Feed Me Friday

One of the reasons I love reading blogs (besides killer recipes) is seeing what other people eat regularly. So, with inspiration from many other blogs, I have decided to start a series called ‘Feed Me Friday’ in which I will share with you my dining experience once a week. With our dietary restrictions and a baby that wants to share whatever is on my plate, I often get asked what I eat. So I thought I’d share. I almost forgot this (tuesday) morning! So bear with me as I get used to remembering to take pictures of what I eat for a day.

Breakfast

I am currently a little under the weather so my husband fixed us breakfast before he left for work.

Pasture raised eggs and chopped plantain sautéed in coconut oil, garlic, and salt.  Topped with sauerkraut and nutritional yeast.

Coffee with hemp milk

I make my hemp milk with dates, shelled hemp seeds, vanilla, a dash of salt, and water.

Mercury ate the same thing except water instead of coffee!

I also finished off a couple bites of cacao-mint chia pudding. Not pictured because I ate it all while I was waiting for eggs!

Snack

Even though I’m not feeling great, today was the first sunny day in over a week so I took Mercury out for a walk and fresh air. I found myself at our local organic juice bar. I had a smoothie with raspberry, strawberry, kale, and jalapeno. Lucky for me Mercury fell asleep so I didn’t have to share.

Lunch

I had and easy lunch of leftovers. Collard, turnip, and dandelion greens with onion, pecans, and white beans. Sautéed in coconut oil with a mustard sauce that had Dijon mustard, olive oil, ginger, water, and a little maple syrup. I enjoyed a Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar drink. It had ACV, honey, and water. I would have liked it a little more vinegar-y.

Mercury shared the same with me and Shaka!

Dinner

Parsnip fries, mustard greens sautéed in coconut oil and rice/hemp/almond patties topped with Dijon mustard. I’m working on the patty recipe but I hope to share it soon. I split a Chuice with my husband. It is a local company that makes juice with bits of herbs and nuts in it. Always a delicious treat!

Dessert

A very large glass of wine, not pictured here because I was in bed : )

What are you eating this week?

Cranberry Gel Oh!

You can thank my sister for todays post inspiration. She sent me a fun email titled “Cranberry 3 Ways” It is not as sexy as it sounds. It had her two different cranberry sauce recipes from Thanksgiving (yes two! She is an overachiever) and my favorite, a cranberry inspired mixer. For Thanksgiving she made a traditional style sauce and a raw cranberry relish, both were so yummy! She also realized cranberry relish + vodka = delicious! That’s how we get down during family time. I plan on making her “Holiday Totty” for an upcoming party so be on the look out. 

I was cruising the markdowns in the produce section and I found a perfect pint of cranberries, so I bought them with no real intention. Then when I got my sisters email I figured I had to make cranberries yet another way. Cranberries have a lot of natural pectin and will make a nice gel when cooked but I wanted cranberry Jell-O! I’m not much for the over sweetened canned variety so I came up with this tart and refreshing cranberry gel, for your holiday or anytime.

Cranberry Gel Oh!

Gluten Free

 

1 pint of fresh cranberries

2 sweet variety apples

2 oranges for 1 cup of juice plus 1 tsp of zest

1-2 lemons for ½ cup of juice

1 chunk of ginger, about 1 by 2 inches

2-4 tbl maple syrup

1 tsp cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg

2 tbl grass fed beef gelatin

1 cup cool water

Mercury is the official apple taster in our house

Rinse cranberries and remove any soft ones.  Add the clean cranberries to a pot. Core apples and pulse in a food processor until finely chopped, then add them to the pot. Zest the oranges and add the zest to the pot and then juice them and add the juice ( I got almost exactly 1 cup from two oranges). Juice the lemon and add it to the pot, I had a particularly juicy lemon so I got half a cup from one. Peel the ginger and dice it fine then add it with the spices to the pot. Cook on medium heat until the cranberries start to pop, then turn the heat down some and let it simmer until most of the cranberries have popped or can easily be mashed with your spoon. It took me about 12 minutes. In the mean time mix two tablespoons of gelatin with 1 cup of cool water. Let the gelatin ‘bloom’, this helps prevent it from being grainy or clumping. Once the cranberry mixture is ready you can turn off the heat and add your gelatin mixture. Stir well to completely dissolve the gelatin. Your mix should turn a pretty pink color. Add in maple syrup to your desired sweetness, 2 tablespoons did it for me. Pour the mixture into any pan and let it chill in the fridge for a few hours until it firms up. I oiled my pan with some coconut oil to make it easier to remove. Use a spoon to break up the gel or cut it into cubes. I enjoyed it with a nice glass of red wine.

