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A naturopathic visit after 9 months
July 16th, 2010Hello from humid and hot Houston. We have two and a half days before we return home but no rush since it will probably will be hot and humid in Michigan. We have loved visiting with family and visiting friends and enjoying good laughs.
One thing I also took advantage of while being in Houston was to make sure I was able to go to a naturopath. I expressed 2 months that I had not seen ANY weight change despite my energy and overall increased exercise regimen. I have been playing racquetball in afternoons while I added a Zumba class and recently added a kickboxing class.
I tried looking for a naturopath in Michigan but I was not getting much help from area folks. So after a few days in Houston, I was recommended a naturopath and nutritionist that had helped a mission pastor’s wife regain hormonal balance. After that, the whole family started seeing the naturopath. This is what I needed. I immediately made an appointment and found out that the test included hair analysis, a quick blood test and many other things.
Even though I have lost nearly 25 pounds, I KNOW my body was missing something or that perhaps I was doing something wrong. Ryan agreed and totally back my going to this recommended naturopath.
I had a body composition test performed where I was later told what my current Body Mass Index was and what my ideal weight should be for my height. I had been asked what my goal weight was and the naturopath stated it was healthy. The test also indicated the amount of fat my body was carrying which helped to know this number. I know God has been giving me strength not to look at numbers, but to know that I am wanting to make a change. THIS IS A BIG STEP.
The test also explained my cell health through the Extracellular cell and Intracellular cell. The extracellular water is the amount of water OUTSIDE of the cell. Higher levels indicate fluid retention, toxicity, allergies, stress, malabsorption, and insulin resistance. I have HIGH levels opf at least 8%. One important fact that I was trying to grasp and explain to Ryan and others that a person trying to lose weight can STILL be toxic. I felt that God had been revealing this to me and thus the reason for introducing a more RAW lifestyle.
The intracellular water is the amount of water inside the cell which is also the muscle water. Healthy cells maintain their integrity and hold their fluid inside. My levels were LOW which indicates low minerals and electrolytes at 9% the normal level.
Yes, I know it could sound depressing but for me it tells me the next step I need to take in addition to my eating lifestyle. I really had not been incorporating vitamins or minerals to my diet since I thought I could flush through the right foods I consumed. I then realized that a proper detoxification NEEDS to happen with the right consumption of vitamins and minerals.
My blood test indicated I am deficient in Vitamin B12. I was able to see a picture of my red blood cells floating with the occasional white blood cell indicating the B12 deficiency. How comforting, right? This is a picture of what one of my white blood cell looked like.
I also saw some red blood cells with a circle in the middle but there were not so many. It indicated a little anemia which was explained that it was attributed to the B12 deficiency. The following picture is a more pronounced case of anemia, but it shows you the nucleated red blood cell (circle in the middle).
All red blood cells need to be round and I had the occasional slightly oval red blood cell that indicated a little protein deficiency. I know that there have been people that have thought that people should not eat a certain way for their blood type but supposedly the naturopath explained that Type A blood did better with a vegetarian diet. I explained that I was following a vegan lifestyle and hoped not to incorporate eggs or dairy.
The naturopath stated that I would need to focus on making sure I was getting my 1300 calories for my body type and eating a food on the low glycemic chart. I sat down with the nutritionist and we realized I was eating all the right foods but that my limit on these foods needed attention. I am NOT to focus on too many grains but making sure I had one serving and to focus more on vegatables and proteins in the form of tofu, beans, and tempeh. I was fine with that.
All this set plan was to be supplemented with protein powders to be added to my daily smoothies. I was asked if I consumed smoothies or if it would be an issue. Good thing I was stuck on those. I was to start adding flaxseed oil to my smoothies so that I could be getting a dosI have of Omega nutrition for my essential fatty acids.Thumbs up. My protein powder is vegan so that was great. I was also given a detox powder to also add to my smoothie so that I can start detoxing my liver and gallbladder.
