Weighing in: food vs exercise

A research group investigated the metabolic rate of a hunter-gatherer tribe and found it comparable to people that live a modern lifestyle, providing evidence for the theory that the food we eat - the type and quantity - matters more than exercise in overall body weight.

Hunter-Gatherer Energetics and Human Obesity
Hunter-Gatherer Clue to Obesity as reported by the BBC, with some quotes from study authors.

Organic tomatoes win!

Organic strawberries have been found to have higher levels of important nutrients, and a recent study has shown the same for organic tomatoes. 

Chocolate Chip Quinoa Cookies

Adapted from foodconfidence.com.
1 c cooked quinoa
1/2 c chopped blanched almonds
1 c old-fashioned oats
1/4 c unsweetened shredded coconut
2 T honey or maple syrup
1 t vanilla extract
2 T nut butter
1/3 c chocolate chips
1/4 t salt

If you quinoa is still hot, it will melt the chocolate chips when you mix it, so plan accordingly: if you want the chips to be whole, let the quinoa cool.  Mix nut butter, vanilla, and honey together in a small bowl and set aside.  Mix remaining ingredients and then add in the nut butter mixture until combined.  Roll into small balls and store in refrigerator or freezer (chill before eating).  Makes 2 dozen 1" cookies.

Notfried Pinto Beans

1 lb dry pinto beans
3 bay leaves
1/2 tsp cumin seed
1/2 tsp salt
1 green bell pepper
1 onion
ground cumin, oregano, salt to taste

Soak pinto beans and cook using your preferred method, with the measured salt, cumin seed, and bay leaves.  When the beans are done, preheat oven to 400.  Chop finely the onion and bell pepper and place each on a baking sheet (no oil needed).  Roast for about 20 minutes or until the pieces have lost most of their moisture and are beginning to brown (check every 5 minutes).  Strain beans, reserving liquid.  Puree beans with onion and pepper pieces, adding liquid as needed.  Season to taste with salt, oregano, and cumin.

Summer Reading Programs

Half Price Books: Read 300 minutes in a month, earn a $5 book credit.  Runs June 1 - July 31.
See link for downloadable reading log and more information.

Barnes & Noble: read 8 books, choose a free book from list.  Grades 1-6. 
Reading journal & more information available at link.

Rhubarb Custard Pie

Crust

5 dates, chopped roughly

1 c old-fashioned oats

1/2 c. pecan meal

2 T flax meal

3 T water

Preheat oven to 400. Mix flax meal and water in small bowl; set aside. Chop dates in food processor until very fine, then add oats and pecan meal and process until a coarse meal has formed. Add the flax mixture and combine. Press into oiled pie plate.

Filling

2 c. milk of your choice

1 T cornstarch in 2 T water

10 dates, finely diced

1 T maple syrup

3 eggs

1-2 c. rhubarb, finely chopped (1c. will be very subtle)

Place rhubarb in pie plate on crust. Heat milk; add dates, maple syrup, and cornstarch mixture. Cook gently, stirring occasionally. When the mixture has thickened and the dates are soft, puree with an immersion blender. In separate bowl, beat eggs. Whisk 1 T milk blend into the eggs at a time until tempered, then whisk in the rest and pour into the pie plate.

Bake for 10 minutes at 400, then 30 minutes at 350.

Non-food items to hide in plastic eggs

• coins
• erasers or other small desk items
• ribbons for hair, ponytail holders, etc
• puzzle pieces (thanks, Estelle!)
• poems about spring (in entirety, or cut into verses to sort later)
• funny poems for children
• notes to child
• scavenger hunt clues
• fortunes (fortune egg, instead of fortune cookie!)
• comic strips
• homemade coupons for fun family activities
• homemade coupons for special privileges

Navratan Korma

Adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer. This was excellent and much easier than I expected. Modifications: ghee eliminated; roasted tofu subbed for paneer; vegetables increased and adapted for what was available; roasted instead of boiled.

The tofu: 1 lb tofu, drained, pressed, cubed, and roasted at 400F for about 30 minutes.

