Time to resurrect this blog

So much has happened since I last posted to this blog.  I'm sure no one is reading it anymore, which in a weird way is fine by me.  I do this for me...not for others. 

My last post here was November 16th, 2010.  Two weeks later my world turned upside down. As evidenced on this blog, I was on a whole foods kick.  I'd lost a modest amount of weight - about 20 pounds, but my husband lost 30 pounds.  I cursed the fact that men always seem to lose weight so much easier. However, on the Monday after Thanksgiving in 2010, he ended up in the hospital with a blocked colon. To make a very long story short, he was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. With a large tumor blocking his ascending colon and about 20 tumors on his liver, it's no wonder he lost weight so quickly in those three months.  It wasn't the new diet at all.  In fact, I came to find out later that when I wasn't around, he was eating donuts and all other manner of food I had banned from the house! And yet he still lost weight.  Wow!

Yes, much has transpired in the following 3 1/2 years.  He's still alive, which is amazing considering where this started. 3 trips to the ER, three surgeries, and over 60 rounds of chemo later and he's still here! We've since moved from MN (where I'd lived almost my entire life) to New York City.  We've been here since December 2013. My new struggle is how to eat in NYC with the new lifestyle we have and keep it healthy.  I've gained about 5 pounds since I moved here, yet I find I'm more active here than I ever was in MN.  I thought I would easily lose weight!  NOT!

I am resuming this blog to help me be more conscious of what I'm eating, how I'm eating, and how I'm establishing my eating patterns in this new city. It's a different lifestyle for sure, and I need to figure out how best to manage it!  In addition, I'll retell some of the cancer journey.  As much as I hate to admit it, I know I'm an emotional eater and this journey has been incredibly emotional.  I can't let it get the better of me.

Namaste,
Julia

Whole Wheat Chocolate Banana Bread

I really enjoy this new lifestyle, but every now and then I really miss chocolate.  I've made several attempts to create something chocolately like brownies or cake, but they've all been miserable failures.  There's something about chocolate...it needs sugar!  But then one day while eating my low, low sugar banana bread I thought that the natural sweetness could possibly allow the cocoa addition.

If you want to make it without the cocoa, simply reduce the coffee to 1/3 cup instead of 1/2 cup. 

Ingredients
3 bananas
2 eggs
1/3 c. unsweetened applesauce
1/3 c. sour cream
1/2 c. coffee
1/3 c. chopped dates
1 tsp vanilla

1 T. honey

Dry Ingredients
2 1/4 c. whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 c. cocoa
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. stevia
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix the first group of ingredients together.  In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients and blend togther with a fork or whisk.  Add dry mixture to the wet mix.  Blend well.  Pour in a greased bread pan and bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes.  Ovens vary, so check the bread with a knife or toothpick.

I found this really cool website, Calorie Count, where you can insert your ingredients and it will spit out a nutritional label...in case you're wondering how I came up with that last picture! 

Black Bean Quesadilla

 

A quick and simple week night meal, altered slightly to be more healthful.  The key to this makeover is the tortilla.  I used to always buy regular tortillas, but they are far from whole grain.  I have found whole wheat tortillas at the food co-op but even they have a blend of whole wheat flour and regular flour.  Then a friend of mine from India clued me in on a fact I was not aware of - they only cook with whole wheat flour in India, they don't have white flour over there! 

 

So, I ventured into the local Indian grocer and found Traditional Indian Roti that are made from whole wheat! They don't taste exactly like tortillas, but they were close enough and I feel much better about using them instead!
 


Ingredients:
Whole wheat flour tortillas
1 can black beans
shredded pepperjack cheese
chopped lettuce
chopped tomatoes
sour cream

peppers 

Lightly oil a griddle, or a skillet and crisp up the tortillas. Put them on a cookie sheet and then all you do is put some black beans on it and a very small amount of the pepperjack cheese - a little goes a long way.  Cook them for about 10-15 minutes in a 400 degree oven until the cheese is bubbly.  When you remove them, put on your plate and pile up the goodness of lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, sour cream, salsa, or anything else you like.  They are AWESOME!

Healthful Low Sugar Morning Glory Muffins

One aspect of our new diet is very limited sugar.  In the first four weeks we tried to do NO SUGAR - and succeeded, but it wasn't easy.  I don't have a big sweet tooth - that's my husband's department - but on a no sugar or low sugar diet, every now and then I'd want something sort of sweet.  We can eat all the fruit we want, but every now and then you just want a chewy brownie! I have yet to make a sugar free brownie, and ahve several failed attempts, but I have been successful making muffins and banana breads.  Here's one I created today and it turned out great!  This is my version of morning glory muffins with a twist - blueberries!

