A Crust for Many Occasions

On her blog, 100 Days of Real Food, Lisa Leake has a pizza pocket recipe that my family absolutely loves. We eat pizza pockets for lunch almost every week. You can check out that recipe here.

I've also discovered that this wonderful pizza pocket crust recipe can be used as a substitute for a lot of other types of crusts. This was a wonderful discovery, and opened up a lot of new recipe possibilities for us. It even made some of our old recipes possible again.

Some uses for this crust:

1. Thin pizza crust. If you bake the crust for a few minutes at 425 before adding the toppings, you'll get a crispier crust. If you add toppings first and then bake, your crust will be softer.

2. Crescent rolls. I have several recipes that call for crescent rolls to be the outer crust. Instead of buying a can of these rolls, I mix up a recipe of the pizza pocket crust and roll it out thin.

3. Pot pies. I love making pot pie recipes, or any recipe that requires a crust on top. This pizza pocket recipe makes a nice, thick crust. Roll it out pretty thin, because it will puff up when baking.

4. Pigs in a blanket. I really miss this breakfast, but I can re-create it (sort of!) by rolling out this crust, cutting it into small pieces, and then rolling up small slices of Applegate hot dogs in it.

Hold onto this crust recipe and use it the next time you come across a recipe that call for crescent rolls, or another unhealthy crust!

Pizza Pocket Crust

Ingredients:
1 cup warm water
2 tsp. quick rise yeast
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 cups 100% whole wheat flour

Directions:
Add the yeast to the water, stir briefly, and let set for a few minutes. Mix in the salt and olive oil, then add the flour. You can mix this by hand pretty easily, but you can also pour the ingredients into your food processor when it's time to add the flour. Use the "s" blade to mix up for a few seconds, then place in a large greased bowl. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let sit for at least 30 minutes. If making pizza crust, let rise until double. For some other crusts, you may want to just let it rise a little, then go ahead and make your crust. When I make the pizza pockets, I only let it rise a little.

Finding Recipes

So, where does a family go to find quality recipes that don't use a bunch of refined ingredients, harmful oils, and sugars? Today, I want to share with you my list of "go-to" places where I search to find great recipes for our families.

1. Maximized Living blog: I don't like everything on here--some recipes, I don't like at all, but I have definitely found some jewels that have become staples around here.

2. Mark's Daily Apple: There is a plethora of information on this website! I don't agree with all of the philosophies and beliefs of the author, but he does have some great recipes and information.

3. 100 Days of Real Food: If you're going gluten free, this is probably not the website for you--she uses a lot of 100% whole wheat flour in her recipes, but she has found a lot of homemade alternatives to food we used to rely on buying packaged. She also has a lot of kid-friendly recipes, and she avoids refined foods and bad oils.

4. Simply Sugar and Gluten Free: Simply said. Check it out!

5. Healing Cuisine with Elise: I just discovered this website. Great recipes!

In addition to these great websites, I've found some great cookbooks that have helped a ton:

Simply Sugar and Gluten Free by Amy Green

The Bread Beckers, Inc. (available at www.breadbeckers.com)

Maximized Living Nutrition Plans (available at 180 Chiro or other Maximized Living providers)

Cruise Ship or Nursing Home? (also available at 180 Chiro or other Maximized Living providers)

In addition to these great resources, I've also gained several great recipes from 180 Chiro's Recipe Nights. These are free events where you can sample several recipes, gain valuable information about making better nutritional choices, and take home some new recipes to try!

The next Recipe Night is Monday, Oct. 1, 6:00 p.m. at 180 Chiro (4091 Mallory Lane, Suite 114, Franklin, TN). My family will be there, and I hope you will join us for some delicious food and beneficial information!

Please contact 180 Chiro at 615-595-9063 or info@180chiro.com for more information, or to sign up!

An Emotional Journey

So, how would a family who's used to eating boxed lasagna, Kraft mac and cheese, and all things packaged, make the huge transition to eating real food--foods that help your body heal, rather than make it more susceptible to illness?

It's an overwhelming task! I specifically remember the mental and emotional journey I made on this process:

1. Are you kidding me? When Dale first came home with the book, Cruise Ship or Nursing Home, I immediately, without even pausing, said, No Way. Heck, no. Not in your wildest dreams, no thank you, NO. I have enough on my plate without trying to figure out a whole new way of eating, I don't want to give up these foods, our budget is already tight, etc. etc. etc.

