Putting My Feet Up...

  

It's been a long, hard week and I'm really happy the weekend is here. After a little reflection, I realized I need some down time. Since I sit in front of a computer 45 hours a week in the HVAC mines...what is needed is some time not to be in front of a computer.

So, I'll be away from the keyboard this weekend - no new posts until Monday. I hope your weekend is just as relaxing. Enjoy your free time, enjoy your family, enjoy your improved health from your Clean Eating.

See you on Monday!

- Maura

Yoplait Yogurt

  
     
     I've voiced multiple times before that a big pet peeve of mine now is misleading nutritional advertising...and I saw one that literally had me picking my jaw up off my chest.

      I saw a commercial last night extolling the virtues of Yoplait yogurt over other yogurts, because it has 2x the amount of calcium. Well, wow - isn't Yoplait awesome! 2x the amount of calcium over other yogurts. What they are failing to tell you is that otherwise, Yoplait yogurt gets a big fat F in almost all other nutritional requirements. 


      There is almost 170 calories in that 6 oz cup - which is comparable to most higher fat Greek yogurts. However, there are 26 grams of sugar in each 6 oz portion, too - that is a lot of sugar - in fact, 17% of this product is simply sugar. 63% of the calories in this yogurt are coming from the sugar content! 
The four sources of sugar in this yogurt (by weight) are yogurt/milk (lactose), table sugar, the strawberries themselves, and high fructose corn syrup. Not good.

Ingredients: 

Cultured Pasteurized Grade A Low Fat Milk, Sugar, Strawberries, Modified Corn Starch, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Nonfat Milk, Kosher Gelatin, Citric Acid, Tricalcium Phosphate, Natural Flavor, Pectin, Colored with Carmine, Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D3.

The front of the yogurt label boldy claims it is  99% fat-free, leading a person to expect a very low calorie yogurt. Instead, 170 calories. Not a lot, but not close to zero either.

I'm not thrilled with a sodium count of  85 mg for a 6 oz container, but Chobani vanilla is 65 mg, and Trader Joe's nonfat Greek yogurt is 70 mg...so I can't point my finger much there.

 

So once again, the end of my post is this caveat. Don't be led to purchase a food product because the tv tells you it is healthy. Sure, calcium is awesome. 63% of your calories coming from sugar? Not so much.

 

 

Google's Plus One Feature - You Can Help CE Eve!

At the bottom of every blog post, there is a new feature, called "Plus One." You may have seen it and not know what it is. It is a new program where blog readers can essentially recommend content to Google - and for an info blog like mine, Google ranking is important.


Here's where I'm asking for your help.

If you see a post you like - informative, pleasing - whatever...can you hit that Plus One button for me? Your Google "Plus Ones" are recorded, tallied, and they ultimately help the Google search engine direct more traffic to sites that have recommended content. It is, however, anonymous on the blog - so if you like content but have no comment, I would certainly appreciate your support by hitting that "Plus One" button. For personal blogs, Google ranking doesn't matter as much. For an info blog like mine...my Google ranking is essential to spreading the word about CE!

I now return you to our regularly scheduled Clean Eating...

Newstand Alert: Eating Well magazine

I've come across another magazine that the Clean Eater may want to peruse : Eating Well Magazine.

 

While it is not aimed specifically at the Clean Eater - most of the recipes are Clean, or could be easily Cleaned up with the substitution of a few key ingredients and / or organic ingredients. 

Interesting articles in the May/June issue pictured above:

1. Healthy in a Hurry Weeknights: 5 Clean-ish recipes that take a short amount of time to prepare but are relatively healthy. This month's spotlight - 5 Mexican inspired dishes. 

2. America's New Food Rules - 6 easy rules for better health. These sound remarkably familiar, and they give a good case for each one: Stop eating too much. Go for more fruits and veg. Stop eating junk. Make way for lean meat and poultry. Go for whole grains. Go fish. Sounds like the core philosophy of CE, doesn't it???

3. From the Test Kitchen - Stuffed grape leaves. I've always been interested in making these myself. With this step by step tutorial, I just might try my hand at it! 

How To Make Stuffed Grape Leaves Video 

Here is their website -http://www.eatingwell.com/ - there is a lot of good there! I suggest you rummage around for CE ideas or easily adaptable recipes. I know I will!

Trader's Joe's Spotlight: Aioli Garlic Mustard

Aioli is a a French term meaning "garlic mayonnaise" - so when I spied this Aioli "garlic mustard sauce" at Trader Joe's, I was instantly intrigued. I like mayo, I like mustard, I like garlic. 

