Sweet Quinoa Breakfast

Sweet Quinoa Breakfast

1 c leftover quinoa

1-1/2 Tbsp oat or almond milk

1/4 tsp cinnamon

2 Tbsp raisins

1/2 tsp maple syrup

Mix, warm and enjoy! Serves 1.

Notes: In this recipe, I used quinoa leftover from dinner but you could cook the quinoa in the morning and make a full pot for the family for breakfast. The photo shows a half and half mix of traditional and inca red quinoa but any variety would work. The milk helps plump the dried berries but you could also use fresh fruit. And the cinnamon gives it a little extra warmth.

Quinoa tips: Rinse your quinoa before cooking to remove the phytic acid (which gives it that bitter taste). Add a 1 inch piece of kombu or other sea weed to the pot before boiling to add beneficial minerals. I promise you won't even taste it!

Pesticide in Produce

People always ask me which produce items I buy organic. The truth is, I shop the organic section first and buy anything we eat a lot of like apples and carrots, regardless of the price. Then I will get any items I need that are considered highly toxic (see list below). Lastly, I will add in a few additional items that I know we will eat and are good deals. Anything I need that isn't available organically, I will purchase in the regular produce department. 

The following list is based on information and studies by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Consumer Reports, and the Environmental Working Group. (Copied from about.com)

1. Nectarines – 97.3% of nectarines sampled were found to contain pesticides.
2. Celery – 94.5% of celery sampled were found to contain pesticides.
3. Pears – 94.4% of pears sampled were found to contain pesticides.
4. Peaches – 93.7% of peaches sampled were found to contain pesticides.
5. Apples – 91% of apples sampled were found to contain pesticides.
6. Cherries – 91% of cherries sampled were found to contain pesticides.
7. Strawberries – 90% of strawberries sampled were found to contain pesticides.
8. Imported Grapes – 86% of imported grapes (i.e. Chile) sampled were found to contain pesticides.
9. Spinach – 83.4% of spinach sampled were found to contain pesticides.
10. Potatoes – 79.3% of potatoes sampled were found to contain pesticides.
11. Bell Peppers – 68% of bell peppers sampled were found to contain pesticides.
12. Red Raspberries – 59% of red raspberries sampled were found to contain pesticides.

Here is a list of fruits and vegetables found to contain the least amount of pesticides. Notice that many of these have thick, inedible skins which protect the fruit.

• Asparagus
• Avocados
• Bananas
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Corn (However, almost all corn is genetically modified)
• Kiwi
• Mangoes
• Onions
• Papaya
• Pineapples
• Sweet Peas

Cosmetics Cheat Sheet

Unfortunately it still isn't very easy to search the Skin Deep Database via your phone. When I first started searching for safer products, I took this Cheat Sheet with me to the store (made by the amazing folks at Gorgeously Green). They have an interesting but very practical system - they also have sorted products by degree of hazardousness but instead of giving everything a number, everything is sorted into three groups (Red, Orange or Green). The most toxic ingredients are listed with a reason and list of aliases.

• Green means GO - These ingredients are some of the safest you will find. 
• Orange means CAUTION - Meaning these ingredients are pretty bad but it should be ok for you to finish the bottle. Just promise not to buy it again!
• Red means STOP - As in stop using products with these ingredients immediately!

Fatal Attraction: Cosmetics and Chemicals

This is the most concise and informative flyer I have found so far.