Gayla's Magazine

The World's Best Christmas Treat

   

Buy some Pretzel Sticks - 'Rods' they are called in Texas.

Melt some chocolate in a bowl.

  

Lay them out to dry slightly on wax paper.

 

Now there are a variety of ways to dress these up. 

1. Crush peppermints in a food processor and roll the sticks dipped in chocolate in them.  These look really pretty and taste fantastic!!

 

2. Roll the dipped sticks in coconut.  Also very pretty and a whole new taste!

 

3. Or...... melt some white chocolate and using a spoon drizzle quickly   the melted white chocolate across the dipped sticks.  Oh so good!

 

Wrap these in a special box, and delightful tastes await your guests!

Apple Waldorf Salad

 

Every time I make this salad - it gets gobbled up! This salad is filled with healthy goodness that is alkaline in the body, and it's raw so you are getting lots of nutrition too. 

Here's how to make it.

Organic Apples - 3 chopped

Organic Celery - 3 sticks chopped

Organic Strawberries - as many as you like!

Dried Cranberries - handful

Walnuts - handful

Toss together and pour this dressing over it.

1 cup safflower mayonnaise

Juice of one whole lemon - or orange if you don't have a lemon

Agave nectar 1/3 cup - or more if you like. (It's alkaline)

I promise you that you will love this - and so will your body!

Breakfast?

Will you be eating breakfast this morning?  "No ... it takes too much time.....  I am not a breakfast 'eater'....  I'll just grab something on the way. I'm not hungry ..... I'll grab a coffee and a doughnut in the car".  All of the excuses we make don't give our bodies energy to start the day or the nutrition to keep our systems working well. 

What makes a fast and tasty breakfast?  I know the usual 'stuff' that is eaten to start the day like eggs and meat and bready things.  Or the local greasy spoon eatery that serves up their description of breakfast. 

Once when we were traveling years ago, a dear lady made breakfast for us by cracking eggs into a iron skillet filled with oil and fried them while they 'swam' around.  I cringed watching her do this artery clogging feat.  I wondered 'do people not read and learn about their health'?  Then she slapped them on a plate and handed the poor greasy things to us to eat, as if her efforts were wonderful!

Another time while traveling on a plane in Romania, I remember the flight attendant coming down the isle with a big metal beat up pot on her little trolley.  And she glopped some grey slop looking stuff into paper bowls and shoved them at the passengers. "Here"  she said in a loud gruff voice to each person.  We decided to fast that breakfast!

But what is a fast healthy way to start the day that adds nutrition, taste and value?  No .... the answer is not fast food.  This is faster, cheaper and tastes so much better.

Try granola with fruit flavored yogurt on top. It's almost like having a dessert for breakfast. It tastes really great! And it takes all of 1 minute to grab a bowl, pour in the granola and spoon some yogurt on top.   

Here's the fruit, calcium, whole grains, protein and fiber to start your day well - all in one bowl! “Gourmet Granola from Upstate Harvest”. Go see their site!!!!!

Your brain, liver, stomach, blood flow, intestines, heart, bones and a host of other tiny machines who are keeping you together body and soul will thank you for thinking of them.

Happy Breakfast!

www.gregoryholley.com        www.rolemodelsofamerica.org   

 

Homemade Herbs

Nothing makes food taste better than using fresh herbs.  They add so much flavor and delight to eating! But buying fresh herbs are expensive - not to mention that they do not last very long - either in the refrigerator or out on the cabinet in a vase of water.  So....

Want to taste the best roasted chicken in the world?  Try adding fresh rosemary herb sprigs to the bird before baking.  The flavor is truly special - and the fragrance that wafts all over the house is mmmmm good!

Your family will come to the table with their mouths watering, ready to eat!

But I need to figure out how to keep a good supply on hand all the time.  Hmmmm

So let's dig out the food dehydrator and dry some herbs.  I have a problem wasting good food - so here goes.  Just lay them on the trays and put the lid on and turn it on.  In a few hours these are nice and dry.

Once they are dry, just begin to crush each one with my fingers.

The herb Dill is very aromatic - I can't wait to try using it in a recipe soon. 

It drys perfectly in such a short time - I can't believe it.

   

  Now just fill clean glass jars - and we are good for lot's of fresh herbs in the future. Cheap?  You bet!  Have you priced a tin of herbs lately? 

Fast 20 minute meal

In the mood for Italian?  Take organic spaghetti and throw it in a pot of boiling water.  Chop some organic red peppers, onions, garlic, mushrooms, saute with some COLD PRESSED olive oil slightly only till they are all hot but the peppers are still crunchy (to keep the vitamins from being murdered)

Sling the cooked spaghetti on top of the sauteed veggies stir it around - add the fresh basil, some fresh jalapeno peppers, and some chopped tomato's (as much as you like) Add some sea salt and pepper - it's ready to eat!

