Homemade Italian Tomato Sauce

This is a recipe that my tutor in Italy taught me to make. We would cook when I got tired or frustrated with parsing verbs and learning vocabulary and parts of speech. She was a very patient teacher and this is one of my favorite recipes that she shared.

Ingredients:
6-7 pounds of tomatoes (a mix of roma, red, and yellow are really good.)
2 onions
4 cloves of garlic, sliced
1-2 large carrots, cut into chunks
Handful of fresh basil leaves, torn not chopped
1-3 tsp. salt
1-3 tsp. sugar, optional (if you have yellow tomatoes you don't need it)
2-3 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil

You need enough tomatoes to fill a two handled pot. Cut out the tops of the tomatoes and cut in half.** Add 2 onions cut in chunks, a couple of cloves of garlic, and a handful of fresh basil (Tear the leaves, don't cut), and one large carrot-cut in chunks.
Cover the pot and put on medium heat stirring occasionally. Don't add any water or salt; the tomatoes have enough water in them.

After the tomatoes and carrot are soft. Mash through a sieve. I have a victoria strainer with a crank handle. Catch all the juice in another pot, and mash till all that's left are the skin and seeds. It takes a while and you need a lot of muscle in your arm to crank all the juice and pulp out.

After you finish getting the juice and pulp, put back on medium heat (make sure there are no chunks). Add to taste salt, sugar, olive oil, and more basil (approx. 1/2T. salt, 4T. sugar, 1/2c. oil. More or less to taste). The sauce is ready when it cooks down, and gets more dense. It can be used for pasta or pizza sauce.

**You can also blanch the tomatoes in boiling water, take off the skins and scoop out the seeds. Then instead of mashing the tomatoes through the strainer, if there are no skins/seeds, you can puree in a food processor or blender.

Recommended Reading

Here are a few health and nutrition books that I have read recently or am intending to read at some point. The focus is on whole nutrient dense foods and why they are better for you than most staples in the standard American diet.

Curves Fitness & Weight Management Plan by Gary Heavin, Nadia Rodman, RD, and Cassie Findley, M.S. Ed. This book covers a 30 day cycle of how to jump start weight loss and raise metabolism to maintain it. www.curves.com

Real Food, What to Eat and Why by Nina Planck She has assisted in starting farmers' markets and is a proponent of whole foods. www.NinaPlanck.com

Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon A comprehensive cookbook implementing traditional cooking practices to get the most nutrients from our food. www.westonaprice.org

Eat Fat, Lose Fat by Dr. Mary Enig and Sally Fallon Discusses healthy naturally occurring fats and the benefits of adding them to your diet. Touted as "the healthy alternative to trans fats".

The Maker's Diet by Dr. Jordan Rubin Explains the benefits of a kosher diet based on foods found in the Bible. www.makers-diet.net

Why Stomach Acid is Good For You by Jonathan V. Wright M.D. and Lane Lenard Ph. D.
Shows the consequences of low stomach acid and how improving the level of stomach acid aids proper digestion.

The All New Square Foot Gardening Book by Mel Bartholomew Give step by step instructions to gardening in a small space. If you want fresh vegetables all summer this is a good book for beginning gardeners. (Like me)

Fix It and Forget It (Regular and Lightly editions) by Dawn J. Ranck and Phyllis Pellman Good Recipes and tips on using slowcookers to prepare easy meals

Mennonite Country-Style Recipes & Kitchen Secrets by Esther H. Shank One of my favorite cookbooks, even shows butchering techniques. I use the chili con carne recipe often.

Here are a couple on my future reading (purchase) list:

The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan A personal look at the way we eat and where food comes from www.michaelpollan.com

Gut and Psychology Syndrome by Dr. Natasha Campbell McBride Discusses the relation between an unhealthy digestive tract and certain conditions including Autism and ADD and how to improve symptoms using dietary adjustments www.GAPSdiet.com

Salad Bar Beef and Everything I Want To Do Is Illegal: War Stories From the Local Food Front by Joel Salatin He is a farmer in Swoope, Virginia who uses sustainable farming practices to provide top quality beef, poultry, and pork products to the surrounding communities www.polyfacefarms.com

I don't always agree 100% with each author that I read, but there is valuable health and nutritional info in these resources.

