Category Archives: Food

Quick Protein

Posted on July 10, 2009 by juliebyers

Are you noticing a trend in my recipes lately?  “Quick.”

My friend, Erin, fed me this yummy “caramel” apple dip and I’ve replicated it a few times now.  It has become a staple during my last trimester when I need a fast protein boost.  I’m not a big fan of nut butters but this raw vegan dip is delicious!

6 Tbsp raw almond butter
2 Tbsp coconut oil
1/2 cup raw honey
1 Tbsp vanilla
3 pitted dates (soaked)
pinch sea salt

mix it all together in a food processor/blender/chopper.

My sister thought it needed a little more “sweet” so I added two more dates the last time I made it.  Tasty, tasty. 

Slice up some apples and enjoy.  Thanks Erin!!

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Quick Breakfast

Posted on July 8, 2009 by juliebyers

Breakfast is difficult for me.  Most of the time, I’d rather eat a turkey sandwich or bowl of soup for breakfast than cereal or eggs.  Ok, really, I’d like nothing more than to skip breakfast but we all know what a no-no that is.

I’m enjoying this quick recipe though. 

5-minute cereal:

2 tbsp quick cook barley, 2 tbsp bulgar, 2 tbsp oats mixed with 2/3 cup water.

Microwave 2 minutes

Stir in cinnamon (optional raisins or dried fruit)

Microwave 3 minutes

Then I add whatever I have.  This morning, I added sliced banana, maple syrup, walnuts, frozen blueberries, and coconut.  Finally, I stir in just a little bit of milk.

I don’t like oatmeal or most hot cereals but the bulgar and nuts gives just the right texture for my palate.

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Just another pregnancy update

Posted on April 19, 2009 by juliebyers

img_7711-21I’m 24 weeks or is it 25?  I don’t remember.  I usually cheat and hop over to Jenny’s blog to check–she’s due the same day as me. 

Pregnancy-wise, everything is normal.  Nothing much to report.  My belly seems huge and I feel like I’m carrying high.  No more sleeping on my tummy.  I wish I grew those cute basketball bellies. 

I crave belly-rubs and my friend, Carey, obliges weekly with a heavenly rose-lavender oil massage.  This child is almost always moving which has become irritating at night–it keeps me from sleep.  I was never irritated by Norah moving. 

My only food cravings lately have been swiss cheese and crushed ice.  I continue to drink oatstraw/nettle/red raspberry leaf tea daily.  I’ve added DHA/EPA to the prenatal routine.  Like a good girl, I take my cal/mag before bed and drink some chlorophyll in my oj each morning.  I won some prenatal chewable vitamins which I was super-stoked about.  Until I tasted them.   

Some of you have asked about my birth plans.  I’m not really keen on sharing much online at this point.  I promise to post all the details after Cedar is born.  I will say that I am excited about birthing again.  I’m trying out Hypnobabies since I’m currently training as an instructor.  My one worry is that Hypnobabies is notorious for short labors and I don’t want mine to be too quick!  But Cedar will come as Cedar is meant to come. 

Scott has beautifully kept the gender a secret.  I don’t have a clue or an intuition.

In terms of doula-ing, I have a busy, busy summer ahead!  I have such a diverse group of clients in the next couple of months.  And I’ve already had inquiries about hypnobabies classes this fall.

I had the worst heartburn of my life today while out shopping.  Thankfully, I had some papaya tablets in my doula bag.  I’ve never taken anything for heartburn and I’m happy to report that the papaya worked withing minutes!  I know it doesn’t work for everyone.  But I won’t be separated from it for the duration of this pregnancy!

Currently reading:  Obstetrics Illustrated, Natural Pregnancy Book, The Art of Hypnosis, Holistic Guide to Embracing Pregnancy and Birth, and Eve.                  

Oh, and a fun little book I found at the flea market this week:

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Morning Couscous

Posted on April 4, 2009 by juliebyers

Some of you may have seen this recent recipe at Mothering.  I adapted it a little bit for my tastes.  It is really quick and yummy.  Breakfast is a chore for me.  I usually don’t want to eat it so I struggle to find things I will enjoy.

Stir together 1 cup of milk, 1 tbsp of honey, 2 tsp of cinnamon, and dash of nutmeg.  I might add some vanilla next time, too.  Bring just to a boil. 

Add 1 cup of couscous, stir, cover, and remove from heat.  Let stand 5 minutes. 

Stir in walnuts, chopped apples, and whatever else suits your fancy. 

You could do this with quinoa or bulgar as well but it would take a bit longer.  Still a quick breakfast though.  And, for me, I like the texture much better than oatmeal.

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More Fun at the Pickens Flea Market

Posted on March 19, 2009 by juliebyers

I had such a great time today at the flea market.  My sister-in-law, Rebecca, joined me.  It is always more fun to enjoy the, um, sights, with a friend!

My favorite table today was this one:

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What an odd assortment of items to sale.  What is the strange pitch-fork thing with a hooked end?

However–the highlight!  My natural food guy was back after his long winter hibernation.  Today, I filled two bags for 20.00.  Check it out!  And nothing was expired. 

