I am sorry to say that it will be neglected a little longer... moving to the US is taking EVERY spare second I have.
But I will be back! Write down your questions, thoughts, musings... we'll have a go at them when we're in America :)
Peace and love to you all!
d
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Monday, September 7, 2015
Hide but don't seek!
I know my posts can revolve around feeding picky kids more often than not, but hey - you write what you know, right? Lasagna has become one of my new favorite hiding grounds. I would like to say I make it fairly often, but truth is it's a lot of work. I can't eat wheat noodles (well, I can, but no one wants to be around for the aftermath of that experience) so I have to cook two separate kinds. I've come to really like the wholegrain spelt Biona lasagna sheets, but whoa - they are a serious pain in the ass to deal with. So, if like me you have had your non-wheat noodles turn into one big sticky gelatinous mound, here's what I do - first, I get a big pot of water in a full rolling boil. Then I put no more than two of the lasagna noodles/sheets in at a time, letting them cook until they are al dente. I have a bowl of cool water standing by. When they're done, I fish the noodles out with tongs and put them into the cool water bath for a few minutes while I put the next noodles on. The cooled noodles go onto a plate until I'm ready for them. I don't shake them off, I purposely leave a bit of water on them to keep them from sticking to the plate/other noodles. It takes a while and is definitely a lot more effort but it's well worth it in the end. Especially if you're not a big fan of trying to un-do a Gordian knot of lasagna!
Here's where I take a shortcut to make up for all that noodle effort - while I'm cooking the beef I throw in chopped up leftover veggies. Some of the ones I've thrown in? Spinach, beetroot, kale, carrot, peppers (no hot ones), sweet potato, broccoli... the list is endless really, limited only by imagination and what's in the fridge. Into an oiled baking dish I layer lasagna noodles, a small amount of ricotta cheese, the beef and veg mix, and tomato sauce. The top layer of noodles gets the last of the sauce and a bit of cheese. Into the oven until cheese is nice and browned and there ya go.
Warning - beetroot can make the noodles a bit pink. I got called out on this last time but convinced the boys it was just the tomato sauce.
Here's where I take a shortcut to make up for all that noodle effort - while I'm cooking the beef I throw in chopped up leftover veggies. Some of the ones I've thrown in? Spinach, beetroot, kale, carrot, peppers (no hot ones), sweet potato, broccoli... the list is endless really, limited only by imagination and what's in the fridge. Into an oiled baking dish I layer lasagna noodles, a small amount of ricotta cheese, the beef and veg mix, and tomato sauce. The top layer of noodles gets the last of the sauce and a bit of cheese. Into the oven until cheese is nice and browned and there ya go.
Warning - beetroot can make the noodles a bit pink. I got called out on this last time but convinced the boys it was just the tomato sauce.
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
Get me some cauliflower!
http://ohmyveggies.com/20-unexpected-ways-to-use-cauliflower/
Kiersten, you are my new cauliflower hero - I cannot wait to try some of these! But boo - I just ran out of cauliflower....
Kiersten, you are my new cauliflower hero - I cannot wait to try some of these! But boo - I just ran out of cauliflower....
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Waste not, yeah - you know the rest!
It drives me bonkers to have to throw out food. A trait passed on to me by my grandmother perhaps? She threw nothing out. Until we snuck it out behind her back. Like the time we were cleaning out cabinets and found tomato sauce dated 1976. It was 1991 at the time. Can't blame her though, raising kids in tough times in tougher circumstances it became second nature to find some way to re-use.
So what's my reason? I don't really have one. It just makes me feel like such a waster. To that end, I have become more creative with foods that are about to go off or that I've just made too darn much of.
My favorite go-to recycled food? Potato cakes! The kids love them so there's a no-brainer. I've even started to purposely cook too many potatoes on those days I do mash to have the leftovers available. I'm lucky in this respect - I used to "hide" cauliflower in the potato, then mash it all together with some pink Himalayan salt and garlic powder. But as my crew have gotten older (and taller) they can see what's in the pot. As it turns out, they like the potato so much they don't mind the cauliflower. Tomas even asks for it!
To make them: (apologies - I have to guess at amounts. Throw in this and that - you know how I roll...)
About 3 cups mashed potato (if I can get organic I leave some of the skin on)
1/2 to 3/4 cup grated cheese
1 egg
salt to taste
garlic powder to taste (optional)
Put all ingredients into a mixing bowl and get your hands in there - smash, mash, pretend you're a kid again playing with mud pies :) Take a small amount, a little bigger than a golf ball, into your hands and work it flat. Place on a pre-oiled/sprayed baking tray and bake in a 350F/180C oven until golden/brown and crispy-looking. Alternately you can heat oil in a frying pan and fry them like hash browns, but I find that they tend to absorb a lot of oil this way. If you leave them baking until they are good and brown, they are just as delicious!
