Healthy Eating
Showing posts with label Healthy Eating. Show all posts

5 Reasons Why I Love Ellyn Satter's Family-Style Feeding and Eating

Paloma versus The Cherries
A while back, I posted on my personal Facebook account how I had had a great encounter with a nanny at the park. What she told me about was a wonderful way to approach feeding children. Her ideas were based on Ellyn Satter's Division of Responsibility, which is essentially family-style eating. It's not that her ideas are revolutionary or novel. Family-style eating has been around forever and is practiced all over the world. So why was it so hard for me to feed my family this way?

Hunter has always been on the lower end of the growth charts, but for a while in never bothered me too much because he would always eat what I put in front of him. Bacon, sweet potato, and bell pepper hash? More please! Lentils, steak, crispy kale -- you name it, he ate it. Sure, it crossed my mind to give him half & half to drink instead of whole milk so he would put on some more weight, but I never did it because I trusted his body was perfect and doing the growing it needed to do. Then, at some point Hunter got picky, and I stopped trusting him. Mealtime became an exercise in negotiation and bribery. "If you eat one more bite of this, then you can have that." "You can't have dessert until you eat what's on your plate." The dinner table became a battle ground.

With a lot of TRUST and a change in our attitudes, we've turned mealtime around for the better. Basically it works like this: 
  • The adults' responsibility is to decide what, when, and where. I choose a more or less healthy menu of 4-5 items and place them on the table with serving spoons so that family members serve themselves. Yup, it's simply family-style eating. (I was used to putting a little of everything on Hunter's plate and placing it in front of him. Sometimes he would eat it up, and other times I would nag him until he ate something.) Just be sure that at least one of the 4-5 foods is something you are certain the child will eat.
  • The children's responsibility is to decide whether or not to eat and how much. Hunter is allowed to eat as much or as little as he wants of all the items offered except dessert. (More on that later.) We refrain from making any comments surrounding how much or little he's eaten. Instead, we communicate that this is the time to fill our bellies so that we don't feel hungry anymore, which helps Hunter understand that we won't be taking special food requests or sneaking him a banana before bed if he is suddenly hungry. 
Here is why I LOVE it!

1. No more negotiating with a 3-year-old. In the weeks since we've implemented the Division of Responsibility in Feeding, mealtime is more peaceful and enjoyable. (Well, as much as it can be with a 3-year-old, but there is definitely no more battling.) I used to over-exaggerate how delicious asparagus was or try to entice him to eat it by saying later he would find out how it makes his pee smell funny. If he doesn't eat the asparagus, oh well. I trust he will get the nutrients he needs from the other foods on offer. 

2. We eat more dessert! Dessert is actually one of the 4-5 items, so it is served at the same time as the rest of the food. The reason behind this idea is to prevent sweets from becoming "forbidden foods" that kids will binge eat the minute they are away from their parents. The only thing is that the serving size is limited to one portion per person. One night Hunter put his two cookies on the plate next to the burrito he had assembled from our burrito bar items (avocado, tomatoes, black beans, cheese, and sour cream). He ate one cookie, then the whole burrito, then the other cookie. The other night he took one bite of brownie and then didn't want anymore. It really works!!!

3. We nurture positive associations with food. One food is not better than another. We don't praise vegetables and talk crap about sugary foods. We are honest and say that all the foods on the table will help us grow strong, not just the green vegetables. We discuss how eating too many sugary foods might make us sick or tired, but we do like them and it's OK to have them. We allow Hunter to eat until satiated so he's not over-eating or left hungry. This freedom teaches him to listen to his hunger cues and teaches us to trust him. One night all he ate was a bunch of grapes. He didn't want to eat anything else, just grapes, so he ate grapes until he was full. We bit our tongues, and everyone was all the better for it. I mean it's grapes not M&Ms, you know?

4. It's EASY and intuitive. I basically take the main dish that I plan to cook that night and put it in a serving bowl or dish. Then I put out a green salad, sliced cucumber, celery sticks or sugar snap peas with some ranch. Then I cut up some fruit, and put that in a bowl. Then a put out a bonus dish like pickles & olives or some other cooked vegetable like potatoes or broccoli. If it's a main dish that Hunter loves (like chicken salad or lentils or burritos), I will set out dessert. 

