Paula Anderson's Food Blog

Be Mindful When Eating With Kids

2012-01-27T19:00:00.000-08:00

If you’re eating out with kids, think twice before you place a separate order for each of them! And if you’re cooking for them, know that you can waste a lot of food if you don’t pay attention to how they eat.

It’s so easy to routinely fix the food, put it on their plates, the scrape most of it into the garbage disposal! Worse is when you plunk down $40 or more at a restaurant, and look at the nibbled food on the plates as you leave.

That’s especially the case with young children because they “graze” a lot ~ a pretty healthy way to eat, really!

My recommendation is to share orders when you go out, and DON’T order soft drinks! Just drink water instead. You’ll save a bundle, and everyone will still get enough to eat.

I sat beside my four-year-old granddaughter in a restaurant earlier this week. I ordered a cheese enchilada, and she had a kid’s order of chicken nuggets and fries. She ate about three fries and one chicken nugget ~ about 35 cents worth of the $5 order! The smarter course would have been for me to order black beans and rice with the enchilada, and then split that whole meal with her.

When I make sandwiches at home, I don’t give the kids a whole sandwich, but half sandwiches and fruit instead. (Chips are fine, as long as there’s just a few. I never put a bowl of them on the table!)

I always have some apples in the fridge I can slice when they just want a snack.

Be Careful Where Your Thoughts Take You!

2012-01-14T19:04:00.000-08:00

I've been reading some of Wayne Dyer's stuff recently. He writes a lot about spirituality, the power of intention... stuff like that.

But he has some intersting things to say about our thoughts and the power of their vibrational frequencies. By extension, I believe they resonate with food frequencies. So here's something to ponder.

Basically, if we're feeling depressed, sad and unmotivated, the thoughts that support those emotions are low frequency vibrations, and they'll resonate with foods like Lay's salty, greasy potato chips; Krispy Kreme donuts, or a sack of Oreo's.

Dyer would say it's no surprise that that frequency level also attracts what we might label as "bad luck" scenarios in our lives. It's the Law of Attraction.

On the flip side, if you're thoughts are focused on possibilities, solutions, and positive options for your life, your food choices will likely carry a higher energy frequency, such as resides in fruits and vegetables. Generally people whose thoughts are positive, and their choices (i.e. food) are positive, enjoy more favorable outcomes in their lives. Maybe not always ~ but generally.

Check it out.

Just pay closer attention to folks you know who seem to attract good things to their lives; or when life delivers them a challenge, how they respond to it. Also notice how life never seems to change for the people who are always complaining.

I'm betting there may be some correlations with food choices. Do they value themselves enough to take care of themselves? Or do their eating habits reflect a belief that they're victims in a life of drama?

It all starts with our thoughts. Which means it's not so much what we DO, but rather how we ARE.

The more relaxed and happier we ARE, the easier it is to make the healthiest choices!

Here's an Easy Dish ~

2012-01-08T18:26:00.000-08:00

One shouldn't obsess too much about healthy eating. That's stressful, and stress can undermine the best of diets. Easy is best, and planning ahead makes a huge difference.

My husband had some thawed chicken thighs in the fridge, and I always get concerned when he decides to cook up a meat dish because it all shows up on the table. However, I got to it first and steamed the six thighs, and put half of them back in the fridge to toss with some cooked cous cous or rice, along with some diced veggies, later.

I had some Thai coconut soup (curried!) in my pantry, so I opened a couple of cans of that and included diced chicken from three of the six thighs. We had some crackers and peanut butter with it, and that was plenty.

Before I turned off the lights in the kitchen, I put a couple of cups of wheatberry grain in some water to soak over night. I got a great recipe from Pam Peppin that calls for cooked wheatberries, tossed with walnuts, apple, raisins, parsley, cider vinegar, cinnamon, nutmeg and olive oil.

That can then be part of lunch or dinner over the coming week!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T09:43:00.000-08:00

So much of this food journey is about starting over. And so it is with our lives. We glance backwards at years of broken resolutions ~ but then here comes "grace." Ann Lamott sums it beautifully.

“Grace is the force that infuses our lives and keeps letting us off the hook.

It is unearned love ~ the love that goes before, and greets us on the way.

It’s the help you receive when you have no bright ideas left, when you are empty and desperate and have discovered that your best thinking and most charming charm have failed you.

Grace is the light or breeze that takes you from that isolated place and puts you with others who are as startled and embarrassed and eventually grateful as you are to be there.

I do not at all understand the mystery of grace – only that it meets us where we are, but does not leave us where it found us.” - Anne Lamott

Now greet this brand new year with faith, confidence, and once again ~ resolve!

Eat Well, Be Well ~ The Book!

2011-12-26T20:50:00.000-08:00

For over two years now I've been writing of various approaches and insights into the challenge of eating well. I expect to be blogging for another two years about our relationship with food because there is so much to say about it!

Now I've condensed the material I feel to be most useful into a little book designed as a guide on this journey that we all share.

It's called "Eat Well ~ Be Well", and it will be posted on e-bay this weekend. It's meant to be used for both information as well as some personal journaling. The messages are pretty simple ~ and they are presented as a daily practice, because daily practice is the surest route to real change. I also invite some thoughtful exploration of the reader's beliefs about his or her relationship with food, as well as a look at what emotional factors may need to be considered.

I welcome the opportunity to share it with you!

Happy New Year!

Count to Ten Before You Bite!

2011-12-18T17:39:00.000-08:00

It really is amazing how quickly we can eat something, without giving much thought to it.

We do everything quickly these days, and multiple things at once. That's why "mindfulness" is a relatively new concept. Now you can read about "mindful" anything!

It connotes slowing down enough to be aware ~ to pause ~ to reflect. That's not exactly a Western behavior, but it's essential that we "get it;" for the health of our bodies, our minds and our souls.

I know from experience that if I'm stressed, I'll eat more ~ maybe of the wrong stuff ~ as opposed to times when I'm more relaxed.

Maybe that's part of the function of saying a prayer (or "grace") before meals, because you're taking a moment to express gratitude for the food before you.

But since not many people do that, even quietly taking some deep breaths when you're particularly busy and doing lots of things at once, can create enough of a space to make a better choice when it comes to eating!

Cutting Corners in the Kitchen

2011-12-08T20:24:00.000-08:00

I bought a cod fillet the other day.

They're generally pricey, but I stretched 3/4 pound into two meals. I used 1/2 pound to prepare two portions sauteed with sprinkles of lemon juice and dill, sided with a sweet potato split between us, and a hearty cole slaw with added ingredients of broccoli, peanuts, figs and grapes.

Tonight, I steamed the rest of that cod, sauteed a handful of mushrooms with a few pine nuts, and mixed all of that that with some linguini and basil pesto.

The most costly items were the pound of the slaw I bought at the deli counter ($5), and the small container of pesto, also about $5. We ate all the slaw, but the pesto will be stretched to add to other noodle dishes when I want to fix something quickly.

We don't normally eat dessert, but now that Haagan Daas has these tiny containers of ice cream for about $1.50, every once in awhile I pick up a couple.

And when I go to the store, I NEVER push a big shopping cart, because I don't want to walk out with more than a couple of bags.

A big part of eating well and not spending a lot of money is thinking ahead.

What do you need to buy to go with what you already have in the cupboards or in the fridge?

It's Simple, Not Easy!

2011-11-30T19:54:00.000-08:00

Accept it. You're human.

That means there is no "perfect" path to eating well. You start over every day, because every day brings a new set of challenges that can illicit a range of responses, depending on where you happen to be emotionally.

The more detached we are from what goes on around us, the clearer our choices. But that clarity fades during a day packed with lots of activity with little time to reflect. That's when our ego is usually in the driver's seat, and the foods with the greatest appeal will likely be those containing sugar, fat or salt.

When there's too much going on, or too much to process emotionally and mentally, we're in a state of stress which means our choices will be different than if we're relaxed. Worse yet is the increased mental chatter where we debate with ourselves how best to "fix" whatever situation we're facing.

It's how we live, driven by fear and guilt that if we don't solve the problems before us, it will reflect our own short-comings, or result in outcomes we don't want.

It's at those times that vinegar and salt potato chips never looked better, and a bag of them can be emptied in no time!

Our responsibility to ourselves and to everyone else lies in maintaining a relaxed state of mind. That's the "climate" where healthy choices thrive. Interestingly, the problems then take care of themselves, mainly because we can then view them differently!

A Little Gratitude Can Reduce Those Cravings!

2011-11-23T21:46:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day ~ the day everyone gets a huge pass in their struggle with food. No need to be on guard against sugar, fat and salt this day. We all know we can indulge with full absolution!

But as human beings, we don't live by bread alone, to reference a biblical phrase. That's because hunger is not just physical. It's also emotional, and the relationships we hold dearest ideally offer connection at Thanksgiving, and that's what feeds our souls.

When those expectations fall short, as is the nature of relationships at one time or another, our recourse is to fill that void by over-eating. No right or wrong judgment here ~ it's what we do.

But there's another angle to consider ~ and that's our ability to nurture ourselves by connecting with our own hearts. We do that through gratitude. We do that by counting our blessings.

Tomorrow is a day to take stock ~ to be thankful for a meal on the table, and for those who sit down to share it with us. We are thankful for the love that is shown to us by not counting unfulled wishes.

We fill our own hearts first, so we can love ourselves. It's from that source that we can then authentically share ourselves with others, understanding that those who seem emotionally unavailable to our needs are really simply lacking in their own level of self-love.

This is how we feed our emotional hunger. We nurture ourselves by expressing gratitude for what we've been given.

If we believe in our own worthiness to receive love ~ and EVERYONE is worthy ~ we won't look at food as our only source of comfort.

So as the turkey is carved, take a few minutes and count your blessings because there are many.

And then enjoy your meal ~ Happy Thanksgiving!

Two Can Eat As Cheaply As One!

2011-11-21T19:15:00.000-08:00

Il Bistro. a local Italian restaurant, is a bit pricey for my pocketbook right now, but I was still able to enjoy some of their great cuisine. Tonight my husband and I split an order of Eggplant Parmesan, with a side of their famous Artichoke Soup. I ordered it as carry-out ~ cost was about $15. It was pretty good!

However, the greater portion of our meal was a salad we prepared at home with what was in the fridge ~ combining red cabbage, ice berg lettuce, spinach, sliced carrots and cilantro.

The combination was just right. I felt we had a bit of the luxury of fine restaurant dining, but kept it in balance with all the nutrients and fiber in the salad. The salad factor made the meal much more affordable, and healthier.
The assumption people often make in our "all or nothing" belief system, is that they can't enjoy a little luxury until they can afford it all, or until they're ten pounds lighter.

But that's not the case, because we really don't need as much as we think we do!

Making Due!

2011-11-18T06:23:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Google, you have a ready resource when it comes to food prep!

The other night I spotted a purple cabbage at the rear of my fridge, but short of boiling it with salt and pepper, I wasn't sure what else to do with it. So I went on line.

What I came up with was an apple cabbage combo that turned out to be simple and yummy!

What I loved about this was that I didn't have to go out and buy anything! I've started keeping a stash of apples in my refrigerator drawer, because I usually eat one every day. (Cuts the food cravings!)

Basically, I sliced part of the cabbage and two small apples and put them in a saucepan with a cup of water and three fourths cup white vinegar. To that was added a half teaspoon of cinnamon, and then a few dashes of cloves and allspice. I brought it to a boil and then let it simmer for about 30 minutes.

It was my main dish because it was the larger portion of the meal, sharing a plate with some salmon and wild rice.

It would have been much more expensive if I had bought a larger piece of salmon ($7.99/lb for wild- caught). Instead, I bought a little over a half pound for $5, because we don't need that much protein in a meal. That was sided with a half cup of rice. By making apples and cabbage the main dish, I heaped some fiber into my meal ~ and that promotes digestion, cleansing, and again, reduces food cravings.

