My new favorite food...SWEET POTATO

I need to watch Mark Bittman more often. He has such simple, beautiful, and tasty recipes. This is a simple way to put some color on your plate this winter. I know I could use some more color in my life. The great thing about this too is this is a great recipe for summer too- a year-rounder!

Sorry for the short posts! I am cramming for this test... Are you getting sick of my Mark Bittman posts? 

Word Up Wednesday Giveaway!

Congrats to Ted K! He commented, "My dad swears by gargling with a drop of baking soda and peroxide and warm water when he's getting a sore throat. I've tried it a few thymes and it seems to work ok. I usually just go with rest, drink lots of water, and take vitamin c pretty much for anything. Water so underrated for flushing your system out." Loved everyone else's comments too! Keep them coming!!!




On to THIS WEEK...use your words to impress me with your favorite recipe with thyme in it. Post a comment with the recipe or a link to the recipe. 




I almost forgot the prize... a $20 gift cert to Saffron Rouge! This website has loads of safe beauty and hygiene products for guys and girls. 

The FINE PRINT: Saffron Rouge was generous enough to donate the $20 gift certificate for my giveaway this week. Thank you Saffron Rouge! The Word Up Wednesday Giveaway will run from 9am Wednesday to 10pm the following Tuesday in the month of December. Each winner will be announced Tuesday evenings around 10pm. The winner will be contacted via email. If you use "Anonymous" on the post I cannot award you the prize (for obvious reasons)- so use your name and make sure to leave  your email address somewhere in the post so I can contact you. Posts on Facebook & Twitter do not count. Good luck! 

RAW: Cabbage

While I am not focusing on trying to be 100% raw for the time being, I am still interested in simple raw recipes. This one includes a Cancer Fighting Superstar- cabbage! Cabbage is inexpensive, flavorful, and diverse. Mark Bittman, one of my favorites, shows you a great raw cabbage recipe.

One of my favorites is egg noodles with sauteed cabbage and onions (and lots of butter). It is the best comfort food which also incorporates some veggies. Try it one day- you will fall in love!

Another healthy way to eat cabbage is sauerkraut. This one is near and dear to my Polish heart. I grew up eating pierogi and sauerkraut, but the best is sauerkraut stuffed in the pierogi. It is hard to find that unless you are close to a Polish deli, however. Either way, sauerkraut is a healthful fermented food.

What is your verdict on sauerkraut? Yay? or Nay?

FAIL: Going Raw

I've given it a good try, but my body just does not want to eat raw food right now. I tried smoothies and salads and I tried having Lisa make raw food for me- it was great, but all I want is hot soup. Going raw is just not appealing to me right now. All I want to eat are eggs and toast, oatmeal, soups, and warm pasta sauces. SO...that is what I am going to do. I am not sure if it is the habit of eating warm foods in the winter or if it is my body telling me something, but either way, I CANNOT seem to make (more like force) myself eat an entire salad without feeling slightly nauseous and turned off. I would rather be starving than eat a salad or a smoothie right now.

I am going to try to start this again in the spring when it warms up. I always eat lighter in the spring and summer anyway.

Have you ever put something off to find that you should have just stuck with it?

Kellogg's Smart Start (My Ass!)

This is Propaganda 101. Yes they make health claims at the top like "Good Source of Fiber" and "Made with Whole Grain" and "Strong Heart", but take a look at how many times sugar shows up in the ingredient list.

READ YOUR LABELS....in no way is this a smart start to your morning unless your goal is to give yourself Type 2 Diabetes. Most cereals you find in the grocery store are LOADED with sugar. To this date I have only found one that is suitable and that is Barbara's Shredded Wheat which boasts one ingredient: whole wheat. 

*NOTE: Barbara's has many other cereals however, they use Vitamin E Tocopherols which I have researched and have been mentioned to possibly cause cancer...NO THANK YOU!...as well as soy, sweeteners, and other vitamin fortifications.

You are better off eating oatmeal or other whole grain porridge. You can sweeten with fruit, berries, or raw agave nectar which is a low glycemic sweetener. 

Pressure Cooker

Yesterday at 5pm I looked at the week ahead on my calendar because I started the habit of planning my workday two days out. Usually it changes at least a little but I find that it helps me stay productive if I can see at a glance the chunks of work I have to do. Well, when I clicked over to next week I nearly had a heart attack. OH S-H-I-T! MY FIRST TEST IS ON MONDAY!!!

