Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Subject – Real Food Con: So You Don’t Miss Out…

From the wonderful Sean Croxton:

It’s Saturday, so I’ll be brief.

Just wanted to send you a quick reminder that Real Food Con officially kicks off tomorrow at 8am PT/11am ET, with amazing presentations from Katie the Wellness Mama, Abel James, and Christa Orecchio.

Plus, Chef Lance teaches you how to prepare the most delicious roasted duck, liver pate, and wilted greens with a splash of bone broth.

All four of tomorrow’s videos will be available for FREE viewing on the Real Food Con website for a 24-hour period.

Be on the lookout for daily emails with information about each day’s presentations, as well as the inside scoop on product giveaways and discount codes from our favorite real food companies.

In fact, tomorrow you’ll find out how you can win a 5-jar sampler pack of Nikki’s Coconut Butter, including their new pumpkin spice donut flavor. Yum!

Speaking of yum…

Today is your LAST CHANCE to take advantage of our limited time Real Food Con Cookbook bonus when you order the early bird All Access package — with instant lifetime access to all 22 video and audio presentations, over 200 pages of transcripts, and 7 HD cooking classes with accompanying follow-along recipe guide — at a special discounted price (50% off).

The 123-page cookbook is jam-packed with 61 gluten- and dairy-free recipes from our real food friends, including Christa Orecchio, George Bryant, Amy Densmore, JJ Virgin, Cynthia Pasquella, Leanne Ely, and more.

Click here to download your complimentary 28-page cookbook preview. http://realfoodconbonusesandcookbooks.s3.amazonaws.com/Real_Food_Con_Cookbook_Preview.pdf

This offer ends tomorrow (Sunday) at 8am PT/11am ET, precisely when the Real Food Con doors open.

Click here to get a 50% discount on the All Access package, plus your FREE cookbook bonus.

See you tomorrow. Tons of real food fun coming your way!

Sean Croxton’s pre-sale deal for his Real Food Con event –
which features 29 of the world’s greatest living authorities
on the healing power of food – is almost over.

And I’d HATE for you to miss out on all the incredible gifts
he’s giving away during this sale, including the Real Food
Con Cookbook – which is amazing.

It’s dozens and dozens of the most savory, most
mouth-watering paleo-friendly real food meals and recipes –
with step-by-step instructions that make it easy for you to
prepare each one.

Click the image below to learn more:

Real Food Con All-Access

And take a look at all the cool stuff Sean is giving away to
those who pre-order.

The cookbook is awesome, but it’s the only the beginning of
what you get.

I highly encourage you to take advantage of this deal, while
it lasts.

Nothing is more important than your health…

And these are some incredible tools for getting healthier –
so don’t miss out.

Wonderful interview with Wendell Berry. He’s talking about sustainable farming and what we can do in the world. Very inspiring!

Great article by Dr. Mercola!

By Dr. Mercola

Monsanto and other biotech companies claim genetically modified (GM) crops have no impact on the environment and are perfectly safe to eat.

Federal departments in charge of food safety in the US and Canada have not conducted tests to affirm this alleged “safety,” but rather have taken the industry-conducted research at face value, allowing millions of acres of GM crops to overtake farmland.

These foods, largely in the form of GM corn and soy (although there are other GM crops, too, like sugar beets, papaya and crookneck squash), can now be found in the majority of processed foods in the US.

In other words, if you eat processed foods, you’re already eating them… and these crops are already being freely planted in the environment. But what if it turns out that Monsanto was wrong, and the GM crops aren’t actually safe…

This is precisely what a number of scientists have been warning of for years, and the latest to sound the alarm is Dr. Mae-Wan Ho of the Institute for Science in Society, who has concluded that, by their very nature, there is no way GMOs (genetically modified organisms) can be safe.

10 GM Myths That Monsanto Wants You to Believe

Monsanto is the world leader in GM crops, and their Web site would have you believe that they are the answer to world hunger. Thanks to their heavy PR campaign, if you’ve been primarily a reader of the mainstream press, you’ve probably been misled into thinking GM crops are, in fact, the greatest thing since sliced bread, that they provide better yields of equal or better quality food, pest and weed resistance, reduced reliance on pesticides, and more… But thankfully, the truth is unfolding and the tide is finally beginning to turn.

