Cooking for a 19 hour road trip

We are leaving for Nova Scotia early in the morning and the drive is long. We love the drive, it doesn't bother us. In fact, it's a part of the vacation and there is a great joy over driving past endless trees in northern Maine and New Brunswick. Joe and I don't eat fast food. We used to, but that was years ago and eating it now is impossible when we think about where the meat comes from and all of the food is genetically modified. When we plan for a long road trip, we cook everything we are going to need the day before. This saves money, ensures that we are eating healthy while we sit on our butts without movement for more than a day, and saves time. I try to make things that will still taste good if they are cold. Here is the menu for tomorrow's trip:

Roasted chicken drumsticks with baked garnet yams, gluten-free pasta with soft boiled duck eggs, sun gold tomatoes and pesto, balsamic roasted carrots and beets, eggplant and olive tapenade, celery sticks and fruit. 

It looks like a lot but only took about 1 hour total to make including prep time.  We will also be eating fruit as a snack during the ride.  I will pack some unsweetened applesauce too. The yams were still cooking when I took this shot. We usually find a nice little picnic spot to pull over at in Maine or NB and eat there. We bring our picnic bag with us which contains dishes, silverware and glasses. We are good to go and this is going to be yummy! 

The pesto and tapenade I usually cover with plastic wrap so that there is no oxidation, particularly with the pesto.  It is still fine if it turns brown, but is just visually unappealing to me. You can either cover with an inch of olive oil or do it this way.  The plastic wrap must touch the top of the pesto. I don't add the pesto to the pasta until we are about to eat it, because then I will have not way of preventing oxidation. So you will not see it on the pasta in the photos.

 

 

This all stacks up well in our large tote cooler back that I bought from Marshall's.  We throw a few ice packs in there and it stays nice and cold. Here is everything in it's final packing stage. Not bad!

GlGluten-free spiral pasta salad with sun gold tomatoes, duck eggs and pesto

 

1 package of fresh ( if you can find it) rice pasta.

1 bunch of some kind of cherry or grape tomato. 

2 duck, goose or chicken eggs soft boiled

1 cup of pesto ( see pesto recipe)

Boil 2 duck eggs and set aside to cool, then peel and halve. 

Boil salted water and add pasta.  Cook as per instructions. Strain and rinse with cold water, set aside. 

Mix pasta with tomatoes, sprinkle with salt and pepper and top with pesto, mix well. Serve cold or skip the cold water rinse and serve hot. 

Pesto

2 cups of fresh basil leaves

1 oz. chopped raw milk cheese ( you can omit if you don't consume dairy)

1/4 cup of pine nuts

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

1 clove raw garlic

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Blend all of the above in a food processor until mostly smooth and use immediately or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Balsamic Roasted Carrots and Beets

5 Carrots

5 Beets

Extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper

Cut veggies to size you like. Preheat over to 375 degrees and place peeled vegetables on a foil lined baking sheet. Drizzle oil and vinegar over veggies. Add salt and pepper. Cook for 45 minutes. 

Eggplant and Olive Tapenade

 

2 of the long and small eggplant varieties

3 cloves of garlic

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp capers

1/2 cup fresh cilantro

1/2 pitted green olives

Salt and pepper

Juice of half a lemon

In a 360 degree preheated oven, roast the eggplants and garlic cloves on a foil lined baking dish for 35 minutes. Drizzle with oil and some salt first. 

Once eggplant and garlic is done, mix with all other ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.

It's that easy! This is great with bread, crackers, veggies, you name it! I especially love it with falafel.

This kind of chicken is hard to find!

I have to start this off with a funny skit from the show "Portlandia" that my friend Jess made me watch.  When I told her that Joe and I want to know where our chicken comes from when we eat out, she put this on for me and it was perfect:

How I wish someone would bring us a portfolio of our chicken! But then we probably wouldn't be able to enjoy our meal after seeing the little cutie.  We do look for some information on the meat source or we ask.  Eric Leong, owner of Forbidden City Bistro in Middletown, CT  shares with us where his food comes from.  Eric sources organic and at least pasture raised chicken when possible. He is always looking for the freshest alternative and is very open about the wonderful dishes created in his restaurant.  Another restaurant we frequent is the "Oyster Club" in Mystic, CT.  They are a pioneer restaurant for the Farm to Table movement in Connecticut.  They source their food fresh daily from only local farmers for all produce and meat.  When we eat out at these establishments, we can eat with a clean conscience.

We have looked at the pros and cons of poultry from various providers. We have found what we believe to be one of the few if not the only poultry farm that is doing it all perfectly here in CT. What is important to us is that our chickens are:

1. Pasture raised.  This means feeding on grass and bugs in open air, freely, walking in a pasture setting, on grass, in the sunlight.  This is not to be confused with the abused label of being free ranged, which means they only need to be exposed to the outdoors.  This has been taken advantage of by some farms which still house most of their chickens indoors with a small fenced opening to the outdoors.

2. Organically fed. 

3. Organically fed non-GMO feed. 

4. Processed on the farm site and sold directly to customers via market or CSA. 

5. Never antibiotics or hormones

Believe it or not, these four things are hard to find in a chicken farm. We were very excited to meet Nichki Carangelo of The Wooly Pig .Their chicken  is DELICIOUS!!! and we feel so great about eating it. 

