Still Preparing: Mary's Oil Blend

I have never made this blend, but Eat Fat, Lose Fat calls for it in several recipes. I understand that this oil blend doesn't burn as easily as pure coconut oil during cooking. You can also use it in salads and to make mayonnaise.

Mary's Oil Blend

1 cup coconut oil, gently melted

1 cup expeller-pressed or cold-pressed sesame oil

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1. Mix all together in a glass jar, cover tightly, and store at room temperature.

(Cross-posted.)

Preparing for Monday: Sauerkraut

Okay this one I am saving for last because I am a little scared. I have never made sauerkraut, but several recipes reassure me that it is very simple to make. There are some with just cabbage, salt and water, and others add caraway seeds. For simplicity I am going to stick with the cabbage-water-salt recipe.

I have done a similar lacto-fermentation process with these Dilly Carrots, and it was VERY easy. Sauerkraut, kimchi, and various other naturally preserved condiments are all lacto-fermented and therefore contain beneficial bacteria.

By way of clarification, lacto-fermentation includes whey and salt in the preserving process. You can use the term "cultured", by using just salt, usually twice the amount called for in the lacto-fermented recipe. For example, if I am making sauerkraut with 1 Tablespoon salt and 1 Tablespoon whey, then I can omit the whey and just add two Tablespoons salt.

Lacto-fermentation is sometimes called lactic acid fermentation. I like this definition from "The Benefits of Lacto-Fermentation" by The Nourishing Gourmet: "Lacto-fermentation happens when the starches and sugars in vegetables and fruit convert to lactic acid by a friendly lactic-acid producing bacteria." So there you go! This is how you can awaken your foods into live, cultured, probiotic foods. Think yogurt, but with way more possibilities.

Cultured Sauerkraut

2 heads organic green cabbage

3 1/2 Tablespoons salt

1. Shred cabbage, mix in salt, and put into a non-reactive bowl for 15-30 minutes. The salt will draw the water out of the cabbage, making it unnecessary to pound it.

2. If you have a fermentation crock or fermenting jar, like this one I have, then transfer cabbage to the fermenter. That will ensure that no air is in contact with the cabbage. Cover with a towel to keep light out of the jar. If you do not own one of those fermenters, you can weight down the cabbage with a plate, or bowl, or jar, or bucket filled with water, placed directly on top of the cabbage in the bowl. Just make sure the cabbage is completely submerged. Cover with a kitchen towel to keep dust and bugs out.

3. Let ferment for several days at room temperature. Just taste it every day and see how the flavor is. If using a weight method, make sure you take the weight off and clean it every day, and skim any scum that might appear.

Try to have one lacto-fermented item per day, preferably per meal. Enjoy!

(Cross-posted)

Preparing for Monday: Crispy Nuts

Soaking nuts is important, so that the enzyme inhibitors will be neutralized and your body can digest them better. There is also a small amount of phytic acid in nuts which will be neutralized in the soaking process, also helping with digestion.

I have read about this process in Nourishing Traditions and on several Real Food Media blogs. If you google "phytic acid soaking" you will find a plethora of information on why people go through the trouble of soaking nuts, seeds, and grains. I am partial to this overview on The Nourishing Gourmet, and this overview on GNOWFGLINS.

Soaked Nuts

4 cups of nuts

1 Tablespoon of sea salt

filtered water

1. Put the water and salt into a non-reactive bowl or a glass canning jar. Stir to dissolve salt. Add nuts and stir. Cover with a sprouting screen or kitchen towel to keep dust and bugs out, but let it breathe.

2. Soak for different amounts of time, depending on the nut:

• pumpkin seeds, pecans, peanuts, almonds, macadamia, pine nuts, hazelnuts: 7 hours-overnight
• walnuts, 7 hours-overnight (store in fridge, walnuts have a high oil content that can spoil at room temperature)
• cashews, 6 hours only!, otherwise they get slimy

3. Dehydrate at 150 degrees or less until completely dry and crispy.

(Cross-posted)

Preparing for Monday: Coconut Sprinkles

According to Eat Fat, Lose Fat coconut sprinkles can be used on desserts, salads, and curries. It looks pretty easy, too. I am going to try it on my grapefruit on Monday morning's breakfast.

Coconut Sprinkles

2 cups unsweetened desiccated coconut

1/2 cup maple syrup

1. Mix coconut and maple syrup together, spread out on a baking sheet, and dry out at a low temperature in the oven: 200 degrees or so.

2. Break up with hands and store at room temperature in an airtight container.

(Cross-posted)

Preparing for Monday: Beef Broth

I have a lot to do in preparation for Monday. I am making beef broth, coconut sprinkles, sauerkraut and crispy nuts. While the beef broth gets started I will start soaking the nuts and cutting up the cabbage for the sauerkraut. After all those are done I will make the sprinkles.

