Re: - Black Bean Soup & Soul Food and Juicing

January 8, 2008

Hi : I wish you could have shared some black bean soup and cornbread with me also. I think we could have shared some very interesting conversations also.

I guess maybe the cornbread wasn't a very good diet choice but I seem to really like a lot of the soul food.

I was pretty much raised on beans, fried potatoes and cornbread and biscuits and gravy. I have since learned to enjoy a LOT of other different foods also but I still like the soul food.

I have to say I don't have any trouble eating things that are good for me as I like a lot of that too. My trouble is eating too much and too fast. I also forget to drink as much water as I should.

I have recently been doing a lot of juicing. Have you read or heard anything about the juice diets. Don't get me wrong---I am not on a JUICE DIET but I have been doing a lot of juicing for my health. I never thought about all the different juices you could make with vegetables and how healthy they are if you drink them within the hour so you get the enzymes. I love the one fruit juice I try to do everyday. It is red or pink grapefruit, lemon, apples, green grapes, fresh pineapple with the skin on it and whatever I think of that would go with it. It is really good and all of the citrus fruits are diuretics which I need as I retain a lot of fluid.

The only problem is - it's not cheap - I had to buy a GOOD juicer and they recommend ORGANIC fruits and vegetables so of course they are more expensive. I don't buy them all organic. I found a fruit and vegetable wash that I spray on them and then wash them off.

I have found I can take some of the pulp from the fruit and put it in yogurt and it is really good. I can take pulp from vegetables like carrots, celery, onions etc and put it in soups or brown rice or a lot of different things. It is really kind of fun to improvise with it.

I am enjoying getting back into the group.

Shirley from Southern Illinois**************Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape. http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aolcmp00300000002489

January 8, 2008

It is funny how our lives follow certain paths. I grew up in a household where everything was extremely oversalted and I never really realized how different food flavors are till I was pg with my first child and the dr mentioned not using salt. I never had any water retention issues but it woke me up to the fact that food has VAST differences in flavor if you leave the salt out! Or at least minimize it's use. My husband was a major salt user and also a fried food addict. He ate very few vegies and fruits. I have managed to get him to lighten up on the salt, he uses pepper and hot peppers which he loves. He eats a lot of fruit now but the fried things still have their hold. He just does not thing anything tastes good unless it is fried, no matter how you spice it up! lol We have a grill, which he likes occasionally...he detests things baked, and says broiled things have no flavor at all. Our kids grew up with all home grown, home canned, home cooked food, and as soon as they left home went to junk food. And started raising their kids on junk food....then suddenly they woke up and decided to get healthier lifestyles for the most part but their older kids are addicted to junkfood! Go figure!

Jane

Yes, in New England we never used hot sauces or pepper flakes or any kind of peppers other than green bell peppers, for the most part. I still don't understand the use of these sauces (except I now know people who put them on just about everything). But things are changing and it seems hot peppers are starting to go into everything. When I lived there, I don't think there was one Mexican restaurant in the state. Now there are some, plus lots of Taco Bells.

My father used to pour milk over white bread (all we ate in those days), sprinkle sugar on top and eat it. If he wanted something more substantial, he added a raw egg. We (the children) found the idea disgusting and never even tried it. I called it depression food because I figured that's where it originated. But he had said he hadn't gone hungry during the depression as many others had (including my mother) because he lived on a farm and they had lots of food they had raised themselves (something to be said for that practice on so many levels). He kept that going all his life and lots of our food came from the back yard as well. But we also brought a lot of it.

What the kids loved, which may not be much different than my father's snack, was milk and graham crackers. I haven't had that in years. We'd put both into a glass, then use a spoon to crunch up the crackers until it all turned into mush. To an outsider, that brown mush wasn't appealing-looking at all. Didn't look like something one would eat. We loved it. My mother's friend once visited while we were eating it and was shocked because the brown color looked more like......well, not good. She later tried it on her kids and they loved it. I haven't had that since being a kid. Probably wouldn't like it now.

Elaine

On 1/8/08, labtrek1941 <labtrek1941bellsouth (DOT) net> wrote:

I am going to put your jucing ideas to use, Shirley. I, too, love soul food, and find it comforting.

My grandfather loved to crumble cornbread into a glass, pour milk over it and put into the refrigerator for later. My family calls this "crumble". Everyone else I know of who does this uses buttermilk, but we always used regular milk. I think that if you do not grow up with some of these foods they sound unappealing. Such a psychological aspect to what we like to eat. My daughter spent a summer in New England and found the food there bland and not up to southern taste buds, but I expect that New Englanders find southern food greasy and often overcooked. My husband loved anything as long as it was fried. I tried his whole life to re-educate his palate, and at the same time, my mother-in-law was teaching my older son to love the same foods. My son's wife is now fighting the same battles with Rob that I did with his dad, and the son has the same health issues as his father had, diabetes and heart disease at a very young age. My daughter in law is a wonderful cook with great ability to cook healthy and at the same time tasty food, so my son is so fortunate to have her. My other two children have much healthier eating habits. My younger son is quite appearance conscious so watches what he eats, and my daughter is just a very smart young woman in almost every aspect of her life. I retained the few bad habits I grew up with and took on many of my husband's bad eating preferences, so it is a constant battle.

W

..

Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape in the new year.

January 8, 2008

HAH - That's funny!! I liked ALL those things that you all mentioned EXCEPT fried stuff. I hardly ever fry anything. It's not that I don't like it I just avoid it. I love crispy fried potatoes but I never fry them.

