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Friday, December 21, 2012

'Tis The Season: Nutritarian Baked Apples!

Nom nom anyone?


Oh my goodness gracious how I have neglected this poor blog! Gah! Ok, this is going to be a quickie but I thought I should post this absolutely amazing treat we have been making this season with fresh local apples straight from the farm, using hand made (not by me haha) ceramic apple bakers from the same farm. This recipe is the epitome of easy. But it gets better! It is delicious, I think we have established that, but did I tell you it does double duty as the most amazing holiday air freshener in history? Ok, maybe I am making pretty big claims here, but it is incredible, and with that, here is the recipe. I could have sworn I already posted this! What on Earth happened? My blog got eaten!?

DS and I at the farm goofing off!

Exhibit A: Big Juicy Apples.


So, you take some big juicy apples. My favorite are Tango apples. They are so crisp! We're going to bake all that crisp right out of 'em, so I don't know why I still insist on using them when I could use something else and not feel like I am sacrificing their goodness but oh well! Sometimes we just make due with what we happen to have when the mood strikes! Onward. Take those apples, wash and core them, and put them in the apple baker, top side up. The apple baker has a ceramic rod that goes through the middle of the apple's core and bakes it from within as well as out, and a little moat to catch all the juices and reduce them into a delectable glaze. If you do it right, which means not getting impatient like I tend to, you will end up with an apple as smooth and velvety as butter! It's incredible! The skin transforms into something unbelievably beautiful and unappley, lol, and it just screams decadence! Don't tell your friends it's not! Or, perhaps just wait until they are done and begging for another. Nutritarian desserts can be delicious! I am finding the longer I am a Nutritarian the more I crave simple flavors. Clean. Classic. Unfussy.



So, take that apple. Stick it on the baker. Wait, I lied! Take it off *snickering* Add two tablespoons of water to the bottom moat, cinnamon to taste and 1/2 tsp or so of vanilla. Aww why not go for the hard stuff too and sprinkle on allspice, clove and nutmeg, too while you're at it! Spices make the nutritarian world go round!



Now put that apple back, and, hey why not add more cinnamon? I do! Spice it up baby!! Stuff some raisins in the little space at the top, and some chopped nuts if you so desire (I don't) and they are ready to go. Without covering, put onto a baking sheet, and into a 350F oven for about 1.5-2 hours or until the skin looks incredible, translucent and the apple is soft like butter. The house will smell divine (you're welcome!) and truly, I don't think there is a way to over cook these unless you don't add water, so just relax and get to it whenever you want. Sometimes, being a Mom gets in the way of my best laid plans and it sits another hour in there after I turn it off. Oh well! That's life, and it's still delicious! My Husband couldn't believe these were nutritarian. We each had one at dinner one night and trust me, plates were cleaned (and even licked).



If you don't want to serve it in a bowl or plated, they also look adorable sliced in neat wedges and drizzled with the glaze that ends up in the moat! Om Nom! PS I guess I didn't drizzle this pic with glaze. Ooops! Imagine it for me? Pretty please? Now I release you! Go and make baked apples tonight and delight that you too can have you cake and eat it too, truly, with the Nutritarian lifestyle.


Happy Holidays!

~Jemoiselle

Thursday, June 28, 2012

The Brain and Appetite Control

The Brain and Appetite Control: Can Satiety and Weight Loss Coexist?

I posted this in a Facebook group this morning, and then thought to myself "That is Blissful Nutritarian material if I've ever seen it!" and here I am! I know most of us who consider ourselves "Nutritarian" already enjoy the fruits of this explanation, but for those wondering why we do what we do, listen up! I'm about to divulge the big secret! It's easy to get to your ideal weight if you just give your body what it needs to manage your weight itself, like a good little critter! :D Yes, I just used a smiley face. This is MY blog! Deal with it! Nope, not a professional blogger, but if there were a profession for losing weight, I'd have the Ph.D! Weight used to be such a mystery to me, and now, it's just a matter of simple cause and effect. As easy and logical as going to bed on time to feel rested in the morning (yeah, right. It's 11:31pm right now. We all know how that goes!) but seriously, weight is not a mystery. It isn't even about calories. It's about getting out of your own stinking way and letting your body do it's thing without "micromanager you" sabotaging it's efforts!



I want to share something I learned via Eat to Live and my subsequent classes at Cornell University's "Plant Based Nutrition" Series (based on Dr. Campbell's work in The China Study) about our hunger drive and satiety trigger. 

Have you ever noticed how sometimes we can eat a bag full of <insert evil but deceptively delicious food here> and even though we're stuffed, feel the drive to keep eating or searching for more snacks until we feel awful? Why is it, that sometimes, it feels like no matter how much we eat we are never satisfied? A common answer to this question is boredom, emotional eating habits etc, addictive food (I agree) but today I propose we search deeper, to the very root of it all. Ready? 