If you are not aware of what is happening all across the country  at chicken farms which supply most of our grocery stores and fast food restaurants with poultry, you will be shocked to learn the truth. If you watch the documentary Food Inc. you may never eat chicken or beef again. 

Why the ag-gag law doesn't allow video or photography inside chicken farms

My Personal 15 Commandments of Health and Weight Loss

Today I visited my Doctor for routine stuff.  He's a very personable guy who will sit and chit chat for an extended amount of time about absolutely nothing.  He usually walks into the room already in mid-sentence about something he will spend the next half hour talking about.  When he walked into the room, he was actually speechless.  He just looked at me for a very long time and then said: " didn't you look very different the last time I saw you not all that long ago?". He looked down at my chart and showed me that I was 148 lbs the last time I was there about 6 months ago.  I weighed in at 120 lbs today.  One year ago during my visit, I weighed in at 154 lbs, my all time heaviest.  I guess the changes are shocking if you haven't seen me in a while. I told him all about my diet changes, my running, my triathlon training and it dawned on me that I have worked very hard to get to this point.  Not to see the scale go down, because I don't care about that, but to feel really good and strong. I know that the dietary changes are accountable for 90% of the progress. I haven't lifted a weight in months, but I have more muscle. I feel comfortable in clothing, I can run long and fast, I can cycle and I can swim.  One year ago, I could not do any of this. It took years of unhealthy eating and sedentary lifestyle to get to my unhealthiest moment. It has taken me about two years in total to get to where I am now.  I like to think of this as the half way mark, with even more improved fitness in the future.  My goals for next year are to complete an Olympic Triathlon and to complete a half-marathon this fall. By setting goals for myself, I am motivated to work hard.  For any of you struggling with weight and sluggishness do not expect rapid changes. If you are on any "diet" right now, I promise you, it will be short lived. 

Another before and after. Both with my sister Tanya.

Here is my approach to weight loss and improved health:

1. If it's in a box or can, don't buy it.
2. Rid your home for good of all processed food.
3. If you consume poultry or red meat, know your source. Only eat animals that are grass-fed, hormone and antibiotic free and that do not eat GMO feed.
3. Only eat wild caught fish
4. Eat wild meats in place of beef or poultry if possible such as venison, guinea hen, pheasant, rabbit.
5. Omit all dairy
6. Try to cook everything yourself and from scratch
7. Only buy organic produce and fruit.
8. Only buy non-GMO products
9. Eat all and every vegetable you can find especially green leafy ones.
10. Prepare foods for the winter by canning in the summer
11. Limit your grains to ancient ones. Quinoa, Amaranth, Black rice etc.
12. Exercise!
13. Feed everyone in your home the same way.
14. Never deprive yourself of your favorite treats, once and a while they are ok.

15. Never get mad at yourself for messing up. Start over.

Broiled Egglplant with Cilantro Tahini Sauce YUM!

This really easy dish is so good, so so good.  In about 30 minutes it's done and the prep time is almost nothing. 

You will need: ( for 2 people)

1 Eggplant cut in half. Experiment here and try different kinds of eggplants. There is a huge variety at our Farmer's Market.
1 cup of fresh cilantro. Smell it in the store, if you don't get that fresh cilantro smell right away, get it somewhere else.
1 cup of fresh mint leaves
5 cloves of garlic
3/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp Tahini
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp honey
Kosher salt and pepper


To make the absolutely yummy sauce ( do not make this on a date night.  It is really garlicky. It also has a little kick to it so if you don't like a lot of garlic, cut back to 3 cloves).

In a food processor, puree the cilantro, oil, mint, garlic, lemon, tahini, honey, salt and pepper until mostly smooth.  It should be a pesto consistency. If it's too thick, add more oil

Put this aside in the fridge.

Cut an eggplant in half  and lightly salt them. Place on foil in a 400 degree pre-heated oven on broil.
 ( Alternatively you can grill the halves outdoors). 
After about 15 minutes, flip the eggplant halves over and cook the other sides for another 14 minutes.
After removing from oven, make sure they are cooked all the way through by inserting a fork into the middle to check for softness.

Spoon the sauce over the top and enjoy!!!!!

Eco-friendly Organic Dog Beds

While scouring the Internet for dog beds that are easy to wash ( all in one piece), easy to throw down anywhere ( car or trip) and odor resistant, I came up with these.  The problem I have now with dog beds, is that they look worse after multiple washes, stain easily or are just to cumbersome to throw in back of my Toyota Vensa.  These beds seem to have it all and I love the fact that some of them are naturally antimicrobial and odor resistant.  Comes in handy in a house of 4! I finally managed to get them all in one place the other day.

1. Tuckered out with hemp by West Paw. West Paw
$89.00
I really like the fact this it is a one piece bed with bolster pillow. Looks very easy to throw in the wash and it's pretty attractive looking too. I will be ordering this one. 

2. West Paw also makes the Eco Nap bed which is even better for a car for travel.  It is priced really well and I love the colors and patterns this comes in. Starting at $29.00.

3. Crypton known for it's impermeable and odor resistant fabrics have a whole pet bed line that is pretty impressive. I liked this flat roll up travel bed.  It's Eco-friendly, moisture, odor and bacteria resistant. Dog Eared Bed starts at $82.00.