A quick inspection of the ingredients revealed a Clean condiment: Mustard seed, distilled vinegar, garlic, water, soybean oil, mustard flour, eggs, allspice, tumeric, salt, and lemon juice.  55 mg of sodium in 1 teaspoon - similar to most mustards. Into my handheld basket went the little jar of Aioli. 

I was expecting a more mayonnaise consistency, thanks to the "aioli" reference - but honestly, this was just a very garlicky mustard with a back bite I'd swear was a little horseradish driven , but there is no horseradish in the ingredients. It was good, and with meats, it is very good. This afternoon, I'll be using it in a batch of deviled eggs I plan on making. However, this is not a mayo substitute. It is a mustard, plain and simple. 

Good mustard - and I'll purchase again ( my family is very mustard friendly! ), but not a garlicky mayonnaise.

I think because I was expecting something a little more mayonnaise-y, my initial impression was...nonplussed. It was good, but... 

Now that I've had it a few times, on various foods and in a few recipes, I have definitely warmed up to this stuff, and it will be a "go to" mustard like my Harris Teeter brand Dijon.

Hard Work

  

     I have a long stretch of azaleas that line my driveway - easily 75 feet of old growth, large azaleas about 5' tall. Every year, they bloom magnificently, Whoever planted them over 50 years ago did a magnificent job mixing colors and different azalea strains together. We get a continuous blooming for several weeks from the different varieties.

    This year, however - the blooming was muted. Not as copious, not as spectacular. I walk by these bushes every day, without noticing. But this time, this year - I looked carefully at the azaleas, where I hadn't, previously. The azaleas are choked with an invasive vine we Southerners refer to as a chokeweed. They are devastating to plant life they overwhelm. They weave in and out, until they are hard to discern from the plant they are living upon. It is kudzu like in its tenacity, but luckily doesn't grow as fast.

     I spent this weekend, elbow deep in the azaleas - pulling, snipping, pruning. I removed all of the chokeweed, and discovered some alien vines covered in thorns in there, too. I was mosquito bitten, scratched, and I groused bitterly the entire time I was working in the azaleas. I removed bags of  yard trim, and my back and shoulders are warning me of the work I accomplished.

     As I bent over to clean the front walk of the remaining debris - I realized the deep parallel between what I had just experienced and accomplished, and Clean Eating.

     My inattention to my diet and nutrition led to a point in my life where I was unhealthy and was starting to feel the effects. My inattention to the azaleas caused them to start to not be as healthy, too. Processed food was my chokeweed. Removing the processed food was hard - really hard - just as removing the chokeweed was really a pain in the butt. I groused bitterly those first few weeks, and was definitely questioning the wisdom and ease at changing my lifestyle so drastically.

     But when I was done - when I turned and looked at the fruits of my labor...I realized it was all worth while. I realized that hard work got me where I needed to be, both with the azaleas and with my health.

I hadn't realized how I had shied away from doing what needed to be done for the betterment of myself. For the betterment of my azaleas.

I see it, now.

Changing to a Clean Eating Pantry

 

  If you've recently begun to eat less processed foods, or are thinking about doing so, looking into your pantry filled with less than healthy items might seem daunting. You might have lots of processed foods in there!

The journey to changing your nutrition can be done in two ways : quick or slow - your choice, depending on how you want to get it accomplished.

1. Quick: Take an honest look at your pantry, and immediately pull out the 10-20 items you know without even thinking about it have to go. Pop*Tarts. White Rice.Hot dogs. Cookies. Items like cans of Chef Boyardee pasta, Vienna sausages, and Froot Loops.

Pull these items out. Anything opened? Old? Pitch them. If the idea of throwing it away bothers you, take the canned foods to work and leave them on the lunch table with a "Free to a Good Home" sign. The stuff will be gone in minutes. Or, you can donate fresh but unopened items to a food kitchen or food drive.

Take an inventory of the items you've removed, and go to the grocery store and replace them with Clean.
White rice, bread, spaghetti out? Buy brown rice, whole grain bread without high fructose corn syrups, whole grain spaghetti.
Sauces gone? Replace them with their clean and organic counterparts.

Feeling braver? Get rid of 10 or more items in your pantry that have suspiciously long ingredient lists, or are processed and not fresh.

This way works best if you live alone, or don't have to feed other non CE folks. 



2. Slow: This is accomplished over a period of time, where as you use up that last jar of "regular" spaghetti sauce and its time for more to go on the shopping list, you buy the Clean version, instead of your normal brand. Or, you start learning how to make spaghetti sauce yourself from base ingredients.

