Food

Recipe – Vegetarian Minestrone Soup for a Crowd

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2 onions, chopped

4 stalks celery, chopped

4 carrots, cut in rounds

1 small cabbage, shredded

1-2 potatoes, chopped

2 cups kidney beans (canned)

4 cups stewed tomatoes

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp oregano

4 tsp basil

3 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

1 Tbsp dried parsley

8 cups water

Saute the first 5 ingredients in ¼ cup oil (optional, may use water) in very large stock pot. Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil; add 1 cup noodles or cooked rice. Boil for 15 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Just before serving, add pesto: Mince 6 garlic cloves very fine or use press. Add 2 Tbsp. dried basil, then ¼ cup oil; mix well rubbing garlic well against side of bowl to get juices in oil.

Food – The Heart

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The heart is an amazing organ. For perfect circulation, a strong heart is needed to pump blood to every organ and cell of the body. To support heart vitality, an understanding of its physiology is necessary. “Since the mind and the soul find expression through the body, both mental and spiritual vigor are in great degree dependent upon physical strength and activity; whatever promotes physical health, promotes the development of a strong mind and a well-balanced character. Without health, no one can as distinctly understand or as completely fulfill his obligations to himself, to his fellow beings, or to his Creator. Therefore the health should be as faithfully guarded as the character. A knowledge of physiology and hygiene should be the basis of all educational effort.” Child Guidance, 360, 361.

To understand the heart we need to look at its structure. The heart is located below the ribs and in the middle left side of the chest and is approximately the size of each individual’s doubled up fist. The heart, a sophisticated pump, pumps about 100,000 times moving approximately 7,000 quarts of blood per day. Exercise can increase the output up to 6 times. The pumping phase is 1/3 and the resting phase is 2/3 of the heart cycle. The heart has 4 chambers comprising 2 sets of pumps, one pumping blood to the lungs and the other larger pump, sending blood to the body. The pump is assisted in its function by 4 valves that prevent blood from leaking backward during the pumping and resting phases. The pumping action is initiated by electrical pacemakers and pathways that carry the signal to all parts of the heart.

Arteries, capillaries, and veins compose a system of tubes that carry the pumped blood to the body. The arteries and veins have an outer tissue covering, a muscular layer, and an inner layer. The muscular layer is much thicker in the arteries which carry oxygen rich blood from the heart than in the veins which carry oxygen poor blood back to the heart. The capillaries, located between the arteries and veins are very small, thin tubes which allow the oxygen, nutrients, and waste products to exit and enter the tubes. This complex system of tubes is called the circulatory system. Although all arteries are important, the coronary arteries which carry blood to the heart are critical. If the heart muscle does not have a rich supply of blood, it is damaged, and its ability to function is hindered. There are about 100,000 miles of tubes in our circulatory system and it takes only 15-20 seconds for the blood to go through this entire system. “Perfect health depends upon perfect circulation.” Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene, 89.

According to the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, heart disease is the number one worldwide killer of adults. It is responsible for 40 percent of all deaths in the United States, more than all forms of cancer combined. Heart disease is closely related to lifestyle decisions (diet, smoking, obesity, sedentary and stressful lifestyle) and other factors (family history, blood pressure, age, sex, and diabetes).

Prevention of heart disease is far better than needing treatment so choose a lifestyle to promote a healthy heart by forming healthy habits and teaching them to our families. Is it any wonder that the Lord says, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it [are] the issues of life.” Proverbs 4:23.

Recipe – Quinoa Salad

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1 ½ cup quinoa

3 cups water

1 tsp salt

Corn kernels

Cilantro

Cooked black beans

green onion

avocado

sun dried tomatoes

lime juice

olive oil

Salt to taste

Thoroughly rinse quinoa before cooking. Cook quinoa in water and salt for approximately 10 minutes or until water is absorbed. Let cool then add fresh ingredients in desired amounts. Make dressing with lime juice, olive oil and salt blended together.

Food – Exercise

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Exercise is vital to a healthy mind and body. “If physical exercise were combined with mental exertion, the blood would be quickened in its circulation, the action of the heart would be more perfect, impure matter would be thrown off, and new life and vigor would be experienced in every part of the body.” Testimony Studies on Diet and Foods, 163.