5. I don't worry about making "kid-friendly" foods. In other words, if I want to try a new recipe, I'll do it. At best, Hunter will be adventurous and try something new. At worst he will eat a dinner of cucumbers dipped in ranch and apple slices.

Try this approach for a week and let me know how it goes!!

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Backyard Garden

Strawberry

One of the things I am going to miss about owning our home* is the backyard. Although we haven't done much with it during the two years we've been here, it has so much potential. We had dreams of an herb garden, veggie garden, pergola, etc. Despite our lack of landscaping, Hunter has enjoyed playing in the dirt, digging around the dead grass, and pulling weeds. Isaiah has used the space to work on projects around the house.

I, on the other hand, have enjoyed tending a small garden for the last couple of months, and I couldn't have done it without my mom's help. She and my stepfather have an amazing garden. (She even makes how-to videos!) The strawberry, mint, parsley, kale, and Swiss chard all started from seed. My mom sprouted them for me, brought them over, and helped me transplant them in some small existing beds on the side of our yard. 

The blackberry started as a branch Mom cut from her blackberry bush, and we have already had a mini-harvest that yielded about a dozen berries over about 2 weeks. Every day, Hunter would go out there to check for ripe berries, "Baby, baby, baby!" The zucchini and cucumber started as small plants my mom bought at Home Depot and planted for me because she wanted Hunter to enjoy zucchini from his garden (his fav veggie).  I am really impressed with myself that I have remembered to water everything ;)

Mint
Parsley
Kale
Swiss chard
Blackberry
Zucchini flower
Zucchini
Swiss chard and Cucumber
We also planted a small cactus garden in the front yard. Check out our home renovation blog for some photos.

*Long story short, we're selling our house because we need the cash! With the capital gains from the sale of our home, we plan to pay off our student loan debt, pay for my training program (I am going back to school in a couple of weeks to become a Montessori primary teacher), and pay for Hunter's first year of Montessori school.

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I Am a Cheater and a Quitter and What We've Been Eating Lately


Enjoying gazpacho
... and pickles!
Back in June I decided to do the Whole 30 program. I wasn't trying to lose weight but mostly press the restart button on my eating habits, so to speak. I hadn't been going crazy with the sweets, but I wasn't being careful about my sugar intake and I wanted (still want) to keep my insulin levels at bay. I am not diabetic, but my fertility issue has to do with excess insulin, and if we're going to be blessed with another baby in the future, I am to get back on track.

I was doomed from the beginning. With Father's Day in the middle of the month, I went into the whole thing allowing myself one "cheat" that day to celebrate. I had a small piece of cake, and then went back on track. But it was around that time (after 2 weeks on the program) that I started getting pretty annoyed that I wasn't feeling any different. Maybe it had to do with not exercising (if you don't count running after a toddler exercising -- I really don't). I thought, with all this healthy food, why don't I feel amazing? Other than the no exercise issue, the one theory I had was that since I was generally very good at eating healthy meals before starting the program and most of the foods I was cooking were recipes from my normal repertoire, there wasn't a vast enough change in my diet to make a marked difference in my life. I am sure there was plenty of good going on inside, I just didn't notice it. By day 26 or so, I had cheated again, eating a burger while out with my family. By day 28, I had quit.

Even though I have proven to myself in the past that I have very strong willpower when it comes to food, why didn't I have enough discipline to finish this program? Well, I think it has do with lots of things. Firstly, motivation. When I gave up soy/dairy/gluten/sugar/alcohol/caffeine for five months, I was motivated by the idea of conceiving a baby. Now that I have a child, that motivation is not as strong. Also, I went into the program thinking it was a sort of cleanse and that I would more or less keep up the discipline even after the program ended, so it really felt like there was no end in sight. 

