The Joy of Summer | Tomato & Basil Heaven

July 23, 2010
 | by Madly Madly Green
1 Comment

One of my very favorite parts of summer is having access to REAL tomatoes and an abundance of fresh basil! Tomatoes have to be one of the very most delicious foods on the planet. Summer tomatoes from the garden or the farmer’s market cannot be beat. Basil is just amazing and versatile in so many ways—raw or cooked. Try basil in a cheese omelette (and add a couple of slices of tomato). You’ll be in for a very nice surprise!

In honor of this fabulous pair, I feel inspired to share a couple of recipes that showcase their absolute harmony.

TOMATO BASIL SALAD

With invitations to many summer bar-B-Qs requiring us to bring a dish, my go-to recipe is usually a great big platter of tomato basil salad. Not only is it easy to make, it’s fresh, delicious and vibrant—and is devoured within minutes of placing the platter on the buffet.

It really is a make-as-you-like it recipe, but here are the basics:

Stuff You’ll Need
(As home grown / natural / organic as you can find, please)

Tomatoes

Fresh Basil

Red Onion (or other favorite)

Feta Cheese (or Bleu, …

You Can’t Go Back

January 27, 2010
 | by Madly Madly Green
1 Comment

How funny is it that we can go along for years and years blissfully ignoring truths around us? May it be health care, war, poverty—we choose to overlook anything we can easily get away with sweeping under the rug if we don’t think we’re really impacted by it.

My arrival into food awareness came on unexpectedly, but like a blast of fresh air. One day I was a semi-health-conscious mother of a handful of boys who very occasionally stopped by McDonald’s to treat the guys to a burger. Suddenly, I am conscious of the operations and impacts of the food industry on our health and our economy. Feed lots, poop in our meat, subsidized corn crops, chemically engineered flavors and scents? The immediate impact of my new awareness was a MAJOR cut back on processed foods.

At home we’ve always promoted veggies and balanced eating. That’s the way my husband and I were both raised. But prior to last spring, my guys were treated to the occasional Slurpee®, chocolate bar, nachos and such—as if that would do much harm. At each baseball …

What’s Going on in the Kitchen?

August 10, 2009
 | by Madly Madly Green
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NPR: Michael Pollan On Cooking As A Spectator Sport

Heartburn Nation

August 3, 2009
 | by Madly Madly Green
1 Comment

Cow SadI just finished reading Eric Schlosser’s “Fast Food Nation” and I’m feeling awfully queasy! It’s not just the graphic descriptions of conditions in the slaughterhouses, or even the the idea of meat being riddled with feces that can kill people. What I am feeling ill over is the absolute corruption and lies within the food industry, and the seemingly equal deceit being promoted by government agencies that were created to protect us. I’m not going to get into details or yell and scream about what I’ve learned from this book or the food industry related films I’ve watched lately. What I am going to do, is encourage everyone to check some of this information out yourselves. It goes way beyond what we thought we already knew about how bad processed food is for us, or how badly livestock is treated. Read (or watch) and weep. I can’t see how you won’t.

On a more optimistic note, your journey should also shed some light on a …

Grilled Pizza!

July 23, 2009
 | by Madly Madly Green
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Last night we made pizza on our grill… yes, we did!

We had 2 NY strips and 6 mouths to feed, so here’s what we did:

We seasoned then grilled the two steaks (wish they were grass-fed!) to about rare/med rare, took them off the heat then laid down two of our stoneware pans right on the grill and let them heat up. We bought 2 lumps of fresh pizza dough from Trader Joe’s: 1 was whole wheat, 1 was garlic & herb (they’re only 99 cents each!). The dough was quite easy to work with. We built our pizzas on floured cookie sheets, but if doing again, I’d roll out the dough, slip it onto the stoneware on the grill, then quickly top it. Anyway, we topped it with a drizzle of EVOO, some crushed garlic, a whole lot of fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced red and yellow bell peppers, slices of NY strip, fresh sliced tomatoes, part skim mozzarella (not too much), then thinly sliced onions. (sounds like a lot of toppings, but remember that you …

Michelle Obama on Health Care Reform, First Lady GMA Exclusive – ABC News

June 23, 2009
 | by Madly Madly Green
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Michelle Obama on Health Care Reform, First Lady GMA Exclusive – ABC News

Shared via AddThis

LOVE LOVE LOVE that Michelle O is in line with optimal health as a way of life. I wonder if she and Dr. A have met. They should! Let’s start eating right, demanding good, wholesome food in our markets, and fighting back against obesity and disease. Let’s all live optimally and teach our children to do the same.

Beware Fast Food Iced Coffee

June 16, 2009
 | by Madly Madly Green
2 Comments

So, my new favorite drink is iced coffee. This is a drink I never ever thought I’d try, let alone become practically addicted to. I’ve always liked coffee, but somehow the idea of ice-COLD coffee held no appeal. I changed my mind. A girl has got a right to do that, you know. Mind you, I’m not saying I love all iced coffees… I have my own special recipe—I call it:

Iced Coffee Délicieux

  1. 20oz cup/glass filled 3/4 full with ice
  2. Fill to 3/4 level with strongly-brewed coffee
  3. Add 2 Tbsp sugar free caramel syrup (I use Torani purchased from World Market) any flavor will do, but SF caramel is divine.
  4. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup organic skim milk
  5. Add a tall straw and stir well

To my best estimate, this divine concoction boasts the following nutritional values: 50 calories; 0g fat; 44mg sodium; 3.25g carbs; 3g sugar (from milk) and 2.25g protein. That’s a big WOWEE in my books!

I can’t express how thankful I am that I first dared try this recipe from my local Starbuck’s. Why? …

EVERYONE Should See This Film!

June 1, 2009
 | by Madly Madly Green
1 Comment

Admittedly, it’s not that far in the past that I kept a blind eye toward real health and the reality of what the food industry is shoving down our throats. I started with the “Eat This, Not That” books, then saw “King Corn” with the hubs and recently adopted Dr. Wayne S. Andersen’s “Habits of Health” philosophy. I am rapidly educating myself and quickly taking action to optimize my family’s health. It’s not that we were not health conscious. We’re all active. Our boys are great about eating vegetables daily and we don’t buy much in the way of  junk food. Or, so we thought… There is so much more to the food we buy than we imagined.  Even the produce! There’s a new film out that reaches even deeper into food industry than “King Corn” did—and I cannot wait to see it!

Food, Inc. :: Coming Soon! Playing in a very limited capacity across the country. It’s a shame so many people won’t see it until …

A story awaits…

May 17, 2009
 | by Madly Madly Green
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I am working up my first post in my head now. I want to talk about food, our bodies, the messages the food industry is shoving down our throats and how our choices are practically being made for us. I don’t know about you, but I’d like to live a long, healthy, active life—I don’t think 100 is out of the question!