by Summer D Clemenson | Nov 25, 2025 | Food, Fuel Your Wellness, Opinions
This article was originally posted on WellnessWorksNW.com on 11/18/2025.
Popcorn is a must in our house. Karen G Clemenson and I both have our weaknesses that we have learned to keep at bay and it is made easier with popcorn. Popcorn is high in dietary fiber which aids in digestion and maintains weight. Popcorn is low in glycemic index and on its own can help those with sugar issues to maintain their blood sugar levels. Popcorn is high in antioxidants and polyphenols which can lower the chance of some chronic illnesses, including heart disease and some cancers.
Popcorn is also a whole grain that is linked to lower obesity rates. Before you add anything to popcorn, 3 cups of air-popped popcorn has 93 calories, 3 grams of protein, 18.6 grams of carbohydrates, 3.6 grams of dietary fiber, .2 grams of sugar, 1.1 total grams of fat, .2 grams of saturated fat, 1.9 mg of sodium and several nutrients.
At my house I make a huge batch of popcorn at a time. I use an air popper. I have a set of bowls, just like in this set. I use the largest bowl with the lid. It holds about 5 quarts of popcorn. When it is just us, I melt a stick of good quality butter like Land O Lakes (butter does have some nutritional value and contains MCT that is good for your brain) and add organic sea salt, black pepper, ground garlic and nutritional yeast. If our nephews were coming over, I would use coconut oil, instead of butter because they are lactose intolerant. I might also leave out the pepper, nutritional yeast and garlic since they are toddlers and they might now like the grown up flavors. When I want a sweet treat I have also used sea salt, cinnamon and organic sugar. The boys would probably love that too. Depending on how stressed we are the 5 quarts of popcorn will last us 2-5 days.
The other day, Karen was selling cheese and caramel popcorn at the store. She had mentioned it so many times that when we went grocery shopping I grabbed a bag. She was surprised. I only buy meat, fruits, vegetables and dairy when we go shopping, unless we are out of bread. I buy all our pantry items online at the beginning of the month and I rarely buy anything beyond dark chocolate as a treat unless I plan to bake something. But one time we were at Jamie Holloway‘s apartment and her sister brought over some Cretors Cheese and Caramel popcorn and it was amazing! So after listening to Karen talk about popcorn I just needed to take care of this craving. I don’t make caramel popcorn because I have little self-control over this food. But this regular sized bag of popcorn would be ok. It didn’t last the night.
The next day Karen brought home the leftovers from the samples she had been selling. There was more cheese and caramel popcorn. As I was enjoying the popcorn, she was watching me. This was new to her. I have gone through a lot of food changes over the years. She has not seen me enjoy popcorn out of a bag before. I make amazing popcorn. That was one thing my dad had taught me. He made great popcorn and when he left our house, I asked him how to make popcorn, then that became my job at home. My nana also loved popcorn. This is the part where flavored popcorn comes in. She lived in Seattle when I was really little and then when she married my Grandpa Bill, they lived in Kirkland. Both places are known for their malls and ports. Both of those places always had popcorn shops. Nana always had popcorn at her house and when we went shopping, we often got flavored popcorn. So when I enjoy flavored popcorn, I think of her.
I have never met a popcorn I didn’t like. Karen asked if I would buy this popcorn she brought home. I was honest. I would eat it, but I wouldn’t buy it. I will buy Cretors. Just like we don’t buy microwave popcorn, or even any I have found at our local stores. I buy organic purple Amish popcorn that I found online, because it is the best tasting popcorn I have ever eaten and even though it costs about $17 for 6 lbs, it takes us several months to eat 6 lbs of popcorn so I don’t think that is too much.
Food is health. We don’t eat microwave popcorn because there are chemicals in the bags. My body is sensitive to chemicals. That is why I make most of our food from scratch and why we only go to restaurants where I have not had a bad experience. It isn’t that I think restaurants that I have bad experiences are bad, I just know my body is sensitive to what they are cooking with. My body is sensitive to many healthy things and also unhealthy things. I am just protecting myself. Sorry for the rabbit trail. But if my experiences can help you, I am glad to able to tell you about it.
But back to popcorn. This is how we get through the cravings for other foods that have no health value. We are heading towards the holidays. The bible says that all things are permissible but not all things are beneficial. There will be many foods put in front of us this season. Maybe putting some popcorn out will help you eat less things that are not beneficial this season. Be blessed.
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I hope this article helps Fuel Your Wellness. Please leave your comments below.
