Easy Eats: DIY Sprouts

A sprout is the beginning stage of a seed growing into a vegetable.

Sprouts have lots of enzymes, protein and they add some much needed crunch and bulk to salads. Taste wise: they are very planty and sometimes bitter in a good way. When you purchase sprouts in the grocery store, they are usually old and slimy and stored on the top shelf of the produce aisle right next to the florescent light and the sprayers.

You can grow your own easily and cheaply. I know what you are thinking. I too had the same fear: if begin sprouting my own food, how long until I decide to grown out my arm pit hair and wear only hand loomed hemp? Relax, shave, visit Modcloth.com, it's not so involved, but it does take about 3- 4 days.

You will need: seeds to sprout (I got mine here: http://www.sproutpeople.com/),  a large Ball canning jar or two, a piece of screen to fit over the jar opening, water and a place to drain the jar(s) (I used a Pyrex loaf pan). Please do not buy chia seeds for this process. Chia seeds create a gel force-field around them when soaked; commonly they are used as egg substitutes in baking recipes. That gel force-field makes it impossible to drain the seeds and therefore impossible to sprout them in jars (they just get moldy).

Day one: place 2 tablespoons of seed in the jar, place the screen over the opening, screw the lid over the screen, rinse and drain the seeds a few times, fill the jar 3/4 full with water, go about your chosen activities.

Day two and three: (with the screen and lid in place) drain the jar, rinse the seeds, and let the jar lay on it's side diagonally so air can get to the seeds and excess water can drain, go about your chosen activities.

Day four: you should see plenty of green shoots, if you want longer shoots repeat the steps for days 2 and 3. If you are ready to eat them, eat them.

If you let them continue to grow past 4 days, it maybe difficult to get the sprouts out of the jar as the rapidly increase in volume.

You can add the sprouts to sandwiches, salads, soups, etc. I like to mix about 2 cups of sprouts with an avocado and sea salt and eat it as a dip with raw veggies. In the picture below, I have topped a bowl of grilled veggies with a mashed avocado and bunch or sprouts drizzled with lemon olive oil and sea salt. It was delicious and surprisingly filling!

Hoe Down... No Stock at the Market

This past weekend I went to three local farmer's markets. In a previous post, I gleefully exclaimed that I would frequent farmer's markets as organic produce delivery was expensive and a total veggie crap shoot.
I had dreams of frolicking with overall donning farmers, buying a truck load of fresh produce, singing while birds perched on my fingers. Instead, at all three markets, I found a row of tents hawking baked goods and one tiny tent of produce with limited quantity and variety. I was so completely disappointed. Even if I bought some of everything the veggie tent offered, I would still need produce from my local market to make it through the week. What a bust!

On the up side, I did get some delicious corn and string beans, the peaches were good and the blue berries were plentiful and not too expensive. There was an organic infused olive oil stand, organic coffee seller and a spice vendor that had some great products.

On the down side, it was more expensive than my usual market, the produce wasn't organic and it was in poor shape (bruised, ripe to over ripe). There were more baked goods for sale than any other type of product.

I eat large amounts of fruit (about 4-6 cups) and veggies (about 6 - 8 cups) per day, no bread or dairy, very limited processed foods and eggs and fish. It's kinda like feeding a captive manatee (they eat 15% of their body weight in vegetation per day).

Since I have stopped eating meat and bread, I have noticed that it is very difficult for me to feel full. Avocados are a huge part of my diet. I can consume huge amounts of produce, but without a little avocado, beans, nuts or hummus, I am ravenous an unsatisfied even though, logically, my stomach is full. The farmer's market did not have any options for someone like me.

Another lesson I learned, just because an item is purchased at a farmer's market, from a local provider, doesn't mean it's healthy. Even if it's vegan. I bought a vegan cupcake from a vendor. It was completely sugar! The baked goods I saw were no different from what could be found in a standard bakery. I had hoped for more variety and options like wheat free breads, alternatively sweetened products, vegan breads; maybe a healthier cookie made with almond flour and sweetened with stevia. The offerings were standard pies, cakes, tarts and breads.

