nudiefoodie's posterous

Sriracha is saucy!

I am in love with spicy, saucy food from Asia. One of my favorite restaurants is Buddha's Belly http://www.buddhasbellythai.com/prosite/ in Jacksonville Beach where I order 4 out of 5 spicy every time I

go. I love their food so much and really appreciate the preparation that goes into the food. Every sauce, dish, even their margarita mix is made there. I know the food I'm getting there is clean, might not

be USDA Organic, but it's clean.

I really crave the spice at home and love Sriracha (also known as Rooster Sauce because of the big rooster on the bottle) but I hate that they put sulfates in the sauce. The ingredients are pretty simple:

Chili, Sugar, Salt, Garlic, Vinegar...Then the kickers Potassium Sorbate, and Sodium Bisulfate. Ugh! Really?

So what are these preservatives that have funky names that my spell check can't even figure out?

Potassium Sorbate:

Not "seriously" harmful to our health, this is a preservative that prevents mold and yeast production and also halts fermentation thus increasing the shelf life. You will see this in wines, cheeses, yogurts,

and my hot sauce. According to buzzle.com, " Prolonged use of the preservative could lead to allergic reactions, nausea, diarrhea and nutrient loss in food."

Sodium Bisulfate:

Where do I even begin? Well this is a chemical that is commonly found in household cleaners, especially toilet cleaning products. Hmm... This is a strong acid and can cause irritation of the lungs

and mucous membranes and if inhaled can cause lung edema. It's also used as a food preservative. This falls under "things I would use a mask and gloves to handle" and yet most people are eating it

everyday!

I realize that food needs to be preserved otherwise it would all spoil on the shelves, I just wish there could be a different way. Until then I will make my own! I found this recipe:

Homemade Sriracha minus the chemicals:
From, http://www.vietworldkitchen.com/blog/2009/07/homemade-thai-style-sriracha-chile-sauce-recipe-tuong-ot-sriracha.html

This quick version of Sriracha comes together in a jiffy and is extra terrific when you’re in a pinch. With the extra garlic, I prefer an extra kick from the sugar. On the first time out, start with the smaller quantity and work your way up to tinker with the flavor. Because this version is fast to prepare, you can also make half batches and play with the flavors that way too.

Makes 1 ½ cups

¾ pounds Fresno, Holland (long) or Cayenne chiles, snipped, halved lengthwise and coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic
1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
2 to 3 ounces (1 ½ to 3 tablespoons) Thai or Vietnamese palm sugar, or 1 ½ to 2 tablespoon light brown sugar
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
½ cup water

1.Put the chiles, garlic, salt, sugar, vinegar and water  in small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat to vigorously simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool to room temperature.

2. Transfer to a blender and puree for about 5 minutes, until a smooth, orange-red mixture forms. Add water by the teaspoon to facilitate the pureeing, if needed.

3. Position a fine mesh strainer over a clean bowl. Then pass the chile sauce through, pressing on the solids with a spatula or spoon to extract as much chile sauce as possible. If the mixture is too thick, stir in water by the tablespoon of water. Let the flavor develop and bloom for a few hours before using. Taste it and make any flavor adjustment with salt, sugar or vinegar. Store in a jar and keep refrigerated for 1 month. Bring it to room temperature before using.

Enjoy!

Cookies!

Anyone who knows me knows there are a few foods I cannot live without. Avocado, kale (as you all know) and coconut. I am head over heels for coconut anything, I am

koo koo for coconut and so on,

and so on... If you share the same love for coconuts you have to try this macaroon recipe is all organic, sugar free and, seriously yummy.

Cocoa-Coconut Macaroons

What you will need:

1/2 Cup xylitol sweetener (baking isle of your health food store, I'll explain what it is below)

2 1/2 Cups finely shredded organic unsweetened coconut flakes (organic b/c they use sulfates to preserve the non-organic and FYI sulfates are bad, READ YOUR LABELS)

4 Organic egg whites

1/4 Cup organic unsweetened cocoa powder

How to:

Preheat oven to 375

In a bowl, or blender, whisk egg whites until peaks form

Stir in xylitol slowly

Add coconut

Add cocoa

Fold ingredients over until everything is brown, you may need more cocoa I eyeballed it and I think it was about 1/4 cup.

