GOMBBS Salad

Greens, Onions, Mushrooms, Beans, Berries and Seeds are the foods that promote the greatest health, according to Dr. Joel Fuhrman, and we should eat them every day. So why not combine them into a tantalizing salad to enjoy as a staple on a regular basis?

1 bag (10 oz.) baby spinach
1/2 purple onion, chopped
6 crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 c. cannellini beans, cooked
1/2 c. Goji berries
2 cans (5 oz.) sliced olives
1/4 c. pumpkin seeds
Dr. Neil Barnard's Roasted Pepper Vinaigrette

To your health and happiness,
Hailey

Spice it Up!

Because nutritarians do not rely on meat or oil to flavor their food, they must depend more heavily on spices to create delectable, tantalizing appeal. One trick to creating appetizing dishes is to have a variety of spice mixes on hand that can be sprinkled on any meal to perk up the flavor. Below are uses and recipes for various spice combinations. (all spices in the recipes are in ground rather than whole form) You can tweak the ratios to your own tastes. Spices are available in bulk from places like Penzeys Spices, or My Spice Sage.

Spice Mix	Description	Uses	Liquids to pair with	Related spices	Notes
Old World	Savory, aromatic	Squash, “Poultry” or “sausage” dishes, clear broth soups	Apple cider, vegetable broth	Poultry seasoning, stuffing spices	Make into a “sausage” seasoning by adding allspice and red pepper flakes
New World	Full-flavored, meaty	Grilled or roasted vegetables, stews	Broth, fruit juices, tomato sauces	Grilling mix
Moroccan	Warm, fragrant	Lentils, sweet potatoes, African & Middle-eastern dishes	Orange juice, tomato juice, broth	Garam Masala Pumpkin Spice
Caribbean	Spicy, stimulating	Beans & rice, tomato-based dishes	Tomato juice, vegetable juice	Chili seasoning, Cajun spice	Make Jamaican by addition of allspice, thyme & dried hot peppers
Asian/Islander	Sweet, rich	Curries, Thai cooking, stir-fries	Coconut milk, pineapple juice	Curry powder
Renaissance	Appetizing, satisfying.	Pastas, vegetables soups	Tomato sauce	Italian Seasoning

Old World Spice Mix

2 Tb. each: thyme, sage, rosemary, marjoram, oregano, basil, garlic, onion

1 Tb. black pepper, tarragon, savory

New World Spice Mix

2 Tb. each: rosemary, marjoram, oregano, basil, parsley, thyme, onion, garlic

1 Tb. each: black pepper, paprika, chili powder

Moroccan Mix

2 Tb. each: cumin, coriander

1 Tb. each: cardamom, allspice

1/2 Tb. each: ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg

1 tsp. each: cloves, pepper (red or black)

Caribbean Mix

2 Tb. chili powder

1 Tb. cumin

1 1/2 Tb. paprika, black pepper

1 tsp. each onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, oregano

1/2 tsp. cayenne, optional

Asian/Island Mix
2 Tb. coriander
1 Tb. each: turmeric, fenugreek
1/2 Tb. each: cumin, ginger, pepper (black or red)
1 tsp. each: cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, ground mustard

Renaissance Mix
2 Tb. each oregano, basil, rosemary, parsley
1/2 Tb. each onion, garlic, thyme, savory


To your health and happiness,
Hailey

Thanksgiving Menu

I'm focusing on the side dishes this holiday. My family is not nutritarian, so there will still be turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, but those traditional foods will have to compete with these colorful, tempting dishes:

Maple Cornmeal Biscuits

Jewelled yams

Festive Salad & Raspberry vinaigrette

Lemon-y Waldorf

“Candy” Corn

Green Beans with “sausage” and onion

Pies with Banana “Whipped Cream”

Maple cornmeal Biscuits From Happy Herbivore

1 c. cornmeal

1 c. whole wheat pastry flour

4 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

1 banana

½ c. non-dairy milk

4 Tb. Pure maple syrup

 Preheat oven to 425˚.Grease cookie sheet. Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt in a food processor for about 10 seconds. Add banana and process until flour is pebble-like. Transfer to mixing bowl and add milk and syrup, stirring until well-combined. Drop 12 biscuits 2” apart onto cookie sheet. Bake 7-8 minutes until barely crisp and slightly brown.

