How to cook Lentils...

This is just a quick side note...

Lentils cook much like rice. I just pop mine in my rice cooker and add vegetable stock or water (the stock adds flavor!) and let it cook on the white rice setting. YUM!

Scrumptious Lentil Salad

This is such a yummy salad it has become a family favorite!

1 1/2 C dry lentils
3 cups vegetable broth

I cook my lentils in my rice cooker because they take about the same amount of time to cook as rice. You can cook them on the stove as well.

While the lentils cook, chop the following:

1/2 cup cucumber peeled and seeded
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup yellow pepper
2 medium tomatoes
1/2 cup onion
1/2 cup feta cheese

Balsamic Dressing
Salt and Pepper to taste
Lettuce leaves as garnish

Allow Lentils to cool. Add chopped veggies. Pour in balsamic dressing  and salt and pepper and stir to mix well. Serve on lettuce leaves.


I use bottled Balsamic Dressing cuz I am lazy! But here is a recipe that is scrunptious as well:

3 T balsamic Vinegar
2 T olive oil
2 T lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t dried thyme leaves

Mix all. Refridgerate until serving time. Mix again before use.

I love to serve it over washed romain lettuce leaves. The added crunch and freshness just makes it lots yummier! (That's a word, right?!)

Enjoy!

Why Beans are so Important to Having a Healthy Diet

Our diets are loaded with unhealthy nutrient deficient foods. And we are so confused about what to eat! Mixed messages abound and confusion about eating healthy continues to increase. This has been my problem for so long! I am truly studying eating habits and food to get to the answers I need to live healthy. On answer is certain...beans are a necessary part of a healthy diet. I hear many arguments about eating beans. They are high in fat and starch...They don't taste good...I can get my protein from meat...and on and on. Ok. This is what I know to be true....

Enter the bean. A perfect food, actually. Beans contain both soluble and insoluble fiber. This means that they scrub your insides really well. They clean out your digestive tract ( I always think of the line from Beverly Hills cop when the two cops are sitting in car and Eddie Murphy is putting the banana in the tail pipe. The younger cop says to the older one, "Did you know the average American has five pounds of undigested red meat in their intestines?" We use this line regularly!), scrub your arteries removing unwanted fats and build-ups thus REVERSING the main cause of stoke and heart attacks. Hmmm...  

Beans are very high in resistant starch. Resistant starch is being proven as very desirable in our diets. Although technically deemed a 'starch', it acts more like fiber during digestion.  Typically starches found in carb rich foods break down into glucose during digestion which is used as energy or stored as fat. Resistant starch 'resists' digestion and passes through the small intestines without being digested. Researchers are classifying this as a third type of fiber as studies continue. So a significant amount of the carb calories being listed for beans is not absorbed.

Because of this feature in beans they:

• Aid weight loss
• Aid digestive health
• Help prevent constipation
• Help maintain lower blood sugar levels
• Reduce the risk of developing diabetes
• Reduce the risk of heart attack
• Reduce the risk of colon cancer

A Super Food!

As far as taste, as with trying anything new, give it a chance. There is nothing more delicious than a bean still warm from cooking. Vary the beans you use, don't just stick to one. You will get bored the same as if you ate the exact same kind of apple day in and day out. Boring! There are so many to choose from! I just found Cranberry Beans and am having a love affair with them! It is so fun to try new things!

Beans also take on spices and seasoning especially well. They absorb the flavors and taste super yummy with an endless variety of flavors. They are so adaptable.

I remember years ago I was making a salad for a party and a friend added plain beans to the top. I had never seen anyone add or eat beans plain like that. I didn't want to eat the yummy salad I had made. But after a gentle encoouragement I found it to be so delicious and filling! Now almost all my salads include beans.

I eat them as my meat replacement. I am NOT a vegetarian, nor could I be if I wanted to. I married a hunter!! But even we have cut way back on our meat consumption. We have replaced meat with beans in our tacos, enchiladas, sloppy joes, burgers, and throw beans into so many other dishes.

Even my 'hunter' husband says he feels so much better. It is amazing!

It is recommended that we shoud eat at least 1 cup of beans EVERY DAY unless you eat a meat dish. Although adding beans adds nutrition. I won't go into why you should consider cutting back on meat consumption. Just remember: Beans are more than yummy, they could actually save your life and keep you free of disease!

