Author: Chef Kim

Smoothie Bowl

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Here’s a new twist on smoothies…filling a bowl with great things that go crunch and topping it off with a smoothie, stir and enjoy the goodness!

IMG_0467[1]My morning smoothie bowl usually consists of a mixture of nuts and seeds (walnuts, almonds, pumpkin, sunflower, flax and chia) then a fresh fruit, here I used apple, and some dried fruit, maybe (figs, apricots, cherries or cranberries). Then I blend a simple smoothie – you can add anything you like. I made this one with a generous spoonful of tahini, 1/2 cup almond milk, a big handful of spinach, some maca powder, ginger and a little maple syrup. I added a little water to thin it out a bit.

Spring into Health

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Well, I wish it was as easy as it sounds.  Springing into health is more of a journey that takes patience and persistence before we see any results and habits change. It kind of reminds me of our Wisconsin ‘Spring”, we have to wait through the cold and still sometimes freezing temps until it really feels like Spring.  Even though the temps are still cold, the longer days and more sunshine, give us incentive to come out of hibernation and get ready to be more active and focus on healthy lifestyle choices, whether that includes walking or running around the lake, hiking, riding the bike paths, getting out on the water in some form or another, participating in team sports and daily choosing healthy foods for meals and snacks.

For me, being active and eating the healthiest foods comes easiest when it is warm outside. [ I did take a vacation to Florida in March and was so thankful for the sunshine on my skin, walking miles on the beach morning and night, and for all the fresh fruit and vegetables that were in season at the you-pick farms.]  I am so ready for spring. So as we start to warm up here in Wisconsin, I want to encourage you to make a plan…

Take a quick evaluation of how you want to feel better, sleep better, eat better, have fun better. If you write that list down, you are more likely to do something about it. Then make a plan to incorporate one activity of movement a day, that will raise your heart rate for a few minutes. More and more studies are coming out that debunk the “rule” of having to do an hour of aerobic exercise for it to be of any benefit. Instead small bursts of exercise that raise heart rate are very beneficial and do not take hours of your time. Next add more green leafy vegetables to your daily meals or snacks, try them in a green smoothie, as a wrap instead of bread for sandwich filling, blended with an avocado and lemon juice for a dip with other vegetables, sauteed with coconut oil and garlic, chopped and mixed in with some raw kraut, wrapped around a banana or spread with almond butter or hummus and rolled. By adding in high nutrient-dense snacks and foods, your body will thank you with more energy, better focus, better sleep, better weight and overall well-being.  With small steps toward replacing empty calorie foods that are processed and full of additives, with more nutrient rich whole foods, you will spring into greater health!

A person with health has many dreams, a person without health has but one dream.

Gear Up for Healthy Holidays!

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It’s officially the time of year when we are surrounded with cookies, baked treats, candies and rich foods at celebrations and family gatherings.  Can we partake, enjoy and still stay healthy? My first answer is yes, in moderation, because stressing over food is often more harmful than a few “treats” you choose to eat. But in saying that, for me, I have to decide that I will only partake of so many and no more, just so I can enjoy the tradition and childhood memories that come along with having these special holiday goodies. On the other hand, if I know I have a problem controlling how many I will eat or I get unhealthy reactions, then abstaining or finding a healthy alternative may be the best choice.  The other factor to consider is knowing how these goodies will affect how you feel after eating them. If you are sensitive to the cream and gluten in the cookies and pudding, and you know that your stomach will be cramped and you get migraines after eating sugar, you need to decide if you want to feel that way in order to taste and partake of the goodies.  Ultimately the risk is up to you. There are also more serious risks that need to be considered if there are blood sugar issues, insulin resistance, and inflammation. These risks need to be evaluated in order for us to become more aware of our state of health and take personal responsibility for our health.

So, the first thing I want to propose is a change in the way you think about these special celebration foods. Knowing that they do not bring greater health when eaten, we should not call them “treats” or “goodies” because we do not want to treat ourselves to poor health. It would be a bit harsh to think of them as poison, but in effect they are to some extent, depending on how your body tolerates them. When you choose to partake, take a small amount, savor the flavor, and enjoy. Then find something healthy to enjoy so you don’t continue to eat foods that will bring unhealthy results. In many instances, this may require you to bring along something that is more appropriate for your food choice and for your health.

