Sprouting Quinoa

Sprouting quinoa is super easy and will aid in your body's digestion of this powerful super-gran. It is higher in nutrition than other seeds or grains. You pronounce it "Keen-wah."
You can read about quinoa HERE.

So, to try sprouting quinoa, place one cup of seeds in a small stainless steel mesh strainer. Run it under water until it is free of bubbles.
Rest the strainer onto of a glass bowl and fill the bowl full of filtered water. Let the quinoa soak for 30 minutes.
Rinse again, and empty water from the glass bowl. Set the strainer again over the empty bowl and cover the quinoa with a damp towel. Let sit, out of sunlight, for 8-12 hours.
Rinse again and repeat the last step.
Rinse and now your quinoa is ready to use. You can cook it at a low temp with water on the stove (half the water recommended on the quinoa bag), or you can store it in the fridge for around a week.
Add some quinoa to your salad, fruit salad oatmeal...whatever. I love quinoa!

Is there such a thing as Adrenal Fatigue?

I came across this article today and was really surprised. The author, an MD is basically saying that Adrenal Fatigue is not real! If you are interested, you can read his article HERE. He says:

"Adrenal Fatigue is a term applied to a collection of nonspecific symptoms which include: body aches, fatigue, nervousness, sleep disturbances and digestive problems...it isn't an accepted medical diagnosis....Proponents of the adrenal fatigue diagnosis claim this is a mild form of adrenal insufficiency caused by chronic stress. The unproven theory behind adrenal fatigue is that your adrenal glands are unable to keep pace with the demands of perpetual fight-or-flight arousal. As a result, they can't produce enough of the hormones you need to feel good"

After experiences all the above mentioned symptoms, and after treatment...am improving and all my lab results are improving, how could this be made up? He says the symptoms are "nonspecific," but I think the more I have read about adrenal fatigue...we are all in the same boat! What this doctor was proposing about stress and fight-or-flight..I believe whole-heartily. It is exactly what Adrenal Stress is..and is not Chronic Fatigue or Fibromyalga, like he is proposing...maybe related...YES, but Adrenal Fatigue is real and is certainly overwhelming and frustrating, when you don't know what to do and when you can't figue out what is wrong with you!

I think a lot of doctors don't accept Adrenal Fatigue as a real thing, because it isn't something they are taught in med school. They learn about Addison's Disease, which is an underlying disease that causes an insufficient adrenal gland. There is no money to be made in Adrenal Fatigue. After counseling with my nurse practitioner and reading about Adrenal Fatigue, by doctors that accept it and are helping people recover ever day, I know that I must do the following to be healthy and continue to recover (program taken from "Adrenal Fatigue: by Dr. James Wilson). Although I choose to buy my vitamins and supplements from James Wilson, there are many doctors now that understand Adrenal Fatigue and how serious it is and will help you on your road to recovery. Hopefully, they will tell you the following:

1.Be in bed by 10 at the latest and asleep no later than 11 p.m.

2. Try to sleep in until 7...9 is ideal. I laugh at this, because being a mom, I don't often get this luxury..but I have a supportive husband who will let me sleep in when I get the chance. Your adrenals like to sleep in...remember that.

3. Awake with a glass of water and add 1/2 t. salt

4. Have a balanced breakfast of proteins, fats, and small starchy carbs (unrefined)

5. eat a snack around 10:15 of protein/fats/carbs and rest for a few minutes with your feet off the ground. Also practice deep breathing.

6. Eat an early lunch, before noon..You don't want your body to get too tired or your adrenals will always be playing catch up. Getting too hungry, is like your body being too tired. always make sure you eat throughout the day. lunch should be a balance of protein, small amount of carbs and fat and three different colored veggies. Make sure to chew slowly.

7. 2:00-afternoon snack of protein/fat/carbs and rest for a few minutes.

8. Eat an early dinner..before 6 pm and have protein, unrefined carbs and three different colored vegetables!

9. 7:00-relax and practice deep breathing

10. Small snack before bed

11. in bed by 10 and asleep by 11.

Sprouting 101

What is so important about sprouting?

When you sprout a grain, a bean, a seed, or a nut you are eating something way more nutritious that your body recognizes more as a vegetable vs. eating processed flour, nuts, seeds...that your body has a harder time processing. Sprouted grains contain important enzymes that aid in proper digestion and they also contain good bacteria. When we eat food that is refined and over processed..all those enzymes are lost.