It simply boils down to how the stomach works in tandem with the brain, and how our modern world gets in the way of our own body's ability to independently manage our weight for us. The stomach has stretch receptors (sensors) for bulk to determine how much we have eaten, in addition to micronutrient/phytonutrient receptors to determine the nutrients we've consumed and if they are adequate for our needs. These sensors send signals to the brain, which then sends signals to us asking for more food (simply speaking) or if needs are met, sending a message of satiation, a chemical release, a reward if you will for a job well done. 

If we eat a bunch of junk, our nutrient sensors detect the bulk has not met our nutrient needs, and ask us to find more food to fill the nutrient deficit. It is a rather unnatural phenomenon for the body when you get right down to it, as in the natural world where we would be eating whole foods ideally, bulk (fiber) and nutrients are rarely found without the other. This explains why we eat beyond our capacity and feel out of control, unsatisfied and over-stuffed, swearing we won't do it again. Of course, there are always the other factors at play as mentioned earlier (boredom, emotional response etc) but in the end, it all boils down to the foundation of what our body needs (we eat to survive) and what we put into it merely pointing us towards one of two paths: natural functioning (subconscious weight management like we see in the animal kingdom, ex. ever seen an obese Zebra on the Sahara?) and unnatural dysfunction induced by eating what amounts to synthetic food.

When we make certain to provide our bodies with an adequate abundance of fresh whole foods, I don't care if you're a vegan or a meat eater alike, your body will be more capable of taking good care of itself. Further, eating primarily whole foods grants you the gift of living without having to worry about maintaining a certain weight (equivalent to your consumption of whole foods, mind you) or  having to suffer through dieting (calorie restriction, atkins, blood type, you name it) etc. Hey, we all need food, and we all need FRESH, real food. It's so easy. No matter what plan you fancy though, even if it is restriction or protein shakes (that's another talk, just keeping the peace, I do NOT advocate synthetic food!!) I think we can all agree, we could all use more fresh produce, fruits, nuts and seeds in our lives! As you can see, it will only further to help you achieve your ultimate goal of being healthy, happy, and free to worry about more exciting things like where to bike today, instead of which pants don't make you look fat :D Because let's face it, biking looks way hotter in spandex that fit! hehehehehe

FOOD FOR THOUGHT! Hope you've enjoyed, have a great day everyone! 

~Jemoiselle

REFERENCES: 
1. Eat to Live, Dr. Joel Fuhrman, pages 26-27 Nutrients and Caloric Drive. 
2. International Journal of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders 17 (7): 409-16; Blundell, J.E., and J.C. Halford 1994. Regulation of Nutrient Supply: The brain and appetite control. (one of Dr. Fuhrman's references from the above pages in Eat to Live)

Monday, April 30, 2012

Food For Thought: The Big Dilemma


Let's get real, shall we?

Quite often, one thing holds me back mentally as I enjoy this lifestyle (and great health) for my third year. That is, being a prior "foodie" who thought life was dull without the bounty of samplings from different cultures, cuisines, culinary artistry, etc being "experienced" throughout one's life, I always wonder if someday I will regret my decision. Not that I think I will now, but I am not so naive that I think I know what I will think about someday, as my life is coming to an end, and I reflect upon it and realize that special feeling that so many of their death beds do about what made life memorable, rich. In the past, I have had thoughts (more like nightmares) about awakening in Heaven, and finding myself asked by an angel engaged in conversation, what food I enjoyed the most, reminiscing about all the delicacies and experiences of life. I imagined myself stuttering, unable to spit it out, that I had shunned all the culinary pleasures life had to offer for fear of "getting fat" or (gasp) dying of cancer or otherwise, just dying. Clinging to life, forsaking life itself for the sake of being alive. You might say "But Jemoiselle, I don't equate life to food, life is about living, running, jumping, laughing!" To that I would say you haven't lived in the head of a foodie, my friend. Correct, in that yes, there are great joys to be had other than eating, but some of us really do have a passion for food, look at the greatest chefs and sugar artists in the world with a passion for what they do that makes them famous for all time? Julia Childs? People who dedicate their lives to enjoying fine wines, and trying to taste all of them! LOL Try telling them to give up their passion and learn to love the outdoors instead! It is in their blood! Much, much, MUCH easier said than done. So what do I do, but attempt to do exactly that. Not that I am any Julia, but I made beautiful cakes. I made chocolates, all kinds of breads, and I aspired to master them before my time was up. When I gave all that up, basically, my entire world of passion, I had to seriously analyze what I was doing and figure out what made my decision the right one for me, one I could live with should I get run over by a car tomorrow and die young anyways, having just skipped that donut that beckoned to me a few minutes earlier, because I was afraid of dying fat or diseased LOL. 