In Eat Fat, Lose Fat they point out that one of the most important weight loss tools is to have a calcium-rich food three times a day. Raw milk is an obvious choice. And in the book they offer a Coconut Milk Tonic recipe that includes dolomite powder which provides calcium. But another excellent source is bone broth. Between milk in the morning, raw cheese or cream with lunch, and a bone broth included in dinner, I will be getting my three servings of calcium per day.

In bone stocks, minerals and marrow are leached from the bones of healthy, pastured animals (chicken, beef, fish, lamb) over the course of 24 hours of slow cooking. I use my slow cooker plugged in in my garageI have already made chicken stock, but I am in need of some beef stock. I will make fish stock later in the week, as long as I can find bonito flakes or fish carcasses somewhere! I will have to make another trip to LeeLee's Asian Market tomorrow.

First for today, the beef broth. If I start it this afternoon, then it will be done by tomorrow afternoon.

Brown Beef Broth

2-3 pounds of beef marrow bones

one calves foot, cut into pieces, optional

2-3 pounds meaty bones (rib or neck)

filtered water

1/2 cup raw apple cider vinegar

3 onions, quartered

3-4 stalks celery, cut in half once or twice

3-4 carrots, cut in half once or twice

sprigs of fresh thyme, tied together with kitchen twine

1 teaspoon peppercorns, whole or crushed

1 bunch of parsley

1. Place marrow bones and optional calves foot in a very large stock pot or slow cooker, add the vinegar, and cover completely with water. Let sit for one hour.

2. In the meantime, brown the meaty bones: place in a roasting pan and cook at 350 degrees until browned. After they are browned, add them with the vegetables to the stock pot or slow cooker.

3. Pour the fat out of the roasting pan and discard. Add cold water to the roasting pan, bring to a boil, and loosen the browned bits and coagulated juices from the pan with a wooden spoon or spatula. Add to the stock pot or slow cooker. If needed, add water to slow cooker to cover all the bones and vegetables.

4. Bring to a boil. With a spoon, skim off any foam or scum that rises to the top. After skimming the broth, add thyme and peppercorns, lower the heat to a simmer and cover the pot with a lid.

5. Simmer stock for at least 12 hours, and up to 72. I always aim for 24 or so.

6. Add parsley about 10 minutes before the stock is finished.

7. Remove large pieces with a slotted spoon and throw away. Strain remaining broth through a fine mesh sieve, possibly lined with a paper towel or cheesecloth, into a bowl. Let cool, and then put in the refrigerator to let the congealed fat rise to the top. Remove this with a spoon. Your stock is done! Keep in the fridge for about a week (?), or freeze for longer storage.

(Cross-posted)

Monday is THE day: Operation Lose Baby Weight

It's official. Monday September 27th is my day. I have gotten my goal sheet out. I have marked down my steps: prepare stocks and lacto-fermented condiments, go shopping, write out menu. I have committed to my two week span. I feel emotionally ready. I even feel excited. It's time.

I am embarking on a two week schedule of real food designed for weight loss. I will document my progress and share the recipes I make here on my blog.

I have tried so very many things over the last 10 months since weaning E. I exercise. I don't eat sugar. I sleep well. I take my cod liver oil and adrenal supports. I oil pull every morning. But the weight is stubborn, and I believe it to be hormone-related and toxin-related. It's time to follow a schedule made by people I trust who believe in real food. Real food is raw, pastured dairy, fresh vegetables and fruit, soaked and sprouted grains, healthy fats like coconut oil and lacto-fermented condiments.

I bought and read Eat Fat, Lose Fat by Dr. Mary Enig and Sally Fallon. There are two phases I can try in the book: Phase One and Phase Two. My two weeks from September 27-October 11 will determine whether I need to move to Phase Two or not. If I lose weight on Phase One, then I will continue with it. If not, then I will move onto Phase Two and use that plan. No matter the Phase I end up with, my long goal after these two weeks will be to lose 50 lbs.

The basics:

1. Take coconut oil 20 minutes before each meal, it curbs appetite and provides nutrients.

2. Three meals a day, with no snacks, will set up a proper dynamic between satiation and hunger.

3. Follow Phase One to see if you lose weight, if not then follow Phase Two.

The book comes with recipes and schedules. It's perfect for a control freak like me :)

Monday's menu looks like this (recipes in the book are capitalized):

Breakfast:

1/2 grapefruit with Coconut Sprinkles

2 eggs fried in butter or coconut oil with 2 pieces nitrate-free bacon

1 slice sprouted whole-grain toast with coconut oil or butter

1 cup whole raw milk or warm Coconut Milk Tonic

Lunch:

Coconut Corn Soup

raw cheese or butter on whole-grain (soaked) or Coconut Crackers

spritzer or purchased kombucha

Dinner:

Mesclun Salad

Baked Chicken with Coconut Peanut Sauce

Green Beans with Coconut

Kimchi (homemade or purchased)

choice of Quick and Easy Beverage

New Look

I like green, and I like the streamlined, clean, easy-to-read format I found in the Blogger templates. If I was more tech-savvy, I would incorporate more of the "green grass"/country look. But I am going to think on it first.

