ThirtyOne's October Customer Special

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2 Dinners from this last week (and frozen leftovers tonite b/c of timing)

This first meal show was a slow cooker meal:
2 turkey 'tenderloins'

1 can beef broth

1 tablespoon EVOO

Pour in water to just cover meat and so you'll have enough for rice later

--Cook on LOW 5 hours--

REMOVE turkey.

Add 1 box of RiceARoni Wild Rice Mix half hour before serving.
Tear apart and replace turkey, stir in well, let heat for a few minutes while setting out plates, dishing out sides, etc, serve & enjoy!

Black beans on the side, cooked & drained

Pulled out the frozen leftovers this afternoon to heat up this eve because we were pressed for time.

This next meal was a throw-together:

Tortilla, warmed slightly in microwave

guacamole (store-bought)

black beans

Jasmine rice cooked with herbs and sea-salt in chicken broth instead of water

Zach ate 2 huge ones!

A couple of meals from this week, both with Tilapia

Tilapia in Extra Virgin Olive Oil, garlic, herbs (I love parsley, cilantro, oregano, sea salt, pepper, paprika). Zucc and yellow squash in herbs mixed with a bag of frozen veggies.

Today's lunch was tilapia, made the same way as above, served on a bed of white quinoa (cooked in water with a chicken bullion and sea salt), and a zucc, yellow squash, onion casserole.  If you'd like the recipe, just ask and I'll post it here :)

Healthy Recipes from today's NBC TODAY Show

These looked awesome and I would have no problem trying them! Just HAD to share! ~PhyllisAdelle~

Recipe: Zucchini linguini with omega-rich pesto

Peggy Kotsopoulos

Ingredients

• For the "pasta":
• 2 medium zucchini or yellow summer squash
• For the toppings:
• 1/2 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
• 1/2 cup black Kalamata olives
• 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
• 1/4 cup Savi seeds
• 1 teaspoon kelp granules
• Sunflower sprouts
• For the pesto:
• 1/2 cup Savi seeds (plain/sea salt)
• 2 tablespoons hemp seeds
• 2 cups fresh basil
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Squeeze 1/4 lemon
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

Preparation

This pasta dish looks like pasta and satisfies your pasta craving, but without all the refined carbs! That's because it's not really pasta — it's zucchini.  A kitchen-gadget spirooli slicer transforms your regular summer squash into zucchini noodles!

To prepare the noodles:Add zucchini to spirooli and turn until noodles are formed. Add noodles to a bowl, add sunflower sprouts and toss with pesto (recipe below). Then top with the following: cherry tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, olives, Savi seeds and kelp granules. 

To make the pesto:Add all ingredients to food processor and process until well combined. Add 2 tablespoons of pesto to 1 cup of zucchini linguini and mix until well combined. Top with fresh cherry tomatoes, Kalamata olives and sundried tomatoes.

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Recipe: Chocolate chip quinoa Cookies

Peggy Kotsopoulos

Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa flakes (or oatmeal flakes)
• 1 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut
• 2 tablespoons almond butter
• 4 large VERY RIPE bananas
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• Pinch sea salt

Preparation

These cookies are SOOO GOOD! The are jam-packed with protein, fiber, stress-busting B-vitamins, energizing goodness and deliciousness! They're also gluten-free and will kick your cravings to the curb.

To prepare the cookies:Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, mash bananas in bowl with a fork and add vanilla, almond butter and coconut sugar. Add quinoa, oatmeal, coconut and pinch of salt. Mix until well combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and drop batter on to cooking sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

Serving Size

Makes about 25 cookies that look more like muffin-tops and are chewy.

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Recipe: Chocolate mousse

Peggy Kotsopoulos

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked, pureed pumpkin
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup coconut butter (make sure it's heated to point of being liquid)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation

This mousse is so light, so airy, so decadent, and so HEALTHY! The secret ingredient? Pumpkin! This guilt-free goodie helps to energize, combat stress and lower heart disease. Plus it's super high in fiber, helping to curb cravings and balance blood sugar levels.

To prepare the chocolate mousse:Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix well with a fork. Refrigerate for an hour before serving. That's it!

Serving

I normally serve this in a short martini glass and garnish with berries and/or shaved chocolate.

