#SOME ARE SPELT FLOUR AND SOME ARE BREAD FLOUR OK

[dailyautophagy]

30 tags is too many evidently whatever

[elemental-queen-writes]

So, as someone who's gluten intolerant, I get asked a LOT what foods I can eat.

I've also had people flat out tell me that foods that ARE safe for me to eat, aren't.

So, here's a handy little basic guide for all you people out there who don't know much about this, but are curious:

What Is Gluten?

Gluten is the name of a group of proteins often found in wheat, and some other grains. It's also the thing that makes your bread stick together and give that bready goodness, and help your foods stick together, like a kind of glue.

Foods That Contain Gluten:

Wheat

Wheat varieties and products like spelt, durum, semolina, couscous, farina, farrow, kamut, einekorn, wheat bran, wheat germ, emmer, seitan

Rye

Barley

Triticale

Malts (From barley)

Anything made with flour from the above grains.

Alcoholic beverages made with the above grains. (Most distilled drinks are fine, however, but that needs to be checked out on a case by case basis)

Crumbed and battered foods with the above grains.

Yeast, depending on source.

Foods That DON'T Contain Gluten:

Fresh fruits and vegetables.

Potatoes

Beans, seeds, legumes and nuts that are unprocessed.

Rice

Amaranth

Arrowroot

Buckwheat

Corn — cornmeal, grits and polenta labeled gluten-free

Flax

Hominy (corn)

Millet

Quinoa

Rice

Sorghum

Soy

Tapioca (cassava root)

Teff

Unprocessed meats. Like steak, chicken, pork...

Bacon.

Milk.

Foods That May Cause A Reaction:

Oats.

Yep, oats, while in themselves gluten free, (and apart from cross contamination issues, which can occur with all the above grains), have a protein called Avenin, which is similar to gluten, and can cause a reaction in some people like gluten would.

Seems easy enough to get around, right?

Wrong.

Remember I said above gluten acts like a glue?

Wheat flour is cheap.

Wheat flour is a very common thickener. I've personally seen it in ice cream, soups, stews, even soy sauce.

It's also used in a lot of corn or rice products, like crackers, tortillas, corn chips, noodles (yes, I've seen it in rice noodles), and sometimes the seasoning on potato chips. (There is nothing more infuriating than finding rice noodles containing wheat. It's just cost cutting, and stupid.)

Some of these products don't need wheat flour to hold them together, but wheat is cheap, and can bulk out other foods. It can also make sauces look better, and give a nice texture.

It's used in a lot of packet gravy mixes.

Barley is a commonly used flavouring. I've seen it in soups, stews, chocolate...

Yeasts can also contain wheat traces.

Even foods that don't have wheat as an ingredient, can contain traces.

A lot of processed foods have wheat in them. Again, cheap and glue.

Glucose syrup can be gluten free, depending on the source.

So basically, I have to read every label. Some products are gluten free, and then the company decides nah, and doesn't change the label (This has happened to me). Thankfully a lot of gluten free products label as such, so if you've seen foods you're sure are gluten free labelled that way, this is why. It encourages gluten free people to buy it, and the buyer doesn't have to read every freaking list of ingredients. Which is exhausting.

Things I've Had Ignorant People Argue With Me Over

You didn't think I was going to make a post like this without some humour in it, did you? Of course not! So here's the dishonour list, of conversations I've had.

"All potato chips contain gluten."

"Not the ones marked."

"Are you sure?"

"What if they're just saying it?"

"They won't."

"Are you sure?"

"They'd get fined and/or sued. All allergens have to be listed by law."

"Rice isn't gluten free."

"Yeah it is."

"Nope, all grains contain gluten."

"Not all grains. Trust me, rice is gluten free."

"No, it isn't."

"Ok, I've researched the shit out of this, are you telling me I'm wrong?"

"Rice isn't gluten free."

"Oh."

"Yeah. Listen to me next time."

"Are you sure that avocado is gluten free?"

-blinking in astonishment- "Yes."

"You're sure?"

"Yes!" -pause- "Do you want me to google it for you?"

"No, I'm good."

"Vegemite is gluten free, they don't need to bring a gluten free version out."

"It's the yeast."

"They're just doing it to charge more."

"...They're the same price..."

"Yeast is gluten free though."

-three linked articles later-

"Oh. Why did you just tell me that?"

"Because you were arguing with me again, and it's more fun this way."

"Gluten free is healthier."

-extended laughter- "Nope. There's a lot of additions to try and mimic what gluten does."

"But it's all natural ingredients."

"Where did you hear that?"

"Everyone knows it. Because gluten free people like to be healthier."

"Trust me, it's not true."

"Everyone says gluten free is healthier."

"They're full of bullshit."

Sources for this post:

[islandpcosjourney]

Day 21 - Spring ‘21 challenge

4th April 2021

Today’s juices are: Pure raw energy smoothie Apple, Pineapple, Celery, Carrot, Beetroot, Lemon, Berry blend powder blended with Avocado & Banana Dreamy detox Apples, Lemon, Cucumber, Celery, Ginger root

While looking into some other aspect of juicing today, I came across a site where I found a couple of interesting looking recipes using the pulp from the juice I make. After this challenge, I’ll try it out so I’m going to start collecting the pulp. Here’s the recipe:

3 cups Carrot pulp 2 cups Pineapple pulp 1 cup Olive oil 3 Eggs 1 cup of Honey 3 cups Whole grain flour 1 tbsp Baking soda 1 tsp Vanilla

Mix the carrot and pineapple pulp together in a bowl. Add the honey, eggs, vanilla and oil then mix this together. Add the flour and baking soda. Pour the contents into muffin cups or grease a baking tin. Bake for 45 minutes at 175 °C       

It’ll be interesting to see how they turn out because carrot pulp can be very different from one machine to another. The site looked like it was based on a cold-press juicer like mine so it should be ok as the pulp would be of the same moisture content, so the oil & honey in the recipe should keep it moist, I hope. Now in terms of Whole grain flour, I wasn’t entirely sure about which kind they meant so I started looking into it. I am still so confused by them all but here are some of the ones I found:

Whole wheat flour – 6 different varieties: Whole wheat, sprouted whole wheat, white whole wheat, whole wheat pastry, Spelt & Kamut.

Quinoa flour*

Barley flour

Amaranth flour*

Brown rice flour*

Sorghum flour*

Buckwheat flour*

Corn meal/flour*

Millet flour*

Oat flour*sometimes

Teff flour*

Rye flour

*Gluten-free

Many of these I have heard of; some I even have in my cupboard, but out of this list I must choose the best fit for these muffins. At the moment I’m thinking my Wholemeal spelt flour would work as I know that I can use white spelt as a replacement for plain flour in my usual recipes already, but the brown version would just make it a bit heavier. It is such a minefield of flours out there! So many different types and they all need to be treated slightly differently.

I then discovered this; in case anyone needs tips on how to substitute Whole grain flours into their normal recipes:

Use any whole wheat flour to make cookies, muffins, quick breads (banana bread, biscuits, and scones) and breakfast items (waffles, pancakes). If a recipe calls for all-purpose flour, feel free to replace it with the same measure of whole grain flour.

Choose white whole wheat flour and whole wheat pastry flour when you want lighter, paler baked goods with a tender texture.

Make delicate crust doughs and cake batters with whole wheat pastry flour.

Convert bread recipes to 100 percent whole wheat (or whole grain) by adding 2 tsp. liquid per cup of flour to the recipe.

Let whole wheat/whole grain doughs and batters rest 20 minutes before baking. This gives the flour time to absorb the liquid in the recipe to help keep baked goods tender and moist.

Of course there are even more types of flour than wholegrain. I personally use Almond, Coconut & Gram flours. My mum makes a really tasty gram flour quiche crust and as I have lots of broccoli florets to use, I’m really hoping to keep her busy when she’s up here, by making a few of them for the freezer 😉 they freeze super well, and I genuinely prefer them to normal quiches but the smell of the gram dough is VERY distinctive so it maybe wouldn’t suit everyone. Gram flour is made from chickpeas and is the one used for Bhajis, Pakoras and Poppadoms.

Almond flour is made from ground almonds and is incredibly nutritious, particularly rich in Vitamin E and magnesium, two very important nutrients for health. It’s made from almonds which have been blanched in boiling water, the skins removed and then finely ground and sifted into a fine flour. I’ve found that buying almond flour is quite expensive and I did try my own a few times, but it tended to become oily the more I ground them, turning almost into an almond paste. So now what I use is simple ground almonds. It’s coarser, almost like almond meal (which is coarse and made with unpeeled raw almonds), but it works perfectly for my Banana bread recipe. Almond flour is also better for blood sugar levels as it’s low in carbs but high in healthy fats & fibre, including the magnesium which also participates in blood sugar regulation. You CAN replace almond flour for your standard wheat flour on a 1:1 ratio but whatever you are making will be flatter and denser because of the lack of gluten. You could add Xanthan gum, but it can cause digestive issues. Raising the amount of raising agent (baking powder &/ bicarb of soda) would help with the heavier weight of the almond flour.

Coconut flour can be a little harder to bake with as it absorbs more moisture than conventional flours, making the baked food dryer and crumbly. It has more carbs than almond flour and less nutrients. It also has less phytic acid which means that it contributes to your body being less efficient in absorbing nutrients. You’d typically use ¼ of the amount of coconut flour in a recipe compared with a wheat flour. I don’t use it as often but some PCOS recipes I follow include a tablespoon or so of coconut flour, so I don’t go through that much of it.