If exercise is so vital to a healthy mind and body we need to learn to exercise. True exercise uses all the major muscles of the body, quickens the heart beat, increases the volume of air brought in by the lungs, and increases and improves the circulation of blood through the body. Exercise should be sustained for at least 15 to 20 minutes per session, and a little longer if the goal is weight loss. Use breathing as a guide to regulate exercise intensity. If it is possible to sing while exercising there is not enough exertion on the body; however, if breathing becomes strained it could be that the body is overexerting. With a healthy level of intensity it should be possible to talk more or less easily while exercising.

“Many who are very feeble can walk if they only think so. … Try to exercise moderately at first. Have rules to govern you. Walk! Yes, walk! If you possibly can, walk! Try it a short distance at first, you who think walking is impossible. You will no doubt become weary. … Your limbs may feel weak. And no wonder when you have not used them much more than as if you had no limbs.” Daughters of God, 171.

“A conservative approach to exercise would recommend that a person over 30 years of age, with a history of heart problems, high blood pressure, and weight issues, should have a physical checkup before beginning a strenuous exercise program. However, Ellen White advocates a liberal approach to exercise, meaning that if a person shows no obvious negative symptoms of the condition, it is healthy to start exercising.

There are many good ways to exercise, but we are counseled, “Walking, in all cases where it is possible, is the best exercise, because in walking, all the muscles are brought into action.” The Health Reformer, July 1, 1872. We are further instructed, “When the weather will permit, those who are engaged in sedentary occupations, should, if possible, walk out in the open air every day, summer and winter. The clothing should be suitable, and the feet well protected. Walking is often more beneficial to health than all the medicine that can be prescribed.” Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene, 100, 101.

Finally note this: “Morning exercise, in walking in the free, invigorating air of heaven, or cultivating flowers, small fruits, and vegetables, is necessary to a healthful circulation of the blood. It is the surest safeguard against colds, coughs, congestions of the brain and lungs, inflammation of the liver, the kidneys, and the lungs, and a hundred other diseases.” Healthful Living, 130, 131.

With this in mind we should all begin a healthy exercise program that can be incorporated into daily life. Make a firm decision to achieve the countless benefits which a healthy exercise routine will make possible. Then, determine by God’s grace, to begin and continue with an exercise program that will improve your mental, physical, and spiritual health.

Food for Life — September 1998

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September, the beginning of autumn and the time when the leaves turn their colors. Isn’t God wonderful to create the glorious colors throughout the seasons for us to enjoy? Praise His holy name! I happen to be in California, and although for most of the year with the horrible storms of all kinds, we were very thankful that we were here, instead of the Midwest, where we usually are this time of year; yet we cannot forget the beauty of Missouri this time of year.

“Grains, fruits, nuts, and vegetables constitute the diet chosen for us by our Creator. These foods, prepared in as simple and natural a manner as possible, are the most healthful and nourishing. They impart a strength, a power of endurance, and a vigor of intellect that are not afforded by a more complex and stimulating diet.

“But not all foods wholesome in themselves are equally suited to our needs under all circumstances. Care should be taken in the selection of food. Our diet should be suited to the season, to the climate in which we live, and to the occupation we follow. Some foods that are adapted for use at one season or in one climate are not suited to another. So there are different foods best suited for persons in different occupations. Often food that can be used with benefit by those engaged in hard physical labor is unsuitable for persons of sedentary pursuits or intense mental application. God has given us an ample variety of healthful foods, and each person should choose from it the things that experience and sound judgment prove to be best suited to his own necessities.

“Nature’s abundant supply of fruits, nuts, and grains is ample, and year by year the products of all lands are more generally distributed to all, by the increased facilities for transportation. As a result many articles of food which a few years ago were regarded as expensive luxuries are now within the reach of all as foods for everyday use. This is especially the case with dried and canned fruits.

“Nuts and nut foods are coming largely into use to take the place of flesh meats. With nuts may be combined grains, fruits, and some roots, to make foods that are healthful and nourishing. Care should be taken, however, not to use too large a proportion of nuts. Those who realize ill effects from the use of nut foods may find the difficulty removed by attending to this precaution. It should be remembered, too, that some nuts are not so wholesome as others. Almonds are preferable to peanuts, but peanuts in limited quantities, used in connection with grains, are nourishing and digestible.