This way works best if rapid change isn't your thing, and/or you have a family you are also feeding who might need some time to adjust to a lack of Pop*Tarts in the morning. 


Whichever path you take to stocking your home with healthier options - don't forget to upgrade your spice cabinet selection of Clean condiments , More clean condiments, sea salt instead of regular table salt,  and sugar alternatives.

Don't forget your Clean Eating grocery list to help point the way towards appropriate foods. 

How did you accomplish your CE pantry? Fast or Slow - or is it still a work in progress?

Scallops

Scallops with Mint Vinaigrette & Pea Puree

This recipe is from Clean Eating magazine April/May 2011

Ingredients:

6 tsp olive oil, divided
2 leeks, trimmed, rinsed and thinly sliced
1/4 tsp sea salt, divided
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
2 cups frozen green peas
3/4 cup low-fat milk, plus additional if needed
1 lb sea scallops
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp minced fresh mint
1/2 tsp raw honey

Steps:

1)  Heat a skillet on medium-low. Add 1 tsp oil and swirl to coat skillet. Add leeks and 1/8 tsp salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks are softened and just starting to brown. Add thyme, peas, and milk. Increase heat to medium and cook, stirring, until peas are heated through, about 5 minutes. Remove mixture from heat.

2) Scrape pea-milk mixture into a blender and puree until smooth, adding a bit more milk to thin, if necessary.

3) heat a large clean skillet on medium-high. Add 1 tsp oil and swirl to coat pan. Add scallops, leaving a bit of space between each to prevent steaming.  Sear scallops for about 3 minutes per side, until golden brown and barely firm to the touch.  Transfer scallops to a plate.

4) In a small bowl, whisk together remain 5 tsp oil, lemon juice, vinegar, 1 tsp water, mint, honey and remaining 1/8 tsp salt.

5) To serve spoon 1/2 cup pea puree onto each of 4 plates and top with scallops.  Spoon 2 tsp vinagrette over top of scallops and serve.

Review: I quite liked this recipe! I changed a little, though. I had 4 leeks rather than 2 so I just fried up that much more and added it as if the recipe called for 4. My wife wasn't sure what to pick up for scallops, so she grabbed the little ones rather then the jumbo scallops. The jumbo may have been better, but the little ones were fine.

My wife is not a big fan of scallops, but she really liked this recipe. My teenage son saw that there were peas in the puree and didn't want any. I served the plate that I photographed to him, so he had no choice but to try the 'green stuff'. He not only liked what I served, he dished himself some more.

I modified the sauce a little bit, too. I added a little ground cayenne pepper and fresh black pepper to give it a little zing.

 - North

Clean Eating Prepared Salsa

   I've discovered a fresh cut salsa that is remarkably Clean - Fresh Cuts fresh salsa.

     You'll find it in the fresh vegetable section of your grocery store, in the area where they keep refrigerated items. I've found this under multiple different generic grocery store brand names in different super markets - so look for packaging that essentially looks like the container above. It's all made by the same company for "private label" grocery store branding.
     The sodium level per serving is tolerable - 55mg for 2 tablespoons. I find it delicious on Wasa bread crisps, or in addition to meals like chicken or pork. I've also enjoyed a tablespoon on top of my turkey burgers. The "regular" kind isn't spicy at all, but they do have a hot version. My husband doesn't care for this as he says he tastes the cucumber in it, and he is NOT a fan of cucumbers ( odd man... ) so just be aware, if cucumbers aren't your thing you might want to keep looking.

• Ingredients

  Tomato, Cucumber, Green Pepper, Red Pepper, Red Onion, Cilantro, Lime Juice, Tomato Juice, Garlic, Poblano Pepper, Serrano Pepper, Salt.

   

Real Food Flow Chart

How to Read Salt Labels

     Added salt is usually the stumbling block for many Clean Eaters when examining a label to determine whether the item is clean or not. Often, a product may appear to have a low sodium content from the packaging, but when you look at that ingredient label, you discover the sodium makes the food entirely inappropriate for a Clean Eater. Here is a quick overview of some common salt labels found on food.

1. "No Salt Added" or "Unsalted" - No salt is added during processing or packaging. This does not always mean the food is sodium free, some foods contain sodium naturally. However, you can be assured that sodium content is as occurs naturally.

For example: Land O' Lakes Unsalted butter has 0 mg sodium per tablespoon. Land O' Lakes  salted butter has 95 mg per tablespoon.

