Ten Delicious Dishes to Help Defeat Diabetes

Courtesy of Healthy Cooking Tips                                                                      Chef Tim Johnson

The food you eat plays a crucial role in your health. Certain foods can even help in the prevention and treatment of diabetes. In diabetes, the cells of the body cannot get the sugar they need. Glucose, a simple sugar, is the body’s main fuel. It is present in the blood even if you don’t eat any sugary foods, because the foods we eat are broken down into glucose. A hormone called insulin signals the body’s cells to let glucose in. In people with diabetes, glucose cannot get into the cells where it is needed.

People with type 1 diabetes do not have enough insulin to signal the cells to let in glucose, so it builds up in the blood stream. People with type 2 diabetes or who are at high risk for diabetes are said to be insulin resistant, meaning that while there is enough insulin present, the cells aren’t paying very close attention to the signal. Being above one’s healthy weight and choosing a fatty diet increase the likelihood of insulin resistance. Both types of diabetes are reaching epidemic proportions: An average American born in 2000 has a one in three chance of developing diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Low-fat, fiber-rich diets built from legumes, vegetables, whole grains, and fruits help individuals avoid diabetes and control blood sugar levels. Such diets can also prevent complications in people who already have diabetes.

Choosing the right foods can make a world of difference to your health. Look for delicious, minimally processed foods from plant sources. Here are ten tasty choices for the prevention and management of diabetes:

1. Mixed Greens with Apples and Walnuts — This low glycemic index fruit is a great choice, along with fresh apricots, peaches, and pears. The glycemic index (GI) is a measure of how quickly a food releases its sugars. Foods with low GI raise blood sugar levels more slowly than high-GI foods. It’s helpful to raise blood sugar slowly so that your body can properly remove them from the blood. Walnuts are high in important omega-3 fatty acids, which do not adversely affect glycemic control, unlike the saturated fats found in meats and cheeses. Omega-3 fatty acids also help keep your heart healthy by decreasing triglyceride levels in the blood and reducing the risk of fatal cardiac events.

2. Steamed Artichokes — Serve this beautiful vegetable upright on a plate with rice wine vinegar as a dipping sauce. Artichokes are low in calories, nearly fat free, and delicious. They’re also rich in fiber, which slows down the absorption of natural sugars from the starchy foods we eat and has been shown to reduce insulin resistance.

3. Hummus Dip with Baby Carrots — Hummus is a hearty dip made from chickpeas, sesame seed paste, garlic, and lemon. Chickpeas provide protein and fiber, while sesame seeds are a great source of vitamin E. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that can help protect and improve circulation in the eyes. Use carrots to dip with and get double the eye- and anti-oxidant protection from the beta-carotene in the carrots. People with diabetes frequently develop eye problems, particularly diabetic retinopathy, or damage to the retina. This can lead to a gradual loss of vision.

4. Old-Fashioned or Irish Oats with Fresh Strawberries — Here’s a breakfast that fills you up without filling you out. It’s also a good source of vitamin C, vitamin B6, and soluble fiber. Vitamin C is an antioxidant and a potent eye protector, while vitamin B6 may help prevent diabetic retinopathy (retina damage). Soluble fiber, in addition to helping keep blood sugar under control, can help lower blood cholesterol levels. People at risk for diabetes—and those already coping with it—have a high risk for heart disease. Therefore, it’s important to choose meals that decrease cholesterol levels.

5. Quinoa Tabouli — This protein-rich whole grain can help head off those carbohydrate cravings with a healthy choice. Some individuals crave muffins, cookies, cakes, and white bread—all foods that raise blood sugar levels unnecessarily. Tasty and healthier whole-grain foods can satisfy the need for carbohydrates.

6. Mushroom Barley Soup — Barley has the lowest glycemic index of any grain, and mushrooms are tasty and magnesium-rich. Magnesium helps maintain nerve cells and may also play a role in preventing diabetic retinopathy (retina damage).