EAT BEANS!

 

Shelf Reliance has many varieties of beans and INSTANT BEANS! 

 If you would like to learn more, please contact me thrivewithamy@gmail.com or schedule a class.

Click here to order our YUMMY beans!

10 Reasons to Love Whole Wheat!

1. It’s more nutritious, providing several more minerals, vitamins (18 more to be exact!), and natural photochemicals than white flour.

2. Relax! It has More B Vitamins which are known to help with nerves & stress.

3. Get cleaned out. Whole wheat provides more fiber, preventing constipation & diverticulosis.
The American Dietetic Association recommends 20-35 grams daily, the average American consumes only 12 grams.

4. Lose weight and keep it off! Whole wheat has a lot of fiber which has almost no calories, keeps you fuller for longer, absorbs 3x it’s weight in water, cuts absorption of calories, cleans out impurities, requires more chewing, and takes 1/2 as much to fill you up and takes longer to digest.

5. Reduces your risk of colon cancer & other diseases.

6. Lowers blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and risk of adult on set Diabetes.

7. Cheaper! It will lower your food costs by at 30% to 50%!

8. Lowers doctor visits, bills, & medications.

9. Lowers Dentist Bills by cutting down on tooth decay.

10. Eating Whole Wheat keeps your body both emotionally and physically used to wheat.

It has been awhile since I have visited the blog. In April our world was turned upside down when my husbands mother died quite suddenly. Upon returning home summer was upon us and I struggled with getting back into the routine of life. But back I am and ready to go. I have been reading and learning more and more about food and recipes and nutrition. Ready to share knowledge and health and preparedness with you!

Shelf Reliance is a company I have been part of for more than a year. They are the kind of company I am glad to attach my name to. They take every care - and then some- so make sure their food is top quality when it comes to nutrition, taste, and freshness. It stands head and shoulders above the rest.

I am inviting you to give them a try.

The food is freeze dried and although it has a long shelf life, is really something to be used daily. It really will save you time in the kitchen as well as save on time and money as you will not have to run to the store as often (no more $60 loaves of bread cuz you picked up this and that as long as you were out...)! The food is already chopped and peeled and ready to be eaten. It is quick and simple to throw something together!

Here is a quick chicken salad recipe that is delicious, nutritious, and fast:



1 cup freeze dried chicken (reconstituted)
1/2 cup freeze dried celery (reconstituted)
1/3 cup freeze dried onions (reconstituted)
2 Tablespoons mayo
salt and pepper to taste

This is the standard recipe we use at parties to allow people to try freeze dried meat. It is a weird concept and takes some time to get used to, but once you try it you will realize it is delicious and a tremendous time saver! And I love to change it up!

 For a fruity chicken salad I add:
1/3 cup pineapple (reconstituted)
1/3 cup mandarin oranges (reconstituted)
Chinese noodles

Sometimes I just throw in 1/2 cup apple pieces (reconstituted) and some almonds for a touch of sweetness and crunch.

A great seasonal recipe is strawberry chicken salad:




2 cups THRIVE freeze fried chicken (reconstituted)
1/2 cup pecans
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup THRIVE white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup freeze dried THRIVE onions (reconstituted)
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
2 heads Bibb lettuce - rinsed, dried and torn
1 cup THRIVE freeze dried strawberries (reconstituted)



Place chicken in warm water for 15-20 minutes to reconstitute.

Meanwhile, place pecans in a dry skillet over medium-high heat. Cook pecans until fragrant, stirring frequently, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside.

In a blender, combine the red wine vinegar, sugar, vegetable oil, onion, mustard, salt, and pepper. Process until smooth.

Gently stir together chicken, pecans, and strawberries.

Arrange lettuce on serving plates. Top with chicken, strawberries, and pecans. Drizzle with the dressing to serve.

Substitute THRIVE Mandarin Oranges, THRIVE Blackberries or THRIVE Raspberries. It's yummy!!

CLICK HERE TO TRY FREEZE DRIED CHICKEN NOW! A real time saver and scrumptious tasting!

For best pricing just email your order to me at ThriveWithAmy@gmail.com.

Host a DEMO and earn FREE and 1/2 price food! Lots of samples and fun. Learn about the Q to save even more and add more convenience!