Below I would like to share with you some of the pictures that I have been posting on instagram. You can follow all my posting there, @nutritionbyjules, to see more fun photography of all things health related- food, cooking, gardening, recreation and activity! These are also streamed to my Facebook page and Twitter if you use these social media outlets!
From the garden!
Art of the ride. Lavender in the spokes.
In light of my recent blog on how to butcher and prepare pork, I acquired some local leaf fat and made my first attempt at rendering lard. It was a fun experience! The multiple steps are depicted here in this picture:
Step I= cut the leaf fat into cubes (as best possible).
Step 2= place fat cubes in crock pot on low with a little water at the bottom and let fat melt overnight. I ended up letting it stew for about 20 hours. I also used too much water, which ended up separating from the fat when I strained it.
Step 3= strain the leftover chunks, or cracklings, from the liquid fat. I used a stainless steel strainer, which ended up not being big enough and I had to strain multiple times/batches to get through it all. I think in the future cheese cloth would work better. The cracklings can be saved and used as well.
Step 4= let the fat cool into a creamy white, soft but solid form. Keep in jars to use as you would butter for cooking and baking. Extra will freeze nicely. I ended up with 5 small jars from one chunk of leaf fat.
Hemp milk latte. Hemp milk is a great protein source and alternative to highly processed cow’s milk. It also contains high levels of omega-3 fatty acids. As it is becoming more and more popular you will find it in more places for purchase. This latte was made at Backporch coffee roasters in Bend, OR.
Soaked almonds. Nuts, among other plants, have phytates, phenols and other inhibiting agents that bind the nutrients in the food and can have toxic effects when consumed in excess. Soaking helps loosen these to protect the body from their potential damage and to release nutrients, allowing the body to better utilize them.
A few fish meals. Salmon cakes, Oregon rock fish tacos, wild caught salmon with Brussels sprouts and fresh Alaskan halibut stew!
Just for laughs. Humor is good stress relief. Goof it up!
