Monday, March 31, 2014

BBQ turkey tenders

This is a recipe that I have had for a number of years. It is a simple recipe that turns out great every time.


It is a recipe that I got from those living near the turkey farms in central Utah. It is a great way to enjoy turkey any time of year. It makes for a great BBQ and is a nice alternative to burgers and dogs. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BBQ turkey tenders
 
Start with boneless, skinless, turkey tenders. With a sharp knife cut each tender into manageable 2-3 inch pieces. Marinate them in the refrigerator for a minimum of 45 minutes, or as long as 12 hours.
 
Quick and easy marinade for turkey or chicken

12 ounce can of a lemon/ lime soda
1 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup vegetable oil
mix ingredients together and pour over 2-3 pounds of  boneless skinless turkey of chicken let sit refrigerated for a minimum of 45 minutes.
 
 
When ready to cook.
 
Light the charcoal or preheat the gas grill. When the grill is hot, place the turkey tenders on the grates and cook over a moderate- high heat for about 6-8 minutes until the turkey is cooked all the way through. 
 
Serve with your favorite salad for a quick and easy summer meal. 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
For more marinade tips you can check out an older post I wrote nearly two years ago

 

 
 
Or you can check out some great books written by the king of Grilling and BBQ; Steven Raichlen
 
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Note this post contains affiliate links. I am an affiliate of Amazon.com You can read the full disclosure by clicking the privacy policy at the top of the page.



This post is shared as part of real food wednesdays

Friday, March 28, 2014

Choleserol myths and lies



Cholesterol is not the monster that it is made out to be.
Our bodies need cholesterol to survive, our bodies make cholesterol. Cholesterol is essential to life, it is essential to brain function. so, why is it that we all live in fear of  cholesterol treating it like a nasty monster that is going to somehow kill us?  We have been taught this fear by those who would benefit from selling you cholesterol lowering drugs and other products.  It is plain and simple. They cause fear so that they can sell you on the benefits of their products. These people are the monsters, not cholesterol.
 


                                                                                    Cartoon Frankenstein Monster" by Grant Cochrane

It all begins with a study or two. One that has really been in the fire because it essentially opened the door, is the study by Ancel Keys. Keys did a study on rabbits. It showed how cholesterol derived from animal products affected the rabbits health. There were some real troubles with this research. Rabbits are not made the same as humans. To start, they are not carnivores and their bodies are not designed to need cholesterol like humans. He also fed them pure refined cholesterol in super high mega doses. It really showed nothing useful, it was essentially bad research. It was crazy. But, he was a scientist and people didn't really question his research until later. But in the meantime, he really made a case for cholesterol being bad for human health and opened a "Pandora's box."

In another part of his research, Keys tried to make dietary correlations between countries that ate high amounts of animal products and heart disease levels. The results were really all over the board and there was no real clear correlation between heart disease, and consumption of animal products.  He was able to "Cherry pick" some of the data and show a correlation between heart disease, and animal products. Through these carefully crafted studies and lies Keys, (and some others involved) were able to get the American public to believe that eating animal products especially animal fats would raise cholesterol and damage your health.


These lies were in part due to Procter and Gamble (inventers of Crisco). They hired Ancel Key's to do this research. With Key's help they could sell this stuff as a "healthy alternative" to butter.  They were able to get the heart association on board and WOW! What a journey it has been for the American people. This was just the beginning. The American people used to fight against margarine, now they embrace it as healthy. An article that really does a great job explaining the history of margarine and its effects is;  Our heritage of health, Why have we stopped the war on margarine.  With the heart association on board it opened the way for a whole new generation of people trying to make money. Billions upon billions have been made and fortunes continue to grow, all from this simple set of lies.  

Now, enter cholesterol lowering drugs. Billions are spent to come up with a test to be able to asses the levels of cholesterol in peoples bodies. What is normal, what is high? In the beginning as the numbers were coming in, they really did not know. It became common that numbers over 300 may be considered high.  Now numbers over 200 are high and some are pushing that normal numbers should be well below 180. It is pure craziness. The more people on these drugs, the more money in their pockets. It is getting to the point that nearly everyone falls into the so called "high" category and only a small amount of people fall into the "normal" range. Think about it for a while, if only a small number of people are in the normal range, is that really normal? There are many doctors suggesting that people should take a cholesterol lowering drug, "just to be safe" and they have approved such drugs for our young people starting at age ten. Are our ten year olds really at risk for a  major heart attack?  Is it really helpful to put our children on these drugs for life?


