Build A Meal Swap Big Success

Well last night we had our first ever, Build A Meal Swap.  For those of you curious about how we did it, go to my resources page, and see the flyer instructions I used.  Some of the jar contents were raw, some blanched, some fully cooked.  I'll be posting videos soon on how to cook grains/beans in the Instant Pot.  Attendees ranged from 20 something working kids, all the way to Empty Nesters wanting to eat healthy! 

The actual swap was a bit hectic, and more like a three ring circus, but everyone ended up excited to take home 12 jars of freshly prepared veggies, grains and legumes.  This weeks' meal preps for the 16 attendees will be quick and easy.  Instant bowls or meals at our fingertips: Southwestern (add salsa), Thai (add coconut milk, red curry paste), Chinese (add soy sauce, fresh ginger), Italian (add canned compliant pizza sauce)...And most were asking "When will we do this again?".  A great idea, thanks to Sharon Keeler, that we will most certainly continue!

Interested in hosting your own jar swap? Watch the two videos below for a quick look at one of our jar swap meetings live!

Oodles of Noodles: What is a spiralizer?

A fun way to eat your veggies is by using a Spiralizer!  We all know that fresh zucchini noodles are a healthier option than a processed pasta noodle we buy in a box.  I have a Paderno tabletop spiralizer that works great.  It has several large suction cups that anchor it to your counter top, which make it very easy to use!

I have spiralized zucchini, potato, and sweet potato so far!  But that is just the tip of the iceberg!  What about eggplant, turnip, beets, carrots, butternut squash?  All good ideas! 

Once the veggie is spiralized, stir fry just a bit to heat up, and then add your favorite sauce (balsamic or flavored vinegar, hummus, creamy nut sauce, salsa, marinara...)!

Check out my video using my Paderno Spiralizer!

How To Make A Power Smoothie

In a good blender, put at least the following:

• 1 banana
• 1/3 blender full of dark greens (kale, spinach, collard, swiss chard, beet greens...)
• 1/3 blender full of berries (alternate often: blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries)
• 1 peeled lemon/lime/orange
• 1 T flax meal
• 1 chunk fresh ginger root, 1 " in length
• 1 chunk fresh turmeric root, 1" in length
• 1 frozen small beet chunk for red color and sweetness
• Fill blender with green tea or hibiscus tea up to 2 inches from top.  No more, or you'll have a blender blowout, trust us!
• Puree for at least 2 minutes or more to get a nice smooth texture

Split the blenderful with a loved one, and consume over 32 ounces of power nutrients.  Serve with a shake straw that has bigger diameter than regular straw(Bed, Bath & Beyond, Walmart occasionally)

         *For added protein, add handful of nuts or plain cooked beans.

You can really add almost any fruit or veggie to your smoothie, but we like to get the power foods in the morning before we start our day.  Obviously, avoid bitter and spicy veggies like eggplant, grapefruit, citrus peel, etc. 

On days where we do not have our Power Smoothie for breakfast, we can tell a big difference in the way we feel.   Also, be prepared to have a bathroom close by within 30 minutes of finishing your smoothie, and this is NO JOKE! The fiber will do wonders to keep your digestive system on the move, and you need to be prepared!

You can also find 2 smoothie demo videos on my youtube channel. See below!

for more helpful kitchen/cooking how-to videos, visit the "How-To Video" page on this site!

Mango Season!!!

Finally it is here, the season for the sweet. juicy, buttery taste of fresh mangos!  And now that they are in season, the prices are reasonable!  We can get them here in Dallas right now as cheap as 3 or 4 for $1.00!  At this price, I like to stock up and freeze some for later use for icecream, popsicles, smoothies/shakes, muffins, pancakes or just a taste of ice cold frozen mango chunk!  I'll add them to all my salads, and even throw them in my chickpea salad that I make! 

But how hard are they to cut and peel?!?!? Kudos to my son Paddy, who showed me the easiest way to peel a mango!  Check out my video below!

What's That Smell? It's the sulforophane!

As many of you already know, when you cook broccoli the smell can sometimes be overwhelming.  That smell is the sulforophane present in the broccoli, and it is present in all other cruciferous vegetables as well.  You will need to get used to it, because that sulphur smell is a potent anti-cancer fighting machine! Other cruciferous veggies: arugula, bok choy, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, horseradish, kale, mustard greens, radishes, turnip greens, and watercress.  

Dr. Greger, in his book How Not To Die, tells us that sulforophane is a promising anti-cancer agent that will help protect your brain and eyesight, reduce nasal allergy inflammation, manage type 2 diabetes, and might even help treat autism.  And broccoli is his FAVORITE cruciferous veggie.  In his book, he shows how cruciferous veggies like broccoli can potentially prevent DNA damage and metastatic cancer spread, activate defenses against pathogens and pollutants, help prevent lymphoma, boost your liver detox enzymes and target breast cancer stem cells.  So grab your broccoli, and start consuming it!

