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Good Healthy Recipes

I have a Tevo and have been Tevo-ing Oprah (so shoot me). When I come home from work, I see what her show is all about and more often than not, I find nothing engaging enough to spend an hour with. However, all last week, Oprah talked about diet, health and exercise which I, of course, found fascinating and valuable. Oprah has been training with Bob Greene for years now and featured him as a guest on the show. He mentioned Four Very Simple Things which he thinks are important to weight-loss, weight maintenence and health and here they are: 1) Drink plenty of water 2) Don't eat anything 3 hours before you go to bed. 3) Exercise to the point of sweating 8 times a week and 4) Don't eat anything "white." There it is, folks. The answer to life and/or good health in a nutshell.

My secret to the dinner thing is planning. You must plan ahead and shop ahead. Write down on a sheet of paper Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday in columns then PLAN what you will have for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It's really not hard and is actually kind of fun. After you have decided what you will have, then shop for it so you have it on hand. I do this maybe Friday or Saturday for the next week.

By the way, I like the crockpot. It's really easy to prepare the recipe you want the night before then put it in the crock pot just before you go to work the next morning. It will be pretty much ready to put on the table when you get home and the house will smell divine. Here is a favorite recipe to start you out on, but I can also recommend a book called The 150 Best Slow Cooker Recipes by Judith Finlayson.

South West Chile Blanca

2 lbs. boneless, skinless, organic chicken breast 1 large onion, chopped 5-6 garlic cloves, chopped 1 box of Health Valley chicken broth 2-4oz cans of mild green chiles 2t. ground cumin 1t. oregano 2 large cans (about 40 oz.) white beans (great northern) One bunch cilantro Limes

Here is your night-before prep work; this will take you maybe 15 minutes: Cut the chicken into small chunks and brown in olive oil. Drain. Toss the chopped onion and garlic cloves into the same skillet and soften slightly. Put the browned stuff in fridge until morning.

Morning before work; this will take you about 5 minutes, if that. Throw the chicken and onion/garlic from the fridge into the crock pot along with the chicken broth, the diced mild green chiles, the ground cumin and the oregano. Turn the crockpot on low and go to work.

When you get home, you are 10 minutes away from eating. Take a good sniff when you walk in the door and look forward to your dinner! Before you change your clothes, add the beans and maybe half of the chopped cilantro (the other half goes on top when you serve it). Let it warm up a bit in the crockpot then when you are all comfy in your sweats, serve in bowls with lime wedges on the side. You could add grated jack cheese or sour cream. If you are metabolically able to eat rice, serve it with rice.

Here is something for your sweet tooth. I have a serious sweet tooth, so I am always on the lookout for "free" sweets ie. ones that don't have many carbs or wheat. The following is a wonderful pie recipe. Make it on the weekend and allow yourself a slice after your Southwest Chile Blanca.

Creamy Blueberry Pie

First, The Flax-Nut Crust

1/4 C. flax seeds finely ground, about 1/2 C. 3T. ice water 1/2 t. vinegar 3/4 C. almonds, finely ground, about 1C. 1 dash of Stevia Clear 1/4 t. salt 1 heaping T. of coconut oil, melted

Soak the ground flax seeds in water and vinegar for at least 15 minutes. Stir these together and set aside. In a separate bowl, mix ground almonds with stevia, salt and melted coconut oil. Combine flax seed and nut mixture and stir until evenly mixed. Transfer into a 9-inch pie pan, pressing evenly along the bottom and edges to fill the pie pan. Prick the crust with a fork and bake for maybe 20-25 minutes at 350. Allow crust to cool before adding the filling.

Second, the Creamy Blueberry Filling

Step 1: 8 oz. cream cheese, softened 1/4 C. water 2-3 drops Stevia Clear 1t. vanilla 1T. milk

Step 2: 3/4 C. water 1T. cornstarch 1T. fresh lemon juice 1/8 t. Stevia Clear 2- 12 oz. packages of organic blueberries

Step 1: Mix the cream cheese with the water, stevia, vanilla and milk. If using frozen blueberries, let them thaw, drain the juice and use the juice in place of water. Spoon cream cheese mixture into the pie crust and chill.

Step 2: In a medium sized pot, combine the water, cornstarch, and stevia. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in blueberries and lemon juice. Allow berry mixture to cool, then spoon over chilled cream cheese mixture. Chill your pie for at least two hours.

Here's another very quick, easy, luscious dessert for you, called:

Cocoa-Banana Indulgence

4 very ripe bananas, sort of frozen in chunks, not rock hard. 2 heaping T. pure unsweetened cocoa powder or carob powder 1t. vanilla 1-2T. maple syrup Some kind of juice to loosen things up if too chunky in the food processor

Put the chunks of banana into the blender or food processor (I use my Cuisinart) with the cocoa/carob and vanilla. If you like add the maple syrup now. Start blending. If too thick, add juice as needed. I usually have some orange juice around that I use. Keep blending/processing until smooth. Pour into bowls and enjoy.

Next time: More recipes and food-talk.

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