If fast food restaurants were honest in advertising




Click above to see true an honest fast food commerical

I'm a writer. Period.

Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy taking pictures. But every single picture of food I post here, has been taken with a cellphone. And they have changed throughout the years, from Iphones to lost Android phones that needed replacing with cheaper ones.

That said, I've noticed that many food bloggers also have a photography passion/hobby and their pics look very nice and professional. Hell, that's how food sells on menus, right? (And never looks like it on the menu, right.) So-what you see is legit, raw and real, like what I upload to Facebook raw and real. I am NOT a photographer. I have an artistic eye-I sketch, I paint and stuff...BUT....I dont have the means to really make this 'glossy'. I'm just putting this out here before I get trolled about the quality of pics.

You wanna know what the damn food looks like, MAKE IT and see for yourself. Its really that easy lol.

That said, SOME pics are decent while others are not. However like life and people, its the CONTENT and not the appearance that truly matters the most. (Yeah I know tho that you have to attract to learn content in the first place, blah blah.) Anyway, lets talk about some product replacement.

(Photo bombing Roommate sold separately.) Anyway, when going off of cow's milk, some people think that their only option is some soy or rice milk but that is no longer the case. As you can see pictured here, there is flax milk, cashew milk, almond milk-this here is actually a hybrid of almond/coconut milk, and there is coconut milk as well. And of course, there is soy and almond milk. Personally, the chocolate almond milk is simply to swoon for, as it is rich and creamy yet without the fats and crap in dairy cow milk.

I read one blogger call cow milk 'cow pus' and that's pretty gross but yeah. When you figure what all they are eating, the hormones they are given, the antibiotics-but to get the milk supposedly without all of that stuff, you are paying a ridiculous amount. I eyeballed at Wal-Mart and a gallon of organic milk THERE is over 6.00.

These milks pictured here run about 3 to 4 dollars. But it really is worth it. Of course if you are watching your sugars, then you want to get the unsweetened flavor. I personally stopped drinking dairy milk years ago because I'm lactose intolerant, but I still used cream in my coffee. CREAM, either 18% or 1/2 and 1/2. I would get SO pissed off if I had to resort to regular milk or God forbid-skim-in my cafe but I digress.

I use the milk for mixing into my oatmeal and I use it for recipes that call for milk or cream, say, in a soup. That's when the unsweetened flax really comes in handy, I personally like it the best and think it has the most health benefits. I don't really care for the taste of soy milk but the nut milks taste just fine to me, so for pouring on cereal or making a healthy pancake or waffle I'm thinking this is totally the way to go.

I have put into coffee and blech. Not for me. But since I've quit smoking and changed my diet, I don't much have a taste for coffee like I used to. I drink about 1/2 a cup in the mornings and I do put the nut milk in it, but I drink it because coffee does have some antioxidant properties and studies have shown that is beneficial now for heart patients. (Go figure. For years they said caffeine will mess with your heart causing arrhythmia's. To be fair, in some people it does, they are sensitive and the energy drinks WILL kill you and your heart, just sayin') BUT the hospitals and cardiac units will serve you up as much coffee as you want-I laid up in ICU drinking it all day long when I had my heart attack. (It helped metabolize the nicotine out of my system faster. That's why people smoke more when they drink coffee and vice-versa-nicotine makes caffeine metabolize faster. When you quit either, you need less of both.)

Anyhoo.....experiment with the non-dairy milks. Now there are some very adventurous hard core souls out in the world who even make their own nut milks, I have seen this on a number of blogs. I assume it's much more economical and you control the ingredients but meh. For me I think there are some things I will always just buy. Never say never and all that but I'll consider this a 'pre-packaged fast' food. :)

Close, but no cigar......

Speaking of cigars, it's been 3 months since I've had any nicotine. Quit cold turkey. I smoked 30+ years, often 2 packs a day and times of extreme stress, burning through almost 3 was not unheard of.  No one ever imagined that-least of all me, who had been trying to quit for YEARS. It really wasn't hard at all, once I had the shit scared out of me and you know, almost died. Funny how that makes smoking not very important.

I did use xanax the first week and the insomnia was off the chain crazy for about 3 days straight, but over-all, its been fine. I didn't change a thing in my life. I eat, drink, drank coffee, do all the same things I did before. It truly is in your head.

My cardiologist did say that it would be okay for me to smoke water vapor (with no nicotine in it)-though he looked at me like I was nuts-and I did that for a little while because I really found the act of inhaling something and holding something hand to mouth, THAT was the addiction. That's what I craved.

Most the time however, I will hold a cinnamon stick roughly the same size of a smoke and that is all I need to do. Evidently cinnamon is healthy as well, so if I do chew on it, its all good. Lowers blood glucose.