I really don't take anything lightly, do I? Nope. This morning, something came to me. It came out of nowhere, but stopped me dead in my tracks this morning and just made sense. It finally answered my question, once and for all. Of course, if you aren't a person of faith, this might mean very little to you. But for me, it was my much needed answer to that pesky knat of regret that every now and then buzzes around my psyche refusing to just go away already! Are you ready? Here it is:

Would God want me to enjoy a food or beverage that brings me temporary pleasure but slowly kills me? Would the temporary pleasure in experiencing it be enough for God to say "Do it! Gamble! Life is too short NOT to enjoy the finest life has to offer!" Does God condone gambling on anything, especially our own health and life? Would He say life is too short to NOT gamble on our health for the sake of drug induced pleasures, or would He encourage us to rather seek meaningful pleasure in life or yourself if you feel the need for more richness? Is our pursuit of gustatory pleasure for a gourmet life somehow subconsciously an attempt to make up for a lack of real substance in our daily interactions with each other? A symptom of something missing? Does the food, much like booze to an alcoholic, merely patch up our pain until our next fix? 

Now, I realize I cannot speak for God. I also realize not everyone feels they answer to Him, and thus, will not understand the significance of this and it will go right over their heads. That is fine! This was meant specifically for me, all I am doing is sharing it. If it doesn't pertain to you, no biggie. Each of us is different, what causes one to stumble might be perceived as healthy to another. I am not trying to convince anyone to change their belief systems nor sway those not interested in a whole food plant based lifestyle to change. I am hoping that someone else out there, someone like me, will find this, find it makes sense for them and finally have their answer to the pesky "quality of life" dilemma once and for all, too. In the beginning of the Nutritarian journey, most people are focused on weight loss. The thing is, this lifestyle is so effective for that, that soon your motivation for weight loss will vanish, as you will be at your ideal weight and will have the body you always dreamed of having. What then? Once you are that elusive size 2, healthy and just maintaining, your motivations WILL shift and have to evolve with you. Unless you can surround yourself in others like you, you will have to find a way to cement yourself into your position, and remind yourself of it constantly. That is me. I live in a foreign country, nobody eats like I do, not even my Husband, temptation and people who think I am insane and extreme are everywhere I look. I am not fooled though. I use these times to strengthen my resolve, a nutritarian metamorphosis of sorts, where I reaffirm and evolve. 

I am going to adapt a phrase commonly used by financial guru Dave Ramsey to suit the Nutritarian lifestyle:
"If you want to live like no one else later, you have to live like no one else today!" Where "nobody else" is the general overweight and addicted/diseased population, and where living like nobody else means not eating what they eat, making the sacrifices necessary to become free of addictive foods, substances and drugs! You have to experience the whole package to know what it means to be addiction free. If you don't think S.A.D food is addictive, you clearly have not given it up yet.

That's all for now,
Jemoiselle



Friday, July 1, 2011

My Daily Breakfast: The Green (Purple) Smoothie

Hello to you and Good Morning!



I have been posting an awful lot on my favorite topic, nutritarian baking (oh yes, once a baker always a baker) but gosh, I have been reminded that you all might want to know more about my everyday life! I certainly don't bake every day, but it does make my life blissful indeed when I do. It also makes me feel blissful when I wake up, put on my jeans in the morning as the sun is rising around 5am full of energy and vigor where I used to be comatose, look in the mirror, and see a svelte 114lb reflection! Another reason being a nutritarian is awesome! I cannot sing it's praises enough, nor will I ever be able to thank Dr. Fuhrman enough for what his tireless efforts within his books and online community has done for my life. I will never be the same! I love being fit and healthy and happy! Onward.



Almost every morning, I have one of these. When I go on vacation, I bring my vitamix. It is that important. It is a rare morning that I don't, unless I can't find the ingredients temporarily. Life overseas does that to a person occasionally! I always feel off if I don't get my green smoothie in first thing! Though I hate hate HATE having cold things for breakfast, I am a warm girl at heart and love me a hot breakfast something fierce, once again, the way these make me feel for the rest of the day is worth the trade off. If I absolutely cannot tolerate the cold, I can have some delicious apple crepes on the side maybe? I don't want this blog to be entirely about recipes though, this is the whole she-bang. The mindset. The inspirations. Just...life. I don't want to follow any model in particular, I just want to share me, raw and uncut. No froo froo fluffy exterior, I am a real person and I hope I convey that in my writings. Without further ado, here is the nom nom recipe!


Jemoiselle's Green (Purple) Breakfast Smoothie






ALL INGREDIENTS ARE APPROXIMATED!


1 1/2c Frozen Blueberries
1 Frozen Banana 
1 Tbsp Ground Flax Seeds
1/4-1/2c water or homemade almond milk
1 tsp Homemade Vanilla (no sugar, chemicals or HFCS)
3-5 oz Baby Spinach, packed in the blender to the top (Interchangeable with watercress or kale)


Blend up in vitamix or other insanely powerful blender, enjoy in a frozen mug!

