Guacomole, Yum, no crackers though

Another recipe from Multi-Care, and while he makes Great Guacomole, this recipe sounds good.  Some additional spices he doesn't use when making his own recipe.

Recipe: Cantina-style guacamole

Posted on Sep. 16, 2016 (0 comments)

By Julie Cyr

Guacamole is a dip of mashed avocados that began with the Aztecs in Mexico. In moderation, this fresh and easy guacamole recipe provides heart health benefits from antioxidants and phytonutrients our bodies need from plant based foods. 

Did you know avocados are rich in unsaturated fats, help to reduce cholesterol levels in the body and contain more potassium than bananas? Tomatoes are rich in lycopene and red onions help fight cancer.

Pick the ripest avocados you can and use the freshest cilantro, tomatoes, and limes when you're looking for something to mimic a summery cantina style guacamole.

Ingredients
3 large Haas avocados, halved and pitted
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
3 green onions, sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red chile pepper or jalapeño, seeded and diced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
Juice of two limes
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions
In a large bowl, mash avocado. (Use a mortar and pestle if you have one.) Add lime juice, cumin, salt and stir to combine.  

Gently fold in tomatoes, red onion, green onion, garlic, chile pepper, and cilantro until well incorporated.  Serve with tortilla chips and your favorite infused water. 

To increase heat, stir in the seeds from the chile pepper or jalapeño and add a couple dashes of hot sauce or chipotle pepper sauce.

Desserts we Can Eat! Yay!

Today for whatever reason, my health care, MultiCare, sent me recipes that I have not seen or used before. Great, and mostly it will be the 'safe' foods on my list which include chocolate, nuts.  The article gives good explanation to chocolate and gives me an idea on what else I can do with the dark chocolate we now have.  He makes what we call Latte for me each morning, actually it is not, it is what we call it.  He makes the Latte by breaking off one square of dark chocolate (92%), adds Half and Half with the chocolate in the Blender.  He pours in the coffee, adds non sugared whipped cream (heavy cream that he has whipped), and I have a tasty Latte (No Sugar!).  And yes, he has the Latte he makes for himself too. 

Since he uses the chocolate, I like the addition of using the chocolate for other dessert ideas, although I only want to permit myself about one square of chocolate a day.   Does not mean I can't make the recipe and rein in my temptations to have maybe 2 squares that day....not everyday.  Oh, yes, he also adds half a banana, half an avocado, 2 poaches eggs, Clamato juice, and lately one piece of Dave's Killer Bread toast (sad, I have to let this one go, bread, you know) 

Dessert can be ‘healthy’ and still taste good — try this dark chocolate bark

Posted on Mar. 27, 2019 (0 comments)

By Bev Utt, MS, MPH, RD

Take a minute to reimagine dessert. What if you could make dessert better for you without sacrificing flavor? It would be like having your cake and eating it, too.

A few years ago, renowned Harvard nutrition scientist Walter Willett challenged chefs to create desserts utilizing the “three pleasures” — dark chocolate, fruit and nuts — which are some of the healthiest foods on the planet.

Fruit is refreshing and naturally sweet. It brings a burst of color to the plate and vitamins and minerals that help protect against heart disease and diabetes. Dried fruit works well when fresh is out of season.

Nuts provide a satisfying crunch and richness. They are a great source of healthy fat, protein and fiber. Just a handful of nuts a day has been associated with a decrease in all-cause mortality — that’s science speak for a handful of nuts a day keeps disease away.

Dark chocolate offers a wide range of flavors. Remember that the higher the cocoa percentage, the less sweet it will be, so 60-70 percent or higher is a nice complement to the sweetness of fruit.

Seventy-percent chocolate is 70 percent cocoa butter and cocoa solids (by weight) and about 30 percent sugar. The chocolate is the favorable content, while the sugar is not so favorable; but in dark chocolate, the ratio is good.

Dark chocolate is a cardiovascular health food, according to David Katz, a physician well-known for his expertise in nutrition. It’s a high-calorie food, so the dose makes the poison. We don’t know what the optimal “dose” is, but 60 percent cocoa or higher is recommended.