My last posts on this blog were 3 years ago, in 2012. And I really was attempting to eat healthy. I didn't do too bad. Unfortunately I just didn't know any different, just how bad the cheese, dairy and oils were for me, for all of us. Like I said, I will be keeping the old posts up because it does help to have those recipes as 'transitional' from 'truly shitty diet' to 'relatively healthy'-I guarantee if you are on a shit diet that even my old posts will have you losing weight and feeling better, but I'm going to go back in an edit them now to make them either vegetarian or vegan. Look for the *.

Eat right, exercise and die anyway

One argument I hear a lot from people is that we are gonna die anyway, so we might as well enjoy life. This is a rational to continue to eat foods and do activities that are not in our best health interest.

To a degree, I agree. Life is meant to be enjoyed. And there's not a question that fatty foods, creamy foods, cheesy foods, sugary foods seem to enhance the joy of life-and they do very much act as drugs in our brains. You can find all kinds of information on just how some foods truly are considered addicting.

But such as with drugs-our bodies don't need the certain ingredients-like sucrose, which is aka 'table sugar', white cane sugar.

But I tend to agree that the idea of never tasting certain foods again, seems like a huge bummer considering that yeah, something is gonna get us anyway. But here's where that argument ends.

Depending on who you ask, a 10% leeway in the diet is permissible. I suppose you pick you poison then. Do you eat some chicken? Do you have some fish (both a couple or few times a month.) Do you have an egg? Do you put a slice of cheese on something, or dip your bread in oil?

It is said to reverse disease, such as heart disease-you must go on an SOS diet. No Salt, No Oils, No Sugars. Seems daunting in a culture where those 3 ingredients are abundant and put into EVERYTHING.

How do you avoid it? Reading labels of course, and knowing the code words for hidden oils, fats and sugars. Things like 'corn syrup, high fructose' hide sugar. Oils -those are pretty specific but there is no 'healthy' oil. Olive oil is not good for the heart. The Mediterranean diet is good for the heart and the meddie lifestyle is good for the heart. Those people have less heart disease as a byproduct of lower stress, more rigorous physical activity, naps during the day, and a diet filled with fresh fruits, veggies and grains. Here in the states, its assumed if you just sub butter with olive oil, you're 'heart healthy' but that's bullshit, because butter has LESS calories per serving than oo. Now, the oo may not be 'saturated' fat, but obesity counts as risk factor on the heart. The fatter you are, the harder your heart has to work to pump the blood and oxygenate you. That added stress and strain causes problems as we are well aware of.

Problem is, subbing with fake sugars, 'no fat' or 'low fat' creates a whole host of other problems as well. Our bodies are not built to consume white sugar but it really doesn't know what the fuck to do with aspartame and the like, so yes your pancreas gets all out of whack with insulin/glucose and stuff like that and boom, you've given birth to diabetes.

I'm going to go over some labels to show just how deceptive marketing is,in terms of leading people to believe that food is not only healthy but even safe.

Yes, you ARE going to die anyway. And we've all heard the stories of the clean living jogger who drops dead on the jogging trail of a heart attack, and the grandfather who lived to be 98 despite a pack a day, 6 pack a night eggs every morning and beef every evening lifestyle. But times ARE different, including those cigarettes that have also been adulterated and added shit to. So here's the options:

Die, but die 10-15 years younger than you have to, and until you die, be plagued with illnesses like diabetes, cancer, crippling arthritis, dementia, chronic aches and pains, headaches, insomnia, impotence, no sex drive, exhaustion, depression, hair loss, anxiety, obesity, constipation/diarrhea, no energy, sadness, mood swings, skin problems and end up in a nursing home where you are completely dependent on people you may not even like, OR-die with minimal illness, active and autonomous and taking care of yourself until you peacefully die in your sleep from old age?

I'd rather give a few 'pleasures' food wise up, to avoid the fate I have seen as a health care worker time and time again. It ain't pretty. And, I'm also not ready to go anytime soon. So, I'm willing to try and do what I have to prevent as much bullshit as I can.

7 Good Reasons to go Plant Based

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/health-wellness/slideshows/reasons-to-choose-a-plant-based-diet/9

SAD (Standard American Diet)

Here’s a sad reality. Not only is this a typical pantry on the SAD (Standard American Diet)-but its also par for the course from what you get from a food pantry. I know because I've used em'.

Now bless the churches and counties hearts for providing food pantries in the first place. Its a god send to many families and they are much needed. And a can of tuna, or a can of re- fried beans with lard is better than starvation, there is no doubt. But these products shown…..not ‘real’ food. filled with preservatives, sulfates, sodium, dyes. Filled with sugar, and lards, and oils that are palm, cottonseed, canola-not only saturated but GMO as well. Filled with corn syrup or corn syrup solids, lots of gluten for those who care, bleached flour, and devoid of nutrients so the FDA says they gotta re-add vitamins, so you have synthetic vitamins thrown in which lately studies have shown to exacerbate heart disease.