I only used a quarter of the cabbage, so there's enough left to divide into a hot soup, or to add ot salads.

You can cut a lot of expense and gain a lot of nutrition with a little planning!

Eating Well Doesn't Have to Be Expensive!

2011-11-11T08:21:00.000-08:00

Buying organic can be nearly double the cost of non-organic produce. In these tough times, you might easily say it's a no-brainer to buy what's cheapest.

But when it comes to food, don't let cost always be your bottom line when you're deciding what to buy. As I've said before, the average American wastes 40 percent of the food that they purchase. As an example, it's been my experience that when I buy a pound of non-organic strawberries (about $3), half of them develop mold before I can use them up.

So this morning, I bought a 9 oz package or organic strawberries for $5. But here's my rationale: I'll use those strawberries because I paid a premium for them. But more importantly, I'll savor eating them because they are actually RED on the inside ~ not white!

That also makes me conscious of not buying more than I will use, unless it's in a can or I can freeze it.

Just some extra thought and planning is money in the bank!

The Apple ~ Your Re-set Button for Healthy Eating

2011-11-04T18:51:00.000-07:00

I've been eating an apple every day for awhile now.

There's so much impressive information out there about the health benefits they offer, it made sense that that daily investment might pay dividends. I've also tried to engage other people to do the same.

What I've gathered from random comments is that it's well worth the effort. First of all, apples reduce cravings for foods that aren't so good. They're packed with nutrients and enzymes that help bring balance to that chemical "soup" we call our bodies.

I find that when I've eaten an apple at some point during the day, it's much easier for me to pass up one of my biggest temptations: salt and vinegar potato chips! I'm not then drawn to sample a piece of fudge, or to buy a bag of chocolate chip cookies.

When we crave something, it's usually because we've got some imbalance going on. Unfortunately, generally what we crave only escalates rather than satisfies. (Eating salt and vinegar chips only makes me want more!)

But eating an apple is like hitting a "re-set" button that causes me to feel more centered; more in balance ~ not driven to satisfy cravings.

It makes healthy food choices for that one day so much easier. After all, one day at a time is all we ever have to worry about.

Try it for a few days and share your comments. I'd love the feedback!

Gotta Love a Pantry!

2011-11-01T19:59:00.000-07:00

I have to say the combo we put together tonight was SO good!

My husband had purchased some turkey sausage a couple of days ago, and since we hadn't frozen it, we decided we'd better use it.

I had some Spanish rice in the pantry, along with cans of diced tomatoes to draw from. I also had some cans of black beans. There was a head of iceberg lettuce in the fridge, along with some apples.

So I thought about what we could combine. I fixed the Spanish rice (tomatoes included), and then added some black beans for fiber to help offset the carbs in the rice. That was served up with about three ounces each of the turkey sausage. Then I cut a couple of wedges of iceberg lettuce, added some apple slices, again for fiber; and topped that with some balsalmic dressing.

I have to say it was all delicious, and it all came from my pantry except the turkey sausage and lettuce.

Having a pantry stocked with rice, pasta, canned tomatoes, beans and broths goes a long way when you're putting together a meal.

What I did was put some things together in proportions that I thought were balanced and healthy. You don't need a recipe for that!

Good Vibrations

2011-10-28T19:49:00.000-07:00

I tossed the bag of Ruffles potato chips I bought tonight.

Not sure why I picked them up after many many months of never buying that genre of stacks, but I think it had something to do with my frequency channel. (No, not as in "ham radio"!)

I've been reading Dr. Wayne Dyer's book, "There's a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem." Very insightful, because, in a nutshell, he concludes that our problems coincide with our energy frequency.

Mine was rather low today ~ I tried to cram too much into one afternoon, and topped it all off with an irritating phone conversation that pushed my delicate ego buttons.

Dr. Dyer says low energy frequencies resonate with and attract other low, dense frequencies ~ something that over the long term can translate into mental or physical illness. Of course, we're just talking one choice here: Ruffles potato chips.

But for folks who are less aware of what's driving their eating behavior, it's simply a marker on a path strewn with other low-frequency food choices. So when your depressed, which is going to appeal to you the most: celery sticks or brownies?

Had my telephone chat been more positive, and had I taken a few moments now and again over the course of the afternoon to just relax, I wouldn't have even walked down that snack aisle. Instead, I headed right for it.

I knew what was going on, and after chip number ten or twelve, I opened the garbage can and threw the rest away ~ knowning that bag would be otherwise be empty by dinner time.

That alone boosted my energy frequency up a notch.

I had made a clear choice.

A sliced pear sounded pretty good!

Awareness Trumps Knowledge When It Comes to Eating Well

2011-10-27T19:47:00.000-07:00

I'm intrigued with the realization that awareness of our needs can guide our choices more accurately than knowledge.

More simply, I wasn't feeling that great last night after I had a meal of albacore tacos, rice and beans, PRECEDED by a plate of fried calamari. I didn't have to add it all up to understand intuitively what my body had to say about it. It was seeking a cleanse, so I settled on an apple and some lemon water before I went to bed. Fortunately, it helped.

Granted, this was a special occasion. My husband and I were trying out a new restaurant ~ and we love calamari. It's the only fried food I ever eat, so we ordered a plate of it. But when we left, I found I didn't have that familiar sense of well-being I associated with eating lighter in the evenings.

So tonight, while my husband enjoyed a grilled cheese sandwich and some tomato soup, I checked in with my stomach and opted instead for a sliced pear and some ginger tea.

So what does that suggest about abstinence? Absolutely nothing!

I'll go back and have albacore tuna tacos, but next time, I'll split the order with someone else (there's two to an order), and I won't have calamari, too. Or, I'll just order the calamari and a side salad, and bring several people with me to share the appetizer plate.

Because the deal is, it's never "all or nothing." We get ourselves into big trouble that way because we end up thinking the choices we made were wrong.

But every choice has a consequence. It's as simple as that. It's not a judgment or a punishment, and it's not good or bad. It's just what happens!

Eating Patterns for Our Times

2011-10-11T20:03:00.000-07:00

These are complicated times.

For that reason, we're all seeking some simplicity. My belief is that if you can simplify eating, other things become simpler, as well.

Just consider how much money you might be spending on food you don't need, or fixing meals that aren't that good for you. We do that without thinking while our minds are preoccupied with a roster of problems and worries.

We chomp on chips, cookies, crackers ~ or anything that's handy when we decide we absolutely need something to eat. The question that often remains, however, is "what are we really hungry for?"

For a long time I enjoyed the pacifying, sedating effects of sugar, fat or salt when I was feeling anxious or stressed. But now that I've incorporated heathy, fiberious fruts and vegetalbles into my day ~ specifically the apple ~ I'm feeling a lightness and a heightened sense of being. But here's the key ~ it's easier to know when I'm hungry, and define what I'm hungry for.

What this means is if you focus on getting enough of the good stuff, you won't be inclined to eat the bad stuff.

I have to say it's liberating to eat lightly, but to eat often.

One Change Affects Everything

2011-09-05T17:14:00.000-07:00

Maybe I've said it before: "Change one thing you do every day and you change your life."

We'll see. So far, I think it may be valid.

A week ago I basically parked my car to see how attached I really am to all those monthly operating expenses for the sake of convenience. I bought a bike (soon to arrive!) and started riding the bus ~ Grand Valley Transit in this community. When the bike arrives, I'll ride it between stops, rather than walk.

So what's this got to do with eating. A lot!

Despite all we may understand and know about healthy eating, when the boredom factor kicks in, it's hard to resist culinary indulgences. (Even if it gets reduced to Cheetos!)

Emotionally, it would have probably been easier to board a flight for Africa than to give up my car. It gets me where I want to go quickly, and makes it possible to tick down a list of errands on a lunch hour. Without my car, I've had to time appointments with the bus schedule connections, and allow lots of time.

So when I leave in the morning, I have to think ahead because there's no running back to the house if I forgot something. Interestingly, the challenge has been stimulating. And if this makes any sense, it's easier to eat healthier.

Maybe it's the liberating feeling of getting out of the driver's seat, and letting go of expenses ~ like gasoline ~ and maybe car insurance!

I don't find slices of apple pie so hard to resist ~ now I resonate more with eating apple slices. I carry my lunch ~ a half sandwich of fresh veggies, and an apple. I also carry my water bottle. It all fits efficiently into a fanny pack ~ convenient for the bike ride.

The other thing that occurs to me is how much gasoline I wasted just making unnecessary trips ~ to the mall, to the grocery store, or downtown ~ often because I didn't plan ahead.

Time is money ~ and it's energy ~ and I feel that now I'm conserving both.

Maybe that's what I've been craving!

The Grounding Benefits of Food Prep

2011-08-28T17:56:00.000-07:00

I really felt like staying on the couch this afternoon. It was raining, and I was mesmerized by watching the play-by-play of Hurricane Irene's path on TV.

Mentally, physically and emotionally I was on a low "frequency" ~ the food equivalent of which would be a combination of sugar (or carbs), fat and salt. Slide a dish of Ruffles potato chips my way and my best resolve would be finished!

That's exactly why I don't keep them in the house!

I'm on a frugal path these days, so I thought about the station-wagon sized zucchini that had lazed too long in the sun in our backyard garden, and a bowl of ripe tomatoes in the fridge. Fortunately for me, I had to get up off the couch to do some prep work if I wanted something good for dinner.

Refusing to dwell on the approach this month of my 65th birthday, I instead focused on slicing up the zucchini for grilling. I combined some olive oil, lemon juice, rosemary, basil, and some cayenne pepper in a bowl, and then basted both sides of the slices.(No recipe, mind you ~ just combining a few things I thought might work well together!) I placed them on the grill, along with some onion slices, and continued to baste them until they were tender.

Meanwhile, I sliced the tomatoes as a side dish, and heated up some left-over linguini, as well.

As I did this, I had time to once again be mindful that I'm so fortunate to be healthy and active at this age, and that it takes so little ~ really ~ to nourish me. When I finished eating, I realized I was satisfied. I didn't crave anything else. I was reminded that this is how I feel when I eat what my body needs.

I had a different frame of mind ~ on a "frequency" that didn't resonate with potato chips, or TV.

That's the challenge of the practice of eating mindfully ~ every single day!

Money & Food ~ It's All Energy!

2011-08-03T19:19:00.000-07:00

I found after tallying up trips to the store and restaurant items on my bank statement that I was spending a lot more than I thought in that area. Nothing provides more clarity than journal entries or bank statements!

It occurred to me that we can "nickel and dime" our way into the red, just as, bite by bite, we can loose awareness of what we're eating. My resolve was to change that pattern, so on my way home from work I purposely avoided a stop at the supermarket. I knew by walking in for one item, I'd come out with three or four more.

In my car, I already had a Japanese eggplant, an onion and a zucchini that I had picked out of a box of veggies harvested from a co-worker's garden. I had stir-fried some veggies the night before and spooned them over rice, so tonight I'd do the same thing but use linguini, instead of the rice. Here's what I love about this: to the diced vegetables, I added a can of diced tomatoes (Italian seasonings included) from my pantry and a few black olives and mushrooms from the fridge, cooked them for a few minutes, and then spooned it all over a bit of the pasta. A dash of Parmesan cheese and it was perfect!

I'm careful to save "a bit of this" and "a handful of that" in the fridge rather than tossing them down the garbage disposal for just these kinds of preps.

Turns out it didn't take much time, energy or money to make that meal!

That translates into money in the bank, not to mention the huge health advantages of eating simply!

Keeping Balanced in Changing Times

2011-07-27T19:54:00.000-07:00

As I write this, it's still unknown whether the current federal budget crisis will reach resolution in Washington. All sorts of dire predictions have been offered as to what we might expect should the government default on its debts next week.

