Blogging

I remember when I first found out about blogging.  I was at a twin's group meeting and people were talking about blogs.  This was about 2 years ago, and once I started, I was hooked.  I first started with a blog about my kids as a way to keep track of the different things that went on in our crazy life, being a mom of 3 in 10 1/2 months.  Then I got on this kick about healthy/natural living, thus this blog came to be.

Now that I am embarking on a major diet change, I am looking to my fellow bloggers for support.  Now I don't really have a lot of followers, and I don't have a lot of people that actually comment, but I use my blog as a way to help me.  I don't publish anything that is too personal, yet I try to be as honest as I can.  I am using my blog as a way to document my struggles and hopefully my many more successes.  I am also hoping to use this as a place to share some of my recipes that I have found that help me as I move along this crazy road of getting healthy.

To get specific, my goals are to become more plant strong and give up any animal foods.  I am also going to start eliminating foods that have shown up on my list of potential allergies/intolerences.  I have also been reading Dr Neal Barnard's book "Breaking The Food Seduction".  I have only read some of it, but what I ahve read makes total sense to me, especially after taking a substance abuse class in grad school.  It certainly makes me feel better knowing that there is a reason why I have such a hard time giving up certain foods.  I know that this does not give me an excuse to continue to eat those foods, but it certainly helps me to realize how I need to deal the issues aound those foods.

The other part about blogging that I absolutely love is, I love to read other people's blogs.  I wish I had more time to spend meeting people out in the blogosphere, but with 3 little ones, a husband, a house, cooking ,cleaning, work, and just every day little things, there is jsut not enough time.  There are too many blogs to mention, but I get so inspored by reading other peoples blogs.  I love learning about thier children, their way of eating, their struggles, and so much more.

So for my first recipe share, I want to share with you my Lentil dal recipe.  I found a recipe years ago and have since lost it.  At this point, I have made it so often, that I know the basics of what goes into it and have made it my own.

Red Lentils:
1 c red lentils
1 onion chopped
1 T yellow mustard seeds
1/2 t garlic powder (you can use cloves, but I tend to be lazy)
1 T garam masala
1 t cumin
1 t corriander
1 t fenugreek
1 t tumeric
1 lg can of diced tomatoes
1 handful of brown rice

Cook onion, garlic and mustard seeds in a small amount of oil.  When the onion is translucent and the mustard seed are popping, add the rest of the spices and cook for a minute or so.  After a minute add the red lentils after they have been rinsed.  Add the can of diced tomatoes, the rice, and enough water to cover.  I usually add about 1 3/4 of the large tomoato can.  Cook until the rice is done, which I have found is any where from 30-45 minutes.

I have to admit that these are approximations of the amounts of ingredients.  I tend to just kind of throw things in and not really measure exactly if at all.  You can add other beans along with the lentils.  I have added chick peas and tonight I added some brown lentils just for the fun of it.  You can also leave out the rice and use less water and cook until the lentils are done about 25 minutes and cook the rice on the side.  I am hoping to get more adventurous in teh kitchen and start trying to make up my own recipes.  If anyone has suggestions for learnign how to make up your own recipe, like what spices go together and with what foods, I would love it.  I am always on the hunt for new books and my new passion is cooking plant strong.

Amy