How Now Brown Cow.

If you are still a heavy meat consumer and need another reason either to lay off a bit or to only buy organic, grass fed beef; here is another point for you:

I was listening to NPR as I was doing the usual taxi driving and they were talking about antibiotic use and hormone use in the cattle industry. They were discussing how in years past, antibiotics were only used for a sick cow. They would single out the sick cow and give him the antibiotics needed and leave the other cows as is. They would also use hormones to help the sick cow. They soon learned that the cows that had the hormones were bigger. They also realized that if they give them all antibiotics, they wouldn't get sick as often. So, thus began the practice of routine antibiotics and hormones.

However, they are now finding out, just like with humans, that the overuse of antibiotics are causing new super strains of illnesses and bacteria to grow in cows. Bacteria that can't be killed by the routine antibiotics and bacteria that you could get. It is a new thing. It is a horrible strain, the MRSA strain (mersa) that no one wants on the table. Now add that to the other issues commercial meat has going, like the fact that you are getting meat with antibiotics, hormones and pesticides. Seriously, who the heck wants any of that! Pesticides in meat are far worse than pesticides on your produce. It collects in the muscle of the animal and that is what you eat. Yuck. Commercial cows are also fed corn for the most part and other atypical cow feed. They should not have corn. They should be grass fed. Corn is a super GMO'd crop, especially corn grown for cows.

I listened to this program and was disgusted. I was outraged that our food in America is so polluted. I then felt a sigh of relief. I had taken away that horrible stuff from my dinner table months ago. When we do eat beef at home, it is organic, grass fed beef and even then, it is sparingly. And, if you think it is just too expensive to buy organic beef; well, if you eat it sparingly - adding in more beans and produce , you can buy the organic beef for your special meals. Beans are cheap. It evens out and the benefits to your body are priceless. Costco has a three pack of organic ground beef and Sprouts runs specials all the time to stock up on. It can be done. You don't have to break the bank.

If you really want to be turned off by meat, go ahead and rent "Food Inc." tonight. It will make you want to be a vegetarian.

Enjoy your weekend. Nice , juicy hamburger anyone?

Order Question.

I had a few people in the last couple of days ask for some supplements and I can only remember three of you, Milena, Heather and Mary Ann. Who was the other one? This would be for this last week only. The previous weeks orders should be in tomorrow. And, if you need something, ask now. I am ordering in the morning.

Eat a Rainbow Every Day.

Sorry for the lack of posts, it was Spring Break so we did a little relaxing around here. I didn't get to leave town on the account that my oldest is not allowed to leave town for spring break because he is on the baseball team for his high school, and no break for them. How ridiculous is that? I mean, isn't he my child? Can't I decide if he can leave town for a week. Ridiculous. We managed to have some fun regardless and a break is always nice.

But back to nutrition. If you live in my house or are even a cute neighbor child who eats regularly at my house, you will know what it means when I ask if you have eaten a rainbow today. And no, fruit loops don't count. As you can see by the picture above, we are talking real food - real beautiful, bright, natural foods that feed the body and mind. You see, the Lord created a color code, if you will for food to let us know what goodness lies within each beautiful created specimen of nourishment. The color of a food will give you clues into what vitamins are contained within. By eating all different colors, you will be getting different kinds of vitamins. If you are stuck on let's say, the yellow group, you are depriving your body of important vitamins. If you live within the white group, well, you're in trouble.

Produce that are in the yellow, red and orange group are usually loaded with Vitamin A and C. They help with vision, skin health, immunity, heart health , cancer prevention,healing and pregnancy health, to name a few.

Dark Leafy greens are loaded with nutrients like Vitamin K which aide in bone health and the production of proteins in the body, Vitamin E which is a rich antioxidant, Riboflavin which helps to release energy from foods, Folate which is extremely important for the health of a baby in the womb and for the health of the mother, Calcium for our bone health and the binding of other important minerals and Iron; just to name a few.

Beside the vitamins that lie within produce, there are very important disease-fighting chemicals that help the body to fight toxins and wastes that we accumulate from being a part of this world. The orange and yellow varieties contain carotenoids and the green varieties contain carotenoids along with anthocyanins. To get the maximum benefit of phytochemicals to boost our immune systems, we need to get both of these. By eating a variety of veggies and fruit , we can make sure that we are feeding our body the nutrients it needs.

