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Ever since a friend gave me this recipe, this has become my very favorite salad, fresh, refreshing, healthful and delicious. What really makes this salad so tasty is using the freshest ingredients, and making the salad dressing just before serving. Serves 4.
Make up a large bowl of green salad or any salad combination.
Here is my personal favorite:
Head of washed, trimmed and torn Romaine lettuce
2 firm tomatoes, chopped (Roma is a good variety for this salad)
2 cucumbers, sliced thin (I prefer the English/burpless variety)
Petite peas, thawed but not heated
1 red onion, sliced thin
2 stalks celery, chopped
Sprouts (optional)
Fresh parsley (optional)
Additional ingredient ideas: sliced cooked beets, cooked green beans, sliced radishes, fresh peapods or snow peas (trimmed and cut-up), shaved carrots, green onions, thinly sliced white button mushrooms, minced garlic, garbanzo beans – Thinly sliced cooked chopped chicken or fish, and croutons can be added for a hearty dinner salad.
Make up the salad dressing:
In a small bowl, mash two ripe avocados with the juice of 1/2 large lemon or 1 whole lime (lime really makes this recipe great), 2 Tbs. Extra Virgin olive oil, 1-3 Tbs. honey (or sweetener), and salt/pepper to taste. As with any recipe you make, always taste before serving in case seasoning needs to be adjusted. Toss with salad and serve.
Also, we like to serve this salad with toasted pita bread pieces that have been lightly brushed with olive oil, or low-sodium corn chips.
Healthy eating,
Marianne
We who suffer from digestive and/or bowel sicknesses, with our limited food choices, often get bored or discouraged at the thought of another day of same old, same old meals. I am even often tired of many of my own recipes. So on and off over the past few months, excluding the holidays (that is when I am a traditionalist), I have been experimenting with more spiced up and tasty dishes, choosing mainly ingredients and recipe ideas from Italian, Greek and Middle Eastern cultures. For nutrition suggestions listed on the Mediterranean Food Pyramid, see this very informative site: search.colorado.edu/StudentGroups/wellness/NewSite/NutritionPyramidMed.html
MY KITCHEN SMELLS HEAVENLY
These foods work especially well for me because I often crave many of the flavors:
avocado, all types of olives, mushrooms, eggplant and most other squash varieties, hummus and garbanzo beans, lemon, chicken and fish, salsas and other fresh tomato sauces, sticky rices, couscous, pastas, pita bread, soy “sour cream” called Tofutti Sour Cream, absolutely delicious and great texture-love it! And experiment with really appetizing, fragrant and comforting spices like garlic, cumin, turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil and cilantro. I have been using extra virgin olive oil, along with cold pressed Canola oil for several years as well as using Smart Balance margarine, and now I also use Smart Balance cooking oil, both are full of Omega 3’s that help raise our good cholesterol (HDL) with no trans fats.
NOTE: Cooking this way has had an unexpected boonbecause my over-all cholesterol count has dropped 10 points, raised my good cholesterol, and I didn’t even have a count that was above normal. Even better, I have also dropped 8 pounds without consciously trying to lose weight. To what do I attribute this phenomena?
Healthier eating with fresh, mostly unprocessed foods, and no animal fats of any kind.
So watch for all the new recipes and ideas I now prepare on a regular basis – my family and I particularly enjoy Middle Eastern Tangine dishes. See the recipes in March.
Healthy eating,
Marianne
This is a mixed bag of various helpful sources, resources and information for a healthier you!
Think lower sodium and salt for a healthier heart. When I began to read the sodium content of the products I use, fresh, frozen and canned, it stunned me how much actual sodium I was ingesting on a daily basis! Please take the time to go to this site for all the crucial information you should have to make an intelligent decision about your sodium/salt intake: www.clevelandclinic.org and click on “Low-Sodium Diet Guidelines”. It is very detailed in how much sodium you should allow yourself on a daily basis, the actual sodium content of the most common foods in the American diet, and how to begin to control the sodium in your food. Even though the supermarket shelves are filled with so-called “Low Salt” or “Low Sodium” products, still check the label for the count. And remember, the label’s sodium count is most likely not for just the whole product, more likely one of two or more servings in that product, so staying aware of what labels are REALLY telling you is of the utmost importance. I do recommend the Mrs. Dash seasonings and marinades – they are very tasty and reliable products. Wild Oats offers many low-sodium and salt-free items that can be reasonable in price. What surprised me most about unsuspected sodium content was the breads and baked goods I buy. Many of the preservatives used in various products are sodium based.
It is usually recommended to take supplements on a full stomach.
As always, be sure to check with your physician.
1
Confused about which fish species have the lowest contamination levels? Go to: www.oceansalive.org
This site answers most of our questions, and be sure to download their “Seafood Selector” for an easy list to take shopping or out to dinner with you.
2
According to some Gastroenterologists, IBS has an infectious origin in some patients, and can be treated with certain antibiotics that act mainly on the intestinal tract. Check with your doctor to find out if this is a viable answer for you.