It feels GREAT to have direction for better health. If it is ANY encouragement to anyone having a hard time losing weight it has to do with the way our red blood cells show to us. How wonderful and powerful is that?
Who said making a lifestyle was easy? I totally do not want to discourage anyone, but despite my exercising EVERY day and eating well for the past 9 months, I have the seen results like others because I believe that my body needs to heal itself with detoxing and proper vitamin and mineral consumption. I hope and PRAY that 9 months from now I can be better informed and feel EVEN better.
The key is persistance and a good support system and God’s strength. So even though people follow different lifestyles for ethical reasons I will follow it because God calls me to be a healthy person INSIDE and OUT through his strength and power not by my own strength. I look forward to the next 9 months and what it will show me.
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S’mores Cupcakes
July 15th, 2010 |
| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
I finally get to post! I have missed posting and have been seriously busy in Houston. Not only has our time with family been very fruitful but it also has proved to be very busy. Ever since I moved from Texas to Michigan my schedule completely changed. While living in Houston I averaged 5 hours of sleep since I belonged to the Houston Grand Opera chorus and worked in my day job. Today I went into work and remembered how horrible traffic can be. Despite that, I was able to enjoy the sunrise this morning.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
NO harm or risks were taken to take this photo. 🙂 Tonight I came home very tired but happy that I did not have to do a commute in a busy city anymore. I remembered how stressed I was before. The stress level has considerably changed and I am glad.
Another thing we have been able to take advantage of while in the city is to visit friends. When we went over to our friends home I was told that dessert was to be our dish to share with them. I quickly referred to a saved recipe I saw at Kelly’s website Vegan Thyme. She shared a beautiful creation that she veganized from Joy of Cooking that was originally called Black Bottom Cupcakes.
Since we were staying at my in-laws, I decided to enlist my sister-in-law to help me with the baking and assembly. While I worked on the graham cracker crust crumble, I proceeded to tell her how to mix the wet ingredients and dry ingredients. We chose to use regular sized cupcake pans lined with cupcake liners.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
We added a tablespoon of graham cracker crumbles to the bottom of the cupcake liner and then topped with the chocolate batter. Here is my sis-in-law hard at work.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
It baked for 20 minutes and baked to perfection. Look at these beauties!
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While those cooled, we made the buttercream frosting to substitute the marshmallow portion of the original s’more concept. I did not have time to make vegan marshmellows but this frosting proved to be delicious!
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The chocolate sauce was the last step for the cupcake decoration. I used Newman’s Own Chocolate 54% because it was milk fat free and because that was all I could find. I set that aside and checked out the cupcakes after 45 minutes of cooling. Look at the cupcake!
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Does that look good or what?? The bakers take a break for a picture moment.
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We let the frosting set and the chocolate rest and we start removing the cupcake liners for the assembly process.
DISCLAIMER: These cupcakes are better THE DAY AFTER! Even though we assembled this the same night we made it, we only assembled 6 cupcakes for my in-laws and fam to try. After all, who brings new recipes to a dinner party? Well, I do sometimes.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
S’mores Cupcakes
makes a dozen cupcakes
Graham cracker bottom:
1-to-1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs made from whole graham crackers
4 tablespoons melted vegan butter
1/4 cup vegan sugar
Chocolate cupcake filling:
1 cup almond milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons vegan cocoa
1 cup vegan Sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
*reserved graham crackers for sprinkling over top of cupcakes
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White buttercream frosting:
4 tablespoons vegan butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon almond milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Chocolate ganache to drizzle over top of cupcakes:
1/3 cup vegan dark chocolate chips or bar
2 tablespoons vegan butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350. Use regular cupcake tins and line with cupcake papers.
Start with the graham cracker crumble. Pulse 10-12 crackers in a food processor until crumbley. Make sure you have 1 1/2 cups. Add the sugar. Melt the vegan butter, then add to crumbs and stir with a spoon. Mix well until combined.
Press about 1 tablespoons of graham cracker crumb mixture into the bottom of the cupcake tins.