Not entirely sure how this entire blog ended up being about flours but there we go! I’m really looking forward to cooking healthy recipes after this. I definitely feel I’ve got my mojo back and of course we’re getting into better weather now so lighter & cold foods such as salads will be very welcome. Our new chef at work has been creating incredible smelling salads which otherwise would be very easy to dig into but at the moment, I’m being strong in pushing forward with another week of juice and reaping the benefits of the reset.

“Motivation is what gets you started.  Habit is what keeps you going” - Smart Fertility Choices, Kym Campbell

[sashagilljournalist]

Embrace Your Freezer

I think you have heard this far too many times – stranger times are afoot. Stockpiling is a particular point of aggression for me, because there is simply no point in buying far more than you need. If supply is an issue, the answer lies in simply utilising the best appliance at your disposal. Yes, I am talking about your freezer.

There is a multitude of food that behaves rather well if you plunge it into the icy-cold depths of your freezer. But, as always, the question of food safety arises. Here is a crash-course into what freezes well, how to fight the devil that is freezer-burn, and what is a freezer-flop and must be avoided at all costs.

Bread I place this at the top of my list simply because I believe that far too many people have been chucking their Hovis slices into the compost when the slightest bloom of mould appears. Bread is the king of freezer foods. If you buy your bread pre-sliced, you can chuck whatever you believe you cannot finish by the sell-by date into the freezer. If you are a better person than I am, and get those crusty loaves à la Gail’s, make sure to slice them into neat pieces before freezing. Whenever the need for toast arises, no thawing is necessary. Pop it straight into your toaster. You can’t imagine a thing better since frozen bread.

Fruit Sure, you can buy pre-frozen fruit, and there is nothing wrong in that. But if you think you have far more than you need fresh, you can freeze whatever excess you have. Most fruit freezes remarkably well. And while in some cases (I am looking at you, citrus) the texture does deteriorate, if you are using it for baking/smoothies/juicing – no one would be none the wiser. A point of note: pitted fruit does best if you remove their stones before the freeze – trying to pry it out with a knife sub-thaw is not much fun. Avoid the peach equivalent to the millennial avocado injury. Citrus, forgiving my previous dig, is OK if you are using the pulp for a recipe or smoothie – but the zest reigns supreme. Zesting a frozen wedge of citrus fruit is easy peasy. And if you happen to need the flesh of citrus without the skin, just freeze it for whenever you may want to make a casserole calling for that tablespoon of orange zest.

Herbs We are all culprit to buying a pouch of rosemary when a recipe demands it, and leaving the remainder languishing in the produce drawer. If you have far too many fresh herbs than you know what to do with, freeze them (spoiler alert). Herbs are best if frozen in some kind of fat, so what I do is portion them out in an ice-cube tray, a teaspoon per well, and top each up with a glug of olive oil. If your next pasta sauce demands 2 teaspoons of fresh rosemary – pop out two cubes straight from the tray and toss them into your pan.

Soups and stocks I am a fan of the Kallo stock cube. But there have been times (i.e. mid-risotto making) when I have had far too much ready than I need. Instead of chucking it away, freeze them in portions (I like to go for a cup per container), so you know exactly how much to thaw out the next time you need it.

Leftovers I wrote an entire article about leftovers, and it seems particularly prescient to not let whatever you have spare to go to waste. Stews and curries fare particularly well from being frozen – just make sure you portion them according to how much you need for a meal.

Vegetables The list of vegetables that do well from freezing is far longer than those that do not. Onions, garlic, hard veg (squash, root veg, peppers)… Spinach and kale, while of the leafier variety, do well if you plan to deploy them later in a cooked dish and not in a salad. Skin your tomatoes before freezing – by slitting an X at their base, boiling them for 2-3 minutes, then immediately plunging them into a bath of ice-cold water. Their skin will start to shrink back – so peel off whatever remains with languorous ease and pop them into a freezer bag or Tupperware. While most root vegetables fare well, but potatoes do not. Only waxy potatoes do relatively OK, but I advise this only if you want to use them in some sort of stock, as their texture does change. Just parboil them before freezing. As a general rule of thumb – veg with a high water content either should not be frozen (i.e. iceberg) or needs some treatment. Hardier veg is much more resilient.

Tofu Even if food shortage is not an issue, I am a proponent for freezing your tofu.

Baked Goods Do you know how some people have eyes much bigger than their stomachs? I bake much bigger than my stomach. Most baked goods can be frozen. Banana bread, cinnamon rolls, cookie dough – it’s all good. Just make sure to portion them accordingly for future ease. To bring them back to their former glory – a whirl in the microwave is all you need.

Butter FREEZE YOUR BUTTER. I use non-dairy butter, but the rule withstands. And, hey, if you happen to be the sort that makes your own shortcrust – pre-frozen butter is a godsend.

Yoghurt and milk Yes, I am aware that some dairy comes with a warning emblazoned on the side of it – DO NOT FREEZE. But if your intention is to use your dairy in a dish, frozen shouldn’t be a problem. Freezing yoghurt or milk (or non-dairy equivalents) changes the texture of it – no longer silky and velvet but rather (urgh!) lumpy. This resolves itself if you throw it into a biryani or a pasta sauce, but not have any intention of consuming it as you would fresh. Just try you freeze whatever you do not think you can finish as soon as you can – anything a day or so near its sell-by date is risky business.

Eggs Don’t freeze your eggs in their shells. Crack them open, beat them and portion them in containers labelled with how many eggs lie within them.

Cheese Hard cheese freezes well, soft cheese less so. If you find a bit of mould growing on your wedge of parmesan, it is completely fine (and safe!) to cut it off with a generous margin, and freeze whatever remains. Soft cheese should not be frozen at all costs – and if you find yourself in the unfortunate circumstance of finding a bit of mould on your mozzarella. Chuck it. It isn’t worth any risk.

Flours Wheat, rye, spelt, buckwheat, oat… they are the superstar of the freezer. Whenever you need any for a bit of baking, scoop it out and proceed as you would normally.

Nuts and seeds I grew up in a hot climate, so all of our nuts and seeds claimed residence in our fridge or freezer. Nuts and seeds possess a fat that can, at times, go rancid in warmer temperatures. This poses less of a problem if you buy small bags of the stuff that they sell at Tesco. But, if you are a bulk-buy fiend, pop whatever you think you will not employ in the next few months in the freezer. It will save you a lot of money, and heartache.

Cooked rice, grains and pasta Yes, you can freeze these. Rice can be tricky, but be sure to cool whatever excess you have ASAP and pop it into the freezer once it is at room temperature. Pasta can be frozen, but please, only if it is just shy of al-dente. You will need to plunge it onto some hot water to revive it, and if it is already slightly over, you will have a soggy, gloppy mess.

Meat Freezing meat can appear to be a risky endeavour but if you follow a few rules, you’re golden. Freeze it as soon as possible, portioned as you would need per meal. When freezing meat, air is the enemy. Wrap each as much as you can in plastic wrap (or leave it in the vacuum pack it came in) and a further insurance of foil or Tupperware to discourage freezer burn. When thawing (which will be discussed below) – you can either leave it in the refrigerator for a day (smaller portions) or more, or in a tub of slightly-cold water. DO NOT leave it on the countertop, DO NOT microwave it. The 3-month rule applies here for maximum quality, and while a few months shy of that should be okay, the quality of it does deteriorate significantly.

Safe-Freezing Tips

You are now a freezing aficionado. But here are a few final tips about the longevity of frozen food, and just some general freezer-related housekeeping.

How long is it good for? This depends on the food. And while there are a whole list of websites and charts demanding you follow a strict schedule, if you have frozen the food as close to fresh as you can, a lot of it will be OK. But, for the wary, here is a good guide.

How should I freeze? A rule of freezing – minimise air contact. With meat this is crucial, but otherwise, try to use freezer-safe bags or tubs with airtight lids. Label EVERYTHING – with its contents, portions, and date of cooking/freezing. Always try to freeze according to your regular portion size so you can thaw exactly the amount you need.

What should I use to freeze my food? You can buy freezer bags, and containers – but avoid freezing any glass or metal. Glass is particularly tricky as it can shatter (yes, even the freezer-safe ones). Especially if you put anything slightly liquid inside, as water can expand and create cracks your glass container.

How do I thaw my frozen food? You have a few options. You can thaw it in the refrigerator, which is the safest, but also takes a fair amount of time. To speed things up, you can leave it in a bowl of cold water on your countertop, or in the microwave on the defrost setting. Meat, however, should never be let near the microwave in the effort of food safety.

How do I prevent freezer burn? This happens over a period of long freezing, when food loses its water molecules and they rise to the surface and crystallise as ice. Small ice crystals do not pose much of a problem, as they melt fairly quickly. But once larger crystals form, this usually indicates the deterioration of whatever you have had frozen. It is usually still alright to eat this (with the exception of meat and dairy products), but just be prepared for it to be a little subtracted in its original quality.

Image Credit: Theo Crazzolara, Flickr Creative Commons

[luxettenebrea]

Celebrating Birthdays

Written for Ronsenburg By LuxEtTenebrea

Happy Birthday @ronsenburg ! Sorry I took a million hours, and I`m also sorry that the last part goes all over the place. I hope you enjoy this Promnis. Prompto:  The first time he celebrates Ignis’ birthday is maybe A few months after he befriends Noctis. The party is formal and awkward. He’s a duke, it makes sense. Prompto felt stiff in the pair of black pressed trousers Noctis afforded him. The button-up shirt he wore was also black, but with a touch of silver in the form of the Scientia crest. It was hot and uncomfortable, even though Ignis’ birthday was on the 7th of February. Only just approaching the climate of spring.

The people were all lords and ladies, and felt out of place and awkward. Yet, at least Noctis and Gladiolus’ presence made it bearable. He’d placed his small present amongst the large assortments of fanciful gifts, and felt his freckled cheeks glow.