No one knows for sure what it might mean, and Americans are nervous. At a time when many people are out of work with little prospect of finding a job, on top of that, we'll all likely face higher interest rates on home mortgages and credit cards.

In a few weeks, we may not be comfortably settled in to a past routine of paying bills and going shopping. As fragile as our economy is, it wouldn't take much of a shift to change the way we all operate.

Not much we can do about that ~ but we can control what we eat.

Our priorities may become immediately clearer ~ and those would be to take care of our health and choose good food to eat. All the stuff we surround ourselves with will be quickly devalued if we don't have our health or good food.

Fortunately, it's more affordable to eat well than it is to eat junk. The reason for that is good food satisfies hunger, but junk leaves us craving more. That's probably why it's easy to consume a lot of processed food and sugary drinks during the course of a day.

The unknown is always scary ~ but if we can keep body and soul together, we'll get through it. Keeping ourselves well nourished is an important part of that.

Pay attention to what you eat. It just might be money in the bank!

Another Frugal Meal

2011-07-20T19:10:00.000-07:00

Few things are as emotionally sustaining to me as good food.

And that's generally all it takes to boost my mood and remind me how blessed I truly am.

At times when I'm tempted to measure happiness by my financial security, or lack thereof, I'm reminded that much of the world lives hand-to-mouth every day. And then I focus on preparing a meal that truly nurtures me, and I realize I really do have all that I need.

Like this morning when I looked into the vegetable bin of my refrigerator and pulled out a couple of carrots, some celery, part of an onion, some asparagus, and some cabbage. I diced the vegetables and scooped them into my crock pot, along with some vegetable broth, a couple cups of water, some basil and Italian seasoning, some frozen corn and a few black beans, and some salt and pepper. A few hours later it was ready to eat for lunch.

My husband then chopped the remaining asparagus, cabbage, and celery, and added a couple cans of beans, some chopped cilantro and red peppers, and mixed it with some barley he had cooked earlier. It was a raw salad that only need a sprinkle of vinegar and some lemon or lime juice for flavor. That was dinner, along with a small filet of tuna, seered on either side for a minute or two and sliced into thin strips.

All those vegetables left me feeling full and satisfied ~ and they were just sliced and "put together" ~ without using a recipe.

It's a reminder that eating well is really eating simply.

Thoughts Over Supper

2011-07-18T19:46:00.000-07:00

As I watched the commentators lay out their dismal projections should Congress not act in time to avert a major economic crisis come August 2nd, I thought about what adjustments we might all have to make if things took a turn for the worse.

I'm sure we can't imagine the ramifications.

All of a sudden, things on our wish list to buy evaporate in light of what we need to survive.

That's simple. We need shelter and we need food.

I thought about that as I ate a dish of sauteed Swiss chard and onions flavored with balsamic vinegar and lemon juice, and tossed with some linguini, with a sprinkle of shredded Parmesan cheese on top. It cost pennies to prepare, and I have to say it was delicious.

Chard ranks higher than most vegetables in nutritional content. It's also easy to grow, and if it's protected and covered, it can survive well into the winter. Good to know.

As I savored that simple, very satisfying dinner with a glass of red wine, I realized we really don't need all that much. As long as you have olive oil and pasta in your pantry, you can easily prepare a combination of a variety of sauteed vegetables to mix with it ~ pretty much whatever you have available.

We need to be mindful of those things ~ how little we really need, and what's really important ~ our health.

People Need Absolution ~ Not Reprimand!

2011-07-12T20:46:00.000-07:00

So this proclivity to eat more bad stuff than good stuff is something we've come by honestly.

Does it feel like your brain is on autopilot as you repeatedly dip into that dwindling pile of salty, greasy potato chips? Researchers in California and Italy report that when rats were treated to fatty food, chemicals in their gut were released that made them feel "high". The conclusion is that certain foods set off strong chemical reactions in the body and the brain.

Don'tcha think?

Advertisers appear to have been onto that for awhile. Americans are addicted to that stuff, so they overeat.

Dr. David Kessler presents a lengthy argument to that effect in his book, "The End of Overeating." He lays out our path to addiction via a food industry built on sugar, fat and salt, that later expanded its financial horizons with the ability to chemically engineer just about any taste. Thus, because those chemicals accumulate as toxins in the body, we became chemically addicted.

So what role does good 'ol will power play in all of this? Probably in the decision whether or not to buy, but not when it's already sitting in a bowl in front of you. In that situation, most often you can be well on your way through several helpings before you realize it ~ unless, of course, you've taken time to notice what you're really hungry for.

If we're feeding cravings, we'll still be hungry ~ for whatever it is we're hungry for ~ nutrition, conversation, love, job satisfaction, less stress ~ any of those, and more.

We seek to be nurtured, physically and emotionally. But the fatty food choices aren't going to satisfy that. That's not reason for guilt. The key is to notice and be aware.

Once that awareness is there ~ the choices are much easier.

It's a Gut Issue

2011-07-10T20:00:00.000-07:00

What does your gut tell you?

Turns out, much much more than you think.

Studies strongly suggest that obesity may be strongly linked with what type of microbial activity is going on in our intestines. The theory now is that disease begins and finds resolution in the gut, because that's where our nutrients get absorbed and put to work ~ that is, if there's enough healthy bacteria there to do the job.

The interest in raw foods comes into play because raw foods in their purest state promote those healthy colonies of microbes that are ultimately essential to good nutrition. Toxins from processed foods and poor cooking create a sludge that interfers with the proliferation of that necessary bacterial activity, and it upsets the body's metabolic balance.

All those fiberous fruits and vegetables help sweep that sludge away to promote a climate where those probiotic microbes they deliver can survive and thrive.

They in turn provide a set point for optimum health.

Hippocrates must have intuited as much when he said: "Let food be they medicine and medicine by thy food."

The Benefits of Raw Food

2011-06-25T17:48:00.000-07:00

Here's a little something I stumbled upon this week that is so delicious, easy and healthy!

It's a combo of chopped fresh produce ~ mainly colorful stuff like chopped purple cabbage, red and green peppers, carrots, broccoli, red and green onion, cilantro; and black and garbanzo beans. My husband put it altogether in a bowl and set it in the fridge after we had watched a DVD on eating raw foods.

A small cut of salmon or other meat, and it's a meal!

But meat isn't in the raw foods plan, you may say. True, but it is in most people's diets. So if you have a heaping serving of the vegetable dish I just mentioned, you won't be able to eat a large portion of anything else because it's loaded with fiber. A note ~ don't ruin what it has to offer by dousing it with dressing from the supermarket. Instead use lime or lemon juice, or balsamlc vinegar and olive oil.

I don't have health insurance, and so I consider eating fresh fruits and vegetables a major part of risk management. I'm not always good about avoiding sweet treats, but I have to say it's much easier the more vegetables and fruit I eat. And it's less costly and less time consuming, so there's the added benefit of reduced stress.

We can choose to nourish our bodies, and we can choose the most effective way of doing that! Healthy eating is affordable healthcare!

Awareness Is Your Ticket for Change

2011-06-19T20:39:00.000-07:00

A nugget to consider...When you are aware of what you are really hungry for, your relationship with food will never be the same.

That's because once you've paused long enough to notice what you are choosing and why you are choosing it, that awareness will always be there.

With awareness comes change, because regardless of what we choose from that point, the awareness in and of itself is transformational.

So there's no reason to be too cerebral about the whole food thing. Just relax and notice!

What Do You REALLY Gain From Coupon Shopping?

2011-06-15T19:55:00.000-07:00

I caught a few minutes of that food coupon show on one of the cable channels today.

I've taken a stab at it a few times during those years when my kids were small. But I'm not so sure you gain much with all that bargain quantity. I have to question the nutritional value of a stockpile of all those boxes and cans ~ unless it's stored for a major disaster when grocery shelves are empty.

But barring that, my belief is you can still save a ton of money by just eating more simply and wasting less.

I made a meal for myself this evening with less food than many people throw out. I diced a quarter of a yellow squash, half a red bell pepper, a few slices of yellow onion and some fresh spinach and sauteed it in a bit of olive oil, along with some salt, pepper and basil for seasoning. Then I tossed that with some cooked linguini. It was quick, cheap, delicious and nutritious!

The remainder of those veggies can be tossed into the crockpot, along with some broccoli, carrots, celery, mushrooms and vegetable broth for a tasty soup for my granddaughters tomorrow. Not only that, with more fiber, they'll crave less later on in the afternoon. When they're hungry, they'll get some apple slices dipped in peanut butter.

I buy some canned stuff, but generally it's an array of beans when I don't have time to pressure cook them for soups and salads, diced tomatoes when they're not in season, and canned broths. I also stock my pantry with pasta, oatmeal, olive oil, peanut butter, raisins, salsas and several kinds of vinegars.

So with some fresh produce from the fridge, I can prepare a lot of different meals. If I want to incorporate some fish, or other meat for guests, I generally buy it that day, and the serving sizes are small. Why? Because we don't need that much protein to be healthy.

In fact, we don't need that much food to be healthy.

Want to save money? Instead of clipping coupons, spend your time planning meals with plenty of fiber, and drink plenty of water.

It's money in the bank because it's an investment in your health!

Eating Right Includes Supplements!

2011-06-05T18:14:00.000-07:00

It's a fact.

That's because we're not eating our great-grandmother's vegetables!

Yes, there are plenty of those who will say if you eat right, you don't need supplements. And there is that concern that with the plethora that's out there, you may pick some that could interact badly with prescription medications you may be taking.

But to keep it simple here, my readings convince me that if you're eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, a good quality multi-vitamin and extra vitamin D3 is a great combination. There's lots of research out there supporting taking vitamin D3 because most of us don't get enough sunlight exposure to provide what our bodies need.

And the case for a multi vitamin is a no brainer because the mineral quality of our soils has been seriously depleted as a result of large scale growing practices. That's the reason why buying organic is mainly to avoid harmful pesticide levels, as opposed to a product that's as nutrient rich as what was grown decades ago.

Look for a whole foods vitamin, rather than those that are synthetically produced, because your body will metabolize them more efficiently.

If you are dealing with a serious health issue, however, consult a nutritionist for advice on higher levels of supplementing.

You Have to Feed Your Soul

2011-06-01T20:47:00.000-07:00

Gary Smalley wrote a book called Food & Love, and in it he postulates that relationship issues can fuel food cravings ~ and food issues can create struggles in our relationships.

It certainly makes sense. Geneen Roth says much the same thing in her book, Women, Food & God. Solve your relationship with food and you'll clear up problems in other areas of your life.

The key here is to know which hunger needs to be fed ~ physical or emotional? Most people confuse emotional hunger for physical hunger, but despite their choices, the solution for emotional hunger isn't food.

We all crave connection ~ especially with our own hearts. Barring that, we end up looking for love in all the wrong places. Like in the refrigerator!

The Emotional Dividends of Dining Together

2011-05-19T12:16:00.000-07:00

I heard something interesting yesterday ~ that the risk of children drifting in adolescence into drug and alcohol abuse is significantly lower in those families that dine together.

That's profound, because it gives testimony to the importance of connection. The family dinner table can not only offer physical nurturing with good food ~ it can also provide the opportunity to listen, and be listened to, and that's a huge investment in our emotional health.

Theoretically.

Not all of the exchanges at the dinner table promote self esteem, and some family gatherings regularly set the stage for what can be labeled as nothing other than abuse. Whether subtle or blatant, abuse is abuse ~ and that can create a whole new type of hunger that can become a life-long craving, making food, alcohol or drugs appear as comforting solutions.

But in a climate of mutual respect, both body and soul can receive the nourishment that allows us to thrive on all levels.

In those situations, sitting down together can be a very powerful anti drug! It's an opportunity we all have. See that you make the most of it!

Eating Well is a Life Long Journey

2011-05-08T18:34:00.000-07:00

I've talked a lot to folks about their struggle with diets. It's perpetual for so many people, because they gain and loose the same 20 or 30 pounds over aand over again, often picking up a few more pounds each time around.