Ironically, all of the ‘easy fixing’ foods can easily be replicated ‘homemade’ for the same amount if not cheaper and the same amount of time preparation. Sadly-we’ve stopped teaching Home Economics and teaching our kin to cook-so they don’t know this.

Mac and cheese is easy homemade, and Hamburger Helper is just the addition of hamburger to mac and cheese. A bag of potatoes yields about 5 boxes of the Betty Crocker potatoes so a bag is actually cheaper. If you get a block of cheddar, between the mac and cheese and the potatoes Au gratin boxed-you can make both homemade FOR CHEAPER.

I don’t advocate eating this stuff, but I’d rather see people eating these foods from scratch, which is infinitely healthier than the boxed version. So I'll show some recipes how to make the above, on the cheap, homemade, tastes much better. Then I’ll give you the vegetarian versions. 

I'll be easy for your first time.........

Chili. Who doesn't love it? And often, many kinds of meats are used to make it. Ground beef of course, the classic choice. But I've had it made with stew meat, sirlion meat, buffalo meat, turkey, chicken and venison. Some chili I've eaten at contests in bars-simply God awful. I mean they had to have been drunk as hell to think it was good, the weirdest freakin' chili ever can be found at chili cook-offs in some neighborhood bar. So I figure, how bad could substituting the meat with 'smart crumbles', a soy bean based 'meat substitute' really be?? So I tried it.(Pictured: Soy meat chili, IKR? Looks like 'real' chili)

Lets start with the obvious ‘when you’re poor’ meat staple. Which is really kind of a joke now, considering that even the cheapest of hamburger (chuck, not sirloin) is about 6-7.00 a small package-still, its a ‘go to’ for many people. I joke about how white trash Hamburger Helper is-and it is-but its a big part of the typical American diet. The average box of HH is about 1.50, 2.50 for the ‘ultimate.’ However, you have to add your own milk and butter and meat, so really, this meal is not as ‘cheap’ as one might think.
 The brand of fake meat (sounds so gross, right? FU, because if you eat McNuggets, you have turned the fake meat corner a long time ago) is “Lightlife” Smart Ground, and its made from Soy. The Verdict: AWESOME. Even my carnivore for life roommate said “Yeah, this is totally edible, I’ll eat this.” He threw some Sriracha sauce on there and did just that.
RECIPE:
1 small-med yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 pkg Lightlife Smart Ground ‘beef’
1 cans italian stewed tomatoes
1 can Rotell original diced tomatos with chilis (mild if you’re not a fan of any heat)
2 cans dark kidney beans, one can drained but not rinsed, one can drained and rinsed
1 8oz can low sodium tomato sauce (if you can find w/no sugar added, you are a boss)

You can also use tomato paste, chili sauce (beware the sugar)-its your chili, do what you want. In fact, take your own damn chili recipe and just sub the meat with the smart crumbles. Dig?

Sautee green pepper, diced yellow onion and garlic (2 cloves). No need for oil, just add a pinch of water. Once softened, add the ‘meat’. Add tomatos, beans, tomato sauce or whatever the hell you want or however the hell YOU make chili, because everyone has a chili recipe…..and ENJOY. Garnish with jalapeno, scallions. If you aren’t full vegan, use plain greek yogurt in place of sour cream for vegetarian and use a vegetarian cheddar cheese, and of course raw onion too if you like.

FACTS

Every 34 seconds, someone is having a heart attack. Every hour, someone dies from heart-related illnesses. Heart disease kills more people than all forms of cancer combined.

 Diabetes is an epidemic now. Cancers are increasing. More and more people suffer from digestive upsets and migraines, not to mention mood disorders, depressions and anxieties.

We are dosing our kids with drugs because there is an over-abundance of diagnoses of ‘Attention Deficit Disorder.’ Sexual dysfunction, obesity, fatigue-leads more people to self-medicating, i.e. prescription drugs, illicit drugs and alcohol.

Why? Look at our foods. Those who argue “Well my grandparents lived a long time”-they didn’t deal with the shit we do now. We have fake sugars, and 1000′s products made with them. We have fake fats. We have bleaches and dyes and fortifications and additives and preservatives. We replace gluten and fats with chemicals and questionable fillers. Our grandparents didn't have 'bars' of 'nutrition' to take with them on the go. They had nothing to 'nuke' for dinner.
 You used to go to a local butcher for local cuts of meat, and you'd go to a fish market for fish. Milk was delivered to their doors-from the dairy itself-and breads were purchased at the bakery. There was no 'one stop' shop, you'd buy fruits and veggies at a farm stand. You went to the grocery store back in the day, for your lards, flours, sugars and dried goods such as beans and rice.