The other thought pattern I want to address is how we can stress out over food, worrying about every ingredient or how it was prepared or cooked. If we are eating whole foods most of the time, 80% of the time, and we decide to have a piece of traditional pie or a few cookies made with ingredients we no longer include in our diet, I think our bodies will be able to handle it without much trouble. ( If there is an allergy or other serious health consideration, then I do not recommend even a small amount) But if we are worried and stressed about eating those things, I believe stress can do more harm than the actual “bad” ingredients, because our bodies are miraculous in the way they were created to deal with eliminating toxins from our system. (That is dependent upon how well your body can detoxify itself and how much toxic load you are exposed to. Which includes all toxic exposure from food, water, air, drugs, amalgam, product off gassing, radiation, etc. – this is another topic all together)

Now, I propose that you have on hand some remedies and tips to help you stay healthy through the holiday season. First, sugar intake decreases proper immune function and increases inflammation in the body. Some tips to keep in mind when eating sugar include: eat some fibrous veggies and good fats at the same meal, which will slow down the sugar absorption and will cut down on sugar spikes; eating raw fermented foods will increase probiotics in gut and increase immune response – these foods, kefir, krauts and kombucha, also cut sugar cravings; and finally, including garlic, turmeric and cider vinegar in teas and recipes will have anti-inflammatory actions in the body.

Having a couple of recipes that are healthy alternatives to conventional foods that you can bring to a party are important to have on hand and have practiced so they become easy for you to whip up.  I hope I can help you find some recipes you enjoy, that are easy to put together and you will want to share. See Recipes section.

 

 

Coconut Kefir

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I love having a tangy kefir to pour over granola or muesli (mixture of nuts, seeds and dried fruit) and it is so easy to make and much more economical than purchasing store-bought, but the best part is you control the ingredients, so there is no added preservatives, sugars and gums.

  • 2 cans of full fat coconut milk
  • 1 packet of kefir starter or 1 tsp of probiotic powder

Empty cans into a small saucepan and warm gently over low heat, just until warm. The solid coconut cream should melt and mix with the milk. If you stick your finger in the pan it should feel neutral, neither cold or warm, but body temperature. At this point take the pan off the heat and whisk in the starter or probiotic powder, mixing it well. Pour mixture into a quart jar and cap. Wrap jar in a towel and let sit on your counter or in a cabinet for 24-36 hours without disturbing. The longer you allow it to sit, the tangier it will be. It will thicken as it cultures. When it has cultured to your liking, place in the fridge. It will keep for a couple of weeks.  Add sweetener as you serve it if you like. Try drops of flavored stevia, or a little honey or maple syrup. Sprinkle with cinnamon or nutmeg. Try adding it to smoothies, poured over fresh fruit or add savory herbs, like garlic, thyme, basil, oregano, or mint and use as a dip or sauce.

 

 

 

 

Raw Creamy Oatmeal

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This recipe makes enough for two and some leftover to save or to add to a smoothie. It is creamy, yummy and able to keep you satisfied until lunch. Get creative with stir-ins and toppings.

  • 1 cup soaked steal cut oats
  • 1 tbsp. of yogurt or kefir (optional)
  • 1 apple, cored and chopped
  • 3 dates, chopped
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup shredded coconut
  • Optional toppings: raisins, chopped dried fruit, chopped nuts, seeds, cacao nibs, orange sections, bananas, berries, puree of squash or sweet potato…

Place the oats in a bowl and cover with water.  If available, add a spoonful of yogurt or kefir and mix well. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and allow to sit overnight. After the oats have soaked for at least 6 hours, combine everything except toppings, in a food processor and process until desired texture is reached: chunky or creamy.

Place in serving bowls and stir in assorted toppings. Leftovers will keep for several days in a sealed container in the fridge. A larger batch can be made and kept in a glass jar, ready to dish up or take on the run.

*For this recipe, rolled oats can be used. Rolled oats only need 15 minutes of soaking.

