Local Harvest~ Great Resource Website.

Find locally grown produce anywhere in the country! Use our map to locate farmers markets, family farms, CSAs, farm stands, and u-pick produce in your neighborhood.

http://www.localharvest.org/

Find Whole Grain Products at your Grocery Store.

This website gives you a list of products containing 16g (or more) of Whole Grains per serving.

http://www.wholegrainscouncil.org/find-whole-grains/stamped-products

Find a Farmer's Market Near You.

http://apps.ams.usda.gov/FarmersMarkets/

BARLEY PILAF

1/4 cup diced roasted red pepper

1/4 cup slice mushrooms

3 cups cooked barley

3 green onions, chopped

1/4 parmesan cheese (shredded)

2 clove garlic (crushed)

1/2 cup white wine
 (if you don't want to use white wine you can try substituting any of these or a combination of these: Water, chicken broth, vegetable broth, white grape juice, ginger ale, or white grape juice. The wine's purpose it to add some sweetness and some acid)

1/4 cup sundried tomato (diced)

1 lemon (juice & zest)

1/4 cup green bell pepper

2 TBL basil (chopped fine)

1/4 cup carrot (small diced)

1/8 cup celery (diced)

1 TBL olive oil


Saute all vegetables in oil, add garlic. Saute another minute, add wine (optional??) and reduce

by half. Toss in cooked barley and remaining items, excluding the cheese. Top with cheese

and garnish with fresh basil. Serves 6.

*Info on BARLEY*

RICH in soluble and insoluble Fiber. It can help inhibit fat and cholesterol absorption in the intestine.
Low in Gluten. Aids in appetite control!

1cup cooked Pearl Barley
193 Calories
4 g protein
1 g fat, 0 sat. fat
9 g dietary fiber
44 g carbohydrate
5 mg sodium

Breakfast like a QUEEN…

There are SO many different suggestions on how to eat, when to eat, and what to eat. When choosing or creating new healthy eating habits for yourself and your families, Try things out. See what works and what doesn’t work. Know that it is OK if it doesn’t work for you right now. You can always re-evaluate your eating habits every few months and adjust accordingly.

My frustrations with finding healthy foods started a few years ago. I was pregnant with my second child and after about 6 months of being nauseated constantly and not being able to eat anything, I was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes.

Ironically, as my ability to eat was returning to me, my "allowed" food list drastically diminished. I remember standing in the grocery isle reading ingredient labels and bawling. I couldn’t find ANYTHING that I could eat. Almost everything was too high in sugar and carbohydrates. I was STARVING! 

(Remember all of the information included are suggestions. Find what works for you.)

Eat Breakfast like a QUEEN, Lunch like a PRINCESS, and Dinner like a PEASANT.

This refers to the amount of food you eat at each of those meals. Yes, this is the complete opposite of what our culture has been doing for MANY, MANY years.

I’ll tell you why I suggest this. When you wake up in the morning your body has been “fasting” for HOURS and has nothing to fuel it until you eat. For many of us morning time is rushed and we either grab something quick and small, or skip it all together. If you skip it all together, STOP! You don’t expect your car to run on fumes for hours, so don’t expect your body to.

Have you ever noticed that your car runs smoother on a full tank of gas? The same goes with your bodies.

As you gradually eat less throughout the day you are preparing your body for the next night time “fast.” Now this is a hard one for many… Don’t eat 3 hours before bedtime. Allow your body time to digest your food before laying idle for the next 6-8 hours.

When chosing breakfast foods try to keep it on a Low Glycemic number.

This enables your body to adjust to the amount of sugars and carbohydrates coming in and avoid a sugar rush and even worse the crash afterwards. Chose lean meats low in sodium, whole grains, and dairy foods lower in fat. If you LOVE fruits in the morning try to chose ones high in fiber or a low glycemic count. (Ex: Apple, banana, blueberry, cherries, grapefruit, green grapes, kiwi fruit, orange, pear, plum, prunes, and raspberries.)

 

Green smoothies are a great way to get your veggies and fruits in, especially if you have picky eaters in the house.  If you are worried about your picky eaters tasting the vegetables you can start of slow when adding them. You can also find fruits and veggies in a powder form at your local health food store or whole food store. I add a couple small scoops to my children's smoothies and they are none the wiser. There are MANY different brands so read your labels. You want a wide variety of fruits and vegetables so that you will get a wide variety of nutrients from it. These powders are usually called GREENS or SUPERFOOD CONCENTRATES.

 

Examples of vegetables that are low in glycemic count are: Alfalfa, asparagus, broccoli, beans, cabbage, carrot, chickpeas, cucumber, garlic, kidney beans, leek, lentils, lettuce, mushroom, onion, peas, pepper, spinach, squash, and tomatoes.

 

Be sure to have a healthy snack in between meals. Eating every 2-3 hours helps regulate your blood sugars and helps boost your metabolism. Planning ahead is a KEY factor when making good health choices. Pick a day once a week where you can put together snack bags full of fruits and/or veggies, etc. Have them handy so you can grab them if you are in a hurry or take them to work. You can also use that day to prep for meals you will eat throughout the week. This can dramatically cut down your prep time each day.

If you are on a budget, watch your local sales at the grocery stores. Stock up on the non-perishables when discounted and plan your meals around what is in season and on sale in the produce section. These savings will add up.

EATING HEALTHY is a  RIGHT, and SHOULD NOT be a PRIVILAGE.

In addition the a snack between breakfast and lunch, lunch and dinner, I also suggest having a LIGHT snack after dinner as long as it is 3 hours prior to when you go to sleep.

Look for more details and recepies for healthy eating coming soon!