The 411

When I made my big change a year ago, I literally had no idea what I was doing. I didn't have any clue what I was going to eat & I didn't know of any shortcuts. I had gone to Borders, sat down in the cafe with the book, "The Kind Diet" by Alicia Silverstone and told myself that I was going to read a little bit of it and if I liked it I would buy it. Fast forward to a half hour later I couldn't put it down so I bought it and left. The problem was that I was supposed to go grocery shopping immediately afterwards and had not one idea as to what to buy. I walked into HyVee and headed to the Health Food area atleast knowing that for the most part I should start there. I was there for 2 HOURS!! I remember getting home and thinking to myself, "OK, now what?!" I knew I needed to start cooking but I didn't know what or how I was going to cook the stuff I bought. I needed to re-train my brain. I felt like it was my first time cooking and I had no idea how to manuver around my kitchen. I started coming up with some "Starter tips" for you guys. Ways you can start to incorporate some better diet choices with out feeling overwhelmed and some shortcuts that makes cooking go soo much smoother and easier!

Milks:
The make up of Cow's milk is developed so that it will grow a calf into a 1000lb COW!! Unless you have 4 stomachs like they do and that is your goal then it is time to start to cutting cow's milk out of your diet. I suggest buying a half gallon of soy milk and start using it in your cooking/baking recipes. You will not notice a differance in taste. This way if you do not care for the taste all by it's self, it will not go to waste. After that half gallon is gone, try almond milk & rice milk too & if u still don't like those use the remainder in cooking also. The trick is to start to eliminate the dairy in your diet and small steps are still steps in the right direction and will still make a differance in your health/weight/moods etc... FYI: We buy the original/plain flavors of "milks," but they do have vanilla/chocolate too. IF you buy vanilla and are using it in cooking it might not taste the best in savory meals but would be fine in your baked goods.

Shortcuts:
One of the best things I read was in Skinnygirl Dish by Bethenny Frankel. She stresses "don't be a hero." Pick what is worth the effort in cooking for you and what is not. This is what is not for me: Garlic. I love garlic and it is in almost everything I cook with but the smashing/peeling/cutting and stinkin of the fingers is not worth it to me. 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder is equivelent to 1 garlic clove. Soo much easier and the powder lasts soo much longer!! Another one is lemon/lime juices. I use them a lot in salad dressings and guacamole etc...Lets me honest the squeezing of the lemons/limes just plain sucks and you still feel like you hardly get any juice out of it. Then if you don't need the peel for that particular recipe you throw away the fruit for nothing. And vice versa when you need the peel but not the juice. I buy lemon and lime juice and keep it in the fridge and you can find lemon peel in the spice aisle.

Your Pocketbook:
When u start to use up the items in your fridge and pantry replace them with the better versions. No need to empty everything out into the trash (unless you want to, by all means!!). Like I said, Baby steps!! Don't get overwhelmed!! Your pocketbook will thank you. In 1960, 18% of the national income was spent on food and 5% was spent on health care. Today 9% is spent on food and 17% is spent on health care!! Your spending your money somewhere, wouldn't you rather it be in wholesome food?! Kris Carr, the auther of Crazy Sexy Diet says it best, "Let Whole Foods be your medicine cabinet!!"

Brown In,  White Out:
Stop using all the "white, refined ingredients" when you are cooking/shopping. Your body processes white breads, flours, pastas etc the same as white sugar!! This is an easy way to cut a good amount of your sugar intake down drastically!! I would much rather have a sandwich with Whole wheat bread and still be able to have a cookie later than eating a good portion of my daily sugars in bread!! Also, just by substuting whole wheat for the refined, white products you are decreasing your risk for heart disease by 20%!! Try to finish up/throw out your current stock and replace them with the following:

Whole wheat Flours:
When the bran and germ are removed from the wheat grain to produce white flour, over 80% of the fiber, nutrients, and antioxidants are also removed, so much that the government requires five of the 30 nutrients removed to be added back in. Whole Wheats take longer for your body to digest, making you feel fuller earlier and longer and it is packed full of fiber and nutrients and antioxidants.

Raw Sugars:
When it comes to choosing sugar, there is no doubt that unrefined raw sugar is the best choice. It contains minerals and nutrients that are stripped from refined white sugar and regular brown sugar. Raw sugar contains roughly eleven calories per teaspoon and has the same vitamin and mineral consistency that is found in the juice from the sugarcane plant. These minerals include Phosphorus, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, and Potassium. Raw Sugars can be substututed in any recipe calling for regular white sugar.

