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My Sister-in-law, Annabelle, has organized an healthy eating and living challenge for the month between Thanksgiving and Christmas called “Junk free through the Hollydays.” (Yes, that is how she is spelling it.) You get to make your own rules; some people are going super strict, others are just trying to cut back on the junk and increase the good. I am somewhere in the middle, and will be reporting what I eat every day. Other healthy goals such as exercise, sleep, drinking lots of water and not strangling co-workers will also be discussed.
We are running it as an email group right now. It’s in its infancy, so things are a bit primitive right now. Just ask to join the group and you will be included in the emails. Reply to all to respond, or just email one or two people if you have something more private to say. This is a nice way to get support for healthy choices during the holiday season for free. I’m sure there will be some humor included as well and some ideas for yummy things to eat.
To join, either respond in the comments here, or over in Annabelle’s blog, Fluency’s Folly.
Hello!
Just wanted to let you all know that Amazing Grass is on sale on their website. Everything is 30% off through December 2. Use code HOLIDAY2011 to get the discount. Order multiple containers of the same product and save even more.
I have been using Amazing Grass powder in my smoothies for about 4 years now, maybe closer to 5. My husband actually introduced me to their powders as an option to include in my son’s smoothies. He has a very sensitive tummy, and like lots of kids, sensitive taste buds as well. The Green SuperFood was a welcome addition to his blender drinks as we called them. Soon afterwards, they came out with the Kidz Berry SuperFood and he has been drinking it in his water ever since. It is a great way to get extra vegetables in his diet. I now have my sister hooked on this for her two boys as well.
I like the Berry Green SuperFood and the Chocolate Green SuperFood in my smoothies and shakes. I’ve also mixed it into banana ice cream, raw snack balls, oatmeal, and more.
Amazing Grass also has meal replacement shakes and bars for healthy snacks on the go. I haven’t tried the meal replacement shakes or some of the new flavors of SuperFood yet, but I just ordered some sample packs to give them a try. I’m sure they will be good.
I got my CSA basket from South Coast Farms today. Just in time for Thanksgiving.
This is the way to feast.
Included in this week’s basket:
Dill, Romanesco Cauliflower, Chard, Kale, Tomatoes, Fennel, Potatoes, Cilantro, Eggplant, Parsley, Valencia Oranges, Celery, Yams, Beets, Yellow Onion, Bartlet Pears, Pink Lady Apples, Green Cauliflower, Red Leaf Lettuce, Garlic, Grapes, and Grapefruit.
I traded in the beets, fennel and green cauliflower for extra pears, oranges and parsley.
Here is a picture of the green cauliflower that I didn’t keep. It looked good; I just don’t think I’ll use that much cauliflower in the next week or two.
Here is the romanesco cauliflower that I did keep.
Who wants to come over and help me eat?
Growing up, we always had the canned cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving. Seems like most of us did, and still do. Monday I was picking Beck up from “Turkey Camp” at MyGym and they were talking to the kids about what they would eat on Thanksgiving. One kid yelled “red Jello!” to which the teacher chuckled and said, “yes, cranberry sauce.”
Image via Wikipedia
However, that stuff isn’t really that good for you. Have you taken a look at the ingredients list? Most of the time it’s made from high fructose corn syrup. Plus, the cans are lined with a substance that contains BPA, and since cranberry sauce is quite acidic, rest assured that the BPA is migrating into the sauce, and from there into you and the kids.
Alternatives? You can easily make your own. I have been for years. The basic recipe is on the back of every bag of fresh cranberries out there. Find them in the produce section of just about any market this time of year. (You do know where the produce section is, right?) In case your bag somehow is missing the recipe, here it is.
1 bag of Cranberries
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of water
Dissolve the sugar into the water in a medium sauce pan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add cranberries and continue to simmer till berries start to burst, about 10 minutes. That is Beck’s favorite part. Remove from heat and cool. It will thicken as it cools. Refrigerate to thicken further.
