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There is nothing like homemade whole grain bread

July 19, 2013 filed under: food, home, SugarDetox

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After years in the States, I finally baked my own whole grain bread.  My Mom has been baking this for years and it’s one of the things I missed the most when I moved to the US. The biggest hurdle was finding cracked rye berries… even Whole Foods and the local Co-op sell cracked wheat, but only whole rye berries. Do you know how difficult it is to crack them yourself without a “grain mill” (which are superexpensive)?

I found a way around it: I ‘misused’ a burr coffee grinder to crack the rye. Worked like a charm (maybe a little finer than I would have liked, but what the hell! I can crack my own rye berries. Hooray!).

It’s super-easy to make. There is no kneading involved and even though it has a little yeast, you don’t have to allow the dough to rise before baking. It’s as easy as mixing the ingredients and putting it in a loaf pan for 3,5 hours (!) of baking.

For one medium size loaf you need:

250g (~9 oz) cracked rye
250g (~9 oz) cracked wheat
250 g (~9 oz) wheat flour
250 g (~9 oz) sunflower seeds
1.5 envelopes (~0.4 oz) of dry active yeast
2 tbsp salt
5
00 ml (~17 fl oz) buttermilk
100 ml (~3.4 fl oz) maple syrup
125 ml (~4.2 fl oz) water

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Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl until all the dry ingredients are evenly wet.

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Place in a silicon loaf pan (it’s easy to use and clean – if you use a regular loaf pan, make sure to line it with parchment paper).

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Bake for 3,5 hours at 300ºF. Then let it completely cool down on an oven rack (over night). Once it’s cooled down, you can store it in the fridge wrapped in aluminium foil for up to 2 weeks.

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So, this is really dense bread (J doesn’t call it a “brick” for nothing), but it’s hearty, delicious and so filling! I can have two of these small slices for lunch and it will keep me satisfied for hours! My favorite way to eat it is with a slice of gouda, a little mayo, sliced tomato, onion, pepper and salt. Please try this and thank me later! You’re welcome.

5

I was wrong about green smoothies

July 11, 2013 filed under: food, SugarDetox

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I honestly never thought I’d say this, but here it is: I dig green smoothies.
The thought of having a thick milkshake-like-but-not-quite-milkshake-like tasting liquid in the morning substituting as ‘breakfast’ simply seemed absurd to me.

I, the müsli-eating, cheese and liverwurst-loving, bread-devouring breakfast-enthusiast, really had a hard time with the idea of only having a ‘drink’ instead.

I know. I know! I take it all back! I am not afraid to admit that I was wrong. So wrong!

Since the sugar detox, I’ve basically had a smoothie at least every other day. First I did it because it was ‘suggested’ through the class and hey, who am I to dismiss good, well-intended suggestions? You can’t learn anything new if you don’t try. Well, I tried and I am really starting to like green smoothies in the morning. It’s fast and easy and I am having my breakfast on the lightrail (another healthy habit I am trying to get back into) on my way to work. It really works out all around!

I’ve been using Nicole‘s ultimate green smoothie formula. It’s printed out, laminated and pinned to my kitchen wall, so I always have it handy when I need it even though my current favorite I can already make without glancing at the list! I have been playing around with different ingredients (many more combinations to try though!) and this here my current favorite:

1 cup strawberries
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 handful spinach
1 tbsp almond butter
1/2 tbsp chia seeds
dash of cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract

I added a half banana the other day, but I decided to not do this again. Bananas are smell and taste suckers, you guys! All I could taste was banana (and I am not really that big of a fan of bananas!). Maybe I’ll try it in combination with some other ingredients again in the future, but with this one, I want to taste the strawberries!

So, here is where you come in now (fellow detoxers or not): are you into smoothies? What ingredients do you like? What combination is your current favorite? I’d love to exchange different recipes with you guys so I can find smoothies that have been pre-approved, so to speak.

PS. I am not commenting on the smug faces and inappropriate yummy noises that Nicole mentioned in her blog post. You see for yourself.

PPS. I still like a solid-food based breakfast on the weekends though. Don’t take that away from me!

9

Because bread.

June 29, 2013 filed under: food, SugarDetox

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So, here we are… at the end of June and I am about to complete the 30-day Sugar detox course, including an actual 5-day sugar detox. No sugar (or very, very little natural sugar) for five days. It seems like a short period of time. 5 days. One can easily go without fruit and bread and any sweet treats for 5 days. No problem.

