Cyd Notter

Author and Nutrition Educator, Founder of The "Plan A" Diet™

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Great Food Finds at Walmart (Revised)

March 7, 2017 By Cyd Notter

(REVISED 3/7/16 to make clarifications on the "Superfood Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette" recipe).

Recently I discovered some new products at Walmart that are worth sharing!  Not all Walmarts carry the same items, so check with your local store.https://cydnotter.com/wp-admin/edit.php


Dave's Killer Bread:   This organic, non-GMO bread is hearty and delicious - and contains NO oil.  And when it comes to "Whole Grains", it meets the "Five to One" rule used to determine how "whole" your grains actually are!  I've seen it in two sizes (smaller vs larger slices);  it makes great sandwiches, toast, or a dipper to get the last bit of gravy or pasta sauce.  The only drawback is that it's a bit pricey - but worth it if you desire to eat a healthy bread on occasion.


Riced Cauliflower:   Here's a great way to get cruciferous veggies into your daily fare.  Riced Cauliflower can be used as a rice replacement for stir-frys,  stirred into soups, or used to make The Brand New Vegan's Meat mixture which can be used for sloppy joes, stuffed peppers, or wherever ground beef was typically used.


Frozen Organic Pomegranate Seeds:  A great item to have in the freezer for those 'once in a while' recipes that call for pomegranate seeds!  Add them to jazz up your oatmeal, tossed salads, fruit bowls, or dressings.

One of our favorite quinoa recipes calls for pomegranates -  It's called 'Superfood Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette', shown on the Iowa Girl Eats blog.   Here's the recipe.  (Just omit the oil shown in the dressing, and of course don't add the chicken or shrimp).  Thanks Teri, for sharing this recipe with us!

Organic Cacao:  This is the best price I've seen for organic cacao.  If you love chocolate as much as I do, organic cacao is a healthy way to consume it.  Use it in shakes, cakes, 'ice cream' toppings and more.  If a recipe calls for regular cocoa, you can easily replace it with raw cocao powder.

Here are just a few recipes that we can vouch for:

Chocolate Pumpkin Loaf - by Isa Chandra Moskowitz - YUM!

Adonis Cake - by Engine 2.  You can use the below CHOCOLATE FUNDUE for frosting as an option.

Chocolate Fundue - by Chef AJ.  Use as a dip, frosting, or to make frozen Nutty Buddies by cutting peeled bananas in two, inserting onto skewers, coat with fundue, roll in nuts and freeze.  SOOO good.

Organic Flax Seed:  Walmart carries organic flax seed in whole form or ground.  Flax seed has a ton of nutritional benefits, but the seed must be ground in order to get them all (read the blog post here).   It's most nutritious if you grind your own seeds just prior to use, but for those times when you need to add a quick two tablespoons to a recipe, you may choose to keep some pre-ground flax on hand.

Stir the ground seeds into your oatmeal, cereals, smoothies, or use in recipes as an egg replacer (one TBS flax seed plus 3 TBS water - blend in a blender until frothy = one egg).

Remember, do not use flaxseed OIL.  All the cancer-fighting nutrition has been stripped and you're consuming a dose of pure fat.

I've also tried the on-line Walmart grocery shopping tool and thought it worked well.  You select your grocery items on-line, specify if you'll accept substitutions, and indicate what time frame you'll pick up (they provide one-hour time slots).   Once you drive into the pick up area, they deliver the groceries to your car.  There's no extra fee and you're asked not to tip the delivery person.  Not all stores offer it, but if you're in a hurry and don't want to spend time in the store, this might be an option for you.  The biggest drawback is that not all of their items are shown on the website.....something they told me they're working on.

Happy shopping ~ feel free to share YOUR good finds!

Filed Under: My Blog Tagged With: Dave's killer bread, frozen pomegranate, organic cacao, plant-based, riced cauliflower, vegan, Walmart

Diabetes – “Manage” or Reverse?

August 21, 2016 By Cyd Notter

Do you or a loved suffer with Type 2 Diabetes?  or have you been told you have "insulin-resistant" cells?  Have you tried to compensate for the cell's resistance by limiting your starch and sugar intake, with the idea that too much carbohydrate leads to too much glucose?

If so, you will be relieved to know that a dietary pattern of all-you-can eat whole grains, beans, fruits, nuts, and vegetables (including starches such as potatoes, rice and pasta) has long been established to effectively and naturally lower A1C levels to normal ranges in a short amount of time.

