Random Thoughts

I first want to apologize for not posting much lately. I have been very busy.

I started school, www.integrativenutrition.com    It is amazing and I am really enjoying it, and trying to put much of my time and energy into, so that I will learn and then be able to share that with others.

I have also started working a couple of days per week. I have previously been doing cooking demo’s at The Bosch Kitchen Center, and am now working there. This will help me to learn more, and to be there to help others also.

It seems to take me time to get used to a new schedule, and I think I am finally getting the hang of it.

I have been getting up early in the mornings to do my “power hour.” What an amazing difference in how I feel and think throughout the day.

WOMEN, please take time for yourself, you need it to be able to keep up with all of your demands.

My power hour consists of a little exercise, to get my blood pumping, and my body awake, then meditation, prayer and some sort of spiritual practice. For me that has been scripture study. It is such a great feeling to start the day off right. Centered, grounded, peaceful etc.

My other random thought is this—

…in regards to your health and lifestyle. Start small, you don’t have to make big changes at once. A really great place to start is to start eating more fresh vegetables, even frozen if that’s where you can start. Our instructor and founder of Integrative Nutrition, Joshua Rosenthal says, “even if you have to dip your kale in chocolate sauce it is okay, just do whatever you need to, to get the kale in your body.” As time goes on, you will need less chocolate sauce and more kale. Your body will adjust, your tastes will change.

And even better is if you can get locally grown produce. The energy in the food decreases each day it sits. Shop for produce more frequently. Keep it simple, don’t make it too complicated for yourself.

My final thought for the day……..

“You ought not to attempt to cure the body without the soul……..for this is the greatest error of our day in the treatment of the human body, that physicians separate the soul from the body.”                     Plato

Hence, the “power hour!”

Have a great day!

 

 

Tuesday Twister–Roasted Beet Soup and Comfrey Salve

http://gnowfglins.com/2009/10/27/tuesday-twister-blog-carnival-2009-10-27/

For this weeks tuesday twister I am really lacking. I have been cooking, just no pictures. And to tell you the truth my cooking has been a little bit of this and a little bit of that, so I don’t know that pictures would have turned out anyway.

Roasted Beet Soup tops the list. I called this “Girlie Soup” The color is amazing, the nutritional benefits very good. But…………………………..I would have rather just eaten the roasted vegetables. I’m not much of a “pureed” soup kind of girl.

If you like pureed soup, you will love this!

Roasted Beet Soup

3 medium beets, trimmed, peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes

1 large sweet onion, chopped

½ acorn squash, peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes

1 red bell pepper, chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil or coconut oil

2 cups apple cider or apple juice

2 cups chicken stock

½-1 tsp sea salt

¼ tsp fresh ground black pepper

Dash of cayenne pepper

            Pre-heat oven to 400°F. Toss all of the vegetables with olive oil then spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper then bake for about 45 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.

            In a large saucepan simmer apple cider, chicken stock and vegetables for 15 minutes.

            Puree soup in small batches in a blender or food processor until smooth. Add water or more stock to reach desired consistency. Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream on top.

The other thing I have to share is Comfrey Salve. Sorry I don’t have any pictures–they got deleted off my camera:(

This stuff is AMAZING!!! I cannot say enough good about it. We use it for minor cuts, scrapes, burns, rashes, bruises, etc etc etc. It also helps with the pain of each of these.

A boy in my son’s class at school got this TERRIBLE rash on his face. It started around chapped lips and progressed to cover one whole cheek and part of the other. It was cracked, red, swollen, scaley and yucky looking. The poor kid looked like he had red clown make-up on. His mom had taken him to the doctor, so they had him on 2 different antibiotics and some cream of some sort. None of this was making a difference.

So……………I offered her some Comfrey Salve to try. She said, “I’ll try ANYTHING!”

I gave it to her last friday. They used it friday, saturday and sunday night. By monday morning when I saw him at school I couldn’t believe the difference. ALL of the scales where gone, it was not cracked looking anymore, and the redness had decreased greatly!