Would it be enough? It didn’t seem so and the blonde was about to pick it out of the pile but Noctis managed to drag him away, to instead engage with Iris, Gladiolus, and himself in a game of “who wore it better.” When it came time for the presents to be opened, the blonde could feel his throat constrict. Every box unwrapped proved to be an assortment of decadent delights. Jewelry in the form of fine rings, and necklaces. Cookery made of porcelain with the man of the hours’ name carved in fine script along the handles. Clothing from Altissa’s finest labels. Everything Prompto couldn’t afford with his measly allowance.

Noctis had given Ignis a tiny custom made skull on a thin fine platinum chain, both brushed to look dark and aged. The advisor seemed grateful and amused by the gift putting it on. Gladiolus had gifted the man a pair of daggers that looked crystalline and caught the light in a prismatic fashion–distracting yet deadly. Iris’ gift was a set of black gloves, the leather soft and delightful to the touch. The top of them had what looked like diamond studs encrusted over every inch of the surface, and sparkled just as beautifully as the daggers Gladio had given the man–a set, it seemed. A perfect set.

Prompto swallowed when at last came his turn. His heart was practically running out of his chest. He hadn’t gotten the man anything notable really–as far as material or monetary gifts went. He could feel sweat start to collect along his forehead, and his cheeks bloom in colour once more. Even his wrapping didn’t look good.

Blinking away the sting in his eyes, he waited with baited breath for the older man’s reaction. He seemed surprised by what he found in the box pulling out a plain black journal. The leather cover was handbound, and across the front of the cover sat the words “Ignis’ Cookbook” with polished metal shaped into letters and glued onto the material with silver stitching around them. It was simple, and in hindsight, Prompto probably shouldn’t have bothered. Inside was a single framed picture of the four of them. In their very first, very badly taken seflie.

The rest of the pages were blank, waiting for recipes and notes to be taken down. He saw the man close the journal and look up, and Prompto nearly choked when their eyes met–Forest green against cornflower blue. The smile that crossed his face was worth every single uncomfortable moment.

Prompto was in love.

Ignis: Since his loss of eyesight, Ignis rarely celebrated anything. Not because he didn’t want to, but because it was hard to get anyone together these days. The world was recovering from being in ruin. The sun finally out, and the Earth settling once more into the balance of growing plant life that wasn’t solely hardy against the darkness and the cold. Surprisingly, because the soil had been left to rest in the wake of the starscourge, it had become fertile. Plantlife became abundant, food plentiful and fresh. It may have also been the fact that they hadn’t had any crops outside of hard roots, and synthetically grown vegetation that tasted bitter, or of nothing at all.

With the boom in crops though, many ex-demon hunters took to farming. Others in helping the animal life of Eos to reproduce. Ignis himself had decided to stay in Lestallum. He was familiar with the layout of the city, and his home was already fully integrated there. No need to leave to New Insomnia for the sake of trying to recreate the ghost of a life long past.

He sells baked goods in his once small and creaky bakery that sold hard breads, and flavourless scones. Now it was being painted over and refurnished for the demands he will be meeting soon, what with different types of flour like Tenebraen oat flour, Altissian spelt flour, Cleigne amaranth, and Duscaen barley becoming readily available. He’d be making things that ranged from pastries, to cakes, to breads. All sorts of meals he hadn’t prepared in roughly a decade and a half. Taking a deep breath, Ignis began rummaging around his drawers–trying to find the braille cookbooks that Gladiolus had given him.

“A gift from a special bird.” he’d said, voice gruff and yet affectionate. There were only a handful of people that made the shield sound that way.

“Aha!” he murmured in victory as he pulled out cookbooks. He felt the covers, grabbing the correct one and began to feel out for the recipe he needed.

He knew what day it was since Cindy had been nice enough to make him a calendar that read in braille. October 25th.

Prompto’s birthday. Meaning that the blonde would be dropping by soon with his usual ‘What’s cooking, good looking?’ and bright cheerful presence. Before he could only give Prompto a decent meal for his birthdays. This year, he’d finally be able to give him the cake he’d regretted never making.

Setting himself up, he prepared the ingredients as the book called for to make a baumkuchen. The air of the small shop becoming scented with the sweet and simple scent. He placed the cake on the counter, ruffling around the drawer where he found some silicone chocobo molds to place on top of it and began to sprinkle a fine powder of yellow confectioners sugar.

With the cake complete he left it in clear view of the doorway bustling about the kitchen to begin baking the bread dough he’d set out the day before. That was how he spent the evening, listening to the guests coming in and out of the bakery. Gladiolus and Iris were there with him around evening, talking fondly about their time in the barren ruined lands. About the wild hunts they had to do, and the rescue missions.

Then the bell of the shop rung delicately as heavy and tired steps dragged themselves in.

“Heya guys, sorry I’m comin’ in so late there was this–” Prompto stopped talking as he took in the sight. Ignis stood in a flour coated apron and his hair mused. Gladiolus and Iris were seated by the counter, drinks in their hands and wide grins in their faces.

“Finally, the birthday boy is here. Iris, get the candles ready!” chortled out Gladiolus as he stood up and dragged the blonde in, sitting him down in front of baumkuchen, watching as the blondes’ blue eyes lit up with delight over the little decorations of chocobo in confectioners sugar.

“Wait, this is for me?” he stuttered out before looking at Ignis, who offered him the same smile that made the blonde melt inside every damn time.

“Well yes, I dare say that I thought you were not going to make it.” replied the blind man softly, looking sheepish. Iris was already in front of Prompto, placing the candles delicately on the cake, trying not to disturb the decorations before lighting them up.

“Ok guys! It’s time to sing happy birthday, come on Iggy!” Iris called out happily, bringing the man in front of the mentioned birthday boy and clapping her hands. Gladio stood next to Prompto, clapping his shoulder before turning on the candles, grinning down at the other.

“Happy birthday Prompto.”

The blonde felt his eyes sting, blinking them momentarily in the hopes of taming the weepy feeling.

“G-guys..”

“I also have a gift for you. From the three of us.” replied Ignis softly, placing a hand on the other man’s hand, nodding his head towards the cake.

“But first, make a wish.”

Nodding frantically, the blonde blew at the candles, laughing wetly as Iris ran around the counter to hug him, feeling Gladiolus ruffle at his already messy and stiff peaks of hair.

“Ok, ok, come on Iggy, let’s give him the present!” Iris looked up at the other, watching him let out a huff of a chuckle. The larger of the group was ruffling through the cabinets beneath, pulling out a medium sized box with twenty different ribbon flowers on the top of the lid.

“Woah, that’s…”

“We didn’t have much time to wrap it, Iris made up for it.” replied Ignis as he shifted for Gladiolus to put the box down in front of the blonde. Prompto bounced in his seat, eyes bright. He wondered what his friends had for him.

“Now, I know this is a bit sudden–”

“Iggy don’t spoil it! Open the surprise!” interrupted Iris, leaving the blind man flustered.

“Yeah, you’re in for a real treat.” answered Gladdy, grinning.

“Ok! Ok! Here I go!” Prompto pulled off the lid of the box, peering inside with wide eyes. The first thing that greeted him was a letter with a wax seal in black. The crest marked into the once soft seal was the Lucian Crest. His fingers shook as he peeled at the letter carefully, trying to preserve the mark. He swallowed as he read the neatly penned words. A letter of goodbye and hope from Noctis. A Thank you letter, for being there and never leaving his side. The blonde has to choke back tears but he’s quick to put away the parchment paper, catching the familiar whiff of Noctis’ cologne.

The next gift he knows are from Iris and Gladiolus because it’s a custom made behemoth hide gun-holster. It’s smooth and carefully crafted with the Amicitia crest marked on the inside. On the outside however is a beautiful gold crest emblazoned in the form of a Chocobo in midattack.

“It’s your very own crest! Noctis… he’d said that after everything, he was going to make your knighthood the real deal with a seal.” explained Iris softly, watching as Prompto looked up at the siblings, cheeks flushed red and smile wobbly.

“Aww guys…”

“No need to get soft Pom-Prom. There’s one more gift.” replied Gladio looking sheepish. Both he and Iris nudged Ignis forward, making the dirty blonde haired man clear his throat.

“I… do hope you like the proceeding gift Prompto.” began the man, looking nervous. Something he rarely did.

“I’m going to love it Igster, you know I always do!” replied Prompto peering into the box before freezing. There was no way. It must be a mistake.

“Go on, pull it out.” grumbled Gladiolus, grunting as Iris elbowed him in the side. “What? He’s taking forever?”

“You’ve forgotten romance in your old age.” griped Iris, watching as Prompto reached into the box and shakily pulled out a small black box. He snapped it open nervously, eyes growing wide at the simple ring nestled within. The band wasn’t anything spectacular, just the same metal as the skull necklace that Ignis had received from Noctis. The inset stone however, was spectacularly odd.  It seemed to almost glow, the blue that tinted it sometimes looking violet in certain angles. Like his eyes.

“I… Ignis?” stammered out Prompto, looking up at the man who cleared his throat once more.

“I believe that after 15 years or so of celebrating birthdays together, and tiptoeing around feelings of affection–at least on my end… That it would be beneficial of us to take the next step in our relationship.” Ignis moved his visor off his face, revealing the healed over scar on his face, eyelashes melted together with skin on the right of his face. It was smooth now, and silvery. His other eye made pale by the opaque white film that had developed from the damage he’d received. He normally never exposed himself that way, but it seemed almost necessary.

