Step 1: Buy a air-popper.
Step 2: Buy unpopped corn.
Step 3: Pour about half a cup of said corn into the popper, put olive oil in the heater on top. Do not scrimp on good olive oil. You want extra virgin, trust me, there is a huge flavor difference.
Step 4: Pop corn.
Step 5: Pour warmed olive oil over the popped corn, and sprinkle with sea salt to taste.
Why you ask?
Olive oil is full of nutritional benefits. It is a monounsaturated fatty acid. Remember, fat is not your enemy-the wrong kinds of fat, however, are. Those who indulge in healthy fats tend to have lower blood pressure and lower heart disease. This type of fat has also been linked to protection against depression. It protects your organs from inflammation. It does a whole bunch of things. Eat olive oil.
Popcorn is a low calorie snack. This means you can eat a lot of it--which I do. However, you should also recognize that corn is a huge filler in the US food industry. There is corn in nearly everything processed that you eat. Therefore, try and avoid eating too much processed foods, it is never a good thing to have too much of one type of food.
Sea salt is the same as table salt in regards to sodium intake. Again, if you eat a lot of processed foods, this may not be a great snack for you, because you likely are consuming far more sodium daily than you realize. If not, the general benefit of sea salt over table salt is that there is less processing to produce it, and that it is delicious.
Friday, January 3, 2014
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Better Brown Rice Pudding
And...we begin.
For New Years Day yesterday, I set out to create a healthy version of ride pudding. You all know rice pudding, right? That creamy, sweet, breakfast perfect for holidays? Take a look-see:
Well, if you haven't had it, it's delicious. However, it is also horrible for you. White rice? Carbs that turn straight to sugar as your body digests. Sugar? Stays sugar as your body digests it. Milk? Well, I have my own opinions on cow dairy, where, I love it but I try not to indulge too often because of not only the sugar content, but also, I kinda think humans were not meant to consume animal milk, and most people aren't able to produce the enzymes needed to digest cow-milk effectively, leading to lactose intolerance, and a multitude of symptoms that people aren't aware of: headaches, acne, dandruff, digestion problems, etc. Just remember that young cows have several stomachs to break down dairy enzymes...we only have one.
Anyway.........off my tangent, I'll now give you my version of this creamy delight. So here it is! Better Brown Rice Pudding.
1 C. Brown Rice--not fast cook. The real stuff.
4 C. Water
4 C. Dairy-free milk substitute. Our favorite at home is unsweetened Almond Milk, others like soy, some prefer rice. Choose your own.
Agave Syrup
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Salt
Mix-ins: Fresh chopped apples, nuts, raisins, craisins, berries, brown sugar, whatever really, but we went with apples and chopped pecans with a pinch of brown sugar. Yum.
Now what?
Boil the rice for I'd say about 40 minutes in the water with a pinch of salt. I like to cook it a long time, because I like my rice pudding soft, and brown rice has all that fibery goodness that you've got to break down a bit.
Drain the water, and cover the rice to let it steam for about 10 minutes more.
Then, start adding the milk in. Careful not to let it get too hot, because you don't want curdled or burnt milk, you want it to start cooking into the rice. So I add all of mine at once because I don't like to cook in an extremely meticulous way. Do it how you want. I also add a good amount of agave syrup in at this time. I set the burner at med-low and let it start to simmer. Once it is simmering I add in cinnamon and nutmeg, and agave syrup to taste.
I let the milk pretty much cook down, stirring occasionally, keeping the pot generally covered. It's a texture preference from here on out.
After it reaches the texture I like, I turn the burner off, throw in a whole chopped apple, and a nice amount of pecans for crunch, stir it up and enjoy!
Serves 4.
For those that may not know what agave syrup is, it is a sugar substitute, natural and healthy, and has a flavor that is not chemically. This is largely due to the fact that it is not a chemical. It's worth the trip.
This rice pudding has lots of fiber in there to keep you regular, and your cholesterol low. It's hearty and keeps you full through the morning, and you can have seconds and then not feel bad about the leftover Xmas cookies and champagne you had the night before :) .
For New Years Day yesterday, I set out to create a healthy version of ride pudding. You all know rice pudding, right? That creamy, sweet, breakfast perfect for holidays? Take a look-see:
Well, if you haven't had it, it's delicious. However, it is also horrible for you. White rice? Carbs that turn straight to sugar as your body digests. Sugar? Stays sugar as your body digests it. Milk? Well, I have my own opinions on cow dairy, where, I love it but I try not to indulge too often because of not only the sugar content, but also, I kinda think humans were not meant to consume animal milk, and most people aren't able to produce the enzymes needed to digest cow-milk effectively, leading to lactose intolerance, and a multitude of symptoms that people aren't aware of: headaches, acne, dandruff, digestion problems, etc. Just remember that young cows have several stomachs to break down dairy enzymes...we only have one.
Anyway.........off my tangent, I'll now give you my version of this creamy delight. So here it is! Better Brown Rice Pudding.
1 C. Brown Rice--not fast cook. The real stuff.
4 C. Water
4 C. Dairy-free milk substitute. Our favorite at home is unsweetened Almond Milk, others like soy, some prefer rice. Choose your own.
Agave Syrup
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Salt
Mix-ins: Fresh chopped apples, nuts, raisins, craisins, berries, brown sugar, whatever really, but we went with apples and chopped pecans with a pinch of brown sugar. Yum.
Now what?
Boil the rice for I'd say about 40 minutes in the water with a pinch of salt. I like to cook it a long time, because I like my rice pudding soft, and brown rice has all that fibery goodness that you've got to break down a bit.
Drain the water, and cover the rice to let it steam for about 10 minutes more.
Then, start adding the milk in. Careful not to let it get too hot, because you don't want curdled or burnt milk, you want it to start cooking into the rice. So I add all of mine at once because I don't like to cook in an extremely meticulous way. Do it how you want. I also add a good amount of agave syrup in at this time. I set the burner at med-low and let it start to simmer. Once it is simmering I add in cinnamon and nutmeg, and agave syrup to taste.
I let the milk pretty much cook down, stirring occasionally, keeping the pot generally covered. It's a texture preference from here on out.
After it reaches the texture I like, I turn the burner off, throw in a whole chopped apple, and a nice amount of pecans for crunch, stir it up and enjoy!
Serves 4.
For those that may not know what agave syrup is, it is a sugar substitute, natural and healthy, and has a flavor that is not chemically. This is largely due to the fact that it is not a chemical. It's worth the trip.
This rice pudding has lots of fiber in there to keep you regular, and your cholesterol low. It's hearty and keeps you full through the morning, and you can have seconds and then not feel bad about the leftover Xmas cookies and champagne you had the night before :) .
Intro
Well, it's here. 2014. And with 37 resolutions, I may as well try to combine a few of them. So here is that attempt. We'll be having our first baby in March, and we believe the best way to teach is by example. So, we will be attempting, as a family, to eat healthy. However, anyone that knows me, knows that I.love.food. Which means that I think it is pure blaspheme to eat a plain salad with no freshly baked bread. I think it is pure blaspheme to claim TGIFriday's as your favorite restaurant. I think it is pure blaspheme to cook only boxed foods!!! Good food-and by good food I mean whole, healthy, hearty foods-warms you from the inside out, nourishes you, and overall makes you a nicer person. I promise. So, I have decided to create a blog, as I create healthy versions of my favorite things to eat. I will also attempt to provide explanations on why the way I made it is healthier than the original.
Enjoy Better Bites!
Enjoy Better Bites!
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