whole foods cookbook

W

wendy t

New Member
hi! i just started this 'computer thing' and i think i'm really getting into the 'groove'. never mind that cathe's web site is the only one i can get to, because the address, "cathe.com" is pretty foolproof...even for me!! (yeah!)

i have a question... i'm looking for a "really yummy, healthy, whole foods, no sugar, quick recipes" cookbook. anyone have any suggestions? i'm not a total vegetarian, but i do eat meat and chicken ....i like fish too, but it's kind of stinky when ya cook it so....

basically i don't cook too much...especially since our family has changed to this new style of whole foods eating....it's so much easier to cook 'unheathily' (is that a word?)

anyways, if anybody has any suggestions, i'd love to hear them!!!

oh, and don't forget....YUMMY IS CRUCIAL!!!!


thanks!

wendy
 
Suggestions

Hi there Wendy!

Over the past several months, I've tried very hard to switch to the "whole foods" way of eating too. Sometimes I have mixed success since, well, I LOVE SWEETS! But I do pretty well most of the time. I get my recipies from a number of sources -- I have yet to find that "perfect cookbook", but here are a few suggestions for ya:

1. Get yerself a Crockpot!! Seriously -- I don't know how I'd get by without one! They're SO EASY -- just throw all the stuff in there, turn it on, go away to work for the day, and that's it! I can't tell you how awsome it is to come home and find dinner ALL MADE in the evenings. And lots and lots of recipies can be adapted for a crock pot pretty easily. Recipies abound on the internet for crock pots too (and everything else for that matter) - do a search on Yahoo.com for "slow cookers" or "Crock Pot" or the like.

2. Often I'll make a big batch of brown rice at one time and just keep it in the refridgerator. Then over the course of the week I can throw it in soups, stir-fries, chilis, or put whatever's coming out of the Crock pot out of it. I make it with broth so it has a little flavor (and for some reason, it doesn't dry out in the fridge if I make it with broth), but watch out for the sodium if that's a problem for you.

3. One cookbook I really like is "Jane Brody's Good Food Book." It's several years old, but still widely available. There's lots of good nutrition information in there too -- a lot about a low-fat, high carb diet (based in whole grains, which is the way to go if you're going high-carb). She's got plenty of recipies with meat in them too. I like her recipies -- they're relatively simple to prepare, and yummy too! Another cookbook I have is probably harder to find (I think it's out of print), but you an always keep your eyes open for it in a used bookstore. It's called "Nikki&David Goldbeck's American Wholefoods Cuisine." As the name implies, it's got a lot of wholefoods recipies in there!

Hope these suggestions help!

Elizabeth
 
thanks! nix 'healthy' frozen foods!

dear elizabeth,

hi! thanks so much for answering my post. well, i did it again with this computer thing....(frown) i had a wonderful response composed, and by some 'freak of nature' (or the fact that my sister, who's getting married in a month, came over freaking out, during my typing of my letter...) it all vanished, and before i knew what had happened, it said "goodbye from america online"...EEEEK!!!

so here i go again, just thought i'd throw in the background to this letter...(i'm sure you probably found that to be very edifiying, eh?)

well, regarding the cookbooks, thank you so much for the recommendations...i'll look into them. the crock pot idea sounds like a plan/solution!!...but when you say, you "throw stuff in there"....like what kind of stuff?...you sound like one of those natural good cooks, that just 'throw things together' and they're yummy. me....that's a different story entirely!

i used to be able to cook okay, but that was with all the hydrogenated, red meats, 'cream of mushroom soup' (good 'ol mom!) kind of meals that we all grew up with. then when i had my first child 6 years ago, i became really sensitive to any and all kinds of food. in particular....sugar. anything from the sugar cane....right down to molasses...would cause me intense migraines..for days!!! plus, there's msg, cheese (sometimes), caffeine (i love tea! frown). basically limited in my selections of foods to eat and/or make. but let me tell ya, there's sugar in ALOT of stuff!!!

so....we've been eating 'healthy frozen foods'...they cost a fortune!!!! we do eat chicken, but get kinda grossed out with raw chicken, washing it....disinfecting the entire kitchen for two breasts of chicken!!! salmonella ya know (dateline nbc! smile)

so thank you for the book recommendations....i'll hit barnes and noble...sometimes the cookbooks at the health food stores...are a little bit "too healthy-tasting", ya know what i mean?

i'll keep you posted on anything good!!!

thanks again! sorry, this was so long!


wendy
 
eating whole, healthy foods

Wendy, I applaud you and your family's efforts to eat well. I encourage you to slowly add in healthy whole food into your diet, because it is quite different from the highly processed, sugar laden foods we've all come to love. Try going to the health food section of your grocery store and getting some items in there-like canned beans, tomatoes, boxes of Fantastic Foods mixes (hummus, chili, tofu combos)-and looking for recipes on them. Have you ever heard of the book: Prescription For Cooking and Nutritional Healing? It's by James Balch and his wife Phyllis. They outline excactly how to eat healthy and give you lots of recipes. Just remember, it takes some time to acquire a taste for whole foods! Beth
 
