Eating Healthy on a Budget......

I hear from so many of you that it is just too expensive to eat healthy. With careful research, I am finding that there are so many ways to cut down the costs and to even save money over eating unhealthily. Sure, you are never going to get good organic cookies for the same price that you can buy a box of Little Debbies Zebra cakes of whom I have a secret love affair once in a great while with ... I know it's wrong and I don't even read the ingredients. However, with combining shopping and stocking items on sale and making your own cookies, you can keep your eating within budget. I have never done much of online grocery shopping, but with a few tips from some of you, I am learning what great bargains there are to be found on the net.

First of all, you can go to the companies you like and see if thy offer coupons. This Organic Valley is the buttermilk and cream that I buy and the milk for my yogurt. They offer a dollar off coupon on their site. I printed a few without a problem. Juicy Juice gave me some coupons by calling them of which I will use to purchase the apple juice only. I also checked out Amazon grocer and was really surprised at their prices. If you purchase over 25$ worth of products which is so easy to do, you get free shipping. No gas dollars spent! They have cans of Muir Glenn organic diced tomatoes for around $.50 per can, almost half the savings. You can get all kinds of organic snacks and cracker, cereals and cooking supplies at a great savings. You do have to buy in bulk but that just gets us a little more motivated to get our pantries stocked in case of emergencies. Sometimes that means only 6 boxes of something instead of one box at a time. They have the Annie's Mac n Cheese for $.50 less a box than at sprouts right now. Thanks for who ever told me to check out Amazon! I will definitely be placing an order.

As for produce, there are always deals to be had. Just try to plan the menus around the food that is on sale. I am excited to get my first basketful of goodies from Bountiful Baskets this Saturday. I know a lot of you are trying this out so I will have to post recipes using what's in these baskets. Let me know how you did on your order!

If any of you find great deals out there or websites, let me know. I am trying to find a local dairy that I can buy cream from that do not contain hormones. I used to buy all of my dairy this way. I would also like to find a place that sells farm eggs. I am tempted to get chickens but I remember being hunted down by a rooster from our chicken coop growing up, not sure I want to revisit those memories!

Pass on the tips, keep them coming. I am learning from all of you.

Safe Food Friday

I found a few products in my travels this past week to pass on. There are foods out there that you can buy. Yea!

Nature's Path Crispy Wheats (Just like wheat thins)
Nature's Path chocolate chip cookies
Nature's Path Oatmeal Cookies
Spectrum Mayonnaise
Annie's Cowboy ranch (Not hidden valley taste but try it out on the kids)
Annie's arthur macaroni and cheese
Juicy Juice Apple juice boxes
Gorilla Munch cereal (great for little fingers)

I tried the Herdez salsa and for a salsa not freshly made, it is pretty good. It Would make a great salsa to put in taco meat.

I will keep my eye out for more products, they are hard to come by but I am sure they are there. I searched for a buttermilk but could only find organic buttermilk and organic cream that is free from the ugly stuff.

FYI I talked to a friend today who has done the Bountiful Baskets for a couple years, she loves it. She says it is run really well and usually gets really good produce. I can't wait to try it out. Thanks for the info!

Have a great weekend, go make your freezer jam and enjoy the beautiful weather you AZ gals!

Bountiful Baskets

I taught a class tonight and one of the girls told me about this produce co op. I have heard about one before but you had to take turns going to Phoenix. This is a great deal and I am so excited about it that I just had to come right home and blog about it. Check it out at bountifulbaskets.org. Here is the skinny. There are several drop off locations all over the valley. Sorry if you don't live in AZ, plug your ears. The drop offs are every two weeks and you go online and purchase what you want. The produce basket, laundry basket size, is full of fruit and veggies, all varieties that are purchased in bulk like the restaurants do. That's why it is so cheap. You get the whole basket for 15 bucks! About $50 worth of produce. You don't know what you will get which I think is half the fun. The challenge will be to use all of it. You can also order great breads for only $2 and even no hormone or antibiotic cheeses and even raw milk cheese for really cheap. You place your order then make sure you pick it up at the designated time. If you come help volunteer for an hour, you can even get extra free stuff. The first pick up is on the 19th so place your order soon. There is a location right by me. I can't believe I didn't know about this! They are even going to have organic soon. I will die and go to heaven. So , jump on the website and place your order.

Stay tuned....Tomorrow is Safe Food Friday!

