Sugar: The Bitter Truth
Posted: October 19, 2011 Filed under: cleansing, Freed people, Personal Leave a comment »I was hipped to this video from Heidi at Adventures of a Gluten Free Mom, and after only 30 minutes of watching, I knew that it was going to be the best hour and a half I would spend in my day. I’ll say it again! As long as this presentation is, it is totally worth watching. Dr. Robert Lustig does an excellent job of explaining why sugar, in the forms of sucrose, fructose (not fructose that occurs naturally in fruits and veggies) and HFCS, is poison and why it is so prevalent in our diets today.
Apple Cider Vinegar-What took me so long!
Posted: January 11, 2011 Filed under: cleansing, drinks, Personal | Tags: anti, apple, bacterial, cider, microbial, vinegar 1 Comment »
Well, being snowed in isn’t really so bad. That is, when you don’t need anything! Run out of something-bread, onions, your favorite comfort food, and suddenly we curse snow like it’s the devil!
In the mornings, especially in the winter, I start off with a warm, spicy lemonade: lemon juice, cayenne, a little stevia and some hot water. It really jump starts my morning! It’s better than coffee in my opinion and I’m sure a whole lot healthier.
This morning, I went to reach for the lemon and…..of course, there wasn’t one. So, I’m thrown off my routine a little. I want to have something hot, but without the sour tang and sweet hints, it just wouldn’t be the same. So I’m thinking “What would be sour? Oh, I do have Apple Cider vinegar….”
Here’s the thing. I don’t like vinegar, ANY vinegar. It’s just too strong! To me, it’s hard to get the taste balance right when it’s added to cooking. I much prefer the acidic balance of lemon or lime juice.
But, it’s a new year, and it’s time to try some new, healthy things. And I can’t go out and get any lemons anyway.
So I made my drink with Apple Cider vinegar, and it wasn’t bad at all. This is a good start. With all the health benefits of this stuff, it’s something that I SHOULD be using more of. I just have to get used to the taste.
Note: You have to use the cloudy kind. That’s the only one that has the health benefits. Don’t buy the kind you can see through!
Lemon Ginger Mint Sun Tea
Posted: May 17, 2010 Filed under: cleansing, drinks, Stage 1, Stevia, Vegan Leave a comment »
It’s gonna be a hot one this year. And it’s not even officially summer yet! I’m continuing to use the sun to my advantage. Last week, I made this tea with my first pickings from my stevia plants.
It’s easy. In a large glass container, (I had a 2 quart glass pitcher-I don’t recommend plastic), grate one medium sized knob of ginger. It’s best to grate instead of slice. Add a few sprigs of mint and a handful of stevia leaves, if you have them. Cover the jar with a tight fitting lid and place outside early in the day, where the jar can get at least 6-8 hours of full sun exposure. Strain and enjoy. If you don’t have stevia leaves, just sweeten after you pour the tea into individual glasses for serving. Place in the refrigerator for drinking later.
Try this! Grow your own stevia
Posted: May 3, 2010 Filed under: cleansing, favorites, gluten free, No Cook, raw, Stage 1, Stevia, Try This! 4 Comments »
Say hello to my lil friend!
There’s a movement going on. I call it the “back to green stevia” movement. There’s been alot of backlash with white stevia use. The logic is that stevia is a plant, so stevia should be green, not white. The white stuff is more processed, so it must be bad! Right?
I get the logic, but I don’t believe it’s always practical to use green stevia every time. My angel food cake, blueberry muffins, and coconut ice cream would not only look weird, but the chlorophyll taste just would not work too well. Green stevia tastes like, well, a sweet plant. What else would you expect?
Still, I believe that you should have a choice, and since I have enough white stevia, I went in search of the green stuff.
I still haven’t found any!
I remember when green stevia was all you could buy. It use to be sold as dried leaves. That was it! I would use it when I made detox teas, when I didn’t want to sweeten with sugar. I would put about a tablespoon in with the other herbs and about 6 quarts of water. That tablespoon sweetened the whole pot! I’d strain the tea into a pitcher and store it in the fridge for gradual sipping.
Gradually, stevia became more refined, becoming a green powder and finally a white powder. I never used the white powder much, but when I started this diet, white stevia became my go-to sweetener.
Now that I want to have some green stevia powder, and leaves, of course I can’t find any. But I can find stevia plants! I think that is really strange, but they were right there in my garden center, just waiting for me to take them home. I bought two, and I’m planning to make my own stevia powder this year.
Green, of course!
Orange Ginger Tea
Posted: December 28, 2009 Filed under: cleansing, drinks, fall, Quick cook, Stage 1, Stevia, Stress Relief!, Vegan, winter 1 Comment »
It’s about time for the detoxing to start. You ate too much. You probably ate some things that you shouldn’t have, just because it was the holidays. You probably had more than one serving that famous pie your grandma makes. And now, your feeling the pain! Ginger to the rescue!
This is very easy. Just take a medium piece or knob of ginger and slice it into rounds. Place it in a 3 quart pot along with the zest of one orange. You can grate it or use a knife to carefully peel away the orange part of the peel only. If you think the pith is bitter, it only intensifies when you boil it! It will make your whole pot of tea unpleasant.
Add 3-4 cups of water to the pot, bring to a rolling boiling, then reduce to a simmer. Let it simmer until it starts to make the whole kitchen smell like ginger, about 15-20 mins.
Strain into tea mugs and add your favorite sweetener to taste. I use a combination of vegetable glycerin and stevia. If you can have agave, use it. It sweetens drinks very well and you don’t need to use alot of it.
