If you are ever feeling under the weather, or if you just want to give yourself a boost, drink raw liver. This is some powerful stuff. I usually drink it in my special liver drink (see below) but today I juiced the liver, which is another easy way to get some raw liver nutrition. I actually make it a habit to drink raw liver juice at least 1-3 times per week. Try it, it's not as bad as you may think.
Breakfast: 1 piece of bacon, 1 soft-boiled egg yolk, celery sticks and sliced cucumber. Raw, home-made yogurt with 2 raw egg yolks and 1/2 banana.
Lunch: Leftover goat curry, 1 soft-boiled egg, mushroom, spinach and tomato salad with raw, home-made sauerkraut, sprinkled with nutritional yeast and dulse.
Dinner: Clam and fish chowder (recipe below), sauteed kale, bell pepper, cucumber and celery salad with raw chevre (chive and garlic) and freshly ground flax seeds. Tall glass of fresh vegetable juice made with raw liver. (see below)
Clam and Fish Chowder:
2 dozen little neck clams
1 lb roughly chopped Rockfish, snapper or other white fish
2-3 tbsp. butter
1/2 large onion
1 whole bulb garlic
potatoes (optional)
sea salt
black pepper
1 tsp. dried or fresh thyme
dash of white wine
2-3 cups fish stock
1 cup raw cream
Soak clams in cold, filtered water for at least 30 minutes to remove sand. Saute onions and garlic in butter until soft. Add thyme and wine and then add sea salt and pepper to taste. Let cook for about 1 minute. Add Rockfish and saute lightly for 3-5 minutes and set aside.
In a separate pot steam clams until they are fully open. Remove from heat, remove meat from shells and chop into small pieces. Add stock to fish/onion mixture, bring to a light boil, add clams and reheat. Add 1 cup of cream (preferably raw but if not try to avoid ultra-pasteurized).
If you are adding potatoes: Dice potatoes and boil separately. Add into soup with clams, just to reheat.
Jill's juice today:
2 stalks celery
1 whole green pepper
1/2 cucumber
1 whole fennel stalk
2 carrots
1 whole, raw chicken liver
1/2 bunch cilantro
few leaves of kale
Jill's Special Liver Drink:
1/2 chicken liver or 2 oz. beef liver
1 raw egg yolk
4-6 oz home-made beet kvass
dash of cinnamon
juice of 1/2 lemon
Add all ingredients to food processor and mix. Drink with a smile! Drink quickly if you have issues with liver. But the cinnamon is great at cutting the taste.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
"What Jill Eats" Series
Meals should be enjoyable. It's no use eating the perfect foods while stressing about it. Eat what you enjoy, eat in harmony with your metabolism and eat fresh, high-quality foods as often as possible and you may see an improvement in your health. Lunch is the one meal that I often eat alone and in peace. I love my lunches because I can eat whatever I want and no one is complaining about the food or yelling at me :)
I savor my lunches. I eat slowly, usually sitting in the sun or with a lit candle, listening to my favorite classical music. It is a spiritual experience. It enables me to really experience how delicious and nourishing my food is. And often I feel a rush of "feel-good" hormones as I am eating. Top that off with the fact that my meals are infinitely satisfying to me on so many levels; visually, texturally, nutritionally and taste-wise, and you have a recipe for health!
Breakfast: 1 soft boiled egg, 2 pieces of bacon, 2 celery sticks, raw home-made yogurt shake with banana and 2 raw egg yolks
Lunch: Raw ribeye steak marinated in olive oil, lemon and soy sauce, sauteed kale, bell pepper, cucumber and celery salad with olive oil, vinegar and sea salt, mixed with sauerkraut raw garlic/chive chevre, freshly ground flax seeds, nutritional yeast (Lewis Labs) and dulse. 8 oz. of water kefir.
Dinner: Goat curry (recipe below), mushroom, spinach, and tomato salad with olive oil, raw vinegar and sea salt mixed with raw chevre and sauerkraut. Fresh vegetable juice mixed with beet kvass and 1 raw egg yolk.