Roll into 2 inch balls and place on large cookie pan, I rubbed a little coconut oil on the pan so they wouldn't stick.

Bake @ 375 for 12-15 min.

Store in refrigerator.

Now, about that Xylitol. It is a natural sweetener derived from plant fibers, has a low glycemic index and is low in calories and has no aftertaste. In my opinion it tastes

much better than stevia, which tastes like artificial sweetener to me. Stevia and xylitol are NOT damaging to your body, xylitol tastes more like real sugar though.

Studies have found that xylitol will actually prevent tooth decay unlike it's evil twin, sugar, which is probably rotting billions of teeth out as I type. Sugar and I have a love/hate

thing going on, but I don't need to get all personal, this is a health blog after all.

Go make some cookies!

Some links:

http://www.xlear.com/xylosweet.aspx

http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/

Yum!

Gluten Free Chicken and Squash Pasta

- 2 All Natural Chicken Breast
Now before I go any further, please note: Just because it says "All Natural" on the package does not mean it is. Meats need to say "No Antibiotics, No Hormones" Got it? Tyson is tricking a lot of people.

- Organic Black Bean Spaghetti Noodles  (you can find them at Whole Foods in the Asian foods section)
- 1 Organic Zucchini
- 1 Organic Summer Squash
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Himalayan Pink Sea Salt
- 1/2 Organic Lemon
- Fresh Ground Black Pepper
-Organic Italian Seasoning

 Preheat oven to 400 degrees, Boil water in medium saucepan, Heat up grill (If you do not have a grill, you can cook your chicken in a pan)

Wash your veggies, I use Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap and water.

Marinate Chicken in a bowl with the juice of half a lemon, balsamic, salt, pepper, 2-3 dashes of Italian seasoning (If you must use oil in a pan please use Coconut oil or ghee)

Slice squash and zucchini place in medium size bowl

Marinate veggies in balsamic, dash with salt and pepper.

Place veggies on baking pan and cook for about 15 min

Once water begins to boil cook noodles for about 7 min

Grill Chicken Breast thoroughly

Drain noodles and toss in a bit of olive oil, dice chicken.

Serve chicken and veggie over noodles.

Mmmmmmm MMMm Sure was tasty! Super easy.

The Easter Bunny left me some naughty eggs!

Modified to be organic from yumsugar.com

Organic Deviled Eggs

4-6 organic eggs
3 tablespoons vegenaise  http://www.followyourheart.com/ (You would never know that it's not bad for you. I know, I know it's eggless and we are making eggs, the reason I use it is b/c it's clean)
1 teaspoon organic mustard
 pinch of cayenne
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons purified water
paprika, for sprinkling

Directions

1. Place eggs in a large saucepan, cover with cold water by 1 inch and bring to a simmer. Cover, remove from the heat and set aside, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, then peel in a bowl of cold water.
2. Halve lengthwise and scoop out the yolks.
3. In a food processor, combine the yolks, mayonnaise, mustard, cayenne, salt and pepper. Process until smooth. Add 1-2 tablespoons of water if necessary, to make smooth.
4. Scoop or pip into the whites. Sprinkle with paprika and enjoy.

Makes 10-12 eggs.

Let's be Kosher...

I was shopping at my local grocery store the other day when some coconut macroons caught my eye. I LOVE coconut macroons, but sometimes they are not grain free (like they should be). Little did I know I was in the Kosher isle and corn syrup isn't Kosher, neither are sulfites which, unfortunately often make their way into this tasty little treat. I usually have to go to the H.F.Store to find natural coco. macroons. I started turning the packages around on everything in the isle... Marshmallows no corn syrup, all dried fruits were sulfate free and so on. I was so excited, not because I eat marshmallows that often, but it's nice to know there is another option. Gelatin is also off limits, which is good news for my vegan friends out there. The meat is slaughtered in the most humane way so there are no flight or flight stress hormones released into the bloodstream of the animal, which is good news for my non-veg friends.