Next, prep your chocolate cupcake mix. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients–beginning with flour, ending with salt.
In a smaller bowl, whisk together your wet ingredients. Add the almond milk and apple cider vinegar in a medium bowl and let it sit for 3-5 minutes until it curdles like buttermilk. Add the rest of the wet, ending with almond extract.
Now add the wet ingredients to the dry and stirring with a spoon, fold and mix together until the batter is fairly smooth–a few dry spots will be okay–you don’t want to over mix–thus the spoon technique. Use a 1/4 measuring cup for smaller–either way, fill the cupcake holders to 1/2 full.
Bake for about 20 minutes. Insert toothpick after 20 minutes to see if a toothpick inserted in cupcake comes out clean or when pressed with your finger, the dough springs back. Remove from oven and allow cupcakes to cool completely for about 45 minutes.
Next, prep your frosting. Add vegan butter and about 1 cup of powdered sugar to a large bowl and mix well, then add teaspoon of vanilla extract and rest of powdered sugar–beating until the frosting is nice and creamy, but getting stiff–add more sugar and the almond milk if needed to get to desired frosting consistency. Fill a piping bag with frosting with desired piping tip for decorating.
Next, melt all ingredients for chocolate sauce or ganache in the microwave for about 30 seconds (depending upon your microwave). Let sit for 5 minutes.
Have extra graham crackers ready and cut in 1 inch squares for decorating.
Once cupcakes have completely cooled, begin the process of final frosting, topping with chocolate drizzle and ending with the graham cracker as decoration. Sprinkle crumbs over frosting. Enjoy!
Remember cupcakes TASTE BETTER the DAY AFTER! 🙂 The flavors are even and blended after an extra day.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
S’mores Cupcakes With Buttercream Frosting
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Sun-dried Tomato and Leek Quiche with an Almond / Pine nut Crust
July 12th, 2010 |
| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Another weekend bites the dust! Is everyone ready to meet the new week? I guess I have to since it is here. I told my mom today that I could NOT believe it was July 12th already because that only meant August was so close in arriving. I know this summer has flown by and I want it to slow down.
Yesterday was filled with many events. My mom’s A/C compressor has been wanting to call it quits so it had been nice and toasty in the house. It was turned off for 30 minutes and then the A/C started working again. All I know is that the repair people came by and gave the thumbs up for a new compressor. Meanwhile, life went continued on. At the last minute we decided that it was cool enough to have my girlfriend over with her mom for lunch. I had been looking forward seeing them and hoped I could get to cook for them.
The morning was spent preparing and showing my mom and sister how to make a vegan quiche made from tofu and a great salad inspired by another restaurant in New Mexico. I then made a virgin mojito to accompany the meal. Come to find out, my non-vegan friends were wondering whether they would be served a vegan meal or not. Yet again, I forget to prepare friends that know I eat vegan that:
In fact, Ryan reccomended I make the quiche since it had been a hit at an Easter brunch. I was sold. My friends were also sold on it too!
Do you prepare or communicate to non-vegan friends that non-vegan items will be made available or do you skip that communication?
Anyway, back to lunch. I made this WONDERFUL salad I cannot wait to share with you when I get back to MI, but for the meantime, imagine romaine lettuce tossed with avocado,tomatoes,pumpkin seeds, etc with a vegan cilantro lime ranch dressing. So delicious!
My mom enjoyed watching the quiche process and thought it was simple to make. She was totally impressed by the tofu as a cheese and egg substitute and gladly embraced it. I hope you can embrace it like I have and that you can impress your guests like I was able to do.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Quiche, southwestern salad and virgin mojitos. Who could ask for anything more?
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Sun-dried Tomato and Leek Quiche with an Almond / Pine nut Crust
makes a 12 inch deep dish quiche
Crust
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1/4 + 1/8 cup pine nuts
1/4 +1/8 cup whole almonds
1/4 +1/8 tsp baking powder
1/4 + 1/8 cup unsweetened almond milk
3 Tbs. olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt
Preheat oven to 350F. Coat 12-inch pie plate cooking spray.