BUT, WAIT........HE TELLS US THAT cooking the cruciferous veggies will deactivate the production of sulforophane. BUT, if we take the following steps BEFORE we cook the cruciferous veggies, then sulforophane will be at it's maximum production.  Apparently, it is activated when we cut, chop or chew the raw veggies.  So, before you make your broccoli soup, chop it up, and leave it for 45 minutes while you gather all your other ingredients.  Before blanching your kale, cut it up into pieces, and let sit on the cutting board for a while.  When you get home from the grocery store, chop up your radishes, your heads of broccoli and cauliflower, and shred your cabbage.  Store everything in easy to access containers that will make meal prep OH SO EASY!  

We like to keep shredded red cabbage in the fridge to add to all our meals.  Red Cabbage is about $1.00 per pound and has more antioxidants per dollar than anything else you'll find in the produce section.  Now if you sprout your own broccoli seeds (found online or in a health food store), THAT would be the cheapest and healthiest source of sulforophane ever!      1 pound broccoli seeds= $20.00= 75 cups of broccoli sprouts= 300 cups of sulforophane content= $.05/day sulforophane.   WOW, that is cheap medicine!

So don't worry about that smell when you are cooking or preparing your cruciferous veggies!  It is just a big reminder of their healing power!

The video below shows you an easy way to prepare your veggies for the week.  

Getting Started on a Whole Foods Plant Based Way of Eating

Where do you start?  The key is to have your fridge filled with prepped foods ready to assemble into a meal.  Once every 5-10 days, I spend a morning prepping veggies.  I cut up any of the following: onions, cabbage, red/yellow/green bells, jalapenos, carrot shreds, beet shreds, cilantro, etc, and place them in mason jars (quart or pint), labeled with date on jar(masking tape/sharpee).  Having the date on the jar helps me to know what to use first, so that I don't end up throwing away anything.  Then I will steam or cook broccoli, mushrooms and potatoes (red or sweet) to have for the week.  Next I will cook one pot of beans to use for the week.  Canned is fine, but I like to save money and cook my own when I have the time. So my fridge has veggies, beans, and a whole grain ready for use.  Now all I am missing are the greens.  Keep a large supply of mixed greens on hand. 

Ready to make a Buda bowl?  In a large bowl put a handful of greens, add whatever fresh and cooked veggies you want, and don't be stingy.  You'll eat more than you think you could, and that is ok!  It takes more to fill up your stomach when you are not eating oils, animal products and processed foods!  Top with salsa, and heat up in toaster oven or microwave.  Top with avocado, pumpkin seeds, squeeze of lime/lemon.  Stir and enjoy!

Finally out on Netflix, What The Health!!!!!

After much anticipation, the new documentary, What The Health, is now available on Netflix!  I watched it with my daughter, Alice, and after just 15 minutes into the film, she was already posting about it on Facebook.  I kept wanting to stop, rewind, and take notes.  There was a plethora of good information presented, and I'll need to watch it at least 2 more times to get it all!  I don't see how someone can watch that movie, and not have a change of heart   I am hoping this will be a catalyst for many, especially those already suffering from some sort of disease.

We have heard just this week: two more friends diagnosed with prostate cancer, and two young mothers with colon cancer.  It is time for a lifestyle change that will heal disease.  Our medical doctors are great at treating disease, but they do not know how to prevent and reverse disease.  Our government is controlled by money, and even our own USDA does not have our health in their best interest.  It is and has always been about the money. 

Each of us needs to take control of our own lives.  We cannot depend on our doctors and government to take care of us anymore.  It's the food my friends, it's the food!

Is This For Real?

With the new documentary out, What The Health, there has been lots of conversation about this new way of eating/living.  I've had several people trying to convince me that this documentary, along with The China Study, Forks Over Knives, Eat To Live, etc are all bogus, and not true.

Well Pat and I are not here to try and prove what is right scientifically, or what is wrong.  All we can do is look at the clinical signs that we have experienced eating plant based and make decisions on what WE have experienced.  All the signs point to YES, this way of eating and living brings us toward a healthier way of life!  A few of our results that cannot be argued:

1.  Our weight has dropped!  I went down three sizes, Pat dropped 2 sizes.

2. Our cholesterol numbers have plummeted from above 200, now in the 140-160 range.

3. My hSCrp, which was once over 5.0 (high risk) for a decade, is now obsolete, = zero.

4. No stomachache, no headache, no infection, no sinus issues...NADA for 2 years plus.  Oh wait, there was that horrific stomachache we both had after we downed the small mini bluebell ice-cream (less than 6 oz) they handed out free at a community event. #dairyneveragain

5. Have not bought a box of kleenex for 2 years!

6. No more need for naps at 3:00 everyday. 

7. We wake at 4:45 am for morning workout, and we go to bed between 9-10:00 every night!

8. More energy than we had in our 30's!  

9. My age spots on my face disappeared!

10.  No problems with constipation, EVER EVER EVER.  

11.  Bad breath issues disappeared when meat and dairy left our bodies.

12.  Oh and maybe an important one saved for last...our cancer has not returned in either of us! We really do feel that we are doing everything we can to keep our cells in a cancer fighting mode.  Everything we put into our mouths we ask, "Will this feed or fight the cancer that might be lurking in our bodies?" #plantsfightcancer

So when someone tries to put up an argument, our response is always, "Well, it has worked miracles in our own lives",  and that is really about all we can say.