Now, I hear over and over that "my child won't eat veggies" and it makes my toes curl. We pretty much come to this world wanting sugar and all things that resemble it. Our tastes are developed. Very few children start off wanting broccoli straight from the womb, although I had a niece who would eat my broccoli straight from my garden like a grazing cow at the age of two. However, most of the time it is a forced habit. We need to offer a variety all the time and insist that they eat it. Insist, not suggest. It should not be an option. You are the mother. You make the rules. If you don't insist on it now, they may never develop the taste and never eat it as they get older. I take dinner to my grandparents and my grandpa won't even eat a salad. The habit needs to be learned while at a young age.

Try to eat produce as undercooked or raw as possible. Season like crazy. There are so many delicious spice mixes out there. The photo above was our dinner one night. Since we are for the most part meatless, fajitas are a little different now. Those beautiful veggies were stir fried leaving a still crisp texture and seasoned fully with a great fajita seasoning. I seasoned them the same way I would meat just with veggies only. I then made some homemade Spelt tortillas and then grilled them right on the BBQ with a little cheese and tossed the veggies on top. We folded them Quesadilla style and gobbled them up. You would never miss the meat. We ate our rainbows and ended it with some sweet, colorful fruit. A perfect meal served up on our picnic table outside in the perfect Arizona weather. Scrumptious.

If you are the type that cooks up a separate meal of chicken nuggets or mac and cheese for your picky little ones, stop it now. They will only eat that if you keep feeding that habit. Dinner is what you make. Period. No other options. I had a 4 year struggle with my extremely picky autistic child who would live only on chips and muffins. I had to pry his mouth open, shove in the food and make him keep it in. Four years later, he will eat everything I give him. Onions, raw peppers, raw broccoli, whatever. It was a long battle but what a pay off. He will thank me one day. It can be done. Persistence is key.

Eat your rainbow everyday. Get your vitamins naturally. Do your body a favor.



PS. Don't forget to place your BEE Box order. A rainbow in a box!

***Tortilla recipe per request:

Tortillas:
recipe swiped off Kara Bagley's blog. Check out her link to the right or take her class to learn to make these great tortillas.

1 1/2 cup white flour
1 c. whole grain flour

1/3 cup Spectrum shortening, coconut oil or whatever you have
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. chili powder or cumin (opt.)
1 cup hot water

Place flours, fat and seasoning(s) into mixing bowl. Cut in shortening with wire whips. Change to dough hook, start mixer and add water until dough pulls together. Add more white flour if dough is too wet. Let dough rest for 15 minutes. Divide into 12 equal pieces and shape into rounds. Roll out each round with plenty of flour or press in a tortilla press. Cook 45 seconds each side on high heat (450 degrees). Use a nice pan that holds heat so that you don't have to wait for it to come back up to temperature between cooking each one. Wrap in towel to keep warm and moist. Of coarse you can make any size you'd like, just make sure your pan is the right size to accommodate. Can make by hand if needed.

Arizona Gardners

This spring break, if nothing else happens, I will be pulling out the last of my cabbage and other leftover veggies to get ready for the mouthwatering summer garden. I am a little behind but still plenty of time to yield my favorite crops. If you also are ready for planting, here are a few things you can plant in Arizona this time of year:


Cantaloupe
Corn
Cucumbers
Eggplant
Okra
Onions
Spring Peas
Peppers
Chili
Potato
Radish
Squash
Tomatoes
Tomatillos
Watermelons
Green Beans

Everyone should try a garden. Especially tomatoes. There is nothing like the garden tomatoes. It is simple. You don't need much room. Your body will thank you. If you need more gardening info, check out my new "gardening" label at the end for all my past gardening posts. I am relabeling everything so it will be easier to find past post's.

And, if you are like me, you may have some leftover cabbage in the garden. Here is a coleslaw recipe that I like just plain and simple. There is sugar so my sugar free mama's may have to wait. If you want to go for the jazzier version of slaw, try my peanut slaw here.

Simple Slaw

1/2 C. Mayo (To make a healthy, homemade mayo, try Kara's here.)

1/3 sugar or sucanat whirled in blender
1/4 C. buttermilk
1/4 C. milk
2 1/2 T. lemon juice
1 1/2 T. white vinegar
1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
8 cups finely chopped cabbage
1/4 C. shredded carrot
2 T. minced onion

Chop cabbage finely or shred. Combine mayo, sugar, milk, buttermilk, lemon juice, vinegar, salt and pepper in a large bowl and beat until smooth.

Add cabbage, carrots and onion. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate for an hour or two before serving.