Moderation is key. Artisan lard bread, even if it is stone ground, einkorn wheat made with lard and nitrate free cured pork from well loved and humanely dispatched pig, is in fact lard bread. Organic wine is still alcohol. Raw honey is still sugar. In the 1990's we had to learn that we could not consume boxes of Snackwells and Fat Free Entenmann's and lose weight. Now, we must keep in mind that place of purchase doesn't guarantee a product's nutritional validity. Trader Joe's, Whole Foods and farmer's markets still sell junk food despite theme, slogan or overalls.

aggravated hummingbird

Leaping Off the Wagon

Let me guess, you haven't had IT in X amount of days/weeks/months/years/decades. You know what IT is. IT is you favorite food that you have banished from your diet for reasons ranging from social responsibly to health. IT can be fast food, meat, milk, cheese, pizza, chocolate, cake, cookies, Milanos, candy, pie, bread, beer, a burger, a cheeseburger, a bacon cheeseburger, a bacon cheeseburger rimmed pizza, hot wings,  a bacon cheeseburger rimmed pizza topped with hot wings, a cinnabon, ice cream, biscuits and gravy, friend chicken, bacon wrapped anything, mac n' cheese, ribs, french fries, cheese fries, chili fries, chili cheese fries, brownies, fudge brownies, double fudge brownies, or insert unhealthy edible disaster here.  Yet when you see IT you still weep a bit deep in your healthy, yet slightly begrudged soul. At some point, you will ask yourself, "why shouldn't I have a bite?"... I think you should.

First off, lifelong deprivation is no one's idea of a good time. If you really love a particular/specific food that you have placed on your "No List" and you haven't found a decent substitute, then you might want to consider letting yourself have IT once in a while. I was an ice cream junkie, but I am really satisfied by coconut milk ice cream. It has the flavor and mouth feel that works for me. However, nothing can mimic a Duncan Hines brownie made with eggs and oil and a box of chemicals. That fudgie square of heaven just cannot be made in the sugar free, wheat free world in which I live. I don't buy the mix and I hide from dessert tables. 

Second, you have got to bloom where you are planted. If you already have an extensive and informed "No List", I bet you already get a fair amount of bullshit from your friends when you go out to eat or pull out your nuts and apples at a gathering. If you are in New Orleans and want a beignet, have one. When faced with a rare and/or local delicacy, participate.  If Nonna is making homemade manicotti, have some. Just don't gorge on it and try to get some fruits and veggies in you at the next meal. 

Holidays are not reasons to over indulge. In the US celebration food has, for the most part, become easily obtainable. Turkey and stuffing, pies, cake, roast beef, etc can be found at any restaurant. These foods are no longer special occasion foods, unless Tuesday is now a special occasion. If you are going to go for IT, make IT something you really enjoy. 

Third, I am betting, from personal experience, that if you haven't had IT in a month or so, chances are you are going to be very uncomfortable when you have it. This past weekend I had wheat for the first time in 6 months. I promise you, I won't do that again anytime soon. But, that biscuit top was delicious. I am terrified of eating dairy. I haven't had it for a very long time and I have convinced myself that one trace of brie will wreck me.

Once you decide to have IT. Enjoy IT. Don't obsess about IT. Don't feel guilty about IT. You had IT and at some point you'll have IT again. 

I guess what I am trying to say is indulging once in a while is ok. Give yourself permission to be human. Just remember to keep treat foods from becoming trite foods. 

Just One Word... Plastics

http://youtu.be/CsrLHP26zvk

Bisphenol A (a.k.a. BPA) is an industrial chemical used to make plastics and resins. It is classified as an endocrine disruptor. Basically, when you are exposed to it, it can mimic estrogen in the body and screw with your hormones. We are exposed to this every time we use eat foods that were canned in cans that were lined with BPA or stored in plastic containers made with BPA and drink liquids from bottles made with BPA.  It can also get into our system through water pipes and dental sealants. Most surprisingly, it is added to thermal paper and you can get it into your system when handling receipts! Seriously? Contamination via receipts?! 

