Affordability--Let's be Practical

Summer Watermelon Refresher

The ingredients in this came about from when my son had a UTI.  He drank this homemade concoction almost every morning for about a week.  Along with some herbal treatment, the infection was gone within 8-9 days!  So, thanks to Aiden, we have another tasty recipe.  This is great when you have some leftover cut up watermelon that needs to be used.  Our other favorite thing to do with our leftover bowl of watermelon is to go out on the front porch together with some forks and eat out of the bowl together, watching the people go by.

1 Cup Cranberry Juice

3 Cups Fresh Watermelon

1 Cup Plain Yogurt

1 Scoop Vanilla Rice Protein (Sun Warrior)

1 Cup Spinach

½ Cup Fresh Parsley, Stems Removed

1 Frozen Banana

2 Cups Frozen Blueberries

In a blender, combine the cranberry juice, watermelon, yogurt, and protein powder.  Then add the spinach and parsley, and blend well.  Add the banana and blueberries at the end, blending well one last time.  Sip through a straw as you sit out on the back porch.  

Looking Back~

When Connor and I had been married for a short first year, we took off to live in Georgia.  It was exciting to move out there far away from the familiarity of our home in Utah.  We were financially struggling to become independent, and learn to make a living on our own in a new place.  We were both up for the challenge, and remained somewhat positive, even when our income ran low.  I remember when I had one cardboard box of food to draw from to make our meals. (We had been moving place to place, and so I kept some things packed.)  I made a lot of bread, and oatmeal.  I shopped at the dollar store for food items and bought the occasional fish, or produce.  I remember we ate on some plastic pink plates from the dollar store and washed them after each meal.  Connor had good cause to say, "You could have at least picked a better color!"

Looking back at that experience now makes me so grateful for what I have in my kitchen today, let alone my other blessings combined.  Sometimes I feel a little guilty indulging in buying things like fresh berries at the market, or wild caught fish, or raw local honey.  I'm discovering though, that there are ways to make this affordable, if you are willing to make it a priority, and a way of life.  If you'll notice, the things I just listed to buy, are also things we can produce ourselves, with some added effort.  You don't necessarily have to buy fish, when you can catch it.  You can grow berries, fruits, veggies, and herbs.  If you're really ambitious, you can own your own bees.  In our culture of convenience, the work that used to go into raising the food for our own families has changed drastically.  More and more I realize, that if we work to save money, we spend just as much time working to provide our own food as we would outside the home to earn an extra paycheck.  This is why most people opt out.   However, the difference is in living a higher quality of life.  I have often had to work outside the home just enough to help out with our bills, but sometimes I wonder if I was brave enough to just let go of my employment that I would have more time to be the homemaker I want to be.  This is something I've balanced for the last ten years, and so I do as much as I am able.  I don't have a complete garden right now, but I do have some herbs, and a tomato plant.  I grow sprouts indoors, and experiment with kefir grains, wheatgrass, aloe plants, and other things that provide nutrition with a little effort.  I now show gratitude and celebrate what I have in terms of health, and resources by taking care of my family, myself, and making delicious healthy food!

Tips to Help Save a Buck:

-Always remove something you can live without from your shopping cart before you go check out.

-Buy your fruits and veggies in their whole form, not pre-cut, or pre-prepared.

-Stick to your budget, and limit the time you spend in stores.

-Scrap the coupons, and just buy what you know you need.  This is a bold statement in these times, but honestly, give it a try.  Only use coupons for things you were planning on buying anyway, not for things that draw your attention.  I love grocery stores that will give you coupons based off of what you normally tend to buy.  From a psychological perspective, notice how much more frequently we enter the store just to buy one thing, that ends up being twenty, just because you had a coupon that needed to be used by a certain date.    You'd be surprised how much more you can spend thinking that you are saving something!  (Also, you'll have more time to cook from scratch, or weed your garden, instead of clipping adds.)

- Buy one less than you think you need.  For example, if I think I need 8 lemons to make lemonade, maybe I only need 7.  Sounds silly, but it adds up. 

-Try to limit buying in bulk to only one time per month.

-Cut out convenience foods, & extra snack foods.  For example, when we are in the store and my kids want to buy cookies, I'll tell them we can make our own later.

-Keep well stocked on items that will help you to cook more often from scratch.  Before the holidays, I gradually make sure I have nuts, seeds, flours, and herbs and spices on hand.  This is so I can be prepared to make baked goods, and party foods.

- Make a list, but don't feel obligated to buy everything on it.

-I read recently in a magazine article that we can optimize our produce dollars by following Aggregate Nutrient Density Index ratings for Produce by USDA cost per edible cup.  (Watermelon happens to be number one on the list for fruits.  Yay for today's recipe!)

