Mix, Stir and Pour…Pancakes in a Hurry!

Our every weekend seems to be jam packed with things to do and catch up on. Preparing an elaborate brunch is usually not high on our list of things to accomplish. Enter delicious and easy buckwheat pancakes. Before you tune out and turn your nose at the idea of whole-grain pancakes, please read on with an open mind. Buckwheat is actually not related to wheat, but rhubarb! According to Dr. Weil’s site it is very high in nutrients: Nutritionally, buckwheat provides vitamins B1 and B2, the minerals potassium, magnesium, phosphate and iron (buckwheat contains more iron than cereal grains), and it has nearly twice the amount of the amino acid lysine found in rice. Buckwheat bran (farinetta) contains rutin, a flavonoid known to reduce cholesterol, lower blood pressure and maintain the strength and flexibility of capillaries. A recently discovered compound in buckwheat called fagopyritol seems to have potential to help manage type II diabetes. Now that our nutrition lesson is over, let’s get going and whip up some amazing pancakes. This is actually my husband’s way of making pancakes. He doesn't like spending time in the kitchen, so he takes all the short cuts when cooking. Imho it doesn’t always pay off (he would disagree!) but this shortcut works well. So what we do is buy Arowhead Mills Buckwheat Pancake and Waffle Mix to save time. You can find this in many grocery and health foods stores. There is actually a recipe on the back which you can use if you like your pancakes extra fluffy. But what we do is waaaay simple! Derek’s No-Hassle Buckwheat Pancakes 1 cup of Arrowhead Mills Buckwheat Pancake Mix 1 cup (approx) soy milk Slowly pour the soy milk into the pancake mix until you get the desired consistency. If you like your batter thicker, add less liquid, and if you like it a tad bit runny, add more.. Spray a little canola oil onto a non-stick pan, and pour the pancake batter. Then wait tell the bottom of the pancake is lightly cooked and then flip it over until the other side is fully cooked. Serve immediately with bananas, strawberries, walnuts, and agave nectar. (BTW, agave nectar is a great sweetener which can be high in minerals and low on the glycemic index) If you have a “no-hassle’ pancake recipe you enjoy, send them my way as I’d love to try them!

Finally…A Dessert That’s Not Deadly!

Are you craving ice cream but need to lock your freezer door to keep yourself away from this deadly dessert? Well, you can now hire a lock cutter, because I’ve got some news for you! What if I told you that you can now eat ice cream that’s actually good for you? No, I’m not crazy, I’m just resourceful! :) There are now brands of ice cream made of soy which have all the flavor and none of the cholesterol. Really…I’m not joking! Take a look at that picture above, does that look bad for you? Well, it does, but it’s not! This is a Green Tea ice cream made by Soy Delicious my absolute favorite brand of ice cream. They have flavors like Cherry Nirvana, Cookie Avalanche, Rocky Road and on and on. I have to warn you that the Green Tea flavor is very “earthy unique” and won’t be for everyone. So where can you find this soy goodness? Most grocery stores will have soy ice cream. Tofutti is the brand that is most available around the country. But if you go to Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods, you’ll be in soy ice cream heaven. I’ve seen people look like zombies staring into the ice cream freezer. Their brains freeze looking at all the amazing flavors and choices they have with absolutely NO guilt! (actually, I haven’t really seen that happen, but I’ve been one of those zombies myself, so I know the experience!) Who says eating healthy can’t be fun, delicious and beautiful?

Smoothies 101: A Fresh Start to the Day

Wow! This is my very first blog entry. So, in honor of new beginnings, I thought I'd share with you the wonderfully delicious way I begin my day--smoothies. I can live on smoothies! They are a great way for me to get a lot of my nutrients for the day and receive a boost of energy to keep on going. They take less than 5 minutes to make and I'm not joking! When I used to walk to work each day, I was always running behind schedule...but I definitely had 5 mins to make my morning elixir! So here are the basics that I use most every time:

• Base Fruit (i like to use bananas or mangoes for a creamy base)
• Frozen Fruit (i like to use blueberries since they are super high in anti-oxidants)
• Liquid (you can use juice, soy or rice milk, or even water)
• Flax Seeds (they are a great source of omega 3 fatty acids essential for brain and other bodily functions)
• Greens (this is optional but I like to put a big handful of spinach because you can hardly taste the "green" flavor, and you get so many added benefits from this powerhouse food)
• Nutritional Boost (this is optional as well...you can use green powders or vitamin powers to add an extra "umph!")

Looks complicated? No way! Once you get the hang of it, it only takes minutes. Here is a very very basic recipe I have taught in past cooking classes. Blueberry Smoothie 1 banana (base) 1/2c frozen blueberries 1 cup (approx) soy milk 1 Tbsp flax seeds (optional) That's it! Some of you might be thinking, "She's crazy! I can't make that in 5 minutes!" Go ahead try it...and tell me what you think. Once you get the hang of this, you can begin to add other fruits, juices etc. But that's for another day... Now regarding where to get some of the other ingredients. If you live near a Trader Joe's (go ahead google it, and come right back) you can get lots of cheap frozen organic fruit. I have not found better prices than Trader Joe's. If you don't have one nearby, then stock up on frozen fruit from your local grocery store. I used to live near a grocery store which would have big sales on frozen fruit every few months. I filled my whole cart with frozen blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and peaches. I am sure that everyone around me thought I was crazy, but hey, that's the price you've gotta pay sometimes! You can also get soy milk from your local grocery store's dairy section. Soy milk can take some getting used to, but I fell in love with it the first day I tried it. (I cradled my first box of Eden Soy on the bus home from high school 15 years ago!...I couldn't stop reading the packaging...no honestly this is true!...I know I'm a dork! ) So, try it with an open mind. Silk soy milk, is the most popular brand out there, but try some different brands until you find the one you love. (it's just like buying any brand of cereal, some you hate and some you love) The other ingredients like flax seeds and nutritional powders can be found most grocery stores, but I usually get mine at Whole Foods. Contact me if you want a list of the products I use. Oh, and you'll of course need a blender. Now, you can buy one from Target for $20, but I suggest investing in a much better quality blender. I've gone through many cheap blenders that have burnt out on me. I don't want that to happen to you. I'm not going to scare you away by telling you how much I spent on my new blender, but I'll definitely talk about it more in an advanced smoothie making post. My last piece of advice is: be creative! You can not go wrong with smoothies...trust me on this one! My husband makes smoothies all the time for midday snacks...and he learned pretty quickly how to get good it. I'll stop writing now so that you can run out and get your ingredients for your morning smoothie. Please tell me how it goes. I'd love to know! Oh and one more thing (I can go on and on about this stuff!) here is a video of Dr. Gregor making a flax smoothie and explaining the medical benefits of some of the ingredients I've recommended. Happy drinking to y'all!