Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Dabbling in the Vegan

So, in making the move to healthier living I'm making a list to try an entire week of Vegan only dinner meals. I'm still using things up that are in my pantry and working toward a much better form of cooking. So, this is my first week of full-on purposeful recipes.

With the cooler temps and leaves turning to fall colors, I find myself drawn to soups this week. Here are two that I plan to put on this week's menu:

I'll be sure to post reviews on the soups once I make them.

Two thumbs up for Miso Soup, by the way. My hubby and I have made a couple different concoctions (dependent of veggies in the crisper) with the Red Mellow Miso and found it quite palatable. :o)

Recipe from Melodie B:
Melodie submitted this recipe for Taco Nut Meat

  • 1/2 cup almonds, dry
  • 1/2 cup walnuts, dry
  • 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 Tablespoon coriander
  • 1/3 cup EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
  • 2/3 teaspoon Sea Salt
  • 1 Teaspoon Soy Sauce

Process all nuts in food processor. Place nut meat into mixing bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Mix well.
Will keep for 4 days in fridge. We used it in a wrap and totally enjoyed it --- Melodie B.

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Thursday, October 25, 2007

Going to the Amazon (.com, that is)

So, I figured now is as good a time as any to highlight some books over at Amazon.com. Some are cookbooks, some are instructional, but all feature even more "healthy discoveries." So, enjoy!

I don't own all of these but they looked interesting. I did see the Miso one at church - Pastor had it.

You can click on the slideshow below to activate it and then hover over the book you want to know more about. Additionally, you can click directly on the book to go to that page in Amazon.com




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Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Of Supplements and Sales

Just thought I would post a quick note about Valerie Saxion and Total Health Labs. Valerie is a Christian who is also a proponent of healthy, natural living.

She has a TV Show on TBN and several books on the market as well.

You can purchase supplements from her online store and she is currently offering a special. Through midnight Wednesday, purchase any supplement online and get the second free.

http://www.valeriesaxion.com/

Enjoy!

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Monday, October 22, 2007

Blogs to read and ... a Challenge!

Sorry for the many days without a post! Let's take a look at some blogs today that I have been introduced to in recent weeks. (Again, please note that I do not condone 100% of everything a website - or blog, in this case - contains.)

Side Note:
Before I dive into the blogs, I just want to mention a quick upgrade that was added to this blog. You will notice a 'chat balloon' icon near each link now. You can hover over that to see a preview of the website that is linked.

Quick Lesson on RSS:
For all my non-geek readers :)

If you aren't familiar with the benefits of RSS, you might want to acquaint yourself with it. To put it quite simply, an RSS file 'feeds' information to any device that checks it. This allows you, the end user, to subscribe to any RSS and receive automatic notification of updates to the feed WITHOUT having to physical check each website or blog. Nice, huh?!?!

OK, so how do you use that feature? Simple.

Choose an RSS/feed reader and then plug in the feed address of any blog (or RSS file) and the reader does all the work. For instance, I utilize Google Reader to keep up with all the blogs I regularly follow. I then use iGoogle as my homepage and it lets me know when the reader has new content. Easy as pie!

I currently track over 50 blogs this way and have them organized into folders. This saves me SO much time and effort because the reader does all the work and then I skim through the entries and read the ones that interest me. So, give it a try. Go over to www.google.com to get started.


Now ... on to the blogs:

Fat Free Vegan Kitchen: Pastor introduced me to this one. Her blog features recipes and other tidbits of healthy living info. I like the great photos of each of the recipes, and the archives run all the way back to Dec 2005.

  • She's even got a HUGE list of other foods blogs that she follows. Check the list out here.
  • Also, you should really look at the parent website to which this blog belongs. http://fatfreevegan.com/ -- you will find absolutely TONS of recipes there as well.

Raw Food, Right Now: I realize not everyone is a full-on raw foodie, but they have interesting recipes and good tips to boot. A recent post featured Chewy Chocolate Freezer Fudge. Sounds yummy!

The Raw Divas blog: I introduced their website in the last post and wanted to include the blog in this one -- just in case you missed it.

  • Check out the links in the right hand column for more blogs
  • They even feature workout tips and ideas. See this one on Poi

The Daily Raw Cafe: Here's another one that I just started reading. Interesting recipes and I also noticed that they link to two other blogs

We like it Raw: This seems to be a conglomeration of news, recipes, and links to other Raw websites and blogs. Check out the interesting post on The Importance of Organic Tea. To learn more about this blog, check out this page.

