I took the Amazon Prime Pantry plunge!

I cannot speak highly enough about the level of customer service I have received from Amazon over the many years I have shopped with them.  They are a company we use quite a bit, especially since we joined Amazon Prime a little over a year ago.  We live in a city with access to basics of most kinds, but internet shopping has become a necessity for a number of items we use in our household.  I am a big comparison shopper, and Amazon is often cheaper or the same price as other local stores, the only occasional exception being Target (where I use my Red Card to get 5% off each transaction, as well as the Cartwheel app).  Then there are costs that are harder to compute, such as how much gas I use to get to and from the store, how much gray hair I get from taking one or both of the kids with me, and how much other crap I come home with from Target.  All in all, Amazon really is the winner.

As many of you know, when you purchase a "Prime" item, you have the option of forgoing the free two-day shipping in exchange for a $1 credit to use towards streaming music, books, or movies.  During a recent check-out, I was offered a $5.99 credit towards Amazon Pantry, which is the price it costs to ship one box of items.  I took it as an opportunity to try out this food and toiletry delivery service, and thus I thought I would share my experience with you if it is something that has crossed your mind to try!

I should first mention that we are not big consumers of non-perishables.  I thus initially struggled to find things to fill my box, but was able to come up with a good list in the end.  Prime Panty is quite easy to use.  When you are searching for an item, for example Pepperidge Farm goldfish crackers, the drop down list will give you the option to choose the crackers that are "in Prime Pantry" and therefore count toward your total box.  When you click on an item, it tells you how much of your box it will fill.  For example, each giant box of goldfish filled 4.8%.  You can add as many items to your box as you want until you hit 100%, and it keeps tally for you in your cart.   I will note, however, that the only way I found to add multiple types of any item was by going to my cart and increasing the number (there was not an option on the info page for the item where you click "Add to Cart").

Several of the items I added had instant coupons listed by the price, and by simply clicking on the coupon box, the discount was deducted from my cart.  Most coupons were for 50 cents - better than a kick in the pants!  As I shopped for items, I did my trusty price comparison, and if something was noticeably more expensive than I pay locally, I didn't buy it.  There were pleasant surprises though, too, as those goldfish crackers were on sale for over a $1 less than I pay at the grocery store.  Thus I bought 4:)  Which brings me to my next strategy - I focused on buying things that are bulky (especially when I have two kids with me who BOTH want to sit in the large part of the cart) and items that we use frequently.  When I ran out of those items, I went for health and beauty items that qualify for Prime Pantry, such as shampoo and conditioner.  I should note that I was pleasantly surprised to find a great deal of healthy brands and organic options throughout all item types.

The box arrived in two days, and it was large.  However, they dummy-proofed the outside and told me to open it for carrying handles, which proved to be extremely helpful.

Here is a picture of the box after I removed a healthy amount of packing paper from the top (that we are recycling as fire starter for our grill).  The center cardboard divider is where they placed our "delicate" items of pita chips, which was awesome because one of my concerns was them arriving as pita crumbs.  I was very impressed by the shipping, and happy with the experience overall!

I will likely not use Prime Pantry in the future for two simple reasons.  1) I buy a LOT of generics when I shop, and Prime Pantry is of course all brand name.  2) I have enough pantry space to buy in bulk when there are sales, and I have the ability often enough to shop on the weekends kid-free to gather my bounty.  HOWEVER, if you live in an area where you do not have access to many of the items you enjoy, or simply don't have the ability to get to the store easily, I do recommend it!

Preservation

Not having grown up on the prairie, Grandma Google has become my resource for preserving our bumper crop this year.  On Sunday I harvested parsley, basil, and green onions, and as you can see, the bounty far exceeded the size of a crop dusting plane.  Crazy, I know.

After I washed everything, I dried the herbs in my spinner.  Believe you me, this is one of the best Christmas gifts EVER.  I used to leave them out on paper towels to dry off, and it took FOH-EVA!

