Loose Beef

1 pound 80/20 (I get angus) ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
1 large green bell pepper, diced

Saute ground beef over medium high heat until browned.  Add onion and stir till starting to brown.  Add pepper and saute for another few minutes.  Salt to taste

I use this as a base for my spaghetti, sloppy joes, and chili.  It is very versatile.

While I cook the beef I am boiling water and then cooking spaghetti.  I am in love with the Kroger Private Selection Arrabiatta Spicy Marinara Sauce.  And of course I top my bowl with a heaping of shredded Asiago.

My Top Ten Super Foods List, Revisited

Edited, first published in April 2013

Things that got cut:  Yogurt.  There are enough ways out there to get good probiotics without yogurt.  And lets be honest the probiotics are the only thing that makes yogurt good for you.  It's true.  All milk products are bad for your health, unless you are a baby and it's your mother's milk.

Things that got added:  Bananas. 

I have finally compiled my top ten list of "super foods."  This list has been in the works since 2006. Know that in all cases, food should be grown without chemicals, antibiotics, hormones, non-GMO, preferably local (where possible, i.e. in season), and Fair Trade-if it's imported.  * Means you can easily grow/raise it yourself, I did/do.  If you are lucky enough to own land in California, you could have an almond, avocado, and lemon tree.

Top Ten Super Foods:
*Leafy Dark Greens:  Spinach, Kale, Swiss Chard, etc.
Walnuts (not Almonds), but nuts and seeds in general are all pretty good
*Berries:  Black, Rasp, Elder, Blue
*Eggs
Bananas,  Possibly nature's most perfect food
Avocado  (the omega profile, high in 6, could cause hormonal problems)
*Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Pumpkin, etc.
Fatty, wild-caught, Fish
Legumes or Beans:  Black, Kidney, and Lima are the most nutrient dense

Dark Chocolate (70 percent Cacao or greater)

More Super Foods:
*Garlic
*Onion
Olive Oil (if it's real)
Honey (if it's real)
Maple Syrup (if it's real)
*Cruciferous Vegetables:  Broccoli, Cabbage, etc., slightly cooked for optimum digestion (and lower thyroid issues), or fermented for beneficial bacteria
Lemon
Green Tea

If I eat a serving a day of the top ten, my average daily calorie intake would be about 1,600.
 
140-1/4 cup walnuts
160-2 eggs
(0)-2 cups raw greens
80-1 cup berries
150-dark chocolate
200-1 cup legumes
150-1 cup whole milk yogurt
200-1 medium sweet potato or 3 medium carrots
200-1 whole avocado
350-7 oz. wild caught fatty fish

Making Yogurt With Probiotic Capsules

Not entirely a failure.  The successful yogurt required the contents of 2 probiotic capsules per pint of milk, stirred into cold milk before heating.  Each capsule contains 3 billion live active cultures, at least 1 billion of each L. Acidophilus, B. Bifidum, and L Bulgaricus.  Other [inactive] ingredients in contents of capsule:  Cellulose, Stearic Acid, Magnesium Stearate, and Maltodextrin.

I did not attempt a second or further generation batch.

Here's what I did, see below for action and results.

2 quarts of whole milk
6 Capsules of Solaray Brand MultiDophilus Triple Strain Formula
4 Pint glass canning jars, lids and rings
1 spoon

Typically I heat the milk-filled jars, one at a time, in the microwave long enough for the milk to get to the right temperature, between 100 and 110, even as high as 115 is alright.  Then I stir in 2 Tablespoons of Seven Stars Farm Yogurt, and then my homemade yogurt for future generations, per each pint.  But this time I'll be using probiotics.  I have found no direction in how much to use, or how to do it, so I hope the above knowledge is helpful for whatever brand you have in your fridge.  The point of this experiment is to find out if this will even work.

Once the jars are ready to go, put on the lids and rings, and set on a clean dish towel in your crock pot.  Make sure the the water temperature to 110-115 (I heat water in the kettle to expedite this), turn off the heat, put on the lid, and set the timer for 2 hours.  Turn the heat back to high, and bring the temperature back up to 110, then turn off the heat.  Repeat every 2 hours until your yogurt has been in the water bath for 8 hours.  Set jars on a towel in the fridge and wait 24 hours before enjoying.

Make sure not to let your water temp get lower than 90, or to reach 120.  If this happens, just exchange some water with either hot kettle or cool tap respectively to correct.