“I’m not… perhaps the most charming of suitors anymore. But I would hope perhaps–with all the intimate years we’ve shared. Well, that perhaps you’d–”

He didn’t get to finish his sentence, because Prompto had launched himself over the counter and straight at the other man, a wet warbling ‘Yes!’ leaving the blondes lips.

Gladio and Iris both crowded the new couple, eagerly hugging the living daylights out of the crying blonde and the flushed ex-advisor.

“Iggy this is… this is the greatest thing /ever/.” replied Prompto sometime after partaking of his cake and holstering his gun lionheart in it’s new home. The blonde seemed content with his gifts, staring in awe at the simple yet lovely ring in his hand. Ignis could hear the hitches in his breath and the happy little warbling humming. The familiar tune that Prompto always liked to sing of about Chocobos.

He couldn’t help himself. He was utterly in love.

[thebloopixie]

Ok so I’ve had major issues with wheat flour bread for ages, by ages it’s closer to 20ish years. If I have too much I end up coughing up phlegm that is so prolific that I end up feeling as if I’m drowning. Recently I watched I program about sour dough bread and how our baking process has changed so dramatically over the last 100 years. Creating a sour dough starter changes the structure of the gluten that yeast doesn’t. It’s the process we have used for millennia whether it was with amaranth, rye, barley, spelt or even more recently wheat/corn. Sure our evolution hasn’t given us enough time to truly cope with the gluten levels in wheat let alone the amount of pesticides we dump on them; I digress. The point is fermenting a bread dough starter makes the bread easier to digest. The gluten is broken down in a way that makes it far more digestible to humans. For my own experience after spending the last week creating a starter and finally today baking my first loaves, I have to say this... I have eaten the first half of the sun dried tomato, spring onion and vegan feta loaf for my dinner... I’m fine!!! No coughing (other than from the laryngitis I have) no phlegm, no drowning, no bloating, my breathing is stable and not as restricted, and frankly I could go for some dessert!!! I will be experimenting more, my starter is huge!!! Who knows where else this will go!?! All I know is that bread for me is quite probably back on the menu and I have an ancient sour dough method to thank for it. #thebloopixie #bloosfood #sourdough #baking #instafood #foodstagram #breadmaking #traditionalbaking https://www.instagram.com/p/BzGrgZ3DGn6/?igshid=gd88rz3ac2ji

[einstein-robin-hood-blog]

The Lord of the Subs, by J.R.R. Tolkein (excerpt)

Part 1 - The Fellowship of the Sub

“The subs have changed. I feel it in the bread. I feel it in the cheese. I smell it in the wide variety of fresh vegetable toppings - always available at no extra cost. Dressings that once were are lost,” Flotilla Baggins mused as she bit into her tuna sub.

“Maybe if you didn’t smoke so much pipeweed, things would taste bettter,” her husband, Bongsilt Baggins, responded.

“I don’t smoke that much pipeweed,” Flotilla barked.

“Oh yes, you do, my dear,” ventured Bongsilt.

“Oh no I don’t.”

“Oh yes you do.”

“Oh no I don’t.”

(EDITOR’S NOTE: 14 lines omitted.)

“Oh yes you do.”

“FINE! I’M GOING OUT,” Flotilla erupted.

“AND WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU’RE GOING?”

“TO THE PAINT AND SIP, WHERE THEY TREAT PEOPLE DECENTLY.”

“LIAR!  IT’S WEDNESDAY AND THE PAINT AND SIP IS CLOSED ON WEDNESDAYS,” Bongsilt responded.

“YOU MORON. THAT’S THE PAINT AND SIP IN HOBBITON, I’M TALKING ABOUT THE PAINT AND SIP IN HARDBOTTLE.”

“The Paint and Sip in Hardbottle closes at eight o’clock on Wednesdays. You better hurry if you want to have enough time to paint. And sip.”

“OK. Fine.”

“Fine.”

Part 2 - The Tuna Towers

Bongsilt Baggins was one of the richest hobbits in Hobbiton. He owned  six Paint and Sips, spread throughout the Shire: franchises in Hobbiton, Hardbottle, Mansocket, Hairypits, Festering Toe, and Odd Discharge. He also owned the vineyard that supplied the wine to the Paint and Sips, and the mine that was the source of the ores needed to make the paint pigment used at the Paint and Sips.

Bongsilt had been raised in a life of privilege. He was sired by John D. Rockefeller, founder of Standard Pipeweed and widely considered to be the wealthiest hobbit of all time. John D. was descended from the Mansocket Bagginses, whose distant ancestor was Backbeard Baggins, renowned for his long, luxurious back hair. Backbeard was father to Crooked Pinkie Baggins, who was father to ... (EDITOR’S NOTE: 36 lines omitted.) ... who was father to John D.

Bongsilt’s wife Flotilla, on the other hand, was raised in Squalidtown. She was the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter. Her mother, Peaches Downbelow, was a woman of impressive girth who was unstoppable on the rugby pitch. Flotilla was Bongsilt’s first hire at the Hobbiton Paint and Sip. Once Bongsilt gazed upon Flotilla’s own mighty hips while she wrestled a keg of wine into place behind the bar, his heart was hers.

Part 3 - Return of the King-Sized Sub

It was a warm June evening in Hobbiton. Bongsilt sat alone at the rough hewn oak table in his Great Room. Flotilla was down at the Hobbiton Paint and Sip, now open until 10 on weekends. Bongsilt’s repast was simple: an artichoke waffle, activated watercress balls, and some rubbed spelt.

As he lifted a third watercress ball to his mouth, a knock came to the door. It flung wide open before Bongsilt had a chance to get up.

“BONGSILT, YOU MAGNIFICENT BASTARD, LET ME HAVE A LOOK AT YOU,” a thunderous voice filled the room. It was Jerkalf, master wizard of Sodden Earth.

“Jerkalf, my friend, um, to what do I owe this honor,” Bongsilt managed to get out.

“I’ll tell you what, homeslice: I’ve got twelve hearty dwarves coming up the path, and we aim to hunt for the lost chipotle mayonnaise recipe. The evil wizard Soretoe has a fleet of boats that supply him with all the tuna he needs, and his fields and gardens in Stinktown keep him fully stocked with flour and fresh vegetables - always available at no extra cost. If he acquires the recipe for chipotle mayonnaise, he will have cornered the tuna sub market and he will be unstoppable.”

Just then, as promised, twelve hearty dwarves burst through the door. Their apparent leader, who went by the name of Gizmo, embraced Bongsilt and exclaimed: “A fervid hello from the dwarves of Shortytown, Master Baggins. Tales of the splendor of your larder have reached as far as Crapville. Before we partake of your legendary hospitality, allow us to regale you with a song.”

All twelve dwarves then began to sing:

Hi dee ho,

Skippity dee dee dees,

Hi dee ho,

Pass me the chee chee cheese ..

(EDITOR’S NOTE: 125 lines omitted.)

[davidfosterwallaceatyahoodotcom]

Ok I'm gonna jump in here because yes.

My day job is selling artisan bread (mostly sourdough, some with house milled flour, all delicious, like a dozen kinds on a typical day and like 16 on weekends) in this ridiculously "upscale" "market" which is actually a stupid expensive food court (there were like two purely retail locations and one just jumped ship this week).

So as part of my job, I get to give people bread samples. Sometimes the bread just came out of the oven and is warm and fragrant. Sometimes it's the end of the night and I'm just trying to cut up a loaf so I don't have to deal with it while closing.

It doesn't matter. People go apeshit.

Sometimes they will take one sample (two or three bites) and then take another while pretending to think about what they want and then buy the loaf they just tried and then take another one while walking away. Sometimes it's "I can't carry a loaf around, can I just buy a slice?" Sometimes I'll hear "I drove four hours for this. Give me seven loaves and two big boxes of croissants." Sometimes, "I'm the only one who eats bread in my house, will this freeze?"

And sometimes people tell me that this bread is "dangerous" and that they wouldn't be able to do my job (ostensibly because they would eat all the bread, which is kind of why I keep working there for $10 an hour). Or they'll ask for more samples "to take to my wife" (just buy a loaf my guy) or "oh this is so good, can I try that other one there?" And sometimes they will make several laps around the market so they can try several kinds. And smart (but annoying) money shows up fifteen minutes before we close so they can buy a discounted loaf because we bake fresh every day.

But there's one thing I hear, across the board, several times a day, and it has stage directions:

Customer: (sighing in near-orgasmic delight) I LOVE bread.

(the other thing I hear several times a day is "...and what is spelt?")

homemade bread is so powerful...it turns people into ducks

[thuthao080800]

How is it that in all of this time blogging and baking things, I’ve never posted a classic vegan zucchini bread recipe? I’m correcting that today, having happily enjoyed this moist, tender loaf in the past week.

This is a really great thing to do with all the zucchini that might be stacking up at your local farmer’s market. Or, if you have a garden and it’s teeming with zucchini right now, this is one place that your vegetables can go.

Why this is my favorite vegan zucchini bread

Here’s what I love about this quickbread: simplicity. It’s pretty much a one bowl recipe. No complicated steps, as with this pumpkin chocolate marble loaf. No mix-ins aside from the zucchini, though you’re welcome to add chocolate chips or nuts if they’re calling to you. Unlike a lot of quickbreads that I make, it isn’t heavily loaded with autumnal baking spices. It’s only mildly spiced with cinnamon.

The loaf is plenty moist and tender, thanks to the zucchini. And that’s what stands out about it: no bells or whistles, nothing more or less. It’s delicious the way it is. Like many of my favorite baked goods—banana bread, cranberry walnut muffins, and more—it’s nice as an afternoon treat and also very nice at breakfast.