Phase 3 Menu Plan

Here is a menu plan for phase 3 of the Curves Weight Management Plan. It will feel like a lot of food, but in order to raise your metabolism you need to give your body fuel. Try for 2,000-2,500 calories depending on your activity level. Here are a few tips for increasing calories. (Found on page 110 in the book.)
Increase portion size for a meal or snack.
Add 1 T. olive oil as a dressing or to saute veggies
Add an extra 200 cal snack to your day.
Dried fruit and nuts for around 300 cal.
Add a glass of milk to dinner or a snack

Menu for Phase 3
Day 1
Breakfast: Breakfast scramble p. 111
Snack: Ants on a Log p. 113
Lunch: Apple walnut salad p. 115
Snack: Grapes & cheese p. 84
Dinner: Salmon burger p. 117

Day 2
Breakfast: Berry almond oatmeal p. 111
Snack: Grapes & cheese p. 84
Lunch: Bean burrito p. 114
Snack: Ants on a log p. 113
Dinner: Pinapple chicken skewers p. 116

Day 3
Breakfast: Breakfast Burrito p. 111
Snack: Fruit salad p. 113
Lunch: Honey glazed salmon p. 115
Snack: Trail mix p. 113
Dinner: Soup & Salad p. 116

Day 4
Breakfast: Waffles with peanut butter p.112
Snack: Trail mix
Lunch: Asian chicken salad p. 115
Snack: Fruit salad p. 113
Dinner: Beef Tacos

Try to mix and match the next 3 days in order to minimize your shopping list and have a day for leftovers if needed. Also in the book on pages 71-72 and 120-121 are suggestions for healthy choices while eating out. The websites www.healthydiningfinder.com and www.fastfoodbook.com also help navigate restaurant choices as well. Good luck with Phase 3 and keep working the cycle until you reach your goal weight.

Phase 3

After 30 days on Phases 1 & 2, you will increase your calorie intake to 2,000-2,500, depending on daily activity levels. It can be a little scary to increase the calorie intake, but it is the only way to reboot metabolism. You will eat normally, until you gain 3 pounds above your current weight. When you hit the "high" weight you will go to phase 1 for 1-2 days until you get to the "low" weight. The cycle is repeated for 2-4 weeks. It will take longer between each session to regain the weight. After your metabolism has recovered, then you can repeat the 30 day cycle with 2-4 weeks of metabolic recovery until you reach your goal weight. Ideally you want to be able to maintain and eat normally and go to phase 1 once a month to control small gains. (Photo: dessert from Natale Giunta. Eat normally, and that means you can have the occasional treat)

http://www.natalegiunta.it/

Progress Update 2

It's the beginning of February and I have until the second week in March before my bridesmaid dress arrives. Currently I am down 1.5% in Body Fat, 2.5 inches, and 4.5 pounds since January 1. It is a marathon, not a sprint, but I am happy to see the pounds start coming off. This is the snowiest winter we have had in quite a long time, so it has been a challenge to find ways to get exercise in that doesn't involve shoveling snow. I have been working out at Curves 3-5 times per week, but need to add in some more activities.

Where do I shop

Sometimes its hard to know where to get grocery items at the best prices. Here is a list of places I shop and what I normally purchase at each store. Your pantry needs may vary from mine, so shop accordingly. It is good to make a staple item list, so you know what is regularly on hand and what needs to be replenished.

Sharp Shopper- Bulk baking items and nuts, cheeses, bananas, some local produce, olive oil and spices. I have also found organic items occasionally. (http://www.sharpshopper.net/)

T&E Meats - Ground beef, steaks, roasts, and stew meat. Local and grass-fed available, including Polyface Farms products. (http://www.temeats.com/)

Finder's Keepers (discount items)- Barilla brand whole wheat pasta, organic salsa and some soups and spices.

Martin's - Kefir, organic fruit and produce (during the winter months), specialty cheeses, organic extra-virgin coconut oil, occasional organic items, ginger ale with no HFCS (http://www.martinsfoods.com/)

Wal-Mart - Natural peanut butter, Stoneyfield organic yogurt, Horizon organic whole milk (non-homogenized)

Costco - occasional organic items, bulk jasmine rice and quinoa (http://www.costco.com/)

Shank's Bakery - fresh bread (when I don't make my own)
(http://www.shanksbakery.com/)

Shenandoah Heritage Farmer's Market, Grandma's Pantry - Raw apple cider vinegar, bulk honey (take your own container) and local maple syrup (http://www.shenandoahmarket.com/)

The websites for most of these places are posted underneath. Everyone's list will differ, but comparing prices and sales from different stores will help maximize the grocery budget.