and not even noticing my hunger. Even better, I haven’t been getting all shaky and weird like I do when I have a bagel for breakfast and then eat lunch later in the afternoon. Here’s a description of the muffin straight from the company website:

Ezekiel 4:9® Organic Sprouted Whole Grain Products truly the Staff of Life!

Ezekiel 4:9® Organic Sprouted Whole Grain Products are inspired by the Holy Scripture verse: “Take also unto thee Wheat, and Barley, and beans, and lentils, and millet, and Spelt, and put them in one vessel, and make bread of it…” Ez 4:9

We discovered when six grains and legumes are sprouted and combined, an amazing thing happens: a complete protein is created that closely parallels the protein found in milk and eggs. There are 18 amino acids present in Ezekiel 4:9® Organic Sprouted Whole Grain bread. Made from freshly sprouted organically grown grains, Ezekiel 4:9® Organic Sprouted Whole Grain bread is naturally flavorful and bursting with nutrients and is rich in protein, vitamins, minerals and natural fiber with no added fat. Try it served warm to release its exceptionally rich nutty flavor.

A WORLD OF NUTRITION IN EVERY SLICE!™ 19 Grains & Seeds from 13 lands, there is nothing like this English Muffin! Moist, nutty, delicious and satisfying. Inspired by the Holy Scripture verse “And God said, ‘Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yeilding seed; to you it shall be for meat.’”-GENESIS 1:29

INGREDIENTS: Organic Sprouted Whole Wheat, Filtered Water , Organic Malted Barley, Organic Pumpkin Seeds, Organic Sunflower Seeds, Organic Unhulled Sesame Seeds, Organic Unprocessed Wheat Bran, Organic Sprouted Whole Spelt, Organic Sprouted Whole Kernel Corn, Organic Sprouted Whole Soybeans, Sprouted Whole Chia Seeds, Organic Sprouted Whole Barley, Organic Sprouted Whole Millet, Organic Sprouted Whole Rye, Organic Sprouted Whole Brown Rice, Variety 5-Grain & Seed Blend: (Organic Sprouted Whole Flax Seed, Organic Sprouted Whole Sorghum, Organic Whole Quinoa, Organic Sprouted Whole Teff, Organic Sprouted Whole Amaranth), Organic Wheat Gluten, Fresh Yeast, Sea Salt.

For lunch yesterday I was finally able to get around to trying the sandwhich bread. I enjoyed a vegan bologna and cheese sandwhich on sprouted grain bread. Did you hear that? I ENJOYED it. I know, it’s crazy. I sound like some kind of new-age hippie. I find it hilarious, but it truly was a darn good sandwhich. If you have good bread and enough dijon mustard, I feel like you could put shoe leather on there and I’d love it so the middle bits of the sandwhich are hardly the important part. The sprouted bread however was again, very, very tasty. It was nutty and flavorful, chewy, hearty and darn good bread. Here’s a description of the bread from the Food for Life website:

Genesis 1:29 Sprouted Grain & Seed Bread

Based on the Holy Scripture verse Genesis 1:29, Food for Life brings you Genesis 1:29™ Sprouted Grain & Seed Bread. Made from exotic grains and seeds from around the world and baked into one extraordinarily nutritious loaf.

Teff from the highlands of Ethiopia, Black Quinoa from the mountainous regions of Peru, Barley from the ancient Holy Land, Brown Rice and Spelt from the Far East, Amaranth and Chia from Central and South America, Soy from China’s past, Flax and Rye from Northern Europe, Corn from Old Mexico, Kamut from Ancient Egypt, Millet and Sorghum from the plains of Africa, Sesame Seeds from the Near East, Pumpkin Seeds from the Mediterranean, Spring Wheat and Unprocessed Bran from Montana and Sunflower Seeds from the Dakotas. Food for Life understands few have access to these super nutritious grains from all over the world, so we offer you Genesis 1:29™Sprouted Grain and Seed Bread. We use only the highest quality organically grown grains and seeds and sprout them to maximize nutrition through enzymatic action and germination. The unique combination of seeds in Genesis 1:29™ Sprouted Grains and Seeds Bread and English Muffins provides a naturally good source of nutrition not found in ordinary breads.