Pulse flour, pine nuts, almonds and baking powder in food processor until finely ground.
Whisk together almond milk, oil and salt in bowl. Stir in flour mixture. Press into pan. Bake 5 minutes, then cool.
Filling
6 Tbs. olive oil, divided
2 large leek, white and light green parts chopped (about 2 cups)
1/2 cup chopped reconstituted sun-dried tomatoes, drained
12 ounces extra-firm tofu, drained and cut into 1.5-inch cubes
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 tsp. salt
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1 tsp Italian seasonings
Heat 1 Tbs. oil in skillet over medium heat. Add leeks and sun-dried tomatoes, and saute’ 8 minutes, or until lightly browned. Set aside.
Bring large saucepan of water to a boil. Add tofu, and simmer 5 minutes. Drain and pat dry.
Whisk together remaining oil, lemon juice, garlic and salt in bowl. Add tofu and blend with an immersion blender or food processor.
Stir in breadcrumbs, Italian seasonings, sun-dried tomatoes and leeks.
Bake 40 minutes, or until crust is browned. Cool 10 minutes and then slice.
The afternoon was sealed with a special time for my sister and I. We reconnected with my cousin whom we had not seen in 10 years and spend a great time sharing and catching up. It is in these moments and opportunities where I thank God for the power of reconciliation and for family. I soaked up the time and shed a few tears for lost time but thanked God for the opportunity that Facebook was able to provide to finding relatives. Amazing is it not? I love it.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Sharing is Caring!
Minty Green Lemonade and Grandma’s Berry Birthday Cobbler
July 10th, 2010 |
| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
The weekend is here and it is time to get way laid back! We had a few mishaps yesterday from a tempermental A/C unit down to a car breaking down. Such are things in life, right? Yesterday morning was spent making food for my grandma’s birthday. She and my grandfather drove in from Brenham to come and see Ryan and me, but at the same time, we wanted to celebrate here birthday a little early.
My mom made a typical Mexican lunch, made with roasted chicken which was then shredded and placed between 2 pieces of sourdough and topped with pickled onions a little mayo and ketchup. Do you know that I had a hard time not wanting meat? I told my mom that everytime I come and stay at the house I crave meat because it smells so DARN good! Ryan agreed. Everyone agreed the sandwiches were delicious! Mom made a purple cabbage salad with cilantro and a lime vinagrette so I filled my sandwich with this and the pickled onions. It was SO GOOD! I was glad to have my own substitution.
I was in charge of dessert, so I decided to make the raw berry cobbler using my grandma’s favorite berries: raspberries and strawberries. I woke up early to start it so that it had time to refrigerate.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
My mom had the perfect dish for the presentation. Is it not beatuiful? There is nothing like a fresh cold berry dessert for a hot summer day. I usded this Raw Berry Cobbler recipe I used a few weeks back.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
My grandma took a bite and enjoyed it after we sang her the birthday song.
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We had a good time talking and sharing and then my grandparents left! 3 hours sure does go fast,but my grandpa was ready to leave so that he could get to his BBC news time. 🙂
Nap was a major fail for me since I usually cannot sleep in cold weather, but I had time to rest and figure the whole blog issues I have been having lately. I was to apologize to everyone who has tried to read my blog through their Google Reader, but I obviously did not know that plain white text against a white background was being mailed to y’all. I did my best create a nice background with dark text for those that subscribe to my blog. Thanks for following!!
In the evening, Ryan and I prepared to see my father for a dinner date. My sister came along and we decided to trek across town to Star Pizza. Star Pizza was a favorite of mine when I lived in Houston because it had the freshest of ingredients and great cheese. I thought I was going to get a big salad, since they are tasty, but I had had a salad for lunch so I thought I could make a pizza work. I called the restaurant and asked if they carried vegan cheese now, but they said they did not but that I was more than welcome to bring in my own vegan cheese. Well, how about that? I took in some Daiya mozzarella crumbles and ordered the Tomatillo Roasted Garlic Poblano Pizza. This is what it looked like:
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I got an 8-inch and was able to take home leftovers, which is always good. I think it is fantastic that a restaurant can accomodate that! We had a great time visiting with my father and then transitioned to Starbucks for more talk time. So far, our time in Houston has been packed in with seeing people and family.