7. Edamame (boiled fresh soybeans in the pod) — A delicious, hearty, protein- and fiber-rich snack that is fun to eat and chock-full of disease-fighting phytosterols (a plant compound that can lower cholesterol, among other things). Look for fresh edamame at your local farmer’s market, or check the frozen vegetable case in the supermarket. Most kids love them.

8. Fruity Spinach Salad — An attractive salad decorated with sunflower seeds, oranges, sweet red pepper, and cucumbers and flavored with raspberry vinaigrette fat-free dressing makes a delicious first course or side dish. Spinach is great for magnesium; sunflower seeds provide vitamin E, selenium, and magnesium; and oranges and red peppers are good sources of vitamin C. Selenium is an important antioxidant. This mineral protects the cells of the heart and blood vessels from damage, which is important because of diabetes’ strong association with heart disease.

9. Curried Cauliflower and Peas — This dish is low in fat, high in potassium (which lowers blood pressure), rich in disease-fighting phytochemicals, and high in flavor. Serve it as a main dish with brown rice and a side salad for a simple but delicious meal.

10. Basmati and Wild Rice Pilaf — Whole grains and nuts are good sources of chromium. Chromium works with the hormone insulin to get glucose into the cells, where we can use it for energy. A deficiency in chromium can lead to high blood  glucose levels.Chronically high blood sugar levels damage the body, especially the eyes, kidneys, and nerves.

 The Key to Detoxifying Your Body, is Water

Water is, quite literally, the river on which our good health flows. Water carries nutrients to our cells, aids digestion by forming stomach secretions, flushes our bodies of wastes, and keeps our kidneys healthy. It keeps our moisture-rich organs (our skin, eyes, mouth, and nose) functioning well, it lubricates and cushions our joints, and it regulates our body temperature and our metabolism, just to name a few of its many functions.

Water also plays a crucial role in disease prevention. In a study conducted at the Centre for Human Nutrition at the University of Sheffield, England, researchers concluded that women who stay adequately hydrated reduce their risk of breast cancer by 79 percent. Another study, done at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, found that women who drink more than five glasses of water a day have a 45 percent reduced risk of colon cancer compared with women who drink two or fewer glasses of water a day. Many doctors believe that proper hydration can help prevent chronic joint diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, because water reduces inflammation and promotes cartilage health. Adequate water consumption can also slow the signs of aging and improve conditions such as constipation, diabetes, hypoglycemia, obesity, arthritis, kidney stones, dry skin, wrinkles, cataracts, and glaucoma.

H₂O: the Toxic Avenger

Without enough water flowing through our systems to carry out wastes and toxins, we would literally drown in our own poisonous metabolic wastes. I don’t mean to sound alarmist, but this is no exaggeration. Even slight dehydration can wear down our systems in ways that seriously compromise our overall quality of life.

Just as the liver is crucial to the digestive process, the kidneys are necessary for helping the body remove water and waste. The kidneys are a pair of small organs that are located near the spine at the small of the back. They take in about 20 percent of the body’s blood each time the heart beats, cleans it of unwanted substances and then produce urine, the fluid by which these wastes are eliminated from the body. Normal-functioning kidneys also control the concentration levels of body fluids. If body fluids are too dilute, the kidneys expel excess water via urine. If body fluids are too concentrated, the kidneys excrete the excess solutes and hang on to the water. In short, the kidneys are all about balancing the fluids and electrolytes in our bodies so that our systems run smoothly.

If the kidneys don’t get the water they need to perform these filtering functions, our health deteriorates rapidly.

Electrolyte is the scientific term for a type of salt made up of ions that are positively and negatively charged. These are the “sparks” that transfer electrical messages across cells, and this activity is what makes our bodies function. Our kidneys work to keep our electrolyte concentrations steady, since they must be replaced constantly. If they’re not, dehydration can set in, which can lead to organ damage and seizures. How can we be sure that we’re getting enough electrolytes? Do we need to buy specially formulated, sugar-enhanced sports drinks? Many sports physiologists actually recommend water-that’s right, plain water—over the fancy sports drinks that are marketed to us. Experts have found that the difference in electrolyte content between water and sports drinks is important only to elite athletes who are competing professionally in endurance events. Since electrolytes are already plentiful in the American diet, moderate to regular exercisers don’t have to worry about running out of these salty ions. Edible sea vegetables, the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet, are a great source of electrolytes as well as of minerals and trace elements.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the kidneys ad bladder regulate the fluids in our bodies and make up the Water Element. Our kidneys are fantastic removers; they get rid of the waste products from protein metabolism—uric acid, urea, and lactic acid—but they need lots of water to accomplish this.