Here's another creation from my Frankenstein kitchen that surprised me with it's yummy-ness: zucchini (courgette) and peaches. Peaches were on sale for really cheap, so you know I stocked up! Unfortunately, to get here to Ireland they have to be picked early so they tend to all ripen/over-ripen at once. I peeled and froze a good few for smoothies and then just got sick of peeling. In the fridge were a couple of courgettes that needed to be used as well so here's what I did:
Scrub courgettes well and thinly slice. Heat a wok with a small amount of olive oil. Throw in courgette and let them get good and browned (stir/flip to put the bottom ones on top). Toss in some chopped garlic (your choice how much), salt to taste. When the courgettes are browned, throw in two peeled and roughly chopped peaches. Continue to cook only until the peaches are incorporated into the mix and heated up. Cook too much and they just go to mush. Enjoy!
I would love to hear about your creations!
So what's my reason? I don't really have one. It just makes me feel like such a waster. To that end, I have become more creative with foods that are about to go off or that I've just made too darn much of.
My favorite go-to recycled food? Potato cakes! The kids love them so there's a no-brainer. I've even started to purposely cook too many potatoes on those days I do mash to have the leftovers available. I'm lucky in this respect - I used to "hide" cauliflower in the potato, then mash it all together with some pink Himalayan salt and garlic powder. But as my crew have gotten older (and taller) they can see what's in the pot. As it turns out, they like the potato so much they don't mind the cauliflower. Tomas even asks for it!
To make them: (apologies - I have to guess at amounts. Throw in this and that - you know how I roll...)
About 3 cups mashed potato (if I can get organic I leave some of the skin on)
1/2 to 3/4 cup grated cheese
1 egg
salt to taste
garlic powder to taste (optional)
Put all ingredients into a mixing bowl and get your hands in there - smash, mash, pretend you're a kid again playing with mud pies :) Take a small amount, a little bigger than a golf ball, into your hands and work it flat. Place on a pre-oiled/sprayed baking tray and bake in a 350F/180C oven until golden/brown and crispy-looking. Alternately you can heat oil in a frying pan and fry them like hash browns, but I find that they tend to absorb a lot of oil this way. If you leave them baking until they are good and brown, they are just as delicious!
Here's another creation from my Frankenstein kitchen that surprised me with it's yummy-ness: zucchini (courgette) and peaches. Peaches were on sale for really cheap, so you know I stocked up! Unfortunately, to get here to Ireland they have to be picked early so they tend to all ripen/over-ripen at once. I peeled and froze a good few for smoothies and then just got sick of peeling. In the fridge were a couple of courgettes that needed to be used as well so here's what I did:
I would love to hear about your creations!
Monday, July 13, 2015
Spit and such...
I finally got my results back from the DNA sample that I sent in! There are pages and PAGES of info to sort through, but it is really interesting and fascinating. I am mostly of Northern European ancestry, specifically French/German (I know- German, right? But certain "tribes" are grouped together according to original peoples' arrangements, before migration and splits. The British and Irish are grouped together. This is the only place THAT'S gonna happen!) then in descending order I am Native American, sub-Sahara African with some Cuban, Argentinian and Balkan thrown in for good measure. And I only share 2.6% of my DNA with Neanderthals. Average for European descent is 2.7%. So much for the hairy knuckle theory...
As far as genetic risk factors go, I'm in pretty good shape. I have a copy of a variant associated with development of Alzheimer's. No, this does not mean that I will succumb to it. It means that I have a genetic variation sometimes found in people with Alzheimer's. I had the good fortune to know two of my great-grandmothers who lived to ripe old ages and were both sharp as flippin' tacks to the end. I am not worried.
Now here's something that I found quite interesting - there's a relatively new feature on the site that calculates how much of your weight comes from single nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNiPs for short. Think back to your high school/secondary school days and basic biology. DNA is made up of four bases: adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), and thymine (T). The sequence of these bases determines the information available for building and maintaining an organism, similar to the way in which letters of the alphabet appear in a certain order to form words and sentences.
DNA bases pair up with each other, A with T and C with G, to form units called base pairs. Each base is also attached to a sugar molecule and a phosphate molecule. Together, a base, sugar, and phosphate are called a nucleotide. Nucleotides are arranged in two long strands that form a spiral called a double helix. The structure of the double helix is somewhat like a ladder, with the base pairs forming the ladder’s rungs and the sugar and phosphate molecules forming the vertical sidepieces of the ladder.