We now house animals in unbelievably crowded and filthy arenas, we feed them antibiotics and hormones in order to expedite mass meat production. The meat is not the same, even when I was a kid-I can tell a difference. We have more food poisoning bacterias (E Coli), our soil has been adulterated due to pesticides, and we have hybrid-GMO foods made for some reason-mere lazy. I mean seriously, you can’t spit out the fucking black watermelon seeds?

Don’t even get me started on “gluten-free.” Few people have true Celiac Disease. The rest of us are suffering digestive not so much because of gluten-but all the other bullshit. They stick wheat in everything now, allegedly healthier than white flour, and with the fake fats, sugars, fillers, chemicals, colorants, fortified enriched-that’s what’s killing our gut. When people eliminate gluten they usually eliminate a lot of other bs by default. However, when you buy a ‘gluten free’ product that naturally WOULD have gluten in it, now you are buying a substitution which will probably also make you feel like crap.

Our grandparents ate organic all the time-because it used to ALL be organic. They had no ‘better eating through chemistry’. They didn’t have a microwave which gave birth to the ‘convienience food’ world. Nothing was stored in plastic, really. Higher quality ingredients were used, and there were less choices. Today, just going down a bread aisle can confuse you for an hour. They didn’t add massive amounts of salt to foods-and people cooked at home. The seeds were not genetically altered.

Going out to eat was for special occasions, and fast food was a ‘treat’-not a lifestyle. Even the fast food ingredients and products were of much higher quality. With population and demand increases, poor economies and growing conditions-price vs supply and demand means substituting costlier things, such as sugar into a cheaper alternative-high fructose corn syrup. Killing us all, as it wrecks havoc with the pancreas/glucose/insulin routine in our bodies.

Just like you could argue that Latino cuisines have a palate that is geared towards hot and spicy foods-the American palate likes sweet. This is why there is sugar in EVERY FUCKING THING., From salad dressing to ketchup to any bottled sauce, to tomato and spaghetti sauces, even spices-sugar is in everything., And the bitch of it is-we don’t need it. At all. Our bodies DO need SOME sodium. We simply don’t NEED sugar so the over abundance that we get when not even trying-then the sugar we DO choose in the forms of ice cream, pies, cakes, etc…..its no wonder that every other person seems to develop diabetes or reactive hypoglycemia. Yet to avoid those products and buy them without the additives-that’s where the cost factors in. So what’s the solution?

GIVE THE SHIT UP. LEARN TO LIVE WITHOUT SUGARS. More on that to come, and I know what I'm talking about because I was also a sugar addict.

Trailer....watch the whole movie and live, yo!

Dr Joel Fuhrman

Author of "Eat to Live" and other good stuff you should Google. He advocates a plant-based diet and writes all about why. He is one great source of information. Of course one should not rely on just one source as a guru-critically think and do your research. There are other sources as well and I will mention those, too.

"“
In the future, it’s going to become more and more impossible for the economy to support how expensive medical care is and the number of sick people we have. Why don’t we just get our population healthier so we don’t need medical care?
Joel Fuhrman
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/joel_fuhrman.html#eRt3QgCBCRSsGfCs.99

'MERIKA!!!!!

"Yaerp, I dunno why we got a high rate of heart disease in the U.S. of A......do you?" *shrug*

Why I say "Low Class" Vegan

I’m really not trying to throw myself under a bus or anything. I actually think I’m a pretty classy chick, over-all. But I swear like a truck driver, have lived ghetto fucking fabulous (including in my car once)- have lived on food stamps while still having to change my diet to healthy.

I hear arguments all the time that you gotta have money to eat healthy and this stereotype is sorta true-hence “Whole Paycheck” as the nick-name for Whole Foods. And it would appear that a microcosm of people are the ‘type’ to be vegan, exparte ‘hippies’ if you will-many of them HARD CORE.

As in, you can’t cheat on this ‘diet’ worth a damn, its all about animal love, liberal tree hugging  kumbaya singing law of attraction practicing moveon,org petition writing yoga pant wearing hemp oil rubbing weed smoking hooka blowing hybrid Honda driving mountain visiting bike riding photography arty dancer writer popping xanax on zoloft popping motherfuckers who have cornered the market on this. They typically live pretty urban-either in the major cities or some progressive suburb of one, and yes, tend to have education higher than high school.

I think the ethical treatment of animals is very important, but its my health first that drives me to this. The fact that it spares animals lives and cruelty is just bonus-as many would say the fact that it makes my body healthier, loving the animals is bonus.

Yes, I can fit that "liberal" stereotype. I can also fit the stereotype of which I have already outlined-poor, small town living, blue collar working surrounded by conservative Christian types who live on a diet of Busch beer, hamburger and dreams of Obama out of office. I have also lived in neighborhoods of color and variety, where the cultures just don’t know from ‘quinoa’ and don’t want to know. Where ‘lard’ is Lord. Be it black or Hispanic-lard is a big part of the cuisine.

