RECIPES/ Sides

Baked Kale Chips

Kale is a super healthy food. When I read up on treating cancer nutritionally, kale kept coming up everywhere I read, so I knew I had to find a way to get more kale in out diet. I remember reading on a few different blogs about making homemade Kale Chips. I gave it a try and I like them! My kids were apprehensive, but after crunching on some and tasting the salt I sprinkled on them, it grew on them and the pan was gone by the end of the night. I think I tore mine into pieces that were too small, which ended up making some of the edges over cooked, which then made those spots taste a little weird.

Next time, I will try to get kale that is straight leafed and bake it flat and whole like she did here at Roost

The recipe I used is from The Little Red House. I loved that it called for lemon zest, yum!

Baked Kale Chips

1 bunch of kale, rinsed, dried and bottom (thickest part) of the stems cut off.

olive oil

lemon zest (a few tsp)

coarse salt and cracked pepper

Cut (or tear) kale into smaller, bite sized pieces.

Toss with olive oil, lemon zest, and s & p.

Spread onto lined baking sheet and bake at 250 degrees for 30-35 minutes, or until light and crispy.

Here is one more recipe for kale chips that intrigued me from Bonzai Aphrodite. She adds a whole bunch of yummy ingredients, I would love to try this recipe sometime.

From World’s Healthiest Foods:

What’s New and Beneficial About Kale

Kale can provide you with some special cholesterol-lowering benefits if you will cook it by steaming. The fiber-related components in kale do a better job of binding together with bile acids in your digestive tract when they’ve been steamed. When this binding process takes place, it’s easier for bile acids to be excreted, and the result is a lowering of your cholesterol levels. Raw kale still has cholesterol-lowering ability – just not as much.
Kale’s risk-lowering benefits for cancer have recently been extended to at least five different types of cancer. These types include cancer of the bladder, breast, colon, ovary, and prostate. Isothiocyanates (ITCs) made from glucosinolates in kale play a primary role in achieving these risk-lowering benefits.
Kale is now recognized as providing comprehensive support for the body’s detoxification system. New research has shown that the ITCs made from kale’s glucosinolates can help regulate detox at a genetic level.
Researchers can now identify over 45 different flavonoids in kale. With kaempferol and quercetin heading the list, kale’s flavonoids combine both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits in way that gives kale a leading dietary role with respect to avoidance of chronic inflammation and oxidative stress.

RECIPES/ Sides

Cleansing Chicken Soup

It is very important to me to use food as another way fight this cancer. I am so blessed to feel good enough to eat a variety of foods right now. The week after my first chemo session, I struggled with a sensitive stomach, but by day 5, I was good to go, and I’ve been loading up on super healthy foods ever since!

My aunt sent me this recipe. It is usually used as part of a cleansing/detox program, but that is not really how I am using it. I love that everything in it is super good for the body, so for me, it is an easy way to get some very nutritious food into me! I’m all about putting on some weight during the weeks that I feel good, so I don’t feel like a true detox is right for me, but I am making sure 80-90% of what I eat is beneficial to my health, which I think is cleansing in and of itself!

This last week I found myself running to my local health food store and eating at their deli for lunch. It is only a block away, and I know everything they make is super healthy. I ate their Salmon burger twice, with sides of cabbage salad, and broccoli salad, (yum!) but knew I had to come up with a different plan, since lunch there is $6-$8 bucks each time I go. Ouch. I thought this soup would be an easy lunch option for me, and will help keep me out of the expensive deli. I am adding additional foods with it at lunchtime, because it is pretty low calorie, and right now I need EXTRA calories.

It makes a TON! I am going to freeze it in smaller mason jars and pull them out to thaw as needed. I was very happy with the taste of it, although next time I will use a little less onion.

If you make it, plan ahead!

It takes 8-12 hours of cooking time. That long cooking time is what extracts all the healthy stuff from the chicken bones. By cooking the heck out of the bones, you are extracting the gelatin, which is a nutritious source of protein, as well as collagen, calcium, minerals and amino acids.

**I used a very large crock pot, and it barely all fit! I started it at 10:00 pm and it was ready the next day for lunch. I also pureed mine after removing the chicken and bones, I was not too into all the chunky vegetables, so I used my hand blender, then added the shredded chicken, peas, and parsley in at the end for texture.