The Organic Prepper4 recently highlighted 10 GM myths that Monsanto wants you to believe … but which are actually far from the truth.

Myth #1: No one has ever proven that GMOs are harmful to people

The truth is that studies of GM food have shown tumors, premature death, organ failure, gastric lesions, liver damage, kidney damage, allergic reactions, and more.

Myth #2: GM crops are the only way to solve world hunger

The reality is that GM farming practices are not sustainable, which virtually guarantees future crop collapses and subsequent famine. Nor are farmers able to save their seeds due to patent infringement and poor fertility in the seeds. Sustainable agricultural practices are the answer to world hunger.

Myth #3: GM crops need less pesticide spraying

The truth is that after the first couple of years, the use of pesticides and herbicides on GM crops has increased dramatically.

Myth #4: GM technology is comparable to the cross-breeding that our ancestors did to create hardier versions of heritage crops

Cross pollination of different varieties of the same plant (what our ancestors did) is low-tech and can occur naturally. Genetic modification of seeds is done in a lab and often crosses different biological kingdoms, such as crossing a bacteria with a plant the unintended adverse effects of which may be incalculably large and impossible to ascertain before they are released into the biosphere.

Myth #5: If the FDA and the USDA allow them, they must be safe

Monsanto has close ties with the US government, such that, despite the obvious conflict of interest, Monsanto executives have been given policy-making positions in Bush, Clinton and Obama administrations.

Myth #6: There is no nutritional difference between GM food and non-GM food

A 2012 nutritional analysis of GM versus non-GM corn showed shocking differences in nutritional content. Non-GM corn contains 437 times more calcium, 56 times more magnesium, and 7 times more manganese than GM corn. GM corn was also found to contain 13 ppm of glyphosate, a pesticide so toxic that it may be carcinogenic in the parts-per-trillion range, compared to zero in non-GM corn.

Myth #7: GMOs are impossible to avoid

GM ingredients are found in more than 70 percent of processed foods, but you can largely avoid them by avoiding these processed foods. By switching to whole foods like vegetables, fruits, grass-fed meats and other basic staples, you can control the GM foods in your diet.

Myth #8: Monsanto has our best interests in mind

Monsanto has spent over half a million dollars on hiring a firm to help ‘protect the Monsanto brand name’ from activists. There is speculation that they have placed trolls on anti-GM Web sites, hidden posts from social media, and even possibly hacked researchers computers days before they were set to release a damaging study. There’s even speculation that the US government is spying on anti-Monsanto activists.

Myth #9: GMOs are not harmful to the environment

On the Hawaiian island of Molokai, where a nearly 2,000-acre test facility for Monsanto sits, air and water quality are horrendous and there are reports of deaths, infertility, uncontrolled cross-pollination, bloody skin rashes, asthma and pesticide contamination in the groundwater.

Myth #10: GMOs are here to stay

Biotech wants you to believe that GM crops are here to stay, but a war is being waged against GMOs, and the resistance is gaining significant ground. By sharing information like this, we can fight back against biotech and the poisons they’re releasing into our environment.

The Greatest Danger of Genetic Modification

According to Dr. Mae-Wan Ho, genetic modification interferes fundamentally with the natural genetic modifications that organisms undergo in order to survive. Under natural circumstances, this is done in real time as “an exquisitely precise molecular dance of life.”

Genetic engineering, which assumes that one protein determines one particular trait, such as herbicide tolerance or insect resistance, and can easily be swapped out with another, with no other effects, is dangerously simplistic or, as Dr. Mae-Wan Ho says, “an illusion.”

An organism’s genome is not static but fluid, and its biological functions are interconnected with its environment and vice versa, such that trying to control genetic changes via artificial modification is a dangerous game. Dr. Ho explained:

“The rationale and impetus for genetic engineering and genetic modification is the ‘central dogma’ of molecular biology that assumes DNA (deoxyribose nucleic acid) carries all the instructions for making an organism.

Individual ‘genetic messages’ in DNA faithfully copied into RNA (ribosenucleic acid), is then translated into a protein via a genetic code; the protein determining a particular trait, such as herbicide tolerance, or insect resistance; one gene, one character. If it were really as simple as that, genetic modification would work perfectly. Unfortunately this simplistic picture is an illusion.