Classic vegan zucchini bread tips

Zucchini prep

There are lots of approaches to handling the zucchini in zucchini bread. Some recipes call for leaving the grated zucchini as moist as it is upon grating. Others call for squeezing the zucchini before adding it to batter, so as not to make an overly wet loaf.

For this classic vegan zucchini bread, I took a middle-of-the-road approach, pressing my grated zucchini gently with a tea towel to remove a little extra moisture, but not squeezing it dry. It’s the perfect amount of moisture, at least for me!

Proportions

Most zucchini recipes that I’ve looked at have a range of one to two cups of grated zucchini. I found that two was too much (my loaf turned out “salady,” to quote this column). On the other hand, the zucchini seemed to get lost when I used only a cup.

In the end, I went for a cup and a half, or about 145 grams. It’s a lightly packed, level cup. If you like a more cake-like texture in your quickbreads, you can grate your zucchini on a microplane grater, as I do in my favorite carrot cake recipe. If you do use finely grated zucchini, one and one quarter cups is perfect (and should also be about 145 grams).

Keep it simple (and skip the egg replacer)

You’ll see that this recipe doesn’t call for egg replacer of any kind. I often find that quickbreads don’t really need an egg replacer to rise and have good structure. Adding flax egg to a loaf or muffin unnecessarily can make for a gummy texture, at least in my experience. And I love using aquafaba, but I usually save it for layer cakes and cookies, which have more delicate texture.

There’s no flax egg, yogurt, mashed banana, or applesauce in this classic vegan zucchini bread. Just vegetable oil and vegan buttermilk (non-dairy milk + lemon) in the wet ingredients. The combination of leavening agent and buttermilk is really enough to help this bread rise and keep its shape.

Don’t rush the baking time

Speaking of, I tend to find that my quick breads can be a little flat—or even sunken on top—unless I bake them about 5 minutes longer than I think I need to. The same goes for this recipe. I had the nicest rise when I left the bread in the oven for at least a full fifty minutes. Fifty-five minutes didn’t hurt. A longer baking time means a beautiful, deep golden exterior and a light, set interior.

Ingredient swaps and subs

I used all-purpose flour for this recipe, though I’m pretty sure that white whole wheat or light spelt flour would work as well. If there’s a gluten free flour mix that you love and use often, you can swap it directly for the all-purpose flour.

In place of oil, you can try using applesauce or non-dairy yogurt. I haven’t tried either in this loaf yet, but I’ve had good results with both substitutes in other quickbreads. Sometimes, I stir a little tahini into either applesauce or yogurt for extra moisture.

As I mentioned, I kept the spices pretty minimal here, so that the simplicity of the vegan zucchini bread could shine through. But you’re welcome to add a spice that you love to the batter. A pinch of cardamom, some nutmeg, and a bit of ground ginger would all be very nice.

Print

Classic Vegan Zucchini Bread

The best vegan zucchini bread recipe: simple, tender, moist, and light. Put all of your summer zucchini to good use in this delightful afternoon treat!

Course baked good, baked goods, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine can be gluten free, can be nut free, can be soy free, no oil option, vegan

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword bread, quickbread, summer, zucchini

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings 10 slices

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups (210 g) unbleached, all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 cup (177 mL) non-dairy milk

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 cup (96 g) cane sugar

1/2 cup (108 g) lightly packed brown sugar

1/3 cup vegetable oil (such as safflower, grapeseed, canola, or melted coconut)

1 1/2 cups (145 g) grated zucchini, pressed gently with paper towels or cloth to remove some moisture 

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350F and lightly grease or oil an 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.75 inch nonstick loaf pan.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and soda, salt, and cinnamon.

In a separate bowl, combine the non-dairy milk and lemon juice. Allow it to sit for a moment. Then, stir in the sugars and oil. Whisk the wet ingredients together.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and use a spatula or spoon to fold them together. When the batter is fully mixed (some small clumps are OK, but you shouldn't have any more streaks of flour visible), fold in the zucchini.

Pour the batter into your baking pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until the loaf is golden brown and the top is domed and set. Start checking the loaf at 45 minutes, just to be certain that it's not burning or cooking too quickly.

Allow the loaf to cool on a cooling rack for 15-20 minutes before turning it out of the loaf pan. Then, gently invert it to remove the loaf from the pan. Allow the bread to cool completely—another 2-3 hours—before slicing and serving. Store leftover slices in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 6 weeks.

It’s funny: zucchini always registers in my mind as a late summer vegetable. And so zucchini treats are usually something that I make in August and September, even into October. It’s hitting me for the first time that August is really and truly in full swing.

I guess that quick passage of time is the least remarkable thing to say about this strange period we’re all living through. But still, where did the unusual summer of 2020 go? I’ve so appreciated having warm weather as part of reopening in NYC: it makes sitting and walking and meeting outdoors a lot easier.

I’m intent on enjoying this last official month of summer as much as I possibly can, regardless of the circumstances and all that’s happening in the world. Zucchini bread is one extra way to make it sweet.

Till Sunday,

xo

The post Classic Vegan Zucchini Bread appeared first on The Full Helping.

Nguồn: The Full Helping https://www.thefullhelping.com/vegan-zucchini-bread/ Xem thêm: https://thuthao080800.blogspot.com https://hocnauan.edu.vn/day-nau-an/mon-chay

[benjamingarden]

Weekending

It's summer!!!!!  We've had quite a bit of rain but the temps are up!  This is the time of year that it feels like there is way more to do than time to do it.  Outdoor projects must be completed before fall sets in.  It's a super busy time of the year for our soap & skincare business, there are indoor projects pulling at us, and of course, the garden. J was able to get the entire house, roof, deck, and porches power washed.  It hasn't been done in a few years and it definitely needed it.  Although it only took 2 days to complete, that was a very large project checked off of the list.  I've also been taking care of my mom for a couple of months now (I wrote about this in Friday's newsletter.  If you don't receive it, you can view a copy here.).

In The Garden Let's start with the garden, shall we? I planted a MUCH smaller garden this year.  And now that I'm also caretaking, I'm very happy that I did.  It is doing well.  I've been thinking about replacing the netting we previously used for a couple of years.  I wanted something stronger that could also hold smaller varieties of winter squash.  I've seen cattle panels used quite a bit and decided that's what I wanted.  More on that in an upcoming post.  Let's just say my husband wasn't a fan but I got my way.  😉

The broccoli is doing ok.  What our woodchuck didn't demolish anyway.  I'm going to re-plant for a fall harvest.  There's a ton of green tomatoes.�� Just waiting for the very first glimpse of red.  And then there's the pear tree.  Do you remember me sharing that we don't spray our fruit trees?  This means there's no consistency with the fruit.  Well, our pear tree is a tree grafted with 5 varieties of pears.  Out of those 5 varieties, we have.....wait for it......2 Anjou pears. No, you aren't reading that wrong.  Two (2).  That's the number. The other 4 varieties are, apparently, on hiatus.  So, if you were thinking of dropping by the end of summer and grabbing a beautiful fresh pear off of our pear tree, think again.  J has dibs on one and I have dibs on the other.  They are both spoken for.  Sorry!  I can, however, offer you a beautiful (and tasty) Asian Pear.  That tree is absolutely LOADED this year.

In The Coop The coop girls are doing very well.  They are laying plenty of eggs which makes the people of the homestead quite happy.  And of course they receive plenty of goodies, which in turn makes them very happy.  They love fruit and greens and still adore carbs. The broccoli and bean plant stealing woodchuck who uses our property as a pass through (and a lunch box apparently) really upsets them for some reason.  He doesn't even pay them any attention, and his path is quite a few feet away from the coop, so I'm not sure what gets them all upset but my-oh-my do they squawk and chatter when he's spotted on the compound.  All activity stops as they stand like statues and holler out warning squawks.  Then they all run inside the coop like Armageddon is coming.  There's a flurry of feathers and dust left swirling outside.  It's pretty funny.

In The Kitchen It's strawberry & rhubarb season!!  We have celebrated with Rhubarb Bread, Strawberry Spinach Salad (I adapted this recipe by using pureed berries and a touch of honey with a little water or veggie broth to make it pourable rather than using jam & oil), and Strawberries & Biscuits as well as plenty of raw berries.  I won't be making any jam this year.  I'm trying to reduce my sugar consumption down to rarely eating it.  With everything happening with my mother, and knowing genetics is concerning, I'm working even harder to ensure I'm eating as healthy as possible.  Summer squash, greens, sugar snap peas & broccoli are ready as well.  I did not get peas planted in time so I've been purchasing them at the farmer's market. I've been thinking a lot about milling my own flour for bread.  I know, I know .... adding another thing to my to-do list.  The thing that's holding me back is that we don't eat a lot of bread.  Maybe once or twice a week.  I'd love to hear from any of you who mill your own flour.  Do you think it's worth doing?  What mill do you have and do you like it? I've been making homemade sourdough bread as well as trying out some spelt bread recipes.  I'm going to work more with Einkorn flour next.  I've worked with it a bit in the past but would like to find time to try again.

Oliver Ollie is doing very well.  Although I don't think he really enjoys going to the farmer's market with us (because we're there for 7 hours) he definitely does not like being left home.  We've had so much rain on Sunday's that this has happened for a few market days.  I don't see a point in bringing him in the pouring rain so he stays home.  And that boy can pout!  He snubs me, snubs his dog cookies, and sulks for a bit to let me know I've upset him. He's enjoying a lot of deck time in the sun.  His very favorite summer activity is to supervise our side street.  He has never liked white vehicles, white vans in particular, so he enjoys really laying into them when they have the audacity to drive down his street.

