The Sandwich!

On "Eat What I Created" the first thing I do is decide if what I'm about to eat is natural, or found in creation.  Next, I look at the ingredients list, hopefully there's no more than 4 or 5 ingredients, otherwise it's loaded with a bunch of chemicals that I can barely pronounce.
The bread for this sandwich is from La Brea Bakery purchased at Stater Bros.   La Brea Bakery is known for their artisan (handmade) breads with very few natural ingredients.  Everything else is pretty much a vegetable, here's the ingredients list:

- Whole Grain Bread
- Boursin Cheese (Garlic)
- Cucumber
- Grilled Red Onion
- Roasted Red Pepper
- Avocado
- Arugula (tossed in balsamic dressing)
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Salt & Pepper

Grill the bread.  Spread a thick layer of Boursin cheese.  Layer a few thin slices of cucumber.  Pile on a few grilled or sauteed Red Onions (I usually cut them in thick rounds and place em on the grill and brush them with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt, grill them until their are nice an soft and a little charred).
Next, pile on the Roasted Red Peppers (I buy them in a jar).  A few slices of Haas Avocado.  Top it off with Arugula (balsamic dressing below).  Serve with something crunchy, like some good all-natural potato chips or pita chips.

Balsamic Salad Dressing:
1/3 cup Balsamic Vinegar
2/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. fresh cracked pepper
with a wire whisk, whip vigorously until an emulsion is formed)

IN THE RAW!

Ahhhhhh, back home in Southern California after 3 weeks in rainy Seattle.  I feel GREAT this morning after breakfast.  I bought everything at Trader Joe's last night.  A few slices of Ezekial 4:9 Bread (Cinnamon & Raisin) with Kerrygold butter, and a few slices of Raw Milk Cheddar Cheese.  The cheese is very mild for a raw milk cheese.  I tend to like mine a little more tangier, but this is good for those who've never experienced raw cheese.  Let me just say, if you've had real Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese before, then you've had raw cheese.  Real Parm-Reg comes from unpasteurized cow's milk.
I was reading up on all the healthful benefits of raw milk cheese, I'll never buy the other kind.  Loads more vitamins, plus CLA (conjugated linoleum acid) which speeds up weight loss.
Just make sure your Raw Cheese comes from a  reliable source, supermarket or specialty cheese store.

Trader Joe's Raw Milk Cheddar!

Man shall not live by Sprouted Grains alone...

I've seen this bread in the stores for years.  I think I even bought it once like 10 years ago and only ate one piece.  Well, I don't know if my taste buds have changed, or this new healthy lifestyle is starving for a good time, but this bread was AWESOME this morning with coffee!!  The ingredients are on the photo below.  Just toast up a few slices, find some good "EWIC" butter, and THAT is good breakfast right out of creation!

Day 5 - Eggplant Parmesan

If you can buy Organic then go ahead, if not do the best you can.  Here's what I use:

2 or 3 Organic Eggplant
1 28oz. Can Tomato Puree (Muir Glen Organic)
2 Cups fresh grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese
1 Cup fresh Mozzarella Cheese (Costco has great FRESH Mozzarella)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Get a large saute pan nice and hot.  Pour olive oil in to a bowl.  Slice eggplant crosswise in 1/2 inch slices.  Dip each piece of eggplant in to the olive oil and then place it in the hot pan.  Do this until all eggplant are golden brown on the outside.  Shred or slice the mozzarella and shred the parmigiano cheeses.  Open the can of tomato puree and spoon a thin layer on the bottom of a small baking dish (last time i made this I used a 9 inch glass pie pan).  Place one layer of eggplant on top of the sauce.  Sprinkle with sea salt.  Add half of the mozzarella and half of the parmigiano cheese.  Spoon in just a little sauce scatter all over, very light.  Next, another layer of eggplant, salt, a little more salt, and top with rest of the cheese.  Bake at 400 until lightly browned on top and bubbling!  Mangia!

