Recipes and Tips for Healthier Living and Smarter Budgeting

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Are You Hydrated?

I've been on a water kick for years and, as a result, already knew many of these facts that one of my friends sent me in an email recently. But it was an excellent review for me and I wanted to pass it on to anyone who isn't yet converted to the concept of regular hydration with simple water.

An easy rule of thumb I learned many years ago: Divide your weight in half and that's how many ounces of water you should be drinking every day.

1. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.
2. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is mistaken for hunger.
3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as much as 3%.
4. One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University of Washington study.
5. Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.
6. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.
7. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.
8. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.

Are you drinking the amount of water you should drink every day?

P.S. Though it may sound a bit gross, one easy way to tell if you're hydrated enough is by the color of your urine. If it's dark yellow, you're dehydrated; if it's about the color of lemonade, you're doing well.

Monday, March 29, 2010

Feedback

Dear Readers,

Thank you to those who voted in my poll about what you would like to see more of in this blog. Your feedback has been very helpful! I must admit, I was surprised that such a huge majority of you wanted more recipes above everything else, since there are SO many recipe blogs out there. But I have tried to respond in kind and hope the recipes I have added have been beneficial to you.

So now I need to ask for more specific feedback: What kinds of recipes have you found most helpful? What kinds of recipes are you looking for? What kinds would you like to see more of?

This blog is for you and if it's not helpful or useful or applicable to you in your quest for healthy cooking and eating, then it's not worth either of our time... So please post your comments and I will try to tailor-make this blog to better fit your needs.

Thanks so much!

Sincerely,
Katrina

Friday, March 26, 2010

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
Yield: 1 cookie sheet

1 c. plus 2 Tb. water
2 Tb. olive or vegetable oil
3 c. whole wheat flour*
1 tsp. salt
2 1/2 tsp. yeast

Mix all ingredients thoroughly, knead and place on greased cookie sheet (or 2 round pizza pans). Work dough around with hands until evenly covers entire pan(s).
Spoon on desired sauce, cheese, and toppings.
Cook at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes, or until fully cooked and browned as desired.

*If your flour is made from red wheat (instead of white wheat like mine), you may choose to use part white flour for this recipe, to make your dough more pliable, but it's not necessary if you choose not to.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

How to Make the Switch

Most people have heard stories about what can happen to someone not used to eating whole wheat who suddenly begins eating it a lot--and none of them are pleasant. The other day I was reminded of this by a guest we had in our home. I had made a simple meal of vegetable turkey soup (with real turkey broth from a bone I simmered), and cornbread from scratch (of course). Our guest gave many compliments on the meal and kept telling me how it really "hit the spot," and helped himself to seconds. But only an hour later he had to spend about 15 minutes in the bathroom. I have never had anyone's body react that way to my cooking, so it was quite baffling. Our guest said he knew for sure my food was all natural because normally when he eats things like that it takes a day or two to "go through." Well, this only added to my bafflement! And my pervading feelings were incredulity and pity, that he--that anyone--should be so accustomed to "fake," processed food that their bodies don't know how to handle the real thing. And yet, I'm sure many typical Americans are in the same boat--sadly.

My uncomplaining husband knows all about this, firsthand, as he had a crash course on home cooking and whole wheat when he married me. Now he would never go back, but it did take his body a while to adjust. Ideally, this adjustment should take place in a gradual, calculated way, with a goal in mind. Here is an excellent website to give you ideas on how to do that (scroll down about halfway). Basically, you need to identify the snacks, bread, pasta, rice, etc in your current diet that contains white flour and gradually replace them with those same items made from whole wheat flour. I didn't used to be so fond of wheat pasta, but I helped my family make that gradual change and now don't mind it at all, especially since it stretches farther by filling us up faster (and sticking). As we still have a good supply of white rice, I haven't yet completely made the switch to brown rice, but I plan to. All of us have improvements we can make.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

White Flour--The Other Sugar

I borrowed this title from an excellent article that can be found at the Weston A. Price Foundation and from which I pulled the information for this post.

"Even though white flour doesn't taste sweet, it breaks down into sugar (glucose) and can lead to the very same problems caused by eating too much refined sugar."

This is certainly no new concept to me. My mother taught it to me long ago, so I am amazed that much of the industrialized world remains ignorant of this truth. It just makes so much sense!

"White flour is what's left after stripping virtually all the nutrients and fiber out of a whole grain of wheat. So what you're left with is a dead, lifeless powder that no longer goes rancid and can be used as a perfect binding agent to hold together sugar, sodium, artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, additives, and other chemicals. White flour is basically "white gold" for food manufacturers.

