Egg & Soldiers

Never in my life did I think I would eat a soft-boiled egg. The thought of a runny yolk was repulsive. But then I did try it. With my farm-fresh eggs from my CSA box. And I was sold.

Apparently, in the UK this is called egg and soldiers -- a soft-boiled egg with salt and pepper and some buttered pieces of toast to dip in. It is soooo good. I can't explain it. Also good to dip, some thin, raw asparagus spears (a la Nigella).

My perfect egg is actually medium boiled -- for about 7 minutes -- with buttered asiago ciabatta. Heaven!

Cinnamon Granola

3 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup nuts (I used pecan pieces)
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
1 tablespoon flax seed
1 tsp cinnamon
(Mix dry ingredients)

1/4 cup butter or coconut oil
1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
1/6 cup water
1 tsp vanilla
(Mix wet ingredients)

Combine well and pour into a 9x13 pan. Toast in a 350 degree oven for approximately 30 minutes -- stirring once after 10 minutes and then every 5 minutes until browned. Watch closely for the last 5 minutes because it happens pretty quickly.


Cool and store in an airtight container. Serve with milk or yogurt or add some dried fruit and eat as a snack-y trail mix. The cinnamon MAKES it. So good. I have a hard time controlling myself around this stuff. Enjoy!

The Unhealthy Truth

I just finished this book, The Unhealthy Truth by Robyn O'Brien, and can't recommend it enough. The author researched the dickens out of accredited European and Australian studies to find out why things like rBGH, genetically engineered crops, artificial colors and other additives have been banned from use in countries like England, France, Italy, Norway and New Zealand.

All of these ingredients (plus alot of other scary things) are perfectly legal (and sometimes subsidized by the US government) here in the United States. The research she cites show why allergies, asthma, ADHD and cancer rates are on the rise -- they all coincide with the introduction of toxins into the American food supply.

O'Brien also uncovers the link between the Big Agribusiness and government agencies like the FDA. The book is both facinating and horrifying but it's a really good introduction into these subjects, and includes tips on how to gradually wean your family off of highly processed foods to those that aren't as bad.

The book is written from the viewpoint of a mother learning about how these unhealthy foods are affecting her young children. I think this book is a must-read for all mothers. What we're feeding our children is so important! Everyone needs to have the knowledge to make informed decisions on what even so-called "healthy" processed food contains.

Yogurt Fruit Smoothies

Into a blender:

1/2 cup homemade plain yogurt
+
1/4 cup milk
+
1/2 cup frozen mango
+
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
+
1 banana
+
1 teaspoon ground flax seed

Blend until smooth. This is another favorite afternoon snack around here or for breakfast along with a soft-boiled egg and soldiers. I used to add a couple teaspoons honey until I realized that it's sweet enough without. If you'd like your
smoothie sweeter, just add a little squeeze of honey in there before blending.

I'm working on a post about the yogurt making, so please stay tuned. I just want to perfect my method first. :)



P.S. Have you seen these stainless steel straws??? I want some so badly! I hate buying anything disposable, so I'd love to get these for our smoothies and lassis intead of using plastic. They are so on my wish list.

Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes

1 large egg
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 teaspoons ground or whole flax seed
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup or so frozen or fresh blueberries

Whisk egg until fluffy then whisk in remaining
ingredients (except blueberries) just until smooth.

Gently fold in blueberries.

Cook on griddle heated to medium heat. Serve with butter
and real maple syrup. Makes about 10-12 pancakes. I usually
halve the recipe, but you could also make the whole batch
and freeze the left-overs. Just thaw at room temp for 10 or
so minutes and then warm in the toaster.


These pancakes are one of our favorite breakfasts. We also
will eat them without butter or syrup as a quick snack.
They are very filling (don't let the photo fool you -- eating
three of them would be quite a feat) and a healthy weekend
breakfast. Make some and eat them!

Mireille Guiliano

These two books -- French Women Don't Get Fat and French Women For All Seasons (both by Mireille Guiliano) -- are the first food-related books I ever read (besides cookbooks). They are full of wisdom about sensible eating, taking real pleasure in eating, recipes for amazing food and how to reach your equilibrium with food.



Seasonality, moderation, quality and immersing oneself in the act of eating are all key to maintaining a healthy body and mind. There are lots of other bits of wisdom and plenty of recipes (especially in French Women for All Seasons) interspersed with her wit and elegance. These are books that I enjoy re-reading when I need a dose of motivation and inspiration.

What I Have Been Eating This Week

Alright, so keeping detailed log is just too much work for me. But here are some of the yummy things I've been eating lately:

More homemade yogurt (post coming soon!)
Smoothies
My new-found perfect whole wheat bread (also coming soon!)
Walnuts-in-shell from the farmers' market
Homemade guacamole
Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce (a Jamie Oliver recipe)
Pastured chicken roasted with veggies and homemade gravy (another Jamie recipe, love him!)
Buttermilk biscuits (buttermilk from making butter)
Pastured soft-boiled eggs and "soldiers" (post coming soon for this one, too!)

And that's all I can think of at the moment. Tasty, right?