Instead of linear causal chains leading from DNA to RNA to protein and downstream biological functions, complex feed-forward and feed-back cycles interconnect organism and environment at all levels to mark and change RNA and DNA down the generations … Organisms work by intercommunication at every level, and not by control.

… In order to survive, the organism needs to engage in natural genetic modification in real time, an exquisitely precise molecular dance of life in which RNA and DNA respond to, and participate fully in ‘downstream’ biological functions.

That is why organisms and ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to the crude, artificial GM RNA and DNA created by human genetic engineers. It is also why genetic modification can probably never be safe. More importantly, the human organism shapes its own development and evolutionary future; that is why we must take responsible action to ban all environmental releases of GMOs now.”

Natural Genetic Modification is Different From Artificial Genetic Modification

Similar to the way artificial immunity acquired by vaccination is assumed to be the same thing as natural immunity acquired by contracting and recovering from an illness, genetic modification is often thought to be the same, whether it’s done in a lab or by nature. But as we’ve seen with immunity, there are actually very important differences, and these, too, are highlighted by Dr. Ho. Compared with natural genetic modification, artificial genetic modification is inherently hazardous because it lacks the precision of the natural process, while enabling genes to be transferred between species that would never have been exchanged otherwise.

“There is, therefore, nothing natural about artificial genetic modification done in the lab,” Dr. Ho stated.

Contrasting natural and artificial genetic modification:1
Natural Genetic Modification Artificial Genetic Modification
Precisely negotiated by the organism as a whole Crude, imprecise, unpredictable uncontrollable
Takes place at the right place & time without damaging the genome Forced into cells with no control over where & in what forms the artificial constructs land with much collateral damage to the genome
Appropriate to the organism as a whole in relation to its environment Aggressive promoters force foreign genes to be expressed out of context

GM DNA Is Transferring to Humans and the Environment

Another problem with genetic modification has to do with the fact that GM plants and animals are created using horizontal gene transfer (also called horizontal inheritance), as contrasted with vertical gene transfer, which is the mechanism in natural reproduction. Vertical gene transfer, or vertical inheritance, is the transmission of genes from the parent generation to offspring via sexual or asexual reproduction, i.e., breeding a male and female from one species.

By contrast, horizontal gene transfer involves injecting a gene from one species into a completely different species, which yields unexpected and often unpredictable results. Proponents of GM assume they can apply the principles of vertical inheritance to horizontal inheritance, but this assumption, too, is flawed, and now it’s been confirmed that GM genes can transfer to humans and the environment. Dr. Ho stated:

“It is now clear that horizontal transfer of GM DNA does happen, and very often. Evidence dating from the early 1990s indicates that ingested DNA in food and feed can indeed survive the digestive tract, and pass through the intestinal wall to enter the bloodstream. The digestive tract is a hotspot for horizontal gene transfer to and between bacteria and other microorganisms.

… Higher organisms including human beings are even more susceptible to horizontal gene transfer than bacteria, because unlike bacteria, which require sequence homology (similarity) for incorporation into the genome, higher organisms do not.

… What are the dangers of GM DNA from horizontal gene transfer? Horizontal transfer of DNA into the genome of cells per se is harmful, but there are extra dangers from the genes or genetic signals in the GM DNA, and also from the vector used in delivering the transgene(s). GM DNA jumping into genomes cause ‘insertion mutagenesis’ that can lead to cancer, or activate dormant viruses that cause diseases. GM DNA often contains antibiotic resistance genes that can spread to pathogenic bacteria and make infections untreatable · Horizontal transfer and recombination of GM DNA is a main route for creating new viruses & bacteria that cause diseases”

Another Potentially Devastating GM Impact… Loss of Bees?

For several years now, scientists have been struggling to determine why bee colonies across the world are disappearing, and one theory is that it’s being caused by genetically modified crops—either as a result of the crops themselves or the pesticides and herbicides applied on them, such as the glyphosate-based herbicide Roundup. In one German study,2 when bees were released in a genetically modified rapeseed crop, then fed the pollen to younger bees, scientists discovered the bacteria in the guts of the young ones mirrored the same genetic traits as ones found in the GE crop, indicating that horizontal gene transfer had occurred.