So, why should you give a shit if there's a scootch more estrogen in your diet? I'm on the pill and have been for almost 15 years, I pay for extra estrogen... well, taking additional hormones should be personally researched and discussed with a doctor, not snuck into your leftovers. And, I'm sure my husband doesn't welcome the idea of Gladware induced bitch tits. BPA has also been linked to cancer, brain tumors and insulin resistance. Bitch tits and a tumor... bonus!

So, BPA = bad. Where is it and how can it be avoided, you say? BPA is found in plastic food containers often marked on the bottom with the letters "PC" recycling label #7. Plastics with the recycling labels #1, #2 and #4 on the bottom are safer choices and do not contain BPA. However, I still think heating or freezing in plastic is a bad idea. 


This week i dumped all my plastic containers into the recycle bin and invested in glass Pyrex containers. They do have plastic lids, but I do not put them in the microwave. I had reservations about commuting into work with glass, but I haven't had any breakage issues and everything tastes just a bit better.

I do still use some plastic cling wrap and freezer bags, but I'm working towards eliminating as much as I can. One drop at a time, right?

This Little Piggy is going to Market!

I read Michael Pollen's In Defense of Food. It was a good book. I think, it made some very valid points. One such point encouraged either growing a garden or consuming local organic produce. I'm not really a garden kinda girl.  So, all hail the internet! There was a service in my area that offered online ordering of organic locally grown goods and residential delivery. Lazy AND organic... was I a hipster wanna be?


I ordered a summer vegetable package with a supplemental fruit bundle all for the bargain price of $75 not including delivery and packaging fees (the use of a cooler). Ridiculously expensive? Yes! But, Pollen also points out, in his book, that the demand for cheap food is what brought us to this sorry state of food affairs. Also, I was under the illusion that, not unlike fruit of the month, I was going to have so much produce my kitchen would be over flowing. 


It amazed me how little $75 will get you. I received my order on Friday, it's Monday and I'm almost out. Here's what I received: 2 pints of blueberries, 1 pint of blackberries, 8 mini Apricots, 14 tiny plums, 2 cucumbers, 1 incredibly bitter head of red leaf lettuce, 6 Chinese eggplants, 3 round zucchini, 3 patty pan squash, 12 very small yellow yukon potatoes, 2 tiny heads of purple cauliflower, 2 tiny heads of white cauliflower, 5 ears of corn, 6 tiny spring onions, 3 heads of pak choi, 1 bundle of dill, some string beans and 1 pint of josta berries. It's a nice list, but one I could have easily paid under $45 for at the supermarket, if I bought non organic. 

My cooler of produce

You do not get to choose what you get, which is exciting and, at these prices, scary. If you get something you aren't used to cooking and you ruin it, you feel terrible. 


For example, I over steamed the 3 heads of pak choi. It smelled awful. I threw it out. 


I had so much stone fruit that was too tart to eat; I made a very tart fruit tart. 


I pickled the cucumbers with the dill and some apple cider vinegar. 


I roasted everything I could: cauliflowers, zucchini, onions, potatoes, corn and eggplants. I was frantic to prep everything I could to ensure it would be eaten.


I tried to eat the lettuce, but it was so bitter I couldn't get it down. 


I have no idea what to do with the josta berries, they taste very weird. Before, I would have cooked them with pork. 


I must say, most of the produce was incredibly delicious. I will try this again in the fall. But, for now, I think I will be scoping out local farmer's markets. They are only open 7AM to 12PM on Saturdays, but it just might save my wallet and my health. 

I Beat my Meat

It has been 23 days since I stopped eating meat. I did not make a conscious effort to be a vegetarian. One Saturday, I was grocery shopping and I had no desire to put a single piece of meat in my cart or my mouth.

A phrase, from a book I hated, Skinny Bitch (thanks Tara), kept repeating in my head, when you eat meat,"you are eating fear, rage and grief". Simply put, animals feel fear, rage and grief before slaughter and when you eat those animals you eat the chemical reactions to their fear, rage and grief... It just stuck with me.

I thought, if I can understand the meat processing process, it would give some validity to my decision one way or another. I am not one of those "nothing with a face" kind of people. I love meat. I hate E.coli. I don't want to ingest antibiotics, steroids and/or synthetic hormones through my food. If the animals were feed well (with the correct feed), cared for properly, killed humanely and processed in sanitary conditions; I would eat meat. But, they aren't. So I don't. 

