I'm beginning my family on a nutritious organic diet VERY soon. But I need some help with good yummy recipes. Ones that are easy and don't require hard to find ingrediets. I just don't know much about it and I really need some help getting started. All I know is that I'm tired of poisoning my family with the processed foods that we have been buying in the grocery store. So if you have tips on things that will help let me know!
http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/ This site was posted here a while back, and it is great. She really got me thinking and trying to start having my family eating more healthy.
Start simply, and slowly. I don't buy exclusively organic, but try when available and not too expensive. I would start by cooking with fresh ingredients and getting away from boxes. When we started the process, I got away from the boxed dinners, boxed mac & cheese, etc and went back to making from scratch. We had salads and fresh veggies every night. A Grilled or lightly sauted meat, poultry or fish. Baked potatoes, brown rice, whole wheat pasta (brown rice and whole wheat pasta cook differently....so make sure to factor that in!). I liked using stocks and boullions (natural) to flavor things. Homemade salad dressings to get away from the jarred ones. (good recipe is fresh buttermilk, sour cream and blue cheese - 1/2 cup each makes a GREAT blue cheese dressing). Another salad dressing is equal parts honey, lemon juice (fresh squeezed) and olive oil. Add a clove or two of minced garlic. Shake well. MMMM. I would use this dressing for fish and chicken all the time, marinate in about 1/4 cup of the dressing....pan saute. Serve over rice. MMMMM.
There is a set of cookbooks put out by La Leche League. They are amazing. The two I would start with are Whole Foods for the Whole Family and Whole Foods from the Whole World. You'll find recipes for cakes, cookies, snacks (make your own cracker kind of things), dinners, lunches, etc. And all made with whole, natural foods.
Jo Anna- that is a great link! did you see the section on starting out? Lots of great tips- I saw many of my own first steps: eliminating certain ingredients- MSG, hydrogenated oils, artificial flavors/colors, etc., aspartame, "natural flavors", and gradually the list has gotten longer, but along the way I've learned to make some truly wonderful, nutritious food. Homemade broth is so versatile and healthy- for soups, rice, beans, etc. Try a new grains. quinoa is a good source of protein and minerals- and it's so yummy- the texture is similar to cous-cous. I have learned a lot about spices- whether I'm making a dressing, dip, marinade, soup, stir-fry or whatever, I enjoy learning about different combinations of flavors. I soak beans and grains ahead of time- it removes certain harmful enzymes (I'll have to get back to you about the science of it all) then I just work with what I've got- this week I had a veggie broth and I added tomatoes, celery, rutabaga, a hungarian pepper (or two!) and some garbanzo beans. also this week: steamed kale with apple cider vinegar and sesame seeds, sauteed brussel sprouts in a peach-ginger-dijon sauce, pintos in broth with green chiles, cumin, pepper and cilantro (served with cornbread) several salads with a variety of raw veggies, sometimes beans, maybe pumpkin or sunflower seeds or some nuts, green beans, tofu stir fry with broccoli, red pepper, and the leftover green beans seasoned with garlic, and Braggs, quinoa. I've been experimenting with thai soup using coconut milk, butternut squash, garbanzo beans, curry, cumin, candemon, etc. my last batch was really good. tonight we're going to make burritos with what is left of the pintos- make some rice and big hearty salads with a dressing of apple cider vinegar, a splash of juice if I have it or a tsp of good jam, walnut &/or safflower oil with some omega 3-6-9 oil blend and some herbs (I have a sprig of something still left)
Thanks for the website. I LOVE it. And I will keep in mind the differant ingredients to do away with in our foods to start our new healthy lifestyle.
Make cut up vegie tray daily for your family and yourself. I am very glad for you to have made this decision! You are on a wonderful road to healthy living!
Ranch Dressing: I use plain yogurt as a base- I get the whole milk plain yogurt and use the thick stuff off the top, but you can use just the plain yogurt or half it with mayo (read ingredients carefully- reduced calorie ones usually have some funky ingredients- I get "veganaise" it's pricey, but I don't use much, or I make homemade mayo, not hard) you can mix in a little milk or cream to get a creamier consistency add a tbs or two of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice lots of herbs and spices: onion poweder or dehydrated onions, garlic powder, celery (ground, dried flakes, whatever form is fine) maybe dill or black pepper, sometimes I spice it up with some mrs. dash or some cayenne pepper. It won't quite taste the same and may be a little runnier, but after you get used to it, the store bought stuff will taste terrible! I get my kids to make new things with me and they're more likely to like it.
