The Easiest Way to Make Rice

I used to be pretty comfortable in the way I made rice. You know, measuring the rice, measuring the liquid, etc. But I would find that whenever I made bigger batches of rice, for some reason or another, it wouldn't cook right. I would end up with rice that was crunchy and inedible.

I was sharing my issue with my mother-in-law one day when she taught me this little trick, and now I pass it on to you!

 

1. Pour desired amount of rice into a saucepan. (No measuring needed! Unless you really want to for some reason!)

2. Add enough water to the pan so that the level of the water (from the surface of the rice) reaches the first knuckle on your index finger.

3. Heat water on the highest setting (high for stainless cookware, or medium for non-stick) until it begins to boil. (MIL insists you should not stir it at this time at all, but I'm a stirrer and I've never noticed any issue).

4. Turn the heat down to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

5. Remove from heat, then fluff with a fork or whatever utensil you happen to be using!

It doesn't seem to matter what size pot or pan you are using, for some reason, you get the right amount of liquid every time.

Now I can make Jambalaya without crunchy rice (and I can do so without using measuring cups)! Thanks, MIL!

What cool kitchen tips have you come across lately?

A Tip for Picky Eaters

It's so amazing to me how different two children can be. On one hand, I have my daughter who will eat nearly everything that's offered to her. I mean, stuff you wouldn't necessarily expect a toddler to even want. She'll eat hard-boiled eggs, green smoothies, beans and more. On the other hand, I have my son, who is 4 ½, who will hardly touch anything that doesn't resemble a french fry or a hamburger. (To his credit, he will eat spinach and broccoli and most fruits, so he's not too terribly difficult to get healthy foods into).

The problem I've had with him lately, however, is that I'll tell him what's for dinner, and he'll say "But I don't liiiiike _________!" I got really tired of hearing that response (or something similar), so I stopped telling him. Now, a typical exchange goes a little like this: "Mom, what's for dinner?"

"You'll see when it's on the table..."

Fast forward to dinner time, and I'll say "dinner's ready, come to the table." and he'll come, willingly. And then miracle of miracles, he will begin to eat! With minimal fuss!

Is this how your child sees dinner?

I think this has been working for us because he doesn't have a chance ahead of time to be negative about the dinner time experience. He doesn't have any expectations in his mind of something unpleasant, so he's a little more flexible. I also like not having an argument on my hands while I'm trying to get dinner on the table.

Do you have "picky eaters" in your house? How have you gotten around food aversions in the past?

Linking up here:
 

Real Hot Cocoa

Okay, so I think you all should know that despite living in a hotter than you-know-where "warm" climate (it was well into the 90's a couple days ago!), I like warm foods pretty much anytime. Like hot tea, hot cocoa and soups, etc. (Just consider yourself warned for when I post a chili recipe in July! :P)

At any rate, I thought I would post this recipe before it gets too warm for all of you who live in a reasonable climate!

I wanted to do this because I'm trying to move away from refined sugar and other junky stuff, but I don't want to give up the chocolate creaminess of hot cocoa (yet). But I don't like what I see when I read the ingredients on the instant hot cocoa. Let's review them shall we? (Taken from a popular commercial brand of hot cocoa mix with marshmallows):

Sugar, corn syrup, modified whey, cocoa (processed with alkali), hydrogenated coconut oil, marshmallows (sugar, corn syrup, modified corn starch, gelatin, artificial flavor), non-fat milk, calcium carbonate, less than 2% of salt, dipotassium phosphate, mono- and diglycerides, artificial flavor, carrageenan.

Ick! So here is my version for a single mug of hot cocoa that is not much more complicated than opening that single-serve packet and heating the water. It literally takes me about two minutes to make this. (Adapted from my Betty Crocker cookbook):

2 oz water

½ TBSP cocoa powder

a pinch (or maybe slightly more) of Kosher salt

TBSP raw honey (you could use more or less depending on your desired sweetness)

¾ cup of coconut milk beverage (You can use whole milk, almond milk or whatever else you drink- rice milk probably wouldn't work so well in this)

Add water to small saucepan and whisk in cocoa powder over medium high heat. Once the mixture is hot, add the salt and honey and whisk until blended. Add the milk of your choice, and continue to whisk the mixture until it reaches the desired temperature. Top with some marshmallows (don't tell anyone- the ones pictured are just regular ol' marshmallows- but you probably have some organic marshmallows on hand that you could use) or real whipped cream. Enjoy!

Easy! Good and good not so bad for you!