Things E Says (Part Ten)

E, at night as either R or I walks out of the room: "Nigh-niiiigh!!"

Things M Says (Part 33)

Whilst singing the revised "Spider on the Floor" song today in the car:

M (singing): "There's a spider on the switch on the swiiiitch,

there's a spider on the switch on the swiiitch

...(thinking of a rhyme)...

he looks like Harry Potter looking for the Snitch,

that spider on the switch,

there's a spider on the switch,

on the swiiiiiiiiitch!!"

Things M Says (Part 32)

On the way home from preschool lately, M and I have been singing "There's a Spider on the Floor", but with silly words put in. It's a good way to learn rhyming, and creativity, and just be plain ol' silly. (Though it's not like we have a shortage of silliness at our house.)

M was singing his own version of "There's a Spider on the Floor" when he came up with this rhyme:

M, singing: "Oh there's a spider on the flag, on the flag. Hey mom, 'gag' rhymes with 'flag'. There's a spider gagging on a flag, gagging on a flaaaag!"

Things M Says (Part 31)

While M and R are playing "20 Questions", M's new favorite game:

M: "Is it something we can go inside?"

R: "Yes."

M: "Is is a big dinosaur bone with cracks in it so that people can walk inside it?"

R: "Uh, no."

M: "Oh, I should have said a big dinosaur skeleton."

R was thinking of a house. Lol!

Things M Says (Part 30)

This morning while I was in the kitchen making breakfast, I heard M on the couch calling for me: "Mom! I'm a little birdie freaking out for it's mom. TWEET! TWEEEEEEEET!!!!!"

"Eat Fat, Lose Fat", Adrenal Gland Fatigue, and B Vitamins

I mentioned this is my previous post: In the interest of weight loss, I finally broke down and bought a copy of Eat Fat, Lose Fat by Mary Enig and Sally Fallon. Paired with my commitment to not eat sugar anymore, and to temporarily get off grain, I think this book will help me get out from under my baby weight.

I suspect that I am also having a difficult time losing weight because of exhaustion as well. I think I have adrenal gland fatigue and I know I have a B vitamin deficiency.

I have started taking a maca root supplement twice daily that I usually only take during my period. Maca root is shown to balance hormones and help with energy. You shouldn't take maca raw, so only buy brands that are "gelatinized" or pre-cooked. (I use the Royal Maca capsules by Whole World Botanicals that I bought at Sprouts.)

I wanted to buy this supplement from Radiant Life, but it was too freaking expensive. Plus, I didn't know if I would realistically take a liquid daily if it wasn't tasty. But I do like that it's derived from whole foods, fermented, probiotic, and has the full B complex. I found a similar (?) one at Whole Foods today called Raw B-Complex by Garden of Life that was a lot cheaper, claims to be made from whole food sources, and is a lot cheaper. We'll see how that goes as I take it over the next month.

GAPS and Biokult Probiotic Giveaway at CHEESESLAVE

Okay real foodie folks, there is a giveaway you should know about over at CHEESESLAVE's blog. If you follow the directions on the blog, then you will be eligible to win a copy of Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride's book "Gut and Psychology Syndrome" and a bottle of Biokult probiotics, which is a $53 value. I am hoping I win :)

Either way I am going to get my hands on this GAPS book. I think it is a fascinating subject, how food can go greatly affect our well-being. I also just got a copy of Real Food: What to Eat and Why by Nina Planck and I am looking forward to reading it as I expand my real food library. I finally broke down and bought a copy of Eat Fat, Lose Fat by Mary Enig and Sally Fallon. Paired with my commitment to not eat sugar anymore, and to temporarily get off grain, I think this book will help me get out from under my baby weight.

I hope you'll all click over there and learn a little more about real food!

Things E Says (Part Nine)

E, while poking my sore, scraped knee, repeatedly: "Boo-boo. Boo-boo."

Things E Says (Part Eight)

E, while going to bed: "Na-niiiigh, na-niiigh!"

Things E Says (Part Seven)

E, while waving: "Hi-eee, Hi-eee!"

Things M Says (Part 29)

I was trying to remember the whining exchange M and I had earlier today and just blogged in the previous post (Part 28), so I asked M if he remembered what I had thought was cute and funny in the car. He said he didn't remember, and asked why I wanted to know.

I explained about my blog and said: "I like to write cute and funny things you say on there."
M: "Like 'funny quarters'?! Hahahahaha!!"
me: "'Funny quarters?' You are so silly!"
M: "That's funny! Write that on your blog!"
me: "Okay!"

Things M Says (Part 28)

me, in the car: "No you can't hold the iPod, we're almost home."
M, after a moment: "I was about to whine, but I thought to myself 'Hmm, I think if I whine I will go to time out, and I don't want to go to time out' and then I didn't whine!!!"
me: "Good job, buddy!" *snicker*

Things M Says (Part 27)

While driving in the car with R and E earlier today, listening to the iPod, commenting on E's dancing in his carseat: "E's really feelin' it."