Germs

It's been a crazy busy week, but also a fabulous first week of teaching in my new Family Nutrition Program Assistant position. I've visited six different elementary schools in Dickinson County, started two different nutrition curricula, and washed my hands pretend and for-real many times. The beginning of our Kids a Cookin & Movin as well as our Book in a Bag curriculum start with a lesson on germs and hand-washing. The kids absolutely loved using our GlitterBug, which is a giant purple apparatus that looks bug like. The students use magic lotion that shows all the germs on their hands under a black light and then put to the test their hand-washing skills. It's amazing how some students hands' look the same before and after washing. Scary!

Today I read a most fabulous book called Germs! Germs! Germs! and talked about hand-washing with kindergarten and first graders. We made these really cute looking giant germs out of crackers, peanut butter, pretzels and raisins. Several of the teachers were camera happy, and I wish I had some of the pictures now. It is so rewarding to read books with children and make snacks. My heart melted this morning as a class begged me to stay in the classroom. I am loved! Although who wouldn't love somebody that comes into the classroom, reads a story and gives you food?

My body has definitely been close with so many new children this week and I'm feeling good! Still relying on a healthy diet and regular exercise to help me keep away all those germs that cling to children.

Copain

I decided on a name for the artisan bread bakery that I have in my imagination. I found it in a comment list on a blog that I read frequently. A nice person from France had commented on the situation that made her think of the French word copain. Copain means friend, buddy, or pal in French and taken apart the two root words indicate breaking bread with friends.  Co (with) and pain (bread). That's it! Copain is the name of the bakery I have where quality artisan crusty bread is produced, similar to what would be found in France. This bread would be enjoyed with many copains (friends) in an atmosphere of comfort, sharing life with one another.

Check out this media link for a correct pronunciation.

Magical Turnip Soup

• Turnip - I used about 8 medium to small
• Onion - 1 medium
• Carrot - 1 large
• Sweet potato - 1 small
• Delicata squash - 1/2 cup smashed- this can be left out, I used up some that I had thawed in the fridge
• Chicken stock - roughly 4 cups
• White apple wine - 1/2 cup- once again, apple wine not necessary, just what I found in the fridge
• Curry powder - 1 heaping teaspoon
• Mustard seed - generous sprinkle
• Black pepper - 1/2 teaspoon
• Salt - to taste

I chopped the turnip, onion, carrot, and sweet potato and sauteed for about 5 minutes. Then I added the spices for another couple of minutes. Added the squash mash that I had hanging out in the fridge along with the wine and stock. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 30 minutes or so covered. Here you can either eat it chunky style or go ahead and blend for a pureed soup. I prefer the pureed version so all the flavors are mingled. This also allowed me to feed it to my father without him freaking out too much about eating turnips and sweet potatoes. I added a dollop of plain yogurt while serving for a delightful magical soup!

This soup is magical because not only is it virtually fat free and full of healthful vegetables, but it contains curry. Curry, according to this not-so-scientific article, helps as an anti-aging agent, fights Alzheimer's, cancer protection, and arthritis treatment. Sounds pretty magical to me! 

White

In honor of the white snow that is presently falling outside on this 27th day of March, I will address the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables of the color white. Wait, is white a color or is white an absence of color? I have definitely forgotten that science lesson.

White fruits and veggies include: cauliflower, onions, parsnips, potatoes, turnips, mushrooms, garlic, ginger, and bananas. This white contains anthoxanthins which may help to lower cholesterol, blood pressure, and heart disease risk. Bananas and potatoes are also especially good sources of potassium. Potassium is the third most abundant mineral in the human body and essential for many processes. It is vital in keeping heart, brain, kidney, muscle, and other major organs properly functioning.

Speaking of turnips I have a bag full of them that I need to cook. I definitely found some nice sized turnips out there in my garden that I overwintered. Due to the freezing and thawing we've been having recently they were all about half out of the ground and demanded my pulling. Although I don't really use turnips very often I went ahead and planted a bunch more because I have the seed hanging out. Stay tuned for my turnip creation, I'm thinking turnip stew?

