Carrageenan...Say What?!?

One of the documentaries I have watched in the past was 'The Truth About Cancer' and I was completely riveted by the documentary (if you haven't watched it, go find it on their website or on YouTube). Well, I signed up for their emails and recently received one that discussed carrageenan. In all honesty, I don't usually open and read all of their emails but for some reason this one peaked my interest. So I opened it and started reading all about this natural ingredient, carrageenan, which is added to SO MANY of our organic products, as well as others. So why should we be cautious about this natural ingredient? Well, just like that "natural" chicken breast that you find at the grocery store, "natural" doesn't necessarily mean it is healthy for you.

So what is carrageenan? "Carrageenan or carrageenins are a family of linear sulphate polysaccharides that are extrude from red edible seaweeds. They are widely used in the food industry, for their gelling, thickening, and stabilizing properties (Wikipedia)."

Where is it found? Well, unfortunately, it is found in a lot of foods. Milk, almond milk, coconut milk, cottage cheese, ice cream, yogurt, juice, frozen pizza, sour cream, dips, infant formula...the list goes on. Crazy, huh?!? I was looking for a healthy sour cream for tacos one day at the grocery store and first looked at Horizon's Sour Cream...guess what, carrageenan was there! Looked at my sons toothpaste, guess what...there, too! So what is the big problem for us?

Dr. Joanne Tobacman, MD, is a physician-scientist who has studied the carcinogenic effects of carrageenan for over 20 years. She found that the carrageenan was stable and safe while in the food product itself, but would too easily break down in the digestive process and cause health problems. Her research linked carrageenan consumption to the development of diabetes and digestive problems.
Dr. Tobacman also found that carrageenan could contribute to the development of ulcers and cancerous tissue growth. The International Agency for Research on Cancer reported in 1982 that there was enough evidence to claim that carrageenan is a likely carcinogen in humans.
A study dated back to 1981 cautioned researchers to investigate carrageenan consumption in humans before widespread usage. This study used strong language and cited multiple sources showing that carrageenan has carcinogenic effects when added to food or drinking water of several animal species. - The Truth About Cancer

So...still want to consume this ingredient? Not me! I will definitely be on the lookout now for this ingredient and try my best to keep it out of my house. Here is a great shopping guide to help you when avoiding this ingredient. Another solution to avoiding carrageenan is to make your own products when possible, like almond milk or coconut milk. Try Food Babe's recipe for homemade coconut milk. I personally like her first version, using canned coconut, as the texture was smoother for me.

Hope you all have a healthy and wonderful week!

Meal Plan #1

This week I decided to make Chicken Tacos, Mexican Pizza, Black Bean Burgers, and Lean Lasagna. This allowed plenty of leftovers for in-between days, because who wants to cook every. single. day? Not this busy momma! Again in my quest to watch ingredient labels and trying to avoid as much GMOs as possible, you will see what brands/products I used...and somedays it was inevitable...I was using GMO's or some horrible ingredient. But, I have to make due with what resources I have. I mainly shop at Kroger but cheese, I like to get a Market Street, and milk as well as some other items, Sprouts. However, the closest Sprouts to me is about a 20 minute drive from my home. Which isn't bad, but also don't want to spend my whole day running from grocery store to grocery store (with a toddler in tow!). I try to split it up so it is not as overwhelming and sometimes just have to get what I can where I am. Oh, and ignore the dates on my chalkboard...I am working a week ahead of you :) ANYWAY...here's your week of recipes and shopping list:

Shopping List:

(This does not include spices. Links to some ingredients are listed in the recipe as well as below. Use organic ingredients whenever possible...corn products are a must to avoid GMOs.)

