When you sprout beans you increase the nutritional value of those beans. Allow me to get to my point without boring you…sprouted foods help boost energy, help with prevention of disease, and repair body tissue.
You can easily do this at home with a seed sprouting kit, available at any health food stores (I think) or simply buy bean sprouts at your local food store. I however, am going to start sprouting my own Alfalfa Seeds…. Starting today! If you are as excited as I am with this new journey I’ll happly keep you updated on my progress. But for now, here’s a simple and yummy sprouted bean casserole.
All beans should be sprouted
1 C mung beans
1 C baby lima beans
1 C pinto beans
1 large onion, chopped
1 large red or green pepper, finely chopped
1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
3 C chopped leeks
3 T Liquid Aminos
ground pepper to taste
Steam fry onion and garlic. Add leeks, liquid aminos and ground pepper. Simmer for 15 min. Add chopped pepper and simmer for 5 min. Place all beans in a casserole dish and pour onion and leek mixture on top of beans and stir to combine. Bake at 350 FOR 15 min.
I’m a bit obsessed with Fenugreek. It’s a plant that when dried and ground, smells like burned maple. You can get it whole or ground in the spice section. It’s mostly used in Indian dishes such as curries, and chutneys. But since I’m not a fan of cooking curry I opt to use it for health reasons. I find curry a bit rich for my taste but my husband loves it, so I’m trying to comprise. So far I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve made him curry. But that’s another topic that I can say I’ll return to.
Anyway, Fenugreek is good for the gallbladder, muscle aches, bronchitis, stomach, and digestive disorders. It can lower cholesterol and help with sinus conditions.
You can get Fenugreek seed capsules from any health food store and take as a supplement. Sometimes I’ll make Fenugreek/Fennel tea when I think I need to add more to my diet.
Boil 5 cups of water and simmer the following for 15 minutes:
1 T Fennel Seeds
1 T Fenugreek Seeds. Whole or Ground
1 T Flax Seeds
1 T Peper Mint Leaf.
enjoy.
Have an extra minute in your day? Do some push ups. In my opinion push ups are a very effective way for getting a total body work out. At the same time you’ll get the benefits of weight lifting, as well as a little cardio. Hey, if your heart is pumping that’s good enough for me.
There is no reason why you don’t have time to do at least 10 push ups a day. A little boost such as this will put you in a better mood at the same time making you feel better about yourself. Nothing wrong with that.
And if you really want to challenge yourself check out this site….
http://hundredpushups.com/
Here’s an interesting little tidbit on Avocados from my Dietary
Wellness book…
Avocados help fight fatigue (perfect for a Monday or as a snack at 3pm), Urinary infections, and Nerves (I should eat one next time I fly).
Avocados also contain high amounts of the good fats making them an important addition to your diet. However they should be consumed in moderation as is the case with most foods. If you are counting your calories, a half of an avocado is 160 calories and has more than your daily requirement of vitamin k.
My Avocado snack time favorite…
Half an avocado
1 T tuna in water mixed with 1/2 t vegan mayo
drizzle lemon juice on top and sprinkle with some dulse of course!
I am putting this on everything! Almost. It has a salty, fresh from the sea seaweed taste that I love. For those of you that just gagged, I won’t be offended if you have stopped reading. However, Dulse is getting a lot of popular reports in the super food department.
It’s high in plant iodine and potassium, has been known to treat parasites and, improve thyroid function. It’s also a great source of iron.
Dulse is also known to repair body tissue from environmental stresses. So it’s great at boosting the immune system.
You can buy Dulse in any health food store or any Whole Foods. I’ve been adding a few sprinkles to soups and salads.
At the present, I’m a bit addicted to arugula salad. Which is fantastic because there are so many health benefits. Because of the dark green it’s high in Chlorophyll. Chlorophyll blocks the absorption of toxic carcinogens and as a bonus, helps prevent bad breath.
Arugula is also high in fiber and vitamin B and A. And makes the super food list.
It’s best eaten raw.
Just add desired amount into a mixing bowl and drizzle with olive oil and white wine vinegar. Sprinkle with a pinch of pink himalayan salt, pepper, and maybe some cheese and you are good to go.
(as a side note, I’ve been adding dulse flakes to this and well… everything, but I’ll get to what that is in a separate post)
A salad is supposed to be healthy. So why do we load it with crap like bacon bits, cheese, processed meats, and heavy dressings such as … dare I say it? Ranch! I know ranch is a favorite among most of you, but if you read the ingredients is there anything that’s recognizable? It’s so easy to make your own salad dressing at home, and better for you.
This is one of favorite to make at home ….
3/4 C OJ from an actual orange, not the mass produced orange color liquid.
2 T raw apple cider vinegar
2 T Dijon Mustard
1 T pure maple syrup
salt and pepper to taste.
Pure maple syrup, is thought to have medicinal powers. Since it comes right from the trees it has a ton of vitamins and minerals. As long as it’s pure! Aunt Jemima is not even close. Vermont maple syrup is the best.
Raw apple cider helps cleanse the body of waste. It helps with circulation of the lymph nodes.
And if you still need something creamy that resembles Ranch:
1 t garlic powder
1 t black pepper
1 t dried parsley
2 t fresh grated Parmesan
1/2 t lemon zest
1 t lemon juice
1/2 t Dijon mustard
1 t vinegar
1 t water
1 c natural yogurt
But if you really don’t feel like making your own salad dressing Here are a couple that won’t kill you.
Annies makes a nice dressing. I like their Goddess dressing: https://annies.alice.com/products/1276081
Salad Girl has a yummy fig and curry dressing: http://saladgirl.com/curry_fig.php
You can purchase these in any health food store or go online.
Thanks to my Mother, I recently started taking one spoon full of coconut oil in the morning. Just like medicine. One teaspoon, down the hatch. I’ll be honest, it’s not my favorite thing to do. However the benefits are so rewarding that with time, I know I’ll get used to it.
Coconut oil has been used all over the world to fight off the common cold, stress relief, and digestion. It helps maintain metabolism and high blood pressure. It’s also great for your skin and hair.
I keep a jar in the bathroom for use as lotion and one in the kitchen for cooking and consumption.
It’s a bit pricey. One jar might cost up to $10 or $12. But it lasts a while and it’s a good investment.
If the thought of taking it like cough syrup makes you gag, you can always add it to a juice, shake, over your breakfast, or use in place of olive oil. I make popcorn with it sometimes.
3 eggs (organic only please)
3 T expeller pressed veggie oil. Sometimes I use coconut oil. Depends on my mood and what I have available.
1 t pure vanilla extract
3 C soy or skim milk.
8 slices of your favorite bread. (choose wisely)
1 t cinnamon
3/4 C raw sugar or honey. If you use honey, make sure you use 1/2 cup less soy or skim milk.
(With any recipe, you should play around with it. Add raisins or even chocolate chips before putting it into the oven. Sometimes I’ll even add frozen fruit and then mix it all together and bake.)
Beat eggs and sweetner, add vanilla. Barely warm milk, then add to the egg mixture, stirring constantly. Cut bread into cubs and mix with oil, then spread onto the bottom of a casserole dish. Sprinkle with a little cinnamon. Pour egg mixture over the bread and sprinkle with the rest of the cinnamon. Bake at 350º for 20-25 minutes.