The thing is though: fruit and bread¹ are a huge part of my diet, so what the heck was I going to eat? Honestly, before you freak out, there is plenty of other foods to eat and I didn’t really have a big problem coming up with meals for the 5 days. In fact, I really enjoyed the challenge to really meal plan around this. It definitely made me think about my food choices much more.

A few observations in regards to the detox phase itself:

I am not a snacker. You know how some people plan out 6 mini-meals throughout their day (and call the even-numbered meals ” snacks”)? Yeah, I don’t do that. I am usually perfectly fine with three square meals a day. It doesn’t mean that I don’t sometimes eat something between my main meals, but I don’t have a schedule for that or a regular habit. Most days, I am perfectly fine with just breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The strongest feeling of this sugar withdrawal was a feeling of “emptiness” in my stomach. I would eat delicious, plentiful meals with vegetables and salad and meat – things that I’ve been eating on a regular basis before, mind you – but it just wouldn’t satisfy me for very long. As I said, I am usually not much of a snacker throughout the day, but during the detox phase, I needed the snacks. Like, I was literally waiting for snack time to come around.

My Dad (an athlete and P.E. teacher) explained that my body was working harder to get the energy (without the simple carbohyrates) from the food that I was supplying and therefore was asking “more” from my body. I think that makes sense.

I am very much a creature of habit. Having a smoothie in the morning instead of something solid for breakfast? Yummy, but difficult. I felt like I had a drink for breakfast (or two, if you count the coffee) and now where’s my croissant or roll? The same was true for dinner… I had delicious salads, vegetables and small pieces of meat, but something seemed to be missing if there was no ‘starchy’ side dish on my plate as well. Meals seemed to be so much more limited (or should I say that even though I think of my diet as pretty versatile, I realized how very much confined it still really is and that there are many more vegetables and grains that I could incorporate into my meal planning).

I need bread. Excuse me, whole grain bread (which was actually detox approved, but I cut it out during the 5 days anyway, just to see how it would make me feel to go without it. As I mentioned, this was not a diet, but more of an experiment around food.). In order to NOT eat snacks throughout the day, I need something that fills me. Boy, did I crave a fresh slice of whole grain bread the whole freakin’ time. Physically, I didn’t really feel a huge impact during the 5 days of detox. I didn’t really have any of the potential physical symptoms… shakes, headache, nausea, exhaustion. However, I do think I had an emotional reaction to less sugar. Maybe even edginess, because I just didn’t feel full for very long. Whole grain bread, however, does that for me.

I think about food. A lot. This sounds more dramatic that it is. I just realized how much time I spend thinking about food, grocery shopping, meal planning, new recipes that I want to give a go, restaurants I like to try out. As I mentioned in my initial blog post about this detox: everything that is related to our emotions somewhat revolves around food in one way or another and I don’t want to call myself a ‘foodie’, but maybe I am. I enjoy food. I enjoy learning about food, shopping for food, preparing food, and eating food. Yes, when it comes down to it, it’s only fuel for our body, but heck, if we need it, why not also enjoy it, right?

A few general take-aways:

Natural sugar is good. Added sugar is bad. If there is sugar in the ingredient list that means this sugar is not naturally in the food you’re consuming and you should limit that amount of sugar in your diet. The same applies to refined sugar that you add to your coffee, that you use for baking or sprinkle on your oatmeal.

Learn to read food labels. No, really. It’s not very hard and it tells you so much about what you consume. Yes, it requires a little bit of research and planning, but the smart choices that you make at the supermarket will not come to haunt you later. I actually got a friend (or two) jump on the bandwagon of more “conscious” food choices and they didn’t even want to hear about my sugar detox ;)

I am a moderator (vs. an abstainer). I actually already knew that going into the detox, but it got confirmed again. I can enjoy certain foods (sweet treats, alcohol) in moderation and feel satisfied by the occasional indulgence. I’ve always lived by the motto “everything in moderation”. I rather have one piece of chocolate than no chocolate at all. I acknowledge that this doesn’t work for everybody.

Meal planning works! I used to think not very highly of meal planning until a few months ago when I finally gave it a go, because I thought “but what if I don’t feel like eating whatever I had planned for a certain day?” The truth is: meal planning doesn’t have to mean that you plan a specific meal for every day of the week. It can be as flexible as you want it to be. You stock up on some staple foods that you really like and then plan meals around these staples to throw together whatever you feel like on a particular day. I am a huge advocate for small grocery shopping trips throughout the week, instead of buying a shitload of stuff in advance (unless you can freeze it easily). Bonus: if you meal plan, you will always have healthy food at home and don’t have excuses to run out and get take out so often. Think about it!