If it is proven that GM crops are causing bee die-offs, it could turn out to be one of the worst GM effects yet. New research from Emory University researchers found that wildflowers produce one-third fewer seeds when even one bumblebee species is removed from the area.3 As bee die-offs continue, it’s clear that this could easily be one of the greatest threats to humans in the decades to come. The researchers concluded:

“Our results suggest that ongoing pollinator declines may have more serious negative implications for plant communities than is currently assumed.”

See the rest here:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/08/06/genetic-modification.aspx?e_cid=20130811_SNL_MS_1&utm_source=snl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=ms1&utm_campaign=20130811

Very good, short video by Jeffrey Smith explaining one important reason that Monsanto created GMO’s.  (it’s not about their myth of feeding the world…)

Almond Flour Pound Cake

This was a very easy to make recipe and absolutely delicious. I usually use lemon and not extract, but the extract really gave it a nice lemony flavor. It would be wonderful with berries and cream as well.  This recipe is a keeper, enjoy!

Ingredients:

· 1/2 cup organic, pastured butter (1 stick) softened at room temperature

· 1/2 cup organic full fat cream cheese

· 3/4 cup organic sugar or stevia equivalent.

· 5 large organic/pastured eggs, at room temperature

· 2 cups almond flour

· 1 teaspoon baking powder

· 1 teaspoon organic lemon extract

· 1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract

Cream butter, cream cheese and sugar or stevia together, mixing well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. In a separate bowl, mix almond flour with baking powder. Add egg/butter mixture to flour a little at a time while beating. Add lemon and vanilla extracts.

Pour into greased 9″-10″ springform pan, bundt pan, or 9″ round cake pan and bake at 350°F for 50-55 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.

You can change flavors for this cake by using different extract flavors.

Makes 12 servings.

Read more, great Fat Tuesday posts here:  http://realfoodforager.com/fat-tuesday-may-28-2013/

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This is happening May 25th all over the world. Find a march near you and let’s all get out there and stand up for our food supply!

More info at:

http://www.march-against-monsanto.com/

This is from the site, also has the FB and other links to find a march near you.

How The March Against Monsanto Can (and will) Change The World

hydroponics . You should be able to find a local hydroponics store near you and get it all set up and growing food for a couple hundred dollars. There are also plenty of online retailers of indoor growing equipment; try Craigslist if you’re on a tight budget. What if you don’t have a yard and growing indoors in not an option for you? At this point we need to look to our fellow local activists from the March Against Monsanto.

Community gardens are a great way to bring in a fresh and organic food source into an urban area. Find a plot of land that is vacant or belongs to the local city, find out who is on charge of it and get the ball rolling on starting a community garden. Enlist some people that you have met though the march to help you physically, technically, and financially. Look to the local community to crowd source labor and resources. If none of these are an option for you, there’s still hope for you within the food revolution. Share cropping is a way of getting some space to grow a garden that you can secure for free or a very low cost. Many urban sharecroppers will offer free food from the garden to the land owner in exchange for offering them some space to grow a garden. Share cropping is just like a community garden on a smaller scale. If you live in an area where there are many small yards with space available, think about setting up a sharecropping co-op where food can be traded and shared for little or no money. Always remember that the low income community is at the highest risk of GMO and chemical exposure from their food. Look into new technologies and techniques when setting up your new gardens. Vertical gardeningis great way to maximize limited space a make your garden virtually maintenance free. There’s an ancient technique of hydroponics that is just being rediscovered and developed: aquaponics.

Note: I hosted a special radio show on  5/22/13, on The Anti-Media Radio where we went into more depth on all of these fundamental building blocks of the Food Revolution which included a panel of experts from each field I listed in this article. Please listen here here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjxS7QJbmCY&feature=youtu.be

Ground Beef Asian Slaw

I’ve made this a number of times as my husband told me it’s his favorite ground beef recipe. We serve it with a mango habanero hot sauce and it’s really good. It’s a quick recipe as well and you can use any veggies, and brown rice is good on the side too, if you eat it. Not the prettiest dish, but really delicious.

Ingredients:
1 lb. grass fed ground beef

1 tlb. toasted sesame oil

1 tlb. garlic flavored or plain olive oil
2 cloves organic garlic, minced
3 cups sliced organic cabbage

1 cup finely sliced organic onion
1 Tlb. organic gluten free soy sauce
Crushed red pepper flakes or hot sauce of your choice, to taste
Directions:

In a medium skillet or wok, brown the ground beef over medium heat until no longer pink. Remove the beef from the skillet, drain and set aside.