• 1 lb organic chicken breasts
• 1 large container organic chicken stock or broth
• 1 8 oz can chopped green chilies
• Large head of organic romaine lettuce
• Tomatillo salsa 
• Salsa
• Sprouted whole grain tortillas 
• Sprouted corn tortillas
• Block of organic cheddar cheese
• Avocados (3-4)
• Sour cream (optional)
• 2 cans organic black beans
• White onion
• Yellow onion 
• Green bell pepper
• Lime
• Organic eggs
• Bread or bread crumbs 
• Hamburger Buns
• Tomatoes (2)
• 1 lb ground turkey breast
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• Large container organic mushrooms
• Large container organic spinach
• Ricotta
• 1 package whole-wheat lasagna noodles
• Shredded mozzarella

Chicken Tacos 

Ingredients:

• 1 lb organic chicken breasts
• 4 cups organic chicken stock, broth, or water
• 2 TB chili powder
• 1 (8 oz) can chopped green chilies (this was a hard ingredient to find that wasn't packed with horrible things. The brand that I went with, that Kroger had, was Casa Fiesta. Ingredients were green chilies, peppers, water, salt, and citric acid.)
• Organic romain lettuce
• Tomatillo Salsa or any other salsa
• Sprouted whole-grain tortillas
• Garnish with organic freshly grated shredded cheese (I like O Organics block cheddar cheese), avocados, guacamole, sour cream, tomato, etc. 

Directions:

Place chicken breasts and stock in slow cooker. 

Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours. 

When ready to serve, remove chicken from slow cooker and place in a bowl. 

Grab your hand-mixer and shred that chicken up! 

Stir in chili powder and chopped green chilies. 

Top each tortilla and build your taco! I topped mine with chicken, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, pineapple salsa, and red onion. Delicious!

      

Learned this little trick that has changed my life! 

Shred chicken with your hand mixer! So fast and easy!

*Use organic ingredients whenever possible

*Recipe from Mix & Match Mama

Mexican Pizza 

Ingredients:

• Sprouted corn tortillas or whole grain tortillas 
• 1.5 cups salsa or tomato sauce
• 2 cups canned organic black beans or meat of your choice (I just use one can)
• 1 cup green pepper chopped
• 1/2 white onion
• 1/2 jalapeño pepper thinly sliced (optional)
• 1 cup freshly grated organic cheddar cheese
• 1 TB chili powder (optional)
• 2 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1 lime
• 1 or 2 avocados

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400º. 

As oven is preheating, place tortillas on rack in oven for 3-4 minutes (until tortilla becomes hard but not crisp). 

Remove tortillas and first top with 1/4 cup salsa, a sprinkle of chili powder, 1/3 black beans, green peppers, onions, cheese, and topping with jalapeño (just eye ball all the ingredients when it comes to topping the tortilla...just go with how much you want).

Top toasted tortillas with salsa

Add black beans, green bell pepper, white onion (for my 3-yr old, I only put the black beans) 

Finally top with freshly grated cheddar cheese

Place tortillas back in oven and bake for 8-10 minutes.

Remove from oven and serve with a slice of lime, chopped romaine, avocado or sour cream. Delicious!!

(Since this will be a repeat meal for the next day, I just chop extra so I don't have to the next night and then all I have to do is prepare the tortillas and bake.)

*Use organic ingredients whenever possible

*Recipe from Food Babe

Black Bean Burgers

Ingredients:

• 1 15-oz can organic black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 egg
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs (I like to make my own by toasting bread and then placing in a food processor. You could also use gluten-free bread if needed.) 
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder (forgot this in the picture!)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Hot sauce to taste (optional)
• 1 to 2 TB organic EVOO
• Whole wheat (or gluten-free) hamburger buns
• Romaine lettuce
• Tomato, sliced
• Avocado, sliced

Directions:

Put beans in a large bowl and mash well with a fork or a potato masher. 

Add egg, yellow onion, bread crumbs (see picture), oregano, basil, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and hot sauce.

To make your own bread crumbs, toast bread well and place in food processor.
Pulse till a fine consistency.

Mix well to combine then shape into 6 patties.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat (I like to use avocado oil).

Arrange patties in a single layer (working in batches if needed) and cook, flipping once, until golden brown on both sides and cooked through, about 10 minutes total. 

Transfer to buns and top with lettuce, tomato, avocado, and any other toppings of your liking. Serve with sweet potato fries or a side salad.
Makes 6 burgers.