Support is important! Whatever changes you make to your diet, people react in the weirdest ways sometimes. Obviously, you’re only making changes for yourself (whatever your reasons might be) and it is good to know that there are people who support you. Find those people who make you feel smug as fuck for sticking with something that is important to you! Those are the people you want to keep around.

I’m not sure what the conclusion is other than: I learned a shit-ton about food and what I want to put in my body and Nicole did a hell of a job with this course!
The detox phase itself was definitely an experiment that I’d like to repeat in the future. My physical and emotional symptoms to the detox were minimal and I think that either a) (added) sugar didn’t play a huge role in my diet to begin with, b) my body/stomach is just not overly sensitive to sugar and handles it well (when my sister was pregnant with her first child and developed gestational diabetes, I poked myself with one of her needles once and checked my blood sugar. Even after a meal, I had a normal value.), or c) I didn’t journal long enough to really observe any subtle changes in the way I felt after certain foods (which could totally be the case, therefore, I am planning to continue to monitor my food intake and experiment some more in July).

I have many more things to say about this experience, but this is already pretty long, so I’ll end this here. I am planning to share more thoughts and some recipes in future blog posts.


¹ The bread in the picture is imported from Germany (where else?) and available at our local co-op. Ingredients list is short (organic whole rye, water, organic flaxseeds, yeast, salt). That’s it. And it’s filling and so satisfying. You should try it. (Trader Joe’s has a similar whole grain bread available, although the ingredient list is a bit more complex.)

5

Friday Link Love – The Detox Addition

June 21, 2013 filed under: link love, recipe, SugarDetox

It’s sugar detox month and I spent a lot of time researching new recipes, ingredients and food ideas! I hope you don’t mind if I share some of those today!

Breastfast-on-the-go: Make your own instant oatmeal package by Megan Gordon (via The Kitchn).

Laurie’s Homemade toasted granola by Valery (Valery Rizzo). I want to give this a go!

Chia Rhubarb Apricot Muffins by Sarah (My New Roots). Those look so yummy!

Spiced Oatmeal Smoothie by Brandon Matzek (via Kitchen Konfidence). Yum!

No More Soggy Salads: A Guide to the Perfect Salad In a Jar by Cambria Bold (via The Kitchn). I love salads for lunch! Perfect staple meal!

Portobello Mushrooms Stuffed with Goat Cheese, Tomatoes and Bacon by Sara (How to: Simplify). Do you love mushrooms like me? Doesn’t this sound divine?

Insalata Caprese by Jen (How to: Simplify). I didn’t really need a recipe for that as I make this ALL THE TIME.

Mushroom Barley Risotto with Caramelized Onions by Angela (Oh She Glows). Barley and Mushrooms? I am in!

Whole Wheat Sandwich Loaf with Oats and Pecans by Emma Christensen (via The Kitchn). Looks delicious!

1

Healthy bread and good poop – win!

June 12, 2013 filed under: food, SugarDetox

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12 days into the Sugar Detox and I already have so many thoughts… which… I will share at a later date. Today, I want to talk about bread.  If you know me a little bit, then you know that bread is very dear to my heart. If I had to choose one thing to eat for the rest of my life, it would be bread.

While I do enjoy a fresh slice of sourdough or some sweet Challah, my real love is dark, grainy bread. J calls it “brick”, because it’s dense, heavy and usually comes in brick-shape. My Mom has been baking whole grain bread since I was a kid and I love her recipe, but I have a hard time finding cracked rye and wheat (point me into the right direction if you know where to get that! Actually, I just googled it and found it on Amazon, but there must be a local store that sells it, right?) to replicate the bread.
My Mom’s recipe calls for yeast, sugar beet syrup (for sweetening and color) and buttermilk in the recipe, besides cracked rye, cracked wheat and wheat flour. It is a pretty healthy recipe to begin with.

I’ve really been enjoying the conversations in our Facebook group about things we eat on a regular basis, things we crave and things we can easily do without. Like I said, I can’t do without bread, so you can imagine my excitement when I came across the link that Laura posted for  recipe for the “The Life Changing Loaf of Bread“. When I saw the picture, I knew I had to try this no-yeast, no-flour bread that looks so much like my Mom’s whole grain bread, but even healthier.

When I looked through the ingredient list, I was excited about the sunflower seeds and the flax seeds and the rolled oats, because yeah, I like grains and seeds. This is going to be delicious! Then I stumbled over an ingredient that I didn’t know and had to ask my English-German dictionary what the hell psyllium seed husks were. And then my eyes widened… because, wait, isn’t this something you need when you have problems going to the bathroom? And I am supposed to put this in my bread?

