Covenant Natural Health Care

Recipe: Easy, homemade truffles

I find it overwhelming to be bombarded with candy this time of year. It's all about how much candy can fit in a basket. Candy-making companies also go to great lengths to use special pastel-colored wrappers and cute bunnies to entice shoppers. Sadly though, all the marketing ploys used do work, the evidence being that supply meets demand.

It's hard to resist, isn't it? If you've been following this blog, you know how toxic sugar is to the body. If you've stumbled across this blog and are wondering why sugar is so bad for you, read 143 reasons sugar ruins your health. If you're craving chocolate or something sweet, the best thing you can do for your health is to avoid all the processed candy and sugars and make something sweet in your own kitchen where you control the quality and quantity of ingredients.

Here's a recipe to try and share that will satisfy the sweet tooth. Seven healthy, easy-to-find ingredients, no kitchen gadgets needed, and 15 minutes = a yummy, guilt-free dessert.

Shopping List (Recipe found here. We also sell this cookbook in our office.):
• 1/4 Cup flaxseeds, ground
• 1/4 Cup unsweetened carob powder, sifted
• 1/3 Cup walnuts, finely chopped
• 1/3 Cup raw almond butter
• 1/3 Cup honey
• 1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
• Small bowl of unsweetened shredded coconut

Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl until mixture forms a dense ball (or process in a food processor). With your hands, roll into 1-inch balls. Roll in coconut to coat. Refrigerate.

Looking for other sweet recipes? Try these:
• Homemade creamy, dark chocolate pudding (gluten-free and dairy-free)
• Guilt-free carob cupcakes
• Honey-sweetened oat cookies with a chocolate center
• Click on here for more!

Recipe: Warm Butter Beans With Fresh Rosemary & Garlic

It's not often that I fall madly in love with a recipe or a new cookbook, but it happened last weekend. A co-worker raved about a new recipe she tried from the Stone Soup blog, a blog dedicated to using 5 ingredients with a prep time of 10 minutes. Of course I had to check it out as soon as I got home.

I downloaded the FREE eCookbook and scrolled through all 97 pages drooling over the the amazing photography and recipes. I think I wrote down 6 that I wanted to try immediately. The first being warm butter beans with rosemary & garlic (page 13 of the eCookbook).

I was skeptical. I'd never had butter beans and they are a little challenging to find, but I did find canned organic butter beans at Whole Foods. Seriously, though, this might be my new favorite dish. It's so easy and quick and the 4 ingredients are so flavorful. I think it'd be a wonderful side dish with most meals. You have to try it! Download the eCookbook and scroll to page 13 for the recipe.

If you're pinched for time these days, this cookbook will be super handy for quick, wholesome meals. I know I'll be turning to it often in my kitchen. Jules, the owner of the Stone Soup blog has a new eCookbook with 131 recipes, called 5 ingredients 10 minutes for $35, that I think I'm going to order. Oh, how I'd love to take the 4-week virtual cooking class she's offering! 

Even if cooking isn't your thing, I bet you can whip up some of these recipes in no time and enjoy the end result!

Challenge yourself to trying 1 or 2 new recipes a week. Cooking and eating the same meals every day quickly lead to burnout for the cook and the eater. Trying new things can be fun for the whole family. Ask what new things they'd like to try and do a Google search for recipes that fit your dietary needs. Your family may be more willing to help out with the cooking process if they feel involved.

If you come across recipes you've tried or a new cookbook that you love, let me know and I might feature it here.

Health News Roundup

Here's what's in the news:

• Well, it's the time of year where companies are starting the vaccine push. Already, there are cases of severe reactions from the vaccine in small children. Don't be persuaded by scare tactics when it comes to vaccines—make informed decisions by doing your research. Click here to see a list of vaccines and their ingredients. Before you get injected with toxic chemicals, consider the long-term health risks that may come with vaccinations. As my husband found out the hard way, vaccination residue can hang around in your body for years! His childhood vaccines were one of the first things to show up when we started seeking holistic care for his seizures.
side note: Since starting to eat whole, organic foods, eliminating processed foods from my diet, not eating sugar and getting plenty of rest and exercise—which has been about 2.5 to 3 years ago—I have not had one cold, the flu, or one vaccine. I work in an office, in a cube, surrounded by people who got sick often and I was able to avoid it because I have built up a strong immune system. As summer fades and fall arrives I'll be sharing tips often to help you and your family stay germ-free, but now is the time to start building up your immune system!

• "You can slow down your aging process and help stave off heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. U.S. News & World Report offers some tips on how to do it ..." click here for the article.

• Click here to find out what the most common nutrient deficiency in the world is. Here's another great article on how this nutrient can be more effective at preventing flu infections than a vaccine.

• Butt jobs gone bad: "Officials said the women had been injected with chemicals including petroleum jelly and nonmedical-grade silicone, or 'the same stuff you use to put caulk around the bathtub,' according to Marcus." Read this article to find out why petroleum jelly may not be as safe as you think.

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I'm happy to report that the homemade dishwasher detergent that I mentioned in this post's tip of the day was a success! I can't remember the last time I had cleaner dishes. There was absolutely no residue left on the dishes like commercial detergents leave. I'm so excited to have found a cost-saving cleaning solution that is safe for my family.

Lastly, I want to address a question from a comment under yesterday's post. Q: What time-saving tips and tricks do you have for switching from processed food preparation to a more natural approach? 

A: Here are 5 tips that I found helpful in my transition:
1. Cook food in bigger batches and freeze it in freezer safe containers. Soups, burgers, chicken, etc are all easy to prepare in bulk (plus it saves electricity). I freeze individual containers (enough for 1 meal) that can be easily pulled out the night before for quick prep the next day.

2. Buy easy-to-follow, healthy, simple recipe books. I wish I could cook like Martha Stewart every night, but I can't—so I focus on putting simple, yet delicious and wholesome meals on the table. I recommend Hungry for Health and Eating Your Way to Good Health—both easy for you and the husband to follow with delicious results.

3. Chop up vegetables the day you bring them home from the market. I've found that I am more likely to snack on healthy vegetables and fruit during the week if they are already cut up, because I know that it gets too crazy during the week to take the time. Plus, it's super easy to throw a salad or a delicious vegetable omelet together for breakfast when the veggies are already cut.

4. Be patient. Once you get into a good groove with eating more naturally, you'll get quicker at preparing meals and snacks. There will be a workshop in late September, on a Saturday afternoon, where I will share time-saving tips, and recipes (and food samples) for preparing healthy lunches and snacks. Stay tuned for more info!

5. Experiment: Some of our favorite dishes came out of throwing ingredients together that were leftover in the fridge.

BONUS: Create a meal plan! I'll be touching more on this soon and providing a template. If you take an hour out of your weekend and plan all your meals for the week you can do two things: buy exactly what you need at the store (no more, no less) and take the guess-work out "what's for dinner". It not only saves me time, but also my sanity!