Jar 1:  I stirred in the contents of one capsule into the pint of cold milk before heating it up in the microwave to 110.  Upon removal after 8 hours it was still practically the consistency of milk.  The texture was only slightly thickened, almost undetectable, but the flavor was almost like buttermilk, sour but not spoiled.  I ended up using it for baking.

Jar 2:  I stirred in the contents of two capsules into the pint of cold milk before heating it up in the microwave to 110.  Upon removal it was noticeably thicker, after 2 days in the fridge it was solid.  The texture was creamy and the flavor was only slightly tart, there was no noticeable whey.  Good results.

Jar 3:  I stirred in the contents of one capsule into the pint of milk already heated to 110.  After 8 hours at 110, it was still practically the consistency of milk, and even still after 1, day in the fridge.  We don't do a lot of baking in my house, but I'll be using the cultured milk for that purpose when I get to it.
 
Jar 4:  I stirred in the contents of two capsules into the pint of milk already heated to 110.  After 8 hours at 110, it was noticeably thickened.  After days in the fridge, it was thicker than Kefir, but not as thick as yogurt, it worked just fine in a fruit smoothie.

MSG in Fast Food? I am so naive

MSG (mono sodium glutamate) sensitivity is a strong topic of debate.  For as many people out there that feel badly when they eat MSG, there are just as many people out there who believe it's psychosomatic.  While it's true that MSG occurs naturally in many foods like meat and cheese, when it is added to foods in greater quantity than what a human should ever consume, I know it causes a reaction in my body.

So when I recently ate take out from a fast food fried fish joint and within 20 minutes came down with a bevy of strange symptoms, one of the first culprits I suspected was MSG.  Almost immediately after I ate I began having stomach cramps and nausea.  I got very tired, dizzy, and confused.  I couldn't understand what my husband was trying to ask me, and I broke out into tears.

After some time had passed, I drank some white grapefruit juice to assist my stomach, and plenty of water to flush out my system.  Once I regained my mental faculties, I wondered aloud to my husband if this reaction had been because of MSG.  There was no other reason for this reaction, and I didn't know (until I looked it up) that most fast food places put MSG into something.  If I had known I would never have eaten it.

Fried foods are apparently the biggest culprits with a huge fried chicken chain being the most loaded.  But it's in food you wouldn't even think necessary to season, like pizza sauce.  One of the reasons this additive is used is not just for the "umami" (a word I hate), but because it does become addictive.  Your body reacts causing you to overeat, and then desire more of that food later.  This reaction isn't just limited to MSG, but other additives like sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate.  If you've noticed the later two being added to more and more foods under the reasoning to make them more "shelf stable," it's really because food creators learned that it makes you crave more.  I learned this years ago during my prune craze of 2007.  I mean who can't get enough prunes?  Once I switched to a non-additive brand of prunes I no longer had a problem with just having one.  Something to think about if your binge or trigger foods are from the shelf.

So what's so bad about these additives other than making you want to eat more of the food they are added to?  I don't know.  I don't know that if is shortens your life expectancy.  I don't know if they increase your risk of cancer, or heart disease, or birth defects.  But, if you have a sensitivity beyond food addiction, you could suffer from any of the ailments I discussed earlier, or worse still.  Probably the worst symptom associated with MSG is a Migraine.  I know several people, including myself, who get these kinds of headaches ranging from mild light sensitivity and pain (my symptoms), to crippling pain, blindness, and nausea that lasts for days.

This is not the first time I've suspected and then researched whether or not MSG was in the food I just ate, and it won't be the last.  I just feel so naive that I feel like I never considered that, like gluten, it's probably in all restaurant food.  I already take my chances with other people's cooking.  What's worse is that MSG has a myriad names like autolyzed yeast extract or hydrolyzed wheat protein.  Don't be tricked into thinking that a product doesn't have MSG because it claims "no added MSG."  Always read the ingredients!!!  With this in mind it's probably for the best if I do just plan on making all my own food forever.

The Battle to Lose Weight: Trigger Foods

Ugh!  This is going to be a lifelong battle.  But I have some new tools in my arsenal.  And with each year that goes by, Science and research are helping us learn more.  5 things I've learned in the last few years are:

1.  Sugar is the cause of all disease.  Grains, specifically genetically modified and over processed, are a close second.

