Disease = Food = Soil

Common sense tells us that bad diets cause bad health. Too many of us don’t eat enough fruits and veggies. But, of those fruits and veggies that we do eat, the loss of micronutrients from our food undermines our health and contributes to physiological and psychological illness.2 The USDA says that Americans lack sufficient amounts of calcium, magnesium, potassium, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin D, and vitamin E to maintain good health.1

Interestingly, a new standard of malnutrition has developed. Type B malnutrition, a.k.a. multiple micronutrient depletion, is used to describe those who have plentiful sources of calories/food, but the quality of the food fails to provide sufficient micronutrients to properly nourish the body.2 This malnutrition has been linked to the rising prevalence of diseases such as child hood leukemia, childhood obesity, caridovascular disorders, osteo and rheumatoid arthritis, mental illness, hyperactivity, etc.2 Thus, the chemical composition of food is essential in dietary treatment of disease.2

Where does our food get its chemical composition? Food gets its nutritional makeup from the soil.

Good soil quality means good nutritional density of the food grown therein. But, food grown in nutrient deficient soil lacks nutrients to keep people healthy.1 Nutritional value in foods has declined due in part to mineral depletion in the soil.1 Without adequate nutrition, especially from minerals, research shows that people develop chronic disease.1 Food with high nutrient values comes, in part, from enhanced mineral nutrients in the soil.1

Even the USDA acknowledges that nutrients lost from the soil can have a long-term effect on nutrient content of plants.4 Neither the current USDA standards nor the standards set forth by the organic industry address the nutrient content of foods.1

So if disease is caused by poor food quality and food quality is linked to soil quality, it makes sense that we can improve the occurrence of the more common nutritionally-related diseases in our society by improving the soil quality where food is grown.

There are 17 known essential minerals and many other trace minerals needed for good health.1 In fact, minerals may be more vital to health than vitamins.1 One study reported in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry in June 2007, reported a near doubling of flavonoids in tomatoes grown according to organic standards as opposed to conventional standards.3 And, the gap between the flavonoid levels in the organic versus conventional tomatoes increased steadily over time as the organic methods were continued to be used. The longer the fields were managed organically, the greater the nutrition premium. They concluded that plant nutrient cycling within higher quality soil in the organic plots was one explanation for the higher nutrient content. The linkage between improved soil quality and more nutrient-dense food is evidence in support of organic principles – "feed the soil to better feed the plant".3

In short, food purchased at any grocery store, even such reputable stores as Whole Foods or Sprouts, are unreliable in determining nutrient quality. The buyer has no knowledge of the soil quality where the food was grown. This provides another very good reason for everyone to use the space they have to raise as much of their own food as is possible. At home, in your own garden, you can control the mineral content of the soil used to grown food by, for example, adding trace minerals back to the soil and increase the nutrient density of the food you and your family eats. Improved food improves disease; improved soil improves food; therefore, improved soil must improve disease. For you and your family, your garden can be your first line of attack on the nutrient value of your food and against Type-B malnutrition.

Resources:
1 Marler, J.B. and J.R. Wallin, (2006) "Human Health, the Nutritional Quality of Harvested Food and Sustainable Farming Systems." Nutrition Security Institute.
2 Thomas, D. (2007) "The Mineral Depletion of Foods Available to Us As a Nation." Nutrition and Health 19:21-55.
3 Benbrook, C. and A. Greene. (2008) "The Link Between Organic and Health: New Research Makes the Case for Organic Even Stronger." Organic Processing Magazine, view at  www.organic-center.org/reportfiles/OPma08CoverStory2.pdf December 30, 2010.
4 United States Department of Agriculture. (August 24, 2010.) "Food Composition: Nutrient Changes Over Time." view at http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/nal_display/index.php?info_center=4&tax_level=3&tax_subject=279&topic_id=1468&level3_id=6746&level4_id=0&level5_id=0&placement_default=0 December 30, 2010.

Clean Eating, Not the Soap and Shower Variety

Clean Eating can be simply defined: If you could have hunted for it, fished for it, plucked it, or gathered it, it belongs on your table. The remaining processed foods that make up our modern American diet have been attributed to the modern illnesses and diseases.

