Simple Changes -- Substituting with Plain Yogurt

I am continually amazed at how useful Plain Yogurt has proven itself to be in our family. Really, we go through quarts of it! (It is really simple to make at home.)

Did you know that you can use Plain Yogurt as a healthy substitution for Sour Cream? You should try it! It can be used in dips, in Mexican dishes, dolloped on soups or chili. Where else do you use Sour Cream? In most cases, I bet you could make a switch.

You can also substitute Plain Yogurt for Mayonnaise at times. I do when I make Potato Salad. I just mix some fresh herbs, salt, fresh garlic and Plain Yogurt in with cooked potatoes... sometimes I mix in a little brown mustard as well... throw in some green onion, diced bell pepper and black olives... or whatever veggies strike your fancy... and Voila! You've got some healthy potato salad. I get rave reviews on my potato salad at picnics. No one even knows it's loaded with probiotics ;-)

So what do you use Plain Yogurt for? I'd like to know...

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Salad Dressing Solved

Okay, so we all know that salad dressings can be a salad's demise. We can build a super healthy salad with all the freshest ingredients... and then smother it with a high-fat salad dressing, laden with highly processed oils and mega preservatives. Do you wonder how it can last that long on the shelf?


But are the low-fat varieties a good choice? Unfortunately, they are also full of highly-processed oils and the same mega preservatives. They may have less fat, but they don't have any beneficial nutrition. The oils in them will still harm our bodies. And yet our bodies need the right oils for healthy skin, hair and hormones. As a bonus, these healthy oils actually help our bodies to use the abundant nutrients found in salad vegetables.


You can find some Extra Virgin Olive Oil based dressings in the nutrition section of larger grocery stores and at health food stores. But, unless you find these on sale with coupons, frequent salad eaters will carve a big hole in their grocery budgets.


Here is the good news: you can make a healthy, tasty salad dressing with just a few pantry items. And the better news: it's quick and easy! Switching to a healthier salad dressing is a simple change that will really make a difference. This is my old standby recipe for a salad that serves four adults (or two adults, two big appetite kids and two small appetite kids).


Easy Balsamic Vinaigrette:

In the bowl you plan on using to toss your salad in, whisk together

• 1 tsp. brown mustard, which will help to emulsify the vinegar and oil
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• a dash of salt and a dash of pepper

Then, slowly whisk in 1/4 c. of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Voila! I load my greens and veggies on top and then toss it all right in the same bowl. Less mess makes me happy.


You can try all sorts of variations for this recipe.

• Using half EVOO and half sesame or walnut oil will give this a nuttier flavor.
• Adding some freshly chopped herbs will give it some extra complexity.
• Adding a minced garlic clove or two will give it some punch.
• Trading out the balsamic vinegar for red wine vinegar will change the entire aroma and mood.
• Or, substituting lemon or lime juice for the vinegar gives a fruitier flavor.

You can also double or triple this recipe to keep it on hand in the fridge if that suits your family better. Mix the dressing in a separate lidded container, and store it in the fridge for up to two weeks. Just remember to pull the dressing out as you are making the salad so that the oil comes to room temperature. (Olive oil will harden in the fridge.) Shake well before dressing your salad.


For my salad tips, read this previous post.

For more Works For Me Wednesday tips, visit www.WeAreThatFamily.com.

Simple Changes -- Lunch Meats

Today I will mention another simple change... another baby step in your journey to health. If you choose to eat lunch meats, select a brand that contains no nitrates, nitrites or other preservatives. These extra ingredients are potent carcinogens that are linked with several digestive tract cancers, such as esophagus, stomach, intestinal and bladder cancers.

European countries, like Germany, banned the use of nitrates and nitrites in 1997. Yet the United States FDA has continued to allow their use. (For more information on this topic, go here and to the reference pages sited on this page as well.) The same nitrate/nitrite-free suggestion goes for bacon, hot dogs or other processed meats. If you are going to eat them, eat them without the preservatives.

Actually, I had to give up processed meats long before I found out all of the details about the preservatives. I discovered they were a trigger for my frequent migraines and so I gave them ALL up. (Thankfully, chocolate was not a trigger food for me, as it is for some people! This was several years ago, and I no longer deal with migraine headaches except on rare occasions when driving into the sun will spur on a migraine.)

Hormel makes a lunch meat line that is preservative-free and priced very reasonably. They also go on sale at my Kroger several times a year. Applegate Farms makes a very good beef frank hot dog, but I have only seen it available at my health food store. These hot dogs are a major treat every spring break!

We don't often eat lunch meat, but when we are traveling in the car over a mealtime, instead of stopping to pick up food, we will take turkey roll-ups with us. We just spread mustard over a whole wheat or sprouted wheat tortilla, layer on cheese, turkey and lettuce and roll it up. We keep it simple for the car so there is less mess. Tortillas don't crumb like bread and we all enjoy our meal in the car since turkey is considered a special treat.

For more Works for Me Wednesday posts, check out WeAreThatFamily.com.

Simple Changes -- Salad Greens and Seasonings

I have begun compiling a "Simple Changes" topic over the last month. My idea here is to offer some simple things that you and your family can do to improve your health. It is easy to become overwhelmed when embarking on a new health journey. Take Baby Steps! Keep moving forward and you will find your self crossing even the bigger hurdles... only do move forward. These "Simple Changes" are geared to help you make progress. Commit to each one and you'll look back amazed at how far you have come by taking baby steps. (For my previous Simple Changes, click here.)