It's crazy ~ you know, that repeated cycle of doing the same thing over and over again and yet hoping for different results. It takes a huge amount of energy ~ because when you're on a diet you thnk about it all the time. It's not fun because it's a time dedicated to discipline and depravation somehow with the misplaced belief that we deserve to be on this spartan course, all the while knowing we probably won't succeed anyway. We believe we won't win ~ which we equate with reaching a goal.

But eating for health is a larger picture than just losing weight. Losing weight is closely tied to how we look, and, yes, that's important. But if we're eating to invest in our health, that's a bigger story because it continues long after we lose some pounds.

The goal here is to create an internal, physical climate that provides us with energy and balance. Eating the right foods (and you know what they are!) can do that, along with regular exercise. If that becomes your lifestyle, the pounds will go anyway!

Feeding Children

2011-05-08T18:12:00.000-07:00

People say it costs a lot to feed kids. Very true, if they're teenagers. At that stage, they need a lot of fuel because their bodies are changing so much.

But keeping young children fed and nourished is probably a lot more complicated and costly than it needs to be. I've noticed when I make a sandwich for my young granddaughters (ages three and six) that a half sandwich is plenty if I add a sliced apple and some baby carrots. Of course, usually just an hour or two later they're asking for something else, so I make it a practice to keep a sliced apple available on the counter, and popcicles in the fridge (made from unsweetened fruit juice).

Another option is to put some fresh fruit in a blender with some yogurt, milk and honey ~ along with a few ice cubes ~ to make a smoothie.

What I figured out is that grazing works better for kids ~ and for all of us, really.

Traveling around town is the car is a critical time when the food decisions often aren't the best. A couple of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches wrapped and placed in an insulated lunch bag, and some small cartons of raisins can make a big difference in time, money and nutrition, when the other choice would be to pull into a drive through window at a fast food shop!

They key, of course, is to plan ahead. Even just a few bites of a food rich in fiber ~ like vegetables or fruit ~ along with a bit of protein from, say, a couple of peanut butter crackers can stop those mid-morning or mid-afternoon cravings and keep everyone in stride with eating healthier!

Creating Space for Mindfulness

2011-04-24T13:13:00.000-07:00

So often eating is merely a placeholder ~ something we do when there's nothing else. It fills in the blanks when we're bored and looking for something to do. It can be something we do when we watch TV or read a book.

It can be a pacifier when we're nervous or upset. We're usually very quick to respond with food, but it doesn't necessarily mean that we're hungry. But when that happens, we have, in effect, eliminated a chance to take a closer look at why we do what we do.

Just as yoga poses or a long walk create the space to look at things differently, the same thing can happen in our relationship with food.

Sometimes it's just a matter of stopping long enough to ask if food is what we're really hungry for. Maybe we've used our eating patterns to mask other issues that need to be addressed in order to live the life we really want to live?

Over the past week, I've noticed that by just eating more raw vegetables, fruits and almonds, I've created more space to be reflective rather than compulsive as I go about my day. Maybe it translates into nothing more than to pause before I would otherwise eat foods with sugar, fat or salt ~ just long enough to consider if I was really hungry or just using food as a placeholder.

Dining Together ~ The Missing Link

2011-04-10T18:38:00.000-07:00

It's been a dying tradition ~ dining together.

How many people use a dining room? Countertops and bar stools have become the hallmark of convenience ~ or fitting in meals on a busy ~ or not so busy ~ schedule.

And yet, I've believe that the whole chemistry of digestion changes depending on the setting ~ or the atmosphere ~ of where you eat. Makes sense. The nurturing gained from a home-cooked meal is only partly credited to the food that is served. Eating in your own home, or as a guest at someone else's, can be a healthier experience in and of itself. We all know that.

Sitting down together opens the door for human connection ~ and it's as basic a human need as food.

That's why we can confuse hunger for food with hunger for conversation, friendship, intimacy and love. That's why we eat even if we're not physically hungry ~ because some of those very important, soul nurturing pieces are missing.

It's not as if we're trying to fill an empty pit ~ the emptiness we feel is real, and so is the hunger. The key is to distinguish whether what we're feeling is emotional or physical.

The phrase "starved for attention" can be literally that. And if that's lacking, we'll attempt to fill th void with food. We know we need something when we head to the refrigerator ~ it just may not be the correct remedy.

And so sitting down to a meal with people you care about, and who care about you, feeds both body and soul.

That's how I would interpret that well-known biblical reference: "Man does not live by bread alone."

Thoughts Before and After Pizza...

2011-04-03T13:34:00.000-07:00

We can fool ourselves so easily when it comes to food.

That was my thought this afternoon when I stopped at Boston's Restaurant for lunch. I was hungry, and so I ordered a personal-sized pizza. I chose a spinach and artichoke pizza with sun dried tomatoes, on a crust made with whole wheat flour.

I ordered the same beverage I usually have with a meal ~ water with lemon. No sides, no appetizers, no dessert.

When I left, I'd had plenty to eat, but I decided I didn't feel particularly energetic. What would have made me feel more energized?

I had removed some of the cheese from the top because I don't eat cheese that often. There was spinach, but just a few sprigs, and artichokes, but just a few pieces. It was mostly crust.

And that was the key.

The first few pieces were delicious. And that's where I should have stopped, because what I needed was more fresh produce in the blend ~ like a few slices of avocado over a small bed of lettuce, and some apple slices!

But Boston's is a sports bar, so the strategy would have been to order a small side salad, and bring most of the pizza back in a box for later ~ as part of Monday and Tuesday lunch!

That's where planning pays off. The day before I had picked up five or six apples at the grocery store and put them in the refrigerator.

Just eating one of those before my trip for pizza would have made all the difference!

What ARE We Really Hungry For?

2011-03-23T07:55:00.000-07:00

It's 7 p.m. and you're headed to the refrigerator.

But is it because you're hungry ~ or is it because you're bored, emotionally upset, sad or lonely?

Unfortunately, food isn't just a nutrient for us ~ it's more often used as a balm to deaden our emotional discomfort.

Much of that comes because we feel separate from everyone else ~ for whatever reason. Our culture dwells on comparisons ~ whose life is more interesting, whose job is more exciting, who has more money, who is thinner ~ or who owns a home with hardwood floors! If we judge that we fall short, that low esteem also prevents us from seeing the wide range of choices we have!

As a result, we perceive that we're stuck. As Henry Ford said, "Whether you believe you can or believe you can't ~ you're right!"

That's when food becomes our "best friend".

Food could be our best friend ~ but in that negative state, the foods we would choose don't make us any healthier or happier.

The first step in changing that reality is to pause long enough between the couch and the cupboards to just be aware.

Just stop and ask yourself: "What am I really hungry for?"

Being "Mindful" ~ Translated

2011-03-19T09:10:00.000-07:00

Despite my best efforts, I got that nasty virus that circulated late this winter, and my rebound was slow. I apologize to my faithful followers for my absence!

This week I was also blessed with a fifth granddaugher ~ all of them ages six and under!

While for all of us, our energies rally and wane in our efforts to live mindfully, they remind me that we are models for the generations that will follow us. Children are mindful ~ and they pay attention to what we do.

So how do we do that? And what does it mean to be "mindful"? The word must appear as "new age" jargon to much of our population who see themselves as separate from that realm.

But of course, we all share the same realm ~ no matter what our political or religious beliefs. So being mindful ~ translated ~ simply means paying attention to what we're doing right now, every moment.

Children get that ~ and they notice when adults in their lives are distracted because it siphons the energy they receive. Every mother knows that kids begin to act up as soon as she gets a phone call. It's because her attention has shifted. Kids can't articulate that, but they know it, and they behave accordingly.

Even in the worst of crises, most will say they experienced a "calm" as their total focus was on the situation at hand. In my humble opinion, a lot of our stress comes from lack of focus ~ when our minds race like a galloping herd of wild horses.

In that all-pervasive food arena that we live in every day, an unfocused, distracted mind drives us to find some calming effect from those foods and drinks that are the worst choices for our bodies. We're looking to self-medicate all that stress and agitation ~ but we pick the wrong prescription. The more stressed we are ~ or the less mindful ~ the more we eat.

No blame here. There's no place for it. It's how we're wired.

But when we make better food choices, it's going to affect everything else. We just have to slow down ~ maybe even stop ~ and pay attention.

The kids will notice!

There's a Niche for Responsible Restaurants

2011-03-03T19:29:00.000-08:00

Pete recently joined as a follower of my blog. He's a young, athletic guy who commented that active folks and athletes need calories ~ more than the average adult.

True enough.

That lines up with axiom: "energy in ~ energy out". Some Americans actually burn more calories than they take in, and so their nutritional needs are different than much of the population.

Seems like a marketing opportunity for those in the restaurant business ~ per menu options, or the entire restaurant's venue. Generally, Americans are unhealthy, and generally, they eat too much of the wrong foods. We have an obesity crisis ~ which translates into our health crisis.

Young, health-aware people like Pete will be always be able to seek out what they need without much trouble. I think there'll always be plenty of calories to be had, and most likely they won't eat more than they need.

That's the key. I'm betting people like Pete know the difference.

It's all about being aware. And restaurants, I believe, have a role to play in providing food options for those who are not.

We Don't Need That Much Food!

2011-02-25T12:44:00.000-08:00

My friend and I had dinner the other night at a nice little Italian restaurant near Vail. There was a grilled zucchini dish with mozzarella and linguini on the menu, so we decided to order it.

But instead of each ordering that entree, we asked to split a single order.

Good choice, because it was a lot of food. That's typical in most restaurants. They give you big plates, and those plates are full ~ probably to justify the price.

This item was $13.50. Turns out, cut in half, the portion was just right. It also came with olives, hummus, and roasted garlic, and a bowl of warm grain bread. But I would have paid $10 or $11 for the same amount, rather than what turned out to be roughly $7.

My point is, I feel well served at a restaurant when I get a nutritious meal that isn't crawling off the plate. I want to finish it all and feel satisfied, but not stuffed!

Let Them Eat Cake!

2011-02-22T18:20:00.000-08:00

So does healthy eating mean you never again swing through McDonald's? Is chocolate cake forever off the menu for you?

I heard Rush Limbaugh this week criticize national food maven Michelle Obama for eating barbeque ribs!

If you're going to eat well, and not be in a constant state of vigilance, it can't be an "all or nothing" proposition. Culturally, we frame things that way. And it sets us up for failure.

The challenge is to be aware of your choices.

Maybe your day is packed, you forgot the sandwich you had wrapped the night before and placed in the fridge, and you only have a half hour to eat and get to a meeting. McDonald's can be the solution ~ just be aware of what you're ordering.

Eventhough most of my meals are prepared here at home using fresh stuff, tonight I experimented with Campbell's tomato soup. I combined a large can of it with a 14 oz can of diced tomatoes, a dash of garlic salt, and some dried basil. After it was good and hot, I topped it with some shaved Parmesan cheese. (If I had some fresh tomatoes, I would have used them ~ but they're out of season here so I don't buy them)

The soup was cheap and delicious. I won't be having it every night, but once in awhile it's an easy way to add more nutrients to a plain old can of tomato soup. A few slices of sauteed onion or scallions would have made it even better!

The point here is that you are mindful to make everything you eat as nutritious as you can. It's your body's fuel. Some meals will be better than others.

A keynote to help keep you on course is water. It's truly the elixir of life, and a constant reminder that simplicity should be the litmus for living well!

Mama Said There'd Be Days Like This...

2011-02-18T09:59:00.000-08:00

Anyone under 50 may not recognize these lyrics ~ they "date" me!

Basically, the message is that there are good days and bad days ~ and that's especially true when it comes to eating!