Summer D Clemenson is a co-owner Clemenson Enterprises, LLC and Wellness Works NW. Summer her wife, Karen G Clemenson’s personal motto is Creativity, Honesty & Positivity are a must! This mantra helps them stay community and wellness minded in all they do. Summer is an Independent Wellness Advocate at dōTERRA. Summer also writes poetry and inspirational blogs @ GoodTimesAlways.com.
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Feel free to leave your comments below!
My name is Summer. That is how you can call me. I hope that I am a blessing to you. I am not perfect. I will fall again. But I am forgiven. For anyone reading this that isn’t a Christian, unapologetically, I am a Jesus Follower, but I believe there is room for lots of beliefs and religions in the world. It is not my intent to offend people with different beliefs than I have and I would be open to open-minded conversations with no goals of changing anyone’s mind, but sharing information. If you are interested in becoming a Jesus Follower…Do you know Jesus? Do want the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding and salvation? Ask Him. Want someone to pray with you? Contact me.
If you would like to know Jesus as your friend, but want to make this amazing commitment by yourself please pray something like this: Thank you Jesus that You are the Son of God, the God that created heaven and earth. Thank you Jesus that You came to earth in the form of a man so that You would be able to empathize with my humanity. Thank You that You did this in order to fulfill the promises You made at the foundation of the world. I realize that I am a sinner and do things that hurt myself and keep myself away from you. Thank You that You died for my sins so that You could defeat death and bring me into Your life. Please forgive me. I ask You to be Lord of my life. I ask you to heal my hurts and show me what my new life, empowered by You looks like. Thank You for Your mercy.
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by Summer D Clemenson | Jul 13, 2025 | About Summer, Cancer, Food
You should always read your test results, especially if you are chronic. While preparing for radiation, I was having weekly labs, which showed me that I have low potassium one week and then, I was normal. I take a water pill daily and a potassium supplement because when you take a water pill, sometimes you eliminate important nutrients like potassium. But I also tend to crave an occasional pickle, potato or banana; these foods are high in potassium. Sometimes I get leg cramps, a sign of low minerals and I drink an unsweetened coconut water and I feel better.
It was good that I knew this because when I met my newest specialist, a hematologist, she asked me about my potassium levels and I had an answer.
I learned about paying attention to these things when I found out I had a tendency to become anemic. This is normal for someone with psoriatic arthritis. But it isn’t hard to maintain, usually. I try to have some beef a couple times a month. I eat one meal with meat (fish and poultry are fine) in it every day. I also love farm fresh eggs, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, spinach, cabbage, to just name a few of my favorite high in iron vegetables.
You can always google to look for the nutrients you are needing more of to add to your diet. Supplements are fine, but eating a well rounded diet is more satisfying and filling and also helps eliminate some of those unhealthy cravings that don’t help us reach our goals.
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Feel free to leave your comments below!
My name is Summer. That is how you can call me. I hope that I am a blessing to you. I am not perfect. I will fall again. But I am forgiven. For anyone reading this that isn’t a Christian, unapologetically, I am a Jesus Follower, but I believe there is room for lots of beliefs and religions in the world. It is not my intent to offend people with different beliefs than I have and I would be open to open-minded conversations with no goals of changing anyone’s mind, but sharing information. If you are interested in becoming a Jesus Follower…Do you know Jesus? Do want the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding and salvation? Ask Him. Want someone to pray with you? Contact me.
If you would like to know Jesus as your friend, but want to make this amazing commitment by yourself please pray something like this: Thank you Jesus that You are the Son of God, the God that created heaven and earth. Thank you Jesus that You came to earth in the form of a man so that You would be able to empathize with my humanity. Thank You that You did this in order to fulfill the promises You made at the foundation of the world. I realize that I am a sinner and do things that hurt myself and keep myself away from you. Thank You that You died for my sins so that You could defeat death and bring me into Your life. Please forgive me. I ask You to be Lord of my life. I ask you to heal my hurts and show me what my new life, empowered by You looks like. Thank You for Your mercy.
by Summer D Clemenson | May 29, 2025 | Food
This is a Depression Cake I feel like we should specify that it is a Chocolate Depression Cake, in case someone has a Depression Cake that is a different flavor. The recipe came out during The Great Depression; there is no dairy, eggs, or oil in it. I added a little cinnamon because I like cinnamon with chocolate. I have made this recipe more than once because the first time, the cake took much longer to cook than the directions said and it was so bland, I didn’t care for it.
