School Lunch

Back to School...lunches

  

You ask us a lot about recommendations to put in your kid's school lunch...a healthy, quick, and easy alternative to the hot (mess) lunch at the cafeteria.  Of course, we think our meals make GREAT lunches ~ for school or work!  Pair our enchiladas with Blue Corn Tortilla chips or scoop some of our Mexican Seitan into a tortilla or pita pocket.  Lunch boxes today have slots, compartments, and their own dipping containers...not like the standard metal lunch boxes we had or these brown paper bags. 

My favorite part of opening my lunch was the note my mom left in it to 'Have a great day!'  That lady made PB&J taste awesome with the love that went into my 3 brothers and my school lunches.  What goes into your food?  Love and nourishment or obligation and resentment?  At Conveniently Natural, we take pride in the care, dedication and positive energy that goes into our food.  We know that we are playing a small role in your healing, wellness, and contribution to our community.  

Fat Pants

You know what I'm talking about...

  

...those pants you take on a vacation to wear home or the ones tucked in the way back of the drawer for those times that you "overcelebrated."  I recently joined a local running group and during my first run, someone asked what I was training for.  Many in the group are training to compete in marathons, triathlons, and other races.  Though I wanted to blurt out, "To zip up my pants," the question got me thinking...

A year ago, a friend and I challenged ourselves to make the Triple Chocolate Fat Pants cake from the Babycakes NYC Bakery cookbook.  Who could resist a recipe like that?  Finally...an (appropriate) occasion to wear my fat pants. 

How To Make $100 Cake

1. Purchase $24 cookbook with Triple Chocolate Fat Pants Cake recipe (two-layer chocolate cake topped with vanilla frosting and layered with chocolate chip cookie crumbles.

 

2.  Make grocery list of all 32 ingredients that comprise this 3 part recipe (frosting, cake, and cookies) and split shopping with baking partner.

 

3.  Turn on Finding Nemo for 3 children and put baby to sleep in bassinet.

 

4.  Start recipe with frosting mix since it requires 6 hours of chilling before use.  Replace first two ingredients with substitution (due to food allergies that prevent use of soy) and document.  Use mixer on unmelted coconut oil and document that oil should be melted next time.  Refrigerate.

 

5.  Review cookie recipe and divide recipe between partners - one assigned wet ingredients, one assigned dry.  When wet ingredient baker discovers that $11 jar of coconut oil that was purchased is not in kitchen or left in grocery bag, make dairy and soy free butter substitution.  When said baker discovers the end of vanilla extract bottle, decide to substitute with combination of butter and peppermint extract.  When dry ingredient baker admits that evaporated cane juice was nowhere to be found at the store, decide to substitute an eyeballed amount of brown rice syrup and agave nectar.

 

6.  Discontinue substitution documentation. 

 

7.  Finish remaining steps per instructions and bake.  Upon tasting, promptly throw away cookies and agree to purchase packaged gluten-free cookies for substitution.

 

8.  Begin cake recipe, substituting coconut oil and evaporated cane juice with aforementioned products.

 

9.  Feed children and baby.  Then find additional distractions for them to occupy themselves that involve being anywhere but the kitchen.

 

10.  Go look in trunk of car and discover lost grocery bag that has $11 jar of coconut oil.  Throw out cake batch in progress and decide to start over using melted coconut oil.

 

11.  Decide that children acting like monkeys are a  distraction and reconvene the next day after purchasing appropriate 

ingredients on grocery list.

 

12.  Make cake recipe as instructed.  Make cookie recipe with coconut oil.

 

13.  Layer cake with frosting and cookies.  Taste test and serve to children.

 

14.  Nearly go into diabetic coma after 3 bites.

 

15.  Add up grocery totals and decide that this is the best tasting cake ever made - half because of the name itself and half because you spent your entire week's grocery budget on one cake (made 2 1/2 times).

Power Plate

Does Your Plate Look Like This?

 

In 1991, the PCRM (Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine) developed the New Four Food Groups.  This zero cholesterol, low-fat plan supplies all of an average adult's daily nutritional requirements, including substantial amounts of fiber.  See below for recommended daily serving sizes. 

The Four New Food Groups

Fruit 3 or more servings a day Serving size: 1 medium piece of fresh fruit, 1/2 cup cooked fruit, 4 oz juice Vegetables 4 or more servings a day Serving size:  1 cup raw vegetables, 1/2 cup cooked vegetables Whole Grains 5 or more servings a day Serving size:  1/2 cup rice or other grain, 1 oz dry cereal, 1 slice bread Legumes 2 or more servings a day Serving size:  1/2 cup cooked beans, 4 oz tofu/tempeh, 8 oz soymilk

The Iron Nun

After a priest encouraged her to start running at age 48 to harmonize her body, mind, and soul, Sister Madonna Buder began running in races.  With her first marathon in her 50's, she became the oldest woman to compete in the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon at age 75.  All told, she has competed in over 340 triathlons and more than 40 Ironmans.