For our health, it does not seem to matter if chocolate has been “Dutched” (alkalinized). Some cocoa powder is alkalized to give it a more mellow, smooth flavor, and making it easier to mix with other ingredients.

Dark chocolate has a high concentration of arginine, an amino acid that is a precursor to nitric oxide, which make blood vessels dilate. Its effects improve blood flow and make platelets less sticky.

Dark chocolate can also lower blood pressure. It doesn’t have the attribute of stimulating appetite, like milk chocolate does, because of the bitter properties. Sweetness stimulates appetite, while bitterness tends to blunt appetite, so it’s kind of self-regulating. It’s a healthy indulgence. According to Dr. Katz, it is an example of a healthy food that loves us back.

Aggressively pursue flavor. Create your own favorite “perfecta trifecta.” Think beyond the dessert menu — hold the white flour, unhealthy fats and added sugar and rehab your taste buds to begin to enjoy these three pleasures.

Here are some ideas:

• Dip apple wedges or whole strawberries in melted dark chocolate. Add a dusting of crushed nuts.
• Prepare a bowl of fruit with a sprinkle of nuts served alongside dark chocolate squares.
• Plate dark chocolate, fresh or dried fruit and nuts. Add a splash of port wine, an optional fourth “pleasure.”
• Make chocolate almond bark with spice-flavored almonds and juicy blueberries.

Recipe: Nut, dried fruit and dark chocolate bark

Modified from Leyla Shamayeva, MS, RD

Aim for five toppings: three different nuts/seeds, one type of no-sugar-added dried fruit and one additional topping, such as coconut flakes.

Ingredients
6 ounces dark, bittersweet, or semi-sweet chocolate chips
3–4 tablespoons nuts/seeds (see below for ideas)
1 tablespoon no-sugar-added dried fruit, such as dried apricots
1 tablespoon additional topping, such as unsweetened coconut flakes

Topping ideas:
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
1 tablespoon chopped almonds
1 tablespoon raw pumpkin seeds
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon chopped dried apricots
1 tablespoon unsweetened coconut flakes

Line a square cake pan with parchment paper, lightly coat with cooking spray and set aside.

Combine all toppings in a small bowl and set aside.

Fill a pot with two inches of water; bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Place heat-proof bowl over pot, then place chocolate in bowl. Stir constantly to prevent chocolate from burning.

Once chocolate is fully melted, remove from heat and let cool for a minute. Pour onto parchment paper inside pan, then smooth with spatula.

Sprinkle toppings over chocolate, then place in refrigerator to set for an hour. Break into pieces and enjoy.

Switch over to Low Carb foods

We ate Paleo for several years, and this past year we made switch over to Low Carb, High Fats way of eating.  Reason; well it seems we were gaining weight eating the Paleo way, and now I better understand why.  I was diagnosed with diabetes 2, and it scared me so I immediately went to the discipline of Keto diet for about 3 months with daily exercise to drop some pounds.  After the Keto way of eating (yuck!) added the low carb, high fat way of eating.  LCHF.   Made no sense after years of hearing that cheeses, eggs, nuts, oils were fattening, it was not easy to erase the feeling and begin eating more of these food groups.  Of course, doctor who diagnosed me had me on medication, Metformin.  I attribute that towards the effort.

Yet my husband, who is not diabetic, in support of my disciplines and efforts was also losing weight, slowly, yet significantly.  Both of us wish to keep the weight off.

There is no Sugar in our home.  None, and no breads or crackers or the like.  It took a few trials and errors, and with the glucose monitor, lots and lots of research into how to eat with diabetes ll, we learned what I could and could not eat.  He pretty much sticks with my eating plan.  He also walks with me as our exercise, we have step monitors to measure steps taken throughout the day.

I would like now to use this blog to save some of the recipes I continue to find.

