Woman in Real Life

I have been reading How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease and perusing The How Not to Die Cookbook: 100+ Recipes to Help Prevent and Reverse Disease. I know I'm late to the game, but to tell the truth, I figured the recommendations in Dr. Michael Greger's books would be pretty close to the plant-based diet I currently enjoy. And they definitely are, but Dr. Greger's Daily Dozen checklist has been helpful in encouraging me to get more nutrient-dense foods in my diet (as well as water and exercise) on most days.

I have found that in order to check off most of the 24 boxes on the Daily Dozen checklist, it's helpful (pretty much necessary) to start the day with a healthy breakfast that includes at least a few of the items on the checklist. That's where this smoothie comes in. You can check off a few boxes with just one lovely bowl of fruity, superfoods goodness.

The older my kids get, the more conscious I become of getting them into the kitchen to cook and bake. Sure we have made many meals and desserts together over the years - I know it's important to start early, even when they are more mess-makers than helpers. But now that they are 12 (almost 13 - gasp!) and 10, they are fully capable of following recipes on their own.

Because they can still be picky about what they eat, getting them involved with food preparation makes it more likely they will actually eat the food. Even when we add ingredients that wouldn't be so palatable coming from Mom. You know, those nutritious little goodies that we mothers like to sneak into our food.

My mom and I shared a vegan orange muffin at a cafe recently. It was a bit too "orangey" for me, but it got me thinking I could make my own muffins with a more subtle orange flavour. So I did. I'm adventurous like that.

I used store-bought orange juice and grated orange peel for flavour. I would tend to look for organic oranges, just because you are actually eating the peel. If you have the time, you could juice your own oranges too. But sometimes you just want a quick muffin.

Remember when I went to the apple orchard in September? I had all of these plans to make lovely recipes to use up the apples that the kids so lovingly picked that day.

It's now (late) November and I still have a fridge drawer full of apples. The guilt is starting to eat away at me.

So, yesterday I put together this recipe for Apple Crisp With A Twist.You probably guessed from the picture that the twist in this apple crisp is raspberries. But, I really should have said twists plural, because I also added orange juice and flax seeds for extra fun!

 Welcome to another What I Ate Wednesday!

Okay, I admit it. Christmas is over.

I am not totally giving up sugar—don’t get crazy now. And, I am not doing any fasting—what joy is there in a life without food? I am simply staying away from wheat and dairy. I am not going totally gluten-free—I am still enjoying spelt and kamut flours and pastas. I, like many people, find they are easier to tolerate than regular wheat products.

Here’s a look at the menu I enjoyed on the first day of my cleanse. It was really easy and didn’t require more work than usual.

My breakfast is basically the same every day, either oats or quick quinoa flakes (pictured).

1 tsp Natural Calm magnesium supplement dissolved in warm water

1 tsp apple cider vinegar (to calm my stomach)

Buckwheat sweet potato noodles with gluten-free teriyaki sauce
Sol Original veggie burger with organic ketchup (no bun)
Corn

Dinner

Spelt flour banana blueberry flax pancakes with Earth Balance margarine and maple syrup
Scrambled eggs

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Lundberg Farms Sante Fe Barbecue rice chips
Traditional Medicinals Eater’s Digest tea (the best tea ever for digestive issues)

Anybody else cleansing? I’d love to hear your plan.