Much like a well-trained army, your body will perform at its best when it’s given the right equipment. That begins with the right foods, rich in all the substances that protect and support the cells, organs, tissues, and blood vessels.

1. No Trans Fats

Is there any doubt left that man-made trans fats are the worst fats on the planet? Trans fats are found in hydrogenated margarine, baked goods, packaged snacks, and in oils commonly used to cook french fries and other fast foods. Approximately 30,000 deaths due to coronary heart disease each year are directly linked to the consumption of trans fatty acids, and trans fats promote not only heart disease and obesity, but may also increase the likelihood of cancer, diabetes, and immune dysfunction. What else do you need to start checking food labels and eliminate trans fats from your diet? Look for the words “partially hydrogenated” on the food labels and don’t buy it or eat it!

2. No Sugar

If I asked you what the main ingredient is in an unhealthy diet, you would probably say “fat”, right? Well, you would be wrong! The percentage of total fat in your diet turns out to have very little correlation to poor health (it’s the type of fat that’s the problem – see above). But one thing that does correlate to poor health is SUGAR.

Experts are beginning to see that a lot of what’s bad about the standard American diet has more to do with processed sugar and carbs than it does with fat. Sugar – and any fast-dissolving carb like white bread, processed cereals, or potatoes, which turn into to sugar quickly in the digestive process – does two things to your body.

First, sugar and processed carbs raise blood sugar (even in people without diabetes) and clog up the works, especially in small capilaries. Second, a high sugar intake raises the hormone level of insulin, which is the body’s main mechanism for removing sugar from the bloodstream and getting it into cells (again, even in people without diabetes). A high level of insulin raises blood pressure and closes the door to the fat cells, making “burning” fat impossible.

A diet made up of the right proportion of protein, good fats, and low-glycemic carbs (meaning carbs that take longer to digest) is the way to go. High-glycemic carbs (meaning carbs that digest quickly and turn into sugar) are linked to diabetes, obesity, some cancers, and macular degeneration.

3. Eat more plant foods.

What do type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, obesity, cancer, heart disease, stroke, Parkinson’s, and rheumatoid arthritis all have in common? Research shows that all of these conditions may begin with an inflammatory process. A diet high in hydrogenated fats, lacking in omega-3 essential fats and fresh produce, and high levels of daily stress are all thought to promote chronic inflammation. Plant foods are loaded with powerful anti-inflamatories that will improve overall health by reducing the inflammation we naturally encounter, as well as that we have the ability to avoid but don’t.

4. Eat foods high in anti-oxidants.

Have you ever burped after drinking beer or carbonated beverages? The gas is a byproduct of ingesting the carbonation, right? The same process happens in your body when your cells process the nutrients you eat, the byproducts are called “free-radicals”. These free-radicals are naturally occurring, but can also be caused by stress or exposure to pollution, smoke, or other environmental conditions. Over years of exposure, free-radicals wander around the body, causing problems ranging from simply aging to cancer. Anti-oxidants are like a broom that sweeps up the free-radicals in the body and neutralizes their destructive capabilities.

The most powerful anti-oxidants are Vitamins C and E and the minerals selenium and zinc. A simple rule of thumb for choosing foods high in anti-oxidants is “the more color the better”. For example, iceberg lettuce is very pale green and low in anti-oxidants; spinach is bright, dark green and high in anti-oxidants.

Anti-oxidant rich foods include:

Vegetables:

Sweet yellow, red or green peppers

Broccoli

Brussel sprouts

Squash

Kale

Spinach

Mustard greens

Artichokes

Carrots

Zucchini

Fruits:

Strawberries

Kiwis

Berries

Tomatoes

Grapefruit

Oranges

Apricots

Peaches

Nuts and Seeds:

Dry-roasted almonds

Sunflower seeds

Brazil nuts

Pecans

So, if you want to continue improving your health, but don’t know where to start, begin by simply eliminating sugar, processed carbs, and trans fats from your diet. Add foods that are plant-based or high in anti-oxidants. Disease prevention – and Clean Eating – doesn’t get any simpler than that.

