Fruity Yogurt

Did you know that (dare I say this...) MOST yogurt you buy at the store is very misleading in its nutrition content?   Unfortunately It's become more of an artificially sweetened confectionary treat & is hardly healthy.  Real nutritious yogurt is naturally fermented/soured milk full of nutrients, enzymes, & beneficial bacteria, better known as probiotics.  (That would be those funny words you see such as Lactobacillus Bulgaricus, Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Bifidus Regularis, etc...)

Not long ago, I picked up a beautifully decorated tub of "all natural" yogurt that said "Sweetened With Stevia" on the front, so I thought 'how awesome is that!?'  But when I double checked the ingredients, I found that it was FULL of aspartame, sucralose, & sugar near the top of the list, & stevia was THE VERY LAST INGREDIENT (If you weren't already aware, ingredients are listed from greatest amount to least amount).  Needless to say, I was NOT a happy camper.

This is just one simple example of 'conspiring men in the last days'.  Seriously, most people don't look at the ingredients list, so they think they're  getting a good thing, when in fact, they're getting artificial & processed ingredients that are literally poisoning their precious body.  And our kids eat TONS of it!

Yogurt - - - Who would'a thunk!  :(

Instead of purchasing flavored yogurt with unhealthy, unnatural, processed, artificial, & unpronounceable ingredients, why not make your own!  It's simple, it's fast, & it's tasty!

You can kick it up a little by making your own plain yogurt, which doesn't take very long at all & is THE HEALTHIEST option, or at least get yourself some good quality plain organic yogurt made of very few simple ingredients.  Then, here's what you need to make this simple healthy & yummy food:

(Play around with ingredients & amounts for your own preferred taste!)

-Plain yogurt
-Vanilla (optional)
-Stevia, xylitol, raw honey, or agave nectar (to sweeten)
-Fresh or frozen berries / fruit
-Nuts or seeds
-Oatmeal

 *OPTIONAL:
-Lemon essential oil (sometimes I add a drop or 2, because I personally love lemon yogurt!)

*Frozen fruit works GREAT, if you're 'on the go'.  By the time you eat it, the frozen fruit defrosts & the colored juices mix with the yogurt perfectly.

Kick it up even further & add nuts or homemade granola to the top!  YUMMY :)

Nourish & Strengthen Us?

Just being a little bit of a smirking pessimist today :)  - You know what gets to me?

When we Mormons have our ward potlucks & primary / youth activities and serve loads of refined & sugary junk foods, soft drinks, jello salads with marshmallows, chips, brownies, pies, cake, cookies, foods with white refined flours & grains - - but almost no whole grain dishes, whole vegetable dishes, whole fruits, bean dishes, etc.) Drives me crazy!  And you know what gets me even worse?

WE BLESS IT!

Potato chips & doughnuts w/ hot chocolate... & we ask Heavenly Father to bless it to nourish & strengthen us?

Seriously...  It even drove me nuts years ago, before I ever began my big Word Of Wisdom venture.  I can remember when my kids were teeny tiny, & even back then when I didn't care as much, it still bugged the heck out of me.

WAIT...  ON SECOND THOUGHT, that poor sadly "food" probably DOES need blessed.  It needs ALL the help it can get, because it surely is not nourishing us, making us stronger, or doing us any good... (physically OR spiritually).

Ok. Let me redeem myself just a little...  An occasional treat after a fireside, or for a wedding reception... or even a few sweet desserts at a pot luck isn't necessarily going to kill a person.  But almost ALL we bring to church functions anymore is tons o' meat (fatty ham being a main one...) white pasta, white rice, white flour, white refined sugary foods, white refined salty foods, etc., etc., etc.  I think it's something we should all be seriously thinking about a bit more.  I thought it was just my own opinion, but I'm finding out more & more people are thinking along the same lines.

Recently I read an article on families.com about Mormon potlucks & all the junk food (& lack of healthy food) that's brought to them...  Interesting!!!

Here's a super duper link to Green Smoothie Girl's blog post on this subject.  I agree with EVERYthing she had to say.  My favorite part of the whole post, (because it's exactly what I was thinking & feeling before I read it), is THIS:

"I have two theories about this.  First (this one is a no brainer), at the time of the revelation in 1833, white flour and sugar were virtually unknown.  More importantly, we cannot be given a higher law until we’re living the lower law.  Bluntly: we are not living the lower law.

Many of our children are on drugs.  Utah (the highest LDS population) abuses prescription drugs more than ANY other state in the nation.  We eat tons of animals and ignore and rationalize away verses 12-15 of D&C 89 (see the part on God approving of eating animals sparingly in times of winter, cold, famine).  

We eat to excess and have obesity rates similar to the national average.  All of these are gross violations of the law that is supposed to be for the “weakest of the Saints.”

I personally am ready for a higher law. I don’t say this to be arrogant.  I say this because I crave further light and knowledge;  I have a lot of questions.  I wonder, what would God tell us regarding lifestyle and diet, IF WE WERE CLEARING THE VERY, VERY LOW BAR He is currently holding for us to clear? - - - A Word of Wisdom 2.0, if you will."

HERE'S THE PART WHERE I ENCOURAGE YOU TO GO READ WHAT BRIGHAM YOUNG HAD TO SAY ABOUT EATING & NUTRITION...  IT'S LOCATED ON THE WORD OF WISDOM - 2.0  PAGE.  I THINK YOU'LL BE QUITE SURPRISED AT THE PROPHET'S WORDS...

Easy Super Yummy Green Smoothie

Here's an easy basic green smoothie recipe for you to try!  

This is a Blendtec recipe, but you can change it up a little, add a milk instead of water... or do both!  And you can substitute ingredients.  

DON'T be scared of the spinach.  I PROMISE, you CAN'T taste it!!! 

If I were making this smoothie (which I have, minus the pear) - I would add unsweetened coconut, a tablespoon or so of rolled oats, & some chia seeds.


You can also add a little stevia, agave, xylitol, etc... for extra sweetness, if you need it :)

*** Refer to my 'Pantry' list for more fruit & vege ideas.  Experiment!  That's the fun part!

Ingredients:
½ C water (or rice / other milk)
1 banana
1 orange, peeled*
1 pear or apple, quartered & de-stemmed
2 C spinach or preferred leafy greens (like kale)
1 C ice cubes

Directions:
Add ingredients in order listed and secure lid. Select “Whole Juice” and serve.  (Or, if you don't have a Blendtec, use best setting for smoothies.)  I've also selected the "Smoothie" button on my Blendtec, & it's worked fine too.

***Before peeling your orange, remove some of the zest to add to your blend.*** (You can also zest the entire peel & dry it for future use!)

Yields 28 fl oz. 
Servings 2

Nutrition info per serving:
CAL 141
FAT .8 g
SatFAT 0 g
CHOL 0 mg
SODIUM 24 mg
POTASSIUM 623 MG
CARB 35 g
FIBER 6 g
SUGAR 14 g
PROTEIN 2 g