Within the nucleotide, there are subtle changes occurring from individual to individual, and these are the SNiPs. Scientists and geneticists use these SNiPs as markers for determining susceptibility to drugs and environmental toxins, locating and tracking genes associated with disease, and risk of developing certain diseases.
SNiPs are common, occurring about once in every 300 sequences, amounting to roughly 10 million SNiPs in the human genome. What I didn't realize, or think about, was how that amount could translate into body weight. Something so small, how could it make a difference? But hey - enough of them get together and guess what? 4.76 pounds of my total body weight can be attributed to SNiPs! Almost 5 POUNDS OF SNiPs! Are you kidding me? Can I blame them for the muffin top I can't seem to get rid of completely!?!?!
All kidding aside, lucky for me, none of the polymorphisms are known to lead to problems. They're just harmless little anomalies.
23 and me also gives you the choice to make contact with others who could be related to you. I've had a couple of contacts made, but we haven't progressed yet to comparing family trees. Donna, I'll be in touch - you are the Guillot tree master! :)
As far as genetic risk factors go, I'm in pretty good shape. I have a copy of a variant associated with development of Alzheimer's. No, this does not mean that I will succumb to it. It means that I have a genetic variation sometimes found in people with Alzheimer's. I had the good fortune to know two of my great-grandmothers who lived to ripe old ages and were both sharp as flippin' tacks to the end. I am not worried.
Now here's something that I found quite interesting - there's a relatively new feature on the site that calculates how much of your weight comes from single nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNiPs for short. Think back to your high school/secondary school days and basic biology. DNA is made up of four bases: adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), and thymine (T). The sequence of these bases determines the information available for building and maintaining an organism, similar to the way in which letters of the alphabet appear in a certain order to form words and sentences.
DNA bases pair up with each other, A with T and C with G, to form units called base pairs. Each base is also attached to a sugar molecule and a phosphate molecule. Together, a base, sugar, and phosphate are called a nucleotide. Nucleotides are arranged in two long strands that form a spiral called a double helix. The structure of the double helix is somewhat like a ladder, with the base pairs forming the ladder’s rungs and the sugar and phosphate molecules forming the vertical sidepieces of the ladder.
Within the nucleotide, there are subtle changes occurring from individual to individual, and these are the SNiPs. Scientists and geneticists use these SNiPs as markers for determining susceptibility to drugs and environmental toxins, locating and tracking genes associated with disease, and risk of developing certain diseases.
SNiPs are common, occurring about once in every 300 sequences, amounting to roughly 10 million SNiPs in the human genome. What I didn't realize, or think about, was how that amount could translate into body weight. Something so small, how could it make a difference? But hey - enough of them get together and guess what? 4.76 pounds of my total body weight can be attributed to SNiPs! Almost 5 POUNDS OF SNiPs! Are you kidding me? Can I blame them for the muffin top I can't seem to get rid of completely!?!?!
All kidding aside, lucky for me, none of the polymorphisms are known to lead to problems. They're just harmless little anomalies.
23 and me also gives you the choice to make contact with others who could be related to you. I've had a couple of contacts made, but we haven't progressed yet to comparing family trees. Donna, I'll be in touch - you are the Guillot tree master! :)
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
SAMe 23?
I don't know what the results will bring, but my curiosity finally got the better of me and I did it - I sent in my spit:
https://www.23andme.com/en-eu/ (this is the link for the European site, which I automatically get sent to. Try https://www.23andme.com for US)
I'd read about this kit ages ago in my CAM Journal (Complementary and Alternative Medicine). The article was positive in most aspects except one - the results required further interpretation by geneticists or a nutritionist with a strong genetics background, as what you got was basically raw genetic data.
Imagine my surprise when, about a month ago, I was watching television and on comes an advert for 23andMe, offering these self-test kits to the general public! They've re-vamped the way they present the interpretations, and it's now readily accessible and readable. And an added bonus - you get to know how close your DNA is to Neanderthal DNA! That may not excite some of you, but for me perhaps it will explain the copious amounts of knuckle and toe hair I battle with :)
But seriously, I want to know where my genetic strengths and weaknesses lie. I like to be informed so I can make choices based on that information. It's how the name of this blog came about. Health begins with me. Gather the info and make the choices best for you based on what you know.
