Easy Lunch

There is a guy I know who always has the most spectacular looking lunches.  I told him I was going to blog about him.  So here it goes.

In passing, you might think he eats the same thing every day, but looking closer, or talking to him you would see otherwise.  It starts as a salad of mixed greens and almost always contains spinach.  There is usually an avocado and tomatoes chunked into it but after that, anything is fair game.  He usually uses dinner from the night before.  Beans, rice, corn... and sometimes some animal protein such as chicken or fish.  It is all topped off with a vinaigrette of balsamic vinegar and oil (Flax? - I'll have to ask).  How easy is that?  My mouth is watering already!  Give it a try and let me know what combination you used.

Here is a favorite vinaigrette recipe from my Rebar cookbook:

Cascade Spinach Salad p. 25
Vinaigrette
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp honey
1/4 tsp salt (use sea salt)
1/4 tsp cracked pepper
1 tsp minced rosemary (I grind up dried rosemary with a mortar and pestle)
1/3 cup olive oil

Whisk all ingredients together.

Toothpaste

Check this out.  A friend sent me this link for homemade toothpaste.  I'm going to try making it this weekend.

Our family gave up using toothpaste a few years ago.  It was because we wanted to reduce the chemicals and toxins we put into our body.  It was also fueled by our dentist who told us that we didn't need to use toothpaste.  We are actually getting better check-ups now because we brush more.  Instead of standing at the sink timing our brushing, we sit in front of the computer or TV and brush our way through whole shows.  We also have toothbrushes in the car and though we look a bit strange, we are able to smile huge, clean smiles at other drivers.  Not sure if it qualifies as hand held device.  I'll ask my police officer friend.

So, for some variety, the kids and I are going to make toothpaste this weekend.

Homemade Toothpaste
2 tablespoons coconut oil
3 tablespoons baking soda
1/2 small packet of stevia powder
20-25 drops of peppermint oil*
1. Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl, using a fork.
*Add about half of the amount of peppermint oil to start, and test the toothpaste to see how much you want/like.
When brushing, use warm water to rinse or it will stick to the sink.

Probiotics

I saw a great infomercial on KCTS9 the other night featuring Brenda Watson and her book "The Road to Perfect Health".  I always take infomercials with a grain of salt but all her information was correct.

She stated that for optimum results the culture count needs to be 15 billion - so I went and looked at my probiotic and found it was lacking (I'm looking for a new one).  The other important piece of info to look for on the bottle is the potency at the expiration of the product.  It should say right on the bottle what the culture count should be when it expires (I would think it should also hover at the 15 billion mark) - don't forget, this is a living thing and it should be kept in the fridge.

Brenda said the more strains of bacteria the better (10+) and that "Lacto" bacteria was for the "Little" intestine and "Bifido" was for the "Big" intestine.  She also suggested getting a delayed release type of capsule so that it releases in the intestines, not the stomach.

Why do we need probiotics?  To regulate the our internal health.  Probiotics help to decrease yeast and boost the immune system.  Yeast is crowed out by the good bacteria and good bacteria stimulate the immune cells that line the GI tract.  A cleaner, healthier gut also aids in digestion making it easier to get nutrients from food.

And don't forget to get a dairy free version!

Baby Food

My girlfriend wanted some suggestions on what to feed her baby.

Introduce new foods one at a time.  A larger amount of a single food at a feeding, rather than small amounts of several foods, allows the baby to get used to one new food so that they'll be less likely to reject it or have an allergic reaction.  Oddly, a small amount of food is more likely to cause an allergic reaction than a large amount.  Make sure the food is as organic as possible so that if they do have an allergic reaction, you will know it is to the food and not the chemicals.

The blender is your friend!

1. Seven Months - Cereal - Start them on soft, bland, smooth foods, such as cereal (iron-fortified rice, oat, or barley - NO wheat).  Try soaking steel-cut oats overnight and then blending them in the blender.  No need for cooking.  Raw food has all the good enzymes to help him digest it easily.  Remember to start out with the cereal really watery (you can add breast milk if you like).  Start with 1/8 tsp. of cereal at a time and work up as he is able to handle it.  After three days you can try the next type of cereal.

2. Eight Months - Vegetables - Move on to foods with a coarser texture and stronger taste, such as squash, pureed green beans and peas, pumpkin, and potatoes, both sweet and red.  NO spinach, beets, turnips, carrots, or collard greens until they are nine months old.

3. Nine Months - Fruits - About a month after starting vegetables, they should be ready for fruits.  Applesauce, peaches, apricots, pears, nectarines and plums.

Vegetables - Next, chunky, chewy foods such as broccoli, zucchini, cauliflower, asparagus tips, kale, tomatoes, spinach, beets, turnips, carrots, and collard greens.  Serve each one every four to five days until they become familiar with them.  If they show gassiness or bloating, especially after eating turnips or collard greens, wait about a month before trying them again.

Then, finger foods such as cooked carrot sticks.

4. Ten Months - "Protein" (which they are already getting from the fruits and vegetables) - meat, poultry, beans, egg yolks, hummus, tahini, almond butter.

A great idea would be to give them a teaspoon of flaxseed oil in their food each day for Omega-3s.

5. One Year - fish and egg whites.  They should be eating everything now.

No sugar, salt, wheat or dairy and they will be laughing and most likely healthier than all their peers!

Sick Kids

My kids are sick.  Not as sick as their friends or any of the adults I know, but sick none the less.  Health is the ability to overcome a disease, not the absence of it.  So I turn to supplements to boost my kids immune function.  Remember A.C.E.S. + Zinc.

Vitamin A 10,000 units
Vitamin C 2,000 mg

You can megadose Vitamin C if your child is at home, sick.  To mega dose administer 1,000 mg per hour until there are loose bowels/diarrhea.  This is the saturation point.  Stop for the day.  The next day give 1,000 mg every two to three hours until loose bowels occur, then stop for the day.  The third day you should be able to give them 1,000 mg every four to six hours without loose bowels and continue this dosage until the cold is over.

Vitamin E 400 units
Selenium 100 mcg
Zinc 20 mg

Probiotic -15 billion count, 10+ strains, time release

Fish Oil/Flax Seed Oil - 1 Tablespoon
Cod Liver Oil - 1 teaspoon

It won't hurt to take these yourself.  And please, everyone, WASH YOUR HANDS!