Super Lentils

If you haven't become a friend with the lentil, I will give you a little info on why you really should be. You see, the lentil is exactly the kind of friend you want in your kitchen. Nearly perfect in every way. A powerhouse.

The lentil has been around forever. It has been found in ancient Egyptian tombs so who knows really when they all began. They are in the legume family but small and disk shaped. You can store these little gems forever. You don't really need to seal them. They may loose a little color overtime but not really loose the taste. I just bought a big 25 pound bag from Azure that will last me a long time without having to can it at all. Easy Peasy.

The biggest draw in my book about the lentil is the amount of Folic acid they contain. One cup cooked lentils gives you about 90% of the daily RDA of folic acid. It has more folic acid than any other natural food. If you are pregnant, folic acid is extremely important in the growth of the baby so cook up a bowl today! Besides the folic acid, lentils are rich in iron and eaten with other foods high in vitamin C help the absorption rate of the iron increase. Lentils contain every amino acid except one; methionine. If you eat it with another nut, seed, eggs or meat, you will have a complete protein. Great for vegetarians.

Soluble fiber is also an important attribute of lentils. Soluble fiber helps clean out the digestive tract, decrease cholesterol and serum glucose. Most people don't get nearly enough of this in their diet.

Lentils are about the best thing to sprout also. When you sprout, the nutrients become "alive" and intensify. They are great on salads, in breads or in soups.

There are several varieties of lentils but for sprouting, you want to stick with green lentils. The other varieties are usually hulled.




I have added this soup recipe to 90 day supply because it is so tasty and uses ingredients I can keep on hand. You can also make this vegetarian but I like to use about 1 T of bacon for flavor. While I eat almost all vegetarian except once a week, at most; I don't really count 1 T. of bacon in a whole pot of soup. It adds to the flavor tremendously. My whole family loves this soup and in a pressure cooker it takes less than 10 minutes to have on the table. It is great with a big hunk of homemade brown bread or corn bread.

Lentil Bacon Soup

6 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled ( I use 1 T. or more of bacon pieces)
2 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 medium carrots, cut into half moon shapes
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 T. tomato paste
1 1/2 C. lentils, picked over and rinsed
1/2 t. dried thyme
32 oz chicken broth
1 T. red wine vinegar (opt)
salt and pepper to taste
dash of red peppers if desired

In a large pot, add olive oil and heat on medium high heat. Add carrots and onion and cook until softened. Stir in garlic and bacon and cook about 30 seconds. stir in tomato paste and cook another minute. Don't let it burn or scorch.

Add the lentils, thyme, broth and 1 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil; reduce to simmer. Cover and cook until the lentils and veggies are tender, about 30-45 min. Add more water if needed during cooking.

Stir in vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

***If going gluten free, make sure the vinegar and broth are gluten free.

For the pressure cooker:

Saute onion for about a minute. Add in carrots, tomato paste, lentils, thyme , broth and water. Bring to second ring and pressure for about 3 minutes. Reduce pressure and add bacon pieces.Simmer until lentils are tender. Add in salt, pepper , vinegar and red pepper flakes if desired. If you find your beans are still pretty crunchy, you can return to pressure but you don't want the carrots to get mushy. Leave carrots in bigger chunks. Simmer lentils until the right texture. They don't take long.

A few new things I love....

If I come across things that are of good quality, work and can save a buck; I owe it to you, my sister friends, to fill you in. You may all have the 411 on these products/companies but just in case, here you go. Thanks to those who may have tipped me off in these directions!

Next item, New from Loreal, Sulfate Free Everpure conditioner and shampoos. I am a hair product snob and while I don't splurge on too much, I usually never skimp on my hair care products. I tried this out with a coupon and the lure of the "sulfate free" label. I used the moisture control conditioner and was in love. It worked better than my Biolage and I get it without some of the harmful chemicals. Deal! There are lots of coupons out right now so try it out! It is a keeper.

This one I was skeptical of but my SIL told me it worked. The Ped Egg. I am sure you have all seen this on TV and I thought it had to be a scam for sure. I didn't even buy the real one, it was a copy from Revlon. My feet are always in flip flops and even with a pedicure still get rough. Mine were overdue and I tried it out. It was nothing short of amazing! For under 10 bucks and under 3 minutes, my feet were baby soft. It was like a cheese grater (yuck) and took the rough skin off with ease. It is my new best friend. I hope everyone stares at my heels.