I am going to make a declaration!

I LOVE COMFREY SALVE!! PLEASE TRY IT THIS STUFF IS AMAZING!

Comfrey is an herb. You can grow your own (VERY EASY) or I have seen it dried in Health Foods Stores.

Comfrey Salve

2 cups dehydrated crushed, comfrey leaves (you can use fresh, just double the amount)

            Cover the herb with water and simmer 15-30 minutes.  Strain completely, save the

            water and discard the leaves.

1 2/3 cups extra-virgin olive oil

            Add the oil to the water above and boil until all the water is completely gone.

1 ¼ cups yellow beeswax

This is an approximate amount.  Add it a little at a time by grating it into the oil and melting it.  Pour a little out into a glass bowl to test for desired consistency.  It

            should be something like the texture of Vaseline or slightly thicker.  When you

            have reached desired consistency, strain through a cheesecloth.  At this point you

            can add a few drops of Lavender essential oil for a milder smell.  Pour into

            containers.

Yield  7-9    2-oz. jars

Copyright © 2009

By Tiffany Perez

Tiffany’s Table L.L.C.

All Rights Reserved.

Fried Cod………yum!

I first want to start by saying that when you purchase fish make sure that you are getting fresh wild caught fish.

Farmed fish may be less expensive but those fish are not fed natural diets, they do not contain as much omega 3’s, which is one of the reasons it is good to eat fish. They are also often colored with artificial food colorings. Bleck! USA waters seem to be less polluted than others as well.

ALL fish across the world does have levels of mercury and other heavy metals. It is just in our waters. So if you have a sensitivity to these metals, but you still want your omega 3’s you have other options.

Cod liver oil (I recommend Nordic Naturals liquid, lemon flavored)

Flax seed, fresh ground

Walnuts

Avocado

But…….if you want fish—-here you go. Enjoy!

This was especially good with homemade french fries, and sweet potato fries.

Deep Fried Cod

 

Coconut or peanut oil

½ cup fresh-ground whole wheat flour

½ tsp aluminum-free baking powder

¾ cup water

1 egg

1 tsp sea salt

½ tsp black pepper

½ tsp paprika

 

½ cup brown rice flour

2 pounds cod cut into 1 inch strips

 

            Heat oil to 350°F one inch deep in a cast iron skillet. In a bowl combine the wheat flour, baking powder, water, egg, salt, pepper and paprika. Refrigerate while assembling the rest of the ingredients, or up to 1 hour.

            Working in small batches, dredge the fish in the rice flour, then dip into the batter. Carefully place the strips into the hot oil. Fry the fish until browned on each side, about 2-4 minutes per side, depending on thickness of fish. Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels or brown paper bags. Season lightly with sea salt. Serve with fresh squeezed lemon juice or Tartar Sauce.

Tartar Sauce:

2 tbsp good quality mayonnaise

½ tbsp sour cream

½ tsp Tamari sauce

¼ cup onion, finely chopped

¼ cup dill and garlic pickles, finely chopped

Juice from ½ lemon

Sea salt to taste

Dash of cayenne pepper

 

            Mix all of these ingredients together. Serve. Refrigerate any remaining sauce.

Copyright © 2009

By Tiffany Perez

Tiffany’s Table L.L.C.

All Rights Reserved.

A different Kind of food

I just want to bring up a subject that deals with “healthy eating” but in a different way.

When we eat food we are supposed to nourish our bodies, so that they stay healthy and strong and last a long time.

Likewise when we nourish our spirits or other areas of our lives the same applies.

So I want you to ask yourself these questions………………….

1-How am I doing in my relationships? Do I need more nourishment? Or…Do I need to nourish those around me more?

What action steps will you take to accomplish this?

2-How am I doing in my career or job? Am I nourished? What can I do better? Do I feel fulfilled in what I am currently doing? What is my dream job?

What action steps will you take to accomplish this?

3-How am I doing with physical activity? Am I nourished enough through the physical activity that I am currently getting? Do I need to do more cardio, or maybe more strength training? Is there a balance?

