Carrie Underwood (who is now vegan) is being featured on “Oprah’s Next Chapter” which will be airing this Sunday, May 20 on (9-10 p.m. ET/PT) on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network.  During the interview Carrie discusses her choice to be vegan and how she handles cooking, etc.

Click HERE for a quick little preview of Carrie discussing her vegan lifestyle.

I am looking forward to watching!

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Image of Oprah Winfrey with Carrie Underwood and husband Mike Fisher in Nashville, Tennessee.  © 2012 Harpo Inc./George Burns

When I go grocery shopping and walk past the snack aisle I am always shocked by how many different fruit roll-ups there are, not to mention the fruit snacks.  Trust me, I understand how good they taste…like candy, but that us essentially what they are.  Have you ever looked at how much sugar they add?  My guess is that the manufacturers feel they have to add so much sugar because they are probably using fruit that isn’t truly ripe as the basis of their product.

I am so thankful that I have an Excalibur dehydrator.  They are pricey, but I eased some of the hurt by buying a Factory Refurbished model ($199 vs. $299) which still has a 10 year warranty!  I use my dehydrator a lot and have been using it a ton lately because there are such wonderful organic strawberries at my local farmer’s market.

Making fruit roll-ups couldn’t be easier.  Simply wash the berries, remove the stems, place them in your Vitamix high speed blender (I squeezed in an orange for extra flavor, however doing so is not necessary), blend until smooth, sweeten if necessary (you can use dates, maple syrup, stevia, honey),  and blend again to incorporate the sweetener.

Pour the mixture in batches on to your dehydrator trays lined with non-stick drying sheets, spread with an offset spatula (this tool is such a help…I first learned about this trick from Kristen Suzanne’s blog) as thin as you’d like making sure that it is evenly spread and there are no holes, and dehydrate at 125 until firm to the touch.  I spread my roll-ups to about 1/8″ and they dehydrate within 3-4 hours.  If you would like to keep the roll-ups “raw,” dehydrate at 115 degrees (it will take longer).  You can also make the roll-ups thicker, it will just take longer to dehydrate.

Once you remove the roll-ups from the dehydrator, allow them to come to room temperature and carefully peel them from the non-stick sheet.  Line the back of the roll-ups with parchment paper, cut them to size, and roll them up!  I store my roll-ups in glass jars.

Recently I have used this method to make a ton of different flavors; mango, pineapple, apple cinnamon, and white peach.  I was so pleasantly surprised by the pineapple fruit roll-ups…they were AMAZING!!!  I can’t wait to make my next batch and have been dreaming-up all sorts of flavor combinations.

*TIP – try to keep the roll-up “batter” as thick as possible and do not add extra liquid if possible.  You will find that certain fruits are less watery than others i.e. mangoes produce a thicker batter than apples do (the result is much more watery).  Dehydrating time will change depending upon which fruit / fruit combo you use.

If you do not have a dehydrator, you can make the roll-ups in the oven by following Catherine McCord’s method on her blog, Weelicious (Click HERE).

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Please note that I am a Vitamix affiliate…and I wholeheartedly endorse the use of their wonderful product.

DISCLAIMER – I am not a doctor and do not pretend to be.  The post below discusses MY personal health and the course of action decided by my doctors and I.  Please seek consultation with a trusted medical professional regarding any health issues you may be experiencing.  

I thought I would get a little personal today.  I have been on thyroid medication since I was 20 years old which means that I am going on 17 years now.  My hypothyroidism (under-active thyroid) was discovered at the same time my endometriosis was.  For years my thyroid had been functioning properly on medication and then as the years went on my medication was slowly and steadily increased as my regular (every 3-6 months) blood tests indicated that I needed more.

For the last three years my thyroid has been indicating that it is absorbing less and less of the medication.  We (my doctor and I) finally reached a point where we did not want to increase my medication any further (thyroid medication can increase bone loss).

It was time to investigate every possible reason why my thyroid might be reacting poorly.  We needed to figure out what we could do to help my all important thyroid function as well as possible.  I have now been following this protocol for the last 3 months and just had my blood re-tested May 7th, so I am very curious to see the results.

The list below is one I compiled from both of my doctor’s recommendations concerning what to AVOID if you are experiencing hypothyroidism.