Whole food cooking

Wendy,
One cookbook I would recommend is the "Vegetarian Times Complete Cookbook." It has over 600 recipes as well as information on cooking techniques and menus. Only $19.95 from Vegetarian Times mail order (1-800-793-9161). (I know you say you aren't a vegetarian, but I am, and I only know vegetarian and vegan cookbooks!).
Although I don't use mine often, I would suggest getting a pressure cooker if you want to get into making grain and bean dishes (much cheaper than buying canned stuff, and you control the sodium). There are two good pressure cooker recipe books out called "Vegetarian Cooking under pressure" and "Cooking under pressure" (I think the author is Lorna Sass). The second one would offer some non-vegetarian whole foods recipes that cook up in a jiffy (If you can't find the books in your local bookstore, they are also sold by QVC).
Good luck!
 
vegetarian cookbooks

dear kathryn,

thanks so much for your input regarding the vegetarian times cookbook. our family isn't "totally" vegetarian....although, i think many people might consider us as such. we eat chicken occasionally, and fish as well....

ideally, my husband would like to go more into vegetarianism exclusively....in that, it is so much easier to clean (grease, cleaning chicken-ugh!) and, of course, for health reasons as well.

currently, we do own a pressure cooker and have done the 'bean thing'. the beans are, indeed, much yummier....i will definitely look into the 'vegetarian times cookbook' thank you for your suggestions...any advice and tips from an 'experienced, certified vegetarian,(that's you! smile) would really be appreciated.


p.s. side-story....when i went to our health
food store the other day, the nutrition
guy (vegetarian) told me when they
went camping this past summer, everyone
was 'eaten alive' by mosquitoes...all
EXCEPT HIM! he sat right smack in the
middle of it, enjoying the 'great
outdoors! he attributes it to the fact
that he didn't REEK (spelling?) of
being a carnivore!! well, "he" enjoyed
the trip!!! hee-hee


thanks again!

wendy
 
oops, reply in wrong place!

dear beth,

well, good'ol wendy did it again!!! this computer thing is just NOT MY THING... i tell you, it was just 'before my time'!! i can't even find a book in the library!!! it's pretty humiliating when these 10 year olds come by 'zippin away on the computers...and i'm sitting there trying to hit, 'help, or esc, or enter or anything'! and my screen keeps staring back at me..doing nothing!!!pretty pathetic!

i'm so sorry, i "tried" to reply to your e-mail, but it ended up as a NEW POSTING as "healthy eating"....oops!!

so please excuse my lack of computer savvy...i'm destined to be "found and lost" "here there and everywhere"!!!

so please look up the next posting, "HEALTHY EATING" that was my message to you.....

sorry again!!

wendy
 
as you can see....hopeless!

well beth....

it made it afterall!!!

who's to know?!!! NOT ME!!!!!
sorry!


from,
"hopelessly computer illiterate, wendy."
 
more cookbooks!

Hi Wendy,

Two years ago I changed course with my health care and started going to a Naturopathic Doctor. She instructed me on whole food eating and it has made a big difference in my life (when I pay attention to it :eek:)).
Here are 3 good books. The first is one I actually bought at her office and it is written for familys and fitting it into your regular routine including school lunches..."Feeding the Whole Family" by Cynthia Lair,"The Natural Gourmet" by Annemarie Colbin, and "A Diet for All Seasons" by Elson Haas.
Good Luck Wendy.
 
Questions?

Wendy,
Any time you would like some input on vegetarian cooking, feel free to E-mail me directly. Glad to help whenever I can (IF I can, that is!)
Kathryn
 
thanks for your recommendations!

dear nancy,

thanks so much for the book recommendations. in fact, i do have the book by cynthia lair and love it! i'm going to try and expand my horizons...although, i'm not very "gourmet-ish" (oh well! you never know!)

i'm was interested to find out that you also go to a naturopathic doctor. sounds like you like it. did you have any health problems prior to seeing him/her? do you still see you regular m.d.? and does your n.d. give you recommendations on herbs/supplements etc? if you don't mind.....(if so, that's okay!) i'm in the cerritos,lakewood area of california...is your n.d. anywhere close to me? would you be able to give me his/her name? i'm sorry.....so many questions bombarding you.....please don't feel obligated!

thanks again, for your posting!!

wendy
 
healthy cooking

Wendy,

I had so much fun reading this post. My husband and I went off sugar three years ago, it was hard but there are some great honey cookbooks. Also maple syrup works great!! I had the Jane Brody cookbook mentioned above, it has some great info, but the recipies are really different(not the classic flavor combos and VERY low fat,) We like Italian and Mexican food. If you like, I will e-mail you a few of our favorite no-meat recipies.