The American Diabetes Association’s Clinical Practice Recommendations have cited the value of whole, plant food diets for Type 2 diabetes for several years. And here’s an added bonus, according to registered dietitian Susan Levin, M.S., R.D., who says “A diet change beats a pill.  A plant-based diet improves blood sugar, body weight, blood pressure and cholesterol all at the same time, something no drug can do.”  So why “manage” diabetes when the chances our very high that it can be eliminated?

Read the entire article here.

And please be sure to sign up for our newsletter to keep informed of our upcoming classes!

Filed Under: My Blog Tagged With: diabetes, diabetic, food, lower A1C naturally, plant-based, reversing diabetes, type 2 diabetes, vegan, whole food

Comfort Food? This recipe delivers!

June 26, 2016 By Cyd Notter

Creamy Chili Sauce with Zucchini,  Spinach & Pasta
        Creamy Chili Sauce with Zucchini,
                     Spinach & Pasta

In the mood for something creamy and different?  We tried a new recipe this weekend that has been added to our "Favorite" list!  The combination of home-made cashew cream, zucchini, spinach, elbow pasta and the resulting chili sauce made for an excellent combination.  The liquid smoke is optional, but I did add a couple of drops and it was delicious.  This is another home-run from "The Vegan 8" website.  Eight ingredients or less - my kind of recipe! 

Get the recipe here

PS - We have a couple of great events coming up:  The Quarterly "World's Healthiest Potluck" on Friday, July 15, 2016;  AND a great class on bone health will be held on Saturday July 23, 2016.  If interested in either event, please contact me at [email protected].

Filed Under: My Blog Tagged With: chili pasta, elbow pasta, healthy, plant-based, spinach pasta, vegan, vegan 8

Have you had your pot-ash today?

February 23, 2016 By Cyd Notter

how-not-to-dieOne of my requested Christmas gifts last year was Dr. Michael Greger's new book called "How Not to Die".  If you're not familiar with Dr. Greger, he's a highly recognized researcher and speaker on nutrition, and the founder of one of my favorite websites, www.nutritionfacts.org.  I appreciate the depth of research Dr. Greger devotes to his website and freely shares with the public at no charge.

In the book, Dr. Greger lists the top 15 causes of death in the United States, and devotes individual chapters to how nutrition plays a crucial role in the prevention and reversal of each disease.  Just as his website is based solely on evidence-based nutrition research, this book is no different - there are about 130 pages just listing references!

I'm only about 1/4 of the way through the book, but I've skipped around to various chapters and haven't been reading it in order.  (I couldn't wait to read about the THIRD leading cause of death in our country - Iatrogenic Causes (modern medicine)!   One more reason to stay out of the medical system as much as possible).

I've learned so many interesting factoids and research results from my initial reading that I feel led to share some of them with you!  So the next few blog posts may include things I can't wait to share.  For example, the topic of this blog: Have you Had your Pot-Ash Today?

Dr. Greger explains that when any plant is burned to ash and then thrown into a pot of water for boiling, the white residue that remains after skimming the top is known as potash (pot-ash).  Potash has long been used to make everything from soap and glass to fertilizer and bleach.  In 1807, Dr. Greger explains, an English chemist figured out that this 'vegetable alkali' contained an undiscovered element, which he called pot-ash-ium (or, potassium).

Cool, huh?  Dr. Greger explains that every cell in our bodies needs potassium to function, and we need to get it from our diets.  Less than 2% of Americans are currently getting the recommended daily intake of 4,700 mg.  The reason is that we don't eat enough plant foods!

bananasAnd here's another interesting part......Bananas, although they are marketed for their potassium content, aren't particularly rich in the mineral.  According to the USDA database, bananas don't even make the top thousand foods;  they rank no. 1611, right after Reese's Pieces.  Wow.  You'd have to eat a dozen bananas just to get the bare minimum needed.  The healthiest common potassium-rich whole-foods include greens, beans and sweet potatoes.

I view this as yet one more reason in the big scheme of things that demonstrates we are created to eat plants.  Plants provide every nutrient we need  (that includes protein and calcium), with the exception of B12 - a bacteria that we now sanitize away.   How about a big green salad topped with some beans, and a big bowl of sweet potato stew for dinner tonight?  Then you'll know you've had your pot-ash today.

PS: You can order Dr. Greger's book (or the audio version) on Amazon or at his website listed above.  I highly recommend it.