Before the cranberries burst

After the cranberries burst and mixed

Notes and Substitutions

• You could do any sweetener of choice
• I used cinnamon and nutmeg but I think clove and/or cardamom would also be great
• If you want to make a vegan version you could use agar flakes instead of the gelatin 

How do you prepare cranberries? 

Baby Weight

I know that it is usually January when everyone starts worrying about their weight but if you are expecting or are a new mommy then it is probably already on your mind. One of the things people commented most about after I had my son (besides how adorable he is) was my weight. It was suddenly okay for everyone to have a say. I’m not complaining, it was usually a complement, but often it left me feeling a little underestimated.

 “Oh you’re so lucky you got skinny again”

“Your one of those women”

“It’s because you breastfed”

All of the above is true but those aren’t the only reasons. I’m not just a genetic goldmine. I worked really hard before, during, and after my pregnancy to stay healthy. THAT is why my body returned to a healthy state so quickly. Now that we are ready for baby number two I have increased my working out because I want to be as healthy as is feasible before I get pregnant again. Today I want to share what I did to lose the baby weight. As a reminder, I am not a health care professional, this is just my experience and yours may be different.

I started with a healthy vessel.

It may be weird to think of your body this way but that really is what your womb is for your baby. Before my husband we decided we were ready to have a baby I already started eating healthy and exercising. I knew that when the time came I wanted to be fit. You have probably heard that you should start taking prenatal vitamins before you become pregnant; well the same goes for healthy eating and exercise.  I don’t want to stress you out at all, that’s worse for the baby than some ice cream I’m sure, if you are already pregnant and not in the best shape just start making an effort today. It is never to late to take positive steps in you and your baby’s lives.

I worked out as long as it felt right.

 I was regularly working out, hiking, and working on my feet at my job when I got pregnant. I had some fatigue during the first trimester but I took lots of naps and continued with my exercise. I stopped doing any weight lifting during the 2^nd trimester as it began to cause me pain. I hiked and did yoga up until D-day. My work was very kind as to give me deskwork to do during the last month (mostly because my giant body took up a lot of space in the tiny kitchen). The point I’m making is I stayed as active as I could. Labor was like running a marathon for me. I have never been so exhausted in my life and I can’t imagine how I would have done it if my body wasn’t strong.

I did not eat for two.

                        I definitely had an appetite when I was pregnant but I used that to cram in as much nutrition as possible. I ate lots of greens with filling healthy fat. We joked that our son was about 80% guacamole because of all the avocados I ate. You should not restrict your diet when pregnant but you should gain weight at a steady healthy rate (just ask your doctor what that is for you). It’s okay to have cravings and enjoy yourself sometimes but keep the bigger picture in mind. You are turning that food into a baby!

I birthed most of the weight out.

            Eww. It is true though. I gained around 25 pounds. Minus my sons almost 9 pounds, the placenta, my new fabulous boobs, and all of the ehrm…. liquids; There was only around 7 pounds of actual weight left. I didn’t go near a scale for several weeks as everything was going back to normal but when I did I realized I was damn close to my pre-pregnancy weight. Then I looked down and realized weight and fitness were two very different things. I think a lot of women obsess about the number but it’s more about your body, you want to get it strong again. Mine had atrophied as my exercising decreased. I think some of my weight loss, was muscle loss.

I got the ball rolling again.

            As soon as I got the doctors okay, I started working out as much as was possible. This, of course, was much less than before but it is still important. The longer you wait the harder it will be to start exercising again. Even before my check up I started mommy and me yoga because it was gentle on the body and it got me in the right mind state. I definitely don’t do have the same time or energy that I did pre-baby but I still make an effort to exercise. Work out dvd’s are great when you don’t have time to hit the gym and I try to turn play time or rock the baby to sleep time into exercise.  You would be surprised by how motivating it is to do burpees while your baby laughs and cheers you on!

