Wednesday " Word "... Dehydrating

http://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?rs=ac&len=2&q=dehydrator+recipes&term_meta%5B%5D=dehydrator|autocomplete|0&term_meta%5B%5D=recipes|autocomplete|0 

http://www.food.com/recipe/tomato-powder-dehydrator-390224

 http://www.food.com/recipe/spicy-apple-chips-109877 

    There is a great sale on fresh in season tomatoes, a neighbor gives you some of their abundance of vegetables, you have apples that need to get eaten sooner then later... Here are a few links that will open up  new ideas to preserving your excess food beyond canning and freezing.

    Don't let not having a "dehydrator" keep you from trying this. Just use your oven or even toaster oven (for small things) http://farmgal.tripod.com/Dehydrate.html. And if you need more ideas just Google or look on Pinterest. Give dehydrating a try...

Wednesday "Word"... Slaw

 http://www.doctoroz.com/recipe/spicy-peanut-butter-slaw

Why not try this Spicy Peanut Butter Slaw for a crunchy bold new taste.. Make ahead of time and enjoy for lunch. 

There are a lot of health benefits to eating cabbage...

https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/vegetable/health-benefits-of-cabbage.html

Cabbage History

• Cabbage is one of the oldest known vegetables.
• Cabbage dates back to 4,000 B.C. in Shensi province in China.
• Around 600 B.C. the Celts brought cabbage to Europe from Asia.
• In 1536 French navigator Jacques Cartier brought cabbage to the Americas.
• In Captain Cook’s famous first voyage, (17th century) many of the crew members were saved from gangrene when the ship’s doctor made poultices of cabbage to apply to their wounds.

Saturday Supper...

 Bourbon Chicken

 http://www.food.com/recipe/bourbon-chicken-45809

(doesn't actually use bourbon)

be sure to read the reviews and comments on recipe site for ideas

Suggestion for Sides:

~ rice / noodles

~ fresh tossed salad

~ stir fry vegetables

Building Healthy Food Habits...

Habit - an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary.

We as humans build habits. Some are better then others, but the good news is, we can change them! But what often happens when we evaluate our habits and the ones we would like to change, we try to tackle to much at one time and become overwhelmed and quit ( along with feeling like a failure). So how do we change our eating and have success? One small habit (step) at a time. Just pick ONE thing for your health you would like to do different. Here are a few ideas:

~ Eat a Fruit or Vegetable at every meal

~ Walk one day a week 

~ Replace one drink with flavored water

~ Sprinkle a little less salt and instead sprinkle an herb on your food

~ Get to bed 15-30 minutes earlier once a week

~ Plan a couple sweet treats for the week

After you have decided what it is in your life you would like to change, focus only on that one thing and see how you feel. It takes time to retrain our brain through repetitive behavior so when you feel you have established a routine that feels successful, then move on and incorporate a new habit you want to change. Or if you feel like you could handle more then one, try it and do what feels right to you and your body. Most important "be patient and kind" to yourself when your in the middle of change. We will slip and fall but that's okay. Just pick yourself up and keep going.

If you would like help evaluating where to start and what steps to take, I can assist you in your success.

You can follow me on https://www.facebook.com/WholeFoodLiving

and visit http://wholefood-living.com/index.html to see how I can help you on your way to a healthier you!

How Does Your Garden Grow?

This is one view of my containers.

These are my blueberries bushes.

        I came across this link the other day http://brownthumbmama.com/2014/04/start-vegetable-garden-25.html about starting a vegetable garden for $25.00. So I thought I would share what I'm doing in my own backyard.
        For years I had an organic square foot garden and this past year a new neighbor moved in and decided to use lots of chemicals to try and get rid of ivy that was growing on his side of the fence (coming from my yard). Can't say I blame him, but at that time we were having non stop rain and all the chemicals ran down onto my lawn, garden, flowers and plants I had put in the ground. Lost almost everything! I was very discouraged but not out, so I decided to container garden. I'm using containers       I've had around my house and ones I hope to can find from family and friends, plus the dollar store has containers as well. You don't have to have a lot of money to grow your own herbs and vegetables. One thing I do for seeds, is buy them a few here and there ( or you can ask friends and neighbors to share if there is extra) that way the expense is spread over time.
        Right now I only have some herbs started and will continue to plant vegetables in the coming weeks. Growing a garden always gets me excited... there is NOTHING better then fresh whole food from my own back yard. So get a few containers, plant a tomato, a pepper a few fresh herbs then you will have all you need for that tomato sauce your going to make when your harvest is ready!!!