No matter what you're level of resolve, there will be days when you don't eat well. Under stress, we gravitate towards sugar, fat and salt ~ and there are plenty of offerings wherever we look. It happens, but it doesn't necessarily mean you're "off the wagon." You've just diverted your path a bit.

My very pregnant daughter-in-law commented her last several credit card charges were to McDonald's. Right now she's caring for her two daughers, ages 3 and 1, and waiting for baby number three, while her husband works overseas. She's been pretty careful about how she eats until recently ~ but its understandable that the whole eating equation looks very different right now.

The key here is awareness.

If you've had the opportunity to notice that eating some foods give you energy, and some foods take your energy away, you've made progress because your choices are clearer than when you never noticed.

When we never notice what we're really doing, our actions are mindless ~ whether it's eating, drinking, gambling, drugs ~ it doesn't matter.

We all know life can be better ~ no matter what our circumstances.

The key is to believe in your ability to choose ~ and to recognize those opportunities.

Same Food ~ More Grounding Experience

2011-02-08T12:34:00.000-08:00

I had salmon pasta with spinach and capers again last night ~ but it was a totally different experience than the meal I wrote about in my last blog.

First of all, it was left-over food from our restaurant dinner four or five days earlier. There obviously wasn't as much, but I heated it up in a pan along with baby spinach leaves. I fixed a salad with crisp, romaine lettuce and sliced some red onions, topped with a drizzle of olive oil and vinegar dressing.

My husband decided he wasn't hungry, so I ate alone. It all felt "right" to me.

This time, I hadn't created an expectation by suggesting we go out for dinner ~ we clearly had two different goals that evening. I was also hungry for connection, and he was just hungry for ~ well, food. As I mentioned earlier, the result was that we both ate too much.

Last night our choices were much healthier and satisfying. My husband didn't eat just because I was eating. He decided he really wasn't hungry, and opted instead to create time and space for himself and read his book. I, too, enjoyed the time to reflect in the quiet, and noticed that I was plenty satisfied with a third of the food I had been served on our night out.

But the other interesting thing here was that we were each connecting with ourselves in this period of solitude. The TV was off ~ and we were each operating in our own "space," with no expectation from the other. It was nice to know that that was just fine ~ for both us.

No one was in a snit or manipulating with silence ~ we've all done that, and we all know how crappy it feels!

What I found interesting was that neither one of us felt drawn to scan the cupboards or troll through the refrigerator later that night ~ perhaps because we had been truly mindful of what we were truly hungry for!

In the Company of Others

2011-02-06T17:24:00.000-08:00

There's much to be said for dining with friends ~ particularly when it comes to eating out.

I think there's a certain tedium that can be present when you eat with the same person every night (as in husband or wife). Occasionally sitting down with another couple tends to elevate the whole experience, and everyone leaves the table a lot more satisfied.

I was struck by this the other night when my husband and I decided to go out for dinner after work, rather than go home. In my mind, it would be a "date" night. My husband of thirty years was probably looking at it as just eating somewhere else. Turns out, it was pretty much that.
Our conversation was predictable ~ he knew what my responses would be, and I, his.

So that meant that the food factor was pretty much the main event. It was certainly good enough ~ linguini mixed with salmon, capers and spinach. The problem was, there was too much of it. We were just ~ well ~ eating!

"Do you think it was worth $50?" my husband asked as we left.

"I think when we go out to eat, we should invite another couple," I replied.

He agreed.

Not to make a pun here, but we really weren't bringing anything new to this expensive table. Nurturing involves more than eating ~ it's feeding our souls, as well. The dynamic of sitting in the company of others adds that dimension, so it isn't all about the food.

Because if it's all about food, you'll only crave more of what you don't really want!

Eat in Good Company ~ An Important Ingredient!

2011-01-25T19:11:00.000-08:00

The power of dining together can't be denied.

Purposely sitting down with one or two people, or a table full of people ~ brings a dynamic the contributes in no small way to the health and nurturing of each person present.

That's what we're doing now on Tuesday nights over at Yoga West Collective. We bring a small dish to share ~ something healthy ~ and enjoy it in a spirit of ceremony. We take a moment to give thanks for the food we're going to eat, and the efforts and produce that went into preparing it.

What's interesting is we find we don't need to fill our stomachs to feel nourished. The setting is quiet and relaxing, and there's no contention or toxic comments (often not the case at the average family dinner table). No one leaves with a stomach ache!

There's a spirit of acceptance that assures everyone sitting down together that all sincere opinions are accepted and valued (often not the case at the average family dinner table).

So we find we're not craving more as we leave. Our hunger for food, validation and connection have been satisfed.

And that's a recipe for healthy bodies and healthy spirits!

Breakfast ~ A Good "First Step"

2011-01-20T19:55:00.000-08:00

It's a tough habit to break when you dash out the door every morning and grab a "breakfast latte" at drive through. Of course, it's because there's SO much to do... no time to sit down and eat.

If you have time to do your hair and apply make-up, or sit and watch the morning news ~ you have time to eat breakfast. To take it further, if you value your body and your health, you make the time. Do it once, and it's easier the next day.

Reinforcement for that new behavior is to notice how much better you feel when you've got some nutrition working for you early in the morning!

Try this.

Make sure you have some fresh fruit ~ berries, an apple ... anything like that, some raisins and chopped nuts, and some peanut butter and oatmeal. The next morning, cook up a bowl of oatmeal (it only takes a few minutes!), then toss in some fruit, some raisins and chopped nuts, and a teaspoon of peanut butter. Mix it up and take a bite. Take a minute to savor and appreciate all the good stuff you're taking in!

Notice how you feel as you start the rest of your day. Would the word "fortified" apply?

What you've done is jump started your metabolism to start working earlier to convert calories to energy. You've also taken in a nice amount of fiber to stave off cravings for stuff that's not so good for you. You've made a choice that benefits your blood pressure, your cholesterol and blood sugar levels ~ even your mood!

Even if you don't change another thing about your eating patterns ~ make a high fiber breakfast a priority ~ a practice ~ every morning. Remember that you're doing something good for yourself because you deserve it.

Then just pay attention. Notice what changes!

Gratitude ~ An Appetite Suppressant!

2011-01-19T07:53:00.000-08:00

Last night at our weekly "supper" at Yoga West, we decided to add some ceremony to the experience.

First we shared our gratitude for the food we were about to eat. Then we took a few moments to acknowledge what our hearts were hungry for ~ and we validated those feelings for each other.

We found the exercise to be emotionally satisfying ~ eliminating feelings that might otherwise be confused as physical hunger.

Not a small thing when it comes to eating!

It's particularly significant because there wasn't a large volume of food to share, but it was certainly quality stuff!

We dined on a salad of sliced cooked beets that had been marinated in rice vinegar, lying on a bed of mixed greens, topped with sliced purple onion (also marinated in vinegar), goat cheese, toasted walnuts, basil, pepper ~ and then topped with a dressing of olive oil and balsalmic vinegar, with a bit of orange juice mixed in.

With that we had flat bread crackers and a tasty guacamole garnished with a generous dose of fresh squeezed lime.

To begin with, it was a very colorful presentation ~ which is also a satisfying element when it comes to food prep.

As we savored our meal, we enjoyed conversation that revolved around sharing all the wonderous aspects of living in these times.

It was both relaxing and nurturing. That's what dining together should be about ~ feeding the body and the spirit!

Why crave more?

Exercise ~ An Important Link to Healthy Eating

2011-01-16T19:29:00.000-08:00

It's not a good thing to be too cerebral about the whole "healthy eating" thing. That's because thinking about anything too much elevates it to mythical proportions. It's a good way to get stuck.

So factor in exercise.

It doesn't have to be vigorous ~ just moving in a way that gets you out of your head. The most effective way to make that happen is to do it when it's not convenient; when you have a million reasons why "tomorrow" would be better.

Psychologist Roger Mallot has said, "If you want to change your life, change one thing you do every day." That means when you pass by the cupboard where your Cheetos reside and reluctantly tie up your tennis shoes and head out the door for even a ten minute walk, you'll return with a different brain chemistry than when you left.

That will change even more the day after that ~ and even more the day after that. It's called "discipline" because you may not want to walk every day ~ or do yoga stretches, or ride your bike, or run ~ but you do it anyway.

As a result of that, your relationship with food changes because you've changed. You're less stuck. Then the choice between whether to eat an orange or a brownie gets easier.

A Bit of Housekeeping...

2011-01-09T21:15:00.000-08:00

No amount of resolve or cooking know-how can survive a cluttered, disorganized kitchen, and a crowded refrigerator with spoiling food to the back and down below. It hardly motivates you to put on your apron ~ but rather to grab your car keys and head for carry-out.

But changing that isn't as daunting as you would think. At the start of this new year, I've contributed some tips that might be helpful.

Get rid of duplicate cooking utensils, and pot or tupperware lids with no matches.

Dump any expired spices or other food items, including any spoiled vegetables or fruit in the fridge.

Create a clear counter space. Don't use it as a temporary desk!

Stock a simple pantry with items you would frequently use for healthy eating, including canned tomatoes, pasta, broths, a variety of beans, olive oil, oatmeal and a few spices like cinnamon, red pepper flakes, basil, oregano and cumin. Always have a few onions, stalks of celery, carrots and potatoes on hand for a quick soup!

Oh, yes ~ and remember to unload the dishwasher after every washing so dirty dishes can go right in, rather than stacking them in the sink.

Just a few of these changes can make your life a lot easier!

Consider HOW You Eat

2011-01-05T19:26:00.000-08:00

For years I never considered HOW I ate until a friend made a comment that whenever we had lunch, I was always finished eating long before she took her last bite. I dismissed it because nothing registered when she said that.

That was eight or nine years ago.

I finally realized that I really wasn't savoring what I ate, I was just ~ well ~ eating! Truth be known, there was little mindfulness about it, probably because my mind was somewhere else. I just wasn't present because my mind was off and running!

While what we choose to eat is certainly important, we can sabatoge our best efforts to eat well by not paying attention to how we eat.

If we slow down long enough to take a moment to be grateful for the food we have to eat, and the friends or family we're sharing it with, we're also feeding our souls as well as our bodies.

The flip side of that is that if we don't appreciate these blessings, food then becomes just the volume it takes to fill up our stomachs and our empty hearts. If we're trying to satisfy both with food we'll always crave more, because only love and gratitude can feed our hearts!

Just Be Mindful

2010-12-28T08:16:00.000-08:00

At year's end, I must say that I'm hopeful.

Yes, we have an obesity and diabetes epidemic. Yes, we have a generation of children who are less healthy than their parents were as children.

But as I read all new books and magazine articles emerging on healthy eating, I see that there's an awareness growing that being mindful is the necessary backdrop for any kind of personal transformation, including weight loss and becoming healthier.

"Awareness is the key to change. Once we are aware of something, it cannot remain the same. Awareness plus small changes in our automatic behaviors can produce large changes over time."
That, from "Mindful Eating ~ A Guide to Rediscovering a Healhty & Joyful Relationship With Food."

There you have it ~ a simple solution, yet a difficult practice ~ at first. But not forever.

As we realize there is no "perfect", there is no "end zone" or arrival point, we understand that every moment presents opportunities for change and greater happiness.

And no behavior presents itself as often as eating. It's something we all do ~ everyday.

If we take the time to appreciate that good food is a gift to us ~ we not only feed our bodies, but also our hearts ~ and our souls.

May you gather at your tables in that spirit with those you love and celebrate how very blessed we are ~ each and every one of us!

Happy New Year!

Reflections on the Fiber Focus

2010-12-12T17:52:00.000-08:00

What I love about this approach is that I don't think much about food ~ and the more fiber-rich foods I eat, the more I naturally gravitate towards them.

I don't find that I'm "makin' a list and checkin' it twice" like I often do when I obsess about food, and I don't drive myself crazy deciding whether I've been "naughty or nice" if I decide to have a piece of cheesecake!