The whole program just felt too restrictive. No beans? I mean, that month was so EXPENSIVE because of all the meat. I think a couple of bean-based vegetarian meals per week are harmless. Also, on my get-pregnant diet, I was "allowed" gluten-free grains and seeds like oatmeal, quinoa, and kasha. Those grains add bulk and variety to meals, and to not have them during Whole 30 really messed with me. Not that I missed those foods, but I just felt so, well, restricted. I think gluten-free grains are fine in moderation. I think the same could be said for lots of foods. 

I don't eat cake, donuts, bread, or other baked goods every day. Maybe once a week. I do, however, eat the frozen yogurt bars from Costco almost every day, so that's going to have to stop. I will go back to no soy/dairy/gluten/sugar/alcohol/caffeine starting September 1, so I will have some restrictions for sure, but just knowing that beans, regular potatoes, and oatmeal is OK makes me at peace with it all. ;)

Despite quitting Whole 30 at the end of June, we've still been enjoying some delicious, fresh, unprocessed or minimally-processed meals with a focus on seasonal produce. Here are some of our no-cook or minimally-cooked lunch and dinner favorites on rotation this summer: Gazpacho, Greek salad with grilled chicken, and pinto bean corn tostadas topped with sauteed cabbage and onion. For breakfast we've enjoyed Birchermuesli, bacon and sweet potato hash (I took this recipe and swapped out the apples for sweet peppers, but come fall I will use apples again), and celery root "hash browns." As for dessert, we've enjoyed lots of cantaloupe, honeydew, and piel de sapo melon! Yum!

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First Birthday Party: Farm or Barnyard Theme Menu

Food Tent Cards by Three Little Monkeys Studio
I enlisted the help of Grandma and Grandpa Wallis (my mom and stepdad) as well as my sister to help out with the food, so first, a big thanks to them!!

Here is what we served at Hunter's party:

Snacks
Cheese "Degustation"
Sample five different unmarked cheeses. Number sheet 1-5 and guess the name of each cheese. We offered Manchego, Gruyere, Jarlsberg, Cheddar, and Gouda. This was more for the adults, and I am kind of disappointed that more people didn't participate. Maybe living in Switzerland made us cheese snobs (OK, it did).

"Rabbit Food"
Arrange veggie sticks in cups (candy cups form Michael's). Serve with hummus.

"Chicken Coop"
My mom made these deviled eggs that look like little chicks. She cut up black olives for the eyes and carrots for the beak. How cute is that? (Idea from here.)

Savory
Grandpa Wallis's Chili
The main dish was my stepdad's "signature" chili that he loves to make, and which he lovingly served to our guests. 

Caesar Salad
I so wanted to make little "stand-up" salad bundles like the ones I saw here, but I could not get the darn green onions to tie. Some things you've just got to let go when you're doing them an hour before the party starts ;)

"Silo" Wraps
We served vegan, veggie, gluten-free, and turkey options. Easy to make and so much tastier than store-bought. Sample assembly: Pre-cook mushrooms, zucchini strips (thinly sliced length-wise), and radicchio in coconut oil. Spread plain hummus over spinach gluten-free tortilla (Rudi's Bakery). Arrange a radicchio leaf with some mushrooms on top and two slices of zucchini. Roll up the wrap, and slice! (Idea from here.)

"Chicken Feed"
I wanted to serve a gluten-free grain, so I went with quinoa. I sauteed celery in some coconut oil, and then tossed it with raisins and cooked quinoa. For the dressing I mixed orange juice (1/2 orange), lemon juice (whole lemon), mustard, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Sweet
"Horse Treats"
Sliced green apples (drizzled with lemon juice to keep from browning) with paleo "caramel" dip. (The only thing I did differently is soak the dates overnight before removing the pit and processing them with the other ingredients.) Oh my goodness, that dip is the best dip ever. Better than actual caramel.

"Hay Bales"
These are healthy rice crisp treats made with brown rice cereal, brown rice syrup, coconut oil, and almond butter. (Based on this recipe with some omissions and substitutions.)

"Cow Pies"
These gooey candies are made with vegan carob chips, almond milk, dates, and coconut chips. (Based on this recipe, and I left out the almond slivers.)