The Challenge:
So, now that I've introduced you to a few of the many blogs I follow, here's your challenge. Find a blog -- Raw, Vegan, or other Healthy lifestyles - that you like and think has information worth sharing and send me the link. I'll post a list of the blogs for everyone to enjoy.

(In case you are having trouble finding one ... visit one of those listed above and then check out the blogs that they link to. )

This challenge will end on Friday, October 26 -- so get your entries in ASAP.

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Wednesday, October 17, 2007

In the Raw

I've been reading a lot about RAW food and how beneficial it is for you. Although I'm probably not ready to plunge headfirst into nothing but raw food, I am interested in incorporating more of it into my life.

So, here are a few websites that might prove helpful and informative if you are in the same place.


Raw Food Coach: http://www.therawfoodcoach.com/
Karen Knowler has an extensive website and blog with lots of good info -- especially for raw food newbies. She explains how to get started and the "why's" of raw food, along with offering plenty of free resources.

Take a look at her recipes, -- from smoothies to ice cream -- all are raw and healthy for you. There's even a free download of Get Fresh! Magazine from 2006. Karen is a writer for Get Fresh! and I've skimmed through the issue. Looks like it has lots of interesting information even if it is UK based.

She does have her own YouTube channel with several "how-to" videos. Some of the videos feature nori rolls, flax cracker, chocolate smoothies, and 'fried' mushrooms.


Alissa Cohen: http://www.alissacohen.com/
Another raw food site featuring author, speaker, and chef - Alissa Cohen. She is often seen on television shows like Tyra and NBC's The Today Show. Her site features a link to Raw Food Talk, an online community for folks exploring and living the raw food life.

There's a store where you can purchase a food items, a cookbook, DVD, or even apparel and tote bags. She also has online audio files from her weekly radio show. Additionally, she has a link page filled with lots of other websites to check out.

Last point to note: she certifies teachers and offers classes throughout the US. Here's a link to the teacher in our area in case you are interested in taking any classes or workshops:

Tennessee
Marcella Ray - Living on Live Food Teacher
615-206-0809
marcellarawfoods@yahoo.com
Teaches Level 1 and 2http://www.rawteacher.com/marcellaray

One last site for today:


The Raw Divas: http://www.therawdivas.com/
The Raw Divas offer a blog, newsletter and detox information. Most of it is free - including several ebooks that you can download. You'll receive the links for those after registering for their emails. Once registered, you also get access to their online forums and community areas.


OK ... I fibbed. How about one more - with videos!

Visit Freshtopia for an interesting twist and some recipes. I think I might try the Virgin Ginger Mohito with the leftover ginger from my Asian Noodle Salad.

Here's a list of the recipes featured in the videos: http://freshtopia.net/vlog/?page_id=95 They offer everything from drinks to entrees, desserts to soups ... and more!


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Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Recipes ... share 'em

Two thumbs up from the Broxton clan! That's what the Asian Noodle Salad by Vanessa Sherwood received over here tonight. We made a few modifications but kept the spirit of the dish fairly intact. We even used a machete and opened our first coconut!!! Woo hoo -- The meat was a little tough to get out but all in all it went well.

Do you have any recipes that are a hit already? Or have you tried anything that we've linked to yet? Please comment (by clicking on the COMMENT link at the end of this post) to let us know any recommendations you may have.

Also, here's a recipe for salad dressing that I will probably try. Seems like a fairly decent way to work a little extra miso in the diet.

Combine following ingredients in blender and mix well:
1/4 cup garlic oil
1/2 cup tahini
1 tablespoon miso
and the juice of 1 lemon

So, add or link to one of your favorite recipes and let's see what healthy discoveries we can make!

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Monday, October 15, 2007

Local and Noteworthy - part deux

So, after a little more research today I found TONS of other local farms where you can get fresh produce, participate in CSAs, and even take the family to "pick-your-own" during certain seasons.

Quite frankly it's a shame that we are at the end of summer in locating these places. But, it just means more to look forward to next year! I'm already making my list of farms around Tennessee and getting jazzed about planning Saturdays to go and explore with the family.

