What's the Deal With Agave?

Agave fields for making tequila. Did you know that is what they use to make tequila?

From what I understand there are some disturbing reports out on agave nectar. I guess this is not something new. Yet in the last year it has come up again.

I of course, was out of commission with being pregnant and such. I was clued in by Kelly, one of our readers, when she asked, "I've been hearing a lot of comments that agave is just corn syrup dressed up...have you heard that? I think there really is a true product but Mexico has no regulations so it's hard to be sure of what I'm getting...any advice/opinion?" I am a huge advocate of people doing their own research and figuring out for themselves what they feel to be true. We need to be smart consumers so thank you Kelly for the question!

Here are some links of what people are saying negatively about agave:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/03/30/beware-of-the-agave-nectar-health-food.aspx

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/07/02/Agave-A-Triumph-of-Marketing-over-Truth.aspx

http://www.foodrenegade.com/agave-nectar-good-or-bad

Here is a neutral one:

http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA400431/Is-Agave-Nectar-Any-Good.html

Here is an article by a popular manufacturer positively speaking about agave:

http://www.agavemythbuster.com/

I highly suggest you read the manufacturer's site fully as well as the others to make a well rounded choice.

Here is an article positively speaking about agave:

http://www.raysahelian.com/agave.html

Now go and choose for yourself what you think will be best for you and your family. If in the end you choose not to use agave nectar/syrup anymore and come across one of our recipes including it, you can always substitute it with honey, maple syrup, or green stevia. There are always options! I hope this helps.




The heart of the agave plant. Looks like pineapple but is not.

My Favorites: Shopping Organic and Natural Online

Since having my third child a few months ago, I dread going to the grocery store or out to any store for that matter. I can do it and survive but that is what I feel like . . . SURVIVING. Recently, because of my situation, I have been doing most of my grocery shopping online. Crazy how things have changed since being a child myself! It has been wonderful, amazing, money saving, and easy. Here are my favorites:

Azure Standard - They sell a lot of what Whole Foods carries plus their own line of health foods and produce. The best way to shop their is by setting up or joining with a truck route. Shipping is free that way.

Bountiful Baskets Coop - This is a completely volunteer ran fruits/vegetables coop. No yearly fees. They are right now, only in a select few states at this time but you can always open a coop drop in your state according to their site. If you don't shop locally and shop at the grocery store this is a great option for you. You will be receiving wholesale pricing on your produce!

Mountain Rose Herbs - Love shopping here! They have great quailty herbs, spices, essential oils and such. Their pricing is not to bad either and it gets better when you buy in bulk. I usually call those of my friends and family who are 'herbies' to go in with me on my orders to get premium pricing.

Las Vegas Farmer - This one is for Las Vegans only, sorry. This is a delivery service catering to the Las Vegas valley. The owners are local farmers who know other local farmers and farmer's market peeps. They offer food from themselves and the other farmers and then deliver it free of charge to your doorstep. That's my kind of shopping right now! Their produce is awesome and I can say the owners are pretty awesome too, since I know them.

Happy shopping all!

Orange Upside-Down Cake

I made this for Easter and fell in love. It is a healthier variation of a recipe I found on another cooking website. The next time I make this I will be more careful of the orange presentation. Try to eat this one sparingly. If you can!

1/2 cup Honey
1/4 cup Orange Juice
1 Orange, unpeeled and sliced thin (discard ends)
3/4 cup Earth Balance or other butter substitute
3/4 cup Agave
2 large Eggs or egg substitute
1 tablespoon grated Orange Peel
1 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
1 teaspoon non-aluminium Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Real Salt
1/3 cup whole Goat's Milk

In a 9-10 inch nonstick, oven proof pan (sloping sides preferred) add honey and orange juice. Heat on medium-high cook without stirring until mixture starts to thicken and becomes foamy (temperature reading should be about 230 degrees). Tilt the pan slightly to get a good temperature reading. It cooks fairly quickly so use caution. Let it cool to thicken as you set it aside.

In a large bowl add butter substitute through orange peel and beat with a mixer until smooth.

In a different bowl add all dry ingredients and whisk together until fully incorporated. Add about half of the flour mixture to butter substitute mixture and beat together. Add milk and beat together then add the rest of the flour mixture and beat again until smooth and creamy.

Place orange slices over thickened honey in an aesthetically pleasing circle spiral. Gently pour cake batter over the orange slices and honey. Be careful not to push oranges out to the edge of pan like I did wink, wink.

Bake at 350 degrees until toothpick from the center of the cake comes out clean. This will take about 30-40 minutes. Let cake cool for 5-10 minutes. Then, invert cake on to a flat plate. Be careful as the hot syrup may spill out.