I maybe had a little too much fun planning this menu. Can you tell? ;)

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Tips for Easy Meal Planning


Whether it's work or kids or school pulling our lives in too many directions, we've all probably had a time in our lives in which we've been too busy to cook real, whole food. In college I ate frozen burritos and Kraft Mac and Cheese (although that was probably also a budget thing), and when I first started teaching I ate a lot of pasta and tomato sauce.

But when I was having trouble getting pregnant and sought the help of Eastern Medicine, I didn't just take Chinese herbs and acupuncture treatments, I had to think about how food was affecting my fertility. I also had so many restrictions that a weekly meal plan was a MUST if I wanted to avoid "cheating."

I may not be trying to get pregnant again any time soon, but meal plans in general are still great. They help us...
 stay within our budget
avoid eating out too often
avoid eating unhealthy foods
and prepare more well-balanced meals.

I have two main tips for you: Develop a repertoire of meals everyone in your family loves and keep your fridge stocked. It has taken a couple of years to get to this point, but with the right ingredients I have an easy meal I can whip up every single night during the work week without having to use a recipe.

Here's how I do it:

  • I started out by using recipes and preparing the meal so many times I wondered why I ever needed a recipe in the first place.
  • As much as possible, I stick to one pot meals for easier clean up.
  • Choose meals with a solid foundation that you can switch up by swapping out different ingredients. (See sample meals below. Loose recipe for cauliflower dish here.)
Curried Chicken Salad
Mexican
Frittata
Zucchini Noodles
Curried Cauliflower Bake
Bean and Cheese Tostadas
Ingredients
Raisins, grilled organic chicken, high-quality curry powder, mayo, served over greens
Corn kernels cut fresh from cob, peppers, onions, and goat cheese
Julienned zucchini, eggs, onions, mushrooms, almond flour crumbles
Chopped cauliflower, chickpeas, onions, curry powder, olive oil, tomato paste
Tostadas, canned refried pinto beans, lettuce, tomatoes, yogurt, cotija cheese
Variations
I change it up by serving it on different greens each week: spinach, baby romaine, spring mix, kale, etc.
This open-faced omelet is so versatile. Mix it up with different cheeses and different veggies.
I’ve used summer squash and spaghetti squash with equally yummy results.
To make this a hardy main instead of a side, I add carrots, potatoes, or sweet potatoes.
Mix up the greens, beans, and add-ons (meat, avocado, corn kernels, grilled onions, etc.)

  • If the main dish isn't filling enough, I make sure I have easy sides stocked: pre-washed spinach or spring mix salad or grains/seeds like farro, quinoa, buckwheat groats, and barley. These grains are great because you can cook them in broth, they are done in 15 minutes or so, and are super tasty!
  • Learn different things to do with the same vegetable. For example, raw cucumbers are great in salad, but cucumbers sauteed in butter are delicious!
  • Make a universal shopping list. I basically buy the same things each week, and if I need something special I write it down. (My list looks like this: greens like pre-washed salad mixes and a couple of bunches of kale or chard, eggs, carrots, cauliflower, potatoes, sweet potatoes, broccoli, some kind of squash, goat cheese, any hard cheese, tomatoes, celery, onions, canned beans, bacon, and chicken.)
  • Take time on Sunday to jot down what you will have each night of the week. It can be on your phone, scratch paper, or a spreadsheet. But if I don't write it down, I forget.

After all this, I do realize that things come up. And I am not going to freak out if all we have for dinner is pasta and tomato sauce. If I've done a good job shopping that week, then I will throw in some greens like chard and it makes me feel like the meal is healthier ;)

Do you create a weekly meal plan?

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A Crunchy Mama at Costco


Is that an oxymoron? Nope. I don't think so. I have actually found quite a bit of good stuff there. One mama has even compiled a list of all the more "natural" products to be found at Costco. Mind you, much of that food is still processed, but at least it's minimally processed and contains organic and non-GMO ingredients.

Here's what we get when we shop at Costco (not every visit, just as needed):

Household -- ECOS laundry detergent and bulk distilled white vinegar (for diaper laundry, deodorizing, and other cleaning purposes)

Organic Food -- chia seeds, multigrain bread (they discontinued the sprouted wheat... grumble, grumble), tortilla chips, granola (love the Nature's Path Coconut Chia blend), chicken stock, tomato paste, sprouted bean blend, farro, chicken breasts, gluten-free crackers, olive oil, and coconut oil.

