Tabouli Salad

This is one of my favorites! So healthy and fresh!

Soak 1 c. bulgur wheat in hot water for a few hours to soften (you can also use cooked brown rice or orzo pasta).

Chop finely 3 scallions, 1/2 c. Parsley. Dice 1/2 c. Cherry tomatoes, 1 cucumber 🥒(slice in half and spoon out seeds).

Juice of a lemon (slice in half twist in fork to get more juice) 2 tbsps. 🫒 Olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt. 

Stir So yummy!!

Chickpea Salad

My new vegetarian creation! This is so good!

Ingredients:
1 can of chickpeas, rinsed well
1/2 of a red and yellow bell pepper, chopped
1/3 of a English cucumber, chopped
6 cherry tomatoes, chopped
1 tbs. of finely chopped sweet onion
1 cup of snow peas, (tear off ends to de-string) then chop

Mix together for dressing:
1/4 cup red wine vinegar (add more if you want) I did!
1/4 cup olive oil
1 small clove of garlic, finely chopped
1/4 teas. of mustard
1 tbs. of sugar
dash of salt and dill weed

Stir together and let set for a few hours, to marinate! So yummy!

Vegetarian Stir Fry

In a small sauce pan boil 1 and 3/4 cups of water, with 1 tbs. of olive oil and 1 teas. of salt.
  In a 8x8 baking dish add 1 cup of organic long grain rice, then add the boiling water (above) and cover with foil.
  Bake rice in oven at 350 for 30 minutes.
  In a separate sauté pan on med. high heat, add 1 tabs. of olive oil. Add 2 thinly sliced carrots, 1 small head of sliced broccoli, 1 cup of snow peas, half of a sliced onion, 5 button mushrooms sliced, 2 small zucchini sliced, and 2 cloves of garlic sliced. 
  Add 1 tabs. of soy sauce, 1 tabs. teriyaki sauce, and a dash of ginger power.  Then add 1/2 bottle of Kikkoman stir fry sauce with 1/2 cup of water. 
  Simmer for 15 minutes.  Put on rice and enjoy! Sooo Yummy!!

Rainbow Foods

Eating foods with color is so good for you!

Blue, Purple, Red 
examples: berries, watermelon, red cabbage
Orange and yellow 
examples: carrots, turmeric, squash 
Green 
example: leafy greens, broccoli, grapes

The rainbow diet- Founded by Dr. Eric Braverman    
His book and Web-Sight  

Drink more water.

Sushi Roll

Cowboy Sushi Roll 
Osaka a Japanese restaurant in Tulsa, OK
Seared steak on sushi?  Yes, and it was pretty good!
I also ordered a steamed shrimp roll with cucumber. Yummy!
This had asparagus, red bell pepper, rice, and steak. A full meal!

We also had fried shrimp dumplings.

 I enjoy going out to eat with my son! We like sushi!

Homemade Sushi

Savoring your Food

            Get a piece of raw fruit or vegetable

1. Eat in a quiet place

2. Think about that moment (not the past or future)

3. Open your mind to what you are about to experience.

4. Where did the piece of fruit come from? 

5. Look closely at the shape, texture, and color. 

6. Take a bite like you have never had it before. What does it taste like? What does it feel like in your mouth?

Is it cold, warm, soft, or hard?

7. How does it smell?

8. Don't let anything distract you.

9. What are the thoughts and sensations do you notice? 

10. Take time to savor your food!

How to cut a fresh pineapple

 Sweet Juicy Pineapple!
If you have never had a fresh pineapple, try it!  It tastes so much better than can!!
First you need a large serrated knife and a cutting board.

Then cut both ends off.

Then stand it up.

Hold and cut off the outer rid.

Make sure all tough pieces are cut out then cut in half.
Then cut the 2 half in half, into quarters.

Stand up and cut off hard core center. 

Then slice and put in a platter. 

Enjoy!

Cooking with Herbs

                                  Herbs
Cooking with herbs can be both challenging and rewarding.  Knowing which ones to use takes some knowledge and practice.  Herbs are good for you. They have a lot of nutrients and flavor!  Herbs contain antioxidants that help promote good health.  I use different herbs some dried and some fresh in my cuisine.


Fresh Parsley
I love fresh parsley!  Yes you can eat it. It is not only a garnish.
Fresh parsley has vitamin A,C,B, Calcium and Iron.
Parsley is good in a lot of dishes!  I like to put fresh parsley in my Tabouli.  When I juice in my juicer I like to add a little in.  Here is a dish I like to make!


Fedio: (Mexican spaghetti)
 
Saute' and brown 1 small packet of fedio or (crushed angel hair) pasta in 1 tablespoon oil.
Add 1 minced garlic clove and 1/4 cup minced onion and saute'
Add 3 tablespoons of tomato sauce stir
 A dash of cumin and chili powder
1/2 cup chopped parsley
Cover with chicken broth
Cook uncovered until pasta is cooked.
This can be eaten as a side dish by itself or add cooked meat.  It is very versatile.  Try it sometime.


I use a mortal and pestle to make a real tasty sauce to put on any meat.  You can use this as a Asian marinate dipping sauce also.
Crush 2  fresh garlic cloves, and any 1diced chili pepper you want then add  fresh lime juice from 2 or 3 limes, a dash of soy sauce, and sea salt to taste.  You can add chopped parsley or cilantro.  I have also added minced ginger and a tablespoon of olive oil and a drop of honey. It is really good!!