Peggy has many websites, here's a Bing link to them:
http://www.bing.com/search?setmkt=en-US&q=Peggy+Kotsopoulos

Sugary Truth (from Weight Loss Wednesday/IEatGrass.com)

Sugary Truth

CALLEN, SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

By Callie McBride

The cat’s out of the bag: you’ve been buying frozen dinners and snack bars left and right due to a hectic work or school schedule. We all do it from time to time, don’t sweat it. Instead, make sure you are choosing the right products! Nothing will compare to fresh, home-cooked meals of homemade vegetable dishes and deliciously ripe fruit smoothies; when it’s time to put your health in the hands of your local grocery store, you know it’s time for a game of This Or That. I have a handful of brands that carry amazing vegan products that fit in with my healthy lifestyle. Many mainstream brands that claim unreal nutrition, though, can pack in loads of unwanted sugar. I don’t mean to bash certain food companies by any means, but just inform my fellow vegans of the extra sugar they may be consuming throughout their quest for weight loss.

For instance, the well-known brand Special K advocates for eating a balanced and nutritious diet for women, yet its latest product, the Dark Chocolate Protein Shake, has 190 calories per serving and contains 13 grams of sugar. Yikes! A better option for taste, protein, and fiber is Kashi‘s Go Lean Toasted Berry Crumble Cereal, offering 180 calories and only 10 grams of sugar per every 3/4 cup.

We vegans love our milk: soy, almond, coconut, rice, the list goes on! The brand Eden has an “original” soymilk product that, for 8 ounces, has 170 calories and 13 sugars. Whaaa?! I prefer West SoyUnsweetened soy milk, which offers half the calories and only one-ONE!-gram of sugar. Oatmeal, meet West Soy. West Soy, meet oatmeal.

You all know I am a huge fan of coconut water. Aside from its awesome flavor and incredible taste, it has a much better track record than a leading competitor for flavored drinks, Vitamin Water. Hey-the packaging is fun and the titles are awesome, but 120 calories and32 sugars per bottle? Taste Nirvana has as only 50 calories and 9 grams sugar…I’ll take two, please.

College life = snack bars. It’s that simple. But snack bars do not need to equate to meal replacement bars! How can a measly little bar replace an entire meal!? I may be crunched for time, but never to the point where I must forgo my beloved vegetable and quinoa stir-fry from my awesome campus cafe. ProBar, an entirely vegan meal replacement bar line, offers its products with 370 calories and 26 sugars. Whoa! Kind Bars, however, as a simple afternoon snack, are a better option for your body’s sugar levels. The newest flavor, Dark Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt (need I even go on?) has only 200 calories and 5 sugars!

Finally, when dinnertime rolls around and your oven has become more of a storage unit than a functional kitchen tool, frozen meals do come in handy (yep, I said it). Lean Cuisine is a very popular brand for properly proportioned and tasty frozen dinners; don’t be fooled: the sodium and sugar content is through the roof! The Vegetable Egg Roll, for instance, packs in 320 calories and 12 sugars. I spent a few minutes on its website and learned that none of its products are vegan yet. So, passing on this brand is a no-brainer! A better option, still, is Amy’s Kitchen. Her Veggies & Brown Rice meal is a mere 260 calories and 7 sugars. Quickly broil up some tofu squares or heat up a sweet potato, and that’s a dinner of champions right there.

Keep these facts in mind when you are stocking up your pantry. Sugar is everywhere, but there is no need to add unncessary amounts to your diet. You’re sweet enough! (I said it. Not sorry.)

*All images and nutritional information of the mentioned brands came directly from their official websites.

This entry was posted in Weight Loss and tagged Amy's Kitchen, frozen dinners, Kashi Go Lean, Kind bars, snack bars, sugar, Taste Nirvana, vegan, weight loss, West Soy. Bookmark the permalink.

Spiced Apple Muffins (Gluten, Grain, and Dairy-free)

Spiced Apple Muffins 

Makes Ten Muffins
The first time I made these I used a scant 1/2 of a cup of apples. It didn’t have enough apple flavor, nor was it moist enough. The second time I made it, I went a little overboard and used a heaping full cup of apples. The taste was great and it was really moist, but it was almost a little too moist and it got stuck on the muffin papers. For that reason, I am suggesting the middle ground, 3/4 cup.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Prep the muffin tins. I suggest using muffin papers (baking cups), otherwise you can grease it.

Dry Ingredients:

1/2 cup of coconut flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon medium grind sea salt (if you use fine, use 1/4 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

In a medium size bowl combine the dry ingredient and briskly whisk until all lumps are removed.

Add:

1/3 cup of coconut oil
1/4 cup of honey

Melt together on the stove top, just until melted (don’t get it hot, otherwise it could cook your eggs prematurely).