AVOID

1. Refined Sugars & Grains – Replace with whole grains and whole foods.
2. Limit Alcohol - If you must drink (no more than 1 50z. glass per day), red wine is preferred.
3. Gluten / Dairy – For those with unexplained or auto-immune related thyroid disease, eliminating gluten and dairy is oftentimes met with good results.  According to my doc, “A variety of food antigens could induce antibodies that cross-react with thyroid hormone, particularly during times of stress.”
4. Estrogen Containing Medications – i.e. the pill.  These decrease your body’s intake of T-3.  Antihistamines and Sulfa drugs aggravate the problem.
5. Table Salt  - Use unrefined salt i.e. Centic Salt that has naturally occurring minerals.  Dulse and kelp powder can be used in place of salt (they are rich in iodine which is good for the thyroid).
6. City Tap Water – Most contains fluoride and chlorine which may reduce thyroid function by competing with iodine and blocking iodine receptor sites in the thyroid gland.  If possible switch to spring water for cooking and drinking.
7. Iron – If you take thyroid medication, AVOID consuming iron 1 hour before and after taking your medication.
8. RAW Foods That Prevent the Utilization of Iodine – i.e. turnips, cabbage, mustard, soybean, peanuts, pine nuts, and millet (when cooked these foods are inactivated)
9. RAW Goitrogenic Foods* –    i.e. soybeans, cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower), spinach, kale, peaches, and pears.  THESE FOODS MUST BE COOKED to deactivate the goitrogens.  *Goitrogenic Foods are naturally occurring substances in some foods that inhibit the fundtioning of the thyroid gland.  

Fortunately 1, 2, the dairy portion of 3, 4, and 5 are recommendations I was already following.  However, I have been guilty of occasionally cooking with tap water (due to impatience…it takes FOREVER for the reverse osmosis faucet to fill a big pot) and for the last few years I have been consuming a lot of of RAW spinach, kale, and pears as well as lesser amounts of the other goitrogenic foods…they were in regular rotation too.  I also have to wonder how much my food allergy to oats and occasional consumption of gluten containing foods contributed to my thyroid not absorbing my medication as it should have???

I have read so many conflicting positions with regards to thyroid health and soy.  Some experts say that consumption of soy is fine in any form when you have hypothyroidism and others say that it is fine only when cooked. I have opted to remove soy from my diet for the time being.  I am a person that will do all I can to try and assist my body in it’s effort to heal and this seems like the safer choice for the time being.  Do I think soy is a “bad” food?  No.  If I wasn’t experiencing a problem with my thyroid gland I would be consuming soy.

Now onto the positive list…what you can do / add to your diet to assist your body in its quest to heal your thyroid (These recommendations are for HYPOthyroid).

DO - 

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Image courtesy of Flickr‘s The Commons

A BIG, MASSIVE, GINORMOUS THANK YOU!!!!  

Thank you to all who voted for my crepe recipe in the So Delicious So Much to Love Recipe Contest.  I am beyond thrilled to report that my recipe won!  This is my very first recipe contest win and I am beyond excited.

For those of you who do not have Facebook, as promised, HERE is the recipe.

It’s another week and I have another entry in the So Delicious So Much to Love Contest.

I’d appreciate your help again this week.  Please remember to “Like” So Delicious and then cast your vote (You will be entered to win awesome prizes just for voting).  Once you like the page, click on the contest logo to be taken to the voting page.

My recipe is top row…2nd from the right.

Click HERE to vote.  Thanks for your support!!!

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P.S.  I will post copies of all of my recipes which were entered once the contest is over.

My family and I have had the privilege of watching this wonder of nature for the last few weeks…and today our favorite hummingbird became a mama.  How appropriate that her first egg hatched on Mother’s Day.

Much love,

Gretchen

Happy Mother’s Day!  Rest, eat good food, and enjoy your wonderful families.

Xo,

Gretchen

Growing-up in an omnivorous household I definitely had my share of BLTs and I LOVED them.  The funny thing is that I never liked real BLTs…that is BLTs with “real” bacon.  The BLTs I grew-up on were made with imitation bacon bits.

Wayfare debuted their new PIG OUT (such a clever name) whole grain bacony bits at this year’s Natural Products Expo West and they did not disappoint this imitation-bacon-flavor-loving gal.  If you are expecting a direct substitute for slices of bacon, these are not for you, however if you share my taste for imitation bits you will be in love.  I made a quick sandwich with two slices of toasted Sami’s Bakery’s Millet Bread (our favorite gfree bread), some soy-free Vegenaise, tomato, lettuce, pepper, and a scattering of Pig Out…this served as lunch 3 days that week!