Sugar is definitely Un-Paleo

On Sugar

Honey ... I trust honey and honey works in every recipe I need sweetness ... molasses is from cane sugar ... not the same ... honey

SugarHigh: The Dark History and Nasty Methods Used to Feed Our Sweet Tooth

Sugar is now 20 percent of the American diet, but it's not just our health that suffers from its pervasiveness. July 23, 2012, Alternet

Excerpts:

" ...  how often do Americans think about where sugar actually comes from or the people who produce it? As a tropical crop, sugarcane cannot grow in most U.S. states. Most of us do not smell the foul odors coming from sugar refineries, look out over vast expanses of nothing but sugarcane, or speak to those who perform the hard labor required to grow and harvest sugarcane.

 Of course, sugar can be made from beets, a temperate crop, and more than half of sugar produced in the United States is. But globally, most of the story of sugar, past and present, centers around sugarcane, not beets, and as biofuels become more common, it is sugarcane that is cultivated for ethanol. What's more, some conscious eaters avoid beet sugar as most of it is now made from genetically modified sugar beets.While I do not fool myself that sugar is "healthy," if I am going to satisfy my sweet tooth, I prefer cane sugar, maple syrup, agave nectar, or honey over the other choices: beet sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and artificial sweeteners. Of the bunch, most Americans can find only honey and perhaps maple syrup sustainably and locally produced, but cane sugar is often the most versatile product for baking."
America Gets Its FixAn overwhelming percent of world sugar production occurs in Brazil and India, but if you are an American, your sugar fix is likely satisfied by U.S. sugar, whether cane or beet. The U.S. has long had policies that limit sugar imports, keeping the U.S. price of sugar well above the world price -- often double or more. By setting a high tariff on all sugar imports over a set quota, the U.S. protects its own sugar industry (both cane sugar and beet sugar). Producers of high fructose corn syrup also support this system as it allows them to price their product below the cost of sugar, making it attractive as a cheaper alternative."

Lost in the "on-line-ness" of it all

Retirement:

 No employment duties, just dog-walking, thinking about gardening, house cleaning, no rush no hassle, just me and my beauty.

Quiet and side by side reading and writing Internet stuff.

"hey, look what I found!"

"Look Honey, what you can get on Firefox."

"Does it upload pictures?"

" I have too many blogs."

"Now this one is a catchall for whining, it's titled THE WAILING.

"If that dog tries to poop under the pergola one more time ....."

"Did my grandson download that thing to my computer?"

"It's going to get hot today. Glad I'm not working."

"We/ll keep the miniblinds closed, turn on the A/C stay calm and quiet all day."

"That means it's too hot to go garage-sale-ing, right? Oh all right, let me get a cap."

It doesn't get any better than this.

New Life as a Hunter-Gatherer

Some time around mid-January of this year my fantastic gourmet-meal-preparing spouse, Lietta, asked if I'd be willing to watch a film she had seen earlier in the day. Puttering about the house earlier I'd caught a scene or two as she had watched 'The Perfect Human Diet and found it interesting.

As a relatively recent retiree (less than three years) and medicated male in "reasonable" health so long as I stay on blood pressure and gout medications, I am willing to confess that the medication has been an absolute necessity for me. Back in the late 1990's my weight was continuing its inexorable climb toward the 300 pound plateau I had been valiantly (but unfortified by weak will power) striving to avoid - primarily by the tool of denial and postponement until tomorrow what I had no will to do today.

As life and fortune would have it, we found ourselves living temporarily in Spokane, Washington where Lietta and I had more or less single-handedly moved ourselves and household furnishings not once but three times. The third move involved two moving events actually, as we first moved furnishings from our small one- bedroom apartment to a larger rental home and then drove across state to our  home on the coast and filled a full size u-haul truck with a large number of furnishings with which to fill the rental home. With the exception help loading our piano and freezer, we packed and loaded the u-haul ourselves.

At that point in January I could tell that I had probably lost close to 20 pounds due to what felt like constant  sheer exercise.