A lot of these farms are CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) -- which simply means that you pay a certain fee for the farmer to "work for you" and you have a "share" in the harvest that season. Usually these "shares" are delivered (or picked up) every other week or so, depended upon the farm. You can read more about CSAs here

Click the links provided to check out the farms. Some don't have links but I'll try and give you as much details as I have (most of this information comes from "Local Table") . They are listed in no particular order but I have '*' the ones that looked interesting to me.

For TONS more listings, visit these sites:
http://localtable.net/farm_guide (listed by counties)
http://www.localharvest.org/ (search by State, county or zip code)

Also check out: Pick TN Products http://www.picktnproducts.org/index.html

Oh yeah - if you check out any of these places or know of others that should be highlighted, please, PLEASE let us know so that we can share the details with those following this blog. Thanks!!!!

Anyway ... on to the list.

Here's info on places without websites:

Bramble Hill Farm
Organic, Produce, Eggs, Farmers Market
Nancy VanWinkle
1722 Campbell Road, Goodlettsville
615-876-3947
nanwinkle76@yahoo.com
Season: Spring, Summer and Fall
We sell our produce and eggs at the Whites Creek Farmer's Market.
We are a small-scale sustainable family farm using organic practices in the north hills of Davidson County. We grow a variety of vegetable crops in the spring through the fall, as well as offering eggs from our free range hens.

Hungry Gnome Farm
Produce, Eggs, Farmers Market
Alicia Batson and Bert Hartman
4712 Lickton Pike, Whites Creek
615-299-1661
crackerlake@comcast.net
Season: Spring through Fall
We sell at the Whites Creek and Franklin Farmers Market.
Our farm is located on 75 acres in North Davidson County and we grow a large variety of produce. We also sell eggs from our free range hens. Beginning in 2008, we will also offer goat meat.

Howell Farms
Produce, Peaches, Berries, Farmers Markets
Johnny Howell
Bellevue
615-242-1623
Season: Spring, Summer and Fall, April thru October Hours: 8:30 AM to 6:30 PM
We have been selling produce from our farm since we had a stand on the old Nashville Courthouse Square in 1938. We now have 3 seasonal produce tents in the Nashville area; on Glen Echo Road, Sharondale Drive in the Trinity Presbyterian Church parking lot, at the intersection of Old Hickory Boulevard and Franklin Pike in Brentwood and their year-round booth at the Nashville Farmers' Market. We sell locally grown peaches, berries, root vegetables, squash, corn, greens, and heirloom tomatoes.

Richards' Family Farm
Produce, Farmers' Market
Troy Richards
1508 East Stewarts Lane, Nashville
615-255-6074
Season: Spring, Summer, Fall Hours: Daily at the Nashville Farmers' Market, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Specialize in turnip greens and okra. We grow green onions, tomatoes, corn, leaf lettuce, cucumbers, squash, collard greens and mustard greens, beets, green beans.

* Circle S Farm
PYO Strawberries, Produce, Farm Stand
Donnie Steed
1627 E. Old Laguardo Rd., Lebanon,
615-405-6860
donnie.steed@steedbrothers.com
Open season early-Mid May: Mon-Fri., 3 PM to dark Saturday, 12-5 PM Closed Sundays
Circle S Farm has operated as a family farm in the LaGuardo community of Wilson County since 1838 and is recognized as one of Tennessee~s Century Farms. In the springtime we offer a pick your own strawberry patch. It~s fun and the taste of freshly picked strawberries cannot be beat. If you don~t have time to pick your own, just call ahead and we~ll have your order waiting for you at the farm. In the summer we also offer homegrown tomatos, corn and canteloupes. These are offered for sale by the honor system ~ just leave your money in the box at the stand.

Growing Crazy Organics
Organic, Produce, Herbs, Edible Flowers, Farm Stand
Jennifer Sutton
2320 Bluebird Rd., Lebanon, TN
615-504-5678
http://www.growingcrazyorganics.com/
Call for hours.
We are a small organic farm and greenhouse operation located outside of Lebanon offering a large variety of vegetable plants including tomatos, squash, zuccini, cucumber, eggplant, hot and sweet peppers, melons and gourd plants. We also have herbs and edible flowers. We will also grow seeds per request. We are a ~garden to go~ service and will produce container plants to your personal wishes.