I do still have my cornbread and milk sometimes and I love cornbread and buttermilk. I also like the graham crackers and milk but don't have those very often. I too, love salt but have managed to cut way back on it. I have read that it takes five years to get the craving for salt out of your system. I try to not use it very much and when I do I use sea salt (I don't know that that is any better but have read that it is better for you).

When I pop my popcorn I spray the popper with olive oil spritzer and sprinkle the sea salt lightly all over the sides to where it sticks.

I use one of those Orville Redenbacher microwave popcorn poppers. I barely put a little olive oil in the bottom of the popper.

I don't like the real hot peppers they burn my mouth but I do love green and red bell peppers. I like to saute them with celery, mushroom, green onions and put them in brown rice. Then I ruin it all by using soy sauce (but just a little dab). I am going to try putting some soy sauce in one of those spritzer bottles and see if I can spritz with it.

Now I never did try the sugar on top of the bread in the milk. I guess I had better NEVER try it----I might like it. The raw egg would sure turn me off.

I know what you mean by the way the graham crackers in the milk looked - HAH.

Shirley **************Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape. http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aolcmp00300000002489

January 8, 2008

Hi Elaine: Yes I would love to have your recipe for pinto beans with tomatoes and onions. I don't really have any recipes other than the ones that come on the bags of beans that I buy. Other than the fact that I add other things to the recipes a lot. It just depends on what comes to mind that might be good. Mostly it would be onions, celery, carrots etc.

There are so many different kinds of beans and so far I like all that I have tried. If I try something that is different and I really like it I will be sure to post it.

Now I am not crazy about baked beans but I can eat them. My husband loved pork and beans but I didn't really care much for them either unless it was with hot dogs - HA.

I haven't cooked black beans and rice but I have had them and I liked them. I will have to try cooking them.

I think you will like the juice. I love that green juice you were talking about. It is celery and carrots and tomatoes and lemon (I can't remember the recipe completely off hand but it probably has kale in it and spinach leaves).

If you get a chance look for a paperback book called "The Juice Fasting Bible" there are other books also. This book tells what different juices do for all kinds of afflictions and it has some juice recipes. I also have a book called "The Complete Book of Juicing" which is good also.

Let me know if you try the juice and like it. I need to tell you that a blender will not work it won't extract the juice. You will need a pretty powerful juicer. I got mine at Linens and Things - it was $99.00 or something like that. I think Wal-Mart also has them it is a Jack La Lannes Power Juicer. There are other more powerful ones but this one has worked just fine so far. There are a lot of recipes that call for fresh pineapple with the rind left on and it handles that just fine.

Shirley **************Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape. http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aolcmp00300000002489

January 8, 2008

I have had a Jack La Lane power juicer (an original one) for YEARS. I love it, but it needs new blades and I am thinking of just buying the new model. the one I have always sucked every bit of juice from the pulp and left a dry as sawdust tasteless mass. I love it! And the chickens eat the stuff, so it never gets wasted.

I love your comment on hot dogs and pork and beans...that is the only time I like them as well! Our families must have come from the same background! lol

One of my mom's favorite snacks used to be crackers with mustard, jelly, and cheese. It sounds and looks horrible but actually does not taste all that bad. I never really took it up but it is ok. My husband loves the graham crackers and milk, but he eats it in a bowl so he never really thinks about what it looks like. As a favorite book of mine says, I hate sops, so I never got into it. I can't stand even cereal that is soggy, I have to eat it quickly so it is still crunchy.

Jane

Hi Elaine: Yes I would love to have your recipe for pinto beans with tomatoes and onions. I don't really have any recipes other than the ones that come on the bags of beans that I buy. Other than the fact that I add other things to the recipes a lot. It just depends on what comes to mind that might be good. Mostly it would be onions, celery, carrots etc.There are so many different kinds of beans and so far I like all that I have tried. If I try something that is different and I really like it I will be sure to post it.Now I am not crazy about baked beans but I can eat them. My husband loved pork and beans but I didn't really care much for them either unless it was with hot dogs - HA.I haven't cooked black beans and rice but I have had them and I liked them. I will have to try cooking them.I think you will like the juice. I love that green juice you were talking about. It is celery and carrots and tomatoes and lemon (I can't remember the recipe completely off hand but it probably has kale in it and spinach leaves).If you get a chance look for a paperback book called "The Juice Fasting Bible" there are other books also. This book tells what different juices do for all kinds of afflictions and it has some juice recipes. I also have a book called "The Complete Book of Juicing" which is good also.Let me know if you try the juice and like it. I need to tell you that a blender will not work it won't extract the juice. You will need a pretty powerful juicer. I got mine at Linens and Things - it was $99.00 or something like that. I think Wal-Mart also has them it is a Jack La Lannes Power Juicer. There are other more powerful ones but this one has worked just fine so far. There are a lot of recipes that call for fresh pineapple with the rind left on and it handles that just fine.Shirley **************Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape.http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aolcmp00300000002489 Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape in the new year.

January 8, 2008

I am going to put your jucing ideas to use, Shirley. I, too, love soul food, and find it comforting.

