Mediterranean Diet: Best Healthy Diet in Town

Did you know eating a Mediterranean diet stops Alzheimer's disease and brain shrinkage? The Los

Angeles Time reported on Oct. 21 that the brain shrinks in old age (that's why the elderly slow down

and suffer memory loss associated with Alzheimer's). But happily, you can slow aging by eating more

fish, less meat and other brain food swaps on the Mediterranean diet. Following the Mediterranean

diet helps with weight loss, heart health and a bunch of other condition, too. Here are more brain

food swaps to slow aging, lose weight and improve health.

One thing that deters people from starting new diets is that they are afraid they'll have to eat weird

things or buy expensive "diet" food. That's what's cool about the Mediterranean diet: it features

common, simple foods, sourced locally and simply prepared. Senior citizens aren't known for liking

new foods. They like foods they ate it as kids. And that's what the Mediterranean diet is: lots of

vegetables, legumes (think soup beans), whole grain cereals (oatmeal), fish and monounsaturated

fatty acids like olive oil (instead of transfat or saturated fats). And the old folks love it because it isn't

processed junk food. It's homemade like mama used to make. And those elderly people tested who

ate a brain food Mediterranean diet had larger brain volumes than those who didn't.

Here are other Alzheimer's busting Mediterranean diet food swaps. Eat light, whole grain 35-calorie

per slice bread over regular bread. Regular bread has a shocking 2-3 times as many calories as diet

bread. Diet bread loses calories, high fructose corn syrup, transfat and sodium, but retains fiber and

fatty acids (essential brain food to lose weight and slow aging). Eat flaxseed, chia seed, almonds and

oatmeal instead of cereal or toast for breakfast. Drink lowfat milk, not skim (too little good fat) or

whole milk (too much fat). Trade butter and mayo for olive oil margarine and mayonnaise. Use

avocados instead of spreads, milk, eggs, oil and fats, even in baking.

Greek yogurt doesn't just slow aging, it can stop Alzheimer's in its tracks! Greek yogurt is super

healthy, with antioxidants, probiotics and acidophilous, plus it has double protein. Make Greek yogurt

smoothies. Add fresh or frozen strawberries, blueberries, grapefruit, apples, melon or bananas.

Walmart's 4-pound frozen blend of strawberries, peaches, mangoes and pineapple has only 70

calories per cup. Add an Emergen-C packet (for metabolism boosting, antioxidant vitamin C) and light

almond, cashew or coconut milk and blend. Swap sour cream and cream cheese for Greek yogurt or

avocados.

Slow aging and increase brain health by reducing salt. The highly-rated DASH diet advocates cutting

sodium to lose weight, too. Eat low sodium vegetable soups. Make homemade veggie soup by dicing

summer squash, zucchini, tomato, celery, purple cabbage, peppers, mushrooms and onions. Simmer

in a broth made salt-free Spike, salt-free Mrs. Dash, Bragg's Liquid Amino, sea salt or Himalayan pink

salt. Add a little liquid smoke or chipotle for a bite.

Swap hot dogs, lunch meat, sausage and bacon for light turkey and chicken deli meat. Serve fresh

chicken sausages and turkey hot dogs. Skip meat altogether and try a nut and seed vegan burger.

Roast a big portabello mushroom or sweet potato and serve instead of meat. Eat more fish. Broil

salmon, swordfish, pollock, cod or tuna steaks. Season with lemon juice, dill and Greek yogurt. How's

that for yummy brain food swaps to slow aging and beat Alzheimer'

Mincemeat Pie Recipe: Vegan, Vegetarian Alternatives

Mincemeat pie is the quintessential traditional Thanksgiving pie. Mincemeat pie is a love it or hate it dessert. If you love mincemeat like we do, you probably know that it is expensive. Here's an easy recipe for homemade mincemeat pie filling.

  Mincemeat pie is named so, because traditionally mincemeat contains stewed, shredded beef. Mincemeat developed in the middle ages as a way to preserve meats and prevent them from spoiling. Similar to smoking meat, pickling it in a brine, like herring or corned beef or salting it away like salt pork, beef cooked in stewed fruits and spices could be stored for a time also. The cooked fruits formed a sort of brine for the beef. When the mincemeat filling was baked into a pie, the pie was a dinner pie, such as steak and kidney pie or the more modern pot pie. Mincemeat pie was the entree.

  My original recipe called for a pound of stew beef stew meat to be cooked with the fruit and spices. For reasons of taste and for vegetarians and vegan diners, I've omitted the stewed meat from the recipe. If you've a yen for a good old medieval dish, add a pound of stewed beef to your recipe. I have done this in our homeschool when we were studying medieval Europe. But for the rest of us, here's the modified fruit only version.

  Nine cups cooking apples, peeled, cored and quartered (Macintosh, Jonathan, Ida Red, Jonamac, Granny Smith apple varieties make the best cooking apple; my personal favorite being the wonderful Macintosh from my home state of Michigan.)

  4 ounces avocado oil or ghee

  2 1/2 cups of sugar (I like Florida Crystals)

  2 1/2 cups of water

  15 ounce package raisins

  1/4 cup molasses

  2 cups dried currants (available near the packaged raisins; Sun-Maid makes packaged currants)

  1/2 cups chopped or diced candied fruits with peels, also known as citron; these are the same candied fruits used in holiday fruitcake (available seasonally in most grocery stores).