And:

3 eggs, lightly whisked.

Whisk until everything is well combined, and then add:

3/4 cup of shredded apples (wash, and core the apples, and then shred, peel and all)*see note above*

Divide between ten muffin tins, and bake for about 25 minutes or until the tops are lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean when poked in the middle of the muffin.

Allow to cool for a few minutes and take out of the muffin tins and serve!

*To make these Gaps Friendly, add a bit of lemon juice or vinegar and baking soda in place of the baking powder.

This post is part of Fight Back Friday’s

Raspberry Mini Cupcakes (Dairy, Gluten and Grain-free)

Raspberry Mini Cupcakes 

(Makes between 24 and 30 mini cupcakes )
I call for mini paper cups (muffin paper cups) because these cupcakes are very moist and it could pose a problem in getting the muffins out of the tins without leaving half of it in the pan. You could leave the raspberries whole in the recipe, but I find that in mini cupcakes or muffins, having a whole berry in the middle of a tiny cupcake doesn’t work very well. 

1/2 cup of coconut flour plus 2 tablespoons
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup of coconut oil
1/4 cup of honey
1/2 cup of raspberries, fresh or frozen
3 eggs, lightly beaten

1-Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and place mini paper cups into the muffin tins.

2-n a small saucepan, place the raspberries and heat over medium high heat until the raspberries are defrosted, if frozen, and soft and cooked a bit. Smoosh with a fork. Set aside.

3-In a medium size bowl, place the coconut flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to remove any lumps.

4-Melt the oil in a small saucepan just until it is melted (if you honey is at all thick or solidified add it to the coconut oil as well).

5-Whisk the raspberries, honey and oil into the dry ingredients. Then whisk in the eggs.

6-Spoon out the batter into the muffin tins, filling them about 3/4 of the way full.

7-Place in the hot oven and cook between 10 and 15 minutes or until the tops are lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean. Enjoy

To make this GAPS friendly, take out the baking soda.

Everyday Sourdough Bread

Everyday Sourdough Bread

This recipe is very easy to double (or triple). I usually double it. The rising times will vary according to how cold and moist the air is in your house. In the hot summer, my bread can rise within just hours, so I start in the morning. But most of the year, I need to start the night before.  If it’s really cold in the house, I try to seek warm places to put my dough to rise, and then expect it to take longer. For the second rise, I include instructions on how to help your bread rise quickly by using your oven and hot water.

1 cup of sourdough starter
1/2 cup of water
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup of honey (depending on how sweet you want it)
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil or olive oil
About 3 to 4 1/2 cups of spelt, hard whole wheat flour (freshly ground is preferable).

Step One:
Bosch Mixer Instructions: (The Bosch works better if you at least double the recipe)

For timing sake, start in the evening.

Place the  mixing bowl on the bosch machine, and put the dough hook on.
Place your sourdough starter, water, salt, honey, and oil in the mixer bowl. Mix it just a tiny bit to combine.

Add three cups of flour and start the machine on low. As it mixes, continue to add flour until the dough starts to clean the sides of the bowl and forms a ball. Stop the machine and feel it. Does it still feel really sticky? Add some more flour until it feels moist, but not sticky.

On low speed, knead  for 6-8 more minutes.

Take out of the bowl and place on a clean, floured counter. If the dough is a bit sticky still, you can hand knead a little more flour in.

Hand Kneading Method

Combine your sourdough starter, water, salt, honey, and oil in large bowl. Whisk to combine.

With a wooden spoon, start stirring in your flour. Continue to add flour until the dough is so stiff, it’s too hard to stir.

On a clean, well floured surface, place your wet sticky dough, and start kneading in flour. To knead, flip the top half of the dough on top of the bottom half, push this folded lump of dough with heels of one or both of your hands. Turn the dough a quarter, and repeat. Remember to keep flouring the board and the dough, as needed. You may want to gently oil your hands to prevent sticking. Continue this process until the dough no longer feels sticky, but don’t add too much flour in, so as to make it feel dry. Total kneading time should be about ten minutes.

Step Two: The First Rising

Place your dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover tightly and allow to rise overnight. This step generally takes about 12 hours. If the weather is really warm and humid, it could take as little as three (I only experience this in the hot summer). The dough should double in size.

Step Three: The Shaping and Second Rising

To shape your dough into a loaf. Press your ball of dough into a rough rectangle.

Fold one half of the dough to meet about the middle of your rectangle. Make sure to press down the dough, so that there isn’t any air bubbles.

