Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Day 1 of October Unprocessed

Today kicks off our October Unprocessed challenge. If you haven't signed up yet, or you have and you're still wondering what to do, this is where you should start. First off, keep in mind that this is an exercise in awareness! I encourage you to read labels and make well informed, conscious decisions about what you choose to eat. This is not a test or a diet. We're in this to learn and maybe experiment a bit with some new foods. Still hesitant to commit? Here are a couple things that might ease your concerns.  

  1. The 80/20 rule. Make a commitment to eat unprocessed foods 80 percent of the time and don't worry about the rest.
  2. The deliberate exception. This could be that you'll drink Gatorade on runs over 6 miles or that you'll indulge in a piece of chocolate cake on your son's birthday. You could even choose a day each week where you'll indulge in some of your processed favorites. Just establish your exceptions before starting the challenge so they are a deliberate choice and not a default reaction to a habit. 
Here's what you need to do to get started:
An unprocessed version of my oatmeal
cookies from Red Mountain Spa. Recipe below.
  1. Go to the Eating Rules website and sign the pledge. I also recommend that you subscribe to their email alerts.
  2. If you're a member of the ASHA staff, go to ASHAnet and add your name to the list. This is simply so we know who to invite to our October Unprocessed events like the kick off we have planned for tomorrow. (You're not going to get any of the cookies pictured unless you sign up.) 
  3. Read this Do's and Don'ts post. I also encourage you to explore the Eating Rules website and 100 Days of Real Food. They include tons of great resources. 
  4. Think about sharing your experience with others. Post a comment to our Facebook page. Chat with your colleagues that are participating. Or, best of all, share your thoughts in a blog post. 
  5. Subscribe to this blog, so that you don't miss any of the riveting content ;-) All the posts related to October Unprocessed will appear under the October Unprocessed tab.
Twenty ASHA staff members have signed up so far. We have a kick off planned for tomorrow at 3:00 in the lunchroom. On October 8, we will host a informational session with a nutritionist. Please pass along any ideas you have for how we can support you during this challenge. 


Spa Cookies

I adapted this recipe from Red Mountain Spa. They were orginally called Oatmeal Fruit Cookies. This should make about 5 dozen cookies. 

Ingredients

3 eggs, well beaten
1 C dried Tart Montgomery Cherries (Trader Joe's)
1 t vanilla extract
1 C canola oil
1 C organic Mascobado cane sugar (in lieu of brown sugar)
1 C coconut palm sugar (in lieu of white sugar)
2 C white whole wheat flour (in lieu of regular flour)
1 t sea salt
1 t ground cinnamon
2 t baking soda
2 C oats (Bob's Red Mill)
¾ C toasted slivered almonds

  • Combine eggs, dried fruit, and vanilla and let stand for 1 hour, covered with plastic wrap. 
  • Combine mascobado and coconut palm sugars and cream with oil. 
  • Add flour, salt, cinnamon and baking soda to sugar mixture; mix well.
  • Blend in egg-fruit mixture, oats, and chopped pecans. Dough will be stiff. 
  • Drop by heaping teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet. 
  • Bake @ 350 for 8 minutes.



Kelly made pumpkin bread for the kick off that was delicious. She posted the recipe to our October Unprocessed Pinterest board





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