MIA

I know by "MIA" you're probably thinking Mission: Impossibly Awesome, but really I was just going to tell you what I've been up to lately  that's been keeping us apart. =)
Whooee it's almost been a month since my last post! And what a month it's been.

I got a phone call a while back from a grad school I had applied to.
"Hello?"
"Is this Elizabeth Brady?"
"Sure is."
"Hello, I am so-and-so from such-and-such MFA program. I'm just calling to let you know that we enjoyed your portfolio and would like you to welcome you to our MFA program!"

At that point my extremities lost all sensation and I tried to remember how to breathe.

So there you have it: I'm going to grad school! =)
After that phone call, I applied to be a graduate instructor while I complete my master's degree, so I traveled to the university to interview for that position. Then I decided it would be economically sensible to relocate into a more affordable establishment.
AKA: I moved back into my parents' house.
And of course the usual busyness of full-time employment, holidays, increased family time, and all the other normal day-to-day life somehow led me to neglect my poor Chewsing Wisely.
In more ways than one.

Let me tell you, folks: it's easier to be extremely strict than to allow yourself an inch here, a slip-up there, and justifications all around.
Granted, I didn't revert to my old carnivorous ways, but I cooked less and let myself fill up on carbs (terrrrrible thing to do to a stomach...inside and out).

SO! I am rededicating myself to Chewsing Wisely =) Now that I'm settled down and have been reminded of why I need this in the first place.

Lemme just tell you what is my lifesaver:

VitaMix!

This baby is my best friend. And I don't take that lightly. And neither does she =)

I use her primarily for fruit-and-vegetable juicing for my breakfasts (but I've also made tons of whole foods stuffs up in hurr: soups, pesto, peanut butter, hummus, ice cream, nutella, etc etc), and I know that every day that I juice for breakfast, I feel so much better. 

What do I put in my juices, you say?

Honestly, I just clean out my fridge. 

This morning it was:
     pineapple juice
     apple
     a floret of broccoli (don't overdo it on the broccoli--those suckers are potent)

     a few scoops of soy yogurt
     carrot

     handfuls and handfuls of spinach

     frozen strawberries
     frozen banana

     and probably some more stuff I don't remember.
See? Seriously just clean out your fridge. You'll learn what combos of fruits/vegetables and the amounts of each you personally enjoy (my sister will NOT put carrots in), and soon you'll be in juicing bliss right along with me. 

Not only does this breakfast increase my fruit and vegetable intake, but I know my body really enjoys absorbing all the vitamins from the food so quickly and easily. It makes my insides happy =)
And if my insides are happy, I am more inclined to want my outsides happy. And what, you might ask, makes my outsides happy?

Yoooooooooga.     (disclaimer: that's not me. but ohhh doesn't that look good right now?)

So there you have it, the un-vicious cycle: insides happy=outsides happy=insides happy. And my dynamic duo: VitaMix and yoga. 

Moral of today's story: do the things that allow you to be happy.   Often. 

Raspberry Almond Tart

It's only fitting that my second recipe post be a dessert =)

Every month, all of my mom's family that lives in the valley gets together for Family Home Evening. Which obviously requires treats. Now that we're all trying to be herbivores, momma needed to make something delicious AND non-dairy, which is pretty hard to do for a dessert. So she turned to "The Sugar Solution" by Sari Harrar and the editors of Prevention magazine, and this is what she found: Raspberry Almond Tart.

Now. I should tell you. In the recipe below, I'll make some comments/suggestions. And to avoid muddying up the recipe too much, I'll write more below. But be sure to read through them before embarking on this delicious journey. Oh and don't forget to check out the sweet nutritional info at the bottom! Bonus =)

Here we go!

Raspberry Almond Tart

CRUST
2/3 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking rolled oats
1/2 cup whole grain pastry flour
1 tablespoon sugar (you'll probably want to at least double this)
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking soda (for fluffier crust, add more--which I recommend)
2 tablespoons canola or olive oil (substitute with coconut oil for tastiness' sake)
2-3 tablespoons plain yogurt (use soy yogurt for dairy-free)
1/3 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips (optional) (but not optional if you know what's good for you)

FILLING
1/4 cup raspberry 100% fruit jam
3/4 teaspoon almond extract
2 1/2 cups raspberries
2 tablespoons sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 375. Coat baking sheet with cooking spray.

To make the crust:
In a medium bowl, combine the oats, flour, sugar, cinnamon, and baking soda. Stir in oil and yogurt to make a soft, slightly sticky dough. If the dough is too stiff, add additional yogurt.
Place the dough on the prepared baking sheet and, using lightly oiled hands, pat evenly into a 10-inch circle. Place a 9-inch cake pan right-side up on the dough and trace around the bottom of the pan with a sharp knife, being careful to score only the surface of the dough. With your fingers, push up and pinch the dough around the outside of the pan to make a 9-inch crust with a rim 1/4-inch high. Remove the cake pan. Bake for 12 minutes on the baking sheet. Scatter the chocolate chips evenly over the surface of the crust and bake until the chocolate is melted and the crust is firm and golden; 3-4 minutes. Remove from the oven and spread the chocolate over the crust to make an even layer. Set aside and cool.

