kitchen staples

So friends have asked me to start posting reciepes. Well before I do that I am going to post some staples that help me get through day to day. I posted a link previously to Mama Natural's video she said change your fat... and listed a few fats. One was butter, preferably from a farm with no horemones, preservatives, addatives etc. Currently I use Oberweiss. She also mentioned coconut oil. I tried it first on bread baking(coating the pans) then i started adding it to food. I am a believer and it doesn't taste coconutty if you get the right kinds.

We recently started with oberwiess milk delievery. Nothing is going to make me feel more like Donna Reed than having a milk man. So what if my milk man comes so early I will never meet him. I know he is bringing me a milk free of horemones and preservatives. And I imagine he is wearing an all white ensemble and a cute hat. I also might not be wearing a cute frock and usually run out to the porch in my underpants and wet hair hoping my nosey neighbor isn't catching a glimpse. But it is my slice of the past and the milk is damn tasty.

While discussing milk I might add another staple in the fridge is almond milk. We mix it up with the almond milk. Sometimes we have three cartons in the fridge at once. Tonight I made omelets with unsweetened (35 calories per serving) and John prefers vanilla or chocolate. Mostly this is the liquid base of the smoothies. I'll add a couple new smoothie reciepes on sometime.

Speaking of smoothies I went into detail the benefits of kale in a previous post I also add kale as a filler to other meals. Stir fry, omelets, soups. I have this rule that every big meal has to to have a large serving of greens. Kale or Spinach mostly.

I often add kale or spinach to my newest obsession quinoa. This grain is filling and soooo much better for you then rice or pasta. I am still experimenting but here is some benefits. ■Complete protein. Quinoa contains all 9 essential amino acids that are required by the body as building blocks for muscles. ■Magnesium helps relax your muscles and blood vessels and effects blood pressure. Quinoa contains high levels of this vital nutrient. ■Fiber. Quinoa is a wonderful way to ensure that you consume valuable fiber that eases elimination and tones your colon. ■Manganese and copper. Quinoa is a good source of these minerals that act as antioxidants in your body to get rid of dangerous cancer and disease-causing substances. Right now I just cook it per the directions and add spices and the kale or spinach or instead of rice use it for my thai/stirfry dishes. I am also a fan of brown rice pasta. The benefits are not as great but it taste a heck of a lot better than whole wheat pasta and is better for you.

My quick go to dinner when John wants to eat something gross like buffalo chicken legs is throwing a chicken sausage on the grill. These are increasing in popularity and many brands are available. My favorite brands are al fresca, aidells, and meijer even has a line of them. Just make sure it is all natural and always check the ingredients. My favorite flavor are sundried tomato, spinach and mozerella, and the very best is aidells bacon pineapple. I will eat them like a hot dog (unbunned) or chop them up and sautee' with veggies. These can get pricey but at meijer there is usually a brand on sale.

BACON. John Sivak is bacon's #1 fan and in an attempt to eat out less and not buy gross lunch meat I have found a place in our home for it. John uses it for homemade pizza instead of pepperoni and we found a brand that is not full of nitrates. Nitrates are not good in pregnancy and are said to be cancer causing. Nitrates aren't completly bad. Nitrates are most abundant in vegetables but paired with vitamin c they are a-okay. But eat too much cold cuts/hot dogs/bacon you are in big trouble. We found a nitrate free natural brand of bacon. We usually have a bacon meal a week or add it sparingly to salads. DO NOT BUY THIS BRAND AT COUNTY MARKET it is over 6.00. Meijer has this brand for less than 4.00 which is pretty typical for any bacon. DO NOT eat turkey bacon it is worse for you than regular bacon.. more processed and more sodium.

This is not a big suprise but Greek Yogurt is amazing. 36% of your protein with only 120 calories? SOLD. I like to make dips (with fresh herbs like dill and cucumber dip) with it and this can be spread on a sandwich. You can do lots more than make smoothies or parfaits. Greek Yogurt is amazing. Gyros, Uncle Jesse, and now healthy yogurt.. them greeks are pretty amazing.