Adapted from “Add 6.6 Years to Your Life with Clean Eating” by Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., CNS, Clean Eating Magazine, Vol 1, Issue 2, Spring 2008.

Snack Food Makers

Fox News reports that some makers of snack foods are improving the healthiness of their snacks in response to pressure from the government and threat of lawsuits.  This article highlights the tug-and-pull of the free market system on the one hand versus the role of government through regulations and lawsuits to force a private company to take a certain action.

The challenge, says the article, is to balance healthier ingredients and consumer taste.  Consumers do not typically buy the low-calorie snacks because they don’t taste as good as the unhealthy version. 

One parent cited in the article blames marketing ploys for attracting her children to the unhealthy products. “Real food loses its seductiveness,” the mother complains.

Some segments of our society definitely seem to be voicing opposition to the unhealthiness of the offerings in the snack food industry.  I do not believe that means that society as a whole is getting “smarter” regarding snack foods; the minority may be becoming louder.  The fact is that our society is more overweight than it has ever been.  Our diet and modern conveniences that discourage movement are to blame.  There is some blame to be had by Big Food Industry.  They have allowed science to replace food.  Ingredients we cannot begin to pronounce have replaced real food. A movement back to real food with real ingredients and not science experiments can only be a good thing for society.  It is doubtful, however, that the industry will succeed in this because the industry will sell what people will buy.  Only when the people choose to buy healthier food will the industry be successful in selling healthier food.

Can anyone in our society believe that it is better to eat Cheez-Its than an apple? 

Or a poptart instead of oatmeal? Or cola instead of water?  No, of course not.  Few people in America would think those scientific foods of Big Food Industry are healthier or better for you than the real food alternatives.  We eat them because they are easier, because marketing efforts help us fool ourselves that they are not-so-bad, and they fuel our addiction to sodium-laden carbs.  Consequently, we as a society are fat.

Parents are also to blame.  Only a parent can teach their child to prefer peaches over snickers.  It is not Dora the Explorer’s fault that the child eats sugar cereal.  It is the parent’s fault.  Only the parent’s fault.  If the child is attracted to the colorful marketing, either turn off the tv during the advertisements or use those opportunities to teach the child the fallacies of glossy commercials.

Overall, this article shines a spotlight on our society’s desire to Blame – blame the government for failing to regulate snack food, blame the makers of snack food for making it taste good, blame the advertisements for making the kids want to eat it -- all through the threat of litigation and lawyers. (I’m a lawyer and I’m saying this!) In reality, we are each to blame for voting with our dollars and buying Cheez-its instead of apples.

School Gardens

I learned of a great new charity called REAL School Gardens: "REAL school gardens are stimulating, inviting and beautiful spaces that encourage a child's learning across subject matters, and our gardens are as diverse as the 74 elementary school communities with whom we partner. They are unique outdoor classrooms designed to provide hands-on, experiential learning opportunities for elementary-aged children. This real-world learning can be integrated into all academic subject areas and has been shown to benefit children by boosting academic achievement, nurturing healthy lifestyles, cultivating life skills and promoting environmental stewardship."

They've helped put in gardens at 75 schools in the North Texas area alone!

Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief (L) and Mike Lynch (R), NASCAR Managing Director of Green Innovation, plant a tree with Rosemont 6th Grade School.

Here's their website: http://www.realschoolgardens.org/

Programs like this will influence our children for a lifetime! Hooray for them!

Squirrels and Spinach

Last year, we battled the squirrels like crazy.  Unfortunately, the squirrels won.  So, this year, we decided to build a cage around our garden to keep the squirrels out.  It is 20x20 made of 1-inch chicken wire.  The doors are screened with chicken wire as well. Inside, we have our existing garden in the ground, as well as a new 4x17 raised bed garden built by Gardens by Gary -- a really, really nice guy.

Now it's time to start planting.

This weekend I went to two classes at Northhaven Gardens on winter vegetable planting and seed starting. I learned about planting onions, spinach, and cabbage. I bought some stuff then came home to plant. My first planting in the new raised garden is spinach, cabbage, Swiss chard, kale, leeks, red white & yellow onions, and celery. I didn't mean to buy the celery... I thought it was cilantro. Oops! Looking forward to watching it all grow! I have more onion bulbs to stagger planting over the next month. 