Cleansing Chicken Soup

1 Whole Chicken (free-range, pastured or organic)
1 Tbsp, raw apple cider Vinegar
3-4 qts of filtered water
4 medium size onions coarsely chopped (I will only use 2 next time)
8 carrots peeled, coarsely chopped
2-4 zucchinis coarsely chopped (I used 2)
4 Tblsp of extra virgin coconut oil
½ c frozen green peas (I added these at the end after pureeing)
4 inches grated ginger
¼- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
6 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
1 lb green beans
1 bunch parsley
5 garlic cloves
2-4 Tblsp Celtic-Sea Salt (I added 2 tsp pepper)

Directions:

If using whole chicken: make sure to remove gizzards, and fat glands from cavity.
Place chicken or chicken pieces in large stainless steel pot (I used a large crock pot) with water, vinegar, garlic, ginger, salt, cayenne pepper, extra virgin coconut oil, and all vegetables (except parsley). Let stand for 10 minutes before heating. Bring to a boil, remove the scum that rises to the top. Cover and cook for 8-12 hours. The longer you cook the Stock the more cleansing it will be. **See my notes above about pureeing. 15 mins before finishing the stock, add parsley.(this imparts additional mineral ions to the broth)

Remove from heat, take out chicken. After it cools, remove chicken meat from carcass, discarding bones. Drop meat back into the soup.

Cancer Journey/ HEALTH/ Healthy Eating/ How-Tos/ RECIPES

Fighting Cancer With Nutrition

September 21st Caring Bridge Journal Entry

I’m slowly but surely making decisions everyday about attacking this cancer from a nutritional standpoint. There are so many suggestions and so many things one could choose to do in this area, and it could be overwhelming. I’VE DECIDED NOT TO LET IT BE.

This is another area that I have had to just release to God and know that He will lead me to what He wants for me. I’ve had an open mind to those I trust the most, and through them I feel like He is guiding me. It is a calm, imperfect, slow process and I LOVE IT:P

I will share with you the different things I am embracing and why, some may sound quacky, but when you have Stage 3 Invasive breast cancer, quacky is allowed!

If you think about it, putting chemicals in your body that are so harsh that they eat up your blood veins, kill good cells along with cancer cells, and make you bald, is pretty quacky, too, but that is what we are doing along with nutrition. Makes granola and green stuff sound a bit more normal, huh?

My husband walked out the door this morning saying, “Babe, get what you need to get.” His support and trust in my decisions in this area means the world and made me feel so loved and cared for.

I’ll start with what I am doing so far, it is just the beginning but its is something. I am NO EXPERT, whatever I am doing is just me stumbling along choosing to do what makes the most sense, all the while knowing it is PRAYER that heals, and whether that is healing here on this earth or my ultimate healing in heaven, only God knows what His perfect plan for me is.

I so desire to be a good steward of my body, and a good steward of information that God has sent my way. Prayers in this area would be so appreciated!

1. WATER
Chemo has to be one of the most dehydrating things known to man. I have drank so much water in the last week, and not much is coming out, so obviously my body needs it! TMI?
I use an Eco Vessel water bottle and it is by my side 24/7. Literally!
I love it. It holds 17 oz, fits in most cup holders, has a lid that allows ice in (very important to me), and is insulated, which keeps my ice from melting for hours. I wake up at least 2-3 times a night very thirsty, so it stays filled and cold on my headboard. There were days when I was very nauseous and it was a chore to make myself drink, but I did. I feared getting dehydrated, I know so many who have to be hospitalized during their cancer fight because of dehydration, and that can be very serious.

2. Very little sugar.
We have had amazing desserts delivered and I have had bits of each of them and enjoyed them, but for the most part I enjoy seeing my girls and Todd delight in them. Chemo has done a weird thing to my taste buds. It makes everything taste sweet. Not a very good, sweet, either. For example, a glass of juice can taste like I’m drinking a glass of sweet cough syrup. Yea, ick. It has been a great way to steer me away from the sweets, but I am ready for normal taste buds again. I am not off sugar, but I am very aware of how much sugar I eat, and when possible I use Sucanat (like on the oatmeal I am eating right now:)

3. Lots of fruit
This one has been easy for me because I am so spoiled. My Grandma and Grandpa Earl signed me up for Harry and David’s fruit of the month club. SUPER GREAT GIFT. Nectarines are the fruit of September and they have been DELISH! I have also been able to afford lots of good fruit thanks to meals that have been delivered by friends and family. It saves our grocery budget, so I buy fruit, veggies and supplements with the extra money. Every meal we have received has had some sort of fruit (or veggie) with it, so that is pretty awesome. I am trying to pick lots of different colors of fruits. My freezer is full of different types of frozen berries that I use for smoothies, to put on my oatmeal, or just eat slightly thawed. I recently found the best black, seedless grapes! I’m trying to get creative so it doesn’t get boring. Just this morning a dear friend dropped off some treats along with organic bananas and carrots–nourishing foods are such a great gift to me!! Thanks, Johanna!!

