The Lamb Guy

I can't remember if I had shared this before, but I was reminded again as we recently picked up another lamb.

YUM

http://www.sierrafarmslamb.blogspot.com/

Check this out - This guy is great. Ordering is easy - you email, then pickup.

We typically use a whole lamb in 3 months or less, but we pick up for several friends and family members who use a half lamb in the same amount of time.

The cost, knowing your source, the sustainable efforts - beyond worth it. It seems to just stress folks out because - well - you have to cook it!

So this time around, I will post as we prepare it so you too can enjoy easy recipes with local lamb.

Velveeta and Cheddar Commercial

A family holiday staple when I was growing up was this broccoli casserole that was rice, frozen broccoli, onion and Velveeta basically. It was the tastiest thing I always thought.
Yes, the holistic nutrition educator and food coach used to eat Velveeta! Part of the reason I do what I do today though is from my own experiences. After eating in a more traditional way, I have found optimal health (oh I do apologize for the evangelical element of this post, but stick with me for a few more moments).
So onto my point - yesterday I watched a commercial where a mother and son are in the grocery store and she is on the phone and because of hard times is cutting everything she needs from the store in half because she is 'cutting back'. Then it pans to her picking up Velveeta and a block of cheddar and it says something to the effect of "You don't have to cut back because Velveeta is just as good as cheddar".
Of course they don't say they have the same nutritional value - that would be a lie. But by holding them up to each other, and saying Velveeta is just as good as cheddar implies that they are the same. Give me a break!
Read the ingredients on Velveeta next time you are in the store. It's plastic cheese basically. If you can't read the ingredients, why are you eating that? With everything else we have in terms of pollution, bad eating habits as a kid, health issues, etc etc, why eat these types of things? If your answer is that eating on a budget means cheap food, think again! Feeding the whole family for your health is more than feasible on a budget.

A Perfect Insurance Plan for a Recession

Today I was reading the March edition of Oxygen magazine and on page 104 is a blurb titled "Avoid Sick Days". It goes on to say that studies have shown that clean eating (this is an Oxygen favorite term which basically means you don't eat any processed, refined or fake food - just the real stuff and in the right proportions) leads to stronger immune systems and less sick days.

I don't think it is necessary to read this in a magazine to know it is true, but I thought it was a nice reminder to it's loyal readers that a cute figure is not the only thing you get with an active lifestyle and good eating habits!

I want to speak from personal experience that since I really cleaned up my eating, and furthermore, focused on having a truly healthy digestive system, I rarely get sick. And when I do, it is about 1/4 what my peers are going through. Winter 2007 a family member got the flu really bad - like literally out for 4 days straight. I took care of them through it, and I didn't get anything. Nada. Most people would think this was a death sentence to get it within hours. Not here.
Along these same lines, a conversation I overheard a few days ago where someone said they don't like going to the gym because they feel like all the germs make them sick. Let me correct anyone who thinks this, and instead say that germs don't make you sick - the inability for your body to fight invaders is what makes you sick.
And what is responsible for fighting invaders? Your immune system? And what is responsible for 70-80% of your immune system?
You guessed it, YOUR DIGESTIVE TRACT!!!

What you eat matters. Really it does. And when you think about how much it costs to be sick - preventing that by eating real food, and balanced meals looks a lot cheaper and less of a time burden. In a time where money is of high concern, stress is extremely high and unemployment (and therefore the possibility of having no insurance) is at an all time high, you need to be more forward thinking about what you put in your body.
So do yourself a favor, and take the time to eat real food!

What do you do about Breakfast?

When I talk about breakfast, I want you to first clear your mind of the image of someone shaking their finger and saying in an old and crackly voice 'breakfast is the most important meal of the day'.

That said, it's true. Breakfast is THE most important meal of the day. I have a long list of why, but let me highlight the top three:
1. Helps regulate blood sugar
2. Great opportunity to get fresh fruit, eggs and whole grains like oats in your diet
3. Gives you energy to start the day

What does this all really translate to -Better able to manage your weight and a healthy body and immune system

There are three disservices you do to your body by not eating breakfast.

1. By not eating, signals are sent to your body that you are starving it. So it holds onto whatever food you do give it and stores it as fat for energy needed later.

2. By not eating regularly your metabolism will slow down and it becomes more difficult to lose weight.

3. By the time you do eat, you are so hungry you overeat and typically the wrong things like chips, sweets, etc. So you end up eating more of the wrong type of calories.