The vegetables:
1 c cauliflower florets cut to 1/2 inch across the top, roasted at 400F for 15 minutes
1 c red bell pepper, in 1/2 inch pieces, roasted at 400F for about 10 minutes
1 c green peas
1.5 c green beans, cut into 1 to 2 inch pieces
2 c carrot pieces, about 1/2 inch diameter by 1/4 inch thick
--- Steam peas, green beans, and carrots over 1 c water for about 5 minutes. Set steaming basket aside and leave steaming water in pot. (Use two baking trays for the roasting; put tofu and cauliflower in the oven first, then remove the cauliflower and use that baking tray for the peppers.)

The sauce:
1 c diced onion
1/3 c cashew pieces
1/3 c minced prunes, or raisins
1 T minced ginger root
1 clove garlic, minced
2 whole cloves
1/2 tsp cardamom seeds
1 bay leaf
1 T ketchup or tomato paste
1 t salt
3/4 t turmeric
3/4 t garam masala

--- Heat vegetable steaming water and add onion through bay leaf. Cook gently about 10 minutes or until onion is soft and prune pieces are plumped. Remove bay leaf and cloves. Transfer to blender and add ketchup, salt, turmeric, and garam masala. Blend well.

--- Put vegetables in pot and pour the sauce over them. Turn heat to low, just to reheat all ingredients gently. Add 1 c water to blender and blend again to get the rest of the sauce ingredients; add to pot and stir well. Serve when hot, over rice if desired.

Whole Grain Pancake Mix

This is a mix I used prior to our less-flour eating.  It is a useful blend to speed baking and cooking, and also is infinitely adaptable to introduce kids (and adults!) to different whole grain flours and flavors. 

It greatly speeds the process of making multigrain pancakes as there are just a few things to combine at cooking time.  Put the mixing instructions on a label right on the bag or container for easy reference.

Options to replace sugar: another dry sweetener, such as date sugar, in the mix; liquid sweeteners added at cooking time; no sugar, but jam or maple syrup on top of the pancakes; fruit added in the form of a puree, dried, fresh, or frozen fruit; etc.  Experiment!

9 c flour, vary with your preferences.  Suggested mixture:
    3c unbleached or white whole wheat,
    2 c whole wheat flour,
    1 c each quick oats or old-fashioned,
    1 c barley flour,
    1 c rye flour,
    1 c buckwheat flour
1/3 c sugar, or less (since they will have syrup on them, anyway)
2 tsp salt
6 tbsp baking powder

Mix together and store in a cool, dry location. 

To make 4 servings of pancakes, mix together:
 1 1/2 c pancake mix
1 egg, or your choice of egg substitute
2 tbsp oil
1 to 1 1/2 c liquid which can consist of a couple tbsp of plain yogurt in water, or buttermilk and water or regular (dairy or non-) milk and water in a 1:1 ratio - start with 1c liquid and add more to make a pourable but still thick batter.

This mix can also be used to make muffins, biscuits, and other quick breads. 
For 12 muffins or 1 loaf, use 2 c mix, 1 egg, 1/4 c oil, and 1 c liquid.  Add more sweetener if desired, and fruit of choice.  Bake muffins at 400 for about 18 minutes, loaf at 350 for about 50-60 minutes.
For biscuits, use 2 c mix and cut in 1/4 c butter (4 tbsp) or 1/4 c frozen canola oil.  Add 3/4 c liquid.  You can add an egg if you like.  Drop biscuits or roll and cut out, and bake at 400 for about 10-20 minutes, depending on size.

Wednesday Soup: Roasted Vegetable Pinto Bean Soup

 The roasted vegetables leave a fabulous aroma in the house and lend great flavor to this simple bean soup.  Estimated cost for the pot of soup: $4.65 - about 6 servings at $0.78/each, plus extra cooked beans for another meal - huevos rancheros, or burritos, or to add to salads.


1 lb dried pinto beans, soaked and drained
2 bay leaves
1 piece nori
1 medium yellow squash
14 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1 medium onion
1 red bell pepper
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. cumin
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 300F. Bring beans to boil in water to cover with nori and bay leaves.  Boil for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to simmer and cook until done.  Meanwhile, chop squash, onion, and bell pepper into bite-sized pieces.  Oil a 13x9 pan and mix together the squash, onion, pepper, and tomatoes.  Roast in the oven for about an hour, stirring after 30 minutes.  Turn off oven heat and leave vegetables until the beans are cooked.  Remove half of the beans from the pot and save for another use.   Add the vegetables, salt, and spices to the beans and bean broth in the pot  and cook another 15 minutes.  By this time, the nori should have dissolved into small pieces; if not, chop finely and return to soup.  Add the fresh parsley, stir well, and serve.

