Could Anything Be More Absurd?

This has just got to take the cake!

Now, people who like to eat healthy food are being classified as mentally ill!

You can guess who's behind this ...

Read the article.

Book Review - Plan-D: The Amazing Anti-Diet That Will Change Your Life Forever

A month or two ago, I received a call from a customer placing a book order for my books, who told me about Plan-D, and how close this book is to the philosophy that I teach in my books. So, I decided to check it out.

Dee McCaffrey is an organic chemist and Certified Diet Counselor who lost 100 pounds and has kept it off for 18 years. Her story is very compelling and will inspire anyone who has ever struggled with a weight problem. Plan-D is not about diets or cutting calories. It's about eating real food that your body wants and needs and feeling satisfied.

The whole theme in Plan-D is about eating processed free; avoiding processed flours, sugars and chemicals and eating fresh whole foods. The book is thorough and well organized. It explains in easy-to-understand language, the reasons for eating or avoiding certain foods. The book has a recipe section at the end to help you implement Plan-D eating into your life. It even includes some healthy dessert recipes.

This is not just another diet book by someone who never needed to lose weight. Plan-D is a program that Dee McCaffrey herself used to lose 100 pounds in a year and keep it off. She's "been there and done that" and Plan-D tells you how she did it!

While Plan-D is probably 99% of what I teach, there are a couple items I do need to mention:

Plan-D does not advocate soy products, but does indicate that fermented soy products are okay occasionally. Tofu is included as a fermented soy product. However according to Kaayla Daniel in her book, The Whole Soy Story, tofu is not fermented, but precipitated. Tofu has been effectively used by monks in Asian countries for centuries to kill their sex drive. Tofu is not a product that I recommend.

In addition, Plan-D's limited use of sweeteners includes agave nectar/syrup. Earlier this year, there was an article by Dr. Joseph Mercola, and supported by the Weston A. Price Foundation, regarding agave's high fructose content and the processing methods which agave undergoes to become the agave syrup sold in health food stores today. According to these articles, the agave syrup on the market is very unlike the true, healthy, unprocessed, agave nectar used by the indigenous peoples in the past. Therefore, due to the current controversy, agave is not a sweetener I recommend.

Those two points aside, I can say that it isn't often that I come across a book on healthy eating that I can wholeheartedly recommend. This book is one of those few.

Learn more about Plan-D here.

Meat and Vegetable Curry

2 large onions, chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped (organic only)
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil
1 cup frozen corn (organic)
1 cup green beans cut in 3/4 inch pieces (organic only)
1/4 cup lime juice
1 pound ground meat (grass fed beef, lamb or free range turkey)
2 cans or 2 heaping cups home cooked dried organic beans (black, kidney or pinto)
1 28 ounce can of organic tomatoes
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons coriander
2 teaspoons turmeric
6 cloves of garlic sliced, chopped or minced
1-2 cups fresh cilantro, chopped
4 teaspoons Celtic Sea salt

Cook ground meat and set aside.
Saute onion, bell pepper and garlic in a little water.
Add frozen corn and green beans.
Add olive or coconut oil and lime juice.
Add Celtic Sea salt, cumin, coriander and turmeric. Stir until spices are evenly distributed.
Add meat, beans and canned tomatoes. Simmer 5-10 minutes or until thoroughly warmed.
Add chopped cilantro. Mix. Cover pan. Turn off heat. Let sit 5-10 minutes before serving.

Serve over brown rice or quinoa with a large tossed salad.

There are enough vegetables in the curry, but I like to also serve steamed or sauteed greens along with this.

This is one of my family's favorites.

This recipe freezes well. Store in glass freezer-safe dishes. Cool uncovered before freezing.

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

Here is a delicious recipe with some great healthy ingredients. The only thing I would change is to use arrowroot powder instead of cornstarch.

Get the recipe here.

Melon Smoothies

2 cups of your favorite melon cut in chunks

Blend and enjoy!

It's quick and easy. My favorite is honey dew. Watermelon and cantaloupe also taste great.

Non-Dairy Blueberry Ice Cream

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1 raw egg yolk (optional)
1 tablespoon arrowroot
1 can organic coconut milk *
1/4 teaspoon Stevia powder

Process the blueberries in a blender or food processor.
Add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth.
Pour into an ice cream maker and follow the instructions.

Enjoy!

For variety, you can substitute other berries or fruits for the blueberries.

* Note: Make sure you buy organic or natural coconut milk from a health food store or natural foods market. The coconut milks in conventional grocery stores and Asian markets contain harmful chemical additives.Click here for help with food additives.

This recipe was adapted from the Berry Ice Cream recipe in Nourishing Traditions, one of my very favorite cook books!

Recipe: Sweet Potatoes and Apples

1 medium - large sweet potato
1 medium organic Granny Smith apple
1/2 cup bone broth or chicken broth, preferably homemade since bought broth generally contains MSG
1/2 teaspoon organic cinnamon (non organic spices are commonly irradiated, organic are not)
1/16 - 1/8 teaspoon stevia powder

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Cut potato into 1/2 - 3/4 inch chunks
Cut apple into slightly smaller chunks
Place sweet potato and apple chunks into small casserole dish and mix.

In a separate container, mix bone broth, cinnamon and stevia. Stir until completely dissolved. Pour over the sweet potato and apple mixture. Stir thoroughly.

Bake at 350 degrees F for about an hour or until sweet potatoes are soft, stirring periodically.

This recipe is delicious cold too and makes a great snack.

I modified this recipe from the book, Ayurvedic Cooking For Westerners. It has been a family favorite for years.

This recipe has a lot less sugar than the original recipe, but still has the same flavor and a mild sweetness. You can adjust the sweetness by adding more or less stevia. However, care must be taken when using powdered stevia since it is extremely sweet and it's easy to get too much.