Oven Roasted Asparagus

We used this as a side dish for our dinner tonight.  It is a very simple and tasty way to cook asparagus!

1 bunch of asparagus

1-2 Tbsp. Olive oil

Garlic Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Rinse asparagus and snap off ends.

 Place in small baking dish and drizzle oil over them. Sprinkle garlic salt (sometimes I will do fresh minced garlic, thyme, and salt. This is much easier though). Lightly stir so each asparagus has oil and garlic salt. 

Bake in oven for 30 min, testing with a fork for tenderness.

* As a side note, I actually used two bunches of asparagus, that is why it looks like a lot

Told Ya So :)

So here is yet another article confirming  my claim in a previous Today's Tip.

http://www.naturalnews.com/029639_organic_produce_health.html

Today's Tip: Frozon Yogurt

I have a major sweet tooth.  When I first started trying to eat healthy, I realized that I would need to say good-bye to junk food.

But wait! I can still treat myself to the occasional sweet stuff?? Chris and I recently discovered the miracle of frozen yogurt. This delicious dessert has become more and more of a common item found down the frozen isle at the store. Next time you venture down that isle, grab a carton of ice cream in one hand, and frozen yogurt in the other hand, and just compare the nutritional difference.  For one, frozen yogurt has WAY less fat! "Selling point!!!"

But get this, on our last trip to the store, we were comparing frozen yogurts (I know, nerds) and we discovered a frozen yogurt brand that includes live active cultures in it!!! So it's even MORE good for you!  And it tastes exactly like ice cream! This has been our new favorite thing, and I thought I would share the happiness with you.

That's My Story

And here is the reason that this blog was born....

http://chrisandjulene.blogspot.com/2010/09/its-here.html

Today's Tip: Artificial Sweeteners

GMO's are not the only thing that is harming us... look at the ingredients of things that you are buying... does it contain words that you cannot pronounce? Chances are that it's a chemical, not a whole food.  there are so many chemicals being allowed in foods these days, many of which are artificial sweeteners.  The most common one is High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), and it is found in nearly everything.  I was recently sad to discover that the french bread in one of my local grocery stores actually contains HFCS in it.  

photo from http://calorielab.com/news/2008/02/09/cspi-corn-refiners-association-actually-agree-on-something/

This link takes you to a video showing a man explaining the negative effects of HFCS.  Why don't they take it off the market?.... Because it's not about our health, it's about the size of their wallets!

Chicken Stuffed Tomato Bakes

This particular meal came to me nearly by accident.  I had about ten tomatoes in my fridge that were starting to get soft, so I knew I had to eat them soon.  I also made my own chicken broth earlier that week, so I had a lot of chicken that I needed to eat up too.  Last night, I didn't have any any clue of what to cook for dinner... until it hit me: "How about I make some sort of chicken stuffing and put it in hollowed tomatoes... they do stuff like that as appetizers in fancy restaurants, right?" So I started looking through my fridge to see what I could use to make the "stuffing part". After looking, here's the ingredients I came up with:

10 vine tomatoes (they work best because they are round enough on the bottom, and not too big)
1 chicken breast , cooked and shredded
1/2 large onion
4 garlic cloves
1 handful of spinach
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1 tsp basil
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
oil for drizzling

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Rinse tomatoes. Slice off tops of tomatoes, then with a spoon, carve out the inside pulp of each tomato. Place hollowed tomatoes onto baking sheet, set aside.

 Place pulp remains into food processor of blender.  Add to pulp the remaining ingredients (except parmesan and oil), and blend until you have a pulpy mixture.

Spoon mixture into each tomato, leveling off the top of each.

Sprinkle each tomato with parmesan cheese, then drizzle the top with oil.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.  Let cool for 5 minutes, then enjoy!  Serves 2-3

Can be served as an appetizer or a main dish. We ate it as a main dish, with garlic toast as a side.

*Note: There will be left over stuffing. You can use it to stuff other tomatoes, or save it for the next morning to  be the filling of an omelet for two (which is what we did)!  :)

**Note Note: If you want it to be more creamy, try adding 4 oz. of cream cheese. I didn't add any because 1. I wanted it to be healthier, and 2. I didn't have any! haha

Today's Tip: Variety

When eating healthy, every color needs to be your favorite color! 


Did you know that the color of foods is actually an indicator of what type of nutrients it contains? Different colors represent different nutrients, and if you don't  eat a variety of colors, you may be starving your body of certain crucial nutrients for you to be performing at your best.  So when eating your next meal, ask yourself if you are happy with the variety of color that is on your plate!

photo from http://ceiverson.wordpress.com/2010/04/18/phytonutrient-fun-have-you-eaten-all-your-colors-today/

Weekly Spotlight: Garlic

Why not start off the Weekly Spotlight with my favorite food: Garlic.  I personally think that you cannot go wrong with garlic.  It smells good, tastes good, and is good for you! What else can you ask for? Okay, I suppose it can be used to repel dates that you are not interested in.