  

Ingredients:

1/2 c. raisins
2 c. shredded carrots
1/2 apple diced
1/2 c. chopped pecans
1/2 c. unsweetened coconut

3 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1 T. honey
1/2 c butter, melted
1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
1/2 c. fresh or frozen blueberries
1 c. whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 c bran cereal

2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp stevia

Soak the raisins in warm water for about 10 minutes. While it's soaking, mix together in a bowl the carrots, apple, pecan, coconut, and blueberries.  Add the raisins when done soaking.

 

In the mixer, mix together the eggs, vanilla, honey, butter, and applesauce.

In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients: Flour, bran cereal, baking powder, cinnamon, and stevia.  Mix these ingredients together and then add it to the carrot mix.  Once everything is coated nicely, add to the egg mixture.

Spoon into greased muffin tins, bake at 350 for about 25 minutes. Let sit for about 5-10 minutes before removing them from the muffin pan.

The Whole (Foods) Truth and a Tomato Tart

It's been months I know...but I've been busy learning a new food journey and I plan to chronicle it here.  In August we went on our annual 10 days at the lake.  We eat, we play, we eat some more. We gained weight!  My daughter and I both gained over 6 pounds in a short 10 days!! 

While we were there, I perused a book that my brother's girlfriend left for my mom called The Healing Power of Whole Foods.  When we got back home to the scale and the frightening reality of what we did to ourselves on vacation so we decided to give it a try.  But this is not a diet...it's a lifestyle change.

We started out by reading the book voraciously.  Then we cleaned the pantry ridding ourselves of anything with white flour, white sugar, white rice.  Anything that was "enriched" of "fortified" was taboo too. As you may guess, a large part of our pantry was gone!  I was amazed, because I've always believed I was chosing healthful foods, but the book taught me how to REALLY read a label and find the hidden truth.

So, to make a long learning story short, I've really changed how we are eating, and the results have been really great.  In six weeks, my youngest daughter has lost 22 pounds, my oldest and myself have lost 15 pounds.  I recently had my blood workup done, and I had amazing results.  For the first time in 10 years, my cholesterol is under 200.  Last year it was 250!  I have been pre-diabetic for the last two years...not anymore, my blood sugar is normal!  But the best result is the amazing behavioral changes it's made for my 4 yeard old grandson!  He'd been having quite a problem when he'd get angry, he was unable to control himself and he'd fly into a fit of rage.  Changing his diet has had an amazing change on him...he's still fidgety, but he'd not violent anymore.  He's an absolute angel.  Even he recognizes the change!

I'm going to start chronicling what we're eating.  We still eat a lot of the same stuff but it's altered to be more healthful.  We'll start with a summer favorite...it's beautiful, tasty, and got rave reviews at a party I took it to recently.

Tomato Tart

A whole wheat pie crust, some delicious filling and a lot of tomatoes - DELISH!








Ingredients:
Pie Crust:
2 c. whole wheat pastry flour
1 stick cold butter
5 T cold milk

Filling:
1 c. mayonaisse or vegenaisse
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Toppings:
thinly sliced red onion (amount - to your liking)
sliced ripe tomatoes - about 3-5 depending on size

Make the crust:

Put the flour and cut up butter into a food processor. Pulse it until the mixture is crumbly.

    

While pulsing on high speed, add the milk.  Blend only as long as it takes for it to start to form, do not over blend it.  It may still appear somewhat crumbly, that's ok. 

Turn it out onto a pastry sheet or your countertop and work it into a pie crust.  It is very forgiving, so don't over work it.  If you place it in the tart pan and it's broken up a bit, don't worry about it - just patch it back together.  The key is to do this all quickly and not overwork it.  You don't want the butter in the crust to get too warm.

      

Mix the filling:

Combine the mayonaisse and parmesan cheese, and spread it out on the crust.  Layer the red onions on top of that, then the tomatoes.

    

Sprinke some paremsan cheese and about 1/2 teaspoon of Italian Seasoning on the top.  Bake for 45-60 minutes in a 400 degree oven. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

   

  

Lasagna - Next Gen

At heart, this is my mom's lasagna recipe which everyone loved, but with a few slight changes in attention to detail and even my mom says it's better than hers.

Bottom line - it's all about the ingredients.  Quality ingredients will make or break every recipe, and this one is no exception.  In this recipe, it's all about the sauce.  Get the sauce right and the rest of it can have average ingredients.