Now, to work on seed starting.  I made my own starter pots out of newspaper using this gadget.  Pretty neat and green.  When the time comes, these can just go right into the ground. Ordered a grow light and seed heating mat online (sorry NHG, you are double the price of Amazon, including the shipping costs!) and John cleared an area for me to use for the seed starting.  Planning for carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, peppers, and eggplant by seed.  If it doesn't work, I can always go back to the store and buy their starters.

Healthy Cooking Without Busting Your Budge

Is it possible to have good tasting food with a healthy conscience on a budget? The resounding answer is “Yes”! But, it takes planning and preparation. The following suggestions are intended to help balance the time constraints of a normal busy person with the desire to make healthy meals on a budget.

• What is the most expensive food in your kitchen? The biggest budget buster in your kitchen is wasted food. Food that goes bad or gets thrown away can wreck a budget without even knowing it. One tip to help save food waste is to invest in a vacuum packaging machine, like a Food Saver. These machines remove air from the packaging, helping to preserve food for up to 5 times longer in the refrigerator or freezer. (Even Oprah likes these machines. The Food Saver was one of her favorite things in December 2003!)
• Buy produce in season. Produce purchased in season saves a great deal of money over out of season stock. Apples are less expensive in the fall. Melons are usually less expensive in the summer months. Growing and preserving produce out of season requires a great expenditure of energy through greenhouses mimicking the natural growing conditions and use of unnatural substances to preserve the freshness and color of the product. Farmer’s markets are a great place to find produce in season. If you find a good deal but have to buy a larger quantity, you an always vacuum seal and freeze it for later.
• Cook from scratch. It is often tempting to pick up fast food when you are tired after a long day at work. Convenience items, like dinner-in-a-box can also suffer the same pitfalls to your budget. Plus, fast food and convenience foods generally have a nutritional cost that should be considered. Fast food or convenience foods usually have a higher sodium content and include higher fat and calories to preserve the taste quality than items you could make at home.
• Make healthy substitutions. Drink water or milk instead of soft drinks. Soft drinks are expensive and unhealthy. Every adult and child needs to drink water and milk every day. Substitute fruit or vegetables for snacking instead of chips or cookies.
• Watch your portion sizes. Cook only enough of those foods to give everyone the recommended amount. For a family of 5, 1 pound of ground chuck would be enough to give Dad 4 ounces, Mom 3 ounces, a 10 year old boy and 8 year old twin girls 3 ounces each. Those are the serving sizes recommended by the new USDA guidelines. (A 3-ounce portion of meat is about the size of a deck of cards.)
• Pick your proteins carefully. Use beans frequently as a meat substitute. There are many varieties, they can be prepared in a crock-pot so that dinner is ready when you get home, and they contain lots of fiber to improve regularity. The USDA recommends eating beans 4 times per week. If you have a problem with gas after eating beans, try washing them, covering with water, bringing water to a boil, then draining off water and refilling pot. Skip the bacon. Bacon is expensive, very high in fat, and offers little or no nutritional value. Lean meats are more expensive than meats with lots of fat, but still substantially less expensive than paying high medical bills incurred from consuming a high fat, less nutritive diet.
• Turn to generic. Generic brands are often a lot less expensive than brand-name products. If, for example, a brand-name cereal has the same nutritional value as the generic one and your family likes them both, it's often a better bet to go with the generic. Even if you have a coupon for the well-known brand, chances are the generic cereal will still be cheaper. Shop the weekly sale ads to get good deals on staples. Compare prices at various stores to find which is the cheapest. Some stores offer double or triple coupons that could make a non-generic item more cost effective.
• Make a list with a budget and follow it. Figure out how much your monthly budget allowance is for food and other items purchased at the grocery store. Divide that number by the number of times per month you go to the store. Develop your list of items that you need at the store and approximate pricing. Be sure to budget for non-food items that you may need, but realize that most non-food items can be purchased less expensively at a dollar store. The usual adage of “don’t go to the grocery store hungry” applies as well – shopping when you are hungry increases the likelihood that you will buy items that are not on the list or in the budget.
• Cook once, eat twice. Being budget conscious includes more than just the basic cost of food. Part of saving money is to use all of the food you have purchased and to conserve energy when preparing it. Using a stove or oven during the hot summer months creates extra heat in the house, which then requires use of energy to cool off. Using a toaster oven is an alternative when cooking a small meal, instead of turning on the big oven. Also cooking once and using what you have prepared to eat twice can conserve both money and time in the kitchen. For example, if you make a pot roast in a slow cooker one night, save the extra portions to freeze and use later for beef tacos.
• Watch breakfast items. Frequently, mornings do not lend time to cooking a meal, and fast, convenient food is preferable. However, such breakfast items as poptarts or breakfast bars usually contain high amounts of sugar and are expensive. Comparison shop for cereals and look at generic brands. The convenience packs of oatmeal are more expensive and higher in sugar. One alternative is to use regular oatmeal, which is significantly less expensive and, frankly, tastes better. Regular oatmeal can even be sweetened with fruit or applesauce or splenda. Eggs are also an inexpensive breakfast food, that provides an immediate shot of protein first thing in the morning.
• Bigger does not always equal better! Be careful of big "value size" packages. Often a smaller size product can be more cost effective than the larger size of the same product. Sometimes they are packaged for price value, but often they are simply packaged only for convenience.