4. Veggies
This one was harder for me when my tummy was not well. Now it easier. I have lots of frozen veggies to use in soups. I keep spinach on hand and use it in my fruit smoothies or pile it high with other veggies and make a salad. I bought a butternut squash that I can’t wait to bake. I’m lucky that I like vegetables, as I know many do not. I have an aunt (Hi, Ellen!) that is sending a recipe for a cleansing soup that I’m sure will have lots of veggies in it. My chopping board and I are ready, I think it would be great to have on hand for lunch.

5. Odwalla Superfood Green Drink
This was just a simple way for me to get some greens like wheat grass, barley grass, wheat spouts in when everything was crazy and I was too tired to think. It is high in Manganese and Potassium. I know there are other, better and cheaper ways of doing it, but while I was sick this was easiest. I just drank a cup every morning. It was one of the only juices that didn’t taste too sweet for me, and I drank it through a straw so I wouldn’t have to look at the crazy dark green color. I have plans for getting my greens in other ways, I will share when I actually implement them.

6. Barlean’s Total Omega 3.6.9 Swirl
This product has fascinated me. It was another super easy way to know I am getting my Omegas without having to think too much. It was on sale at my health food store and the Orange Creme Swirl flavor sounded good. It is made with Organic Flax Oil and Pure Borage Oil. There is no crazy taste, it is delish. I take 1 Tbls a day. It is very digestible, which was great for my sensitive stomach. The lady that recommended it for me has no gall bladder and she said this product is the only one she can find that she is able to digest well.

7. Protein
All of the great meals we have been getting have made this one easy. I love chicken and one of my most favorite meals that was delivered was simple grilled chicken with an INCREDIBLE smoky bbq sauce. I am working on getting more protein from non- meat sources, like lentils, beans and nuts. In fact, today it is lentils and rice for lunch…yum!:)
There were days when all I could get down was a protein bar, they came in handy, but are high in sugar, so not my favorite method of getting protein.
Eggs, cheese and yogurt are all high in protein. I am a bit confused with what to do with these as my cancer type is estrogen fed and depending on what you believe, there are concerns with eggs and milk products and estrogen. I won’t get into that because there are many different opinions out there, and I don’t want my comment section to become a debate 🙂 but it is something that I am processing…

8. Fiber
This is pretty easy when I am eating all the fruits and vegetables that I should be. We had some incredible flax seed rolls delivered with a meal that I am sure had a good amount of fiber in them. I love dipping hearty breads in my soups. I have been eating lots of oatmeal and nuts that have fiber, too.

9. Vitamins and Supplements
The only thing I have been doing so far is a multi-vitamin and 2,000 i.u of Vitamin D. I am waiting to hear back from a blood test taken to check my Vit. D levels, I am a strong believer that Vitamin D is CRUCIAL to my healing.

I have a great plan for all my vitamins and supplements in the very near future. I am going with the Shaklee brand, and will become a representative for them so I can get them at a good cost, and offer them to any of my blog readers if they are interested. It was a process I was embracing before my cancer diagnosis, so it feels natural to continue on in that process. Here are the products from Shaklee that I have decided to take so far:

~Shaklee Vitalizer + Iron
~NurtiFeron
~CarotoMax

There are a few others I would love, but we will see how the budget is doing and maybe add slowly. I will go into more detail with these products and why I am taking them sometime soon.

I will continue to let you know what I am adding and what I feel is working for me. I know this stuff is not for everyone, but it is through others sharing their journey that I have found some answers, so I will share mine.