**Top Secret recipes.com

Honey Almond Granola

How are my sugar free mama's doing out there? Did you have a tough weekend like I did? I have been doing just great but I got to go out with my honey this weekend, finally, and something was just missing at the end of the date. Chocolate. You always get a treat at the end of a date! It just didn't feel right. I came home and had toast. It tasted nothing like chocolate. But, I remained strong. The weekdays are fine, the weekends are a little harder. But, I will persevere. Anyone feeling my pain out there?

I decided that today I will make some Honey granola. I haven't had much honey but I need a little crunch in my plain yogurt. I can't see that I posted this before but if I did, now you don't have to go back and look for it. It is a great granola that can be varied with all sorts of ingredients. It stores well and tastes great.

Honey Almond Granola

5 C. rolled oats
1 C. slivered almonds
1 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. salt
1 C. powdered milk

Mix together.

Slightly melt together in microwave:

1 C. honey
3/4 C. oil (grapeseed or coconut oil is great)
1 t. vanilla

Pour over oat mixture and stir until evenly coated. Spread on greased jelly roll pan or pan with parchment paper. Bake at 300 for about 15 min or until lightly golden. Let cool then break up. It should be dry not moist or gooey. You can add other dried fruits at this time. I also like to add shredded coconut while it is baking.

Hang in there ladies!!

Supplement instructions

For those of you who are taking the zinc, please remember that zinc is best taken apart from other vitamins, especially calcium, and with food. I usually take it with lunch or dinner and the I take the other supplements in the morning. If you take a probiotic, take that at night so it has chance to really sit in the gut and benefit the body as much as possible. If you take a multivitamin, zinc and calcium will be together and that will not harm you but if you do take them individually, to get the best benefit possible, take them separately.

The Cod liver oil should go in the fridge after you open it along with the B12 liquid.

If you have any other questions, please email or comment. If you aren't taking your supplements right, they may not be giving you the right benefit.

New Beginnings Order today

I am ordering today if anyone needs anything. Spring allergies are here so try some A & I from New Beginings. (Allergy and Inflammation). They have capsules for $34 or chewables for $15. I love the stuff! Tate has had absolutely no eczema with all this blooming. That is a first!

Also for you mom's needing a multi vitamin, there is the One 'n' Only for $15 per bottle.

Just some ideas!

Autism Action Plan

I had a meeting with Tate's "team" at school yesterday. They psychologist, his speech and occupational therapists and his teacher. They have done a huge file folder full of tests on this guy from IQ to standardized Autism spectrum tests to try to figure out his little brain and where to place him next year for kindergarten. They have all come to the conclusion that Tate is a complex character and he doesn't fit any mold. No news to me. They all agreed that Tate is one lovable and cute kid who just loves life. I agreed. They agreed based upon tests and observations that he doesn't really fit totally into the Autism mold anymore but does have some delays and cognitive issues impairing his typical function. Agreed. After a few hours of conversation on "who" Tate is with me listening to all of their research, they started to ask me questions. I was then the teacher. They asked me "what have you done?" What is all of this "biomedical" intervention that you have done with him and why is it working? They have noticed leaps and bounds in him this last year and have noticed that he doesn't have the Autism characteristics that he once had. They wanted to know what the magic potion is.

First off, they told me that after I had told them a while back that I take a biomedical approach, they had to google that term. They didn't even know about it. Sad but typical. They are now believing that there must be something there after seeing Tate and seeing other kids on the spectrum who don't go that route. They wanted more info. I was happy to oblige.

I gave them the lowdown. I told them that the kiddo's on the spectrum almost always have issues with their gut in one way or another. That because of the stomach issues, every other system in the body can be impaired. They deal with yeast issues, bacteria growth, parasites, heavy metal toxicity, absorption issues and the list goes on. I promised them that if therapy was the only thing these kids got, they would NEVER be cured. They would only learn how to regurgitate info they learned but never really be better. I told them that this was never acceptable to me. I wanted to heal my son. I wanted him to feel good, feel happy, be apart of his world. The problem for most families is cost and time. It takes everything you have. You have to cook all their food yourself. You have to do endless research. You have to spend lots of cash on Biomedical Dr's and you have to never give up. But, as I told them, this is your child and they are worth it. We would give our lives for them, right? They asked question after question. It was a good discussion.