Non-organic Food -- Silk almond milk (does not contain carrageenan), tilapia, Wild Planet canned tuna, canned salmon, pure maple syrup, and deli-sliced roasted turkey breast.

What's on your Costco shopping list?

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BLW Update

messy boy. messy house.
We've been at this Baby-Led Weaning business for about three months now, and I can say that it is really going well. It's so fun to watch Hunter trying new foods. The great thing about BLW is that it's not about making progress but about playing with food so that babies think food is something to enjoy rather than fear. Have you ever heard this saying? "Food before one is just for fun!" I think it sums up our experience up to this point.

(But I have to admit, we're not sticking to the philosophy 100%. You see, the whole point of BLW is to allow baby to feed himself, but sometimes we shovel a little something into his mouth with a spoon or with our fingers. Like, lentils or Greek yogurt. I tried freezing yogurt drops, but he just played with the frozen chunk and wasn't interested in trying it. When I fed it to him on a spoon, however, he loved it. I don't want him to miss out on yummy Greek yogurt just because he can't feed himself. Also, while eating out, if I don't have something packed for him, he eats off our plates, but it's often food that is not tiny-hands-friendly, so we just pop a piece in his mouth and he is happy. We've also let him suck on organic pureed food pouches a couple of times. Anyway, back to the update...)

So far, Hunter has been the most successful at getting food into his mouth when we cut the food into stick-like pieces, with one part to hold onto and the part "sticking out" gets eaten (or sucked on in the very beginning). The first few weeks, he did a lot of gagging and barfing up any food that he would start to swallow. A lot of it just ended up on the floor or all over his hands and face. Then, by seven months, we could see that he was actually chewing (or gumming) and swallowing food!

We have recently started to offer him smaller foods, like grapes cut in half, to give him the opportunity to work on his pincer grasp, but he's not there yet. With the grapes, for example, he gets to eat about half of them by using both hands to wrangle the slippery fruit and bring it to his mouth, the other half falls to the ground before reaching his mouth. He seems to prefer meat over fruit and vegetables. I find I have to steam the veggies until just falling apart for him to even try them, and then he will actually eat the veggie if I cover it in tomato sauce. Haha.

I have updated in red the new foods he's tried. Click here for my first post on BLW.

Fruits:
-watermelon :) R
-cantaloupe :) R
-honeydew :) R
-plum R
-blueberry R
-apple C & R
-banana :) R
-avocado :( R
-tomato :) R & C
-nectarine :) R
-grapes :) R
-pluot :) R
-strawberry R
-raspberry :) R
-fig :) R

Vegetables:
-sweet potato :) C
-zucchini C
-cucumber C & R
-cauliflower C
-green beans C
-bell pepper C
-yellow squash :) C & R
-beets C
-eggplant C
-purple potato C
-butterball potato :) C 
-broccoli C
-carrot :) :) :) C & R (for teething)
-okra :) C

Other:
-chicken {breast and drumstick} :) C
-egg yolk C
-black bean patty C
-roasted turkey :) C
-ground beef patty :) C
-ground turkey patty :) C
-lentils :) C (though spoon/finger-fed to him)
-lamb meatball :) C
-braised lamb :) C
-bacon :) (this I am kind of ashamed of because of the high salt content) C
-yogurt :)
-canned tuna :)
-canned salmon :)

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Iron and the Breastfed Baby

First Chicken Drumstick
At Hunter's 6-months checkup the doctor asked if I had started feeding him solids. I replied that I had and that I was doing Baby-Led Weaning. I got one of those sideways glances with a raised eyebrow.

"But you're also feeding him iron-fortified cereals, right?"

Wrong, doc. I am not. I honestly thought she was going to call CPS on me when I told her I did not plan on feeding Hunter with a spoon, so no cereals or purees. (I actually have tried spoon feeding him some purees, but it's definitely not as fun as letting him feed himself.) She went on to talk about how breastmilk alone does not contain enough iron and that breastfed babies are at risk for being iron-deficient at their 9-month checkup unless they eat iron-fortified foods. (Babies who drink formula are usually not iron-deficient because formula tends to be high in iron.)

