Archive for Eat to Beat Cancer

Green Drink

August 14, 2012 A New You, Anti-Inflammatory Life, Eat to Beat Cancer, Eat Your Veggies!, Fertility Foods, Gluten Free Living, Recipes, Recipes & Articles, Super Snacks, Weigh Loss, Workout Fuel One comment

I wake up really early. I’m embarrassed to say how early! I used to wake up, have coffee, workout, get dressed, and then eat… by the time I sat down to breakfast I was starving, edgy and impatient. That is no way to greet my family at the breakfast table. I wasn’t following my own advice of eating within one hour of waking.

Inspired by a lecture I attended regarding using food therapeutically during recovery from drug and alcohol addiction and another lecture that I gave on fertility foods, I have gotten back to my green smoothie. After talking about the healing properties green leafy veggies, full of antioxidants, anti-inflammatories and alkalizing affects, I have been motivated to make myself a green drink first thing every morning. I take the Vitamix into our workshop so that I don’t wake anyone up and start my day right! Not only am I starting the day with the best possible nutrition, I am much more pleasant to be around!

Greens Drink
  • 1 large handful organic spinach leaves
  • ½ lemon or lime, peeled
  • 1/2 -1 cup water
  • A few ice cubes
  • 1-2 leaves kale, stem removed, optional
  • ½-1 carrot, optional
  • 5 organic grapes, optional
  • 5 frozen organic raspberries, optional
  • ¼ tart organic apple, optional
  • ½ inch piece ginger, optional
  • 1 pineapple core (best way to use the leftover core of a fresh pineapple!), optional

Place the ingredients in a blender and process about a minute. Use more or less water depending on how “liquidy” you like your drink. The basic combo of ingredients is: greens, lemon, water and ice. The optional ingredients give tons of variety and different flavors. Ginger is awesome, but it can be spicy, so be cautious with how much you use if this is new for you.

Nutrition Details:

Gluten-free, vegan

Calories and grams of this and that don’t do this green drink justice. The numbers are distracting from the absolute awesome nutrition that this drink provides you. Simply blend, drink and enjoy!

Summertime Oatmeal (Muesli)

August 9, 2012 A New You, Anti-Inflammatory Life, Eat to Beat Cancer, Fertility Foods, Great Grains, Raising Healthy Kids, Recipes, Recipes & Articles, Super Snacks, Workout Fuel 3 comments

I really love oatmeal. But eating oatmeal all summer is a little ridiculous. It’s much too hot for hot cereal! That’s why I make Summertime Oatmeal. It’s a great way of enjoying oatmeal all year! Some may call this muesli. But since I’ve only had real muesli once in my life, I really can’t say if this is “muesli” or not.

Summertime Oatmeal (Muesli)

Beautiful ingredients!

  • 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
  • 1/4 cup plain yogurt, any variety (dairy, or try almond and coconut milk yogurt, which are delicious)
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened milk, any variety (dairy, almond, coconut, soy, hemp, etc)
  • 1 cup cut fruit, any variety, organic is preferred
  • 1/2 cup chopped nuts, any variety
  • Cinnamon, to your liking
  • Vanilla or almond extract, about 1/2 teaspoon, or more if you love it
  1. Cover the oats with milk. Let the oats soak up the milk overnight or at least 10 minutes.
  2. Mix in yogurt, fruit, nuts, cinnamon and extract. Add a little more milk if you want. Play with the ratios, just be sure to get plenty of fruit and nuts in there!
  3. Serve cold. Keeps for about 2 days. Beyond two days, leftovers can go into a smoothie with a little more milk and ice cubes.

I made this for a nutrition class that I gave at the Reproductive Health Center last night and the ladies LOVED it! They hadn’t tried this before and thought it was a cool, new way to do oatmeal. We used apple, strawberries, dairy yogurt and milk, almonds and almond extract. Delish!

All mixed up!

Nutrition Details

Gluten-free (use certified gluten-free oats), dairy-free and vegan

Makes about 4 servings; per serving:

229 calories, 12 grams fat, 1.3 grams saturated fat, 23 grams carbohydrate, 4 grams fiber, 5 grams natural sugar, 9 grams protein

Baked Thyme Crusted Tofu with Roasted Garlic Sweet Potatoes

March 16, 2012 Anti-Inflammatory Life, Beans and Lentils, Eat to Beat Cancer, Fertility Foods, Recipes, Recipes & Articles No comments

As I have mentioned before, I have not always been a huge fan of soy. Taste-wise or nutritionally-speaking. However, as I have tried to expand our diets to include more plant-based protein-rich foods, I have been exploring the role of protein in our diet and on our plates.

