MRE RECIPE: Protein Popcorn

Yeah, I know. Weird.  Yeah, popcorn, since it comes from corn, has a slight amount of protein. But this recipe will bump up that protein AND add flavor and nutrients.  Plus it tastes cheesy without adding the dairy!

INGREDIENTS:
2/3 cup of heirloom popcorn kernels
2-3 tbsp. oil (olive, walnut, avocado, your choice)
3 tablespoons of Nutritional Yeast Flakes

DIRECTIONS:
Place kernels in a brown paper lunch bag, fold down the top a few times, then put in the microwave for about 4 minutes. Take out when kernels aren't popping fast.

Once popped, take out and place in a bowl  Add a little oil, the nutritional yeast flakes (and salt, nuts and M&Ms if you'd like).  Mix well.  Add more until you get the taste you are going for.

NUTRITION DATA:

NOTE: If you air-pop your popcorn, after it's done, drizzle on the oil before sprinkling on the other ingredients.  It helps them stick, and adds healthy oils to your snack.  You could also pop the kernels in a COVERED pan on the stove or over a fire (just be sure to add oil to the pan first!)

NOTE: Please do NOT use pre-packaged microwave popcorn .. it has toxins in it and seriously, you can do it just as easily yourself.  //  Also, my son has a problem with regular GMO corn (is it any wonder?) so we buy heirloom popcorn, multi-colored, from Azure Standard.  They have a LOT of bulk products, many heirloom and non-GMO, and are so reliable.  They rarely mess up my order.

NOTE: If you took my advice and are putting enough food and such away for a year, please be sure to add these ingredients, especially the nutritional yeast.  You can use them in your dehydrated flax crackers, on pasta and so many other ways where you want to bump up the nutrition while adding a cheesy taste.

COPYRIGHT (C) 2015 Vikki Lawrence.  This recipe is for your personal use only.  Please do not copy or distribute without written authorization from the author.  Thank you.

MRE RECIPE: Flax Protein Crackers

I hate buying crackers, with all of those chemicals and such in them.  Plus I like to get a bang for my buck.  With prices rising on lots of items, I needed to pull out my Flax Cracker recipe and give it some twisting.  This is the result.

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups ground flax seeds
2/3 cups whole flax seeds
½ cup fava bean flour [or almond flour]
1 tbsp amaranth seeds
1 tsp salt (we leave this out sometimes)
1 tsp spice/herb (Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, rosemary, etc)
2 cups [more or less] of water.)

DIRECTIONS:
Combine all ingredients. Use more or less to get a nice thick consistency.  Line 2 dehydrator trays with parchment paper or roll-up sheets that fit your dehydrator. Spread batter evenly on the trays, using the back of a spoon. Dehydrate (for raw, keep under 115 degrees F.) for 2 hours, then reduce to 105 degrees F. for the rest of the time. After 4 hours, use a knife to score the crackers to where you want to separate them later. When they are dry enough to hold their shape (maybe 8 hours), remove and break them along the scored lines, then turn over and put directly on the tray (no parchment or liner this time). Finish dehydrating until crispy dry (the dryer they are, the longer they will last so go for NO moisture left). Store in an air-tight, moisture-proof, dark container.

NOTE: When we are conserving electricity, I put these in the solar dehydrator that I got for my last birthday.  (Yes, I asked for it!)  It's a bit of a pain to go outside, unhook it from where it's hanging, bring inside, score or turn the crackers (or other foods) over, and put it back outside, but I feel good knowing I have a way to preserve food when our electricity is down.

NOTE: For a sweeter cracker, leave out the savory herbs and add some applesauce and cinnamon. Delicious with a little peanut butter and a slice of apple.

ANOTHER NOTE: IF you are stocking up because of the weather and bird flu problems, please remember to add the above ingredients to your list of items to purchase. Being able to make your own crackers could be a family project when there's nothing to do, and you need that crunch.

COPYRIGHT (C) 2015 Vikki Lawrence
Do not copy or distribute this recipe as it is a TASTING recipe for Vikki's book. If you try this receipt, please leave comments below ass to whether you liked it, did anything different, etc. Thank you.

Recovering from 2nd knee replacement surgery

Yes, I dropped the ball again. 