Do the same with the other side of the dough, slightly overlapping the other fold.

Starting at the top of your folded dough, start gently rolling it toward you, pressing to seal the dough with the heel of your  hand as you go along.

Continue until you reach the bottom of your dough. Using the tips of your fingers, you can pinch together any loose seems. It should look something like this when done.

Place in very well greased bread pans (I use palm or coconut oil to grease mine).

The Second Rise:

While you can do your second rise at room temperature. I prefer the following method because it takes a much shorter amount of time, is a more effective way to get your bread to rise, and also prevents the bread from become too sour.  If you do decide to rise at room temperature, it should take between 6-12 hours, in a 65 to 70 degree house.

Oven method. Place your bread pans in the oven, with a towel covering them. Place a jelly roll pan, or a casserole dish on the rack below. Heat up some water to the boiling point, and carefully pour into the pan, and close the oven door. This will create a warm, moist environment for your bread to rise. Check the oven an hour or two later, and add more hot water. It should take 2-3 hours for your bread to rise.

When I was making these particular loaves of bread, in two hours, I found my bread like this.

Slightly over risen! (The breaks on top of the loaves show where it has risen too much). So keep on eye on it. It may rise faster than you think.

To Bake:

Bake  at 375 for about 45 to 55 minutes. Place in the lower third of your oven so that the top doesn’t brown to much. When you remove the loaf from the pan (you may need to run a knife around the edge before removing), it should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Cool in cooling racks and enjoy.

This post is part of Frugal Friday.

Pumpkin Walnut Bread

Pumpkin Walnut Bread

• 4 cups whole-wheat flour or sprouted grain flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 can (15 ounce) pumpkin
• 2 cups packed Sucanat or Rapadura sugar
• 1 cup apple juice
• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 cup melted, unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

1. Combine dry ingredients in large mixing bowl and set aside.
2. In separate bowl (I used my mixer bowl), mix pumpkin, brown sugar, apple juice, eggs, butter and vanilla.
3. Add flour mixture a bit at a time, just until blended.
4. Add walnuts and stir.
5. Bake in two 9x5x3 loaf pans on 350 for 45 to 60 minutes or until done.
6. Cool in pans for a few minutes, then turn out onto plate.

2 Whole Grain, Whole Wheat Bread Recipes

Whole Grain Bread 

Makes 2 loaves, bake at 375 F

4 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (works well with spelt and pretty good with kamut)
1/2 cup oat bran (sometimes I use oat flakes, or half flax seeds, or you could use a grain mix, etc.)
3 pks yeast (1 pk= 2 1/4 tsp)
1 Tbsp salt
2 cups milk
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup oil

1) Combine dry ingredients, using just 4 cups of flour to start. Meanwhile, heat milk with honey and oil on the stove to just warm them.

2) Add warmed liquid to dry ingredients and stir well. Add more flour to make a stiff dough.

3) Turn onto a floured board and knead for 8 min. or until smooth and elastic, adding more flour as needed. Cover and let rest 10 min.

4) Shape into 2 loaves and place in greased loaf pans. Cover and let rise until double in bulk, about 45 min.

5) Bake at 375 F for 35 minutes, until the tops are evenly browned. Cool on a wire rack.

Basic Whole Wheat Bread 

Makes a 1 1/2 pound loaf

1/2 cup water (if you have a Welbit/Dak machine, add 2 Tbsp more water)
3/8 cup milk
1 egg
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups bread flour (I use all whole grain flour, and have done it with wheat and spelt)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 Tbsp oil
1 1/2 Tbsp honey (do the oil first, then the honey, and it will slide so easily off the spoon)
2 tsp active dry yeast (they recommend Red Star and I would agree)

Place all ingredients in bread pan, select Light Crust setting and press start.

Or, you can do what I have been doing lately, with excellent results. is to make this bread on a dough cycle, then pull it out, knead very briefly and place it in an oiled pan. Let it rise until doubled (usually less than an hour), and bake in the oven at 375 F for about 30 minutes (I set my timer for 20 and check it, as I've only done this a couple times so far). Bake until nicely browned.

After baking, remove bread from pan, place on cake rack and allow to cool for 1 hour before slicing (this is good practice whenever baking bread).