Traditional Chinese Medicine reveres the kidneys because they distribute qi, or vital life energy, throughout the body. The kidneys are responsible for removing excess hormones, vitamins, minerals, and foreign toxins such as drugs, chemicals, and food additives.

Water Fights Fat

Drinking water is hugely beneficial for weight loss. In fact, if you’re looking for a magic bullet to get your weight loss under way, there is no better strategy than to drink 10 glasses of water a day. Here’s why: Water is a natural appetite suppressor, and it helps the body metabolize fat. When the kidneys don’t get enough water and can’t function properly, the liver gets called upon to fill in and take on the role of eliminating toxins from our systems. Normally, one of the liver’s big jobs is to metabolize stored fat into a usable form of energy. But when the liver is busy doing the kidneys’ job, it’s not available to metabolize stored fat. As more and more fat is stored in the body weight loss stops.

Paradoxically, drinking lots of water is also a best remedy for water retention. The body retains water as a response to not getting enough water in the first place. Perceiving a threat, the cells cling onto the water they have, causing swelling in our hands, feet, and legs. When we drink enough water, our cells can relax and do their job-without holding on to the scarce water.

Also, someone who is overweight needs to take in more water than someone who is thin. This is because the larger person has a larger metabolic load. To support this, more water is needed.

As you are losing weight, your body is going to have more toxins and waste to dispose of. Step up your water intake at this point, and you’ll help your body eliminate wastes more efficiently, thereby helping your weight loss along.

Courtesy of Healthy Cooking Tips

Chef Tim Johnson

Remember...Grace sos eat to live!™

 The Water May Not Be The Problem, The Container is The Danger!

We all know the importance of staying hydrated. The method of choice for most people these days is to carry around a trendy, colorful plastic sports bottle filled with water. You know, the tough, hard plastic ones that everyone from bikers and hikers to active business folks to on-the-go moms tote around - not to mention students ranging from elementary to college. They're perfect for an active lifestyle - light, durable and available in a rainbow of colors. However, new research has shown that these plastic sports bottles may pose serious health hazards.

The irony is that the hazard may actually come from the material that makes these bottles so attractive. Lexan polycarbonate resin, a plastic polymer accidentally developed by General Electric in 1953, was and still is a revolutionary material. It's been used in a variety of products over the last four decades including compact discs and DVDs, bulletproof windows, mobile phones, computers, baby bottles and water bottles. Lexan is a perfect choice for water and baby bottles as it's durable, doesn't hold flavors or odors nor delivers any taste from the bottle material itself to the fluids it holds.

The Problem: This is where the confusion begins. Many folks assume that because it doesn't impart flavor to the liquid it holds that it's safer than other types of plastic bottles. Research findings published in 2003 by the journal Current Biology, show otherwise. These findings were the result of a study by Dr. Patricia Hunt of Case Western University in Ohio that questioned the use of polycarbonate plastics such as Lexan.

In 1998, Hunt discovered that plastics made from polycarbonate resin can leach bisphenol-A (BPA), a potent hormone disruptor. BPA, a chemical found in epoxy resin and polycarbonate plastics, may impair the reproductive organs and have adverse effects on tumors, breast tissue development and prostate development by reducing sperm count.