America's Good Food Fight

Great op-ed in the LA Times by Nicolette Niman about the tug-of-war between the sustainable food movement versus the desire to provide cheap food to all people.

The controversy is often framed by agribusiness and food companies, heavily
invested in maintaining the status quo, claiming that a globalized,
industrialized system is the only way to produce enough food to feed the world's
growing population, and to do so affordably. Reform advocates working to
transform the system to one that's more locally based and isn't dependent on
chemicals, mechanization and cheap fossil fuels are pitted against the world's
poor, working class and hungry.

One important point the article makes is about the "cheapness" of commodity food (commodity food = corn, soybeans, etc). The food isn't really cheap. The government subsidizes the food to make it cheap! In other words, our tax dollars pay for part of our food supply so when you go to the grocery store it seems cheap. But, if you took the amount of your tax dollars that help subsidize the food supply plus the amount you spend at the grocery store, only then would you see the true cost of the food. Here's what the article says about that:

Commodity foods — from large-scale, industrialized agricultural production
— seem cheap by comparison because they're produced without bearing their true
costs, which are passed on in the form of pollution, virulent infectious
diseases and animal suffering.

"If the full cost of externalized environmental and health costs were taken into account, those same products would be far more expensive," the Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production concluded in a 2008 report issued with the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.

So, this explains why you can get food so much cheaper at Walmart than at the local food stand. But, at what immeasurable cost? Walmart food may provide calories, but they are increasingly empty calories -- lacking nutrient value -- compared to the food produced locally and sustainably.

You fill your belly with calories, but lack the nutrients needed to keep you healthy and free of illness. (Have you wondered why our people have so many illnesses these days? Think... lack of vitamins and minerals in our food. But, that's another rant for another day...)


Back to the article....

The good news is that sustainable farming can feed the world. Productivity
comparisons of organic crops versus conventional crops have been hotly contested
for decades. But recent years have seen mounting studies showing that organic
crop yields are catching up and even surpassing chemical-based
agriculture.

Nonetheless, there is no denying that foods from sustainable farms
carry a higher price tag for the U.S. consumer. Most of us can actually afford
it. Americans spend about 9% of their incomes on food, according to the
Agriculture Department, one of the smallest percentages in the world.

The real challenge now is making good food available to people at every income level.
Currently, the financially strapped single mother has a hard time buying local
and organic. This is precisely where hunger advocates and good food advocates

I took this picture on vacation in Maine.

can and should unite to make wholesome food more accessible.