Slice some whole grain bread.  Pour a little olive oil in a tiny bowl - add some herbs to it (whatever you like) Dig out your big bowls and dish up the spaghetti dish.  Put a slice of bread on the edge of each person's bowl - dip the bread in the olive oil, and put it in your mouth.   O so gooood!  Fast, hot, fresh and good to eat! Set down - eat - jump up - and keep going!

Healthy Tortilla Chips

Sometimes a good corn chip would be just right for having with a chili supper on a cold night.  But how on earth can there be a healthy chip?  So I decided to try something unheard of - I just started thinking outside the box to dream up something new to go with my favorite Mexican foods! I made my own tortilla chips - taa...daa!

Here is what I did - I took plain uncooked corn tortillas right out of the package and torn them into pieces.

And I put them into my food dehydrator filling every level but not letting any of the edges touch together. 

  I put the lid on it and turned it on.  That's it!  I let them dehydrate overnight and by the next day ..... I had crispy chips that looked just like the store bought one - but much better!

Can you believe it!  That's all I did!  Once done I put them into airtight zippy bags. 

We had guacamole that day - the sea salt and lemon juice I had added in the guacamole took care of the need for salty chips.  These are very light, very crispy, nothing greasy about them, and they taste really good!  I was so pleased about them ....MMM good!

I am not sure just how healthy these are - but I know that they have to be much better for us than regular chips because they are not fried and have no preservatives on them.  And tonight we shall have TVP chili with chips!

Why not try it for yourself!

Chocolate Pudding

Why have we become so dependent upon grocery stores to provide every form of food for us to eat?  We pay huge amounts of money for boxed foods that can be easily created for a fraction of the cost.  Now here's a real deal.  Cheaper to make, and have double, triple and sometimes much more than that!  And the best thing of all?  No artificial ingredients, no chemical additives - you get to choose all of the ingredients in your own 'boxed foods'!  Ready for a fresh idea? 

Try making your own groceries.  Did you realize you can create your own baking mixes, cake mixes, jams and preserves, cereals, salad dressings, ice creams, yogurts, pickles and relishes, beauty aids, cleaning aid and many many more.  Today I want to show you how to make your own pudding mixes.  Yes, you can make your own - store the mix in a glass jar with a tight lid, and have homemade pudding whenever you want.  It's a win- win for you.  No high prices, no bad list of ingredients, and best of all - it tastes great!

Here is my homemade Chocolate Pudding Mix.

This is creamy, smooth and so so chocolate!

I keep the mix in a tall glass container - and mix up a big batch at a time.  It takes no more time to make a big batch as it does a small one.  Just like it takes no more time to bake 2 chickens instead of just one.  And the value of the added time for that other cooked chicken can really help on lunches, and or a fast supper.  See.... you can cook your own fast food - thats not loaded with things that can damage your health.  anyway back to the chocolate pudding. 

On the back side of the jar, I have the added recipe instructions to make up one batch of the pudding.  This way all I do is follow what it written and I have a quick dessert that completes a meal. 

Okay here is the recipe. I use some healthy ingredients instead of the usual - and the taste is even better.  Go ahead, think outside the box - you might be surprised how really tasty healthy food is!

3 cups of organic evaporated cane sugar (buy in your grocery store - the health food isle)

3/4 c cocoa powder

3/4 c carob powder

1 1/4 c arrowroot

1/2 sea salt

Mix this all together well - store in a glass container.  When you are ready for chocolate pudding - Measure out 1 cup of the mixture

put it in a sauce pan on the stove

Add 2 3/4  cups of either chocolate rice milk - or chocolate almond milk (you can also get this in your local grocery store in the health food isle)  Either of them is very good!

Cook over very low heat,stirring constantly until the mixture thickens and starts to boil.  Let it cook for about a minute always stirring it,  then remove from heat and stir in 1 and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract and 2 Tablespoons of Earth Balance butter.

Pour into 5 1/2 c serving dishes - chill and you are ready to enjoy!

 

   

Lemony Salad Dressing

Never spend money again on expensive salad dressings!  There is no need to buy something that has all kinds of stuff in it that you can't even pronounce. What ARE all of those ingredients anyway?   I am going to show you a easy, quick, cheap dressing that tastes really good! There are only 3 ingredients in it - now I know you can make this!  It's tangy and a little tart, but sweet and smooth. It's a party in your mouth! 

I use Canola Mayonnaise - but regular mayonnaise will work too.  I prefer this type because it's healthy.  Take 1 cup of mayo and put in a bowl.

This is Agave Nectar.  It's found in health food stores OR sometimes can be found in the ethnic isle in the Mexican food area at grocery stores. I have found it locally in a Gerlands grocery store too.  It's wonderfully smooth the texture is like honey - but it does not taste like honey.  It's just pure sweetness - like a clear syrup almost.  It's from a cactus plant and is a pure food full of nutritional value.  By the way you can replace the white refined sugar with this product and feel good about eating something sweet! Take a 1/4  cup of this and add it to the Mayo. If it's not quite sweet enough - add some more!