-Sometimes organic is actually cheaper.  Pay attention to prices in the store.  If an organic apple costs the same as a pesticide ridden one, buy the organic of course!  If not, just wash your produce well, or stick to buying a selective amount of organic items from the "dirty dozen" list.  (You can internet search that one.)

-If you can make it, don't buy it.  There was a time I made huge batches of homemade frozen burritos to send with Connor for his lunch at work.  He was so good to not complain. 

-Eat your leftovers. Try not to waste food.  Again, this helps us cut back on buying fast food, when we are willing to bring a lunch from home.

-Don't overeat.  Eat as much as you need, and be satisfied.  Then there will be more for tomorrow!

- Set up monthly meal plans so that you know what you want to buy in advance.  I'll often plan on making three or four different recipes with similar types of ingredients, so that I know it won't go to waste.  This way I can be flexible about what I want to make on a daily basis, and I don't feel rushed to use things up too fast.

-If your produce starts to go bad, freeze it.  We use a lot of frozen fruits and veggies in our smoothies.  I'll cut up veggies and freeze them for later use in a skillet.  This way, you can buy more fresh, and less frozen. 

-If a recipe requires that you make a sauce, double it, and freeze the other half.  This will help with convenience as well.

-Learn how to take care of little discomforts the natural way, and eat more healthy.  You'll have less expensive trips to the doctor, and dentist.  You won't have to buy much from the pharmacy either.

-Have some meatless meals.  Beans and rice will go a long way.

-Suck it up and eat things that go wrong.  Sometimes, my meal doesn't turn out as well as I would have liked, but we'll eat it anyway.  This just motivates me to make it better the next time.

-Buy some of your health food items and supplements online!  Vitacost.com gives you free shipping when you spend $50.  

-I'm sure you can think of more ways to save money, and be more willing to put in some effort...

A Tomato is a Fruit, and Sometimes a Veggie

Tart Tomato Raspberry Salad: Who would have ever guessed that this combination of things from the garden could taste so divine? Tomatoes, Raspberries, and Basil, are all coming on in abundance at the end of the summer.  This is light, easy, and just as appealing to your eyes as it is to your taste buds.

4 Fresh Sliced Garden Tomatoes

1 Cup Fresh Raspberries

½ Packet Sweet Leaf Stevia

2 Tbs. Fresh Basil, Cut into Thin Strips

2 Tbs. Grated Mozzarella Cheese

In a small sauce pan, over medium heat, mix the raspberries and stevia using a fork to make a raspberry sauce.  Place fresh sliced tomato rounds on a platter.  Pour the raspberries over the top.  Sprinkle with the basil, then the cheese.  Serve cold, or at room temperature.  

Keeping Track Lightly 

Life is busy.  It can be difficult to keep track of what you've been consuming throughout the day.  There are days it's hard to remember what I had for breakfast, or if I even had breakfast...although, of course, I try to never skip the first meal of the day.  In using the Food Modification Guide, and the Modified Food Pyramid, (found in my June 11th, and August 4th 2012 blog posts,) I've developed a simple tally system to help with keeping track.  If you sit down to a meal and think, "What have I already had today?"  Sometimes it helps to make a quick note on paper, or in your mind about what might be lacking.  For example,  I'm hungry.  The kids are hungry.  I don't have a clue what to make for lunch.  "What did we have for breakfast?"  A smoothie, containing two veggies, and three fruits, yogurt, and protein powder.  We also had some whole grain toast with almond butter on it.  The tally system would look something like this:

Veggies:1

Fruit: 2

Whole Grains: 1

Dairy, (this includes dairy substitutes): 1

Protein: 1

Sugars: 0

Notice that I've been somewhat loose about serving size per person.  It's just a rough estimate of how many types of foods I've had that day.  No counting calories, or weighing exact portions.  Really this is just a way to ensure you do indeed get the variety you need in your diet.  By the end of the day, it becomes very easy to see what foods you could use a little more of.  Over time choosing what you need over what you might want becomes easy--because you will begin to want what you need.  Decisions of what to eat next are simplified greatly.  Sometimes my 6 year old son will get out grapes, applesauce, juice, and some oranges to eat for lunch and I'll just explain, "We really had a lot of fruit already in our smoothie this morning.  Don't you think we should have some protein?  Maybe a sandwich would be good, would you like that?"   At times it's a compromise, so we might end up having a sandwich and some grapes on the side.

So, is a tomato a fruit, or a vegetable? It just depends on what I want it to be!  If I need to up the tally marks in my vegetable category, it's a veggie.  If I need it to be a fruit, it is.  Sometimes, it's both.  Isn't that liberating?