Sauce
3 lbs ground beef (85-90% - high quality)
2 28 oz cans of tomato sauce (I use Dei Fratelli)
1 28 oz can of crushed tomatos (Dei Fratelli)
1 onion diced
1 green pepper diced
2-3 garlic cloves crushed
salt & pepper

Other Ingredients
2-3 cups home made ricotta cheese + about 1/2 cup cream
OR
1 large container 4% small curd store bought cottage cheese + 1 egg

1-2 Tbls fresh chopped Italian parsely
shredded mozzarella cheese
Lasagna noodles

Make the sauce:
Chop the onion and green pepper. Put in large sauce pot along with the hamburger.  Salt and pepper the meat now before cooking it.  Brown the ground beef.  Stir and crumble the beef while cooking getting the beef into small bits.

The key to this step is to watch the juices.  As the beef browns the water cooks out leaving behind the oil. However, there's a lot of flavor in those juices.  A key mistake people make is draining the beef too soon - they lose a lot of the broth that provides the flavor.  You have two options.  One, cook it down until the the juice is clear and you can see it's just oil.  Then it's ok to drain it off.  The second method is to not drain it off until after you've added the tomato sauce.  The oil will rise to the top and the juices will absorb into the broth. This method only works if your beef isn't too high in fat.  If you use an 85 or 90% beef, it's ok.  Using an 80% been will result in too much fat and a greasy sauce.  95% beef doesn't have enough fat and you won't get the flavor you desire.

One you've got the beef mixture cooked and ready, add the crushed garlic.  Then I add 1 can of the tomato sauce and the can of crushed tomatos. I'll let that cook a bit, and then add about 1/2 to 3/4 of the other can of tomato sauce. As you're cooking the sauce, taste it to determine if you need more salt. I know salt is "bad" for you, but it really does make the difference in this sauce. You don't want the sauce to get too saucy or you'll have runny lasagna. The real key is to let the sauce cook.  I like to cook it for a couple hours, on low heat stirring (and sampling) occasionally, but 1 hour is good. If it seems to saucy, cook it down more.  If you don't have time, you can add tomato paste to thicken it up.

Cheese Mixture

If you're using homemade ricotta, mix a clove of crushed garlic and some cream with it. Making ricotta at home is REALLY easy.  Here's the recipe I follow, method 2 or 3 are my favorites. But, whatever you do, don't use that gross stuff you buy in the grocery store that they call "ricotta" it simply isn't ricotta cheese! It's some sort of unknown paste! If you're using cottage cheese instead, mix the egg and garlic with it.  Then mix the chopped Italian parsley into whichever one you're using.

Assembly

To assemble, put some oil in the bottom of the pan so the lasagna doesn't stick.  Layer the first layer of lasagna noodles down.  Then put 1/2 of of the cheese mixture down and spread the mozzarella cheese on that - use however much you like.  I probably put about 1-2 cups down.  Then layer the sauce.  Repeat this one more time - noodles, cheese mix, mozzarella cheese, sauce.  I promise next time I make this I will measure how much sauce I put down. I never end up using all the sauce, but I do use nearly all of it.

I know it sounds crazy, but I sprinkle that fake powedery parmesan cheese on the top layer.  That's how mom always did it and it adds a nice flavor.  I never use that stuff on ANYTHING else because it's not like REAL parmesan.  So, I always keep a little around only for this recipe!

Cook it for 1 1/2 to 2 hours at 350.  You'll know it's done when it's bubbly around the edges and in the middle too.  When it's done, be sure to let it sit for at least 10 minutes before you cut it or it will fall all over.

Salute!

Bruschetta

From or our last party I first blogged the dessert,  but now it's time to go back to the beginning...one of my favorite appetizers.  Bruschetta.  YUM!

For the crostini:

Hearty Italian bread

1/4 olive oil

3 garlic cloves

Cut the bread into medium-thin slices. Heat the olive oil. Don't heat too hot, because you don't want to burn the garlic. Once heated, remove from heat and crush three cloves into the oil. Using a baster or kitchen paint brush, brush both sides of the bread with the garlic oil. Put bread under broiler and toast it on both sides. Watch it carefully or you'll burn it like I always do! I frequently buy extra bread because I always get so distracted that I'm famous for ruining the first batch!

For the mix:

4-5 Roma tomatoes

1-2 Tblsp finely diced red onion

1 garlic clove

1/3 to 1/2 cups chopped fresh basil

1/3 to 1/2 cups balsamic vinegrette dressing

Mozzarella cheese

Seed and dice the Romas.  I usually cut them lengthwise and then scrape the seeds out with my fingers, it's easier that way and I love getting my hands messy!  Once you've removed the seeds, dice them into small pieces.  Add the finely diced red onion, 1 clove crushed garlic, chopped basil, and the vinnegrette.  I make my vinegrette with red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, honey, and oil, but you can use a store bought version that you like. 

Put the tomato mixture on the bread.  I usually use a fork so I don't get too much of the dressing with the mixture so the bread won't get soggy.  Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top and place under broiler and cook until the cheese is bubbly.  Watch it closely so it doesn't burn.

Salute!