 

Filed Under: My Blog Tagged With: Dr. Greger, How Not to Die, plant-based, pot-ash, potassium, potassium foods, vegan, whole food

We all Scream

August 20, 2015 By Cyd Notter

If you’ve been reading this column for any length of time, you know that we’ve often discussed the health risks associated with consuming cow’s milk (and there are many).   Realizing that cow’s milk is designed to rapidly grow a calf from 80 pounds to approximately 800 pounds in about a year, it’s not a stretch to see how drinking the mother’s milk of another species can lead to health problems.

But if you scream for ice cream and find it hard to live without, there is good news.  Your taste buds will not have to sacrifice all of the sweet creaminess we love to enjoy, especially in the summer.  Here are some easy recipes that are delicious and healthy.  Please note that many recipes call for frozen bananas – use ‘spotted’ bananas and be sure to peel before freezing!

The Yonana
This is not a recipe, but rather a fun machine that turns frozen fruit into soft serve.  We’ve had our Yonana machine for several years and it still works great!  You do not have to use bananas – any frozen fruit will work.
Yonana Banana Split:  Process frozen bananas into banana ice cream, top with chocolate sauce (shown below), chopped strawberries and pineapple, and voila – you have an amazing banana split!

Easy Chocolate Sauce
½ cup pitted dates
¼ cup cocoa, carob, or cacao
Place dates in water to soften.  Remove dates from water (save water), and place in food processor with cocoa powder. Blend, adding the saved date water to reach the desired consistency.  (Note: a small food processor works best for this - or even a coffee grinder to blend small batches at a time).

4-Ingredient Chocolate Ice Cream
This recipe is out of this world.  The entire recipe with full notes can be found at www.thevegan8.com.
¾ cup cooked, mashed, packed sweet potato
2 cups LIGHT canned coconut milk (shake cans prior to measuring)
1.5 cups dairy-free mini-chocolate chips (‘Enjoy Life’ is a great brand)
1 TBS vanilla extract
¼ tsp. sea salt
Add sweet potato, coconut milk, vanilla and salt to a blender (don’t blend yet). Melt the chocolate chips using your preferred method, being careful not to burn.  Add to blender.  Blend all ingredients on high until completely smooth. Pour into a freezer safe container and place in freezer. Every 30 minutes (for about 2 hours), stir the mixture and re-freeze.  Then freeze overnight (if you can wait!).  You may need to let it sit for 15 minutes to soften a bit before serving.

Red Velvet Sorbet

4 large ripe bananas, frozen
10 oz. frozen raspberries
2 TBS cocoa powder
4-5 pitted dates, chopped
Blend all ingredients in a high powered blender until creamy. (Note: I use a food processor, and separate into separate containers before freezing.  Top with a few dairy-free chocolate chips before freezing, if desired).
(NOTE: To make BLACK CHERRY sorbet:  3 cups frozen cherries, 1 cup almond milk, 1 frozen banana, ½ cup walnuts, 3 pitted dates.  Blend and enjoy!)

Strawberry Pineapple Sorbet
1 10-oz. bag frozen strawberries
½ cup orange juice or soy milk
4 slices dried pineapple (unsulphured)
1 cup fresh organic strawberries (optional)
Blend all ingredients (except fresh berries) in a high powered blender or food processor. Pour into sorbet glasses and top with fresh berries.  (PS – You could try adding frozen pineapple instead of dried pineapple, although I have not done so).

chcolate shakeThe Elvis Shake
3 bananas, peeled and frozen
2 cups almond milk (or soy milk)
1 TBS peanut butter (no added oils)
¼ cup cocoa (or cacao powder)
Blend in high-powered blender until thick and creamy.

 

Banana Split Shake
¾ - 1 cup chocolate almond milk
½ - 1 ripe banana
5 frozen cherries (or more to taste)
Ice cubes
Place half the chocolate milk in blender with half the banana and an ice cube. Blend. Add remaining milk, banana, and as many cherries as you wish; Blend.  Add ice as you desire.  (Note:  using a frozen banana would reduce the amount of ice).

Chia-Fruit Ice Cream
(recipe by Jacqueline Berry)
2 TBS chia seeds
1 cup water
1 tsp. vanilla
¼ cup raw cashews
½ cup almond milk
8-10 pitted dates
2 cups partially frozen fruit – your choice of any combo
Blend chia seeds and water and allow to sit 15 minutes to form a gel.  Add remaining ingredients to blender and process until smooth. Pour into containers and freeze.

For more recipes or to receive our newsletter and class schedule, please visit www.cydnotter.com.

Filed Under: My Blog Tagged With: ice cream, plant milk, plant-based, shake, sorbet, sundae, vegan, vegetarian, yonana

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