SIMPLY HEALTHY

It seems that every so often I get on a new health kick. Each time, I seem to learn just a little bit more about eating healthy and the importance of it. My most recent health kick started after doing some research on how best to live with one kidney, since Aden only has one. Not only have we chosen to not vaccinate him at this time, but I am also researching how to eat with a minimal amount of toxins in our diet. I like to think that we've always sort of eaten healthy, but each one of my little "health kicks" that comes along, I am challenged to step that up a notch. By the time our little guy is eating table food, I am hoping to have made our diet really healthy and we will all benefit from it as well. One of our favorite meals around here is a simple salad jazzed up.




Unfortunately, I sometimes tend to take one small step forward and then three steps back into my old ways. But I guess as long as I keep trying to educate myself in this area and keep moving forward, no matter the pace, any progress is progress.

Some things I'm trying to do differently --

* avoid any and all pre-packaged food when possible
* cook as much as possible from scratch
* salads, salads, salads!
* home grown pork, eggs (& hopefully some day beef!)
* decrease sugar amounts when baking
* increase whole grains
* choose Subway over Mc. D's

Here are some recipes that I have been using frequently lately that line up with these things...

Because of the high cost of real maple syrup and all the junk in the fake stuff, I have been using this:

Home-made Fruit Syrup
1Cup 100% fruit juice
1 Tbsp. corn starch
1 tsp. sugar (or honey)
Whisk together juice and corn starch in small saucepan. Turn heat on; add sugar or honey. Boil while stirring, until thickened. Our favorites are grape juice and apple juice.

Again, due to ingredients in Campbell's soup, I have been using this:
Tomato Soup
4 large tomatoes (or 2 cans tomatoes w/o all the extra junk)
2 slices onion
1/4 small green pepper (opt.)
1 carrot (opt.)
1/2 t. salt
dash of pepper
2 C. thin white sauce (below)
basil, parsley, garlic, oregano

Peel and chop tomatoes. Combine with veggies and seasonings in large saucepan. Simmer 10 minutes or until veggies are tender. May puree through food processor. Prepare white sauce and stir slowly into mixture. (I have made this with cans of stewed tomatoes and pureed them first so I don't have to wait for it to cool down, but still get the same consistency.)

White sauce for tomato soup recipe:
2 T. buter, 2 T. flour, 2 Cup milk. Melt butter, add in flour until smooth. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly. Cook over med. heat until thickened. Simmer 2-3 min.

Salad (pictured above)
spinach & romaine
grilled chicken breast
various veggies (red/green pepper, tomatoes, -- whatever you have on hand!)
various fruit (our favorites are strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, pears)
walnuts
Serve with dressing of choice!

A great snack choice: dried apples or a handful of almonds!

HINT: If you dry your own apples, soak them in pineapple juice for a bit first. It prevents browning and makes them taste great!

My new favorite cookbook where I have gotten many great ideas can be found here.
I would LOVE to hear any more ideas on how to eat more healthy and also how to stay motivated to stay on this path! My biggest fear is heading backwards...again! Please share or pass along recipes or books where I can increase my knowledge!