And, here's what she recommends as a long-term plan for solution:

Longer-term policy changes should include reinventing government food,
farm, education and nutrition programs to make healthy eating easy and
affordable. A few examples: States and localities should facilitate the
acceptance of food stamps at farmers' markets; school districts should create
lunch programs that offer healthier meals and purchase from local farms; federal
and state agriculture departments should help beginning farmers set up
sustainable farming operations and reestablish programs that teach citizens
skills for cooking, canning and growing some of their own food.

Read the article and judge for yourself: America's good food fight - latimes.com

What do you think?

The Case for Quinoa

Quinoa is one of my favorite foods!

Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) is a grain that comes from the Chenopodium plant native to the Andes Mountains of South America. There are three varieties of quinoa, white or sweet quinoa, red quinoa which is a fruity variety, and the regal-looking black quinoa. Its unique texture provides a crunchy outer spiral with a soft and springy inside kernel.

This grain has origins dating over five thousand years to the ancient Inca civilization of South America and was rediscovered and recovered after almost extinction.


Quinoa boasts an almost perfect balance of all nine essential amino acids and is considered a complete protein. The National Academy of Sciences calls it “one of the best sources of protein in the vegetable kingdom” and the United Nations classifes it as a “super crop”. Higher in protein and unsaturated fats, and lower in carbohydrates than most grains, quinoa provides an abundance of manganese, calcium, fiber, iron, and magnesium, as well as vitamins B an E. It is also gluten-free.

Quinoa’s light and fluffy texture with high protein content make it easy to digest and an ideal choice for vegetarians or weight loss patients. It is easy to prepare and versatile; it can be served as a side dish, in soups, in salads, as a pilaf, even as a nutritious breakfast cereal similar to oatmeal. Substitute quinoa for rice, pasta or hot cereal to create healthy and appealing recipe alternatives.

Nutrition Facts: ¼ cup dry (makes ½ cup cooked): Calories 159; Fat 3 g; Saturated Fat 0 g; Trans Fat 0 g; Cholesterol 0 mg; Sodium 2 mg; Carbohydrates 29 g; Fiber 5 g; Sugar 3 g; Protein 5 g.

Basic Cooking Instructions: Place 1 cup of quinoa and 2 cups of water in a 1 ½ quart saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer, cover and cook until all water is absorbed (about 15 minutes).

To prepare in a rice cooker, treat quinoa just like rice. Add two parts water to one part quinoa, stir, cover and when the cooker shuts off, the quinoa is done.

For additional flavor, substitute chicken broth or vegetable stock for the water. Also experiment with vegetable juice or fruit juice as the cooking liquid.


NOTE: Make sure you purchase the pre-washed quinoa. Or, if you don't, then you need to rinse the quinoa before cooking.

You can find it at Central Market or Whole Foods.


Cashew Shrimp Fried Quinoa (like Fried Rice)By Chef John L. O’Neil



1 cup frozen veggies (peas, carrots, and corn)
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped zucchini
3 tablespoons olive oil or canola oil, divided into 1 tablespoon at a time
1 tsp sesame oil
1 cup uncooked shrimp (deveined with no tails)
2 tablespoons teriyaki glaze
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 eggs
2 cups prepared quinoa (refrigerated left-over quinoa works best) (can use white or red quinoa or a mixture looks pretty)
½ cup cashews, roughly chopped
1 small can pineapple chunks, drained

In nonstick pot, heat 1 tablespoon of oil on high heat. Add onions first and cook for 2 minutes. Add sesame oil, zucchini and frozen veggies and cook for another 30 seconds to a minute. Remove from pot and put aside in a bowl and cover to keep warm. Rinse out pot and dry. Return pot to stove and heat on high. Add 1 tablespoon oil and shrimp to pot and stir fry. When shrimp are almost pink, add teriyaki and soy sauce and finish cooking. Shrimp should cook in no more than 3 minutes. Put shrimp and sauce on top of veggies and cover. Rinse pot and return to high heat. Put 1 tablespoon oil in pot and heat until very hot. Add 2 eggs into oil and scramble in oil. Stir for 10 seconds to quick scramble/fry. Add quinoa and lightly stir, then stir in veggie/shrimp mixture. Add cashews and pineapple and stir until mixed together and warm. Serve on large platter.