BPA can be leached into the water bottles contents through normal wear and tear, exposure to heat and cleaning agents. This includes leaving your plastic water bottle in your car during errands, in your back pack during hikes and running it through your dishwasher and using harsh detergents. And, a 2003 study conducted by the University of Missouri published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives confirmed Dr. Hunts' study conclusions but also found that detectable levels of BPA leached into liquids at room temperature. This means just having your plastic water bottle sitting on your desk can be potentially harmful. In this author's humble opinion, the best thing to do is to avoid plastic altogether. (Side note: baby bottles made from polycarbonate plastics have quietly disappeared from the market despite industry assurances that polycarbonate plastics are safe)

The Solution: There are two approaches to take to avoid exposure to BPA. First, if you are active and take water with you, switch to a stainless steel water bottle. But, be careful. Many products on the market are lined with an epoxy finish. This defeats the purpose. Make sure that the bottle is stainless steel both inside and out. Stainless steel water bottles are light, durable and hold both hot and cold liquids well.

The second approach is to reuse glass containers such as quart sized juice bottles. Yes, they are a bit heavier but are good solutions if you're in an office environment where mobility isn't an issue.

Either way, to avoid bacteria build up, wash out your containers with warm water and biodegradable dish soap. Be sure to wipe the mouth of the container and the lids. And most importantly, let the container completely dry before refilling. Keeping any container continually filled with liquid can lead to bacteria developing and potential illness.

Keeping hydrated is extremely important year round - but especially during the summer. It keeps our systems functioning properly and is important in sustaining good health. Here's a tip on how much water you should be consuming daily based on a formula provided by the Mayo Clinic: Simply take your body weight and divide in half. For example, if you weighed 150 pounds, you need 75 oz (9-10 8oz glasses) daily. Caffeinated and alcoholic beverages are dehydrating so for every glass of these beverages you drink, add an extra glass of water.

So, while you take care to only fuel your body with plenty of pure, filtered water, take the next step and ensure the container holding your water is safe.

Bottom's up!

Courtesy of Healthy Cooking Tips

Chef Tim Johnson

Remember...Grace is upon you so eat to live!™

Grilled Portobellos with Mango Poblano Relish

• 6 large Portobello mushrooms
• 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
• 1 large mango, peeled and cubed
• 1 Poblano pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 small purple onion, chopped
• 1 large Roma tomato, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• Salt and pepper to taste

Secrecy, Danger Surround Genetic Engineering of Grapes

Healthy Cookware

One taste of hot tea in a Styrofoam cup and you know you’re drinking more than tea. Even though the cup looks stable, it’s not. And have you noticed how dried foods stored in plastic bags start to taste like plastic? It’s because food ions react with synthetic or metallic ions.

Avoid adding toxins to your foods. Here are guidelines for choosing—and using—healthy cookware. Quality cookware helps you maintain good health and, in some cases, even enhances flavor. It’s also useful to know which foods most quickly react to plastic storage containers and to aluminum and cast-iron cookware.

There’s good reason why glass and ceramic beakers are used in a chemistry lab where it’s critical that containers don’t taint the experiment. Glass and ceramic are inert or non-reactive.

Before making your next kitchen purchase, consider the reactivity of various tools and cookware and, whenever possible, favor inert or non-reactive. Or, as second choice, use moderately reactive pots and utensils. As possible, avoid more reactive cookware.

Inert, Non-Reactive Cookware — A Superior Choice

Enamel is actually a fused glass surface. Le Creuset and Chantal are two quality enamel brands. With proper care, a fine enamel pot lasts a lifetime, whereas inexpensive enamel cookware from variety stores has such a thin enamel layer that it chips easily and is not worth its purchase price. Once chipped, discard enamel kitchenware or enamel fragments will find their way into your food and the underlying metal will react with food. If it’s affordable, favor enamel pots.

Glass coffee pots and casserole dishes are inert and affordable. Favor glass containers for storing food.

Bamboo steamers and paddles as well as wooden spoons, chopsticks and crockery are non-reactive and modestly priced.

Earthenware and ceramic are inert. Additionally, they emit a far-infrared heat, the most effective and beneficial heat for cooking, which enables a full range of subtle flavors to emerge. Primarily used for lengthy simmering or baking, these beautiful but breakable items require special handling. Examples of terra cotta earthenware include Spanish cazuelas and Romertopf casseroles. Ceramic casseroles and pie pans are available from your local potter. (Note: antique ceramic or earthenware pots may contain lead; do not use without testing. To test for lead, purchase a lead test kit for $10 at a hardware store.)

