Why Use Food Concentrates?

I believe our food supply to be substandard, at best, and toxic, at worst. I absolutely agree with the opinion of Zoltan Rona, MD, in his book 'The Joy of Health'. Here is a quote: "Live whole food concentrates might well be the most logical and convenient answer to the deteriorated quality of foods available from supermarkets today. Whenever possible, use whole food concentrates rather than single nutrient tablets or capsules. That's because when one isolates a single component from a given food, a lot of the benefits of the complete food are lost. ... Whole foods contain what are called 'phytochemicals' which are linked to both the prevention and treatment of such major degenerative diseases as heart disease, strokes, high blood pressure, and cancer. The only way to get these phytochemicals is by eating whole foods or live whole food concentrates." 

Unless you're among the fortunate few who harvest your homegrown organic produce daily, get clean eggs from organically raised chickens, and raise your own farm animals for meat, you probably require some whole food concentrates! Make sure that these are truly "live" though! My family has found what we need in Isagenix. It's been 5 1/2 years now, and I've never looked back!

Here's a good "knife and fork meal" recipe for you, for this chilly season! 

 Organic Vegan Split Pea Soup

• 3 organic carrots, sliced
• 1 organic yellow onion, diced into large pieces
• 5 - 6 organic celery stalks, sliced
• 1 frozen, organic cube of minced garlic (or one clove fresh)
• 1 frozen, organic cube of basil
• 21 Seasoning Salute to taste (or other multi-purpose seasoning)
• Freshly ground pepper
• Sea Salt to taste
• 8 cups organic vegetable broth
• 2 cups organic split peas
• Organic Coconut Oil

Saute all vegetables in 1-2 tablespoons of coconut oil, along with garlic, basil, and seasonings. Stir until fragrant and beginning to soften. Meanwhile start heating 8 cups of broth in crock pot on high heat.Add 2 cups of split peas, and the vegetables, to the liquid in the crock pot and keep on high. Cover and allow to cook until peas and vegetables are very tender (about 4 hours). Every crock pot seems to have a different cooking time, so watch the soup, but don't lift the lid TOO often!

I used 4 cups of organic vegetable broth in a carton, and 4 cups of filtered water with the 'Better than Bouillon' concentrated organic vegetable broth base.

Serve this with a crispy, cold salad of all raw veggies. Great contrast, and will aid digestion rather than slowing it down!

A cup of split peas cooked without salt contains 231 calories, 1 g of fat, no cholesterol, minimal sodium, 16 g of fiber and 16 g of protein, according to Nutrition Data.

Wild caught red snapper filets in lemon/garlic and mixed vegetables

Wild caught red snapper filets in lemon/garlic and mixed vegetables

4 (8 to 10 oz.) red snapper fillets

1 tsp. salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/4 c. fresh lemon juice, strained

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 1/2 tsp. garlic, finely chopped

1 tsp. dry oregano, crumbled

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Pat the red snapper fillets completely dry with paper towel and season them on both sides with the salt and a few "grindings" of pepper.

Combine the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon of the oregano in a shallow dish just large enough to hold the fillets in one layer. Stir lemon juice mixture until the ingredients are well blended. Then add the fillets and turn them about to moisten them evenly. Arrange the fillets, skin side up. Place the tomato slices over them and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of oregano on top.

Bake in middle of oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until fillets flake easily when pressed gently with a fork. Serve the fillets at once directly from the baking dish.

The "All You Should Eat" Buffet

Ever notice...

Going to the "all you can eat" buffet can be a way to satisfy all of the tastes
and whims of a family. Recently our family went to a Chinese buffet in Everett,
that was "all you can eat". Have you ever noticed that those types of
restaurants attract not only families with numerous children, but severely
overweight people? This made me very sad, as I thought of how it would be to
invite your friend, the alcoholic, to sit in front of an "all you can drink" bar
and help himself.

Using Your Noodle - Or Not!

Let's talk salad. To noodle, or not to noodle; that is the question.

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind and body to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous processed carbs or to take arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing avoid them...  ahhhhh that's as far as I got. 

Lately I have been really desiring salads as a meal, or in addition to a main dish, when I am not having a meal replacement shake. I know I get enough greens each day, but the smell, crunch, and fresh taste of greens is super appealing to me. (We won't go into how nutrient-deficient they probably are!) I'm going to post a delicious salad idea which also supports a cleansing lifestyle.  If you're avoiding processed carbs for any reason, you may choose to eliminate the noodles from the recipe. I believe you receive plenty of carbohydrates if you consume vegetables. You can also have some noodles, and increase the amount of fresh vegetables. 

Thai Noodle Salad

• 7 oz somen (or other rice) noodles
• 1 large carrot, cut into thin strips
• 6 oz asparagus, rimmed and cut into 1 1/2 inch lengths
• 4 oz snow peas
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
• 4 oz beansprouts 
• 4 oz can water chestnuts, drained and finely sliced (you may substitute with fresh jicama, cut into small slices
• 1/2 cup unsalted peanuts 
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• fresh cilantro leaves 

The Dressing

• 2 tbsp roughly torn fresh basil
• 3 tbsp roughly chopped mint
• 2/3 cup coconut milk
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• juice of 1 lime
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• cayenne pepper

1. First make the dressing. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. season to taste with sea salt and cayenne pepper
2. Cook the noodles in a large pot of boiling water, following directions on the package, until just tender. Drain, rinse under cold running water, and drain again.
3. Steam the carrots, asparagus, and snow peas over a pan of boiling water for about 5 minutes if desired - they should remain crisp. If you choose to steam them, plunge them into iced water after steaming, and drain.
4. Toss the noodles and steamed vegetables together in a large bowl with the red pepper, beansprouts, and water chestnuts. Pour the dressing over and toss well to combine. Sprinkle each serving with peanuts and garnish with lime wedges and cilantro leaves. 

Mom Shap's easy-to-make eggs

David, my husband, is one of those amazingly fortunate people who have such a high metabolism they require more calories than normal just to avoid losing weight. For this reason, although he starts his day with a shake just like I do, he follows it with a "traditional" breakfast. This generally includes good-quality eggs. Here are two hints to making eggs which take little time and make little mess:

• Heat coconut oil in a stainless steel skillet. Break eggs into skillet, and sprinkle with seasonings. I use sea salt, and a general-purpose mixed seasoning. Cook until whites appear set, add about 1/4 cup of water, and put a lid on it. Steam for about one minute, until the yolks are covered with a white film. The eggs will slide out of the pan. 
• For boiled eggs (hard boiled), heat water and eggs to boiling. Water should be about an inch above eggs. Once boiling, put a lid on the pot and take off heat. Set timer for 20 minutes. At the 20  minute point, drain water, and immediately fill pot with cold water. Change water until it remains cold. Peel under a stream of running water. 

What if you don't have time to prepare even 4 minute eggs? What's your backup plan? And what if you're concerned about the state of the food we consume? Here's an option - complete with recipes. Check it out! Click here to see what we're doing.

Thank you for reading this blog. Comments are welcome. See you again soon!

Ruth Shapovalov

425-802-2763

http://momshap.isagenix.com/us/en/recipes.dhtml

Welcome!

Welcome to my online discussion about food! Starting later this week I will post recipes, tips about preparation, and healthy ways to "tweak" your favorite recipes.

I look forward to sharing ideas with you. Input is welcome!