 

4. The Harry Barker Hemp Bedroll is another great travel bed that can roll up easily. This one is constructed of hemp and comes in great colored stripe patterns. Starts at $68.00.

Oh Lothario.  He will still probably end up sleeping on the concrete.

Comforting Chick Pea Soup

I really do love chick peas any which way. I often exhaust myself with recipe ideas of how I can turn them into something totally different from breads to cakes, salads, spreads and soups. They are the type of legume that can be used for any meal, they are so versatile and interesting. I wanted a break today from the typical chick pea dishes such as hummus and salad so I went with a soup instead.
The air is different outside and when I step out of my front door, the leaves sound like fall.  I am wearing a hoodie and my brain is already thinking about pumpkins, hot cider and other fall comforts.  It's my absolute favorite season. I wait for it all year, I dream about it.  It's the time that I start to cook with more tuberous veggies and start making lots of soups.  If you love soup like I do, I would suggest making a few batches of homemade stock to keep for the fall and winter.  You can make stock anytime of year, but the veggies you will put in your pot are local now.  Later on they may have to come from another country or another state, but I try to support my local farmers whenever able. 

Here is my basic chicken stock recipe: ( You can substitute chicken for beef or whatever other meat source you choose)

In a large pot
1 large chicken carcass ( left over after you have roasted a chicken and eaten all the main parts)
2 whole bulbs of garlic unpeeled
2 whole onions unpeeled
3 sticks of celery
4 carrots
2 bay leaves
1 kaffir lime leaf
1 large bunch of sage, thyme and parsley bound together with twine
water
1 tbsp peppercorns
2 tbsp kosher salt
1 bell pepper
1 tbsp coriander seeds
juice of one lemon

Mix all of the above in a very large pot and fill with enough water to cover all ingredients. Bring all to a boil and then simmer for 4 hours. Your house will smell amazing while this is cooking! This is the day to invite guests. They will drool. Skim the surface of your liquid as you see foam accumulating. After 4 hours of simmering, remove the carcass and pick off all the meat you can ( save for chicken soup!) Use a fine strainer or a chinois.  You may need to strain it more than once until broth is clear of particles. Allow to cool fully. Once cooled you can vacuum seal bags of it to freeze for easy thawing all season long.

Now onto the actual chick pea soup

 

Whenever possible, dried chick peas that are soaked for cooking work best. If you can't find them or simply don't have the time, canned beans will work as well.

You will need:

2 cups of chickpeas

3 radishes thinly sliced

2 cloves of garlic diced

bell pepper ( I used an organic purple beauty) diced

4 cups of chicken stock

juice of 1/2 lime

kosher salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp Extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp chili powder

 

In a saucepan on medium heat in oil,  saute diced garlic, sliced radishes and diced pepper for about 1 minute.  Add coriander, chili powder, salt and pepper. Add chickpeas, lime juice and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer for 20 min. Garnish with a lime wedge, fresh pepper and a squirt of lime juice.  This is strangely comforting and refreshing at the same time. Enjoy!

Tomato Mozzarella Caprese at it's simplest!

I am Italian in case you didn't know. Mozzarella and tomato salad took precedence over normal salads growing up. Over the years it has appeared on all kinds of restaurant menus but I have to say that it is mostly always overdone.  It's like trying to reinvent the wheel. It is a simple dish and really should stay simple.  There is room for creativity of course, but all of the renditions I have tasted just take away from the delicious simplicity which requires almost nothing. This is it! Simple, basic, at it's best. The important thing here really is the kinds of tomato, cheese and basil that you use. If you use sub-par ingredients, the dish will just be blah. I recommend Heirloom or Roma tomatoes as ripe as you can get them. You want them to be red and sweet. For the mozzarella, buffalo is best. Buffalo mozzarella is creamy and silky and lends much more flavor to this salad.  If you are using regular mozzarella, make sure its the fresh kind that is soaked in water. There are so many varieties of basil out there.  We get several kinds from our CSA and I always use which ever is the most aromatic.  Some have more of an anise smell and some are more lemony. I tend to go with less lemony varieties for this. The vinegar is a matter of personal preference.  Some like Balsamic and some like red wine vinegars for this.  I personally like a nice red wine for this but most restaurants will use balsamic.  It's your choice but whatever you use, make sure it's of high quality.

Caprese Salad

One ripe tomato
bunch of fresh basil leaves chopped
One fresh mozzarella
Kosher or sea salt and pepper to taste
Extra virgin olive oil drizzle
Balsamic or red wine vinegar 1 tbsp

Slice your mozzarella and tomatoes and arrange on a plate. Sprinkle over salt and pepper, oil and vinegar and chopped basil. You are ready to eat!

Skate Wing for dinner! A delicious dish and overlooked fish.

I remember eating skate wing as a kid.  My mother used to get it at a Brooklyn fish market and I remember loving it.  I don't think I've seen it since and on Sunday at the Chester, CT farmer's market, we found some. Locally caught skate from Point Judith, RI. I couldn't wait to make this for Joe. Here is what I did with it for tonight's dinner:

 Skate Wing with Sweet pepper and Caper Sauce

For the fish:

One skate wing ( for 2 people)

Spelt flour

Pacific Organic Unsweetened Almond Milk

salt and pepper

2 tbsp canola oil

For the sauce:

2 sweet peppers

3 Roma tomatoes

1 onion

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 green chile

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

fresh parsley chopped

creamed organic honey

large capers

2 tbsp EVOO ( extra virgin olive oil)

Food process your peppers, tomatoes, onion, garlic, chile and honey until mostly smooth. 