“When properly prepared, olives, like nuts, supply the place of butter and flesh meats. The oil, as eaten in the olive, is far preferable to animal oil or fat. It serves as a laxative. Its use will be found beneficial to consumptives, and it is healing to an inflamed, irritated stomach.

“Persons who have accustomed themselves to a rich, highly stimulating diet have an unnatural taste, and they cannot at once relish food that is plain and simple. It will take time for the taste to become natural and for the stomach to recover from the abuse it has suffered. But those who persevere in the use of wholesome food will, after a time, find it palatable. Its delicate and delicious flavors will be appreciated, and it will be eaten with greater enjoyment than can be derived from unwholesome dainties. And the stomach, in a healthy condition, neither fevered nor overtaxed, can readily perform its task.” The Ministry of Healing, 296–299.

Nut Crackers

3 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cups nut butter cream

Mix flour and nut butter cream thoroughly and knead for about 20 minutes. Roll to 1 inch thick and cut with small round cutter. Bake at 425° for 10 minutes and reduce heat to 350° for about 20 minutes.

 

Recipe – Nutty Carob Candies

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Nutty Carob Candies

Ingredients

  • ½ – ⅔ cup coconut oil
  • ¾ cup dates, pitted (8-10)
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 3 Tbsp. carob powder
  • Pinch of salt
  • ¾ cup chopped walnuts

Process

Set nuts aside and place all other ingredients into food processor and mix until fully combined. Then add nuts and mix. Spoon into 8 x 8” dish or pan, flatten out and put into refrigerator to set for a few hours. Cut into bite sized squares and enjoy!

Food – Carob

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Carob, a healthy alternative to chocolate or cocoa powder, is also known as St. John’s bread. It grows on Fabaceae trees in pods much like peas and is considered a legume. Many cultures regularly use carob like other nuts and seeds. Carob powder is a healthy alternative to cocoa powder.

“Carob powder contains virtually no fat. If you’re on a low-fat diet, carob powder is a good option. Just keep in mind that it is higher in sugar and carbs than cocoa powder. Just 2 tablespoons of carob powder have 6 grams of sugar, about 1.5 teaspoons. Since most baking recipes call for up to 1 cup of carob powder, the sugar grams can add up fast. Still, if you substitute carob powder for chocolate chips, you’ll save on fat and calories.

“According to the Mayo Clinic, the average American gets 3,400 mg of sodium daily. This is much more than the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of 2,300 mg. The American Heart Association recommends even less, just 1,500 mg daily. Carob powder contains no sodium.

“Calcium is a mineral. It’s important for bone health. It also helps your heart, nerves, and muscles function well. Two tablespoons of carob powder have 42 mg of calcium, or 4 percent of the RDA.

“Carob powder is gluten-free. Carob powder contains no caffeine. Try these ways to add carob powder to your diet:

  • add carob powder to smoothies
  • sprinkle carob powder on yogurt or ice cream
  • add carob powder to your favorite bread dough or pancake batter
  • make a hot carob drink instead of hot chocolate

“Carob powder is Fido-friendly. It doesn’t contain high levels of theobromine, a compound that is toxic to dogs and cats in large quantities. Many dog treats are made with carob powder. There’s no need to panic if your dog or cat gets into your stash.” www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/carob-powder

 

Nutty Carob Candies

Ingredients

½ – ⅔ cup coconut oil

¾ cup dates, pitted (8-10)

¼ cup honey

3 Tbsp. carob powder

Pinch of salt

¾ cup chopped walnuts

Process

Set nuts aside and place all other ingredients into food processor and mix until fully combined. Then add nuts and mix. Spoon into 8 x 8” dish or pan, flatten out and put into refrigerator to set for a few hours. Cut into bite sized squares and enjoy!

Food for Life — Health Laws

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In the last few years we have heard a great deal about Candida Albicans (yeast infection), due to a defective immune system. These good bacteria which normally keep the yeast in check in the body are destroyed when you take antibiotics, specifically penicillin, preparing the way for Candida to multiply. This can indeed become serious and if left to invade the system, one may have it for life. Diet is of utmost importance, and one of the items that must be eliminated is yeast. Bread, being the “staff of life,” is a very important item in millions of households. So, it seems essential that we substitute unleavened bread in a variety of ways when this condition is present.