I kind of just throw this together each day, paying no mind to measuring. Those measurements are my best guess at what I do most of the time. You can add or subtract what you want until it works for you :)
On the bananas, every week I buy a huge bunch of bananas from a private supplier, let them age till very ripe, chop them up and freeze them for this smoothie. It works so well! I stand the chopped pieces up on their "ends" to really make efficient use of my small freezer.

Perhaps sometime soon I will post about the homemade vanilla and almond milk. Both are ridiculously easy to make and replace two very unhealthy items still used in most Nutritarian/Vegan/Whole Foodist kitchens, unaware or accepting of their folly due to having "no other option". I am so happy I finally started making my own! Purist at heart, I am. Of course, if you don't/won't/can't make your own, the alternative is still better than eating SAD food exclusively so you can still be happy knowing you are doing well for yourself.

Everyone have a great week, see you around!
Jemoiselle

Friday, May 27, 2011

What's Up With All The Nutritarian Cookies? Spiced Carrot Cake Cookies w/ Vanilla Nut Frosting & Raw Cacao Nibs


Introducing the Nutritarian Spiced Carrot Cake Cookie 
Featuring Vanilla Nut Frosting & Raw Cacao Nib "Chips" 

Just sharing really quick with you what I made for my afternoon snack today! I am SO a baker at heart, and of course my favorite past time being a nutritarian (besides living life to it's fullest, buying tiny  clothes, neglecting social time with my doctor and skipping the costly trips to the pharmacy) is finding new ways to incorporate my past love affair with baking into my whole food, plant based, no processed JUNK, happy hippy lifestyle.  LOL!  These cookies are gluten free when made from oats not processed in facilities that process wheat. They are free from processed ingredients including oils like olive oil and others, free from any non-whole food sugar (sugar that is extracted from anything and denied it's natural fibers and elements) and best of all, delicious. 

The recipe has been featured on my site before in simpler form, leaving tons of room for experimentation and alterations/substitutions. That's the spice of life, yes? The recipe for these cookies is as follows, but for more detailed instructions please see my post about nutritarian cookies HERE! 

Jemoiselle's Nutritarian Spiced Carrot Cake Cookies
 Featuring Vanilla Nut Frosting & Raw Cacao Nib "chips"

3 very ripe bananas
180g date paste/pitted dates pureed
160g jumbo oats (Quaker will work, but Jumbo make a HUGE difference)
84g Whole Sesame Tahini (puree of raw whole sesame seeds, unfiltered)
2 large carrots, peeled and finely shredded
1-2 tsp pure vanilla extract (mine is homemade, thus no HFCS or sugar)
Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger Allspice & Clove to taste
Raisins, however many float your boat
One small package Raw Cacao Nibs
Optional Pineapple, 1/4c finely chopped

Frosting:
1/3c Raw Cashews
1/3c Homemade Almond Milk
1/3c Pitted Soft Dates, packed
2tsp Homemade Vanilla

Vitamix, done.

Mash bananas, dates, tahini and vanilla with masher. Mix in carrots, oats, raisins and optional pineapple. Add spices to taste! Allow to sit for approx. 30 minutes to absorb liquid if using the jumbo oats, otherwise just proceed. 

Drop by the tablespoon via a mini ice cream scoop or melon baller onto a non-stick cookie sheet. Please don't use nasty cooking spray :) Just get that plastic spatula ready for when they are done and use those fine sexy biceps to get them off! LOL Drop them 2 inches apart or less. They won't spread much, besides the next step. Gather your inner passive aggressive diva and after placing a towel on the counter, BANG the cookie sheet on top of it to spread the cookies into perfect little circles! Voila! Feel better? Me too. :P 

Now bake those bad boys for 15-20 minutes at 350 F. I just wait until I smell them, and then, when the bottoms are a rich brown take them out. I let them cool in the pan before removing them. Frost with the delicious Vanilla Nut Frosting, sprinkle with the Raw Cacao Nibs and if you feel froggy (why not?) add some freshly ground flax seeds too! Yeah, I had my flax in my breakfast today so the cookies got neglected, sorry!

Thanks for visiting, see you next time!
Jemoiselle

PS Happy Birthday Meezers!

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

"A" is for Avocado!

The Three A's: Artichoke, Asparagus and the mother of all of these to me, Avocado!

Credit: Master isolated images of freedigitalphotos.net


Today was a beautiful day here, and being such, we went out and joined in on a local playgroup with a wonderful new friend. Hi Susan! When I got home I was absolutely famished! So I quickly put my little love to bed, he was tired after all that playing after all, and then promptly raided the kitchen to find what was for lunch for me! I rummaged through the fridge and almost decided on a persimmon to snack on before I remembered what lie on the counter top mere inches away from my view...