Without going too scientifical (I know it's not a real word but it's really fun to say) I am hoping to find out - either from the results or from an independent review of the raw data - what my ability to process vitamin B12 is and what specific form(s) of B12 work best for me. There are several detoxification pathways working in the body, one of which is methylation. In order for methylation to proceed, methyl donors are required. The major methyl donor in the body is S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe). A lack of B12 inhibits SAMe synthesis, as well as the synthesis of folate. Also, B12 is a co-factor for the enzyme methionine synthase, which converts homocysteine to methionine, completing the circle of methyl donors. But - if B12 is deficient, the reaction is inhibited, potentially leading to hyperhomocysteinemia (a mouthful, fer sure, but it's just a fancy name for high homocysteine levels). Hyperhomocysteinemia is increasingly associated with chronic illness and cardiovascular disease.
Why bring all of this up you ask? Methylation is one of the detox pathways vital for the safe handling of estrogen. Unmethylated estrogen metabolites are potentially damaging to DNA. As a woman skipping along in the years (ok, getting "older") I want to know that my body can safely handle estrogen load because of the risks associated with high estrogen and cancer development. I want to know that my body can handle not only my own estrogens (which naturally decrease with age) but also those known as exogenous estrogens - the ones encountered in the everyday environment through plastics, pesticides, car exhaust, solvents, birth control, oh the list goes on...
And I want to know how close I am to a Neanderthal :)
https://www.23andme.com/en-eu/ (this is the link for the European site, which I automatically get sent to. Try https://www.23andme.com for US)
I'd read about this kit ages ago in my CAM Journal (Complementary and Alternative Medicine). The article was positive in most aspects except one - the results required further interpretation by geneticists or a nutritionist with a strong genetics background, as what you got was basically raw genetic data.
Imagine my surprise when, about a month ago, I was watching television and on comes an advert for 23andMe, offering these self-test kits to the general public! They've re-vamped the way they present the interpretations, and it's now readily accessible and readable. And an added bonus - you get to know how close your DNA is to Neanderthal DNA! That may not excite some of you, but for me perhaps it will explain the copious amounts of knuckle and toe hair I battle with :)
But seriously, I want to know where my genetic strengths and weaknesses lie. I like to be informed so I can make choices based on that information. It's how the name of this blog came about. Health begins with me. Gather the info and make the choices best for you based on what you know.
Without going too scientifical (I know it's not a real word but it's really fun to say) I am hoping to find out - either from the results or from an independent review of the raw data - what my ability to process vitamin B12 is and what specific form(s) of B12 work best for me. There are several detoxification pathways working in the body, one of which is methylation. In order for methylation to proceed, methyl donors are required. The major methyl donor in the body is S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe). A lack of B12 inhibits SAMe synthesis, as well as the synthesis of folate. Also, B12 is a co-factor for the enzyme methionine synthase, which converts homocysteine to methionine, completing the circle of methyl donors. But - if B12 is deficient, the reaction is inhibited, potentially leading to hyperhomocysteinemia (a mouthful, fer sure, but it's just a fancy name for high homocysteine levels). Hyperhomocysteinemia is increasingly associated with chronic illness and cardiovascular disease.
Why bring all of this up you ask? Methylation is one of the detox pathways vital for the safe handling of estrogen. Unmethylated estrogen metabolites are potentially damaging to DNA. As a woman skipping along in the years (ok, getting "older") I want to know that my body can safely handle estrogen load because of the risks associated with high estrogen and cancer development. I want to know that my body can handle not only my own estrogens (which naturally decrease with age) but also those known as exogenous estrogens - the ones encountered in the everyday environment through plastics, pesticides, car exhaust, solvents, birth control, oh the list goes on...
And I want to know how close I am to a Neanderthal :)
Saturday, May 9, 2015
Booking It
I love books. And by that, I mean I LOVE BOOKS! James took me to the Trinity College reading room in Dublin on our way to see The Book of Kells and I thought I would come completely unglued. All I could do was stand there, slack-jawed and probably drooling a little. I didn't even know where to start - I think I know now how sugar-addicted kids feel when they walk into a candy store.
Given the choice and without my kids in tow I would happily spend hours in a bookstore just wandering the shelves and reading random passages. But you ask - what on earth does all this have to do with a health blog? Well, dear reader, COOKBOOKS are also on my list of loves. I get a lot of ideas and inspiration from recipes online, but there's just nothing like holding a BOOK, flipping it open to the appropriate page, propping it open to follow the recipe, darting back and forth from book to cook, getting splashes and splotches on the pages with my favorite recipes.... With that said, here is my new favorite cookbook:
Not surprisingly, I have started by trying out the sweet stuff. Although I don't have a huge sweet tooth, I do have a weakness for chocolate. Especially reese's peanut butter cups. Which, until recently, was not a problem because they were not available in Ireland. Then, suddenly, there they were - mocking me. And now they come in packs of three AS IF TWO was NOT enough! I made myself sick a couple of times because of course I couldn't leave that third one alone after consuming its pack mates. So imagine my joy when flipping through this book I come across a recipe for almond butter cups! How could I not give them a try? I was not disappointed - I think they are fan-flippin-tastic. They are not, however, a majority hit. The house is divided in its opinion. Cool - more for me! Here's how mine came out:
The recipe made 12. There's 4 left. I made them yesterday. Need I say more?
