If you've ever been to a Chinese buffet, chances are you have tasted the green beans that am talking about tonight. I love the crunchy, sweet goodness of those green beans but I don't want to have to go to a pricey, over-stuff-yourself buffet to get them. So I made my own concoction and tested it tonight. I used all organic ingredients but conventional would work too. Here it is, I hope you and your family enjoy!
Ingredients:
Fresh green beans - Wash and then snap or trim the ends (I used 1 lb. of green beans because this was our main course and I like leftovers - but you can use less and then just use slightly less of the other ingredients)
Green Onion (optional) - 1 washed and chopped
Parsley Flakes - 1 teaspoon
Minced or crushed garlic - 1 tablespoon
Raw, unbleached, organic sugar - about 1/2 to 1 tablespoon
Safflower Oil (or Olive oil, or other healthy cooking oil) - 1 tablespoon
Ground Black Pepper - to taste
Sesame Seeds - to taste
How to make:
Preheat oven to 350
Put the green beans and the onion into a big bowl
Add the parsley flakes, garlic, sugar, oil and black pepper to the green beans and onions
Toss or stir to get all the beans thinly coated
Place in a thin layer in a casserole baking dish
Sprinkle the top with the sesame seeds to taste
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until beans are heated through but still firm.
These are healthy, sweet, crunchy and filling; making a great side or main dish. What's more they don't cost an arm and a leg!
Enjoy!
Emily A. Filmore
blog.withmychildseries.com
http://www.withmychildseries.com/
Monday, August 30, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
It was a Beautiful Day for a Run/Walk
As I have mentioned before - my husband, daughter and I are changing our lifestyle for health reasons. After I heard Dr. Sears speak we have eliminated the 3 baddies from our home: high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, and artificial food coloring (ie. red #10, yellow #20). We have also gone, what we are calling, "home vegetarian" in that we will eat meat when we are out for dinner or at other's houses, but we are going to stick to vegetables, fruits and whole grains at home. This transition, albeit labor intensive, has been surprisingly easy. My grocery shopping trips are longer but I expect them to shorten as I get more accustomed to reading labels. Our cooking times are much shorter since vegetables are already safe to eat and we are cooking for flavor. Our grocery bills have gone up a little, but I attribute that to restocking our kitchen from the ketchup to the bread. One month in and I think I can safely say we are all happy with our changes.
On a personal level, as I am making these changes and reassessing every aspect of the food I put into my body; I have been thinking more and more about what I can do to strengthen myself using the benefits of all this clean food I am eating.
Many of my friends have been running in recent months. Everyone is talking about half marathons, whole marathons, running for fun...YUCK! I listen with a bit envy because I just know that my body will not cooperate with running. I am more a yoga, stretching, elongate your muscles type of girl. My immune system disease (Dermatomyositis) has not played nice with my muscles, especially my legs. I often have trouble doing simple tasks most people don't think about such as rising from a chair, climbing stairs, and picking up my daughter for a tight hug or a piggy back ride. This is changing, however due to the IVIG infusions I've received for the last 7 months. I have more energy, more muscle control, more stamina when walking and more strength.
So today I was talking to Sage's gymnastics instructor who took up running over the summer and has had great success and benefits from it. Going through my head the whole time was "Get over it, you cannot run; don't even try" and "When you try to walk faster than normal you break your teeth when your face meets the pavement" and "Whatever you do, don't try to run, find another exercise." Then I looked at Sage and realizing I wouldn't want her thinking those things about herself, so I wondered if today was going to be the day I tried to run and prove myself wrong!?!? Well it was. We hurried home and ate our lunch and then set out to the local **flat** park with a path. On the way there I asked Sage to run with me and if she thought we could help each other stay motivated and excited. We agreed to cheer each other on, got out of the car and took off.