After watching 'The Perfect Human Diet that January afternoon, I shared Lietta's enthusiasm and made the most recent of many promises I had been making to her and to myself to take seriously the idea of finding a way of preparing and consuming our food in such a way as to limit or avoid many of the detrimental consequences of my love for brownies, candy, ice-cream, pasta, sandwiches and all the other stuff guys consume that results in what I tell my kids and grandkids is not a beer-belly but a macaroni-and-cheese belly.

We embraced the Paleo Diet and tried to follow it in almost a religious way for starters just to see what would happen and how quickly. I did what I could to help cook using only the fresh vegetables and meats that we had purchased for which I already had personal recipes. I also intensified my commitment to fruit smoothies, taking on responsibility for the only other beverages beyond water, juice, coffee and tea that we would be drinking.

I make up my smoothie recipes as I go along, usually utilizing fresh or frozen fruit, coconut, almond or rice-milk, sometimes ice and perhaps a spice like cinnamon or the like. This morning's new smoothie recipe is a case in point (and Lietta has already had three cups of the stuff):

  Arthur's Rhubarb, Strawberry, Orange Smoothie

8 ounces frozen rhubarb chunks
8 ounces frozen strawberries
one peeled orange
coconut milk
two capfuls bottled lemon juice
water
Place the rhubarb chunks loosely in the bottom of a blender
Add enough coconut milk to cover the rhubarb chunks
break the orange into 8 slices and drop in.
Add lemon juice.
Let sit five minutes while the milk helps the rhubarb thaw
Turn on blender. The coconut milk should be enough to immediately blend the rhubarb and you should have a swirling pinkish mix with a funnel in the middle. Steadily drop in the strawberries (but not too quickly) one-at-a-time until the mix thickens and starts to stop swirling.
At that point add more coconut milk until the funnel reappears. (Or you could use water but I never like to include more than 1/2 cup of water in my smoothies and no ice (maybe I'll change my mind in the hot summer. We'll see.)
Once all the strawberries have been added, You have your smoothie mix which usually lasts us 2-3 days depending on how many juice glasses we drink each day.

I'm having fun. I don't think of it as a diet as much as a way of perceiving our dietary style. Grocery shopping is truly a matter of hunting and gathering and is done much more quickly and efficiently when we hunt and gather only the specific things we choose in advance to consume. In fact, I'm struck by just how much of the store grocery aisles down which we no longer hunt and gather.

The immediate effect of the change in dietary habit was a sensation I kept describing to Lietta as my feeling of being "lubricated." In 2010 I underwent knee-replacement surgery on both knees based on advanced degenerative arthritis, not to mention my long time of abusing my knees playing basketball beyond my prime, having moved household furnishings more than 20 times in the past 40  years, jogging on paved roads and sidewalks, and other sorts of things a man who thinks he is never going to die will do to himself.

When I told Lietta I felt lubricated I was talking about the spontaneous and almost instantaneous way I could stand up and start moving without hesitation. Those who knew me even 4 months ago could see me somewhat groaning and groping for balance and leverage every time I needed to stand. Within two or three weeks I was feeling "lubricated" and like all my "bearings" had been replaced.

As far as my medication, my blood pressure for the past six years has hovered between 150-160 over 100-110. On a good day it would show in the 140-90 range. As early as February 1, I was down to the mid 120's and high 70's which I am sure is what the medical pros expected if I would have lost the weight in the first place. I expect to have a complete physical exam including blood work either in March or April as a means of gauging the effect of the paleo diet and the removal of grain-based food products along with a drastic reduction in any kinds of processed foods.

Personally, I have tried for years without success to improve my overall health and weight. This particular horse seems for the moment to have gotten me where I am when nothing else worked. So far as this particular horse doesn't stumble, I'm sticking with that brung me further than I've been since I was a young man.   

Why Paleo Diet, and why for now?