Another new thing for me; couponing. I have never in my life been a couponer. It takes too much time and effort. My SIL told me about this coupon site called
Grocery Smarts.com. I have seen many other sites but what is so great about this is that it is simple and free. It lists the stores and their sales items. Next to it it tells you if there is a coupon for it and where and how much it is after the coupon. It stars the big stock up deals. I tried it and am hooked. I use it to stock up on year supply items. I was surprised by the great deals out there on products I would really use, not just junk food and sugar cereals. I got my Everpure conditioner for half price. My SIL clips the coupons and puts them in clear pocket folders in a binder alphabetically so you can find them quickly.It is a real easy system and saves a bundle.

Now I have talked about this before but now I have lots of personal experience with it. Nature's Way Activated Charcoal. If you didn't pay attention before, listen now: charcoal is an absorbent. It is what is given to those in the hospital for overdoses or poisonings. It absorbs it and gets it out. Well, it does the same for you when you have a stomach bug, food poisoning, gas, etc. It works like a charm and is real cheap. You can get it from me if you order supplements or from natural stores like Sprouts. It is usually under $10 per bottle and has about 100 pills . It goes on all my trips and I have used it on almost all my trips. I never have to take more than one dose and it stops whatever ails us in it's tracks. Why didn't I know about this before? Thanks , Terri for the tip, again.


So there you have it. My new favorites. If you have a review for me on these products or another great one to share, leave a comment. I will be happy to try something new.

Gelato-ish

This is not my photo but you can get the idea. My photo posting problem is still there and it has nothing to do with my abilities. It is an internal Mac problem which now requires a little trip into town to the Apple store. Fun. Thanks for all of your tips and the one-on-one, Kelli. I really hope to get this figured out next week! Just imagine this is my real recipe since it really looks the same.

Since my little Tater can't enjoy the real deal Gelato, I had to figure out an alternative for him. I don't like him to have sugar and any "Mock" ice cream you can buy always has sugar of some sorts. In my experiment with soaking grains and nuts, I came upon this little gem and he couldn't be happier. In fact, he can even have this for breakfast if he wants. (and does)

Let's first discuss why you want to soak nuts in the first place. I am fairly new to this concept due to a dragging of heels of sorts. I new it was the way to go but it is just one more thing to do. I finally purchased a book on sprouting and soaking and dived on in. I am still very much in the learning phase but this one is an easy one. Nuts are simple. You just have to cover them and let them sit, then rinse and dry if you want them crunchy again. Why do this in the first place? Here you go:

The Benefits of Soaking Nuts

A nut is coated in an enzyme inhibitor that protects the nut as it grows. Unfortunately, this inhibitor inhibits the digestive process of the nut. Also, because of that, the vitamins contained in the nut are not digested as well. The phytic acid in the nuts is reduced when soaked to also help the absorption of vital minerals.

Sound reasonable? Well another great thing about soaking a nut is that it can change the consistency of certain nuts to take on a creamy, dairy type texture. You get the cream and no guilt to go with it. You can use the soaked nuts in recipes to fool the palates.

Here is the basic "Gelato" recipe and once you try it out, you can do just about anything with it. Delish. You need a good blender to get it really smooth and you want to take your time to really churn in up. Keep it really frozen like ice cream.

1. Pinon nuts: (Pine nuts) I get mine in bulk at Costco. They are not real cheap but you don't need much. Use 1/2 cup in a jar covered with water. Put a lid on it and soak it in the fridge for at least 6 hours or overnight.

2. Fruit: I started with banana flavor. I cut up two banana's in small slices and put it in the freezer. My other favorite flavor is blueberry using frozen berries.

3. To mix: Add the following for the flavor you desire:

Banana

1/4 cup soaked pine nuts

2 frozen, sliced bananas

1 tsp. real maple syrup

1/2 t. vanilla

Blend until completely smooth. You will need to stop and stir. Add a little water if needed but keep thick and frozen.

Blueberry

1/2 cup soaked pine nuts

1 frozen ,sliced banana

1-2 cups frozen blueberries

1 T. maple syrup (totally not needed in my opinion)

a little water if too thick

Blend until creamy. Eat right away. It doesn't freeze well. It is very sweet and looks just like a soft ice cream/gelato.

You could do just about anything with this. Pine nuts are amazing but it doesn't work if they are not soaked.

Try this out on the little ones. If you tell them they are getting ice cream for breakfast, you will be the hero of the day. Even my older kids love this and ask for it. I have more nut recipe's to share but hopefully I will have pictures to share along with them. (finger's crossed).

The Goal......The reason......The race.

