Changing the Way We Eat

In our almost 10 years of marriage Jared and I have undergone several changes in our eating habits.

When we were first married I was busy going to school and working and didn't really have much time or know how for cooking. We ended up eating a lot of cheese quesadillas, pasta, beans and rice, and easy cream of mushroom soup casserole-type dishes. After I finished school and was just working I graduated to making more soups and other dishes. We ate relatively healthy but we lacked a lot of variety mostly due to our poor student budget. I think this may be one reason why I was not able to get pregnant until we went to live with Neal and JoyAnn for the summer.

When I was pregnant with Abby, Jared and I read a wonderful book called The Culprit and the Cure by Steven Aldana, PhD. This motivated us to change our eating habits to be more healthy. We eliminated white rice, white flour tortillas, and pasta from our diet in favor of brown rice, whole wheat pasta, bread, tortillas, etc. When we were in PA school we ate relatively the same with the exception of more milk, eggs, cheese and juice due to the food that we got from the WIC program.

Recently our family has undergone a few other diet changes. The first is that we now drink a green smoothie everyday. Jared's parents gave us a powerful Blend-tec blender for Christmas which allows us to blend up whole fruits and veggies into a healthy smoothie. It is delicious and nutritious and even the kids love it. Everyday at lunch time Nathan comes to me and says, "Green smoozie, please." Here is the general recipe I follow, although you can adjust according to what fruits and veggies you have: (You likely won't be able to do this unless you have a Blend-tec, VitaMix, or other industrial strength blender capable of doubling as a wood chipper.)

2 1/2 c water

1/2 tsp honey or other sweetener

Juice from whole lime or 1/2 lemon

1-3 TB flax seed oil ( I just put in flax seeds)

Add to 5 C line: 3/4-1 lb raw washed greens (spinach, Romaine lettuce, kale, Swiss chard)--I also add carrots, celery, cilantro, or cucumber

1-2 bananas

1-2 frozen mixed berries

Any other fruit to taste (pears, apples, cantaloupes, apricots, oranges, pineapples, mangos)--I like the mixed tropical fruit from Costco

A couple of things that Jared and I have noticed since we have started drinking green smoothies everyday is that 1) We feel like we have more sustained energy throughout the day 2) We crave unhealthy food less. So far neither of us have lost any weight (not that Jared needs to), although I have a friend who just lost 20 lbs by drinking a green smoothie and walking 2 miles everyday for 2 months.

Jared and I also recently watched two movies recommended by my sister, Food Inc. and Forks Over Knives. These films helped us see the importance of eating a whole foods, plant-based diet that is less dependent on animal products and processed foods. We highly recommend watching them, especially Forks Over Knives. In summation, heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, etc. can often be reversed by switching to a whole food, plant-based only diet. Also, there is a great deal of evidence that several different types of cancer are perpetuated/promoted/exacerbated by meat & milk diets. (Jared says this is well established in medical literature with respect to processed, grilled, & smoked meats especially.) Since watching these movies here are a few changes we have made to our diet: 1) We now eat meat only 1 or 2 times a month (usually chicken or fish) 2) We eat less yogurt and cheese--only a couple times a week 3) We eat fewer eggs (that are free range only) 4) The majority of our meals are vegan 5) We rely on mushrooms, nuts, seeds and beans for more of our protein.

Overall we feel better, and despite the cost of mushrooms, nuts, and fresh veggies we have saved money in our food budget. The hardest part for me was figuring out how to feed my family with this new diet so below are a few recipes that we enjoy. We hope you'll all watch the movies we recommended, and at the least try going meatless or even 100% plant based a few days a week. Salud!

Quinoa and Black Beans (from AllRecipes.com)

1 tsp vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

3/4 uncooked quinoa

1 1/2 c vegetable broth (I use the Better than Bouillon vegetable base found in the spice section of Costco--cheap, organic, low sodium, and no MSG!)

1 tsp cumin

salt and pepper to taste

1 c frozen corn kernels

2 (15 oz)cans black beans rinsed and drained

1/2c chopped fresh cilantro

Serve with: lettuce, tomatoes, sliced avocado, and lime juice

1.Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Stir in onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.

2. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, salt, and pepper. Bring to boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.

3. Stir frozen corn into saucepan and simmer 5 more minutes until heated through. Mix in black beans and cilantro.

Mushroom Orzo (From JoyAnn)

1 c uncooked orzo

2 TB butter

1 tsp minced garlic

lemon zest from 1 lemon

1 tsp dried thyme

8 oz sliced mushrooms

1 c grated carrots

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 c chopped parsley

1TB lemon juice

Handful of toasted almonds (optional)

Cook orzo, drain, rinse and set aside. In skillet melt butter over medium heat, add garlic, zest and thyme. Cook until garlic softens. Add mushrooms, carrots, salt and pepper. Cook until mushrooms soften. Stir in orzo and heat through. In serving bowl combine orzo with parsley and juice.

We would love to find whole wheat orzo, so if anyone knows where to find it please let us know.

Thai Peanut Noodle Salad (from Our Best Bites)

8 oz Linguine Fini, cooked

4 C Shredded greens (combo of napa cabbage, romaine lettuce or spinach)

2 C Thinly sliced purple cabbage

1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1/2 yellow pepper, thinly sliced

1 medium carrot, julienned

1/2 medium cucumber, halved and sliced

1/4 of a red onion, thinly sliced

2 C diced grilled chicken (substitute with extra peanuts if doing this vegan)

1/2 c honey roasted peanuts

Dressing:

1/2 c peanut butter

1 limes, juiced and zested

2 1/2 tsp sesame oil

1 TB vinegar

2 TB soy sauce

3 TB honey

2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1 TB minced ginger

1/2 C roughly chopped cilantro (stems and all)

1/2 c vegetable oil

1/4 tsp salt

2-4 TB water

1tsp siracha chili sauce

Lentil and Rice Casserole (from Practical Cookery: Vegetarian)

1 c dry lentils

1/2 c brown rice

5 c vegetable stock

1 leek, cut into chunks

2 garlic cloves, crushed

14 oz can chopped tomatoes

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder

1 bell pepper, seeded and sliced

3 1/2 oz brocoli florets

8 baby corn on the cobs, halved lengthways

1 3/4oz green beans, halved

1 tsp shredded basil

salt and pepper

1. Put lentils, rice and vegetable stock in pot over low heat for 20 min.

2. Add remaining ingredients (minus basil) to the pot

3. Brink to boil, reduced heat, cover and simmer for 10-15 min. until vegetables are tender

4. Add basil and serve