“When hot, or new, raised bread of any kind is difficult of digestion. It should never appear on the table. This rule does not, however, apply to unleavened bread. Fresh rolls made of wheaten meal, without yeast or leaven, and baked in a well heated oven, are both wholesome and palatable.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, 316, 317. Also beneficial is the thorough mastication process required which is a considerable draw-back in eating porridges and soups.

How many of us really realize what we owe to our Heavenly Father, who has created us and redeemed us by His precious blood on Calvary, for the perfect “blueprint,” enabling us to have health and strength to work for Him, using our varied talents in His service.

“The transgression of physical law is the transgression of God’s law. Our Creator is Jesus Christ. He is the author of our being. He has created the human structure. He is the author of physical laws, as He is the author of the moral law. And the human being who is careless and reckless of the habits and practices that concern his physical life and health, sins against God’s laws. Many who profess to love Jesus Christ do not show proper reverence and respect for Him who gave His life to save them from eternal death. He is not reverenced, or respected, or recognized. This is shown by the injury done to their own bodies in violation of the laws of their being.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, 43.

“If we close our eyes to the light for fear we shall see our wrongs, which we are unwilling to forsake, our sins are not lessened, but increased. If light is turned from in one case, it will be disregarded in another. It is just as much sin to violate the laws of our being as to break one of the ten commandments, for we cannot do either without breaking God’s law. We cannot love the Lord with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength while we are loving our appetites, our tastes, a great deal better than we love the Lord. We are daily lessening our strength to glorify God, when He requires all our strength, all our mind. By our wrong habits we are lessening our hold on life, and yet professing to be Christ’s followers, preparing for the finishing touch of immortality.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 70, 71.

May God help us to keep the channels open, the delicate nerve endings of the brain, by not benumbing them, that the Holy Spirit may do its work in our lives and prepare us for the soon coming of our Savior!

Oatmeal Pecan Crisps

2 cups oat flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup millet flour

1/2 cup fruit source

1 cup chopped pecans

2 cups soy or nut milk

Add milk until proper consistency, thick but spreadable. Spread evenly on a non-stick cookie sheet, about one inch think. Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes.

 

Food for Life — Fruits, Grain and Vegetables

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Hot and humid! One more month and it will be Fall again. This has been quite a year—the world blames all these disasters on El Nino, but we who look for the soon coming of our Lord know that these are sure signs of the nearness of His coming and the end of the world. What a wonderfuljoyit is to have a hope, and to know that if we are faithful, we will soon, so very soon, see our Jesus coming in the clouds of Heaven to take us to our final reward! Oh, we must be there! Please do not let anything hinder you, for I pray everyday for this wide circle that this paper takes in and hope that if my articles in anyway have helped you to Eternal Life, that you will come up to me on those streets of gold, and say, “Thank you for being instrumental in writing out God’s will for His people, so that I could conform my life to His pattern before it was too late.” And we will embrace and then spend the rest of eternity serving our God, and loving Him and His Son for all they did that we might share in His glory.

“Our bodies are built up from the food we eat. There is a constant breaking down of the tissues of the body; every movement of every organ involves waste, and this waste is repaired from our food. Each organ of the body requires its share of nutrition. The brain must be supplied with its portion; the bones, muscles, and nerves demand theirs. It is a wonderful process that transforms the food into blood and uses this blood to build up the varied parts of the body; but this process is going on continually, supplying with life and strength each nerve, muscle, and tissue.

“Those foods should be chosen that best supply the elements needed for building up the body. In this choice, appetite is not a safe guide. Through wrong habits of eating, the appetite has become perverted. Often it demands food that impairs health and causes weakness instead of strength. We cannot safely be guided by the customs of society. The disease and suffering that everywhere prevail are largely due to popular errors in regard to diet.

“In order to know what are the best foods, we must study God’s original plan for man’s diet. He who created man and who understands his needs appointed Adam his food. ‘Behold,’ He said, ‘I have given you every herb yielding seed, . . .and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for food.’ Genesis 1:29, A.R.V. Upon leaving Eden to gain his livelihood by tilling the earth under the curse of sin, man received permission to eat also ‘the herb of the field.’ Genesis 3:18.

“Grains, fruits, nuts, and vegetables constitute the diet chosen for us by our Creator.” The Ministry of Healing, 295–296.