In the past five years there has been an increase in research validating that soy, unless consumed in excess, will not cause hormonal disruption. Which means that if you have been avoiding soy with fears of increased breast cancer risk, worsening of PCOS symptoms, infertility, or thyroid dysfunction, you can rest easy and include soy 1-2 times per week. It’s well worth it if using a little tofu, soy milk or edamame helps you to reduce your intake of meat or dairy.

Just remember, organic or non-GMO soy foods only please, and while increasing whole soy foods is healthful, continue to be wary of added soy in processed foods.

My most recent cooking experiment was Baked Crusted Tofu and I was pleasantly surprised! The baked tofu was firm, improving the texture, I thought, compared to moist tofu I’ve had in soups. Of course it also tasted good since I marintated it and crusted it with thyme.

It’s true-Anything chicken can do, tofu can do too!

Baked Thyme Crusted Tofu with Roasted Garlic Sweet Potatoes and Roasted Veggies

  • 12 ounces extra-firm organic tofu
  • 1/4 cup favorite vinaigrette dressing (made with organic olive or canola oil)
  • 1 cup whole grain cereal (I used Nature’s Path GF Mesa Sunrise Flakes, I also recommend Nature’s Path Flax Plus Flakes)
  • 2 tablespoons thyme
  • 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
  • 1 pound sweet potatoes or yams, the bright orange ones in the store
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • Extra-virgin organic olive oil
  • Vegetables of your choice
  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
  2. Slice the tofu into 6 slices so that you have 6 rectangle-shaped pieces.
  3. Place tofu in a glass bowl, top with vinaigrette and allow to marinate in your vinaigrette while you prep everything else. You could also do this the night before or in the morning before dinner-time.
  4. Process the dry cereal, thyme and parmesan in the blender until coarsely ground. You could also do this by placing ingredients in a zip lock baggies and rolling a rolling pin over the cereal until ground.
  5. Slice the potatoes into long “fries”.
  6. Place sweet potatoes into a large glass bowl.
  7. Mince the garlic with a garlic mincer and add to the sweet potatoes.
  8. Drizzle with olive oil and toss until very lightly coated.
  9.  Get two baking sheets ready to use. Top one of these with a cooling rack for the tofu. Spray with cooking spray.
  10. Spread sweet potatoes onto a baking sheet.
  11. Remove each piece of tofu from the marinade and coat with the cereal mixture. Place tofu on the baking sheet with the cooling rack.
  12. Place sweet potatoes and tofu into the oven. Bake for 20-30 minutes until the sweet potatoes are softened and browning on the edges.
  13. While everything cooks, make a salad and your veggies. I was going to make roasted vegetables but when I opened the fridge I realized that I didn’t have anything left!! So we had some frozen veggies with sliced zucchini.
Crusting tofu (or chicken or fish) is pretty easy. Just throw mix crushed whole grain cereal or whole grain bread crumbs, with your favorite spices and viola! It’s a great way to get kids involved in cooking.
I line my baking sheets with foil for easier clean up; the cooling rack is to keep the crust stuck to the tofu and not the baking sheet.
Sara was doing a little taste-testing. She ate a whole piece of tofu while we were cooking!
Here are the sweet potatoes ready to go in the oven.


Here’s the finished product. Totally balanced-carbs from sweet potatoes, protein from tofu, fat from vinaigrette dressing, olive oil and tofu and fiber and antioxidants from tofu, steamed veggies and salad.

~ Hana
Nourishing Results, LLC
Nourish yourself. Learn how.

Nutrition Details:

Gluten-free, vegetarian

400 calories, 19 grams fat, 3 grams saturated fat, 260 mg sodium, 47 grams carbohydrate, 10 grams fiber, 4 grams natural sugar, 14 grams protein

Orange Ginger Cranberry Sauce (no added sugar)

November 17, 2011 Anti-Inflammatory Life, Eat to Beat Cancer, Holiday Recipes, Recipes, Recipes & Articles 11 comments

Yes, it can be done!!  Cranberry sauce that is all berry-goodness and no added sugar.  I didn’t think that you could do it, and some of you may choose to add a little sugar, but this sauce is pretty darn tasty, and really very good for you.

The combination of cranberries, fresh ginger, orange and spices makes this sauce not only delicious but an anti-inlfammatory powerhouse.  Every ingredient in this sauce is a worthwile food to incorporate into your diet.  Put all into one sauce and this is something that doesn’t need to be saved soley for Thanksgiving Day.

Per whfoods.com, choose fresh, plump cranberries, deep red in color, and quite firm to the touch. Firmness is a primary indicator of quality. The deeper red their color, the more highly concentrated are cranberries’ beneficial anthocyanins, the primary family of antioxidant compounds found in cranberries.

