FOOD OPTIONS

Tuesday March 30, 2010

















"Adorn thyself with simplicity and modesty and with indifference towards the things that lie between virtue and vice. Love Mankind. Follow God."
--Imperator Caesar M Aurelius Antoninus Augustus

It should be the God of your understanding. Usually the above Roman Emperor is abbreviated M Aurelius. There is a collection called the Meditations from which the phrase below is taken: "Accept the things to which fate binds you and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart". This is my Passover and Easter blessings for you all.

Let's discuss some Yeast Free/Gluten Free/Cow's Dairy Free Meal options:

BREAKFAST OPTIONS:

1. A 2 egg vegetable omelet with spinach cooked in olive oil

2. Amaranth flakes (a gluten free grain) with blueberries and goat or almond milk

3. Organic millet or quinoa, (both are gluten free grains) with one cup of goat, almond or unflavored soy milk (rice milk is watery and contains too much sugar). Try adding cinnamon or cardamom for added flavor.

4. Protein Smoothie like Ultra InflamX (1 - 2 scoops) with 1 cup of berries, 1 cup of almond milk and 1 tablespoon of ground flax seed.

5. Buckwheat pancakes (another gluten free grain) with raw honey or pulverized berries on top. Be sure to buy buckwheat flour and make your own pancake batter. Many Buckwheat pancake mixes contain wheat flour.

LUNCH OPTIONS:

1. Turkey white meat, 1 cup of spinach salad dressed with lemon or lime juice and 2 teaspoons of flax seed oil

2. Salmon (wild, of course) and a mixed salad, 3 slices of avocado, 2 tablespoons of oil and lemon dressing

3. Chicken breast, asparagus or broccoli and 1/2 cup of brown rice (another gluten free grain)

4. Salmon and a spinach salad with olive oil and lime dressing

5. Mixed bean salad (with three types of beans) - check out http://www.fratellonemedical.com/ newsletters

DINNER OPTIONS:

1. Chicken breast sauteed in canola oil, broccoli and cauliflower with garlic and onion for those who like a little spice in their lives

3. Baked talapia, 1 cup of cooked spinach, grilled garlic and onions and 2 teaspoons of olive oil

4. 2 cups of mixed green salad (include some endive and fennel) with 5-6 ounces of turkey; lemon and oil as a dressing

5. Thin flank steak (grass fed beef, only once or twice a month) with 1/2 cup of steamed string beans, cup of mixed greens; dijon mustard, oil and lemon as a dressing

I only included five options for each meal because I want you to think of others. For example, I could have added Greek yogurt (plain) with blueberries or even Van's waffles for breakfast. What are your thoughts?

The Apple needlepoint above is the other half of the pair given to my brother-in law, Michael. It is hanging next to the peas on yesterday's blog. I love apples for many reasons. The apple (malus domestica) does appear in the Bible many times. I refer to James Duke's book, Medicinal Plants of the Bible. Now why would I read this book or refer to it? It is my belief that always gaining knowledge in any capacity is of utmost importance.

The word apple appears twelve times in the King James Version of the Bible. For example, "Stay with me my flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love" KJV Song of Solomon 2:5; In the New World Translation of the Bible (NWT), there is, "Do you people refresh me with cakes of raisins, sustain me with apples: for I am lovesick." Most authorities say that the apricot or the pomegranate might better be the apple in the Garden of Eden. The Hebrew word tappuah occurs five times in the Bible.

Besides the religious mention of apple, in Norse mythology the goddess Iounn provides apples to the Gods to give them eternal youthfulness. In Greek mythology, there is the mystical or forbidden fruit. Do you remember Hercules, in his 12 labors had to travel to the Garden of Hesperides and pick a golden apple off the Tree of Life?

An apple indirectly was the possible cause of the Trojan War. If you want to read about apples, read the Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan. Realize none of the many varieties of apples today are the real apples of long ago when Johnny Appleseed planted them. Most are now genetically engineered. Can you tell I LOVE APPLES?!

Photo credit: Michael Byrd

Until tomorrow