Sylvia's Scenario

Are you ready to start your October Unprocessed 2011? Tomorrow it starts and I think it will be fun! I am going to use my definition of processed foods as reported in my  post  on the session I went to on "Fresh Look at Processed Foods". I plan to avoid the "ready-to-eat" and the "prepared" processed foods only and eat the "combination" and "minimally" processed foods. That makes a lot more sense to me. But if you want more details, read the food blog that I got this from. http://www.eatingrules.com/2010/09/defining-unprocessed/ He did it last year, too, and went into great depth on explaining what he thinks is "processed". Basically, if you can't make it in your kitchen, then its "processed".  I think that's reasonable, except sugar is a processed food so not even homemade cookies, etc., unless you use honey or agave syrup as the sweetener.  I will tell people to go ahead and eat "j...

I recently returned from attending our national conference for dietitians in San Diego on September 24-27 and was refreshed to get updated on all the latest research, as well as having a little fun in San Diego!!  This is a good event for all of us dietitians to go to because it keeps us abreast of current recommendations backed up by studies.  For example...have you see the blogs going around about "Unprocessed October" where they are trying to get people to eat "unprocessed" food for a month?  Well, I think its a fun idea, however, I went to a session called "Fresh Look at Processed Foods" and basically, the definition of "processed foods" is everything we eat unless it's pulled straight out of the garden!  Even bananas are considered a processed food!  The home grown tomatoes we can ourselves  are "processed foods".  So, as a dietitian, this conference is good at keeping us grounded with the scientific community so we don...

Today is National Coffee Day! Are you one of the millions who will celebrate? Some local and national businesses will offer free or discounted cups of coffee in honor of the occasion. Participating Krispy Kreme locations, for example, are offering a free 12oz cup of House Blend coffee all day long. You can also pick up a free medium coffee from 7-11am at any 7-Eleven in the U.S.A. or Canada. Don't forget to pay attention to social media as some businesses plan to share coupons and specials with their loyal followers. So, where did coffee come from and how did it become so popular? According to legend, a sixth-century Ethiopian goatherd named Kaldi discovered his goats frolicking from one coffee shrub to another. He recognized that the coffee berries they were eating had a stimulating effect, and he began to experiment with the seeds. A century later, brewed coffee emerged in Arabia and the popularity of coffee grew at an exponential rate. Today, over 400 billion cups of coffee...

This recipe uses those refrigerated polenta tubes that I never know what to do with!  I found one as I was cleaning out the refrigerator so whipped up this recipe to use it up.   It uses tomatoes and basil from the garden, and eggplant, although we didn't grow eggplant this year, but if you did then this would be a great garden casserole. Serves 6  (2 polenta and eggplant stacks per serving) 2 Tbsp. olive oil 4 cloves garlic, chopped 28 oz. canned tomatoes, broken up or fresh tomatoes 1/4 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes 1/2 cup basil, chopped 1-1/2 pound raw eggplant, cut into 24 (1/4-inch) slices 16 oz. polenta, from a refrigerated tube, cut into 12 (1/2-inch) slice 1.  Heat the oil in a large skillet, then add the garlic.  Saute until golden, about 1 minute.  Add the tomatoes, salt, red pepper flakes, and basil; bring to a boil.  Simmer, uncovered, until the sauce thickens slightly, about 15 minutes. ...

If you're like me, you're getting rather larger zucchini from the garden right now. Every time we bring in a gigantic zucchini, my first thought is "stuffed zucchini"! Of course, you don't have to use the gigantic zucchini to stuff it. Regular size ones work just as well (and probably taste better). But if you like to stuff your zucchini, this is my favorite recipe. It uses delicious herbs from the garden, too. My husband thought I had made pizza when he came home from work and smelled the aroma. But this is a lot better than pizza, although, slightly similar... Seves 4 4 medium zucchini (or one large one, like I used) 1 medium onion 1/2 red bell pepper chopped= 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped 4 cloves garlic 1 egg, beaten 4 sprigs thyme 1/2 tsp. oregano salt and pepper 1 pound ground turkey breast 2 Tbsp. olive oil parmesan cheese, grated 1. Wash zucchini and put in a pot of cold water (do not remove ends) 2. Bring to a boil and cook un...