With Todd and I both 100% ready to make a drastic change in our health, that meant a drastic change in our kitchen.
I anxiously and excitedly set sail DEEP into the world wide web to find some helpful resources, baking tips, informative websites with detailed explanations of the "why" we should eat this vs that, real food recipes, and most importantly...those real food kitchen staples.
The best website I found, which I have previously recommended to my family, many friends, co-workers, and even strangers in the nature's market at Kroger (yes, it's true!!), is Lisa Leake's blog of her own family's transition into Real Food eating.
I read it front to back, every tab, every link, and many many many recipes. I literally spent two entire days sorting through her recipes to find some that I thought Todd and I would like. This Tortilla Soup recipe is FANTASTIC!!
I made a notebook with categorized tabs including recipes for breakfast, snacks, lunch, dinner, desserts, etc.
I even made Todd his own page, where he can pick and choose what breakfast/snacks/lunch he wants to take to work each day, and that is incorporated into our meal planning.
We meal plan every Sunday for the entire week, then make our grocery list from there. We STICK TO IT, which makes a huge difference in our grocery budgeting. It's sad that real food, which is actually so good for you and what you should buy, is the most expensive, and rarely on sale or available for coupon discounting. Nonetheless, that's what we eat, so we pay the extra price and invest that money into our health, instead of doctor's visits and hospital ER trips....which is where you'll end up if you continue eating processed foods.
Fair Warning! When you enter the world of Real Food, you will soon discover (or you may already know), there are some VERY interesting foods of which I have never heard of, nor can I pronounce, nor do I think I want to cook in my kitchen because they sound terrible (whether they are or not). So I don't venture out a whole lot yet, or at least I didn't in the beginning. Use your own judgment in this regard please =) I used my own, and because of that, there are several recipes Lisa has that I have never tried, and cannot speak for.
I made a notebook with categorized tabs including recipes for breakfast, snacks, lunch, dinner, desserts, etc.
I even made Todd his own page, where he can pick and choose what breakfast/snacks/lunch he wants to take to work each day, and that is incorporated into our meal planning.
We meal plan every Sunday for the entire week, then make our grocery list from there. We STICK TO IT, which makes a huge difference in our grocery budgeting. It's sad that real food, which is actually so good for you and what you should buy, is the most expensive, and rarely on sale or available for coupon discounting. Nonetheless, that's what we eat, so we pay the extra price and invest that money into our health, instead of doctor's visits and hospital ER trips....which is where you'll end up if you continue eating processed foods.
Fair Warning! When you enter the world of Real Food, you will soon discover (or you may already know), there are some VERY interesting foods of which I have never heard of, nor can I pronounce, nor do I think I want to cook in my kitchen because they sound terrible (whether they are or not). So I don't venture out a whole lot yet, or at least I didn't in the beginning. Use your own judgment in this regard please =) I used my own, and because of that, there are several recipes Lisa has that I have never tried, and cannot speak for.
Additionally, Todd and I eliminated dairy completely. Meaning no cow's milk, no processed or natural cheeses, no yogurt, no ice cream, no sour cream, no creamers, no butter, and the list goes on. Lisa uses real/organic cheeses and real butter in many of her recipes. So, when I am preparing a recipe which calls for cheese (for example, grilled chicken quesadillas), I use non-dairy/lactose free cheese, or a veggie cheese substitute. I know what you're thinking...disgusting!! Well, don't knock it til you try it =) They are always "baked in" so it tastes EXACTLY like real cheese...but no intestinal side effects.
Everyone has a different opinion on dairy, so I advise you and your family trial an elimination of dairy, followed by a slow re-introduction after a couple of weeks, and see if you notice a difference. Cow's milk is associated with food allergies for many people, resulting in significant GI dysmotility (bloating, constipation, cramping, abdominal distention, etc). We both had great success eliminating dairy. We don't miss it at all (you'll see why below), and we feel SO MUCH BETTER without it.
Everyone has a different opinion on dairy, so I advise you and your family trial an elimination of dairy, followed by a slow re-introduction after a couple of weeks, and see if you notice a difference. Cow's milk is associated with food allergies for many people, resulting in significant GI dysmotility (bloating, constipation, cramping, abdominal distention, etc). We both had great success eliminating dairy. We don't miss it at all (you'll see why below), and we feel SO MUCH BETTER without it.
A picture says a 1000 words, and I agree. Well, I also agree that it makes or breaks your blog, and your reader's attention. So here goes. These are our MUST HAVES! We don't let them run out, and if that happens, we make an emergency trip to Kroger--almost everything below can be found in Kroger's Nature's Market.