Now that I have convinced you that breakfast will keep you at an ideal weight and in good health, what do you eat?
Another time I will talk about cholesterol and eggs, but for now, trust me that they are fantastic for you. Whole eggs too - the white are hard to digest and rob you of nutrients. The yolks are truly the best part.
1. Frittatas, scrambles, nests (leafy greens and tomatoes made into pockets and eggs baked inside) are all great options.
2. Oatmeal, quinoa cereals with fruits and nuts are also tasty
3. Soups are great for breakfast too. They are warm and nourishing
4. Coconut smoothies with coconut milk, fruit, water, green powder are fantastic because they are portable and will definitely take you through to lunch

What about Cherios, Chex, and all the other cold, boxed cereals?
These all use a machine called an extruder to be produced...sounds scary in itself eh? You should be worried. They put the grains under tremendous pressure to puff and shape them. Studies are showing some serious side effects from this process on rats and while they are rats, I still would not use these as a staple item.
You have likely heard about all the sugar in these too, so read the label too. Simple grains plus sugar are going to spike insulin which causes a deep crash. You can't focus, you get more hungry and eat all the bad things again.

Happy Holidays - Sugar is Here

Happy Holidays!
I have been a bit slow in blogging lately (thank you to my loyal followers who still checked in!) and I promise you some great things have been brewing for L. Little Food Coaching for 2009 in the meantime.
I wanted to take some time this month to talk about some of these holiday things that creep up and share with you how I have dealt with them successfully over the years. I thought I would start with sugar.
I not only love to cook, but I love to bake. And above all else, I just love to eat and feed people. I love the smiles, the satisfaction of nourishing them and the simple sharing that happens when you eat with people. Plus, I like the compliments! In any case, I have a few things I make that are classics and Ina Gartens Outrageous Brownies are in that group. Oh me oh my a recipe that starts with a pound of butter and 2 lbs of chocolate cannot be bad...seriously. There are also 2 cups of sugar and white flour in there. Now, these are not foods that are nutritious (they actually do the opposite), they are not something I would recommend you seek out, but every now and then it is fun and it is great for memory lane to make baked goods with these ingredients.
Lesson 1: Moderation. These are ingredients for the every now and then. Try on a regular basis to use substitutes like sucanat or honey for sweetness instead of white sugar, but if you find a great recipe that you like as is, just keep it that way but don't go overboard.

This particular recipe of hers makes 20 large brownies. I made them because I was going to a friends house for an event and brownies sounded good to both of us. I forgot to cut it in half, so there are still about 16 brownies to do something with. They are still in my fridge and this is the reason I was reminded to do this post. DO NOT KEEP THEM THERE!
Lesson 2: If you make extra, keep enough for yourself to just satisfy your indulgence or sweet tooth (one small square per day for a few days) and then stir up that feeling of St. Nick and share with friends, co workers, etc. You just don't need all that and keeping it in the house will provoke you to eat it.

All in all, keep white sugar and white flour and these refined foods out of your kitchen, but every now and then let it in and really enjoy it with a solid recipe and share it with friends and family. If you feel bad taking something out of your kitchen, put something back in - like carrots, celery, bell pepper or the like. Basically something healthy to snack on that nourishes you!

Cheers!
Remember, whole foods, whole meals

The Small Salad

I am guilty of having checked out the new 90210 show last night. For those who know me, you know that is sooooo not something I normally watch, but there was so much hype on the radio I wanted to give it 15 minutes of my time.
I was sorry I did that, but this is not about my rating of the show exactly.
I am sharing this moment with you because in the 15 minutes that I did watch the show, I caught the cafeteria scene. And do you know what every single woman in that shot was eating? Either nothing, water, or a small salad. And I mean small. At first I thought "oh she is going to grab another thing from the line to accompany that salad", but no. That is all 'Kelly' ate for lunch. Then it pans to the new girl who is the Principal's daughter, and all she is eating is the same tiny salad. Like literally not more than a cup of salad with a bit of cut up fruit or veg.
This aggravated me to no end because there are millions of young people watching this show, and while it wasn't painfully obvious that all that was for lunch was this small rabbit like lunch, it is going to stick in the sub conscious and message that popular girls and celebrities only eat small salads for lunch. That is not enough to feed a growing child, and honestly not enough for an adult!
There have been so many articles written about the media and it's influence on kids. See my posting about Michael Phelps - I believe that better habits have to be implemented by parents and teachers, etc on an ongoing basis. I am not writing about it to say they shouldn't have the show (although, I would appreciate it if they plugged healthier habits in the sub conscious). I am writing about it so anyone who didn't notice, sees it, and can register that a proper lunch is a balanced and portioned lunch.