Cook Like a Chef

As many of you know I have been working in the restaurant industry for almost 15 years. During that time I have learned so much about food. Today I want to pass on an inside secret that will help you to loose weight, and be more efficient in the kitchen.

Food prepping.

This means washing, cutting, and storing the produce before cooking. I spend one day grocery shopping and then prepping all the food. It saves me time, I have to do less cleaning, and it makes it so much easier to just grab ingredients and cook. I always recommend this to clients looking to drop a few pounds because investing your time and energy at the beginning always makes you much more likely to actually eat all those tasty veggies!

Think about a restaurant, when you order a meal no one is going to the fridge to start washing and cutting. They have prep cooks that do all of that in the day. Why? Because they are under the gun for time! A dinner entree has 20 min from the time it’s punched in to get out the kitchen doors, and they get LOTS of orders at once. Having everything cut, sauces ready, allows the whole process to actually work.

While you are cutting and peeling you will create a lot of scraps. Here is the genius part, make stock! That’s right, use every single piece of those veggies you just spend your hard earned money on. I just bring some water to a simmer and add them as I go, letting it simmer the whole time until I am finished prepping! BAM! It’s like makin’ money!

Trust me, when the kitchen runs out of something during a rush, tempers run high, because that takes two hands off the line, where they are needed. Even in the bar it works the same, garnishes are all cut before, lemons, limes, etc. God help the person who leaves it empty for the next shift, because you are setting someone up to fail.

I want you to set yourself up for success!

Another industry tip is menu planning. Clearly menus are planned out in the utmost detail, with regard to cook time and food cost. However, we can plan out what we are going to eat for the week. For example, the night before my grocery trip I flip through some of my favourite recipe books and pick a few. I make a list with the ingredients I need to buy, take that to the store and ONLY buy what I need, which saves time and money too!

I really want to make it easier for you to be healthy and realize YOU ARE A CHEF!!! So get organized, you will be shocked at how much more food you have available when it’s all ready to go. No more opening the fridge a million times feeling like there’s nothing to eat.

Try this out today!!

and then she made dog food.

As many of you know, my beautiful yellow lab Lux just had puppies! (Of course I added pictures!) Up until this point, I have been feeding her “dog food.” A few months ago I would have told you I fed her premium quality food. While her food was expensive, at the end of the day, it was kibble. By learning so much about my own connection with food, it was natural to include Lux.
It is hard to argue that dogs shouldn’t eat meat, but kibble instead. Our thumbs make us slightly better cooks…just saying. They also have sharp, blade shaped teeth, and a short digestive tracts, not made for digesting vegetables and grains like herbivores and omnivores.
What do I feed her?
Firstly, the amount depends on the dog, and their weight. As a guideline feed 2-3% of the dogs body weight in food daily, divided into two meals. For example a 75lb dog should eat 1.5-2 pounds daily or two meals of 12-18 ounces.
However, puppies under the age of 6 months eat more often 3-4 times a day and need more calcium, cottage cheese, goat’s milk, or yogurt. Puppies at 8 weeks old will eat 10% of their body weight, or 2-3% of their estimated adult weight.
I have been feeding Lux more, because she is nursing, and I also have been feeding her extra calcium, in the form of goat’s milk and yogurt.
An adult dog would eat two meals a day, one of RMB (raw meaty bones), and one of muscle meat, with some juice pulp, and eggs. I also add the milk or yogurt to the muscle meat meal. Fish oils are a great supplement to add in as well.
Raw Meaty Bones: chicken – necks, backs, leg quarters, wings, whole bird; rabbit – all parts, including legs, duck necks, turkey necks, pork – neck, tail, feet, breast; beef – ribs, necks, breast; lamb – ribs, necks, breast, canned fish – mackerel, pink salmon, sardines
I can already hear it, chicken bones will kill your dog!! Cooked chicken bones are certainly unacceptable, but since everything is fed raw they wont splinter. Also weight bearing bones should not be fed (except rabbit and chicken)
Muscle Meats: heart – beef, lamb, chicken, turkey; ground meat – turkey, chicken, beef, lamb; tongue, rabbit, wild game
Organs (5-10% of diet): beef – liver, kidney; lamb – kidney, liver; chicken liver, turkey liver, pork liver
Reminder to freeze pork for three days at -20C or -4F, prior to feeding your fur baby, this will eliminate the chance of T. spiralis, larval worms.

The puppies were born 18 days ago today, and that is how long I have been feeding Lux raw food. I will update this post if I change her diet, to keep it current.

Now for the babies!!

INSTITUTE FOR INTEGRATED NUTRITION

It has been a goal of mine to talk about my experience at IIN®.

I started the health coach program through the Institute of Integrated Nutrition aka IIN®  in October 2013. I have been completely amazed at the program so far. I previously went to university in Ontario, and the difference is NIGHT AND DAY!

I will start at the beginning, I was at my friend’s house, who is in the program. She was talking about it to me and my immediate reaction was to shut it down, I said it wasn’t for me. We kept discussing her positive experience and I flipped through her workbooks and journal. I learned about their key concepts, bio-individuality, the concept that one person’s food is another person’s poison. Meaning, that there is no one way to eat for everyone. There are so many factors to consider, such as age, gender, season, activity level, blood type, etc. What works one week may not work the next, because our needs are constantly changing. Another concept is primary and secondary food. Secondary food is anything we eat, primary food is everything that nourishes us. Such as our career, relationship, spirituality, and physical activity. Let’s think about when we were kids, playing outside with our friends, when Mom and/or Dad asked us to come in for dinner, how many people were hungry? No one. We all wanted to stay outside and play and legitimately weren’t hungry. Also, someone who is in an abusive relationship, it doesn’t matter how healthy they are eating, they will still be unbalance and unhealthy. This was a new perspective to health for me, and I went home and searched on their website, and YouTube channel. Then two days later, I signed up.