Quinoa: Make quinoa in rice cooker by placing two cups of pre-washed, ready-to-cook quinoa, a dash of salt, and one 32 oz. box of chicken broth in rice cooker and turn on. When rice cooker clicks to “warm” setting, the quinoa is done.

NOTE: Huli-Huli Sauce from Hawaii can be used as a substitute for the teriyaki and soy sauce in the same amounts.

Hot Quinoa Breakfast CerealBy Chef John L. O’Neil

¼ cup dry quinoa
½ cup water
¼ cup fat-free condensed milk
1 tablespoon Smart Balance butter
2 tablespoons Splenda Brown Sugar
Dash of cinnamon

Boil water in saucepan. Add quinoa when boiling, turn heat down to medium and simmer until water is absorbed. Add milk, butter, Splenda and cinnamon and heat, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes until thickened. Pour into bowl and sprinkle your choice of toppings such as raisins, dried cranberries, nuts, or sunflower seeds.

Baby It's Cold Outside... What do you like to eat?

It was 28 degrees when I left the house this morning.  Brrrrrrrrrr!  And, a couple of inches of snow remains on the grass from yesterday's blizzard (Texas version).  This weather reminds me of all of the food I like to eat when it's cold outside.  As a child, my Mom would always make frito pie with homemade chili on cold days.  She also liked to make homemade potato soup.  I guess that's why I'm such a soup fan and have been all of my life.  Soup just makes you feel warm and snuggly inside.  What is your warm food favorite on a cold day?

A couple of years ago I won a soup competition for my Hearty Corn Chowder.  The judge of the competition was none other than Dean Fearing himself!

I interpreted this recipe from my mother-in-law's recipe.  My way of interpreting a recipe usually involves adding extra veggies, which I did on this one too. We also serve this recipe at our annual Soup Tasting Open House party, which we held this past weekend.  We had a bunch leftovers from the party, so I just ate a warm bowl of Hearty Corn Chowder for lunch. Now, you can make it yourself!

Hearty Corn Chowder
 1 5 pound bag potatoes, peeled and small cubes
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 bunch celery, skinned and chopped
2 carrots, skinned and copped
3 tablespoons salt
Water to cover
3 cans evaporated milk
3 cans creamed corn
2 cups frozen corn
2 sticks butter
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh ground pepper
1 cup heavy cream

Put potatoes, onion, celery, carrots and 3 tablespoons salt in large pot. Cover with water. Bring to boil and boil until potatoes are soft. Drain and return vegetables to pot. Add evaporated milk, creamed corn, butter, and remaining salt and pepper. Cook on medium heat until warmed through but do not boil. Stir occasionally to keep from sticking. Mash slightly with potato masher. Add cream and additional corn then stir. Garnish with finely diced fresh red bell peppers.

This soup is best if you make it the day before, refrigerate, then warm it back up the next day.
By Michelle May O’Neil

Food MoJo

Welcome to our blog.  My hubby and I are looking forward to sharing with you our thoughts and ramblings about food.

A little about us... my hubby John is a chef by education -- graduate of Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Institute in Scottsdale AZ.  He decided to leave chef-ing after several injuries (chef-ing is hard on the body).  So, he embarked on a career change and is working on his doctorate degree in chiropractic.  He plans to combine his passion for food with his chiropractic degree in a way that emphasized health, wellness, AND nutrition. 

After all, the food we eat is the fuel for our body.  Garbage in, garbage out, right?

My name is Michelle.  I am a small business owner, but dream of someday focusing my life on health and nutrition. I study holistic nutrition through American College of Healthcare Sciences online.  I am also very passionate about the nutrient-health of our food.  I plan to undertake gardening in a major way this year.  Of course, I don't do anything half-way -- go for the gusto!  My garden is 20 feet by 20 feet in my backyard.  I want to grow all sorts of veggies.  But, the key is the soil, so I've studied about how to increase nutrient value in the soil.  I will tell you a lot more about this as we go along.

This blog will house our thoughts, ideas, and ramblings about food, recipes, nutrition, gardening, soil nutrients, health, wellness, and anything else that comes to mind.  I hope you enjoy reading it.