I adjusted this recipe with ingredients people would have had during the time frame of the 1930’s and this cake is great. It is the consistency of brownies. You could frost it but I think it is sweet enough. I might try macerating fresh raspberries or strawberries sometime or do a light drizzle because the flavor of the cake is really nice and might get lost with frosting.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- t tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 1 1/2 cup cold coffee
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
- Grease 8-9 inch pan.
- In a large bowl add flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk well to combine.
- Add vanilla, vinegar and coffee. Mix well.
- Pour into pan.
- Bake for 35-50 minutes. Cake will be chewy,
I really hope you enjoy this recipe. The original recipe called for water instead of coffee and I added the cinnamon and salt and increased the cocoa powder. These changes really brought out the chocolate flavor and made this desert very enjoyable.
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Feel free to leave your comments below!
My name is Summer. That is how you can call me. I hope that I am a blessing to you. I am not perfect. I will fall again. But I am forgiven. For anyone reading this that isn’t a Christian, unapologetically, I am a Jesus Follower, but I believe there is room for lots of beliefs and religions in the world. It is not my intent to offend people with different beliefs than I have and I would be open to open-minded conversations with no goals of changing anyone’s mind, but sharing information. If you are interested in becoming a Jesus Follower…Do you know Jesus? Do want the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding and salvation? Ask Him. Want someone to pray with you? Contact me.
If you would like to know Jesus as your friend, but want to make this amazing commitment by yourself please pray something like this: Thank you Jesus that You are the Son of God, the God that created heaven and earth. Thank you Jesus that You came to earth in the form of a man so that You would be able to empathize with my humanity. Thank You that You did this in order to fulfill the promises You made at the foundation of the world. I realize that I am a sinner and do things that hurt myself and keep myself away from you. Thank You that You died for my sins so that You could defeat death and bring me into Your life. Please forgive me. I ask You to be Lord of my life. I ask you to heal my hurts and show me what my new life, empowered by You looks like. Thank You for Your mercy.
by Summer D Clemenson | Nov 9, 2022 | Book & Product Reviews, Food, Life, Opinions, Queer Community
…So I was digging through this bag of books my sister gave me and I found this book with colorful pictures and food on the cover and was excited to read it, thinking I would learn a lot about food but was surprised when I learned so much more. Koshersoul: The Faith and Food Journey of an African American Jew by Michael W. Twitty is a book about just that, a journey, but not just by Twitty, but the other people he has met along the way.
Being Jewish is not just a religion, it is a culture. It is a generally led through the mother so gender is important. Most people have been led to believe that Jews are white/caucasian or Middle Eastern but there are Jews all over the world and many are Black and they have been left out of the conversation much of the time. If you’re a Black Jew, as in most situations, you are a color before you are anything else, as dictated by society’s standard.
“Your place in the mishpocheh, the family, and how you navigate that place, not just with others but within yourself — that is the bootcamp of identity, especially intersectional identity, and it’s where you find your special truth that only you can bring to the table.” Chapter 3
Mishpocheh (mesh-poh-keh) is Yiddish for kinfolk or people that are from where you are from. Yiddish is a transition language between German and the Jewish person’s original language just as Ebonics wasn’t bad English, originally, but a transition between native tongues and English. Twitty doesn’t go into detail about Ebonics beyond this but the fact that people still use Ebonics, does cause my wife’s skin to crawl because it is reminder of being enslaved that should be let go while we celebrate liberation.
One reason I love to read is that it stretches my brain. I really look forward to reading some more about Jewish culture, and then re-reading this book. Twitty uses a lot of Jewish terms without explaining them and although I did find a glossary at the end of the book, and I did Google several terms while I was reading, I think I will better appreciate this book after reading some more on the culture. He did try to explain the words that make up the main tile for the book:
“Kosher” is a standard of ritual fitness according to Jewish dietary laws and sometimes to other parts of Jewish material culture and ritual observance because G-d says so and because it connects other Jews.
“Soul” has its own connotations of soul food, soul music, soul people, soul dancing. However, soul food, has come to mean both African American vernacular cuisine and the comfort food core traditions of other folk cuisines. Soul means a certain vibe and feeling, an earthiness and peace with yourself and your people. Soul food is based on the ingredients: corn, tomatoes, peppers, pineapples and peanuts which were ready available to enslaved people.