As a society we have lowered and continue to lower cholesterol levels in hopes that it will lower the risk of heart disease, and yet heart disease has increased to staggering levels. Why? We have the wrong information! We are still are led to believe that lowering cholesterol is the best thing that we can do to lower our risk of heart disease. The companies that make the drugs would have you believe that cholesterol is the one and only risk factor for heart disease. Cholesterol levels are only the smallest piece of the puzzle. There are about thirty other things that can be factored into heart disease risk, yet we have come to believe that cholesterol is the one and only risk factor.  These companies have done a great job at brainwashing us to believe that our cholesterol numbers are key, and we need their products. Many Americans have come to believe that these drugs are a lifesaver and are essential to life itself. The truth is that the cholesterol itself is essential to life as I stated in the beginning.


This is insanity.  It is pure craziness. Our young doctors have been trained to believe that nearly everyone is at risk for heart disease because of high cholesterol levels. Many of them do not even know what the other twenty plus risk factors for heart disease are. They are handing out pills by the handful thinking that they are helping keep the American people healthy and free from heart disease.  It is not working.  I have heard people say, "My cholesterol is low, I am good, I am not at risk for a heart attack." Yet they are the ones that suffer heart attacks. Still others take these drugs and endure the side effects of these nasty drugs "to be on the safe side." These people end up suffering all kinds of side effects and end up with very ill health. Their health can become really bad from the side effects of these drugs and they feel terrible; but, they endure it because "I don't want a heart attack."  It is pure insanity.

What the drug companies don't tell you is that there is really only a small percentage of the male population that the drug is really useful and helpful for. These drugs provide a good advantage for older men who have had a previous heart attack. In these cases, the cholesterol lowering drugs are helpful and probably life saving, but for the rest of us it is not so. These drugs do very, little to prevent first heart attacks in men, and women especially do not have any real advantage by taking these drugs, and yet we are convinced that these drugs are essential to good heart health. There are so many other good things you can do that will lower your risk of heart attack ten times more than these drugs without the nasty side effects, but the drug companies want you to think otherwise. They are scaring us into their drugs.

Those that would make money from these lies make sure that it is right out there in front of your face, day in and day out. Can you go a day without hearing someone talking about their cholesterol levels? How often are we hearing ads on TV, radio, or seeing it on the internet? It is everywhere. They are keeping it in the minds and hearts of the people. The know your numbers campaign is working well. My 8 year old son asked me the other day. "what's your numbers?" Then he asked, "what's my numbers?" School age children should not have to endure this. It may at some point be checked in the schools and become routine like eyesight and hearing tests. Our young people have this number constantly on their minds and we think this is somehow normal? Is our health really measured in these types of numbers that really mean nothing? 

I would urge you to think differently. I would urge you to find your own path to good health. Put this thought in your heart and mind.......
 
 
I am in charge of my body and my own health. I will through my own wisdom and understanding come to a place where I am healthy and strong. I will not be influenced by those who have only their own financial interest in mind. I will seek out and listen to those who have my best interest at heart.
 
If this means seeing a different doctor who does not sound like an ad for these companies be it so. Your health is worth the investment of an understanding doctor who knows his stuff. You may have to have a talk with your current doctor and ask him "Is this pill really helpful for me, or is there another alternative?" If he sounds like the ads you see on TV, it may be time to let him go for your own good health.   
Want more? Check out some of the great books on this subject you don't have to take my word for it.

 
 

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This post contains referral links. This means that by clicking on the book links you are allowing me to refer you to Amazon to buy them. In doing so you are supporting the work we do here at life less hurried.  You can read the full disclosure by clicking the privacy policy tab at the top of the page.