The Antioxidant Superstar

The Strawberry: the antioxidant superstar known anciently for its medicinal purposes. Today, we know it as that little piece of fruity goodness topping our pancakes, ice cream and in a pie. To give you a little history on this berry you must go back many centuries. The name was derived from the fact that the berries were "strewn" all over the plants. Strewn berry became Strawberry. There are accounts of the berry as early as the 1300's but it wasn't a major staple for eating until later. At this point, it was used largely medicinally by the early Romans. They would use it for digestive aid and as a skin tonic. The berry was prescribed to relieve diarrhea and the berry was also smashed up and put on a sun burn or a blemish. Those in high society would eat these at a banquet to show their status. Today they are still served between matches at Wimbledon with whipped cream.

The nutritional facts on these berries put them on list of the top 100 superfoods. Just one cup will give you 140% of the daily recommended dose of Vitamin C, this is more than many citrus foods! It also contains fiber, folate , potassium and antioxidants. They are packed with flavonoids to help cholesterol. They contain ellargic acid which help "bind" the cancer causing chemicals to make them inactive. They also prevent the binding of carcinogens to DNA reducing cancer risks.

Of course, the down side to these delicious snacks is that they are sprayed with pesticides unless you can find them organically grown and want to shell out 5$ per pound. I do my best but just wash them as best as I can. I guess since they contain antioxidants, maybe they can help rid themselves of pesticides? Good thought anyways.

For you local ladies, Sprouts just put them on sale till next Wednesday for $.97 per pound. They are beautiful. I just made 15 cups of freezer jam today with them and it only took me 45 minutes. No peeling at all. Easy. I love to use it for my granola and thin it a bit for syrup. Sure, there is tons of sugar but much better than the stuff you can buy in the store. Just make sure you buy the pectin that doesn't require you to use corn syrup. I used the Sure Jell brand today.

You can also freeze the berries. Just wash them and let them dry on paper towels. Lay them on a cookie sheet in a single layer and put saran wrap on top. Put them in your freezer and when hard, put them in a freezer bag. Much cheaper than buying them already frozen.

Another tip, only wash your berries just before serving them. They will keep much better!

My favorite plain pancake recipe I use when I want to smother them in fresh berries is this Whole Wheat Griddle Cake recipe. I now switched to making my own whipped cream since I can't find one that is suitable for eating. The only cream I find is organic. It is crazy that the companies can't even keep MSG out of cream! Try these delicious babies out.

Whole Wheat Country Griddle Cakes

1 1/4 C Whole Wheat Flour

1 1/2 C Buttermilk

1/3 C Instant Cream of Wheat (DRY)

1 Egg

1/3 C Sugar

1 t. Baking Powder

1 t. Baking Soda

1/4 C oil

1/2 t. Salt

Snopes.com

Thanks for the comments on the Coke or Water post. I did state that this was an email I recieved, not my words. I will no longer post any emails I recieve. However, thank you to my fourth comment about how they use Coke in the hospital. If you check out snopes.com, you will see that their analysis sites that the information this was written about was sited from a book on household cleaning tips. It is true that Coke will clean all of these items. Their rebutal is that you need a high concentration of Coke to cause harm. I have always contended that, that most everything in moderation is Ok. However, a good majority of those who drink soft drinks do not drink it in moderation. It is the constant consumption of this acid that causes so much problems not too mention the other harmful ingredients. The acid is only a very small part of the problem and that is what this article is about. You can read my Aspartame article to get more information. The fact is that it will remove rust and that it will clean a toilet. Yes, there is acid in orange juice, but it does not have carbonation and the mixture of the two are what cause the problem. All acids are not the same. The phosphoric acid in this soft drink neutralizes the hydrochloric acid in the stomach which leads to all sorts of problems. We need the acid in our stomach. That is how we get the food digested and the enzymes and good properties from the foods. The jist of the story is correct. The problem with this article is that it leaves out the important information. Sorry for those of you who want to keep the justification that it is Ok to live on soft drinks. No matter how you coat it, it will never be a health drink. I enjoy my Dr. Pepper on occassion, don't get me wrong, but it must be in moderation. Thanks for the comments. But you also need to check the facts. Don't just read my posts, be curious and start googling yourselves. I blog to try to get you to think. Not only do I blog information that I read from several sources and very credible Dr.s, I research hours to try to prove it wrong. Believe me, I wanted to prove wrong the MSG additives in food. In over 200 sites, I never found one article from any Dr. saying it was false information. My life would be much easier if it was all a lie. If you can prove me wrong in anything I post, I welcome the proof. Your anonymous comments are merely based upon snopes.com and if you look into the facts of that article, and go beyond in research, you will find that they just try to sugar coat what the real facts are. I am sure who ever wrote the snopes article is a Coke drinker. Think for yourselves.

