Cooking Creative

Ahhh yes my daily struggle... trying not to get bored with meals when I have so few foods to choose from. I've been on an elimination diet for a while, meaning (for me personally) no eggs, beef, pork, legumes, raw vegetables (unless juiced), oranges, gluten, spices (!), nuts, seeds etc. I'm on this diet for the time being to help my digestive issues heal.
So, since I'm always in a rush to make my meals (student life!) I usually stick to thin chicken breast fillets or fish plus vegetables, possibly with a side of rice or rice noodles. Requires minimal preparation and is super quick. But, as you can imagine, I get extremely bored with this meal combo. Today's supper was a little more unique, so I'll share it with you. Best of all, it's done in 20 minutes.

Cashews and Veggies with Quinoa:

1. Cook the quinoa! (Rinse the quinoa first) I used 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups water. You can also use stock for more flavor. Takes about 15 minutes.
2. After getting the quinoa going, steam the vegetables. I used from frozen carrots, broccoli and cauliflower, so there was no chopping preparation to do. Because I can't have raw nuts, I also steamed the cashews with the vegetables. I also threw in some frozen chopped parsley, just because.
3. Wait for the timer to go off! Everything was done at the same time, which makes me incredibly happy. Eat up :)
Bonus: sprinkle some nutritional yeast on top for a mild cheesy flavor and a boost of vitamins!!

Protein from cashews and quinoa
Fats from cashews
Carbs from veggies and quinoa

Having the occassional vegetarian (or vegan) meal is extremely healthy & is a nice change of pace. I hope this "recipe" inspires you to think vegetarian today and realize it really is just that easy!

Food for kids

I was reading this blog post from "I Quit Sugar" and I absolutely 100% agree with how this father packs his son's school lunches.

My favorite quote from the post:

"Don’t tailor lunchboxes to a “kids palate.” I pack Tashi’s lunchbox as If I’m packing my own lunchbox. In my experience kids will always go for the sweet or sugary option, so if you include those foods then you will begin to change their palate and preferences. It’s a hard road back from there."

It's normal for preschoolers and young children to have inconsistent likes & dislikes of foods. In addition, they may not be prepared to try new foods until they have seen it 20-30 times. Present new foods with foods they like and don't give up!

I get a great sense of what kids get for school snacks because I teach at a German School every Saturday morning. I see a small portion of children that consistently have non-processed, whole foods for snacks. The great majority of students bring candies, chocolates, fruit-gummies, granola bars etc. for snack. These are loaded in sugars and nutrient poor... Diets high in processed foods and low in nutritious wholesome foods in children can negatively impact them in the future (related to chronic diseases).

Today, for St. Patrick's day at German School I served my students a fresh fruit salad (topped with some whipping cream). It fit into the theme because it was rainbow-colored and I was happy to be giving them a healthy snack instead of cupcakes, cookies or candies. :)


Source:
I Quit Sugar Blog Post: See more at: https://iquitsugar.com/scott-gooding-healthy-eating-for-kids/utm_source=iqs%20edm%2013%2F03%2F15&utm_medium=email&utm_content=link&utm_campaign=scott%20gooding%20healthy%20kids&inf_contact_key=56aab3b62d127c48b8a6d63d300692bd7c5804c4a12beb4b6c1123156626376f#sthash.v7EnGYQR.dpuf

Image from: http://pixabay.com/

How to Estimate your Calcium Intake

Calcium is the most abundant mineral in our body and supports a healthy skeleton. In fact, 99% of the body's calcium is found in bones and teeth. It plays 2 main roles within bones & teeth: calcium is part of the structural framework hydroxyapatite, and it serves as a bank for when dietary calcium is low.

The 1% of calcium in the blood is balanced by vitamin D, as well as calcitonin and parathyroid hormones:

Blood Calcium Balance 

In general, we don't want to leach out the calcium from our bones, since it makes up the structure and strength of our bones and teeth. So... we must ensure to reach our peak bone mass (between ages 20-30) and consistently eat plenty of calcium rich foods (both to reach the peak bone mass, and maintain bone mass).

Otherwise, we may face osteoporosis. This disease takes a lifetime to develop and effects 1/4 Canadian women and 1/8 men. It can be easily prevented by a healthy diet.

Shortcut to measure Calcium Intakes:

To ensure adequate calcium intake, you can quickly tally up calcium rich foods. Keep in mind that the recommended daily allowance of calcium is 1000 mg/day (for 19-50 year olds).

50 g cheese = 1 point

1 cup milk, yogurt, or fortified soy beverage = 1 point

90 g canned sardines with bones = 1 point

1 cup ice cream, cottage cheese, or boiled broccoli (or green leafy veggies) = 0.5 point

A well-balanced diet with high variety of foods = 1 point

1 point = ~300 mg of calcium

Thus, you need 3-4 points of calcium intake to meet requirements