This post is shared as part of real food wednesdays

Sunday, March 23, 2014

The art and skill of repurposing items

The skills of repurposing or reusing items is becoming extinct in some parts of the country. We live in a "disposable society" Being frugal is not a part of life as it once was. Grandma was good at using what she had and making it work for her it was part of life. We can follow in Grandma's footsteps by repurposing or reusing items around the house.


Repurposing items can be good family fun. One of our more recent large adventures was turning the no longer needed dog house into a chicken coop. It was a fun family adventure for us. It was a good challenge for the kids. A broken deck will soon be a tree house, and old chimney bricks will someday be a brick oven. These are just some of the big projects we are working on as a family, but there are plenty of little things that you can do in an afternoon.   


 Here is a link to Great repurposing blog post. There are some really great ideas in that post. I hope that it will get your juices flowing and help you to make your home a better place.  

Now it is your turn; leave a comment below telling us about your adventures with repurposing an item or what plans you have for your family.


  

Saturday, March 22, 2014

GREAT NEWS!

I am pleased to announce the first in a series of cookbooks written by me!

  I have been very blessed by all of you my readers. It has been an amazing journey. Thank you.



 
 
 
 
 
 Just click the link above and you will be directed to Amazon where you can download it to your kindle or other reading device.  Kindle for Android
 
 
 
 P.S. If you don't have a kindle I have included links to some of the most popular models. My kids and I have loved the kindle that hubby bought for us last year. I enjoy being able to download and read books at the touch of a button. It has been worth the investment, and a blessing for our family. The kids enjoy the learning apps and reading on it. .
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
, This post is shared as part of real food wednesdays

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

orange, asparagus, spinach salad

I recently wrote a post about how and why salads should be for dinner, and another post all about dressings.  
Salad, it is dinner
salad dressing tutorial


These posts are important. They are like tools in your cooking belt. It is really easy to come up with dinner if you have a few tools in your belt and know how to use them. When I attended chef school one of the greatest things I learned was that cooking is not just about recipes, it is learning about food and techniques.  Don't get me wrong, recipes are essential when baking and should be followed exactly, but when cooking main dishes, recipes are to be used as inspiration and a springboard for diving off and making your own dish.


 This is how I came up with this recipe. I used what was in my fridge and available at that moment. If I would have had some great cheese like feta or parmesan I would have sprinkled some of that on it. This is what cooking is all about. This is what I was talking about when I wrote a post about living the Mediterranean diet.



 
 
 
 
 

Orange, asparagus, spinach salad
 
serves 4
 
10 ounce package baby spinach leaves
1 bunch asparagus
2 oranges peeled and segmented (or you could use canned mandarins)
1 Tablespoon  sesame seeds for the top
 
 
1. Cut the asparagus into bite sized pieces and then steam the asparagus for 1-2 minutes just until tender and cool in ice water. 
2. Drain the asparagus well
3. Toss the asparagus with the spinach leaves and orange segments
4. Divide among 4 serving plates
5. Drizzle with your choice of dressing
6. Top with Sesame seeds
 
Dressing I used:
 
Orange honey dressing
 
1/4 cup orange juice
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
 
In a small jar with a lid shake ingredients together until blended.
 
 
We served this salad with a nice piece of baked fish and had a wonderful dinner in minutes. This is our version of "fast food"
 
 
 
This post is part of real food wednesdays
 

Friday, March 14, 2014

KALE

It seems that this lonely vegetable that at one time was only seen as a garnish  lining the plates and  the salad bars at  mid-level resurants has now made it to the mainstream dinner table. People are singing its praises for its ability to lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, and its cancer fighting properties. It is high in vitamin A, calcium and potassium. It is being hailed as the newest and greatest super food as it gains popularity here in the United States.


Kale is a simple green that lends itself well to simple preparations. It is not as strong in flavor as some of the other greens therefore it seems to be better suited for those who are just beginning to enjoy greens in their diet. With its growing popularity it is readily available year round in most supermarkets. Some of the ways that I have found to eat and enjoy kale is as a kale chips, another is in simple salads.