Juliet
 
RECIPES....YES!!! PLEEZ!!! (yipee...

dear juiliet....

yeah!!!!!!! thank you for offering recipes from your kitchen....YES! YES! YES! "SHOW ME THE RECIPES!!!!!" (hee-hee).

i would love to get some 'tried and true' yummy recipes. sometimes some of those cookbooks are kind of intimidating to me...the gourmet stuff, and now the newer vegetarian way..(bean city!) etc...just when i was getting pretty good at cooking in the 'mainstream sorta way'.....then came the 'no sugar, not much red meat, not hydrogenated,etc...'whole foods' thing.

it's definitely a "good thing" (smile)....but kind of frustrating to try and 'relearn' cooking....something that i hadn't even quite mastered yet...

the jane brody book, having been recommended twice now....i will DEFINITELY go out and check it out. thank you!!!

i'm glad you were enjoying these postings....i was concerned there for a while....my replies were at a big "0" (frown) for quite a few days...(hmmmm) i thought, "OH NO!! THIS DOESN'T LOOK GOOD!"

so, thanks for your positive feedback. i eagerly await anything "scrumdilyicious" (i think that's a word?...or i just made it up!)

thanks again!!

wendy



p.s. KATHRYN....thanks for your offer of
'vegetarian advice'....i'm sure i'll be
taking you up on that some time soon!!!
by the way, i love those little 'faces'
you make...cute! how DO YOU do that?!
(smile)
 
faces

Wendy,
I'm pretty much doing the basic E-mail symbols that you can create by combining parenthesese () with colons : and hyphens -.
The "cat" face I use in personal E-Mail was stolen by me from someone else (on this site, I think! Thanks!!). Here's the "formula":
Greater than sign > plus upside-down carat ^
plus period . space period . plus carat ^ plus less than sign ^. .^^.o.^< (As Mr. Spock said, "even the most advanced intellect has need for play" (or something like that!))
 
dr. spocks' face practice

dear kathryn,

thanks for the 'formula'!!! boy, i'm gonna have to print those instructions..and practice a few times....(smile!) too bad i can't get my printer 'configured', or 'whatever'.... to actually, print something....anything!! just getting this e-mail thing going... has been quite an accomplishment for this 'computer illiterate'! boy, technology is just passing me up!! ugh!

by the way, i was curious and wanted to ask, thinking back on one of your previous postings....you mentioned that you were a Phd.? wow! (i hope it's not in english!!! my grammar is sooooo bad!!! too many years past from school days!!) eeek!!

seriously, though, i'd be interested in hearing more about that sometime!!!

i'll keep practicing my 'spock-man'!! thanks for responding to my postings and always being so helpful!!

wendy
 
Oops!

Something got erased on my post (the dreaded internet gremlins, no doubt). The TWO symbols should look like:
>^. .^^.o.< (formula one with a lower-case "o" in stead of a period). There is no Spock "face", just his quote!
By the way, I am a PhD in French and also teach Spanish (so I make mistakes in all three of the languages I know!)
 
"kathryn is happenin"!!

dear kathryn,

thanks for 'the face formula'
\_/
i went for a 'slight modification'.....well....the jury is definitely still out on this guy! but at least he's smiling!! my husband just walked by, and was ever so impressed with my 'cartoon'..hee-hee....i said..."kathryn, the 'e-mail maven' showed me...the way!!!

by the way, speaking of e-mail....boy, you're request for an e-mail partner.....whew!!!! YOU ARE HAPPENIN! KATHRYN! (whoa!) i'm not sure, if after the deluge of 'e-mail partner potentials'(smile)....if you're willing to give out your e-mail address.....but i'm at: [email protected] in the event that you wish to give it out....but at the rate and length at which i babble on.....i will fully understand if you choose to forego the offer.....) really!

thanks for sharing with me about your Phd. status....i share your interest in language as well. i speak (somewhat, semi-fluently...well...okay...'conversational') japanese(smile)...and am studying signing.

thanks again for your response!

wendy
 
Whole Foods

Hi Wendy! Glad to hear that you and your family want to switch to a more healthful way of eating. I recently became a member of Global Fitness. Their personal trainer, Chad Thackett, is the best trainer and nutritionist I've seen in years. I've been working out for 15 years. He's been able to cut my fat by 2%. I've seen remarkable results. Go on the internet and his web site is http://www.global-fitness.com. Check it out and see if you wish to become a member. For $49.95 a one time deal it's really something. He teaches you all about nutrition. His recipies are great! I've incorporated mostly chicken, turkey, beans, pasta and fish w/veggies and fruit. Absolutely NO SUGAR! More protein and lower on the carbs. You can also personally write to him and he helps within a day! His response is that quick and very thorough. If you have any problems, let me know. Good luck! Kathy
 
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