About the People
“Loving yourself means you remember you are betzelem Elokim — made in G-d’s image — as much as any other person. It means that G-d has love for you as an LGBTQ person and that your struggles and strengths matter to our Creator. In the LGBTQ community, we have conflicts between one another as men and women, cis and trans, white — identified and people of color, disabled and not, wealthy and financially challenged. Your duty is to apply the best of Jewish values — mainly a concern for the stranger and those in need, and the urge to support the oppressed — because we were all of those in the time of our enslavement and captivity, and we are duty bound to be compassionate and loving and empathetic. Be grateful and thankful for your difference in the world and for the opportunity to feel for others what you feel for others.” Chapter 11; Mayseh; The Letter I Always Wanted to Write
The relationship between people and food helps bring groups together which is why “Jewish” food is a vast word.
Jewish people have been judged and ridiculed everywhere they have been — it is sad to know why it is easy to see why they have failed to reach out to marginalized Black folks — Jews or otherwise. To reach out to Black people would bring them into the position of abuse. White Supremacy has brought division and fear here too.
“We are here to be family to one another, to exist for the sake of others, even as others exist for our sake.” Chapter 1
I have been interested in learning about Jewish culture for some time and I am thankful that I read this book. I believe it has reminded me to learn more about this culture. As a Jesus follower, I see it as learning another part of my Savior, but also I believe we are all connected and learning about other cultures helps me to see me in the world better. There are some wonderful recipes, interesting cultural references and great personal stories throughout this book which make it a fascinating read. I highly recommend it, although it can get a little dry here and there, it is easy to overlook.
I got this book from my sister, Jamie Holloway, you can get your copy of Koshersoul: The Faith and Food Journey of an African American Jew by Michael W. Twitty on Amazon.com.
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Read My Review on GoodReads:
Koshersoul: The Faith and Food Journey of an African American Jew by Michael W. Twitty
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I was not expecting what I got when I picked up this book but I enjoyed what I got. Twitty is a well-read person with lots of words and I did have to look several up, which I kind of enjoyed. I plan to read this book again, after I have read a few more books on Jewish culture, and have a better understanding of some of the basics. I enjoyed the many contributors and viewpoints Twitty shared and his personal point of view, it really helped me see outside of myself. I also look forward to exploring some of the recipes.
View all my reviews
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Feel free to leave your comments below!
My name is Summer. That is how you can call me. I hope that I am a blessing to you. I am not perfect. I will fall again. But I am forgiven.
For anyone reading this that isn’t a Christian, unapologetically, I am a Christian, but I believe there is room for lots of beliefs and religions in the world. It is not my intent to offend people with different beliefs than I have and I would be open to open-minded conversations with no goals of changing anyone’s mind, but sharing information.
If you are interested in becoming a Christian…Do you know Jesus? Do want the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding and salvation? Ask Him. Want someone to pray with you? Contact me.
If you would like to know Jesus as your friend, but want to make this amazing commitment by yourself please pray something like this:
Thank you Jesus that You are the Son of God, the God that created heaven and earth. Thank you Jesus that You came to earth in the form of a man so that You would be able to empathize with my humanity. Thank You that You did this in order to fulfill the promises You made at the foundation of the world.
I realize that I am a sinner and do things that hurt myself and keep myself away from you. Thank You that You died for my sins so that You could defeat death and bring me into Your life. Please forgive me.
I ask You to be Lord of my life. I ask you to heal my hurts and show me what my new life, empowered by You looks like. Thank You for Your mercy.
by Summer D Clemenson | Aug 25, 2022 | Food, Life, Opinions
Sometimes you get to choose your dinner and sometimes you eat what you have. I am calling our meal tonight A Lentil Party Dinner because I can. It sounds fun and there are ingredients I am only used to seeing at a party in our meal because a friend gave them to us and I am grateful and didn’t want to be wasteful so I got creative.
Unlike most of my posts that are pretty well thought out, this one is off the cuff so it will have more candor. Maybe we will have more fun. I have been trying to change things up in the last week because I have become bored with the every day things that must be done, but I realize they don’t have to be done the same way. This means my workouts have taken different forms, I have let myself sleep more and my meals are random and smaller most of the time. Today I did a Gua Sha massage on my left leg with my rose quartz stone, that Jamie Holloway gave me. I used Balance and Aroma Touch and focused on deep breathing and thought about how I love myself and how Jamie loves me, when I looked at the stone. These massages hurt a lot but they help with my lymphedema and I could tell by the end that the shape of my leg was different and the color of my skin was better. Self-care is very important.