Blue & Purple

Purple is definitely my other favorite color. The other half of my closet that is not green is purple. You could probably explain some of this with my alma mater of Kansas State University, but I really do like the color purple. Red and blue put together makes purple. I learned that a couple of weeks ago when I read a book to some elementary students at Rural Center.

On to the foods containing blue and purple pigments that come from anthocyanins. These are powerful antioxidants that protect cells from damage. Many studies link blueberries with memory function and healthy aging. A reduced risk of high blood pressure and lower cancer risk are also linked to these blue and purple fruits & veggies. Try blueberries, blackberries, eggplant, plums, prunes, purple grapes, raisins, purple cabbage, and purple potatoes. These make your plate so pretty and jump with color. Berries, fresh or frozen, are easy to add to breakfast, in oatmeal or cereal, or into the blender for a smoothie. Try purple cabbage in slaw or salad. I know that I ordered purple potatoes to put in my garden this year for something extra special. I can't wait for my purple potato salad.

Beautiful Breakfast

I was going through my pictures and realized that I never posted this fabulous picture of my breakfast a week or so ago. It is simply too pretty to ignore any longer. I believe I had this the day after discussing with a friend how she liked to eat eggs with jam and toast. I went ahead and tried the eggs on the jam and toast just like Brie does. It was an excellent breakfast any way you eat it. 

Joy

I have many reasons to be full of joy:

• Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:1-2
• Today I found earthworms in my garden.
• I also watched the steam and heat escape from the center of the compost pile as it was scooped up into my truck for nutrient transport direct to my garden. Yah!
• I tilled under my hairy vetch cover crop for some great green manure! 
• Last night at Kids Zone I had a new little girl in my group named Airean. She was super sweet, participated very well, and even held my hand while waiting. 
• Earlier this evening it thundered and lightninged. I love spring time storms.
• I planted onions, beets, and little cabbage plants today in my freshly prepared soil.
• I'm making progress on the move to town; have two decent options on the table with another possible.
• Tomorrow night is Chinese food date night with friends!

Green

The month of March as National Nutrition Month is quickly coming to an end. I have been slacking on my nutrition posts but hope to get through the rainbow of colors before the end of the month. I've already addressed Yellow/Orange and Red. Today, since I was able to work with some greens outside in the garden, I'll address the color green.

I've been eating tons of salad lately. Mostly due to the fact that I've been participating in Walk Kansas, which requires me to count my amount of exercise and cups of fruits and veggies each day. It is a bit of a contest and since I like to eat fruits and veggies I've done a pretty good job of consuming over the 5 a day recommendation. My salad greens thanks to AeroGarden.

Greens in the form of lettuce, spinach, beet greens, swiss chard, mustard greens, bok choy, and kale are all great leafy vegetables. These green leafy vegetables are some of the greatest superfoods because they are not only chalk full of nutrients but they are inexpensive for all their greatness. Leafy greens contain lutein which aids in eye health as well as calcium, iron, and folate which protects against birth defects. Vitamins A, B, C, and K are all found here as well. Add all that up and find some excellent antioxidants, cancer fighting nutrients. Enough said, green leafy vegetables are super foods in my book.

Broccoli, cabbage, green peppers, cucumbers, green onions, peas, beans and celery are additional green vegetables that contain many of these same nutrients. Kiwis, green grapes, limes, green apples are all fruits with the green color goodness as well.

The green fruit, the avocado, is another extremely beneficial food. Avocados contain many essential nutrients and are heart healthy. They contain mono-unsaturated fats which are hearty healthy when they replace saturated fats. These lower LDL (bad) cholesterol. Avocados are high in fat which when eaten in place of other fatty foods is beneficial as it keeps us satisfied longer. This fat when consumed with other nutrient dense foods aids in the absorption of many fat soluble vitamins and minerals. Double bonus!

So there's my green spiel, just a week late from Saint Patrick's Day! Might I add that green is one of my favorite colors and half my closest is green.

No-Knead Bread

One of my baker friends recently supplied me with some formulas for no-knead bread. I've observed this technique of baking crusty artisan bread before but simply haven't done my own experimenting yet. My thought process is if I can get more people to try this super easy method of baking crusty bread then surely I can get them hooked on quality artisan bread. I would assume that most people don't bake their own artisan bread because it takes a lot of dedication, a bit of knowledge, and usually a sourdough starter of some form. Is that assumption correct?