PFCs and immunity

The Atlantic, reporting on a recent article in JAMA, said today that "PFCs, found in pizza boxes, fast-food wrappers, popcorn bags, certain clothing, and more, have been tied to a lower level of antibodies in kids."

 This may be of particular concern in the eastern Twin Cities region, where groundwater contamination has occurred.

Alarmingly, the impact of the PFCs was worse than for PCBs, according to the author of the study. 

Wednesday's Soup

I've started a new activity for the winter, which is Wednesday soup and open craft time for my friends.  I'll make a big pot of soup each week, and enjoy the company of whoever is available that day while we work on projects together after lunch.  Leftover soup is never a problem in this house... I like to eat it for breakfast and lunch, and Lavender takes it for lunch, too.

This week's soup was adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites.  I've liked every recipe I've made from this book, although I never prepare them exactly as written.  Recipes are just a guideline!  Here, I've made it a more filling stew-like meal by using the whole pound of split peas.  I also added spinach, chipotle pepper, and celery, and used vinegar instead of lime juice (which is probably lovely, but was not in my refrigerator).

Green, Orange, and Gold Split Pea Soup (about 10 servings; prep + cooking time ~ 2 hours)

2 c chopped onions sauteed in 1 t olive oil or chicken fat
1 lb yellow split peas
6 c chicken or vegetable broth
2 c peeled and diced sweet potatoes
1 c cored, peeled, and diced apples
1 c finely diced celery
1.5 tsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp coriander
1 T minced fresh ginger
1 cinnamon stick
2 tsp chili powder

1 dried chipotle pepper

3/4 c diced tomatoes
1 T soy sauce
1 tsp red wine vinegar

2 c fresh spinach, slivered

Rinse split peas and add to large pot with all ingredients through the dried chipotle pepper.  Bring to a boil and then lower heat to a gentle simmer.  Cook until peas are done and beginning to fall apart, about 60-90 minutes.  Remove chipotle pepper and either discard it, or, if you want more of its flavor, take out the seeds and return the pulp to the soup.  Add tomatoes, soy sauce, and vinegar and puree slightly with an immersion blender if desired.  Add spinach and continue to heat gently until it is wilted.

Halloween and the never-ending stream of candy and sugar

The constant availability of sugar in many forms has to be a large part of the current obesity epidemic. Everywhere we go, someone is offering Lavender or all of us candy, a cookie, or some other flour- or sugar-based item.   It makes me crazy.  Food does not need to be a part of every activity in which we participate!

And now it's nearly Halloween, just one of the sugar-dominated holidays of winter.   The costume is the biggest fun, but my little trick-or-treater is sure to bring home a lot of stuff that none of us needs.

What to do with all that candy? 
Well, first... I need to come up with a way of separating it from Lavender.  My thoughts:

• candy for 2 days
• one piece of candy each day for a week
• fill a small container with favorites
• pick a few pieces, trade the rest for a family dinner at kid-chosen restaurant
• pick a few pieces, trade the rest for a favorite homemade dessert that we will make
• parent buys the candy at a per-pound or per-piece rate
• kids can choose from these options but not "candy until it's gone."  This is probably the route I'll take this year.  Last year, I offered to buy the candy but she wanted nothing to do with that - however, this year, she is much more interested in money.

and then, what to do with the rest? 

• Give the first-purged candy to the next kids who come to the door.
• Conduct candy experiments.
• Make decorations for Thanksgiving and Christmas (gingerbread house) or just let the kids make some art. Bonus result of seeing the candy as a not-food item.
• Some dentists participate in this buyback program.
• Our food shelf collects it.  I have mixed feelings about that.  
• Give it to Herb to take to work.
• Just pitch it.  Yes, it's a waste of resources, but using it doesn't make it healthier for anyone.