***If you are a meal provider for our family in the future, I don’t want you an ANY way to feel like it has to be organic and crazy healthy. My breakfast, lunch and snacks are extremely healthy and I know now more than ever that LIVING and enjoying gifts is so very important, so know that I will enjoy yours. This post makes it sound like I am an”all organic, won’t- eat- anything- that- is -not- good -for me” person. Not true. I am taking a balanced approach, so please do not feel pressure to bring an out- of- this- world, healthy meal. We are so very thankful for whatever you provide, even if it is pizza or takeout (another one of my most favorite meals that was provided was a Chinese takeout feast!:))

Today’s food:
Breakfast–Oatmeal with Sucanat, cinnamon & a handful of frozen rasberries; yogurt
Lunch–Salmon burger from my health food store +lentil rice salad
Dinner–Chili, Spinach salad, and bread from the bread makerSnacks-Homemade apple pie from a friend, smoothies, fruits/veggies, crackers, etc.

Meals/ RECIPES

Cincinnati Style Chili Recipe

We are in between meals being provided for our family, which is fine because I have felt pretty well the last few days. Last night I decided to make a big pot of chili for dinner. The weather has been a bit cooler, and I knew it would reheat well for the next couple days.
I looked at All Recipes for an authentic Cincinnati Style Chili Recipe and found one that sounded great! It had all kinds of great spices in it, and a square of baking chocolate! I made it and really, really liked it. It has a great depth of flavor and is a recipe I will for sure make again. We served it over whole grain noodles and sprinkles some cheese on top.
For the original, authentic recipe, click here and it will take you to the All Recipe website. I changed 3 things…I added beans, only used 1/8 cup chili powder, and browned the beef instead of boiling it.

Cincinnati Style Chili Recipe

2 pounds lean ground beef
1 quart water, **more or less depending on consistency you would like
2 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 cans chili beans (or kidney beans)
2 onions, finely chopped
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 (1 ounce) square unsweetened chocolate
1/4 cup chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
5 whole cloves
5 whole allspice berries
1 bay leaf

Directions

Heat olive oil in a large pan, add onions. Cook until translucent. Add the garlic and ground beef. Cook until browned. Drain if needed.
Stir in water, tomato sauce, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, chocolate, chili powder, salt, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, cloves, allspice berries, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 hours. Add water if necessary to prevent the chili from burning.

My local health food store sells spices in bulk, so I was able to go buy 5 allspice berries for a quarter, and 5 cloves for pennies. I highly recommend finding a store that allows you to buy spices in bulk. It is amazing the difference in taste when spices are fresh! Enjoy.

Sorry I don’t have an “after” picture. I was pooped after dinner and spaced it!

Do you have a favorite chili recipe you want to share??

RECIPES/ Sides

Homemade Pesto

Pesto is one of my most favorite foods, so basil is something I knew we had to have in our garden this year. It did quite well, and I made this batch of pesto a few weeks ago. It was gone within the week. My kids loved it! I put most of it in ice cube trays to preserve and freeze for later. Just pop them out and put them in a freezer bag or mason jar, and you have ready to use pesto! My girls know how to boil noodles, so they loved making their own lunch on the weekends. They boiled and drained noodles, then added about 3-4 pesto cubes of pesto per pound of pasta, stirred them into the hot pasta and lunch was served! They loved this plain, but I loved adding some sliced cherry tomatoes, leftover shredded chicken, and shavings of fresh parm to make it a bit more filling and special. I also kept some in a jar in the refrigerator to use as a spread on sandwiches. Delicious!!

This recipe at “Thy Hand Hath Provided”caught my eye because you can use any type of nuts. Pine nuts can tend to be expensive, so I used almonds.

Pesto

1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup nuts (whatever you have on hand: pine nuts, pecans, walnuts, almonds, etc. or a combination)
3-6 tbsp. Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. salt
1/4-1/3 cup olive oil

a pinch of nutmeg

Combine all but oil in a food processor. Process, slowly adding oil until desired consistency.

I’ve been a bit busy lately, so my basil is growing like crazy out in the garden, quite neglected. I am hoping to get a few more batches made before the cool weather hits, as basil hates to be cold and will die on me. I’d love to make a huge batch and give some away in jars with these super cute printables from Givers Log. How cute are they??

Cancer Journey/ FUN/DIY/ RECIPES/ Sides

Easy, Homemade Freezer Salsa

See the larger jar of salsa in the background? My husband has just about finished off the jar, and I just made it 2 days ago! This is a super easy & quick way to make salsa for the freezer. If you like a chunky salsa, then freezer salsa is not for you. Chunky salsa tends to get mushy in the freezer, but we prefer ours thick, but all chopped up, so this is perfect for us.

I have an abundance of little cherry tomatoes growing in my garden. My larger tomato plant is slow to ripen, but that is ok since we are up to our heads in cherry tomatoes.