Over the past week, I find I do have to "graze" and eat often just to get maybe 30 grams of fiber during the course of the day, and I feel pretty good as a result physically.

The surprise here is that I've felt much more calm and centered emotionally ~ pretty much within the week or so span I've been doing this. It's an unexpected bonus!

I feel more confident about my food choices, because I'm not struggling so often with the "should I" or "shouldn't I" debate, but rather know that my body directs me to eat what I need ~ and the choices are good!

This is a new dimension of the food journey that's well worth exploring!

Count Fiber Grams ~ Not Calories!

2010-12-04T19:19:00.000-08:00

Here's a nugget of health advice ~ to prevent or improve heart disease, diabetes, or obesity ~ make those grams of fiber add up every day!

Fiber revs up your metabolism, helps stabilize blood sugars, optimizes what goes on in your intestines and reduces food cravings ~ and all you have to do is eat enough of it!

So gone are the worries that you'll weaken and eat a sack of Oreo's, or how you'll ever figure out complicated food exchanges ~ or that you have to keep counting calories.

The trick, I hear, is to eat 40 grams of fiber every day, and your body chemistry calibrates the rest.

I tried it out yesterday. It was enlightening. First of all, you won't find much fiber in fast food ~ so there's a benefit right there. It's mainly in fruits, nuts, vegetables and legumes (beans), but you have to eat a lot to tally 40 g ~ another benefit. Lastly, once you get six or seven grams of fiber under your belt (literally)for the day, you don't crave foods that offer NOTHING nutritionally.

So ~ I started with a serving of oatmeal mixed with a chopped apple. That's 9 g right there. (Most apples have 5 g of fiber, which probably is how the adage, "an apple a day" came about.)

A handful of almonds later on added another several grams, and for lunch I had two bowls of a soup that I had made the day before with chopped beets, cabbage, carrots and onions ~ so about 7 g for each bowl ~ or 14 g total.

Going into the afternoon, I had already had more than 20 g of fiber and I noticed that I felt pretty good. The other thing I noticed was I really craved more of the good stuff ~ so another apple was much more appealing mid afternoon than fiberless saltines or something sweet.

So as you "nickel and dime" your way along in terms of grams, you find it's really not that difficult to get to 40g at the end of the day ~ if you're eating the right stuff. Though you have to eat often and a lot (of good stuff!!) to get there, it's not so hard because your body naturally craves it.

Take this as a mantra for two or three days: "Focus on forty!"

Let's see what happens!

Is Healthy Eating a Path to Financial Stability?

2010-12-01T18:06:00.000-08:00

... if you have any income at all, yes.

I just read today that Americans on the average spent $4,000 eating out last year. That breaks down to about $75 a week ~ so I'd guess they may even spend more than that. Americans also waste 40 percent of that food, which makes those excursions even pricier!

And of the food that gets eaten, how much is even good for them? Further, much of our health care spending goes to treat illnesses caused by the way we eat.

But this isn't out of control spending. It's all very much within the control of every person who eats.

Think about it ~ if you cut your trips to the restaurants by half, and then actually planned the meals that you have at home (because we waste 40 percent of kitchen food, too), you might end up with an extra $100 a week, or $400 at the end of the month ~ or enough over a year's time to buy a used car, make some home improvements, or take a vacation.

It would take some planning and some lifestyle changes, and the family would have to make a united effort (not a small challenge).

But if you end up healthier and wealthier for it, it may well be worth considering!

Put Thanksgiving Meal Stress on the Back Burner

2010-11-18T06:31:00.000-08:00

As Thanksgiving Day approaches, the tension is mounting for the cooks. That's especially the case if company is coming!

But it doesn't have to be that way. For starters, it is, after all, THANKSGIVING DAY!
We have much to be thankful for, and so it is important to focus on that. All the rest is small stuff. For starters, if you have smiling faces on the people you love as they gather around the table, you could serve up macaroni and cheese and celebrate!

So if you're planning the traditional dinner, and you have the money to go grocery shopping because you have a job, and you have a table around which to gather the people you love ~
you're rich by the much of the world's standards.

The best strategy in getting ready for the big meal to plan ahead and keep it simple.

The central player is the turkey, so buy it early enough so it will have time to thaw. (The larger ones can take a couple of days to thaw in the fridge.) If you're planning on making a cranberry salad, that should be done the day before.

If you're having company, let someone else bring a potato dish (sweet potatoes or traditional, mashed potatoes) because managing both, along with gravy, is probably the most time consuming part. If your not having guests, assign that task to another member of the family.

Once the turkey is stuffed and in the oven (usually early in the morning to be ready by midday), you can then focus on a couple of healthy side dishes ~ with recipes calling for green beans, squash or carrots.

Here's another tip. Clean up pans and dishes as you go ~ then you won't be overwhelmed with the messy array spread over the stove and counter tops, and spilling over into the kitchen sink.

If you have children over age five, let them set the table. (You can fine tune the layout later!)

Another key: Focus on the moments and the tasks right in front of you and forget about the litany that remains to be done. Also ~ take a minute every now and then to just breathe!

Don't get hung up on the Norman Rockwell vision in your head of the perfect holiday setting. That guarantees it won't be what you hope for. Embrace what surrounds you, with all its imperfections.

And smile a lot ~ because that's what everyone will remember.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Nothing Like Soup to Nourish Body & Soul

2010-11-09T17:28:00.000-08:00

November is a month for soup.

Soup steaming from a bowl resonates with chilly winds and gray skies, and a crock pot can get plenty of use between now and abundant turkey left-overs!

I fixed a wonderful blend today ~ a sweet potato and peanut stew. (See recipe section of this blog)

What I love about soups is you can vary the ingredients, depending on what you have on hand.
I've written a number of times about the value of having a food pantry ~ with such items as canned tomatoes, beans, and broths.

Those are employed in this recipe, along with a few diced sweet potatoes, some spices like cinnamon and cumin, mixed with garlic and red pepper flakes ~ and peanut butter!

It can all go into the crock pot at once, or if you want to fix it quicker on stove top, saute the spices and garlic in a dab of olive oil, and then add it to the pot with everything else.

The blend of spices warms the spirit, as well as the palette.

As with any dish that combines a host of nutritious ingredients, you shouldn't crave more once you've eaten a hearty bowl of this soup!

Splitting a Meal Helps Keep Calories in Check, & Your Checkbook!

2010-11-05T18:48:00.000-07:00

You want to save money and eat right. You can't eat restaurant food and accomplish that.

Wrong.

It's about balance. It doesn't have to be an "either or" decision.

Typically, the frugal course is to cook at home. But sometimes you want some variation from that routine. You can make that choice, and it can still be relatively healthy, and still be affordable.

For example, my husband and I had been very busy all day, and while we could have cooked up something at home, it was Friday night and we wanted something different.

We know, of course, that to go out for dinner is always in the neighborhood of $35 or $40. We only feel good about spending that much money once or twice a month ~ maybe.

So I suggested Andy stay at home and relax and I'd get something for us. I selected a local Asian restaurant and picked up one order of vegetables and rice for us to split. That was less than $10.00.

When I got home, the wine was opened and we shared what turned out to be plenty for two people. It was delicious ~ it was something different ~ and it was very affordable.

Tomorrow I'll refocus on preparing something good here at home.

It Doesn't Have To Be "All or Nothing"!

2010-10-31T18:19:00.000-07:00

If we lived in monasteries or ashrams, we'd find it pretty easy to watch what we ate. Healthy meals ~ though not gourmet ~ would be served on schedule, and we wouldn't likely have a stash of stuff to eat back in our rooms!

Life would be much slower and much more predictable.

But that's not how we live, and often the best we can do is make the intention to nourish our bodies, and be aware of the choices we're making.

The other day, for instance, I was hurrying around town and found myself very hungry at midday. I had snacked on almonds earlier (because I've made it a habit to have them close by), but I felt like I had to eat something fast!

So I stopped at McDonald's. Yes, I did!

But I gave it some thought ahead of time. I remembered that their fish sandwiches were not greasy, not huge, and fairly tasty. I asked them to cut the tartar sauce. With that, I had some raw carrots and my water.

I'm very aware that it doesn't take much to send anyone back down that addictive road laced with salt, fat and sugar, so that made it easier to just stick to the sandwich!

Again, I have to stress that just being aware makes our choices better.

Later that evening, I diced up some cucumber, tomatoes, red onion and basil, and mixed a quick dressing of crushed garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and oregano to pour over it so I would have something healthier to eat for lunch the next day.

We just do our best ~ that's all. And it doesn't have to equate to "perfect"!

Are We There Yet?

2010-10-25T20:55:00.000-07:00

That's the goal when it comes to healthy eating.

We strive for perfection, when we should be striving for balance. If you strive for perfection, there will be absolutely nothing enjoyable about the journey you're taking! Perfection is a concept that's outdated ~ and virtually useless in this context.

Take yesterday, for example. I was totally off balance. I could observe that clearly by my food choices. I had two slices of Boston cream pie at my son's birthday dinner the night before, and felt bad about that second piece. But then yesterday I was stewing about some things, and my response was to go to the coffee shop and have a slice of pumpkin cake drizzled with pumpkin icing.

I decided not to feel bad about it this time ~ but rather to just look at it as the clear choice that it was. I had to accept that, despite my best intentions, I had chosen to indulge AGAIN!

I can tell you the urge was pretty strong ~ probably because I had done the same thing the day before.

What I observed was perhaps this is how those with any addiction feel ~ remorse over a choice that takes them off balance. The conclusion: No willpower.

But that's not true.

It's not about willpower, it's about balance. You essentially set the stage for the best choices ~ and for those that aren't so good ~ by how well you nurture your body.

I hadn't been paying attention. I hadn't been eating mindfully because my attention was elsewhere ~ which is the case with anyone who's addicted. Their attention is elsewhere.

So instead of resisting what threw me off, instead I took a good, long look.

Because of that, I see things a bit more clearly than I did before.

If I'm mindful, I know that my choices tomorrow will be even better!

Reading Food Labels Is a Waste of Time!

2010-10-20T09:54:00.000-07:00

We're WAY too hung up on reading labels. I rarely do. Simply put, if you're having to read labels all the time, you're eating way too much processed food.

I buy canned goods ~ but they're generally limited to three categories: broths, diced and stewed tomatoes, and beans. The only food items I buy in a box are oatmeal and pasta. Because I buy these items frequently, I pretty much know what's in them.

Calculating all that stuff, along with grams of fat, cholesterol and carbs makes eating pure works ~like taking a life-long math class! The reality is that many of those who so diligently do that by day, end up raiding the cupboards and refrigerator for the bad stuff at night. If you're not eating enough fruits, nuts and vegetables ~ you're body simply isn't every nurtitionally satisfied!

To make life easier, and eating more enjoyable, eat more fresh stuff than processed, packaged food ~ and move around more. And make it a practice to ask yourself what you are really hungry for when those cravings hit.

Maybe it's not food, at all!

Community Table Adds Incentive to Eat Well

2010-10-18T17:54:00.000-07:00

That's right. Invite someone to supper ~ preferably in the neighborhood.

I'm struck by the challenge of eating well when all the resolve is solely up to you as you travel your solitary path. Lots of people decide every day that they're going to get healthier by eating better, but their best intentions fail once they hit the house they share with those closest to them.

Unfortunately, it's not often the place where we get the most support. Sure, the intentions may be there in theory ~ but the work of making new agreements and planning a new strategy involves real communication; not an arena where families ~ couples ~ often excel.

To keep the positive vibes perking, invite a neighbor to dinner. That's when everyone can brush up on their manners and put forth their better selves. You know, like saying "please and thank you" or putting bread on a bread plate instead of laying the bread sack on the table.

Conversation tends to elevate, as well ~ so instead of complaining about jobs, school, kids or ex's, talk may turn to a world of other interesting things, including how to eat healthier!