Simple Bread Recipe

Simple Bread Recipe

3 1/2 cups kamut flour (you can substitute spelt flour, as in the original recipe, or whole wheat flour)
3 cups rye flour
1 quart sourdough starter
3 cups filtered water
1 1/2 Tbsp salt

1. Mix all together, with a heavy duty wooden spoon or something similar, for 5 to 10 minutes. The mixture will be wet enough that there's no way you could knead it. Instead, you just stir it really, really well, and you will notice that the texture begins to change as the gluten strands lengthen, and it will get harder to stir. It really doesn't need any more than 5-10 minutes!

2. Pour the dough evenly into 3 well greased bread pans (I use my leftover butter wrappers to grease them). Using a wet hand, smooth or flatten it a bit.

3. Place the bread pans aside on a counter for at least 7 hours, covered loosely with a dish towel.

4. Once they have risen sufficiently, basically double in size and close to the top of the bread pan, they are ready to be baked. For me, this usually happens after about 7-8 hours. If they have risen before the 7 hours, wait it out. They need the full amount of time for the phytic acid to be broken down through the fermentation process of the sourdough. 

5. Bake at 350 F for 1 hour.

(When you use kamut instead of spelt, it seems to increase the baking time a little. It's difficult to say whether it's just my oven or not, but I have found that it needs more like 70-75 minutes for me to have them turn out fully cooked in the middle. I haven't tried it with wheat yet, so no tips there.)

That's it! About 20 minutes of work, 7 hours of doing anything else that you feel like doing, and 1 hour of baking. I like to have mine on the counter, starting to rise by 9 or 10 am. This ensures that I can have the loaves in the oven by 4 or 5 pm, while I'm cooking dinner.

It's that time of year! :) Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

3 cups flour (you can use spelt, whole wheat, kamut, or other alternative grains)
2 cups buttermilk, kefir or yogurt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. sea salt
1/4 cup maple syrup 
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 Tbsp. melted butter
(This is the Basic Muffin recipe)

Apple cinnamon variation: Add 2-3 small-medium apples, grated or diced, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp cloves, 1/8 tsp nutmeg (and raisins would also be good)

1) Add the flour to a large bowl, stir in your choice of cultured dairy until well mixed, then cover with a cloth and leave in a warm place and leave for 12-24 hours (the longer, the better). The recipe notes that if you have dairy allergies, you can substitute 2 cups of water with 2 Tbsp of either whey, lemon, or vinegar instead, for soaking the flour.

2) Blend in remaining ingredients.

3) Pour into well-buttered muffin tins, filling about 3 quarters full. Bake at 325 F for about 1 hour, or until toothpick comes out clean. Also, note that soaked flour recipes take longer to bake than traditional baking recipes- they really do need the full hour, occasionally a little longer!

GOING HOME: Sean Cisson, 28, Columbia, SC

GOING HOME: Sean Cisson, 28, Columbia, SC

Sean Cisson’s funeral will be held on Saturday, September 22^nd at 10:00 a.m. in the Gateway Baptist Church of Ballentine Worship Center.  Visitation will be immediately following the service.  Sean was a member of Gateway’s Worship tech team and was 28 years old.

GOING HOME: Jane Bagwell updated; George Schoolmeester; Norma Calloway

GOING HOME:

Jane Bagwell, GA & SC. There will be a memorial service this Saturday, September 22, at 2:00 pm, at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Newberry, SC. A reception will follow the service. (Ron Bagwell)
Update for Jane Bagwell:
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/thestate/obituary.aspx?n=jane-satcher-bagwell&pid=159973992#fbLoggedOut

(Sorry I'm late on this one)

Norma Calloway, 85, Columbia SC, www.thompsonsfuneral.com

George Edward Schoolmeester, 86, Columbia SC, www.dunbarfunerals.com

Red, White & Black Slow Cooker Chicken Chili on Jasmine Rice

Red, White & Black Slow Cooker Chicken Chili on Jasmine Rice

2 to 3 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts

4 1/2 cups chicken broth or water

1 can black beans

1 can light or dark red kidney beans

1 jar salsa (to your taste)

Several dashes of Mild (green) or Regular Texas Pete (or your choice of hot sauce)

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp tumeric

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp ginger

Jasmine Rice (cooked to package directions)

Remove fat from chicken (and any tiny bone or gristle fragments you may find), cut into 2 or 3 strips, rinse very well under cool water and lay in bottom of slow cooker with a drizzle of EVOO. Add remainder of all ingredients except rice. 

Cover & cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours. Twenty minutes before you're ready to eat, prepare Rice. Use a sturdy spatula and gently break chicken apart until shredded, stir well. Place serving of rice in deep bowl, spoon chili over. Enjoy! As you eat, rice will continue to soak up liquid :)