Monday, September 29, 2008

Organic Chicken Stew

I made this the other night. It was easy and tasted great!
You will need;
2 boxes of chicken stock
1 can crushed tomatoes with basil
1/2 to one 1lb. of chicken ( I used 3 boneless, skinless breasts)
Rosemary
Basil
Zucchini and squash
onion
baby carrots
tiny red potatoes
Sea salt and crushed pepper

Pour chicken stock and tomatoes in a large pot on low/med.
Add rosemary, basil, cut up zucchini and squash, potatoes, carrots, salt and pepper.
Saute chicken, onion and some basil in pan till chicken is cooked.
Add to the pot. ( I cut the chicken up before adding)
Let cook on medium for 1-2 hours.
You can substitute different veggies if you don't like these.
Enjoy on a cool night or great if you have a cold or flu.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Shopping for organic foods

So far I have found the best place to shop for organic food and lots of great choices is Central Market. It's like going to Toys are us for adults :) There are other places like Whole foods as well.

They have weekly specials, coupons in the mail and I am finding their prices to be equal to or even better than places like Wal Mart and Target.

For instance, organic 2% milk is cheaper there than Wal Mart & Target. However it is nice that these larger stores are now carrying many choices for organic and healthier foods.

My favorite things to get at Central Market are ~ milk, chicken, ground beef, bison meat and lunch meat. All organic with no hormones, preservatives, nitrates,etc. Of course all the fruits, veggies, whole grain breads, granola, herbal teas and coffee.

Eating organic is something I think everyone should consider, not just when you have a health crises. My thought is "pay now or pay later". There is such a rise in breast cancer, all cancers and children developing too early ( hormones) not to mention all the other health issues we have. This is just one way to live healthier and hopefully prevent disease and illness by making smart, healthy food choices.

Choose good "Food 4 Life"~ Elayne

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Uncle Jim's jalapeno burgers

Mix organic hamburger meat ( you can get Laura's organic at Walmart and Target) with Sweet Baby Ray's sauce, seasoning spices and jalapenos. Serve on whole wheat buns~ so good!

We use jalapenos from the garden, pretty spicy :)

For Breakfast

Yogurt breakfast~ organic french vanilla yogurt with berries of your choice. I use blueberries, blackberries and/or strawberries with organic granola cereal on top.

Steel Cut Oats ( you need 30 minutes to let cook on stove top) with sliced strawberries and organic maple syrup. Just add the berries and syrup when oats are cooked.

Garden Omelet~ I use one egg, Chris has 2. Just add your favorite veggies and some shredded cheese to the omelet. Again, we use veggies from the garden so it is full of flavor. You can buy free range, organic eggs just about everywhere.

For Lunch or Dinner

  • Turkey Spinach wraps ~ tomato basil wrap, turkey , cheese , baby spinach, grape tomatoes, avocado & dressing of choice. You can get lunch meat without added hormones and nitrates from whole foods and central market.
  • Amy's Organic soups~ we really like the southwest black bean and split pea. These are in a can so the sodium is high.
  • vegetable pizza- pizza crust ( whole wheat) tomato pizza sauce, organic shredded cheese and toppings of your choice. I use vegetables and herbs from my garden.Usually, green peppers, basil, tomatoes, mushrooms and onions. This is so full of flavor without all the grease and preservatives.
  • Chicken salad~ I buy pre made chicken salad and put a scoop on top of baby spinach. Add grape tomato's, green peppers, feta cheese and Briannas blush wine vinaigrette. You can add any veggies you want to this.

Favorite drinks~

  • Rosemary water with lemon ~ filtered water with fresh cut rosemary and lemon balm ( you can also use sliced lemon). Let it sit for a few hours in the fridge to enhance the flavor.

  • TAZO Tea Calm or Easy Now, Traditional Medicinals~ a blend of chamomile,rose petals & soothing herbs. Great before bed or for stress/anxiety.

Long lasting energy and simple!

Peanut butter, banana & honey sand which on whole wheat bread. Great for pre or post run or work out. Give yourself 90 minutes to digest before run/workout.


This is definitely our favorite food to eat prior to a run, especially a long run. We ran the entire half marathon on this sandwich.

Garden Spaghetti

Garden Spaghetti ~ whole wheat pasta or rice pasta, sauce of your choice, I add basil, Thia basil, green peppers and/or onions from my garden along with garlic and crushed chili peppers.

You can add any veggies to this, we also cut up and add mushrooms to the sauce. It is full of flavor from the veggies with a "kick" from the crushed chili peppers.

Monday, September 1, 2008

Our favorite Hawaii desert

We first had this very simple desert in Hawaii. It is great in the summer!

Any flavor sherbet you want ( we like Raspberry). Add a scoop of sherbet in a bowl and cover with a scoop of fruit cocktail.

Very Refreshing ~ I like to put the fruit cocktail in the fridge and get it cold before serving.