I take it all back.....

I received a great email from a friend and it appears I may be wrong about coke after all. Read some statistics on water and Coke and see for yourselves.

Water or Coke?

Water: 1. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.

2. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism

is so weak that it is mistaken for hunger.

3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's

metabolism 3%.

4. One glass of water will shut down midnight

hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters

studied in a University of Washington study.

5. Lack of water, the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.

6. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses

of water a day could significantly ease back and

joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.

7. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy

short term memory, trouble with basic math, and

difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a

printed page.

8. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of'

colon cancer by 45% plus it can slash the risk of

breast cancer by 79% and one is 50% less likely to

develop bladder cancer.

Coke: 1. In many states , the highway patrol carries two gallons

of Coke in the trunk to remove blood from the highway

after a car accident.

2. You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of Coke and it will

be gone in two days.

3. To clean a toilet: pour a can of Coke into the bowl and let

it sit for one hour. The citric acid removes stains.

4. To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers, rub

the bumper with a rumpled up piece of foil dipped in Coke.

5. To clean corrosion from car batter terminals , pour a can

of Coke over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion.

6. To loosen a rusted bolt, apply a cloth soaked in Coke to the

bolt for several minutes.

7. To bake a moist ham: empty a can of coke into the pan.

8. To remove grease from clothes, empty a can of coke into the

regular cycle, add detergent and the coke will loosened the stains.

So you see, I guess I am wrong. It turns out that Coke is a good thing.....for

cleaning up that is. So, if you must have Coke, use it on your toilet bowl only!

Some more information for you:

1. the active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid. It will dissolve

a nail in four day. Phosphoric acid also leaches calcium from bones

and is a major contributor to the rising increase of osteoporosis.

2. To carry Coca-Cola syrup, (the concentrate) the commercial

trucks must use a hazardous material place card reserved for

highly corrosive materials.

3. The distributors of Coke have been using it to clean engines

of the trucks for about 2o years!

Now, the question is, would you like a glass of water? or Coke?

(For you Dr. Pepper drinkers, you are not off the hook. Put it down and get a glass of agua.)

Moo Shu Wraps

I used to really shy away from a recipe that threw in an uncommon ingredient. Not being adventurous cost me some really great recipes in the meantime. This one is a very tasty and simple recipe that has hoisin sauce, not a common staple in the pantry but it should be! It adds that restaurant flavor to the recipe. My kids like this dish a lot and needs to be served on a really good tortilla. No whole wheat this time. I like the fresh tortillas from Costco. Check your ingredient list on the soy sauce and hoisin sauce. I bought the organic soy sauce from Kikkoman and it has great ingredients. I am out of Hoisin so I need to go check out a good brand for that sauce. I am making this tomorrow. I hope you all try it out and see what you think! I received this recipe from Amy Fraughton in our recipe club. I changed a few little things for family preferences. This is a Weight Watchers meal for those of you watching those calories.

Moo Shu Wraps

8 oz lean sirloin beef

3 T organic soy sauce

1 t. cornstarch

2 t. vegetable oil ( I use grapeseed oil)

2 medium scallions, chopped

3 medium garlic cloves, minced

2 T. sherry cooking wine

2 C. Chinese or nappa cabbage. ( I used regular green cabbage and it was great)

1 C. sliced mushrooms (less if no one cares for these)

1 large egg, beaten

8 flour tortillas

1/2 C hoisin sauce

Place beef in bowl, thinly sliced into about 2 inch by 1/2 inch strips. Add 1 T. soy sauce and cornstarch. Stir to coat. Heat oil in large skillet. Add scallions and garlic, saute 1 min. Add beef and cook until browned, about 2 min. Add remaining soy sauce and sherry, cook 1 min more.

Add cabbage and mushrooms. Saute until vegetables are tender but not soggy. Stir in egg and cook until done. To serve, place heated tortilla on a plate. Spread about 2 tsp. of hoisin sauce down middle of tortilla and then place about 1/2 cup of filling on tortilla. Roll up.