I cut up the green onions and placed them in two giant air-tight containers to freeze.  This took quite a long time, and the longer I did it the more I cried, so the ol' onion goggles came out again!

I laid the herbs on baking sheets, no thicker than 1in., and placed them in an OPEN oven at 180º for about 3 hours (2-4 according to Grandma Google).

For the parsley, I cut each leaf bunch separately and placed in an air-tight container.  Took quite a while, and I felt like Mr. Miyagi.

For the basil, I crushed each cluster in an air-tight container.  This method was much faster of course, and incidentally released a great deal of stress:)

Oil-de-lay-he-ho

There are boatloads of different oils with which to cook, but it can be hard to know what oil is good for which purpose.  This Whole Foods article presents a great overview of the sources of various options, as well as how to use them!

Garden Goodness

Having a fruit and vegetable garden has been a great way to teach our kids about nutritious food and to encourage our family to eat healthy. You don't even have to have a full garden to make an impact on a little mind - growing something as simple as an herb in your window can teach a lot about how we get the food we eat!

Thanks to the boatloads of rain, our garden has flourished this summer. Another reason is likely that we made much better choices about what we planted (tip: a garden full of squash is not such a great idea), and have tended to it much more regularly (tending to it at all was an improvement). The kids love to take care of it and gobble up what it produces. This weekend we harvested some basil for a yummy pizza!

Perfect Pineapples

Pineapples are an excellent source of vitamin C and manganese, and they just taste so darn good!  I never used to buy whole pineapples because I was intimidated by them - pathetic, but true.  Then my friend Hallie whipped out her pineapple corer one day and sliced some pineapple for the kiddos at lunch...in less than a minute.  My mom got me one for Christmas, and life hasn't been the same since.  Now when I see a stand of these prickly dudes, I confidently approach and grab one to add some variety to our fruit rotation.

Slice off the top and place the corer over the center of the "meat"

Twist the device until it reaches the bottom and then lift the fruit out of the skin

Mine comes with a slicer that can then be easily pushed down to cut the pineapple into bite-size pieces.  If you are uber creative, you can then use the empty skin as a funky fruit bowl, or even a vase.  Soooo Martha.

Substitutions

One of the easiest ways I have found to improve our eating habits has been incorporating small substitutions over time.  Most of the time I didn't even tell the crew what I was doing, and they almost never noticed (with the exception of whole wheat tortillas; Andy's reaction was as though I had asked him to eat his taco from a wool blanket).  Here are some of our standards:

2% plain greek yogurt (I like Fage) instead of sour cream (this was hard to even try, since I liked a little potato with my sour cream, but we made it!)

Olive oil for grilled sandwiches instead of butter

Multi-grain tortillas (I like Mission and LaTortilla Factory), sandwich thins (I like Arnold "Flax and Fiber"), whole wheat pita pockets, or Ezekiel bread (find it in your freezer section) instead of my standard mystery generic "wheat bread" that when I read the label I learned was actually made from white flour, not whole wheat flour

Pita chips and blue corn tortilla chips instead of potato chips (BIG conversion for Andy)

Brown rice, cous cous, or quinoa instead of white rice

Shakeology instead of a handful of candy

Beets Can't Be Beat

Beets belong to the chenopod family (other members include brother chard, sister spinach, and little baby quinoa) and have multiple health benefits not easily found in other foods.  Beet phytonutrients contribute to the health of our nervous system, and the red and yellow batalin phytonutrients specifically help our bodies by having anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and detoxification effects.

I have loved beets ever since I was a little girl and my Grandma Erma would pickle them in the summer.  With the encouragement of my sister-in-law, Julia, I decided it was time once again to add beets to my diet...and of course the diet of my guinea pig family.

I chose to roast both a red and a golden beet as our veggies for the night.  I started by slicing off the ends and placing them in a foil pocket.  I drizzled a little olive oil on top to keep them moist, and then placed them in the oven at 375º for about an hour*.  Batalin levels decrease as a food is cooked, so it is best to limit steaming to 15 minutes and roasting to 1 hour.