What action steps will you take to accomplish this?

4-How am I doing with spirituality? Am I practicing some sort of spiritual practice? Whether is be the religion I was raised with, or maybe nature or yoga?

What action steps will you take to accomplish this?

Take a look at each of these areas of your life. Are they where you want them to be? If not, make some changes.

The term I will use for all of these categories combined is “Primary Foods,” termed by Joshua Rosenthal the founder of The Institute of Integrative Nutrition.

Bosch Class Wednesday

We will be making Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, naturally sweetened of course. Kettle Corn made with honey and maybe Rice Crispie Treats.

The class is at noon.

The address is 8940 South 700 East in Sandy.

phone–801-562-1212

Sprouted Wheat Pizza Dough

Here is the sprouted wheat pizza dough. I like this better than my other pizza dough recipe. So much food, so little time!

My kids like plain pizza’s, and I didn’t want to make separate ones since I was using my pizza stone. So I just did half and half.

One side is homemade pizza sauce with mozzarella, Monterey  jack and parmesan cheese. The other side has olives, onions, red bell pepper, kale and artichoke hearts. I later added the cheese mixture above plus feta cheese. SO GOOD!

**This is a new trick I learned. If you don’t want soggy pizza, bake your pizza WITHOUT the cheese first. Add the cheese for the last 2 minutes of baking time. It turns out perfect everytime!

Go ahead…….take one…………I’ll share!

Sprouted Wheat Pizza Dough

 

1¾ cups warm water

1 tsp instant yeast

¼ cup olive oil

2-3 cups fresh-ground sprouted wheat flour

1¾ tsp sea salt

 

            Mix water and yeast together. Stir in olive oil and 1 cup sprouted wheat flour. Allow this to rest for 10 minutes. Add 1 more cup of flour and the salt. Mix until well blended and continue adding flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the mixing bowl. Knead for 8 minutes.

            Place in a greased bowl, cover and allow it to rise for 1 -2 hours. Pre-heat oven to 450°F with pizza stone in the oven.

 

Put sauce and vegetables bake for 8 minutes (thin crust)

Take out, add the cheese and bake for another 1-2 minutes.

Copyright © 2009

By Tiffany Perez

Tiffany’s Table L.L.C.

All Rights Reserved.

Apple Pie with Sprouted Wheat Crust

Okay, I am finally getting around to getting this recipe on here.

As I said before this pie takes a little more effort, but the results are WAY worth it.

In the past when I have made apple pie using raw honey as a sweetener, it always ended up being too watery. This method completely resolves that problem.

Again I apologize for the horrible yellow in this picture. We took this picture late at night, so no natural light to be found. Boooooooo.

Anyway, this is before I baked the pie. When working with sprouted wheat crust, it is quite fragile and crumbly. You have to be willing to piece together and work with it a little. Tastes great though.

The finished product. It was gone in 2 days I think, if I remember right.

Yes……………………we have no self control:)

Apple Pie

 

Crust:

2 cups fresh-ground sprouted wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ cup very cold butter

1 egg

Pinch of sea salt

2 tsp rapadura

Raw milk

 

            Mix the dry ingredients together. Cut in half of the butter until very fine then add the other half of the butter until pea size. Mix in the egg. Add enough milk to bring the dough together. Cover and refrigerate the dough while you prepare the filling.

 

Filling:

8 apples, peeled, cored and sliced

2 tbsp fresh-squeezed lemon juice

½-3/4 cup raw honey

¼ cup butter

1 tsp cinnamon

Pinch of fresh-ground nutmeg

Pinch of sea salt

 

            Pre-heat oven to 375°F. Heat butter in a large sauté pan. Mix apples with lemon juice then add to the butter. Sprinkle in the cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Drizzle honey over the top of the apples and mix. Cover and cook the apples for about 10 minutes until the juices have been released. Strain the apples, reserving the juices. Pour the juice back into the sauté pan and cook until reduced and thickened, about 10 minutes. Pour apples back into the juice and mix well.