3
The latest vitamin news is that most of us do not get enough Vitamin D in our diets, especially if we are not dairy eaters. Evidently, many orthopedists agree that lack of Vitamin D can cause musculo-skeletal pain. It is also vitally important for stimulating the body’s absorption of calcium. Over the last few years, the health community’s consensus as to how Vitamin D works best with what form of Calcium has been calcium bound to citrate or other members of the Krebs cycle that appears to offer the all around best absorption advantage. And for those of us with digestive disorders, it is also the best calcium choice for the lowest possibility of stomach upset.
Along with this, the addition of at least the RDA for Magnesium and Zinc are believed to be essential , with Vitamin D and Calcium, in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis.
4 - Personally, I find Citrical, Calcium Citrate Caplets with Vitamin D, an excellent supplement for those of us with digestive problems. As it claims on the label, it has clinically proven absorption, and produces no gas!
Other IBS news of note:
Increase your intake of prebiotics, fiber, probiotics and water. Check out my favorite site, www.helpforibs.com and consider ordering the very reasonably priced Acacia organic fiber. The Acacia fiber is a prebiotic, which helps promote probiotic growth. It has helped me tremendously.
Ask your physician about the drug, Lotronex, an excellent aid for those suffering with IBS-With-Diarrhea; also aids lowering the usual bloating, discomfort and painful aspects of the disorder. Zelnorm can be helpful to some patients by making the gut work faster so that undigested sugars don’t build up causing gas and bloating.
Fructose and Lactose can trigger IBS symptoms as well as can the hard-to-absorb sugar alcohols like malitol and xylitol often found in “sugar-free” products.
5 -
Internet sites to research for reliable Herbal and Vitamin supplement information:
www.mayoclinic.com
nccam.nih.gov/health/supplements
www.supplementwatch.com
Healthy eating,
Marianne
Before buying any produce, please read my blog entries on the pro’s and con’s of organic produce. For additional information, see my July 5, ‘06 entry “BE A SAVVY SEASONAL EATER”.
Rutabaga. Ruta-whata?
Rutabagas are a lot like turnips, only the flesh is yellower, and they have a denser root. It should be peeled and basically treated like a potato or a turnip. These are seasonal in December and January if your local retailer offers produce available from Texas, where it is grown twice a year. They are a good substitute for potatoes, mashed and well seasoned. I also like to incorporate them, along with turnips and other root veggies available, in a winter root vegetable soup made with a stewed tomato and broth base.
Pear Pie
Only use ripe, well peeled pears. Substitute thinly sliced pears, or a combination of sliced apples and pears, in any apple pie recipe. Mix in some lemon peel for pzazz.
Pears are a bit bland when cooked so I usually also make the pies with a thick, tasty crumb topping seasoned with lots of cinnamon and a little ginger.
Healthy eating,
Marianne
This has been a family favorite for years. Great served with any meal.
Preheat oven to 425F.
Peel and quarter 4-5 medium baking potatoes.
In a 10×13 baking dish or pan, put 3 Tbs. olive oil. Roll the potatoes in the oil while salting lightly if desired.
Bake 1 to 1-1/2 hours until the potatoes are browned and crisp on their edges. Best served hot.
Refrigerate leftovers.
To reheat for crispness, place on ungreased cookie sheet in a preheated 450F oven for a few minutes.
Healthy eating,
Marianne
A hungry man is not a free man…Adlai Stevenson
Have you heard about Leucine? It is a high protein amino acid that can help you lose weight and also be beneficial to blood sugar levels the natural way with healthy foods and drinks, no additives.
None of those boxed or canned so-called diet shakes for us!
Here is how to employ the benefits of leucine-rich foods for yourself, substituting one or two meals with a leucine-rich shake, and then making sure to eat other leucine-rich foods at your main meals.
The Basic Leucine Shake Recipe
In a blender on low speed, blend all the ingredients and then pulse until the shake is of the desired consistency:
8 oz. organic soy or rice milk, any flavor (or lactose-free organic skim milk, if tolerated)
1/4 C. organic vegetable-based protein powder, any flavor
1/4 Tsp. vanilla or other flavoring/spices (optional)
3-4 ice cubes
For a treat, try adding one or more of these variations:
1 – 1 small scoop rice milk or soy milk ice cream (remember the added calories)
2 – A cut-up banana
3 – Add 1-2 Tsp. instant coffee crystals
4 – Fresh fruit of any variety
To continue your leucine-rich diet, include 4-6 oz. of one or more of these foods at your regular meal:
Poultry (hens have the most leucine)
Beans, if tolerated (try small amounts; have you used Beano?)
Fish
Soy yogurt
Eggs and/or nuts if you can tolerate them
Brown rice
Soy flour
Whole wheat
Shaklee has a weight loss kit called Shaklee’s Cinch Weight-Loss Plan that includes a leucine shake mix, tea extracts, a leucine-rich multivitamin and other items. Call 1-877-246-2499 for more information.
There are also some shakes offered at your local retailers on the internet. Read the ingredients very carefully as many of them include whey, a milk by-product, not really smart for us tummy sensitive people.
For further information on leucine itself, go to: www.supplementnews.org/leucine
Also, check out my blog entry January 15, 2007: Mediterranean Cooking.
Since incorporating more of those food choices, I have lost weight without really “dieting”.
Healthy eating,
Marianne