Image by MGF/Lady Disdain via Flickr
Don’t limit yourself to water when making the sauce. You can substitute orange or apple juice, add a bit of bourbon or brandy, maybe try some red wine. Get creative!
This will last in your refrigerator for days, if not weeks. Though why would you want it to just sit in the fridge, all cold and lonely? Add it to stuff! Use it in the “traditional” ways, like with Thanksgiving dinner, spread it on sandwiches, use it like jelly, warm it and drizzle it over ice cream, drop a spoonful in sparkling water for a fun drink for the kiddos.
Still want canned cranberry sauce? Have guests who refuse to eat anything else? The kids really want the “red Jello?”
Check out this ingenious solution from Food in Jars. She used empty BPA free cans as molds for homemade cranberry sauce. Looks just like the “real” thing. Except it actually is real food.
Happy Thanksgiving day everyone!
Here are a couple of smoothies from the last few days. I made one yesterday morning too, even took a picture, but I don’t remember now what was in it. Oh well.
2 Minute Green Smoothie
I made this yesterday when I was hungry and needed to get out the door quickly. I could have grabbed a few of the Trader Joe’s dark chocolate peanut butter cups to tide me over till the next meal, but I was strong and made this instead.
1 cup frozen mango
Torn kale leaves, stems removed
1 banana
1-2 cups water
Blend till smooth.
This is the smoothie I made this morning. It was really good. I got a great deal on organic peaches at the farmer’s market this summer so I cut them up and froze them. I love adding hemp seeds to my smoothies because they add lots of protein and healthy fats and they are soft so they are easy to blend up. They give the smoothie a creamy taste and texture.
1/4 cup hemp seeds
2-3 cups frozen peaches
fresh squeezed orange juice, enough to fill the blender almost to the top of the peaches.
Put dry hemp seeds in the blender and grind them up a bit. This step is optional, you can just add everything together and blend, but this tends to help the hemp seeds get creamier. Depending on your blender they will not all grind up. This is ok. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend till smooth.
Mine is a not quite as smooth as it could be. There aren’t any big lumps, but the skin and seeds could be blended better. After ten years it is finally time for me to get a new blender. This one has served me well, I will miss it.
This morning’s smoothie:
Torn kale leaves, stems removed
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1 cup frozen strawberries
1-2 frozen bananas
Scoop of Amazing Grass Green SuperFood
1 tsp vanilla extract
Fresh squeezed orange juice
Blend together until smooth. Kale leaves have a strong flavor. I like to use blueberries to mask it. The vanilla seems to really help the blueberries and give the smoothie an overall sweetness without adding sugar. Very ripe bananas serve this purpose as well. Start off with just a few kale leaves in your smoothies and work your way up over the course of a few weeks. If you don’t want to go with kale, baby spinach is a great substitute.
So how does it taste?
I made a video testimonial of my Beck, but don’t seem to be able to upload it now. I’ll try again later.
The verdict was “It’s good.”
This morning’s smoothie:
1 bunch parsley
1 cup frozen mango
1 cup frozen raspberries
1 scoop Amazing Grass SuperFood
Fresh squeezed orange juice (to desired thickness)
Blend well and serve in a “fancy glass”.
Enjoy!
Bubble & Bee Organics, one of my favorite sources for lotions and potions, is having a sale! Today many of their items are 30% off. Tomorrow will be 25%, then 20%, you get the idea. Each day will have a featured item at an even bigger discount. Today the sunflower lotion bar is 50% off. Tomorrow??? You will have to check back to see.
I have been using Bubble and Bee Organic’s deodorant for a few years now. I have slowly been trying out other products and love just about everything I try. The body butters are divine. They are so creamy and smooth, and they work great. Just what you need when your skin is about to crack into thousands of little pieces. I have on the sugar & spice one right now and I can’t stop sniffing myself. Pair it with the baked apple salt scrub for a treat. The lip balms, soaps, and lotion sticks could make nice gifts for teachers and are great stocking stuffers. Now is the perfect time to stock up!
This is a small sampling of the Bubble & Bee products I already have. More are on their way!