"Products made with white flour are nutritionally useless, yet the American Dietetic Association recommends that we eat 8-11 servings of them everyday. The public has been programmed to believe that white flour products are "healthy" because they are low in fat, cholesterol and calories. So people eat things like pasta, bagels and pretzels and believe they are eating healthy because these foods are 'fat-free.' But what food manufacturers have failed to mention in their clever advertising is that white flour products have zero nutritional value and can lead to poor health."

I think of a few of the diabetics I know and what their diets are like (mostly made up of white flour) and I just cringe. How is it that so much of the American population (and others) can be so unquestioning and unconcerned about what they're putting into their bodies?!

"As far as your blood sugar is concerned, your body doesn't know the difference between a teaspoon of sugar and a slice of white bread!"

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Homemade "Refried" Beans

Low in fat, this way of making pureed beans is much healthier than any canned variety and freezes very well if you make too much. Really the only trick is to monitor the water so that it never runs too low (or your beans will burn), yet in the end doesn't need any water poured off, since it is so rich in nutrients from the beans.

Homemade "Refried" Beans

2 c. dry pinto beans
1 large onion
1-2 large cloves garlic
salt to taste

Clean beans, boil in pot of water for 10 min, rinse.
Refill pot with enough water to cover beans, bring back to boil.
Boil for 1 hour.
Dice onion, crush garlic, add to pot after beans have cooked for an hour or so.
Cook another 30 min to an hour, until beans and onion soft.
Add salt to taste.
Ladle bean mixture into blender, blend until smooth.
Pour into serving bowl or spoon directly into tortillas. Makes an excellent side dish or as filling for burritos (in addition to cheese, lettuce, sour cream, salsa, etc.).

Monday, March 22, 2010

Popcorn

We don't eat a lot of snacks, but one of our favorites is hot air popped popcorn, topped with about 3 Tb. real butter and a few turns of the sea salt shaker. Now I don't even like microwave popcorn. There's just something about home-popped that is so much more satisfying! My husband gave me a popper like this one about three years ago and it has been in regular use ever since. In addition to being much healthier than microwave or prepackaged popcorn, it's also more economical: I can find it for less than $2 per 32 oz package at my local grocery store, which makes a lot of large bowls full (I only have to buy it about every two months and we generally eat it once a week or so). And unlike with the microwave variety, very few kernels are left unpopped and none are burned.

Friday, March 19, 2010

Whole Wheat Pancakes

This is another breakfast variation that my family loves, and very easy to whip up. (If we're ever served white pancakes, we think they taste like cake, notice they don't keep us full very long, and we also don't feel as good after eating them.)

WHOLE WHEAT PANCAKES

3 eggs
2 1/4 c. whole wheat flour
1/3 c. oil
1 1/2 Tb. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
2 c. or more milk (until batter is desired thinness)

Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth, while pans heat on stove top. Then make pancakes, as usual.

Our favorite topping is butter and honey, but we have also done syrup, jam, peanut butter, and applesauce.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Storing Wheat

A friend of mine asked me about wheat storage and how to prevent bugs. I know there are a lot of people who buy bulk wheat to only sit in their food storage, "just in case." Since they never use it, it is a good thing they store it in sealed, round containers so it is preserved in as good a condition as possible! For my part (and my mother's), we use it so quickly, we have never had to worry about storing it this way. I pour the wheat I will need for a month straight from the bag it came in, into a large plastic, lidded bucket, and scoop out of that to grind it. I have never had a bug problem--and neither has my mom in the 30+ years she has been doing it this way. Of course, I'm sure it helps that the wheat we buy is triple-cleaned and sealed in durable bags.

If you do have a bug problem currently or won't be using your wheat storage very quickly, click here for information on how to deal with these concerns.

If you're wanting to store wheat for a super long time, click here for detailed instructions.

For more interesting and helpful information on "the staff of life" and how to store it, see this site.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Testimonial

When one of my uncles found out about this site, he wrote me the following. Another testimonial that it is possible to spend very little on groceries and eat healthily at the same time...

"We are able to feed all 7 of us on $40.00 a week. (Now this isn’t exactly accurate for either of us because we depend so heavily on our existing dry-goods food storage such as wheat, wheat, and oh, did I say wheat?) Also, we use a lot of oats, brown rice, beans, lentils, split peas, etc. Also, we augment a lot with our garden produce, especially things that store (potatoes, carrots and other root veggies) plus herbs that we freeze such as basil and cilantro. [My wife] processes lots of tomatoes, jams, and juices. So these things that we already have on hand we don’t count in our $40.00 a week."

He brings up another passion/interest/hobby of mine: gardening. One of my deepest desires is that we one day have a good garden again, for health, food storage, budgeting, and pleasure reasons. There's nothing quite like getting your hands in the dirt and growing your own food!



Wednesday, March 10, 2010

White Flour vs Wheat Flour

I found the following information very interesting and thought I would pass it on...

