Easy Egg Breakfast

The hardest part about changing my eating habits is getting a good healthy breakfast. A friend passed on this quick, easy and mobile way to get a healthy portion of protein.

You will need:
One corn tortilla
One egg
A slice of cheddar cheese (optional)
A nonstick frying pan or a small amount of olive oil
Salt

Place tortilla in pan and start heating.
Once the tortilla is hot slowly crack the egg on top of the tortilla.
Break the yolk and the white, a little will run off the side but most of it will stay on the tortilla.
Sprinkle a little salt on and let cook for a few minutes.

Once the egg starts to set up flip the whole thing over.
Let cook for about half a minute till egg is cooked through.
Flip back over and slide onto a plate.
If you want cheese place a slice on one half and let melt.
Fold it like a taco and walk out the door with breakfast in hand.

Alternatively you could add tomatoes to the taco style fold.

Enjoy!!

Breaking Radio Silence

Chef Brett is back,after months of ignoring my blogging responsibilities I'm ready to share my culinary inspirations again. The holidays have come and gone, I weathered my first holiday break from preschool, and our first major health issue - tubes in my 3.5 year old's ears. I'm ready to cook again.
What should I cook? Well what I would like to cook is spaghetti ala carbonara (freshly cooked noodles tossed with hot bacon, eggs and parmesaen - the heat of the noodles and bacon grease cooks the eggs making a salty creamy noodle dish.) But I am not going to cook or eat at that because I want to build better eating habits. So last week I started a new system as follows:

• Brainstorm meals for the week as a family on Sunday mornings

• Plan four fresh meals a week

• One day will be leftover day

• Two days will be frozen food days (frozen food days can also be eating out days)

• When making soups or casseroles will make enough to freeze to provide for the future frozen food meals

With this plan I am hoping to eat better and save money. I also am hoping to loose some weight by creating better eating habits.The healthy habits I am trying to implement are:

• eating a salad type thing and/or steamed veg at every meal

• only eating meat 3 times a week

• making sure to snack more frequently so that while I am making dinner I don't eat two string cheeses and 3/4 cup roasted almonds (in smaller portions a healthy snack but when too hungry appetite ruining).
• only eating when hungry, not just because the clock says its time to eat

Come back in a day or two and I will share this week's menu and some recipes! (Really, I will be here, I am recommitting to this blog and Doctor Crystal).

When the Dog Bites, When the Bee Stings

Both Chef Brett and I have recently shared some of our favorite kitchen gadgets with you (see here and here) and that inspired me to share some of my favorite (read practically indispensable) medically-oriented home items. So, read on and prepare to stock your alternative medicine cabinet!

HOMEOPATHIC REMEDIES
Whether they are single remedies like arnica montana (for trauma and bruising) and Apis mellifica (bee stings) or combination formulas for colds, flus, and teething infants, homeopathics are an indispensable part of my medicine cabinet. They stimulate healing, have no side effects, no drug interactions, and are safe for ALL ages.

ESSENTIAL OILS
I have a small collection of essential oils that I like to have on hand. Lemon is a natural disinfectant (I like to add 10 drops to my kitchen soap, a few drops in the garbage disposal when it's smelly, or a few drops in a sinkfull of water to wash produce!. I keep peppermint in the car (it's great for motion sickness--just hold it in front of the vent in the car!). I apply lavender topically when I burn myself cooking (I try not to, but it happens from time to time...). I also love some of my blends for immune boosting and stomach upsets.



TEMPLE THERMOMETER
I LOVE this (and I use it at my clinic as well)! Just hold it on your temple and you have an accurate temperature reading in 6 seconds--an absolute must have if you have an infant. And it's handy for older kids and adults too.


ALOE VERA & NATURAL INSECT REPELLANT
We're pretty outdoorsy at my house and these two items get quite a bit of use In the summertime. I'm not a fan of sunscreen so inevitably we get a few sunburns early in the summer before we've soaked up enough vitamin D and have a good base tan going. Aloe is great for soothing burns: store it in the fridge or even freeze it into cubes for even more relief! Most commercially available bug sprays are horribly toxic so we use essential oil-based ones at our house. Taking extra B vitamins and eating lots of garlic also makes you less appealing to bloodthirsty insects!

