I made this recipe to help my family on their quest for healthy meals!  I personally try to reduce my meat intake, and this makes a protein rich, tasty alternative!  I opted to bake (instead of fry) these patties to make them healthier yet!  I made believers out of my family, with this recipe, when I told them that garbanzo beans (chic peas) can taste good!  It’s all in the preparation!  I hope you enjoy these as much as we do!

Ingredients:

1 can (15oz) garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 tsp lemon juice
3 tablespoons water
1 cup dry bread crumbs (italian style)
1 egg
10 small sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil)
5 – 1/4 inch slices of fresh mozzarella
1/2 tsp ground clove
1 1/2 tsp crushed, dried coriander (cilantro)
1 tsp salt

Preparation Directions:

1)  Place beans, water and lemon juice in a food processor, cover and process into a rough paste.     Transfer into a large mixing bowl.
2)  Place mozzarella cheese and sun-dried tomatoes into food processor. Cover and blend 2 to 4 quick     bursts. Add this to the mixing bowl and stir mixture.
3)  Add egg, clove, coriander and salt to the mixture, stir until well blended.
4)  Set aside 1/4 cup of the bread crumbs in a medium bowl.
5)  Slowly add remaining 3/4 cup of bread crumbs into the large bowl. Mix well
6)  Form 6 balls of mixture, roll in bread crumbs (that were set aside in medium bowl earlier) and press     into patties.

Patties may be refrigerated to cook later.

Cooking Directions:

1) Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2) Spray a large baking sheet with non-stick spray or line with non-stick aluminum foil
3) Place patties on baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes (flipping them half way through bake time)

Serving suggestions:

Cut or break patties in half and serve on whole wheat tortilla wraps with lettuce and choice of condiments and ENJOY!  These also make a wonderful alternative to chicken on salads or in a chicken parmesan recipe.  It is easy to make this a gluten free recipe by replacing the bread crumbs with a gluten free, bread crumb substitute!  Serve on gluten free bread and enjoy!

When it comes to your diet and daily exercise, wow, it’s amazing the plethora of choices available on both topics.  How does a person choose the right path for their own life?  And, it really is a personal choice, a personal decision.  Think about all the diets, or lifestyle options we’ve been exposed to over the last 20-25 years.  We can be vegetarian, vegan, a ‘Weight-Watcher,” a ‘South-Beach-er,’ an ‘Atkins’ advocate, a ‘Master Cleanser,’ a ‘Cabbage patch-er,’ or, we can just eat ‘grapefruit.’  Or was it lemons?  For whatever reason, when my brain hears ‘diet,’ I think of suffering and extremes.  And, the amount of exercise options available, as the kids would text, “OMG,” there’s Zumba, Yoga, Jazzercise, running, walking, cardio, strength training, bicycling, swimming, and gardening, etc., etc.  There is so much to choose from.

A few days ago, a friend of mine asked me, “What are doing to eat healthy and how much do you exercise?”  (I’m glad she asked me about eating healthy versus ‘do you diet?’  I hate dieting, it’s so depressing).  So, what is it that I do?

For starters, years ago, knew I needed to drink more water, which have you ever noticed that most medical doctors never ask you about your water consumption, or explain the benefits of water for your body.  Why?  It’s one of the easiest things we can do to improve our health and longevity.  I hear people say all the time, “I hate water, can’t drink it.”  Yes, you can!  Start small and build on it.  I enjoy a 22 oz. bottle first thing every morning, before coffee or breakfast and then consume another two bottles (22 oz. each) throughout the morning and afternoon.  Your body will crave it once you’ve developed the habit.

Food, I like all things God has created and my aim is for balance.  My goal is to incorporate protein (lean meats, nuts, beans, cheese, or eggs), vegetables, fruit, some whole grain, and good fat into each meal.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not perfect at it, but it’s what I aim for.  I try to avoid pre-processed foods as much as possible and try to stay away from ‘bad’ carbohydrates (white bread, white rice, pasta, cookies, crackers…blah, blah, blah).  Making my own salad dressings has become the ‘norm’ at our house.  My favorites are a blue cheese dressing, compliments of Ina Garden, and whole-mustard vinaigrette, compliments of Rachel Ray, to name just a couple.  Some of the simplest dishes are the best, like the vegetable dish we had with last night’s dinner:  take one fennel bulb, sliced in ½ inch strips, two medium sized red-skinned potatoes, cut in wedges, three carrots, cleaned and cut in 1 ½ inch pieces, season with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, then coat with extra virgin olive oil.  Spread out on a baking sheet and roast for 35-40 minutes at 400 degrees.  This is an excellent accompaniment with a pork dish.

Exercise, where the ‘rubber meets the road,’ if you will.  Again, this is such a personal choice but unless you have some type of physical limitation that prohibits you from exercising, there’s something you can do.  I enjoy a variety.  We don’t really have the extra money for a gym membership, or ability to join exercise classes, but have found maintaining a variety of exercise DVD’s works well.  There are so many styles of DVD’s available and it really doesn’t require much room at home.  Even my husband has been incorporating them into his exercise routine.  My personal goal is to exercise at least 5-6 times a week, for 30-45 minutes, two to three days are strength building, a couple are cardio, and I end the week with Yoga.  Not real ambitious as some but find it’s a good balance.  My friends think I’m a little crazy since my typical work out time is 4:30 a.m. (during the work week), but after work, or during work, I don’t have to worry about having to fit in a work out.