This method of bread making includes no kneading. That's right, no standing over the mixer or kneading by hand guessing at how well you've accomplished the kneading task. There is no need to keep track of that sourdough in the back of the fridge and wonder whether it's still good. No-knead is simply that, no kneading involved. The formula I used is basic and requires an overnight rest period. It took approximately 15 minutes to put together and another 30 minutes of time the following day to shape and then get into the oven. Easy.


Not so Magic Ingredients:

• Bread flour - 300 grams (2 1/4 cup)
• Whole Wheat flour - 100 grams (3/4 cup)
• Salt - 8 grams (1 1/4 teaspoon)
• Yeast, instant - 2 grams (1/2 teaspoon)
• Water, cool - 300 grams (1 1/3 cup)

You'll notice that I do my baking measurements in weight instead of cups. This is such a more precise measurement and I highly encourage all to invest in a handy dandy scale!

Method:

1. Stir together flours, salt, and yeast. Add the cool water and mix until you have a wet sticky dough, about 30 seconds. Cover the bowl and let sit at room temp until the surface is dotted with bubbles and the surface is more than doubled in size, 12-18 hours.
2. When the first rise is complete, dust a work surface with whole wheat flour. Scrape the dough out of the bowl and using floured hands or a bowl scraper, lift the edges of the dough in toward the center. Nudge and tuck in the edges of the dough to make it round. (Mine was fairly easy to work with and I easily rounded it, being cautious not to deflate too many fermentation bubbles.)
3. Place a tea towel on a work surface or in a bowl and generously dust with flour or corn meal. Place the dough on the towel, seam side down. Dust the top of the loaf and fold the towel over the loaf. Place in a warm, draft free place for 1-2 hours. (I did mine in a fairly cool environment for 3 hours.) The dough is ready when it is almost doubled. If you gently poke it with your finger, it should hold the impression. If it springs back, let it continue rising.
4. Preheat your oven well in advance to 475 degrees. Position the rack on lower third of the oven and insert a heavy 5 quart pot in the oven to preheat. "I allowed my cast iron pot to preheat for 30 minutes so that is was nice and hot." 
5. Be very careful to remove the pot from the oven and remove the lid. Unfold the towel and quickly but gently invert the dough into the pot, seam side up. Cover the pot and bake for 30 minutes.
6. Remove the lid and continue baking until the bread is a deep chestnut color, 15-30 minutes more. Be careful when removing and cool on a rack. (I completely failed to do this last step. My loaf was definitely starting to burn on the bottom so I took it out. I should have raised the rack shelf and completed the final step to get a darker color on the top of the loaf. Oops, I was definitely excited to eat it and it was fabulous even a bit under-baked!)

Post mix

Post long ferment and shaped

You can tell I went a little flour happy on the dusting and
 it could have used more baking time for a deeper color.

Nice open crumb is good. 

Credit for this master formula goes to Jim Lahey, author of "My Bread." Check out his formula that I found online after I typed all this up. Although this does require time, though most of it hands-off time, it is so well worth it. Please do give it a try and let me know how no-knead artisan bread baking goes for you!

Beauty in the Snow

This past Friday and Saturday I spent the majority of day-light hours outside because the sun was shining and it felt like fabulous early spring days. The temperature was in the 60-70s both days and were absolutely beautiful. I had a conversation with a friend Friday afternoon as we were sitting outside soaking up some rays about how the Farmer's Almanac had been accurate so far this year and we were due for two more snow storms. 

Enter snow storm last night. I woke up to the most beautiful snow we've had all winter. It was wet and simply gorgeous. It weighted down the trees and made for an amazing picture outside.

My commute to town was an epic failure in Rhonda this morning. I was thankful once again for the Lindahl used car lot so I could take my father's giant diesel 4-wheel drive truck in order to make it up the hills outside our driveway. 

The sun came out in full forces this afternoon and there is presently little evidence outside of the gorgeous snow I woke up to. Actually, the evidence lies in the mud. Life is normal in Kansas, it's supposed to be 75 on Thursday.