So, I can say without a doubt that I really like this flourless, sprouted grain stuff. If it’s more nutritious than that’s an added bonus. Mostly I like that it leaves me feeling more full for longer periods of time, so super duper. I’ll definitely be adding this to my regular grocery list. My local Safeway carries it, but you can search for a local store right from the company website.

Have you ever tried sprouted grains, or sprouted your own grains? Tell me more about your experience with flourless bread below. Thanks and Enjoy!

Safeway is Heading Back to Nature

Fortunately I live in an urban area that borders on the suburban so I have tons of access to healthy, natural foods. However, many are not so lucky. As an example, when I go to visit my father who lives in a more rural area, it’s much more challenging to find vegan/vegetarian meat alternatives or healhty organic foods at the grocery store. Even in my daily life, while I do have access to Wegman’s and Whole Foods, they are considerably more expensive than my local Safeway, so I have to be far more selective with my food purchases than I would like. Luckily, Safeway wants your business and is looking to appease those of us who want healthy, natural foods, but don’t want to spend our whole paycheck. They have several brands including their own store label “O” which focuses on organic food products. These have been available for many years, but now Safeway appears to be adding a new natural foods brand called “Open Nature“. According to the website, “Open Nature” is “Food thoughtfully prepared and shared with care“. I love, love, love this concept. So many times I have wanted to be able to pick up a quick, inexpensive meal to go for my family and have left with just a salad or veggies to grill. Even more often when we’ve had friends over for a cookout, party or pot-luck I’ve been saddled with making a tough choice between buying inexpensive foods that run against my moral grain (I’m strictly opposed to factory farming and the heavy handed use of unhealthy preservatives, sweeteners and far too much fat in most prepared foods). While I may not choose to eat meat myself, I can still purchase and make good food for my friends and family and now I have even more options. The new Open Nature product line boasts that it is minimally processed, with no artificial ingredients and it’s 100% natural. How exciting!  Read about the new products, including natural meat and poulty products, their plans to expand to other product offerings like bread, pasta, yogurt and more. Finally, you can read more about why Safeway is moving to natural ingredients and humanely raised animals.

From the website FAQ:

What is OPEN NATURE™ Beef?

Under the OPEN NATURE™ brand, you will find premium quality beef that is graded USDA Choice. Additional product claims include:

• 100% Natural
• 100% Angus Cattle
• Raised without Antibiotics
• No Added Hormones
• All-Vegetarian Fed
• Guaranteed Tender
• Product of U.S.A.
• Certified Humane

What are the benefits of barnraised hogs?

The key benefits are animal health and meat quality. Because they are raised in a barn, the animals are not exposed to the extreme temperatures of the Midwest. It also allows our farmers to monitor their diet. Our hogs eat a controlled, 100% vegetarian diet and drink clean water that hasn’t been exposed to pesticides and herbicides. A healthy animal is a happy animal, and provides the best product quality for you and your family.

What types of feed are chickens fed and what is a vegetable diet?

We strongly believe that the flavor of the chickens comes from the feed that they eat. Our feed is made from high quality, nutritionally balanced ingredients. It is composed of approximately 70% corn and corn gluten meal and 15-18% soybean meal, with the balance of the diet made up of salt, vitamins, and minerals. The diet is called a vegetable diet because the protein and energy sources, corn and soybean meal, are all vegetable in origin. NO animal by-products or animal fat are used in the chicken feed.

While, personally I would rather everyone eat less meat so that we can raise cage-free, free range, healthy animals everywhere, I feel like this is still a step in the right direction. While I may choose not to eat meat for personal reason, I have many friends and family members who still enjoy a good meatatarian cookout and this will help me feed them responsibly. Thanks to Safeway for continuing to offer new varieties of healthier foods.