I leave you with another drink recipe IF you are not tired of seeing them. I have been loving new beverages and quenchers, and since I have NOT been making anything new other than drinks, why not leave you a recipe? 🙂
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Minty Green Lemonade
serves two 12 ounce glasses
1/2 cup packed pineapple mint leaves
4 lemons, peeled and seeded
3 cups of water
1 Tbsp matcha powder
1/3 cup agave nectar
Ice
Wash the lemons and peel the lemon removing the peel, even the white portion of the lemons. Cut in quarters and place in a blender. Wash the mint and remove the mint leaves from the stem. Add the mint along with the rest of the ingredients to the blender.
Add a cup of ice and blend well until slushie. Great for a post-workout!
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Fresh Prickly Pear Lemonade
July 9th, 2010 |
| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Hello from Houston. I finally have a little moment to blog since we arrived in Texas. It has been a whirlwind of events already and I feel tired. Even though I like traveling I know that the best flights for us from Michigan to Texas always require us to leave from Grand Rapids, which is an hour away. Ryan booked us flights leaving at 6am which meant us leaving our house at 3:45am. Yes, you read that right. I debated whether I should go to bed SINCE we had finished the last movie in the Lord of the Rings series, which probably was not the best idea but we had been watching the series of movies since Saturday. Anyhoo, Ryan and I slept about 1.5 hours before our alarm woke us at 3:15am. Ryan put a pot of coffee on since we had our friend who was picking us up. What a nice friend, right? Thanks Nick! You and Michelle will be treated for dinner on our way back. 🙂
When we arrived at the airport, I found out Ryan was prepared for our trip on the airplane. He brought 2 blow-up neck cushions for us to use so that we could sleep. Can I tell you that it was amazingly UNCOMFORTABLE? Either way, I slept a total of 3 hours so I was so tired when we arrived in Houston.
We arrived at 9:35am, but by the time my mom picked us up we were VERY hungry since it was technically lunch time in Michigan! 🙂 We quickly decided to try a new place called Ruggles Green where they offered vegan friendly meals.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
I finally realized where I get my cooking skills from. Yes. My mother can take simple ingredients and bring them together for a fabulous meal. I was glad to add to this meal by making the prickly pear lemonade.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Prickly pears are a nutritious fruit. I always saw them in Mexico when I went to visit family but I never knew how to prepare it until coming back from New Mexico. Prickly Pears are high in vitamin C, fiber and high in phytonutrients or flavonoids.
I used simple ingredients to make this lemonade, which included lemons, agave nectar, water, and the prickly pears. The end product came out so beautiful with a bright NEON pink color. The flavor quite different than anything I have ever tasted but delicious with the lemon combination. There are websites that sell prickly pear syrup, but I bet alot of that is made with white sugar. This recipe uses a low glycemic sugar substitute that creates a healthy summer drink.
I scooped out the pulp from 2 prickly pears and pealed 5 lemons, discarding the rinds. I added them to a blender.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
I used a sieve to remove the prickly pear’s seeds and the lemons seeds. I added agave nectar and water and ice and BOOM, great with a meal.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Fresh Prickly Pear Lemonade
makes a big pitcher (serves 12)
8-ounce glasses
2 prickly pears, pulp
5 lemons, lemon rind peeled
10 glasses of water
3/4 cup agave nectar
ICE
Remove pulp from prickly pears using a spoon and scoop into a blender. Peel lemons, removing rind and white skin. Add to blender and blend well.
Place blended ingredients through a sieve until all the liquid has been removed.
Place liquid in a pitcher and add agave nectar. Mix well and add water.
Place ice on each glass and pour the prickly pear lemonade. Enjoy!
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