I saw this mix (Mrs. Wages Create Salsa Mix) when I was at the grocery store and I was happy to see that the ingredient list was short and familiar. I wanted homemade salsa, but my peppers are not ripe yet, so this mix was the perfect answer.

There are 3 different options on the back of the package-Freeze It! Can It! or Serve It! Love that.

I washed my tomatoes and threw them into the food processor. I DID NOT skin and core my tomatoes. Too lazy, plus they were so small…

Then I dumped them in a pan on the stove (no pic, sorry!) and added the dry mix and 1/2 cup of vinegar, and then simmered for 10 minutes.

I let the mixture cool a bit, then poured it into jars.

We have not eaten the salsa that I froze yet, but like I said earlier, the one jar that was left out is almost gone. It really is a tasty salsa, not too expensive (2.59 for the mix, tomatoes were free from my garden), made about 21/2 quarts, and took very little effort!

**I ordered the salsa mix on Amazon, but can also be found in the canning goods in most grocery stores and Walmart.

{for your pinning pleasure}

Frugal/ HOME/ RECIPES/ Sweets

Healthy Homemade Fruit Roll Ups

These are so very easy to make, and my kids’ excitement over them made me feel like “Mother Of The Year!” I’ve seen a few recipes and methods across blog land and have wanted to make them for some time now. The easy tutorial and beautiful photos over at “The Little Red House,” plus a bowl of apricots quickly becoming past their prime in my refrigerator, was enough to get me to do it. I don’t know why I didn’t do it sooner!

I have been appalled by how expensive 100% natural fruit roll ups and fruit leathers are at the store. When we visit our local health food co-op, my girls beg me to buy them a fruit leather. I cringe if they are not on sale, and even on sale, they are outrageous. One 2″x 5″ strip of fruit leather costs anywhere from a $1.00-$1.29 at our store. The cheapest I have found them is on Amazon for about 50 cents each. I buy them occasionally because at least it is not candy, but I buy it with a “grr” on my brain!

The regular fruit roll ups at the grocery store are not 100% fruit have artificial colors, flavors, and high fructose corn syrup–all things I try to avoid. (click here to read why high fructose corn syrup and I are not very good friends).

I love that instead of wasting fruit that is getting mushy, I can just mush it up more and turn it into fruit leather!

Ingredients:

4 cups Apricots

Squeeze Of Lemon Juice

2-3 Tbls Sweetener of choice (agave nectar, sugar, sucanant)

*I’m sure other types of fruit can be used, I will let you know what other fruit I have success with.

How I Made Healthy, Homemade Fruit Roll Ups

~I started with 9 apricots (they cost me $1.69!)

~Washed them

~Took out the pits

~Cut them into fourths

~Put them in a pan on the stove

~Squeezed the juice of one lemon over apricots

~Add sweetener if desired. (depends on the sweetness of your fruit. I added 3 Tbs of pure cane sugar)

~Cooked on medium heat for 10-15 minutes, smashing them and stirring once in awhile.

~Put cooked apricots into my food processor (I’m sure you could use a blender)

~Pureed them until smooth- it looks like baby food

~Spread them out on freezer paper on top of a cookie sheet (can use waxed paper) (**see below for thickness comment)

~Put them in the oven for about *4-5 hours (150 degrees is recommended, the lowest my oven went was 170 degrees)

~Took them out, let them cool

~Cut them into strips and rolled em’ up

~Stored in a mason jar. (or Ziplock bag or any airtight container)

*I put them in the oven after dinner and took them out right before I went to bed. I let them sit out on the counter all night, then cut and rolled in the morning.

**The only thing I would do different is spread my pureed apricots just a tad bit thicker next time. I think it would work better for me since my oven’s lowest temperature is 170 degrees. It was harder to get the paper off at the thin edges, which is where you need it to be the easiest! Other than the thinner edges, these turned out perfect, I just had to cut about an inch off all around where it was too thin–such a waste!

I am eager to experiment with these. I want to try a batch with no added sugar and see what it does. I’m sure the amount of sweetener will depend on personal tastes and how sweet your fruit is. I personally liked that our apricot fruit roll ups were a bit tart, so I will avoid the sugar as much as possible. I can’t wait to use different kinds of fruits, I have a ton of pureed strawberries (thanks to this fun day) in my freezer, so next will be strawberry fruit roll ups! I let you know how it goes.

Older Posts

Newer Posts