We no longer have any all purpose flour, white flour, or any other flour except these listed below.
We no longer have any all purpose flour, white flour, or any other flour except these listed below.
These make the BEST, all natural/organic, chocolate chip cookies.
Coconut flour, combined with those chocolate chips, and a few other essential/natural ingredients make cookies that are oh so yummy!!! I'm guessing our readers will next request these recipes....so I'll work on another blog post with some of our favorite meals/recipes.
Organic 7-Grain pancake and waffle mix...we won't ever use anything else. Yes, we eat pancakes, every week!! Topped with fresh strawberries, and 100% pure maple syrup...Heaven!! And you don't even feel heavy and full, like you do when you leave cracker barrel or pancake pantry. You can just tell they are healthy, and exactly what your insides want to digest. Ha! I'm not kidding. I can't really explain it, you'll just have to try it!
Almond flour...also essential for many of our baking recipes, such as muffins!! I will go ahead and tell you that we did eliminate all grains, wheats, glutens, etc in the first week of our challenge, then slowly reintroduced them, but using 100% whole grains/flours/breads, and suffered no GI upset of any kind. Thank goodness, because we are definitely bread/grain lovers =)
You should definitely find and read the book "The Coconut Oil Miracle." It is wonderful. Coconut oil has so many benefits it's ridiculous. It is the healthiest oil you can cook with, and adds the most amazing flavor to your meals. Our pancake recipe calls for a tbsp of oil, and we use coconut oil. You can taste the coconut, but it's just a subtle hint. Enough to make you want MORE and MORE and MORE! I also use it in our muffin recipes, and to coat the bread pans when I make zucchini bread or pumpkin bread.
Coconut oil is very expensive, so we don't use it every single time we cook. We saute our peppers and onions, and our zucchini and squash, among other veggies, in a small amount of extra virgin olive oil. The cooking spray, we mainly use for the skillet when we make omelets or scrambled eggs.
If you spend much time at all reading Lisa's blog, and trying some of her baking recipes, you will see very quickly that every recipe for muffins or baked goods will require baking soda, baking powder, and honey. Cinnamon is very common as well. Also, Honey and Maple Syrup are the best sugar substitues ever.
Just to give you a little perspective of how much we use...one batch of zucchini muffins or zucchini bread calls for 3/4cup of honey. That adds up when you make them once every other week or more! So, big money saving tip....when summer arrives, and the farmer's markets come into town, hit 'em up FAST! They have the best honey, fruits, veggies, salsas, everything!! We have the schedule in our notebook of which farmer's markets are which days, what times, etc.
We originally began using Old Mill Bread Company's Honey Whole Wheat bread. It is to die for, and only has 5 ingredients: 100% stone ground whole wheat, water, yeast, salt, honey. It is so good, and all Kroger's sell their bread. Pay attention to the one you are purchasing though, as some of them use enriched/unbleached white flour (very processed and refined, not as good for you at all).
We have since transitioned to Nature's Own 100% whole wheat bread. It has 5 main ingredients, with 2% or less of several more ingredients. It's not perfect, and I would tell you that Old Mill Bread Co. is better for you, and more "natural." However, it is $4.55/loaf, so we mix it in every now and then, but for the most part, we eat alot of bread, so we use Nature's Own. $1.79/loaf.
5-ingredients or less is the goal for the breads you choose to eat. I encourage you to take a look at the bread you have right now in your home. How many ingredients are listed?
Believe it or not, cocoa is an all-natural product, and the Special Dark chocolate cocoa powder is EVEN BETTER! We use this in our smoothies, and sometimes in our coffee.
This obviously is Canadian Maple Syrup, but any 100% pure Maple Syrup works just as well. Maple syrup is also a good sweetener/substitute for sugar in your coffee. I can not drink black coffee to save my life. Todd loves it, and I hope one day I will as well. For now, I add maple syrup, and a coconut milk (dairy-free) creamer.
Spices and seasonings are a must when you start using all natural cooking ingredients. I won't list all of the spices we have, but a common theme runs through many of the recipes we use. Salt, pepper, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg; cumin, poultry seasoning, chili powder, garlic, etc, etc, etc. I can tell you for sure, your spice cabinet will expand once you convert to real food...it's so fun!
These are all organic breakfast items, and snacks.
Dried Cranberries are phenomenal in salads, and according to Todd, great in his Nature's Path organic oatmeal, which by the way, comes in a variety pack.
He also loves Kashi cereal and Larabars, which I originally had a taste for, but somehow pregnancy changed that drastically, and I now want absolutely nothing to do with them. Sad...because Kashi go lean crunch cereal with vanilla unsweetend almond milk, and sliced banana was SO good to me before. Maybe that will change in the near future.