Another view... I have a few strawberries in the hanging basket.

You can follow me on https://www.facebook.com/WholeFoodLiving

and visit http://wholefood-living.com/index.html to see how I can help you on your way to a healthier you!

Tuesday "Try"... Parsnips

"Parsnip"

The parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) is a root vegetable closely related to the carrot. It is a biennial plant usually grown as an annual. Its long tuberous root has cream-colored skin and flesh and can be left in the ground when mature as it becomes sweeter in flavor after winter frosts. In its first growing season, the plant has a rosette of pinnate, mid-green leaves. If unharvested, it produces its flowering stem, topped by an umbel of small yellow flowers, in its second growing season. By this time the stem is woody and the tuber inedible. The seeds are pale brown, flat and winged.

On this Tuesday "Try" I decided on another in season vegetable that I'd never eaten before. It was easy to find in my local grocery store, and it was available in big and smaller sizes. I had one of each and I found the smaller one softer to work with then the larger one. The description said it was closely related to a carrot and I thought it looked and did taste similar to a carrot. The taste was not over powering and it complimented the sweet potato. I found a recipe that mixed parsnips and sweet potatoes http://glutenfreegirl.com/2011/01/sweet-potato-latkes-gluten-free/.

First I peeled the parsnips and sweet potatoes.

Then I grated them and soaked them for 10 minutes in water to release the starch.

After I drained all the water out, I put the shredded parsnips and sweet potatoes in a towel to get out as much of the excess water as I could. Then I added, thyme, plain coconut yogurt, salt and pepper, shallot, and potato starch. Then I mixed a little earth balance and olive oil in the pan and made small patties.

Now that I've tried parsnips I certainly will be using them again in my recipes. I've even found my next idea ~ baked parsnip fries http://www.delightedmomma.com/2012/01/baked-parsnip-fries.html

Tuesday's "TRY"

     http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/f/fennel01.html

Welcome to Tuesday's Try, where I'll be experimenting with food I've never eaten or trying something with a food that's familiar and trying it in a different way. Today I'm using Fennel. I had never eaten this vegetable before and had always been a bit intimidated by the way it looks and just unsure what to do with it. But after doing a search for ideas, I'm excited to use fennel again in my recipes. Plus fennel is good for you. It contains Vitamins A and C as well as potassium and calcium and has a slightly sweet anise flavor and can be used to help with stomach distress.

Fennel Apple Salad

First I cut a very thin sliver off the bottom (discard) then cut off the fronds (feathery top - saved for another use).

As you can see in the above picture the outside can sometimes be bruised or discolored so I took off the top layer of the fennel bulb. But you can just as easily use a vegetable peeler and remove some of the discoloring. I cut the bulb in half and cut out small triangles of the core to discard.

Then with each half you can slice them really thin with a knife or use a mandolin. I also cut up one Granny Smith apple into thin slices.

I mixed the fennel with the apple, toasted pecans and made a simple dressing of orange juice, honey, olive oil and apple cider vinegar, mixed it all together then put in the refrigerator to chill. There are many ways to use the fronds but I just steeped them to make fennel tea, which I enjoy.

Recipe

1 fennel

1 apple

1/4-1/2 cup pecans - toasted

1/4 cup orange juice 

1 Tb. olive oil

1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

1 Tb. honey

(adjust to your taste - play with the ingredients)

Only thing left is to ENJOY!

You can follow me on https://www.facebook.com/WholeFoodLiving

and visit http://wholefood-living.com/index.html to see how I can help you on your way to a healthier you!