A deliciously ripe Australian Avocado! Now, there may be some of you out there who will immediately, riiiight about...NOW be making the "yuck!" face. I hear you! I was once akin to you! But those days are in the past, because now, as a nutritarian, my tastes have morphed and changed into a completely different preference set and I love, love LOVE me some avocados like you simply would not believe! Seriously, being a nutritarian changes your tastes so dramatically you truly have no idea what you will like until you just "Nike it baby", and do it. It truly is amazing what your body is capable of if we would only give it a chance, and allow it to thrive in the best way we know how. But I digress (what's new, right?) back to lunch.

So, I get all excited at my discovery and the prospect of something especially tasty for lunch and slice my avocado in half. The color is amazing, gorgeous even! Such a creamy pastel mint green with a hint of moss color. I find it relaxing just to look at it. Something comes to mind when I think about it, sunshine, sea birds, a hammock swaying gently in the wind while a comfortable enveloping tropical breeze tousles my hair...coconuts in the trees...cool cucumbers on my mind LOL. Oh what this stuff does to me! Seriously, don't ever let me catch you saying foodies cannot become nutritarians because they love "food" too much. That is just a bunch of baloney! Literally. I am proof, it's a romance! Enough already, onward!

So, as I am eating it, I decide to look up the nutritional data to find out just how many phytonutrients and macronutrients this bad boy contains. The information available is amazing, this is perfection. It contains so many important nutrients and antioxidants/photochemicals we need in one food and while quite calorific, contains enough mono/poly unsaturated fats to make our hearts happy and offset any saturated fats we get from our nuts and seeds. Delish. It is naturally anti-inflammitory, and contains Lutein a plenty, one of the 600 known carotenoids, this one known to prevent damage to the retina as we age. Anyone out there have glasses? Mmm hmm.

Avocado, baby. In the eyes, Lutein actually was found concentrated, according to the Wiki link here  in the retina. The hypothesis (reason they believe it goes there when we eat it) states it is there to absorb "blue light" which causes oxidative stress to the retinas, which would other wise have been damaging it over time leading to macular degeneration. It is also shown to play an important preventative role in the development of cataracts.

Hmm, what else does it have? Gosh, there is really too much to list here and not bore you to tears! I'll try to shorten the list. Here we go! The following is sourced from http://www.avocado.org/nutrition/

-Avocados contain 20 essential nutrients including fiber, Vitamin E, K, C, B vitamins, magnesium, riboflavin, iron, niacin, pantothenic acid, phosphorus, zinc, copper, manganese, potassium, selenium and folic acid.

-They act as a "nutrient booster" if you will, enabling the body to absorb fat-soluble nutrients such as alpha and beta-carotene and lutein, when eaten in tandem with the avocado.

According to this site, the avocado's anti-inflammitory qualities come from it's rich concentration and variety of phytosterols. Phytosterols in avocado play an impressive role in the prevention of conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Among it's other benefits, it is being shown as an anti-cancerous food, relating to mouth, skin and prostate cancer prevention and blood-sugar regulation. In one study, it was shown to actually increase oxidative stress in cancer cells resulting in those cells, for lack of a better description, self-destructing. Meanwhile, in healthy cells, the opposite mechanism is observed where as the healthy cells are shielded from oxidative stress! Amazing.

Information abounds online, if you are interested in reading more I now release you into the "cyber wild" to go on safari for avocado knowledge a plenty! I don't know about you though, but I for one didn't need to know any of this to know that avocados are delicious and I want to eat them almost every day! And most days, that's just what I do.  They are delicious, and that is the end of it.

I hope you enjoyed learning more about this gorgeous and rich little treat of nature, now go get one for yourself! I recommend simply cutting them in half, taking out the pit, and sprinkling them with a little bit of my favorite no-salt no-potassium seasoning "Table Tasty" available from Benson's Gourmet Seasonings. If you are curious, one of my previous posts in the "My Secret Weapon Series" covered a thorough review of Table Tasty. To this day, I would never wish to live without it! Delish and heart healthy. Now that's what I am talking about!

In Health and Happiness,
Jemoiselle

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Salad Inspiration: Going Back In Time



Hello to you out there!

How have you been doing with your plant-based whole foods lifestyle? Me? Oh, my. I have been doing great! But with anything this amazing and life changing, comes a desire and curiosity to continue improving until you've reached your fullest potential. That is where I am today, and I seem to be lost in thought, very deep thoughts, about the funniest thing I have ever pondered in such a way. Salad!

Dr. Fuhrman tells us "The salad is the main dish!" and he is absolutely right. Big changes awaited me after I became focused on mastering this little challenge as a Nutritarian. I crave my salad each day, as funny and backwards as that sounds, and have developed many different nutritarian dressings to use with them. My Husband though, bless his culinary emblazoned soul, came up with the mother of all Nutritarian Dressings, and absolutely changed the way I ate salad.