Jill's Goat Curry Recipe:
1/4 cup butter or ghee
1/2 large onion
1 bulb garlic
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
other chopped veggies (optional) such as celery, carrots, potatoes, string beans, etc
home-made curry powder (see below)
2 lbs. goat stew meat
2-3 cups beef stock (or other stock)
8-12 oz. coconut milk
1 tbsp. arrowroot powder (optional)
Almonds, cashews or peanuts (optional)
Lacto-fermented sauerkraut or other LF vegetable such as carrot, daikon or kohlrabi
Warm ghee. Add onions and stir and saute at low-medium heat until soft. Add curry powder, garlic, tomatoes and other veggies and saute until veggies are slightly soft. Add goat meat and continue to saute and spread curry powder on meat. Brown meat slightly (optional). Add beef stock and coconut milk and cook at very low temperature for 6-8 hours. If thicker consistency is desired add arrowroot powder before serving. To add powder: remove some warm broth and add to arrowroot in a cup or small bowl. Dissolve powder in broth and then add back to curry. Let heat for a few minutes until sauce thickens. Serve with ground almonds or other nuts and the fermented veggies (they go so well with curry, something I learned in Japan). If your curry is too spicy add yogurt (a trick I learned in India).
Home-made Curry Powder:
1 tbsp. cumin seed
1 tbsp. coriander seed
1 tsp. mustard seed
1/2 tsp. clove seeds
1 tsp. fenugreek seed
1 -2 tbsp. turmeric powder (or seeds?)
dash to 1 tsp. chili powder (depending on how spicy you want it)
1 tsp. cardamon
1/2 tsp. ginger powder
2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. black pepper
dash of allspice
dash of cinnamon
Grind seeds in a coffee grinder (this is an invaluable kitchen tool and can be bought for about 10$). Mix all ingredients.
If you don't have all of these spices the curry will still come out great, as long as you have at least cumin, turmeric, coriander, chili, salt and pepper. The more spices you can add, the more complex the taste will be. Freshly ground seeds render a tastier curry as well.
I often mix the seed portion of curry powder in larger amounts and store in a jar. When I want to make curry I just grind and then add the other powders.
I savor my lunches. I eat slowly, usually sitting in the sun or with a lit candle, listening to my favorite classical music. It is a spiritual experience. It enables me to really experience how delicious and nourishing my food is. And often I feel a rush of "feel-good" hormones as I am eating. Top that off with the fact that my meals are infinitely satisfying to me on so many levels; visually, texturally, nutritionally and taste-wise, and you have a recipe for health!
Breakfast: 1 soft boiled egg, 2 pieces of bacon, 2 celery sticks, raw home-made yogurt shake with banana and 2 raw egg yolks
Lunch: Raw ribeye steak marinated in olive oil, lemon and soy sauce, sauteed kale, bell pepper, cucumber and celery salad with olive oil, vinegar and sea salt, mixed with sauerkraut raw garlic/chive chevre, freshly ground flax seeds, nutritional yeast (Lewis Labs) and dulse. 8 oz. of water kefir.
Dinner: Goat curry (recipe below), mushroom, spinach, and tomato salad with olive oil, raw vinegar and sea salt mixed with raw chevre and sauerkraut. Fresh vegetable juice mixed with beet kvass and 1 raw egg yolk.