How can we limit our own participation in the annual tooth decay and environmental damage?  Instead of candy, how about 'treating:'

• All those random plastic young-kid toys that entered your house to be played with once, that you would otherwise throw away - let someone else enjoy them for the day.
• Pencils, regular or mechanical, or pens.
• Small spiral notebooks
• Raisins (these are in recyclable boxes, too)
• Microwave popcorn (avoid the artificial, chemical "butter") or not-horrible chips, if you find some, although these are in throwaway packaging
• Sunflower seeds (individually packaged)
• Bookmarks

Cell Phones and Kids

Lavender doesn't carry a cell phone, but we are a cell-phone-only household and so she occasionally uses mine, usually on speaker mode.  However, when I see a study like this, I pay attention:

Cellphones Exceed U.S. FCC Exposure Limits by as Much as Double for Children, Study Finds

excerpt: "The paper notes that the industry-designed process for evaluating microwave radiation from phones results in children absorbing twice the cellphone radiation to their heads, up to triple in their brain's hippocampus and hypothalamus, greater absorption in their eyes, and as much as 10 times more in their bone marrow when compared to adults."

Check the SAR rating on your phone - and next time you upgrade, compare models before purchasing!

Resources:

EWG's Best & Worst Phones / Shopping Guide

CNET: Cell Phone Radiation Levels

FCC: Specific Absorption Rate for Cellular Telephones

Arguing about Starchy Vegetables

The Senate stood up for potatoes and corn this week when the Obama administration proposed limiting starchy vegetables to 1c/week in school lunches (how did corn ever become a vegetable, anyway?).  Simple solution: serve them, but don't count them as vegetables, but rather toward the grain portion of the meal, which is often overloaded anyway. Non-starchy vegetables have higher nutrient levels by far, and are the ones less likely to be found in abundance in many homes - why not take this opportunity to introduce students to them?  This approach follows Dr. Joel Fuhrman's nutritarian food pyramid.

Quinoa for breakfast

Quinoa is a seed that is treated as a grain, and which is cooked exactly like white rice (1:2 ratio, cook for 20 minutes after bringing to a boil).  It has a light, fluffy texture much like couscous.  Rinse and cook 1 c. quinoa for 4 breakfast servings.  Add butter, or fruit and nuts, milk and cinnamon, or cooked greens with whatever else your taste buds fancy.  Refrigerate or freeze extra servings in microwave-safe glass containers.  Cost per serving (quinoa only): about $0.25 for organic quinoa purchased in bulk.

For numbers buffs: According to nutritiondata.com, 1/4 c dry quinoa has 157 calories, 2.5g fat, 27g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, and 6g protein.  Unlike other grains and grain-like foods, all essential amino acids are represented in that protein. 

But we don't cook it just because of that.  Lavender likes it, and it's a much better breakfast (not to mention far less costly) than processed cereal from a box! 

Summer Wrap

This wrap is loosely based on summer rolls, the fresh and delicious, not-fried rolls that are on the menu at some Thai and Vietnamese restaurants, made with rice paper wrappers. 

per serving:
1 tortilla of choice (not corn) - mine were 6" so if you use very large tortillas, adjust quantities below accordingly
1 Tbsp peanut or almond butter
1/4 tsp tamari or soy sauce
1/4 c shredded Romaine or spinach
3 T shredded carrot
a few slivers of sliced bell pepper
any other random vegetables you have ready to go - I added some shredded Brussels sprouts

Add ingredients in order listed, and roll it up.  Slice or not.
Cost: about $0.50 each.  Lavender took 2 of these for lunch today, with olives, fruit salad, and carrots.  Total lunch cost, $1.75.  (Largest individual cost = tortillas at $0.25 each.)

More homemade school lunches, with cost estimates

 Cream cheese and jam on sprouted whole grain bread ($0.50), carrot and cucumber sticks ($0.25), olives ($0.25), prune plums ($0.25).  Total $1.25.

 Homemade chicken spaetzle soup ($1.00), carrot sticks ($0.25), pickles ($0.20), and homemade apple crisp ($0.10 - from homegrown apples).  Total $1.55. 
It was difficult to estimate the cost of the soup since the stock and much of the chicken came from the carcasses of 2 organic chickens that we roasted.  I estimated $3 worth of chicken for the 5 servings of soup, probably in excess of the actual cost.

 PB & J on sprouted whole grain bread ($0.55), olives ($0.25), carrot and red bell pepper sticks ($0.40), and mango-prune plum salad ($0.60).  Total $1.80.