Linking up here:

Miscellany Monday

1. Been quiet around here lately!

I can only say that stuff has been pretty crazy. Between battling colds, food poisoning (yuck!) and the accompanying exhaustion...well, I don't have a lot of bloggy motivation! I know you all are hanging onto the edge of your seats waiting for me to post something! Ha ha. But anyway, I feel like it's been forever since I've posted regularly. I'm trying to get back into the swing of things!

2. My new favorite face scrub.

I once heard someone say that you should only put something on your skin if you would feel comfortable eating it! (Well that eliminates my whole beauty regimen, how about you?) I discovered that mixing honey (a couple tablespoons) with granulated sugar (maybe a tablespoon or so) makes a great face scrub! It's really awesome.

3. Joseph

I just finished reading Genesis this morning. I've read it several times, but I just love the story of Joseph. That never gets old. Every time I read the part where he reveals his identity to his brothers, I have to fight back tears. Seriously. Give it a read sometime if you never have. (Genesis 37-50)

I love this Scripture:

"Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive." Genesis 50:19-20

4. Clothing overload

Man I need some help in this area! I managed to unpack two large boxes in our master bedroom today. (Yes, I'm still unpacking). But I came to the stunning realization that we have way too much clothing! I have a ton of clothes in various sizes- ranging from before my pregnancy with my son (4 years ago) to maternity clothes to "transition clothes" (I gained 60 + pounds with my two pregnancies- and took a while to get the pregnancy weight off). Well, I don't want to get rid of too much of my stuff, because I may need it again. My husband also has a ton of clothes! So I need to figure something out!

5. Hanging on to the beautiful weather

For the next few days, the weather is going to be perfect! It will be in the 90's by the end of the week, though! Ugh. That's one thing about living in the desert! We have a very short spring. On the bright side, that means it's flip-flop weather! My favorite. (My apologies to anyone still looking at snow!)

6. Tacos

Somebody stop me. I think I'm obsessed with tacos. I love making them at home too. The best way that I have found to make them is to use a pound or so of ground turkey or beef, and season with a combination of kosher salt, chili powder (about a tablespoon), cumin (a couple tablespoons- I love cumin), and then add about a teaspoon of cocoa powder, and brown the meat with a chopped onion and a few cloves of minced garlic. Yum! Fry some corn tortillas in coconut oil, and you have the perfect taco, in my opinion. ;-)

Could a Co-Op Save You Money?

I think so! Not only that, it would probably improve your health!

I got the idea to join a co-op just last week. I had been reading a blog post somewhere and the author was talking about having joined one. I wondered if we had one in our area, and as I had never heard of one nearby, I "Googled" "co op near (nearby city, my state)."

I was so excited to discover Bountiful Baskets. I pretty much read their entire web site as soon as I found it, looking for the drawback. I couldn't find one. Even my husband was excited about it. I have brought other ideas to his attention before, looking for ways to get healthier food into our home. CSA? Nope. Too expensive right now. (The ones in our area require you to pay for an entire 10 week agreement up front). Farmer's market? Did you see those prices? I tried every rebuttal I could think of, to no avail. (But we'd be supporting our local economy. Don't you want to keep our dollars in our state? We'd be eating fresh produce in season...it's healthier...) I do feel those are valid reasons, and if we had room in our budget, I would love to support our local farmers directly.

Here is what we received for $15

So anyway, in case you don't know, here's how it works: You "opt in" at any particular time. Ours is a week by week agreement. (We make a contribution on Monday, and pick up our basket on Saturday). It costs us $15 for about $50 worth of conventional produce- the same stuff you would buy in the grocery store. The people who run the co-op (all volunteers- so you're eliminating more cost there) scout out the best deals for the members, and basically the cost is so low because there is no retail mark-up. The middle-man (in this case, the supermarket) is eliminated so we get produce straight from wherever the grocery store gets it, and also local farms. In our case, our produce comes from our state first, and then other items come from regional suppliers...other states and some come from Mexico (which is pretty close to us). I think in the case of Mexico, pretty much the only thing that comes from there is bananas, and that is opposed to getting them from South America. The co-op is able to get them at a better price, and in doing so, supporting smaller farms in Mexico rather than a huge conglomerate in South America somewhere.

