Stocking Your Cupboards With Healthy Stuff

Do you want you and your kids to get super-healthy? Throw out all of the crap in your fridge that is not good for you and the kids and replace it with healthy stuff.

Here is an idea of what should be on your new grocery list –
• Irish steel-cut oats. Oats do contain some gluten, but for most people they are quite tolerable and they are okay to have during a cleanse.

• Mixed-grain hot cereals. Be sure they’re gluten- and sugar-free—and this means no honey or maple syrup

• Rice cakes. Stay away from the ones with too much sodium or funky flavorings (like sour cream and onion rice cakes!)

• Flax crackers

• Gluten-free bread. There are many delicious alternatives to the usual bread you buy. Try some sprouted breads, as they are easier to digest and are less processed.

• Sweet potatoes, yams

• Grains: brown or wild rice, millet, quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat, corn.

• Nuts: almonds, walnuts, cashews, soy nuts, macadamia nuts, filberts, etc.

• Seeds: sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, hemp, flax. Flaxseeds must be freshly ground rather than eaten whole, otherwise you won't get full nutritional benefit.

• Nut or seed butters: almond butter, tahini, cashew butter, peanut butter (all unsweetened))

• Beans and legumes: black beans, lentils, chickpeas, lima beans, adzuki beans, black-eyed peas and fava beans. Dried ones are best

• Vegetables: kale, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, zucchini, eggplant, collard greens, squash of all kinds, tomatoes, etc.

• Mushrooms

• Salad: arugula, radicchio, endive, mixed greens, peppers, avocado, tomato, radish,

• Fruits: apples, raspberries, cherries, peaches, blueberries, goji berries; frozen fruits for smoothies

• Citrus and exotic fruits lemons, limes, and unsweetened pomegranate juice for sparkling-water cocktails

• Herbal teas such as mint, chamomile and fennel.

• Nondairy milk, such as rice, almond, hemp, or soy milk (unsweetened)

• Healthy sweeteners: xylitol, agave nectar, and stevia for smoothies, milks, cereals and baked goods.

• Extra-virgin olive oil, expeller-pressed organic canola, high-oleic versions of sunflower and safflower oils, walnut oil, and flaxseed oil (the last is good to pour over things like salad or baked yam, but not to cook with).

• Seasonings: garlic, ginger, tamari; Himalayan crystal or Celtic sea salt. Regular table salt is bleached and stripped of minerals

• Flours to cook or bake with: bean, pea, soy, potato, buckwheat, tapioca, nut and seed, arrowroot, and rice. There are also prepackaged flour mixes that cater to the gluten-free shopper.

• Popcorn

• Corn chips

• Guacamole

• Hummus

• Frozen spinach, broccoli, and cauliflower to throw into smoothies . . . you won’t even taste it!

• Vegetarian stock for cooking

Try some prepared foods from health food stores. They are often very tasty and nutritious too.

Eating Breakfast for Dinner

If you are bored of the same old eating routine why not switch it up a bit. There is absolutely no reason why you can't eat breakfast for dinner every now and then. Plus eating breakfast for dinner might be give your budget a little break as having bacon and eggs instead of steak and potatoes is generally a little easier on the pocket book.
For an exotic treat from the Far East you might try making omelets from dill, eggs, scallions and fish sauce. This makes the omelets extra spicy and a bit more exotic so that it suits supper time.

If you adore omelet's but want something a bit more interesting you can take the concept one step further and make an omeletter soufflé. In this case you take some eggs, sharp cheese, butter and sea salt and the beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. You then pour it in a skillet and let the broiler do the work of allowing it to raise.

Another glamorous dish is yeasty waffles. These are waffles made with yeast instead of baking soda which makes them heavier, richer and sweeter. They are best served with a big dollop of fresh butter or yogurt.

Think about going Mexican by combining scrambled eggs, bacon cheese, spinach, tomatoes, red pepper, avocado, hot sauce and sour cream into a burrito wrap. This is also a very healthy recipe full of fiber and vitamins. Another great Mexican recipe is Huevos Rancheros which is red and green peppers served on a tomato salsa and a corn tortilla.

Yet another good recipe is eggs baked in roasted tomato sauce. Sometimes sausage, ribs or meatballs are combined with the eggs to make a delicious meal.

A very glamorous dish is a sandwich called a torta which consists of fried eggs, spinach, pulled pork and roasted jalapeno. Any breakfast sandwich can be concocted form an array of breads or fillings. A nice combination is biscuits filled with very sharp old cheddar, strawberry jam, an egg and Italian sausage. Yet another nice combination is an egg, pastrami and havarti cheese sandwich.

The classic egg dinner is quiche. You can make quiche in many different types of combinations but usually it is just eggs, cheese and vegetables cooked up in a pie crust. Julia Child used to make a very famous dish called Bacon and Leek Quiche but combinations like mushrooms and cheddar cheese and basil, red pepper and gruyere cheese are also good