Try This! Ginger People's Ginger Juice
Posted: June 25, 2009 Filed under: cleansing, drinks, favorites, gluten free, No Cook, Stage 2, Stress Relief!, Travel Foods, Try This!, Vegan 1 Comment »
Man, this has been a busy week already! I haven’t had time to test any of my new crop of recipes. Not even the ones for traveling. Traveling is all I’ve been doing this week. It’s been hard to get to a computer or even a microwave for that matter!
Luckily, this little bottle needs no special equipment.
My apologies for photographing it empty, but it didn’t last long, because I found so many great uses for it.
I’ve made instant ginger ale (a dash a ginger juice, a little stevia, fill the rest of the glass with sparkling water, a squeeze of lemon).
I’ve added it to stir fry.
I even used it in the lemon ginger chews instead of the grated ginger.
With the small bottle size, it’s great to take along with you. It has to be refrigerated after opening, so I just stick it in my cooler.
You can find it in your health food store. Look in the “Sauces” or “Marinades” aisle. Also check the Ginger People website.
It does have citric acid in it, so it’s not the best for those who are just starting out on a candida cleanse.
Pineapple Pomegranate Salad
Posted: November 14, 2008 Filed under: Breakfast, cleansing, desserts, fall, gluten free, No Cook, no grains, raw, Stage 2, Vegan Leave a comment »
I just love the colors of this simple fruit salad. I didn’t add any sweeteners to this, but I did add a squirt of lime juice and some grated fresh ginger. It gives nice contrast to the sweetness of the pineapple.
1 whole fresh pineapple, cut into chunks
1 pomegranate, seeded
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Serve.
Makes four servings
*Pineapple is super sweet, and if you’re worried about the sugar content, you can substitute supremed grapefruit for the pineapple. Leave out the ginger.
Green Velvet Smoothie
Posted: October 20, 2008 Filed under: Breakfast, cleansing, drinks, gluten free, No Cook, raw, Snacks, Vegan Leave a comment »
I was chatting on the phone with my brother a few days ago, and he told me about his dilemma with some spinach he needed to use before it went bad. I had just had my first green smoothie the night before, and since I enjoyed it so much, I shared the idea with him.
After we discussed all the different vegetables he could use, he actually went out to the store and purchased some of his favorites to try in blended form. The result looked so good, I was actually jealous! His first green drink actually came out better than mine! Here’s what went into his blender:
carrots
spinach
peeled quartered lemon
cucumber
yellow bell pepper
coconut milk
ice
In your blender, blend everything until smooth!
Asian Style Marinated Vegetables
Posted: October 16, 2008 Filed under: cleansing, gluten free, No Cook, no grains, raw, Stage 1, Vegan Leave a comment »
Lately, I have been having alot of fun experimenting with raw food recipes. Hopefully you could tell with the last few posts. I made the decision to increase my raw food consumption from 50% to about 70%. I had some issues with grains the last few weeks, so I decided to back off of them for a little while. The change has been very noticeable. I don’t need to take a nap after eating, I don’t have a poochy belly, and I’m feeling not so weighed down.
I like alot of raw food recipes that I have seen, but I’m certainly not planning on becoming 100% raw. Truth be told, I enjoy cooked food. For me, warm food is extremely satisfying, and because I’m away from home alot, I can’t babysit a dehydrator, or jars with sprouts. It’s just too impractical.
This recipe is good for transitioning from cooked to raw. Nothing is heated, but sits in the marinade long enough so that fibers soften and the veggies absorb the flavors. I let mine marinate at room temperature, or even in the sun, so that it doesn’t have that “cold edge”. After I’ve had my fill, I do stick the leftovers, covered, in the fridge.
1 broccoli crown, chopped
1/2 head cauliflower, chopped
1 red, orange or yellow pepper, sliced into rings, then halved
2 large shallots, sliced
juice of 1/2 lime
Sea Salt
2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
3 tablespoons sesame oil (Make sure this is cold pressed for 100% raw foodies)
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
In large bowl combine all ingredients and let sit for 3-4 hours. Refrigerate left overs.
Proof that raw food can be easy!
Sodas, Part One
Posted: August 19, 2008 Filed under: cleansing, drinks, Stevia, summer Leave a comment »
This summer, my brother and his daughter came to visit me here in St Louis so she could experience her first plane ride. At seven years old, I can imagine that would be a big deal. My family has been involved in the airline industry for years, and I’m an avid traveler, so I take plane travel lightly sometimes. I can’t really recall when my first plane ride was.
When they arrived, we went shopping for provisions for lunch, and my brother went and picked up a carton of Reed’s Ginger Brew! Oh man! As soon as I saw the carton, my mouth started twitching! Reed’s is my favorite among the real ginger beers out there on the market. I know there are some other good ones, but because of the naturalness of the ingredients, I lean towards Reed’s.
I was this close to having a sip, and then my inside voice started screaming, “It has sugar! Don’t do it!” I had to listen. I knew that if I took one sip, the whole bottle would have been gone in probably seven minutes!
Needless to say, we hurried home to my kitchen. It was time for me to come up with an acceptable stand-in. Since there would be no sugar involved, there wouldn’t a fermentation process, but I could boil my own ginger root, add some sparkling water and a little stevia and I would be sippin lovely! Here’s what went into the glass:
one medium sized piece of spankingly fresh ginger root
1 quart water
25mg stevia (the size of the scoop in your pure stevia container)
squeeze of lemon or lime
favorite brand of sparkling water
Slice ginger root in rounds about 1/4 inch thick. In about a two quart pot, put in sliced root and water, and boil for about 15 minutes. I wait till my whole kitchen smells like ginger, and then boil for five minutes longer. Let your brew cool completely.
In a twelve ounce glass, fill half way with ginger brew, add stevia and lemon or lime juice. Top off with sparkling water. Give a little stir to get the stevia to dissolve more quickly. Drink. Make another.
Take that little brother!