2.  Exercise has nothing to do with weight loss.  Unless, as is my theory, it can help regulate hormones and prevent or reverse insulin resistance which have everything to do with weight loss.

3.  Calories consumed, calories expended has nothing to do with weight loss.

4.  Not eating for longer periods of time, or not eating simple carbohydrates (including fruit), reduces insulin levels in the body and can promote weight loss.  This is why starvation and low carb diets work.

5.  Trigger Foods:  If you think you wouldn't want to live without a particular food, it's the food you should give up.

Years ago I would have said the three things I wouldn't want to live without are Beer, Potato Chips and Ice Cream.  Now, I never consume these things.  I learned I have a problem with limiting myself with these items.  They make me feel physically bad when I consume them, yet I would keep coming back.  Often this is a sign of an intolerance or allergy.

I finally understand "Trigger Foods."  For years I thought they were foods that you can't stop eating until they are gone.  Not always the case.  They can also be foods that you must eat some of if they are around, you can't stop thinking about it until you eat it.  Surprisingly, York peppermint patties hold this over my head.  Or, foods you think you would not want to live without.

While I've acknowledged and let go of Beer, Potato Chips, and Ice Cream, I have some new trigger foods.  Specifically, Coffee (with cream and sugar), Chocolate, and Cheese.  The later two have been shown to produce the same effects on the brain as morphine and heroin respectively.  Coffee is one of those products in the news that is bad for you one day and good the next.  But it has been linked with insulin resistance, adrenal failure, hormone disruption, various cancers, and if you aren't drinking organic you are loading your body with pesticides and herbicides every day.  If you drink decaf you are probably loading your body with all sorts of chemical extractives, And if you don't drink Fair Trade, you are exploiting any number of South American or African workers.

I've got to eliminate from my diet Coffee, Chocolate, and even Cheese.  I can give up coffee.  I never drank it regularly until a few years ago, and I had to give it up for nearly a year while I was pregnant and attempting to breast feed.  I know that when I do give up Chocolate I won't miss it too much, except at holidays.  But Cheese!  I can't imagine a life without cheese.  It's my go-to snack.  I eat it by itself, with apples, in chili and soups, occasionally melted on some bread...such as pizza, in cheesecake, cream cheese spread on toast, olives, prunes, as a dip for vegetables, I could go on.

So here I stand with these things between me and my weight loss and better health.  I guess it's time to let go.  I just feel like by the time I eliminate all the things that keep me from losing weight or feeling well, I'll be down to just most varieties of legumes, non-starchy vegetables and filtered water.

I lost 50 lbs from eating Bean Salad???

I lost 50 lbs 7 years ago, after a years of unsuccessful (but healthy) dieting losing and gaining back the same 10-20 lbs.  I couldn't figure out why.  What made that time in my life, body, and diet different enough to shake off all that weight and keep it off for 2 + years?  I still don't know.  I've guessed at everything.  And now I wonder...Was it because I ate Bean Salad for lunch on my work days?

For the first time in my life, rather than not eating lunch, I began taking bean salad.  It was my favorite lunch to take because it doesn't have to be refrigerated (if you are eating it that day) or heated, and you can make it in bulk, enough to last for 8 lunches.  In the summer/fall, if you garden, half of the ingredients (or almost all, if you are that good) are free.  I still like to take it to pot lucks because it is Vegan, it doesn't have to be chilled or heated, and it actually has vegetables.  Since that year, several people, friends and co-workers, have joked about my bean salad days.  Just a few weeks ago a friend remarked "I thought I smelled bean salad" when he saw me.

The greatest thing that happened during that time 7 years ago, besides weight loss, was that for the first time in my life food wasn't constantly on my mind.  I ate when I was hungry, I stopped when I'd had enough, and I didn't really think about it in between meals.  At the time I attributed it to going grain free, and that may be partly true, but perhaps it's also my intestines weren't supporting a colony that needs to feed, and feed on simple sugar.

Why is killing all that bad bacteria good?  Aside from reducing inflammation, it will clear up skin issues (the condition on my finger, which I think was psoriasis, is gone in days), my eczema is vanishing and my complexion has improved considerably in the last week.  It improves your mood-I feel better already.  It helps you to eat less and give up the sugar.  I kept waiting for the sugar withdrawal to happen from reducing carbohydrates, but it didn't, not that I was eating a lot to begin with.  My body aches less, I'm guessing because it is alleviating inflammation.  It improves dental health.  And lastly I lost weight, 5 lbs in the first week, 2 more in the second.  For the first time in a couple of months I am not just losing and gaining back the same 2 lbs.

