Whole Foods Lifestyle

In the last few weeks I've had great opportunities talking to people about health and nutrition. Even more tons of people have been telling me they love the blog and are avid followers! It makes me so happy :) Really, I am so thankful to all of our readers. Did everyone take note? Bianca is back in action! Look forward to many more design posts.

I realized through talking with people that there is a need for teaching the full spectrum of whole foods eating. It's such a dramatic change from the SAD (Standard American Diet) that it can seem overwhelming; but with the proper knowledge, you become empowered to take control of your diet. And it's powerful when you do so! The implications of a healthy diet are huge; your body will love you and in the long run you'll reduce your risks of disease significantly!

I have noticed that there is a gap that exists between knowing what is healthy and then actually implementing this knowledge into how you eat everyday. My hope is to one day start up a business to eliminate this gap where I would assist people in grocery shopping and visiting farmer's market so that they are walked through the transition from the SAD diet to a whole foods lifestyle of eating. I actually had the opportunity to do just that today with Michelle! And it was so enjoyable, we had a great time together :)

So for now, I'm using this blog to help people in anyway I can. This post is a sort of run through of the basics of the diet and, by request from Michelle, a list of substitutions to assist in transitioning. Hope this helps!

Whole Foods Lifestyle
The whole foods lifestyle that I go by is based on Genesis 1:29, where God gives His people the command of what to eat, and in its most simple form is basically any and all of the plants He created. Vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts and grains and a large variety of all of them! This diet is so NOT limited! If you are currently healthy I recommend eating about half of your diet or more raw.
Vegetables and fruits are cell-building and provide vitamins, minerals, fiber, amino acids (protein), carbohydrates, fat, water and if consumed raw enzymes! No other food can make this claim!

Vegetables: Eat unlimited amounts of raw vegetables (meaning do not heat them). Cooked vegetables are great and certain starchy vegetables like potatoes, yams, all varieties of winter squash, beets, eggplant, etc are preferred cooked. Salads are going to become your best friend.

Fruits: 3-4 pieces of fresh fruit a day, fruit is cleansing and great for flushing toxins. Dried fruit is great as well, no added sugars of course. Fruit jam made without sugar is fine also. Frozen fruit defrosted and added to oatmeal, cereal or spread on toast is great (Bianca loves this)!

Grains: Brown Rice, Quinoa, Millet, Amaranth, Barley, Buckwheat, Oats, Oat groats, Couscous, Pastas made from whole grains like brown rice or corn/quinoa, Rice Cakes, Popcorn, Puffed Rice Cereal, Puffed Kamut Cereal

Breads: Sprouted Wheat or any other Sprouted Grain Bread

Tortillas: Corn Tortillas, Sprouted Wheat Tortillas, Brown Rice Tortillas

Nuts and Seeds: almonds, walnuts, pecans, cashews, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, flaxseeds, chia seeds, the list goes on forever! Preferably always raw-not roasted or toasted. Almond and sunflower seed butter are great alternatives to peanut butter.

Legumes/Beans: lentils, split peas, black beans, kidney beans, garbanzo beans - any and all are great sources of protein! If you have trouble digesting beans try Eden Organics brand. They are cooked with kombu seaweed which helps increase digestibility.

Dairy is not part of the whole foods lifestyle, sorry :( No cheese, yogurt, milk, ice cream, etc. Here are the substitutions you can make during your transition. Also nice for once in awhile treats :)

Milk Substitutes: Almond Milk, Soy Milk, Rice Milk, Oat Milk, Hemp Milk

Cheese Substitutes: Daiya Cheese, Follow Your Heart Vegan Cheese

Mayonaise: Veganaise, here's the recipe for two flavored ones

Ice cream: Soy Ice Cream, Coconut Milk Ice Cream

Soy products have caused a lot of controversy over the years. The whole foods diet in it's most simple form would only include edamame, soy beans or soy nuts because that is the unprocessed form of soy. Soy products should not be consumed regularly, simply exchanging all of your meat for soy is not the healthiest way to go.

Soy Products: Tofu, Sprouted Tofu, Tempeh, Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP), Soy Milk, Soy Ice Cream, Veggie Burgers, etc.

Sugar is also not a part of the whole foods diet. But God made plenty of other delicious things for those of us with a sweet tooth so don't fret!

Sweeteners: Honey, agave, stevia, dates, molasses, maple syrup, brown rice syrup, cacao powder, carob powder, vanilla bean, raw chocolate, coconut shreds

Seasonings: Be careful with table salt; instead buy Sea Salt, use any and all herbs

Salad Dressings: The best are home-made dressings, here are some recipes: Sweet Italian and Dijon Vinaigrette. Oil and Vinegar is a great option as well, Red Wine, Rice, or Balsamic. Flaxseed oil, Grapeseed oil, and Extra Virgin Olive Oil are healthy oil choices.

See this list is HUGE! I mean, really, your choices for meals are unlimited! Keep bulk foods like grains, legumes, seeds and nuts always stocked up. Shop at the farmer's for your produce weekly and you're all set! Now with this information you should easily be able to navigate through the blog and make all the recipes! ENJOY!