2. "Reduced" or "Less Sodium" - Must contain at least 25% less sodium than the original food, a competitor's equivalent product, or another reference. Make sure to determine exactly what it is lower than! They must provide a reference item, or the claim is worthless.

For example: Kikkoman Less Sodium soy sauce has 575 mg per tablespoon. Kikkoman Regular Soy Sauce has 920  mg per tablespoon.

3. "Light in Sodium" or "Lightly Salted" - Must contain 50% less sodium than the original food, a competitor's equivalent product, or another reference. Again, make sure to determine exactly what it is lower than!

For example: Lay's Lightly Salted potato chips have 85 mg per 1 ounce serving. Lay's Classic Regular potato chips have 180 mg per serving.

4. - "Low sodium" - This is the most stringent reduced sodium label. Each food can have only 140 mg or less sodium per serving.

For example: Wheat Thins Hint of Salt low sodium crackers have 60 mg per 16 cracker serving. Wheat Thins Original crackers have 230 mg per 16 cracker serving.

Clean Eating Sloppy Joes

CE Reader kx59 asked for it - Clean Eating Sloppy Joe recipes!

I've got 2 good ones for you.

 Beef and Mushroom Sloppy Joes

  
 Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 12 ounces ground sirloin - organic beef 
• 2 (8-ounce) packages presliced cremini mushrooms
• 1 cup prechopped onion
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup no-salt-added organic tomato paste , with some extra in reserve to make it saucier if need be
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce

Preparation

• 1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil; swirl to coat. Add beef; cook for 4 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble.
• 2. While beef cooks, place mushrooms in a food processor; pulse 10 times or until finely chopped. Add mushrooms, onion, and garlic to pan; cook for 3 minutes or until onion is tender. Add tomato paste and next 5 ingredients (through salt) to pan; cook 5 minutes or until mushrooms are tender and liquid evaporates. Stir in pepper and hot sauce. Spoon about 1 cup beef mixture on bottom half of each bun; top with top halves of buns.

And those buns shown above are NOT clean! 

The second one comes from our friend Tiffany over at the The Gracious Pantry who seemingly read my mind when she posted this recipe just a few days ago! If you like your sloppy joes with a ketchup-y taste ( and some do! ) you'll like Tiffany's recipe. Please click on the link to jump to Tiffany's recipe for Clean Eating Sloppy Joes

Quiver of Honor

 

  

 

Army Specialist Justin Immerso reaches for a flag to place in front of a head stone at Arlington National Cemetery in preparation for Memorial Day – Arlington VA ( photo by Jacquelyn Martin, AP News Service )

1) Memorial Day was founded to honor military personnel who died in ...
A. The Revolutionary War
B. The Civil War
C. The Spanish-American War
D. World War I
E. World War II

2) Which community was proclaimed in 1966 by the U.S. government as the birthplace of Memorial Day?
A. Springfield, Pennsylvania
B. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
C. Arlington, Virginia
D. Waterloo, New York
E. Bunker Hill, Massachusetts

3) Additionally, which of these towns claims to be the birthplace of Memorial Day:
A. Columbus, Miss.
B. Macon, Ga.
C. Richmond, Va.
D. Boalsburg, Pa.
E. All of the above

4) On what date was Memorial Day first widely observed?
A. May 30th, 1856
B. May 5th, 1866
C. May 30th, 1868
D. May 29th, 1901
E. May 15th, 1919

5) Memorial Day originated with another name. What was it?
A. Honor Day
B. Old Soldiers’ Day
C. Decoration Day
D. Remembrance Day
E. Bravery Day

6) Since the end of World War I, Memorial Day is also called which of the following?
A. Poppy Day
B. War Heroes’ Day
C. Armed Forces Day
D. Military Day
E. Old Soldiers’ Day

7) Memorial Day is different in Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, North and South Carolina, Virginia, Louisiana, and Tennessee. How?
A. These states celebrate Memorial Day on Jefferson Davis’ birthday.
B. Instead of a somber, solemn observance, these states celebrate the memory of the fallen with gala festivals.
C. Memorial Day in these states excludes the Union dead in the Civil War.
D. These states choose to honor Confederate dead in the Civil War on a separate day.
E. In these states, the Confederate flag is flown alongside the American flag.