You can read more about sprouting grains HERE!

Here are simple steps for sprouting grains:

I use wide mouth mason jars with sprouting lids...you can also just go to the hardware store and get some screen cut to fit your jar lids you already have.

Fill however many mason jars you want 1/3 full of grain

(I have just done white wheat and red winter wheat. Pretty soon, I will be experimenting with more ancient grains, like kamut and spelt).

(This is from the first time I did it and it was way too much grain in the morning.. don't add more than a half of a jar full..before the water)

Fill the jars full with filtered water, cover with sprouting lids and let sit out of the sunlight over night.

In the morning, drain the old water and rinse thoroughly. I leave my jars sitting at an angle in my sink so the water can continue to drain.

Over the next 12 hours, you should rinse them a few times. As soon as you start to see the little white bud coming out of the wheat, this is a good place to stop.

I then dehydrate the wheat at 115 degrees until they are hard again.

Once the wheat is dry, it is ready to grind and use for whatever you want. I realized that when I let my wheat sprout too long, my bread did not turn out. I found out after reading, The Diet Rebels Cookbook, that it is because there wasn't enough gluten to hold together in baking.

That is it! Try sprouting some wheat, dehydrating, and grinding. I have a dry container for my vita mix that lets me grind my grains

Local milk

Do you live in Utah County?

If so, you can get Raw Milk, Fresh Eggs, Grass-fed Beef and Raw Honey

for really great prices.

Check out www.huckleberrydairy.net

Tropical Lemon Cranberry Coconut Chia Bars

OK, so I am in love with Chia Seeds! They are soo fabulous and have such great nutrients in them. They help increase energy, curb appetite and give the body some Omega 3s and other minerals. I will be experimenting with Chia seeds a lot in the near future. I found this recipe on one of my favorite blogs! Click HERE for the recipe and and step by step instructions. Sooo yummy! I keep them in the freezer and then just take one out when I want it. I also lined my pan with parchment paper, so it was easy to take them out when they were done.

Grain Free Trail-Mix Bars

My friend, Denise sent me this recipe because she knows I am trying new healthy things. This recipe is awesome. Follow the instructions exactly (not hard at all) and they will turn out great. I did add a little extra honey to hold them together and added some dried cranberries.

Click HEREfor the recipe and pictures of the bars. These are very filling. My friend Cody and I snacked on them while we were in St. George this last weekend. They got us through: a trail run, hot yoga, 15 mile bike ride and a gorgeous hike through Zion's national park. I think they are best if kept in the fridge!

Enjoy!

gRAWnola

This granola recipe is from Raw Food Real World. It is awesome! It will stay crunchy if you keep it in the fridge. David had it yesterday with Coconut Milk on it and said it was great! I just snack on it. Ingredients: 1 apple, cored and chopped (I used organic Gala) 1 1/2 C. date paste (I made my own by soaking medjool dates, taking out the pits and mixing it up in the food processor using a little of the date water) 1/2 Grade A or B Maple Syrup. Grade A is heated the least...if you can find it 2 T. lemon juice 2 T. orange zest 1 t. cinnamon 2 t. sea salt 1 T. vanilla 1/2 C. sunflower seeds, soaked for at least 2 hours 2 C. almonds, soaked for at least 4 hours 3 C. pecans, soaked for at least 2 hours 1 C. pumpkin seeds, soaked for at least 2 hours 1 C. dried cranberries In your food processor or Vita-Mix, blend apple, date paste, syrup, lemon juice, orange zest, vanilla, cinnamon, salt and 1/4 C. of the sunflower seeds. When smooth, transfer to a big bowl. Add the remaining seeds and nuts to your food processor and coarsely chop the nuts and seeds in a few quick pulses. Add them to the bowl with the apple mixture, and then add the cranberries. Mix until well coated. Spread the granola on lined dehydrator trays (I used parchment paper) and dehydrate at 115 for 6 to 8 hours. Flip the granola over onto the screens (I left the parchment paper on when I flipped it over) and dehydrate for another 8 to 12 hours or until crunchy. Peel off parchment paper and break into pieces. It will get harder once you let it cool and place in the fridge!