For your picky eaters, just make sure that you roll this up before they see the cabbage. It looks mostly like beef when it is cooked and they won't really notice the veggies when they are eating it. Its all about presentation!

Safe Food Friday

Thanks for all of those who are keeping an eye out for great foods. I have a couple for you today.

Costco carries a new dressing called Far East Sesame Dressing. It is great for a Chinese chicken salad and a marinade. They list spices but I called the company and they said it is only ground pepper. It is also gluten free. Cindy Thomas emailed me about Costco's Zesty cilantro dressing, kind of like a spicier ranch. Everything looks great in there as well and has real good flavor. You could always do better by having expeller pressed oils but beggars can't be choosers. I will take it!

Another blogger advocates the Herdez salsa. Great ingredients and she says that it tastes great! Thanks Terri!

Thanks to Jan King for sending me this ranch dressing recipe. The recipe is for a vegetarian dip but you could use regular milk and mayo if you want. Just try to find a good mayo. I am going to look for that this weekend. Sounds like a good recipe. I will try it out!

Ranch Dressing

1/2 C Rice milk (plain) or regular milk
1/2 C Vegenase or mayo
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. onion powder
3 T. Red wine vinegar
1 T. dried parsley
salt
pepper

Blend all until smooth in blender. Store in refrigerator for up to a week.

"Let food be thy medicine"

Although I am very strict on certain nutritional areas, I will not ever call myself a fanatic. I will never be one of those people who will not color their hair, use make up, eat any food not organically grown and processed or eat sugar. As I state frequently, moderation is the key. I get worked up now and then, but the truth is, we do have to live in this world. Unfortunately, our world is far from perfect but it is what it is. We can try our hardest but I don't want to give up everything. For those who are sick or suffer from neurological or other disorders, I believe you need to be strict. For those of us who are relatively healthy, we can probably eat a little more of the bad now and then and go on relatively unscathed. Let me tell you why and how you can live in the world and still be ok.

Our bodies were made to withstand an imperfect environment and diet. Of course, if subject to constant abuse, it will deteriorate. But, if we feed ourselves with the vitamins and nutrients our bodies need, there will be a protection made to your body so that many of the harmful things; the parasites, metals, toxins that are in our foods and environments will not be absorbed in great amounts. The problem is , we are not getting the nutrients we need and so our bodies are weak and can't protect us. That is what happens with these little ones especially who are on constant antibiotics, ruining this protective layer and having a bad diet . They become malnourished and anything harmful that they come in contact with are absorbed. Even though we try to eat a good diet, our food supply is so different than it was decades ago. A typical steak will have a lot less vitamin properties than the same amount of steak 50 years ago. Same with veggies. The pesticides used to grow food and the antibiotics given to cows change the nutrients in the food. Therefore, some of the essential vitamins and minerals we need are not there in the quantities that we need. Many times, we need to have supplements.

One of the very most important elements we need in our diets is magnesium. Most people don't even know anything about this but Magnesium is used in about every cell of the body. It is needed for every function. When a person suffers a heart attack, they may be injected with magnesium. When a woman goes into preterm labor, they use magnesium. If information was given out about what magnesium truly is and why it is so necessary, pharmaceutical companies would be out of business. That is why, of course, you will not hear much about it. It is very cheap and would solve a majority of issues out there.

Magnesium stimulates white blood cells. It is the best weapon to defend the body from viral and bacterial disease and from the toxic environment that we live in. No prescription is needed at all! Magnesium also blocks the glutamate receptors. These are what go crazy when we eat all of those MSG additives, so , if we can block them, the amounts we get can be greatly lessened. Most people are living completely deprived of the levels of magnesium they need. Magnesium is used for healing, energy production, skin integrity, cardio health, diabetes prevention, pain management, calming effect on the nervous system, sleep improvement and
blood pressure among many other things.

Magnesium is found in almonds, peanuts, walnuts, brown rice, whole grain breads (4x more than white flour),
beans , spinach and bananas to name a few. Another benefit of whole grains, along with the magnesium content is that when used with sugar, it causes the sugar to be digested slower so you are not absorbing as much.

Magnesium is not absorbed as well as a supplement in pill form but best taken transdermally, on the skin. I have a great product that I buy that is a magnesium gel. I rub it on my kids at night and myself. My little one always baffles the Dr. that his magnesium level is so high. Most kids, especially autistic kids are way down on the scale. It is so important for all of us. It is very cheap and goes a long way.