The Business It's summer which means the soap & skincare business is very busy.  Our Sunday farmer's market has had some struggles because we've received quite a bit of rained out days so (thankfully) we've seen an increase in online sales.  We had one craft show in June which was a little slow and will have more in July & August that are typically pretty busy. One thing we've learned about both farmer's markets and craft shows is that you just don't know year-to-year what they will be like.  Although our market has been pretty consistent for us in years past, last year and this year it's definitely slowed a bit.  Last year we also had two craft shows that we previously did amazing at that we only did ok at.  We try to figure out if there's anything we can change but sometimes it just comes down to that you have to ride out the wave and see if the momentum comes back. This & That I'm going gray!  Yup, I've been fighting gray hair since my mid-twenties (thanks genetics!) and I'm done with coloring my hair.  So, for just over a month I've been letting my gray grow out.  I honestly didn't anticipate doing this until I was in my 50's but I'm so tired of sitting in a hair salon for 3 hours every 3 weeks (my hair grows very fast), and I'm tired of spending the money on it, and most importantly, no matter how "natural" any hair coloring claims to be it isn't.  That's just the truth - it can't possibly be good for you (I know henna is fine but I'm not interested in going through the trouble of figuring that out).  And so I will be completely gray within 1 year.  I'll do a post on it at some point because I think it's a pretty emotional issue.  I've wished I had the nerve to do this for years so I'm sure others struggle with the decision as well. I know I'll look older but I'm ok with it, so the decision has been made.  It's actually kind of freeing to not care about what others think at all.  I would love to hear from you about your experience with this!

Hoping you had a wonderful weekend!!

Weekending was originally posted by My Favorite Chicken Blogs(benjamingardening)

[oovitus]

Weekend Reading, 6.3.18

It’s been another weekend of Kleenex, Netflix, and soup—i.e., another lousy cold. I say “another” because colds have been pretty constant this year so far, though this one was definitely the worst I’ve had (bad enough that I got a rapid strep test; the doctor at urgent care also saw me with the sprained wrist a few weeks ago, and we had a laugh about how this isn’t my body’s month).

When I wrote about being run down in April, I mentioned the importance of respecting my body wherever it is—whether I’m exhausted or energized, sick or well. I also wrote about how feeing ill, especially for prolonged periods of time, can sometimes summon up my orthorexic tendencies, challenging the part of me that still struggles with my body not being as I’d like it to be.

The last two days have definitely brought all of this up. I’d been feeling better since graduation and hoping that leaving behind the past semester and all of its associated stagnancy and burnout would bring me back to “normal.” I put quotes around this word because I understand intellectually that bodies are always changing with time, and our baseline senses of normalcy are bound to evolve. But the truth is that I’m still clinging to an old vision of what health looks like for me.

I don’t mean that I’m ready to accept constant sniffles and feeling run down as the way things need to be or will always be—in other words, I don’t perceive the way I’ve been feeling lately as my new norm. It’s communicating weariness, and there’s a spiritual dimension to all of this, too, a soul sickness that I’m working through and have been for some time.

But it’s time to accept that what it takes to keep me healthy—as I understand and experience health—has changed dramatically in the last decade. I have to be a lot more careful than I used to be about how I take care of myself. I have to heed my body’s cues sooner and more sensitively than I did in the past, because ignoring even small signals tends to place me in the hands of some bug or another. I need more sleep than I used to. I’ve had to completely redefine what a reasonable day’s workload looks like. And while I’ve always enjoyed being mindful of nutrition because nutrition and food fascinate me, I need solid nutrition now because my well-being depends on it.

I’ve known this for a while; when I was leaving DC, having dealt with several major viral and bacterial infections in only a couple years—not to mention chronic lack of sleep—I could already sense that I’d been physically changed by my post-bacc experience. How true that premonition was, but a part of me still wants to ignore it. Long after I gave up my anorexic attachment to lightness and smallness, I retained an attachment to being lively and quick, which I fueled by pushing my limits and ignoring the warning signs of fatigue.

Just as I’ve learned to maintain and nurture an identity that isn’t confined by the underweight body I used to feel at home in, I’m now learning to inhabit a body that demands more of my attention and care. Once again, I’m being asked to be comfortable with the idea of physical necessity and hunger—not for food, but for whole body nourishment.

I hope that over time I won’t perceive this as inhabitation so much as true embodiment—really being in and of my body. Right now, there’s still some curiosity, confusion, and feelings of distance as I befriend a physical self that is slower and much more sensitive than the one I’m used to. That’s OK. Friendships can be built gradually.

On that note, it’s time for soothing food, rest, some fun TV, and another pint or so of tea. And some beautiful recipes to gaze at, because I experience all things culinary as medicine!

Recipes

Oh, this is my kind of snack: wholesome, whole grain vegan blueberry muffins, made with spelt flour and rolled oats.

I’m loving my friend Alexandra’s mustardy new potato and asparagus salad (just look at the crispiness of those spuds!).

June isn’t exactly pot pie season in my part of the world, but Joscelyn’s vegetable pot pie looks so hearty and delicious that I just may need to try it soon.

Clearly, I need to get on the BBQ waffle iron tofu bandwagon—a totally genius idea from Susan of FFVK.

I spied Alexandra’s Moroccan carrot salad with harissa and avocado a few weeks ago, and I’ve been dying to make it ever since, and then to slather it on a piece of her wonderful bread.

Reads

1. I’m not sure how separate I think acedia is from depression and vice versa—at least for me—but I’d never even heard of the term until I read this article. The apathy and inertia Benjamin Sledge describes are certainly familiar components of my own experience of depression, and it was interesting to read about how commonplace they seem to be.

2. Outright potassium deficiency is incredibly dangerous, and I’ve never come across it in my work, but potassium insufficiency is a lot more common. Here are 6 telltale signs.

3. I’m always surprised at how little media attention and constructive advice is devoted to Binge Eating Disorder (BED), which is the most common type of ED in the United States by far. I like Christy Brissette’s tips for dealing with it, and I definitely echo her emphasis on regularly paced, nourishing mealtimes and snacks, as well as quitting restrictive and hypocaloric diets.

4. A new randomized trial with a large sample size suggests that lower fat eating patterns are associated with better breast cancer survival rates in women. In real world dietary terms, this would almost definitely mean placing a greater emphasis on plant foods.

5. A new health study examined the cost efficiency of plant-based diets as well as their appropriateness for overweight patients who were seeking to healthfully lose weight. As it turned out, plant-centric eating patterns were economical as well as effective for weight management. It’s great to see cost examined directly here, as fear of higher grocery bills is a big concern for many folks who are trying to eat lower on the food pyramid.

One upside of having a cold is the creamy, tasty cauliflower turmeric soup I made yesterday, which I’ll be blogging about soon. But first, this week, I’m sharing the simple balsamic tahini dressing that I’ve been calling my “everything dressing” lately, for obvious reasons.

Till soon!

xo

The post Weekend Reading, 6.3.18 appeared first on The Full Helping.

Weekend Reading, 6.3.18 published first on https://storeseapharmacy.tumblr.com

[benjamingarden]

Weekending

It's summer!!!!!  We've had quite a bit of rain but the temps are up!  This is the time of year that it feels like there is way more to do than time to do it.  Outdoor projects must be completed before fall sets in.  It's a super busy time of the year for our soap & skincare business, there are indoor projects pulling at us, and of course, the garden. J was able to get the entire house, roof, deck, and porches power washed.  It hasn't been done in a few years and it definitely needed it.  Although it only took 2 days to complete, that was a very large project checked off of the list.  I've also been taking care of my mom for a couple of months now (I wrote about this in Friday's newsletter.  If you don't receive it, you can view a copy here.).

In The Garden Let's start with the garden, shall we? I planted a MUCH smaller garden this year.  And now that I'm also caretaking, I'm very happy that I did.  It is doing well.  I've been thinking about replacing the netting we previously used for a couple of years.  I wanted something stronger that could also hold smaller varieties of winter squash.  I've seen cattle panels used quite a bit and decided that's what I wanted.  More on that in an upcoming post.  Let's just say my husband wasn't a fan but I got my way.  😉

The broccoli is doing ok.  What our woodchuck didn't demolish anyway.  I'm going to re-plant for a fall harvest.  There's a ton of green tomatoes.  Just waiting for the very first glimpse of red.  And then there's the pear tree.  Do you remember me sharing that we don't spray our fruit trees?  This means there's no consistency with the fruit.  Well, our pear tree is a tree grafted with 5 varieties of pears.  Out of those 5 varieties, we have.....wait for it......2 Anjou pears. No, you aren't reading that wrong.  Two (2).  That's the number. The other 4 varieties are, apparently, on hiatus.  So, if you were thinking of dropping by the end of summer and grabbing a beautiful fresh pear off of our pear tree, think again.  J has dibs on one and I have dibs on the other.  They are both spoken for.  Sorry!  I can, however, offer you a beautiful (and tasty) Asian Pear.  That tree is absolutely LOADED this year.

In The Coop The coop girls are doing very well.  They are laying plenty of eggs which makes the people of the homestead quite happy.  And of course they receive plenty of goodies, which in turn makes them very happy.  They love fruit and greens and still adore carbs. The broccoli and bean plant stealing woodchuck who uses our property as a pass through (and a lunch box apparently) really upsets them for some reason.  He doesn't even pay them any attention, and his path is quite a few feet away from the coop, so I'm not sure what gets them all upset but my-oh-my do they squawk and chatter when he's spotted on the compound.  All activity stops as they stand like statues and holler out warning squawks.  Then they all run inside the coop like Armageddon is coming.  There's a flurry of feathers and dust left swirling outside.  It's pretty funny.

