Freezing Lemon Juice

This year, we had a TON of lemons!  Lucky us!

One of my favorite things to do with these awesome little guys is juice them, freeze the juice into ice cube trays, and then save the cubes in a big Ziploc bag to use all year long.

Real Food Dinner Ideas

After a conversation with a friend the other day regarding eating habits, she asked me to share with her what we eat on a regular basis...

So, I thought it would be good to make a list that I could reference and share with others as well!

Dinner Ideas:

***As a general rule all of our ground beef/steak is grass-fed, chicken is organic and free-range, eggs are cage-free/organic, and bacon is nitrate free
***Bread, tortillas, pasta and all baked goods are whole grain

• Tacos - make your own.  Either using black beans, fish, chicken, steak, or ground beef 
• side ideas: cheese (shred yourself), avocado, salsa, grilled veggies, sour cream, guacamole, olives...
• Bacon, lettuce, avocado sandwiches (we don't like raw tomato, but you could use it)
• Whole chicken in a crockpot <--Recipe link
• Make chicken stock with the leftover bones then have...
• Chicken Noodle soup (Recipe link) the next day or
• Beef Stew (use the chicken stock from above... NOT beef boullion)
• Macaroni and Cheese - Homemade
• Grilled chicken, fish (wild caught), or steak with a "side" see below for list of sides
• Homemade Chicken Nuggets (Recipe Link)
• Spaghetti (or other pasta) with either ground beef or Homemade meatballs...
•  I usually buy the organic marinara from Vons or Traders for this, but we have also made our own sauce with fresh tomatoes
• Meatball sandwiches using the meatballs from above
• Pizza (homemade, a good meatless option)
• a whole grain dough recipe has been tough for us to find that we like, so we use either Trader Joes whole wheat pitas, their wheat dough (which is NOT whole grain, so not great), or we have been trying different recipes
• We use a mix of whole milk mozzarella, sharp cheddar, and fresh parmesan...all freshly shredded.  (preshredded cheese includes an anti-caking preservative)
• Eggplant parmesan
• use homemade whole wheat breadcrumbs
• Quiche (Recipe Link)
• Salad... endless possibilities (link)...with homemade dressing
• I try all sorts of dressing recipes off the internet... as long as they have real ingredients
• Almost all storebought dressing is full of preservatives and soy, it takes about 3 minutes to make my own and they taste SO much better
• for the kids we do the salad ingredients in bowls and they can choose what they want either on a salad or seperately
• Omlettes, fritada, waffles, pancakes, french toast, hootennanies (these are a cross between scrambled eggs and french toast)
• whatever breakfast for dinner you can do using whole grain flour/bread
• Use fresh fruit and 100% pure and organic maple syrup

Side Ideas:

• Brown Rice
• Quinoa
• Whole grain couscous
• Noodles and breadcrumbs
• Baked potatoes
• Red, sweet, yukon potatoes (roasted)
• Grilled/roasted veggies (whatever is in season)
• FRUIT!! <-- We have fruit at every. single. meal.

Food thoughts

Feeling a bit of a struggle these past two weeks.  All the festivities surrounding Hannah's birthday and the kids being home for spring break and then Easter has me having a few more 'cheat' days than I would like. 

I read something from Isabele at Beyond Diet the other day... if you blow it, take the next few days and do a sort-of detox.  No flour, dairy, or sugar...drink more water than normal and walk more.  Today was supposed to be the start of that, but the temptation of some Easter bread got to me and I had three pieces, argh!!  It was not whole grain and was full of sugar.  Not to mention I was in a weird mental place the past few days due to an over indulgence of sugar both Saturday and Sunday.  I need to get ahold of my sugar intake again.

So, tomorrow will start my mini-detox and I will be giving up wheat and sugar for two days and drinking extra water/tea. 

As far as excercise goes, I have taken up running!  Yes, it is as shocking to me as anyone.  I regularly go 2-2.5 miles and have made it as far as 3 running with another mile walk!  I am still aiming for 6 days of movement per week and am now looking for at least 30 minutes each day with something more intense than walking around the block. 

Weight is holding steady. Somewhere between 144 and 146 each weigh-in... although I am giving myself a few days to recoup from the scale from this past week.  I am going to make a goal of 140 by the end of May.  I really do think I can push through this plateau and get there by really being mindful of my portions and wheat-related items. 

I need to get more veggies in the house tomorrow and focus on some plant-based meals!

Early April garden update

Well, this year has been crazy in terms of weather.  Such a mild winter has led to some late-season chillyness and (finally!) a little rain here and there.  I guess many people have lost some of their early plantings due to the frost/freezing temperatures.  <---At least that is what the guy at the nursery told me last weekend.

**Apparently it is a rule-of-thumb that the last frost/freeze of the year is on or before March 15**

We replaced the cucumbers with some watermelon seedlings last weekend.  I am hoping they do better than the cucs did, and there is no reason they shouldn't do well.  I will make a note of the exact variety as soon as I think to check. 

Our bibb lettuce is ready to be early harvested, it is crazy how fast it grew!  I am planning on trying it in a dinner this week. 