My grandfather loved to crumble cornbread into a glass, pour milk over it and put into the refrigerator for later. My family calls this "crumble". Everyone else I know of who does this uses buttermilk, but we always used regular milk. I think that if you do not grow up with some of these foods they sound unappealing. Such a psychological aspect to what we like to eat. My daughter spent a summer in New England and found the food there bland and not up to southern taste buds, but I expect that New Englanders find southern food greasy and often overcooked. My husband loved anything as long as it was fried. I tried his whole life to re-educate his palate, and at the same time, my mother-in-law was teaching my older son to love the same foods. My son's wife is now fighting the same battles with Rob that I did with his dad, and the son has the same health issues as his father had, diabetes and heart disease at a very young age. My daughter in law is a wonderful cook with great ability to cook healthy and at the same time tasty food, so my son is so fortunate to have her. My other two children have much healthier eating habits. My younger son is quite appearance conscious so watches what he eats, and my daughter is just a very smart young woman in almost every aspect of her life. I retained the few bad habits I grew up with and took on many of my husband's bad eating preferences, so it is a constant battle.

W

Re: - Black Bean Soup & Soul Food and Juicing

Hi : I wish you could have shared some black bean soup and cornbread with me also. I think we could have shared some very interesting conversations also.I guess maybe the cornbread wasn't a very good diet choice but I seem to really like a lot of the soul food. I was pretty much raised on beans, fried potatoes and cornbread and biscuits and gravy. I have since learned to enjoy a LOT of other different foods also but I still like the soul food.I have to say I don't have any trouble eating things that are good for me as I like a lot of that too. My trouble is eating too much and too fast. I also forget to drink as much water as I should. I have recently been doing a lot of juicing. Have you read or heard anything about the juice diets. Don't get me wrong---I am not on a JUICE DIET but I have been doing a lot of juicing for my health. I never thought about all the different juices you could make with vegetables and how healthy they are if you drink them within the hour so you get the enzymes. I love the one fruit juice I try to do everyday. It is red or pink grapefruit, lemon, apples, green grapes, fresh pineapple with the skin on it and whatever I think of that would go with it. It is really good and all of the citrus fruits are diuretics which I need as I retain a lot of fluid.The only problem is - it's not cheap - I had to buy a GOOD juicer and they recommend ORGANIC fruits and vegetables so of course they are more expensive. I don't buy them all organic. I found a fruit and vegetable wash that I spray on them and then wash them off.I have found I can take some of the pulp from the fruit and put it in yogurt and it is really good. I can take pulp from vegetables like carrots, celery, onions etc and put it in soups or brown rice or a lot of different things. It is really kind of fun to improvise with it.I am enjoying getting back into the group. Shirley from Southern Illinois**************Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape.http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aolcmp00300000002489

No virus found in this incoming message.Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.17.13/1213 - Release Date: 1/7/2008 9:14 AM

January 8, 2008

Yes, in New England we never used hot sauces or pepper flakes or any kind of peppers other than green bell peppers, for the most part. I still don't understand the use of these sauces (except I now know people who put them on just about everything). But things are changing and it seems hot peppers are starting to go into everything. When I lived there, I don't think there was one Mexican restaurant in the state. Now there are some, plus lots of Taco Bells.

My father used to pour milk over white bread (all we ate in those days), sprinkle sugar on top and eat it. If he wanted something more substantial, he added a raw egg. We (the children) found the idea disgusting and never even tried it. I called it depression food because I figured that's where it originated. But he had said he hadn't gone hungry during the depression as many others had (including my mother) because he lived on a farm and they had lots of food they had raised themselves (something to be said for that practice on so many levels). He kept that going all his life and lots of our food came from the back yard as well. But we also brought a lot of it.

What the kids loved, which may not be much different than my father's snack, was milk and graham crackers. I haven't had that in years. We'd put both into a glass, then use a spoon to crunch up the crackers until it all turned into mush. To an outsider, that brown mush wasn't appealing-looking at all. Didn't look like something one would eat. We loved it. My mother's friend once visited while we were eating it and was shocked because the brown color looked more like......well, not good. She later tried it on her kids and they loved it. I haven't had that since being a kid. Probably wouldn't like it now.

Elaine

I am going to put your jucing ideas to use, Shirley. I, too, love soul food, and find it comforting.

My grandfather loved to crumble cornbread into a glass, pour milk over it and put into the refrigerator for later. My family calls this " crumble " . Everyone else I know of who does this uses buttermilk, but we always used regular milk. I think that if you do not grow up with some of these foods they sound unappealing. Such a psychological aspect to what we like to eat. My daughter spent a summer in New England and found the food there bland and not up to southern taste buds, but I expect that New Englanders find southern food greasy and often overcooked. My husband loved anything as long as it was fried. I tried his whole life to re-educate his palate, and at the same time, my mother-in-law was teaching my older son to love the same foods. My son's wife is now fighting the same battles with Rob that I did with his dad, and the son has the same health issues as his father had, diabetes and heart disease at a very young age. My daughter in law is a wonderful cook with great ability to cook healthy and at the same time tasty food, so my son is so fortunate to have her. My other two children have much healthier eating habits. My younger son is quite appearance conscious so watches what he eats, and my daughter is just a very smart young woman in almost every aspect of her life. I retained the few bad habits I grew up with and took on many of my husband's bad eating preferences, so it is a constant battle.

W

..

January 8, 2008

The juicing idea sounds like a good one, Shirley. A few months ago I had seen an Oprah show with Dr. Oz in which he visits a young woman with cancer. She talked about how healthy she eats now that she has the disease, including a green vegetable juice she makes each morning. I thought, why isn't this a practice for everyone, including those who aren't sick. If it's so good for us, we should do it. I don't know a lot about it.

