healthy eating – Page 2 – Mary's Kitchen

March 31, 2018March 31, 2018

The Queen of Dips – Roasted Red Pepper, Garlic and Chilli Hummus

ROASTED RED PEPPER, GARLIC AND CHILLI HUMMUS

I am dubbing this wonderful dip, “The Queen of Dips” because the simple chickpea has such enormous health benefits and it is such a versatile dip to use with numerous dishes. Not only that, there are a number of ways to reinvent it by adding a few different ingredients. The possibilities of preparation are endless and here I will share a couple of ways to make the unassuming chickpea, (also known as the garbanzo bean), into something quite tasty.

Firstly, for those of you who are “clean eaters” you will no doubt already be familiar with the many health benefits of the chickpea. But let me just list a few of the secret health benefits of this Mediterranean, Middle Eastern gem.

Not only being an excellent source of fiber, they are also high in protein, carbohydrates and contain minerals like selenium, vitamin K, folate, phosphorous, zinc, copper, manganese and choline. They also contain high levels of vitamin B-6, iron and magnesium. These minerals and vitamins each having their own health benefits. Well known health facts are chickpeas can help diabetes, blood pressure, inflammation, digestion, weight management, cholesterol and even cancer.

So let’s get busy in the kitchen and prepare this easy dish so you can impress your family and friends.

INGREDIENTS

1 tin chick peas (reserve the liquid when you strain them), 1 roasted red pepper, 3 garlic cloves chopped, juice of 1 lemon & 1 lime, 1 chopped red chilli, 3 tbsp tahini paste (recipe follows below to make your own), 1/4 cup olive oil, sea salt & ground black pepper.

METHOD

Cut the red pepper in half and place face down on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 15/20 mins at 180 degrees or until skin turns dark. Remove from oven and place in a plastic bag for a few minutes. This makes it easy to peel outer skin off. You can also roast your garlic at the same time if you would like to. If you do, place garlic cloves in tin foil with skins on and drizzle with olive oil. You can of course just use fresh chopped garlic. Once you have peeled your red pepper set aside for a moment.

Add the chickpeas to your food processor, the roasted pepper, chopped chilli, chopped or roasted garlic, tahini paste, lemon & lime juice, olive oil, s&p.

Blend well as you want a creamy texture so if you feel it is a little dry, slowly add the chickpea reserve liquid or a bit of water and continue to blend until you get the creamy consistency we are looking for. Place into a bowl, sprinkle with a little paprika and a drizzle of olive oil. You could also top with some roasted pine nuts, walnuts or pecans if you wish (optional).

TAHINI PASTE

This is an expensive commodity to buy in health food stores, so why not make your own. It couldn’t be simpler.

You can make this raw if you have a really powerful blender (raw meaning sesame seeds only) but I tend to mix in a little olive oil and use my nutribullet to blend. You can roast the sesame seeds before hand by dry roasting them in a frying pan or even add a little olive oil.

SIMPLE METHOD

1 cup sesame seeds, 3 to 4 tbsps olive oil (as need to get good consistency)

Place into a blender and mix until it turns into a paste. It’s that simple and you have saved yourself a fortune.

TIPSTERS -There are various methods you can jazz up your Hummus.

1. Roast a whole bulb of garlic with some olive oil in tin foil for 15/20 mins and add entire bulb leaving out roasted red pepper.
2. Caramelise some onions slowly and add them to decorate the top of the Hummus.
3. Roast some Pine Nuts, Walnuts or Pecans and decorate the top.
4. Tahini dressing – 1 tbsp of tahini paste, 1 tsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp water – mix well. Use to dress vegetables, chicken, sweet potatoes.
Basically use your imagination and the world is your oyster. Enjoy!

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Thank you for stopping by.

Mary Joan Calder

January 14, 2018January 14, 2018

DANETTE MAY’S 30 DAY CHALLENGE – YES, I HAVE REACHED DAY 7

Je suis arrive – DAY 7 of the Danette May clean eating challenge !!