Jewelled yams

4 lbs. yams, baked                    ¾ tsp. cinnamon

2 apples, sliced                         ½ tsp. nutmeg

1/8 c. lemon juice                      ¼ tsp. ginger

½ banana, mashed                    ½ c. orange juice

¼ c. pure maple syrup               2 c. cranberries, fresh or frozen

¼ c. sucanat, turbinado, rapadura or date sugar

Peel & slice cooked yams. Toss apples with lemon juice. Combine banana, syrup, sugar, spices and orange juice to make a thin sauce. In a sprayed 9X13 pan, Layer ½ the yams, ½ the apples, ½ the cranberries. Repeat. Pour sauce over all. At this point you may refrigerate until just before mealtime. Bake at 350˚ for 30-45 minutes, adding apple cider to baste if liquid is all absorbed. Cool slightly before serving to allow sauces to thicken.

Festive salad from Green Smoothie Girl

1/2 c. sliced almonds

2 Tb. Agave or maple syrup

1/2 head red leaf lettuce

1 head boston, Bibb, or butter lettuce

1 can mandarin oranges, drained

½ c. craisins, currants, or pomegranate seeds

Dry roast almonds in a skillet over low heat, stirring frequently, until golden. Toss with agave. In a large bowl, toss remaining ingredients. Sprinkle with nuts. Serve with Raspberry vinaigrette.

Raspberry vinaigrette

2-3 Tb. honey or agave

¼ c. rice vinegar

¼ c. water

1 tsp. chia seeds

¼ c. raspberries (fresh or frozen)

1 Tb. Poppy seeds 

Blend all but poppy seeds in blender. Add poppy seeds and pulse.

Lemon-y waldorf

6 apples, chopped

5 celery stalks, chopped

1/2 c. cashews

1/2 c. currants or pomegranate seeds

10-12 oz. silken tofu

juice & zest of 1/2 lemon

1/4 c. pure maple syrup

leafy greens

Toss together apples, celery, nuts and fruit. In a blender, combine tofu, lemon juice, lemon zest and maple syrup. Pour dressing over salad, stirring just until coated. Serve over greens.

 

“Candy” Corn

1/2 c. white onion, diced

1 c. orange bell pepper, diced

1-2 Tb. Orange or pineapple juice concentrate

2 c. corn, fresh, frozen or canned

¼ c. agave, or pure maple syrup or 2 Tb. Molasses

Saute onion and bell pepper  in juice until tender. Add corn and heat through. Drizzle with sweetener and season to taste.

Green beans with “sausage” and carmelized onion

1 c. cooked pinto beans       1 egg or egg replacer

¼ c. breadcrumbs                ¼ c. 1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. sage                         1 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. marjoram                 1/4 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. cayenne (optional)   1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
pinch salt                               3 cans green beans, drained

In a food processor, combine beans, eggs, breadcrumbs and spices. Blend until smooth. Form patties and fry like a hamburger. When cohesive and browned, break into crumbles and continue frying until crisp. Toss with heated beans. Garnish with onion slices that have been carmelized in apple cider by cooking over low heat until liquid is thick and dark.

PIE Crust #1 (No bake) from Dr. Fuhrman                    

1 c. almonds                                 

1 c. pitted dates                     

2 Tb. Chia seeds soaked in ¼ c. water for 15 minutes

1/3 c. dry oatmeal, processed to a flour in blender

Process chia seeds and water until they form a paste; set aside. Process almonds until very fine. Mix in oat flour. Add dates and process until finely chopped and mixed well. Add chia seed pasteand pulse to mix. Press mixture into a pie plate. No baking needed.

Chocolate Pie filling from Yummy Plants

1 1/2 c. dairy-free dark chocolate chips (Sunspire Organic)

1/2 c. maple syrup (use 1/4 c. for less sweet)

1 pkg. silken tofu (12 oz)

1 Tb. vanilla extract

1/8 tsp. sea salt

Dash of nutmeg

Dash of cinnamon

Use a double boiler to melt the chocolate chips, stirring until creamy and lump-free. In a blender, mix tofu, syrup, vanilla and salt until smooth. Add melted chocolate to blender. Blend 5-10 seconds. Pour into crust and refrigerate.