This recipe can be varied by adding other dried fruit in place of dates such as raisins, figs, or apricots, and substituting pear or banana for the apple. Add different spices to enhance flavor.

 

Cardamom Chocolate Mousse Cake

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This celebration cake is a good source of  zinc, selenium, Vit. E, antioxidants, good fats, and digestive aid.

For this recipe you will need a Food processor and High speed blender

  • 1 ½ cup Cashews
  • 1 avocado
  • 1 cup almond or coconut milk/water
  • ½ cup raw cacao powder
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 ½ teaspoon Cardamom
  • ½ cup sweetener: coconut nectar, honey or maple syrup
  • ½ cup cacao butter, melted
  • ¼ cup Coconut oil, melted
  • 2 teaspoons lecithin

Crust:

  • 10 brazil nuts
  • ½ cup pumpkin seeds
  • 1 ¼ cup almonds
  • 2 Tablespoons raw cacao powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon of cardamom
  • pinch salt
  • 1 Tablespoon coconut oil

To make the crust: use a food processor and grind nuts until a fine meal is achieved. Add the cacao powder, cardamom and salt, pulse to combine. Add oil and pulse again to combine and continue until the mixture just starts to roll over as it is processed. Check consistency, pinch some of the crust and if it holds shape, it is ready. Press into a 10 inch springform pan.

To make the filling: Combine the cashews and milk in a blender and blend until smooth. Stop and add the avocado, cacao powder, vanilla, cardamom and sweetener, blend until smooth, scraping down sides of container if necessary. Turn blender on and while it is on, add the melted oils and lecithin. Blend for another minute until completely incorporated. Pour filling mixture into crust, chill for at least 4 hours before serving

Juice Feasting?

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Summer is the perfect time to take a couple days to lighten up and supercharge your cells with nutrition. This can be accomplished by a short juice feast, even if it’s just for one day. Giving your body a break from having to digest heavy foods can allow more time for your body to heal, clean out toxins and repair or bring systems back into balance. A juice feast is something you can do that will provide essential nutrients while allowing the body to focus its energy on important cellular function and repair. Typically you do not need to be supervised by a healthcare practitioner for a short juice feast, but if you are concerned about specific health issues, it is recommended you check with your physician or know that you can stop and resume eating whole foods at any time if you wish. Short juicing periods can make a noticeable impact on your energy, skin, weight loss, colon health, mental clarity and overall vibrancy of life.

Over a weekend or for a week, consider only drinking fresh juiced fruits and vegetables. The juice, or life blood of plants, is super dense in vitamins, mineral and phytonutrients that can provide essential nutrients for proper cellular function, repair and regeneration. Most of us are deficient in the amount of vitamins and minerals we consume because most of us are not eating enough plant food which has the highest concentration of these necessary nutrients.  And most of us do not assimilate and absorb efficiently, so we are lacking in the nutrients we need to manufacture healthy cells. Juice can help. But, NOT the juice on the grocery store shelves. That juice is low in quality nutrition because of the processes and treatments it has to go through for sustaining shelf life. Fresh juiced fruits and veggies are best! If you do not have a juicer, I’m here to help. I can supply you with juice for the number of days you would like to feast: one, three or five days. I will supply you with five juices a day and you will drink water or herbal teas between juices.  If you don’t think you can make it on liquids alone, I recommended that you supplement with raw whole foods: fruits, vegetables, and small servings of seeds and nuts during the time you are setting aside to do this for your health.

The cost for me to provide you with juices for a Juice Feast is $30 a day for 5 juices. I do suggest a day or two before you decide to embark on a Juice Feast, to start eating lighter and more salads or steamed vegetables and eliminating coffee, sodas, dairy and meat. Ideally, the summer months are best for this because the weather is warmer and our body’s are more inclined to lighter meals, and cool foods and drinks. So, this is something I am offering trough August, however there is a week mid August I will not be available. If you are interested in doing this please contact me. I am happy to work with your schedule. 

