Gardening in AZ

This blog had a whole bunch of links to gardening in AZ, and I was too lazy to reproduce them on mine.

SO GO HERE and use theirs.

You can compost that?

75 Things You Can Compost, But Thought You Couldn't

Urine?? Really? This article is worth the read.

What do Labels mean?

If you are slowly going natural with me--you are realizing that there are tons of labels on things. And what do they mean?

THIS ARTICLE explains them.

Natural Sweeteners

Found a good little blog post on alternative sweeteners.

Go HERE.

East Valley Farmers Market

The girl over at the I heart Mesa blog has put together a list of local farmers markets for those of us who live in Arizona. The list is just for us in the East Valley.

CHECK IT OUT.

Farming

The more I learn about going natural--one thing that is brought up a great deal is farming. And how the government is subsidizing corn and soy out the wazoo. And how it is not good for our country. Some farming is ruining soil and damaging surrounding lands. I believe there are two sides to every story, this is one side. But the more I learn, the more I realize that the government could be doing so many other things to ensure Americas farmlands stay healthy and able to feed it's own citizens. This is worth the watch. Or you can link directly to it HERE.

Arizona Farming

I just found this resource for Arizona Farming. It gives links to all kinds of local farms/markets stuff like that.

http://fillyourplate.org/

Locally Grown

Okay, now I REALLY want to go to Whole Foods. They have a section on locally grown items that details the farms/companies their food comes from. Check IT.

Whole Foods Approach to Meat

Click HERE to go the Whole Foods page and watch these videos. It makes me want to shop at Whole Foods.

Animal Vegetable Miracle

Want a good Natural book to start with? Try this one. I loved it! It is a memoir of a family that lived off their land for a year. It is entertaining and infused with facts that will make you think about your food habits. It also has tons of links of ways to go Natural.

They also have a WEBSITE.

Linkety link

There is a good article at I heart Mesa about natural eating.

Check it out HERE.

Local Gardening Class

I just got an e-mail from the girl who runs Taste is Trump blog. She's all about natural eating.

She's promoting a class on gardening. This is what my e-mail said:



It's time to get in a fall garden. Come learn how to do it simply, and how to be successful in producing great produce all winter long!

Tuesday evening, September 14
6:30-8:00 pm in Gilbert, Lindsey & Williamsfield Rd. area
Cost is $10 for the class which includes materials and tasters
Pass the information on to those interested in being a successful gardener!

Register at contact@erleentilton.com with your name and address - and you will receive complete details!

Erleen Tilton

The Garden Guy

On one of our local TV stations we have an expert gardener called "The Garden Guy". He has great tips for using organic products to enrich your garden. Most of his tips are for normal gardening, not square foot. But a lot of his stuff works for both. He has great tips on getting rid of pests, which I need to try because some little jerk of a bug is eating my gorgeous basil. ARGH. Anyhow, I just saw this the other day and thought I'd share.

Bento Box

I am COMPLETELY OBSESSED with the Bento Box idea. Just google it. It can entertain you for hours on a Sunday. At least it did for me. It goes all along with eating healthier which I am also obsessed with. School lunches gross me out and I'm so bored with a sandwich, chips and juice. Bleck! The Japanese have it right. It's like an art form for mothers over there. Also, you stop using ziploc bags. I always feel so wasteful when I use them, so I'm stoked about this. You can check out flickr bento groups--specifically the kids ones and you get stuff like this:







So you start with a Bento Box (or you could use any sort of little container). How cute are these? I found them HERE.





Then you buy little cutters to cut your fruit or cheese or whatever.


Then you put your food on these cute little toothpick sort of things.






And get cupcake holders to divide your stuff like so:



Your kid would have the coolest, healthiest lunch. I'm currently searching the Phoenix/Metro area for this kind of stuff. I'll let you know what I find. You can also check this blog.. Or just google away.

September Gardens

OK Guys, it's time to start getting ready for fall gardening. Plan out your garden and buy your supplies, because September is the perfect month to start planting (in Arizona anyway!).

Here's what to do:

1) Build your box: 4' wide by as long as you want. Just make sure you can walk on all sides of your garden!
2) Fill it with the perfect soil mixture: 1/3 compost, 1/3 vermiculite, 1/3 peat moss.
3) Divide it into 1' x 1' squares.
4) Plan out what you want to plant. Each square can grow something different.



Remember:
-Pick a flat area for your garden that gets at least 8 hours of daily sunshine.
-If you choose vegetables that need a trellis (peas, tomatoes, etc.), place them together on an outside row of your foot-by-foot garden.