WARNING – Pig Out is NOT gluten-free.

While we are on the subject of Wayfare, I feel compelled to tell you about their wonderfully cheesy products as well.  The recently sent me some samples to try and I can say that I am definitely a fan of their We Can’t Say It’s Cheeses which are perfect for dipping or drizzling over nachos.  The Mexi Cheddar-Style Dip tops the list for me.  I tend to prefer their cheeses for use as dips vs. using them for grilled cheese / pizzas, etc.

My kids also really like their puddings for occasional treats (My daughter’s fav is the chocolate and my son loves the butterscotch).

Unfortunately I am not a huge fan of their sour cream as I prefer a creamier and tangier sour cream, but that is the only product they make that I feel is lacking.

If you haven’t tried Wayfare’s products yet, please do give them a try.

To learn more about Pig Out and Wayfare’s other products click HERE.

Click HERE for nutrition information.

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My friend Anita sent me information about this new 4 part series about the health of our nation.  HBO will be airing this series to subscribers at no charge.  Check out the trailer and the fascinating infographics I downloaded from the main website.

Kudos to Kaiser for attempting to right this issue.  Between my dad’s double knee replacement and my mother’s hip replacement surgeries, I have spent a decent amount of time at the Santa Clara Kaiser recently and was impressed with their efforts to promote heath.  I feared the cafeteria food, but was pleasantly surprised to discover that I definitely had healthy vegan options within their cafeteria; the salad bar was wonderful and one day I even got vegan pho noodle soup (There were definitely unhealthy options there for those who wanted them though…I saw a LOT of fries making their way past the cashiers)!  Kaiser also had Farmer’s Markets in their courtyard while we were there and had nutritionists walking around the cafeteria talking to people about nutrition.  I see the effort they are making and only hope that they begin to lean even more toward plant-based diet recommendations.

Rawesomely Vegan by Mike Snyder is a behemoth cook, er “un”cookbook. One looks at the table of contents tells you that it definitely covers all of the raw bases:

• Stocking Your Raw Kitchen
• Raw Kitchen Equipment
• Strategies for Success
• Juices
• Smoothies
• Breaking the Fast
• Step Into Salads
• Soups for All Seasons
• Dressings, Sauces, and Condiments
• Dips, Spreads, and Sides
• Sandwiches, Wraps, and Rolls
• Mix and Match for the Main Event
• Crackers, Breads, and Other Snacks
• Drinks and Dessert

I have to admit that when I first saw an entire chapter on juices I didn’t expect it to be worthwhile. Boy was I wrong! My mouth began watering just reading the recipes. Mike’s juice recipes are genius and simple. My favorite new juice is called “Drinking Dessert” and consists of apple, sweet potato, cinnamon and nutmeg. Why didn’t I ever think to juice sweet potatoes??? In addition to wonderful juice recipes, Mike prefaces each juice recipe with a quick explanation of the nutritional benefits of that particular juice.

With over 300 recipes in the book, I have flagged many to try, however seeing as I am not a fan of agave, I will need to make some substitutions since agave nectar is used prevalently in the book.  One other point to keep in mind when perusing raw cuisine is that the use of nuts and seeds (along with coconut oil) tends to be very high and this cookbook is no exception.  While those types of recipes are fine on occasion, I don’t believe nuts and seeds should make-up such a large percentage of one’s diet.

I am excited to try making Mike’s recipes for yogurt (either seed or coconut based) and his “Ginger-Spiked Raw-ldorf” salad is such a fresh take on the classic. Here are a few more that are calling me:

• Fearsome Fiery Red Hot “Rooster” Sauce
• Topaz Ginger Dressing
• Bountiful Baba Ganoush
• Cactus in the Raw (I want to learn how to use cactus)
• You Won’t Believe How Simple Sauerkraut
• Crunchy Cultured Dill Pickles
• Spiked Citrus Curried Quinoa Salad
• Sweet Honey Melon with Heat (Soup)
• Secret Success Zucchini Hummus
• Go-Go Granola Bars
• Chewy Chocolate Nib Cookies
• Orange and Almond Macaroons
• Ooey-Gooey Chunky Chewy Raw Fudge

As I mentioned earlier, I did not expect to be as impressed with this raw recipe book as I am. If you or someone you love is a raw foodie or dabbles in it, this will be a wonderful addition to their library…I just wish there were more photographs!