I am not one to put things off, but the last month of work and Christmas trees has completely taken my focus off of school (Remember? I am studying to be a Certified Holistic Health Coach). My memory told me that the first test was in January, not December.

I had been planning on doing school work this weekend already, however this changed everything. I checked how many weeks behind I was (4) and I scrambled to find my class schedule to see how long the test was posted for. Whew- as it turns out the test is posted for 2 1/2 weeks...oh my god! lifesaver. I was about to go into hyper-psycho-cram-for-this-test-mode.

This is a great example of how far I have come in the past year. A year ago, my anxiety-ridden-self would have panicked to the point of helplessness. I would have mentally defeated myself before I even tried to start studying. Now, I did not work myself into a downward spiral. After I spent 2 minutes freaking out, I took a deep breath and started chugging along. I made a mental list of everything that I absolutely had to do over the next two weeks, blocked out time for it, and filled in the rest of my calendar with "STUDY TIME". I now feel better about this situation.

No Christmas tree or decorations, no Christmas cards, no bullshiting. I just need to buckle down and study.

Sometimes pressure is the best motivation. Good thing I just made a ton of food that is in my refrigerator/freezer. Wish me luck! (I can't wait for January!)


What keeps you stress free, especially during the holidays?

My HOT Friday Night Date

Meet Hot Toddie. He is wonderful in a pinch, if you want to let your hair down, or are feeling a little under the weather. A date with him doesn't require you to get all dolled up and freeze your ass off waiting on some line. He is totally unpretentious, warms you up, and relaxes you.

Yesterday, as the day wore on I started to get that 'I think I'm getting sick' feeling, and after dinner I knew it was so. I was hoping I could sleep it off, but unfortunately that was not in the cards for today. I was slow as molasses, and very unfocused but I had to stay at work to get things done and also because I had a much-needed hair appointment tonight that I wouldn't have cancelled even if I was dying.

I thought I was in the clear, but something got through my defenses. I was just thinking this week that I can't remember the last time I was sick (or semi-sick like today). This is one of those instances where if I just suck up my Friday night out it will be gone soon. So here is my 'I-am-getting-sick-and-I-don't-have-time-to-be-sick' routine:

• Get home, take off my clothes and put on sweats & a fuzzy bathrobe w/ cushy socks  
• Take 1500mg of Vitamin C & 50mg of Zinc
• Do the neti pot (if you don't know what that is I will explain below)
• Put a few drops of ear oil in each ear
• Make a Hot Toddie
• 1 cup tea (I used echinacea)
• 1 slice lemon juice
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 shot of cognac (I didn't have that so I used Jack Daniels- which I think has been on my liquor shelf for at least 2 years...not really sure where it came from)
• Get into bed with a good book (still in your robe) and try to sweat your ass off

I say try to sweat your ass off because I am generally always cold. In the winter it is common for me to sleep in full sweats under 2 blankets with the space heater on. Now on to the neti pot. This thing which was introduced to me by my Nani many years ago is weird but it works. It is this Aladdin's lamp looking thing which you fill with warm water and either salt or the packets they give you (which is basically salt). You stick the spout to one of your nostrils and hang your head sideways over a sink. The water solution runs up one nostril and out the other...I told you it's weird. It kind of feels like you inhaled water, but it doesn't hurt. And if getting salty water in the back of your throat doesn't make you barf (like it does to me) you can tilt your head back so it runs down your throat to clear out the back of your sinuses. I can't do that.

Anyway, time to get into bed and RELAAAAXXXXXX! G-night!

What are your 'I-am-getting-sick-and-I-don't-have-time-to-be-sick' remedies?






12/3 UPDATE: Worked like a charm...I'm ready now to undertake this giant task of catching up on a month of school work, studying for a test and going to a wedding tonight. Have a wonderful Saturday!

My advice to college girls

Ladies... as someone who was able to party her way through college and grad school and still get almost straight A's, unfortunately I was not able to party my way through college and avoid gaining weight. I have some advice for you that I wish someone had told me when I was in college. While I know that there are so many fun things that involve drinking, nothing is fun about how long it takes to loose weight. 