Jill's Goat Curry Recipe:
1/4 cup butter or ghee
1/2 large onion
1 bulb garlic
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
other chopped veggies (optional) such as celery, carrots, potatoes, string beans, etc
home-made curry powder (see below)
2 lbs. goat stew meat
2-3 cups beef stock (or other stock)
8-12 oz. coconut milk
1 tbsp. arrowroot powder (optional)
Almonds, cashews or peanuts (optional)
Lacto-fermented sauerkraut or other LF vegetable such as carrot, daikon or kohlrabi
Warm ghee. Add onions and stir and saute at low-medium heat until soft. Add curry powder, garlic, tomatoes and other veggies and saute until veggies are slightly soft. Add goat meat and continue to saute and spread curry powder on meat. Brown meat slightly (optional). Add beef stock and coconut milk and cook at very low temperature for 6-8 hours. If thicker consistency is desired add arrowroot powder before serving. To add powder: remove some warm broth and add to arrowroot in a cup or small bowl. Dissolve powder in broth and then add back to curry. Let heat for a few minutes until sauce thickens. Serve with ground almonds or other nuts and the fermented veggies (they go so well with curry, something I learned in Japan). If your curry is too spicy add yogurt (a trick I learned in India).
Home-made Curry Powder:
1 tbsp. cumin seed
1 tbsp. coriander seed
1 tsp. mustard seed
1/2 tsp. clove seeds
1 tsp. fenugreek seed
1 -2 tbsp. turmeric powder (or seeds?)
dash to 1 tsp. chili powder (depending on how spicy you want it)
1 tsp. cardamon
1/2 tsp. ginger powder
2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. black pepper
dash of allspice
dash of cinnamon
Grind seeds in a coffee grinder (this is an invaluable kitchen tool and can be bought for about 10$). Mix all ingredients.
If you don't have all of these spices the curry will still come out great, as long as you have at least cumin, turmeric, coriander, chili, salt and pepper. The more spices you can add, the more complex the taste will be. Freshly ground seeds render a tastier curry as well.
I often mix the seed portion of curry powder in larger amounts and store in a jar. When I want to make curry I just grind and then add the other powders.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
"What Jill Eats" Series
I suppose it's presumptuous to assume anyone cares what I eat, but I think there may be a few out there. Perhaps out of sheer curiosity, perhaps for new meal ideas, perhaps for fodder to make fun of me (enter my brothers).....who knows.
Joking aside, this is actually serious stuff. I feel fabulous most of the time. I'm not perfect and I don't want to be but I do feel great in spite of a persistent underlying weakness in my thyroid. For a long time I've been looking for the magic reason why my thyroid is not working right. You know, that one thing that is going to cure me. Well I've come to the realization that it is most likely a set of factors that have contributed to that weakness. And I think I have accepted the fact that I have a weakness (OK, maybe I do want to be perfect).
You see, I feel soooooo good. My mood is even, I'm calm and accepting, I have lots of patience and I just feel content all the time. There is this underlying pervasive feeling of satisfaction and sometimes even giddiness that I walk around with. My kids do get me frustrated sometimes, again, I'm not perfect, really. And sometimes things bother me but I soon return to that calm, content feeling. And I have plenty of energy, which can come in handy sometimes. My point is that I think it may be valuable to share with others about what I am eating. And perhaps other people can post their ideas as well.
Please keep in mind that everyone is unique in how they metabolize food. (ie: how they produce and use energy) So my needs will not be the same as everyone else. Right now I tend to have a mixed need for high and medium protein foods and low and medium carbohydrate vegetables coupled with a moderate need for fat. Grains rarely make an appearance and fruit is eaten as desert, if at all. Dairy is eaten raw of course. Eggs I usually have in the form of just the yolks and I eat them mostly raw. In the summer I was eating a lot more raw beef but in this cold weather it just doesn't feel right.
I always pay attention to my body. Anyone who is focused on eating well should be engaged in this process. Eating well is an art form. There is the need for knowledge of course, but that must be coupled with intuition, open-mindedness, and careful observation. Dogma is for the dogs. Whatever you learn from a book or from a nutritionist should serve as a guideline, not a rule. If you are inspired to make a change, do so, but listen to your body. It will tell you what works and what doesn't.