8) Why is General John Alexander Logan important to the celebration of Memorial Day?
A. He is the first officially documented casualty in a war
B. He called for more official government recognition of the holiday
C. He was the first to place a wreath at the Grave of the Unknowns
D. He is responsible for accumulating and maintaining statistics of the U.S. war dead
E. He ordered that the holiday be observed by decorating the graves of the war dead
9) In which war did the most U.S. service people die?
A. The Revolutionary War
B. The Civil War
C. World War I
D. World War II
E. The Vietnam War

10) Which war had the highest percentage of U.S. casualties based on the number of troops served?
A. The Revolutionary War
B. The Civil War
C. World War I
D. World War II
E. The Vietnam War

11) According to the Department of Defense, how many U.S. service men and women have died in battle in all wars in which the United States was involved?
A. About 186,000
B. About 500,000
C. About 1 million
D. About 1.9 million
E. They don’t even estimate

12) True or False: During the first celebration of Decoration Day, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, after which 5,000 participants helped to decorate the graves of the more than 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried in the cemetery.

13) True of False: On Memorial Day, the flag should be flown at half-staff throughout the day to honor the nation’s war dead.

14) The poem “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae, a World War I colonel and surgeon with Canada’s First Brigade Artillery, expressed McCrae’s grief over the “row on row” of graves of soldiers who had died on Flanders’ battlefields, located in a region of western Belgium and northern France. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the poem was first published in:
A) Life magazine.
B) The London Times newspaper.
C) Newsweek magazine.
D) A collection of short stories and poems edited by naturalist William Bartram.
E) The British magazine Punch.
15) True or False: The 24-note melancholy bugle call known as “Taps” is thought to be a revision of a French bugle signal, called “tattoo,” that notified soldiers to cease an evening’s drinking and return to their garrisons.

Answers
1) B. Memorial Day was founded to honor military personnel who died in the Civil War.
2) D. Waterloo, New York was proclaimed in 1966 by the U.S. government as the birthplace of Memorial Day?
3) E. All these towns claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day.
4) C. While there is some debate, most historians agree that May 30, 1868 was the first time Memorial Day was widely observed.
5) C. Memorial Day originated with the name Decoration Day.
6) A. Since the end of World War I, Memorial Day has also been called Poppy Day.
7) D. In many Southern states, the Confederate dead of the Civil War are honored on a separate day.
8) E. General John Alexander Logan ordered that the holiday be observed by decorating the graves of the war dead.
9) D. World War II was the most lethal for U.S. service people.
10) B. The Civil War had the highest percentage of U.S. casualties based on the number of troops served.
11) B. About 500,000 U.S. service men and women have died in battle in all wars in which the United States was involved, according to the Department of Defense.
12) True.
13) False. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, on Memorial Day the flag should be flown at half-staff from sunrise until noon only, then raised briskly to the top of the staff until sunset, in honor of the nation’s battle heroes.
14) E. The poem “In Flanders Fields” was first published in Punch magazine.
15) True.

http://blog.al.com/living-press-register/2010/05/our_honored_dead_memorial_day.html

Have You Tried: Cherimoya?

    

     The cherimoya is an odd, angular looking vaguely melon/pear shaped fruit that is native to the rain forests of South America. It is occasionally referred to as a "custard apple" because the flavor is vaguely reminiscent of vanilla pudding in a soft apple/pear texture. Once you try this delicate, dekicious, custard like fruit that has such an odd rind, you'll agree that the luscious flavors reminiscent of papaya, banana, mango, passionfruit, lemon, and pineapple - and its ice-cream consistency - make this a Clean Eater's delight.

How to ripen

When buying cherimoya, choose firm, unripe fruit that are heavy for their size, then place them somewhere out of the sun and allow to ripen at room temperature. Check your cherimoya every couple of days for softness. The fruit should feel as soft as an almost-ripe avocado, with a little give but not squishy. The skin may turn brownish as the cherimoya ripens, which doesn’t affect the flesh. Don’t cut into it when you first notice ripeness, give it a day or two more, but don’t wait too long or the sugars in the flesh will begin to ferment. Once ripe, cherimoya can be refrigerated for up to 4 days, wrapped in a paper towel. 

Eating cherimoya

To eat, cut your cherimoya in half lengthways and either: scoop out succulent spoonfuls; eat like a watermelon, scraping the rind to get every bit of sweet flesh; peel and cut into cubes and add to fruit salads; puree and use as a mousse or pie filling. Don't eat the seeds! They are inedible.

Cherimoya, Kiwi, and Strawberry Salad

1 chermioya, chopped

1 large kiwi, sliced

Handful of strawberries, quartered

Lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon (approximately) agave nectar

Add the cherimoya to a bowl and spritz with a small amount of lemon juice. Add the remaining ingredients and toss well but gently to combine.

http://dishingupdelights.blogspot.com/2009/03/cherimoya-kiwi-and-strawberry-salad.html