• Everyone will notice that you don't look as hot as you did when you graduated high school- but no one will be nice enough to give you a heads up so that you can start working out. People talk about other people. That is a fact of life...and I would rather know that they are talking about how good I look instead of how much weight I've gained.
• You absolutely CANNOT try to keep up with guys when you are drinking. They will try to peer pressure you, but nothing good comes of trying. Guys do not gain weight like we do (nor do they get drunk as fast as we can). They can drink beer all day long, go for a quick run, eat pizza and still look hot. 
• If you have a spare tire that sticks out as much as your boobs do- GO TO THE GYM! And absolutely DO NOT wear tight shirts until that S-H-I-T is taken care of.
• Alcohol is processed by our bodies differently than food and other liquids. We do not get any nutrients out of it so it just depletes us and makes us tired, hungover, and FAT. 
• If you do not want to workout, join a club or something that is activity oriented. It will get your lazy, hungover ASS off the couch. Or...DON'T DRINK LIKE AN ANIMAL!
• If you start cooking for yourself, experiment with a lot of vegetables. Eat a lot of fruit in general. The more raw foods you eat, the easier it will be for you to keep the weight off or loose it. If you have a meal plan, and all of the food is over-cooked or greasy, eat all of the salads, vegetables, and fruit that you can. 
• Designate at least an hour a day for working out (at least a few times a week). This will ensure that you are working off all those beers. 
• Everyone is capable of gaining weight- even the "hot" ones you went to high school with.
• Once you get out of college, all of a sudden your free time dries up and your motivation to workout after a long day at work is close to zero (if not negative). It is that much harder to loose weight. Trust me, I am still working on it and I have been out of grad school for 4 years now. 

At one point during college my Nani said to me 'Jessie, you are finally not skinny anymore." That should have been my cue to hit the gym and change what I was eating. But I thought she was just being an asshole. Well when I look back at pictures from high school and college there is a HUGE difference- and it's called my ass. 

You will know you are gaining weight if:

• Your belly hangs over your jeans when you sit down
• You constantly have to pull your shirts down to cover your stomach
• You are white and getting hit on by black guys
• You start to feel like you are stuffing yourself into your clothes
• You used to be an athlete, but now it's uncomfortable to workout because your jiggly parts are getting in the way 
• You have jiggly parts

Not only is gaining weight disastrous for your self-image, self-esteem, and level of attraction, it is also really bad for your health. I know your health isn't even in your radar right now because you think you will always be young and invincible, but trust me you won't. Time is going to start going faster and faster and all of a sudden you will be creeping up on 30 and realize that being slim, healthy, and beautiful is even more important to you. 

It is much sexier to take be hot and care of yourself than it is to impress guys with your record breaking keg stand. AND...most importantly, it is much easier to maintain being thin than it is to loose weight. Just saying...I wish I had someone who wasn't my mother's age tell me what's up. It isn't really believable when your mother is telling you these things. (sorry Mom)

Do you have any other advice for college girls?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!

So about a month ago my father decided to go all raw. For those of you who don't know what that means...he eats nothing but raw fruits, veggies, and nuts. And he is loving it! (I wish I could say the same for myself.) Soooo...I thought it would be a great idea to make him a raw birthday cake.

Me and baking have a long and tumultuous history together. We actually hate each other. A few years ago when I quit my architecture job and I didn't know what I wanted to do I thought it would be a great idea to start a cupcake company. Well, the last I pursued that business I made cupcakes for 10 hours and made $15. I was also the most stressed out I had ever been. I mean it. I had an easier time getting a masters degree than baking cupcakes...wah wah whaaahhh!

So why did I think this time would be any different? Well, for one I knew going into this that I wouldn't be baking per say. Since it is raw there is no heat involved. I looked up a recipe online for a raw chocolate "cake", got the ingredients, and started making it this morning. After making the full recipe, I realized that it was half the amount that it needed to be. I'm not sure what kind of crack the lady who posted this recipe was smoking, but I read the recipe front to back like 6 times...and the error definitely wasn't on my end. SO I went back to the food store and bought MORE ingredients. Made the second batch. Put it all together, and VOILA!

If it tastes even half as good as it looks I will consider it a SUCCESS!  *ding  I massaged the F-ed up recipe as I was going and here is what I used:

CAKE

• 1- 10 oz pkgs dried pitted dates
• 1/2 c. water
• 1 tbsp. raw honey or regular honey
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 lemon juice
• pinch sea salt
• 3 c. ground raw almonds, cashews, macadamia nuts
• 1 c. finely ground dried coconut or raw coconut flour
• 1/2 c. raw cocoa powder

ICING

• 4 egg whites (room temperature)
• 3 boxes confectioner sugar

TOPPING & FILLING

• strawberries
• blackberries

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT: You need to make 2 batches of the recipe above; one for each layer. Also, only one will fit in your food processor at a time which is why you need to make two. 