A beet is cooked when a knife is easily inserted and removed.  Once done, the skin can be peeled away fairly easily and the beet prepared Westley style - "as you wish."

*The rest of the story played out as such: I apparently do not have the willpower to wait an hour for anything new that I try.  I had trust issues with multiple factors, including the chef who told me what to do, the manufacturer of our oven, and my ability to properly follow directions.  I therefore removed the red beet after about a half hour and proceeded to eat it even though it was like chewing soft tree bark.  I forced myself to wait on the yellow guy, and he turned out fabulously.  Whit and I both munched them up while Andy watched with a look on his face of "I can't believe he likes to eat the weird stuff that Joy does."

Chill Out

Often our hyper-focus on freshness causes us to bypass the frozen section of our grocery store.  However, you may be surprised to learn that frozen fruits and vegetables are sometimes more nutritious than what you will find in the produce section.  This is because they are picked when they most ripe and have their highest nutritional value, and are then flash-frozen to seal in as many of the nutrients as possible.  In contrast, most fresh produce is picked before ripening, and while its outward appearance may look ripe when you buy it, it is not as rich in vitamins and minerals as it would be if it were left to vine-ripen.

So what is one to do?  If a fruit or vegetable is in season, buy it fresh, preferably at a farmer's market.  Purchase off-season produce in frozen form.  For frozen, your best option is produce with the USDA's "U.S. Fancy" seal, indicating that it contains not only the best looking but also typically the most nutritious fruits and vegetables.  Also, you want to consume frozen options soon after you buy them because the nutrients still degrade over time.  And finally, the best way to cook frozen vegetables is by steaming them so they do not lose as many water-soluble vitamins as they do through boiling.

I happened to find a cool (pun intended) brand of frozen corn in the freezer section several weeks ago.  Husk sells only central Indiana sweet corn, and the label on each bag tells you exactly which farm grew your meal, including when it was harvested!  Whit thought it was pretty neat (well, I thought it was awesome, and he humored me and agreed).

Our bag of corn was from lovely Arcadia (well, never been there, but I imagine an idyllic setting in which to grow our tasty side dish).

Dear Mum

There are a few things in life that we can count on: the sun will rise tomorrow, as much as we try not to we cannot help but like Taylor Swift's music, and mothers will always put others' needs before their own. Being a parent means being sacrificial. But if we do not take care of ourselves, there will be nothing left to give. I learned this quickly this past year as I became overwhelmed with the needs of my family. Moms, you NEED to take time to focus on yourself. My coaching group is hosting a four-week online nutrition and fitness accountability group for mothers starting on May 4. It will be a super fun month filled with encouragement as well as helpful tips on eating healthy, parenting, beauty, and other random wonderful tidbits that moms love. Send me a message if you are interested in being a part of this group!

Excellent Eggs

Like the lovely tortilla, eggs are another stellar delivery method for healthy ingredients. A low-calorie, high-nutrient food (including a punch of protein, choline, omega-3 fats, and anti-oxidants), eggs are the unsung heroes of the dairy case.

I whipped this together the other night to clean out the fridge before spring break. It included our remaining mushrooms, green onions, and shredded cheese. I then went spelunking in the freezer and found some hash browns from something my mother-in-law made last December when they visited. Yeah, my standards for frozen food storage are low, like subterranean. In general, I add 1c of skim milk for every 4 eggs. The outcome was ruled to be yummy!

Helping You Meet Your Goals

Last week a couple of ladies turned a Monday into something more than just the start of a new week. And, after only five days of clean eating and regular activity, they lost weight and inches. One participant lost a total of 6 inches! These ladies were part of my accountability group called The New Clean Plate Club. Looking to kick it up a notch, I will run another group starting March 30. This one will last for three weeks and will follow a nutrition and fitness program that has had a great impact on my health and wellness. If you are looking for a roadmap for success as you seek a healthier lifestyle, please send me a message at joy.pieper@gmail.com to join this next online accountability group!