Yes indeed. That’s exactly what it is. A laxative. And also a perfect binding agent to hold all the grains and seeds together.

So what? This bread is going to have healthy digestive side effects! It could be a hell of a lot worse, I guess. Healthy bread and good poop – double win, right? Right.

So, I ventured to the local Co-op last Saturday with an ingredient list.

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The instructions for this bread sounded easy enough: mix all the dry ingredients in your (preferably silicon) loaf pan. Whisk together the ‘wet’ ingredients, pour into the loaf pan, mix very well and let soak for at least two hours before baking. Done.

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My silicon loaf pan turned out to be a little bit on the big side for the amount of ingredients, so my loaf measured only about an inch in height, but I didn’t mind it actually. The slices are perfect fingerfood-size and I had one just with butter as soon as the loaf had cooled down. The bread tasted wonderful… rich, hearty, nutty. Just how I like it.

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Last night, I made a very easy dinner (I actually love just having bread for dinner!) and topped a couple of slices with light cream cheese, grape tomatoes, salt, pepper, and fresh basil. The bread is really filling and will definitely also make a nice light lunch substitute. I haven’t tried to toast it yet, but I could imagine it would taste wonderful with sliced cheese or some jam.

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While this post has nothing to do with sugar per se,  I like the idea of eating and baking with whole grain ingredients and very little added sweetness.  I’ll be on the lookout for more whole grain recipes and healthier versions of bread and baked goods. My New Roots, where this bread recipe was originally posted, will be a good source for sure.

12

I’m doing this in June

June 3, 2013 filed under: food, healthy living, SugarDetox

Screen shot 2013-06-01 at 11.21.54 AM

I mentioned before that I like to join challenges and so it will probably come as no surprise that I signed up for another one. I’ll dedicate my June to Nicole‘s 30-day sugar detox. Yes, you heard me right. I (and I know many of you with me! Hooray!) am going to take a good look at (hidden and not-so-hidden) sugar for the next 30 days. I know a lot of people who use food as a comfort or reward and Nicole pointed that out in her outline for this challenge. Quite honestly, I’ve never really been the emotional eater, but before you exclaim how jealous you are, abstaining from any food completely in stressful and overwhelming situations is not a healthy coping mechanism either. I do tend to reward myself with food when I have something to celebrate, which is why I usually have to watch what I eat more when I am happy than when I am sad/stressed out. Also, my bigger vice are salty snacks, but that’s a completely different story.

I guess you could say that everything that is related to our emotions somewhat revolves around food in one way or another. That is a very interesting observation, don’t you think?  I believe that I knew that on a subconscious level before, but I never really thought about it in a way that would make me want to break and re-establish connections that were made in the past about my emotional needs and certain soothing foods habits. I mean, look at what our culture does when we celebrate something or just simply get together. There is always food! I love the fact that food brings people together and the saying “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach” is certainly no accident either. I just think that food can sometimes take over a role in people’s lives that it was never supposed to play.

I am honestly not so much concerned about the “conscious” decisions I make when I put sugary foods in my body. I enjoy (and cherish) a nice dessert or the occasional rock sugar in my black tea. What freaks me out much, much are the hidden sugars that are basically in everything these days and I want to know how I can avoid them. I mean, have you taken a good look at the labels of some processed foods? I try to buy as little processed foods as possible to begin with, but sometimes it seems like you can’t really get around it and I really would like to know what it is that I feed my body.

Trying to cut out sugar sounds like I am going on a diet. This is not the case. In the next 30 27 days, I am not hoping to completely change my eating habits or even lose weight, but I am looking forward to learning more about my relationship with certain foods and food cravings and a mindful approach to a more balanced, healthy diet. This is a conscious look at what I put in my body and an approach to change potentially bad eating habits and be more aware and knowledgable about the foods that I do buy/eat.

To say that I am excited is an understatement. At the same time though, I am also a bit afraid of what I might learn – about my emotional needs, about my eating habits, and about changes I might have to make. But hey, that’s the challenge and I am up for it, because you can’t keep doing the same things and expect a different outcome!

8

Hi, I am San – German native, dual-citizen living in beautiful Northern California. Runner. Knitter. Crafter. Reader. Writer. Proud aunt, sister, and friend.

I’ve been blogging since 2004 and don’t intend to stop any time soon. If you are looking for personal content and making a  genuine connection, you’ve come to the right place.

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