This is an informative website  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosher_foods

Oi, Vai! You would have to be a mashugga to not give it a try! 

http://www.pass.to/glossary/Default.htm

Love and sunshine,
Meredith

How much water???

I found this great quiz on water consumption. It only takes 30 seconds to answer a few basic questions and tells you how many ounces of water you should drink daily

http://nutrition.about.com/library/blwatercalculator.htm

Jacksonville Florida, where I live, was tested to have some of the worst water in America. So, when I say water, of course, I mean good clean water. Preferably not from the tap or little plastic bottles. I have a really great filter from Equinox on my sink you can purchase them here http://www.equinox-products.com/waterandairfiltration.htm They also make a whole house filter, which I own but the installation process that is usually very simple has proven to be difficult in our house. This spring we will have it installed.

 Water and air are vital to life choose them wisely.

Drink up!
Meredith

Reasons I eat nude food

There is always a Great Uncle (insert a 90 year old man's name here: Howard, Henry, Lester) that smoked, drank and ate like shit and lived to be 102. People like to remind me of their great uncle Howard all the time as they choke down a cig... Well, good for Uncle Lester. Imagine if he ate clean food, or as I like to call it "nude food", and quit smoking maybe he would have made it to 103. The fact is we have no idea when we are going to expire, might as well make the most of it. I would much rather know I did everything in my power to prevent a horrible disease and end up with one than have a horrible disease and know I have every reason to have it.

Unfortunately, as we shift to a more natural way of living we are still a long way off. I can't stand how healthy, organic food with fewer ingredients costs so much more than food with 100 chemicals that shouldn't even be called food. The way I eat has been a progression over the years. I have come a long way myself as a former smoker, I kicked that habit 6 or 7 years ago. I thought I was going to be like uncle So and So. I was a smoking, jogging, vegetarian.  No longer veg, and not much of a jogger. I have learned so much about my body and I really encourage you to do the same. We are all such different machines. I know people that are mostly raw vegan and do great! Good for them, if I could go there I would in a heartbeat. My body runs much better with meat (organic and lean, of course). I am also grain free (except on weekends, ya know, balance ;) There are so many people that would be so sick on my diet, while I run so much better on it.

I am not allergic to grains, I just feel better when I'm not eating them. I have flirted with quite a few diets to find this one. Eat for your Type is one, but I couldn't have avocados and a ton of other foods that I love. http://www.dadamo.com/ It's a great diet though. I tried Fit for Life, food combining which is an amazing concept and almost every religion in history sticks to some form of this diet. http://www.fitforlife.com/diets.html I have pieces of these plans that I carry with me.

It can be overwhelming finding what is right for you, it takes time and effort. This journey is so important though, imagine buying the car of your dreams and without knowing what kind of fuel to fill it up with you throw some diesel in there but it needs unleaded. All fuel is not equal, right?  All food has not been created equally either.

ADD is something that hits close to home for me. In my heart of hearts I believe it is a food allergy and toxicity from vaccines. I was diagnosed at 19 with "ADHD" Ask anyone that went to middle school with me and they will tell you I had a lot of energy and really hated authority. Even as an adult I suffered with concentration issues, I just got really good at coping. When my husband and I first lived together I couldn't pay a bill or organize a thought. I have been lost in so many parking lots, even my own neighborhood. Eating right became essential for me, without good food my nervous system would go a little bonkers. This is where it all started for me, I refused to drug myself so I had to find a way.