Amazing Avocados

Avocados are actually a type of berry.  While you may not be looking to add them to your next fruit salad, they are something to consider adding to your regular menu.  Rich in folate, copper, vitamin K, and fiber, they are also a great source of beneficial fats.  The unique fats found in avocados have anti-inflammatory benefits and also aid in absorption of fat-soluble nutrients.  A multitude of studies have been done and are underway to evaluate the potential benefits of avocados in regards to heart disease, regulation of blood sugar, and cancer prevention.

It took me a long time to become friendly with avocados because I was not sure how to pick a good one.  And then I was not sure what to do with it besides make guacamole!  Avocados are ripe when they are slightly soft to the touch.  I like to buy them a little firm and let them ripen at home.  They should not have any dark sunken spots or cracks.  To prepare one, slice it lengthwise with a knife and then twist apart the two slices.  Remove the pit and then either peel away the skin or scrape out the inside with a spoon or avocado scoop.  The greatest concentration of carotenoids exists in the dark green flesh just under the skin, and therefore you want to try to get as much of that when scraping or peeling.

I buy one of these dark green babies every week.  I mash it and then add lemon juice for flavor and to slow the oxidation, and then place it in a sealed container in the fridge for the week.  I use it as a spread in multiple ways, from atop a chicken breast to atop a salad to atop a sandwich.  My favorite thing to do is to spread it inside a pita pocket and add hard boiled egg whites and spinach.  The lemon adds a wonderful zing to the butteriness of the avocado, and the eggs and spinach turn it into a rogue egg salad sandwich of sorts.

If your avocado ages faster Benjamin Button in reverse, that's ok.  It is still ok to eat if it is slightly brown, it may just taste more bitter.  However, if the flesh is very dark or stringy, it is not a good idea to eat.  Be careful to also avoid a moldy avocado.  Avocados age fast at room temperature because of their high fat content.  Do not refrigerate an avocado until it is ripe; it can then be stored cold for several days.  It is best to keep avocados whole until use, but if you do slice it, cover the unused portion in plastic and store in the fridge.  I add lemon or lime juice to the exposed flesh, again to slow oxidation.

Lovely Legumes

Legumes are a type of vegetable that includes lentils, beans, and peas.  They are like little nutritious power pods - most are low in fat and cholesterol free, and have high amounts of iron, folate, potassium, and magnesium.  But wait, there's more!  They have fat that is good for our bodies, as well as soluble and insoluble fiber.  And if you are not sold yet on legumes, they are a great source of protein.  If you are trying to avoid the fat and cholesterol of meat in your next meal, legumes are a splendid alternative.

It took me a while to experiment with dried beans and legumes because, well, I can be a lazy cook.  Like stained laundry, most legumes require soaking before cooking (except lentils, split peas, and black-eyed peas).  What a high-maintenance food!  Then I learned that there is a "quick soak" option that does the job in half the time.  Most packages give you instructions for both the traditional and quick methods, but if not, here is a rough guide:

~Slow - I like this method when I have the wherewithal to plan a meal the day before.  In a large pot, combine 10 cups of water with 1 pound of beans.  Cover the pot and refrigerate for anywhere from 4 hours to overnight.

~Quick - Same proportion as above (10 cups of water for 1 pound of beans).  This time bring it to a boil, then cover and set aside to soak for 1-4 hours at room temperature.

After soaking, cook beans according to the package.  They are great in soups, pureed for dips, and tossed on top of a salad.

Now, let's talk about Sassy, the gassy pachyderm in the room.  Beyond having a bucket of Beano on hand, there are a couple of things you can do to reduce gas when eating legumes:

~The indigestible sugar in beans contributes to gas.  To remove some of this sugar, change the water frequently when soaking and do not cook the beans in the same water used for soaking.