Even ethnic groups who come here, when they Americanize their foods-i.e. Chinese or Thai-they put a shit ton of salt and sugar in it to make it palatable to the masses…..
Anyway-my rambling point here is that you don’t have to be wealthy, collegiate, urban white sheltered pretentious roasting your own coffee brewing in a Keurig type while wearing your Polo's and Birkenstock going to the Fish concert because Jerry is dead type-stereotypes are meant to be broken.
I wanted to call this ‘ghetto vegan’ but that name was taken already. But the inference is the same. You can be a confederate flag loving coal rolling Obama hating gay marriage protagonist refusing to call Bruce Catilyn God fearing Nascar loving individual and still let go of that Hamburger Helper mentality and life a better physical life. Hey-no worries about Obamacare then, right? So let’s get started!

IRONY IS..........

Irony is starting a blog to show healthier recipes and eating-and having a heart attack anyway.

Isn't that how it always goes though?

Once upon a time, I adored a lifestyle of stress, staying up mostly all night, smoking 2 packs of cigarettes, drinking whiskey and wine and otherwise getting into all sorts of debauchery and shennanigans……which I continued well into my 40′s. Besides have a shit ton of fun, good times, great memories and great blackouts where I remember nothing-I also ate whatever the hell I wanted. Also living in cities with some of the best food in the country-Chicago, New Orleans, the Gulf coast-made whatever I wanted typically oozing with cheese, butter, sour cream, cream sauces, and cheese (did I say cheese?)

I adored fish, chicken-and filet mignon. London broil. BBQ ribs. Corned beef-hash or St. Patricks style. Prime rib. Italian beef sandwhiches. Sausage on my deep dish Chicago oozing with mozzerella cheese delicacy. Butter and garlic all over my shrimp-I mean, you get it, right? I was a total foodie. And-no one understood where I put it. I stand at 5′4 and my weight averaged around 120-125 most of my life-often lower. Lower most likely due to my enormous caffeine addiction (in which I enjoyed a little coffee with my cream and sugar) and heavy smoking. It certainly wasn’t because I worked out or anything. My work outs mostly consisted of dancing at the club, walking around the city because I couldn’t afford a car there anymore, and-sex. Yep.

I got a good work out moving around the city and the country too, but where I call that a work out-others call it stress. And it mustve been, because shortly before my 48th birthday, I had a heart attack. Should’ve killed me, they said-blockage in my left descending artery of my heart. That’s the main motherfucker keeping it ticking and when that’s blocked, its known as a ‘widow maker’ because that’s usually what makes people drop dead from heart attacks.

Two stents later-I realized I needed to clean up my act. Now to be fair, I have always studied nutrition and had a very good background with it, as well as a background in health care-so I did in fact supplement my life with some pretty decent eating habits as well. But even when I was eating ‘healthy’-I still slathered on cheeses and oils and salts and sugars, many times-unbeknowst to me until I learned the code for sugar and how to read labels.
I intuitively avoided fake sugars, processed boxed and frozen foods and fake fats but it did leave me to eat the butters and real sugars and whole food dairy such as whole ricotta and sour cream and yogurt and it all played a role. While genetics, my smoking and stress were the big culprits in my heart disease-at 47 my coronary arteries were already blocked at 70% and 30% respectively. Hence the stents.

As you can see from the older posts-that's all true. But, as healthy as it seemed-wasn't healthy enough.

My cardiologist, being a rock star of a cardiologist, told me to watch the movie “Forks Over Knives.” He told me that if I became vegetarian and optimally vegan-I could in fact REVERSE my heart disease, heal my heart completely (luckily, I had no damage and my ejection fraction remained normal)-but not only reverse it but prevent this ever happening again.

My blood pressure was normal, my labs all perfect and my cholesterol normal. No diabetes, not overweight. On paper-this never should’ve happened to me. But I wasn’t going to risk it happening again, and then on top of my MI some atrial fibrillation kicked in. That is TOTALLY genetic, my 87 year old father has had it most his life. My mother may have as well-she died from a series of strokes starting in her 50′s and died at 73. A fib leads to a 500% chance of stroke. But-I was told I could fix it all. Merely through diet. I could go from the now 9 medications I must take daily for at least a year post MI-to perhaps one-if I just do this.

And.....if I didn't supplement my lifestyle with healthier foods-I probably wouldn't of survived the heart attack I'm told. So, I'm leaving the early posts, for those who are considering transitioning to plant-based or vegetarian, as its a stepping stone to getting used to those ingredients.

I figure its worth a try. So join me in the journey, as I learn how to remake all my favorite recipes to make them plant-based and healthy-I will show vegetarian and vegan versions-and live the frustrations and triumphs with me. Next post-why ‘low class’.