Peanut Butter Transformation

I've always loved peanut butter. I was never one to be addicted to a specific brand or such, but I have always been a fan of crunchy over creamy. Several years ago I was introduced to the "natural" peanut butter; the kind that you had to stir fiercely with a knife or spoon before using because the oil separated from the solids. I thought this was a hassle but I liked the PB with honey in it and I, like so many other Americans, thought the word "natural" meant healthier. Today I've come to learn that "natural" really has no 100% accurate definition. It can mean different things to each different company using the term. 

According to the USDA: NATURAL indicates a product containing no artificial ingredient or added color and is only minimally processed (a process which does not fundamentally alter the raw product) may be labeled natural. The label must explain the use of the term natural (such as - no added colorings or artificial ingredients; minimally processed.) *Sounds like it's up for interpretation to me. 

Back to the peanut butter- I was a crunchy, corn syrup added, hydrogenated oiled up peanut butter fan. Until I learned that the hydrogenated oils found in most peanut butter contain trans-fats that lead to elevated LDL, bad, cholesterol and increased risk of heart disease. I also gained a strong dislike toward corn syrup and generally try to avoid it at all costs. Corn syrup is basically super sweet sugar that makes you crave more super sweet sugar. Not to mention the lists of random preservatives and other things you might find on a typical jar of peanut butter. By law 90% of the jar must be peanuts, so what makes up the other 10 percent?

All of this knowledge quickly led me to a new found favor in the fresh-ground peanut and almond butter machines in natural food stores. In goes nuts, and out comes nut butter. No added sugar or fat! Although it did take me a while to get used to the nut butter without sugar or salt added, it really is not that difficult to make the switch. Usually I eat peanut butter with some form of bread, fruit or vegetable that have their own natural sugar present so I don' even notice. I also love to put nut butters in smoothies.

Peanut butter is definitely an item high in calories and fat so it must be eaten sparingly. However, the health benefits of peanut butter are many. Peanut butter has a good amount of carbohydrates, protein, and fat. All these go together for perfect, high energy, long lasting satisfaction. Most of the fat found is mono-unsaturated fats, the heart healthy ones. It also contains Vitamin E, fiber, niacin, phosphorus, and magnesium. All of this makes for a great addition to a healthy diet.

Most recently I have run out of my fresh-ground supply and haven't had the opportunity to make it to the health food store for a refill. This has led me to the next extreme peanut butter snob level. Homemade and fresh-ground!

A nice little combo of peanuts

Vita-Mix to the rescue! I did have to add a bit of canola oil to the mix simply
because even this monster couldn't handle all those nuts. 

My fresh-ground occasionally has some oil separate, but it is nothing
compared to the store-bought natural processed peanut butter.

Red

Eat right with the color RED!

Tomatoes, red peppers, red apples, beets, cherries, strawberries, raspberries, pomegranate, red & pink grapefruit, rhubarb, cranberries, watermelon

The color pigment in red fruits and vegetables comes from  lycopene and anthocyanins. These are both powerful phytonutrients that help fight many types of cancer and improve heart health, lower blood pressure, reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol and ease the pain of arthritis. The color red seen in these fruits and vegetables also contain essential antioxidants Vitamin A & C. Eating right with the color red has immeasurable health benefits, tastes so sweet and good, and is low in fat and calories!

Red cherries contain melatonin- regulates sleep

Raspberries are fruit with highest antioxidant levels and
among the highest in fiber. 

Post-jog smoothie: Strawberries, blueberries,
plain yogurt, milk,  hemp protein powder

Oh so Important Breakfast!

We've all been told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. How many of you actually believe that and then consequently live that way? How many of you skip breakfast regularly because you don't have time? This makes me so sad. I simply cannot imagine NOT eating breakfast. It truly starts my day, gives me energy, and makes me happy in the morning. 

I will tell you a little secret though. I used to be a horrible breakfast eater. Basically my entire childhood breakfast eating consisted of pop-tarts and granola bars. I can't believe my mother let me out of the house with such a deprived breakfast. Truthfully, I was running out the door and grabbing a to-go bar was the only option. It may be easy to say this now, but I will not allow my children to eat like that. Studies definitely show that children with a healthful breakfast are able to concentrate better, they excel better in school, and they are less likely to over-eat the remainder of the day. That is true for all ages actually. Breakfast is so important!