I loved my new body

            Love may be a strong word; I accepted my new body. I tried to find the things I did like (boobs!) and not stress about the things I didn’t (saggy stomach).  When our son was about 4 months old we took a family vacation to the beach. My sister asked me what kind of bathing suit would I wear? I told her “I’m wearing a bikini, I’m 23 years old.” I obviously wasn’t in great shape yet but no one packed up their beach chairs at the sight of me. I tried to play it cool but it was a big deal to me. I didn’t want to feel like everything in my life had to change by buying a one-piece with a skirt. This bathing suit style is great but a drastic difference from my usual string bikini. I was really scared to put myself out there. I went from having a pretty tight bod to, well, not. So I bought myself a nice black more full coverage two piece that showed off my knockers and I enjoyed myself, I really did. Your new body is amazing because it carried and delivered a child; that is way more important then how many abs it shows.

Pregnancy weight is different for everyone. Age, fitness level, your choices, number of babies and genetics all affect how your weight will fluctuate during and after your pregnancy. I did not mention breastfeeding as one of the reasons here because though it does burn calories it also makes you hungrier than a hippo in heat so I think it balances out. The biggest thing to remember about taking off pregnancy weight is to do it safely and not stress about it.

What helped you lose the baby weight?

A Fancy Kitchen

I’ve been working on todays post for a while. I wanted to take my time and really think about my kitchen appliances. With the holidays around it got me wanting to finish this up, mostly because I do try and score new kitchen items as gifts and I figured others might be doing the same.

When I first peered into the world of raw foods I felt very lacking. Not in my kitchen skills but in my kitchen appliances. How could I ever make flax crackers without a dehydrator? How could I make cashew cheese without a high power blender? There is nothing a little ingenuity and good old-fashioned elbow grease can't cook. I would love to have a fancy kitchen; a stand alone mixer, a dehydrator, a blender that can make soup and ice cream. Hell at this point I'd feel pretty fancy with a cookie sheet (yeah I don't have one of those either). I'm not cooking over a campfire with a clay pot I made myself (all though that kind of sounds delicious), but I do have pretty minimal kitchen accouterments. So here is my guide to a minimalist’s kitchen and what you can and cannot do without.

Non-Essentials (But feel free to splurge!)

Lets start with that shmancy blender. A nice quality one can easily cost you $400 and up. I'm not denying its awesomeness. I’ve had the pleasure of working at an establishment with one for years. It is great for smoothies, quick soups, and grinding seeds or making nut milks. It is also completely unnecessary. You can get by with a small blender or even a Bullet (we joked so much when we got one as a wedding gift but we've actually used it constantly the past couple of years). The trick to having a not high-powered blender is to do your prep work. If you want a carrot in your smoothie then chop it up pretty good first. If you want to grind flax, do it in small batches. When making nut milks soak for a little extra time and do small batches. I have not actually come across anything I can’t do with my tiny blender that I could do with a nice one.

Another high-ticket kitchen item is a stand-alone mixer. I actually made sure I got one of these as a wedding present, however I don’t use it often right now because our kitchen is so small and there is zero counter space. These are great for, well, mixing and kneading dough. I’ve seen some really nice one’s with attachments that make pasta! Again though, I haven’t encountered anything that you have to use this for. I even make homemade marshmallows by just whisking them (I also count this as and upper body workout), the same goes for whipping cream or mixing cakes, and even kneading dough. All can be done by hand provided you have the strength. If you are arthritic or have another ailment that would prevent you from hand whipping something then you should definitely invest in one of these. You don’t have to go for the top brand and often you can find a good one at a second hand shop. If you are up to the challenge then buy yourself a nice sturdy whisk.

Juicer and Dehydrator- If you are following a strict raw diet then you probably want to buy a dehydrator, if not then most dehydrated items can be cooked on low in the oven. Mine goes as low as 170oF. A juicer is a nice luxury (I do have one). If you find yourself buying a lot of fresh juices then it may be worth it (You can find a decent one for around $75) otherwise it just takes up kitchen space.

Essentials

Can opener- Yes you can cut open a can with a knife but it is very unsafe and time consuming

Wine opener- It doesn't have to be fancy but really, how else will you open your wine?