Dip the skate in almond milk and then dredge in flour. Salt and pepper should be added to flour before hand.  In a hot saute pan or skillet, pan fry your skate in the canola oil.  Make sure the oil is very hot and wait about 2 minutes before turning over your wing. Wait for the release of the fish from the pan. Lightly brown both sides ( about 5 min per side) and remove onto a clean plate. 

Make your sauce by heating your EVOO in a sauce pan. When hot, add  capers.  Add your food processed peppers, tomatoes, onion, garlic, chile and honey. bring to a boil then add vinegar and boil for another 4  minutes.  Add fresh parsley and salt and pepper to taste.  Cook for another 5 minutes. 

Plate your fish and spoon the sauce over the top. Totally delicious!!!!! I promise! Let me know how you like it. 

A different kind of chicken salad : Lite and healthy low-cal yumminess

 I am always experimenting with dishes that traditionally use mayo and love finding ways to make them taste just as satisfying but with far less calories and unique preparations.  This chicken salad is so easy and fast to make and packs a good amount of protein.  Use it as a side dish at a summer BBQ, over a bed of raw kale or mixed greens or as is.

What you'll need:

Skinless cooked chicken- you can use any part of the chicken you like. This was a whole chicken roasted on our Big Green Egg the night before.  I used the meat left on the carcass after carving.  It is mostly breast and thigh meat. You can purchase chicken breasts and grill them or roast them in the oven and shred apart after cooling. We purchased this whole chicken from an organic chicken farmer we found at the Chester, CT Farmer's Market on Sunday.

2 Heirloom Tomatoes- You don't have to use heirlooms but I love the taste of them. You can use any kind of tomato you like, organic or home grown is always preferable.

4 Radishes
 1/2 Medium sized red onion
 Bunch of chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp Rice wine vinegar
2 tsp Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Chopped celery 1 stick (optional)
1 tbsp of an organic homemade jam of your choice

I know adding jam sounds weird, but it's a great alternative to mayo or yogurt. Preferably,  use a jam made with a natural sugar such as pure cane sugar, stevia, coconut sugar or agave.  I used a mango-habanero jam that gave this dish a little kick. Use a jam that contains vegetables or fruits you would use in a salad dressing. This is where your personal taste can make this an interesting and creative dish. Experiment with different jams to completely change the essence of this salad every time.

Other jam flavor ideas: raspberry, hot pepper, red pepper, mango, peach, lemon, orange, garlic.


 How to make it:



Shred chicken and place in a bowl. Remove seeds from tomatoes and dice. Finely chop your parsley. Slice your radishes  and red onion thinly. Mix all together and add Worcestershire , oil and vinegar.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Add jam and stir it all up. that's it! Super easy, low cal and delicious. Enjoy!

All the reasons why bottled water sucks. Glass resuable bottles are green and clean.

I am sharing with you a link to an article describing 15 reasons why you should not drink bottled water.

 15 Reasons Why You Should Not Drink Bottled Water

It is always astonishing to learn about more ways that the bottled water you may be holding in your hand right now is toxic to both us and the environment. Through advertising, we are led to believe that as long as we drink 8 oz. of water per day, we will be doing a great service to our bodies.  The labels depicting photos of pristine lakes and glacier water running through mountains causes us to accept the idea that our water comes from a natural source, one that is free of chemicals and pollution. 
I have issues with water.  I don't like drinking tap water because I don't trust municipal water.  Even from a well, I don't trust run-off.  I don't know what is being dumped in my area, what homeowners practice for disposal of toxic materials, what is seeping into our well. I know it sounds crazy, but the taste of tap water tastes like pool water to me. Chlorine, ozone, fluoride, I don't want to ingest it.  Since I don't like drinking municipal water, I shouldn't like drinking bottled water either.  Sources described as "purified" or "drinking water" are from municipal sources and go through a hefty filtration process.
Joe has a whole house water filtration system that we diligently keep clean and maintained.  Our regular tap ( which is filtered) and our refrigerator tap ( which is double filtered) taste different. I will only drink from the refrigerator dispenser and will only eat ice from there also. I do believe that our own water from our drilled well, with our without filtration is still cleaner and less toxic than any bottled water we could buy at the store. We also know what is being added or detracted from our water since we understand our own system. We would have no way of knowing what is being added and detracted from a municipal source before it hits the bottles.
 It is common knowledge that most plastic water bottles, release chemicals such as BPA into the water.
There are many BPA free bottles on the market today. Joe and I have been on the hunt for the perfect water bottles.  By reusing our bottles not only are we creating less plastic waste, but we can feel relieved that neither of us are ingesting BPA.
We had aluminum bottles at one point and although they insulate well and are light to carry, I didn't like the idea of ingesting aluminum and no matter what, I always notice the metallic aftertaste. If the water should get a little warm sitting in the car, it starts to taste pretty gross.
We looked at a multitude of plastic and silicone bottles which were BPA free but just like our bike bottles, they always taste like plastic. We have pretty yummy water at our home and I didn't want anything that would alter the taste.  So we decided to look for the perfect glass bottle.
This was our winner and we love this bottle! Recycled glass, dishwasher safe, grippy silicone sheath, water has no strange taste. The only con to glass was the breakage factor.  Luckily this one has a really nice silicone sheath that keeps it pretty safe, although we still need to be careful and can't use this for working out. This has become our everyday bottle which we take on car trips, to work, pretty much anywhere water will be needed.

