This recipe is so delicious and extremely healthy. My kids LOVED it!
1 c. dried split green peas
1/2 c. pearled or semi-hulled barley
1 bay leaf
2 qts. water (you could also use a little chicken stock)
1 t. celery seed
1 onion, minced
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 white potato, diced
1 sweet potato, diced (you can omit this, but it does at a sweetness to the soup that is yummy)
1/2 c minced greens of your choice (I used spinach b/c that is what was handy. It was a 10 oz bag)
**kale, collards, chard are also acceptable
1 t sea salt (I used all purpose seasoning)
1/2 t pepper
1/2 t dried basil
1/2 t dried thyme (I omitted this b/c I don't like dried thyme.)
2 T miso
Place split peas, barley, bay leaf, and water in a large pot. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hrs. Add remaining ingredients, except miso. Simmer for another 30 minutes until vegetables are tender and soft. Remove from heat. Stir in miso.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Tip #4
Quit drinking soda and replace it with something healthy, such as water. Sweet tea does not count. Unsweet tea would be ok. Soda contains a TON of sugar,which is empty calories. A 12 oz can of soda contains 42 grams of sugar. There are 4 grams to a teaspoon, which means you have over 10 teaspoons of sugar in one can. There are 3 teaspoons in a tablespoon. So you've got roughly 3+ Tablespoons of sugar. That is almost 1/4 c of sugar in your can of soda. That is pretty much your DAILY allowance for sugar.
Before I started to make our drastic diet changes, I read that if you quit drinking soda for a year without replacing with an equally sugary drink, and did nothing else, you would lose 10 pounds. I must admit, I was skeptical. Well, I decided to give up soda. It was much easier than I anticipated. I replaced it with just plain water, or sometimes water with a little lemon. That was in January of 2006. That August, I had to have my appendix removed. After that ordeal had ended, I stepped on the scale. I was 7 pounds lighter than in January. (On a side note, your appendix is about as big as your pinkie finger, so that alone did not lighten me by 7 pounds.) At that point, I hadn't really made too many changes other than milling our wheat. When you look at the amount of sugar in a can of soda, it should make you think twice about drinking it.
Also, as my chiropractor so kindly pointed out, the phosphates found in soda are very hard on your bones, which can lead to osteoporosis, among other things. Your body is not properly able to process calcium. By giving up soda, not only was I able to drop some pounds, but I am strengthening my bones too.
Before I started to make our drastic diet changes, I read that if you quit drinking soda for a year without replacing with an equally sugary drink, and did nothing else, you would lose 10 pounds. I must admit, I was skeptical. Well, I decided to give up soda. It was much easier than I anticipated. I replaced it with just plain water, or sometimes water with a little lemon. That was in January of 2006. That August, I had to have my appendix removed. After that ordeal had ended, I stepped on the scale. I was 7 pounds lighter than in January. (On a side note, your appendix is about as big as your pinkie finger, so that alone did not lighten me by 7 pounds.) At that point, I hadn't really made too many changes other than milling our wheat. When you look at the amount of sugar in a can of soda, it should make you think twice about drinking it.
Also, as my chiropractor so kindly pointed out, the phosphates found in soda are very hard on your bones, which can lead to osteoporosis, among other things. Your body is not properly able to process calcium. By giving up soda, not only was I able to drop some pounds, but I am strengthening my bones too.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Tip #3
Whatever you do, do NOT use artificial sweeteners. The reason that they are zero calorie is because your body recognizes them as a toxin. I have written about this before, so I will not go into specifics here.
Reduce/eliminate your use of refined sugar. Empty calories. Instead, use honey. Yes, it does contain calories, but there is some redeeming nutritional value to honey. Yes, it is expensive. This is a good way to cut down on all that sweet stuff. Make it a treat rather than a staple.
Reduce/eliminate your use of refined sugar. Empty calories. Instead, use honey. Yes, it does contain calories, but there is some redeeming nutritional value to honey. Yes, it is expensive. This is a good way to cut down on all that sweet stuff. Make it a treat rather than a staple.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Tip #2
When using baking soda, look for soda that is aluminum free. Aluminum goes straight to your brain and is not safe to use. Also look for aluminum free bake ware such as, ceramic, baking stones, stainless steel, or glass. When cooking with aluminum pots and pans, aluminum is leeched into the food and absorbed by the body. This too is unsafe.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Kitchen Tips
I must admit, I have been quite slack this past year in keeping up with my blog. It isn't due to lack of desire, but lack of time. So while I take much more time to research new topics, I thought I would write brief entries on some of the little things I do to make our meals healthier.
So.....
Tip #1--To Much Sodium??
If you are concerned that you are getting too much sodium in your diet, then there are a couple of things you can do to decrease that. But before you do, measure how much you are consuming each day and compare that to the recommended daily amounts. Read labels because salt hides everywhere.
1. Use sea salt. It has less sodium than regular table salt.
2. Use an all purpose seasoning mix. My dad gave me this recipe (see below). I use it in cooking when something calls for salt. Obviously, this would not be something you would use in sweet treats.
1 c. salt
1/4 c. black pepper
1/4 c. onion powder
1/4 c. garlic powder
Mix and store in an air tight container. Use the same amount you would use if a recipe would call for just salt. (ex. 1 teaspoon salt = 1 teaspoon seasoning mix) I like it because it adds a little extra flavor.
Tip #2 soon to come.
So.....
Tip #1--To Much Sodium??
If you are concerned that you are getting too much sodium in your diet, then there are a couple of things you can do to decrease that. But before you do, measure how much you are consuming each day and compare that to the recommended daily amounts. Read labels because salt hides everywhere.
1. Use sea salt. It has less sodium than regular table salt.
2. Use an all purpose seasoning mix. My dad gave me this recipe (see below). I use it in cooking when something calls for salt. Obviously, this would not be something you would use in sweet treats.
1 c. salt
1/4 c. black pepper
1/4 c. onion powder
1/4 c. garlic powder
Mix and store in an air tight container. Use the same amount you would use if a recipe would call for just salt. (ex. 1 teaspoon salt = 1 teaspoon seasoning mix) I like it because it adds a little extra flavor.
Tip #2 soon to come.
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