Jones Mill Farm
Organic, CSA, Produce, Farm, Farmers Market
JR and Judy Stroud
391 Jones Mill Road, LaVergne
615-459-4727
Season: Year round via email subscription service taking weekly orders, Franklin Farmer's Market and Murfreesboro Farmer's Market.
We grown organic heirloom varieties and other unusual produce, including shiitakes, asparagus, horseradish, candy onions, garlic, tomatoes, and fingerling potatoes. We also grind our own flour from organic grains and sell breads, jams and jellies from our certified kitchen.

Honorable Mention: (because they are closed -- definitely worth a look in 2008)

Breeden~s Orchard & Country Store
PYO Peaches, Apples, Farm Stand
Tommy or Mary Nell Breeden
631 Beckwith Rd., Mt. Juliet
615-449-2880
breedensorchard@comcast.net
Season: closed for 2007. There are a few farm store items remaining from last year~s crop, such as preserves and chow chows. Call if you~re interested.

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Sunday, October 14, 2007

Local and Noteworthy

Today's post is going to focus on local places you might want to add to your "frequent shopping" list.

Nashville Farmer's Market:
Visit the website and then make plans to go shopping for local, homegrown flavors. While at the website you can sign up for their weekly newsletter and take a look at the merchants. Here's a sample of what's available currently at the Farmer's Market:

~Late Season Tomatoes
~Freshly hulled purple hull peas
~Kubota squash
~Blueberry, raspberry, apple, peach and plum shrubs & trees grown in Tennessee
~Gigantic pumpkins and gourds
~Fresh local lamb chops


Franklin Farmer's Market:
Visit the website. Take note that they have limited days of operation at this time and will close for the season in November.


Wild Oats Marketplace:
Website link here! There are a couple of these in town and they feature whole foods and organic fruits/veggies. One of the cooler things I noticed is the monthly calendar of events (each store is different, so check both the Franklin and Green Hills locations). I've linked to the Franklin one. Among other things, they offer a FREE raw food cooking class and a Candida Support Group.

You can also view the online sale flyer to help make shopping lists before you go.

*Don't forget ... most of these websites (and those aforementioned) offer monthly or weekly newsletters. So be sure to find the subscription box and add your email addy!!!

Oh Yeah ... COMING SOON
Whole Foods Market: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/
will be merging with Wild Oats and the store in Green Hills will be opening in November. So you might want to check them out when they open. You might also sign up for the WFM newsletter since that will be the dominant brand after they merge.


Some late entries in the game here ....

I was searching some boards and found some other local items of interest. First up is

Peaceful Pastures: http://www.peacefulpastures.com/
Local farm that raises all natural, grassfed meat, including: beef, turkey, chicken, pork, lamb, goose, duck, and goat.

The Turnip Truck: http://www.theturniptruck.com/
Located on Woodland Street, this market features organic and whole food items: produce, supplements and more! BTW, miso, coconut oil, and vegenaise are on sale right now ;o)

Avalon Acres: http://avalon-acres.com/
Local farm in Hohenwald raising all natural meat, eggs, and herbs, veggies and more.

Rocky Glade Farms: http://www.rockygladefarm.com
Features meat and veggies but offers a winter CSA providing fresh veggies throughout the winter in 1/2 bushels every two weeks.

Tennessee - Eat Wild: http://www.eatwild.com/products/tennessee.html
Webpage offering listing of other local farms and companies from which to purchase whole and organic foods.

PLEASE let me know if you find any others and we will add them to the list.

Ciao!

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Saturday, October 13, 2007

iTunes Finds

I have this love/hate relationship with podcasts. I love them for their content and convenience (I don't have to remember to check each website), but hate them for incessant downloads of irrelevant items. I find myself constantly halting the download midstream ... but I digress.

Anyway, I checked out iTunes to see what goodies it might be hiding in regards to healthier living. Here are a few I unearthed:
(The iTunes link will take you directly to their podcast info on iTunes. We'll revisit the websites in a minute.)

Each of these websites and podcasts offer a different look at healthy cooking (or uncooking, as the case may be). Let's take a little closer look at each one and I'll highlight some of my favorite parts of each.



Delicious TV:
Chef Toni Fiore's television show highlights Mediterranean cooking with a vegetarian flair. The recipes look simple enough and her on-air personality is pleasant to watch. She also makes the recipes look easy for any skill level. I have yet to try out any of the recipes (this "journey" is still so new) but I am adding the Pumpkin Chili and several of her soups to my 'must-try' list. Plus, who wouldn't want to try her Tofu Cannoli with Chocolate Bits!!