Reprinted from Ryland Peters and Small "Sugar-Free Snacks & Treats: Deliciously tempting bites that are free from refined sugars"
Almond Butter Cups
makes 12 large or 24 mini cups
215 ml/1 cup coconut oil
60 g/ 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 tbsp agave syrup
1 tbsp stevia (or 2 more tbsp agave) **** I only used the original 4 tbsp and found them sweet
dash of vanilla extract
4-5 tbsp almond butter
1 tsp nutritional yeast
pinch of sea salt if using unsalted almond butter
Put the coconut oil in a saucepan over low heat and allow to melt. Stir in the cocoa powder, agave syrup, stevia if using, and vanilla extract until you have smooth liquid chocolate. Divide one third of the mixture between the muffin cases and put the whole muffin pan in the freezer until the mixture has solidified - about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix the almond butter, nutritional yeast and salt, if needed, in a bowl.
Remove the muffin pan from the freezer and place a generous teaspoon of the almond-yeast mixture in the center of each base of frozen chocolate, then flatten it slightly with your fingers. Pour the remaining melted chocolate over the almond-yeast mixture. Put the whole muffin pan in the freezer again un til the mixture has solidified - about 10 minutes.
Remove the almond butter cups from the freezer just before serving to get them at their most firm and crisp. If you store them in the freezer or refrigerator, they will keep for 3-4 weeks (unless you devour them before!).
Given the choice and without my kids in tow I would happily spend hours in a bookstore just wandering the shelves and reading random passages. But you ask - what on earth does all this have to do with a health blog? Well, dear reader, COOKBOOKS are also on my list of loves. I get a lot of ideas and inspiration from recipes online, but there's just nothing like holding a BOOK, flipping it open to the appropriate page, propping it open to follow the recipe, darting back and forth from book to cook, getting splashes and splotches on the pages with my favorite recipes.... With that said, here is my new favorite cookbook:
Not surprisingly, I have started by trying out the sweet stuff. Although I don't have a huge sweet tooth, I do have a weakness for chocolate. Especially reese's peanut butter cups. Which, until recently, was not a problem because they were not available in Ireland. Then, suddenly, there they were - mocking me. And now they come in packs of three AS IF TWO was NOT enough! I made myself sick a couple of times because of course I couldn't leave that third one alone after consuming its pack mates. So imagine my joy when flipping through this book I come across a recipe for almond butter cups! How could I not give them a try? I was not disappointed - I think they are fan-flippin-tastic. They are not, however, a majority hit. The house is divided in its opinion. Cool - more for me! Here's how mine came out:
The recipe made 12. There's 4 left. I made them yesterday. Need I say more?
Reprinted from Ryland Peters and Small "Sugar-Free Snacks & Treats: Deliciously tempting bites that are free from refined sugars"
Almond Butter Cups
makes 12 large or 24 mini cups
215 ml/1 cup coconut oil
60 g/ 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 tbsp agave syrup
1 tbsp stevia (or 2 more tbsp agave) **** I only used the original 4 tbsp and found them sweet
dash of vanilla extract
4-5 tbsp almond butter
1 tsp nutritional yeast
pinch of sea salt if using unsalted almond butter
Put the coconut oil in a saucepan over low heat and allow to melt. Stir in the cocoa powder, agave syrup, stevia if using, and vanilla extract until you have smooth liquid chocolate. Divide one third of the mixture between the muffin cases and put the whole muffin pan in the freezer until the mixture has solidified - about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix the almond butter, nutritional yeast and salt, if needed, in a bowl.
Remove the muffin pan from the freezer and place a generous teaspoon of the almond-yeast mixture in the center of each base of frozen chocolate, then flatten it slightly with your fingers. Pour the remaining melted chocolate over the almond-yeast mixture. Put the whole muffin pan in the freezer again un til the mixture has solidified - about 10 minutes.
Remove the almond butter cups from the freezer just before serving to get them at their most firm and crisp. If you store them in the freezer or refrigerator, they will keep for 3-4 weeks (unless you devour them before!).
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