It's still hot out....and I'm hungry

So I made Shrimp Ceviche. I'm not sure if this is the correct spelling. My spell checker does not know either.  But I do know its one of my favorite things, ever. It is like a Mexican Shrimp Cocktail. But you can substitute shrimp for any white fish, that's cooked of course and cold.

I was too lazy to chop everything up into little tiny pieces which is typically how Ceviche is served, but whatever. You can chop it all tiny, or eat the pieces larger-it all tastes the same to me. Its simple and to die for.

Shrimp, cut up
Tomatoes, cut up
Onion, cut up
Cilantro, cut up
Jalapeno or Serrano pepper, cut up
Lime juice
Sea Salt

Mix it all up, and eat with some tortilla chips. I am currently addicted to Tostato's Fire-Roasted Chipotle chips-its from their "Artisan Brand" line and in reading the label-its surprisingly not bad for you. It is making a great lunch on another hot day.Wish it would stay like this tho-the more heat the better, and I have a ton of hot day recipes:)

PS If you don't want your avocados to start turning brown as mine were, sprinkle them with lemon or lime juice.

*if you are vegetarian but still eat fish, then you're good. If you are a vegetarian who eats no animal flesh, then you're SOL, same with vegan. I just don't think this would be the same with tofu, BUT I have heard of some vegan 'calamari' so there may be a vegan 'fish' product out there. Anyone know? Otherwise, no way to really alter this recipe. Avoid, or make it part of your 10%. 

WHEN ITS HOT.....

Granted, this is not the most flattering picture of Gazpacho that you will see, but don't be deceived: Sometimes the beauty of anything isn't in its appearance. That said, Gazpacho is a cold, chilly soup that a 90 degree evening matches well with. It's Memorial Day weekend and most people are doing traditional BBQing, but not me. I can do that any ole' time. I like to take advantage of how good this soup is when you are sweating (er, "glowing" for the ladies.)

Gazpacho has a traditional recipe but basically-like most things I post-you can be creative and do what you like. My base is simple-either tomato juice or V8 juice. A dash of Worchestire sauce, and whatever spice is appealing to me. I also throw a tiny bit of balsamic or apple cider vinegar in there.

Red onions, baby corn, chopped spinach, cucumber, tomatoes-whatever veggie you are willing to eat. Throw it in. Then chill it. When its super hot out, you now have a souper supper. LMAO that was totally cheesy.

* no no no to canned tomato juice and especially v8, for the sodium content alone. If you have a blender, just blend and puree real tomatoes for the base of this. If you are vegetarian but eat fish you are okay with worchestire sauce, otherwise avoid as it is made with fermented fish (anchovies).You may sub with Bragg's Amino Acid sauce, a couple splashes.  Otherwise this is totally vegan and you are free to walk about the cabin. 

VENDING MACHINES ARE EVIL

This week I've been running a bit on E, and being tired means lazy eating habits. Sometimes like the rest of the world-I dont wanna cook when I come home, or even put the effort into grabbing something to go that resembles healthy-much less prep up some snacks.

Thus, the vending machine at work becomes both my bane and my dependance. And the one we have at our work: EVIL. This motherf*cker holds ALL of the world's most evil yet tempting snacks on the planet. From a range of different flavored potato chips, Doritos (I remember when there were 2 flavors of those, now there's like, 10) and all kinds of stuff sprinkled orange sure to stain your hands for the day. There's the straight-up candy, the chocolate candy bars, and the ever-present danishes;cheese, raspberry and of course, donuts. But mine takes it up a notch when it throws in the Zingers. Zingers, a personal weakness of mine and nothing I have purchased for myself since I was about 12. Except at work. They are far superior to Twinkies, IMO. Of course lard mixed with sugar and preservatives can HAVE that effect and not a good for you snack does it make.The only "healthy" option in the whole evil machine is a bag of assorted nuts that has some m&m type candies thrown in them as some sort of trail mix. And I would be lying if I didn't say that on those lazy evenings and running-late mornings, I didn't end up giving in to this thing holding the world's evil snacks and ontop of it-paying WAY too much for them. (The profit margin on a vending machine seems to be rather good, imo.) Anyway it is smack-dab in the middle of 2 other machines, the pop machine and the coffee machine. Pop which is horrible and actually costs LESS than the bottle of water you can get as the only healthy beverage option.

So what do you do to avoid this? You have to find a non-lazy time and plan ahead. I'd say the prep time, MAYBE an hour. But well worth it. All you have to do is invest in a bunch of different baggie sizes and find some "snack" sizes of healthy items and you are good-to-go. This picture of course is very limiting in how you can snack, but there's a million options out there. All you have to do is prep the stuff-cut it up, slice it, or take the big bag of healthy crackers and empty a few into a baggie. Simple. Then stock-pile the non-perishable stuff at your work. So you will always have on hand something to eat or nibble on, in the event that you totally flaked on making any sort of real lunch the night before, and will not succomb to allowing yourself to be involved in the Wendy's run one of your co-workers is making.