The simplest first: Swap the whitish iceberg lettuce for darker salad greens. The dark green lettuces have a significantly higher nutrient content, so look for romaine, green leaf, red leaf, mixed baby greens or baby spinach. Some families I know even add Swiss Chard to their dinner salads, but it lacks a sweetness that other lettuces have so it can't replace lettuce entirely. Tossing in a few chard leaves among lettuces is a great way to add vitamins, calcium, iron and tons of other minerals.




Next simple change: Substitute real spices for seasoning packages that contain MSG and other unwanted ingredients. For a complete list of seasoning substitutions, visit this site. The packet I would use most would be for Mexican dishes. For Taco Seasoning, I use:

• 2 tsp. chili powder
• 2 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• a pinch of cayenne, unless you want it hot, in which case you can add 1/2 tsp.

I would love to hear your substitution tips! Please comment to share your healthy ideas with us... Thanks!

Simple Changes -- Salad Tips

Raw vegetables are a crucial part of a healthy diet. They contain enzymes and phytonutrients that do not survive the cooking process. In our family, we try to include raw foods at each meal. For breakfast, we eat fresh fruit or fruit in our smoothie. For lunch, we eat apples, carrots and all kinds of other fresh, raw foods. For snacks, we eat raw seeds and (some) raw nuts.


Since I've started a "Simple Changes" topic, here's a simple, yet very nutritious change you can make... add a salad to your suppers! A salad is the quickest, easiest way to include fresh, raw vegetables on the supper table. But, making salad night after night can be tiresome. I've felt that way exactly... tired of making salad. Here are some tips that work for me:

• Invest in a Salad Spinner! Wash an entire head of lettuce, then spin it dry. After using what you need for your supper salad, store the rest in the salad spinner. It will stay nice and fresh... and the next few nights you won't have to wash lettuce again!
• Grate a whole pound of carrots in the food processor, and keep it to add to your salads throughout the week. Carrots keep for about five days in an air-tight storage container. Keeping them on hand means convenient salad additions without having to wash the food processor over and over.
• Raw beets can also be chopped and stored in an airtight container for up to five days. You might be pleasantly surprised at the flavor of a raw beet versus a canned or overcooked beet.
• Use frozen corn and peas in your salad. These are simple salad additions. I buy bags of organic frozen veggies. When I am making a salad, I put handful or two in a strainer and run them under warm water right before I toss them into my salad. They thaw quickly and do not need to be cooked.
• Throw in a handful of raw sunflower or pumpkin seeds for crunch.

Unfortunately, some salad vegetables like tomatoes, bell peppers or cucumbers will need to be cut fresh, but having your lettuce and carrots ready will help considerably. Adding a supper salad is a simple way to add a significant amount of health to your day.

For more Works-For-Me Wednesday tips, check out www.wearethatfamily.com.

Simple Changes

As I talk with friends and acquaintances about health, I often hear discouragement and a sense of defeat. There is so much information! So much to know! While there are some big, important steps that require commitment and even lifestyle-change, I'd like to share a few that are more simple. If you make enough simple changes, they will add up to better health.

It is my intention to make "Simple Changes" a frequent topic. For those of you who already practise these things, keep up your effort! For those of you who are newly embarking on your health journey, commit to these small efforts. In time, you will be able to amazedly look back on how far you have come... and how far you have brought your family as well.

I have dozens of these simple changes in my head right now, but I am going to limit myself to sharing just three today. If I shared them all at once, it wouldn't seem very simple, would it?

The first simple change that comes to mind is to buy Natural Peanut Butter. Skip the Skippy. Pass on the added sugar and hydrogenated oils. Read the labels and select a peanut butter that is as basic as peanuts and salt. Some brands add extra peanut oil. We use the Kroger brand. Since we know we eat it frequently, we buy A LOT when it goes on sale. The sale prices are actually better than any bulk prices I have found. If you have the means, you could even go for Organic... but make sure to read the label because several organic brands add in organic sugar!

As you make the commitment never to bring home unhealthy peanut butter, decide to bring home healthy jam as well. There are several brands of jams and jellies that contain only fruit and fruit juice concentrates. When we eat jam, or when I use marmalade in cooking, we use brands that do not add extra sugar or preservatives. Really, fruit is plenty sweet as it is! Most often, we eat our peanut butter with honey since it is more cost effective. (A growing family has to be frugal!) But, we really enjoy fruit spreads as well. Again, if you have the means, organic is even better.

Third, and last for today, find a healthy substitute for white pasta. There are several whole grain pastas available in markets these days. You could opt for whole wheat pasta, but I would recommend eating it in moderation since unsoaked whole wheat can cause digestive trouble. There are also rice, kamut and other grain blend choices. If your children are still getting used to whole foods, you might want to select a half white, half wheat variety for a time. I find that organic pastas are often on sale for as cheap or cheaper than other brands. If you know you will be buying it, you can stock up while you can save money. Or, if you prefer to limit carbs, we often bake a spaghetti squash and use the strands in place of pasta. This is one of the very few ways my children enjoy squash!

I look forward to posting some more "Simple Changes." I like simple. There is so much else going on in our lives... healthy needs to be as simple as possible! Do you have simple change ideas? Please comment to share them with us all!