And now, everything you need to know about September gardening:

September
Rainfall...
Average: 0.66 inches
Record: 5.5 inches (1939)

Temperature (degrees F)...
Average High: 98.3 degrees
Lowest High: 66 degrees (1895)
Record High: 116 degrees (1950)
Average Low: 72.8 degrees
Highest Low: 90 degrees (1982, 1983)
Record Low: 47 degrees (1895, 1965)

Vegetables...
Plant seeds: Snap Beans, Beets, Bok Choy, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Chinese Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Chard, Collard Greens, Cucumbers, Endive, Kale, Kohlrabi, Lettuce (Head & Leaf), Leeks, Mustard, Green Onions, Peas, Radishes, Spinach, Turnips
Plant Transplants: Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Chinese Cabbage, Cauliflower, Celery, Chard, Lettuce (Head & Leaf)

Stay tuned for information on how many of each vegetable to plant in each square!

***note from Jill:

The soil comes in big bags and can be expensive if you are planting a small garden, because you won't use it all. (I have 2' x 2' boxes I got from someone" The nursery on Baseline just west of Lindsay (I think it's A&P Nursery) has a pre-mixed bag of soil that has the exact mixture as above. It is the square foot gardening mix. Also, if you can't make your own box (which is the cheapest way) You can buy a square foot gardening set up at this same nursery.

--shout out to Amber for hooking us up with this info, I'm pretty stoked about it.

SO... Obviously I don't believe in evolution, but I do believe God put food on this Earth for us to eat because he knew it would benefit our bodies. Animals, Fish, Eggs, Veggies, Fruit, Nuts and Seeds. This video does a really good job of differentiating between life without processed food, and people who only consume processed food. Check it out if you have 5 1/2 minutes...

Reset Button! Get Your Body In Check!

Most of you know I am not a carby person. I always skip the bread, pasta, rice, and cereal. After all my schooling and research and personal experience, I feel that those foods are just fillers. That's exactly what they do... fill you up. So, if we were in a famine and needed food that could be brought out of storage to fill us up, then okay. But the fresh food that the Earth naturally produces for our consumption should take first priority. 


To truly be "healthy" and as nutritious as possible one needs to get their body back to it's intended state. The state where all the sensors and triggers and survival mechanisms work properly. Our bodies are miracles and were designed to take on a mountain of circumstances. By eating overly processed foods in large quantities, we (usually) gain weight, increase our risk for Metabolic Syndrome (basically a precursor to multiple health problems) and all of those sensors are dulled and sometimes stop working all together. 


If we can increase the amount WHOLE food we eat and get our blood sugar and cholesterol under control, those sensors will work again and we can stop stressing about diets and cravings and deprivation. Once we "reset" our bodies we can just listen to them. We can react to hunger pangs and feel full at the appropriate times. Cravings for processed, sugary foods will lessen, because our bodies will now know what food makes it feel good and what food makes it feel bad.

SO HERE IS A CHALLENGE.

For 2 weeks try to eat more of the foods below and say NO to anything that went through an extensive process to be produced. Comment and tell me how you feel.

THE FOODS ARE INCLUDED IN THIS GREAT ARTICLE ABOUT BLOOD SUGAR AND THE GL.

It's not only those who suffer with diabetes that need to keep their blood sugar levels in check. More and more research is finding that the benefits of controlled blood sugar apply even to those who do not have diabetes and are otherwise healthy individuals. According to Dr. Mabel Blades, author of The Glycemic Load Counter, benefits of a low-GL diet include:

•Stable blood sugar levels

•Easier weight management and weight loss

•Increased energy

•Decreased risk of insulin resistance

•Improved memory

•Improved digestion

•Lowered cholesteroL

•Reduced risk of developing Metabolic Syndrome

Fruits 

Even though many fruits have a moderate to high GL count due to their high sugar content, it's unlikely that one would eat enough to spike blood sugar levels the way even small amounts of processed carbs will. There are many fruits that are very low in GL and have little impact on blood sugar. A low-GL value is considered 10 or less, and one 4-ounce serving of the following fruits all have a GL value of less than 10.


•Fresh apricots
•Avocado
•Blackberries
•Cantaloupe
•Fresh cherries
•Grapefruit
•Grapes
•Honeydew
•Kiwi
•Lemon
•Mandarins
•Nectarines
•Oranges
•Raspberries
•Fresh watermelon


Vegetables 


Vegetables are a little less tricky than fruit when it comes to GL, so very few vegetables will send blood sugar levels soaring, except potatoes and foods made from potatoes such as chips and french fries. The following vegetables are ranked as having a GL value of 0:


•Alfalfa
•Artichoke
•Asparagus
•Broccoli
•Brussels sprouts
•Cabbage
•Cauliflower
•Celery
•Cucumber
•Green beans
•Lettuce
•Onions
•Peppers
•Radishes
•Sauerkraut
•Spinach
•Squash

Take On the Challenge! Report how you feel!Read more at Suite101: Low Glycemic Load Fruits and Vegetables: Nutrient Rich Foods with a Low-GL Value http://food-facts.suite101.com/article.cfm/low_glycemic_load_fruits_and_vegetables#ixzz0qlkr8zvz

Why a Square-Foot Garden?