In The Kitchen It's strawberry & rhubarb season!!  We have celebrated with Rhubarb Bread, Strawberry Spinach Salad (I adapted this recipe by using pureed berries and a touch of honey with a little water or veggie broth to make it pourable rather than using jam & oil), and Strawberries & Biscuits as well as plenty of raw berries.  I won't be making any jam this year.  I'm trying to reduce my sugar consumption down to rarely eating it.  With everything happening with my mother, and knowing genetics is concerning, I'm working even harder to ensure I'm eating as healthy as possible.  Summer squash, greens, sugar snap peas & broccoli are ready as well.  I did not get peas planted in time so I've been purchasing them at the farmer's market. I've been thinking a lot about milling my own flour for bread.  I know, I know .... adding another thing to my to-do list.  The thing that's holding me back is that we don't eat a lot of bread.  Maybe once or twice a week.  I'd love to hear from any of you who mill your own flour.  Do you think it's worth doing?  What mill do you have and do you like it? I've been making homemade sourdough bread as well as trying out some spelt bread recipes.  I'm going to work more with Einkorn flour next.  I've worked with it a bit in the past but would like to find time to try again.

Oliver Ollie is doing very well.  Although I don't think he really enjoys going to the farmer's market with us (because we're there for 7 hours) he definitely does not like being left home.  We've had so much rain on Sunday's that this has happened for a few market days.  I don't see a point in bringing him in the pouring rain so he stays home.  And that boy can pout!  He snubs me, snubs his dog cookies, and sulks for a bit to let me know I've upset him. He's enjoying a lot of deck time in the sun.  His very favorite summer activity is to supervise our side street.  He has never liked white vehicles, white vans in particular, so he enjoys really laying into them when they have the audacity to drive down his street.

The Business It's summer which means the soap & skincare business is very busy.  Our Sunday farmer's market has had some struggles because we've received quite a bit of rained out days so (thankfully) we've seen an increase in online sales.  We had one craft show in June which was a little slow and will have more in July & August that are typically pretty busy. One thing we've learned about both farmer's markets and craft shows is that you just don't know year-to-year what they will be like.  Although our market has been pretty consistent for us in years past, last year and this year it's definitely slowed a bit.  Last year we also had two craft shows that we previously did amazing at that we only did ok at.  We try to figure out if there's anything we can change but sometimes it just comes down to that you have to ride out the wave and see if the momentum comes back. This & That I'm going gray!  Yup, I've been fighting gray hair since my mid-twenties (thanks genetics!) and I'm done with coloring my hair.  So, for just over a month I've been letting my gray grow out.  I honestly didn't anticipate doing this until I was in my 50's but I'm so tired of sitting in a hair salon for 3 hours every 3 weeks (my hair grows very fast), and I'm tired of spending the money on it, and most importantly, no matter how "natural" any hair coloring claims to be it isn't.  That's just the truth - it can't possibly be good for you (I know henna is fine but I'm not interested in going through the trouble of figuring that out).  And so I will be completely gray within 1 year.  I'll do a post on it at some point because I think it's a pretty emotional issue.  I've wished I had the nerve to do this for years so I'm sure others struggle with the decision as well. I know I'll look older but I'm ok with it, so the decision has been made.  It's actually kind of freeing to not care about what others think at all.  I would love to hear from you about your experience with this!

Hoping you had a wonderful weekend!!

Weekending was originally posted by My Favorite Chicken Blogs(benjamingardening)

[oovitus]

Weekend Reading, 6.3.18

It’s been another weekend of Kleenex, Netflix, and soup—i.e., another lousy cold. I say “another” because colds have been pretty constant this year so far, though this one was definitely the worst I’ve had (bad enough that I got a rapid strep test; the doctor at urgent care also saw me with the sprained wrist a few weeks ago, and we had a laugh about how this isn’t my body’s month).

When I wrote about being run down in April, I mentioned the importance of respecting my body wherever it is—whether I’m exhausted or energized, sick or well. I also wrote about how feeing ill, especially for prolonged periods of time, can sometimes summon up my orthorexic tendencies, challenging the part of me that still struggles with my body not being as I’d like it to be.

The last two days have definitely brought all of this up. I’d been feeling better since graduation and hoping that leaving behind the past semester and all of its associated stagnancy and burnout would bring me back to “normal.” I put quotes around this word because I understand intellectually that bodies are always changing with time, and our baseline senses of normalcy are bound to evolve. But the truth is that I’m still clinging to an old vision of what health looks like for me.

I don’t mean that I’m ready to accept constant sniffles and feeling run down as the way things need to be or will always be—in other words, I don’t perceive the way I’ve been feeling lately as my new norm. It’s communicating weariness, and there’s a spiritual dimension to all of this, too, a soul sickness that I’m working through and have been for some time.

But it’s time to accept that what it takes to keep me healthy—as I understand and experience health—has changed dramatically in the last decade. I have to be a lot more careful than I used to be about how I take care of myself. I have to heed my body’s cues sooner and more sensitively than I did in the past, because ignoring even small signals tends to place me in the hands of some bug or another. I need more sleep than I used to. I’ve had to completely redefine what a reasonable day’s workload looks like. And while I’ve always enjoyed being mindful of nutrition because nutrition and food fascinate me, I need solid nutrition now because my well-being depends on it.

I’ve known this for a while; when I was leaving DC, having dealt with several major viral and bacterial infections in only a couple years—not to mention chronic lack of sleep—I could already sense that I’d been physically changed by my post-bacc experience. How true that premonition was, but a part of me still wants to ignore it. Long after I gave up my anorexic attachment to lightness and smallness, I retained an attachment to being lively and quick, which I fueled by pushing my limits and ignoring the warning signs of fatigue.

Just as I’ve learned to maintain and nurture an identity that isn’t confined by the underweight body I used to feel at home in, I’m now learning to inhabit a body that demands more of my attention and care. Once again, I’m being asked to be comfortable with the idea of physical necessity and hunger—not for food, but for whole body nourishment.

I hope that over time I won’t perceive this as inhabitation so much as true embodiment—really being in and of my body. Right now, there’s still some curiosity, confusion, and feelings of distance as I befriend a physical self that is slower and much more sensitive than the one I’m used to. That’s OK. Friendships can be built gradually.

On that note, it’s time for soothing food, rest, some fun TV, and another pint or so of tea. And some beautiful recipes to gaze at, because I experience all things culinary as medicine!

Recipes

Oh, this is my kind of snack: wholesome, whole grain vegan blueberry muffins, made with spelt flour and rolled oats.

I’m loving my friend Alexandra’s mustardy new potato and asparagus salad (just look at the crispiness of those spuds!).

June isn’t exactly pot pie season in my part of the world, but Joscelyn’s vegetable pot pie looks so hearty and delicious that I just may need to try it soon.

Clearly, I need to get on the BBQ waffle iron tofu bandwagon—a totally genius idea from Susan of FFVK.

I spied Alexandra’s Moroccan carrot salad with harissa and avocado a few weeks ago, and I’ve been dying to make it ever since, and then to slather it on a piece of her wonderful bread.

Reads

1. I’m not sure how separate I think acedia is from depression and vice versa—at least for me—but I’d never even heard of the term until I read this article. The apathy and inertia Benjamin Sledge describes are certainly familiar components of my own experience of depression, and it was interesting to read about how commonplace they seem to be.

2. Outright potassium deficiency is incredibly dangerous, and I’ve never come across it in my work, but potassium insufficiency is a lot more common. Here are 6 telltale signs.

3. I’m always surprised at how little media attention and constructive advice is devoted to Binge Eating Disorder (BED), which is the most common type of ED in the United States by far. I like Christy Brissette’s tips for dealing with it, and I definitely echo her emphasis on regularly paced, nourishing mealtimes and snacks, as well as quitting restrictive and hypocaloric diets.

4. A new randomized trial with a large sample size suggests that lower fat eating patterns are associated with better breast cancer survival rates in women. In real world dietary terms, this would almost definitely mean placing a greater emphasis on plant foods.

5. A new health study examined the cost efficiency of plant-based diets as well as their appropriateness for overweight patients who were seeking to healthfully lose weight. As it turned out, plant-centric eating patterns were economical as well as effective for weight management. It’s great to see cost examined directly here, as fear of higher grocery bills is a big concern for many folks who are trying to eat lower on the food pyramid.

One upside of having a cold is the creamy, tasty cauliflower turmeric soup I made yesterday, which I’ll be blogging about soon. But first, this week, I’m sharing the simple balsamic tahini dressing that I’ve been calling my “everything dressing” lately, for obvious reasons.

Till soon!

xo

The post Weekend Reading, 6.3.18 appeared first on The Full Helping.

Weekend Reading, 6.3.18 published first on

[oovitus]

Weekend Reading, 6.3.18

It’s been another weekend of Kleenex, Netflix, and soup—i.e., another lousy cold. I say “another” because colds have been pretty constant this year so far, though this one was definitely the worst I’ve had (bad enough that I got a rapid strep test; the doctor at urgent care also saw me with the sprained wrist a few weeks ago, and we had a laugh about how this isn’t my body’s month).

When I wrote about being run down in April, I mentioned the importance of respecting my body wherever it is—whether I’m exhausted or energized, sick or well. I also wrote about how feeing ill, especially for prolonged periods of time, can sometimes summon up my orthorexic tendencies, challenging the part of me that still struggles with my body not being as I’d like it to be.

The last two days have definitely brought all of this up. I’d been feeling better since graduation and hoping that leaving behind the past semester and all of its associated stagnancy and burnout would bring me back to “normal.” I put quotes around this word because I understand intellectually that bodies are always changing with time, and our baseline senses of normalcy are bound to evolve. But the truth is that I’m still clinging to an old vision of what health looks like for me.