What can I say, except the second time around has been much easier for me. I have reached Day 7 with no real dramas. The 3 day detox I embraced and welcomed this time. After abusing my body during the festive season with copious amounts of alcoholic refreshments, it was time to stop the train and change stations. So instead of running of into the woods like a frightened rabbit I opened my mind and said, bring it on. I’m pleased to report that I did not suffer headaches, or nausea, or food pangs this time, and all in all, a pretty easy 3 days of it.

During this 7 Day period I included in my detox and clean eating plan, my daily mediations and pleasant stretching pilates. A workout does not have to be strenuous to be effective. I’m pleased to report during this week I have also covered over 90,000 steps which equates to 70km. Thats a lot of ground to cover in one week on foot. Having 3 dogs does assist this figure as I do take them for long morning walks most mornings.

It was wonderful to taste a little food on Day 2 when Quinoa (pronounced KeenWah) was introduced with Kale. The Apple Cider Vinegar and Cumin drizzle made it very tasty. I admit to adding some fresh red chilli, mango and organic shredded coconut to the dish, if nothing else, to make it look it bit more attractive to eat – it was delicious.

I’ve become a bit of a dab hand at making smoothies – Fired Up Metabolism, Wake Me Up & Shrink Me Down, Detox Pina Colada, Green Goddess, to name but a few, each having a different purpose. The only one I didn’t care for too much, but drank it anyway with my eyes tightly clenched while holding my breath, was the Fired Up Metabolism smoothie. Oh my, give me liver and onions before I would like to taste this again. Perhaps it was the cacoa, but I just had to force this one down kicking and screaming.

Moving into Day 4 is always exciting because the menus open up into a new food world you perhaps didn’t know existed. Hummus Beet Wraps, Turkey Bacon & Bok Choy Salad, Egg Omelettes, Oatmeal (or Porridge as we call it here in Scotland), Lemon infused Salmon, Ginger Chicken and more smoothies of course, all of which were delicious and awakened your palate.

I loved starting each morning and ending the evening with a cup of warm lemon water (one freshly squeezed lemon into a cup of warm water) and add 1 tbsp of Apple Cider Vinegar (try Braggs which has “The Mother”). ACV with Mother is unrefined ACV that contains beneficial bacteria and acetic acid, making it good for digestion and has a number of other benefits. I also now enjoy a cup of Dandelion Tea, which contains vitamins A, C and D, and significant amounts of zinc, iron, magnesium and potassium. It helps alleviate bloating, diabetes and liver dysfunction.

TODAY’S BLOOD PRESSURE WEIGHT

135/89 PULSE 63 (resting) RELEASED 8 LBS.

Looking forward to the next 7 days.

If you are enjoying my blogs and following me on this clean eating challenge, please subscribe after reading this blog my entering your email address in the subscribe area. You will them receive notification when I have posted.

Thank you for stopping by.

Mary Joan Calder

January 7, 2018January 7, 2018

30 DAYS AND ANOTHER NEW CHALLENGE with DANETTE MAY

A start to a new year always brings out the best possible intentions to lose weight, to get rid of stress, to workout in the gym more, learn something new, get rid of negativity, cleanse yourself from jaundiced friendships, and generally rejuvenate one’s body, soul and mind.

I found a program that not only worked for me in the past, but I have decided to kick off 2018 with the same program this year. Danette May, founder of the 30 Day Challenge Program, is not only a promoter of healthy clean eating, a fitness guru, author and mother created the 30 Day Challenge to help people not only shed excess weight but to find their inner self again.

This is my second time around on this program and I’m excited and pumped to share with you my 30 day challenge. For one month, starting January 8,2018, I will detox my body from built up toxins due to eating inflammatory foods high in sugar content and drinking copious amounts alcohol. I will exercise each day, add in a long walk with my beloved Hungarian Vizslas, meditate, and eat clean organic foods and consume handfuls of chia, hemp and flax seeds in my smoothie drinks.

The end result will be rewarding, of that I have no doubt. I will continue to post most days to encourage others who are also on the same journey. If you fall, do not worry, there will be someone to pick you up and dust you off.