Orange Ginger Cranberry Sauce

  • 1 pint organic cranberries
  • 2 cups 100% orange juice (for sweetness)
  • 1 inch piece fresh ginger, minced (you can keep the peel on, no need to peel the thin skin off)
  • The zest of one orange
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • Sugar or orange juice concentrate, as needed to satisfy your taste buds.

I made this recipe with no sugar and it was acceptable as a part of a meal.  When I first tasted it, it was admitedly tart.  But when I ate it with sauteed herbed chicken breasts, and baked sweet potatoes with an onion-yogurt-sour cream sauce, the cranberry sauce was not overly tart.  I made the recipe again last night and added 2 tablespoons of sugar at the end of cooking, which did soften the tanginess of the sauce.  We’ll see how it goes with a meal.

Experiment with what you like by adding sugar at the end of cooking.  Keep in mind that traditional cranberry sauce recipes all for 1 cup (16 tablespoons) of sugar.  How much sugar do you end up adding?  

     

  1. Combine all of the ingredients in a sauce pan.  This a good one for the kiddos to help with!
  2. Bring the sauce to a boil and then reduce heat to medium.
  3. Allow the sauce to simmer until thickened, about 45 minutes.
  4. Cool slightly and taste.  Add orange juice concentrate or sugar 1 teaspoon at a time, if you’d like.  Try it and you decide! If you are aiming to stick with no added sugar, add more natural sugar with orange juice concentrate.
  5. Another taste-preference note: my husband has informed me that no one loves ginger as much as I do.  So if you are not a fan of ginger, skip it!

Make-ahead tips~

  • Make the sauce weeks ahead of time and freeze or refrigerate for up to two weeks.
Nutrition Details:
Gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian
Makes 16 servings (1 cup); per 1 tablespoon,
20 calories, 0 grams fat, 20 mg sodium, 5 grams carbohydrate, 1 gram fiber, 3 grams natural sugar
Traditional cranberry sauce is made with 1 cup of sugar to 2 cups water; 1 tablespoon traditional cranberry sauce is nearly all added sugar, it has 13 grams of sugar.

Garlic Balsamic Brussels Sprouts

November 14, 2011 Anti-Inflammatory Life, Eat to Beat Cancer, Eat Your Veggies!, Holiday Recipes, Recipes, Recipes & Articles One comment

Brussels sprouts are tiny little cabbages.  So cute!  They are also a commonly feared vegetable.  Never fear, the key is to steam them so that they are nice and tender, then toss them with a garlicky vinaigrette. Juicy and light, these Brussels sprouts will win the whole family over.

Make this for Thanksgiving this year and tell me who loved it!

Brussels sprouts are worthwhile additions to your Thanksgiving dinner and your regular grocery list.  They are higher than any other cruciferous vegetable in antioxidants called, glucosinolates.  These antioxidants are unique cancer-fighters and detoxifiers because they start multiple antioxidant chain events in our bodies.  Brussels sprouts are also high in vitamin K, great for your bones, and stimulate your immune system with vitamin C.

Avoid overcooking brussels sprouts to maintain high glucosinolate content and allow cut sprouts to sit for 5-10 minutes before cooking.  This allows the antioxidants to be fully released before exposing them to heat.  Overcooking will change the taste of the brussels sprouts, and not in a good way, so watch them carefully when they are steaming.

Garlic Balsamic Brussels Sprouts

  • 1 pound brussels sprouts

Garlic Vinaigrette:

  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/4 cup onion
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 cup organic extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon iodized salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  1. Cut the ends off the sprouts and peel away any brown leaves.  Cut the sprouts in half and large ones into quarters.  Let the cut sprouts sit for 5-10 minutes while the water boils and you make the vinaigrette.
  2. Place a large pot of water on the stove; bring to a boil to steam the sprouts.
  3. While the water is coming to a boil, let the sprouts get some air and make the vinaigrette.
  4. Whisk together the ingredients for the vinaigrette in a food processor or in a blender.
  5. Toss the sprouts with the vinaigrette and serve.
Make ahead tips~
  • Steam the sprouts up to 5 days ahead of time and store in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Make the vinaigrette up to 2 weeks early and store in the refigerator in an airtight container.  Reheat and toss with the vinaigrette just before serving.

See the sprouts below fresh from the steamer and tossed with the vinaigrette.

   

Servings ideas~
  • Brussels sprouts come in season throughout the fall, so they are a wonderful addition to your Thanksgiving table to add a splash of color.
  • These sprouts would be great along side roasted sweet potatoes and a piece of grilled, poached or steamed salmon. Brush the vinaigrette over the cooked salmon to bring the meal together.
Nutrition Details:
Gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian
Makes about 4 cups, 8 servings; per 1/2 cup:
90 calories, 7 grams fat, 1 gram saturated fat, 88 mg sodium, 6 grams carbohydrate, 2 grams fiber, 1.4 grams added sugar, 2.0 grams protein
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