The one year program is all online, and is an app. Each week a new module is released, with recorded lectures in the format of videos and audios. All the lectures are by top professionals in the field. Joshua Rosenthal is the creator of this program, and he speaks in lectures as well. We cover so many topics, such as: time management, budgeting, healthy cooking, politics of food, non-toxic cookware, deconstructing cravings, self care, over 150 dietary theories, positive psychology, super foods, juicing and smoothies, nutrients, communication skills, grains, food energies, the list goes on and on. We also partake in 12 coaching circles, which mimic how we will be coaching other people. The coaching groups consist of about 10 people from all over the world. There is also a Facebook group of everyone in your program, about 2000 people, it is so supportive and perfect when you have questions about what to eat, or anything from the lectures. People also post lots of free webinars that are extra curricular, but very helpful. From the large Facebook group, we make smaller groups, for our coaching circle, and also our study groups. This helps to keep you connected and builds relationships with like-minded people. The program will also cover how to start your own business, obtaining clients, marketing, provides you with countless resources to use with your clients, press kits, group talks, running workshops, and much more. After you graduate there is a 6 month immersion program which is included in your tuition. This program is all dedicated to your business skills.

I am only about 2.5 months into the year long program and my life is totally different. At one point in my life, I was depressed, angry, overweight, and was basically just getting through everyday with no direction. As of today, I have lost 17 pounds, and keep loosing! I feel satisfied with my whole life, my relationship has dramatically improved, I use my time much more efficiently, my thoughts are clearer, my skin completely clear, my hair and nails are stronger, I eat clean and reap the benefits everyday. Not only am I evolving into the best version of myself, but everyone around me is starting to change their habits too, just from seeing the positive effects in me. This is the most rewarding thing I have ever done, and I’ve only just begun. I cannot recommend this program enough.

If any of this resonated with you, just give them a call. 1 (877) 730-5444

Everyone that works at the school, has taken the program and can answer any questions you have. If you do decide to take the plunge and do something that will help you, your family, and countless other people, while earning the money you DESERVE.
To receive my referral scholarship, simply let the school know you saw this from me. (Amanda Hoedt) Plus they take extra special care of referrals with specials and gifts.

You can also view the program guide right here.

If you would like to talk to me directly about the schooling, I would love to hear from you. Seriously, just e-mail me. agreenthumb1@gmail.com

I promise I have time to talk to you about the program, anytime.

Quinoa For Breakfast?

This week I have been focusing on adding more whole grains into my diet. Although porridge is usually not thought of as the most exciting breakfast, I promise you will change your mind!

Last night we had a vegetable stir fry with quinoa, I made extra of both. Today for breakfast I used the leftover quinoa with equal parts of almond milk to cooked quinoa, added dried fruits(goji berry and cranberry is what I used, but anything will work) , nuts and seeds (pecan, sunflower, and hemp hearts), cinnamon, and maple syrup. Then I brought it to a boil and then down to a simmer until the liquid was absorbed. Make sure to stir so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot. I topped this porridge with hemp hearts, and raw apple. I used a lot of cinnamon, because I enjoy the taste and it has a warming effect on the body.

 

You Are What You Eat

I recently listened to a lecture by Steve Gagne about the energetics of food and it was eye opening and has been stuck in my mind. By looking in nature to notice characteristics of the plants, we can learn how the plants will benefit us. He uses the example of leafy greens. In nature they breathe in opposition to our own lungs, and they have veins that take nutrients from the soil, by their roots and transport them out into their leaves by these said veins. This would mimic how leafy greens react in our bodies, by improving our respiratory and circulatory system. Another example are root vegetables. They absorb nutrients and minerals from the soil, and store it, as well as centering and grounding the plant, for example, in very windy conditions. The characteristics will therefore work for us the same, absorbing and improving function in the small intestines, where we absorb our nutrients and thus, leading to improved digestion. As well, having a grounding and centering effect.

All over the world, in many different cultures chicken soup has been used as a healing food to help us recover from ailments. Gagne explores the question why? Why not beef, or lamb? Again, looking to nature for the answers, we see that cows are large, lumbering animals, lambs are smaller but still lumbering. Chickens on the other hand, are full of vitality, running around with so much energy. They also are working sun up to sun down everyday, turning over soil and hunting for food. So when we feel sick and lethargic we should consume food with the opposite energy. Like someone who feels cold and dry in the winter something warm and moist like oatmeal would be completely satisfying and help to balance you out.

The food we eat that makes us feel tense and anxious, are the processed, refined foods. Such as, sugar, alcohol, drugs, caffeine, heavily processed foods, microwaved foods, and factory farming food. (when the animals/vegetables grow under stress you will take on the stress energy)

The food that make use feel connected and harmonious are organic, whole foods, that are local and seasonal, especially from a home garden, and home cooked. It create a link between our understanding and caring, and our food.  Here is one of the gardens I have created.

Do an experiment, for two weeks eat only organic, whole foods, that grow locally and are in season. What do you notice?

For me, the immediate changes I saw were weight loss, clear skin, clear thoughts, more energy, less anxiety, and an overall feeling of calmness and balance.  Try it out on yourself, let me know the changes that you notice!