My Quinoa & Curry Recipe

Have you heard of grains like millet, couscous, pearled barley, quinoa, and amaranthe.  These are just a few of the whole grains that I love and use often.  There are so many vitamins and minerals found in these whole grains that are hard to get in the average American diet.  Try cooking with these instead of plain rice.  I love making curry and quinoa.  Here's one of my all time favorite recipes I came up with.
Cook Quinoa in a pan.  Follow the directions for cooking.  Use 2 cups of water for 1 cup of Quinoa.

In a large fry pan ...
Add 1 T of Coconut Oil (this is perfect to handle the high heat)
Add 1 onion diced.
Saute in pan for a few minutes on high heat.

Add vegetables (start with veggies that need more cook time)
start with: Cauliflower, Carrots, Squash, Sweet Potatoes etc.. I use whatever I've got in my fridge.
saute for a few minutes
add in: green beans, sugar snap peas, broccoli, red peppers (a must), zucchini, etc

Simmer in pan for several minutes.  I add 2 or 3 T of water and close the lid.  Simmer for a few more minutes.  I don't like my veggies mushy, I enjoy them a bit crispy.

Add 1/2 cup or can of black beans.

Add herbs...I use fresh tarragon, basil, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and curry (probably 1 T). Careful it's spicy so use to taste.

Mix with Quinoa.  Add sesame seeds or sunflower seeds.

You can serve it on salad or eat it plain.  I like it with tortilla chips.  Perfect with chicken or steak if you eat meat.  You can eat it hot or cold.  Add tomatoes and avocado.  There's so many options.

BENEFITS of using Quinoa:

1. An excellent source of iron, magnesium, potassium, phosporus, and zinc.
2. Good source of B-complex vitamins.
3. High in Protein. 

I buy mine thru Azure Standard at www.azurestandard.com.  or Sunflower Market or Any health food store.

Got Milk?

I'm so grateful for all the different options for milk.  I use a variety in my kitchen.  Gotta say I'm not a big fan of goats milk.  I know it's good for me which should make me want to drink it but I had to draw the line somewhere. I just couldn't gag it down.   

My fridge has the following milks in it.  

I read somewhere that over 75% of Americans are allergic to cow's milk.  Not sure how they come up with these stats but nonetheless as I'm thinking about my own family, there's 6 of us and 5 of us, for sure, cannot tolerate cow's milk.  In my extended family the numbers are probably the same.  Signs of allergies (especially look for these in your children) are: clearing mucous from throat a lot, snorting (don't you hate the sound of kids snorting?  It drives me nuts!), lines under eyes, darkness under eyes, excema, rashes, and WARNING kind of grosse but red rings around the bum area.  If you notice any of these signs after having milk it's a good indication that there's some sensitivities to it.  Some of you might feel worried because you love milk and your kids love milk.  We used to be the same way.  But no need to worry when there's such great alternatives.  Here's how I use the different kinds of milk.

• rice milk--I make pancakes, waffles, shakes, put it on cereal, etc.  This is our main source of milk.  Did you know that there's the same amount of Calcium in rice milk as there is in Cow's milk?  And vita D.  I get the enriched organic kind from Costco.  Cheapest price!  Start here if you haven't tried different milks before.  Your kids won't be able to tell a difference.
• almond milk--I get the chocolate kind for protein shakes.  I also get the unsweetened original kind.  It's the best because it's not sweet making it taste more like cow's milk.  I especially love this with granola. It's kind of expensive.  It's cheaper to make it and really not too difficult or time consuming.  Maybe I'll blog about that soon.
• soy milk-- When I'm working out hard I use some soy because it's high in protein, however, I don't use very much. It's just not that good for you. Too much soy can trigger migraines, effects the estrogen/progesterone balance.  Use soy milk sparingly and make sure it's of an organic source.  It's absolutely disgusting how soy is processed.
• Organic Cow's milk-- I still buy a gallon of organic milk 2 times a month because Spanky likes it.  She doesn't show any adverse reactions to it. Portamus Prime and Bubbles are definitely allergic.  They sniff and snort and drive me crazy if they ever drink it. I'm also allergic to it.  I used to wake up everyday with hardened boogies in my nose and a sore throat.  No joke every morning.  Since going off milk I wake up with a clear voice and nose.    

If you're going to get milk, be sure it's organic.  

• I've done lots of research on dairy farms.  Most of them especially the large companies (meadow gold, walmart, etc) treat the cows REALLY bad.  Not only that the drugs and hormones are severly affecting Americans.  So you'll spend a couple extra dollars but it's well worth it knowing you aren't giving your children the growth hormones--another reason for the estrogen/progesterone balance to get off.

So what do you say?  Set a goal to try a different milk this week.   If you're eating whole grains and vegetables and drinking the hulk juice, trust me you're getting all the Calcium you need.  If you start using alternative milk sources with very young children, they grow up not having a clue.  Tallyoop (my 3 yr old has no clue about cow's milk. She's only had rice and almond milk.  Same with Bubbles (my 4 yr old).  Remember even if there is no sensitivities to dairy, one could easily transpire when used too much and too often.  We need to rotate the things we eat and drink.