Peppers and tomatoes and onions are growing well.  The one snap-pea plant and eggplant are growing slower, but doing just fine.  The squash and zucchini and beets look to be hanging on, but not yet thriving. 

The carrots are starting to sprout. 

I did take some photos on the 7th and will be adding them as soon as I get them ready. 

Since we have been having intermittant rain, I have been giving a heavy soak every third day or so - more time if it has rained.

Real Food Defined

I have mentioned in several posts that we have started eating 'Real Food'.  By this I mean food that is as close to it's original state as possible.  At the present time, these are the general guidelines I go by when purchasing and preparing food.

• If the food has a label, look at the ingredients list instead of the nutrition information. 
• Can you pronounce all of the ingredients? 
• Would your Great-Grandma know what these ingredients are?
• Are there more than five ingredients? 
• Are there any hydrogenated oils? 
• Are there any preservatives?
• Whole Grain: When eating a grain, eat a WHOLE grain. 
• Whole wheat flour, whole grain corn, brown rice, oats... just look for the term WHOLE. 
• Fats and Cooking Oils:
• Butter, olive oil, coconut oil, sesame oil, and a few others fit the bill. (NO-soybean oil, vegetable oil, canola oil, sunflower or safflower oil)
• Produce:
• Aim to buy as much produce at farmer's markets and through CSAs as possible. 
• When buying at the supermarket try to buy organic if it is fairly cost effective, or at least as local as you can.  I would buy strawberries grown in the USA over organic strawberries grown in Chile. 
• Keep the 'Dirty Dozen' list of the most pesticide-ridden fruits and veggies in mind.  Aim for organic items from this list when possible.
• Meat: Here is my run down on buying meats...
• For chicken, I buy local, organic and pastured whenever possible... at the least organic...and at the VERY least vegetarian fed. 
• Beef, buy 'GRASS FED' and organic.  If possible, look for a local source.
• Sausage and bacon, look for 'uncured' and nitrate/nitrite free. 
• Sweeteners:
• Local, raw honey...NOT from a grocery store.  Raw honey is good, raw AND local is better.
• 100% Pure maple syrup
• 100% juice, preferably fresh squeezed and as a sweetener and not a beverage
• Sugar in (major) moderation.  Unrefined, organic cane sugar is a good choice when baking at home. 
• Dairy and Eggs:
• Eggs should be organic and cage free.  When possible, I buy from a local farmer directly. 
• Dairy should be as whole as possible. 
• Whole milk, cream, sour cream, plain yogurt, cheese, etc. 
• I look for pasturized, not ultra-pasturized milk products. 
• I am exploring the option of raw milk products...like raw cheese.
• Avoid pre-shredded cheese products due to the anti-caking additive used. 
• Avoid canned goods due to BPA used in the lining of the cans. 
• Use dried beans and grains, prepare them yourself
• Frozen fruit and veggies are ok, as long as you don't cook them in plastic in the microwave.   
• Overall, aim to prepare as much food at home as possible!!

Weight Loss thoughts...

Last week I was feeling pretty good.  I *thought* my weight was down to the lowest it had been, but it turns out that I might have had scale sabatoge...there was a piece of fabric under one side of the scale foot that caused it to read differently, boo!  Even so, I did have lower-than-normal real readings putting me down between 9 and 13 pounds on any given day.  Success considering I was at a plateau and feeling frustrated about two weeks ago. 

[I am promising myself that my next post will explain my current eating "guidelines"...not exactly rules, but something I am striving to stick to.] 

I am feeling a little hungry this week compaerd to last week.  Last week I felt satisfied with my food intake and was not having/barely having the afternoon cravings.  This week they are back a little, although not anything like the ravenous sugar addict cravings I would have in the afternoons before.  I am trying to make a point of eating something plant-based and non-sugary when I do feel hungry...an apple, carrots, nuts, or a little trail mix that John made last week.  I did break into my frozen stash of 'healthy' oatmeal cookies yesterday. 

I can totally tell when I have had sugar or white flour, the crash afterward is terrible.  It is bad enough for me to think twice and avoid those foods when possible. 

My new normal is to allow a little wiggle room in my eating on Friday and Sunday nights.  It's like a conditioned response to the day.  I start craving different foods than during the week.  Although the feeling afterward is pretty blech! 

Cucumber's Down

Well, about two weeks in and the cucumbers seem to be gone.  It was either way to early to plant them, or the cold temperatures last week got to them.  (Which also points to it being way to early to plant!)

Unfortunately the zucchini plants are looking pretty bad as well.  I am willing to replant in a few weeks if they keep going downhill. 

On the upside:

• ALL of the lettuce and strawberries look fabulous. 
• The peppers have new growth - all but one plant look really healthy.
• The beets seem to be holding strong.
• All other plants are looking ok as well.

Watering is about every third day, every other day if it hits 70 degrees.  We are looking at some rain this week, so I am hoping it doesn't flood the beds.  Rain is supposed to be good for this stuff, right?!?  :-)