Paper Goods are, in some applications, effective. Line reactive aluminum cookie sheets or muffin tins with parchment paper or paper muffin cups. And for food storage, as is practical, favor waxed or butcher paper over plastic wrap or bags.

Silicon Cookware is inert, FDA approved and safe up to 428 degrees F. If heated above its safe range, silicon melts but doesn’t outgas toxic vapors. This is apparently because silicon is a manmade blend of sand and oxygen (versus a synthetic plastic). Brightly colored rubbery Silicon cookware includes baking pans, baking sheets, muffin tins, spatulas, ice cube trays, molds, rolling pins and more. It is the only non-reactive, non-stick material.

Moderately Reactive Cookware — A Good Choice

Stainless steel is the least reactive metal, and for many people, the most versatile and healthful cookware option. Of the various weights, heavy-gauge stainless or surgical steel is superior. It makes an acceptable set of basic pots, pans and bake ware. Remove food from metal as soon as it is cooked to minimize the food from developing a metallic taste. Once stainless steel has been scratched, through normal scouring, the leaching of metallic ions is more noticeable. Better yet, don’t scour stainless cookware. When you’ve burned something onto the pot, cover the damage with baking soda or a strong detergent and let it rest for a day. The soda will “lift” off the scoarched food.

Carbon steel is inexpensive and is ideal for a wok or saute pan because it rapidly conveys heat. To prevent rusting, carbon steel must be thoroughly dry when not in use.

Cast iron pots are good for quick breads, pancakes and crepes and for sauteing vegetables. Do not, however, cook soups, liquids or acid foods in cast iron, as these foods leach harsh-tasting iron from the pot. Although a soup cooked in cast iron becomes iron-enriched, it’s not a bioavailable form of iron, and is therefore undesirable.

Reactive Cookware — Not Recommended

Nonstick cookware contains plastic polymers (silicon is the one exception). The surface of the original nonstick cookware, Teflon, was coated with the synthetic resin. In newer nonstick pans (such as ScanPan, Caphalon, Swiss Diamond and Circulon) the polymer commingles with the anodized metal surface. If heated to 500 degrees F., the polymers emit noxious fumes that are lethal to parakeets and certainly not healthy for humans.

Even though I never intend to boil a pot dry, I did so just last week. Had that pot been nonstick, its temperatures would have exceeded the safety limit. Nonstick surfaces first appeared in 1944. Prior to that, cooks minimized sticking by using lower temperatures and/or more fat or liquid. It’s doable today. And should something stick, elbow grease removes it. Please avoid all synthetic non-stick pans and utensils.

Aluminum enriches your food with aluminum to the detriment of your health. Cast aluminum is more stable and preferable to thin aluminum pans. Rather than wrapping a baked potato in aluminum foil, consider baking it directly on the oven rack or placing it in a covered casserole dish.

Plastic it’s easy to assess the reactivity of plastic in terms of its structure. The more flexible a plastic, the more it is reactive. Thus plastic wrap more quickly exchanges synthetic ions with food than does a flexible milk jug; and the latter is more reactive than a sturdy plastic container. Do not store foods in plastic containers that once contained chemicals. And, it’s not advisable to microwave food in plastic.

Incidentally, the poly-vinyl chloride (PVC) typically found in plastic wrap leaches a hormone-disrupting toxin, DEAH, into the surface layers of food. Additionally, PVC contains phthalates which accumulate in body tissues and damage the liver and lungs. Phthalates damage the reproductive organs of test animals. Note that phthalate migration from plastic wrap is increased by mechanical stress (bending, pressure, chewing), solvents such as fats, oils, saliva, and temperatures over 85 degrees F.

Foods Vary in their Reactivity

Do keep in mind that temperature affects reactivity. When hot, a food reacts more quickly than when it is cold. Thus, refrigeration deters uptake of metal or plastic ions.