Wooden cooking spoons- Yes they need to be wood or bamboo. They won’t melt, they wont leach anything weird into your food, they won’t react with any acids, and as long as you clean them with hot soapy water, they are quite sanitary. They are also cheap so you can replace them when they become worn.

Metal Spatula- Go for non-reactive stainless steel with a nice wood or heat resistant handle. A lot of people avoid metal spatulas so they don’t scratch the surface of their non-stick pans, see “stainless steel pot and pan” below.

Oven Mitts – I used a shirt for years and I have the burns to prove it!

Knives- Don’t buy a set, there will be a lot that you don’t use. Instead spend a little extra on a couple of nice ones that will last, and treat them well. I like to have a few small paring knives, two chef’s knives or santoku knives, which are larger and can be used for all general chopping, and a serrated knife which can be used to cut bread, carve meat, and saw open hard squashes.

Cutting Board- There is some debate about the best type. If you do a lot of meat cutting then it is a good idea to get one for meat and one for veggies as most cutting boards are somewhat porous. I prefer a wood composite board over bamboo because it is easier maintenance. I don’t personally use any type of plastic board but they are easier to sanitize. I find a nice rubdown with lemon and occasionally leaving it in the sun keeps my wood composite board fresh.

Stainless steel pot and pan- I know that non-stick pans are much easier to cook with but it has now been shown that the coating on those pans are not safe, and they do get scratched over time and into your food. We switched to stainless steel when I got pregnant. You don’t have to buy a 100% stainless steel, ours have an aluminum core (cheaper) and a copper plate (for even cooking). You don’t want any aluminum on the cooking surface as it is reactive. It can be a pain sometimes because the pans stick if not properly oiled but it is worth it!

Mixing Bowls- For a long time I mixed batters and tossed veggies in oil in my cooking pot because I didn’t have any other large bowls. Make life easier and pick up a non-reactive metal or glass mixing bowl, it’s good to get a small and larger one.

Casserole Dish- The options are endless here. Ceramic, glass, handles, lid, extra deep… I went cheap and functional by buying a glass set that had several different sizes with plastic lids. I don’t know if that is technically a casserole dish, but you sure as hell can cook a casserole in it. You don’t have to have a pretty one with a ceramic lid (foil will suffice) unless you just want to of course.

Baking Sheet – I actually don’t have a traditional cookie sheet. I have a stone jellyroll pan (which looks like a cookie sheet with sides) and a metal round pizza pan. I do make cookies and all sorts of other things on these. If you are limited on money and space, go for a jellyroll pan, stone or metal, because it is more versatile. Also I prefer a non-coated pan and use parchment to prevent sticking.

Strainer/Colander- You can definitely get by without one but it will make life easier and it is not super expensive for space consuming. If you only want to buy one, then get a fine mesh or small holed stainless steel one, as it will be more versatile.

 Nice to Have

Food Processor- If you are thinking of buying any kitchen appliance, go for a food processor. They come in varying sizes; I’ve seen 2 to 14 cup capacity. It is nice to have a small one and a larger one, but a nice in between one will do. These are great for grinding nuts, making nut butters, pureeing soups, quick chopping vegetables and mixing batters. You could easily spend a lot of money but there are great ones for around and under $50. Also look for one that comes with an attachment blade that can shred or slice vegetables.

Slow Cooker (crock-pot)- There is really no comparison (except maybe a dutch oven?) I have only recently acquired one and I really do love it. They come in varying sizes so get one that will fit your families’ needs. Also check the materials since food kind of marinates in these you don’t want anything leaching in. These are great for cooking meat, making chili, and I've even seen them used to make homemade yogurt.

Cast Iron Skillet- A good one will cost you a nice chunk but they are truly all purpose, as you can cook on or in the stove. I’ve also heard it is a good way to add iron to your food. Make sure to take care of it and you’ll be passing it on oneday.

Tea Kettle- A pot works fine but a kettle is divine

Coffee Maker/French Press- This would be under the “essentials” in my house. I recommend the French press because it saves more space.

Other- Generally I try to avoid too many kitchen gadgets but if you bake then of course you need cake or bread pans and a whisk. I like to have a zester and garlic press to make life easier as well.

This is not an exhaustive list but I hope it puts your kitchen into perspective. Remember you don’t need anything fancy to cook a great meal. I’ve had some of the best dinners in a pot over a campfire.

What are your favorite kitchen tools?