Yesterday this is what I ate:
Breakfast: 1 soft-boiled egg, 2 celery sticks, 2 raw egg yolks in a banana and raw yogurt shake
Lunch: 4 chicken legs (marinated overnight in lemon, butter, fresh garlic, sea salt, thyme, rosemary, and sage and then slow-cooked in a covered pot at 225 degrees for 8 hours), 1 soft boiled egg yolk, cucumber, spinach, and mushroom salad with olive oil, raw vinegar, sea salt, nutritional yeast (Lewis Labs is the best), dulse and freshly ground flax-seeds. A glass of water kefir.
Dinner: Pork shoulder (marinated in mustard, sea salt, black pepper, tomato paste (from a jar not a can), and garlic powder and then slow cooked at 225 degrees for about 8 hours) eaten with slices of gruyere cheese (this is a fabulous combination by the way). Also, sauteed kale and a tomato, celery and orange bell pepper salad with olive oil, raw vinegar and sea salt.
After dinner: Green Pasture Fermented Cod Liver Oil mixed with Butter Oil and Kombucha. (Green Pasture is the only brand I would recommend for cod liver oil.) Cod liver oil taken with butter oil has a synergistic effect.
Joking aside, this is actually serious stuff. I feel fabulous most of the time. I'm not perfect and I don't want to be but I do feel great in spite of a persistent underlying weakness in my thyroid. For a long time I've been looking for the magic reason why my thyroid is not working right. You know, that one thing that is going to cure me. Well I've come to the realization that it is most likely a set of factors that have contributed to that weakness. And I think I have accepted the fact that I have a weakness (OK, maybe I do want to be perfect).
You see, I feel soooooo good. My mood is even, I'm calm and accepting, I have lots of patience and I just feel content all the time. There is this underlying pervasive feeling of satisfaction and sometimes even giddiness that I walk around with. My kids do get me frustrated sometimes, again, I'm not perfect, really. And sometimes things bother me but I soon return to that calm, content feeling. And I have plenty of energy, which can come in handy sometimes. My point is that I think it may be valuable to share with others about what I am eating. And perhaps other people can post their ideas as well.
Please keep in mind that everyone is unique in how they metabolize food. (ie: how they produce and use energy) So my needs will not be the same as everyone else. Right now I tend to have a mixed need for high and medium protein foods and low and medium carbohydrate vegetables coupled with a moderate need for fat. Grains rarely make an appearance and fruit is eaten as desert, if at all. Dairy is eaten raw of course. Eggs I usually have in the form of just the yolks and I eat them mostly raw. In the summer I was eating a lot more raw beef but in this cold weather it just doesn't feel right.
I always pay attention to my body. Anyone who is focused on eating well should be engaged in this process. Eating well is an art form. There is the need for knowledge of course, but that must be coupled with intuition, open-mindedness, and careful observation. Dogma is for the dogs. Whatever you learn from a book or from a nutritionist should serve as a guideline, not a rule. If you are inspired to make a change, do so, but listen to your body. It will tell you what works and what doesn't.
Yesterday this is what I ate:
Breakfast: 1 soft-boiled egg, 2 celery sticks, 2 raw egg yolks in a banana and raw yogurt shake
Lunch: 4 chicken legs (marinated overnight in lemon, butter, fresh garlic, sea salt, thyme, rosemary, and sage and then slow-cooked in a covered pot at 225 degrees for 8 hours), 1 soft boiled egg yolk, cucumber, spinach, and mushroom salad with olive oil, raw vinegar, sea salt, nutritional yeast (Lewis Labs is the best), dulse and freshly ground flax-seeds. A glass of water kefir.
Dinner: Pork shoulder (marinated in mustard, sea salt, black pepper, tomato paste (from a jar not a can), and garlic powder and then slow cooked at 225 degrees for about 8 hours) eaten with slices of gruyere cheese (this is a fabulous combination by the way). Also, sauteed kale and a tomato, celery and orange bell pepper salad with olive oil, raw vinegar and sea salt.
After dinner: Green Pasture Fermented Cod Liver Oil mixed with Butter Oil and Kombucha. (Green Pasture is the only brand I would recommend for cod liver oil.) Cod liver oil taken with butter oil has a synergistic effect.
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