They also have organic produce available for $10 more per basket. They offer other special deals on pantry staples such as rice, beans, granola, and different oils. These vary from week to week. Produce by the case is available as well. For instance, for the past two weeks, we've ordered 8 lbs of strawberries for our smoothies! It's cheaper than the frozen strawberries we've been getting from the supermarket. We also ordered some really awesome bread. We chose 9 grain bread which contains nothing artificial and nothing I'm unable to pronounce or buy from the store myself! And it was cheap! I'm talking $2 per loaf! And really good, by the way!

a Jerusalem artichoke

Another awesome feature is the opportunity to try foods that we wouldn't normally eat (or even see in the market, for that matter!). It's kind of an adventure! In our first basket, we got Jerusalem artichokes (or sunchokes), which looks like ginger's more full-figured cousin, but is actually more closely related to a potato. We also got a bunch of Forelle pears, which I had never seen or heard of. They're like cute little mini-pears.

a Forelle pear

You really can't beat the prices, and joining a co-op means fewer trips to the grocery store! My husband is happy, I'm happy, our children are happy, our planet is happier. In my opinion, you really can't go wrong with this option.

The only reason I could see that it might not work for someone is the fact that you have very limited time to pick up your basket. We have a twenty minute window in which to pick up. And you have to pick up from a specified location. Bountiful Baskets has several pick up locations near us, and I noticed they are active in several states. Is one of them yours? Do you have a co-op in your area? I think it would be totally worth it to look into it- if you haven't already!

I can hardly believe that it's taken me so long to discover this awesome program. I've lived in my area for over 15 years! I don't even know of anyone nearby who is a member of a co-op. Now that I know about it, there's no way I will go back to paying full price at the grocery store for produce! (Unless there's just something I need).

Could this opportunity be a benefit to your family and your budget? Have you ever been a part of a co-op? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Linking up here:

 

Keys to Overcoming Anger- Discovering Physical Causes

For those of us that seem to constantly struggle with anger, it would be prudent to look for hidden physical causes. I'm not usually one to use physical problems as an excuse, but there actually is some merit to looking to imbalances in our bodies and what not for clues about where our anger issues are coming from. They may not be the entire reason we struggle, but solving these problems can go a long way to helping us overcome anger in our daily lives. If you take some time to discover these hidden issues, you will be glad you did (and so will your loved ones!) Here are just a few conditions that could explain the role of anger in your life.

Candida-

I first learned about Candida during a health seminar several years ago. I didn't think too much of it back in those days, but since I've been researching ways to overcome food allergies and other health issues, this one resurfaced for me. Candida is caused by an overgrowth of the yeast Candida Albicans that naturally occurs in our bodies. When Candida overgrowth is a problem in your body, it can emit over 70 different toxins into your bloodstream! Some symptoms of Candida are digestion related, like gas and bloating, but it also has mental symptoms. Some of those symptoms are anxiety, hyperactivity, irritability, mood swings, depression, inability to concentrate and PMS. Some other "interesting" symptoms include sensitivity to fragrances, migraines and low sex drive! Wow!

Candida can be caused by many factors. The most common causes of Candida is repeated antibiotic use, extended use of birth control pills, and a diet high in carbohydrates and sugar. The best way to get rid of Candida Albicans overgrowth is to follow a (temporarily) strict diet that avoids sugar (including fruit), certain grains, caffeine and some other foods/ingredients.

So if you have anger issues accompanied with any of the other symptoms, you may want to read more about Candida.

Adrenal Fatigue-

I had been hearing about Adrenal Fatigue here and there, but I didn't really know what it was until recently. Basically, our Go! Go! Go! lifestyle is taxing our adrenal glands (which are there to aid in our fight-or-flight response which is useful in stressful situations) and our bodies aren't able to cope under stress properly. What happens when we mistreat ourselves by being constantly on the go or being under stress all the time (or having an unhealthy "relationship" with caffeine- meaning you can't go without it...even if you only consume a small amount). These kind of things really mess with your adrenal glands, and can knock your body out of whack. (I know that's really scientific sounding, right?) The anger connection with adrenal fatigue may be something for you to look into if you tend to be "quick" to anger...and back down easily when confronted. A few more signs of adrenal fatigue are excessive tiredness (you wake up tired, and don't really get into the day until evening time), feeling unable to cope, and being slow to recover from illness or injury. Click here for a more extensive list.

Adrenal fatigue can be relieved by cutting out caffeine, processed sugars and carbohydrates, and making sure you are getting to bed at a reasonable time (no later than 10:30 p.m.)

Here's another interesting article about adrenal fatigue.