#1 Takeya Recycled Glass Water Bottle

 

Other great options to consider:

 Bamboo Bottle Company

This bottle is also glass but has a bamboo sheath instead of silicone.

epiloglasier.com

 

 If you are interested in other BPA  and PVC free options:

List of best BPA free bottles

Peanut Butter Liver Chip Cookies: Your dog will thank you.

This is a great dog party idea or just a quick and easy everyday recipe for some wholesome dog biscuits.  No question about what is going into your dog's belly after this treat.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper

In a mixer on low, blend:
1/2 cup flax seed meal
1/2 spelt flour
1 tsp of canola oil
1 egg
1 tsp of warm water
1/2 cup of finely chopped calf's liver
2 tablespoons of organic peanut butter
1 teaspoon of organic creamed honey

Liver:
The day before, bake 2 pieces of calf or cow liver at 250 degrees for about 30 min. Then let cool and place in fridge overnight.

roll your dough out on a floured surface to about 1/4 inches thick and cut out your shapes. I used dog bones.

Place on parchment paper and bake for about 20 min, or until lightly browned.

 For your canine related parties and events ( if you are as crazy as I am, you throw these parties also), you can add some peanut butter for dipping, just to make it extra special!

 A bunch of snouts trying to get in on the good stuff.

Hot lunches making your kids pudgy? Healthy ideas that even picky kids will like.

I am the step-mom of two wonderful girls.  One is a tween at age 12 and the other is 9. They don't live with us full time. We have them once per week and every other weekend and other times too, but that is the general arrangement. It is really difficult to monitor what your kids eat when they don't live with you. All we can do is ensure that when they are with us, we set a good example for healthy living and expose them to foods they wouldn't ordinarily try.  Emmy is a very adventurous eater and loves spicy foods, sashimi, raw oysters, anything. We can take her to a chef's tasting at a high end restaurant, and she will enjoy every meal and the mystery of what will be served next. Our 9 year old is the total opposite. Pizza, pasta, bread, butter, soda and *gasp* diet soda and it stops there. Introducing new foods has been a challenge with Ava. She will taste things, but will give you disgusting face. They usually eat the school lunches during the year which are brought in from a caterer.  They are things like: fettuccine alfredo, pizza, mac n cheese, you know, all the junk. Well, childhood obesity is an epidemic and following this trend is the shocking prevalence of Type II diabetes in children. There are the obvious culprits: Soda, baked goods, junk food, chips, basically anything with high fructose corn syrup including all your simple carbs.  On the day following their stays with us, we send them to school with a bagged lunch.  It has taken some tweaking and experimentation to find what they will be excited about eating that doesn't "smell like farts" when they open their Tupperware. Emily jokingly said that sometimes what I pack smells that way, mostly because it's broccoli or eggs. I still think it's funny.  These are some great alternatives to packing " a sandwich" which can get boring after a while.
All of these are nut free as per school rules. I am the only one in our house that is totally dairy free. I just make sure that the cheese eating is in moderation for the kids. You will notice that none of the lunches involve bread. I make sure they have a protein, a complex carb ( can be veggies, fruit or ancient grain) and a healthier fat ( drizzle of olive oil, avocado, egg, fish)

Emmy's Favorites (adventurous palette girl) avocado added to almost everything below.

1. Chickpea salad ( red onion, olive oil, squeezed lemon, fresh parsley, red bell pepper, salt and pepper)
2. Black bean, corn and mango salsa with avocado ( same as chickpea salad)
3. Egg salad
4. Caponata
5. Smoked trout with mixed greens
6. Smoked salmon with mixed greens
7. Mozzarella and tomato caprese with fresh basil
8. Quinoa salad with red kidney beans
9.Cucumber tomato salad

Ava's Favorites ( non-adventurous palette girl)

1. Steamed broccoli and beet salad ( lightly steamed, olive oil, fresh lemon or vinegar, red onion, quinoa spiral pasta, salt, pepper, red onion, roasted beets)
2. Egg salad
3. Mozzarella and tomato caprese with fresh basil
4. Mixed green salad with oil and balsamic
5. Cucumber and tomato salad ( Cucumber, tomato, olive oil, olives, fresh basil, sprinkle of fresh goat cheese or feta)

As I make them, I will post full recipes for all of these.

I also include snacks for them. Here are some of the snacks they love:

1. Melon
2. Berries or any fruit
3. Homemade hummus and celery or carrots
4. Olives
5. Boiled egg
6. Homemade guacamole with celery or carrots
7. Dried chickpeas

All of these foods only contain natural sugars. They each have a very large and insulated lunch bag for all of these goodies and they each have a thermos filled with WATER. Just eliminating fruit drinks alone, is a huge step in the right direction.

Please share some healthy lunches that your kids love!

So what makes a dog food USDA organic?