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That is:  2 boxes of bulgar wheat, 2 boxes of organic granola bars, 3 boxes of hazelnut crackers, 1 large container of almond oil, 3 jars of coconut oil, 1 box of tea, and 1 box of oat bran.  If you’ve ever bought coconut oil, you can guess why I’m so happy about my natural food guy’s return! 

We also had our first (and hopefully only) ultrasound today.  We did the free ultrasound at Greenville Technical College.  It was really interesting since it is a teaching module.  I learned more than I normally would.  Everything looked good–but, of course, they wouldn’t tell us if something was out of the ordinary.  They would send the info to our care provider.  But I definitely saw a three-vesseled cord, a four chambered heart, and a closed spine.  And yes, baby did share its gender.  I chose not to know.  And I haven’t a clue.  My husband chose to know and he better not tell anyone.  So don’t pester him. 

 

The baby’s name will be Cedar–regardless of gender.  The child had fingers in mouth and moved the whole time.  Cedar always moves.  Always.

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Pregnancy Superfoods

Posted on February 8, 2009 by juliebyers

Ah, the pregnancy superfoods.  Some of the top foods are blueberries, dark chocolate, walnuts, flax, and salmon.  I’ve been trying to eat more of these lately.  So, I revived a recipe I shared almost a year ago.  I switched out the carob chips for dark chocolate and behold:  these easy cookies pack in three of my superfoods (walnuts, dark chocolate, and flax). 

I’ve also learned to cut the prep time by using bags of walnut chips instead of chopping my own nuts.  I just made these cookies and the prep time was six minutes. 

Here is the recipe again:

2 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

2/3 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp unrefined sea salt

1/3 cup ground flax (I grind mine in a coffee grinder just before using.  You can buy it already ground as flaxseed meal)

1/3 cup carob chips (or chocolate)

1/2 cup maple syrup plus 2 tbsp

2 tsp vanilla

Add all the ingredients in the given order and mix well.  Spoon onto a greased cookie sheet.   Flatten each mound slightly with a fork.  Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes.  Cool before eating.

Note:  these are not cake-like cookies.  They are more like nut-clusters.  I get about 2 dozen cookies from one batch.

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Christmas Loot

Posted on December 31, 2008 by juliebyers

One of my favorite things about Christmas is spending time with my family.  We have loads of rituals surrounding the holiday.  And we know we have only a small, precious window during which all of us are together.  Soon my sister and her husband will be living overseas.  So we really savor our time together now. 

Ok, now one of my other favorite things about Christmas:  the yearly loot from my Aunt Helen’s garden.  When I see her husband carrying in huge boxes to place under the tree, I get so excited.  I try to time it each year so that I use my last jar just before Christmas.  This year, I used up the final jar of tomatoes making veggie soup the week before Christmas. 

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Someone Loves My Beans

Posted on November 24, 2008 by juliebyers

By request from some of the ladies working with my hubs:

Beans:  The quick way–buy a bag of 15 bean mix at the grocery store.  My personal quirk:  I pick out the garbanzo beans because I don’t like them (with other beans).  The better way–head to the Greenville Farmers Market and mix up your own assortment of dried beans in bulk.  No pesky garbanzo beans that way!  Soak the beans overnight so you can quickly cook them when you get home from work.  If you don’t have enough time (because you forgot to soak like I always do), substitute with lentils.  They don’t require soaking and cook up quickly.

The add-ins:  The quick way–toss in a packet of dried soup mix like onion or veggie.  Do not use the flavor packet that came with your store bought beans.  The better way–chop up some veggies in a food processor or chopper.  I like carrots, onions, celery, zucchini, squash, garlic, peppers.  Whatever you have on hand, toss in!  Throw in spices like onion powder, dill, chives, parsley, turmeric, pepper.  Salt to taste.  

Serving:  The quick way–carry the pot to the table and serve!  The better way—grind some flax and mix in before serving to add an extra nutritional punch.  I use a coffee grinder for flax but you can buy it already ground.  Serve beans over whole grain brown rice, bulgar, or barley.

I’m sure it gets old for my family, but I use the same basic plan for any brown bean I serve (kidney, lentil, crowder, field, etc).  Rice and beans are a staple at our house. 

Enjoy ladies!

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Pumpkin Bread

Posted on October 30, 2008 by juliebyers

I served pumpkin bread at our monthly Blessingways on Saturday.  A couple of attendees asked me to post the recipe.  I wish I could say it was healthy.  It isn’t.  Not a whit.  And I’m a terrible recipe-follower so this is how I *think* I made it:

In a large bowl, mix:  2 cups pumpkin, 1/4 cup oil (I used pecan oil), 1/2 cup applesauce, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup raw cane sugar, 4 eggs.  Yes, 4.

In another bowl, mix:  2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup whole wheat flour, 2tsp baking soda, 1tsp salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger to suit your fancy.  I’m heavy on the cinnamon.  I threw in some wheat germ out of habit. 

Blend the two together.  Add walnut or pecans.  Toss in some coconuts or cranberries if you wish.  Pour in loaf or muffin pans.  Bake loaves at 350 for 1 hour.  Bake muffins at 350 for 30 minutes. 

No pictures because there is nothing left.  Not a crumb.

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The Apple Peeler

Posted on October 6, 2008 by juliebyers

Where has this device been all my life?

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