Agave Nectar:
Produced from a variety of cactus. Has a consistency of Honey but much sweeter and it takes longer for your body to absorb it into the bloodstream, so it doesn't shoot your blood sugar up the way the refined sugars do. Agave nectar has a low-glycemic index and is suitable for use for diabetics. The sweetness of agave nectar comes from a complex form of fructose called inulin. Fructose is the natural sugar abundantly present in all ripe fruits.

Utilize your Freezer:
Every Sunday morning I make a nice Family Breakfast for Marcus, Mela and I. I usually double the recipe of whatever I am making and freeze all of the leftovers. This way the remaining mornings of the week all I have to do is pop something into the toaster or the microwave and I know that we all have a convenient, nutritionally sound breakfast every morning without having to do all the cooking. This tip works for EVERYTHING you make for that matter. You are doing all of the work and making all of the mess anyways so why not invest in some good tupperware and after making a dinner automatically divide it up and freeze half of it into 3-4 differant containers. Here are your "I'm starving/tired and not in the mood to cook" meals for during the week that you have to put hardly any extra effort into and they sure beat take out or a frozen pizza!!

Substitution for Eggs:
Eggs can sometimes be a little tricky. In some pancake/waffle/brownie batters, 1/4 c Fruit purees/plain soy-yogurt/applesauce per egg usually works but when baking cakes and fluffier things investing in an Egg Replacer powder is a good idea. A box goes a long way so it will last. My favorite brand if Ener-g Egg Replacer and you can usually find it in your grocer's health food section. If your store does not carry something usually by just asking they will have no problem ordering it in and will continue to start carrying it.  

Ground Flax:
It's combination of healthy fat and high fiber content make it a great food for weight loss and maintenance -- many dieters have found that flax seed has been a key to keeping them feeling satisfied. Flax seed is high in most of the B vitamins, magnesium, and manganese. It is also full of omega-3 fatty acids which are a key force against inflammation in our bodies. Inflammation plays a part in many chronic diseases including heart disease, arthritis, asthma, diabetes, and even some cancers. I put Flax in almost everything that I can- pancake mixes, Green Monsters, oatmeals etc. Next time you are cooking try adding a tablespoon, you will be suprised that doesn't mess the recipe up and you can't taste it! I suggest starting with a 1/2 tablespoon and working your way up just to give you body time to get used to it. FYI, it is imparative to get ground flaxseed and not whole flaxseed.  The whole seeds will pass through your system untouched, your body can't break them down.

Desserts:
This is a tip my sister and I utilize quite often. The running joke in my family is do you want a regular size piece or a "Jenny-sized" piece? This way when you are really hungry or having a sugar craving you won't be tempted to make your piece twice the size it should be.When making brownies, cookies, heck ANY dessert try to pre-portion them out and individually wrap each one and then place them in the freezer. This way you already have them portioned out and you have to take the time to unwrap each one AND eating it when it is frozen still tastes just as great but it takes you twice as long!!

Familiarize yourself with the health market:

When I first starting looking a vegan recipes and some of the ingredients I wondered what the majority of these items where and where in the world was I going to find them. Turns out probaby 95% of the items I have ever needed for my recipes I have found in my local Grocer's Health Market. I have had to order in only a couple items and they were seasonal! As I started walking the aisles of the Health Market I kept coming across other items on my list or items I had seen in other recipes. I urge you to think outside the box and try these new ingredients! They really do taste good and these items have now become staples in my kitchen. They are as common to me as flour and sugar (raw sugar of course!) And when in doubt, ask for help from somebody at the store, they are there to help you and the majority of the time the store will have a Registered Dietician on staff that can assist you as well. Do not be intimidated, it is just food!!

Control Portions:

When feeding your family, start pre-plating proteins/starches, but serve fruits and vegetables family style. That way you have to get up for seconds of some foods, but the healthier alternatives are within reaching distance. Of course when dining out controlling portions gets tough, so when going out to eat, box half your food BEFORE eating it, that way you don’t over eat.

I am going to be doing a blog coming up of all of my staple/favorite items in my kitchen.  This will give you all a better understanding of the differant kinds of foods that are out there and differant ways of cooking.  Hopefully it will familiarize you all with some of these products before you have to walk aimlessly around the grocery store!!! :)