I feel that if we do our best to pump up our bodies with what we need, we don't need to stress out so much. I can't live that way .I won't ever give up some good chocolate. Life is too short! Go grab yourself a handful of almonds, rub in some magnesium oil and drink a spinach smoothie. Then, enjoy a night out now and then with a great big dish of MSG! Just remember, our master planner created these bodies and the food around us to work together. As Hippocrates stated,

"Let thy food be thy medicine, and the medicine be thy food."

It is all here for us. Knowledge is key. Keep cleaning out your cupboards and don't get overwhelmed.

If interested in some magnesium oil, the company is called Powerhouse Holistic Health. The number is 1-866-256-8206.
I am not selling this product so I don't get anything by mentioning this product. It should be in everyones medicine cabinet.

If you would like to read more about magnesium, email me and I will send a very detailed email back with an attachment book to read.

You are making me crazy!!!!

OK. I started this blog to share some ideas. I wanted to get some tips and recipes together. I did not want to learn that I can't eat anything man made anymore. You email me with questions, call me at home, leave your comments and then I have to go and google. I google to find out answers to your questions if I haven't already googled them , then I google to make sure that I have all of the viewpoints possible, then..... I go crazy. I really didn't want to learn all of this. I didn't want to learn that virtually all of the foods in packages at the stores contain harmful ingredients. I didn't want to learn that no one is really doing anything about this and I certainly did not want to learn that this poison is even in baby food. I feel so ashamed that we have stood by and let this happen to what we have been blessed with on this earth to nourish us. I feel devastated that we have let these toxins take away the minds of our sweet children and elderly. I feel hopeless that the big companies will ever change this. But, with all of the emails and phone calls I get from you, I feel more energy than ever that this is a mission that we must all join in on. Before, nutrition was something to me that was important, so we can get our vitamins and get rid of headaches. Now, nutrition is something to me that is critical to stop the epidemic that is happening. If you think that you are somehow immune to this, reevaluate. I don't have time right now in my life to change the world, but I can go to the people who matter the most, the Moms. We may not be able to change the world, but we can change our homes and in turn perhaps save one little life at a time. Please spread the word. Please take the time to really think about what you are feeding your family. The more frustrated I get, the more passionate I get. You are all making me crazy with the googling you are making me do. Thank you for that.

With that said. Today's topic is Natural Flavors and Flavorings. This is something new to me. I thought that if it said "Natural", it must be good! I have blogged about foods to buy that I thought were great. Then I learned that most of them contain natural flavoring. I even went to the store today and even in the health section came away with only a bag of corn chips. I couldn't believe it. These companies know what they are doing. If you call them to ask what the flavorings are, they will not tell you. If they were really a food, it would be listed. Once again, I realized that I must make the food in my house. I will not worry when I go out to eat or go to a party, but my house will be a house free from contaminates.

To understand what "natural flavors" are, you can get real confused first of all by looking at the definition under the code of Federal Regulations:

"The essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis which contains the flavorings constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry , eggs, dairy products or fermentation products thereof whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional.""

Did you get that? So, as long as it was once derived from any natural source, its OK to use and doesn't need to be labeled. Now, here is the good part. Flavorings are made by flavorist in a laboratory by blending either natural chemicals or synthetic chemicals to make flavorings. If it was a real whole food, it would be listed in its natural state.

Gary Reineccius, a professor in the department of food science and nutrition says,

"The distinction in flavorings--natural verus artificial--comes from the source of these identical chemicals and may be likened to saying that an apple sold in a gas station is artificial and one sold from a fruit stand is natural." And,he adds, " Artificial flavorings are simpler in composition and potentially safer because only safety -tested components are used."

The natural flavors may have once come from a natural source, but they are so chemically processed that they no longer have a property that are probably safe to consume. This may not be in all cases, but you will never know in which case it is OK. Most of the time, it is a free glutamate that is another name for MSG. I have looked at every label possible on my previous list of good foods. It is even in Juicy juice! There has got to be something out there that is OK to eat. Please join me on a quest to find out what are the safe foods! Please use the additive list I gave you all and hit the stores. Email me when you find a "safe food". I will get a list together for us all. I know too much now to eat blindly any more. Like I said, moderation is key but our families get so much of the bad at school, at parties and at friends house that our homes should be the safe place. Please join me in the effort to change the world one bite at a time!