You will probably hear a lot about our dogs in this blog. They are a huge part of our lives and I really do live and breathe all things Bergamasco. Instead of going into very long detail about this special breed, I will point you to the links where you can read more if you are interested. We live with four dogs. Lothario, Mezza, Anthea and Amira.  They are so many things to us and to the kids. To me, they are best friends, children, girlfriends, buddies, clowns and pieces of my soul. I am grateful for every moment I have with them.

Courtesy of The Dog Food Project

The following labeling requirements apply to the labels of organic products:
If a manufacturer wants to claim a product is "100% Organic", it must contain 100 percent organically produced ingredients, not counting added water and salt. As far as dry dog food is concerned, this is currently not possible, since as per AAFCO regulations vitamin and mineral supplements must be added, which can not be organically produced.
If a manufacturer wants to claim a product is "Organic", it must contain at least 95% organic ingredients, not counting added water or salt, and must identify the organic ingredients as "organic" in the ingredient list when other organic labeling is shown. To identify an ingredient as organically produced in the ingredient list, the word, "organic" in conjunction with the name of the ingredient may be used, or an asterisk or other reference mark which is defined below the ingredient statement.
Only products that fall into these two groups may display the "USDA Organic" seal, either in color or black and white.
If a manufacturer wants to claim a product is "Made With Organic Ingredients" or a similar statement, it must contain at least 70% organic ingredients, not counting added water or salt, and must identify the organic ingredients as "organic" in the ingredient list when other organic labeling is shown. To identify an ingredient as organically produced in the ingredient list, the word, "organic" in conjunction with the name of the ingredient may be used, or an asterisk or other reference mark which is defined below the ingredient statement. The product may display the seal(s) of the agent(s) certifying the included organic ingredients, but not the "USDA Organic" seal.
If a manufacturer wants to advertise the fact that product has some organic ingredients, it can include less than 70% total and they must be identified as "organic" in the ingredient list. The product may not display the seal(s) of the agent(s) certifying the included organic ingredients nor the "USDA Organic" seal.


We don't want our dogs ingesting pesticide residue or GMO ingredients just as we don't want to ingest them. Of the few brands of dog kibble out there that are certified organic, I have to say that none really appeal to me based on the ingredients and percentages. We have found a couple of wonderful meat markets here in CT that will make dog food on request. They use chicken or turkey, soft bones, cartilage, feet, organs and grind it into a meal that is then frozen. They can also add vegetables to the mix. If you feed raw or are interested in feeding raw, you can find complete meals in this way for half the cost of the some of the raw companies. Our dogs love it. Chicken feet can also be purchased from your butcher and although they are kind of gross to deal with, they are great snacks. I clip off the toe nails and clean them really well then freeze and give raw. 

Famously Fit? : GW Hospitalized with Coronary Disease

Thank you to my co-author of this blog Joe Dell'Orfano M.D. for this contributing post:

Can you be "famously fit" with exercise alone? I have many patients who exercise and still have heart disease. A typical Texan diet would include lots of animal fats. Animal fats are used in the laboratory to create coronary blockages for experimentation by the way. Humans are designed to eat vegetables primarily. Lipitor was created to allow humans to consume large amounts of animal fat!

I'm happy to write more on this topic if you like. I think that we need to emphasize the importance of diet and healthy eating for the prevention of heart disease. We can talk about Mediterranean diet if you want, although I think that the DVD guy ("it's junk") got it right.

In my opinion, exercise is part of being fit and certainly plays a role in weight loss, but as GW found out, it won't prevent coronary disease!

Joe Dell'Orfano

The man Joe affectionately refers to as the DVD guy

Jeff Novik MS, RD, LS, LN      Jeff Novik

To read the full G.W.B article:   George W. Bush Hospitalized

Eating for endurance. Yes grains. How do you start YOUR morning?

People are shocked that I eat grains. I actually do, just not many of them. For a long time I was 100% grain free. I did initially experience weight loss but noticed that my fat intake was very high, mostly because I was substituting grains with meat. I hate to call what it was the "Paleo" diet because there is no standard to the Paleo diet. The premise behind it, is to eat like a hunter/gatherer during Paleolithic times. The Paleolithic era is distinguished by human use of stone tools and groupings of humans who hunted, fished, scavenged and lived on wild plants. It was the earliest period of human development. Farmed grains didn't exist, but there is evidence that some wild grains were eaten. I try to eat mostly ancient grains as they don't upset my stomach. I stick to quinoa, amaranth and millet. I use gluten free options as much as possible. Gluten and I don't mix well and I can't stand the bloating and cramping after consuming wheat products. Spelt I have been fine with and when we absolutely need bread, we bake it ourselves. So grains are a small part of our diet but important for the 30 mile bike ride I am about to do this morning. We eat mostly vegetables. Raw or cooked, they make up about 60% of what we eat.  We are not picky about which vegetables we eat because we love them all and like variety.  The other 40% of our diet is divided into ancient grains and meat or fish based protein. My primary problem with the Paleo diet is that instead of sticking to lean wild caught meat, very fatty meats have been used in it's place.  This was a turn off for us and it is not practical for us to have a freezer always reliably full of wild caught meat in Connecticut. So, we do the best we can with eating predominantly veggies, no dairy, ancient grains, and occasional wild caught protein ( including fish) or at the very least, our own grass-fed beef and chicken.  We have found this to have the greatest weight loss effect, without loss of muscle. It is still a low glycemic index way of eating but we get our needed glucose from only natural sources from the earth.  One good rule of thumb for us is: If it's in a box or a can it's too processed for us.  There are exceptions to this, like Almond milk ( Although owning an almond press would be very cool), but we stick to it as best as possible. We can talk much more about the different kinds of diets out there and the medical literature behind them but this post needs to be short this morning.