I left that appointment completely second-guessing my decision to do BLW exclusively. I wondered if I should start adding cereal to Hunter's diet. It's not like I want my child to become anemic! After scouring the web in search of lists of iron-rich whole foods as well as the pros and cons of fortified infant cereals, I decided to stick with my initial gut feeling. I just don't feel right about feeding my baby iron-fortified cereals. I have my reasons. 

First, I really would like to avoid all grains until after Hunter's first birthday, mostly because grains are generally more difficult to digest, and also because I would like Hunter to learn to love veggies, meat, and fruit before he gets to try bread and rice. Kids usually love bread no matter what, so I'd just rather put it off for as long as possible.

Second, the iron in iron-fortified cereals is not as easily absorbed as the iron found in whole foods or breastmilk. So even if there is little iron present in breastmilk, what is there gets absorbed very easily versus feeding my baby a bunch of cereal of which very little iron actually gets absorbed. (Click here for the source of this information.)

Finally, I believe that BLW is a great learning tool for babies. I think it's a fun way to learn about food, and I want to stick to the idea of letting baby feed himself, so that means no cereals or purees. Yes, eventually, Hunter will be able to spoon-feed himself foods like yogurt and later oatmeal, but until then, he gets to munch on finger foods.

So now what? Well, my plan is to provide Hunter with opportunities to eat whole foods that are naturally high in iron, such as chicken liver (I guess I need to start cooking that), beef chuck and tenderloin, turkey, chicken leg and breast, tuna, pork, shrimp, lentils, beans (kidney, garbanzo, navy, black, pinto), spinach (and other leafy greens), and raisins. The important thing is to also pair these foods with whole foods that are rich in Vitamin C to help with iron absorption, such as citrus fruits, berries, broccoli, squash, bell peppers, cauliflower, fresh herbs, Brussels sprouts, kiwi, melons, and tomatoes. 

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Baby-Led Weaning: When It Comes to Eating Solids, Baby Is the Boss

Yummy sweet potato!

OK, when it comes to nearly everything, Hunter is the boss, but one of the ideas behind Baby-Led Weaning is that babies let their parents know when they are ready to start eating solids.

The doctor, however, said my baby was ready at his 4 month appointment, and I was like NO WAY! But at Mother's Day brunch (5 months old), we let him suck on a chunk of watermelon, and he loved it. At around that time we started putting him in his Tripp Trapp (a highchair I knew I wanted even before I became pregnant) at the table with us while we ate dinner. We gave him a baby spoon and plate to play with, and he was quite content. Now that he's 6 months old, we've started giving him food, usually some part of whatever I've cooked for dinner for Isaiah and me.

Right now, for Hunter, solids are about exploring textures and flavors and learning to manipulate food. It's probably the one time in his life where it's acceptable to play with his food! I won't go into a huge discussion of BLW here (plus I'm still in the middle of reading the book), but what I've taken away so far is that this approach to solids helps babies practice feeding themselves by chewing and swallowing "adult foods" (rather than being spoon-fed purees), all in preparation for when solids become the primary source of their nutritional needs.

Here's a little log of what he's tried so far. Whether or not he's actually swallowed the food is irrelevant at this point (but let me just say, I've seen some proof that he's swallowed some of these foods).

:) for things he's really liked
:( for not so much
C=cooked
R=raw

Fruits:
-watermelon :) R
-cantaloupe :) R
-honeydew :) R
-plum R
-blueberry R
-apple C & R
-banana :) R
-avocado :( R

Vegetables:
-sweet potato :) C
-zucchini :) :) :) C
-cucumber C & R
-cauliflower C
-green beans C

Other:
-chicken :) C
-egg yolk C
-black bean patty C

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Our Dinner Guest: The Cauliflower


Cauliflower joins us for dinner at least two times a week in many different forms: as pizza crust, in soups, with garbanzo beans (recipe below), and more. I'd even like to try it as faux oatmeal (lots of info about the veggie in that link) and faux rice. 