The real goal of 2010 for me started actually just after Thanksgiving. It is a goal that I would have never imagined that I would have picked but it just sort of happened one night. It began with a little reality TV - The Biggest Looser. I love that show but it really has little to do with the weight loss or transformations of the body for me; it has more to do with the transformation of the mind. I am enamoured with the psychology of mind over matter. You take these large people; for the most part they have given up hope of their dreams, they are stuck in a body that limits them because the word "can't" is part of their regular verbiage. On day one, they have to run a mile. To them, that is the impossible. However, at the end of the show, the remaining finalists are running a marathon. In just a few months, they have taken their very overweight bodies and their limited minds beyond what they thought they were capable of. The most amazing thing is to see their minds transform from "I can't" to "I can" and "I did". What was the difference other than amazing trainers and motivation of a worldwide audience? They lost the verbiage, "I can't". That was what was holding them back from their dreams. They begin to realize that if they could conquer this one very hard thing in their lives, they could conquer anything.

I hate to run. I was right along with them with using the word, "I can't" when it comes to running any real sort of distance. Sure, I can bust out a mile or two and do it regularly but I do it in intervals because as I tell myself, "I am not a runner." I drive my daily routes and see the wonder girls; the Amy's , Nicole's, Trisha's and Louise's of the neighborhood with their perfect strides running their 4+ miles along the perimeters of our neighborhood. I think how nice it would be to be a runner like them. I tell myself that some people are born to run and some are not. I can do other things.

I pondered this as I watched the marathon race on The Biggest Looser. The difference between me and the Wonder girls is that I give up after a mile and they keep going. They don't say the word "can't." They just do it. They probably don't love it and probably had to work up to it but they get out there and do the work. I thought hard about this. I like to work out and can think of many other ways to get a work out done but I decided that I needed to do this. I needed to change my verbiage. I needed to be able to say "I can" and show my children, and myself, that we can do what we put our minds to.

I immediately got on the Internet and found a race that I could enter. This would show my commitment. For you runners, this may seem a bit on the easy side but for a first time runner, the 10K seemed like a marathon to me. I had 8 weeks to go from running one mile to 6.2. I found the London run. It was perfect. It is a race for our friend's daughter who died from leukemia to help other families. I was in. I found the training schedule and was ready to go.

As I have said , the running for me has nothing to do with the actual run. I am not doing it for a weight loss goal or really any other reason except for I want to change my mindset. I would rather do any other form of physical activity. But, I began. The first time I ran 3 miles without stopping seemed like a miracle. I couldn't believe that I could do it. Then 4. I ran the perimeter, the same perimeter as the wonder girls. I have 3 weeks to go and even though I really hate every minute of it, I can do it. Now I wonder, what else can this wonder girl do? I can't wait to see. This is my "I can" year. It is going to be great. What "can" you do? Make it your year to find out too.

Recipes are to come and a new Enlightened Homemaker store blog! If you need more supplements, I am ordering this week.

A New Year.....I am back and full of it.

First off, forgive me for the lack of photos or fluff of any sorts....I have a new MAC and can't for the life of me figure out how to get photos on here. But, I am back. I am ready to spill my thoughts out to those who have entered my blogging door. I have missed you. I have missed rambling and sharing my new discoveries. My husband really should only have to listen to so much. I thought I could just break up with you all, go back to the quiet world before blogs, but I feel a sense of commitment. I feel that if I learn, I must share. What good is knowledge if it is kept to oneself? So, for what it is worth to anyone listening.....I will continue to share. I will continue to learn.

I have just written and rewritten this post several times. I am usually a one time poster as evident by my usual typos. I just type as I think and I don't usually look back. But, my thoughts are going in a hundred different directions. What have I been doing? What have I learned? What do I want for 2010? So many things to discuss and thank goodness I have a whole year to do it. I will just keep it brief for tonight and leave the rest for later.

2009 was a great year. I feel it was the year I became myself. I can't really explain it much other than the fact that it is the first time in my 37 years that I truly feel comfortable in my own skin. It is a great feeling. I don't know exactly where it came from but probably has something to do with the fact that I am perfectly clear on what I need to be doing and I don't really care about what others think of me. I mean you spend so much of your life on trying to become someone you think you should be. I feel that I know that person now and now I can just focus on her and not worry about what others think. What is important is my family, my health and my worthiness to receive eternal blessings. Clear and simple. Time to work on that.

That brings me to the part about resolutions. I love the new year because we get to start again. We get another year to become our better selves. I worry a lot about our beings in this day and age. We are spoiled. We really have so much and even if we have gone through hard times, our hard times these days pale in comparison with the hard times faced by our ancestors. It's not that I am wishing that we all had to walk the snowy planes with frostbitten toes, it just means that I worry that we aren't getting the blessings of going through the refiners fire as they did. We learn about our potential when we are put to the test. We don't know what we are capable of unless we are faced with a mountain to climb. Most often we don't volunteer to climb the mountain on our own. There is the challenge my sister friends. The "I can do hard things challenge."

