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Newsletter>
Simple Summer Meals
August 6, 2008
Dear Friends,
Are you looking for some simple meal ideas that won't heat
the kitchen up too much? I love to cook cold meals in the
summer. And with all of the fresh produce available, it is
really quite simple! Not to mention easy on the
budget...which is something all of us can appreciate no
matter what the weather outside is like!
This week we have enjoyed some very delicious meals that
cost me next to nothing to prepare and very little time. I
doubt we would have enjoyed such delicious fare at even the
most expensive restaurant. Does it sound like I am patting
myself on the back? Well, honestly, anybody can cook. I
truly believe that. It just takes practice and a willing
desire to provide your family with the best. If you are
using high quality, fresh ingredients it would be difficult
to ruin an entire meal...unless you try too hard and end up
making the process overly complicated.
Here are two examples of our quick, easy, nutritious, cheap
meals from this week...
Pesto & Tomato Pan Bread
Take some ripe tomatoes, sweet onions, and cucumbers
(optional) and slice them into thick slices. Spread them
over some pan bread (recipe to follow) and top with a slice
of warm provolone cheese. Drizzle this with fresh pesto
sauce (recipe to follow) and serve. This is delicious! It
can be served with some organic sweet corn or a green
salad...but quite honestly, we were full after eating this
meal alone without any added side dishes. It was naturally
warm from the weather alone and the vegetables were
fresh...eaten within an hour of picking. The pan bread was
the only cooking and I did this on a cast iron skillet. It
took only a few short minutes to fry the bread.
Pan Bread
2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 cup organic corn meal
2 TB baking powder
1 tsp salt
1-1/2 cups milk, buttermilk, or kefir
3 TB coconut oil
Mix the dry ingredients together and add milk...mix
together until you have a sticky dough. Turn onto a
floured surface and knead in a bit more flour. Let the
dough rest for a few minutes while you heat up the
cast-iron skillet. Add the oil to the skillet. Scoop
dough onto skillet like you are making very thick pancakes.
Press them down with a spatula. Cook until golden brown
on both sides. Add more oil if you need to and watch
closely so that your bread does not burn.
Pesto
2 cups fresh basil
1/4 cup pine nuts or walnuts
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup olive oil
add a handful of any other fresh herbs you have like
cilantro, oregano, chives, or parsley.
Puree all of this together in a food processor until you
have a thin paste. You can also add parmesan cheese. It
is that simple.
Fresh Garden Pasta
pasta noodles of your choice
fresh garden veggies
sea salt & pepper
herbs
olive oil
cheese
While your pasta is cooking on the stove, puree tomatoes,
onions, garlic cloves, cucumbers, zucchini, basil, oregano,
(and whatever else you have growing), and 1/4 cup of olive
oil in a food processor or blender. When the pasta is
done, drain and rinse, pour into a big serving bowl and
drizzle your fresh garden sauce all over it. Season well
with salt & pepper. Top with shredded cheese. Serve.
Raw food is the best kind. It still contains all of the
enzymes and nutrients. Nothing is lost during the cooking
process. If I ever became ill with a life-threatening
disease I would go on a 100% raw food diet for 30-60 days.
Raw food is easy to prepare in the summer and you should
really take advantage of it for your good health's sake!
If you struggle with yeast overgrowth, you can practically
eliminate it with a raw food based diet.
Speaking of yeast overgrowth...I have been learning even
more about this lately. It is very common, thanks to our
American diet of cooked, overly processed foods, sugars,
preservatives, and carbs. Candida is a natural part of our
bodies. It is only a problem when it gets out of control.
If you are feeling tired, moody, and just generally
not-so-good, you could be suffering from a candida yeast
overgrowth. In fact, I have been struggling with keeping
my bacteria in check this summer...thanks to being pregnant
and having a ridiculous craving 1-2 times per week for
disgustingly good (and bad-for-me) ice cream with a goopy,
gunky chocolate mess dumped on top...with whipped cream and
sprinkles! Yes, it is confession time. Frankly, it has
perplexed me as to why I am even craving such a thing. I
was blaming my cravings (because I give in to them) for
contributing to the fact that I have been fighting UTI's
throughout this pregnancy. Now I realize that the cravings
are a result of the UTI...because I have developed a yeast
overgrowth. Yeast goes hand in hand with UTI's in pregnant
women. Candida will cause you to crave more of what it
needs to thrive, which would include sweet and sugary ice
cream. So, this week I have been fighting the yeast with
pau d'arco, garlic, baking soda baths, homemade
yogurt/kefir, and kombucha tea. Guess what? Last night my
husband gave me an ice cream cone and I didn't want it!
Really! Amazing! (He was more than happy to eat it
himself...he has yet to come to terms with his own candida
issues.) The other interesting thing that I would like to
note is that throughout my pregnancy I was going back and
forth with the UTI, but not until I added kombucha back
into my diet and began the baking soda baths did I really
feel an improvement like I did this week. I believe that
it was a combination of everything, but the kombucha and
baking soda must have some serious yeast-fighting power. I
actually read this week that baking soda is being used by
one doctor as a cancer cure...he believes that cancer is a
fungi (yeast). He is experiencing success with this
treatment, but the medical community has now shunned him.
Why? Because they can't make billions of dollars off a box
of baking soda. Sad.
Well, I hope this info helps someone else out this week.
We have some adorable new aprons listed at the Etsy
shop...and they are on sale this week! Don't miss out. Our
aprons are all unique and one of a kind. Once one is sold,
you won't ever see another exactly like it. We are also
slowly adding tote bags and coming soon...baby blankets,
sheets, and pillowcases in patchwork designs! I love
patchwork! I would also like to encourage you all to try
out our pumpkin soap made with real pumpkin. I seldom brag
about my soaps, but this one is just so good. I can't stop
smelling it and normally I have such a hard time choosing a
soap for my own bath (as you can imagine) but this week I
can't stop using the pumpkin. Up until this week my
favorite was probably the spearmint because it is so cool
and refreshing. The pumpkin is a bit geared towards
autumn, but the warm aroma is just so soothing to my
pregnant mood lately. It is a nurturing smell.
Hope you are all having a wonderful week! I would love to
hear about your gardens...don't forget about our message
board. You can also visit me and my family at the blog!
Blessings,
Jennifer
www.fromfieldsandgardens.com
www.homesteadblogger.com/fromfieldsandgardens
www.farmsteadorganics.etsy.com
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