Homemade vegetarian split pea soup ($0.25), homemade bread (free, from a friend), olives ($0.25), trail mix ($0.20), and prune plums ($0.25).  Total $0.95.

Lavender requested to make her own lunch twice this week, and that's why the humble sandwiches appear.
Average cost of these lunches = $1.39
Average savings per day over school lunch = $0.96

Food this week

It's fall harvest time - roasted root vegetables are a favorite.  Tonight, parsnips, beets, and carrots, cut into strips to maximize child interest and dipping ability.  Lavender liked all of them plain ("I have so many favorite foods!" she said) ... but decided that they were even better with ketchup.

Now for a few of this week's packed lunches and how they compare to school lunch at $2.35.  In our district, school lunch consists of a highly processed entree that comes frozen and is baked in an industrial oven - there is no cooking in the kitchens.   Meals have to meet USDA school lunch requirements but as many people know, that leaves a lot to be desired.

First, homemade chili (made with local, grass-fed beef) with some trail mix (homemade granola, sunflower seeds, coconut flakes, freeze-dried strawberries, and currants) and fresh prune plums.  The chili cost about $1.10/serving, the prune plums $0.25 for 3, and the trail mix $0.20.  Total lunch cost: $1.55 (all numbers rounded up to the nearest nickel).

 Hard-boiled organic eggs ($0.35), baked potato chips ($0.30), carrot sticks ($0.25), prune plums $0.25).  Total $1.15.  (Eggs purchased at Costco, which has the lowest-priced organic eggs I've seen.)

 Wrap (cream cheese, sliced chicken, romaine, carrots, red bell pepper) at $1.00, baked chips, olives ($0.25), prune plums, muesli.  Total $2.00.  Cost of the wrap would be a lot lower if I had made my own tortillas.

My lunch system is fairly simple.  Although I can agree that there are some very tempting lunch and bento systems, for the sake of food safety I pack items in a container of the right size.  Things that need to stay cold are placed between two ice packs.  If we're using the hot food jar, I don't pack anything that needs to stay cold - both so that the food jar can remain hot (I wrap it in a towel for extra insulation, inside the lunch bag) and so that nothing perishable heats up from the food jar.  Lavender has an early lunch and a later snack, so sometimes I use a small insulated bag for each of those, and sometimes everything is packed together in one bag.  The food above is for lunch and snack together. Lunch is only 20 minutes - not a lot of time to eat much of anything!

Updated Menu

 I finally updated the "menu" following completion of the allergy elimination diet.  As you will notice, bread is still mostly off the list - completely, for me. We all found the food listing to be a handy reminder of good things to eat during the elimination - it reduced the tendency to fall back on typical snack items.  Lavender particularly likes to look at the menu when thinking of what she wants to pack for lunch or have for an after-school snack.   Everything listed is free of concentrated and refined sweeteners, and nearly everything is free of all flours as well.  There are so many whole foods choices!

Menu

Breakfast

Fruit and Nuts

Quinoa

Oatmeal, plain or with fruit or pumpkin

Granola with yogurt or milk

Smoothie

Brown rice porridge with cinnamon

Eggs, scrambled or hard-boiled, or omelette

Huevos rancheros

Buckwheat pancakes

Turkey sausage

Lentil or bean soup

Chicken soup

Lunch

Lentil or bean Soup

Chicken soup

Chili

Chicken slices with lettuce wrappers

Taco-seasoned beans

Salad with beans or nuts

Roasted sweet potato with almond butter

Roasted beets with cream cheese

Sandwich/Wrap

(cheese, turkey, bean spread, or almond butter)

Frittata

Hard-boiled egg

Sides and Snacks

Raw carrots, pepper, lettuce, etc. with dip

Roasted vegetables

Boiled or roasted potato

Sweet potato

Peas

Cole slaw or broccoli salad

Rice cakes

Fruit

Nuts / Seeds

Chickpeas or beans

Popcorn

Trail Mix

Hummus or bean spread

Smoothie

Pickles / Olives

Yogurt & granola

Desserts

Fruit plate with cinnamon or yogurt

Smoothie

Rice pudding

Fruit-nut-coconut treats

Fruit tart

Cookie or macaroon

Dried fruit and/or nuts

Dark chocolate

Baked apples

Fruit crisp

Sweet potato or pumpkin pudding

Chocolate or fruit pudding