Heat olive oil in the skillet over med-high heat. Add garlic; stir-fry for 2 min. Add the onions andnd cabbage; stir-fry for until lightly cooked.
Return the cooked ground beef to skillet with vegetable mixture and pour on soy sauce and toasted sesame oil. Stir until ingredients are well combined and heated through, about 2 minutes.  Enjoy!

Read more great Fat Tuesday posts here: http://realfoodforager.com/fat-tuesday-march-19-2013/

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Blueberry Streusel Muffins – GF

These really remind me of the blueberry streusel cake I used to make based on Ina Garten’s recipe. My sprouted flour version (not GF) is here:  http://momsforsafefood.net/2010/05/24/sprouted-flour-blueberry-crumb-cake/

I’m going to try these as a cake next, baking 40-50 minutes, although I like the muffins cause I only eat one at a time. J  These are based on muffins by Maria Emmerich, from one of my favorite cookbooks, Low Carbing Among Friends, Volume 2 – link below.

Muffin Ingredients:

2 cups organic almond flour. (blanched if you want a lighter muffin)

1 tsp. aluminum-free baking powder

¼ tsp Celtic sea salt

3 organic, pastured eggs

½ cup organic pastured butter, melted – you can also use coconut oil

½ cup organic sugar, swerve or stevia equalivent (usually ½ tsp)

2 tlbs. organic fresh lemon juice

2 tlbs. organic unsweetened almond milk

1 tsp. organic vanilla extract

½ tsp. stevia or ½ cup equivalent of organic sugar, swerve or sweetener of your choice

½ cup frozen or fresh blueberries

Struesel Topping Ingredients:

½ cup organic almond flour

2 tlbs. coconut flour

2 tlbs sucanat or stevia equal

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 tlbs. pastured butter, melted

2 tlbs. unsweetened almond milk

¼ tsp stevia or ¼ cup equivalent

Preheat over to 325° F. Grease or line your muffin tins.

In a large bowl, mix almond flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl mix eggs, butter, sweetener, lemon juice, almond milk, vanilla and stevia. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just combined. Fold in the berries gently. And split batter among the 12 muffin tins.

For the topping: In a small bowl, mix first four ingredients together. Then add the melted butter, almond milk and stevia. Stir, to form a crumb like topping. Sprinkle over muffins.

Bake 30 minutes or until light brown. Enjoy!

Click the image to take you to the Amazon page for the book. I have all the volumes of these books and love them!

Read more, great Fat Tuesday posts here: http://realfoodforager.com/fat-tuesday-january-29-2013/

Read more, great Real Food Wednesday posts here: http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2013/01/real-food-wednesday-1302013.html

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Whole Roasted Chicken with Bacon

I saw this made on a cooking show and it looked delicious. I found a number of recipes online and blended them together to make this one.  It looks beautiful when it comes out, would be lovely served to company and makes great leftovers as well.

Serves 4-6

• 1 whole organic pastured chicken
• Celtic Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme (I didn’t have any so used Tarragon, it was delicious)
• 2 organic lemons, cut into 8 wedges each
• 8 strips organic bacon
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

2. Season the outside of the chicken with salt and pepper. Fill the cavity with the tarragon and lemon slices. Arrange the strips of bacon, slightly overlapping, over the chicken.

3. Transfer the chicken to a pan with a fitted roasting rack and place in the center of the oven. Cook for 90 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven and allow it to rest for 10 minutes before carving. The bacon should form a hard shell over the breast meat. Take care to use a share knife when carving so the bacon stays on top of the white meat.  (Or, pull off the pieces and serve it along side the chicken).

4. Make a sauce by pouring the juices from inside the cavity (along with the lemon wedges) into the roasting pan. Put the pan on the burner and whisk in the mustard. Stir to enable it to come together. Strain, pressing down on the lemon wedges to get the juice into the sauce, and serve with the chicken.  We also made it a second time, with chopped cabbage and veggies under the chicken and they had a great bacon flavor, but I did prefer the first version so you can make the mustard sauce.  Enjoy!

Read more great Fat Tuesday posts here: http://realfoodforager.com/fat-tuesday-january-8-2013/

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