Inside HBC

Sage Muffins… instead of bread stuffing

If you are having trouble with gluten, but can’t bear the thought of NOT eating the herb-filled stuffing at your holiday dinners, I have an idea for you: make these muffins! GWF Baking Mix is wheat-free, gluten-free, sugar-free but makes the most delicious breads, muffins, cookies, and cakes. Promise!

• 2 eggs (sweet)
• 1 cup chicken broth (sweet)
• 4 TBS butter, melted & cooled (sweet)
• 2 TBS olive oil (sweet)
• 1 cup chopped onion (pungent, sweet)
• 1 cup chopped celery (salty, bitter)
• 1 TBS fresh thyme leaves (bitter, pungent)
• 1 TBS fresh sage, chopped (bitter, pungent)
• 2 cups of baking mix (sweet, salty)

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Saute onions and celery in 2 TBS olive oil until soft, approximately 8 minutes. Stir in chopped sage and thyme and let sit to cool.
3. Beat eggs gently in large bowl. Add chicken broth and cooled onion mixture. While stirring, slowly add melted butter. Mix well.
4. Add baking mix, stirring just until combined.
5. Fill lightly oiled loaf pan (smaller size is better) or mini loaf pans.  Place in oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the center of a muffin springs back when touched lightly.
6. Cool in tins for 5 minutes, then remove to cooling rack.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins

Chocolate decadence. Chocolate overdose. Chocolate chocolate. This recipe is my new favorite. I made it yesterday as muffins, but you could also bake it like a cake in a 9 x 9 pan. I topped mine with fresh whipped cream, raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries and served it for dessert. It could have been serve all by itself, and I think the crowd still would have cheered. Yum yum yum.

• 2 cups of baking mix (sweet, salty)
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder (bitter)
• 2 TBS stevia powder (sweet)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes (sweet)
• 1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips (bitter, sweet)
• 1 cup yogurt (sweet, sour)
• 1/2 to 1 cup cream (or soy milk, half and half, or water) (sweet)
• 2 eggs (sweet)
• 1/4 cup of oil (sweet)
• 2 tsp vanilla (sweet)

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients. Set aside.
3. Gently beat eggs in a medium bowl. Add yogurt, oil, vanilla and 1/2 cup of cream and combine.
4. Add to dry ingredients and mix. Add more milk if it seems too thick (it shouldn’t be runny like most cake mixes, but it should flow).
5. Fill lightly oiled or papered cupcake tins with batter.  Place in oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the center of a muffin springs back when touched lightly.
6. Cool in tins for 5 minutes, then remove to cooling rack.
7. Enjoy with whipped cream sweetened with a few drops of stevia and vanilla.

GWF Baking Mix is available at the Heavenly Bodies Clinic and through our online store.

Greek Salad for a summer day

Summer started here in Virginia a few weeks ago, with temperatures soaring into the 90s and plenty of humidity. If you are outside for part of your day, you know by now that staying hydrated is really important. Now that summer is officially here, try adding more foods that hydrate and keep you cool, vegetables like cucumbers, tomatoes, and green peppers in this simple Greek salad. It calls for dried oregano, but if you have fresh, so much the better. Your taste buds will be delighted with  the 5-Flavors, and your body will thank you.

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (sweet)
• 1½ tablespoons lemon juice (sour)
• 1 clove garlic—minced (pungent)
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano (bitter, pungent)
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt (salty)
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and extra for garnish (bitter, pungent)
• 3 tomatoes—cut into wedges (sweet, sour)
• ¼ red onion—sliced into rings (sweet, pungent)
• ½ cucumber—sliced into thick half-moons (sweet)
• ½ green pepper (capsicum)—julienned (sweet, pungent)
• 4 oz (120g) feta cheese—cut into small cubes (pungent, salty)
• 16 kalamata olives (salty, sweet)

Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and oregano in a large salad bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and toss gently to cover. Garnish with fresh ground pepper.

Learning the 5 Flavors

Our weight loss club participants are learning how to use the 5 Flavors to satisfy their appetites.  Using the 5 Flavors in your meal planning will also help to keep your body healthy.  As you learn to identify these flavors, and identify your cravings, you may also learn to put attention on areas that are deficient.  Your attention cues your body to send healing energy to those areas.  (And needles sure do help, too.)  As always, work with the Doctor on diagnosis and a healing plan.

The 5 Flavors are Sweet, Salty, Sour, Pungent, and Bitter.

Here are some foods that will help you learn the 5 Flavors (pages refer to recipes in the HBC Recipe Book).

• candied ginger (pungent/sweet)
• dark chocolate–70% if you can find it (bitter/sweet)
• roasted almonds (salty/sweet)
• grape tomatoes (sour/sweet)
• kosher pickles (sour/sweet)
• Mediterranean olives (sour/sweet)
• slices of cucumber with curried yogurt dip [pg 5] (sour/sweet/pungent)
• celery with peanut butter or goat cheese/ground pepper (salty/sweet)
• pistachio nuts (ALL 5 FLAVORS!!)
• protein shake [pg 15, pg 16]  (sweet)
• green drink (sweet/sour/bitter)
• spoonful of peanut butter (the natural, no sugar kind) (sweet)
• guacamole [pg 8]  (sweet, sour, pungent, salty)

All of the recipes in the HBC Recipe Book list the flavors of each ingredient to make it easier for you to do your menu planning.