Dark Chocolate covered almonds are a WONDERFUL snack, and I recommed only partaking of 4-5 at a time. They are high in calorie, but will satisfy your craving for something sweet, while keeping you in that "healthy dessert zone" at the same time.
We eat pasta every 2 weeks or so, and we absolutely love Simple Truth Organic brands. Now they supply organic rotini noodles and tomato basil marinara sauce. I add in peppers, onions, and grill chicken to have on the side, or add grass fed angus beef into the sauce.
If you are a true southerner, you need jelly for your toast. We don't eat biscuits (except on a splurge meal at cracker barrel, and even then not always), so we found Cascadian Farms organic concord grape and strawberry fruit spread. So good! They have lots of different kinds, but these are our favorite.
Some of the most processed foods you will find are condiments, and non-perishable foods located in the center aisles of the grocery store. Stick to the produce section, the nature's market, and the outer edges of the store. In the nature's market, you will find all of the condiments necessary for making your new, healthy sandwich just as tasty, and much more healthy. I exclusively use organic mayo and organic relish to make our tuna salad. It's delicious!
Salad dressings and marinades are essential in most homes, and thankfully are also made in an all-natural/organic fashion...available at you know where! Kroger's Nature Market =) I apologize now to those of you who do not have kroger in your area. My sister-in-law has found many comparable organic foods at Ingles, and Food City.
This is the top shelf in our refrigerator, and it never contains anything other than 100% pure (NOT FROM CONCENTRATE) orange juice, lots of WATER, and Silk Pure Almond milk. We use unsweetend vanilla for our cereals, and we use dark chocolate for our protein shakes, and if we just want a glass of chocolate milk (without cow's milk/lactose). We actually have a shelf in our refrigerator door that has 3 more containers of almond milk because we use so much!
Almond Milk Facts
*50% more calcium per serving that dairy milk,
*30 calories per cup (unsweetend vanilla) versus 80 in fat-free milk
*50% of your daily value of antioxidant vitamin E versus dairy milk which has 0%
*no cholesterol or saturated fat
*completely dairy-free and lactose-free
*VERY YUMMY!
We love chips and salsa, and are so thankful for these Red Hot Blues and Organic Corn Chips, combined with organic salsa from either the farmers markets during the spring and summer (it's the best ever), or these salsas which we buy once the markets have packed up for the winter months. I'm so ready for spring!
Todd is not a fan, but I LOVE sour cream on my chicken fajitas and quesadillas, which we also have at least once per week. So, I use Tofutti non-dairy sour cream. It is milk free, and tastes just like sour cream when used in combination with other foods (like with the quesadilla, or topped with salsa on a fajita). Again, don't knock it til you try it =)
Turkey bacon and cage free eggs. We go through eggs like nobody's business. I don't even know how many dozen I buy in a month's time. But if you wanted to know, I could look back at our meal plan lists, and calculate exactly how many we used....another benefit of meal planning. These are a staple for sure, especially since we not only have breakfast for breakfast, but we frequetly have breakfast for dinner too.
You can never have too many fresh vegetables. They can easily be incorporated into a soup, crockpot meal, or sauteed for a side dish. I normally by organic carrot stalks, but these organic cut and peeled baby carrots were on a HUGE sale (surprise surprise) so I splurged and saved myself some dicing and slicing work.
We seriously can't keep bananas in our house. Every week, my grocery list has the following fruits year-round: Bananas, Apples, Oranges, Strawberries. In the warmer months, the list expands to include all of those, plus Blueberries, Blackberries, Grapes, Pineapple, Mango, Canteloupe.
When it comes to fruit and vegetables, you can't eat too much. I promise. Many times, we have vanilla coconut milk (non-dairy) ice cream, topped with strawberries, or a berry mix, and a drizzle of honey or maple syrup.
So Delicious ice cream is truly so delicious. We usually stick to the coconut milk, no sugar added, chocolate and vanilla bean ice creams, and ice cream sandwiches. This time, we ventured out to try the passionate mango. It's definitely a different taste, but is fabulous in smoothies.
This is a pretty good start I think. As I blog more and more about this, my mind races with new recipes and healthy food combinations I want to try even now. More to come in the future, but I hope this will be helpful to those of you who have interest in transforming your kitchen into a healthy kitchen. It truly will change your body from the inside out. Give it a try! You'll be so glad you did. Plus, what a wonderful way to enjoy God's beautiful bounty of healthy, wholesome foods....with a healthy life to serve and live for Him. Blessings!!
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