When eating bacon, one thing to steer clear of is sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate, which is found in a lot of lunch meats, bacon, sausage, and hot dogs. It is a salt that helps to prevent bacterial cultivation of foods and makes them appear fresh.  It can lead to formation of cancer-causing molecules that can result in tumor formation. Both sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate have been linked to significantly increasing the risk of colon and other forms of cancer, so be sure to choose only uncured meat products made without nitrates, and preferably from grass-fed sources (http://www.organicconsumers.org/foodsafety/processedmeat050305.cfm).

This recipe also calls for tomato paste. When purchasing your tomato paste, make sure the bottle is made of glass or that the can is produced without BPA.  We use Bionaturae Organic Tomato Paste, the cans are lined with clear, protective lining and are lead free.

The resin linings of tin cans contain bisphenol-A, or BPA, a synthetic estrogen that has been linked to ailments ranging from reproductive problems to heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Studies show that the BPA in most people’s bodies exceeds the amount that suppresses sperm production or causes chromosomal damage to the eggs of animals. You can get 50 micrograms of BPA per liter out of a tomato can, and that’s a level that is going to impact people, particularly the young. Choose tomatoes in glass bottles (which do not need resin linings), such as the brands Eden Organic and Bionaturae. You can also get several types in Tetra Pak boxes, such as Trader Joe’s and Pomi.” http://www.rodale.com/food-ingredients-avoid

Here is a great reference for BPA free canned food brands: http://bpafreecannedfood.wordpress.com/bpa-free-canned-food-brands/
Here is a BPA Canned Food Pocket Guide to take with you to the store: http://bpafreecannedfood.wordpress.com/bpa-free-pocket-guide/

The Breast Cancer Fund and Silent Spring Institute found that BPA levels in families who ate fresh instead of canned or plastic-packaged food for THREE days dropped by 60%!

I loved this dish because it had lots of mushrooms! Of all the earth’s natural substances, mushrooms are among the most medicinal.  Two compounds in mushrooms are terpenoids and polyaccharides. Terpenoids are potent antiviral, antibiotic and anti-inflammatory agents. Polyaccharides are chainlike sugars that enhance the immune system and may help the body fight cancerous tumors. All mushrooms are low in fat and are a good source of B vitamins — including folate, which protects against birth defects and may prevent heart disease — as well as fiber and protein. Mushrooms have been used in China and Japan for centuries to boost immunity and fight cancer and other diseases.  ~ Information provided by Power Foods.

The onions in this recipe are good for you too! Onions help to prevent cardiovascular disease, dissolve blood clots, lower risk of developing cancer, fight against infections, improve lung functions in asthmatics, help detoxify the body, lower triglycerides and reduce blood pressure. The flavor of the onion really came through in this dish.

I used fresh thyme when marinating the chicken, which can get expensive if you buy this herb as a one-off for every recipe you make. Chances are you won’t use all the thyme you purchase during that week and it will go bad. To solve this problem I keep fresh thyme, basil and rosemary plants in my kitchen. I bought the organic plants at the food store and keep them thriving with sun and water. The herb holder was purchased at Home Goods, but I have seen them all over the place — target and Walmart have them too. (You will notice the holder says “Oregano”, but I use rosemary more than oregano, so I planted rosemary. No one notices but me. )   If you prefer to shop online, Amazon.com has a Garden at Home Italian Herb Trio or  a Reclaimed Barnwood Planter Box Mini Herb Garden Kit. If you prefer to buy a box and purchase organic pre-grown herbs at your grocery store, Amazon.com has a Rectangle Planter or a Teak Herb Planter.

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Stewed Chicken and Vegetables

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

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Organic chicken contains ten times more omega-3s.

Ingredients

• 1 3lb chicken
• ½ bottle red wine
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 4 oz bacon, diced
• ¼ cup ghee
• 15 pearl onions
• 12 oz white mushrooms
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• Himalayan pink salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped

Instructions

1. Cut chicken into eight pieces: 2 drumsticks, 2 thighs, 2 wings, 2 breasts. Or purchase pieces already cut-up.
2. Marinade the chicken in the wine, with the bay leaf and thyme for an hour.
3. In a medium skillet over medium heat, fry the bacon until golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside for later use.
4. In the same skillet over medium heat, melt 1/3 of the ghee and saute the mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside for later use.
5. In the same skillet, melt half of the remaining ghee. Saute the pearl onions until golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside for later use.
6. Drain the chicken and set the remaining marinade aside.
7. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt and pepper.
8. Melt the rest of the ghee in the fry pan and add the chicken. Saute briefly to allow all sides of the chicken to golden brown.
9. Transfer the chicken to a large saucepan and add the remaining marinade and stock. Also add the onions, mushrooms, bacon and tomato paste.
10. Cook, covered, over medium heat for about 45 minutes.

Notes:

Purchase organic ingredients, if possible. Recipe adapted from Quick Simple Paleo Meals -- I made quite a few changes to the measurements.