~Some of this sugar is removed during canning as well, so try canned legumes.  Just be sure to rinse them prior to use to remove some of the sodium used during processing.

~Beans that have been cooked slowly until tender are easier to digest.


Hummus is another staple in our household, mostly consumed by our son.  It recently occurred to me that I should perhaps honor my Lebanese heritage and try making it myself.  I modified a recipe I found on Mama's Lebanese Kitchen, and it turned out quite well!

1 lb. dried chickpeas
4 garlic cloves, crushed (this depends GREATLY on the size of the cloves.  I ended up using 10 smaller cloves.  Sure, my husband may not want to come near me for a week, but I consider that minor collateral damage.)
8 Tbsp. tahini paste (pureed sesame seeds)
2/3 C lemon juice (I used 1C, but then again I dream of lemon orchards in my sleep)
1/2 to 3/4 tsp. salt

Soak and cook the chickpeas according to the instructions on the package.  Mine were done cooking in a little over an hour.  When they are easy to crush between two fingers, they are ready.  Once cooked, drain the chickpeas and place them in a food processor while still hot.  Add 1/2 to 1C of warm water and grind for 3-5 minutes on low (I don't have speed options on my processor, so no worries if you have a one-size-fits-all gadget).  While still grinding, add the salt, garlic, and tahini.  After the 3-5 minutes, add the lemon juice, and then continue to grind for another couple of minutes.  When done, drag your nice clean finger through the mush for a taste and add more salt, lemon juice, or garlic as needed.  Serve with olive oil and paprika as desired.

As you can see, it yields enough to fill an ambulance.  So if you are having an emergency and don't know what spread on your pita or dip your baby carrot into, give me a call.

 My taste tester said it was a bit too lemony - a comment that resulted in a time out of course.  He later changed his mind, which makes sense as he is my child who asks for lemon juice on his potatoes.

It's National Nutrition Month!

Every March, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics highlights the need for consumers to make informed decisions about what they eat, and to incorporate that knowledge into establishing healthy nutrition and physical activity routines.  It is a perfect time to make a personal goal of learning how to improve your food choices in order to optimize your health.  

It is important to focus on the first part of their campaign for just a moment - informed decisions.  I encourage you to seek out information on topics about which you feel you lack knowledge.  I hope you find this site to be a useful tool in that regard.  Be cautious when encountering articles and postings that sound radical or zany.  There are individuals, both professional and untrained, that sometimes seek notoriety above ethical delivery of information.  These alarmists seek to cause you to change your behavior because you are scared that not doing so will lead to harm.  Their information requires validation before implementation.  It is best to read multiple sources to reach the conclusion that is best for you.  And know that your healthcare provider is an excellent resource for questions relating to any specific conditions you have.  Knowledge is power!

Bodacious Bananas

Bananas have multiple cardiac and gastrointestinal benefits, and they also pack a little punch of power in terms of providing energy to our bodies.  They are a great source of vitamin B6, manganese, vitamin C, fiber, potassium, biotin, and copper.

These golden beauties are a staple in our household.  The juvenile yellow ones hang out on our counter, waiting to be manhandled and devoured by little hands or shred to pieces in a blender for my daily shake.  The lucky few that escape and turn brown are placed in the freezer to be used in whatever recipe I feel like whipping up - a sort of banana reclamation project it you will.  Here is one of our favorite "nanner" recipes!

Easy Peasy Banana Oatmeal Cookies

2 large ripe bananas
1 C of oats (quick or regular; if you use regular it is nice to chop them up a bit for better binding)

That's it.  Two ingredients.  If you are feeling saucy, throw in a handful of raisins, chopped nuts, or chocolate chips (I love to add the tiny semi-sweet chocolate chips), or even 1-2 tsp of cinammon.

Mash the bananas, then stir in the oats until well-mixed.  Add your flare (chocolate, etc.) and mix until a doughy consistency is reached.  Since there is no Banana Law, each fruit is obviously a different size.  If the consistency is too wet, add some more oats.  I always start slow adding the oats so that it doesn't get too dry.