Leaky Gut-

Leaky Gut is a condition in which the lining of the small intestine becomes permeable. Undigested food proteins can "leak" through into your blood stream wreaking all kinds of havoc on your body. You may not think that you could possibly suffer from this condition, and go along thinking that what you experience is just "normal"- but take a look at some of these symptoms and see if you experience any of this (in addition to anxiety and mood swings): abdominal pain, bloating, heartburn, migraines, poor memory, hair loss, brittle nails, and constant hunger pangs. (There are more signs, but those are just a few that you may not suspect would indicate Leaky Gut).

Many of these symptoms seem to be unrelated, but every part of your body is connected, and dependent on the proper functioning of the other parts. Also suspect leaky gut if your children have any kind of digestion-related challenges (like allergies or allergic symptoms) or any kind of mental issues- many moms of children diagnosed with Autism have also been found to have Leaky Gut Syndrome- as well as the children themselves (sorry, I can't find where I read that or else I would link to it...or give a more accurate statistic!)...which to me would indicate that mom was passing stuff onto the child during pregnancy. 

Additional reading about Leaky Gut Syndrome

If you suspect you have any of these issues, I encourage you to do some more research into these conditions for yourself. It would also be beneficial to contact a local naturopathic doctor who can help in diagnosing these conditions (as I am obviously not any kind of health practitioner- just a mom who has been searching for ways to combat health conditions in our family- including anger on my part!) Yes, anger can affect your health even further too! We put ourselves under a lot of stress when get overly upset- especially at little things in our everyday lives.

Getting proper amounts of rest, eating well, eliminating too much sugar, caffeine and carbs is a good way to overcome most of these problems if you can relate to any of this. It may seem like a big sacrifice to give up a "normal" lifestyle, but at the end of the day, it will pay off! You will have more peace and definitely be more pleasant to be around (especially to the most important people in your life)! Consider this passage from the Bible:

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 1 Corinthians 6:19 (I know in context, it's talking about sexual behavior, but it applies to how you take care of yourself too!)

Oh, and just as a side note, I've basically eliminated caffeine (except for the occasional chocolate "fix" and the iced tea I just drank) and I've noticed a huge increase in my ability to be patient with my family members- I am way less irritable than before! Lest you think I'm dispensing advice without following it myself!

Have you experienced any of these symptoms? Do you think they may be linked to the conditions I've described? Share your experience!

A Good Drink and Some Good Reads!

On the home front, we have become OBSESSED with smoothies! It all started when we attempted to go grain-free on the Maker's Diet (that didn't work out for too long- you can read my previous "Happy Tummies" post for the back story on that). I came across this post at Passionate Homemaking, and I was inspired to make a green smoothie. It was actually really good!

I love this idea, especially as a homemaker with young children, I could use a boost during the day- and a green smoothie provides just that! The ones I make are usually heavier on the "green"- but since my husband is the Chief Smoothie Maker in our house, most of the time, they look like this:

Would you believe that actually contains spinach (a good amount, too)? And carrots? Yes, carrots. The one in the picture has frozen strawberries, blueberries, spinach, carrots and orange juice. He's even started making them with tomatoes. (I'm still not quite sure how I feel about that- and I like tomatoes!)

Anyway, they're really easy to make, and we just have a regular blender- nothing fancy. The only one in our house who doesn't love a good smoothie is my son (who calls them "smoozies" by the way), and I think that's only because he hasn't been brave enough to try one. My daughter LOVES them- as soon as she sees one in my hand, she is on me like white on rice! I love knowing that I'm getting a good serving or two (or more) of vegetables, and it tastes so good! Here are some ideas of what you can add (that I've tried) that I really like:

• Berries
• peaches
• mango
• pineapple
• spinach
• parsley
• coconut milk (the stuff in a can- it adds a lot of fat which helps you stay full longer- and has many other benefits- that's a whole 'nother post!)
• plain yogurt
• bananas
• orange juice
• pomegranate juice
• cranberry juice

Jordan Rubin even recommends adding a whole raw egg for protein (and all the extra good stuff eggs provide). Just make sure you use a good quality egg (like organic or free range) and wash it before you crack it- that's where the risk of Salmonella is for the most part. I actually did that for a while years ago during another "smoothie kick", and you can't really taste the egg- so it's not an issue if the thought of that grosses you out. :)

Anyway, now for the reading: I've come across SO many great food/wellness blogs lately and some really great posts that I just have to share...so go make yourself a smoothie, and then come back and read them!

12 Foods You Don't Have to Buy Organic

10 Reasons to Cut Out Processed Foods

An interesting article about breakfast cereal and why you should consider avoiding it.