Gillian will be in the clinic select Saturday mornings (watch our Facebook page) with GWF Baking Mix goodies and to answer your questions about 5 Flavor Eating and the Weight Loss Club.

“I heart U” Chocolate Chunk and Walnut Oatmeal Cookies

According to TCM food energetics, the Bitter flavor drains and counters dampness, and benefits the heart.  We have your heart in mind as we get ready for Valentine’s Day!  If homemade is your style, try this recipe.

• 8 TBS of butter, room temperature (sweet)
• 1/2 cup GWF Baking Mix (sweet, salty)
• 1 1/2 cups of oats (sweet)
• 1 large egg, slightly beaten (sweet)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (sweet)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (sweet, bitter)
• 3 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, chopped (bitter)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, mix butter, egg, vanilla.
3. Incorporate GWF baking mix and oats; stir in walnuts and chocolate.
4. Drop by spoonfuls onto a lightly greased baking sheet.  Bake for 12-15 minute until the tops are golden.

Chocolate-Pistachio Biscotti

These little biscotti cookies are great with an early morning coffee or crumbled on some yogurt and raspberries for dessert.  However you enjoy them, remember they are full of protein, not sugar.

• 1 cup GWF Baking Mix (sweet, salty)
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder (bitter)
• 2 eggs (sweet)
• 20 drops of stevia liquid (sweet)
• 1 tsp vanilla (sweet)
• 1/4 cup canola (or other light) oil (sweet)
• 1/2 cup pistachio nuts (sweet, salty, sour, bitter)
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (sweet, bitter)
• 1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger candy (optional) (pungent, sweet)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  In a medium bowl, blend together the GWF baking mix with the cocoa powder and set aside.
2. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the eggs, then add stevia liquid and beat until frothy.  Mix in vanilla and oil.
3. With the mixer on low, add the cocoa baking mix and combine well.  Add nuts, chocolate and ginger and mix (it may be easier to use a spatula at this point to mix).
4. With moistened hands, shape the dough into 2 9-inch logs about 2 inches in width.  Bake until set, about 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes.  Reduce heat to 325.
5. Transferred cooled logs to cutting board and slice (serrated knife works well) into 16 slices each, about 1/2-inch thick.  Return to baking sheet/parchment paper and bake for another 10 minutes on each side.  Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then move to a cooling rack.  Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

GWF baking mix is available at the Heavenly Bodies Clinic or our online store!

Kale with Garlic and Bacon

Five flavor eating is about making sure you eat enough, but not too much, of healthy, delicious, real food.  The flavor I found the most difficult to satisfy when I first started eating this way is Bitter.  I found that many dark leafy greens, like kale, Swiss chard, collard greens, mustard greens, etc, are mainly bitter in flavor.  I never ate these before, so I began playing with recipes.  Here’s one that I loved.  You can substitute whichever green you prefer for the kale, and just adjust the cooking time.

• 1 bunch of kale, tough stems and center rib cut out and discarded (bitter, sweet)
• 5 strips of bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (salty, sweet)
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or minced (pungent, sweet)
• 2 cups of chicken broth or water (sweet)

1. Stack the kale leaves and slice into 1/4 inch strips with a sharp knife.
2. Cook the bacon in a wide, 6-8 inch heavy pot over moderate heat (about 4 on the dial).  Stir occasionally until crisp, then remove to paper towel to drain.
3. Drain all but about 3 TBS of fat from the pot.  Turn the heat to low (about 2), then add the garlic and cook until golden, about 30 seconds.
4. Add the kale and toss with tongs (or stir) until it is bright green and wilted, about 1 minute.  Add broth and simmer, partially covered, for about 6-10 minutes, until just tender.
5. To serve, toss with bacon, salt and pepper to taste.  Enjoy!

Note:  This recipe can also be found in the “Heavenly Bodies Clinic Recipes” book, which can be ordered at: http://www.heavenlybodiesclinic.com/biodetox/detox_products/index.nclk

5-Flavor Eating

Did you know that balancing the flavors of the food you eat on a daily basis can actually prevent disease?  Food can and should be considered medicine.  You really can eat to lose weight, balance your emotions, and improve your overall health.  When your meals contain a variety of flavors and textures, you simply feel more satisfied sooner and don’t tend to overeat, burdening your body with too much.

The 5 Flavors:

• Sweet
• Salty
• Sour
• Pungent
• Bitter

When you include each of these flavors when you eat, you will find that you feel more satisfied, more energetic, and less inclined to snack.  Your concentration may improve, your moods may be more steady, and life just may seem brighter.  Come back to this category for scrumptious recipes and delicious meal ideas to help you on your journey to optimum health.