Another Addiction - Sodium

Question: Which measurement contains 550 mg of sodium?
a. 1 tablespoon
b. 1 teaspoon
c. 1/2 teaspoon
d. 1/4 teaspoon

Go look at the nutrition facts on your salt container.

If you suffer from high blood pressure, you should be eating around 1500 mg of salt, if you are a healthy adult you should consume no more than 2400 mg of salt. That's a lot of salt, you say, but it can add up...try adding your salt up for the day. I did, my exceeded 2400 mg of salt and I don't eat processed foods....imagine if I did, what that amount would be. Read on...

My Dad went to the doc the other day and he encouraged him to eat less salt. This brought on lots of discussion in our house. The one thing we talked about was what we all love to eat most, for some it's sugar, for others it's salty foods, like chips, fries. So, salt can be an addiction? I think it can. It's in everything! Now, don't get me wrong, salt is important, very important, however, too much salt can cause all kinds of problems....how do you know if you're getting too much or too little?

I just read, yet another article that sums up what I'm trying to say much more eloquently! Click HERE to read more!

Low Sodium Brown Rice and Barley Soup
1 Tbs Olive Oil
1 Onion
3-4 cloves garlic
1 small package baby carrots chopped in large chunks or 3-4 large carrots, cut in large chunks
3-4 stalks celery, sliced
3 potatoes, cut in large chunks
1 cup brown rice
1 cup Barley
2 cans diced tomatoes, blended
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
8-12 cups water

Cut all veggies and saute in Olive Oil on Medium heat, for about 5-8 minutes. Add in brown rice and barley, saute again for another 5-10 minutes. This alone give the soup so much flavor (without salt!). Add in about 6-8 cups water and bring to boil on medium heat. Turn to low and let simmer until barley and brown rice is soft. Add in the tomatoes and spices and heat through. Add more water if your soup is too thick, unless of course you like it this way!

One more little tip: Most broths found in the store are LOADED with sodium, as well as canned goods, like tomatoes. So, our goal is not to cut out salt, but to cut back. By bringing out the flavor in our veggies and adding spices, not containing salt and letting them simmer before adding water, is a great way to go. I didn't use low-sodium canned tomatoes, because they added a lot of flavor alone. However, if you need to cut back even more, you can buy low-sodium tomatoes as well.

ENJOY!

Beef Stew

Okay, I must admit that soups/stews are my favorite thing to make, besides bread...lol. My husband has been begging me to make my stew for a few weeks, so here it is ;) Oh and take a look at that love-r-ly role in the background...I made that too! I might have mastered bread but it's a gamble when I make rolls, somehow I'm a little uncoordinated when it comes to shaping them and sometimes they work and sometimes they don't...today was a good day!

Beef Stew

1-2 lbs stew meat

2 cups baby carrots cut in half

3 stalks celery sliced

3 yellow potatoes

1 onion

1-2 teaspoons onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons Redmond Salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

3-4 cups Beef Broth

4 cups water

1 cup white bean flour (thickens the stew)

1/2 cup barley

Brown beef, then add to large crockpot. Add carrots, celery, onions, potatoes, barley, and beef broth. In a bowl add water and whisk in white bean flour and spices. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. This makes a ton, cut the recipe in half if your not feeding an army like I am every night...lol! Enjoy!

*Just a couple of suggestions/thoughts: I love using bean flour as a thickening agent. It is sooo healthy and when combined with a whole grain, it makes a complete protein. Grain/Bean grinders are pricey but well worth the investment! If you do not have a grinder, even a small hand grinder, most of which are relatively inexpensive, will work great. I will also use barley, spelt or whole wheat flour as a thickening agent as well, but prefer bean flours.

Salmon Clam Chowder

This is the stuff! My husband loves this soup...so I'm posting it in his behalf ;)

3-4 tablespoons butter
1 onion chopped
2 garlic cloves
1 red bell pepper chopped
2 celery stalks chopped
1/3 to 1/2 cup spelt, barley, brown rice flour (equal parts of each) or just whole wheat flour
3 cups chicken, vegetable broth
3 large potatoes (red or yellow are my favorite)
2-3 cups half and half
1-2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons basil (dried) or fresh
2 small cans skinnless, boneless salmon with juice
1 can diced clams with juice
1/3 to 1/2 cup white bean flour

Saute onion, garlic, peppers and celery in butter for 2 to 3 minutes, add flour and whisk until it's a thick paste. Slowly add broth, whisk in until blended. Add potatoes. Cook on medium heat until potatoes are soft. Add half and half, spices, salmon and clams and whisk in white bean flour. You do not need to worry about clumping the white bean powder will help the soup thicken. Do not add the white bean powder if your soup is already thick. I like to add this last as it does not clump up like flour and I'm not a fan of cornstarch. Besides, this is a great way to use your beans and it makes the meal much more healthy! You can't taste it at all, I promise! Let the soup simmer on medium low for 10 to 15 minutes. This fully cooks the bean powder and lets the true flavor of the soup develop. This is the most important part! Be careful that your soup doesn't come to a full boil after you've added the half and half. Keep the heat below medium.

(if for any reason your soup is too thick, add water, broth or milk)

Enjoy!!!