I am not going to lecture anyone, but I'm open to discussion. If you really wanted to know more about meat processing practices in the US, you'd Google it. 

I still eat fish and cage free eggs when possible. I am sure that if I researched those industries, I would stop eating that as well, but don't eat dairy or flour and limit processed sugar and I'm running out of foods. Nuts and beans will only take you so far. I refuse to eat faux meats. I think they are worse for your body than meat. GMO soy and salt is not my idea of healthy eating.


I would love to tell you that over the past three weeks I have felt euphoric and full of energy, but I'm really just me. I still skip the gym. I still have sinus and knee problems, though my sinus issues are less severe. 


If I want it badly enough, I'll eat it, no matter what it is... the significant word here is want. 

Yeast: The Sugar Beast

I wish I could tell you that one day I woke up, looked at my size 20 pants, shrieked in anguished horror and never touched a cookie ever again, but that's not how it happened.

Here is what really happened... I was contemplating purchasing size 22 pants when a beloved family member  said, "You know diabetes runs in our family. A bunch of your relatives have lost toes and feet." I thought about how much losing a foot would impact my spouse's life. Just 4 years ago, when we got married, he promised to love me in sickness and in health, but didn't I have a responsibility to try to stay healthy to care for him? Yes. Especially, if I was facing something I could prevent.

The threat of diabetes terrified me - increased mobility is necessary for shoe shopping. Who cares if you only have to buy one fabulous shoe if it's going next to a stump! Especially if it's a stump with a bad story! If you only get to wear one Louboutin because of a shark attack - awesome. If it is due to a snack attack - lame. So, I moved more, ate less and lost 60 pounds. 


Shortly after that, I was selected to participate in a weight loss contest where I was given access to a trainer and a nutritionist. I lost another 20 pounds. 


After the contest I joined a roller derby team and dropped another 15 pounds. Then I got injured and gained it back. I stayed at 185 pounds for a long time. It seemed my weight-loss waves had ebbed.

In December 2011 I saw a nutritionist, she ordered a complete blood panel. My results concluded that I was healthy. Just one issue, my level of inflammation- it was off the charts. Since none of my other levels indicated disease or cancer, the nutritionist suggested a Candida diet for 6 months- http://www.thecandidadiet.com/.


Candida is a condition caused by too much yeast in the body. In cases of people with a compromised immune system, it can present as oral thrush or yeast infections in the body and on the skin. I did not suffer any of those symptoms (read: my vagina was/is just fine). However, I did have terrible sinuses and was easily tired. Please note: there is no conclusive test for Candida. My GP told me I was crazy to try this diet. 

Sugar feeds yeast. In order to reduce the amount of yeast in your body, you must stop taking in new yeast and starve the yeast already in your system. The diet is very limiting, it excludes all yeast, starchy vegetables, fermented foods, sugar, wheat, corn, oats, alcohol, cheese and most fruits. 


As of July 23rd, I will have been following this diet for 6 months. I have not been very strict. I do eat fruit. I do have some fermented foods. I do eat dark chocolate (lots and lots of dark chocolate). After 5 1/2 months of not eating baked goods, processed foods (because the most of them contain flour, sugar, corn or all of the above) or dairy, I do feel better. Not cured, but better. My quality of sleep is better, I haven't been sick and I have more energy. I will continue with most aspects of this diet, mainly because eating too much sugar or corn or potatoes makes me feel really sick. I full intend to slowly add back oats, dried fruit and alcohol. 

I am sharing this with you, because, despite my previous attempts at weight loss, this has been the only course of action that has gotten my weight down this far and almost to a "normal" range. Currently, I am considered overweight for someone my height, but only by 3 pounds. So far my total weight loss since 2008 is 103 pounds. Thirty of those pounds have been lost in the past 6 months. I don't attribute this weight loss to beating Candida. I attribute it to the absence of processed foods, dairy products and a reduction in sugar intake.

I still have about 7- 12 pounds to go, but I am doing the best I can.