Most recommendations include consuming about 25% of your daily calories for breakfast. This starts your metabolism and gives you the energy you need for the day. A good breakfast is also going to include more than just carbohydrates. We need protein and fiber in our breakfast to keep us satiated for a longer period. 

Recently I've been switching between a hearty bowl of oatmeal and sauted veggies with scrambled eggs. I like to make my oatmeal with milk and I always add some form of fruit and nuts. I've been eating lots of eggs because they come from right outside and are free! 

Oats with milk, frozen peaches, blueberries, pepitas(pumpkin seeds), and almonds.

Orange and Yellow

In honor of National Nutrition Month I have been focusing on Eating with Color as the theme for this month. Eating with color is not only super beneficial health wise but eating with color is definitely fun! Who wants to eat food that is all the same color? You would not believe the frequency that Americans eat brown or tan food. Think about all the white bread, mashed potatoes, gravy, fried chicken, creamy pasta, or french fries that we consume that is the same color. Although even the white and brown colors have benefits, I would think that a plate full of one color would be very boring to say the least.

Starting today with the colors ORANGE and YELLOW: Carrots, sweet potatoes, oranges, pumpkin, cantaloupe, butternut squash, mango, apricots, grapefruit, sweet corn, peaches, peppers, and lemons are several orange and yellow options. Orange and yellow colored fruits and vegetables contain vital nutrients:

• Beta-carotene: our body converts this to Vitamin A that has super immune boosting antioxidant properties. This keeps our eyes and skin healthy and helps protect against infections. Carotenoids have been shown to lower risk of numerous cancers and heart disease.
  
• Vitamin C: the good old cold fighting antibodies. Also helps heal cuts and wounds and keep teeth and gums healthy.
• Potassium: helps maintain healthy blood pressure.

A little sweet potato and egg saute.

Some of my first homegrown carrots.

Colorful Slaw

This weekend we were able to lay our hands on some fabulous WheatFields bread without even driving to Lawrence, Kansas. I was super pumped to learn that there was going to be a delivery in Manhattan on Saturday, the day I planned to go to town anyway. Double bonus. We came home with three loaves. One for the neighbors and two loaves for me, I mean the three of us. Tonight, I was pretty excited to make portabella mushroom sandwiches on our multi-grain bread. To go along with the portabella mushroom, asiago cheese, artichoke heart, pesto sandwich melts I made a lovely colorful slaw.

Colorful slaw vegetables:

• Green cabbage
• Green broccoli
• Yellow bell pepper
• Orange carrots

Random slaw dressing:

• Red wine vinegar
• Plain yogurt
• Olive oil
• Dijon mustard
• Sugar, just a pinch
• Salt, just a dash
• Pepper

Colorful Lunch

Lunch today consisted of: 

• Yellow corn taco shells
• Brown beef- local Hildebrand meat to be specific
• Red bell peppers
• Green bell peppers
• Purple bell peppers
• Yellow onions
• Green guacamole
• Green lettuce
• White rice- tragedy, I know, but I cooked it in Red V8 juice
• Red salsa

Get to eating those colors folks. It's as simple as tacos!

Green!

Today I noticed these beauties while in Manhattan. Spring is coming!

Baby tomato life!

Just can't get over how cute my cabbage look with their big boy leaves.

My new green recycled appointment book! It literally is green.

Super fun "green" tips. We'll feature this one today since it is NNM.

On second thought I want to clarify a few things about the above picture. Although I do practice a mostly vegetarian, flexitarian, diet I do not want to sound as if I am completely against the agricultural meat industry. I do believe that the current production of cattle, swine, poultry, etc. in giant confined operating facilities do produce enormous amounts of methane and the above statement would be correct. It is a fact of life, cows produce methane; but if produced in their intended environment this methane would not be an issue. Their intended environment is a pasture where they are allowed to eat grass and their byproducts are a very intricate part of the life around them. In general, filling up on fruits and vegetables is a "greener" alternative. However, in certain situations even this is not better. Take for example, my neighbor that raises beef cattle on the pasture, processes it locally, and dines on it daily. The fruits and veggies that he buys in the grocery today come from California or South America because it is winter in Kansas and therefore they travel several thousands of miles to be on his plate. In this situation eating the beef is definitely the greener alternative.

