Farm Fresh Food Can Spur Weight Loss

Hey BALANCE folks! There is a new farmers market in Oakton, at the Unitarian Church on Hunters Mill Road.

It is Saturdays, from 10-2pm. They have organic coffee, the best Amish pasture raised chicken (melts in your mouth!) and our favorite, Piedmontese beef.

A Piedmontese breed of cow is the leanest steer in the world, they are imported from Italy. The guy that sells it, his company is called Angelic Beef. And it is out of this world. Every cut was as tender as a filet mignon. I had a skirt steak the other night and with nothing but a little salt and pepper, it was delicious. Because of the humane way these cows are raised, you can cook the beef rare or medium rare with no fear of pathogens. In fact, lean meats are better served that way. And weight loss? I know of one woman who lost 70 lbs by switching to grass-fed meats! Definitely do try it!

Get to know these farmers, they are using organic and traditional farming methods and the quality of their food is superior nutritionally to anything you can buy at the store.

This is also a fun way to live, getting to know our local farmers, supporting them with buying power, helping them to build a strong local farm economy. Wouldn't you rather see farms dotting the countryside than more urban sprawl?

Smartmarkets.org runs this market, and they have others all over, many of them open in the spring, but check out their website for more of their locations!

PHOTO: Kimberly and author of REAL FOOD, Nina Planck at the Oakton Farmers Market

Whole and Real Foods, Delivered

GRASS FED MEATS--A Healthier Alternative

Local Flavor is a farmers market that delivers, from Rappahannock County Farms direct to you.

Grass fed meats are leaner, and have
a more natural ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6 fats (1:1). They are also free of pathogenic bacteria, so they can be served rare or medium rare without concern for foodborne illness.

A family in Baltimore started buying grassfed meats from a farmer and the wife lost 70 lbs, as a result! These meats are so nutrient dense, you will find smaller portions deeply satisfying.

On their website, farmbuyersclub.com, you can place orders for farm fresh foods, and find a drop site near you to pick them up.

For an extra fee, leave a cooler on your front porch and a check and they will drive direct to your front door! Better yet, host a drop in your neighborhood. A fun way to connect with others who are interested in eating healthy and buying local.

Contact Mark or Laurie for more information, email them through the website farmbuyersclub.com!

Greetings from Alana, our Nutritionistl

Dear Balance Members,

Christmas is almost here but you would never know it by the weather! Today, Santa could have been in a pair beach shorts and a tank top it was so warm!!!

I have seen a few of you lately and I can’t believe my eyes… your results are already amazing, and I am so happy to see you all looking so tight and fit and firm. I should have joined the program myself! Yes, I am so impressed with all that I have seen in such a short amount of time.

And speaking of being impressed: Today I got hungry at lunch so I made a couple of great recipes that I want to share with all of you. Perhaps Kimberly can post them to the blog as well. First, I grilled a chicken breast and drizzled it with warm hazelnut vinaigrette. I passionately consumed it with a spinach salad and a couple of thyme and cheese crisps – and I added a bit of wild rice pilaf that I had leftover from a party I went to yesterday.

Putting together a healthy, well balanced (and decadent!) meal does not have to take a lot of time or effort at all. You can get great ideas from looking in fun cookbooks or browsing the internet. The key is to plan your meals around plenty of veggies, some protein, a little bit of healthy carbohydrates, and a good quality fat like olive oil, walnuts, olives, avocadoes, and real butter. I hope you like these recipes as much as I do.

We will all meet again in late February or early March depending on Dr. Ashry’s schedule. In the meantime, keep up the good work, and don’t let the holidays get you too stressed out.

Have a wonderful Christmas and a VERY HAPPY New Year!

Warm Regards,

Alana

Warm Hazelnut Vinaigrette:

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, or walnut oil, or hazelnut oil

2 cloves finely minced fresh garlic

¼ cup coarsely chopped lightly roasted hazel nuts

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Warm the oil over medium-low heat. Add garlic and hazelnuts, and gently cook for just a minute or until garlic is very fragrant and golden. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, sea salt, and pepper. Drizzle this over grilled chicken, shrimp, fish, or lean beef for a delicious dish! If you like, you can also drizzle it over baby spinach or steamed veggies, of brown or wild rice for that matter!!!

Thyme and Cheese Crisps

1 cup grated parmesan or Romano cheese

2 tsp fresh thyme leaves

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix cheese with thyme leaves. Spoon heaping teaspoons onto the baking sheet, spacing a couple of inches apart, and lightly pressing down with your fingers to flatten into circles about 2-inches in diameter. Bake about 6-8 minutes or until lightly browned and crisp. Slide the parchment paper off the cookie sheet. With a spatula, loosen the crisps and cool on wire racks. They will firm up as they cool down (just like us after exercising!!!!!!) Let them cool completely. Then store them in an airtight container, layered between parchment or waxed paper. These are fantastic on salads, and take the place of croutons! They are wonderful! Enjoy!!!!

A BALANCE LUNCH by Alana

The weekend is here, why not make a homemade soup for lunch! Double or triple the recipe and freeze in individual servings for taking in your lunchbox to work or for future quick lunches!

Black Bean and Chicken Soup

½ cup chopped carrots
½ cup chopped onions
1 cup fresh or frozen cut green beans
1-2 cups chicken broth (I use the organic – chemical free)
1 15-ounce can black eyed peas, drained and rinsed
2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs - cut into bite size pieces
Seasonings:
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Salsa
Garlic
Chives
Hot sauce
Etc…

Place all ingredients except chicken in a saucepan. Use 1 cup of broth if you want a thick soup and 2 cups for a slightly thinner soup. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, covered, until veggies are tender. If any foam rises to the top, skim it off. At this point, you can puree the soup and add the chicken. Continue to cook until chicken is done, or you can add the chicken before pureeing the soup, then puree after the chicken is done. Or, leave the soup chunky.

Season the soup to taste with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, salsa, garlic, and/or chives, etc. Serve with a fresh salad with an extra virgin olive oil dressing.

Whole and Real Food Nutrition

Photo: Nina Planck, Author of Real Food--What to Eat and Why and Kimberly Hartke at the new Oakton Farmers Market (Saturdays, 10 to 2pm, at the Unitarian Universalist Church on Hunter Mill Road).

Hey folks, for those of you interested in plugging in to a network of others interested in whole and real foods, here is a local group you can join, through Meetup.com. It is free to join, and you'll find out about upcoming events, farm drops, field trips, etc. Kimberly, our BALANCE publicist is an assistant organizer for the group, it is now the 9th largest whole food meetup in the U.S.

Here is the link to join:

http://www.meetup.com/WholeNutrition/