LOVE EVOL!

For lunch a frozen standby, Evol's Portabella Mushroom, Pesto and Goat Cheese flatbread! Light and crispy and perfect for a quick bite! Ready in 20 minutes, all natural and vegetarian too! No corn syrup.

I will buy this again, found in whole foods freezer section of Dierberg's. Approx. $5. I added some shredded provel cheese and crushed red pepper before cooking in the oven and it was just right. Probably 2 servings, but realistically enough for one person. 300 calories per serving, so watch out!

ALDI ROCKS MY SOCKS!

If you aren't shopping at Aldi, you should start today! Not only is their produce fresh and abundant, the selection of basic pantry items has now expanded to include some really awesome finds! I had heard that Aldi was linked somehow with Trader Joe's stores from a friend of mine. I researched this gossip and found out that, in fact, the same parent company, Albrecht Discounts, based in Germany does own both Aldi and Trader Joe's grocery stores. Their "no frills" business model brings the lowest prices to the consumer by eliminating decorative displays and by carrying many store-brand items at a lower cost.

This is my new favorite find from Aldi, who seems to be trying to expand their product lines, including many upscale and natural options to the old standbys. This delicious frozen vegetarian pizza rings in at under $3.00!! The price is misleading, because the pizza is tasty as well as healthy and in my opinion worth more than 3 bucks! The combination of swiss and goat cheeses is a great low-fat option that still feels cheesy and gooey. The crust is light and not greasy. The spinach and cherry tomato toppings leave you full and guilt-free! I can't even find a pizza like this at our higher-priced, fancy grocery stores around town. Shopping on a budget no longer means that your fridge will be full of high calorie, processed foods! Now we can ALL afford the good stuff! 

I also really appreciate the shopping cart and bagging systems at Aldi. You can buy plastic or paper shopping bags at Aldi, or even purchase reuseable cloth bags. This saves money because you will bag your own groceries and it helps save the environment because it encourages you to bring your own bags from home. The carts require your $0.25 deposit on the cart in order to loose it from the cart corral. So, people are more likely to bring their carts back in and sometimes you even score a free cart! Both of these systems are efficient ways to save more money and keep the parking lot safe, while promoting a cleaner planet! Not to mention another reason I feel better about buying from Aldi is because their distribution center is in Batavia, IL. So when I purchase their store brands, I know they have traveled a shorter distance to get to me and also the distribution center has created jobs in my own state. 

Way to go Aldi!! I will be back again and again!

CHECK OUT ALDI'S WEBPAGE HERE

BEANS in my Brownie??

That's right, folks...BLACK BEAN BROWNIES! And boy are they delicious!

My friend Catherine made these for a pot luck recently and stole the spotlight. She has two daughters with various and severe food allergies so this was a great recipe that worked for their diets and was still mouth-watering and delectable!

These brownies are chock full of protein thanks to the entire of can of black beans that are hiding inside this batch. What a great idea! The beans are almost undetectable, blending in perfectly to the fudgy, moist treats with a little extra nutrition!

Try the recipe here:

http://www.skinnytaste.com

Two thumbs up!!

Food is your medicine!

Let's talk about Ayurveda for a moment.... What is Ayurveda, anyway?

Ayurveda means “knowledge of life” and is the ancient study and science of digestion.  Ayurveda considers food to be your medicine. Everything that you put into your body, or digest, whether it is food, air, water, environment, or thought-- all of these things affect the wholeness of your being, or your health. Ayurveda accounts for your dosha (body type) when determining what types of foods and activities are best for you. 

In Ayurveda, the idea is that the easier it is to digest your food, the more energy you may have to heal your own body. Almost 60% of your energy goes to the digestion of your meals each day. Ayurveda recommends consuming foods and liquids that are easy to digest and refraining from putting a lot of toxins into the body like caffeine and nicotine which are difficult to process.What if you could use less energy processing food and eliminating toxins...leaving more energy for your body to use for healing? 

Makes sense to me!

Eat Taste Heal is the new cookbook I have just ordered that is bursting with Ayurveda recipes and information on how to heal yourself through your food. I am so excited to add this book to my culinary library and try out some new recipes! Don't worry I'll give you the scoop!

Until we meet again....happy eating!

What is your DOSHA? Wait...what IS a dosha?