Additionally, some foods are more reactive than others. Fat, acidic ingredients and water are more efficient absorbs than are protein and carbohydrates. Thus chicken fat more quickly sops up plastic polymers than does chicken flesh. While raw rice is a slow absorber, when cooked with water, oil, tomatoes and/or vinegar it more speedily uptakes foreign ions. This explains why quality oils, vinegar and wine are sold exclusively in non-reactive glass.

It’s not necessary or expedient to ban all plastic from your kitchen. However, you might explore creative ways to decrease your use of reactive products. An informed consumer is an empowered consumer. May this information serve you in skillfully upgrading and maintaining a healthy kitchen.

Courtesy of Healthy Cooking Tips

Chef Tim Johnson

Remember...Grace is upon you so eat to live!™

10 Low-cost Ways to Go Green in the Kitchen

1. Skip the Bag: It’s bad enough that we are the world’s biggest consumers, but must we put every last one of our purchases in a brand new plastic bag? For grocery purchases, consider skipping bags entirely for just a couple items and for big things like pre-packed bags of fruit, laundry detergent and jugs of apple juice. As for produce bags, do you really need one for durable produce items like apples, onions, avocados, etc. Cost to You: $0

2. Reuse: For items that really need a bag—reuse! When I lived in Japan, people routinely brought their own bags shopping. Start small by just reusing grocery bags and produce bags that aren’t dirty or damaged (like the ones that just held a bunch of cherries or head of broccoli.) Graduate to rinsing and drying bags that are dirty from a previous use. Cost: $0

3. Invest in Cloth: Invest in cloth grocery bags that will last a lifetime. Although stores hand out plastic bags for free, they are anything but. Learn more about the true costs of the estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags consumed worldwide each year. Go one step better by buying bags from an environmental organization, bags made from recycled fabrics, or fair trade bags hand crafted in developing nations. Google “canvas grocery bag” for ideas. Cost: $1.00 and up, per bag, less bag credits over the lifetime of the bag.

4. Watch Out for Waste: An astounding 14% of the food we buy goes to waste. Of course we don’t like sending our hard-earned cash down the drain with our rotted food, but equally unfortunate are the wasted fertilizers, pesticides, farm equipment fuel, transportation fuel, refrigeration and packaging associated with it Cost: $0 (Actually, the meter runs in reverse on this one. Reducing waste to save the planet saves you money, too.)

5. Say No to Non-St: Non-stick cookware is great for effortless clean-up. But what price the convenience? Producing non-stick surfaces releases perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a “likely human carcinogen,” into the atmosphere. According to the Environmental Working Group, “PFOA never breaks down in the environment, so every molecule of it produced since the 1950s or earlier will forever be in our air, water and bodies. In animals, PFOA causes cancer, birth defects and other health problems.” The alternative: buy plain metal pans. They aren’t hard to clean. Just rinse and scrape immediately after use, or fill with a little water and boil a couple minutes before scraping. Cost: I got a set of stainless cookware for $50 on sale.

6. Buy for Life: Whenever possible, invest in lifelong kitchen gear. It may cost a little more, but buying high quality pans, knives, graters, bowls and other tools eliminates multiple purchases and all the resources required for their production, transport and packaging. Some examples: Non-stick pans which invariably chip, flake and deteriorate, requiring replacement; electric teapots that burn out within a year (just use a pan); and the thousands of zip lock bags and hundreds of disposable plastic containers used in a lifetime (buy a singe Tupperware¨ container that lasts a lifetime.) Cost: Initial investment varies by item, but savings add up over the life of product.

7. Go Slow on Gadgets: How many sandwich grillers, snow cone makers, olive pitters and corn butterers are wasting space in cupboards across America? Consider carefully before purchasing the latest trendy gadget: Will you really use it? Will it really save time? If it will be used only occasionally, can its job be accomplished as easily with another tool in your collection? Cost: $0 (Actually saves money)

8. Plastic or Paper? How About Neither: With one or more dishwashers in every kitchen, isn’t it curious that we still use disposable tableware for get- togethers. Why not use your regular cups, dishes and silverware? Cost: $0 (Actually saves money) At the very least, buy heavy-duty plastic that can withstand several washings and uses before being tossed. Check out www.recycline.com for recycled and reusable plastic tableware.

