Political Nutrition

Holiday traditions can really screw with you when you've completely changed your diet. I'm not talking "on a diet" I'm talking lifestyle change. Christmas with the Millers has some pretty great traditions when it comes to food. Get up with a great cup of coffee and watch the kids with the stockings and Santa gifts. When everyone is assembled, break out the gift exchange and ooh and aaah. Then sit down to Bagels and Lox and stuff yourself silly. This is usually followed by some schmaltzy TV movie or parade, a nice brisk walk, and then the dinner preparations begin. In honor of the Grinch, a good Roast Beast is always on the menu. Accompanied by Yorkshire Pudding, which, for those of you who are uninitiated, is a popover made with the drippings of said beast. There's salad, veggies and wine as well.  And Dessert? Always the Yule Log. My mom makes it. It's fabulous. The cake is just a thin chocolate layer designed to hold the filling. Which is...

So holiday party all set. Potluck. You've got 2 pans of ziti in the oven, one with beef (not pork) the other vegetarian. Using Dreamfields pasta, organic sauce and massive amounts of cheese. You've got your desserts all ready to go. All Grain, gluten and guilt free. And you think, wait... oh no, the pasta is gluten free and you need one more dish! Why the concern, plenty of food, lots of veggies and then there's the expected trays of shrimp and sushi. Because as Roseanne Rosanna Danna used to say, it's always something! And when it comes to food... well, nuf said. So out came the bag of organic Quinoa I bought thinking I could make so many wonderful side dishes with but never actually had the guts to do it plus Quinoa, despite the rumors, is still an ancient grain and still bad for your blood sugar. So, not something to eat everyday at all. But on special occasions, if you want a small, small helping, go ahead. Just note that it's not a good everyday sub...

Ridiculous how simple this is. No, really. First, kudos to Megan at Detoxinista . Her fabulous recipe got me thinking anything is possible. Of course this time of year, anything is possible. :) So, the key to all of this is going to be the ingredients. I need to stress that. I can't vouch for what I don't use. And again, for those who do not know me, I know nothing about diet, nutrition, health other than my own personal road well travelled. Through Diabetes and Heart Disease and the FDA's goddamn food pyramid that nearly killed me. So. Back to food. I love food. I live for food. And my kids. And my husband. Ok there's a few other good parts in here. But I do love food. Probably genetic on my Dad's side. The Hungarian-Slovak need for really deliciously rich foods. My mom taught Piano. Therefore, my mom had piano recitals. She served food. And there were these amazing cookie bars. Blonde Brownies. They had butterscotch chips maybe? Hell I don't know. I o...

While you may be able to cook with grains, and eat them doused in milk, you wouldn't head out to the fields and gnaw on a wheat stem. And if you understood how grains react in your body, you might think twice about swallowing even one bite. But it's a plant you say? Would you eat Poison Oak? Tree Bark? So why on earth would you grind up a wheat stalk and eat it.  You need flour? Grind a nut. Pick one. They are all delicious, different flavors and textures to create different foods. Pecans are good but soft, not really the stuff a good bread is made of. Almonds are fabulous, but a bit dry, so adjust accordingly. Hazelnuts are about perfect. So what's for breakfast if you take away the cereal and toast? Hmmm.  How about a French Toast Pancake or an Omelette with a little bacon on the side? Or a Blueberry muffin and some fresh berries. Starting to sound like breakfast? Wait! Did I say Muffin? I did. Just bake it with nut flour. The first week or two you may...

It's cold outside and nothing beats cookies from the oven when it's cold outside.  Of course as with any good cookie, it's got to have gooey melted chocolate. And we don't use chocolate chips anymore. And unsweetened would be, let's face it, gross.  So grab a bar of Dark chocolate, over 85% or so . The sugars should be under 5 grams per serving (40 gram serving). OK. Let's rock. 3/4 cup Swerve or Erythritol.  1 cup Almond Flour 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 cup butter (softened) 1/2 cup Almond Butter 1 tablespoon maple syrup (pure) 1/2 cup chopped chocolate and 1/2 cup chopped peanuts (unsalted, roasted and blanched) or any kind of raw nut will do. Cream the butter, almond butter and swerve until well blended. Mix in the vanilla, maple and egg. In a separate bowl, combine almond flour, baking powder and salt. Add dry mixture to the creamed butter till well blended and smooth, then ...

Today was the notorious DDay for me. Doctor. Labs. Did my cholesterol go up? Did a high fat low carb grain free diet deliver as promised? Did it transform my metabolism? Did it become a fat burning cholesterol lowering machine? Or was I suckered by some really slick psuedo-science?  Without further ado. drum roll please... my cholesterol has plummeted. And I do mean plummeted.  LDL 52 Total Cholesterol: 134 Was 169 Triglycerides: 85. Was 153 HDL 65 Was 60 My weight is declining. My sugars under control. I eat Prime Rib and make my muffins with Butter. I indulge in decadent Chocolate desserts.  I do however only use Organic foods, hormone free, and meat that is grass fed. But in 8 years I couldn't do what 4 months of clean eating has done. It's freaking amazing. And nothing like the Doctor giving you Kudos. Even wondered if I could keep doing it... "are you kidding" I asked. I eat chocolate 3 times a day. Yeah, I can do this.  And so can you. ...

I ran out of cinnamon muffins today. And there on the shelf in the fridge, none other than a small little box of fresh blueberries just screaming to be used. I do have a previous round of blueberry muffins, and they were pretty good. But it was months ago, back in amateur hour at the Miller kitchen. With my new mastery of the culinary arts, I thought I'd give it another go round. Oh much better this time. Much much better. Buttery, sweet, and everything my tastebuds were craving. Without further ado: Preheat oven to 350F and line a greased 12-piece standard muffin tin with paper liners. 2 cups Almond Flour (not meal) sifted. 2 Teaspoons baking powder 1 Stick Organic Butter (half cup) Melted 1.5 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract 4 Large Organic Cage-Free Eggs 1/3 cup water 1 cup fresh blueberries 1/3 cup Swerve plus 1 tablespoon (reserved) 1/4 teaspoon sea salt Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Add the melted butter...