The house gets freshened up, the clutter is stashed, good food is cooking and there's the anticipation that comes with the arrival of company ~ because we're all going to like ourselves just a little bit better.

It's a good way to feed your body and your spirit!

How Simple Can Soup Be?

2010-10-12T20:48:00.000-07:00

Here's a delicious soup that's so easy to prepare!

Like most soups, you can just fill your crock pot in the morning and have dinner ready when you get home that night. If you have the last of some summer tomatoes on hand that are now overly ripe, this is a good way to use them!

Gather about four pounds of the tomatoes and cut them into chunks. (To easily remove their skins, drop them in boiling water for a minute or so, and you can slip the skins right off!)

Finely chop one medium onion, a celery stalk and a carrot (use more, if you like), and saute them in a tablespoon of butter in a large soup pan. Stir in a clove of garlic and two tsp. of thyme and cook for a minute, then add the tomatoes, a can of chicken broth, some salt and pepper, a half cup of water and a bay leaf.

Heat it to boiling, and then simmer for 45 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and you're ready to serve!

If you make a larger batch, the soup will keep in the fridge for several days ~ or you can freeze it for a hot winter meal!

Eating well doesn't have to be precise! Just choose nutritious, healthy ingredients and every dish will only get better!

Simple Dishes Contributed to Luxury Vacation

2010-10-11T18:56:00.000-07:00

I was amazed at how planning simple meals ahead made my recent get together with my sisters in Telluride an incredible bargain!

Even though we rented a luxury condo, because we brought food in and split up the food prep, it cut our costs significantly.

To eat, say, just lunch and dinner down in the village could have easily cost each of us $30 - $40 a day. Instead we dined in grand style on simple dishes, including breakfast!

We lounged, drank red wine, slept, ate, rode the gondola ~ and talked lots over those four days while we celebrated my sister's 60th!

We paired up to fix our assigned meals, while the rest kicked back and relaxed. No one had to hurry. There were no reservations to make, no restaurants to decide on, no menus to pour over, and no checks to pay when we finished.

I was surprised that all our meals were pretty much meatless. Lots of yummy vegetable dishes!

Food can be a huge expense when you travel, but it doesn't have to be!

Just Start With Breakfast

2010-09-30T06:52:00.000-07:00

You don't know where to begin. You want to eat healthier, and be healthier, but you just can't engineer a system that gets you there.

If you think of it, all you really need is a "foot hold" ~ something to ground you ~ a "set point."

Make it breakfast!

Most people probably run out the door without it, cruising through a drive-thru coffee bar instead.
But taking the time to fix a bowl of cereal (preferably, sugar-free) can re-orient you to what you really want ~ and that's to nourish yourself.

Much of our day is spent responding to things, so why not begin your day from a point of control?

Eating is the one arena in this crazy world, during these crazy times, where we can have some focus, some control ~ and achieve some very good outcomes.

Just a bowl of cereal with some fruit gives you the early morning energy boost your body needs, and it engages your metabolism to start burning calories. That's why you've probably experienced that your are hungrier then, by 10 a.m. Carry some almonds with you to snack on midday to stop those cravings and level out your blood sugars. They'll also get to work doing some good things for your arteries!

Make no other changes for a week ~ but keep that daily routine. Notice the difference it makes.

From there you can figure it out. Just eat more good stuff and eat less bad stuff.

Just pause long enough to notice!

Mindful Cooking!

2010-09-22T20:10:00.000-07:00

I've just spent the most amazing weekend in the mountains of the San Luis Valley ~ and much of it centered around food.

For four wonderful days a group of women writers enjoyed the peace and tranquility of a Buddhist monastery as we polished our word-smithing skills, while our culinary talents were nurtured in the kitchen. One of the monks both instructed and supervised as we sliced and diced the fresh vegetables and fruits that would star later at our dinner table.

My favorite was a Chinese Noodle Salad: Cooked Udon and rice noodles, layered with grilled tofu and eggplant, along with sauteed carrots, diakon (a large radish-type vegetable), steamed sno peas, and chopped red and orange peppers, English cucumbers, and Chinese cabbage.

The dressing was a combination of equal parts of soy sauce, dark sesame oil, rice vinegar, mirin
(not quite as much), and some finely minced ginger.

This whole process was enhanced by gazing out the window at a beautiful little garden with the Sangre de Cristo Mountains as a backdrop.

Absolutely wonderful!

WHAT Are You Doing?

2010-09-13T18:57:00.000-07:00

It turns out this is the pivotal question if you are going to eat "mindfully."

So much is about taste ~ the eating experience being "over" once you've swallowed your last bite.

Do you feel bloated, "stuffed", or are you craving more to eat? Then you haven't really nurtured yourself ~ you've just ingested calories because maybe you liked the taste, and perhaps the volume.

If that's the case, you probably find yourself on a pretty low energy frequency that matches well with TV programs that roll one after another, or hours surfing Facebook, or playing video games.
Our bodies, our minds and our hearts gain nothing from it ~ except the desire for more of the same.

It makes it so much easier to ignore our relationships, our inner conflicts, our frustrations and our disappointments. They all make for a good emotional salve, but the energy frequency remains the same ~ sluggish.

What would it be like to unplug, smile into the eyes of the person sharing the couch with you, and take time to appreciate and be grateful for a meal that you know will nourish your body?

Honestly, I used to read stuff like I just now wrote and think that it was all "too far out" for me. I couldn't relate ~ because I didn't want to be fully present when I was sitting down to eat. I saw food as a great escape ~ salivating over mashed potatoes and and salty gravy, buttered bread, meatloaf ~ and anything else that appeared on the table. Back in the day, I was after taste, and I was looking for volume. And I don't remember the people around me really "listening". We were all talking.

I came from a big Catholic family. We said grace before we ate, but I don't think it was with hearts filled with gratitude ~ it was what we had to do before we could eat. It was hard to feel nurtured and satisfied with all that guilt and shame that got dished up routinely in that culture.
So food helped with that sense of deprivation.

I see that now, but I didn't then.

So I offer to you that eating mindfully opens up a whole new world that operates on a much higher frequency.

I like it here so much more!

Meet Leeks!

2010-09-06T08:39:00.000-07:00

I should tell you just a bit about leeks, since I've referenced a menu item made with leeks at the bottom of my blog page.

You may not even know what they look like! Well ~ like giant green onions! Unlike onions, you have to cook them. They're great in soup ~ I sampled it last night. I don't suggest salting your soup after you serve it because leeks are high in sodium. But that's their only downside ~ far outweighed by the other wonderful nutrients that leeks possess to boost your immune system and keep you healthy (and make you healthier!)

Here's an interesting note ~ when I shopped yesterday, my neighborhood Safeway store didn't have any, but they offered to special order some. The clerk told me she used to always have them in stock, but no one was buying.

Too bad. The fresh produce section has lots of wonderful vegetables just waiting to be discovered!

Everyone ls a Cook!

2010-09-05T08:53:00.000-07:00

As people are slowly but surely waking up to the fact that a pharmacy can reside in their kitchens, there's a universal truth that lags in belief.

It is this: Everyone is a cook.

The majority of Americans don't have the confidence, even though they are capable of producing. for example, a tasty marinara sauce for pasta if they have a skillet, some olive oil, a can of diced tomatoes (fresh is better, of course), and onion and some salt and pepper. Anyone can saute some chopped onion in a dab of olive oil, then add the tomatoes and some salt and pepper. Get fancy with Italian seasoning and some Parmesan cheese, and dinner is served!

But we get hung up on ingredients and measurements, just as we do calorie-counting. There's little we can really enjoy about the experience when we're stressing over details.

We can, however, put stuff together ~ and the more you do it, the more you develop the art of cooking. (Even if you're just mixing cans of food!)

For example, to that same tomato concoction, I added some lemon zest, and some diced basil, mint and parsely!

All of that good stuff works to nourish your body and boost your immune system!

The pasta, by the way, doesn't cover the whole plate. You don't have to measure it though ~ just use common sense about portions. Add some other vegetable to the mix instead of eating too much pasta. I also recommend buying the grain pasta, rather than enriched. Better for blood sugar control!

It takes a bit of planning, but once you get in stride with it, you'll find you eat out less, you feel better, and you're saving money!

Check out the section lower on this page on preparing Leek, Potato & Spinach Stew!

Buyer's Remorse

2010-09-02T17:57:00.000-07:00

... and it frequently comes after I've eaten out. Like tonight ~ I had gotten a few things at the store to make a Greek salad with a simple pasta dish for dinner tonight, but when my husband got home after three days away, we said: "Let's go out."

Forty dollars later, we asked ourselves, "Why did we do that?"

That's how impulse buying feels ~ rationalizing before as to why you should, and thinking of other ways you could have spent that money if you didn't. Were we celebrating? No. Was it a special treat? No. It just felt like a good idea ~ maybe because we could leave the house.

Any way you look at it, when you're income is stretched, like it is for many of us ~ it was a big price to pay when we could have stayed here, saved the money, and ~ most important ~ probably eaten a much healthier meal!

(As we drove home I thought ~ I could have paid for two extra days of pre-school classes for my granddaughter this week with that money!)

Another example of our heads battling with our hearts ~ we can count on our heads to supply the arguments for going against our hearts ~ every time.

To be mindful here, what I know for sure (as Oprah would put it) is that I get a very good feeling inside when I've put my energy (represented by money) into nurturing myself. I do that with good food ~ and the $13 I spent at the grocery store this afternoon felt a lot better than the $40 I plunked down at the restaurant.

The food was good ~ but not as good as I coud prepare at home. Fortunately, the next meal always provides the opportunity to make another choice!

(Go to my Recipes linked at the bottom of this page to see what I could have had!)

A Bite to Eat

2010-08-31T20:54:00.000-07:00

I had a pasta dish at noon.

I made it quickly here at home by sauteing some onion slices, some diced eggplant and zucchini in a dab of olive oil, and then adding a can of diced tomatoes (not drained), some salt and pepper, and some Italian seasonings. I boiled some fettecini noodles, put some on a plate and topped it with the vegetable sauce. Very delicious (and very inexpensive!)

My three-year-old granddaughter loved it!

This evening I found I wasn't so hungry. I had munched on almonds and some peach slices mid-afternoon, so for dinner I fixed a snack plate with some crackers, some garlic and artichoke hummus (I buy it at the store ~ lots of flavor varieties), a sliced tomato with basil, olive oil and balsamic vinegar sprinkled over it, and a few more peach slices. A small glass of wine and a glass of water accompanied that ~ also a very healthy, inexpensive, EASY meal.

Almonds are a great thing to have around because they provide a quick snack that's healthy, cuts the food cravings, and gives you an energy boost.

Refrigerators Should Be Smaller

2010-08-28T06:48:00.000-07:00

What if our refrigerators were smaller?

You'd save money on your electric bill ~ and you'd probably save money in your food budget. Considering Americans waste 40 percent (some estimates are higher) of the food they buy ~ whether in the grocery store or restaurant ~ it could make a lot of sense.

That being the case, those huge refrigerators we own turn out to be pretty expensive storage units, when a well stocked pantry and a down-sized fridge would be much more efficient.

Here's why.

Let's say you clear a closet, install some shelves, and spend $100 - $150 on a list ranging from a variety of beans and pastas, diced tomatoes, olive oil, vinegar, a five or six spices, oatmeal, peanut butter, some cans of chicken and vegetable broths, and some raisins and nuts.

That gives you a pretty good boost for the ingredients for a lot of very healthy recipes.

For example, you could make a delicious dish of Mexican tomato, rice and beans, a great minnestrone soup, or a hearty vegetable stew by picking up a few things at the store ~ like carrots, onions, celery, and some cabbage.

They go in the refrigerator, but you don't buy a huge amount ~ just enough for a couple of meals.
Those things would be sharing space with whatever diary (or vegan) products you might use. Those things don't require a lot of room.