We have been told we make the best oatmeal out there..ever! One of my best friends and frequent house guests Jess, loves our oats and praises them with words like " they are just so bouncy" " can you make oats tomorrow?" " We are going to have oats right?"
The secret is the Japanese rice cooker we use: Xojirushi. It's incredible. Joe sets it at night, we wake up to perfect oatmeal. It's that easy. He eats his in the car on the way to work.

Zojirushi Rice Cooker


Bob's Red Mill Organic Steel Cut Oats
Organic fresh blueberries
Organic Raisins

That's all folks. We don't consume sugar. With the raisins and berries, it's sweet enough. I am dairy free so this has a splash of Pacific Organic Unsweetened Almond milk in it. Black coffee on the side.

Now off for a ride before it gets too hot.

Lovin' my compression socks!

I am not a true distance runner..yet! Hopefully I am getting there. My first half marathon will be in Cape Cod in October and several of my friends are running or walking it with me. Joe will be walking and I am so excited about that. Lots of clam chowdah for us afterwards. I have been running regularly, but the real training is now getting started.  My compression socks are just awesome. I love the colors they come in and they are not medical grade compression so they are easier to put on and pull off and give the lower leg a perfect squeeze. My legs are much peppier during my runs and the recovery after is minimal. I would recommend them for walking or running.  The lack of venous stasis is really working for me. They theoretically should improve circulation during your run, hence more blood flow to your heart and lungs, more hemoglobin, more oxygen. They don't make me sweaty either as they are made of mostly polyamide  and spandex.

These are my favorites so far:

CEP Women's compression socks

I have them in pink but they come in so many great colors.

2XU Women's performance run sock

I have them in the middle color, Peacock.  These are softer than the CEP socks and a little less snug. Really nice to just have on in the house for post run soreness.

Eggcellent Egg Salad and more: All about Eggs.

© Michalzajac | Dreamstime Stock Photos & Stock Free Images

I don't know if you experience this, but every time I go to the supermarket for eggs,  I am overwhelmed by the boasting selection. Besides white and brown, there are some carton labels that are full of information and others say nothing. Some are cage free, vegetarian fed, B Vitamins added, 25% less saturated fat, double Omega 3 and ten times more Vitamin E. None of this sounds natural or appealing to me. These claims are made based on the feed that is given to the hens. So many commercial farms are trying to fortify eggs as if eggs themselves are not nutritious enough.
If you are picky about what you are eating  down the food chain line, be careful.  Vegetarian feed often means GMO feed. Corn after all is vegetarian and so is soy. Corn and soy are both the top GMO crops in this country.   There are farmers who have moved away from corn and soy based chicken feed and mix their own whole grains. You may have to ask around to find this. Some backyard farmers are making their own grain mixes and using alternatives such as milo and oats. If you are really lucky, you may find a local home or farm that has free range,  all natural hens eating nothing but grass, insects, worms and seeds.
We are lucky to get our eggs from one of Joe's co-workers who raises his own chickens on a natural diet. Besides the fact that these eggs are so fresh and delicious, I worry less about exposure to Salmonella than I do with commercially farmed eggs. It's also really adorable to see Joe leave for work with his cooler tote bag for picking up our eggs.
When I lived on my farm in Nova Scotia, I owned several hens and one rooster. I really enjoyed my hens. They were kind and almost affectionate. For those of you who don't know, I will backtrack for a second. I used to live in Nova Scotia.  I moved there on a whim and bought a farm on 100 acres. I had goats, sheep, chickens, a horse, peacocks, geese, rabbits and of course dogs and cats. I learned a lot about everything during that time, but mostly about animals and land. During my six years there, I had lots of eggs. I never fed my hens anything except oats in the winter when they could not forage. I didn't know what to do with all my eggs, so my dogs enjoyed many of them and the rest I sold out of my home. These reddish-yolked beauties were the best ever. I had one rooster because I wanted chicks as well as eggs. His name was Rodney. He became my abuser over time and the sweet little Rodney turned into a monster over the years. He turned into a real egghole. I could not walk outside without being spurred, pecked and bleeding through my pants. Rodney had to be relocated when the beatings became too severe for me to withstand as I didn't have the heart to cage him.

Below were some of my hens.  I can't find a single photo of Rodney. I must have erased him totally from my hard drive.

It has been long thought that the high cholesterol content of egg yolks can  negatively affect blood cholesterol levels and increase the incidence or level of heart disease. In a study released in JAMA in 2008, it was shown that eggs may also lower risk of cardiovascular disease due to their amounts of Vitamin B12, riboflavin and folate. This only suggested that perhaps one egg a day would be fine to consume without increasing risk.  While I do enjoy the occasional boiled egg, I limit my consumption purely based on the high fat and caloric content they carry. Joe eats more eggs than I do but his caloric requirement is much larger than mine.  I will share my recipe for really delicious egg salad that even our kids love, and no one misses the mayo.