Slay the Sugar Monster in Four Steps- I love this article! So informative about different kinds of sweeteners and why you should kick the sugar habit. 

So, what kind of smoothie did you make? What did you think of the articles? Share with me in the comments!

Introducing Happy Tummies!

So you've probably noticed the Happy Tummies tab underneath the header (you have, right?) and you may have wondered what it's all about (right?). Anyway, I will begin adding related content pretty soon, but I wanted to explain what I mean by "Happy Tummies". 

Happy is the opposite of SAD, which stands for "Standard American Diet" which is a diet full of unhealthy food, low in fiber and complex carbohydrates and high in sugar and processed foods. I think I first heard the term "SAD" back when I first read The Maker's Diet (which is a great book to read- even if you don't do the 40 day diet) about seven years ago.

My Journey

Like many, I think I pretty much grew up on the "standard American diet". I remember eating a lot of sugary cereal and things like Pop Tarts for breakfast, sandwiches on white bread for lunch...most the time we ate something home cooked for dinner, but at busier times we would eat pizza or fast food or boxed, highly processed convenience meals (think "just add water" and ground beef- or mix the day-glo cheese powder with margarine and milk). As a teenager, I distinctly remember eating candy bars and soda for "breakfast" and Taco Bell for lunch...and top ramen for dinner. I continued eating this way into my early adult years, until at one point I was probably about 30 pounds overweight from eating fast food all the time (that may not seem like much, but on my small frame, it was really noticeable).

It was at that point that I began to make some changes- and when I did, I saw the weight come off pretty quickly. I stopped drinking soda (for the most part) and started adding in more and more fresh fruit and vegetables to my diet. I started cooking more food at home and enjoyed recipes from a "quick and healthy" cook book that I had. I still use some of those recipes from time to time, but I actually started using real eggs and butter in the recipes that called for "healthy" egg substitute and margarine several years ago.

Then, about seven years ago, I participated in a healthy living seminar at my church, and started learning about organic, whole foods, and other "super foods". I also read The Maker's Diet around that time, and from that point I've learned more and more about how to take care of and nourish this body that God has entrusted me with.

Now, I pretty much try to avoid "fake food" altogether or, as I like to call it "frankenfood." When selecting something that is not a whole food at the grocery store I usually follow this criteria:

• short list of recognizable ingredients
• no high fructose corn syrup
• no Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
• no artificial colors or artificial flavors
• organic (sometimes- usually if a packaged food is organic, you can count on it to be free from unhealthy sweeteners, artificial flavors and colors.)

I try to purchase and eat food that is as close to it's original state as possible. I'm still growing on this "real food journey" so I still will use some items for convenience like canned tomatoes or beans- but I am big on learning how to make stuff at home. Pretty recently, I learned how to make chicken stock at home- it is so much tastier than store bought, and I know exactly what's in it! I also learned how to make homemade yogurt which takes a long time, but is rather easy. I had one failure with the yogurt, but it ended up as ricotta cheese instead!

More recently, I adopted an allergen free diet. Shortly after my daughter was born, she began exhibiting allergic symptoms that were alleviated when I cut out the "big eight" allergens from my diet (milk, eggs, soy, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, fish and shellfish). The first four were the toughest for me, and the others not as much because they weren't a huge part of my diet anyway. (I am breastfeeding, by the way). It's definitely been an interesting experience, and I've learned even more about health. I've also realized the strong possibility that I have been experiencing "leaky gut" (or increased intestinal permeability) which would (at least in my mind) explain why my daughter would be sensitive to food that I eat to the extent that she is.  My son also tested positive for food allergies (also breastfed). I've recently tried to follow The Maker's Diet (which is basically grain-free) which meant reintroducing eggs and milk, but my daughter is still reacting to those foods if I eat them in larger quantities. I've had to re-assess and have made the decision to go back to the milk, egg, wheat, soy free diet.

As you step out on your own journey, just realize that all the little changes that you make will make a big difference in your life and in the lives of your family members. You don't have to make the changes overnight! It's not an all or nothing venture. You can start out like I did (depending on where you're at) by cutting out sodas, for example. And just go from there!

Healthy, Achievable, Properly Prepared and Yummy! That's what "Happy Tummies" is all about! I plan to post something on a weekly basis related to this- whether it be a recipe, or information that I feel like I need to share.

Where are you in your journey to "real food?" Is there anything in particular you would like me to address? Let me know in the comments!