9. Tree Rescue: Something spills on the floor and you automatically reach for a paper towel. Ditto if your hands are dirty from cutting chicken. Paper towels are a habit we’ve been sold by paper towel manufacturers. Sponges, dish rags and dish towels make perfectly sanitary and capable replacements, with the exception of blotting grease from bacon and water from fish and meats. At the very least, buy unbleached, recycled paper towels. Cost: $3.00 for sponges; $10.00 for dish towels; $5.00 for dish rags, but cost is recouped quickly from savings on paper towels.

10. Oven Smarts: While baking today’s chicken, bake tomorrow’s rice and the next day’s baked potatoes. It takes a little thinking ahead, but planning leads to meals that maximize the oven’s heat, like the classic meatloaf, baked potato, roasted carrots and custard for dessert combo. Also, avoid using your oven in summer, especially the oven cleaner, and minimize or just skip preheating time. Cost: $0

Who doesn’t want the benefits and enjoyment of excellent health? It can’t happen without a healthy planet. Day by day, begin building the kitchen habits that protect the air and water that goes in our bodies and the land that produces our food.

Courtesy of Healthy Cooking Tips

Chef Tim Johnson

Remember...Grace is upon you so eat to live!™

5 Tips for Busy Cooks

 Many people say they are too busy to cook, but no one seems to be too busy to eat! This is often remedied by a lot of eating out, take-out, and make-do meals. I’d like to encourage people cook and eat at home, so here are some of my tried-and-true tips for making cooked-from-scratch meals a daily reality, even after the most exhausting days:

1. Make sure your pantry and freezer are stocked with good-quality ingredients for quick and/or “emergency meals.” My pantry standbys include canned beans, quick-cooking grains (like couscous and bulgur), and sweet potatoes, my pastas are made fresh and frozen. Plus, prepared sauces like marinara, barbecue, Thai peanut, and salsa. In the freezer are whole wheat English muffins, veggie burgers, pita bread (for quick pizzas), corn and wheat tortillas. Basic frozen veggies include corn, peas, green beans, and spinach (all organic if possible!). With fresh produce on hand, there are a myriad of nearly-instant meals that can be created with these basics. For a more details on stocking up, see Creating a Veg Pantry.

2. Plan three full meals for the week ahead, allowing for two nights of leftovers. And do so BEFORE you go grocery shopping to prevent running back and forth to the store all week for ingredients. There is nothing worse than walking into the kitchen after a long day without a clue as to what you want to make. I try to practice what I preach, but whenever there is a week that I’ve left unplanned, I really regret it! Just 15 or 20 minutes of meal planning per week saves lots of time and simplifies your life immeasurably.

3. On Sunday, try to prepare a couple of basics for the week to come. Cook some plain brown rice (or other grain), bake some potatoes, sweet potatoes, or squash. Bake a quick bread or muffins, or prepare a good pasta sauce. Knowing that you have even one item that’s already prepared when you enter the kitchen at 6:00 is a sweet feeling, and the rest of the meal then comes together quickly.

4. Once a week, make a big one-pot meal that can stretch to two nights-a hearty soup or stew, chili, a casserole, or something that can be prepared in a crockpot. Then, all you need is a simple salad and fresh whole grain bread to accompany the meal.

5. Keep it simple! You need not spend yours cooking or use dozens of ingredients to create tasty meals.    

• Courtesy of Healthy Cooking Tips                                                                                                                                   Chef Tim Johnson                                                                                                                                          Remember...Grace is upon you so eat to live!™

Water Everywhere, but Guilt by the Bottleful!

In the last few months, bottled water — generally considered a benign, even beneficial, product — has been increasingly portrayed as an environmental villain by city leaders, activist groups and the media. The argument centers not on water, but oil. It takes 1.5 million barrels a year just to make the plastic water bottles Americans use, according to the Earth Policy Institute in Washington, plus countless barrels to transport it from as far as Fiji and refrigerate it.