Eating is part of self-care. It is important to try to bring balance to our diet. Regardless of your food philosophy, or beliefs, proper nutrition is vital to loving yourself. Although I consider Little Smokies and Cream Cheese to be party foods, I do see they have some value and they are not without a level of fun to a regular diet. By no means, are we perfect in our diet plan. Karen G Clemenson and I are both living with sugar addiction that we try to keep at bay, but we regularly enjoy desert, in reasonable servings.
So where is the fun, I promised? I don’t know. I just finished reading a very emotional book and I just didn’t want to write a book review yet. So I thought I would share with you how I cleaned out our pantry items and a few odds and ends to make a yummy stew…We are very lucky that with the car repairs that we have had to endure, that we have had friends that have helped us. We were not expecting this level of expense. We were not expecting to go almost 2 weeks without the car. Both of these things have made life more of a challenge. Literally there have been times that I was about to explode and my eye caught a scripture that I happened to write on a note card and taped to the wall, at some point, that was perfect for that moment. Let me tell you, God is good all the time.
Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.
2 Corinthians 2:14
So…anyway here is what I did to make A Lentil Party Dinner…
I chopped up:
- 3 onions
- 4 carrots
- 4 celery stalks
- 2 zuccini
- 2 packages of little smokies
…and added each item to the crock pot on high to get them going with some olive oil, salt and pepper.
Then I rinsed a bag of lentils and added them to the crock pot along with:
- a box of Organic Beef Bone Broth
- a package of Cream Cheese chopped up
- a few cubes of gluten free beef and chicken bullion (to taste)
- enough water to level it off
After about an hour, I reduced heat to low, gave a good stir and tasted the broth, then added:
- Pepper (to taste)
- Garlic powder (to taste)
- Italian Seasoning (to taste)
Then I left it alone for several hours…I got some cleaning done and took a nap.
I was careful to not add a lot of salt to this dish. The Little Smokies and the Cream Cheese have a lot of sodium, as well as the Bone Broth and bouillon and it did not need it. The Smokies gave the whole pot a huge amount of smokiness and the Cream Cheese gave a creaminess to the broth. It was wonderful.
…we also got a good blend of vegetables which are full of nutrients and fiber (which my primary doctor is very adamant that I need), and some good vegetable protein, while having a fun stew that is filling…it is also very gaseous…I forgot to add bay leaves when cooking…Bay Leaves usually help and they also have a lot of health benefits…
I was so thankful for my blend of Essential Oils I use to help with gas…Contact Me if you want me to give you my recipe…even the peppermint tea helped but I am still processing…Cancer meds make gas worse, in case you didn’t know that…Getting older is a gift but it is not for the weak!
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Feel free to leave your comments below!
My name is Summer. That is how you can call me. I hope that I am a blessing to you. I am not perfect. I will fall again. But I am forgiven.
For anyone reading this that isn’t a Christian, unapologetically, I am a Christian, but I believe there is room for lots of beliefs and religions in the world. It is not my intent to offend people with different beliefs than I have and I would be open to open-minded conversations with no goals of changing anyone’s mind, but sharing information.
If you are interested in becoming a Christian…Do you know Jesus? Do want the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding and salvation? Ask Him. Want someone to pray with you? Contact me.
If you would like to know Jesus as your friend, but want to make this amazing commitment by yourself please pray something like this:
Thank you Jesus that You are the Son of God, the God that created heaven and earth. Thank you Jesus that You came to earth in the form of a man so that You would be able to empathize with my humanity. Thank You that You did this in order to fulfill the promises You made at the foundation of the world.
I realize that I am a sinner and do things that hurt myself and keep myself away from you. Thank You that You died for my sins so that You could defeat death and bring me into Your life. Please forgive me.
I ask You to be Lord of my life. I ask you to heal my hurts and show me what my new life, empowered by You looks like. Thank You for Your mercy.
by Summer D Clemenson | Nov 3, 2020 | Food, Fuel Your Wellness
The other day I was really not feeling well. That is normal when you live with chronic illness, but that day it was worse. I felt like I was floating through the day in slow motion. It would have been a perfect reason to decide to pick up a cheep dinner. Karen always loves it when I suggest burgers for dinner… 🙂 Today was a Soup for Dinner day! But as I thought about it, I realized I just needed to handle this day better, even if was slower than usual. Crockpots, slow cookers, and instant pots really can make a slow day a success if you think about it and I decided to get mine out and see what was in the fridge. (more…)
by Summer D Clemenson | May 15, 2020 | Food, Fuel Your Wellness
Karen loves eggs! She can eat them all day long and never get sick of them. She doesn’t care how they are prepared. She doesn’t care what time of day it is. She will always enjoy an egg or two. To be honest, they are an inexpensive way to get a little protein in, so I don’t mind that she enjoys them so much.