Spring Cleaning on the Inside

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Today was a wonderful spring day, warm and sunny!  An absolutely beautiful Resurrection Day. As we enter this time of year and see the new growth as flowers start to pop up and the grass turn green, we are usually so ready and eager to open the windows and start the Spring Cleaning ritual. We often take better care of our homes and cars than we do our body’s. So I want to encourage you to think about giving your body a good Spring cleaning on the inside!  You can get rid of the built up toxins and toxic emotions that are either stored away in fat cells or that consume our thoughts and energy like un-forgiveness and bitterness.  Overtime these toxins become like the dust that accumulates inside our homes and covers the beauty that is really there. You can get your lymphatic system moving in order to clear out the stagnation in your system that has been accumulating over the long winter. There are some pretty complex and expensive cleanse packages that you can purchase and join, but you may want to try a food cleanse first. Sometimes this is all you need to reset your body chemistry, but this outline is not all encompassing for what a cleanse can include. For a simple, yet effective, cleanse there are just a few recommendations to get you started. First, mentally prepare yourself to feel better. Get excited about how you will feel after a week: you will have more energy, spring in your step, better focus, less anxiety, less weight, cravings gone, better digestion, freedom from emotional holds, and you will notice the little things that seemed ‘normal’ will go away and you will feel great! So mentally, get psyched!  The next important step is to confront the stuffed emotions that you have not been willing to deal with and look to the resurrected Christ Jesus, for forgiveness and the ability to forgive others. There are documented studies that show how emotional barriers, unresolved issues and unrepentant sin can manifest as physical illness and disease. God wants you to be well.  Then take time to add in some deep breathing time during your day, and extra movement. Whether it is going up and down the stairs rather than using the elevator or taking a walk over lunch break, get out into the fresh air to stimulate your lymph by moving around and get oxygen into your lungs and into your cells for energy and renewal by doing some deep abdominal breathing. Our cells need oxygen more than they need food, so this is an important step to include for cleansing and overall better health. (You can live for 40 days without food, but only about 5 minutes without oxygen). To cleanse, you need water, so begin substituting pure water for your other drinks during the day. In order to get toxins out of the body, you need pure water to dilute and flush them from the body. Water is so important that many of the symptoms we attribute to illness are really our body’s cry for pure water. Try to drink half of your body weight in ounces of water. (i.e. if you weigh 150 lb. then drink 75 oz. of water).  Make food choices that will significantly decrease the energy demand on your digestive system. There are foods that are heavy and require a lot of energy in order to digest them; those are primarily meats and dairy products. There are foods that are very easily and quickly digested; those are fruits and vegetables. Nuts and seeds are important for their protein and whole food fats, but during cleansing, should be eaten in small amounts. Also adding smoothies and juices during this time will greatly increase your nutritional intake and ease digestion, which are both important factors that allow your body to release stored toxins. Also consider eating more of your food in the uncooked/raw state for the enzymatic action that provides, which helps the digestive process and decreases the energy required. The digestive process is helped immensely by taking a multi-strain blend of probiotics to increase the beneficial micro-flora of the gut, which is essential for nutritional absorption and immune function. Eating fermented foods is a means of getting this beneficial bacteria. Finally, rest is very important during cleansing and for overall greater health because of the repair and renewal of cells and tissues during our sleeping state. Rest is also a major influence on the hormonal balance and proper function in the body. All of these help the body to rid itself of unwanted and stored toxins, both physical and emotional.

Take action:

  1. Mentally get ready to feel great.
  2. Emotional release and forgiveness
  3. Breath deep and move
  4. Drink pure water
  5. Choose foods that facilitate cleansing and probiotics
  6. Rest well

Ideally you will see great results if you eliminate sugar, dairy, caffeine, alcohol, soy, meat, and gluten for a period of one to two weeks, while incorporating fresh smoothies with fruit and greens, big vegetable salads, soups and steamed/roasted/grilled vegetables. And you can eat as much of these as you wish. No counting calories is necessary. *Real whole food does not come in a box, so these chemical non-foods contribute to the toxic load on our systems, so cleansing foods do not include boxed ‘food’.

If you have any questions, ask away! If you decide to Spring Clean your Insides, drop me a comment and let me know how it goes.

Thought of the Day: Is your food making you sick?