Children should not eat food that has bee colored with dye, period. http://www.chem-tox.com/pregnancy/artificial.htm There are so many articles just like this one if you google "ADD and food coloring". Food additives are just as bad. These are all things that affect the nervous system which is a nightmare for a child with a sensory disorder. The Fenigold diet is very helpful http://www.feingold.org/ but eliminating allergies through a system called NAET http://www.naet.com is ideal. NAET changed my life, I would have never discovered and repaired the "quirks" of my body if it wasn't for this technique. Remember the Hair Club For Men commercial? The guy says, "I'm not only the president, I'm also a member." Well, I'm certainly not the president but, I started as a patient and now I'm an employee and hope to have a practice someday after acupuncture school ( which is hopefully in my near future). Writing about the things I have seen in that office could never do NAET justice. It's amazing.

So, what should we eat if we aren't eating dyes and additives? Veggies, fruits, organic meat/fish, and very few things that come out of a box. It seems so limited but the culinary world is filled with so many options. My lunch today was leftover grilled organic red and green bell peppers, onions, zucchini and chicken marinated in lemon, balsamic vinegar and Italian spices over mung bean fettuccine noodles http://cookalmostanything.blogspot.com/2008/09/ppn81.html it was delicious and I didn't feel deprived at all.

Go nude with your food, your body will thank you!

Kale smells like farts

There are very few things I like about winter. The fact that I get to wear cute scarves and bundle up in cozy sweaters wears off after the first 2 weeks. Living in Northern Florida gets me very little sympathy from my North Eastern friends, I remind them that it's all relative. With spring right around the corner it has me thinking about what I will miss about the extra special cold winter we have had. Kale is about the only thing I can come up with. I love kale.

The benefits of kale far outweigh the fact that it only grows in chilly temps. Kale packs a ton of calcium, lutein, iron, vitamins A, C, and K, and is rich in ever important phytonutrients. Kale has seven times the beta-carotene of broccoli and ten times more lutein. The smell comes from the presence of sulforaphane, in my opinion one of the best traits of this leafy green bad ass. Sulforaphane actually triggers the liver to produce enzymes that help detoxify carcinogens. Research is abundant on this substance and the potential for it to shrink tumors and prevent breast cancer.

The amazing benefits of kale are stimulated through chewing or cooking the leaves, blending is also a good idea. I used to be big on dehydrating kale chips, but preparing these makes my house smell like farts for 6-8 hours and the oven (which would be much quicker) can easily over cook all of the goodness right out of the leaves. After many complaints from my husband, I have gone raw with this veggie.

My favorite kale recipe:

-One bunch of raw, fresh, organic kale (Always, Always organic when it comes to leaves)

-1 TBS Extra virgin coconut oil (EVCO)

-Juice from half of an organic lemon

-Drizzle of agave nectar (optional, but make this at least once w/ the agave b/c it really makes this recipe special, a tiny bit is all you need)

-Dash of sea salt (preferably Himalayan Pink go to www.realfoodtrading.com it is the only salt we use in my house)

Rinse kale and pat dry

Peel leaves from stems. Now, I recommend that you eat the stems from everything you can because of the nutritional content, kale stems can be tough so I eat them separately for medicinal purposes but leave them out of the dish b/c they can break up the "food flow" decreasing the enjoyment factor of it all.

Add your EVCO, lemon juice (watch out for seeds), agave, and sea salt.

Massage until the leaves decrease by about half. Massaging not only makes it easier to eat but also stimulates the release of sulforaphane.

Now, if you have a dehydrator and you don't mind if your house smells of farts for a few hours, you can make kale chips. Set dehydrator at 130-145 degrees for about 6-8 hrs. Kale chips are great by themselves but are so good on top of soup, salad etc...
 

The most important thing

Sometimes I like to imagine really strange situations. For example, I was cleaning my house earlier this evening thinking about what I was going to do next (maybe I need a lesson on living in the moment). Practice guitar, write a little, rebound while watching The Office etc...That got me thinking about how important rebounding has become to me. When I talk about rebounding, I'm not referring to emotionally bouncing back, I mean a mini trampoline. I was thinking if an evil genie appeared in front of me and said "You can pick one form of exercise to do for the rest of your life" this would be it.