The only other time I remember paying any mind to cauliflower was back circa 2003 when my mom and I did the Palm Beach Diet (remember that?) and she would make us faux mashed potatoes with cauliflower and cream cheese -- so yummy!

It's a vegetable that's been popping up a lot in my facebook and blog reader feeds, so I thought I'd dedicate a post to my favorite recipe. I adapted the following recipe from one I got in my Farmers' Market Box. It's intended to be a side dish, but we bulk it up to make it a vegetarian main dish at least once a week. It's one of those dishes that I've made so many times that it's part of my repertoire, so you won't find any measurements below. The ingredients are so simple, so just add to your liking!



Curried Cauliflower with Garbanzo Beans

Ingredients:
1 large head of cauliflower
1 large onion (I like purple to add color.)
(Optional: Add a couple sweet potatoes or a bunch of fingerling potatoes to add some more bulk.)
1 can of garbanzo beans
1 can of tomato paste
olive oil
apple cider vinegar
curry powder
salt and pepper

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 400 F.
-Chop cauliflower and arrange on baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
-Chop onion and sprinkle over cauliflower.
-Drain beans and add to baking sheet.
-Mix can of tomato paste in a bowl with remaining ingredients to taste.
-Pour tomato paste mixture over the cauliflower, onion, and beans. Mix well.
-Place baking sheet in oven for 45-55 minutes.

Enjoy!

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Quinoa and Brown Rice Alternatives

Buckwheat Groats

To maintain a mainstream "healthy diet," we're told it's important to include several servings of whole grains per day. That can be a bit tricky when diet restrictions mean that even whole wheat pasta and breads are not an option. So when I was eating gluten-free last year, I started eating more oatmeal and quinoa. I'd also given up sugar and dairy, so we started eating products sweetened with brown rice syrup and drinking rice milk. Those habits just stuck even after I started eating those forbidden foods again.

But just when I thought I was doing my body good, I read an article like this one ("Quinoa's Dark Secret") that tells me our need for quinoa is so intense that it's causing prices to skyrocket so much so that the very farmers who grow it can't even afford to eat it. Say what?

Then I overheard someone mention that brown rice is contaminated with arsenic. Hmm, come again? At first I thought, hey, we're all right because we rarely ever eat rice. But then I was all, duh, look at that big box of organic rice milk cartons you bought at Costco. Made with brown rice!

Now what?

If I don't want to cut quinoa out of my diet, I need to make sure it is Fair Trade certified. In fact, it's not necessarily in quinoa farmers' best interest if everyone stops buying this crop, but you can make a small impact by seeking out Fair Trade quinoa and asking your grocer to carry it.

As for alternatives, here are a couple I've rounded up. We've already begun to phase out rice milk and drink more coconut and almond milks. As for grains and grain-like seeds, try buckwheat groats for a gluten-free choice and farro for a non gluten-free option.

Like quinoa, buckwheat groats are actually seeds. They plump up into chewy little morsels when cooked. Recipe ideas:
Vegetarian Chili (super easy weeknight meal!)

As for farro, it is an "ancient grain" wheat product that reminds me of rice in texture and flavor. 
Recipe ideas:
Toasted with an Egg

UPDATE: I just read about another grain that's gluten-free. I want to try it soon! Amaranth!

What's your take on the current events surrounding quinoa and brown rice?

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Farmers' Market Box


I just finished ordering our next box of fruit and veggies from Specialty Produce. I'd like to share with you, as promised, what I found in this week's box (item and which local farm it's from):


3 Pink Lady Apples – Smit Orchard
Bag of Baby Brussels Sprouts – Rutiz Farms

Bag of Heirloom Mix Potatoes – Weiser Farms
Handful of Kishu Tangerines – Rancho Del Sol
2 Oro Blanco Grapefruit – J.J’s Lone Daughter Ranch
Baby Romaine – Solution Farms
2 Small Broccoli Crowns – Life’s a Choke
Bunch of Nantes Carrots – Coastal Organics
Small Bunch of Mixed Frill Greens – Coastal Organics

Bonus: 1 Carnival Squash

Looking forward to next week's box!
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