*Use organic ingredients whenever possible

Lean Lasagna

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup chopped onion (I used the 1/2 that was left from the turkey burgers)
• 1 lb ground turkey breast
• 2 cups tomato sauce (I use a jar of pasta sauce...I love Muir Glen's Italian Herbs)
• 3 tsp Italian seasoning 
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
• 6 cups chopped spinach
• 2 cups ricotta
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 package whole-wheat (or gluten-free) lasagna noodles
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375º. 

Sauté onion for 2 minutes, then add turkey and cook an additional 5-7 minutes. 

Add tomato sauce, all seasonings (minus nutmeg) and mushrooms and simmer 2 minutes.

Remove pan from heat.

In a seperate bowl, combine spinach, ricotta, and nutmeg.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. 

Drain and rinse with cool water.

Coat a 9" by 13" baking pan with cooking spray (I use EVOO and rub it around with a paper towel).

Arrange 1/3 lasagna noodles on the bottom of the pan. Spread a layer of ricotta mixture, then turkey mixture, then 1/3 mozzarella.

Add your layer of lasagna noodles first 

Follow with the ricotta and spinach mixture 

Add the turkey and sauce mixture

Lastly, layer with shredded mozzarella

Repeat layers, ending with mozzarella.

I was able to get about 4 layers of lasagna noodles

Bake 20-25 minutes or until cheese bubbles.

Cool at least 5 minutes before cutting.

*Use organic ingredients whenever possible.

*Recipe from Epicurious.



Please let me know what you think of this week's menu! I'd love to hear from you!
Hope you have a blessed week! Happy cooking!

Why You Should Be Drinking Whole Milk

I grew up on skim-milk and really had no clue what I was drinking...and neither did my parents. We just figured (like most of us) that skim milk is better for you because it contains less fat and will make you "slim", help you to lose weight, better for your cholesterol, etc. We have all been brain-washed to believe that 'fat-free', 'skim', and 'low-fat' is better for us, when in reality, it is making us so unhealthy and causing the obesity rate to continue to climb. The big "fat-free" trend started in the 80s and have you noticed the correlation to increased obesity since then??? It is all related and we have been completely fooled.
Luckily we are in charge of what we buy and we can change the trend!
More and more studies have come out showing that full-fat items, like milk, is actually healthier for you, will not cause you to gain weight, and will not effect your cholesterol.
Here are some findings:

• "Full-fat dairy products may make you feel fuller than nonfat versions, which could cause you to eat fewer sugary foods and carbohydrates." - Pediatric doctor, Mark DeBoer
• "A recent review published in the European Journal of Nutrition of the existing research on dairy fat came to some surprising conclusions: People who eat full-fat dairy are no more likely to develop cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes than people who stuck to low-fat dairy. When it comes to weight gain, full-fat dairy may actually be better for you, the review found. "In terms of obesity, we found no support for the notion that low-fat dairy is healthier, says Dr. Mario Kratz"" - Time

One of my favorite articles about whole milk vs skim milk is from The Healthy Home Economist. Here's just a little blurb from her site:

"How does drinking skim milk make kids (and adults) fatter? This apparent paradox occurs when you reduce the saturate fat in a person's diet and he/she turns to carbs to fill in the gap. It is the grains and sugars that truly make you fat, not saturated fat. I've said before on the blog that the more butter and cream I eat, the easier it is to maintain my weight. MUCH easier. The same goes for all of us. If you drink skim milk, you will be missing out on the satiating, blood sugar and insulin steadying affects of saturated fat, so your body will automatically give you your sugar and carb cravings to make up for it. The body is able to MAKE saturated fat out of sugars, hence the sugar cravings that are impossible to control when you eat a low fat diet that includes skim milk."

Also, dairy producers also add skim powder to skim milk. Here's some dirty secrets about skim powder from "Dirty Secrets of the Food Processing Industry" from the Weston A. Price website (also quoted on The Healthy Home Economist's site):

"A note on the production of skim powder: liquid milk is forced through a tiny hole at high pressure, and then blown out into the air. This causes a lot of nitrates to form and the cholesterol in the milk is oxidized. Those of you who are familiar with my work know that cholesterol is your best friend; you don't have to worry about natural cholesterol in your food; however, you do not want to eat oxidized cholesterol. Oxidized cholesterol contributes to the buildup of plaque in the arteries, to atherosclerosis. So when you drink reduced-fat milk thinking it will help you avoid heart disease, you are actually consuming oxidized cholesterol, which initiates the process of heart disease."

