Crustless Feta & Cheddar Quiche

* This recipe would be for Phase 2 or higher since there is a little whole wheat flour in the recipe.

Nonstick olive oil cooking spray
4 beaten eggs
1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp chopped fresh dillweed, thyme, or mint
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 cups low fat cottage cheese (12 ounces)
1 - 10 ounce package frozen chopped broccoli, cooked & drained
1 cup crumbled feta cheese (4 ounces)
1 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese (4 ounces)

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat a 9 inch pie plate with cooking spray
2. In a medium bowl combine eggs, pastry flour, garlic, dillweed, pepper, and kosher salt. Stir in cottage cheese, broccoli, feta, and cheddar. Spoon into the pie prepared plate.
3. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 8 servings at 188 calories per serving. Great for a ready to go breakfast.

The Crazy Makers

Carol Simontacchi is the guest speaker for weeks 2 and 12. She is also my favorite speaker within the PRISM program. The Crazy Makers, How the food industry is destroying our brains and harming our children, is just one of several books she has written. It came in the mail this past week and I wanted to share a page out of it. It says when we reach our 20's our bodies may be done growing but they are never dormant. We are a dynamic organism, constantly changing, constantly repairing, and never the same one minute to the next. To better explain let me quote from the book.

If you could see your body as it really is, you would never see it the same way twice. Ninety-eight percent of the atoms in your body were not there a year ago. The skeleton that seems so solid was not there three months ago. The configuration of the bone cells remains somewhat constant, but atoms of all kinds pass freely back and forth through the cell walls, and by that means you acquire a new skeleton every three months.

The skin is new every month. You have a new stomach lining every four days, with the actual surface cells that contact food being renewed every five minutes. The cells in the liver turn over very slowly, but new atoms still flow through them, like water in a river course, making a new liver every six weeks. Even within the brain, whose cells are not replaced once they die, the content of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and so on is totally different today from a year ago.

Just a small excerpt from the book but for me it reinforces the importance of what we put into our bodies. We need the vitamins, minerals, enzymes, healthy oils, etc. They all work together and I'm embarrassed at what I considered food before learning from the PRISM program. I praise God for our complex bodies, capable of so much when given a chance!

Best fruits

And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds:
(Genesis 43:11 KJV)

Almonds were an essential part of my Phase I & II. Even though they are relatively high in calories, they seemed to work great as a ready snack. I guess it shouldn't have surprised me to find that they were also praised in the Bible. I also found them praised in a NewsWeek article Up Close & edible: Almonds.

Almonds are chock-full of essential nutrients. “It’s a perfect nature’s package,” says registered dietician Dr. Connie Gutterson, author of “The Sonoma Diet.”

Almonds are also a great source of natural protein. A handful of almonds—about 23 nuts or 1 ounce—contains about as much protein as an egg, or an ounce of fish or chicken.

Rebels with a Cause

I had an epiphany today after hearing yet another story in a long line of stories about childhood obesity, childhood diabetes, and just today reading about undiagnosed hypertension among our youth. The epiphany? We are rebels! The twenty or so of us in our two groups have chosen to rebel against the unhealthy momentum growing in our society. We are cool and we are getting healthy. We are like James Dean, only not dead! We are like early Christians in Rome, only not dead. We are like rebels, only we're not just like rebels; we are rebels!

Link to Anti-Estrogen diet article

Glenn shared an article with Monday's group about how estrogen in our diets effects our health. Here is a link to the article The Anti-Estrogen Diet Could Change Your Life that was on Newsmax only a few days ago. This may not be common knowledge, but it isn't uncommon knowledge either. I've read and heard about estrogen sources and estrogen effects before, so for me this article was just another stick to hit me over the head with. A few more sticks up side the head and I might quit drinking soy milk in favor of the real stuff!

Also, a new Phase I group will be starting this Thursday and I think Monica said that there were 8 or 10 people. I guess there isn't a shortage of people who could eat better.

Just rambling on

I've been spending a bit of time reading around on the subject of refined sugar, refined flour and carbs in general. The skeptic in me, sometime referred to as the great deceiver, has me always thinking about whether or not PRISM is a fad diet that will come crashing to an end sometime in the near future.

I keep finding though, that the path we are on seems to be right in sync with what most nutritionists and doctors are saying. But, papers I have read online as well as my doctor himself also seem to think that the biggest pitfall with programs like PRISM is that people don't have the strength to stick with it long enough to retrain their bodies about how and what to eat. I guess this is where I think our group lends itself to success. We are not relying just on ourselves for strength. I would have quit by now if that were the case! No, we rely on the strength of ourselves and our group, but primarily we rely on God's immeasurable strength. Lucky for us He joined the group.

OK, well, that was a bunch of words I didn't plan on typing. I really just wanted to share this doctor's blog. He seems to encompass most of the things we are learning about in PRISM.

We should be eating what the Lord has provided. - We should strive to eat, as often as possible, the food that comes out of the ground, as fruit of the earth. The less that man has altered it, the better it will be for us. I cheer inside when I observe that refreshments served at Church functions include a wholesome vegetable tray or fruit plate, rather than the typical brownies and cookies.

Our journey toward more vibrant health has brought us to a point where we are starting to listen more carefully to our bodies. The results have—usually—been positive, except when we hear but fail to heed what our bodies are telling us. King Benjamin taught: “Now, if you believe all these things, see that ye do them.”

As you're racing to find out more about King Benjamin, make sure you grab your Book of Mormon and not your Bible. Brother Dr. Stanley Gardner or Dr. Brother Stanley Gardner appears to be Mormon with a leaning towards Eastern medicine/religion, but overall I find that he maintains a God centered perspective on health. I wonder if recalling that little piece of LDS trivia is why God delivered baby Garin to a Mormon home? Remember this post is titled "Just rambling on"

There are lots good of articles to be found at his blog, but here are links to a few I really liked. He even references our old friend Dr. Udi-do in one of his articles. :)

EATING: Gourmet, or Gluttony?

Alternatives to Traditional Medicine

CARBOHYDRATES: HEROES OR VILLAINS?

DIABETES: Critical Information You Should Know

Phase 1 Successes

Our Ferndale group completed Phase 1 of the PRISM guidelines this past July 10th. There are 9 people in our group following the weight loss guidelines and 2-3 additional support people that attend either to watch the videos or support someone on their journey. I'm happy to report that our group lost well over 100 pounds and inches. Because not everyone chose to weigh and/or measure themselves I calculated an average using the information I did have. On average we lost 17 pounds and 17 inches each. Other comments I've received throughout phase 1 include:

• I feel great
• Food Taste better
• I've lost 1 - 2 dress sizes
• My blood pressure medication has been reduced by half
• My blood sugar levels are well within normal; no early morning peaks
• I've gained a closer walk with God

If you know someone in our group please congratulate them on their success. It's a strict, tough program and everyone has worked really hard to get where they are.