Apology for any confusion....

...If you get a feed of my blog sent by email, you might have noticed some old posts were labeled as having been posted recently....Apparently it does that if I make any changes to an old post. Anyway, sorry for any confusion that might have caused. I also ended up deleting one post entirely because it was mislabeled as having been posted recently but it was an old petition that no longer exists. Oops! Please bear with me as I work out the kinks. Thanks!

Please excuse my "cyber-dust"....

...I'm working on fixing up this blog to make it more up-to-date, user-friendly and informative for YOU!

Some examples of what I've been working on:

Removing widgets that no longer work and/or are irrelevant.
Adding more relevant, working widgets.
Rearranging widgets in a more sensible order.
Adding labels to all my posts, and a cloud at the top to indicate how many posts have each label.
Adding pictures to all my posts.

Feedback is much welcome! Please tell me what you like about the new Foodiscovery, as well as what you see that you think should be changed. Don't worry about hurting my feelings, as long as the criticism is constructive, because this blog is for YOU and I want you to get the most out of it possible.

Thanks! :)

Announcement: Calling All Kosher Food Writers!!!!!

Foodiscovery will be hosting a blog carnival for the first time ever!!!!! :) :) :) :) :)

Carnival name: Kosher Cooking Carnival

Carnival organizer: Batya Medad

Edition to be hosted here: Adar 1

Submission deadline: January 29, 2014

How to submit a post: Check this page http://blogcarnival.com/bc/eprof_52812.html at the beginning of January (or check back here on Foodiscovery for the announcement that submissions are open for this edition).

More information: http://blogcarnival.com/bc/cprof_208.html

C'mon, show me what you got!!!!!

Meatless Monday? Almost....

If you follow my blog or other food blogs, you've probably heard of Meatless Monday. Quite simply, that just means eating vegetarian one day a week. I don't follow it as a rule; it's just a concept I have in the back of my mind. I wasn't even thinking about it yesterday but there didn't seem to be any meat in any of the food I ate yesterday! Then I realized it was Monday and I was thinking, Hey, I'm actually doing Meatless Monday without realizing it! And then, as I was eating my leftover spaghetti and sauce, the next two forkfuls I picked up had two tiny pieces of leftover meatball in them....Oh well. Lol! :)

The Ultimate Guide to Eating Paleo

Sorry, folks- I'm not posting often anymore due to certain matters going on in my life but I found this great infographic and just had to share. (No, I'm not doing paleo but I have finally gone off dairy for good. I'm not currently on any diet. I'm just so grateful that thank G-d I have food to eat at all....)


Get health and fitness tips at Greatist.com

Scrumptious spelt pancakes -- parve, dairy-free, egg-free, vegan

This evening I woke up from a looong nap (really needed it), saw a container of syrup on the counter (left out from my parents' dinner), and got the urge to make pancakes. This is what I made:  

2 C spelt flour

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 bag chai tea (only because we didn't have cinnamon and the original recipe I used calls for cinnamon; an experiment but it worked well)

2 Tbsp oil

2 Tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 c apple juice

chocolate sprinkles (optional) (the only tiny dairy-free chocolate I had available; next time maybe I'll try it with dairy-free chocolate chips or something)

olive oil (for frying), just enough to coat the bottom of the pan (unless you want it really oily)

more maple syrup for topping (optional; these are delicious even without; I like to drench mine in maple syrup but even so there were a few bites it didn't touch.)

They're very filling. According to the original recipe, there's enough for four people. (Or you can save the rest for another meal if no one else wants them....I made myself one medium-sized pancake and left the rest in its mixing bowl -- covered with two plastic bags -- in the fridge.)

Here's the original recipe I used:

http://www.thenewlunchlady.com/2011/02/spelt-pancakes-egg-free-and-outstanding.html

Very quick, simple, healthy, delicious alternative to onion rings! :)

This is literally all I did: I took a tiny onion (without even peeling it first), stuck it in the microwave for two minutes, took it out, pulled off the peel, and microwaved it for another minute. No oil, no seasoning (though feel free to experiment with different seasonings and/or oils), no nonsense. Make a bunch of these and keep them on hand for snacks as a healthy alternative to junk food. I actually had a few as part of my lunch today because I'm really trying to get in lots of veggies whenever possible.

Please be careful not to burn yourself!

Fun Food! :) (And healthy, too! :) )

Cross posted in Kosher Cuisine

This is great if you've eaten a sandwich and aren't quite satisfied but want a little something that's really healthy instead of a second sandwich: Top a slice of whole wheat bread with strips of red and/or yellow pepper. I used both and alternated the colors. Very delicious! :) I thank God that I've got plenty of yummy, healthy food to eat! :) (And chocolate chip cookies, too. Not exactly healthy but very yummy.)

Jazz up your lunch (or dinner) repertoire with Red Tuna Salad

This new take on an old favorite is now my go-to lunch when there are no dinner leftovers available, or at least not enough to satisfy. We are staying at my in-laws who like to keep albacore tuna on hand. Rena just likes to eat her tuna plain with nothing in it. While I'm not usually a big fan of mayo, I get bored if I have to eat my tuna plain. So here's what I came up with:

Red Tuna Salad

(Amounts listed should be enough for just one person; use more if you're serving more than one. You could even put each person's serving in their own bowl to suit everyone's individual tastes, as this is a flexible recipe.)

1/2 can tuna (I've only used albacore tuna but I suppose it couldn't hurt to try this recipe with chunk light tuna.)
1 small red bell pepper, more or less, or part of a larger red pepper
A few mushrooms (optional)
Tomato sauce or salsa to taste
A grain (preferably a whole grain) of some sort -- ready to eat -- such as bread, crackers, cooked pasta, cooked couscous, cooked quinoa...(optional; I sometimes skip this and just eat more of the other stuff) (definitely skip if you are on a low-carb diet)

Chop/dice the red pepper and mushrooms (if you're including them) into your bowl. (No mixing bowl needed if you're making an individual serving; you can go ahead and put it directly into the bowl from which the eater will be eating it.) Add the tuna. If you are using a grain that is in small pieces such as pasta, couscous, or quinoa, add it. Now mix in your tomato sauce/salsa until the tuna salad is mixed thoroughly. If you're using bread or crackers, top them with your prepared Red Tuna Salad. Enjoy!

IIN Happy Hour

I posted the following on the wall of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition's Facebook Page during Happy Hour, when their wall is open temporarily:

Question: I've been trying to incorporate more plant foods, especially more vegetables, into my diet, but how safe is it really to go vegan? Aren't we omnivores biologically? Are there any potential medical problems associated with cutting out animal products entirely? I remember once reading a blog post from an ardent vegan who ended up having to eat meat due to medical problems caused by being v...egan for a long time. I know I don't feel myself when I don't eat enough animal products, and I tend to overeat them when I do eat them later. On the other hand I'm concerned about health problems that are caused by eating animal products. I try so hard to balance but I just eat too much of it when I eat it. Yes, I know about bioindividuality but I'm having trouble coming up with a good balance for myself. I got some great advice from my nutritionist/health coach from Green Lake Nutrition about balancing my diet but still having trouble with cravings for animal products, especially fatty ones. I understand the traditional diet gives the ok to fatty animal products (I now know that you need healthy fats or risk thyroid problems) but don't they also say it's ok to be overweight? I find that hard to believe. I know I felt much better and had much more energy when I lost weight awhile back but I just feel heavy nowadays. Please post your reply to my Facebook page rather than here so I can make sure to have it even after Happy Hour. Thanks!