2. Unfortunately, this makes way too much sense to ignore. Somehow, and I'm still not sure how, Dale convinced me to go to one of the free events at 180 Chiropractic and Wellness. While listening to Dr. Sweeney and Dr. Gebhardt, I realized that everything they said made sense. I still did not want to do this, but I was starting to believe that maybe they weren't nuts, at least!

3. We have to do this. Just to be fair, I sat down and read the book. Honestly, I was looking for holes in their theories. I wanted to be able to point out why they were wrong and how crazy this whole Maximized Living food program was. As I read, however, I became more and more convinced that they were right. Once I had the information, I couldn't not  change.

4. Frustration. Have you been reading labels? Remember the first time you went into the store, armed with your list of sugars and bad oils to avoid? The list really isn't that long, but those enemy ingredients are stuffed into nearly everything! No matter what I picked up, it was packed with sugars and hydrogenated oils. The list of what we could eat dropped dramatically. Surely, these Maximized Living people were expecting too much.

5. Fear. After trying to eat through most of the junk in our pantry before giving it up, (after all, we didn't want to be wasteful!) we finally cleaned out the rest, leaving only our new, acceptable foods in there. Terror churned through my stomach as I would open our cupboards and pantry and see a bag of flaxseed, several bags of nuts, and some tomato paste. The emptiness was terrifying. Were we really doing the right thing? Would we have enough to eat? (The refrigerator, on the other hand, was loaded down with fresh, natural food.)

6. Anger. Once we accepted that the Maximized Living plan wasn't insanity, I became angry at the way the American people have been duped. It took an enormous amount of effort to free ourselves from the traditional, acceptable American cuisine, but up until Dale walked through the doors of 180 Chiro, we had been clueless. Many, many people were still out there, buying foods that appear healthy, and yet are loaded down with hidden sugars and harmful oils. People are still buying into the "low fat" options, and busy families with tight budgets aren't presented with healthy options. Everything processed and packaged is harmful to them, and no one is telling them!

7. Acceptance. Finally, I had to realize that horrible food choices surround us--that's the way it's going to be. All we can do is continue to make good choices, avoid the bad ones, and share with others, through this blog, through 180 Chiro's free classes, and through word of mouth, that making healthier choices is difficult, but worth it.

Can you relate? What emotions have you experienced? Include them in the comments below!

Whole Foods Tour

I'm a cheapskate, um, I mean, value shopper. If given the choice between a less expensive item or a higher quality one, I will choose cheap over quality almost every time. This is not always the best choice and has resulted in many poor purchases over the years, but nevertheless, it's the way I roll. I am learning, albeit slowly, that sometimes cheap isn't better.

Take, for example, grocery stores. I don't like Wal Mart. Never have. However, I shop there all the time because they tend to have the cheapest prices. A little over a year ago, I had never set foot in Whole Foods, or any other healthy store, because I mistakenly believed they were too expensive, and that my "Great Value" choices were always the way to go.

That's before I started reading labels. And avoiding sugar. After attending a nutrition class at 180 Chiropractic and Wellness, my husband and I took a deep breath, and ventured inside the world of Whole Foods for the first time.

The first thing I noticed was that it even smelled different than regular grocery stores! As we looked around, we discovered that some items were higher priced. We could buy the exact same thing at Wal Mart or another grocery store for less. We passed by those items. However, Whole Foods had something the other stores didn't have: healthy, organic, and natural store brand items! Their store brand items were quite a bit cheaper than the name brand choices at other stores. Shopping at Whole Foods actually saved us quite a bit of money on several items!

I regularly shop at Whole Foods now, but I always compare prices. I'm not going to pay extra for an item that I can get at Wal Mart, but I love saving money on their bulk grains, beans, and spices, as well as taking advantage of their store brand items.

Whole Foods is not paying me a cent to say this about them: it's just my opinion. I do want to encourage you, if you are trying to make healthier choices, but are afraid that shopping at Whole Foods will break the bank, to just take a stroll through there. Read the labels. Compare ingredients. Compare prices. Check out the bulk section.

If you feel overwhelmed by this prospect, consider tagging along with 180 Chiro Monday evening as they take a tour through Whole Foods. Ask questions, get some directions, check out your options. 

If you're interested in taking this free tour of the Franklin, TN Whole Foods store next Monday, Sept. 24th at 6:00 p.m., please contact 180 Chiro at 615-595-9063 or info@180chiro.com.

Exercise Accountability

Most worthwhile habits are tough to maintain. They require discipline, hard work, and accountability. I'd love to believe that if no one was watching, if no one was holding me accountable, that I'd just be a healthy machine...but I'm way too weak. It's already so easy to slip back into old habits, one little bit at a time. And if no one was looking? Even easier.

