Good Nutrition for this New Mom!

Hey all,

So I have always stated that I rather live a more healthy lifestyle and am always trying learn new things that will benefit the quality of life we live. 

My mom visited us a couple weeks ago when I have birth to our angel. She shared a bunch of tips and tricks on how to live healthier and shared some things I did not know previously. She suffers from a bad thyroid problem that wasn't diagnosed immediately. She gained a lot of weight and lacked energy in general. Naturally she thought it was aging and just continued living and working. We are from the South so our food is very carb filled and lots of other yummy not so healthy things. About two years ago she found out about her thyroid problem and was put on medication for it and a suggested diet but still found herself tired all the time. When she moved to the states she went to a wellness center that has helped her with how she should be eating not only for her thyroid problem but for a better quality of life in general. Without getting into and intense diet plan, I am just going to share some of the things she showed me and include two yummy recipes. 

First off let's talk oil. My mother has now banned us from using cooking oils like corn, sunflower and even olive oil. What she said to use instead is either coconut oil or animal fat. What she does is save all of her bacon grease from her breakfast every morning. This is a natural and much healthier use of oils. Olive oil is good for you but not when it is heated. Please note, it does not become bad for you when cooked with it just simply looses all of its nutritional value. So if you do not have coconut oil or animal fat, olive oil is your best bet but stay away from the other oils. I have officially collected a jar of bacon grease that I now use. The great thing is you don't have to use near as much bacon grease as you do cooking oils. Same goes for coconut oil. 

My mom also showed us a great way to make quinoa. Quinoa is a grain crop grown mainly for it's edible seeds. It is considered a pseudocereal rather than a true cereal and is not a member of the true grass family. It is actually closer beetroots, spinach and tumbleweed. What you need to know for nutritional value is that it is high in protein and gluten free. Basically a wonderful substitute for things like rice dishes.  It is also cooked just like rice. One cup of quinoa to two cups of rice. Put it in a pot on high heat till it boils and then bring it down to a simmer for about 20 minutes or until it has boiled down. We used to make it just like that and substitute it for rice however done that way it is rather tasteless and boring. This is where my moms awesome recipe comes in handy. 

This is what quinoa looks like. There is also red and black quinoa. 

Quinoa Salad: (that is what I am calling it)

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa

three pieces of bacon (take out if you want it vegetarian)

handful of pine nuts

handful of pealed sunflower seeds (optional)

1 medium carrot (pealed and shredded) 

1 medium cucumber (thinly sliced)

Goat feta cheese (to taste, I put about a handful)

chopped spring onions (handful)

a little bit of lemon juice 

Method:

1. Cook quinoa using the method I wrote above. Fry bacon until crispy and set aside to cool down.

2. Combine everything into a big bowl and mix well. Crush cooled down bacon into the bowl to make bacon bits and mix in. 

That's it! Literally takes about 20 minutes to make and will last about 3 to 4 days in the fridge. For Indiana and I, this will last about 2 days anyways. So I make it about twice a week and eat it for lunch, with dinner and pack some for Indiana's lunch as well. This recipe is just amazing. 

The next recipe requires a crock pot (slow cooker) for the way I make it. 

Homemade Chili

Ingredients: 

1 tablespoon bacon grease (my new cooking oil of choice hehe)

2 pounds (1 prepacked) ground beef

2 medium onions, medium dice 

1 medium red bell pepper, medium dice

6 garlic cloves, finely chopped (I used one seeing as Indiana has a garlic intolerance)

1/4 cup chili powder (If you do not like spicy stuff I strongly recommend cutting this in half or even less)

1 tablespoon ground cumin 

1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes 

1 (14 ounce) can tomato sauce  

2 (15 ounce) cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed (I used dry kidney beans because I didn't have canned. I also soaked them first)

1/4 cup coarsely chopped pickled jalapenos 

Sour cream to taste

Method:

1. Heat up bacon grease and saute bell peppers,  and onions. About 8 minutes.

 

2. Add garlic, chili powder and cumin powder for about a minute. 

3. Add minced beef and break into small pieces. Cook till mince is no longer pink. 

4. Add into slow cooker with canned tomatoes (with juices), tomato sauce, salt and kidney beans. 

5. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. 

6. Serve with sour cream and jalapenos.

This makes more than we can eat in one night. So I froze some for another night. 

Hope you enjoy these recipes if you try them but seriously cut out the bad oils you cook with. 

Bye bye for now

xoxo