What's so special about bean salad?  Well what it has are detox and anti-microbial properties.  It contains raw garlic and raw onions; strong anti-biotic, anti-fungal, anti-viral, fresh Cilantro; a heavy metal detox, and unpasteurized apple cider vinegar; an alkalizing, detoxifying tonic.  Use Olive oil and you can add anti-inflammatory Omega 9's, or Flax Oil for Omega 3's and an intestinal cleanser.  Combine all of this with the high fiber from the beans and vitamin C from the peppers and you have one healthy lunch.

 Why bean salad?  Why didn't it work when I was pressing garlic into tomato juice or stirring apple cider vinegar into water?  I have a theory that while digesting the beans, the anti-microbial properties stay in the areas they need to for longer actually destroying the bad bacteria.  If that's true, then it has to be bean salad.

I plan to keep up with Bean Salad lunches 4 days a week.

Getting Rid of Fruit Flies

Fruit Flies like a Banana.  That is Tom's favorite joke.  He loves word play.

But seriously folks, it only takes a couple of fruit flies to soon have a major infestation on your hands that seems impossible to get rid of.  Since we often have fruit just hanging out in the kitchen waiting to be eaten, and we compost, and the bathroom often has baby wipes in the garbage, it is easy for this to get out of hand.

So after some minimal research I decided to try two methods.

1.  Pour 1 inch of apple cider vinegar into a jar or glass.  Cut the very tip of a plastic baggie off.  Push the tip down into the jar creating a funnel.  Rubber band the baggie around the jar.  Fruit Flies go in, but they don't come out.

2.  Pour 1 cup of apple cider vinegar into a jar, add a couple of drops of dish soap.  The soap breaks the surface of the vinegar and keeps the flies from being able to get out.  No baggies needed.

Both methods worked fine, but the funnel seemed to work better and requires less vinegar.

Which Cook Ware Works Best On Your Stove?

Let me start by explaining the 3 different types of ranges not including wood fire (similar to gas fire) or electric griddle (similar to smooth top, but hotter).

1.  Coil-heats up quickly, retains heat after shutting off, even heat on pans.  My copper bottom Revere Ware works best on coil stove tops.

2.  Gas-you can control how hot the pan is within seconds because the reduction of flame instantly reduces heat, does not however heat evenly or quickly.  Heavy bottomed pans work well with flame because they distribute the heat and retain it.

3. Smooth top ranges.  Does not heat up quickly, or hot enough, retains some heat when turned off.  Your pans must be perfectly flat to work on this type of range.  After arduous study I have determined enameled cast iron to be the most effective cooking gear for flat top stoves.  But heavy bottomed flat pans also work well.


How to determine which cooking gear to use on your range:  Try to fry a scrambled egg in butter over high heat.  If it sticks, it's the wrong pan.  If it doesn't cook within 1 minute, it's the wrong pan.  If it doesn't cook evenly, it's the wrong pan.

Shopper's Guide To Pesticides

DIRTY DOZEN: These are fruits and vegetables that even the USDA suggests to buy organic because of large amounts of pesticide residue that cannot be washed or peeled away.

1. Peach
2. Apple
3. Bell Pepper
4. Celery
5. Nectarine
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Kale
9. Lettuce
10. Grapes (Imported)
11. Carrot
12. Pear

CLEAN 15: These are the fruits and vegetables that are the safest to buy conventional (not organic).

1. Onion
2. Avocado
3. Sweet Corn
4. Pineapple
5. Mango
6. Asparagus
7. Sweet Peas
8. Kiwi
9. Cabbage
10. Eggplant
11. Papaya
12. Watermelon
13. Broccoli
14. Tomato
15. Sweet Potato

How I Make Yogurt

1 small cooler
3 3-cup mason jars, with lids and rings or 2 4-cup and 1 pint mason jars
1 8 cup Pyrex glass pitcher
1 stainless steel spoon
1 oil/water thermometer
1 microwave
Hot water from the tap
1 quart of milk
1 cup of yogurt