I have to be honest here. I am not a morning person. If you ever see me in the morning (which can be any time before 2 pm) and I look like I am enjoying myself, I could be giving you a good performance. That said, it works best for my family if I find ways to have food in the fridge for Karen, who tends to get grumpy when she is hungry. (more…)
by Summer D Clemenson | Apr 28, 2020 | Education, Food, Fuel Your Wellness
FODMAP stands for Fermentable Oligo-, Di-, Mono-saccharides and Polyols. All these scientific terms are used to describe groups of fermentable carbohydrates that commonly trigger bloating, gas and stomach pain in people with sensitivities.
The main dietary sources of the four groups of FODMAPs include:
- Oligosaccharides: Wheat, rye, legumes and various fruits and vegetables, such as garlic and onions.
- Disaccharides: Milk, yogurt and soft cheese. Lactose is the main carbohydrate.
- Monosaccharides: Various fruit including figs and mangos, and sweeteners such as honey and agave nectar. Fructose is the main carb.
- Polyols: Certain fruits and vegetables including blackberries and lychee, as well as some low-calorie sweeteners like those found in sugar-free gum.
(more…)
by Summer D Clemenson | Jan 31, 2020 | Food, Fuel Your Wellness
As you travel your path to wellness you will want to become more food conscious. In today’s society is impossible to completely cut out eating out. Americans spend almost half of their food budget on restaurant experiences. Overall restaurant foods are higher in calories, salt and fat than foods created at home; this is true even if the restaurant claims they have made their menu more healthy. A lot of this is because restaurant portion sizes are so much larger than what actual serving sizes should be. We do recommend that spend more time exploring foods at home but when you do go out there are healthy swaps you can make to help you feel better and continue to make your wellness goals. (more…)
by Summer D Clemenson | May 21, 2019 | Food, Fuel Your Wellness
Karen and I are so blessed to have people in our lives who care about us and help us while we are growing Karen’s dream of a successful business. The other day one of our clients gave us a small roast and Karen asked me if I could figure out how to make it stretch for about 4 days. I searched the list of ingredients I knew we had in my head, and I told her I would make soup.
Soup is something I ate a lot of growing up. But it was usually out of the can and I never really liked it. I remember 2 times my mom made soup from scratch and it was amazing! My mom was a single mother and she worked a lot. She also doesn’t really enjoy cooking so that soup was like a miracle to me. Since I was the oldest I was stuck with feeding my sisters and I wasn’t very good at it; I was always more creative than my ingredients. But Mom really loved bean with bacon soup and chili from the can and that was probably what my sisters would have preferred when I cooked too. (more…)
by Summer D Clemenson | Nov 27, 2017 | Food, Fuel Your Wellness
I am super excited to share this recipe with you because it is so DELICIOUS! Karen and I were invited to Jamie’s house for Thanksgiving and she let us know that she was cooking a KETO Thanksgiving. As she listed the menu I noticed she didn’t name a dessert (possibly because she knows I like to make desserts) so I offered to find a yummy one. I found a few but in order to make the group happy we decided on Keto Caramel Macchiatto Tiramisu. I found all the recipes on IBreathImHungry.com. The recipes were meant for a party smaller than mine so I adjusted the amounts. It also called for me to make at least one other recipe, Cream Cheese Pancakes, and because I have never enjoyed sugar free caramel sauce, I googled Keto Caramel Sauce which led me back to the same site and found one that I added to my plans for this wonderful concoction. (more…)
by Summer D Clemenson | Oct 17, 2017 | Food, Fuel Your Wellness
There are many names of sugar. There is a lot of added sugar in processed foods. Manufactures often use several kinds of sugar so they can hide the actual amount of sugar in a food item because the rules the FDA requires for food labels require manufacturers to list ingredients by weight. If food makers relied on only a few types of sugar to sweeten and preserve their foods than sugar would appear in the top 3 ingredients and health conscious people and parents would think twice before buying their items. By creating so many names for sugar they can keep the weight of ingredients down so the names of the ingredients can be lower on the label…and make it more difficult for people to recognize how much sugar they are eating when they consume processed foods. (more…)
by Summer D Clemenson | May 12, 2017 | Food, Fuel Your Wellness
Often I hear Karen mumbling under her breath that she needs to find out if Subway adds soy in their sandwiches. Apparently she had been told that there is soy in meat at Subway and she wanted to make sure that she wasn’t passing on untruths…last night I heard it for the last time because I finally realized that she would wonder about this until someone told her otherwise…I get it. Some nights she barely finishes her dinner before she starts dozing off.