I made the text of that last quote bigger for a reason...when you consume oxidized cholesterol, you are jump starting the process of heart disease. Exactly what you didn't want when consuming skim milk, right? I know! The food industry is run by big brands that don't care about what is in your food. They care about making a buck. Like most yogurt companies, they wanted to make a fat-free yogurt so they took out all the good qualities of milk, pumped it with crap and awful, harmful ingredients, plus a lot of fake sugars, all to make it taste good.

Anyway, I hope that I have at least opened your eyes to a few new things regarding whole milk and skim milk. I love whole milk! It is all we will drink! Especially love brand (picture) at the top. Something about whole milk from grass-fed cows...just tastes right and how it is supposed to be. I'll talk later about why you want grass-fed ;)

Love and thank you for reading!

Lauren

Potato-Egg Bake

This is one of my favorite breakfast recipes that will last you a few days! My 3-yr old gobbles this up!! I love changing up breakfast and making easy egg-bake's like this...especially when mornings get a little busy. Make is the night before and you're set for breakfast in the morning! I usually serve this with a slice of toast or fresh fruit.

Here's what you'll need:

• 8 eggs
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1 sweet potato, skinned and chopped (You could also use 2.5 cups frozen shredded potatoes, but it does not provide the health benefits like sweet potatoes do. Plus I like the taste of this dish with sweet potato, rather than regular white potatoes.)
• 1/2 cup freshly shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 to 1 cup fresh chopped spinach (I usually chop up around 2 handfuls of spinach)
• 3-4 chopped mushrooms
• 1/2 cup cubed ham or chopped cooked bacon (optional)
• 1/4 of a bell pepper, chopped (any color works...I used what I had on hand and that was a green one)
• 1 tsp Himalayan salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2-3/4 cup freshly shredded cheddar cheese to top

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325º. 

Grease a 9x9 baking dish and set aside. 

In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs and milk together until frothy and combined. 

Add in 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, spinach, mushrooms, ham or bacon (if desired), bell pepper, salt, and black pepper and mix well.

Pour into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with 1/2-3/4 cup cheese.

Bake about 45 minutes or until mixture is set and knife comes out clean when inserted in the center. 

Serve immediately.

*Use organic ingredients whenever possible

*You can change up the recipe and add/omit any ingredients that you like! Whatever you would normally put in an omelet, you can put in here! Feel free to change it up and make it how you like it!

If you tried this recipe, leave a comment below! I'd love to hear from you!

Recipe FAIL! Plus Health Benefits of Coconut Flour

OK...so I get so frustrated when recipes do not go the way I want them to! You put all that time and energy into baking something (plus ingredients!) only to see the dish be a complete failure! Well, that is what happened last night. My son and I were watching Daniel Tiger and it was an episode where Daniel and his father make banana bread for Daniel's mother. So my sweet little one looked at me and said he wanted to make banana bread. How could I turn down his eagerness to bake! So I quickly looked online and searched for about 5 minutes to find a healthy banana bread recipe, with ingredients that we had on hand. Now, I did swap out the flour for coconut flour because coconut flour has a TON of health benefits (below) and added a bit more milk and less honey. The taste is really great! Don't get me wrong there! I was just so disappointed when I went to flip the bread out of the pan for 1/2 of it to stick and the rest fall completely apart! So we are munching on small bites of banana bread instead of slices. It is a VERY moist recipe (cooked it for an hour and still very moist...even when tested with a tooth pick. Oh, and this will need to stay in the refrigerator because of how moist it is...won't last on the counter). Anyway, like I said the taste is really great, but the look is awful! ;) I will try this recipe again, but maybe try it in individual muffin tins. Maybe the smaller amount will cook better and a muffin liner will be a must to get it out!