Let the cake cool completely and refrigerate until you serve.

Broccoli Salad

This is nondairy for those who do without. I think this is best on day 3, yum.

4 cups small Broccoli Florets
2 stalks Celery, chopped
1 1/2 cups Grapes, halved
1 cup Raisins
1/4 cup raw Sunflower Seeds
1 tablespoon Shallots, minced
1/2 cup Veganaise
3 tablespoons Agave or Honey
1 tablespoon Raw Apple Cider Vinegar

In a large bowl combine first six ingredients.

In a small bowl combine veganaise, agave, and vinegar. Whisk until creamy. Pour over broccoli mixture and toss well. For best results chill overnight or for 6-8 hours.

Strawberries n' Cream Shake

Since strawberries are coming early this year and the price for them is down, I thought I would share a morning shake to go with it.

1lb Strawberries, washed and greens cut off
1 Banana
Juice from 1 Lemon
4 tablespoons Coconut Cream Cocentrate
1 cup Water
2 cups Ice
Agave to taste

Blend all ingredients until you have a nice smooth, thick consistency. Serve immediately.

Tabouli

This recipe is from my mom. It may not look it but it is addicting; very yummy and easy to eat. For me the millet really makes this dish.

1 cup Quinoa
1 cup Millet
1 cup Parsley, snipped
1/2 cup Scallions, chopped
1/4 cup Dill, snipped
1 Cucumber, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup Basil, snipped
1/2 cup Lemon juice
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 clove Garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon Real Salt

Cook quinoa and millet in separate pans, as the millet takes longer to cook. Cook each according to package directions. In a large bowl combine cooked quinoa and millet. Add next five ingredients through basil and set aside. In a small bowl mix all other ingredients and pour over tabouli. Serve.

You can also add 1 large tomato chopped if you like.

Two Week Weight Loss - Package

That was a fun two weeks for me.

It can be frustrating for me to figure out what's for dinner on a day to day basis. And my husband is no help so it was nice knowing exactly what was for dinner and having ALL of the ingredients ready for me.

So, did any of you participate?

I know my sister is starting the two week weight loss plan this week. For her and any of you who are doing it, I am putting all the info, links, and such you will need to succeed. Email me or leave a comment if anything isn't clear or you want more info.

I'll try to include this on the side bar for easy access.

Two Week Weight Loss Plan:

Meal Planners

Grocery List - there were some items on the list missing. Here are the things I found: rice/almond milk


I am only including recipes that you will need. Any meal I don't include from the meal plan is a recipe that is self explanatory or not provided by Simply Healthful.

Week 1 Recipes

Sunday:
Vegetarian Chili

Monday:
Cucumber Refresher
Ray Salad

Tuesday:
Blueberry Flax Shake

Wednesday:
Mango Coconut Delight
Apple Salad with Arugula and Lemon-shallot Dressing

Thursday:
Scrambled Tofu
Seared Spinach
Egyptian Lentil Soup

Friday:
Blueberry Flax Shake
Quinoa Salad
Pita Pizza

Saturday:
Steel Cut Oat Cereal
Cucumber Refresher
Lettuce Wraps

Week 2 Recipes

Sunday:
Blender Pancakes
Asparagus

Monday:
Cucumber Refresher
Creamy Broccoli Soup
Classic Green Salad

Tuesday:
Mock Manicotti

Wednesday:
Blueberry Flax Shake
Tortilla Soup

Thursday:
Cauliflower Caviar Salad
Pesto Sauce

Friday:
Cucumber Refresher
Pita Pizza

Saturday:
Steel Cut Oat Cereal
Mango Coconut Delight

Snacks:

Whenever I was hungry during snacks I would make sure I was drinking enough water, eat fruit, or make one of our snack recipes.

Things I avoided:

Anything processed
Refined sugars
Dairy
Yeast (optional)
White flour
And anything else I thought might inhibit me from reaching my goal

Good things I tried to apply:

Drinking plenty of water
Getting plenty of sleep
Taking supplemental greens and above-ground coral calcium
Excercise
Snacking on healthy foods

Online Conference Series

I have been enjoying listening to these online conference classes on natural health. They are free to listen to and so informative. Most of the speakers are great. Rosemary Gladstar is one of them. She is a great master herbalist. I hope you like!

Also, here is a past post for Easter.

Yesterday's Tortilla Soup and Today's Cauliflower Caviar Salad

I just was able to post yesterday's Tortilla Soup recipe from the Two-week Meal Plan and later on today hopefully I will be able to post the Cauliflower Caviar Salad. You can find them here.