Who do you have that will hold you accountable? Who will honestly ask you how many "cheats" you've had this week, or how often you've exercised? Can you name someone? If not, find someone! Ask a family member to go on this journey with you, or give a friend or co-worker permission to ask the tough questions.

One easy way to stay accountable with exercise is to have a group who counts on you to show up at a certain place and time to exercise together. You may already have accountability in place, but if you don't, and you live in middle Tennessee, consider surge training with the awesome staff at 180 Chiro! They offer free burst training classes twice a week. Not only do these classes help you to succeed at exercise, they also help you with accountability!

Consider coming to these free classes for support, encouragement, and accountability. Oh, and of course, for better health!

WHEN: Every Wednesday at 11:40 a.m. and every Saturday at 8:30 a.m.
WHERE: 180 Chiropractic and Wellness
                 4091 Mallory Lane, Suite 114
                 Franklin, TN 37067
For more information, or to sign up, contact 180 Chiro at 615-595-9063 or info@180chiro.com

What's in your vitamins?

www.flickr.com, photo by Shannon Kringen

A little while back, I posted about our need for iron. It was actually through my search to find children's multi vitamins that actually included iron that I started looking more closely at the ingredient labels on vitamins. I've been frustrated to find that some of the vitamins we take to enhance our health also contain ingredients which tear it down.

Would you like some aspartame in your kids' multivitamins? How about artificial dyes, made from petroleum, or added sugar or high fructose corn syrup?

What about your vitamin? When the manufacturer claims it's specially designed to enhance your energy, how would you like to find out that the only difference between the "high energy" vitamin, and the regular, is that the "high energy" vitamin contains caffeine?

Just like we read the ingredient labels on the food we buy, we must also carefully read the ingredient labels on our vitamins. I sincerely hope that when you pull your vitamins out of the cabinet and check the label, that you breathe a sigh of relief because you don't find any controversial ingredients in them. If not, however, be encouraged that it is fairly easy to find reasonably priced vitamins that don't contain a bunch of junk.

Check out the Vitamins page on www.foodfacts.com for lists of ingredients in over 356 kinds of vitamins. You can also go to your local health food or alternative health store to read ingredients and compare prices. Personally, we love to shop at The Vitamin Shoppe. Their prices are competitive, the employees are helpful, and they constantly offer coupons. We even get gift certificates from time to time to use toward future purchases. If you don't have a Vitamin Shoppe near you, you can also check their website. They offer free shipping on all orders over $25, which is a great bonus. Even though we have a Vitamin Shoppe nearby, sometimes we still order things online, simply for the convenience (translated: sometimes we're lazy!).

I am a huge cheapskate, though, and so I always compare the prices at Vitamin Shoppe with other online retailers, such as Amazon. Once I know what I want, I order from the retailer with the best deal. Always. We have saved a ton of money by shopping around and comparing prices. We do buy the bulk of our vitamins and supplements online, because the deals we get are SO much cheaper.

For example, I found a 25-count bottle of the vitamins I wanted at a local retailer for $25. Gulp! There's no way I can afford that! So, I shopped around and found the EXACT same vitamins, in a 75-count bottle, for $18 online. I bought 2 bottles and got free shipping.

Buying better vitamins for your family doesn't have to cost a bundle. Just read the ingredients and shop around for the best deals. And by "shop around," I mostly mean check online retailers, which only takes a few minutes.

Total Food Makeover!

You probably know you want to eat better, but perhaps it seems too complicated, overwhelming, or perhaps you just don't think the foods will be budget-friendly.

180 Chiropractic and Wellness would like to help make healthier, more natural foods a reality for you. This Monday, they are offering a FREE total food makeover! Come and learn some valuable information about your food, ask questions, and gain support for your endeavor.

Thousands of people have transformed the way they look at food, the way they shop, the way they eat, and the way they approach health. You won't be sorry you came. Call 180 Chiro today to tell them who you are bringing with you!

WHEN: 6:00 p.m. Monday, Sept. 17, 2012
WHERE: 180 Chiro

               4091 Mallory Lane, Suite 114

               Franklin, TN 37067

To sign up, or to get more information, contact 180 Chiro at 615-595-9063 or info@180chiro.com

Yeast Rolls

In years past, I've been a big fan of Sister Schubert's frozen yeast rolls. No holiday meal was complete without them, and we also used them as buns when we made our own mini-burgers at home. Anyone else out there love these rolls?