I, like most people, love to take quizzes to find out more about myself. I have taken every quiz I can find, personality tests, IQ tests, numerology, astrology.....you name it! So, when my yoga instructor for the teacher training program I am in told us we were going to take a dosha test I was super excited....even though I had no earthly idea what a dosha was. There are 3 types of doshas, or body types, according to Ayurveda: Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Every individual has a little of each of the three doshas, but there is often one (or sometimes 2) that is more dominant than the others. I happen to be a Vata dosha....bigtime! Like, my middle name should be Vata.

Vata types are typically very thin with prominent joints and have trouble gaining weight. The elements represented in the Vata dosha are air and space, very movement oriented. When out of balance, a Vata dosha will have anxiety and nervousness. The air and space elements keep the Vata continually in motion, so it is important that Vata types do things to ground themselves.....like eating earthy foods and doing restorative yoga.  There are even lists of foods that will help balance out the Vata dosha and foods to avoid eating. 

If you are interested in what type of dosha you are, find out by clicking the link below and taking the short quiz:

http://doshaquiz.chopra.com/

Kitchari-didgeridoo

Kitchari is the first vegan food that I have ever cooked. It is a rice and bean dish, like a stew, and is very easily digestible. The base is split yellow mung dal (split peas) and basmati rice. You can add any vegetables to the rice, the suggested vegetables for your dosha type are listed on Ayurveda Institute recipe, which you can access by clicking on the link below.

KITCHARI RECIPE

This dish is particularly nourishing and will not make you feel heavy or bloated. It gives you lots of energy and can help regulate your digestion. (Careful not to consume it for every meal or constipation can result.) The mung dal is one of the most easily digested foods and will leave you feeling great!

I like to add a few shakes of Dr. Braggs Amino Acids (soy sauce substitute) and lots of fresh cilantro on top! The aromas of the spices cooking always fills my house with the most beautiful scents. My family has surprisingly taken to the kitchari very fast and now we usually have some on hand for work and school lunches. It's easy to reheat and doesn't lose any flavor in the fridge!

Kitchari is fun to eat and fun to make and even fun to say.....we can't help but embellish this one at our house, singing, "Kitchari-didgeridoo!!"

A Long Time Ago in a Cookie-Jar Far Far Away.....

Cookie cutters/stamps from William Sonoma catalog. Adorable and they work perfectly!! Two thumbs up! Great gift idea for sci-fi fans who seem to already have everything.

Ain't nothin' but a GHEE thang...

GHEE!! 

I have only recently started using and making my own ghee. Ghee is really just a fancy name for clarified butter. It is infinitely better for you than butter or margarine because all of the impurities have been removed, such as saturated fat and milk solids. Ghee can help lubricate the connective tissues in your body, promoting flexibility, which makes it a favorite food of yogis worldwide. You can use it in place of cooking oil, butter or margarine and is even tasty as a spread on bagels and muffins. 

A few months ago I made my first batch of ghee on my stovetop at home. I was warned by a friend, "Don't buy ghee, it's too expensive and it's just so easy to make." So I looked up the recipe on Ayurveda Institute's webiste: (http://www.ayurveda.com/online_resource/ghee_recipe.htm) and started making my list of ingredients...one pound unsalted butter. After returning from the store with my unsalted butter, I realized that I didn't have any cheesecloth. Excited to even need an advanced-cooking type supply like cheesecloth, I hauled myself back to the grocery store to buy a package of that and an airtight, glass container with a lid.

Finally prepared, I got to work. Having no real idea of what I was doing, I tried to follow the recipe as closely as I could. It wasn't terribly difficult, but it was messy. The butter pops and splatters everywhere as the saturated fat rises to the top. This I wasn't prepared for at all. My daughter, aged 13, wandered into the kitchen at this point and exclaimed, "Are you doing a science experiment in here? What's all the bubbling for?" My suggestion is to use a deep pot, like a soup pot, so the splatters won't totally coat your entire kitchen floor and counter and stovetop surfaces. 

The final result was a big tub of ghee that lasted us over 2 months! It is shelf stable, but it is very important to only scoop ghee out of the container with a clean, dry utensil. If water or bacteria get into the ghee it can easily spoil. The health benefits of ghee are enormous and grow as it ages. 

So, I ran out of ghee yesterday making a batch of kitchari (an ayurvedic food, sort of like a rice soup), and my family is already clamoring for more! Who knew they would take to ghee so quickly? One of my tasks today is to make some more. I hope that my kitchen can withstand a thorough coating in clarified butter and a brisk cleaning afterwards.