I spent most of March and the first half of April, getting ready for my knee replacement surgery.  That entailed a LOT of doctor appointments, including a cardiologist who cleared my heart for surgery, dental, x-rays, MRIs, and so many more. I was on the go 5-days a week.  Between the busy-ness, I was struggling with fibromyalgia that smacked me over the head after the first knee replacement surgery in November.

So, I didn’t get a chance to write a monthly column about being a caregiver for someone who has epilepsy, I didn’t work on books, I didn’t experiment with recipes and I didn’t write in this blog.

I feel VERY guilty.

I’m still recovering from my surgery.  After all, it’s only been nearly 3 weeks.  My incision is healing well.  I’m regaining mobility in the leg.  I don’t fall down all of the time any more.  And I **think** … yes, **think** that my fibromyalgia has gone away a little bit.

So I hope to be back soon, giving you your money’s worth in this blog.

I will tell you that the food at the hospital was HORRIBLE…very few fresh veggies and fruit.  Had 6 different kinds of white potatoes but not even ONE sweet potato! Protein was unexciting.  Eggs were disgusting.  Cheesecake and carrot cake super yummy.  No wonder I came out of there with severe upset tummy syndrome and an additional 5 pounds.

Thought about maybe I should have had Hubby bring to the hospital some of my “instant meals” that I make but decided not to.  (1) I couldn’t have gotten up to find hot water and bring it back without spilling or falling.  (2) My 18 year old autistic son who stayed there with me couldn’t have brought the hot water back without spilling.  (3) Hubby wasn’t there a lot. (4) It’s not the nurses’ jobs to bring me hot water. (5) I guess I could have gotten the room service people to bring it to me but they never got my order right as it was!

Then I left the hospital and HAD to have comfort food.  Problem is, I had too much.  Too much jello, rice pudding, Hubby bringing home too much take-out, and, well, sweets.

I weighed this morning.  I gained a total of 10 pounds in 3 weeks.  What?  No way!  Uh, yes. And I really don’t like that.  I do still have a lot of jello in the freezer because I am still nauseous a whole lot and medication isn’t really helping.  But here’s my plan starting tonight:

BREAKFAST

• oatmeal with raisins OR
• nuts/seeds with fruit OR
• eggs from my chicken or turkey girls

 SNACKS:

• nuts/seeds
• fruit
• dried cranberry with almonds and cashews
• dried cherries with cashews and peanuts

LUNCH:

• lettuce salad with veggies and a boiled egg and fresh fruit on side
• tuna salad with veggies with fresh fruit on side
• taco shell with brown rice or quinoa filling, tom, etc with fresh fruit on side
• hummus with tortilla chips

 
DINNER:

• snack meal (healthy fresh protein like cheese/egg/hummus plus lots of fresh bite-sized veggies and a starch like rice crackers).
• soup/stew/casserole from dehydrated ingredients (minimal meat, bump up bean and nut protein, lots of veggies and lots of spices and herbs).

 

What do you think? Is it healthy?

My Own Weight-Loss - Update

When I went in for my surgery on November 19 2014, I weighed 254 pounds.  After the surgery, I was so nauseous, on pain killers, and didn't feel like doing anything.

But to regain mobility in my knee / leg, I needed to do leg exercises.  By the end of December, I had lost several pounds, had regained full mobility in my knee, and, except for the pain, was starting to feel better.

The surgery made my fibromyalgia worse.  Biggest flare-up I've ever had, and it's not going away.  I read about diets to help with the fibro, so I started eating mostly fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, legumes, and gluten-free.

I added exercycling to my daily routine.  Then found my 3-pound hand weights and started working with them, in addition to physical therapy.

But the physical therapy was making my other leg/knee worse.  I had to stop that.  I researched exercises to do in bed, and changed things.

As of last week, I have lost 27 pounds since my surgery.

I exercycle daily.
I work out with weights daily, on the bed.
I do my knee exercises daily, on the bed.
I do mock-stomach-crunches daily, on the bed.

I started water therapy 2 weeks ago, but because of the snow, have attend only once so far. Hope the snow goes away soon.

If **I** can lose weight, so can YOU!

I have another 50-75 pounds to go.  I CAN do this!

MRE RECIPE: KFC-Like Original Recipe Chicken

KFC-Like Chicken:

I love Kentucky Fried Chicken, but in most cases, it is so greasy. And I usually just want to eat the skin because it’s so delicious. Nope, soooo not healthy.   But now, for those of us working to be more healthy, I think I've come up with a taste substitute for KFC chicken.