Pie Crust #2 (baked) from Dr. Fuhrman

1 c. almonds

1 tsp. finely ground chia seeds

1 c. pitted dates

2 tsp. water

Combine almonds and chia seed powder in food processor. Pulse until finely ground. Add dates and water and process until mixture gathers into a ball. Press into a lightly-oiled pic tin. Prebake for 5 min. at 250˚ Fill and bake according to filling directions.

Pumpking filling

1/2 c. maple syrup, agave or honey

4 dates

1 c. cooked pumpkin puree

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

3 Tb. ground flaxseeds

3/4 c. vanilla soy or almond milk or lite coconut milk

Blend sweetener, dates and pumpkin until smooth. Add spices, seeds and milk and blend until well-mixed. Pour into pie crust and bake 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees.

Banana “Whipped cream” from Dr. Fuhrman

6 frozen bananas

1 c. non-dairy milk 

Blend until smooth and creamy

Have a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!

Hailey

Wahoo! It works!

I just got my results back from the health fair at the gym: My calculated body age is 23! However, my actual calendar age is 48. The calculation is based on height/weight ratio, waist/hip measurements, and body fat percentage/BMI calculation.

I have been nutritarian for 10 months and feel as vibrant as twenty-something. Now I have tangible proof! My blood draw (blood lipids, iron, etc) looks good, too.

Here are my stats:
Cholesterol 152 (less than 200 is the recommendation)
Triglycerides 67 (should be below 200; extremely sensitive to diet)
HDL's (good cholesterol) 56 (the higher the better up to 75)
LDL's (bad cholesterol) 82 ("normal" ranges from 50 to 129)
Iron 113 (should measure between 37 and 145)
Blood pressure 130/70
Pulse 60
Height 5'10"
Weight 140 lbs.
Waist 32" (More than 35" is overweight)
Hip 37"
Body Fat 23.8% (For women 21-14% is fit, 25-31% is average; 32%+ is obese)
BMI 20.1 (Ideal is less than 23; 24 is overweight)


Without listing more numbers, I'll just say my hemoglobin and hematocrit look great! Many people believe if these are low, you should eat more red meat. But I don't eat any red meat at all and the readings are not sub-normal whatsoever. Another interesting indicator was the total protein. Very low values suggest malnutrition, while high values point to dehydration or chronic inflammation. Here again, my statistics were within a healthy range.

It certainly has been worth the journey to change my lifestyle. I'm not going back!
To your health and happiness,
Hailey

Will You Spend 2% of Your Day on Your Health?

What is the value of your health? Is it worth investing 2% of your life? If you are willing to give 28 minutes a day (28 is 2% of 1440 minutes or 24 hours) to nutritious food, you could prevent and reverse life-threatening chronic diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, obesity and auto-immune diseases.

Here's how:

• Substitute green smoothies for pop, juice and other beverages (5 minutes a day to make)
• Eat beans and legumes instead of meat and dairy (3 minutes a day to prepare)
• Consume a Hugh Maughn Gus salad every day instead of refined carbs like potatoes, breads, cereals, etc. (10 minutes to chop vegetables, 5 minutes to blend dressing)
• Add sprouts to your oatmeal, smoothie, salad, or beans (5 minutes a day to soak and rinse)

Total time invested: 28 minutes. For less than 30 minutes, you could trade "sick and tired" for "vibrant and vivacious." If you're willing to give it a try, here's a little more detail about making the changes above:

For a delicious green smoothie, toss into a blender the following healthy ingredients:

• 1-2 cups leafy green vegetables (kale, collard, spinach, cabbage, bok choy, parsley, cilantro, etc.)
• 1-2 cups fresh or frozen fruit, including bananas, berries, stone fruits (pitted), tropical fruits and sub-acid fruit (tomato, cucumber)
• enough liquid to blend (water or re-juvelac)
• 1 Tb. omega-3 seeds (hemp, chia, flax)
• any vegetable you have on hand
• optional: juice and zest from one lemon or lime
• optional: 1/2 avocado (for creaminess and satiation)

Beans and legumes can be as easy as opening a can and rinsing. But if you are preparing dried beans, spend your three minutes this way:

• At bedtime, put 1 or 2 cups dried beans in a large bowl with twice as much water (1 minute)
• In the morning, drain, rinse, and dump in a crock pot with twice as much fresh water as beans. Set on low for an evening meal or high for a mid-day meal (1 minute)
• Drain and season (1 minute)

You can learn how to make a Hugh Maughn Gus salad here. Dress it with any of the fat-free healthy dressings from Healthy Girl's Kitchen.