date mush

this is what it should look like

the bottom of this comes out so it is easy to remove

Instructions:

• In food processor, put in all nuts and coconut. Grind until finely chopped. Put in another bowl.
• In food processor, put in dates, honey and water. Grind into a paste. 
• Add back in ground nuts and the rest of the ingredients.
• Mix thoroughly.
• Oil the spring-form pan with coconut oil so it doesn't stick...don't be afraid to be generous
• Mold dough into spring-form pan of choice (note: whatever you use must have a removable base...Google it if you don't know what I am talking about)
• Put in refrigerator.
• Repeat steps above for second layer.
• In KitchenAid mixer (or similar), beat 4 egg whites for a few minutes.
• Add in confectioner's sugar a little at a time until desired consistency (NOTE: you may not use all of the sugar listed in the ingredients above, but better to have more than run out in the middle like I did)
• Put icing in the refrigerator.
• Chop fruit into small pieces.
• Arrange layers- cake, icing, fruit, cake, icing , fruit.
• Refrigerate if not serving immediately.

There you have it folks...it is expensive, and time consuming, but if you have a loved one in your life who is on a raw food diet, it would be a nice surprise! 

I tasted the cake before I put it all together and it definitely has a nutty flavor (to say the least). Not sure what it is going to taste like all put together with the icing and fruit. Will let you know!

Have any of you ever made a raw cake before?




12/2 UPDATE: So the "cake" was a hit last night. It was edible, which was what I was going for. It was also the most dense cake I have ever eaten, actually it was more like a brownie, but good. I would imagine that it could be done in a coconut version as well. I would just leave out the cocoa powder and add in more dried coconut and instead of strawberries you could use mushed up bananas and more coconut shavings...and the icing of coarse. I will try that and report back :) Oh and I also figured out why the original recipe was so small...because the cake is so dense that you can only physically eat a tiny piece of it. So unless you are making it for a huge party....1 batch would suffice, just use a smaller spring-form pan (I used 9" I think, I would use 6" next time).

Oh baby its cold outside...

Tonight, in honor of the cold(er) weather, I decided to make the ultimate winter weather food...pasta sauce. I am not Italian, and this is not your grandmother's sauce. Every time I make pasta sauce it is slightly different, however, it is ALWAYS super tasty. This time I changed it up a little bit. Remember the huge amount of cayenne peppers I had left over from my garden? Well, I infused them in olive oil for about a month and it made this beautiful green spicy olive oil.

chop everything first

on medium heat, saute garlic and onion until slightly browned

throw in rest of veggies, tomatoes, and spices

Pasta sauce is easy, versatile, and always a crowd pleaser. Plus, you can make a giant pot of it, eat some, and freeze the rest. I do this a lot in the winter because it is so easy. You can cook once and eat 5 or 6 times (if you are single), but that is why I freeze some of it because eating the same thing 5 nights in a row is unbearable.

Ingredients:

• 5 lbs fresh tomatoes (or canned), chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, sliced
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• olive oil (in this case infused with cayenne peppers)
• 3 tbsp. sugar
• 2 tbsp salt
• black pepper, a lot
• oregano, dried
• basil, dried
• crushed red pepper, a pinch
• onion powder, a generous sprinkle

Here's what you do:

• On medium heat, saute the garlic in the olive oil until slightly browned. Toss in onions and saute for a few minutes.
• Add in peppers
• In blender, puree half the tomatoes (not necessary but nice)
• Put rest of tomatoes and tomato puree in pot. Stir thoroughly.
• Add in spices
• Stir every few minutes
• Turn heat down to low, cover, and let simmer for minimum 1 hour

I have to warn you, until all of the flavors blend thoroughly it will smell and even taste a little funny. But after it simmers for a while they start to mesh and the outcome is beautiful. You can easily do this in an hour and a half and have several meals. If I were to eat this all in one week this is what I would do:

• M: pasta sauce w/ whole wheat pasta, fresh basil, & shredded Parmesan cheese
• T:  pasta sauce w/ breaded eggplant
• W: pasta sauce w/ roasted chicken & sauteed spinach
• T: pasta sauce w/ oysters, scallops, and muscles over whole wheat pasta
• F: Add some cream in the pasta sauce, reheat w/ sauteed peas & onions, serve w/ shrimp &         asparagus 

Breaded eggplant I made to go with...yumm! So easy too...
1 egg, homemade bread crumbs, 350 deg. oven for 40 min. You can
easily do this while the sauce is simmering.

What is your tip for amazing pasta sauce?