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This question is on my mind a lot with so many people having reactions to food and not feeling well on a daily basis. The new “normal” or “feeling fine” translates to the normalcy of being tired or fatigued, bloated, achy, and can’t focus all the time.  Does this sound familiar?  The food that is most available to us and that we have been indoctrinated into thinking is “good for us” is really NON-food or it has been genetically tampered with and turned into a false food that our bodies do not recognize.  This is a topic that can go on for volumes, but I wanted to bring it up and put it out there to stir some thought on the issue. If you are eating foods that have ingredient lists, make sure you know what each ingredient is. Another way to think about it is to ask yourself if that ingredient was in your grandmother’s cabinet or refrigerator. If not, it is likely created in a lab and not ideal for your dinner plate.  The foods most important for good health are WHOLE foods that have a single ingredient – that food. Apples, pears, lemons, mushrooms, kale, broccoli, almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, etc. No ingredient list is needed for whole foods. If you buy canned and boxed foods, know that the nutritional content of those foods are typically not worth the calories. The only canned items I recommend are single food items like tomatoes, and cooked beans – with the stipulation that the can is not lined with BPA plastic. When it comes to whole foods, even those can be dangerous because of the manipulation of species by the Big AG companies and the Genetic Modification that is taking place, which is affecting everyone and why I think more and more people have issues with food allergies. These GMO foods cause gut inflammation because they are NOT natural and our bodies do not recognize them as food, reacting to it like a foreign substance and generating a histamine or allergic response. I wholeheartedly recommend watching the documentary “Genetic Roulette” and  checking out the website for Responsible Technology Org.  You need to protect yourself and family from the foods that can cause so many problems. Most of the Corn, Soy, Canola, Sugar, and Cottonseed grown for commercial food companies and animal feed is genetically modified. These foods are ingredients in primarily every boxed food item on the shelves.  The only way to know for sure that you are not ingesting GMO foods is to look for the USDA Organic seal or the NON GMO Project seal on processed food items. If produce is ORGANIC it can not be GMO. But there are no labels yet to let us know if something is GMO, so buyer beware!  Many people have seen amazing results in their health and with symptoms going away when they take the effort to eliminate processed foods with GMOs and start eating Real Whole Food! Give it a try – your ‘normal’ state of being might improve and you will enjoy greater health!

Extra, Extra!

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Read all About it…

There has been a lot happening this year and this year has only just begun.  I want to tell you about some of the projects and new opportunities I’m involved in so you can know me a little better. I have just returned from a stay at a Hallelujah Acres Lifestyle Center in Florida, oh it was so sunny and warm. The center provides a B&B feel while providing classes on healthy lifestyle choices, food preparation that is raw and cooked vegan, a Bible study and exercise. Last Fall I went through the training offered by Hallelujah Acres to be a Health Minister, to be able to help people claim and achieve the abundant health God intended us to have. Our choices really do get in the way of our health. I will be offering some classes based on that training. The course, Get Healthy, Stay Balanced, is one that is approaching.

I am also going through a six month Plant-Based Professional Culinary program for wellness diets, so that I can teach and inspire others in new ways how to incorporate more plant-based foods into their diet. It is through these foods, that God created, that provide better nutrition for our ailing bodies. I hope to work with some doctors in the area by providing classes that will help patients implement better dietary choices so that their sickness and diseases will be reversed.

There is another thing I want to let you know about. Besides loving to cook and prepare raw whole foods, I have a love for holistic health. Food and health go together. I have been learning and living out herbal and natural alternative approaches to healing for the last 22 years. In the past two years I have acquired training in Holistic Blood Chemistry Analysis. It is a great way to see specifically how your organs and glands are functioning and also how they respond to stress. Knowing these things about yourself can help to pinpoint what is going on and how to bring balance back to your body, by targeting those organs or glands that are out of balance with specific foods, supplements and therapies. More information on this can be found under the Healthy Alternatives Tab in the directory.

So, as I keep learning and doing, I will keep sharing that information with you, hopefully inspiring you to take greater responsibility for your own health and making healthy lifestyle choices.

I am happy to answer any questions and consult about health concerns, but I also need to state that I am not a doctor and can not prescribe or diagnose. Let me know if there is any way I can help you in achieving your health goals.