Whole Foods Lifestyle - Healthy foods that are so good, you can't believe they are GOOD for you!

Since switching to whole foods, I am constantly amazed by how GOOD real, unprocessed foods taste. It's like all the sugar I ate burned the taste buds and I could only appreciate SUGAR. Now I appreciate so many other tastes! I am constantly amazed by how much I enjoy what I eat, that I look forward to berries the way I used to like scones. That I don't miss M&Ms when I'm eating fresh cherries. If someone had told me 2 years ago that I would be mixing peaches in plain yogurt and LIKING it, I would have looked at them like they were nuts.

Foods I love!

Greek yogurt and blackberries. Something about the consistency of Greek yogurt, it's like...a thick coolwhip (not the taste, the texture). I like it with all kinds of berries, but blackberries are my definite favorite.

Roasted cherry tomatoes with fresh basil, a little olive oil, sea salt and pepper. This is so good, I crave this. Lately, I've been serving it over a little wilted spinach with lemon juice/garlic.

Natural peanut butter on whole wheat toast. My daily breakfast for over 8 months and I am STILL not tired of it. I still look forward to breakfast. I have always loved peanut butter, but I was surprised how much I like natural peanut butter, I don't even mind the gloppy stirring.

Home made guacamole with red onions, lemon juice, garlic and tomatoes. I make this amazing flat polenta pancake and then top it with home made guacamole. Heaven!

Red wine. 'Nuff said.

Fresh fruit. I love to follow the seasons with fruit. From pomegranates in January to oranges in the spring to berries/watermelon in the summer. Fresh raspberries, fresh mangos, fresh cherries, fresh peaches...mmmm.

Oh, sooo many to choose from.....

Currently

- blueberries and raspberries
- fresh from the garden anything :) but esp tomatoes
- sweet corn (okay, it's not a superfood, but it's such a short season that I have to eat all I can)

Whoa.. too many to choose from.. how do you pick just one or two or three or four of five? :D

We already know how I feel about the chocolate and the wine... but these really have to be watched... so I'll name one that I enjoy but don't worry ever about going overboard...

Steel cut oats cooked with dried fruit and topped with kefir, yogurt OR soymilk.

There is a reason I eat it nearly every morning.. and it is more than "just because its good for me".. Gosh I love it!

Glory....can you post the exact measurements for the guacamole??

- sweet corn (okay, it's not a superfood, but it's such a short season that I have to eat all I can)

Corn is a super food, it's in the Oats group ;) It is considered a whole grain. Which is great, that means that polenta counts and I looooove polenta.

Glory....can you post the exact measurements for the guacamole??

Oh, this one I really do just chop and go.

1 avocado (chopped)
1 small red onion (chopped)
splash of lemon juice (I really don't measure this!)
1 really ripe plum tomato (chopped)
salt, pepper to taste

Stir, let sit for a few minutes to really mix the flavors.

Similar to glory:

whole grain bread
natural pb
grapefruit (I forgot how refreshing it is until I ate it as a SuperFood)
dark chocolate (of course!)
pineapple
all kinds of berries

Today I went to the fruit market to pick up a snack during work and I got watermelon with mint sprigs. Dear God, it was so good. Also the stupid fruit market totally tempted me, as I ended up buying cherries, zucchini, snow peas, peppers, mango and eggplant to bring home. Oh no, I'm a fruit market shopaholic.

I also eat red and yellow peppers constantly. I used to dislike them, but they taste sweet and wonderful now. I almost always have a little baggie of sliced ones in my purse. They're like the new candy!

What post? ;)

:o Please disregard the last post! That's what I get for having to many windows open at the same time! Then I tried to post my oopss and the computer froze!

Ever have one of those dreams where you go into a public place and don't realize you're naked???

SORRY! I did have a post to you too, but that might have gone to the other one as well! DUH

You can delete your own threads after you post them (not sure if there is a time limit). Just use the edit button and select the delete option! Still funny post, though.

Hi Hope, sorry for the confusion! ;) Yes, that list would be appreciated.

And while i'm here...I think i'm here...am I here??

My two new favorite foods, one I had before was Jicama, I can eat it raw or cook it and it's almost like french fries!

The other one is Parsnips! I never would have believed it, I hated them when I was younger. Now I love to slice them and bake them in the oven with a bit of onion powder and cayanne. A great, slightly sweet, spicey and crunchy treat!

Hi Hope, sorry for the confusion! ;) Yes, that list would be appreciated.
See, everything happens for a reason! If you hadn't posted that, I wouldn't have known that you were interested in Secret Shopping!

My two new favorite foods, one I had before was Jicama, I can eat it raw or cook it and it's almost like french fries!
Was that you on one of the low carb forums asking about the carb content of jicama??? I remember because I didn't know too much about it and you made me want to try it!

Ok, I was able to delete the post. Thanks Glory.

No, not me on the low carb thread, that's not one of my concerns, but I do know that it's one of the higher counts. It is soooo good though and takes the place of a lot of starchier foods for me.

Yes, I belive everything happens for a reason. I could do without the red face though! ;)

I just picked up some golden kiwis from the market today, and think I'll be heading back for more tomorrow - they're so sweet and delicious!! Quite different from a regular green kiwi.

I've been dipping strawberries in a dark chocolate - when you melt 100 calories' worth, you can dip quite a few berries, and they seem so decadent to eat :D

Sweet potato fries with chili (pepper) and lime are another biggie for me right now, too.

Basil with sliced heirloom tomatoes, with a hint of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Drool. That was part of my dinner tonight - so decadent, so low cal, and so darned good for me.