After googling “Subway Menu,” I ended up on a page on their site…where I was able to download a document called U.S. Allergy and Sensitivity Information that answered her question. On the document I looked at there were 2 types of ways soy can be in an ingredient:
- an * indicates that soy is an ingredient in the cooking process (vegetable oil)
- a dot indicates that soy is an actual ingredient in the product. (more…)
by Summer D Clemenson | Sep 15, 2016 | Food, Fuel Your Wellness
Learning about salt, otherwise known as sodium chloride is very useful in managing your wellness plan. Salt is made of 40% sodium and 60% chloride. Salt is used to add flavor to food. It is also used as a preservative, binder and stabilizer. Salt is necessary to the human body to conduct nerve impulses, contract and relax muscles and retain the proper balance of water and minerals. While the human body needs only a small amount of sodium to do its job, salt also makes our food taste good….and not all salt is created equal. There are many types to choose from with different tastes, textures and mineral and sodium content. Most of the world’s salt is harvested from salt mines or by evaporating sea water or other mineral-rich waters. (more…)
by Summer D Clemenson | Jul 27, 2016 | Food, Fuel Your Wellness
While we are standing at the jump off point of your new path toward wellness you might feel a little frustrated by all the changes that you see in front of you. Learning how to educate yourself about food is really important, so we thought we might start out with a big one Cooking Oils. Before we can delve into that topic, lets take a crash course on FAT…
There are 3 kinds of fats: good fats, bad fats and neutral fats. Good fats have been clinically proven to benefit our bodies, bad fats are harmful to our bodies and neutral fats which may not damage our bodies but probably don’t benefit them very much.
Examples of Good Fats: (more…)
by Summer D Clemenson | Jul 13, 2016 | Food, Fuel Your Wellness
For most people Nightshade Vegetables and Fruits are very nutritional and offer protective properties to the human body. As someone who lives with hiatal hernia and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) I have made a decision to research different kinds of foods that I should limit or remove from my diet. Unfortunately for me, tomatoes are not on the list of foods I get to enjoy anymore, but that just leaves more room for beets, pumpkin and carrots…
Nightshade fruits and vegetables belong to the family of Solanaceae plants of the Solanum genus; a group that includes more than 2,500 species that are widely used in food and medicine. Many of these plants are not edible, but there are a good number of Nightshades: tomatoes, potatoes and eggplant, to name a few, that have become a staple to diets for many years. (more…)
by Summer D Clemenson | Jun 30, 2016 | Education, Food, Fuel Your Wellness
We love peanut butter! It is filling. It is healthy. It is packed with protein, fiber, monounsaturated fat and fat-burning folate. But there are some things you might not know about peanut butter that will probably change the way you shop (we hope). (more…)
by Summer D Clemenson | Nov 11, 2015 | Food
Right now we live in a small space with a mini-kitchen. Our appliances are smaller and the space I have to cook in is smaller, but I can finally say, I have gotten used to it. My wife loves all things apple, and she loves my applesauce. Years ago I made huge batches and gave it away as gifts (I had a larger kitchen and storage for extras back then). She never lets me forget it.
In September, one of Karen’s clients gave her a huge bag of Granny Smith and Golden Delicious apples; the same day I had just bought a big bag of Fuji apples. I love to add apples to lots of things but at some point I needed to claim my small kitchen back. So I decided to make some apple sauce.
Saturday, after making it again, I decided that I would share my success with you because I bet most people don’t know how easy it is to make apple sauce and also that you don’t have to make a huge batch that takes over all your storage space. And for any of you that don’t know how to can foods, this project is still do-able. (more…)
by Summer D Clemenson | Jul 11, 2015 | Food
I love hummus! I could eat it by the bowl full but sometimes it can be a bit spendy and more often than not, I cook from scratch in order to avoid the salt that Karen shouldn’t have or the nightshades I need to stay away from. I have also had allergic reactions to that lovely ingredient “Natural Flavors” and “Spices” which is really code for naturally occurring chemicals that are created by mixing other chemicals that were never part of the original food I was trying to enjoy in the first place…
As Karen has been having the opportunity to encourage people on their path to wellness through Wellness Advocacy at
Wellness Works NW, she has also made new friends who love to get her to try new things. One of the most recent creations was homemade hummus made by a creative lady named Kye who made some for her a few months ago. It was amazing! I asked Karen for the recipe…and Kye gave it to her twice, yet if it ends up in Karen’s backpack there is a 75% chance I won’t see it…unless you want to
email it to me…
I finally got sick of waiting for Kye’s recipe from My Love and decided to Google it. I found some great information on a blog entitled
Smooth Hummus Recipe and then headed to the kitchen to have some fun!