Make sure all your accessories are clean and preferably sterilized. Fill all three jars with 110 degree water from your tap set them in the cooler and then fill the cooler to just the shoulder of the jars. The reason I only fill the water in the cooler to the shoulder of the jar is so the lids and rings don't rust from being under water for 12 hours. Use the thermometer to figure out your water temperature. I am lucky enough to have the hottest water from the tap be at 110 degrees Fahrenheit, which is what you want your water temperature for the yogurt to be. Fill the Pyrex pitcher with all of the milk. One minute at a time heat it in the microwave stirring and checking the temperature till it reaches 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Slowly stir in the cup of yogurt, this will lower the temperature slightly. Take a jar out of the cooler, pour the water into the sink, and fill the jar with the milk-yogurt mixture. Screw the ring down over the lid on the jar and place the jar back into the cooler. Do this for all three jars then close the lid of the cooler.

Since you want to keep your water temperature between 110 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 hours you will need to replace the water when or before it reaches 90 degrees. I have noted in my kitchen it is about every 2 hours and I set my kitchen timer accordingly. When you replace the water simply open the lid, remove the jars, pour the water out, run the tap to 110 degrees, place the jars back into the cooler, fill to the top of the shoulder of the jars, close the lid, and reset the timer. The refilling process takes about 2 minutes. After 12 hours, remove the jars and set them in the refrigerator for one day before enjoying your homemade yogurt. When you open the 3rd jar, make more yogurt.

The yogurt I like, and use for the initial starter, costs around $4.50 a quart. The milk I purchase for making yogurt is around $3.00 for 2 quarts. So as you can see I'm yielding just over 2 quarts of yogurt for $1.50 less than the cost of one. Also as an F.Y.I. most persons who cannot consume milk, like myself, can eat yogurt because of the beneficial bacteria which aids in digestion. And you can use yogurt to bake with. I made some delicious cornbread just the other day using yogurt instead of milk. But that's a recipe for another day.

Pizza!

Since I am Gluten-Free I don’t usually eat pizza. Kinnickinnick brand makes an outstanding gluten-free crust that even gluten eaters will love. But making your own crust is also terribly easy (see recipe below, not gluten free). And making your own pizza at home is not only healthier, and cheaper, but fun. Everyone can make their own to suit. I did want to share with you all my tricks of the homemade pizza trade.

1. No matter what crust you use always pre-cook it especially if you make your own from scratch. With Kinnickinnick I put the frozen crust in the oven while it pre-heats and that seems to be enough.

2. Don’t use pre-made spaghetti sauce or tomato sauce. Instead get a can of tomato paste. In a mixing bowl combine equal parts of paste and water, add oregano, garlic powder, and salt to taste. Stir till smooth and use liberally. Also makes a great dipping sauce for crust, cheesy bread or breadsticks.

3. Always slice watery vegetables (peppers, mushrooms) thin, and use conservatively or your pizza will be soggy. And if you want crisp pepperoni put it on the very top.

4. I've had great results with combining shredded (low moisture part skim)mozerella, olive oil, oregano, salt, and pressed garlic. It's also great to pick up and eat so hopefully there'll be some left for the pizza. Of course whole-milk mozerella is amazing as well, but Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack if you like it spicy works really well.

5. And lastly, I am revealing to you a 6 topping combination that creates the best pizza you have ever eaten. 2 friends and I came up with this combination while trying to agree on a common pizza ground when ordering delivery. I have since made this pizza at home and was told by my dad that this may have been the best pizza he’s ever eaten. *Pepperoni, Sausage, pickled Jalapeno Pepper rings, pickled Banana Pepper rings, Mushrooms, and Green Olives* Of course personal tastes vary.

This is the most recent pizza dough we've been using with great success.  The recipe comes from Mother Earth News  February/March 2012 issue.

7 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 Tablespoon yeast
1 Tablespoon salt
3 1/2 cups warm water

This is a very sticky dough.  Makes 3 large crusts or 6 small.  We often take 1/3 of the dough right to the pizza pan, grease and let it rise on the pan before spreading it out and letting it rise again.  Sometimes I spread it out right away and let it rise just the once for about 30 minutes.  The rest of the dough will keep for up to 2 weeks, and gets a wonderfully tangy flavor the longer it stays in the fridge.

To bake, preheat the oven to 400, bake the crust for about 10 minutes prior to topping, then an additional 15-20 minutes with the toppings-till the cheese gets slightly brown and bubbly.

Otherwise, for one crust:

2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup of warm water