I had to have that dressing every day or else I would feel something was missing; it caused me to eat a LOT more salad than I had been eating! Which was good until I actually noticed how much dressing I was consuming with salad being the staple in my diet! I know the dressing was nutritarian, but still, something in me was grossed out by it! The thought of consuming a whole tupperware of dressing every 1-2 weeks due to the massive amounts of greens I eat was really disturbing me until last night. I decided since I was running out at the end of the day, that I would attempt to eat my salad dry. Fancy that?! Now I am taking this to a new level. I shouldn't be surprised, I don't do anything half way!

So, right now, I am having my huge salad for lunch and have noticed a few very interesting things! I have spent the last 2 years honing in on my ability to taste the subtleties of natural whole foods like fruits and veggies without sugar, butter, oil or salt, but have absolutely denied myself the same opportunity with the salad leaves! Would our ancestors, scavenging around for the day, eating the greens they found along their journey, have had the time to get their vitamix and puree up nuts, seeds, dates and other things mixed together to make their salad palatable before eating it? There was my answer. Greens should be edible by themselves! We just don't give them a chance! Perhaps to be like this from day one of trying to change your life would be asking too much, but seriously. Why have we neglected the greens? Why do we not attempt to appreciate them for what they are like we do with the other veggies?

As I said, I am sitting here munching on my dry salad. I am amazed at how slowly I eat each bite compared to how I wolf down my typical salads with dressing. I ponder the taste of every leaf (it's a mix of varieties) and surprise myself by instinctively feeling a pull to put down the fork and reach with my hands, delicately. It feels so very natural to pause after grabbing a leaf, and smell it, before eating it! How amazing these small things are! I notice the purple leaves taste sweet with a hint of apple aroma, and others even taste like what I remember hard boiled eggs tasting like. Some are very crisp and almost, dare I say, juicy, and others are rich and dense. After eating a fraction of my bowl I am shockingly full and very satisfied. Leaving me to question.....

Am I on to something?

I'll leave you at that, and in the mean time I encourage you to conduct a little experiment of your own and report your findings! I look forward to hearing what kinds of experiences you all have :)

In health,
Jemoiselle

Thursday, April 7, 2011

No, make THESE Nutritarian Cookies! Oooh BABY!





Ok ok ok, so last time I posted about cookies and yes they were yummy but then, ooooh then, I found a recipe in my friend Nicole's cookbook (name? I forget) and tweaked it to make it a Nutritarian recipe and VOILA!

Jemoiselle's Awesome Nutritarian Spiced Banana Oat Cookies were born!

Everyone loves these bad boys, I mean everyone! They are easy to make, cause the kitchen to smell incredible and intoxicating, and please even the non-Nutritarian palate. I can't keep my Husband out of these! ;) Warning, I weigh my ingredients.

JEMOISELLE'S NUTRITARIAN SPICED BANANA OAT COOKIES

3 very ripe bananas
180g date paste/pitted dates pureed
160g jumbo oats (Quaker will work, but Jumbo make a HUGE difference)
84g Sesame Tahini (puree of sesame seeds)
1-2 tsp pure vanilla extract (mine is homemade, thus no HFCS or sugar)
Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger Allspice & Clove to taste
Raisins, however many float your boat

Mash bananas in a large bowl with potato masher until smooth and creamy.
Mashing the nanas!



Weighing the date paste


Weigh all ingredients into a large bowl one by one, then stir until satisfied!
Pouring in the sesame tahini


 and allow to sit for approximately 20-30 minutes covered with plastic wrap at room temperature for oats to absorb liquid and firm up a bit. In this time, preheat the oven to 350f/180c.


My homemade vanilla extract, no sugar!


Using a small melon baller, scoop onto non-stick cookie sheets, please don't add any "fat free scam artist 100% pure fat spray" or anything else besides maybe silpat sheets or parchment, they will stick a little but with a little love you'll be fine.  Now get in touch with your inner passive aggressive and bang the pans on the counter to help the cookies spread into the classic "cookie" shape! There, don't we feel better?


I like to think about slow moving cars and sales that happen the day after purchase for my cookie banging session!



 Sprinkle with flax seed or place raisins or chopped nuts on top. Whatever! Be creative! And for gosh sakes, don't eat the whole batch thank you very much!
Bake for 20-30 minutes, depending on how crisp around the edges you like them! 



Plain Variation


Flax Seed Topped and Raisin Spice





















And that's it. Seriously, this is not a Lay's potato chip day, you don't HAVE to eat the whole batch! Take it easy, have your greens and beans before these puppies, and enjoy being thin AND eating your cookies too. Kind of like having your cake and eating it too, only I haven't made a nutritarian cake recipe so....I digress!

See ya!
Jemoiselle

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Nutritarian Cookies Anyone?



This is a temporary post and will be edited to include more photos and some rambling I just know you will be in tears without...but for the sake of my friends back home wanting to try this out here it is! This is a recipe I made as an experiment one day and found edible, hehe. It is a good way to use up the extra almond pulp from making almond milk! I liked the fruit version better than the raisin version but for the sake of experimenting here are both variations:

Jemoiselle's Nutritarian Almond Cookies (Variations for fruit based or "Spiced Oatmeal Raisin")

1/2c. Oat Flour
1/2c. Almond Pulp (make almond milk and save the meat for these cookies)
1/4c. Almond Milk  (opt Vanilla Bean Infused Almond Milk, scrape seeds into milk 24hrs ahead)
1/4c fresh or frozen fruit, or raisins
1 tsp. nutritarian vanilla (Store bought has corn syrup, bleck!)
1-2 Tbsp date paste/puree
Optional of any or all: cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg to taste

Stir together ingredients in medium sized bowl and taste to see if it needs anything else. Cinnamon is fun,
so are "pumpkin pie-esque spices" with raisins, go wild, you could use pumpkin puree or chunks for soft pumpkin cookies, who knows! When I make these into "Spiced Oatmeal Raisin Cookies" I use twice as much almond milk to get the dough a preferable texture.








Scoop with a tiny melon baller (1oz/2oz) onto a parchment lined baking sheet close together (they don't spread) and bake at 350 F for 15 to 20 minutes. I have tried making them flat, but they seem best to me in little balls.  They would also be fun with a macadamia nut or something pressed into the top perhaps? Oh the possibilities!


NOW SIT ON THE OVEN FLOOR LIKE A DORK AND STARE AT SAID COOKIES AND DROOL AS THEY BAKE, TAKING PHOTOS!

PS Almond Milk: 1/3c Blanched Almonds to 2c. Milk, Vitamix or puree, strain in nut milk bag, enjoy. Save almond pulp (left over after squeezing out milk) for these cookies.

Future post? Hmmm...

Children as Nutritarians?

3 year old Skye seeing fresh nutritarian spiced oatmeal-almond raisin cookies

Should Children Be Nutritarians?

I have been a nutritarian now for coming up on two years. This April will be my 2 year anniversary, in fact. I also have a toddler of 3 years old, whom at this very moment is determined to intervene on my writing this blog! Heh. Toddlers, right? All this time I have been in turmoil with regards to his eating. My Husband is not a nutritarian, and with that brings many challenges when it comes to what's for dinner and what my toddler prefers. I will also add that he is very supportive of me and of feeding Skye like I do myself! After my lifestyle revolution, certificate courses at Cornell University in Plant-based Nutrition, and of course the most amazing, reading Dr. Fuhrman's books, I've felt irresponsible to NOT be feeding my son in a manner that will allow him to avoid the common "Diseases of Affluence" now plaguing most Americans in their middle age where they should be just enjoying life and freedom.

"I've felt irresponsible to NOT be feeding my son in a manner that will allow him to avoid the common "Diseases of Affluence"


I am talking about heart attacks, strokes, type 2 diabetes, cancer and high blood pressure. Instead they are having heart attacks in their 30's and 40's and on blood pressure meds and statins, feeling broken, afraid and stressed. Not only that, but it is expensive! Those meds add up and only lead to more meds. Ever wonder how much those bypass surgeries cost? Ever heard how they place a stent? You could buy a VERY nice car for the price! Forget the retirement dream home, you have to pay for the bypasses to come. Just like the chip slogan "Betcha can't have only one".

Heart problems just get worse and worse, like a ticking time bomb. Not my idea of what I want to be doing at that time in my life! Also and more importantly in turn, not my idea of what I want for my child. The authorities are saying for the first time in history children today are not expected to outlive their parents. Seriously! Look it up. But it is so hard, especially with him getting more and more aware of junk food and all it's "pleasures".  I am intoxicated by his smile, how can I rob him of that which gives him joy? I want to give him everything he wants and more! I'd give him the moon if I could.


"This is the time to shape him for the rest of his life, but is it worth it and fair to make a three year old a nutritarian? That was my question..."

I had to put forth a lot of effort to free myself from food addiction and a host of medical problems in my early 20's. Actually my medical problems started around 9 with strange bumps on my arms that wouldn't go away, followed at 15 with acne, then by 17 migraines,  20 joint problems, depression, anxiety and high cholesterol to name a few. I had to fight for what I am now! Free from these ailments and more.


"Two years ago when I looked in the mirror I saw a shell of a person who was not a reflection of what was kept inside."

 Now, I see ME. Inside and out, healthy and fit, what I want to be---in control, free. When I think back to when I started eating this way, I remember wishing I had just always been served this kind of food from a young age so that it wasn't so hard adjusting and coming down from the sugar/salt cravings. I remember thinking how lucky Dr. Fuhrman's kids are to not have had to go through this pain and searching and battling. Then I think of my young little son, again, and wonder why I am allowing him to follow in my painful footsteps, allowing him to eat whatever he wants instead of teaching him without compromise. Come to think of it, growing up my Mom used to feed me cheerios instead of fruit loops, which I detested, but it was how it was, and I dealt with it. Was she a bad Mom for depriving me of sugary cereals? No, just trying to set me up in the best way she knew how, for success later in life. Nevermind that they were cheerios. She made boundaries, I followed. Why should I be any different?


"I've reflected on birthdays I've had in the past full of delicious cakes, frosting on noses, fresh warm and gooey chocolate chip cookies from Momma's oven..."

I've tossed and turned over whether having a child eat as a nutritarian (for health) is cruel, depriving them of experiences or not, and over the top. I've reflected on birthdays I've had in the past full of delicious cakes, frosting on noses, fresh warm and gooey chocolate chip cookies from Momma's oven...all things that are precious memories. I've wondered how on Earth I could live with myself if I took all that away, would that make me a bad Mom? Would he resent me for it later? Would I steal those precious moments I got to enjoy, nevermind the consequences and the many years of pain and tears it ended up causing? I couldn't figure out where I stood, so I opted for allowing him to choose and living by example. My three year old son, thank goodness, did choose a lot of my foods over Daddy's foods. He developed a preference for my foods that lasted for a while but started waning as he grew older, more aware of culinary possibilities and being able to remember what we have behind closed cabinet doors, and outside at our favorite cafes. He started to stray more and more from eating some of both of our menus and more eating towards Daddy's menu, and then worse. You can imagine my stress levels started rising, and the winds of change came upon us.

"A new day has come indeed..."

It was four nights ago that I got my final wake up call. It came in the form of an email from www.diseaseproof.com  Dr. Fuhrman's blog. The article was written by Emily Boller, one of Dr. Fuhrman's most publicized success stories, and someone I am proud to know even if it is only through the internet hehe. That article can be found at the link above. It really hit a nerve with me, I made a comment at the end of it, and then decided I had answered my own question. Food is just food, it's the PEOPLE that make it special and memorable.



I can't control everything in his life. There will still be birthdays with cake at friend's houses in the future I am sure. Halloween will come and go, easter baskets will be found, candy canes will be eaten...but his "normal" will be the same things I eat. End of story. We will make beautiful nutritarian Thanksgivings he will never forget (or know any different). I am not willing to sacrifice his health and longevity for the false and temporary "happiness" disease promoting foods bring with them. When he gets older, when the time comes, he may choose for himself what to eat away from home.  By then, he will feel the difference for himself when he eats those other foods and can make his own educated decision. I said "Tomorrow was a new day" in my comment on that post, and indeed it was. The first day my son, age three, became a nutritarian.

"Food is just food, it's the PEOPLE that make it special and memorable..."

The funny thing is, of all things I worried about: Telling him no when he sees a donut at the cafe, wants french fries for lunch, wants a lollipop for going potty (we're potty training) seeing food at a friend's house he can't have, asking for eggs at breakfast etc). All of them have been so easy to handle, and really,  he is happy to eat whatever he is given and is enthusiastic about it even and easily accepts my guidance without tantrums. The things I feared the most have been so easy, I cannot believe I let those fears eat me up all those years!

He has eaten so much better too, more enthusiastic about the enjoyment aspect ("Mmmmm so yummy! Delicious Mimi!")  as he ate his orange this morning.  Asking for more and more salad for breakfast, having a blast making it himself (putting lettuce in bowl, sprinkling on beans, raisins and oranges and homemade nut and fruit dressing we made together)  jumping up and down and getting wide eyed at getting raisin boxes as treats for using the potty instead of the usual "balls of internal destruction" we call lollipops (lol that is humor there don't freak out!) So as you can see from my badly fragmented sentences (anyone wanna be my permanent editor? lol) this change has not deprived him of anything, but yet, actually has added to his enjoyment of life and time with his family.

We have had so much quality time making things together, talking about healthy foods, and enjoying them together. To top off the wonderfulness of the evening, we made my very own recipe for nutritarian spiced oatmeal-almond raisin cookies. As we sat there making cookies together, me watching his smoosh his face on the oven window to see them baking and sniff the air "Mmmmm Mimi it smells GOOD!" I couldn't help but smile. It's been three days since then, what an amazing and wonderful journey. Best yet, my heart feels light and that guilty burden is gone.


"My fears were absolutely relevant, but easily disproven.."

If you have thought about feeding your kids like you feed yourself, as a nutritarian, I urge you to just try it and allow the reality of the outcome guide you. My fears were absolutely relevant, but easily disproven. Making those cookies together was so special to me, it was truly the icing on my (nutritarian) cake. It showed me once and for all he can and will have a fulfilling and wonderful life filled with sweet memories, as much as a kid who eats tollhouse cookies with their parents on cold fall evenings, only we'll be eating my cookies instead...and that's a-ok.  I am what makes them special to him, so go ahead Moms, give yourself a little credit and realize that YOU are what makes those memories special and not the food. If your Grandma made nutritarian Thanksgiving Dinners all your life, you would grow up fondly remembering them instead of a bird.

It's all relative to perspective, life really IS what you make it.

In Health and For Wellness....

Jemoiselle