If you are struggling with weight issues, low confidence self esteem, generally need a pick-me-up, I can recommend to you to follow one of Danette May’s 30 Day Challenge.

If you want to learn more click on http://mbsy.co/l7ChV (you may need to copy and paste as my techno skills are somewhat limited)

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Thank you,

Mary Joan Calder

August 23, 2017August 23, 2017

ALDI CONTINUES TO INCREASE CLEAN EATING PRODUCT LINES

ALDI CONTINUES TO INCREASE THEIR CLEAN EATING PRODUCT LINE

Clean eating products such as coconut milk, coconut oil, almond/cashew butter, protein powders, chia seeds, quinoa, maca powder, fresh greens and fruit and be a costly exercise in your everyday supermarkets.

I recently wrote an article on Aldi taking the clean eating market by storm and I am here to report to you that they continue to add to their product line with items you would normally only find in expensive health food store.

Along with their Functional Food range, they have a new range called The Foodie Market. They now carry Organic Coconut Sugar and Organic Coconut Flour (which is completely gluten and wheat free). Both these products can be substituted in recipes that contain normal plain flour and refined sugars. The coconut flour can be used in all sorts of baking – cakes, muffins, pancakes etc. Coming directly from the palms grown in Sri Lanka, organic coconut flour is an excellent addition to your gluten and wheat free cooking recipes.

The coconut sugar is unrefined – dehydrated coconut blossom nectar. It comes directly from Indonesia and is made from the nectar of the coconut flower. This is a 100% natural alternative to refined sugar. Wonderfully delicious and superior to refined sugar to sweeten your favourite recipes.

You can purchase both these products now at Aldi – again, at a fraction of the cost of your nearest health food store.

Here is a recipe for you to try out using both products.

ONE BOWL COCONUT SUGAR COOKIES – MAKES 1 DOZEN

You will need:

8 tablespoons coconut oil, melted and cooled

1 egg

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup coconut sugar

3/4 cup coconut flour

3 tablespoons cacao powder

1/4 teaspoon pink sea salt

Preheat oven to 350F
Combine the wet ingredients (coconut oil, egg, vanilla) in a mixing bowl.
Add the remainder of the ingredients into the bowl and mix until well combined.
Roll the dough into 12 balls and place on an ungreased baking sheet, press down with a fork to flatten.
Place cookies in the oven and bake for 12 minutes.
Remove cookies and place to cool on a baking rack.
Most important – enjoy!

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July 5, 2017July 5, 2017

LET’S MAKE A DOGGY FRIENDLY BIRTHDAY CAKE

A CUPCAKE TOWER FOR YOUR FUR FRIEND’S SPECIAL DAY = DOGGY HEAVEN

We recently had a special occasion in this household celebrating our senior member of our 3 strong Hungarian Vizsla family – it was Toffee’s 13th birthday.

Of course, to celebrate such a wonderful birthday for our much loved girl, nothing short of a Doggy masterpiece would do. I decided on a Doggy Cupcake Tower which was more than awesome when it was done, (sorry for bragging), but it was a huge success and 100% doggy approved.

If you are having a special occasion with your much-loved furbby, I would like to share this fool-proof recipe that your birthday boy or girl will thoroughly enjoy. I have also included a you tube video showing you how to make this.

https://youtu.be/m6UYsWH3X9E

Let’s Get Started

500gm minced beef

6 eggs well beaten

1-1/2 cups sifted wholemeal flour

1 tsp. baking powder

3/4 cup of oatmeal

3/4 cup coconut oil

Finely chopped parsley

1-1/2 cups carrots

1 package of cream cheese or plain 100% Peanut Butter and Doggy treats to decorate (I used Gravy Bones or Markies)

Mix/beat together the beef with all the wet ingredients. Stir in dry ingredients. Mix well. Transfer the mixture to cupcake cases. Cook at 180C degrees for 30 minutes. Allow to cool. Decorate with either pure Peanut Butter or Cream Cheese and top with your dog’s favourite treat.