Here are my favorite things about it:

• It''s great for the heart and circulatory system
• It helps prevent many cancers
• It helps promote optimal weight control
• It is extremely anti-viral and anti-bacterial, even against pharmaceutical drug-resistant bacteria... beat that! 

There is one thing to keep in mind, however, all these benefits are promised to you as long as you do one thing! The main sulfur compound, allicin, that is responsible for all of these benefits, is only activated when the cell walls are ruptured.  So here is what you need to do to get the most out of your garlic:

1. Before pealing your garlic, crush it with the wide side of your knife.
2. Now peel your garlic (this should be easier to do after crushing it), and chop off the ends.
3. Mince your garlic.  
4. Wait 5-10 minutes before cooking to allow time for the allicin to activate

The more crushed and minced your garlic is, the more cell walls are ruptured, and the more allicin can be activated.

Recipe: Garlic Soup

Crush and mince 4 or 5 cloves of garlic (then let stand 5-10 min to activate the allicin)

Finely chop 1/2 an onion (also let sit for 5-10 minutes... this is important for letting the nutrients activate!)

Saute garlic and onion in small amount of sesame oil (canola oil is fine if you dont have anything else) until onion becomes soft. 

Then add 2 cups of chicken broth (I like to use the organic Better than Bouillon chicken broth mix) then heat it up just below boiling. 

Sometimes I will add spinach at the end also!

*It is important to not let anything boil or burn... if any of the food gets this hot, the nutrients will start dying off.

This is my favorite cold and flu recipe because it has helped us stay away from any major illnesses for about 2 years now! Thanks to the anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties found in all 3 ingredients, we always wake up feeling amazing the next day, and it tastes GREAT!

Today's Tip: Go Organic

Did you know that genetically modified organisms (GMO's) have about 1/3 less the nutrients as their certified organic counterparts?

photo from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USDA_organic_seal.svg

Not only that, but organic food does not contain any of the harmful, cancer and disease causing residues hidden within.

We also cannot trust the government to take charge in overseeing the harmful effects of GMO's, as many of the leaders of these GMO companies, are also leaders in the FDA and USDA... conflict of interest there?

photo from http://gene-az.ir/gmo.html

Homemade Popcorn

Everybody loves to curl up and eat popcorn while watching a movie.  You set up the movie and get the blankets ready while you hear and smell the popcorn bag popping in the microwave.  As you open the bag for the first time, heaven fills your nose.  Well, that heaven is actually all the fats and preservatives that are waiting to wreak havoc on your body.  "Dang, Julene, thanks for ruining it for me!" Wait! What if I told you that you could still eat popcorn, and make it yourself?  Not only does this method taste amazing, it is very good for you too!  So go ahead and grab the blanket, the movie night is still goin on!

You will need:
1/2 yellow popcorn kernels
1-2 Tbsp sesame or canola oil
salt to taste

Heat a pot on the stove on medium heat. Pour in oil, then kernels, and a fitting lid to keep the steam in.  Occasionally gently shake the pot (with the lid still on)to move the kernels so they will not burn.  Once they start popping, listen carefully, and continue to occasionally shake the pot. When the intervals between poppings have become2-3 seconds, remove pot from heat.  Pour salt in, cover with the lid again, and shake the pot so the salt spreads to all the popcorn.  Taste-test the popcorn to see if you need to add more salt, and continue shaking as needed. Serves two.

If you want, add some other natural flavors such as spices, or parmesan cheese!

Grab 'n Go Snack Bags

This is a very easy way to stay healthy on a tight schedule! My husband and I enjoy munching on these during our class lectures in the middle of they day when we get hungry! They are very tasty and easy to prepare.  My husband and I had fun making these together!  This particular method gave each of us daily snacks for a week.  Feel free to be creative with the food that you have.  This is just what we had on hand!

You will need:
14 sandwich zip lock bags
Fruit of your choice (make sure they have individual protective membranes, like grapes.  Don't cut up a melon for this... too messy)
Nuts of your choice

On a counter top or table, lay open all the zip lock bags.
One by one, in an assembly line motion, place an even amount of fruit and nuts into each bag.

We used blueberries, apples, oranges, grapefruit....

.... dried cranberries, almonds and walnuts.

Zip everything up and place them in the fridge!  The natural sugars in the fruit will give you a great source of energy, and the protein in the nuts will keep you full until your next meal!

Sautèd Vegetable Pasta

1 zucchini
1 yellow squash
1 onion
3-4 garlic cloves
6-7 mushrooms to taste
1 can organic diced tomatoes
1/2 package of angel hair pasta (cooked as directed)
2 Tbsp. Sesame oil
Salt*
Pepper*
Basil*
Bay Leaf*
*to taste

In large pan or wok, heat oil on medium heat. Add zucchini, squash, onion, garlic, and mushrooms.  Cook until soft and transparent.  Add tomatoes.  Stir until heated.  You may need to drain the excess water with a colander, and then add back to the pan.  Add seasonings and stir for two more minutes, then add pasta. Stir and serve.  Serves 4.