Day 4 - FREEDOM

We went back to Pike St. Marketplace this afternoon, specifically for a taste of Beecher's Handmade Cheeses.  Gina wanted to try the grilled cheese sandwich, and I noticed that their Mac & Cheese was one of "Oprah's Favorite Things" so I had to investigate.  The Mac & Cheese is SO famous that they have the recipe displayed in the store (http://www.beechershandmadecheese.com/recipes_WBMacncheese.php).  I am here to report that it is one of the BEST mac & cheeses I have ever tasted.   Their own flagship and jack cheese, with swiss gruyere...WHOA!!!
Everything in this recipe is found in creation.  Now granted, the pasta and the sauce both have all-purpose flour, which isn't really found in creation because of the bleaching agents they use.  So, if I was going to make this at home I would find an 100% organic unbleached flour.  Everything else in their recipe is great!  Their cheeses are all-natural and handmade, so just make sure you find all-natural cheeses if you're going to stick to the program and make it yourself.  Or, just save yourself the hassle and order it online and have it shipped to your house :)
So I was thinking, there are a lot of rich foods like this that can be bought or made at home that fall under the "EWIC" plan, but you definitely can't live off of food like this, it's great once in a while but not all the time.  At the same time, the core of this program is not to put you under a bunch of rules either.  We've been given every good thing from the beginning for our bodies to use as food to eat and enjoy in abundance.  We've also been given self-control, we just need to access it!
So, I came up with a tag line, "Eat What I Created: in moderation and temperance".  Moderation is balance and freedom, temperance is self-control.
Eat What I Created means that we have the FREEDOM, and we've been given the SELF-CONTROL to enjoy everything that has been put here on this Earth

Day 3 - Eat What I Created...from Safeway!

I went to the nearby Safeway in North Bend, WA this afternoon determined to find food worthy of the "Eat What I Created" plan.  Also, to show people you don't have to shop at Whole Foods or some other organic all-natural market just to find healthy food.  By all means, if you have money in your budget and there is one of those stores nearby, I highly recommend shopping at an organic market because it eliminates a lot of guess work!
I found SO much good stuff at Safeway (which is the same as Vons) and inexpensive too, especially with a club card.  All natural olive/rosemary bread (wheat flour, evoo, yeast, salt, kalamata olives), of course all of their fresh produce, a big jar of Mario Batali pasta sauce, frozen all natural sausage, Maranatha all-natural peanut butter,  kettle chips with sea salt (potatoes, sunflower oil, salt), fresh wild Alaska Sockeye Salmon, and nice chunk of local artisan cheese made at Beecher's down on Pike St. in Seattle.  I scored!!!
So, be encouraged, you don't have to shop at snooty, organic markets just to stay on the Eat What I Created Plan.  I read the label on all of these items and they ALL contain ingredients simply found in creation!
Enjoy some photo's from Beecher's Cheese on Pike St. in downtown Seattle.  http://www.beechershandmadecheese.com/

Day 2 - Why Didn't I Start This When I Got Home?

Well, Day 2 started out great!  BREAKFAST was as follows:
- Raw Almonds
- Fuji Apple
- A few slices of Mozzarella Cheese

Then at noon we headed to Pike St. Market in downtown Seattle.  If you've never been, you have to go!  It's the nation's oldest farmer's market, open everyday!  It's famous for flying fish being thrown around, a few scenes from Sleepless in Seattle were filmed there, and it's home to the 1st Starbucks coffee.  Besides the history, it's just loaded with produce, meats, cheeses, and all kinds of gifts...it's HUGE!!
We found the coolest Italian market that I've been in since I've been back from Italy, it was awesome!!  Stuff you can't find anywhere, imported cheeses and meats, and tons of authentic ingredients.