Plop spoonfuls on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350º for about 15 minutes.  Then step out of the way before your family consumes them like cattle at a trough.

What is clean eating? I always wash my produce, so I am clean, right?

While the title can sometimes confuse people, the theory behind it is quite simple.  Eating clean means consuming food that is as close to its natural state as possible.  For example, instead of adding strawberry jam to your bagel, slicing some fresh strawberries and placing them on top.  It also means focusing on consumption of complex carbs and healthy fats, avoidance of processed and refined foods, portion control, eating a balanced meal or snack 5-6 times day, and regular hydration with water (at least 2L/day!).  Choosing organic and locally-sourced produce, meat, and seafood is also part of a clean diet.  However, geographical and financial constraints can make that a challenging aspect, and not being able to consume those types of foods should not preclude one from considering a clean lifestyle.

The transformative nature of eating clean and participating in daily activity is the primary reason I decided to become a Beachbody coach.  The knowledge and tools that I gained from my coach were indispensable in making drastic changes in my life for the better.  Let me know if you, too, are looking to transform your life for the better.  I would love to walk with you on that journey to healthy living!

Shakeology - What is this stuff?

I had never gotten on board with the concept of drinking a nutrient-rich beverage everyday.  Who wants to be tied to a drink that tastes like crumbled drywall and has stuff in it that you eat anyway?  It took me three years to try Shakeology, and I only did it then because a friend of mine who is a Beachbody coach was completely hooked and was in the best shape of her life. She kept telling me how good it made her feel, and I figured she was just embellishing everything.  So I supplemented her real-life info with data.  I needed data.  Here is what I found:

3,000 daily Shakeo drinkers were surveyed and it was reported that:

93% felt healthier since starting

81% felt they craved junk food less

86% felt an increase in energy

72% felt it helped them lose weight

82% felt it improved their digestion

Going beyond "feelings," a clinical study showed Shakeo to aid in weight loss, lowering of cholesterol, and a reduction in blood sugar (by A1C test, for those who are familiar with this).

Ok, those are some good pieces of data.  But what in the world is in this stuff?  Here is what is provided on the back of the bag of the chocolate version (the one I drink).  I found lots of great goodies listed, and nothing that concerned me (after I looked up some of the weird ones).  And it clearly went far beyond what I consume on a daily basis, even though you can often find me on the couch eating raw vegetables out of a bag like one would eat potato chips.  So, I was ready to give it a whirl.  I'll try anything once (after letting my skepticism do it's job of course!).

I, too, felt an increase in energy and improved digestion.  But what blew me away was how much my mental function improved.  After I had kids, I felt like I delivered boatloads of brain cells along with each baby.  I often struggled with finding the right words, my recall was sluggish, and I was easily overloaded at times.  Not anymore!  Furthermore, when a nasty cold ravaged our household for over a week while I was on my first bag, I suffered nothing more than a couple nights of mild congestion.  That is worth it alone!!!  And, the stuff actually tastes good.  I would suffer through a powdery mess to feel this way, but to have it be something that I actually look forward to drinking each day was unexpected.  I even had my husband try it, the guy who has tried a multitude of protein shakes, and he said it was surprisingly tasty.

I then focused my efforts on researching an alternative to Shakeo.  I was sold that it was improving my health, but I wanted to find something I could buy down the street at the store.  However, all of my reading led to the conclusion that this is truly a unique, stand-alone product; there is simply nothing else like it on the market.  One article I found helpful was this one.  My philosophy is that nothing is more important than one's health, and I therefore made a commitment to myself that I would add this to my daily routine.

Hopefully this article is helpful for those fellow critical minds wanting to learn more.  Please contact me if you are interested in trying it, or follow this link to order.  Your insurance policy is the 30-day empty bag guarantee - if you don't feel healthier in one month, you get your money back, even if the bag is empty!