Until a few years ago, I was under the impression that vegetables were given after sin entered the Garden of Eden. Then as I was reading Confrontation by Ellen White, on page 10 it says, “Adam and Eve came forth from the hand of their Creator in the perfection of every physical, mental, and spiritual endowment. God planted for them a garden, and surrounded them with everything that was lovely and attractive to the eye, which their physical necessities required. This holy pair [obviously they had not sinned yet] looked upon the world of unsurpassed loveliness and glory. A benevolent Creator had given them evidences of His goodness and love in providing them with fruits, vegetables, and grains, and in causing to grow out of the ground every variety of tree for usefulness and beauty.” [All emphasis supplied.]

 

Rice Croquettes

2 cups cooked brown rice

1 cup bread crumbs or grape nuts

1/2 cup nut milk

4 T. chopped onions

1 cup chopped nuts

1/2 t. sea salt

Combine the nut milk, onions, nuts, and sea salt and pour over the crumbs or grape nuts, and let stand for 10 minutes. Then add the rice. Form into croquettes and place on a cookie sheet or baking dish and bake about 45 minutes at 350º.

 

Food for Life — Sesame Crackers

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June! The official month that summer begins. How beautiful nature is at this time of the year. And how we should remember the Creator, who gave us this array of beauty to delight our senses and constantly remind us of Him.

This month we want to mention dress. “The Bible teaches modesty in dress. ‘In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel.’ 1 Timothy 2:9. This forbids display in dress, gaudy colors, profuse ornamentation. Any device designed to attract attention to the wearer or to excite admiration, is excluded from the modest apparel which God’s word enjoins.

“Our dress is to be inexpensive—not with ‘gold, or pearls, or costly array.’ Verse 9.

“Money is a trust from God. It is not ours to expend for the gratification of pride or ambition. In the hands of God’s children it is food for the hungry, and clothing for the naked. It is a defense to the oppressed, a means of health to the sick, a means of preaching the gospel to the poor. You could bring happiness to many hearts by using wisely the means that is now spent for show. Consider the life of Christ. Study His character, and be partakers with Him in His self-denial.

“In the professed Christian world enough is expended for jewels and needlessly expensive dress to feed all the hungry and to clothe the naked. Fashion and display absorb the means that might comfort the poor and the suffering. They rob the world of the gospel of the Saviour’s love. Missions languish. Multitudes perish for want of Christian teaching. Beside our own doors and in foreign lands the heathen are untaught and unsaved. While God has laden the earth with His bounties and filled its storehouses with the comforts of life, while He has so freely given to us a saving knowledge of His truth, what excuse can we offer for permitting the cries of the widow and the fatherless, the sick and the suffering, the untaught and the unsaved, to ascend to heaven? In the day of God, when brought face to face with Him who gave His life for these needy ones, what excuse will those offer who are spending their time and money upon indulgences that God has forbidden? To such will not Christ say, ‘I was anhungered, and ye gave Me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave Me no drink . . . naked, and ye clothed Me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited Me not’? Matthew 25:42, 43.

“But our clothing, while modest and simple, should be of good quality, of becoming colors, and suited for service. It should be chosen for durability rather than display. It should provide warmth and proper protection . . .

“Our dress should be cleanly. Uncleanliness in dress is unhealthful, and thus defiling to the body and to the soul. ‘Ye are the temple of God . . . If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy.’ 1 Corinthians 3:16, 17 . . .

“It should have the grace, the beauty, the appropriateness of natural simplicity. Christ has warned us against the pride of life, but not against its grace and natural beauty . . .

“The most beautiful dress He bids us wear upon the soul. No outward adorning can compare in value or loveliness with that ‘meek and quiet spirit’ which in His sight is ‘of great price.’ 1 Peter 3:4.” The Ministry of Healing, 287–289.

Sesame Crackers

Blend together the following:

2 cups oatmeal

1/2 cup cashews

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

Then add:

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup corn flour

1/2 cup rye flour

1/2 cup sesame seeds

1 t. sea salt

2 T. Fruit Source granules

Mix thoroughly and add enough nut milk (oat, rice or soy) to hold together and form a ball. Roll between wax paper and cut crackers out with a cookie cutter. Bake at 350° for 20–30 minutes.