Stewed Chicken and Vegetables

• 1 3lb chicken
• ½ bottle red wine
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 4 oz bacon, diced
• ¼ cup ghee
• 15 pearl onions
• 12 oz white mushrooms
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• Himalayan pink salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped

1. Cut chicken into eight pieces: 2 drumsticks, 2 thighs, 2 wings, 2 breasts. Or purchase pieces already cut-up.
2. Marinade the chicken in the wine, with the bay leaf and thyme for an hour.
3. In a medium skillet over medium heat, fry the bacon until golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside for later use.
4. In the same skillet over medium heat, melt 1/3 of the ghee and saute the mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside for later use.
5. In the same skillet, melt half of the remaining ghee. Saute the pearl onions until golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside for later use.

6. Drain the chicken and set the remaining marinade aside.

7. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt and pepper.
8. Melt the rest of the ghee in the fry pan and add the chicken. Saute briefly to allow all side of the chicken to golden brown.

9. Transfer the chicken to a large saucepan and add the remaining marinade and stock. Also add the onions, mushrooms, bacon and tomato paste.
10. Cook, covered, over medium heat for about 45 minutes.
11. Serve over spaghetti squash.

~ “Make your health and wellness a top priority.”

Spaghetti squash has a nice soft texture, if you cook it long enough, and tastes wonderful with dishes that contain extra sauce — we love making this with Beef Ragu. If you undercook the squash, it will be crunchy, which works if you prefer a crunchier texture. I would recommend cutting the cooking time by 10-15 minutes to achieve this crunchier consistency. I also reommend lining your cooking sheet with foil for easier cleanup. As you can see from the pictures below, I did not do this the first time and it took two runs in the dishwasher to get the cookie sheet clean.

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Spaghetti Squash

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

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Ingredients

• 2 whole spaghetti squash
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Himalayan pink salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Split the squashes in half and scrape out seeds. Line an oven tray with aluminum foil. Season the spaghetti squash with olive oil, salt, and pepper. (You will notice one of my halves is missing pepper -- I leave pepper off the one I serve to the kids).
3. Place flesh side down and roast for 30 to 40 minutes until fully cooked.
4. Remove from the oven and let rest until cool enough to handle.
5. When squash is cool enough to handle, using a large kitchen spoon scrape the strands of squash from the inside of the skin.
6. Enjoy!

Spaghetti Squash

• 2 whole spaghetti squash
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Himalayan pink salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Split the squashes in half and scrape out seeds. Line an oven tray with aluminum foil. Season the spaghetti squash with olive oil, salt, and pepper. (You will notice one of my halves is missing pepper — I leave pepper off the one I serve to the kids).

3. Place flesh side down and roast for 30 to 40 minutes until fully cooked.

4. Remove from the oven and let rest until cool enough to handle.

5. When squash is cool enough to handle, using a large kitchen spoon scrape the strands of squash from the inside of the skin.
6. Enjoy!

To receive daily health tips and gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free and sugar-free meal/snack ideas, like us at www.facebook.com/wholefoodrealfood.

“When you know better, you do better.”

Brussels sprouts are cruciferous vegetables — one of the big reasons to eat plenty of cruciferous vegetables is that they may help to lower your risk of getting cancer. Cruciferous vegetables have compounds called glucosinolates. Non-cruciferous vegetables do not not have glucosinolates. These compounds KILL carcinogens before they can damage our DNA and prevent healthy cells from turning into cancerous cells. They provide vitamin A, B6, C, K, folic acid, potassium, maganese and iron. Some other cruciferous vegetables are kale, bok choy, cauliflower and broccoli. Brussels sprouts also contain sulforophane — these compounds activate anti-inflammatory activity in our cardiovascular system and help prevent heart attacks.

The Environmental Working Group ranks brussels sprouts among those veggies with the least amount of pesticide residues. Select brussels for their smallish size, as they will taste more tender. Also, go for those with as vivid a color as possible and dense, firm heads and do not purchase ones with yellowish leaves. Also, try to get a bunch of brussels that are all similar in size; that way they will cook evenly. Store your sprouts in the refrigerator for up to a week; longer than that and they will develop a pungent flavor.

This recipe comes from Ina Garten. Her recipes are some of my favorites because they call for simple ingredients and don’t take too much work in the kitchen. When following this recipe it is important to not overcook the brussel sprouts (or any cruciferous vegetable). They can produce a strong sulfur odor and become unappealing. Her recipe calls for kosher salt, but I changed it to use Himalayan pink salt.

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Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

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Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts
• 3 tablespoons good olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Cut off the brown ends of the Brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves.
3. Mix them in a bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper.
4. Pour them on a sheet pan and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside.
5. Shake the pan from time to time to brown the sprouts evenly.
6. Sprinkle with more salt, and serve immediately.

Notes:

Don’t overcook the brussel sprouts. They can produce a strong sulfur odor and become unappealing.

1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts
3 tablespoons good olive oil
3/4 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Cut off the brown ends of the Brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves.
3. Mix them in a bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper.
4. Pour them on a sheet pan and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside.
5. Shake the pan from time to time to brown the sprouts evenly.
6. Sprinkle with more Himalayan pink salt, and serve immediately.

To receive daily health tips and gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free and sugar-free meal/snack ideas, like us at www.facebook.com/wholefoodrealfood.

“When you know better, you do better.”