Sprouting is easy!

• In the evening, put up to 1/4 cup raw grains or seeds in a container and cover with water. 
• Eight to twelve hours later, dump into a sieve and rinse. Leave in the sieve on your counter.
• Every time you are fixing a meal, rinse the seeds again.
• When little "tails" appear, use or refrigerate.

When you consider the benefits against the costs, you will see that the returns will be much greater than the investment.

To your health and happiness,

How Healthy Are You?

Grade your health! Answer the 20 questions below, giving yourself 1 point for every time you mark #1, 2 points for every #2, 3 points for each #3, and so forth. Find your rating at the end of the test.

A. What does my blood panel (cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL's and LDL's) indicate?

1. I don't know and I don't care.
2. I don't know but I would like to find out.
3. My last reading was above normal.
4. My last reading was normal.
5. My last reading was lower than normal.

B. What is my Body Mass Index and/or percent body fat?

1. I don't know and I don't care.
2. I don't know but I would like to find out.
3. It puts me in the category of obese.
4. It ranks me as average to overweight.
5. It ranks me as athletic to average.

C.  Addictive substances, including nicotine, caffeine and alcohol are part of my lifestyle.

1. Yes, I  have some every day.
2. Yes, at least several times a week.
3. Yes, but only "socially" when others invite me to.
4. Not currently, but I have in the past.
5. Never.

D. I get the recommended cancer screenings appropriate for my age (mammogram, PAP smear, colonoscopy, PSA testing, etc.).

1. No, and I don't expect to.
2. No, but I will when I need to.
3. I have had some tests in the past but I'm overdue for a follow-up.
4. I am scheduled for some tests in the next 3 months.
5. I am current on recommended screenings.

E.  I am high-risk for the top five Diseases of Affluence: heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, and auto-immune diseases.

1. I have been diagnosed with more than one of these diseases.
2. I have been diagnosed with only one of these five chronic diseases.
3. I have not been diagnosed, but I am a high-risk for at least one of these diseases.
4. I have not been diagnosed and am a moderate risk.
5. I am not a high risk for any of these.

F. I get an adequate amount of sleep each night.

1. No, I typically get fewer than 6 hours of rest per night.
2. No, I get between 6 and 7 hours each night.
3. I get 7 to 8 hours at least 4 times a week.
4. I get 7 to 8 hours of sleep almost every night.
5. I consistently get 8 hours of sleep a night.

 G. I exercise 5 times a week.

1. I don't get any exercise.
2. I don't exercise more than once a week.
3. I exercise 2-4 times per week.
4. I exercise 5 times a week for 30 minutes or less per session.
5. I exercise 5 times a week for more than 30 minutes per session.

H. I get 15 minutes of sunshine and fresh air each day if possible.

1. No, I don't like to be outside at all.
2. No, I don't get out more than once a week.
3. No, but I am outside 2-4 times in a week.
4. Yes, I get 15 minutes of sunshine and fresh air 5 days of the week.
5. Yes, I get more than 15 minutes of sunshine and fresh air more than 5 days per week.

I. My fat intake is:

1. unknown; I don't monitor it.
2. mostly animal fats or saturated fats.
3. from both animal and plant sources but is mostly unsaturated.
4. only from plant sources but still contains extracted oils, like olive and coconut.
5. only from whole plant foods, such as seeds, nuts, olives and avocados.

J. The amount of water I drink each day is:

1. none; I prefer other drinks besides water.
2. 1 or 2 glasses.
3. 3 or 4 glasses.
4. 5 or 6 glasses.
5. More than 6 glasses.

K.  Sweets in my diet include:

1. Desserts each evening and pop every day.
2. Desserts, pop or foods with sugar, Nutra-sweet or high fructose corn syrup 3-4 times per week.
3. Foods sweetened with sugar, Nutra-sweet or high fructose corn syrup twice a week
4. Foods only sweetened with honey, agave, molasses, maple syrup or other natural sweeteners.
5. No extracted sweeteners; I use fruits (dried and fresh) to sweeten my foods.