Cut a fresh lemon in half and squeeze it into the mayo.  And then mix it all up!  If you want more citrus - squeeze another one.  That's all!

  This is how it looks when it's all mixed up.  This pours really nicely and your salad will taste fabulous!  The citrus flavor adds a kick to any type of salad you can make.  I have used it on lettuce salads, and fruit salads.  I have also put it on sliced avocados and or sliced tomato's.  Try it - you will like it!  You may never spend your hard earned money on bottled dressings again!    

The Best Tasting Salad You Have Ever Eaten!

Healthy food is a great health insurance plan that all of us can do.  It doesn't matter if we have the greatest insurance coverage on earth, if we don't take care of our health - no amount of  insurance can keep us well and healthy.  That's our job.  And what goes into our mouths is totally in our own hands.  Sometimes fast food makes us think, 'it's fast - I'm hungry - it's food right now - I need it'.  But the truth is fast food is destroying the health of Americans.  All that grease, salt, fat content,  only God knows exactly what is in the beef (or how many different body tissues are really in that patty - or even how many different cows are mixed up in the same burger).  All I know is feeding our bodies nutritionally cannot happen when we eat fast food.  Really ....... how many vitamins and minerals were in what was eaten in your house this very day?  Isn't it time we Americans became responsible and started eating the right way - instead of eating all the wrong foods and being shocked when we contract diseases. Instead invest some effort and care in your own body and see how good you start feeling - and looking I might add! No one is feeding you - but you!

This salad I am going to show you is the absolute best salad you have ever eaten!  It's tasty, full full full of flavor, crunchy, satisfying, chewy - shall I go on?  It will fill you up!  And your body will be so happy that tomorrow morning you will experience happy moves! Now seriously .....you aren't really trying to hold onto all those toxins inside are you? 

I call this The Gala Apple Salad - no pun intended on my name.  Now how can a lettuce salad be all that great you say.  Well the right kind of lettuce alone will taste better when you use a type that has a little texture and flavor to it.  This is Romaine Lettuce.  Here goes my recipe.

I don't have exact measurements - just use your own amounts as you like.   

Chopped Organic Romaine Lettuce

Pesticide free and hormone free chicken breast cooked and chopped 

Craisens - these are dried Cranberries (handful)

Macadamia nuts (handful)

Purple onions slivers  if you like

Chop up a Organic Gala Apple and toss in with everything else in a large mixing bowl

Mix the light dressing which is:

Dr Bragg's Organic Apple Cider Vinegar (easy to find in a health store) Don't use white vinegar it is not good for you.  But Apple Cider is Alkaline and is beneficial to your health.

Agave Juice (easy to find in a health store) It's pure Alkaline and tastes really sweet.

Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Mix these 3 ingredients together, add each ingrediant to taste. It should taste sweet and sour. Keep adding Agave juice till it's sweet enough to your taste. Use the olive oil to tone it down a little. 

Pour it over the salad and mix everything together and fill the plates.  Then put Apple Chips on top and sprinkle goat cheese bits on top of that.

This tastes so so good that you will eat every bite of it!  I promise!  And the vitamins and minerals you will get from it will be like a breath of fresh air to your blood, your stomach, your brain, your intestines..... now how many other systems shall I mention?  Enjoy!

Healthy Pizza

Once in a while a good homemade pizza just hits the spot.  Now in our case eating healthy - one must consider the contents of a pizza and how to make a truly delicious pizza pie that tastes good and isn't so bad for our health.  This my friend, is a vegetarian pizza.  What? That looks like pepperoni on that pizza!

I know it does ... and it tastes much like pepperoni - but the secret is ... it's not!  It's vegetarian pepperoni! 

And this is what the packaging looks like.  It's tasty, low fat, and free from all the bad stuff in pepperoni! 

So what else is good about it?  Slather the homemade crust with some organic tomato sauce with extra oregano and rosemary spice.  Slice up some poblano peppers and some yellow bell peppers and throw on some purple onions. 

It's looking good already.  But no pizza is complete without the cheese!  In my case looking for cheese that melts good and gooey, tastes great and looks like the fat filled old style mozzie cheese is necessary. 

Here is the answer - Veggie Shreds - it's the cheese of choice.  I mix a little of almond cheese in with it and  voila .... wonderful pizza cheese - without any of the 'bad' stuff!

Put this baby in the 425 degree oven and let it bake.  Baking on a baking stone is by far the best way to make really great pizza.  I can't wait to taste this..... smells good already.

This pizza is a serious good pizza - similar to the deep dish pizza's we used to get in Chicago - now THEY really know how to make great pizza's.   

Between the two of us - we nearly ate the whole thing.  Who needs greasy pizza when one can eat a pizza that is healthy and tastes sooooo good!  As you can see - not much is left - proof to how it tasted! Wish you could have had some with us.  Maybe next time....