Super Delicious Mayo-Free Egg Salad

Boiled farm fresh free range all naturally fed hen eggs! As many as you want to make
Fresh parsley chopped
Juice of a lemon
Drizzle of olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix together when eggs are cool

You can remove the yolks and devil them in this way also.

You can use any herb you like. Lemon thyme, sage or cilantro work well as substitues. If you need a creamier egg salad, add a tspn of mashed avocado. A whole avocado and an egg or two will make for a high calorie meal. This recipe shown below was made with sage, 4 eggs and one tspn of oil. It is approximately 300 calories in total but can be shared by two, as is  or on a slice of homemade whole grain bread.

Hu FB, Stampfer MJ, Rimm EB et al. A prospective study of egg consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease in men and women. JAMA. 1999;281: 1387-94.

Delicious Caponata

If you are looking for a way to use up a bunch of veggies that are about to spoil or just want to fill your tummy with lots of yummy ( corny, I know) this is it! Caponata is a traditional Sicilian dish that I have modified a little. I added a little heat and use a lot less oil than you will usually find in a canned variety or in a restaurant. This dish is very special. It's a amazing with Joe's Spelt bread ( recipe another time) and with cheese if you eat cheese. We do on rare occasions but we normally don't consume dairy. It does not agree with my body. I will talk about dairy another time as well. When I cook I don't measure anything. I also make things differently every time. So the recipe here is all estimation, but you can tweak it however you like and it will still be good. All the veggies here were from the Old Lyme Farmers Market except for the really cool tiger Roma tomatoes which we found at the Coventry Farmers Market. Both markets are worth the trip but you will sit in traffic for an hour for Coventry unless you get there early.
These are the beautiful tomatoes. You can use any kind of ripe Roma.

Now here is the rest.

Ignore the red cabbage in the photo. This dish does not use cabbage. This is a lot of garlic. I actually used almost a whole bulb but not two.

You will need:

Several ripened Roma tomatoes ( at least 6 and really soft and ripe)
Several peppers of any variety. Sweet peppers of any color. Half a  green Chile or Poblano ( optional)
Two baby eggplants ( I used purple and white)
Fresh garlic at least 4 cloves
Olives of any kind, I used green
Capers
White Vinegar
Raw cane sugar 1 tspn
Salt and pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 onion
Several large fresh basil leaves

This dish is also great with celery, I just didn't have any.

Coarsely chop all the veggies and either crush or finely dice the garlic. Keep tomatoes separate.

In a deep saute pan, add a little oil. When hot,  add the onion and peppers. When onions are translucent, add the garlic and being careful not to burn it, add the tomatoes after about 20 seconds. Once these ingredients are bubbling and the tomatoes has fallen apart, add about 1 tbsp of vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Let the vinegar burn off for a few minutes on a higher heat. Add the olives and capers. Add the eggplant. ( No need to salt and sweat baby eggplant ). Add the chopped basil. Mix well. keep on high heat for a few minutes then reduce to simmer and cover.

Cook until all vegetables are tender but not mushy, about 15-20 minutes.

This can be eaten hot or cold. The flavors will be bolder when cold.

This is amazing with bread, over Quinoa or Quinoa pasta, with cheese, with wine.

Sourcing Organic Veggies

If you are buying USDA Certified Organic produce it is most likely not genetically modified.   However, unless the seeds are tested, there is not way to know for sure as contamination of crops can occur. Testing the product is not adequate and that is where the Non-GMO Project comes in. If you see this label on your food:
http://www.nongmoproject.org/product-verification/faqs/
It means that the seeds were tested and did not show contamination. If you are eating USDA Certified Organic but unverified seeds, you are still most likely eating non-GMO but there is always the chance that they have been contaminated. I go for the label whenever possible. It is also possible to be non-organic and non-GMO as in the case with many hummus products that you'll see such as Cedar's. I try to go for Heirloom varieties of vegetables when I can find them. We have a wonderful CSA that we belong to here in Durham, CT.  If you have not joined a CSA, I encourage it for a few reasons:

1. You will have more veggies than you will know what to do with and will be forced to eat them all!
2. You will get veggies that you may have never heard of before and can experiment with.
3. You will have no shortage of green leafy stuff to supply lots of Calcium ( for us women).
4. If you bake, you'll have loads of zucchini for breads and muffins.
5. You can often pick your own food and nothing feels better than eating the beans you picked that day.

How it works:

We found an organic farm near us that had different sized shares for sale. When you pay for your CSA there is no way to know what you will get or how much. It depends on all the things that affect farmers such as: weather, bugs and other unpredictables. This year has been good so far for our farm but no tomatoes yet. Although it costs more to pay for your share upfront, you will buy much less in the way of vegetables for all of summer and early fall. At our CSA we pick our own beans and peas and I sit in the field and eat them as I pick. There is nothing like it.

If you have the sunny open area for growing your own garden you are lucky. We would do that if we could, but live in a heavily shaded area surrounded by large trees.

If you are not interested in joining a CSA you can find most of these farmers at your local farmers markets as well and buy your produce there. It supports these small farms and tells the major supermarkets that you are not interested in their artificially colored tomatoes from other countries.

Starlight Gardens
CT Organic Farmers Markets