I loved beans. I used to only know Boston baked beans until about ten years ago. Then discovered so many more of them. Can you share a few of your recipes with us? I always hear about beans and rice but haven't found a recipe to try yet. There are so many variations on this and I wasn't sure which direction to go in. But I'm interested in other bean recipes as well.

Last night I made pinto beans with tomatoes and onions that I like a lot. I had put the recipe for that on here a long time ago and can do it again if anyone wants it. Next time I make that recipe, I'm going to make it with black beans because I really love those.

Elaine

Hi : I wish you could have shared some black bean soup and cornbread with me also. I think we could have shared some very interesting conversations also.

I guess maybe the cornbread wasn't a very good diet choice but I seem to really like a lot of the soul food. I was pretty much raised on beans, fried potatoes and cornbread and biscuits and gravy. I have since learned to enjoy a LOT of other different foods also but I still like the soul food.

I have to say I don't have any trouble eating things that are good for me as I like a lot of that too. My trouble is eating too much and too fast. I also forget to drink as much water as I should. I have recently been doing a lot of juicing. Have you read or heard anything about the juice diets. Don't get me wrong---I am not on a JUICE DIET but I have been doing a lot of juicing for my health. I never thought about all the different juices you could make with vegetables and how healthy they are if you drink them within the hour so you get the enzymes. I love the one fruit juice I try to do everyday. It is red or pink grapefruit, lemon, apples, green grapes, fresh pineapple with the skin on it and whatever I think of that would go with it. It is really good and all of the citrus fruits are diuretics which I need as I retain a lot of fluid.

The only problem is - it's not cheap - I had to buy a GOOD juicer and they recommend ORGANIC fruits and vegetables so of course they are more expensive. I don't buy them all organic. I found a fruit and vegetable wash that I spray on them and then wash them off.

I have found I can take some of the pulp from the fruit and put it in yogurt and it is really good. I can take pulp from vegetables like carrots, celery, onions etc and put it in soups or brown rice or a lot of different things. It is really kind of fun to improvise with it.

I am enjoying getting back into the group. Shirley from Southern Illinois

..

January 8, 2008

Perhaps we cam see ourselves better by looking at others. I think much of my problems can date back to growing uo in a poor family. Mom. was a single parent long before it became fashionable. Even while my dad was still at home we a paeriod referred as the "the year we ate pancakes" I have no doubt some of our eating habits can date back to the deoression. How lucky we are to have such a great varity of food choices today. I look forward to learn better how to take advanrage of it.

Bob

>> HAH - That's funny!! I liked ALL those things that you all mentioned EXCEPT > fried stuff. I hardly ever fry anything. It's not that I don't like it I > just avoid it. I love crispy fried potatoes but I never fry them.> > I do still have my cornbread and milk sometimes and I love cornbread and > buttermilk. I also like the graham crackers and milk but don't have those very > often. I too, love salt but have managed to cut way back on it. I have read > that it takes five years to get the craving for salt out of your system. I try > to not use it very much and when I do I use sea salt (I don't know that that > is any better but have read that it is better for you).> When I pop my popcorn I spray the popper with olive oil spritzer and sprinkle > the sea salt lightly all over the sides to where it sticks.> I use one of those Orville Redenbacher microwave popcorn poppers. I barely > put a little olive oil in the bottom of the popper.> > I don't like the real hot peppers they burn my mouth but I do love green and > red bell peppers. I like to saute them with celery, mushroom, green onions > and put them in brown rice. Then I ruin it all by using soy sauce (but just a > little dab). I am going to try putting some soy sauce in one of those spritzer > bottles and see if I can spritz with it.> > Now I never did try the sugar on top of the bread in the milk. I guess I had > better NEVER try it----I might like it. The raw egg would sure turn me off. > > > I know what you mean by the way the graham crackers in the milk looked - HAH.> > Shirley > > > **************> Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape.> > http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aolcmp00300000002489>

January 8, 2008

Elaine, I missed the pinto bean recipe the last time and would love it. My mother used to make pinto beans with tomato and onion and I loved it. Have not had it in many years. The way they do red beans and rice down here with the Cajun spices and sausage is sublime to me, the best poor folks food on earth. Zatarains makes it both dried and frozen and it is a great approximation of how the locals make it except you have to add your own sausage to the dry, packaged version. I think Laurie or you said that the Zatarains was avaliable on the west coast. None of my children like red beans and rice and it is one of those dishes made in large quantities generally, so if I have it homemade it is at someone else's house.

Dried beans and rice together is supposed to make a complete protein, thus is said to be a good replacement for meat in your diet.

W

Re: - Black Bean Soup & Soul Food and Juicing

The juicing idea sounds like a good one, Shirley. A few months ago I had seen an Oprah show with Dr. Oz in which he visits a young woman with cancer. She talked about how healthy she eats now that she has the disease, including a green vegetable juice she makes each morning. I thought, why isn't this a practice for everyone, including those who aren't sick. If it's so good for us, we should do it. I don't know a lot about it.

I loved beans. I used to only know Boston baked beans until about ten years ago. Then discovered so many more of them. Can you share a few of your recipes with us? I always hear about beans and rice but haven't found a recipe to try yet. There are so many variations on this and I wasn't sure which direction to go in. But I'm interested in other bean recipes as well.

Last night I made pinto beans with tomatoes and onions that I like a lot. I had put the recipe for that on here a long time ago and can do it again if anyone wants it. Next time I make that recipe, I'm going to make it with black beans because I really love those.

Elaine

On 1/8/08, sbrown857aol <sbrown857aol> wrote:

Hi : I wish you could have shared some black bean soup and cornbread with me also. I think we could have shared some very interesting conversations also. I guess maybe the cornbread wasn't a very good diet choice but I seem to really like a lot of the soul food. I was pretty much raised on beans, fried potatoes and cornbread and biscuits and gravy. I have since learned to enjoy a LOT of other different foods also but I still like the soul food. I have to say I don't have any trouble eating things that are good for me as I like a lot of that too. My trouble is eating too much and too fast. I also forget to drink as much water as I should. I have recently been doing a lot of juicing. Have you read or heard anything about the juice diets. Don't get me wrong---I am not on a JUICE DIET but I have been doing a lot of juicing for my health. I never thought about all the different juices you could make with vegetables and how healthy they are if you drink them within the hour so you get the enzymes. I love the one fruit juice I try to do everyday. It is red or pink grapefruit, lemon, apples, green grapes, fresh pineapple with the skin on it and whatever I think of that would go with it. It is really good and all of the citrus fruits are diuretics which I need as I retain a lot of fluid. The only problem is - it's not cheap - I had to buy a GOOD juicer and they recommend ORGANIC fruits and vegetables so of course they are more expensive. I don't buy them all organic. I found a fruit and vegetable wash that I spray on them and then wash them off. I have found I can take some of the pulp from the fruit and put it in yogurt and it is really good. I can take pulp from vegetables like carrots, celery, onions etc and put it in soups or brown rice or a lot of different things. It is really kind of fun to improvise with it. I am enjoying getting back into the group. Shirley from Southern Illinois

..

No virus found in this incoming message.Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.17.13/1214 - Release Date: 1/8/2008 1:38 PM

January 8, 2008

hi all, keeping up with the messages is finger exercise, but this

balmy weather we have is an incentive to exercise but i'm still on

the side lines. A mention about the beans and tomatoes, they are

excellent nutrition along with rice and bread, make complete protien,

when i hear reports in the international news about the military

distributing food in the third world I take note of what is said

about the kind of food being distributed, i recall the USA army

distributed beans and tomatoe sauce to the Afghanistan people. They

consume it with their flat bread and or rice in other areas. So all

in all beans and tomatoes sauce combined with a grain like wheat or

rice makes an excellent meal of protien and nutrients. On a side note

the military always knows how the get the maximun benefit out of the

ingredients. I prefer red kindey beans, soya bean tofu, chic peas

over the other kinds of beans. Number #1 bean for protien content is

soya bean, number #2 bean for protien content is red kidney bean ,

and chic peas/garbanzos are just because I like the taste, although

high in bad fat. I make bean sandwiches, beans and rice, beans and

noodle soup, beans in scrambled eggs.

regards the bean man - Bill

>

> I have had a Jack La Lane power juicer (an original one) for YEARS.

I love

> it, but it needs new blades and I am thinking of just buying the

new model.

> the one I have always sucked every bit of juice from the pulp and

left a dry

> as sawdust tasteless mass. I love it! And the chickens eat the

stuff, so it

> never gets wasted.

> I love your comment on hot dogs and pork and beans...that is the

only time I

> like them as well! Our families must have come from the same

background! lol

> One of my mom's favorite snacks used to be crackers with mustard,

jelly, and

> cheese. It sounds and looks horrible but actually does not taste

all that

> bad. I never really took it up but it is ok. My husband loves the

graham

> crackers and milk, but he eats it in a bowl so he never really

thinks about what it

> looks like. As a favorite book of mine says, I hate sops, so I

never got into

> it. I can't stand even cereal that is soggy, I have to eat it

quickly so it

> is still crunchy.

> Jane

>

> In a message dated 1/8/2008 1:20:01 P.M. Pacific Standard Time,

> sbrown857@... writes:

>

> Hi Elaine: Yes I would love to have your recipe for pinto beans

with

> tomatoes and onions. I don't really have any recipes other than

the ones that come

> on the bags of beans that I buy. Other than the fact that I add

other

> things to the recipes a lot. It just depends on what comes to

mind that might be

> good. Mostly it would be onions, celery, carrots etc.

>

> There are so many different kinds of beans and so far I like all

that I have

> tried. If I try something that is different and I really like it

I will be

> sure to post it.

>

> Now I am not crazy about baked beans but I can eat them. My

husband loved

> pork and beans but I didn't really care much for them either

unless it was

> with hot dogs - HA.

>

> I haven't cooked black beans and rice but I have had them and I

liked them.

> I will have to try cooking them.

>

> I think you will like the juice. I love that green juice you were

talking

> about. It is celery and carrots and tomatoes and lemon (I can't

remember the

> recipe completely off hand but it probably has kale in it and

spinach

> leaves).

>

> If you get a chance look for a paperback book called " The Juice

Fasting

> Bible " there are other books also. This book tells what

different juices do for

> all kinds of afflictions and it has some juice recipes. I also

have a book

> called " The Complete Book of Juicing " which is good also.

>

> Let me know if you try the juice and like it. I need to tell you

that a

> blender will not work it won't extract the juice. You will need a

pretty

> powerful juicer. I got mine at Linens and Things - it was $99.00

or something like

> that. I think Wal-Mart also has them it is a Jack La Lannes Power

Juicer.

> There are other more powerful ones but this one has worked just

fine so far.

> There are a lot of recipes that call for fresh pineapple with the

rind left

> on and it handles that just fine.

> Shirley

>

> **************

> Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape.

>

http://body.http://body.<WBRhttp://body.<WBRhttp://body.<WBRhttp://bod

y.<W

>

> **************Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in

shape.

> http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?

NCID=aolcmp00300000002489

>

January 8, 2008

Your grandkids are like my older son's children. Their mother is such a good, careful cook, and the two who are in college live on junk food and are gaining weight year by year. The grandson starts med school next year and already has blood pressure and cholesterol problems. Hope he learns and adopts better habits as he learns what he is doing to himself. He is by no means fat, just has gone from a beanpole to a fairly stocky individual, but I doubt it will stop there if he does not change his eating habits.

Your husband sounds like mine in regard to the fried food.

W

Re: - Black Bean Soup & Soul Food and Juicing

It is funny how our lives follow certain paths. I grew up in a household where everything was extremely oversalted and I never really realized how different food flavors are till I was pg with my first child and the dr mentioned not using salt. I never had any water retention issues but it woke me up to the fact that food has VAST differences in flavor if you leave the salt out! Or at least minimize it's use. My husband was a major salt user and also a fried food addict. He ate very few vegies and fruits. I have managed to get him to lighten up on the salt, he uses pepper and hot peppers which he loves. He eats a lot of fruit now but the fried things still have their hold. He just does not thing anything tastes good unless it is fried, no matter how you spice it up! lol We have a grill, which he likes occasionally...he detests things baked, and says broiled things have no flavor at all. Our kids grew up with all home grown, home canned, home cooked food, and as soon as they left home went to junk food. And started raising their kids on junk food....then suddenly they woke up and decided to get healthier lifestyles for the most part but their older kids are addicted to junkfood! Go figure!

Jane

In a message dated 1/8/2008 11:13:30 A.M. Pacific Standard Time, elrolegmail writes:

Yes, in New England we never used hot sauces or pepper flakes or any kind of peppers other than green bell peppers, for the most part. I still don't understand the use of these sauces (except I now know people who put them on just about everything). But things are changing and it seems hot peppers are starting to go into everything. When I lived there, I don't think there was one Mexican restaurant in the state. Now there are some, plus lots of Taco Bells.

My father used to pour milk over white bread (all we ate in those days), sprinkle sugar on top and eat it. If he wanted something more substantial, he added a raw egg. We (the children) found the idea disgusting and never even tried it. I called it depression food because I figured that's where it originated. But he had said he hadn't gone hungry during the depression as many others had (including my mother) because he lived on a farm and they had lots of food they had raised themselves (something to be said for that practice on so many levels). He kept that going all his life and lots of our food came from the back yard as well. But we also brought a lot of it.

What the kids loved, which may not be much different than my father's snack, was milk and graham crackers. I haven't had that in years. We'd put both into a glass, then use a spoon to crunch up the crackers until it all turned into mush. To an outsider, that brown mush wasn't appealing-looking at all. Didn't look like something one would eat. We loved it. My mother's friend once visited while we were eating it and was shocked because the brown color looked more like......well, not good. She later tried it on her kids and they loved it. I haven't had that since being a kid. Probably wouldn't like it now.

Elaine

On 1/8/08, labtrek1941 <labtrek1941bellsouth (DOT) net> wrote:

I am going to put your jucing ideas to use, Shirley. I, too, love soul food, and find it comforting.

My grandfather loved to crumble cornbread into a glass, pour milk over it and put into the refrigerator for later. My family calls this "crumble". Everyone else I know of who does this uses buttermilk, but we always used regular milk. I think that if you do not grow up with some of these foods they sound unappealing. Such a psychological aspect to what we like to eat. My daughter spent a summer in New England and found the food there bland and not up to southern taste buds, but I expect that New Englanders find southern food greasy and often overcooked. My husband loved anything as long as it was fried. I tried his whole life to re-educate his palate, and at the same time, my mother-in-law was teaching my older son to love the same foods. My son's wife is now fighting the same battles with Rob that I did with his dad, and the son has the same health issues as his father had, diabetes and heart disease at a very young age. My daughter in law is a wonderful cook with great ability to cook healthy and at the same time tasty food, so my son is so fortunate to have her. My other two children have much healthier eating habits. My younger son is quite appearance conscious so watches what he eats, and my daughter is just a very smart young woman in almost every aspect of her life. I retained the few bad habits I grew up with and took on many of my husband's bad eating preferences, so it is a constant battle.

W

..

Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape in the new year.

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January 8, 2008

Hi , I put the recipe on another message. Please let me know if you don't see it. I'll look for Zatarains.

thanks

Elaine

Elaine, I missed the pinto bean recipe the last time and would love it. My mother used to make pinto beans with tomato and onion and I loved it. Have not had it in many years. The way they do red beans and rice down here with the Cajun spices and sausage is sublime to me, the best poor folks food on earth. Zatarains makes it both dried and frozen and it is a great approximation of how the locals make it except you have to add your own sausage to the dry, packaged version. I think Laurie or you said that the Zatarains was avaliable on the west coast. None of my children like red beans and rice and it is one of those dishes made in large quantities generally, so if I have it homemade it is at someone else's house.

Dried beans and rice together is supposed to make a complete protein, thus is said to be a good replacement for meat in your diet.

W

Re: - Black Bean Soup & Soul Food and Juicing

The juicing idea sounds like a good one, Shirley. A few months ago I had seen an Oprah show with Dr. Oz in which he visits a young woman with cancer. She talked about how healthy she eats now that she has the disease, including a green vegetable juice she makes each morning. I thought, why isn't this a practice for everyone, including those who aren't sick. If it's so good for us, we should do it. I don't know a lot about it.

I loved beans. I used to only know Boston baked beans until about ten years ago. Then discovered so many more of them. Can you share a few of your recipes with us? I always hear about beans and rice but haven't found a recipe to try yet. There are so many variations on this and I wasn't sure which direction to go in. But I'm interested in other bean recipes as well.

Last night I made pinto beans with tomatoes and onions that I like a lot. I had put the recipe for that on here a long time ago and can do it again if anyone wants it. Next time I make that recipe, I'm going to make it with black beans because I really love those.

Elaine

On 1/8/08, sbrown857@... <

sbrown857@...> wrote:

Hi : I wish you could have shared some black bean soup and cornbread with me also. I think we could have shared some very interesting conversations also. I guess maybe the cornbread wasn't a very good diet choice but I seem to really like a lot of the soul food. I was pretty much raised on beans, fried potatoes and cornbread and biscuits and gravy. I have since learned to enjoy a LOT of other different foods also but I still like the soul food. I have to say I don't have any trouble eating things that are good for me as I like a lot of that too. My trouble is eating too much and too fast. I also forget to drink as much water as I should. I have recently been doing a lot of juicing. Have you read or heard anything about the juice diets. Don't get me wrong---I am not on a JUICE DIET but I have been doing a lot of juicing for my health. I never thought about all the different juices you could make with vegetables and how healthy they are if you drink them within the hour so you get the enzymes. I love the one fruit juice I try to do everyday. It is red or pink grapefruit, lemon, apples, green grapes, fresh pineapple with the skin on it and whatever I think of that would go with it. It is really good and all of the citrus fruits are diuretics which I need as I retain a lot of fluid. The only problem is - it's not cheap - I had to buy a GOOD juicer and they recommend ORGANIC fruits and vegetables so of course they are more expensive. I don't buy them all organic. I found a fruit and vegetable wash that I spray on them and then wash them off. I have found I can take some of the pulp from the fruit and put it in yogurt and it is really good. I can take pulp from vegetables like carrots, celery, onions etc and put it in soups or brown rice or a lot of different things. It is really kind of fun to improvise with it. I am enjoying getting back into the group. Shirley from Southern Illinois

..

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January 9, 2008

had to buy a GOOD juicer and they recommend ORGANIC fruits and vegetables so of course they are more expensive. I don't buy them all

Shirley,

My brother is a big fan of juicing and swears by it. Personally, I do like to make smoothies, but have not gotten into the "green smoothies" that are supposed to be so healthy. If you go to the Live to Eat site, which I belonged to for a while, they all SWEAR that you can bust a binge or kill cravings for junk food by loading up on green smoothies.

what kind of juicer did you get? I want a Vitamix but it has not worked its way up the financial priority list to the point where I have invested the money yet lol

JanetStart the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape in the new year.

January 9, 2008

,

Since you and Shirley obviously like to cook, I have to tell you about this wonderful cookbook I got for Christmas. It's the King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking cookbook. It has some WONDERFUL looking baked goods that are made with whole grains so they are a lot healthier. The way my diet works, I try to stick with mu particular program all week, then one dinner on the weekend I can have whatever I want and that always includes a real dessert. If I am home, I generally bake something. I have a half sized bundt pan and I can make a cake, slice it and put it in the freezer. If I make a cobbler or crumble, I cut the recipe down to a small size and whatever I (or we) do not eat that night I give away or throw out (my neighbor prays every weekend that I am going to bake - his wife doesn't cook and he gets a lot of my leftovers lol) I can't wait to try some of the recipes in this book!

I also got a couple of new vegetarian cookbooks that have some great looking recipes in them. I cook a lot of vegetarian food these days as well.

JanetStart the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape in the new year.

January 9, 2008

my mother raised myself and my siblings on a very budget imposed by my

father. we never ate raw or fresh vegetables, rarely had fruit and

constantly ate the same things over and over again.

i cant bear to eat many of things that i ate as a child. i became a

terribly picky eater and thought I didn't like much.

then some co-workers took me out for indian food adn then I met my now

husband shortly afterwards. he introduced me to the world of food.

now i cant seem to stop eating....

i find it so exciting to have food that i enjoy eating. i know it's

one of those complications i need to find a way around to help my

weight loss.

ok i'm getting really fuzzy headed now, i'm going to try to read a few

more posts and hopefully refrain from replying until tomorrow.

laurie

>

> I am going to put your jucing ideas to use, Shirley. I, too, love

soul food, and find it comforting.

> My grandfather loved to crumble cornbread into a glass, pour milk

over it and put into the refrigerator for later. My family calls this

" crumble " . Everyone else I know of who does this uses buttermilk, but

we always used regular milk. I think that if you do not grow up with

some of these foods they sound unappealing. Such a psychological

aspect to what we like to eat. My daughter spent a summer in New

England and found the food there bland and not up to southern taste

buds, but I expect that New Englanders find southern food greasy and

often overcooked. My husband loved anything as long as it was fried.

I tried his whole life to re-educate his palate, and at the same

time, my mother-in-law was teaching my older son to love the same

foods. My son's wife is now fighting the same battles with Rob that I

did with his dad, and the son has the same health issues as his father

had, diabetes and heart disease at a very young age. My daughter in

law is a wonderful cook with great ability to cook healthy and at the

same time tasty food, so my son is so fortunate to have her. My other

two children have much healthier eating habits. My younger son is

quite appearance conscious so watches what he eats, and my daughter is

just a very smart young woman in almost every aspect of her life. I

retained the few bad habits I grew up with and took on many of my

husband's bad eating preferences, so it is a constant battle.

> W

> Re: - Black Bean Soup & Soul

Food and Juicing

>

> Hi : I wish you could have shared some black bean soup and

cornbread with me also. I think we could have shared some very

interesting conversations also.

>

> I guess maybe the cornbread wasn't a very good diet choice but I

seem to really like a lot of the soul food.

>

> I was pretty much raised on beans, fried potatoes and cornbread

and biscuits and gravy. I have since learned to enjoy a LOT of other

different foods also but I still like the soul food.

>

> I have to say I don't have any trouble eating things that are good

for me as I like a lot of that too. My trouble is eating too much and

too fast. I also forget to drink as much water as I should.

>

> I have recently been doing a lot of juicing. Have you read or

heard anything about the juice diets. Don't get me wrong---I am not

on a JUICE DIET but I have been doing a lot of juicing for my health.

I never thought about all the different juices you could make with

vegetables and how healthy they are if you drink them within the hour

so you get the enzymes. I love the one fruit juice I try to do

everyday. It is red or pink grapefruit, lemon, apples, green grapes,

fresh pineapple with the skin on it and whatever I think of that would

go with it. It is really good and all of the citrus fruits are

diuretics which I need as I retain a lot of fluid.

>

> The only problem is - it's not cheap - I had to buy a GOOD juicer

and they recommend ORGANIC fruits and vegetables so of course they are

more expensive. I don't buy them all organic. I found a fruit and

vegetable wash that I spray on them and then wash them off.

> I have found I can take some of the pulp from the fruit and put it

in yogurt and it is really good. I can take pulp from vegetables like

carrots, celery, onions etc and put it in soups or brown rice or a lot

of different things. It is really kind of fun to improvise with it.

>

> I am enjoying getting back into the group.

> Shirley from Southern Illinois

>

> **************

> Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape.

> http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aolcmp00300000002489

>

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>

> No virus found in this incoming message.

> Checked by AVG Free Edition.

> Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.17.13/1213 - Release Date:

1/7/2008 9:14 AM

>

January 10, 2008

about how healthy she eats now that she has the disease, including a green vegetable juice she makes each morning.

If you are interested in learning about green smoothies you should check out the Eat to Live site. Dr. Fuhrman Improves Health - Lose Weight Naturally | Reverse Diabetes | Prevent Heart Disease and Cancer | Lower Choles.. Dr. Fuhrman is also a great friend of Dr. Oz. If you can stick to this diet, you will lose huge amounts of weight very quickly. However, be prepared for the fact that you cannot eat any meat or dairy and will eat large amounts of raw vegetables and beans. I was on it for a while, and I still do make baked tofu and I have am conscious of eating more vegetables and beans than I used to eat. Another great site is Fatfree Vegan Recipes which is run by one of the women I met in the Eat to Live yahoo group.

Janet

January 10, 2008

just avoid it. I love crispy fried potatoes but I never fry

I hardly fry anything anymore. I have gotten so I prefer oven "fried" potatoes and sweet potatoes and I even make a cornmeal crust and bake catfish

Janet

Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape in the new year.

January 10, 2008

Thanks, Janet. I'll look at his site and perhaps find a few things I can try out.

Elaine

about how healthy she eats now that she has the disease, including a green vegetable juice she makes each morning.

If you are interested in learning about green smoothies you should check out the Eat to Live site.

Dr. Fuhrman Improves Health - Lose Weight Naturally | Reverse Diabetes | Prevent Heart Disease and Cancer | Lower Choles.. Dr. Fuhrman is also a great friend of Dr. Oz. If you can stick to this diet, you will lose huge amounts of weight very quickly. However, be prepared for the fact that you cannot eat any meat or dairy and will eat large amounts of raw vegetables and beans. I was on it for a while, and I still do make baked tofu and I have am conscious of eating more vegetables and beans than I used to eat. Another great site is Fatfree Vegan Recipes which is run by one of the women I met in the Eat to Live yahoo group.

Janet

January 10, 2008

the dried boxed Zatarains is available, I keep forgetting to check if

the frozen is here yet. i hope it is, you had some great suggestions

last time.

laurie

> Hi : I wish you could have shared some black bean soup and

cornbread with me also. I think we could have shared some very

interesting conversations also.

>

> I guess maybe the cornbread wasn't a very good diet choice but I

seem to really like a lot of the soul food.

>

> I was pretty much raised on beans, fried potatoes and cornbread

and biscuits and gravy. I have since learned to enjoy a LOT of other

different foods also but I still like the soul food.

>

> I have to say I don't have any trouble eating things that are

good for me as I like a lot of that too. My trouble is eating too

much and too fast. I also forget to drink as much water as I should.