            Press 2/3 of the pie crust into a 9 inch pie dish, making sure to go up the sides. Roll out remaining dough using white flour so the dough won’t stick and cut into ½ inch wide strips. You will need 8-10 strips to make a lattice top.  Place the lattice on top of the apples and secure the strips to the bottom crust. Brush the lattice strips with milk and sprinkle cinnamon and rapadura across the tops.

            Cover with a foil tent and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 20 minutes. Allow the pie to cool before serving. Serve with Tiffany’s Simple Vanilla Ice Cream (page   ).

Copyright © 2009

By Tiffany Perez

Tiffany’s Table L.L.C.

All Rights Reserved.

Tuesday Twister

http://gnowfglins.com/2009/10/13/tuesday-twister-blog-carnival-2009-10-13/

This past week has been good. With food as well as life!

Homemade Whole Wheat Bagels

They are not the prettiest bagels, but they tasted good and everyone liked them. For the recipe go to my previous post on my blog.

Homemade Pizza with Sprouted Wheat Crust

This turned out REALLY good, we all loved it! I like this crust better than my other recipe that doesn’t have sprouted wheat in it.

I will be posting this recipe soon.

Fried Cod with Sweet Potato Fries

Again, another winner. We all loved this! I will be posting the recipe for this soon as well.

And last but not least…………………….

Apple Pie with Sprouted Wheat Crust

This was the best apple pie I have ever made. Sorry about the ugly yellow in this picture. The fluorescent lights in my kitchen are ruining my pictures.

This pie is a little more time consuming, but totally worth it! Naturally sweetened with raw honey.

This was fun, see you all next week!

Homemade Bagels

These turned out good. I do need to figure out a way to make them more uniform and pretty, but the flavor was good. In the end that’s what counts right?

To shape these I just made them into a ball and poked my fingers through the middle to make a hole. As I said above, they are not the prettiest looking bagels.

Anyone have any ideas for better shaping without taking forever to do it?

The finished product. Yum!

Whole Wheat Bagels

 

1½ cups warm water

2 tbsp instant yeast

4 tbsp raw honey

3 cups fresh-ground whole wheat flour

1½ cup starter (recipe follows)

2 tsp sea salt

1-2 cups fresh-ground whole wheat flour

 

            Pour the water, yeast and honey into a large mixing bowl. Allow this to rest for 5 minutes. Add 3 cups fresh-ground whole wheat flour, starter and sea salt, mix well. Add remaining flour until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Knead for 7-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, cover and allow the dough to rise until double.

Punch down the dough and divide into sixteen pieces. Shape each piece into a ball, poke a hole through the middle and stretch so you have a 1 ½ hole. Then place on a baking sheet, cover, and allow it to rise for 10 minutes.

Pre-heat oven to 425°F. Put the bagels a few at a time into boiling water and boil for 1 minute per side. Place the bagel back onto the baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until lightly browned.

 

Starter:

4 cups fresh-ground whole wheat flour

2 tsp instant yeast

1 cup raw milk or water

2 cups water

 

            Mix all of the ingredients together, cover and leave for 8-12 hours at room temperature.

Copyright © 2009

By Tiffany Perez

Tiffany’s Table L.L.C.

All Rights Reserved.

Just a picture………or 2

Miguel and I. We don’t look to bad for old fogies. AND we are still in love! That’s a good thing:)

Tanner took all of these pictures. He is so awesome!

He is going to start his own photography business, if any of you are interested in getting photos taken.

Here are the 5 of us. I have the best kids EVER, but they are growing up too fast!

This is my whole family, 22 1/2 people. Not bad huh! I have 4 brothers, who are all married and have children.

Just a little side note:

Tanner has won 1st place in a photo contest, and got Mayor’s choice for another one. The mayor’s choice was featured in our local newspaper.

This is the Mayor’s choice photo. It was taken at a local hot air balloon festival, which explains the hot air balloons. Ha ha!

This is the first place photo–the theme for this one was “sunset.”

This was taken at Willard Bay.

These he took just for fun: