If you are like most people, when you start a new exercise routine you have the best intentions in mind. You plan on eating right, exercising regularly, and poof like that the weight will drop off with the greatest of ease. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. A myriad of reasons could be the culprit for the pesky unwanted pounds sticking around where you don’t want them. While you can’t change genetics you do have control over what foods you put into your body. Let’s discuss 5 different foods that will not sabotage your exercise efforts.

1. Whole Grains

A whole grain is defined as a grain that hasn’t had the bran and germ removed during the milling process. This means that whole grains are higher in fiber and other important nutrients such as potassium, selenium, and magnesium.

Eating foods high in fiber helps you to not only feel fuller longer after eating a meal but it also helps with digestion and waste removal.

2. Raw Fruits and Vegetables

It is so easy to fall into the mindset that so long as you are eating fruits and vegetables of any kind, be it cooked or in a salad you must be making healthy food choices. Sorry friends but that is incorrect. Whether you are sautéing, baking, frying, boiling them, or any other method of cooking veggies you are taking away from their natural nutrition. Likewise, piling your raw veggies on a plate and then drenching it all with salad dressing is equally sabotaging to your exercise efforts. Be it fat and oil from the cooking methods or the additives in the salad dressing, any nutritional value or health benefits are negated by the fats from the outside sources. The best way to eat your fruits and veggies are fresh, raw, and organic.

3. Drink Choices

One of the quickest ways to sabotage your exercise efforts is by drinking the calories that you worked so hard to lose. Juices on average has 150 calories or more in just an 8oz serving, some are as much as 200 or more calories. Processed iced teas are upwards of 100 calories per 8oz drink. I’ll leave soda out of this particular discussion, that is a topic for a much longer discussion. Just know that soda, even the diet ones which tout zero calories are not any better health-wise for you than their high calorie counterparts. When you are thirsty reach for a glass of water (with lemon if needed) or homemade iced tea. These drinks will hydrate you better than the high sugar options and will save you calories as well as carbohydrates.

4. Portion Control

Gaining control of the sizes if your meal is critical if you want to preserve all of the progress and hard work from your exercise routine. One of the easiest ways to reign your meal portions under control is to choose a smaller plate and do not get second helpings. Rather than the usual large dinner plate, choose a smaller salad plate for your main meals. Also, do not eat in front of the television as this leads to mindless eating and unnecessary calories.

5. Between Meal Snack Options

Snacking between meals can be a good choice to prevent overeating during mealtime. The key however, is to make sure the snacks you choose are healthy ones. To insure you are choosing your snacks wisely stay away from the processed sugars and empty carbohydrate foods. Instead, snack on good fat and high fiber options such as raw nuts, raw veggies with hummus, whole grain pretzels, and fruit. Smart snack choices are nearly endless, you just have to make the effort to have them in your pantry and easily accessible.

Don’t go and ruin you amazing workout with unhealthy foods choices the rest of the day. Exercise smart and eat smart!

Each month we will be featuring two of our drops here on our blog. In these featured drop posts, we asked the drop managers a few questions to help you get to know them a bit better. We appreciate all of the work that goes into making each drop a success! Please feel free to share these posts with anyone you know in the area featured.

What is your name? Jennifer Bryant

Tell us a little bit about yourself: I am wife to Steven and mom and teacher to our 2 blessings (so far) Gabriel (10) and Hannah (8). We are followers of Jesus and strive in all we do to bring Him glory. I am humbled daily as His love and patience always stands me back up and send me on after I stumble and fall. My husband and I have plans in the works to build our dream home out in the middle of nowhere and be as self sustaining as possible. Right now, we live in town and garden and keep chickens. We also are wildlife rehabilitators, so you never know what may be coming in our front door next.

How long have you been with Azure Standard? Just joined (and started) the Nacogdoches drop this past spring.

How long have you been drop manager? From the beginning of our drop.

What are your favorite items from Azure Standard? I LOVE the fresh produce. Every time I log in, that is the first place I start looking around.

What is your drop name? Nac Azure Standard

Where is your drop located? Nacogdoches, Texas

What route is your drop on? N2

Do you live in the town your drop is located in? Yes. I was born about 20 minutes from Nacogdoches, but my parents moved back here while I was still an infant. I have always lived here, and my husband and I are now raising our family here.

How long have you lived there? 43 years.

How did you choose your drop point? Some fellow homeschool moms and I were talking about Azure, and lamenting that there wasn’t a drop near us. So I emailed and found that they were looking to have a drop in East Texas. Yay for us! Initially, they were looking at Lufkin, which is about 25 minutes or so South of Nacogdoches. At the time, I was working outside the home, and couldn’t have covered the drop. I asked about having it moved here to Nacogdoches. That was doable, and so we now have our drop at Oak Grove Baptist Church parking lot. (Thank you Pastor Crispin Bradsher for letting us have the drop there!)

Tell us some interesting things about your area: Nacogdoches is known as the oldest town in Texas. We live in a beautiful area with lots of pine trees (known as the Piney Woods), and Stephen F. Austin State University is here also.  The legend of Nacogdoches is that there was a Native American chief who had two sons. When the father was facing his final days, he sent for his sons. He told his son, Natchitoches to face the rising sun and walk 3 days, then settle there with his family. The other son, Nacogdoches was told to face the setting sun and walk 3 days with his family and settle there. This would ensure that they were far enough apart to have ample hunting grounds for both. Don’t know if this is true or not, but we all like the story. :)

Care to share a story or two about your drop?  Because of the Nac drop, we’ve gotten to meet people outside our normal circles, but having some of the same tastes and goals. It’s been really wonderful to get to meet such great new friends.

My first choice when shopping the Azure Standard website is looking for products produced by Azure Farm or Azure Husbandry. They have an entire host of items available at excellent prices and extraordinary quality. Make sure you use the Azure Standard  search feature to see what I’m talking about. Type in “azure” and you’ll find pages and pages of delicious products. One of my favorite items from Azure Farm is their salad mixes.

Their Southwestern Pasta Salad Mix is a HIT in our home!  Serve as a hot dish when you dress it up with some lime juice , a can of diced tomatoes, as they suggest and top with sour cream. It is a meal my entire family will ask for again and again. This mix includes the organic pasta along with their collection of spices. I like how it’s ready for me on those busy nights when making a more elaborate meal isn’t possible. I’ve found one of our greatest tools in staying out of the processed world of food is to always make sure we have healthy options for those days when time has ran away from us. Of course improving my time management skills helps as well.

For our family size we only use two mixes. Typically, there are ten of us always home for dinner, making this very affordable! If I am needing this to be our main dish it is hearty enough to do so. You know how whole foods just seem to satisfy you so much more? Well, this dish is very satisfying! We’ve often put a slice of grilled chicken breast along with it. Make sure you take some of that lime juice and add it to the chicken with some cilantro to dress it up… now, we’re talking amazing!

If you haven’t yet tried Azure Farm Salad mixes make sure you put one of your liking into your cart before cut off!

Make sure you come back and let me know how you liked it. I love hearing from you!

Until our next chat,

Mrs. Joseph Wood

It was a delight to listen to him share passionately about his work. I enjoyed the walks with him through the pastures, his raw milk facility, the store, their new lab, classrooms, and even had the opportunity to watch as the cows were prepared to be milked.

Organic Pastures Dairy Company has been family owned and operated since 1988. I stood and heard Mark share the tireless work he’s given to promote the freedom of buying/selling raw milk. As we stood on the cement parking lot in front of the door to Organic Pastures store, Mr. McAfee began sharing stories of men showing up with guns and suits to seize their milk, of his legal battles, and yes his victories through legislation. It was evident that Organic Pastures isn’t just providing us with a service they are on the forefront fighting for freedom in our food choices.

Our visit must have lasted an hour or more. I was pleasantly surprised to listen to a man that didn’t hold “secrets” of his success rather, wanted to share them with anyone interested in learning. He travels often to educate others so they too can make a difference in the real food fight that takes place on Capital Hill all the way down to our local communities

Azure Standard offers us the finest raw milk cheese available. Organic Pastures Truly Raw Cheddar item number CH229 is often in my cart and used in our home kitchen.

Truly Raw Cheddar came from raw milk which came from antibiotic and hormone free cows fed on green pastures which were attentively cared for throughout the seasons. As the milk was collected carefully (you should have seen the pride each man milking took!) and then processed in Organic Pastures state of the art raw milk facility. I was impressed to watch workers smiling and diligently attending to their business in clean environments that were welcoming! 

Once the raw milk has been collected and processed it is then handcrafted with artesian techniques and aged for 60 days to ensure a real food quality we can taste!

I love eating real food. I love serving my family real food and I positively love supporting others who are on the forefront of bringing us real food day in and day out! 

Thank you to the McAfee family for your dedication to promote real food including raw milk and raw almonds. Thank you for your steadfast commitment to the community to not compromise on healthy practices. A huge thank you to all those at Organic Pastures that we’ve come to trust for our raw cheese needs! If you’ve not yet tasted the Organic Pasture difference, I encourage you to add some to your cart today!

It is moo-arvelous!

Find Organic Pastures on the Web and on Facebook

]]> http://covenantranchonline.com/uncategorized/organic-pastures-interview-raw-milk-dairy/feed/ 0 http://covenantranchonline.com/uncategorized/roasted-sesame-asparagus/ http://covenantranchonline.com/uncategorized/roasted-sesame-asparagus/#comments Tue, 07 May 2013 10:00:00 +0000 Alexis Mathews http://covenantranchonline.com/?p=3489

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Have you seen? Azure is now carrying crisp and tasty organic asparagus. Asparagus is packed with nutrition and makes a great side dish to almost any meal. The Wood family enjoys this recipe for Roasted Sesame Asparagus!

Organic Asparagus is item # QP452

Ingredients

2 bunches (1 1/2 pounds) thick asparagus, ends trimmed, cut into 2-inch lengths
2 tablespoons olive oil
Coarse salt
1 1/2 teaspoons sesame seeds

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a roasting pan, toss with oil; season with salt. Roast 10 minutes, turning the asparagus halfway through.

Add sesame seeds, and roast until the asparagus is lightly browned and tender, about 5 minutes more.

Roasted Sesame Asparagus

 

Print

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

20 mins

 

A delicious side dish to accompany chicken or bring to your next BBQ.

Author: Mrs. Joseph Wood

Recipe type: SIde Dish

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• In a roasting pan, toss with oil; season with salt.
• Roast 10 minutes, turning the asparagus halfway through.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a roasting pan, toss with oil; season with salt. Roast 10 minutes, turning the asparagus halfway through.
2. Add sesame seeds, and roast until the asparagus is lightly browned and tender, about 5 minutes more.

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Boy do I love Azure Standard! I have had experience, the past 30 years or so, with two different co-ops before becoming a part of Azure Standard. Both of the previous ones, though they had great organic food (not much produce or meats, if any at all), required the co-op manager to compile everyone’s lists and let the company how many total pounds of brown rice, or oats, or jars of mayonnaise our group needed. It took hours and hours to do that. I had spreadsheets to fill out and had to check and double check each person’s order over and over again. Also, if our group needed 50 pounds of brown rice – we would have to weigh everyone’s amount of rice: 2 lbs. here, 5 lbs. there, which required the purchase of an accurate scale. On delivery day, a handful of people sorted, measured, weighed, repacked and waited all day long (sometimes DAYS) for people to come pick up their orders.

It is just the opposite with Azure Standard – the prices are incredible for organic food and they do ALL THE WORK!!! I have never been so pleased with such a marvelous co-op in all my 30+ years of obtaining food this way.

The selection is supurb and the produce is top quality!

I would love the opportunity to be a spokesman with Azure if they ever needed one Ohio! I am highly impressed and would be honored to work for such a company!

Azure Standard is truly an answer to prayer for so many here, where normally we would have to drive 20-30 miles to find even a small selection of organic food.

Thank you so much for coming to Ohio. God bless you!!!!!

Laurie Jones
Co-Drop Manager for New London, OH

Bubbies Bread and Butter Chips Item CO342 33oz 15% off $4.65

I remember the fall days of childhood when my mother and grandmother would work in the kitchen putting away the harvest for the upcoming winter days. Bread and Butter chips are one of the fondest treats I used to enjoy out of all the canning that was taking place. I loved the crisp, perfectly balanced flavor these treats hold. Perfect for sandwiches or just eating straight from the jar. If you’re not familiar with Bubbies they have a reputation for being one of the best, probably because “Bubbie” is also a grandmother using the recipes proven from the past. Fermented, crisp, delicious, kosher, and authentic perfectly describe these satisfying treats! All those at Bubbies must have a great deal of fun doing what they do best. I took some time to watch a few of their videos- How to open a pickle jar and The History of Bubbies. Both end with phrases I use to hear my grandmother say, “Wear clean underwear” Did anyone else have their grandmother reminding them of that each time you left the house? or what about “Marry a doctor”? Though I didn’t hear that one near as often as the first! At any rate, the clips are informative and creatively put together. I’ve posted the History of Bubbies below for you to view.

History of Bubbies video

Buffaloam Organic Compost Item GP516 5% off 8 lb $8.70

Can buffalo compost really be any better than another compost on the market? The answer is yes! According to Buffaloam, your plants will LOVE Buffaloam products! Take a look at the quality description found on their website: “100% organic, all natural buffalo composted sourced ONLY from Diamond Trail Ranch, No mixed feedstocks. No blends, no added chemicals, no artificial ingredients, no unknown fillers or waste products.” Now, that’s a product worthy of our attention! They also assure us that it is completely safe for both people and pets. I’m excited that Azure Standard has partnered with The Duncan family, owners of Diamond Trail Ranch, to provide us with quality compost that aids to the regrowth of the once almost extinct buffalo. If you haven’t tried Buffaloam Compost, try it today!

Celtic Sea Salt- Makai Pure Sea Salt Item BP117 15% off $9.90

The Wood family stopped using the common, processed salt sold in grocery stores some 15 years ago. It was one of the easiest conversions we made in our diet. As I research Celtic Sea Salt®  I find this description on the official Celtic Sea Salt website: “Authentic, unprocessed, gourmet, kosher, whole salt from the most pristine coastal regions.” We’ve heard so much news about limiting our salt but not all salt is created equal. Not all salt should be deleted from our diets. It’s my opinion that only the processed, unhealthy salt should be removed from our diets and replaced with a genuine salt such as this. Harvested from the coastal regions of France since 1976, Celtic Sea Salt ® has been working with local salt farmers of Brittany using responsible methods of harvest to preserve the purity and balance of ocean minerals. This specific product is extracted from 2000 feet below the surface of the Pacific Ocean providing us with a mineral rich product! The Makai variety provides 2% of our daily calcium and magnesium per serving, ionized sodium, ionized chlorine, potassium, an selenium, plus many trace elements such as copper, iron, zinc, manganese and chromium. Replacing the quality of salt in our homes is one painless step to providing healthy options to our family.

Coconut Bliss Coconut Ice Cream, Organic Mint Galatica Item FD140 15% off $4.90

This last week, as I was working at my desk, I was greeted by a child with a smile on his face and a container of Coconut Bliss in his hand. I knew what he wanted to ask and waited for him to make his request known. It was with leaping, literally, that he left the room when I said, “yes” to his request! Coconut Bliss Coconut Ice Cream is some of the best “commercially” made ice cream we’ve ever tasted! Perhaps the reason for that is the fun and exciting moments shared in Luna and Larry’s kitchen when first developing each new recipe. Even my oldest son who prefers to make home made ice cream agrees that they’ve done a superb job of ice cream making over there at the Coconut Bliss Coconut company! If you’re dairy free, soy free, gluten free you don’t have to pass this item by. It’s made perfectly for all of us to enjoy! If you avoid Agave Syrup you will want to stay away from this item. However, before you just scratch if off your list. Read their statement about the Agave Syrup they use on their FAQ page and see if it wouldn’t be acceptable for your family to at least try some Coconut Bliss Coconut Ice Cream. It sure is a hit in our home for those special occasions and sometimes those “just because” moments too! 

Coral LLC Coral Kids Toothpaste, Berry Bubble Gum Item HB464 5% off $5.25

What makes Coral LLC Kids Toothpaste different than all the rest? It is a perfect balance to maintain proper oral alkalinity and mineralization their EcoSafe (™) ionic coral minerals are perhaps the most effective toothpaste for cavity protection, whitening teeth, creating a fresh breath environment and balancing the pH of the mouth! With our large family, the children dental health has been one of our major medical expenses each year. I have spent a great deal researching the topic and providing my children with the very best dental care I could give them. While it’s important to me about what is IN Coral LLC toothpaste it’s even more important to me about what’s NOT IN Coral LLC toothpaste. Such as NO fluoride, NO sodium Lauryl Sulfate, NO glycerin and NO harmful toxins!! Keeping the mouth and teeth healthy is vital for our overall health. I am excited to share this toothpaste with our dental team in the near future.  I look forward to seeing many good dental exams in our future. 

Desert Essence Red Raspberry Body Wash Item HB741 15% off $5.35

My girls often sit over my shoulder as I place my order peeking into my cart to see what bath soap I might have added. Desert Essence has proven to be a high quality, affordable, bath soap that we can trust. Not only is a product we trust, it’s a product we throughly enjoy! Made with botanical ingredients by a company that takes pride in their work. You will leave the shower feeling refreshed and simply clean! By the way, have you looked at the great price Azure Standard sells this product compared to others? WOW! A huge thank you to Azure Standard for all you do to make these products available to us!

Follow your heart Creamy Ranch Dressing Item CO102 15% off $3.10

I’m not much of a dressing gal. In fact, I normally prefer fresh ground pepper and salt to top my salad unless…. Unless I find a delicious dressing that doesn’t take any of the flavors from the salad and instead enhances them perfectly, like Follow Your Heart ® Organic Creamy Ranch does. Don’t miss the blog post later this month where I share about Follow Your Heart Creamy Ranch Dressing and a few other varieties they offer.

Heirlooms Evermore Boston Pickling Cucumber Seeds Item GP339 10% off $1.65

According to their website, The Boston Pickling Cucumber is one of the most popular cucumbers in Sweden. Dating back to the 1880′s making this seed variety a true Heirloom Evermore quality product! While this variety is perfect for pickling, it can be used fresh as a slicer if allowed to reach full size. You are encouraged to pick cucumbers when they are 2 to 6 inches long. Pickles are always so pretty when growing on a trellis which also helps prevent pests. We recommend growing cucumbers on a trellis, for ease of harvesting and to help with pest control. If you haven’t seen our Pinterest page, make sure you take time to look at our garden album where you’ll find many ideas for your garden this year.

Kettle Brand ®  Potato Chips Classic Barbecue Krinkle Cut Item SN190 15% off $3.25 per bag

Ever since I had my first bag of Kettle Brand Chips, I’ve been hooked! You can imagine how happy I was to see they were on sale this month; definitely the time to stock up!  Curiosity got the best of me and I had my daughter, Beth Joy, do some research to find out more about this company and their product. I wasn’t disappointed with the information discovered through her investigation work. What a fun and smart company!! Made with real ingredients, non GMO, NO artificial colors or flavors. No trans fats and NO MSG! Simply real food made by real people who have a love for creating great tasting potato chips. We can all be thankful for that day back in 1982 when they perfected their first bag of kettle chips! We can also be thankful that they made enough to share!

E- Cloth Cleaning Pad Item number NF731 15% off 4.70

I have not been able to find these at a better price anywhere! A huge, Thank You to Azure Standard for stepping up and making these cloths a product that are affordable and available to their customers! The E-Cloth Cleaning Pad is the perfect cleaning pad for our family. E-Cloth actually offers several items, all of which Azure Standard has on sale this month! Made with microfibers that pick up dirt, attract moisture, oil and bacteria! Extra absorbent, truly chemical free, ideal for cleaning wet areas in the bathroom and kitchen. Their 4 sectioned design makes these cloths easy to fold, hold, and wipe! As they mention on their website, with the proper care these cloths will last you for years. 300 machine wash guarantee! What a fantastic, and affordable way to make a huge difference on the waste leaving our homes through other non eco friendly products!

And just remember, this is just a small sampling of the amazing items that are on sale in May and June at Azure Standard. What fun sales items will you be adding to your cart this month?

Meatballs:
2lbs Hamburger
2 Tbsp. ground Garlic
1 Tsp. Salt
1 Tsp. Pepper
1 large Egg
1/2 minced Onion

Mix together all ingredients. My brothers love to help with this part and use their hands to mash it together! Once it is all mashed together, scoop out a large spoonful and flatten it out like a mini hamburger.

Cheese Mix:
2 inch thick slice of Pepper Jack cheese (be buy it in 5lb blocks so I guess you could say it is about 1 cup)
2 inch thick slice of Provolone cheese

Cut these up in little cubes. About the size of a square lego.

Now put two cheese cubes in the center of your mini hamburger. Fold the edges over, roll into a round ball, and set on tray as you finish the rest.

You can now put store it in the freezer or cook them up for dinner.
Bon Appetite!

Until next time…
Bethany Joy

Stuffed Meatballs ~ Draft

 

Print

Prep time

15 mins

Total time

15 mins

 

These meatballs are so yummy. We can’t wait to hear what you think!

Author: Mrs. Joseph Wood

Recipe type: Stuffed Meatballs

Ingredients

• Meatballs:
• 2lbs Hamburger
• 2 Tbsp. ground Garlic
• 1 Tsp. Salt
• 1 Tsp. Pepper
• 1 large Egg
• ½ minced Onion
• Cheese Mix:
• 2 inch thick slice of Pepper Jack cheese (be buy it in 5lb blocks so I guess you could say it is about 1 cup)
• 2 inch thick slice of Provolone cheese

Instructions

1. Mix together meatball ingredients. My brothers love to help with this part and use their hands to mash it together!
2. Once it is all mashed together, scoop out a large spoonful and flatten it out like a mini hamburger.
3. Next:
4. Cut cheese up in little cubes. About the size of a square lego.
5. Now put two cheese cubes in the center of your mini hamburger. Fold the edges over, roll into a round ball, and set on tray as you finish the rest.
6. You can now put store it in the freezer or cook them up for dinner.

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