Archive for the 'Healthy Eating' Category

Lauren’s Lentil Soup

Published
by
Lauren
on October 13, 2008
in Healthy Recipes
. 1 Comment

Here’s my lentil soup recipe..its tried/true..we have made if OFTEN for years (after taking a number of years getting the recipe down pat).  :)  It makes a lot so have your containers ready for freezing. Or do like we do sometimes and eat nothing but lentil soup for lunch/dinner for a few days…lol.


Lauren’s Lentil Soup

This is another “meal” soup.  We always serve it with
tuna fish salad (actually it’s salmon salad but we call it tuna)
sandwiches piled high with lettuce and
tomato.

2 Cups (1lb) lentils - rinsed and sorted thru for stones
oil or ghee or whatever you saute in
9   1/2 c cold water
1   med onion - diced
2   bay leaves
5   carrots - sliced lengthwise - then cut into thick slices.
2-3 celery stalks - chopped
1   package frozen chopped spinach
1   28oz can of plum tomatoes or crushed tomatoes -
undrained
2   lg cloves garlic -minced
1/4 c parmesan cheese (optional depending on if you eat
cheese or not - we actually prefer Romano)
1 1/2 tsp salt
Pepper to taste

~  saute onions and celery in the oil in a large soup pot until
translucent.  Add carrots and simmer awhile longer to release their
flavor
~  add water and lentils, bring to boil
~  add balance of ingredients, lower heat, cover and simmer for
45 minutes.  Check salt and and add pepper to taste.  Add more
water/broth if too thick.
~  serve with parmesan cheese sprinkled over top

Fish Expert on NPR

Published
by
Lauren
on April 22, 2008
in EcoWarrior, Healthy Eating, Non Toxic Living and This n That
. 0 Comments

I listened to a very informative interesting show on NPR yesterday. We all know the hazards of some fish.  Most of us have probably printed out the little charts telling us which fish is high in mercury, etc.  But this Fresh Air segment provides some very informative information about fish that I never knew.  Many of the fish in stores are named with made up names!  Chilean Sea Bass, for instance is just a nice name made up because the real name of the fish is much less aesthetic. 

The marine scientist also shares information about farm raised fish and why some of it is less than desirable.  He also addresses which fish are bad for the environIf you have time, its worth listening to.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89807877

An Organic Green Easter

Published
by
Lauren
on March 12, 2008
in EcoWarrior, Gluten Free, Healthy Eating, Holidays and Organics
. 0 Comments

Easter is coming! As per usual, I’m behind in getting started but save the info for next year if you’re already 10 steps ahead of me. ;)

Basket

One thing everyone can do to green up Easter is to NOT buy those throw away Easter baskets. There are many greener options available these days. For one, invest in a nice basket that will last many years. I have used the same straw Easter baskets for each of my boys for about 5 years now.

pail.jpg

You can also buy galvanized tin paint pails at your hardware store and have your children help you paint them or you can decopage them, if you are crafty.

Another idea I found was to use an actual outdoor hanging plant basket, which might be suitable for older children or the adult in your life that likes the Easter Bunny to visit.

Grass

I still bought the Easter grass last year and was hoping to find an alternative this year. If you start a few weeks early, Creative Kids at Home offers a great instructional on growing your own real grass for your Easter baskets.

This is a great opportunity to let your kids help out with the greening up of Easter. Now more than ever, global warming is an important topic that kids want to know and do something about. So I think for this year, we will hold a “construction paper rip”event. We have tons of construction paper (who doesn’t?)….so I’ll let each child pick their colors and rip into tiny pieces. The explanation is for our house an easy one, since we’ve always told our kids that the Easter Bunny (and Santa) use the wrapping paper and supplies at each house. So they will be helping to supply the Easter Bunny with a more environmentally sound option. Perfect!

Candy

Baskets do not need to be filled to the brim with candy. Things like stickers, small games, books, balls, etc. all make wonderful additions to your child’s Easter basket. If you have any icing bags laying around, you can fill it with any orange item, add some grass to the ends and you have a homemade carrot to add to your basket.