Staying on Track

My father has always been full of great analogies.  He has been a great teacher to me and my family, and many others in using simple ideas that stick in your mind like glue.  He is an avid mountain biker, and often while on the trail, (and off the trail,) he would remind us that we want to look where we are going.  Look where you want to go, not at the obstacles that are in your way.  If you are on a single track, riding fast downhill, and there is a rock you would prefer not to hit, don't look at it.  Keep your eyes on the track. 

This is a simple visual analogy symbolizing the focus we must have on the things we want in life, not those we are trying to avoid.

During yoga class, my students and I will often remind ourselves of this same principle on the mat.  Jumping lightly from Down Dog-(Adho Mukha Svanasana) to the top of the mat, I'll say, "Remember, look where you are going!"  It all comes together through mid-line.  Finding a focal point on the floor within a standing balance, the gaze travels slowly upward to a full residing drishti, where gradually we move upward, looking where we want to go. Balance is achieved.

Modification is Key

Skillet Tomato Asparagus Chicken with Goat Cheese

This is best served with a side of whole grain pasta, or fluffy brown rice.  I always add a little olive oil or butter to my brown rice while it's cooking. 2 parts water to 1 part rice.  It usually takes about 45 min to prepare nice soft brown rice.  I love to add a little of good quality cheese to a meal as an accent, rather than to take a lower quality cheese and make a meal out of it.  Dairy products are one of those things to be used more lightly, and the higher quality cheeses are usually healthier too.  I can afford that once in a while!  Again, use meats and cheeses that are hormone and nitrate free if possible.
 
4-6 Strips of Turkey Bacon, or Pork Bacon, De-fatted
3 Cloves of Garlic, Minced
8 Chicken Tenderloins
1 Bundle of Asparagus, Woody Ends Removed
4 Roma Tomatoes, Thickly Sliced, then Halved
1Tbs. Fresh Lemon Juice
3 Tbs. Fresh Basil, Thinly Sliced
Redmond Real Salt and Ground Black Pepper, to Taste
1-2 oz. Soft Goat Cheese, Sliced

Over medium heat, in a large skillet, spread out the minced garlic in the bottom of the pan.  Layer the strips of bacon over the garlic.  Cook for about 2 minutes, then flip the bacon over.  Place the chicken tenders over the top of the bacon.  Allow the meat to cook for another 3-4 minutes, then flip the chicken over so the bacon ends up on top.  Make sure the bacon gets fully cooked.  Spread out the asparagus over the top of the chicken, Add the tomatoes over the  top of the asparagus.  Cover the skillet and cook for about 4 minutes.  If things start to stick to the pan, or brown too much, add a little water to steam the ingredients (rather than create carcinogens by overcooking.)  We do love the taste of "browning" meats, but it's really not the healthy way to cook our fats.  Next, add the basil, salt, and pepper, and a splash of olive oil.  It's great to add these healthy fats after the food has been removed from the heat.    The basil will wilt with the heat as you take the skillet off the stove to serve at the table.  Slice fresh goat cheese over the top, or serve the cheese as a side on individual plates.  Savor the flavors.

Modifications are Key~

Most of my recipes are simply adaptations of family favorites, or my own favorites, modified to accommodate nutritional needs.  There are just some foods that I simply can't live without!  Change just a few things, and many times, a meal evolves into something beautifully different.  Other times, it would seem a sin to change one of my mother's already amazingly delicious recipes, so I'll leave it like it is.  I'm not really looking to create totally new ideas.  There are plenty of recipes out there, and they just seem to be getting increasingly more complicated and expensive, or on the other hand, so simple and easy that they come out of a box, or a can.  I can thank my mother for having a garden, and cooking from scratch.  I honestly didn't even know what a "box cake" was until I got married!  I was blessed.  (And yet, I just bought a box cake as a back up for my son's birthday tomorrow just in case my cake from scratch doesn't turn out...)   So, with that said, you'll probably begin to notice certain ingredients I love to use frequently in the place of others.  I don't need to keep that a secret, because it's useful information. If you'll refer back to my modified food pyramid, (found in my June 11th 2012 blog post,) you will see what foods I'm trying to have less of, and which foods I'm trying to get more of.  My recipes are a collection of the modifications I have wanted to write down so that I don't forget the changes I made.  I look forward to having these as a personal future reference, but somehow I think there will always be something new!

Modification Guide      
Just as we use modifications during yoga practice to cater to our individual needs, we can modify the foods we consume as well.  The idea is simple.  Real food is always better than fake food.  Variety is what will not only give you more nutrition, but you will avoid food allergies, and your taste buds will never get bored!