So, my LUNCH looked like this:
- 1 artisan potato roll (fresh bread that was SO good, and all ingredients found in creation).
- Artichoke spread (artichoke hearts, eve, lemon juice, parmigiano-reggiano, s&p)
- Giant marinated white beans
- 1 Dolmade
- Fresh Chevre w/Basil (fresh homemade goat cheese and chopped up basil...whoa!)
- 1 Cappuccino

Then came dinner time!  Which brings me to the title of today's blog, "why didn't i start this when i got home"?  My family is up here in Seattle for 3 weeks taking care of my sister and brother-in-law's 3 kids while they're away in Asia.  Anybody who has ever been on an eating program will tell you that it's hard to begin something like this when you're out of your surroundings and your daily routine.  Being in a new city as big and as interesting as Seattle is for 3 weeks has been great up until now.  There are SO many places to eat up here I never knew what a "food town" Seattle was and is.  So, I took my oldest son Jake to a Parkour class (www.parkourvisions.org) just north of downtown tonight.  After class he says he's starving!  So, I jump on my iPhone to find him a good place for his favorite food, cheeseburgers.  I just happened to be 6 blocks away from a place called Red Mill Burgers.  Red Mill Burgers have been featured on Oprah, The New York Times, and GQ for having one of the Top 20 Burgers You Have To Eat Before You Die.  It's the Double Bacon Cheeseburger with Red Mill's special sauce (www.redmillburgers.com).  So, I start running down the ingredients list in my head for things that are "found in creation".  Things like meat, lettuce, onions, tomatoes are all fine.  American cheese definitely is not, mayonnaise is not, and the bun is probably loaded with refined sugars as a well as the special Red Mill Sauce, don't forget the bacon which is loaded with sulfites.  So, I decided to give myself a little leeway for the next week, but only while we are here in Seattle!  I will stick to my plan as scheduled, but should I happen across something as acclaimed as Red Mill Burgers, being a good culinary student, I will have to try it...and then right back on the program!  But it has to be as hyped as this burger was, otherwise I won't...and I won't go looking for it either.  If I just happen to find it by accident, then I will report back.  I felt too guilty to even take a picture of this monster, so you'll have to link over to their website (www.redmillburgers.com) to see pictures.  After all the hype you know what...it was good, but it wasn't worth breaking my eating plan over, and take it from me, should you die before eating a Double Bacon Cheeseburger w/Read Mill Special Sauce, you won't be missing anything.

The First Supper

Just how tomatoes taste better in Italy, the Salmon tastes better up here in Seattle...just kidding, Haha!  It was delicious tonight.  I found a nice big piece of Sockeye Salmon at a local market here in Issaquah and bought a nice bunch of Broccoli.

To prepare the Salmon:

- coat a small saute pan with lots of extra virgin olive oil, and crank the heat up to high until the oil just started to smoke.
- make sure the Salmon is very dry (you may need to wipe with a paper towel) carefully place the salmon in the hot pan skin side up.
- sear it for about 3 minutes then flip it over on the skin side and saute it for about 4 minutes.
- turn the heat off and let it sit in the pan to finish cooking.

The broccoli:

- in a small sauce pan over high heat pour in 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil.
- squeeze 1/2 a lemon in the water, and throw in the rind.
- add a splash of white wine vinegar to the water.
- season the water with a little salt.
- add broccoli florets (approx. 3 cups)
- cover and let it steam for about 3 minutes.
- in the meantime, grate a little parmigiano-reggiano and some mozzarella.
- after 3 minutes, lift out the broccoli with a slotted spoon and place cooked broccoli in to a bowl.
- add the grated cheeses, a little salt, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and toss until everything is combined and the cheese melts.

For the salmon, I'm not a fan of a bunch of fancy marinades because they usually contain a bunch of ingredients and chopping, and they usually take away from the delicate Salmon flavor; and when you have fresh wild sockeye salmon all you need is a drizzle of extra virgin olive, salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon.
Everything in this meal is natural and part of creation, and that makes it taste even better!

Jennie-O-Nooooo!

I fixed these for the kids today for lunch and I even I popped a few back myself, thinking, "turkey, that's found in creation, right?".  Then I read the ingredients on this pack of Jennie-O Turkey Meatballs.  Here are a few ingredients added to these morsels:
Dextrose - It's basically sugar.  Cheap sugar used to add flavor.  When the body has too much dextrose, it is either converted to fat or stored as glycogen to be used later.  This stuff is already manufactured in our bodies, do we really need more of it?
Autolyzed Yeast Extract  -  This is what is created when you add salt to live yeast. According to wisegeek.com, "Autolyzed Yeast enhances the flavor of food by chemically altering the consumer's taste buds.  It contains a substantial amount of free glutamic acid, an enzyme which makes it easier for the taste buds to detect savory or meaty flavors.  Both of these additives may cause allergic reactions in some people."  OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Don't shred the cheese...cut the cheese!

