Author: Theresa_Rosenthal

For the week of June 2, 2014:
Welcome to June! It’s warming up here and we’ve finished our home school preschool, complete with a little graduation ceremony. We are coming up with things to do in the cool(er) mornings before we settle down for the warmer afternoons. And of course, coming up with good meals to enjoy each night as a family! I have a great recipe for you later this week for a sweet, cold treat for you and your family – keep an eye out for it!

Monday: Tilapia tacos and refried black beans with side salads (We substitute yogurt for recipes that call for sour cream)

Tuesday: Chicken Tikka Masala – this is one of my husband’s favorite meals out and I’ve never tried to make it. Wish me luck! (As an aside, I’m serving over rice instead of the cauliflower rice on this blog link.) Serving with steamed broccoli.

Wednesday: Beef stroganoff in the crockpot with coconut milk cream, mushrooms and spinach (I’m working on my own version of this to share with you)

Thursday: Chickpea vegetable curry with quinoa – new recipe

For the week of May 26, 2014:

It’s a short week! Yay! I hope you had a long weekend and a short week ahead of you, too! Yesterday, we barbecued and my husband’s recipes are secret so I can’t share them. We also had corn on the cob and our favorite: kale salad!

This week, I feel like we are fully embarking on the summer activities. We have the tiny backyard pool for the kids, we are taking a big group to the lake, my oldest is graduating from her home school preschool and it’s going to be pretty warm!

Some good things on sale at Martin’s this week including whole chicken, thighs and drumsticks (Nature’s Promise brand). We also picked up some yellow fin tuna at a good price. Unfortunately, berries still aren’t that cheap, but we found some at our local farmer’s market that were “no spray” – that was a big win for us. Four quarts gone in three days. Lucky kids!

Tuesday: Seared yellow fin tuna, rice, asparagus

Wednesday: Roast chicken with celery, carrots, potatoes and onions (going to make some broth with the leftovers later this week) and steamed broccoli

Thursday: Ground beef mac n goat cheese – it’s just like my original recipe except I brown a pound of ground beef with the onions and continue on as normal.

** All my meals are gluten-free and lactose-free – if you have any questions as to “how?”, please just ask! **

For the week of May 19th, 2014 – we are basking in the spring time beauty and enjoying a lot of time outside! I’m still enjoying my clean, updated kitchen and have some fun meals to share with you!

Enjoy your week!

Monday: Baked swordfish, asparagus and quinoa

Tuesday: My husband’s favorite baked chicken thighs (Nature’s Promise thighs are on sale at Martin’s this week!), corn (tis the season!), potatoes

Wednesday: Beef tacos with tomatoes, avocados, yogurt in lieu of sour cream, shredded yogurt cheese and salad

Thursday: Pizza – this new GF recipe I made a few weeks ago was a big hit – but wasn’t enough food (they’re small pizzas), so I’ll double it this time. One more note about this recipe – I didn’t use all the recommended flours but opted for my favorite “all purpose bread flour” by Jules. Unfortunately, Jules Gluten Free flours are no longer made by Jules. I’m patiently waiting for her new web page to be up and running so I can continue buying her flour blends and not supporting her old company, which is producing flour with her name on it without her permission.

Phew! My kitchen is done! (pictures to come) This means a few things: it’s beautiful, I love it, it’s clean and organized again and I want to cook! I actually can’t wait to cook again, like really cook. Here’s the plan:

Monday: Tilapia (#9 with mayo – we use Vegenaise – cheese and spices), steamed broccoli and rice

Tuesday: Chicken, kale and chickpea soup with rosemary croutons (new recipe!)

Wednesday: Beef roast with Ceasar Salad

Thursday: Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup (a favorite comfort dinner)

Good morning! I’m sorry I didn’t post this yesterday! Monday slipped by me, between trying to put my kitchen back together, missing my “sister” after a week together, getting my kids out of the house and on and on I could go.

It’s a “normal” week, with the exception of not having my kitchen back together yet. I tried to choose some simple recipes, since anything too complicated might require gadgets, appliances or pans I haven’t yet found!

Monday: Baked cod, steamed broccoli, rice

Tuesday: Easy roast chicken, potatoes, green beans

Wednesday: Southwestern ground beef casserole – adding spinach

Thursday: Corn tortilla quesadillas with veggies

We had the most wonderful weekend! I hope you did too! Meal-planning was a little sketchy this weekend because of our company AND the grocery store we were going to go to was closed for Easter. We ended up elsewhere and I chose fairly simple menu ideas dependent upon what was on sale.

The great thing about buying food when it’s on sale is that you can pull from that storage in the freezer when there’s not much on sale at the grocery store. We bought a 1/4 of a cow last fall and are still using that beef for our meals. We only buy from the store when there’s a great sale. I also purchase extra chicken when there’s a good sale and freeze it.

Here’s our meal plan for the week – hopefully it’s inspirational for you! Feel free to let me know what you’re having

Monday: Asian Cod, rice and broccoli (the cod is a new recipe and I’m looking forward to it)

Tuesday: Chicken sauteed with cauliflower and spinach, served with quinoa

Wednesday: Meatloaf with mashed potatoes and salad

Thursday: GF Pizza with spinach

Spring has sprung! And then it left… I don’t know where you are at, but here in Virginia, we’ve gone from 80 degrees to potentially 30 degrees and rain this week. Sigh. It was a nice tease, though.

Whatever you have planned this week, I hope it includes some good meals!