  1 teaspoon each shredded orange peel and lemon peel

  1 cup orange juice

  1/2 cup lemon juice

  1 teaspoon salt

  1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

  1/4 teaspoon mace

  In food processor, grind apples and oil. Place all ingredients, including apple-suet mixture in a large kettle. Cover, simmer for forty-five minutes, stirring frequently. This recipe makes enough for 2 nine inch pies. Use four cups per pie. Bake with a double crust pie. If you are using frozen pie crusts, use two crusts, fill one and use the other on top.

Dairy free Vegan Recipe: Milk-less, Eggless, Sugar-less, Butter-less War Cake (with diet food swaps)

Vegan Cake Recipe: War Cake
During WWII, foods were rationed: eggs, milk, sugar and other items. Vegans do not eat these foods, so what better recipes for vegans than recipes from WWII? Here is my grandmother's famous eggless, sugar-less butter-less milkless "war cake" recipe. I've tweaked the recipe only to remove lard' or shortening from the ingredients list and replaced with olive oil. If you want to make an authentic war cake, use shortening as olive oil  would have been difficult to find and probably boycotted as we were at war with Italy. If you're looking to lose weight or just lighten up your cake, use mashed avocado, applesauce or ground flaxseed to sub for oil and eggs. 

 War Cake

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/ 2 cup corn syrup

1/2 molasses

1 cup cold water

1 cup chopped raisin

2 teaspoons any combination of spices: cinnamon, mace, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, cloves

one half teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

one half cup olive oil (or mashed avocado, mashed banana, applesauce or milled flaxseed)

Bring to boil oil, spices, corn syrup molasses, salt, raisins and water. Boil three minutes. Sift together dry flour, soda, baking powder. Blend wet and dry ingredients. Pour into oiled tube pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted into top of cake comes out clean.

Graduation Open House Buffet Recipes for Bridal or Baby Shower too

May and June are busy with graduation open houses. If you have a graduating child, here's a guide to plan a graduation open house party cheap and easy. This festive budget graduation party guide has tips on purchasing, preparation, serving and clean-up tips for a perfect open house that even a busy DIY parents can enjoy!

--Set up self-maintaining buffet and drink areas.

--Serve simple appetizers and finger foods that people can graze from and don't require you to manage (aside from putting out a fresh tray possibly).

--Beverage bar: arrange variety of pop, water or juice, ice bucket and cups. Or buy canned soda in bulk cheap and fill a cooler. Set a box lined with plastic for returnable cans. Serve one each: cola product (Coke, Pepsi, RC), clear soda (7-Up, Sprite, Squirt), diet soda, non-caffeinated pop (root beer), bottled water, lemonade and juice boxes. If you serve alcohol, have a bar tender. Put bottled or canned beer in cooler. Monitor casually but carefully.

--Use disposable utensils, plates, cups and napkins. Get cheap paper products at Dollar Tree, Walmart or Family Dollar in your school colors. Serve food from large disposable foil roasting pans. Use the turkey size. Buy rectangular pans as they store in the refrigerator better. Fill roaster pans the night before and reheat before serving

--Cheap, easy open house buffet foods: These don't need to be reheated.

BBQ meatballs: Mix and heat thoroughly: 5# bag of Armour frozen meatballs and 16 oz jam or frozen fruit, 16 oz ketchup, envelope French onion soup mix, cup molasses, smoked paprika, garlic and lime juice.

Sausage and Sauerkraut: three 32 oz bags of refrigerated sauerkraut and 4# fresh bratwurst, sweet Italian or Polish sausage. Bake until sausage is thoroughly cooked about an hour.

Tuna Salad: Mix 2# cooked small seashell pasta, four 12 oz. or eight 6 oz. cans of drained tuna, 1 whole stalk of celery pared, cleaned and sliced, 1 large sweet or Vidalia onion, cleaned and chopped, 3 T. dill, 32 oz jar mayonnaise, 4 hard cooked eggs sliced and arranged on top, pepper or paprika for garnish

Chicken Salad: Mix 2# cooked small seashell pasta, four 12 oz cans cooked chicken, 32 oz jar mayonnaise, 1 # chopped walnuts, 1 stalk cleaned, pared chopped celery, 2# washed seedless purple grapes, 1/2 c. chopped sweet onion (optional), parsley for garnish.

Baked Beans: Mix 8 cans of pork and beans or 3 jars of great northern beans, two 3# bacon cut into bite-sized pieces, 32 oz ketchup, 2# brown sugar. Bake on low until beans and bacon are browned and bubbly.

Vegetable tray: For color variety use: cucumbers, grape tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, yellow pepper strips, mini ir baby portobella fresh mushrooms, cauliflower. Serve dish in hollowed out green pepper or use ranch dressing for dip.

Fruit bowl: canned pineapple chunks, fresh strawberries (washed and pared), fresh washed green grapes, canned mandarin oranges, fresh blueberries. Serve individually in disposable drink cups topped with whipped cream for a smaller party. You can also make a watermelon boat.I don't care for all the cutting up of a melons, though.

Cupcakes: Cupcakes are much easier to manage than a huge cake that messy and ends up all over your yard. You can buy bulk decorations like little diplomas, Class year or graduation. You can buy them from any party supply store or Walmart. Put one on each cupcake. Our local Meijer grocery superstore makes decorated graduation cupcakes. I paid $30 for 72 cupcakes, a big savings over a cake.