For organic, natural and free trade chocolates and candy, here is what I found;

Jelly Belly is now offering naturally colored and flavored jelly beans.  

Natural Candy Store offers natural, organic and dye free hard candies and more.

Check out Global Exchanges Fair Trade  store.  They have tons of Easter candy, chocolate and items for your child’s Easter basket! 

Liz Lovely’s Organic Fair Trade Bakery - Kid’s Easter Treats

Sweet Earth Chocolates - Organic/Fair Trade Easter Bunnies and eggs

Vegan Divine - Organic Easter Egg Hunt packs

From Kate’s Caring Gifts, Chocolate Easter Egg Pack

and Vegan Chocolate Bunny

World’s Finest is one chocolate company that over 40,000 schools and youth groups use for their fundraisers. At Democracy Now, you can send a free fax asking them for fair trade chocolate.

Eggs

Here’s a cool option for dying easter eggs;

eggs.jpg

This is done actually by wrapping eggs in onion skins! Learn how here at Instructables.com

If you want to dye eggs naturally, here are a few ideas for coloring eggs naturally. Or check out Martha Stewart’s step by step instructions on how to dye eggs using natural ingredients. Serious natural egg dyers will want to check out Mama Lisa’s Blog entry, How to Dye Eggs Naturally. Its an amazing egg-speriment! She takes you through her step by step eggventure in dying with photo results.

Happy Easter!

Free Range Eggs are More Nutritious!

Published
by
Lauren
on December 17, 2007
in Healthy Eating and This n That
. 0 Comments

Mother Earth News has tested free range in comparison to conventional eggs and the results are amazing.  The test, originally done in 2005, was redone recently with similar results. 

egg.jpg

Free range eggs have;
• 1/3 less cholesterol
• 1/4 less saturated fat
• 2/3 more vitamin A
• 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
• 3 times more vitamin E
• 7 times more beta carotene
than their conventional counterparts.  Now that’s ALOT to think about! 

Mission: Organic

Published
by
Lauren
on November 16, 2007
in Healthy Eating, Non Toxic Living, Organics and This n That
. 1 Comment

Its hard to believe that there is a single soul today that hasn’t heard of the benefits of eating organicly.  Or thought to go organic at some point. If one puts aside the undeniable price increase a family is burdened with if the decision to go “organic” is made, it is doubtful to me that most would choose the pesticide laden produce over the organic. 

For those that have friends that have been considering buying organics, here’s a site that will get them a free starter kit (a 9 page downloadable booklet explaining the benefits of organics) if they commit to eating 10% organic.  It sounds like an easy way to start.

Mission: Organic

Hormone Free Milk Labels BANNED!

Published
by
Lauren
on November 15, 2007
in Healthy Eating, Non Toxic Living, Organics, Politics and This n That
. 4 Comments

No, this is not a joke.  I’ve been stewing over this for a number of days now.  I just can’t figure out who had to be asleep at the wheel for this to happen.

The Agriculture Department of Pennsylvania has deemed that milk labels that state “rBST-free” or “hormone free” are no longer permitted.  Do you want to know the reasoning behind this?  Hold on to your hats.  Here is a direct quote from Monsanto spokesman, Michael Doane, in speaking about the hormone free label,  ”implies to consumers, who may or may not be informed on these issues, that
there’s a health-and-safety difference between these two milks, that
there’s ‘good’ milk and ‘bad’ milk, and we know that’s not the case.” 

cow.jpg

And if you are wondering what Monsanto has to do with PA dairy regulations….maybe it has to do with their request to the FTC to take action against dairies using “hormone free” labels.  Their request was denied.  But they obviously have friends in high PA places.

Monsanto, the only manufacturer of rBST  (also known as recombinant bovine growth hormone - rBGH) also sued a small Maine dairy back in 2003 due to their “hormone free” labeling practices.  Monsanto claimed…guess what?  The same exact claims made by the Pennsylvania Agriculture Dept.  I am looking into if they won the suit or not.