The issue took a major stride into mainstream dialogue earlier this summer, after the mayors of San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Minneapolis and New York began urging people to opt for tap water instead of bottled.

This added momentum to efforts by environmental groups like Corporate Accountability International and Food & Water Watch, which have been lobbying citizens to dump the bottle; environmental organizations had banded together in several states to pressure governments to extend bottle bills to include bottled water. Several prominent restaurateurs, like Alice Waters of Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Calif., made much-publicized moves to drop bottled water from their menus.

AND so people who had come to consider bottled water a great convenience, or even a mark of good taste, are now casting guilty glances at their frosty drinks.

Daphne Domingo Johnson, a life coach who also works for a nonprofit organization in Seattle, said she used to keep a case of bottled water “in my trunk for all times, just because I know the importance of water.” Ms. Johnson, 35, said she thought of reusable plastic Nalgene bottles — recently reborn as urban status symbols — as “just for backpackers or athletes.”

Now, after reading news reports about the debate over bottled water, Ms. Johnson said, the rare bottles she buys feel “like a guilty pleasure.” She helped mount an antibottled water campaign at work, posting fliers trumpeting environmental reasons why people should drink tap water instead of the free Crystal Geyser her employer provides.

She is not alone. In interviews last week with dozens of people on sun-baked streets around the country, former and current bottled water devotees showed a new awareness of the issue’s complexities.

Some have already changed their ways.

Melissa Frawley, 38, a banker in Atlanta, said she recently broke her Evian habit after news reports altered her thinking. Environmentalism, she concluded, “is sometimes an inconvenience to us all, but it is something I think we all need to do.”

Others who had not changed their habits were nevertheless feeling a new sense of guilt.

Barry Eskandani, 31, an administrative assistant in San Francisco who considers himself a connoisseur of water brands, said that lately his fellow Bay Area residents act as if “you just killed their puppy” if you dare throw a bottle in the garbage.

Bottled water has now overtaken coffee and milk in sales nationally, and is catching up with beer. To some, it’s an affordable luxury. To others, a healthy alternative to sugary drinks.

Courtesy of Healthy Cooking Tips

Chef Tim Johnson

Remember...Grace is upon you so eat to live!™

• 14- to 16-ounce can diced or stewed tomatoes, undrained
• 2/3 large cucumber,peeled and cut into chunks
• 2/3 large green or red bell pepper, cut into chunks
• 2 bunches scallions, cut into several pieces
• Handful of parsley sprigs
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill or
• 1 teaspoon dried dill

• 3 cups tomato juice, or as needed
• 1/3 large cucumber, peeled and finely diced
• 1/3 large green or red bell pepper, finely diced
• 2 fresh plum tomatoes, finely diced
• 1 large carrot, peeled and finely diced
• 1 medium celery stalk, finely diced
• Juice of 1/2 to 1 lemon, to taste
• 2 teaspoons chili powder, or to taste
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

• 1 1/2 cups thick tomato sauce
• 3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon each: paprika, chili powder, dry mustard, garlic powder, and dried oregano

• 1 large butternut squash
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 large red onion, chopped
• 4 cups peeled, diced Macintosh apple
• 1 vegetable bouillon cube
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 cups low-fat milk, soymilk, or rice milk, or as needed
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup natural organic granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds, optional
• 1 cup applesauce (or a bit more as needed to make a smooth and slightly stiff batter)
• 2 tablespoons safflower oil
• 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, preferably cane juice sweetened
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional (see Note)

• 2 large or 3 medium leeks
• 1 tablespoon light olive oil
• 1/2 cup dry white wine, divided
• 4 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, wiped clean, stemmed and sliced
• 2 medium red bell peppers, cut into narrow, 2-inch strips
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

• 2 tablespoons light olive oil
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 large celery stalk, diced
• Handful of celery leaves
• 6 cups peeled, diced (about 1/2 inch) sweet potatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup low-fat milk, rice milk, or soymilk, or as needed
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Microwave Ovens Destroy the Nutritional Value of Your Food