Do I make myself clear? Let me know if I need to clarify.

Additionally, if Americans ate more fruits and vegetables and less meat on a daily basis, we would be healthier people resulting in less medical costs overall. I think that's a pretty "green" idea. Now if more Americans grew their own fruits and vegetables, we could reduce the amount of methane and the amount of oil burned in transportation thus making it "GREEN!"

National Nutrition Month

March is National Nutrition Month and since I am once again directly involved in the fight to educate others about nutrition I think it is a fabulous time to publicize this event. The theme for this month's campaign is "Eat Right with Color," and I hope to include several posts of colorful meal options. Actually if you check out my recent post, that would be a fabulous starting example of eating a plate full of color.

As a nutrition educator it is not my job to tell people what to eat, but my job to inform others and encourage others to make healthy lifestyle choices. This includes making diverse food choices and including regular exercise. Although I do struggle with this task myself, I am continually reminded that every day is a new day and we are given opportunities constantly to make healthy choices for our future.

Check out the National Nutrition Month website: http://www.eatright.org/nnm/
Stay tuned for more posts on this extremely important topic!

Mexican Polenta Casserole

Tonight, I went to some friendly blogs for dinner inspiration. This recipe is super easy and anybody could do it. I did gain the idea from one of my recent favorites, Kath Eats Real Food. I will say that I was super proud to use up some of the pile of produce in the freezer, slowly making way for another season of production coming soon! 

The culprits include:

Bell peppers, assorted, chopped, approximately 4 cups

Corn, approximately 2 cups

Garlic, 2 cloves

Pureed tomatoes, 2 cups

Taco seasoning, 1 Tablespoon

Cumin, 1 teaspoon

Red pepper, ground, couple dashes

Beans, 1 can chili beans and 1/2 cup black beans that we had in the fridge

Polenta, 1 cup dry cooked with 2 cups water

Cheddar cheese, 1 cup shredded

My method of cooking is obvious, throw whatever is on hand into the pot. I usually don't include recipes because I have no idea what went into something. However, I decided to include this recipe because it is so easy. If you have other veggies or a different kind of bean, they will work just as well.

My bell peppers came out of the freezer and into the pan.

After they mostly defrosted and cooked just a bit, I went ahead and drained some of the extra liquid that developed. Then, in went the tomatoes, corn, and seasoning. This I allowed to cook for a bit as well before adding the beans. 

This mixture went into the casserole dish and covered with the cooked polenta. Polenta is made by simply boiling 2 cups water and adding in 1 cup of dry polenta. Stir and allow to cook briefly until absorbed. Polenta is basically coarse ground corn meal. It would be super to use whole grain polenta, but that is not easily found around here. :( Cheese is sprinkled on top and baked for approximately 15 minutes.

I think it could have stood to have a little more spice. Next time I would up the cumin, red pepper, and garlic. My mother had to put salt and pepper on it, which indicates to me that it needed more spice. But overall, quite tasty!

Check!

I have officially completed one project from my winter to-do list. One very homemade, one-of-a-kind, t-shirt quilt is complete! I used up all my t-shirts from college and backed it with a lovely piece of purple sweatshirt material I found in this house. Feels good to check something off the list. And it actually turned out to be a perfect size.

Delight

As I sit here with the sun radiating off my back I'm counting the smidgen amount of Vitamin D that my skin is absorbing. It is such a fabulous day! I told myself after the past four days on continuous cake eating I had better get back into the exercise routine and today was a perfect day to start. The sun is shining, there are zero clouds in the sky, and little to none wind happening. I went for a jog around the half section and although the sun has been shining there was still a considerable amount of mud and muck to travel through. It was definitely worth it though to get the feet moving and the heart rate accelerated. 

I'm enjoying a post work-out smoothie of blueberries, peaches, strawberry yogurt, hemp protein powder and low-fat Hildebrand milk. It is fabulous and makes my sunshine experience most delightful! 

I've been trying to figure out where all the bees are for some time now. As I sit under this tree the air is filled with the sound of buzzing. I can't see the creatures but I'm certain they're somewhere. If only I could be like Pooh bear and find the honey!

Is it Springtime yet?