If you want to try this recipe for yourself and play around with it, be my guest! I'd love to hear how it turns out for you!
Recipe from Cookie and Kate. My adaptation is listed below.

Here's what you'll need:

• 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
• 1/3 cup honey
• 3 mashed, ripe bananas
• 1/4 cup whole cows milk, plus a splash
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, plus extra for sprinkling on top
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• Optional: 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325º and grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan (I used organic butter for this. Maybe a bit of flour would have helped it as well).
2. In a large bowl, beat the oil and honey together with a whisk. Add the eggs and beat well, then whisk in the mashed bananas and milk. 
3. Add the baking soda, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon, and whisk to blend. Lastly, switch to a big spoon or spatula and stir in the flour, until just combined. If you add any nuts, gently fold them in. Add the splash of milk if the batter seems too thick.
4. Pour the batter into your grease loaf pan and sprinkle lightly with cinnamon. 
5. Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the bread cool in the loaf for about 10 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack to cook for about 20 minutes before slicing. 

Health benefits of coconut flour:

• Gluten- and wheat-free
• High in fiber with 5 grams per TB! Coconut flour has more of this indigestible carbohydrate than whole-grain flour, which has 0.8 grams per TB, or white flour, which has just 0.2 grams per TB.
• Moderate effect on blood sugar due to the high fiber content, thus coconut flour does not spike your blood sugar as quickly as grain-based flours.
• Higher protein and healthy fats - a 100-gram serving of coconut flour has 19 grams of protein while wheat flour has just 10. 

Resource: Live Strong

For more information about coconut flour, including how to use it, visit Dr. Axe's website.

Chocolate Banana Smoothie

Being pregnant means that I have cravings! And today I wanted a chocolate treat...but still want to keep it healthy. I've read in the past that adding an avocado to your smoothies makes them super smooth and creamy. I have to admit, I was a bit nervous adding an avocado, but REALLY pleased with the outcome. For this smoothie, I blended the milk, spinach, and avocado first to get all the greens really incorporated. Then added the chocolate and frozen bananas. I just ordered this hazelnut spread from Nutiva and (after stirring it!) I am a huge fan! If you don't have this, using organic cocoa is fine. I may try next time to add some frozen cherries, too!

Here's what you'll need:

• 3/4 cup cows milk or coconut milk
• A handful (or 2) or organic spinach
• About 1/4-1/2 avocado (I just used what I had left from another use)
• 3 tsp Nutiva Hazelnut Spread 
• 1 frozen banana
• Blender

Directions:

Blend the milk, spinach, and avocado in the blender until well incorporated and smooth. 

Add 3 tsp (more or less depending on how chocolatey you like it) of the Nutiva Hazelnut Spread and 1 frozen banana. 

Blend until smooth and enjoy!

If you try this recipe, comment below! Hope you all have a blessed day!!

*Use organic ingredients when possible

Breakfast Smoothie

My smoothies really never change much...I just change the fruit to vary up the flavor and use what I have on hand. I've also found that if you blend up your greens with milk or water first, you get a much better consistency and don't get any big bites of spinach or whatever greens you are using. I also sometimes add a fresh squeeze of 1/2 lemon to neutralize the "green" taste...esp when using kale. Hope you enjoy this recipe and comment below your go-to favorite smoothie recipe!

Here's what you'll need:

• Milk or coconut milk or water
• Hemp seeds
• Goji berries
• Spinach or kale
• Frozen bananas
• Frozen fruit
• Pumpkin seeds

Directions:

Add milk to your blender (about a cup) and a few handfuls of spinach. Add pumpkin seeds (2 TB), Goji berries (1 TB), and hemp seeds (1 TB) to the blender as well. Blend on full speed till well incorporated. Then add a cup of your favorite frozen fruit and 1 frozen banana. Blend well, pour into a glass, and enjoy!

Again, I use what I have on hand. I love using strawberries, blueberries, and pineapple. You can change this recipe any way you like as well! It's very versatile and you can make it your own!

Thanks for reading and if you love it, comment and share! Thanks y'all!