I already knew I couldn't serve these rolls any more simply because of the white flour. What I didn't realize, though, until I looked them up on foodfacts.com, was that they also contain 3 kinds of oils we're trying to avoid, including hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils. (Translation? Trans fats.) Of course, on top of the oils are the ingredients of white flour and white sugar. Too bad!

However, a friend of mine shared the following recipe for homemade yeast rolls, which, in my opinion are every bit as delicious as Sister Schubert's, and they don't contain any of those harmful ingredients! They freeze really well, too, so when you make this giant batch, you can put some in the freezer (freeze them separately on a cookie sheet first, then put them in a freezer baggie together) and pull them out to use as needed.

I'll be honest--I don't serve yeast rolls alongside Sunday dinner. I use them for burger buns, lunch sandwiches, and things like that. When Thanksgiving rolls around, however, I do believe they'll be showing up this year instead of Sister Schubert!

Yeast Rolls

adapted from The Bread Beckers, Inc. Bread & Rolls recipe

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups hot water
1 cup cold milk
4 and 1/2 tsp. quick rise yeast
3 eggs
1/3 cup olive or grapeseed oil
1/3 cup honey
6 to 7 and 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour (I use King Arthur)
1 Tbsp. sea salt

Directions:
Mix together the water and milk. The resulting lukewarm temperature will activate the yeast, but not be so hot that it kills it. Add the yeast, stir briefly with a whisk, and allow to set for a few minutes. Add the eggs, oil, and honey, and mix well. Add the flour, one cup at a time, and mix after adding each cup. I try to stick to about 6 cups at this point, so I can add more later, but if your dough is extremely sticky or runny, feel free to add a little extra.

When the dough is mixed well, set it in a large bowl sprayed with olive oil or dusted with flour, and cover with a towel. Let the dough rise until it is about double. Turn it out onto a floured surface, adding a little flour at a time to avoid excessive stickiness as you knead the dough (dough will be somewhat sticky.)

To make 30 full sized yeast rolls (about the size of a burger bun), divide the dough into three parts. Cut each third in half, then divide each half into 5 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball (do not smash down or your rolls will be very flat), or roll into a rope and tie the rope into a knot. Place the rolls on greased cookie sheets and allow to rise until about double (about an hour or so). Bake at 350 for about 15-20 min.

Note: If you'd rather make mini rolls, divide each roll in half before placing on the baking sheets. Reduce baking time to 10-15 min. or until slightly browned.

For an extra buttery taste, spread melted butter on the tops of the rolls before serving.

Triangle Push Ups

Three mornings a week, Dr. Fred Roberto tortures (um, I mean, trains) me through his Max T3 exercise videos. I do these exercises in my garage, and it takes me 12 minutes. I know 12 minutes doesn't sound like much, but on some days, walking back up the stairs into my kitchen is an effort after those 12 minutes!

In past entries, I've stated that surge training takes 9 minutes. That is true. However, the Max T3 videos step it up even more by giving you 12 minute workouts with no 2 minute breaks. That's right--it's 20 seconds of full on, hard-as-you-can-go exercise, then 20 seconds of break, repeated, with no additional breaks, for 12 minutes.

Triangle, or diamond, push ups, are one of the exercises in this workout. In the following video, Dr. Roberto demonstrates this exercise. If you've been trying surge training, this would be a great addition to your workout!

Lasagne

www.flickr.com, photo by Elin B.

Like many other people, I went through a phase of buying frozen lasagne in a box. It was so convenient. Besides, when it was on sale, it was a decent price. However, to be honest, I always kind of wondered what was in the sauce, especially when the box announced, "Flavored with meat." What kind of meat? What did that mean?

Homemade lasagne is more work, but it's not a ton of work, and--let's face it--anything would be more work than pulling a pre-made meal out of a box and tossing it in the oven.

Just in case you're still thinking you don't want to go to all that work, and wondering if it would really make a difference, let me show you something.

FoodFacts.com gives Stouffer's Lasagna with Meat Sauce the grade "F" for the following reasons:
Contains controversial ingredients--6 to be exact, including artificial coloring and undisclosed "Flavoring"
High in sodium
Contains added sugars

But wait! They also make a lasagna called "Stouffer's Farmer's Harvest Lasagna"! That sounds healthy, right? It also earned an "F" from foodfacts.com. Their "Farmer's Harvest Vegetable Lasagna" barely passed with a "D-".

Making your own lasagne allows you to control the ingredients you feed your family. Feel free to change some of mine, if that's what you like better. No more wondering what's in that "meat sauce," because you made it yourself.

This recipe is from a church cookbook.