This is the year to get out of your comfort zones. This is the year to become the better you. This is the year to find out what you are capable of and prove to yourself that you can do hard things. We never know when hard things are going to come our way but if we can challenge ourselves a bit now, we will have a little more to go on when the real challenges hit. We will have something to look back on and remember that we can do hard things. We CAN persevere. We can finish the task we are given. I have had challenges in my life like the rest of us but I feel that I need to push myself a little more this year. I have claimed my goals. I am setting them at a level that seems a bit uncomfortable and even a bit unattainable but I will complete them because I can do hard things. I want my children to know that and I want myself to prove it. I can climb the mountains and be a better person. I will post more about those goals later but it involves running, for one thing and I really hate it. But, I have been at this goal for a month now and I have learned a tremendous lesson already and it really has nothing to do with the act of my feet hitting the pavement.

I urge you all to pick a project. Make it hard. Tell people about it. Blog about it so you will be obligated to stick to it. Comment here about it. Some may be too personal but I challenge you to pick a temporal goal and a spiritual goal. Remember, this is hard. That means something different for everyone. It may be to change the way you eat, specifically. It may be to give of your time to something, specifically. It has to be something that can be labeled and completed so that you can feel the accomplishment at the end. It will help you become who you need to be. Then, you need to accept no excuses. Of course, it can't be something that will keep us from what is really important in our lives now. It is something to better ourselves, not hinder.

Think about it. Make 2010 a year on becoming. A year on bettering. A year on growing. A year of refinement.

It is going to be a great year.

Thanks for stopping by.

A Leave of Absence

Every now and then I questions why I am doing this blog. It is not a business; I don't make money, I don't take in advertising or get free vitamins. I started it because I wanted to share my passion about nutrition and how it can save our lives and create strong bodies for our most precious possessions. I have met great moms around the country. I have had wonderful emails from moms who want to learn more and want to change their lives and the lives of their families. When the world out there can be so deceiving, there is truth. Their is simplicity. I have enjoyed sharing some of that with you from what I have learned and what I continue to learn. With all of that being said, I need to take a little break. I have contemplated ending The Enlightened Homemaker but I think I will take a trial run and go on vacation. A little holiday season sabbatical. I have been spending around 2-3 hours per day on emails and deliveries and constantly am thinking about things to research and people with issues. I enjoy this all. But......at this point in my life, time is critical. I have 5 busy kids who need a mom and drawers that need organizing. I want to slow down a bit and enjoy this holiday season without sheer exhaustion. I hope we can all do this. I hope we can all reevaluate our time and where we can best spend it.

I will be back at the beginning of the new year, perhaps. I am still leaving my blog up with over 300 great posts to read! I have decided to not reprint the cookbook since the time it takes me is just too much right now. A few of you have paid and I will mail those out this week. Preparing Wisely in Mesa still has some. I still order oils and supplements so you may always email me if you would like some. I would still love to hear from you so the email line is open. Thanks for everything my friends. I hope you have the merriest of holidays. Create the memories, eat well and stay healthy!

Vitamins are in!!

I am back in town and the supplements are at my doorstep. If you have ordered, email or call me to work out a pick up. If you are out of state, I will mail on Monday. Look for your pay pal bill! I did order extra so email me if you want some, first come first serve. Thanks for being patient. I will be ordering once a month, possibly twice so let me know by the end of each month what you want. Hope you all had a great fall break....I will be back to blogging soon. I have too much laundry to do.

D3 not in yet.....sorry.

I am sorry to say that I won't get the D3 in until I return from vacation. They won't have it until next week which means I won't have it until I return from soaking in a little natural D3 on vacation. I am hoping to have it no later than the 18th, maybe earlier. I have all of your orders, I will email you as soon as I get them, promise! Until then, try to get some sun, get some sleep and eat your leafy greens and oranges!

Still not convinced about the flu shot debate?

If you are still thinking that the flu shot is a good idea, take a moment and read this from Dr. Mercola's website. How can you possibly think that the flu shot is a good idea after understanding what is in it and what it really is. I would love to hear any good debate. If you are for it, surely you are uneducated on the matter. Please get educated. If you want it, do it for yourselves but please, please, leave your kids out of it!