Enjoy making healthy choices that will improve your life!

It is my turn to share a recipe for our healthy eating series.  Our family has made a conscious choice over the past year and a half to try to eat healthier.  For us that meant cutting back to whole grains, eating more fruits, vegetables and nuts, eating more chicken and fish, and less beef (and the added benefit was that we all lost weight – woo-hoo!).

One of our family favorites is any kind of stir-fry, because it keeps in all the good vitamins and nutrients, and some of the veggies are still quite crunchy (but you can cook a little longer if you like them softer).  The beauty of the stir-fry is that you can use whatever veggies you have on hand.  On Sunday afternoon last, I stir-fried up a whole pot full of veggies fresh from our garden, as you can see from the picture.  Here is the basic recipe (you will note that I don’t specify amount – because that is up to you):

VEGETABLES:
Zucchini (sliced thin))
Yellow Squash (sliced thin)
Sweet Bell Peppers (any colors)
Onions (chopped or sliced)
Scallions (sliced)
String Beans (cut or whole)
Snow Peas
Tomatoes (sliced)
Carrots (sliced or in strips)
Broccoli (florets cut into bite sized pieces)

(You can add any other veggies you like…garlic, mushrooms, cucumbers, etc.)

SEASONING:
Oregano, Basil, Thyme, Parsley,
Chives, (which came from our herb garden) Salt and Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Add about 2 T. of olive oil to the wok (over medium heat) and saute the onions, scallions, garlic, mushrooms first.  Add vegetables by hardest first (carrots, then beans and peas, then broccoli, squash, peppers, etc. and last tomatoes).  The colors will brighten as they steam…cook until the texture is to your liking.  At the last minute add about 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese.  Make sure you stir constantly so nothing burns.

If you want to make it a great one dish meal, then cook boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into strips along with the onions on the first step.  Add some fully cooked rice (brown and wild rice is our favorite) or orzo, or another favorite fully cooked pasta (thin egg noodles are good too) right before you throw in the tomatoes, and increase the seasonings and parmesan cheese slightly.

Hope you enjoy this as much as the Karant family does!

As a 34 year old mother of three, looks aren’t everything. What is important is feeling good, being “healthy,” and okay yes, losing a few pounds wouldn’t hurt either. My unintended quest for these three facets of a woman’s life began in June 2012.

My oldest child was almost 6, my middle child was 4, and my youngest was almost a year old. It was time to take control of my body again and get to work. My Weight Watcher days were long gone and that plan simply wasn’t working anymore.

I decided to cut grains (wheat, rice, oatmeal, cornmeal etc.) out of my diet to see if it would help with weight loss as well as my dermagraphism (itchy skin and hives). Since that change 13 months ago I have lost 47 pounds, I have more energy and my appetite has decreased. My dermagraphism, although not completely gone, is markedly improved.

My decision to go grain free started when a friend told me about her success with this lifestyle. I did quite a bit of research and found some interesting facts about grains that I didn’t know before. For example, they are high in phytic acid which binds up minerals and prevents the body from absorbing them. The high starch content in grains also contributes to chronic inflammation (a leading cause of many modern diseases). This means the body ultimately treats grains like sugar, telling the body to produce insulin. Once insulin levels fall, you crave more sugar (or grains) again, creating a vicious cycle. Our focus is on eating whole foods that nourish the body and allow it to function to its full potential. I try to cut out nearly all processed food, focusing on vegetables, fruit, full fat dairy products from grass fed cows (meat, butter, milk, cheese), pastured chicken and pork, nuts and seeds, coconut oil, coconut flour, almond flour, and extra virgin olive oil. We have also made the transition to purchasing non-GMO, organic and/or locally sourced food as much as possible (helps the local economy too!).

One of my family’s favorite recipes is Grain Free Granola. It’s full of healthy fats and just enough pure maple syrup to lend some sweetness without making it a dessert. We enjoy it with plain full fat greek yogurt and berries for a filling and protein packed breakfast.

Here is the recipe we use:

1 cup raw walnuts, chopped
1 cup raw cashews or raw pecans, chopped
1 1/2 cups sliced raw almonds
1 cup raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup raw sesame seeds
1 cup unsweetened coconut
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg white
1/4 to 1/3 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
2. Whip egg whites until frothy, then mix in maple syrup and vanilla.
3. Toss nuts with cinnamon and salt.
4. Combine egg mixture and nuts and coat thoroughly.
5. Spread nuts on 2 lined cookie sheets and bake for 25 minutes.
6. Let cool completely then break apart. Add any dried fruit and banana chips (optional).

Recommended Reading: Wheat Belly, by William Davis, which sheds some light on gluten grains and their effect on our bodies.