Here is a similar sauce made with parsley; dip with bread, use as a salad dressing, or on top of a sandwich.
 Chopped parsley, pickled jalapenos, & onion, add fresh crushed garlic, olive oil, dash sugar, salt, & pepper and juice of 1 lemon.



Cilantro


 Cilantro Salsa 
Chop 1 or 2 Jalapenos peppers(if too hot use pickled jalapenos)
4 crushed garlic cloves
1/4 of a sweet onion
1 diced large tomato
Handful cilantro
Dash sea salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, rice vinegar, & lemon juice
Chop in food processor
Great to make in big batches. It gets eaten real fast!


Dill
Dill is good on fish and added to tartar sauce.  I also like to put dried dill in salad dressings and macaroni salad.  Potato salads are yummy with dill and with a dash of celery seed.
Homemade Tartar Sauce: Mix 2 tbs. of mayo 2 tbs. sweet pickle relish and 1/2 teaspoon dill weed.


Peppermint

 
There are 12 varieties of mint. Good for digestion.
Peppermint is a great herb! I like to drink peppermint tea with lemon and honey!


(All herb pictures are from my Moms garden in Arlington, TX.)


California Sweet Basil

A member of the mint family. Great with tomato sauces and pesto. There are 14 different varieties.



 Lemon Thyme

Thyme has10 different varieties.  Good with fish and teas.  Me and my Mom like to pinch a piece out of her garden and smell.  It smells so fresh and wonderful!!






Horseradish
This herb has to be approached with caution!  It will burn your nose!  Horseradish is a root.
Cocktail sauce: 3 tbs. ketchup 1 tbs. horseradish for dipping shrimp
Dipping sauce for egg rolls: 3 tbs. mustard, 1 tbs. horseradish, 1tsp. honey, 1 tsp. rice vinegar.  Another dipping sauce is 2 tbs. apricot or marmalade preserves, 1 tsp. rice vinegar and 1tsp. soy or teryaki sauce.


Cinnamon 


Cinnamon is very good for you!!  It is a stimulant, kills fungi and bacteria in the body.  I love to have it in my oatmeal, cooked with apples.

Detox Tips

Eating healthy every day is almost impossible!! Our bodies get so much abuse. Detoxing helps build up the immune system and flush out toxins.

Juicing is a good way to detox. My favorite combination is carrot, celery, apple, and lemon.  A combination of grapefruit and oranges is so good too!
Eat fruit until noon, salad for lunch, and a lite dinner, drink filtered water, juice in juicer.

Snacks:  all fruits and vegetables eat raw,steamed, roast in oven. Picking fruits in season at produce market if not get frozen. Natural peanut butter, apples, nuts, celery, dried apricots, prunes, and carrot sticks.

Make your own salad dressing: 1/3 cup any citrus, 1 TB. balsamic vinegar, 2TB. olive oil, drizzle of honey,salt and pepper to taste. opt.- parsley, dill, 1crushed garlic clove, fresh grated ginger.
Chewing food well is good for digestion.

Avoid: All processed foods & convenient foods, white bread, pasta, sugar, caffeine, fried foods, sugary sodas, & salty foods.
Take junk food out of your house!! Overeating these items causes bloating! Sugar stimulates senses to eat more.

Juicing is a great way to get a lot of your veggies and fruits in a drink.  I sure need to use my juicer more often!!
First you need to pick out your combination's of fruits and or vegetables you want. 
After choosing your combination, clean and cut accordingly.

Then put them in the juicer!

Then enjoy your healthy goodness. Bottoms up!

Make sure you rinse out your juicer parts so the pulp doesn't get dried out; then you can put it in the dishwasher later.

What do you do to detox?

Eat Healthy

Keeping healthy food in the pantry

When it comes to eating healthy I struggle like everyone else! We all fall into bad habits. It is never too late to make better choices to help us live and feel better. Next time you go to the store start buying healthier food.
Pantry items can be hard because of all the sodium and processed foods. Stuff in a box can be bad. Some are good!

High fiber grains have more nutrition
Oatmeal, healthy cereals
Pastas made with spinach, carrot, and tomato
Fruit in its natural juices no added sugar
Raw honey, Real maple syrup, & molasses
Healthy tuna and salmon
Herbal teas
Extra virgin olive oil
Low sodium items
Lower fat items
Less ingredients
More pure natural ingredients
Natural nut butters
Tamari soy sauce-low salt
Air pop popcorn


Taking care of ourselves is a full time job. We can start today.
The Lords mercies and compassion fails not. They are New every morning.
Lamentations 3:22&23 
Every Day is a chance to make a new start! No matter what!
We all get off track. Encourage one another to eat healthier. Feeling better gives us more energy and helps us to be in a better mood.

 Healthy foods:
Fresh fruit and vegetables
Brown rice
Whole grains (I have irritable bowl syndrome so I limit wheat and use digestive enzymes to help break down my food.)
Beans
Oatmeal
Nuts and seeds
Dried apricots, dates, & prunes
Extra virgin olive oil (cold pressed)
Lean meats and organic eggs
Herbal teas and sparkling water
Filtered water and lemon water
Soy milk and skim milk
100% natural juices
Organic low fat cheeses
Fat free organic yogurt
Raw honey
Spices

 Tips:
1. Clean fruits and vegetables well.
2. If in a hurry and don't have time to cook eat a lean microwave dinner.
3. Keep a healthy snack in your car or purse. (nuts, fruit, etc.)
4. Click- Detox Tips

Please comment any tips on ways to stay on track?
Out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food.   Genesis  2:9