(more…)
by Summer D Clemenson | Jun 10, 2015 | Food
Have you enjoyed a slice of amazing lemon loaf with your tea? Done right, it can really make a memorable moment. Above is a picture of my wife enjoying hers with a beer…I forgot to take a picture of the cake…I was really interested in trying out a new recipe that was lower in sugar and had fresh ingredients in it so that I could offer it to more my health conscious friends. The first time I made this was for my wife’s 50th birthday and we loved it.
Since that day I decided I need to perfect a Gluten Free Lemon Loaf that would make anyone happy so that my friend Jamie Holloway, and anyone else that is gluten intolerant, can also indulge and not worry about repercussions….here’s the fun part…if you bake it in a cake pan…it doesn’t look like a loaf anymore…
Ingredients:
- Coconut Flour 1 ½ cup
- Baking Powder ½ tsp
- Baking Soda ½ tsp
- Sugar Free Cheesecake Pudding Mix (1 oz)
- Sea Salt ½ tsp
- Eggs 3
- Raw Sugar or Evaporated Cane Juice 1 cup
- Butter 2 tbsp
- Vanilla Extract 1 tsp
- Therapeutic Grade Lemon Essential Oil 10 drops
- Lemon Juice 1/3 cup (about the amount in one medium lemon)
- Lemon Zest from one medium lemon
- Coconut Oil ½ cup
Instructions
- Preheat Oven to 350°
- Grease 9 x 5 x 3 inches loaf pan with coconut oil.
- In a large bowl blend flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- In a medium bowl combine eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla extract, Therapeutic Grade Lemon Essential Oil, lemon juice with a hand mixer until well blended.
- Add wet ingredients to dry. Add oil. Blend well.
- Pour into pan and bake 45 min or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let cool 10 min. Remove from pan and allow to cool completely.
Optional: Glaze
In a 16 oz jar add 3/4 cup powdered sugar, 2 Tbsp Almond Milk and 4 Drops Therapeutic Grade Lemon Essential Oil. Shake well. Pour over cooled Lemon Loaf.
Want to learn more about Coconut Flour? Read Baking with Coconut Flour
by Summer D Clemenson | Jun 8, 2015 | Food
For years I have used the Jiffy Brand cornbread mix because when I had tried a couple different recipes I wasn’t happy with making it from scratch, but cornbread is the perfect combination for soup…which we eat a lot of in our house since it is so easy to pile in the veggies in one meal and not have to cool for the week…so in my heart I knew that someday I would create my own.
I knew this lady that loved to cook and she had asked me over for lunch. When I got there she told me that she had been out of milk when she made her cornbread so she used yogurt. Yogurt?!
You know what? I LOVED IT!
When I was ready to create my own recipe I started comparing recipes to see what was similar and what I liked best and, as you know, if you have looked for recipes, they commonly have regular flour in it. The first batch was ok…but I was still tweaking. Then I found out that my friend Jamie Holloway had learned she was gluten intolerant so I added that to my list of ideas…a few batches later it was perfect!
I hope you enjoy this easy and healthy version of Cornbread…even if you don’t have a problem digesting gluten!
Ingredients:
- Cornmeal 2 cups
- Raw Sugar or Evaporated Cane Juice 3 tbsp
- Baking Powder 1 ½ tsp
- Baking Soda ½ tsp
- Sea Salt ½ tsp
- Organic Cinnamon 2 tsp
- Black Pepper ½ tsp
- Eggs 2 (beaten)
- Greek Yogurt 2 cups
- Fresh or Frozen and Thawed Corn 1 cup
- Coconut Oil 1/3 cup (melted) (I have also used Avocado Oil)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 425°.
- Grease 8 inch pan or your preferred pan with coconut oil.
- In a large bowl combine Cornmeal, Sugar, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Salt, Cinnamon and Black Pepper.
- Add Beaten Eggs, Yogurt, Corn and Coconut Oil.
- Mix all ingredients well.
- Pour into pan and bake 20-25 minutes.
- Optional: Put pats of butter on top and bake for another 10 minutes.
- Let cool 10 minutes before serving.
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