Lasagne

Ingredients:

Meat Sauce:
1 and 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 Tbsp. basil
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 lb. can tomatoes
12 oz. can tomato paste

Cheese Mixture:
2 eggs, beaten
1 large carton cottage cheese (skip the low-fat!)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp. parsley flakes
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

You will also need:
1 lb. mozzarella cheese
8 Whole wheat (or brown rice) lasagne noodles

Directions:
Brown and drain the ground beef. Add the other "meat sauce" ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, mix all of the "cheese mixture" ingredients together in a medium bowl and set aside. Cook the lasagne noodles in a large saucepan for 1/2 the time, according to the package directions. Drain and rinse in cold water.

Using a 9x13 pan, layer half of everything in this order: noodles, cheese mixture, mozzarella cheese (slice or shred first), and meat sauce. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.

Note: If you prepare the lasagne ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator, increase the baking time. It should cook for at least 45 minutes.

Chicken Parmigiana

www.flickr.com, photo by balise42

I've been making this recipe, which I got out of my Fix It and Forget It slow cooker cookbook, for a long time. To make this recipe better for you, I just added my own pizza sauce and chicken breading, and changed up the noodles a little bit. It's very easy to make--it requires a little bit of time in the morning (or the night before!), 30 minutes or less--then it cooks in your slow cooker all day long and you can finish up your day with a delicious meal!

Chicken Parmigiana

Ingredients:
1 egg
1 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (cut your chicken breasts in half or buy chicken strips with a thinner cut)
1 cup homemade bread crumbs*
2-4 Tbsp. butter
1-2 recipes of pizza sauce, depending on how much sauce you like.**
1/2-1 cup mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Brown rice or whole wheat spaghetti noodles (if desired)

Directions:
Beat egg, salt, and pepper together. Set the egg mixture in a shallow bowl or pie plate, and pour the bread crumbs into another shallow bowl or pie plate. Set the butter in a skillet, then turn the skillet to medium and let the butter melt while you dip the chicken breasts into the egg mixture, then the bread crumbs. You may have to firmly press the bread crumbs to the chicken.
After dipping the chicken, brown the outsides of it in the melted butter, then lay the chicken in the slow cooker. Pour pizza sauce over the chicken. Cover, and cook for 6-8 hours.
Sprinkle the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese over the chicken and sauce, cover, and cook for a few more minutes until it melts. While the cheese is melting, prepare brown rice or whole wheat spaghetti noodles.
Lay the cooked chicken over the rice or noodles, then pour a little sauce over it.
We've also substituted vegetables, and even spinach, for the rice/noodles. It's actually quite tasty!

*Homemade Bread Crumbs:
Toast 2 slices of Ezekiel bread. Set the toasted bread in a food processor, then sprinkle about 1 tsp. italian seasoning over them. Run the food processor for a few seconds to get bread crumbs.

**Pizza Sauce:
If you can find a jar of pizza sauce that doesn't include harmful oils or sugar, that would be fine to use for this recipe. I just make my own, which only takes a few minutes.

Ingredients:
6 ounce can of tomato paste
1/2-1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2-1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. parsley
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. oregano
2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese
(these amounts are approximate. Season to taste.)

Scrape the tomato paste into a small saucepan, then add 2 more cans of water. Add all of the spices, then heat on medium until you start to see bubbles.

Free Burst Training Class!

I've got 3 kids and a busy life, and the thought of gathering everybody up and getting them to the gym and into their respective childcare situations, then fighting everybody else for the weights and machines in the wellness room, pretty much kept me away. I actually did enjoy working out there (sometimes!) but the hassle of it was usually more trouble than it was worth.

When our family decided to give Maximized Living a try, however, we were pleasantly surprised to learn that we could actually exercise in our own garage, with nothing more than a few hand weights for equipment. Their burst training program takes much less time than traditional exercise, but if you do it right, you will get just as tired and experience great results!

If you live in the Nashville area, the staff at 180 Chiropractic and Wellness would love to give you a free class on burst training. They will help you understand the importance of, and results of, this fantastic type of exercise, along with giving some demonstrations and letting you try it out!

This free class will be held on Saturday, Sept. 8 at 7:30 a.m. and will only last for about 30 minutes, so you can get on with your weekend. Check out the details:

What: FREE class on burst training

When: Sat. Sept. 8, 7:30 a.m.

Where: 180 Chiropractic and Wellness
              4091 Mallory Lane, Suite 114
              Franklin, TN 37067

For more information, or to sign up, contact 180 Chiro at: 615-595-9063, or info@180chiro.com