To make the filling and assemble:
In a small, microwavable bowl, combine the jam and almond extract. Microwave on high for 10-15 seconds, or until melted. Brush a generous tablespoon evenly over the crust. Arrange the raspberries evenly over the crust. Brush the remaining jam evenly over the berries, making sure to get some of the jam between the berries to secure them. Sprinkle with almonds.

Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or until the jam has jelled. Makes 8 servings.

Per serving: 138 calories, 3 grams protein, 21 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams dietary fiber, 5 grams total fat, 0 grams saturated fat, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 43 milligrams sodium.



Alrighty! So, my family had mixed feelings about this. I personally loved it (ate two slices), but my dad, bless his heart, was hankering for something sweeter. After some crunching and munching and hemming and hawing, we decided the tart's Achilles heel is the crust.

The consistency is a bit too dense and flavorless to be the kind of dessert you'd be proud to share with your sugar-and-heavy-whipping-cream-loving neighbors. So the suggestions above would be a great starting point, but I think you could alter it a bit further. You could consider adding a bit of honey or agave to the crust to sweeten it naturally, and I'd be so daring as to even add a dollop of whipped coconut milk! (Chill a can of coconut milk overnight, scoop out the heavy top layer, add a bit of vanilla and cinnamon, and beat = deliciousness.)

That said, I only tried the recipe the way it was printed in the book--haven't tried alterations. Feel free to experiment! And when you do, tell me what you discover!

But remember, I did eat two slices of it just the way it is =)

Bon apetit!

Raise the Roof Sweet Potato Vegetable Lasagna

First of all, lemme just say that I was hesitant about this meal. I grew up on my momma's very delicious, very meaty and cheesy lasagna, and I've never liked lasagna any other way. 

I can't fully attribute the taste of this Raise the Roof Sweet Potato Vegetable Lasagna to winning me over, because it took my second helping to convince me to savor it. (But only my 2nd!)

What reeeeaaallly did me in was the fact that my stomach does not have ANY problems with this baby! I ate it for dinner, and had it twice as leftovers, and every time it went down as if Mary Poppins herself were feeding it to me. 

The flavor really grew on me, too. Because of the unpredictable distribution of the variety of vegetables, each bite is a slightly different flavor and texture experience. Which obviously = awesome. 

So, without further ado: Raise the Roof Sweet Potato Vegetable Lasagna, from Rip Esselsten's book "The Engine 2 Diet."

1 onion, chopped
1 small head of garlic, all cloves chopped or pressed
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 head of broccoli, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
1 can corn, rinsed and drained
1 package silken lite tofu
½ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 tsp rosemary
2 jars pasta sauce (no sugar added)
2 boxes whole grain lasagna noodles, uncooked
16 oz frozen spinach, thawed and drained
2 sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed
6 Roma tomatoes, sliced thin
1 cup raw cashews, ground

Preheat oven to 400. Sauté onion and garlic for 3 minutes in a wok or nonstick pan. Add mushrooms; cook until they release liquid. Remove to a large bowl with a slotted spoon and reserve mushroom liquid in the pan. Sauté broccoli and carrots 5 minutes in mushroom liquid; add to bowl. Sauté peppers and corn until just beginning to soften; add to veggie bowl. Drain tofu by wrapping it in paper towels. Break it up directly in towel and mix into veggie bowl. Add spices to veggie bowl and combine.

Assemble:
Cover bottom of 13x9 casserole dish with a layer of pasta sauce. Add a layer of noodles, then cover noodles with a layer of sauce. Spread veggie mixture over sauced noodles. Cover with another layer of noodles, and another dressing of sauce. Add spinach to the second layer of sauced noodles. Cover spinach with mashed sweet potatoes. Add another layer of sauce, then the final layer of noodles and the last topping of sauce. Cover lasagna with thinly sliced tomatoes. 

Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes. Remove tin foil, sprinkle with ground cashews, return to oven for 15 minutes. Let set 15 minutes before serving. 

The Choice

As a result of my Crohn's disease diagnosis in 2007, I've toyed with plenty of dietary plans over the years: no raw fruits/vegetables (too much fiber); no sugar; gluten/yeast-free; a "No-Pain" Crohn's diet; a recent flirtation with the blood type diet.
But last weekend, I found my last eating plan: a whole foods, plant-based diet.

That's right, I will be only eating things that grow in the earth! Stuff like this:

(that's chard, by the way)


Whole foods, plant-based eating just makes sense to me. Call me sentimental, but there's just something great about eating the way all the ancient peoples of the world have eaten: living off of what's available, God-given.

Plus, no additives! No preservatives! No fake "food"!

Something just doesn't seem right to me when I think about how modern food processing removes a hefty portion of the natural vitamins, minerals, and general benefits of foods. So, instead of allowing food processing companies to determine what is taken out of my food, and what crazy things are put in, I'm going straight to the horse's mouth. =)

So! I will be eating FOOD from now on!

Join me...or shake your head and bite into a processed Bic Mac. But read on! I'll tell you all about my journey with whole foods, plant-based eating, and what it does for my Crohn's disease and my general well-being. I'll even share recipes and tips! I dare you to NOT get excited about all this.