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24th February, 2010 |
One of my first dates with my husband was dinner at his place. Alongside his oozing charm, wit and out-of-the-box humor, his culinary skills were rather effective early on in our relationship. He had me at how you doin’? when he served up his homemade minestrone soup as a starter. He went on to follow it up with spinach lasagna, finishing the meal with fresh-baked blackberry pie. Yes indeed, I am one lucky girl. This soup is one of my top three favorite dishes Jeremy makes. Did I mention we’ve tied the knot since? We’ve had a few life changes since. I’m quite grateful for all of them.
To all those in the courting phase, serving up this Italian delight to your courtee will earn you mega points. Hot soup is second to none in the sub-zero winter, but this recipe is light enough for a Tuscan summer too. This version of minestrone has limitless options, depending on your vegetable preference. The following recipe is Jeremy’s Minestrone Magnum Opus… more
20th February, 2010 |
When purchasing and firing up this domain over a year ago, already, I had visions, hopes and plans for Spilled Ingredients. Albeit a slow start, the evolution of these visions have gone to print, are transforming, and new ones will transfer to screen in time. One of them is RECIPES. Another is more BRIEF posts. De nada. The others, well, still transforming.
Back to recipes: I’m new to eating fish and seafood after a decade of being a veganesque vegetarian. I’ve collected a repertoire, an at-times confused, conflicted one, of delightfully palatable recipes, just like the rest of us have. I’ll be cataloging the especially delicious and NATURAL ones here. I’ll spare the processed… more
17th February, 2010 |
I promised a microwave full circle a loooong time ago, and round we go.
First, does anything that’s been microwaved ever even taste good? (Ok, microwave popcorn is nostalgiac for me too. If you haven’t gotten behind the crazy stir popper yet, where have you been?) Microwaves are a convenience, and bad robots, for my fellow conflicted LOST audience . They were banned in Russia in 1976. I remember while pregnant, visiting one of many disappointing doc’s for “prenatal checkups”, being reminded not to stand in front of a microwave while it ran. Hmm, is it a good idea to ever stand in front of one, pregnant or not? There are reasons not to microwave breast milk, well beyond “hot spots” in a wee one’s milk. So many reasons that I’ve had to filter PAGES from this post. more
17th February, 2010 |
“According to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), an aspirin a day increases the risk for a hemorrhagic stroke by 84%!”
This post is a shout out to my only sibling: my younger and wiser brother, who’s holistic, first-do-no-harm-minded, and a Doctor of Chiropractic with his own family practice. Check out his research on the dangers of Aspirin. A big sister couldn’t be more proud. more
16th January, 2010 |
For many, many reasons it’s so mmm mmm good. For the Campbell’s corporation. Let’s talk about soup, baby. Let’s talk about you and me. I, for one, grew up on creations which often included Campbell’s, specifically Cream of Mushroom soup. Some of those creations? Chicken noodle *hot dish* (midwest casserole) made a weekly appearance at our dinner table of four. For those unfamiliar with this entrée, there are three ingredients that can bridge you to the land of The Know: egg noodles, canned chicken (yes, this unfortunately exists), and Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup. No more, no less. It was a comfort food that, uh, my parents found comfort in.
Allow me to do you a favor by encouraging you to live a Campbell’s-free life, starting today without looking back. The American *comfort food* in the red and white labeled can isn’t so much made of food, as it is… more
30th August, 2009 |
Hi there. Yikes. Neglected this place, I unintentionally have. And there are so many topics on my ever-growing To Tackle list, it’s hard to know which to check off next.
And check one off very soon, I shall. I’ve just been consumed with a few things as of late, such as acquiring not one, but two new jobs; researching and applying to grad schools; speaking with recruiters; beginning wellness care with chiropractors; touring and researching childcare options — double yikes!; my family; weddings; the gammet . Have I mentioned that I have a Wheaten Terrier? He’s probably more consuming than all of the above, it’s a good thing he has his looks.
Please stay tuned, I have much ranting to do. Yep, worth reading, I think. In the meantime, I challenge you to heat your food with anything but a microwave for one week….more
13th August, 2009 |
It’s the latest rage: Aluminum is bad for baking. It’s bad for your brain and your underarms. It’s not only a foil, a soda can, a pan material and an anti-perspirant, it’s also an ingredient in baking powder. Some baking powders, that is. If you shop at a large, chain supermarket, your one or two baking powder options probably contain aluminum. So don’t buy their baking powder. This is something to buy from either Whole Foods or a local co-op. They’ll have aluminum-free baking powder, and your brain’s best interest in mind. more
20th July, 2009 |
Kale? Does anyone actually eat that?
You just might, if you desire super powers, and especially if you try kale chips (keep reading).
What makes kale well worth eating?
Kale is one of the healthiest foods available to us on the planet. It contains more nutritional value than many other green vegetables. It continues to gain a very good reputation for its cancer-fighting properties and extreme vitamin content. Getting technical for a sec, kale’s a primitive cabbage family member from the Brassica genus. It’s loaded with indoles (plant chemicals) which fight cancer, including ovarian and breast cancer. It’s very rich in calcium, protein, Omega 3’s, vitamin K, A, C and manganese, to name a few. It activates detoxifying enzymes in the liver (thus helps keep the liver in peak condition). Kale boosts these enzymes throughout the body to eliminate carcinogens quickly.
Is kale a superfood?
Not anymore. The term superfood has been banned. I’m not entirely clear on whether we’re permitted to call it a *super food* though. Super or not, kale is something we should all be eating… more
17th July, 2009 |
Does your gut really have instinct? I have no idea. Your gut does have its own ecosystem, though. Oh it’s true, and this is no simple system -think complex biome or rainforest. It’s uber important to your overall health, since it affects your immunity, ability to fight cancer, and even alcohol’s war on your liver. When the emergent layer, canopy, understory and forest floor are all getting along and functioning optimally, the rainforest is thriving. When trees are killed, the ecosystem loses its, well, system. The rainforest-gut connection is coming full circle, isn’t it? The trees are to the rainforest as your gut trees are to your gut? Gut trees, a solid name for good bacteria, don’t you think?
Entertain one more analogy for me. When a tree in the rainforest gets cut down, is the tree the only thing that dies? Of course not. The tree is host and home to a number of species. It’s a habitat. Remove the habitat, remove the amazing life that dwelled there. When a person takes an antibiotic, more
8th July, 2009 |
 My kitchen has never been subjected to a maple syrup detox diet. On that note, it’s never undergone the raw food diet, herbal detox, Hallelujah diet or the fruit flush either. I’m considering putting it on the Martha’s Vineyard Detox Diet, but pretty much because its name lends some virtual travel benefits and just sounds nice.
I have no interest in living on maple syrup for two weeks. I wouldn’t subject my family and friends to the torment of being around me under such circumstances. Instead, when I lapse every now and then… more
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Bottles have BPA, gum has aspartame, snacks and drinks have artificial color, and everything else contains MSG and trans fat, it seems. Where do you start? Cheers, my name is Niki Ahrens and I just want the best for my family, and for the rest of us too.
It's our choice, as parents, whether OUR kids eat real food and whether we use First-Do-No-Harm products on and around them. The decision is always ours. Here you’ll find favorite safe recipes, links to research and data, and alternatives that give us super powers instead of harm us.
How the Food Industry is Deceiving You
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