L. The amount of animal protein in my diet (meat and dairy) is:

1. greater than 40% of my total intake.
2. 30 to 40% of my intake.
3. 20 to 30% of my intake.
4. 10 to 20% of my intake.
5. less than 10 % of my intake.

M.  I eat simple or refined carbohydrates (bread, cereal, potatoes, pasta, products made with white flour)

1. for every meal.
2. twice a day.
3. once a day.
4. rarely; I eat whole grains at each meal instead.
5. never; I have 1 cup of whole grains for the entire day.

N. I use nuts and seeds

1. rarely; they aren't really a food group.
2. as a treat: roasted and salted.
3. occasionally as an additional protein or fat source.
4. several times a week in moderation.
5. daily in quantities of 1-2 ounces.

O. The number of fruits I eat per day is:

1. less than 1; I only eat fruit a couple of times per week.
2. 1 or 2 servings.
3. 3 servings.
4. 4 servings.
5. 5 or 6 servings.

P. The vegetables in my diet

1. are in the form of french fries, or baked/mashed potatoes.
2. include a side salad and/or cooked vegetable with dinner.
3. amount to 2 or 3 servings per day.
4. are a priority; I eat 4-6 servings per day.
5. equal 7 or 8 servings and constitute about 50% of my diet.

Q. I eat beans and legumes (split peas, lentils, etc.)

1. only when I can't avoid it.
2. less than once a week.
3. one to 3 times a week.
4. 4 to 6 times a week.
5. every day.

R. I incorporate sprouts into my meals

1. if I'm rabbit (in other words, never).
2. when someone sneaks them into my salad (meaning less than once a month).
3. occasionally, but not as an integral part of my lifestyle.
4. a couple of times a week.
5. at least 3 to 4 times per week.

S. Fermented or cultured foods like kefir, raw sauerkraut and sourdough

1. should be put in the garbage disposal.
2. are a delicacy I eat once or twice a year.
3. are health foods I have used once or twice a month.
4. are part of my plan once a week.
5. are foods I eat several times per week.

T. The amount of raw food I consume

1. is negligible; food should be cooked unless you are a rodent.
2. amounts to about 1 serving per day.
3. is 10 to 25% of my diet.
4. is 25 to 50 % of my diet.
5. is greater than 50% of my diet.

Now score yourself:
85 to100 points - A,  Top of the Class; you've got life-saving habits!
69 to 84 points - B,  Good work! Keep making those improvements
53 to 68 points - C, There are definitely some areas to address
36 to 52 points - D, Your health is in jeopardy, start making changes now
20 to 35 points - F, If you don't do it, no one else CAN!

To your health and happiness,
Hailey

Beneficial Beverages

For the athlete, here's  an alternative to commercial electrolyte drinks. For the dairy lover, I offer an uncommon grain milk.

Ginger-Ade
The primary benefit of this refreshing, sweet drink is its anti-inflammatory properties. Ginger reduces swelling from injuries, arthritis and even PMS bloating. Lemon replaces lost potassium. The beverage hydrates, provides quick carbohydrate nourishment and alkalizes.

1 whole lemon, unpeeled
1 apple, any variety
1" ginger root, grated (more if you like more kick)
4 c. water

Wash and quarter the lemon. Wash, core, and quarter the apple. Combine all ingredients in a high-powered blender. Blend 30 seconds. Strain through a wire-strainer. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Makes 1 quart.


Barley Milk
More nutritious (although less sweet) than other grain milks, barley milk contributes calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus and amino acids to the diet. It is 15% protein and contains vitamins B, C, and E. It aids digestion and nourishes the kidneys.

2/3 c. whole or hulled barley (not pearled)
water
6 pitted dates
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Soak the barley for 12 hours in 2 or 3 cups of water. Drain and rinse. You may make the milk at this point, or sprout the grain for 24 hours before using. To sprout, leave in a sprouting tray, colander or strainer in a warm place out of direct sunlight. Rinse and drain every 8 hours. To make the milk, combine the prepared grain, 4 cups of water, and the dates and vanilla. Blend in a high-powered blender for 2 minutes. Strain through a nut-milk or nylon bag. Makes 1 quart

To your health and happiness,
Hailey