Timing;
    Christmas Eve 2013 and our son-in-law, at tender age of 46 years old had a heart attack in his home, had to be resuscitated (brought back to the world of the living) by the paramedics.  Giving our family pause to reconsider life-style choices.   I know it sounds crazy that I would choose to go in an opposite direction of the collective wisdom of medical and nutritionists in food choices, but I did decide to go in that direction.  I went paleo with mine and my husband's food diet and lifestyle.  Having seen a documentary earlier that made sense to me, (The Perfect Human Diet), and having been hearing and seeing gluten-free for a while now, I decided to get into some deeper research on both - gluten free and paleo diet.

   Entering into a bit of a purist view about the matter, and being the spouse who has the food responsibilities, my husband was obliged to go along to some degree.  I didn't make demands that he adhere, and knew that I wanted to give this approach an honest trial run.  For myself, I have been struggling with some disorder in my foot and leg, ie, bone spur, plantar fasciitis, neuropathy - something that causes pain daily and interferes with my mobility in being on the foot/leg for more than a short period each day.   I continue to read up on possibilities via internet research, and it seems to be in the nature of one of those medical conditions that medical profession guesses at more than knows.  I don't want to subject my body just yet to medical guesswork (that is another story for another time).  In struggling through the pain since October when it came on strong and unrelenting, I have a keen interest in lifestyle choices that might have contributed.  I and my husband are in our 60s, me at 62 and he at 67, and we embrace that there are aging issues affecting us as well.   Along comes the paleo food regimen that makes sense to me in a way that encourages me to give it the old college try and see where it takes us.

50 lbs lighter - my
handsome skinny husband

    Well - take us it did!   My husband has dropped about 50 lbs in the few short months since January 2014 through today (March 10, 2014) and as he is fond of saying, this is the thinnest he has been, and likely has not been down to this weight in our 20 years of sharing life.  For myself, the change in weight is slower, and I do see my body redistributing itself so that the poking out belly is not poking out and there is a look to myself that is more in line with the way I used to be.  And for now that is most encouraging for me.  We didn't embrace the paleo way as a means of weight loss, no - I was looking for improvement in health issues.  The weight loss and redistribution has been a wonderful bonus and surprise to both of us.



 I have to give kudos to my husband for sharing with me a purist approach to the transformation to paleo eating.  After all the years that I thought I was preparing 'healthy food' for us in what I adopted as my personal philosophy of limiting food intake to fresh and eliminating where I could  preserved, prepared, boxed foods, I saw myself as doing us a healthy favor.  I had our food intake as weekly menu of different dishes of grains, rice, beans, lentils, pasta, and small amounts of chicken.  Sometimes pork, but primarily a reduction of meat, especially red meats in accordance with the medical/nutritional advice.  It is also fair to report that being on a strict financial budget, it worked better to reduce meats with their continuing elevated prices and stick to less expensive grains, beans, legumes, pasta.  We seemed though to be growing in weight despite the 'healthy eating'.   I'm skipping a lot of information, to get to the point of reporting that my husband was not disappointed to not only have meat back in our diet, but a generous amount of meat - daily even.

  I don't have to map out the paleo approach to eating - it has been done at length by so many others and I am so grateful to the many who have been passionate about going paleo.   It will be more suitable to put up some links to the helpful blogs, books, websites that have been a mainstay for me as I ventured into this endeavor.   And I intend to do so on the sidebars of this blog.  Wanting to share the recipes and information that so many others have generously shared  with attributes to their online presence, encouraging readers to other sites that already have jump-started, developed and are still fine-tuning the whole paleo, grain-free experience.

 It seems to me as I have spent time daily with other paleo internet sites, and books from Amazon for my Kindle on the paleo experience, it is a younger group of people who have readily adapted.  I think my husband and I may have a bit to contribute in that we are older in age, and I didn't find in my internet travels or Kindle books much that addressed the needs of people in our age group.  The other element (exercise) seems to be more in the line of cross-fit and running.  That is not a comfortable fit for us just now.  We are looking in different directions for how we can not only add but increase our exposure to exercise in alignment with our body capabilities.   And with that, I'll end this post with this easy to follow picture chart showing what foods are on and what foods are not onthe Paleo Diet.

  Happy paleoing -- Lietta