Here is a list of foods that may trigger gout:
Animal Flesh and Organs (gross): beef, pork, bacon, lamb, fish, shellfish, liver, brain, chicken, turkey, eel, venison, ect.
Animal Fluids: cow milk, butter, cheese, cottage cheese, ice cream, meat extracts, goat milk, ect.
Asparagus
Cauliflower
Legumes: kidney beans, navy and lima beans, lentils, peas.
Mushrooms
Oatmeal
Spinach
Tomato
Whole Grain Bread or Breads
Whole Grain Wheat Germ and Bran
Yeast
If you have gout, try eliminating these products from your diet and see how you feel!
Monday, January 24, 2011
Just Sprout It!
Sprouts are so wonderful, and available any time of the year, right from your own kitchen!
Sprouts are baby plants in their prime!
They have a greater concentration of proteins (yay!), higher amounts of vitamins and minerals, enzymes, RNA, DNA, bio-flavinoids, T-cells, and many other benefits, the height of the plants nutrition is all in the sprout stage! Baby plants are also easier to digest!
When you sprout at home, there is no use for chemicals or nasty fertilizers and it doesn't take up that much space, not to mention zero food miles.
Just fresh deliciousness right here, right now!
Beans are marvelous regulators of insulin.
Insulin is a hormone that lowers the level of glucose (a type of sugar) in the blood. It's made by the beta cells of the pancreas and released into the blood when the glucose level goes up, such as after eating. Insulin helps glucose enter the body's cells, where it can be used for energy or stored for future use.
Beans and lentils, make very gradual changes in blood sugar and do not draw on the body's natural insulin to keep blood sugar under control.
In fact, they provide more receptors for insulin to land, controlling the loss of insulin back into the bloodstream.
Beans contain at least two powerful cancer blocking substances, lignans and protease inhibitors. Lignans fight breast cancer and colon cancer after being turned into hormone-like substances by bacteria in the colon. Protease inhibitors prevent normal cells from going cancerous. Sprouting dramatically increases this awesome enzyme activity.
Personally, I have a SproutMaster, and its so easy to use!
My mix of sprouts contains beans, lentils, peas, and some other yummy stuff.
1. First, soak overnight (about 10-12 hours)
(Sometimes I add a little food grade hydrogen peroxide to soaking sprouts for 15 minutes to kill any bacteria that might be present).
2. Rinse soaked seeds, peas, lentils or grains like quinoa or millet.
3. Place in sprouter and rinse 2-3 times a day, depending on how warm the environment is.
4. Drain sprouter thoroughly after each rinsing.
5. Taste your sprouts as they grow to determine when they are the tastiest!
When seeds are at their desired taste, place in the refrigerator for longer life.
Do Not Place Sprouts In Direct Sunlight!
Top on salads, or lightly steam with rice. Yum!
Top on salads, or lightly steam with rice. Yum!
My lentil/pea mix took 1 1/2 days to sprout (after soaking).
They are sweet and oh, so good and filling!
Sprout On!
xoxo
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Stuffed Mushrooms
It's been way too long since my last post!
I have been so busy with this and that, school, running kids around, practicing staying peaceful in the midst of chaos!
Here is a quick recipe that is super filling.
Stuffed Mushrooms
Crimini or botton mushrooms, cleaned with caps removed
olives sundried tomatoes
delicious olives
walnuts or pine nuts (soaked)
dired herbs from your garden, thyme, oregano.....yumm!
wheat-free tamari
Balsamic Vinegar
Dash of olive oil (optional)
Soak cleaned mushrooms with stems removed in tamari/balsamic/olive oil for 1 hour.
Chop sundried tomatoes, olives, and walnuts finely chopped, herbs, and mix together If you would like add the tamari/vinegar/olive oil soak mix to the tomatoes, olive and walnuts.
Stuff mushrooms with mixture and place in dehydrator for 4 hours to get the cooked feeling.
Enjoy!
Berry bliss will be holding a juice fast from Monday, November 15th, Though Sunday, November 21st.
When we fast, we practice faith in the body's wisdom. We receive an opportunity to release our compulsions and attachments to controlling and a door is opened for us to examine all the ways in which the illusion of control and the existence of one who is controlling play into our lives.
Please call Michelle for more details; 249-4370
Hope you can join us!
The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers.
~M. Scott Peck
I hope you all are having a truly lovely fall.
Love,
Michelle
Please check out my personal site at: www.MichelleBerryShaffer.com
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Huckleberry Bliss!
Last weekend we went camping on the South Fork River, it was beautiful! Morgan, Alex and I were able to go huckleberry picking!
Huckleberries are relatives of the blueberry and the cranberry they are high in antioxidants, vitamin C, manganese, iron and a good source of vitamin A. They are a good source of vitamin B and helps speed up metabolism and potassium keeps skin, nerves and muscles happy and healthy by regulating water balances and eliminating wastes.
Huckleberries are medicinal for the blood and liver, they help manage serious illnesses such as heart disease, eczema, lowering cholesterol, muscular degeneration and diabetes by lowering blood sugar levels, they also have bacteria fighting capabilities that are particularly useful in countering urinary-tract infections.
Wow.
There have been many clinical studies done to show that the huckleberry promotes eye health, especially against diabetic retinopathy and cataracts. However, back during World War I, the pilots in the Royal Air Force in Great Britain swore that eating huckleberry jam or drinking huckleberry cordials prior to flying night missions over Germany significantly improved their visual acuity in the darkness.
These sweet berries are a cooling food and perfect for summer!