I know that many of you face Autism in your life. It is an epidemic. I know it is overwhelming. I know money can be stopping you from going further but there are options out there. There is a great Dr., Dr. Kurt Woeller who understands this and has a website where you can get everything you need. Best yet, it is only $37 per month. And, even right now the initial membership cost of $97 is waived. With this monthly service, you get access to him. You can order bloodtests, print prescriptions to take to your physician and can email Dr. Woeller with any questions you have. There are pages full of information to answer more questions than you think you had. There are guides to help you know what supplements you might want and He uses New Beginnings supplements so you know he has my vote on that. He is a leading authority in Biomedical treatment for autism and has many of the top guru's on his team in feeding, speech and nutrition as well. You get to participate in weekly video conferencing, read lectures on all topics needed, ask questions, participate and parent forums and even have downloads on understanding labs. It is a great resource. You are getting the Biomedical approach but instead of paying $500 per hour, you get it for $37 per month. I have been paying the high price for 3 years and have recently switched over to Dr. Woeller and realize that I am getting all I need with him, and more. I look forward to the hours ahead of me in research I can get from his site. I am ready to learn even more.

Check out his site. You can link to it to the right off the cute little action hero picture. You can even order the supplements directly from me to save on shipping. If you are faced with Autism, I promise, you will love it. You will find answers. You can help save your little action hero. It works but it takes all you got. So worth it!

The Sugar Free Club

Thank you ladies! I have a club. I think we are at least 50 strong and I am sure that some of the emails or comments didn't go through because I am just sure there are more of you out there , right SIL'S? Anyways, congratulations to all of you who are joining me on this noble challenge. I am 5 days into it and I feel wonderful. I don't crave it at all. Not a bit. My energy is great and my belly is even a bit flatter. Super.

I have many of you asking for sugar free treat recipes. Here is the deal: The whole idea of going sugar free is to lessen our desire for sweets and purge the body of the toxins created from sugars. If you then replace your sweet treats with something else sweet, the cravings of sweets isn't going to be lessened much. Even using honey and Stevia should be used sparingly for now. We are retraining our taste buds that fruit is the perfect snack and a handful of nuts will satisfy the palate. In the last 5 days of my challenge (I started a bit early), I have come to realize that sugar is in everything. I thought I didn't eat much but when I think of the things I have passed up the last 5 days, I realize how much I do consume unsuspectingly. The Altoids I eat constantly, the little bit that goes in my pancakes and muffins, little nibbles of cookies and chocolates, etc. My daughter made cookies on Sunday and if I wasn't on this challenge, I am sure I would have eaten 4. I try so hard to eat so well and then I spoil it on the hidden, and not so hidden sugar. I have been making my breakfast with a little coconut sugar or honey, which is usually only 2 T. per recipe and eating the pancakes with fruit or applesauce only. It tastes great. Nuts and raisins are a great snack or my favorite, a banana with natural peanut butter. Arizona oranges are about the closest thing to sugar as it gets so those are a regular as well. I have found that if I see a treat, I don't let the idea of how it tastes enter my mind, I simply replace it with the way an orange tastes or something else. It has worked wonderfully. I am training my mouth to not want the sweets at all. It is another mind over matter exercise, just like running. It is the same concept.

Why do we need to practice this concept? Why is challenging ourselves so important? Is it really life changing or life healing to go without sugar for 30 days out of our entire lifetime? Like running, the goal itself may not be the real reward. The real reward is in showing ourselves that we have self control. In learning to control our minds and our appetites, we learn that we can control anything. We can control how we think, how we act and how we respond to the world around us. Self mastery is the reason we are here on this earth. We must practice this skill by taking on daily challenges. We need to learn to tell ourselves "no" and not give in to our temptations whether that be food, gossiping, wasting our time on unimportant things or bad habits. When we come to the realization that WE can control our lives, nothing is impossible. We can overcome depression, anxiety, weight issues, health issues and so much more. No one can tell us how to act. It is up to us. It is powerful when you realize this. It is liberating.

If any of you were on the fence about this goal, I give you permission to still join in. Start right now. No excuses. I promise that you will see the magnitude of this challenge at the end of the month. You will feel stronger, more in control and maybe even a little lighter!

Thanks again for supporting me. I have such great friends! I hope someday to meet you all! Maybe an Enlightened Homemaker Mexican Cruise????

Also a little disturbing news I heard today; Aspartame is being sold under the new name Aminosweet to trick those who know Aspartame is bad. As always, stick to what we know is real. Raw sugar, honey and stevia really should be the sweetners of choice. Stay away from anything artificial. Don't believe what THEY stay. If it was made in a laboratory, you don't want it in your body.