The rBST hormone has been approved in the US since 1994 but is is banned in the European Union, Canada, Australia and Japan. Under FDA policy, food companies are allowed to make claims on labels that they do not use rBST, as long they do not “mislead consumers” to believe milk from cows without rBST is safer or of higher quality.

So Monsanto is sleeping with the PA government. It is said that Ohio is also looking into a similar ban. Please contact your representatives and let them know that if THEY too sleep with Monsanto, that you will not support them! 

Dr. Fuhrman - Live Wed 10/10

Published
by
Lauren
on October 9, 2007
in Healthy Eating and This n That
. 0 Comments

If you are interested in optimal health and haven’t heard Dr. Fuhrman or read his books, now’s your chance to get to know him! He’s on the radio LIVE tomorrow (Wed 10/10) at 11am ET. Listen online here.

His topic is Nutrient Density, which you can read about on his site. You can also check out his blog, Disease Proof. Or you can go ahead and buy the book I KNOW you want to read, Eat to Live. I have read it a multitude of times and refer to it along with his other book, Disease Proof your Child.  You really can’t go wrong with these books, as they offer smart “goals” for you to strive for nutrition wise.

Dr. Furhman himself believes a vegan diet is healthiest but is quick to point out that many vegan/vegetarians are unhealthy eating packaged/processed vegan/vegetarian foods.  Even if you eat meat, you can still use his life plan for eating to improve your overall health.

Conventional, Organic or GMO?

Published
by
Lauren
on September 30, 2007
in GMO Foods, Healthy Eating, Organics and This n That
. 0 Comments

Many of us already know to look for the “9″ on produce stickers that indicates ORGANIC!  But what I didn’t realize is that we can also use this sticker to know if the item is Genetically Modified.  Instead of a 9, GMO foods are prefaced with an “8″.  Here is an example of what to look for;

For example, a conventionally grown banana would be: 4011
an organic banana would be: 94011
a genetically engineered (GE or GMO) banana would be: 84011

New Study: Children Affected by Food Additives

Published
by
Lauren
on September 6, 2007
in Healthy Eating and This n That
. 2 Comments

Yep, they’ve done it.  A new study financed by Britain’s Food Standards
Agency and published by The Lancet, shows that a wide range of children are affected by various food additives (mostly food dyes but also sodium benzoate).  Its about time!

Here’s the Times article;

From: New York Times, Sept. 6, 2007

SOME FOOD ADDITIVES RAISE HYPERACTIVITY, STUDY FINDS
By Elisabeth Rosenthal

Common food additives and colorings can increase hyperactive behavior
in a broad range of children, a study being released today found.
It was the first time researchers conclusively and scientifically
confirmed a link that had long been suspected by many parents.
Numerous support groups for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
have for years recommended removing such ingredients from diets,
although experts have continued to debate the evidence.

But the new, carefully controlled study shows that some artificial
additives increase hyperactivity and decrease attention span in a wide
range of children, not just those for whom overactivity has been
diagnosed as a learning problem.

The new research, which was financed by Britain’s Food Standards
Agency and published online by the British medical journal The Lancet,
presents regulators with a number of issues: Should foods containing
preservatives and artificial colors carry warning labels? Should some
additives be prohibited entirely? Should school cafeterias remove
foods with additives?

After all, the researchers note that overactivity makes learning more
difficult for children.

“A mix of additives commonly found in children’s foods increases the
mean level of hyperactivity,” wrote the researchers, led by Jim
Stevenson, a professor of psychology at the University of Southampton.
“The finding lends strong support for the case that food additives
exacerbate hyperactive behaviors (inattention, impulsivity and
overactivity) at least into middle childhood.” Continue reading ‘New Study: Children Affected by Food Additives’

Veggie Booty Recalled

Published
by
Lauren
on June 29, 2007
in Healthy Eating and This n That
. 0 Comments

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/4930653.html