Before I post all about the hows and whats of square-foot gardening, I thought I would tell you why I LOVE this gardening method:

-Requires very little space; 80% less than conventional gardening.
-Can be done in as little as 4 feet by 4 feet, — or as large as you want.
-Your existing (bad) soil doesn’t matter because we don’t use it. Start with an ideal soil mix that is weed-free and requires no tilling.
-Uses much less water; only about 20% compared to conventional gardening.
-No fertilizers or pesticides to handle — it’s all natural!
-The planting method requires no thinning and very few seeds.
-All the hard work has been removed in the Square Foot method – only the enjoyable part remains.
-Can be started in any season.
-Produces 5 times the harvest of a conventional garden.
-Can be done by those with physical or mental limitations. If getting down is a problem, raise the boxes to a higher level.
-Makes a great family project, all ages can participate - kids love to garden.
-No Weeding! No Thinning! No Heavy Digging

Square-foot gardening really is SO easy! If you want to know EVERYTHING about square-foot gardening, go buy the book Square-foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew. Otherwise stay tuned and I will get you started with the basics!

Baked Ziti with Eggplant and Spinach

I made this and we liked it. The kids totally ate it. I threw in some mushrooms and more spinach.

Click HERE FOR THE ORIGINAL RECIPE BY THE DAINTY VEGETARIAN

Baked Ziti

This recipe serves 4 (you can easily double and bake in a 9x12 dish)

1/2 lb. of ziti

1/2 eggplant, cut into 1 inch cubes

tomato sauce, yours or my recipe

1 cup ricotta cheese

a couple handfuls of fresh spinach, roughly chopped

a few leaves of fresh basil, roughly sliced

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

a handful of grated parmesan cheese

a sprinkle of dried oregano

What you'll do:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Make your tomato sauce. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box until very al dente (chewy) The noodle will cook more in the oven and you don't want them to get too limp. When the noodles are done, toss them in some tomato sauce to coat. (this will prevent sticking) Lightly saute the eggplant cubes in some olive oil with a pinch of salt till they just begin to turn golden.

Now for assembly. Spread some tomato sauce at the bottom of the baking dish. (so the pasta doesn't stick) then put a couple spoonfuls of pasta down, the eggplant, the roughly chopped spinach, some chopped basil and the ricotta cheese. (for an extra surprise, sprinkle in some toasted pine nuts) Add another layer of ziti, then a little more sauce, mozzarella, parmesan and sprinkle with just a little dried oregano. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the cheese starts to bubble and turn golden. Serve with some extra tomato sauce for people like me who love tons of sauce!

Ratatouille Polenta Bake

I had been wanting to make Ratatouille ever since I saw the movie. I found this recipe and I loved it! My husband loved it too, my kids . . hmmm ... not so much, but they'll have to deal.

Calli would say to nix the polenta, which I believe would make it more authentic anyway.

But it's delish how it is.

**My husband requested that we switch the portions of zucchini and eggplant.

CLICK HERE FOR THE RECIPE FROM EAT BETTER AMERICA

Ratatouille Polenta Bake

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped (1/2 cup)
1 medium bell pepper, coarsely chopped (1 cup)
1 small unpeeled eggplant, (1 pound), diced (2 cups)
1 medium zucchini, diced (1 cup)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) Italian-style stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 tube (16 ounces) refrigerated plain polenta (or any flavor)
2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese (3 ounces)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1. Heat oven to 375ºF. Spray 12-inch nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Cook onion and bell pepper in skillet 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in eggplant, zucchini, salt and pepper. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender. Stir in tomatoes, breaking up with spoon; reduce heat to low. Cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Spray rectangular baking dish, 11x7x1 1/2 inches, with cooking spray. Cut polenta into 1/4-inch slices. Arrange slices on bottom of dish, overlapping and cutting to fit where necessary. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Spoon vegetable mixture evenly over top.

3. Cover and bake 30 minutes. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and parsley. Bake uncovered about 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and casserole is bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Nutritional Information
1 Serving: Calories 260 (Calories from Fat 65 ); Total Fat 7 g (Saturated Fat 3 g); Cholesterol 10 mg; Sodium 830 mg; Total Carbohydrate 45 g (Dietary Fiber 6 g); Protein 10 g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 18 %; Vitamin C 26 %; Calcium 24 %; Iron 16 % Exchanges: 2 Starch; 3 Vegetable; 1/2 Fat
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.