In her own words, "If we want to do it, we can. The only failure is not to try, because putting forth the effort is success in itself."

Tour de Veg

American Cyclist David Zabriskie Competing in the Tour de France on a Vegan Diet  

 

"I think a lot of people see food in terms of whether it's going to make them fat or make them skinny," he says. "I'm seeing food in terms of how it's going to make me think and will it give me clarity."  (Full story) 

Confessions of a Junk Foodie

So, I have a confession to make.  Though I own a health food company, I LOVE junk food like pizza and burgers.  But let’s face it…after seeing how they treat those poor cows and seeing pink slime all over Facebook, I can’t bring myself to eat what's out there in the way of junk food.  (I mean, it’s called JUNK food for a reason…as far as I’m concerned, we can drop the ‘food’ part of it and just call it junk.) 


In the spirit of summer and for all you fellow junk foodies out there, I've included two healthy, delicious recipes ~ Socca Pizza and Chickpea Burgers.  Both are under 500 calories and naturally gluten-free.  

Socca Pizza

Crust Ingredients:

1 cup garbanzo bean flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 cup water

4 tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 tsp minced fresh basil (or 1/2 tsp dried basil)

1 tsp fresh rosemary (or 1/4 tsp dried rosemary)

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 

2. Combine flour, salt, and pepper into bowl and gradually whisk in water to create a smooth batter. Then, stir in 2 tbsp olive oil and herbs.

3. In a 10-12 inch cast iron skillet, swirl 2 tbsp olive oil.  Then, pour batter and place in oven.

4. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until center is firm.

While crust is baking, prepare pizza toppings.

Pizza Ingredients:

1/2 - 15 oz can Muir Glen pizza sauce 

8 oz (1 pkg) Daiya Mozzarella Shredded Cheese

2 cups kale

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1/2 diced medium onion

After crust has baked and center is firm, pour half can of of pizza sauce over crust and brush evenly.  Next, add vegetables (or substitute for your favorites).  Finally, top with Daiya Mozarella cheese.  Bake for another 5-7 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Chickpea Burgers

Ingredients:

1 cup garbanzo bean flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp parsley flakes

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp coriander

1/2 tsp garlic granules

1/4 tsp onion powder

2 tsp lemon juice

1/2 cup hot water

2 tbsp olive oil

1. Combine all dry ingredients and blend thoroughly..  Add in lemon juice and hot water, then stir until combined.  

2. In frying pan, heat olive oil over medium. Then add batter (approximately 1/3 - 1/4 cup each) to make 4 patties. 

3. Fry on both sides until golden brown.

Serve with organic BBQ sauce on a bun or in a pita pocket.

The Introvert's Guide to Accountability

So, summer is officially here.  Is your (spiked) lemonade glass half empty or half full?  Are you thinking, "Hurray, summer fun, relaxation, longer days, and travel!" OR "Oh crap, it's swim suit season!"  Whether it's personal or professional, I can tell you that the key to health/weight/feel good success is accountability.  The gurus out there have great tips for creating accountability, but what about those of us that are a little more private?  If you at all read these weekly emails, you know that I'm not a classically defined introvert, but I also don't need all 297 of my Facebook friends to know how much I weigh or what I ate for breakfast just for the sake of accountability.  Nor do I feel comfortable or make time for meetings, support groups, or online community forums.  

So, here it is ~ quick and easy, down and dirty:  The Introvert's Guide to Accountability

 Take 5 minutes every night to track these 5 Daily Metrics:

1. How did I feel today?  (Rate 1-10):  This means physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, everything.  Take an average of the entire day, with 1 feeling crappy, pathetic, and depressed and 10 being Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah ~ Ain't life Grand!  You may have other health goals here, like weight loss goals or medical goals but I'm telling you, the more 10 days you have, the closer you'll be to looking good and healing fast.  As you progress in your tracking, make it a priority to find out how to get 10's (or at least close to it) for yourself more days than not.  

2. How much sleep did I get in the last 24 hours?  (# in hours)  

3. How much did I move today?   (# in minutes)  Note:  This can be exercise or even chores.  Light cleaning like vacuuming, changing sheets, and taking out the trash burns 86 calories per hour.  (One hour of Zone Defense for two toddlers burns 106 calories...how ironic...the exact number present in a glass of Pinot Noir.)  

4.  How many greens did I get today?  (# in servings)  Tracking all of your food can be overwhelming, so just count your servings of greens.  (One serving is the size of the palm of your hand.)  Aim to get over 7 each day.

5.  How much water did I drink today?  (# of ounces)  Optimal amount = your weight divided in half equals the number of ounces.  

So, here it is, my privacy preferring people.  It may not seem like much, but I promise you in 30 days, you will see results.  As we say, Conveniently Natural was born out of the idea that life, especially a healthy life, just doesn't have to be that hard.