CASTOR OIL WRAPS & PACKS
I'm not a fan of castor oil internally (my midwife threatened me with it when I was overdue with my first baby so I went into labor rather than having to drink it ;). But used topically it is truly awesome. Used on the abdomen, it stimulates detox, aids digestion, and reduces inflammation (see here for instructions for use). The antiinflammatory benefit of castor oil also makes it a great choice for sprains and strains. Sprained ankle? Wrap with a piece of flannel saturated with castor oil under your ACE bandage to reduce swelling and speed your healing. It's great for carpal tunnel syndrome as well.

TEA, HONEY & GINGER
I always have an assortment of Traditional Medicinals teas in my cupboard. They have formulas for everything from menstrual cramps to coughs. While they may not be the most potent herbals out there, I love them for their convenience and accessibility. I usually fortify all their immune formulas by adding honey (see my post about honey's health benefits) and fresh ginger root (ginger aids digestion and has warming effects that help boost immune cell function).

And my absolute favorite thing in my home health toolbox...?


WOOL SOCKS!
Wool socks are the key ingredient in the amazing, magical hydrotherapy treatment that is warming socks! Warming socks are a wonderful way to boost your immune system. Worn for 3 nights in a row at the earliest sign of a challenge to your immune system, warming socks can knock out that cold and flu before it has a chance to incapacitate you. And they are great for kids too! For instructions on how to do warming socks, go here!

So, there you have it (though I guess I didn't cover dog bites, did I?). I hope you find this helpful--and timely too as these items make great stocking stuffers and holiday gifts!

Stay healthy everyone!
Dr. Crystal

When Life Gives You Apples...

I ALWAYS have apples in my fruit basket. Ever since my boys were big enough to chew, they have loved apples; it isn't uncommon for them each to eat 2 a day! Maybe that has something to do with their mom being a doctor...? ;) Apples are a good source of soluble fiber, pectin, which helps to lower cholesteral and aids the body in elimination of toxins. Apples are helpful in regulating digestion, improving both constipation and diarrhea. They are also a great source of vitamin C.

Recently, my mom delivered a bag overflowing with apples from her tree. They were less-than-perfect to look at and more than even my children could consume so I took the opportunity to play with my new kitchen toy: a steamer juicer! I had used it to make grape juice before, but apples were a new one. A wonderfully simple process, I filled the basin with water, heaped quartered apples in the steamer basket, covered, and left it on the stove for a couple of hours.

Here's the "before" picture:

After 2 hours, I drained off almost 2 quarts of apple juice into clean jars I had sterilized and kept hot in my oven set at 200.

The juice turned out thick, almost like a syrup, as it cooled and my kiddos didn't really like the mouth feel. So, what was I to do with it? I found a recipe for Delicata Squash with Rosemary, Sage, and Cider Glaze and it turned out FANTASTIC! It will be on my table for Thanksgiving this year (though this time I'll be making it with butternut squash as all the delicata was gone from my local farm store). So, when life gives you apples, make apple juice...and then make this!

Happy Thanksgiving and Bon Appetit!

Dr. Crystal

Mama Bean’s Kitchen Sample Menu and Survey

In addition to making delicious things for my family and sharing them with you all I have also been in the process of starting a new business called Mama Bean's Kitchen. We’ll be delivering prepared meals to customer’s homes that will simply need reheating or can be frozen for later use. The meals will be locally handcrafted using fresh, whole, sustainable ingredients. The first step I am taking in the business is to do a little market research. First I would like to introduce my menu then invite you all to take a short survey. As a thank you for taking the survey I will be sending out $5 off coupons to everyone who has taken the survey once the business launches. Thank you so much for your consideration and support in this new endeavor. Please feel free to send anyone a link to this blog entry you might think is interested in helping me gather data.

Sample Menu
Soups – $10-$14
Pumpkin Sausage soup (vegan & gluten free options)
Tomato Cous Cous
Minestrone (vegan & gluten free options)
Chicken Meatball with Orzo

Entrees – $12-$16
Risotto Pie (vegan & gluten free options)
Lasagna
Mushroom and Lentil Pot Pie (vegan option)
Chicken and Dumplings w/mashed potatoes

Baked Goods – $8-$18
Cinnamon Rolls
Savory Rolls (with cheese and herbs)
Pie (strawberry rhubarb, pumpkin, apple, seasonal) – dairy free option
Crisp (pear ginger, blackberry, seasonal) – vegan, gluten & sugar free (made with Maple Syrup)
Cookies (snickerdoodles, chocolate chip… who knows)

Follow this link to take the survey:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/mamabeanskitchen

Lentil Cakes!