Kale chips are super simple to make and for some they are quite addictive

To make kale chips:

preheat the oven to 300 degrees

1 bunch kale
1 Tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper

To make kale chips wash and thoroughly dry the kale. Remove the large center stem and tear the kale into uniformly sized large pieces (about the size of a regular potato chip).  Toss the kale with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Spread the kale chips in a single layer using two cookie sheets. Bake in a 300 degree oven for about 30 minutes until crispy and dry.  I prefer to cook them at the lower temperature. Some recipes cook at a high temperature but they tend to burn to quickly.




Another way we enjoy kale is in a salad. Here is an easy kale and quinoa salad that the whole family enjoys.

If you have never tried quinoa you are in for a surprise. This small grain is quite versatile and makes wonderful salads. I wrote about it in a previous post My post on quinoa


Quinoa and Kale salad
Serves 4-6 

2 cups water

                        
1 cup quinoa                                                    

10 kale leaves, cut into small pieces
 
1/2 teaspoon salt                                                    

 
Cook the quinoa (this can be done a day or two ahead).  Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Stir quinoa into the boiling water, reduce heat to medium-low, place cover on the saucepan, and cook until water absorbs into the quinoa, about 12 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and let rest covered for 5 minutes. Remove cover and allow quinoa to cool completely.
 
Put kale in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle with the 1/2 teaspoon salt. Massage the kale for 2-3 minutes. This really helps to soften the kale and make it into a really nice salad green that is not to tough to chew.  
 
Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, garlic, pepper, and salt together in a bowl until oil emulsifies into the mixture; drizzle over kale. Add cooled quinoa, pecans, currants, and feta cheese to the dressed kale and toss to incorporate.





What is your favorite way to eat this wonderful vegetable?
Leave a comment below so we all can learn.



This post shared as part of real food wednesdays




Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Help, my recipe calls for a pinch, smidgen or dash.

Cooking is a part of my life. I enjoy creating and exploring my food world. I love sharing my cooking skills with other people. People often ask me what to do when a recipe calls for a pinch of something.



My answer: Put your thumb and forefinger together and pick up what fits between them.  A pinch of something is just that, a pinch.  I have people get all upset with me over that answer. Some people really can't measure that way. They keep saying things like, "your pinch may be bigger than mine!" It is overwhelming to them. The thought of measuring like this is disgusting for some, and for others it is not accurate enough they just want to know exactly how much. For these types people I would suggest finding a chart like thisOr this one.  Or if you prefer they make measuring spoons that are designed for those who stress over such things. I have included a link to Amazon where you can buy a set.




I just recently downloaded a book for my kindle it has old time recipes. They are really interesting to read. A dash, smidgen, dollop, and tad, were common measurements of the time. I love how they measured butter by comparing it to commonly known objects such as an egg, or walnut.  In my own family we have one of Grandma's recipes that we have passed down. It calls for butter the size of an egg. Each one of my three sisters (and now their daughters) have called me at some point or another and asked, "How much is butter the size of an egg"?  They really get excited  when I tell them to get out an egg and then cut off a piece of butter about that same size.


So in case you wanted to know and want to measure like Grandma did, a hint is about half a drop, a smidgen would be about half a pinch or a very small pinch at the edge of your fingers. A dash would look something like one good shake from the salt shaker, or a couple of shakes from the tabasco sauce or a very large pinch of a dry ingredient. A tad would be a bit more than a dash, maybe a couple shakes of the salt shaker or a couple of very large pinches.  A dollop would be a heaping spoonful. 


Cooking is fun, it is meant to include all the senses. So go ahead, be like a chef, you often see them on TV using their fingers to sprinkle the salt. They cook with their senses. They often measure oil in glugs. They don't worry about how much a pinch is. They let their instincts guide them. When you are cooking add a pinch then taste it; who knows you might need to add two pinches to make it just right.


Please note that the Amazon link above is an affiliate link. This just means that I referred you to Amazon. They will say thank you by sending me a small portion of the sale if you decide to buy from them. You can read the full disclosure by clicking the privacy policy tab at the top of the page.  


This link is shared as part of real food wednesdays

Friday, March 7, 2014

Making herb flatbread






My son loves when I make flat bread. They are so easy to do and make a nice accompaniment to soups, or salad. They also make a great sandwich.