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 1 Corinthians 10:31

Happy eating,
Dani

p.s. any questions? Please ask!

Raw Sweet Corn Salad

Hello, hello, hello. Sorry my posts have been short and without devotions. I really hate posting anything that doesn't have any encouragement towards to the Lord but this season is a little busier on my end. Bianca and I both of finishing up our last quarter and meeting a lot of families that need lots of babysitting. So please, forgive us both.
This recipe is sweet and simple. Taken again from Recipes for Life from God's Garden with adjustments on my part. Another great salad that's easy to pack for school. Make it now before corn goes out of season again!

Raw Sweet Corn Salad
1 ear of corn, freshly cut off the cobb
1 small red bell pepper, diced
2 pieces of celery, finely sliced
half a tomato, chopped
half an avocado, choose a ripe one
a bit of a red onion, diced
3 T parsley, freshly chopped
drizzle of flaxseed oil
Combine all vegetables in a bowl. Throw in parsley and drizzle with oil, remember you can use whatever you like, I just always use flaxseed. When you mix it all together, if you were able to sue a ripe avocado mash it in as you stir so it will coat all the vegetables and make a dressing.
Additions: add freshly squeezed lime or lemon, a couple teaspoons red wine vinegar.

This salad was so sweet because the corn was so fresh from the farmer's market! Getting more on Thursday!!

Blessings,
Dani

Almost Crab

With school starting I've been running around and haven't had nearly as much time as my summer :( Which means less posts, so sorry! Thought I'd post today's packed lunch for school. A hearty salad of parsnips, carrots and celery taken from Recipes for Life from God's Garden, my favorite cookbook. This salad is great for the days you need to stay on campus for lunch, or eat at work because it goes nicely in a tupperware and doesn't require an additional dressing to bring along.

Almost Crab
1 large parsnip
1 carrot
1 green onion
1 large piece of celery
half and avocado
1 clove of garlic
drizzle of flaxseed oil
1/4 t dry mustard
1/8 t cayenne pepper
Peel and chop parsnip and carrot, process in a cuisinart with the clove of garlic until well chopped. Pour into a bowl, adding chopped celery and green onion. Mix well with a very ripe avocado, seasonings and drizzle with your choice of oil, I like flaxseed for it's exceptional health benefits!


Parsnips are really good, you may not have ever had before there not too commonly used. Before this recipe I hadn't either. There a root vegetable and look like a carrot only bigger and white. They're in season right now so look for them at the farmers!

Blessings,
Dani

p.s. Sorry there's no picture, I ran out the door this morning and forgot!

Decorating Your Dorm Room

One of our avid readers (Sarah) asked Dani and I to make a post about decorating your dorm room. Of course, we were very excited and have been thinking of some good ideas. College is such an awesome time to meet new people, to be whoever you want to be, and to get to know the Lord intimately. And also, it is a fun time to decorate your OWN place for the first time! Since we are young and adventurous, I say go for it with bright colors. If you can paint (which most dorms don't allow you to do) try a fun color. If you can't paint, you can always do some cool things on the walls with fabric. The picture below shows a canvas covered in fabric (I love the desk too) and you could also make it into a picture/inspiration board :-)

Storage:

Good storage options are a must for an organized dorm room, especially if you are sharing with one or two other girls. Ross, TJ Maxx, Marshall's, or any thrift stores are great places to find cute baskets or boxes to store things in.

Desks:

Your desk will most likely be a place that you spend a lot of time (at least I do). You can do so much to make your desk cute as well as organized and conducive to studying. Below are some pictures for inspiration. Click on the photos for a larger view :-)

Accessories:

This is where you can have a lot of fun. If you are into matching, contact your roommate ahead of time to coordinate colors for bedding and accessories. Pillows, chairs, lamps, drawer knobs, mirrors, jewelry hangers, rugs, pictures, posters, and shelves are all great for personalizing your space.

Here are some really cute jewelry hangers. I also love this lamp which a DIY from the amazing Design Sponge blog. Danielle also covers one of her lamps with fabric which you can see here.

Mirrors and lamps can add a great punch to your room. Lamps are always fun DIY projects if you find an old lamp at a thrift store that you want to update. Same with mirrors, they are super easy to paint or spray paint.

If you have space, I love this DIY project using knobs and pieces of wood to hang your coats and bags on. I have never made them myself, but I always pictured them looking really cute in a dorm.

Plants:

I love bringing the outdoors in with houseplants. They are affordable, and make you dorm room air nice and clean. Go to your local garden store and ask for a list of plants that require very little attention. Succulents, which come in so many varieties are super easy and you can combine a bunch in one pot.

Pictures:

Everyone in college loves to put tons of pictures up. Sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming so I would like to suggest some ways to display them tastefully. Frames and bulletin boards are always a good option, but my personal favorite is to get some string or ribbon and some small clothes pins at your local craft store to display photos, letters, magazine clippings, notes, or whatever else! Here is a link to one of my past posts about creating one of these for yourself.