If you have a fridge at work, DONT WORRY-nobody is gonna steal this stuff. Sad but true. Your fruits, veggies, hummus and cheeses are the safer items (at my work, even the yogurts get spared.) I also keep graham crackers, packets of organic peanut butter, sunflower seeds, a packet of oatmeal with some raisin boxes on hand. Don't give into the temptation of Raman soup, but if you do, throw away the spice packet as it is pure salt and shit chemicals. Spice it up yourself. That's another thing I keep in my drawer: Lots of spice stuff. Packets of tabasco sauce, soy sauce, seasonings, pepper, and Subway has packets of olive oil and vinegar. Save that stuff and spice up things yourself, make a mix of spices at home (again, baggies are a good call for things like this.) It takes minimal time and a slight investment but I think in the long run, it ends up being way cheaper and of course, much better for our health in the long run.

Linguini with Clam Sauce

This is one of my favorite meals ever, and its also one of the fastest and easiest to make. Of course, you gotta like clams. If you don't, then no amount of convincing you to try this will work. That said, here's how you make it:
Olive oil or butter (i use a little of both)
1 or 2 cans of chopped clams, depending on much you want to make
2-3 cloves crushed garlic
Fresh parsley
White wine
cracked black pepper
linguine noodles
parmesan or romano cheese

Melt the butter or add olive oil to a hot pan. To be really health conscious, omit using butter but a little pat for added flavor imo won't hurt.

 Add the garlic, careful not to let it brown. Add the can(s)of clams, including the juice. Add some fresh parsley and the pepper. Let the sauce come to a bubble. Add about a tablespoon of wine. Bring to a short boil, then simmer as you are cooking the linguine noodles. Once the noodles are done, drain, then pour your sauce over it.

For added heat you could add some red pepper flakes, but I like it just as it is. Sprinkle with cheese on top if you'd like. Simple, fast, delicious and healthy-but has a richness to it (even if you don't use butter) where it really doesn't taste like its good for you at all:)

*oye. I dont know what kind of food crack I was smoking, but the use of butter and olive oil with the cheese, coupled with the salt content of the clams alone.....yeah not so much, the healthy. If you still eat fish, then do this: rinse the clams first, getting rid of most the salt. No need for oil or butter, you can saute the garlic in some of the clam juice. Sub the clam juice with water. Keep the wine, add more veggies, use rice noodles or a noodle of your choice. of course it won't be traditional linguine and clam sauce then, but it'll still be good. Squeeze some lemon on here for an extra health and taste boost.  No cheese, or sprinkle with vegan cheese, also could sprinkle with Butter Buds sparingly.

Fresh Spring Rolls

Since it is Spring, seems as good a time as any to introduce Spring Rolls. If you are familiar with Thai food then you have an idea what they are-and in Thai places, the addition of cream cheese and a Tamarind sauce ontop is pretty classic.

Here I have adapted to my own version-and here's another place you can be creative. The hardest part is finding the spring roll wraps-typically you have to go to an Asian market to find them, but some grocery stores are progressive enough to have them (especially if you live in a large city.)

The spring roll "papers" are hard to describe. They are transparent and hard-and look like sewer covers to me. Using them requires some practice. But all you do is take the paper, and soak it in a bowl of warm water for about 10 to 30 seconds, until it becomes soft and pliable. Then you do your thing.

My thing is to make them like a hand-held salad; I use lettuces, carrots, cabbage,, avocado and cilantro. I don't advise tomatoes only because they are too juicy and mushy for the wrap which is pretty delicate. But use your imagination and fill them with whatever sounds good to you-leftover veggies from the fridge, spinach and egg-the possibilities-like the smoothies-are endless. Then you simply wrap them up, starting with one edge and roll them into a roll. I say "simply" but it's not that simple-it does require some skill to roll them up and to also roll them up tightly-(it helps to tuck the edges in as you are rolling. )Those who might roll their own cigarettes have an advantage here :)

Dipping sauces can be anything you want-a salad dressing of choice, some olive oil and herbs, even a soy sauce. Yogurt-based sauces are really great with this as well. If you prefer a more traditional roll, then cream cheese is the way to go (but that's where it teeters on "unhealthy for real" because of the fat content. You could even mix the veggies in with the cream cheese.

The spring roll papers themselves don't have a taste to me-they are versatile in that you could probably stuff these with fruits and something "sweeter" as well.

I do like to squeeze fresh lime over the filling I use to give it more of a Thai taste, and of course the addition of basil will also give it that Thai flavor.

Its a fun and unique way of eating a salad-wrap a few up, put in a bag or Tupperware and you've got a healthy snack at work!