The website offers an Episode Guide and full Recipe Listing. I imagine not all of the recipes featured there coincide with uber-strict vegan or raw diets but not everyone perusing this blog does either.

Her blog also features some interesting recipes not listed elsewhere on the site and helpful tidbits of info as well.


The Eazy Vegan:
This is actually a subpage of another website (please see caveat in upper right-hand corner of this blog). Basically, their subpage recaps the latest entry in their podcast/rss feed. They have a lot of recipes and the podcast is in video format which helps.

I might give the Apple Cinnamon Granola a whirl or the Carob Walnut Fudge.

*As with any of these sites, if you do try out a recipe, please comment on this blog to tell us what you thought about the recipe (taste, ease of preparation, etc)


The G Living Network:
I think I saved the best for last on this short list of sites today. True gourmet and LOTS of variety. This site features multiple chefs and each one has some exceptional looking recipes! I actually have started a HUGE list of recipes to try from this site. (Pastor, if you're reading this, I know you'll like this site) :)

Where to start on this one ...

Some of the links inside the site don't work, but don't let that deter you. The layout is a little overwhelming but cool at the same time. The first thing you will notice is that this is Green LIVING -- so not everything on here pertains to cooking/food.

oh yeah ... one other note: This is listed on their website

G Living is the next generation lifestyle simply called “G”.

Sounds a little like some Sandye might have, eh?

OK, let's jump right in!

Under the Green Chefs category, they list recipes and have videos for you to watch. I've already watched several videos (and I just found this site about two hours ago).
Of course, Ani Phyo (mentioned yesterday) is listed here and her Portabella Mushroom Steak with Mushroom Gravy is featured.

Vanessa Sherwood's "Some Like It Raw" also looks interesting and has several recipes I want to try. Among them are: Asian Noodle Salad, Chocolate Walnut Biscotti, Mango-Avocado Salad, Lemon-Strawberry Trifle, Vietnamese Spring Rolls, and Fresh Raspberry Tart.



I'll review more of the chefs tomorrow, but in the meantime, check out the site and comment back with some of the recipes you are looking to try!

Oh, and be sure to check out the INDULGE section of the site. I think I want to make just about every recipe listed there!

Ciao~

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Friday, October 12, 2007

Now ... on to the Nitty Gritty

Ok == let's get to lookin' at some of my new finds.

Raw Nirvana
We're going to start with Raw Nirvana -- a great little cooking show featuring raw recipes, of course.

Here's a sample and what looks to be a great recipe to boot! If you make these, please leave a comment and let us know your thoughts on the recipe.



Ani's Raw Food Kitchen
Ani has some really fabulous looking recipes and videos loaded right onto her website. I personally can't wait to try the Donut Holes!

Take a look at Ani's site here
And then try out the donut hole recipe -- video below.

Where to Begin?

Where do I start?? Hmmm ... I've read so much and learned a TON since meeting Dr. Lou Niles, N.D. a week ago. Some of it was a refresher course of things I've known -- just never practiced, or practiced in part. But I'm on a quest and so I thought why not compile a list of things I've located (on the web or otherwise) and blog about them for everyone's benefit.

First up are two products which were recommended by Dr. Niles. I take one of them but have yet to start the other.



1. Monavie - (the one I have yet to take) You can read about this juice or purchase it here. If you need details or have question, I can point you to someone that can answer them.



2. Natural Cellular Defense - (this is the one I take)from Waiora. Pulls heavy metals and toxins out of your body. I'll devote an entire post to this at some point but just suffice it to say, "You ARE toxic and you need this all-natural volanic zeolite!" You can learn more about it or buy it here.


These are, from what Dr. Niles shared, two very vital supplements in this modern age. You need the first one to help fight aging and the other to get the toxins and heavy metals out of your system.

Discovering Healthy ... join me, won't you?

OK folks ... so here is the blog I promised. This will be a compilation of things I run across while on my journey of becoming healthier. You are welcome (and, in fact encouraged) to contribute to this blog by sending info on healthy items -- recipes, lifestyle, websites, etc. If it isn't something you wrote or created, just be sure to include proper credits so that we can point everyone back to the original content.

Check out the links and blogroll items that are always visible on the right-hand side of the blog and be sure to search by labels for even more information on a topic.

Let me know if you have anything to contribute or would like to post/write for this blog.

Ciao~