"Wheat generally contains about 23% protein (whole wheat flour 12% and white flour 11%). Interestingly, the protein in wheat germ is extra-rich in lysine, which is deficient in the rest of the grain after it is milled. Since WWII, wheat has been severely milled, causing an equally drastic drop in nutrients. By using only the endosperm to make the white flour and disgarding the bran and the germ, what is lost are the following: 77% thiamin, 80% riboflavin, 82% niacin, 72% B6, 50% pantothenic acid, 67% folate, 86% Vitamin E, and 29% choline. With the bran and the germ removed, the "prized" white flour is used extensively while, at the same time, the bran and the germ are packaged and sold at inflated prices so that people can buy them, add them to their processed foods and, once again, achieve good health."
(Read entire article here.)

Friday, March 5, 2010

Money Saved by Home Grinding: Budgeting Tip #4

If you are wondering if it would be worth it for your family to make the investment of a wheat grinder, take a look at this site. It breaks down the numbers (from 2007) to show you how much a family of four can save on bread and cereal in a year by cracking and grinding their own wheat to cook these items from scratch. I hadn't done the math myself, so it fascinated me to see it all spelled out like this. And keep in mind that my family spends even less, as the wheat we buy costs a few dollars less than the $15 per 100 lb of wheat quoted here...

At least $2.00 per day for store bought bread
At least 2.00 per day for store bought cereal
At least 4.00 total per day
x30 days
At least $120.00 per month
X12 months or at least $1440.00 per year

By using a mill, you spend only: (figuring wheat at $15.00 per 100 lbs plus eggs, sugar, salt, etc)

$.40 per day for wholesome bread
.15 per day for healthful cereal
.55 per day
X 30 days
$16.50 a month or $198.00 per year

The average savings for bread and cereal alone is over $1200.00 per year!

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Fiber and Weight Loss

"Fiber makes us feel full sooner and stays in our stomach longer than other substances we eat, slowing down our rate of digestion and keeping us feeling full longer. Due to its greater fiber content, a single serving of whole grain bread can be more filling than two servings of white bread. Fiber also moves fat through our digestive system faster so that less of it is absorbed.

"Meat and dairy products contain no fiber, and refined grains have had most of their fiber removed. To increase your intake of fiber, eat more whole and natural foods, and fewer processed foods."

Go to this great site to read more about the importance of fiber and its role in maintaining or obtaining a healthy weight.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Cracking Wheat

As for cracking wheat, because our wonderful KitchenMill grinds finely on every setting, I had to hang on to our last stone grinder so I have something with which to crack the wheat. My mother has a very heavy duty bread mixer with a blender attachment, so she uses the blender to crack wheat and that machine has so far lasted her 9 years.

A word of warning: Using a regular blender for cracking wheat is not a good idea! My mother tried it and had the blades fly off the blender, and when I tried it with a good quality (but not heavy duty) blender the motor burned out after a few uses.

I have been told you can buy cracked wheat at the store, just like you can buy whole wheat flour. But besides the obvious economical benefit of making it yourself, there are the nutritional benefits as well. Most people say that wheat begins losing its nutritional value (particularly its protein content) 72 hours after it is milled. It is therefore absolutely healthier to grind your own flour and crack your own wheat--with as little time in between milling and eating as possible (or store it in the freezer). If you buy either of these products at the store, by the time it gets to your kitchen, it may as well be refined white for all the nutritional value you get from it (though it will still be a good source of fiber).

Monday, March 1, 2010

Wheat Grinders

For our first few years of marriage, we used old stone electric wheat grinders that we found at thrift stores or that people didn't use so they gave to us--and we went through about three of them. We were grateful to have something to grind our wheat with, but all of these machines had their setbacks. One was even so messy I had to grind wheat outside on the front porch so as not to end up with an entirely floured kitchen! And one, though I could set it to many levels of courseness, did not grind flour fine enough for our liking. Another disadvantage of these machines was simply the fact that they were stone grinders, which heat up with the friction and thereby heat the wheat, diminishing its nutritional value. I have also read that stone grinders are bound with aluminum oxide, which isn't necessarily something we we want to ingest. And, stone grinders are very heavy (20-30 lbs) and bulky and therefore more difficult to use. Fortunately, by the time I became fed up with our current stone grinder, we were in a position to buy a new electric non-stone grinder, like the one in this picture.

There are many types of wheat grinders out there (my mother uses a different kind than I do) that can be purchased new or used, but I have been very pleased with this one. It is a KitchenMill made by K-Tec and is reasonably priced. It produces high quality flour quickly and the whole thing only weighs 8 lbs! This site has an excellent description of the machine and its advantages, as well as other helpful and interesting information about grinding your own flour.

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