All berries. Right now I'm on a smoothie kick - light vanilla soy milk, nonfat plain yogurt, blueberries, and frozen peaches - its like heaven in a glass.

Tomato spread (oven dry some cherry tomatoes, then puree with some chicken broth, basil, and garlic, and maybe a smidge of olive oil - sooo good on just about anything, especially chicken or whole wheat crackers).

Grilled pineapple with a squeeze of lime juice on top.

Iced tea. SO much more refreshing than soda! On that line, sparkling water with a squeeze of fresh juice (lemon, lime, and orange all work well). The perfect summer cooler.

Salmon. Mmm. Nothing feels more special to me than salmon - something about it is so rich and satisfying.

Sweet potato fries with chili (pepper) and lime are another biggie for me right now, too.

I am SO doing that this weekend, thanks for the idea!

I've been dipping strawberries in a dark chocolate - when you melt 100 calories' worth, you can dip quite a few berries, and they seem so decadent to eat :D

You know what I bought last year that was soooo good! Dark chocolate covered blueberries! They also had dark chocolate covered strawberries and grapes, but the blueberries were incredible! I'll have to remember to make them at home. I bought them at David Bradley Chocolatier in Springfield, PA...if anyone is interested and lives nearby! Just incredible!

Tomato spread (oven dry some cherry tomatoes, then puree with some chicken broth, basil, and garlic, and maybe a smidge of olive oil - sooo good on just about anything, especially chicken or whole wheat crackers).

Sounds like a winner! As does all of the rest of your post...

I am getting so many good ideas from this thread - YUM! And thanks for the heads up on the corn, Glory. I like polenta too. My DH requests "corn meal mush" for breakfast on the weekends quite often. Of course, he wants his with lots of butter and syrup. :rolleyes:

Speaking of chocolate, while I don't crave it like lots of folks, I do like a little good dark chocolate. The gals over on the UK Fat Chicks talk about Green & Black organic chocolate. Well, when I was looking for Dr. Kracker the other day, I found the G&B chocolate. One bar ~12 oz was $3.79 :eek: I think I figured that it would be 4 servings per Dr. P, or $1 per treat. I couldn't bring myself to do it. Maybe when I have some "mad" money. They had a dark chocolate/orange that sounded really good, just not $4 good. :lol:

You've gotta' try the Green & Black's - it's WONDERFUL, my all-time favourite chocolate!! :D It's expensive, to be sure, but very rich and so full of flavour you really don't need much to feel satisfied.

Treat yourself, at least just once! :carrot:

I've been dipping strawberries in a dark chocolate - when you melt 100 calories' worth, you can dip quite a few berries, and they seem so decadent to eat :D

OMG! :drool:

Any kind of berry, cherries and peaches. All of which are in season right now. I'm in heaven:hungry:

- New England Brown Bread ( with crushed whole wheat kernels)
- Steel cut oats with cinnamon and dried blueberries or craisins
- Crunchy natural peanut butter
- Ryvita Sesame Rye crispbread with the above mentioned chunky natural pb..yummm
- Still working on those vegetables, but I love snow peas sauteed in sesame oil with fresh garlic and ginger.

lentil soup, black bean soup, split pea soup
fresh mango, nectarine & pineapple
natural PB
Granny Smith apples
Indian food/Vietnamese food/Middle Eastern food
purple grape juice
roasted red peppers
fresh canteloupe & watermelon
cashews & macadamias

I tried the steel-cut oats cooked in the slow cooker, and was hugely disappointed with the texture. It was like glue. When I cook old-fashioned oats in the microwave, I use a touch less water because I like a drier texture. Could I do that with the steel-cut oats? I want them to be cooked, but more "solid," I'd guess you'd say. Any ideas on the ratio of oats to water to get that effect? Thanks!

Sweet potato fries with chili (pepper) and lime are another biggie for me right now, too.

Yum! How "exactly" do you make these? :hungry:

My brand calls for 4 C of water to 1 C of oats. I find my slow cooker makes mush out of everything..so possibly that was the culprit. I bring the water to a boil, throw in the oats and watch it carefully. It will get kinda foamy and will boil over if you're not watching. You will probably have to turn it down too. Then after 5 mins, I turn it down pretty low, and let it bubble for about half an hour. The oats are still intact and chewy at this point. Good luck~!

Yum! How "exactly" do you make these? :hungry:

:) They're super easy!! All I do is peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into fries, then toss them with a little bit of olive oil, a good amount of lime juice, some chili to taste (I like them spicy), a good dose of garlic powder (I find that minced garlic burns too quickly and gets bitter) and some cracked salt and pepper. Give everything a bit of a toss, them spread out on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake at about 375 until they're getting crisp at the edges. Once they come out of the oven, I squeeze a little bit more fresh lime juice over them, and devour :D

I don't enjoy sweeter versions of sweet potatoes, but when spice or savoury flavours are added, I can't get enough of them! :carrot:

I tried the steel-cut oats cooked in the slow cooker, and was hugely disappointed with the texture. It was like glue.

I've tried steel cut oats a few times now, using different cooking methods, and I find I just don't care for them texture- or flavor-wise :no: . I'm going back to old fashioned (not instant, not quick cooking) rolled oats. It's important to me to eat healthy and luckily there are healthy alternatives to almost everything (except tea, apparently :))

They sound so yummy! Thanks for the recipe!

I love fresh herbs! The smell, the feel when you are chopping them, the fresh "green" taste of them in food . . .basil and cilantro are my favorites.

I recently bought some organic mixed greens and they had fesh dill mixed in with them - surprisingly delicious in a salad.

I also love hummous and tabouleh as well as tatziki.