Breakfast this morning consisted of a few shots of espresso with foamed all-natural half and half, and a big omelet with leftover roasted vegetables and mozzarella cheese.
As I was about to open the pack of Kroger brand finely shredded mozzarella cheese I read the ingredients list on the back.  There were a few additives that made me raise an eyebrow: Calcium Sulfate (to prevent caking) and Natamycin (to prevent mold).  I Google'd both ingredients and found that Calcium Sulfate and Natamycin are "naturally occurring" chemicals, however Natamycin in regular doses causes nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.  Also, both ingredients are not legal worldwide for consumption.  They have strict guidelines in the E.U. as to how they are to be used.  Well, that was enough for me!
Then I took out the 1 pound block of Frigo brand mozzarella cheese and examined the ingredients...Skim Milk, Enzymes (Rennet), and Salt...BINGO!  Of course, there's no substitute for fresh mozzarella when available (you know, the kind that usually comes packed in water...delicious!...and natural).  Sure you have to spend an extra 30 seconds shredding your own cheese, but it tastes better, it melts better and you don't have to be concerned about bizarre chemicals in your body.  So, cut your own cheese, beware when buying it pre-shredded.
By the way, the omelet was AMAZING!!  Check out the pictures.

 

 

Roasted Vegetables

This is my favorite way to eat vegetables.  Lots of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Salt, Pepper, and Oregano.  Roasted at really high temperature until they're nice and caramelized.

1 Eggplant
1 Orange Bell Pepper
1 Red Onion
4 Roma Tomatoes (watery center and seeds removed)
4 Small Yellow Zucchini
1 Green Zucchini
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
All Natural Sea Salt
Fresh Ground Pepper
Dried Oregano

Crank up your oven as high as it will go, that's usually 550 degrees.  If you have convection, use it!
Wash, dry and cut all vegetables into bite-size 1 inch cubes and place in a large bowl.  Coat with LOTS of extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, and dried oregano.  With clean hands, toss it all together really well and turn out on to a half sheet pan.  Roast for approx. 15 minutes.  Keep an eye on them, don't rely on your timer, every oven cooks differenty.  You're looking for the vegetables to get nice and browned (not black) all over.  Remove from the oven, with a spatula toss them together in the pan and serve!

HOW IT ALL BEGAN

Thousands of years ago this Earth was filled with everything we would need as human beings to survive. Fresh water, fruits, vegetables, herbs, wheat, grains, and meat were all given to us in abundance to consume and produce. Eat What I Created is my idea of returning to the way we were supposed to be eating from the beginning. I'm taking the next 90 days to completely change what I eat. It's a pretty simple concept. Before I eat anything I will ask myself one question, "Is this found in Creation"? If it is, GREAT, I know my body will be able to use it properly for my health. If it's not I won't eat it. Chances are it was made in a huge factory by some corporation in order to mass produce food to make a profit; all the while putting my health at risk unbeknownst to me. Our bodies were never designed to run on Doritos. They can, for a short while, but there's a tremendous price to pay. Whenever we add something to what was originally placed here on this Earth we alter Creation.

Eat What I Created culminates my entire life and quest for shedding unwanted pounds, trying to eat healthy, trying to follow lists of foods I should or shouldn't eat. It's a simple concept to just stop and take a good honest look at what I am eating. Does it come from Creation? Was it put here for us? You'll find if you use that as a guide, it's so much easier than adhering to programs and eating pre-packaged foods, counting calories or following a list of "no-nos". Just ask yourself, "Is this found in Creation". It's almost like God has been telling us all along, "just eat what I created, and you will be fine".

The possibilities are endless! Everything is there for me to enjoy: fruits, nuts, vegetables, meat, fish, poultry, even breads! It's all there, it's all found in Creation.

The Eat What I Created Blog will also be packed with all kinds of pictures, videos and recipes that are full of flavor and packed with all-natural ingredients that were put here for us to enjoy by our Creator.