I hope that this post gave new college students and our other readers inspiration to spruce up your rooms. Thank you to Design Sponge and Decor8 for all of these awesome pictures.

Love,

Bianca

Nonna's Minestrone

Hello everyone! This is a continuation of the vegetable broth that I posted a couple of weeks ago. Growing up, my grandmother (who is from Italy) would make the most amazing minestrone. When I asked her how she made it, she told me "Just throw in whatever you have with some spices"...I wish it were that simple. I wanted to try and make a minestrone that tasted like her's since it brings back so many fond memories from my childhood. You can really use any vegetables in this kind of soup, but I think that the leek, zucchini and stewed tomatoes are the most important.

Ingredients:

3 Tbs olive oil

2 leeks, prepared and chopped (see broth post for directions)

1 onion, chopped

6 cups vegetable broth

1 large can of Italian stewed tomatoes

2 zucchini, sliced

3 carrots, sliced

3 stalks of celery, chopped

2 cups spinach, cleaned and chopped

3/4 cups white beans (any kind: cooked or canned)

3/4 cups barley, rinsed and uncooked

Bunch of fresh, chopped parsley (don't leave this out), 2 bay leaves, basil, thyme, sprig of rosemary, a few cloves, salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Sauté the leeks and onion in a saucepan until they turn golden-brown.

2. Combine all ingredients in a large pot, except for the barley and beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.

3. Cover and simmer until most vegetables start falling apart without your needing to crush them - about 3 hours. Add the beans and barley in the last hour.

4. Remove cloves and bay leaves (if you can find them) and the rosemary sprig. Crush the vegetables in the soup with a potato masher.

5. Serve hot with a nice hunk of fresh bread.

My first attempt came out a little too thick. My grandmother's was much thinner. But, I must say, the flavors and the smell reminded me a those days that I would sit at my Nonna's kitchen table as a little girl with a big bowl of her minestrone sitting in front of me. So I definitely think that it was a success...let me know what you think :-)

Love,

Bianca

Candle-Making

Bianca always knows the best gifts. For my birthday she took me to a candle making store and we made whole made candles! It was so great! This is a new place in Scotts Valley that I had no idea was even there so total surprise to me.

To start you choose your candle size and shape, there are all different ones. We both chose the medium square candle. Then you choose your scent and base color. I chose Rose and Cream, Bianca chose Fresh Linen and also Cream. Then you go to the counter and she gives you your mold. From here you sit down and pick wax shapes you like. Bianca chose a blue dragonfly and I chose a little pink flower bud with green leaves :). You have to stick your shape onto one of the sides so you see it clearly when the candle is out of the mold. Somehow I messed up on this part and mine ended up coming upside down. But it looks fine. Next you have to fill your mold with all kinds of wax squares. There are tons of colors of the wax squares to choose from and you break them all up and just layer them into your mold. When you're finished, the owner pours your base wax color with your choice of scent into your mold, it comes out sort of mosaic with the wax squares showing through. I did pink ones, Bianca blue and green. So typical of us both :)

Such a fun thing to do and I love the new candle! It's on my dresser in my room here at school. The best part, the smell is fantastic and super fresh since it's so new. Need a good birthday idea: find a candle making shop or visit this place in Scotts Valley!

Blessings,
Dani

Wine Party!

My 21st birthday party was a Foreign Country Wine party where all of my guests brought a bottle of wine from a different country. It was so much fun, we prepared a lot of ordourves and appetizers. My mom made a delicious lentil salad, I was so thankful for her and my dad who helped out so much :)

My favorite wine was a 2008 Cebernet Sauvignon from Colchagua Valley, Chile. Delicious, though I am not a wine connoisseur yet :) And I loved the bottle. James brought that one he knew I would like it, it's so earthy and natural! Thanks James!

We had some great hummus', artichoke dips and baba ganoush with pita bread, veggie sticks and rice-adzuki bean chips! Baba ganoush is my favorite and with these excellent multi-grain pita it was wonderful! My mom's dish was also a favorite. Here is the recipe for, it's really really good!

Sprouted Green Lentil Provencal Salad
1 C truRoots Sprouted Lentils
1 C truRoots Sprouted Mung Beans
2 small red bell pepper, finely diced
1/2 a finely diced red onion
1/2 C chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
4 T flaxseed oil
4 T red wine vinegar
1 T chopped fresh sage
1 t sea salt
1/2 t ground black pepper
Cook truRoots Sprouted Lentils accoring to package directions. Drain well. Combine the warm lentils, bell pepper, red onion, parsley, oil, vinegar, sage, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Toss well. Cool to room temperature before serving.

The truRoots products are really cool because there sprouted and then dried. So when you cook them you just boil them for 4 minutes, let them sit for 10 minutes covered, then drain. So there not "raw" but there still highly digestible and enzymatic from the sprouting process. Of course, you could always use regualr lentils and mung beans.
God has been blessing my week at home like crazy. It's so funny, my birthday literally went on from Saturday until last night! But now it's over and I am officially 21 :) Thanks everyone!

Love you,
Dani

p.s. Still more birthday stuff to come!