I don’t mean that I’m ready to accept constant sniffles and feeling run down as the way things need to be or will always be—in other words, I don’t perceive the way I’ve been feeling lately as my new norm. It’s communicating weariness, and there’s a spiritual dimension to all of this, too, a soul sickness that I’m working through and have been for some time.

But it’s time to accept that what it takes to keep me healthy—as I understand and experience health—has changed dramatically in the last decade. I have to be a lot more careful than I used to be about how I take care of myself. I have to heed my body’s cues sooner and more sensitively than I did in the past, because ignoring even small signals tends to place me in the hands of some bug or another. I need more sleep than I used to. I’ve had to completely redefine what a reasonable day’s workload looks like. And while I’ve always enjoyed being mindful of nutrition because nutrition and food fascinate me, I need solid nutrition now because my well-being depends on it.

I’ve known this for a while; when I was leaving DC, having dealt with several major viral and bacterial infections in only a couple years—not to mention chronic lack of sleep—I could already sense that I’d been physically changed by my post-bacc experience. How true that premonition was, but a part of me still wants to ignore it. Long after I gave up my anorexic attachment to lightness and smallness, I retained an attachment to being lively and quick, which I fueled by pushing my limits and ignoring the warning signs of fatigue.

Just as I’ve learned to maintain and nurture an identity that isn’t confined by the underweight body I used to feel at home in, I’m now learning to inhabit a body that demands more of my attention and care. Once again, I’m being asked to be comfortable with the idea of physical necessity and hunger—not for food, but for whole body nourishment.

I hope that over time I won’t perceive this as inhabitation so much as true embodiment—really being in and of my body. Right now, there’s still some curiosity, confusion, and feelings of distance as I befriend a physical self that is slower and much more sensitive than the one I’m used to. That’s OK. Friendships can be built gradually.

On that note, it’s time for soothing food, rest, some fun TV, and another pint or so of tea. And some beautiful recipes to gaze at, because I experience all things culinary as medicine!

Recipes

Oh, this is my kind of snack: wholesome, whole grain vegan blueberry muffins, made with spelt flour and rolled oats.

I’m loving my friend Alexandra’s mustardy new potato and asparagus salad (just look at the crispiness of those spuds!).

June isn’t exactly pot pie season in my part of the world, but Joscelyn’s vegetable pot pie looks so hearty and delicious that I just may need to try it soon.

Clearly, I need to get on the BBQ waffle iron tofu bandwagon—a totally genius idea from Susan of FFVK.

I spied Alexandra’s Moroccan carrot salad with harissa and avocado a few weeks ago, and I’ve been dying to make it ever since, and then to slather it on a piece of her wonderful bread.

Reads

1. I’m not sure how separate I think acedia is from depression and vice versa—at least for me—but I’d never even heard of the term until I read this article. The apathy and inertia Benjamin Sledge describes are certainly familiar components of my own experience of depression, and it was interesting to read about how commonplace they seem to be.

2. Outright potassium deficiency is incredibly dangerous, and I’ve never come across it in my work, but potassium insufficiency is a lot more common. Here are 6 telltale signs.

3. I’m always surprised at how little media attention and constructive advice is devoted to Binge Eating Disorder (BED), which is the most common type of ED in the United States by far. I like Christy Brissette’s tips for dealing with it, and I definitely echo her emphasis on regularly paced, nourishing mealtimes and snacks, as well as quitting restrictive and hypocaloric diets.

4. A new randomized trial with a large sample size suggests that lower fat eating patterns are associated with better breast cancer survival rates in women. In real world dietary terms, this would almost definitely mean placing a greater emphasis on plant foods.

5. A new health study examined the cost efficiency of plant-based diets as well as their appropriateness for overweight patients who were seeking to healthfully lose weight. As it turned out, plant-centric eating patterns were economical as well as effective for weight management. It’s great to see cost examined directly here, as fear of higher grocery bills is a big concern for many folks who are trying to eat lower on the food pyramid.

One upside of having a cold is the creamy, tasty cauliflower turmeric soup I made yesterday, which I’ll be blogging about soon. But first, this week, I’m sharing the simple balsamic tahini dressing that I’ve been calling my “everything dressing” lately, for obvious reasons.

Till soon!

xo

The post Weekend Reading, 6.3.18 appeared first on The Full Helping.

Weekend Reading, 6.3.18 published first on

[oovitus]

Weekend Reading, 6.3.18

It’s been another weekend of Kleenex, Netflix, and soup—i.e., another lousy cold. I say “another” because colds have been pretty constant this year so far, though this one was definitely the worst I’ve had (bad enough that I got a rapid strep test; the doctor at urgent care also saw me with the sprained wrist a few weeks ago, and we had a laugh about how this isn’t my body’s month).

When I wrote about being run down in April, I mentioned the importance of respecting my body wherever it is—whether I’m exhausted or energized, sick or well. I also wrote about how feeing ill, especially for prolonged periods of time, can sometimes summon up my orthorexic tendencies, challenging the part of me that still struggles with my body not being as I’d like it to be.

The last two days have definitely brought all of this up. I’d been feeling better since graduation and hoping that leaving behind the past semester and all of its associated stagnancy and burnout would bring me back to “normal.” I put quotes around this word because I understand intellectually that bodies are always changing with time, and our baseline senses of normalcy are bound to evolve. But the truth is that I’m still clinging to an old vision of what health looks like for me.

I don’t mean that I’m ready to accept constant sniffles and feeling run down as the way things need to be or will always be—in other words, I don’t perceive the way I’ve been feeling lately as my new norm. It’s communicating weariness, and there’s a spiritual dimension to all of this, too, a soul sickness that I’m working through and have been for some time.

But it’s time to accept that what it takes to keep me healthy—as I understand and experience health—has changed dramatically in the last decade. I have to be a lot more careful than I used to be about how I take care of myself. I have to heed my body’s cues sooner and more sensitively than I did in the past, because ignoring even small signals tends to place me in the hands of some bug or another. I need more sleep than I used to. I’ve had to completely redefine what a reasonable day’s workload looks like. And while I’ve always enjoyed being mindful of nutrition because nutrition and food fascinate me, I need solid nutrition now because my well-being depends on it.

I’ve known this for a while; when I was leaving DC, having dealt with several major viral and bacterial infections in only a couple years—not to mention chronic lack of sleep—I could already sense that I’d been physically changed by my post-bacc experience. How true that premonition was, but a part of me still wants to ignore it. Long after I gave up my anorexic attachment to lightness and smallness, I retained an attachment to being lively and quick, which I fueled by pushing my limits and ignoring the warning signs of fatigue.

Just as I’ve learned to maintain and nurture an identity that isn’t confined by the underweight body I used to feel at home in, I’m now learning to inhabit a body that demands more of my attention and care. Once again, I’m being asked to be comfortable with the idea of physical necessity and hunger—not for food, but for whole body nourishment.

I hope that over time I won’t perceive this as inhabitation so much as true embodiment—really being in and of my body. Right now, there’s still some curiosity, confusion, and feelings of distance as I befriend a physical self that is slower and much more sensitive than the one I’m used to. That’s OK. Friendships can be built gradually.

On that note, it’s time for soothing food, rest, some fun TV, and another pint or so of tea. And some beautiful recipes to gaze at, because I experience all things culinary as medicine!

Recipes

Oh, this is my kind of snack: wholesome, whole grain vegan blueberry muffins, made with spelt flour and rolled oats.

I’m loving my friend Alexandra’s mustardy new potato and asparagus salad (just look at the crispiness of those spuds!).

June isn’t exactly pot pie season in my part of the world, but Joscelyn’s vegetable pot pie looks so hearty and delicious that I just may need to try it soon.

Clearly, I need to get on the BBQ waffle iron tofu bandwagon—a totally genius idea from Susan of FFVK.

I spied Alexandra’s Moroccan carrot salad with harissa and avocado a few weeks ago, and I’ve been dying to make it ever since, and then to slather it on a piece of her wonderful bread.

Reads

1. I’m not sure how separate I think acedia is from depression and vice versa—at least for me—but I’d never even heard of the term until I read this article. The apathy and inertia Benjamin Sledge describes are certainly familiar components of my own experience of depression, and it was interesting to read about how commonplace they seem to be.

2. Outright potassium deficiency is incredibly dangerous, and I’ve never come across it in my work, but potassium insufficiency is a lot more common. Here are 6 telltale signs.

3. I’m always surprised at how little media attention and constructive advice is devoted to Binge Eating Disorder (BED), which is the most common type of ED in the United States by far. I like Christy Brissette’s tips for dealing with it, and I definitely echo her emphasis on regularly paced, nourishing mealtimes and snacks, as well as quitting restrictive and hypocaloric diets.

4. A new randomized trial with a large sample size suggests that lower fat eating patterns are associated with better breast cancer survival rates in women. In real world dietary terms, this would almost definitely mean placing a greater emphasis on plant foods.

5. A new health study examined the cost efficiency of plant-based diets as well as their appropriateness for overweight patients who were seeking to healthfully lose weight. As it turned out, plant-centric eating patterns were economical as well as effective for weight management. It’s great to see cost examined directly here, as fear of higher grocery bills is a big concern for many folks who are trying to eat lower on the food pyramid.

One upside of having a cold is the creamy, tasty cauliflower turmeric soup I made yesterday, which I’ll be blogging about soon. But first, this week, I’m sharing the simple balsamic tahini dressing that I’ve been calling my “everything dressing” lately, for obvious reasons.

Till soon!

xo

The post Weekend Reading, 6.3.18 appeared first on The Full Helping.

Weekend Reading, 6.3.18 published first on