Now was this the most amazing run? NO! Were my physical abilities stellar? NO! But I must say I was very happy once I realized that not only did I complete the almost 2 mile track, but I did so with 1-1.5 minutes at a time of running (in about 10 separate stretches). Which when added up for the whole time means that I ran about 15 minutes of running out of the hour we were on the path. Even more exciting though, was watching my daughter cheer me on. Watching her running herself and seeing her asking me for encouragement. We had a great time despite the hard work because we did it together. We took turns being upbeat and being tired; we joked and laughed. We set goals for ourselves, "I can make it to that tree," and "No, let's try to make it to that sign." Most amazingly, just as I was so done and thought I couldn't go on, I looked over at her and she said "Mommy this is so fun - I love you!!" It gave me an extra little push that helped me keep going. I maintained that energy for the remainder of the adventure. What a beautiful gift!
Are there any marathons in my future? HIGHLY unlikely. But I do see us going to the park for more of our little one-on-one run/walk/jog sessions. These will not only get mommy to be healthier but they will also help Sage, an already very active young girl, to form additional good exercise habits. I try to be as active as I can with her for her sake, but I see today as a new start where we can be more like partners in our shared quest for health!
Sorely yours,
Emily A. Filmore, Author
blog.withmychildseries.com
http://www.withmychildseries.com/
On a personal level, as I am making these changes and reassessing every aspect of the food I put into my body; I have been thinking more and more about what I can do to strengthen myself using the benefits of all this clean food I am eating.
Many of my friends have been running in recent months. Everyone is talking about half marathons, whole marathons, running for fun...YUCK! I listen with a bit envy because I just know that my body will not cooperate with running. I am more a yoga, stretching, elongate your muscles type of girl. My immune system disease (Dermatomyositis) has not played nice with my muscles, especially my legs. I often have trouble doing simple tasks most people don't think about such as rising from a chair, climbing stairs, and picking up my daughter for a tight hug or a piggy back ride. This is changing, however due to the IVIG infusions I've received for the last 7 months. I have more energy, more muscle control, more stamina when walking and more strength.
So today I was talking to Sage's gymnastics instructor who took up running over the summer and has had great success and benefits from it. Going through my head the whole time was "Get over it, you cannot run; don't even try" and "When you try to walk faster than normal you break your teeth when your face meets the pavement" and "Whatever you do, don't try to run, find another exercise." Then I looked at Sage and realizing I wouldn't want her thinking those things about herself, so I wondered if today was going to be the day I tried to run and prove myself wrong!?!? Well it was. We hurried home and ate our lunch and then set out to the local **flat** park with a path. On the way there I asked Sage to run with me and if she thought we could help each other stay motivated and excited. We agreed to cheer each other on, got out of the car and took off.
Now was this the most amazing run? NO! Were my physical abilities stellar? NO! But I must say I was very happy once I realized that not only did I complete the almost 2 mile track, but I did so with 1-1.5 minutes at a time of running (in about 10 separate stretches). Which when added up for the whole time means that I ran about 15 minutes of running out of the hour we were on the path. Even more exciting though, was watching my daughter cheer me on. Watching her running herself and seeing her asking me for encouragement. We had a great time despite the hard work because we did it together. We took turns being upbeat and being tired; we joked and laughed. We set goals for ourselves, "I can make it to that tree," and "No, let's try to make it to that sign." Most amazingly, just as I was so done and thought I couldn't go on, I looked over at her and she said "Mommy this is so fun - I love you!!" It gave me an extra little push that helped me keep going. I maintained that energy for the remainder of the adventure. What a beautiful gift!
Are there any marathons in my future? HIGHLY unlikely. But I do see us going to the park for more of our little one-on-one run/walk/jog sessions. These will not only get mommy to be healthier but they will also help Sage, an already very active young girl, to form additional good exercise habits. I try to be as active as I can with her for her sake, but I see today as a new start where we can be more like partners in our shared quest for health!
Sorely yours,
Emily A. Filmore, Author
blog.withmychildseries.com
http://www.withmychildseries.com/
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Monday, August 16, 2010
Healthy Eating
Hello!
As I've discussed on here before, we are trying to clean up the food we are eating in this house. Inspired by the talk I attended by Dr. Jim Sears we have (all but completely) eliminated high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, and food coloring from our house. This has not been such an easy thing to accomplish. It has added about 30-45 minutes to my grocery shopping trips as I trudge through reading every label. It has cost us a little bit extra as we have replaced some offender items in our refrigerator and pantry with safer versions. It has made us be more mindful of the food we are putting in our mouths. And finally, it has opened up new lines of conversation between the three of us.