Monday: Broiled salmon (all fish is on sale at Martin’s this week), latkes and roasted Brussels sprouts

Tuesday: Spaghetti and meatballs with spinach in the sauce

Wednesday: Easy roast chicken and a big salad

Thursday: Fried rice (I really need to write this recipe up for you – it’s one of my go-to, easy vegetarian meals)

Have you used the Search box on the blog, yet? Try typing in an ingredient or a dish and you might find a recipe or a link to one of my favorite recipes this way!

Today, I taught my daughter “April showers bring May flowers” and she’s been chanting it happily. It’s a rainy week here, for sure. Trying to focus on the flowers and garden at the end of it all!

Monday: GF breaded frozen fish (I guess all kids have to have “fish sticks” at some point, right? They were on sale… haha), steamed broccoli, and rice

Tuesday: Crockpot London broil with onions and carrots (new recipe), served over pasta with spinach

Wednesday: Baked “fried” chicken, roasted cauliflower and potatoes

Thursday: Quinoa vegetable paella (new recipe!)

Are you following me on Pinterest? Facebook? I’d love to hear from you!

I’ve written so many posts about natural remedies (PMS, common cold, immune boosting, etc) and I fully believe in the powers of natural healing, but I recently felt like they failed me.

Consider this: I start my day with a probiotic, followed by Female Balance, hot lemon water and a healthy breakfast. I take fish oils, a prenatal multi-vitamin, a calcium-magnesium blend and Vitamin D. I don’t consume processed foods or sugar. I lead an active life and stay hydrated with purified and alkaline water. I feel like I’m doing everything right…until I get sick. How could I get sick with all of this healthy living?

As the pain subsided, I could see more clearly that there are some things you just can’t explain or prevent, like Streptococcal bacteria. I’m sure there are things I could’ve done if I was adamantly opposed to taking the antibiotic. I could’ve pursued a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner and sought very effective, though long-term treatment. I could’ve tried a round of essential oil remedies that have been touted to cure strep throat. I could’ve sought out the osha root to chew on (known to treat throat infections). But I have small children at home that I want to keep healthy and I want to be available, energetic and healthy for them. Untreated, strep can lead to problems with kidneys, brain, skin and joints, as well as rheumatic fever. So I took the antibiotic, experiencing pain relief within hours, which makes it clear I did have strep (and now I don’t).

My (incredible, amazing, wise and thoughtful) husband always says, “We may be holistic, but we’re not stupid. We are going to do what we need to do to be healthy.” And he’s right. All the vitamins, herbs, supplements and natural remedies I listed above are still amazing tools in our toolbox. Nothing is going to change that. The probiotics will help rebuild the bacteria in my gut that the antibiotics destroy. They will all contribute to improving my health. Sometimes I have to step out of my Holistic Nutritionist role and into the role of mother, wife and human and just take care of myself.

Do you every feel like you have to show the world that you are super healthy because of the lifestyle you live? Have you ever felt like your lifestyle failed you?

P.S. All of the items listed (and linked to) above are available to order through me at any time. Just Contact Me, anytime!

References

Goldberg, B. (Ed.). (2002). Alternative medicine: The definitive guide. Berkeley, CA: Celestial Arts.

You’ve probably noticed that I use goat cheese in a lot of my recipes. I can’t technically call them dairy-free but they are a cow’s dairy alternative that might be of help to you if you have trouble digesting cow’s dairy (cheese, milk, sour cream, etc.). The majority of people who consume cow’s dairy experience uncomfortable symptoms like gas, bloating, and diarrhea. Since our ability to digest lactose decreases with age, at some point in time, all people are or will be lactose-intolerant.

So, how is goat’s dairy different? It’s all in the structure of the fat, making it more digestible, naturally homogenized, and containing more nutrients than cow’s milk. Cow’s milk has a harder curd with large fat globules. Goat’s milk has a softer curd with smaller fat globules; this combination results in greater digestibility.

I discovered many years ago that goat’s cheese was for me, although I have to admit I’ve never tried goat’s milk. I’m not a milk fan in general, so it’s not something I’ve bothered with, but whether it’s goat’s milk, yogurt, or cheese, please consider the many options and health benefits of goat dairy products!

1. Goat’s milk is considered the “superior alternative” for children and adults when compared with cow’s milk. Globally, goat’s milk is consumed far more than cow’s milk and has a long history of health benefits. It was revered in Egypt and Greek mythology and is used in France, China and much of Europe. Goat’s dairy has been used to treat many conditions such as weakened and convalescent conditions, anemia, malnutrition, emaciation, stomach ulcers, nervous exhaustion, loss of energy, constipation, and diarrhea.

2. Goat’s dairy is a great alternative to organic cow’s dairy because goats are generally cleaner and healthier than cows, which means less antibiotics and drugs in their system.

3. Mucus is not as much of an issue with goat’s dairy. When you’re sick, it’s recommended that you avoid dairy because of its mucus-forming properties, however, goat’s dairy has a unique astringency that prevents (most) mucus formation.

4. Goat’s milk is used to normalize body weight for both under- and over-weight individuals.

5. Fluorine: it builds immunity, strengthens immunity and protects teeth. It is also ten times (10X!) more available in goat’s dairy than cow’s dairy. (Unfortunately, this is lost during pasteurization, so there’s something to be said for raw goat dairy products.)

Ready to try it? Goat’s cheese is not just chevre. There very firm to soft and creamy types of cheese. Mozzarella, Cheddar, Sharp, and flavored chevre are just some of the options that I choose. In case you’re unsure, try this goat’s chevre cheesecake and tell me if you have any doubt how wonderful goat’s cheese can be!

References

Pitchford, P. (2002). Healing with Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition. North Atlantic Books: Berkeley, CA.

Murray, M. (2005). The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods. Atria Books: New York, NY.