There is something about this exercise that make me so happy. First of all it is truly fun, I never get sick of jumping, and it is a really great workout (this is coming from a former rock climbing, hiking, running sweaty workout kind of girl). Combined with a healthy diet and a lot of natural preventative medicine, I have been sick 1x in the last 2 years. I'm not bragging, it's just a fact and I could totally come down with a cold tomorrow making that statement 2x in 2 years. The reason I link my "powerful immune system" to rebounding is because of the affect it has on our lymphatic system and cell integrity. Without overwhelming anyone with an A&P lesson, the lymphatic system has so much to do with our immunity to "bugs" and pathogens. In fact it aids the immune system in destroying these pathogens and filtering out the garbage so that the lymph can be delivered to the circulatory system. The lymphatic system also removes excess fluid, waste, cancer cells and toxins from our cells. One disadvantage of the lymphatic system is that there is no beating heart to pump the lymph through to the lymph nodes to be cleaned out, which makes travel through the one way valves kinda difficult. Our bodies, being the amazing machines that they are, make it work. Every now and then this system gets overwhelmed with toxins which can back it up. Basically, a healthy lymphatic system = a healthy human.

Rebounding gives the one way valves a break. Every time you jump the centrifugal force of the bounce is like a pump for this special fluid, in fact just 2 minutes on a rebounder will clean out your entire lymphatic system. It also massages your organs, slightly stressing them which increases the integrity of all the tissue in our bodies. 5 minutes on a rebounder is equivalent to running 5 miles (lymphatically speaking)

If I feel sluggish, puffy, even sad... I jump, It is my remedy for almost everything. I recently had a laparoscopy done and afterwards I was left with terrible abdominal pains from the gas that they filled me up with. I got on the rebounder 2 days after this surgery. Now obviously I wasn't hitting the ceiling with my head, it was more like rocking from my heels to my toes and it actually helped. I usually rebound while watching my favorite shows, which sort of drives my husband crazy.

I try to rebound 3-4 days a week for 30 min at a time, if I am not rebounding as my workout I will jump for a couple of minutes for a quick "clean up". I highly recommend a good quality trampoline, spend $25 on a Wal-Mart tramp and you will see what I mean. The one I use is called a Cellerciser www.cellerciser.com and retails for about $300, I was fortunate to find mine on craigslist.com for $100. It is worth noting that I would gladly pay $300 for this trampoline though. The Urban Rebounder is another mid range option that is pretty decent, you can find those for around $80-$100
It is recommended to start out slowly, heel to toe for a few minutes per session until you can increase your bounce and time. Doing this will enable you to build up your tolerance for the detoxifying effect as well as increase your endurance, especially if you have physical limitations. This low impact exercise actually helps your joints and tones every muscle in your body including the ever popular core. It also helps with cellulite, water retention and wrinkles. Talk to the Health adviser of your choice and get to jumping, just watch out for those evil genies...

New Girl on the Blog

I'm not a nudist. Just so we are all clear on that, though there is nothing wrong with being a nudist. When it comes to my food I do prefer for it to be on the nude side of things. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy the occasional burger and fries (occasional being the operative word). This leads me to the next thing, I am not in any way perfect. I think life is about balance and being mostly good in our eating and "lifestyling" allows us to have a few slip ups. I know that a lot of us in the organic world tend to get preachy and scary at times, I really try to respect our differences in taste and lifestyle. This blog is here for you if you are interested in clean recipes, fun facts, scary facts, the organs and systems of the body etc... I am not your Dr.
I am a Licensed Massage Therapist in the state of Florida and have been for 5 years. I currently work in an office with, in my opinion, two of the smartest people I have had the honor to meet. In fact most of my information comes from them. "Them" being an Acupuncture Physician, and her Chiropractor husband who, combined have over 50 years of experience. I have also read a few books and keep my ears open for all things clean eating/living. I am pretty crazy about exercising and how the amazing machines we inhabit work day in and day out. It can be a pretty toxic world out there, let's clean ourselves up one cell at a time.