I have been experimenting with KFC copycat recipes, trying to convert them to an instant meal, and I think I might be close for Original Recipe chicken. I need your help to experiment.

Ingredients:
1 cup pre-cooked freeze-dried chicken pieces
2 tbsp Accent (MSG seasoning)
1 tbsp buttermilk powder
1 tbsp all purpose flour
1 tbsp sweet paprika
1 tbsp onion powder
1-2 tsp salt
1 tsp instant egg powder
1 tsp ground oregano
1 tsp dried sage
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried marjoram
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp chili powder

Directions:
Combine everything except chicken until completely mixed.  Add dried chicken and toss again. Store in a tightly sealed container, keeping out moisture, light and oxygen.

When ready to eat, rehydrate with 2 cups of boiling water. Could take a little more or less, depending on humidity, etc.  Allow to sit, covered, for at least 10-20 minutes. Drain extra, although the flour, egg powder and buttermilk powder should thicken the extra water into a nice flavorful sauce.
Notes:
I don’t like using MSG / Accent and I don’t like much salt in our food, so I leave them out usually. We also don’t eat black pepper when we can avoid it.

Give it a try YOUR way, and leave your comments below as to how it tasted for you.  Feel free to top this onto some instant mashed potatoes (with or without butter powder). Maybe make a side of cole slaw or corn.

To Make Gluten-Free:
To make gluten-free, replace the flour with arrow-root powder or chia seeds or ground flax meal (to thicken). Check the other ingredients to make sure they are all gluten-free.

To Make Dairy-Free:
To make dairy-free, eliminate the buttermilk powder. It will taste a little different but give it a try anyway.

==============

Makes 1 serving.

Copyright (c) 2015 Vikki Lawrence
Do not copy or share this recipe. For your personal use only.

MIJ Diet: Lentil and Rice Soup

As my last post mentioned, I decided to help my weight loss along by using Meals In Jars (MIJ), aka Homemade Healthy MREs.

My "diet"  requirements:

• gluten-free
• tasty
• filling
• healthy
• dairy-free (as much as possible)
• low-sugar (pre-diabetic .. although I would rather use raw sugar and honey than asparatame!)
• low-sodium (I have high blood pressure)

So, the other day, I made my go-to dinner for the family: lentil and rice soup. This time, I made it from mostly dehydrated or shelf-stable ingredients.

• Lentils (pre-cooked and dehydrated)
• Rice, Brown (instant)
• Mixed Soup Veggies (I get these at the local Vitamin Cottage)
• Garlic powder (NOT salt)
• Chicken bouillon powder (low sodium)

Because I made this at home, I also added a dollop of bacon grease! I know, not the healthiest choice, but bacon makes otherwise bland meals quite delicious!

To make this yourself, use the same amount for rice as you do with lentils. Add a couple of tablespoons of mixed dried veggies, and season to taste.

VEGAN: eliminate the bacon grease!

MIJ Diet: Homemade MREs for Dieting

As some of you might know, I have a LOT of health problems. I can barely walk.  In November, I have a right knee replacement surgery scheduled.  A few months after, the left knee.

I have migraines, fibromyalgia, carpal tunnel syndrome, pre-diabetic, high blood pressure, low potassium and magnesium, insomnia and other symptoms. PLUS, recently I was told the rheumatoid arthritis in my spine is so severe, that I will probably be in a wheelchair within the next 5-10 years.

That means no more farming. (We just have our tiny 2 acres but already we've sold our goat herd, with only chickens and turkeys remaining.). We will need to find a smaller place, closer to the city (Denver) for doctor appointments, therapies, and so my special needs son can get a job within walking or biking distance.

My only hope is to lose weight.  A LOT of weight! Like... another person-worth! When I weighed two weeks ago, I was down to 252 pounds (my highest was 299).

So, even tho I am changing the way I eat foods (more produce from our garden and more eggs, chicken and turkey from our farm), I decided to have more of my dehydrated / homemade and healthy MREs to my food plan. For the purposes of this posting, I'm calling it the "MIJ Diet" (Meals In Jars).  Gluten-free and low-sodium. 

Hubby needs to eat lunches with less sodium anyway, so he too will be eating more MIJ..

Son's epilepsy meds often cause his weight to jump around, so we need to more stabilize his weight, and get as much nutrition in him as possible, even tho he is a picky eater!

Help us be more healthy!

And maybe you too can be more healthy.

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