Huckleberry Cheesecake:
Crust:
1 1/2 cup pecans or almonds
1/2 cup shredded coconut, dried
7 dates (soaked)
Process crust ingredients in a food processor and press into bottom of a springform pan. If it feels too wet, place in dehydrator while you are preparing your filling to remove excess moisture.
If you were blessed with an abundance of huckleberries, place some fresh ones on the crust so you may have bursts of fresh huckleberries in your pie!
Filling:
3 cups cashews (soaked)
1 1/4 cup almond milk
1-1 1/2 cup huckleberries
1 cup huckleberry honey
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 Tablespoons vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup coconut oil (melted at low temperature in dehydrator)
2 Tablespoons lecithin
Blend first seven ingredients in vitamix or blender until smooth. Add coconut oil and lecithin last. Pour mixture on top of pie crust. If you desire, you may choose to reserve two cups of the huckleberry mixture and add two tablespoons of chocolate and two tablespoons on vanilla, mix in blender and pour on top of huckleberry mixture in pan. Swirl it and twirl it to make it beautiful! Place in freezer for two hours or overnight before serving or in the fridge for 6 hours or overnight so that it may set. Serve and enjoy!
Tip: If your mixture is too thick add some date soak water. If your mixture is too thin add some coconut oil or more cashews.
I hope you are enjoying your summer and spending as much time as you can outdoors with your families!
All of life is a journey; which paths we take, what we look back on, and what we look forward to is up to us. We determine our destination, what kind of road we will take to get there, and how happy we are when we get there. ~From A Little Book of Happiness
Love,
Monday, June 7, 2010
Wasabi Soy Almonds
Wasabi soy Almonds are a wonderful snack! Everyone in my family absolutely loves them!
Wasabi is Japanese horseradish and is actually the gnarled root of a plant that is a member of the cabbage family.
Wasabi is great for digestion because it contains enzymes that digest proteins. Besides the fact that it wasabi cleanses the palate, it is also used as an antidote for fish poisoning and maybe why it is an important part of Japanese cuisine.
Wasabi is a heating food and is kapha balancing.
Wasabi Soy Almonds
4 cups almonds (soaked overnight)
1 cup Bragg's Liquid Amino's or Nama Shoyu
1/4 cup powdered wasabi
Soak almonds overnight. The next morning mix Bragg's and powdered wasabi. Let sit for 10 minutes. Add wasabi soy mixture to almonds and let soak for 1 hour. Drain off excess liquid and place almonds on a dehydrator tray. Dehydrate for 24-28 hours at 115 degrees. Make sure you save some for yourself because if your family knows they are around, they are gone immediately.
What's your favorite snack?
When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bounds. Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great and wonderful world. ~Patanjali
I hope you are enjoying this wet spring! I am looking forward to a long, hot summer with lots of rafting! In the mean time, have some wasabi soy almonds to warm up!
xoxo
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Mint-Chip Cheesecake
For my sisters 27th birthday I made her a mint-chocolate (non-dairy) cheesecake.
Kate and her boyfriend, Eric had to jump on a train to Portland around 9pm. We had a wonderful dinner with family, great conversations, and the girls made Kate some artwork. Soon, the evening slipped away and Kate and Eric had to slip away without getting a piece of her birthday cheesecake. We had some in her honor and sang Happy Birthday and lit a candle for her and then had every intention of saving her a piece, but apparently everyone thought it was the BEST CHEESECAKE EVER! And not one piece lasted for the birthday girl to taste. Moral of this story is, NEVER, leave without grabbing a piece of cake! :)
Mint Chip Cheesecake
Almond Crust:
2 cups almonds
10-14 pitted dates
1/4 cup cacao nibs
2 teaspoons vanilla
Process all ingredients in a food processor until flaky but yet, can hold together when you press it between your fingers. Press crust into the bottom of a springform pan.
Mint Filling:
It would be okay to substitute honey for agave in this recipe it makes it for a little thicker pie and you do not need to use as much lecithin.
Put all ingredients except for the lecithin and the melted coconut oil into the VitaMix (or other powerful blender) and blend until smooth and creamy. Add the melted coconut oil and the lecithin and blend thoroughly. Pour all but 2 cups of filling on top of the almond crust.
Chocolate-Mint Filling
2 cups reserved mint filling
4 tablespoons cacao powder
2 tablespoons vanilla
Plop chocolate-mint mixture into pan and swirl around to create a marbled effect.
Place pie in freezer for 1-2 hours to set up before serving. Sprinkle cacao nibs around outer edges and enjoy chocolate mint bliss!
My daughter Alex claims this is the BEST PIE EVER!
Mint is so wonderful, not only can you use it for culinary adventures, it is also wonderful for your medicine cabinet as well!
Mint is fabulous to use in a tea, as well as desserts with chocolate, tebbouleh, and garnishes.
There are over 500 varieties of known mint varieties! Wow!
Peppermint is cooling and stimulating, it helps relieve spasms, increases perspiration, and tones the digestive system, especially the colon. It is not recommended to use peppermint on infants.
While spearmint is slightly warming, it is excellent to use on young children and is an excellent remedy for feverish childhood illnesses as well as hiccups, indigestion, and flatulence
Both peppermint and spearmint are tridoshic and are especially calming for pitta.
Hop you are enjoying this beautiful spring!
Namaste,
Michelle
PS. Don't forget to check out the website: www.goingtothesunfood.com
Adapted from Sweet Gratitude, and
Mint info from The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia
Please check out my personal site at: www.MichelleBerryShaffer.com
Please check out my personal site at: www.MichelleBerryShaffer.com
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