Back in Sage's babyfood days, I bought very little pre-made food - usually only for emergencies or outings. But mostly I cooked, pureed and froze organic fruits and vegetables for her meals. I credit this early start to her current love of all natural foods. And while I have always made her meals healthy (with the exception of allowing fast food at times) I was not always so good to myself. I have bad habits and they die hard! However, she has been a good inspiration through this transitionas she has become a pro at asking "Is this healthy or hurtful to my body?" I have already noticed, in 1 month of clean eating, a difference in my water retention, skin appearance, energy levels, and the way my clothes are fitting. Let me point out that while we hope that our changes will result in better long-term weight management, we are really concentrating on being healthful, not losing pounds. Scott and I are working to find new recipes that will engage our tastebuds while still maintaining the crucial attributes of what we are calling "safe food."
One of the other things we have been doing is working to find vegetarian meals that are satisfying as well as filling but that also fit our new "safe food" guidelines. This is mainly due to my weak stomach and my aversion to cooking and then eating meat. But we are also looking at it as a healthy step forward as we both know we consume way too much red meat, in particular. Don't get me wrong, I love steak and burgers - but only if I am not the one to prepare them. So we have made the decision to go vegetarian at home, while still allowing ourselves to have meat when out at restaurants and other's houses.
Some of the things we have made lately that fit our HEALTHFUL and YUMMY guidelines have included:
Here's to your family's health!
Emily Filmore, Author
blog.withmychildseries.com
http://www.withmychildseries.com/
As I've discussed on here before, we are trying to clean up the food we are eating in this house. Inspired by the talk I attended by Dr. Jim Sears we have (all but completely) eliminated high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, and food coloring from our house. This has not been such an easy thing to accomplish. It has added about 30-45 minutes to my grocery shopping trips as I trudge through reading every label. It has cost us a little bit extra as we have replaced some offender items in our refrigerator and pantry with safer versions. It has made us be more mindful of the food we are putting in our mouths. And finally, it has opened up new lines of conversation between the three of us.
Back in Sage's babyfood days, I bought very little pre-made food - usually only for emergencies or outings. But mostly I cooked, pureed and froze organic fruits and vegetables for her meals. I credit this early start to her current love of all natural foods. And while I have always made her meals healthy (with the exception of allowing fast food at times) I was not always so good to myself. I have bad habits and they die hard! However, she has been a good inspiration through this transitionas she has become a pro at asking "Is this healthy or hurtful to my body?" I have already noticed, in 1 month of clean eating, a difference in my water retention, skin appearance, energy levels, and the way my clothes are fitting. Let me point out that while we hope that our changes will result in better long-term weight management, we are really concentrating on being healthful, not losing pounds. Scott and I are working to find new recipes that will engage our tastebuds while still maintaining the crucial attributes of what we are calling "safe food."
One of the other things we have been doing is working to find vegetarian meals that are satisfying as well as filling but that also fit our new "safe food" guidelines. This is mainly due to my weak stomach and my aversion to cooking and then eating meat. But we are also looking at it as a healthy step forward as we both know we consume way too much red meat, in particular. Don't get me wrong, I love steak and burgers - but only if I am not the one to prepare them. So we have made the decision to go vegetarian at home, while still allowing ourselves to have meat when out at restaurants and other's houses.
Some of the things we have made lately that fit our HEALTHFUL and YUMMY guidelines have included:
- Stuffed Tomatoes (Feta, green onions, garlic, etc baked into a big juicy tomato),
- Homemade red pasta sauce with zucchini, tomatoes and black olives,
- Pesto/Veggie Pizza,
- Falafel, black bean and corn burgers,
- Tofu Chili,
- Organic Boston Creme Pie,
- Parmesan and Seitan (wheat-meat) encrusted asparagus,
- Veggie Fajitas, and
- Aglio-Olio (whole wheat pasta, olive or safflower oil, garlic, black pepper, black olives)
Here's to your family's health!
Emily Filmore, Author
blog.withmychildseries.com
http://www.withmychildseries.com/
Thursday, August 5, 2010
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