This year it is more important that you protect your children and loved ones from the flu vaccines than influenza itself. This article on Lew Rockwell discusses how:

1. The swine flu is simply another flu. It is not unusually deadly.

2. This is the first time both seasonal and pandemic flu vaccines will be administered. Both seasonal flu and swine flu vaccines will require two inoculations. This is because single inoculations have failed to produce sufficient antibodies. This is an admission that prior flu vaccines were virtually useless. Can you trust them this time?

3. Adjuvants are added to vaccines to boost production of antibodies but may trigger autoimmune reactions. Some adjuvants are mercury (thimerosal), aluminum and squalene. Why would you sign a consent form for your children to be injected with mercury, which is even more brain-toxic than lead?

4. This is the first year mock vaccines have been used to gain FDA approval. The vaccines that have been tested are not the same vaccines your children will be given.

5. Over-vaccination is a common practice now in America. American children are subjected to 29 vaccines by the age of two. Meanwhile, veterinarians have backed off of repeat vaccination in dogs because of observed side effects.

6. Modern medicine has no explanation for autism, despite its continued rise in prevalence. Yet autism is not reported among Amish children who go unvaccinated.

7. Researchers are warning that over-use of the flu vaccine and anti-flu drugs like Tamiflu and Relenza can apply genetic pressure on flu viruses and then they are more likely to mutate into a more deadly strain.

8. Most seasonal influenza A (H1N1) virus strains tested from the United States and other countries are now resistant to Tamiflu (oseltamivir). Tamiflu has become a nearly worthless drug against seasonal flu.

9. Public health officials are irresponsible in their omission of any ways to strengthen immunity against the flu. No options outside of problematic vaccines and anti-flu drugs are offered, despite the fact there is strong evidence that vitamins C and D activate the immune system and the trace mineral selenium prevents the worst form of the disease.

For even more reasons, please review the full article on LewRockwell.com.

Eat Naked Segment......Chicken Broth

I haven't had an "Eat Naked" segment for a while but this is one that should be called to attention. I was making soup tonight, after all, it is a chilly 80 degrees here now so it is time! Can't wait. I made some delicious White Bean Chili soup, vegetarian style with Northern beans, potatoes and Quinoa and thought about what effort we go into making a good, healthy soup for our families. We chop up fresh veggies, cut up potatoes, add beans, delicious ,healthy spices and then the blunder occurs: the broth. How many of us are putting poisons unknowingly into our soup in which the very intent was to provide nutrition and satisfaction? Do you know what is in your broth?

Maybe you are already a step ahead of the norm but just in case you haven't checked into the ingredients on the broth canisters, let's take a look see:

Exhibit 1: Knorr Chicken Bouillon

Ingredients: Salt, sugar, corn starch, monosodium glutamate (MSG), Beef fat, hydrolyzed corn protein, dried chicken meat, maltodextrin, autolyzed yeast extract, chicken fat, silicon dioxide, dehydrated parsely, disodium inosinate, citric acid, onion powder, natural flavor, colors yellow 5 , annato, yellow 6.

Exhibit 2: Pacific Naturals Free Range Chicken Broth

Ingredients: Organic Chicken Broth, Organic Chicken Flavor, Natural Chicken Flavor, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Onion Powder, Turmeric, Organic Flavor.

Do you see what I mean? Fresh veggies, healthy spices and a container or msg OR fresh veggies, healthy spices and organic chicken broth. You decide. We went with the real deal. It was delicious. You can get a pack of the "real deal" at Costco. It has a good shelf life. It isn't too costly but the cost of not using it is high. Either make it yourself or try this variety out. Out with the MSG brand. BLuckkk!

Want to try my soup? Here ya go.

Creamy White Chili

1 medium onion, chopped

3-4 red potatoes, peels on, cut into small cubes

3/4 C. chopped celery

2 cloves garlic

2 T. olive oil

2 15 oz cans great northern beans, rinsed and drained

appx. 28 oz chicken broth or as much as needed

2 4 oz cans diced green chiles

1 t. salt or more as desired

1/4 to 1/2 cup White Quinoa

1/4 t. cumin

1/2 t. pepper

1/8 t. cayenne pepper

1 C. sour cream

1/2 C. whipping cream

In a large sauce pan, saute chicken, potatoes, celery, onion and garlic for a couple minutes. Add broth, beans, chiles, quinoa and seasonings. Bring to a boil and then reduce to low and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender.Remove from heat and stir in sour cream and whipping cream. Add more salt as needed and thicken with ultra gel.

***I did mine in my pressure cooker to reduce time. After I sauteed the veggies, I added the broth and quinoa and pressure cooked on second ring for about 1 minute. Used quick release and added the beans, chiles and seasonings. I simmered until potatoes were just right and then added the cream and sour cream.

ps, I have no idea why my font is messed up. Sorry.