*this is pretty right on for vegetarian/vegan. Just omit of course, any mentions of cheese, any eggs, and yogurt. For dipping sauces, you'll have to be creative. Most gyoza sauces and store based dipping sauces contain a lot of salt/sugar. Balsamic and seasoned vinegars, low sodium soy sauce-this is an arena I too am still learning about. Honestly, I'd probably allow myself a tradional dipping sauce with salt and some sugar as part of my 10% and just use a little. But if you want to be hard-core about it-and many do because for some, one little taste sends them right back like an addict to a drug, that's fine also. I will do some research but I do know there are a great deal of vegan salad no oil dressings recipes around. 

If you HATE veggies.....

 Then "Smoothies" are for you! There is a reason these things are so popular now-easy nutrition the lazy way (and what American isn't about that? ;) But not just ANY blender or juicer will do. I probably shouldn't hawk something without being paid a promotional fee, however I will just because I think everyone should get one. It's called the "Nutri-Bullet." While I don't usually find infomercial claims to be credible, this is one product where you get your money's worth, imo. For 100.00, you can make significant inroads to your health, especially if you simply hate eating vegetables and not big on fruit.

 There are 1000's of recipes out there but the reason I recommend the bullet: Easy as hell, cleaning is easy as hell, and it really extracts the most nutrients, enzymes and vitamins/minerals a veggie or fruit has to offer. When you add a "boost"-wheat germ, nuts, seeds, maca powder-its like improving your health and well being without even trying. You are just a drink away from totally improving your health and off-setting any damage you've done to it by not eating so healthy or other extra-curricular activities.

 Nope, you really don't taste the veggies., You start with a green "base"...pictured here is spinach, salad spring greens, kale. You can use whatever you want. Then you add whatever fruits you want. Pineapple, apple, orange, pear, grapes-whatever sounds good to you. Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries make the familiar fruit smoothie and really mask the taste of the veggies for those who hate them. Carrots add sweetness, as well. For a creamier smoothie-add a banana or an avocado.

This is a detox-blend of spinach, apples, pear, pineapple and wheat germ. Add some water, put it on the base of the blender, whirl for 30 seconds to a minute and walla!-you saved yourself a ton of money by making your own "jamba juice." I highly recommend checking out the website or YouTube for the informercial for the "Nutribullet." The best way to get vitamins and minerals is via our foods, and what better way than a simple drink that tastes like it's not healthy? You can get very creative with the blends so its never boring-its a great breakfast drink to get you going in the morning. So for all the veggie haters out there-do yourself a favor and at least TRY it....and you can make them as thick or as thin as you want, adding ice, etc.......possiblities are endless, and especially great after work-outs to replace lost electrolytes. I can't wait to try a watermelon, celery cucumber smoothie on a really hot day-with some added mint! (herbs thrown in are also a great health boost) Raise your glass and Salute!!!

*if you hate veggies,then what the hell are you doing on this blog lol.....seriously though, you are SOL, because even juicing is not recommended as the way to get your healthy veg intake....they are much healthier in their solid natural state to eat. Sorry. 

ADD: chia seeds, flax, maca powder, tumeric, etc......

Basil Tomato Plate

I love "plates." That is, plates of food that go well together. Here we have fresh mozzarella  cheese, fresh basil, out of the garden tomatoes and a hearty garlic Italian bread. I drizzle the tomatoes and cheese with olive oil, balsamic vinegar (red wine vinegar is good, too) and fresh cracked pepper, the classic "Caprese" salad. I also put a little olive oil on the plate to dunk the bread in and you can also use "dipping spices"-usually basil, oregano, parmesean cheese, pepper and other herbs.

You can jazz this up-add olives, artichokes or prosciutto-(Italian ham). To keep it healthy though you might want to focus more on a fish (like anchovies, sardines or tuna) but I like this the way it is. If you really want to feel like you've eaten something rich-put all these ingredients except the bread in-between two slices of Focaccia bread. I prefer to eat this one at home as opposed to taking it to work, so I can also enjoy a great glass of red wine with it. This is good for you and heart-healthy, part of the "Mediterranean Diet". They say the people of Sardona, Italy often live to be well past 100. This is a great example as to why. Simple, inexpensive, yet healthy and tastes amazing-fills your belly and soul.

* I dont know about Sardona. I bet there is much more to it than their diet, however. I'm on the fence about fish because I do believe it is generally healthy and is the best way to get Omega 3's. On the flip side, finding a decent uncontaminated source may be a challenge. If you eat fish, I would limit it to a few times a month and keep it the least likely contaminated (meaning avoid tuna.) On this plate I'd also avoid the focaccia bread and would replace it with a grain bread. Ideally, you would be subbing the fresh mozzerella now for olives and other veggies. I hear rumors of some really good Vegan cheeses but I have not explored them myself. If you have, this would be a good dish to serve it with. And no olive oil but if you are a taste buds purist, you might use a dab merely for the actual taste here.