Pure unadulterated Doggy Heaven.

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March 10, 2017January 7, 2018

I LOST 20LBS IN 30 DAYS WITH DANETTE MAY’S 30 DAY CHALLENGE.

MY VERY FIRST BLOG!
If I could tell you how I lost 20 lbs. in 30 days, you would be interested wouldn’t you?

At 61 years young, things start to go AWOL so you need to watch your health and fitness. I had been drinking what I would deem to be far too much for the past couple of years and at the start of 2017 I made a conscious decision to get back on track and get fit. My blood pressure was through the roof – BP 169/102 and my liver count was 111. The doctor said you need to make some lifestyle changes – you have warning signs going on here.

I was accustomed to going to the gym but to be honest it was making no difference to the 24 pounds I had gained over the last two years. So a different approach was needed. While scrolling through Facebook at the beginning of the year I came across a woman called Danette May and her 30 Day Clean Eating Challenge. I thought, oh yeah, here we go, more money paid out for nil result. However, as I read on I felt compelled to join this 30 Day Challenge and this is just where I get started.

This was not only the most successful way to lose excess weight and learn to eat properly but included daily meditations and exercise. Skeptical as I was I started the challenge on January 9, 2017. This involved 3 laborious days of detoxing. Cleaning your engines out, getting them ready to become a fat burning machine. Can I just tell you, 3 days detox might sound easy, it is very difficult – you get headaches, disoriented and wonder very quickly is it all worth while. During these 3 days, I drank the hot lemon water, Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar and a dash of Cayenne Pepper along with the other smoothies that were laid out in the challenge menu sheets. I did cheat once, I ate a banana which at the time was heavenly. I continued to follow the challenge, obviously refraining from NO alcohol during this period. I learned to Clean Eat excluding all trans fats and sticking to Coconut, Olive and Grapeseed oil to cook with. At the end of the day, you are what you eat and I soon realised this was the rut I was in. You think you are eating healthy, which of course I thought I was, but I soon found out that I was over indulging with incorrect food groups. During this challenge I did not eat any Bread (you can eat the occasional piece of Ezekiel Bread which is a gluten free) but I could not find this so did not eat it.

When I got into some of the recipes it started to become fun. I was learning about foods and super seeds I had never even heard. I was drinking smoothies made of kale, cucumber and kiwis topped off with Chia Seeds. Chia, Flax and Hemp seeds became my new best friends. I had them with everything and still do. I made my own Almond Butter and Tahini paste and began making videos to show others on the challenge who were not kitchen goddesses how easy it was to prepare these thing and put these on my first You Tube channel – Mary PremierCru. The first week my weight altered by a few pounds which encouraged me to carry on. The support group was amazing and I jumped in with both feet, videoing my transformation, the new food I was eating and just in general loving the support from a magnificent group of woman.

As the weeks went on and I still never even sniffed a drop of alcohol, I could really see the change in my body. At the end of the 30 days I had lost exactly 20lbs, which for those of you are reading this and understand menopause, weight loss becomes nigh impossible.

I am happy to say I have continued down this road of clean eating, oh yes, I have enjoyed the odd glass of wine which tasted like pure nectar on the first sip after 30 days. I can also report to an almost perfect blood pressure reading 122/80 and a liver count of 54. The liver count is still a little high but it’s all going in the right direction. I am pleased and my doctor was mightly impressed .

Having completed this challenge with what I believe to be an enormous success, I have joined another support group called Forever Fit which is the continuation of the 30 day challengers.

This opened my eyes to whole new and exciting way of eating. My skin became radiant, I fit into a long lost wardrobe of clothes that I had long since forgotten existed and I had a renewed confidence.

This new found confidence encouraged me along with the amazing support of the woman in the group to not only start YouTubing but to create my very own blog www.marypremiercru.com. Being technically challenged at the tender age of 61, this was some achievement and a true triumph.

It is a struggle to keep healthy at 50 plus, but I can tell you hand on heart, it is possible by making a few changes in your lifestyle.