To make herb flatbread you will need:


3 cups flour (I used 1/2 wheat flour and 1/2 all purpose flour)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2  cup olive oil
1 cup warm water
 
 
1. in a large bowl combine dry ingredients
2. mix the olive oil into the dry mix until crumbly looking
3. add the warm water and mix until a dough forms
4. let the dough rest for 10 minutes
5. preheat a large skillet over medium high heat
6. divide the dough into 6 portions
7. roll out the dough into circles about 1/2 inch thick
8. cook in a dry skillet over medium high heat about 2-3 minutes per side
Herbed flat bread is great on their own but can be filled with all kinds of sandwich fillings or salads. they are very versatile and are quick easy to make.
 
 
 This shared as part of Real food wednesdays
 
 

Monday, March 3, 2014

Why I choose to live a life less hurried.

Thank you for coming and learning here at my blog. I choose this platform because I truly believe in it. I write and teach people here as I live it. The things I choose to write about are a part of my life.  I choose to write about living a slow life because of it's importance to our continuation as a society. Having real survival skills and knowledge I believe, are key to our existence. We are becoming a society that has forgotten how to live life. We have forgotten our roots.



A number of years ago in the early 90's I read a short little story by  E.M. Forester called the Machine stops


                                                         The Machine Stops




You can obtain a copy from Amazon by clicking the link.

This book written in the 1909 this short science fiction novel tells a chilling story of life on earth in the future. Here is a review taken from the website manybooks.net  It explains the basics premise of the book better than I could "The Machine Stops is a short science fiction story. It describes a world in which almost all humans have lost the ability to live on the surface of the Earth. Each individual lives in isolation in a 'cell', with all bodily and spiritual needs met by the omnipotent, global Machine. Most humans welcome this development, as they are skeptical and fearful of first-hand experience. People forget that humans created the Machine, and treat it as a mystical entity whose needs supersede their own. Those who do not accept the deity of the Machine are viewed as 'unmechanical' and are threatened with "Homelessness". Eventually, the Machine apocalyptically collapses, and the civilization of the Machine comes to an end"

Even now as I think back to the feelings I had reading that book, they stick with me. I thought to myself, how sad that a society has gotten so far off to have forgotten their roots, that they became so dependent upon this thing.  It instilled in me a desire to stick to my roots and not let something like this happen to me. One thing in particular that sticks with me all these years is the part of the story when the main character begins to question the machine. He asks the question, what happens if the machine fails? To which the reply is, the founders have made the machine to fix itself. You don't need to worry, but he does.  As the  story progresses the machine starts having troubles and no one has the knowledge of how the machine even works, let alone the skills to fix it. All of a sudden they are rushing about trying to gain back that knowledge that had been lost, but it was too late. It is a story worth reading. It is short and can be easily read in a day.  Read it and see the shocking parallels between the picture he paints and the reality going on around us today.




For me I want to live life. I want to be able to teach my children to live well, this can only be done when we slow the pace and take the time to really engage with them. Because we slow down at our house it is easier to find the opportunities to grow our children's character to create a better person in them. Families that are too busy  let these things get left by the wayside because there is not time to deal with it. In those busy lives the children are left to obtain and pick up the character traits taught elsewhere in life. They don't seem to get the lessons of honesty, kindness etc. that should be taught. To often we leave our children to be taught in the streets of the internet, gaming, and social media.  They are being taught to be dishonest, greedy, and self serving and so on. It is not sustainable for life. It is not what I want for me and my family therefore I choose a different path. I choose the road less traveled. I choose to live a slower paced life, and in doing so, I find that I have more life to give.

In order to remind myself of these things, I have placed on my bathroom wall where I can review it every day a poster I have made, it looks something like this.

love, laughter
I   intellect, industry
family fun, fortune
E
  education, excitement, energy
More Abundant

May you find inspiration to design your life the way you desire. May it be a life full of the good  things. This is our hope here at life less hurried.

Here at life less hurried I will continue to post on getting back to our roots. I have started another blog that deals with the teaching of the children  and building of character. You can read more at Disciple walk, She walks with Christ 


P.S. For those of you who prefer to read on a tablet as opposed to the paper copy I have included a link to the kindle version of the book The machine stops. Whatever version you choose, be sure to read it. It is well worth the reading.