We have recently shifted our family schedule around and therefore have had more time and energy by the time I get to the evening to make dinner. I have taken to pulling out my old Bon Appetite magazines and flipping through them to see if anything catches my eye. This first recipe I came across this week was South Indian Lentil Cakes with Raita.

I made a few changes based on the available ingredients in my pantry and what I came up with had my husband asking if I could make a giant batch to keep on hand so he could take them for lunches. My preschooler also enjoyed them, saying, "Yum!" after each bite, although he wasn't a fan of the sauce.
Raita is an Indian dipping sauce made with yogurt and cucumber and various other spices. Traditionally it is used to cut the spiciness that comes from most Indian foods in this application it is just a yummy sauce as I left out the jalapeños in both the sauce and the cakes hoping to please the palette of my 3 ½ year old. I want to introduce more hot spice into our menu but I have traditionally avoided it myself so what I want to do is condition my taste buds, as well as my family's, to tolerate more spice and adding more variety in our menu. We'll see how that goes…
In the meantime as I mentioned I left out the jalapeños so it should be generally pleasing to most palettes. The lentils and rice have to soak for 3-5 hours so plan ahead on this one.
Special equipment: a food processor.
Ingredients
For Raita:
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup plain yogurt
¼ cup cucumber, seeded and minced
1 teaspoon cilantro, minced
1 teaspoon basil minced*
1 garlic clove, minced
For Lentil Cakes:
½ cup lentils
¼ cup rice
1 garlic clove
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
¼ cup cilantro
¼ cup scallions
1 Tablespoon fresh basil*
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Oliver Oil (for cooking the cakes)


Raita –
Mix all ingredients together.
Lentil Cakes –

Rinse lentils and rice place in a medium bowl.

Add water to cover by 3".

Let legumes and rice soak at room temperature for 3-5 hours.

Drain legumes and rice; transfer to a food processor.

Add garlic and ginger and process until grainy paste forms.

Add next five ingredients and process till everything is just chopped, stopping to scrape the sides as needed.

You will have a wet "batter" now.

Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Spoon 4-6 mounds (approximately ¼ cup) of batter into the pan flattening with a spatula. (I used my cookie scoop to do this).

Reduce heat to medium

Sauté until golden brown and cooked through, about 4-5 minutes per side.

Adding 1 more tablespoon of oil when cakes are flipped.

Repeat with remaining batter.

Serve with raita.

*A note about herbs – I used basil because it is what I had, the original recipe called for mint instead. You
can use what you have or what you like. My favorite fresh herb is thyme so I often add it even when it doesn't call for it. Remember no recipe is set in stone and it is up to you to make it so it is pleasing to you and your eaters. If you like what you made write it down, if you don't it is no big deal just try again at the next meal. The more you experiment and find what you like the more comfortable you will be in the kitchen and the more fun you will have!

Do you eat the shell?

So we also carved pumpkins recently - this was my 3 year old's first carving experience. The look of shock and astonishment and joy that registered on his face when he first stuck his hand into the ooey gooey innards of his pumpkin was priceless to watch.

After scooping the goo and separating the seeds he loved to squish his hands around in the seed bowl, which we finally had to put an end to since his next favorite thing was to lift his seed covered hand out of the bowl and shake it thus flicking sticky seeds all over the kitchen.

So I took the seeds and washed them then spread them on a sheet pan to dry overnight. I did this because I was ready for bed and didn't want to wait up for roasting seeds. So they next day I roasted. The only thing I put on my seeds are olive oil and kosher salt. I am the only one in the family that really like them so I keep them in my truck for snacking on - super healthy, right Doctor?! So here is my question for all you  (and Dr. Crystal) do you eat the shells or do you take the time to crack them open and extract the seeds? I eat them whole. Always have. Sometimes I encounter a shell that I can quite chew up so I spit that part out. Is there any extra fiber benefit to eating the shells?

Happy Halloween to you all!!