If you take a good look at what's taking up space in your fridge now, notice how much you're not even using.

Something to think about ...

Expensive Food Stop

2010-08-22T15:00:00.000-07:00

Last week my daughter, my two granddaughters and I had lunch at one of their favorite lunch dining spots here in Grand Junction.

Lots on the menu. They do a good business.

But I found myself scrutinizing what we got for what we paid. Twenty-nine dollars was the total, not including tip. But I didn't see a lot of nutritional value in what I was served up.

I ordered an Asian salad ~ which turned out to be mostly ice burg lettuce with a few shredded veggies, some a few watercress and mandarin orange slices, and a crunchy topping. The salad dressing was sugary and super sweet. A grilled chicken breast sliced into strips was laid across the lettuce, and I opted to divide those with between my granddaughters.

So they wouldn't have needed the deep-fried tater tots or fried mashed potato "smilies" ~ or the chicken nuggets that they ordered, because they didn't eat them.

My daughter had a French dip roast beef sandwich, which she later said was twice as much as she needed. She didn't touch the mound of fries.

"Do you have a George Foreman grill at home?" I asked her.

I suggested that considering how much was left on the plates, for the several dollar tip alone she could have purchased a chicken breast, grilled it at home in the few minutes that takes, and then served the girls some chicken strips and a side of slices apples and a few chips. There woud probably still be enough for her to make a chicken sandwich.

I'm convinced that for many of us, eating out is sort of a "place holder" when we're not sure what we want to do next ~ and a very expensive one, at that!

Easy Vegetable Medley

2010-08-15T11:06:00.000-07:00

Here's an easy dish that's inexpensive, takes little time to prepare, and is so good for you!

I pulled from my vegetable crisper a yellow squash, a zucchini, a stalk of celery, a carrot, an onion and a handful of mushrooms. No labels to read ~ just wonderful, nutrient-packed, food!

I think there's merit to taking your time to slice the vegetables (about 1/2 slices), because it gives you the chance to slow down and focus your attention. A very healthy practice in and of itself! I wash the vegetables good, but don't peel the skins off because there's good nutrition to be gained.

Meanwhile, heat some water to boiling in a sauce pan and then add some fettucini or linguini.

The rest is easy: Just heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a large saute pan or skillet, and cook the onion for a few minutes first. Then add the carrots, because they are denser than the other vegetables, and cook them for 3 -5 minutes before adding the rest. Move them around with a spatula or spoon until their tender (but not soft!)

Season with salt and pepper, some basil and oregano, and cook for another minute.

Prepare a bed of pasta and spoon the vegetables over it. Grated Parmesan cheese tops it off nicely!

(This recipe serves 2 -3 people, so if more are dining, add enough vegetables and pasta.)

ANYONE can prepare great, healthy meals at little expense!

"Apple A Day" May Help Shed Pounds!

2010-08-09T12:14:00.000-07:00

I don't know how long that old adage has been around, but from experience, I know it's been longer than 60 years!

Way back, people most likely were eating an apple a day ~ in season, anyway ~ because fruit was a luxury. (My mom said one Christmas when she was a child she got an orange, and thought it was a wonderful gift!)

But we're finding more and more that if wealth is health, then fresh produce is a gold mine. Another bit of evidence ~ I read an article linked to Dr. Oz's website about how bad microbes in our gut may contribute to obesity, and an abundance of the good bug can slim you down. According to the article, we're talking trillions of these things, the key being the proportion of good bugs to bad.

A study showed that obese people are three times more likely to have a virus called Ad-36 in their digestive tracts. (Chickens that have it get fatter!) It seems to trigger bigger appetites and store more calories as fat.

But the good bugs that work in your favor are those probiotics ~ and apples have it! So do bananas, asparagus, onions and garlic, to name a few other sources.

Cook When You're Traveling!

2010-08-01T19:26:00.000-07:00

My husband and I accompanied my daughter and her little family over to Denver for my granddaughter's birthday celebration. The zoo was the main attraction.

But even just a weekend trip can be pretty expensive when you're eating all your meals in a restaurant! Of course, eating out is part of the fun, isn't it?

But this time I decided to bring the food with us. I've never done this before, but now I'm sold!

I reserved two adjoining rooms and upgraded one of them to include living room and full kitchen. I made sure the hotel stay included breakfast. Then I planned a menu for the evening meals, and bought things to pack for lunch snacks. I think I spent $45 total.

It was great!

Friday night's birthday dinner was spaghetti, with meatballs on the side (so my husband and I wouldn't have to eat meat), and a large romaine lettuce vegetable salad I prepared ahead of time and packed in a cooler ~ so we'd have enough for both nights. My daughter brought along birthday cupcakes.

On Saturday after we visited the zoo, we decided to eat lunch at the Denver Aquarium because you can see the fish swimming around you while you eat. We spent $120 there, but decided to skip the cost of general admission to the aquarium (about $80 for all of us) because we enjoyed some of it while we ate. (The kids were satisfied with that because what they really wanted to do was swim a the hotel!)

That evening's entree was Spanish rice with tomatoes and black olives, pork chops for the meat eaters, and again, the salad.

No loading up in the car to go out to eat. Everyone could just relax ~ and really spend time together!

A Peanut Butter Solution

2010-07-29T16:33:00.000-07:00

I tried a new dish this week ~ peanut butter spaghetti!

It was pretty easy to prepare, and very tasty. It also reinforced for me the benefits of having a food pantry, because I already had most of the ingredients: pasta, ginger, honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar and garlic.

Garlic falls under the produce category ~ so it isn't really considered a pantry item. Neither is any other fresh produce, and that's what you should be shopping for most of the time.

So while the noodles (8 oz) were boiling, it took just a few minutes to add a cup of hot water in a small saucepan to 1/2 cup of peanut butter, and then mix in two tablespoons of rice vinegar and the soy sauce, two crushed garlic clovers, a tablespoon of honey and 1/2 tsp of powdered ginger.
That was heated until it thickened, and then tossed with the drained noodles.

Delicious!

For the fresh stuff, I sauteed a handful of chopped onions in a couple tablespoons of olive oil, added some red bell pepper slices and a few mushrooms, heaped in some washed greens (spinach and chard), and topped it with a sprinkling of cider vinegar. (Greens can be bitter in taste ~ but the longer you cook them, the sweeter they become!)

Easy and satisfying. How did I know? I didn't crave more. That's the key!

Bon appetite!

Meet Kohlrabi!

2010-07-23T14:30:00.000-07:00

When we think of eating more vegetables, we generally consider a pretty narrow playing field ~ like carrots, tomatoes and celery, perhaps.

But that arena is vast!

Take kohlrabi, for example. Abundant in Europe, you have to pretty much find it in someone's garden here. But lots of people grow it. It's a member of the cabbage family ~ and in some ways , resembles a turnip.

It's packed with nutrients ~ particularly Vitamin C and A ~ along with lots of fiber, potassium and calcium. It's easy to slice, and that's a plus when we talk about this great slaw recipe.

Slice two kohrabies into matchstick pieces (about 1/8 inch), slice a handful of radishes and a half of a medium-sized green cabbage. Shred a couple of carrots to add to it, and a handful of cilantro leaves.

Here's what makes it yummy. Whisk together 1 tsp of honey, 3 Tbs of white wine vinegar, 1/ tsp Dijon mustard, 1/4 tsp cumin seed, 1/4 tsp of sea salt, and 5 Tbs of olive oil to pour over the vegetables. Toss it all together and sprinkle on some coarse ground pepper.

It's a great alternative if your regular fare is a tossed salad!

Cravings Subside When You're Truly Nourished

2010-07-15T15:22:00.000-07:00

A few salty potato chips do little more than drive you to find and eat more of them. It just works that way. Same with foods with large amounts of sugar and fat.

But you needn't subject your body to a stand-off, with the likely outcome of defeat. There's an arsenal available to you in all those fresh fruits and vegetables.

It's chemistry, but it's also physics.

You see, besides its chemical properties, food has an energy vibration. The vibration coming from processed foods is more or less flat, compared with the vibrancy of food from the garden or fresh produce section of the supermarket. What you're attracted to has some connection to where your body is, vibrationally speaking.

That's why when you're depressed or bored or sad, foods like chips and dip, brownies, or greasy, salty french fries might be your craving. When you're happier, you're more attracted to the foods that truly nourish you. The vibrations are more of a match.

Sound too "far out"?

I treated a few people in one of my sessions at Yoga West to Mexican tomato, rice and beans. It was lunch time, but each person reported they were satisfied after eating about a cupful of the dish. Here's why. It was a combination of garlic, jalapenos, rice, black beans, tomatoes, cumin, oregano and cilantro, which left us all feeling well fed. That doesn't mean "stuffed." It means "nourished", or "not craving more."

Check it out:

Cook 1 cup med grain rice according to package directions.

Drain one 14 1/2 oz can of tomatoes, save the juice and add enough water to make 1 cup liquid.
Set tomatoes aside. Saute 6 garlic cloves and 1 cored, finely chopped jalapeno in 2 Tbs olive oil until garlic browns (about 1 min). Add one 15 oz can (drained and rinsed) of black beans, 2 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp chili powder, and 2 tsp salt (preferably sea salt) and stir about 30 sec to blend the flavors.

Add the tomato juice liquid and adjust heat to bring to a gentle boil, and cook about 5-7 min. Add tomatoes, cooked rice, three tablespoons crushed oregano (1/4 cup, if fresh leaves), and 1/4 cup chopped cilantro ~ and stir a few min until warm. Makes 6 cups.

A side salad is a nice compliment ~ or this rice dish can hold its own by itself!

Could Treating Mental Illness Be That Simple?

2010-07-12T19:56:00.000-07:00

I read an interesting article in Eating Well magazine that talked about the balance between omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids in brain as a possible key to treating such mental illnesses as bi- polar disorder, ADHD, and depresssion.

Dr. Joe Hibbeln has done the research, and based on that, it's his belief that our American diet has left us low in omega 3 levels, and very high in levels of omega 6. Balance that out by adjusting what we eat, and you have a bunch of basically happy campers!

He says our ancestors had a balance between the two omegas, because they ate differently. Today, he says Americans have 10 to 25 times more omega 6s than 3s. Not a good thing.

Where do we get omega 6s? Processed foods are packed with omega 6 oils made from soybeans, safflower and corn. Omega 3 oils are found in fish, like salmon and sardines, and also in wild game meat. Flaxseed is also a source of omega 3s.

When you look at what most people haul out in their grocery carts, or order off of restaurant or fast food menus, and compare it what we know about the rate of depression alone in this country, it makes sense.

Dr. Sandra Cabot has been documenting outcomes of those who follow her liver cleansing diet, and reports not only does people's health improve, but those with addictive behaviors and mood disorders also do better. (She wrote the book, The Liver Cleansing Diet.)

The diet basically consists of fresh, natural foods and herbs,(no dairy or red meat), and lots of water. But there's another element. A blend of ground almonds, flax seed and sunflower seed is always on the table as a condiment for virtually everything. So not only is your body detoxifying itself with all the fresh foods, it's constantly getting hits of omega 3s.

I put it on cereal, salads, in yogurts, and over pasta. You can even sprinkle it over ice cream!

Is this a "sure fire" fix? Nothing is "sure fire" because much depends on your willingness to participate in your own healing.

But this much is certain. Our bodies are incredibly complex, miraculous creations, capable of amazing feats and performance ~ and healing ~ provided it gets the nutrients it needs. Our food, in its purest state, is the source of that.

Is it easy to eat well?

With some thought and planning, yes.

Is it convenient?

No. It's a daily practice, but the investment of putting your focus there is definitely worth it!

Do you have to be a good cook?

No. It's your own journey.

You'll get there!

Drop the Pop!

2010-07-09T09:14:00.000-07:00

One of the very best reinforcements for healthier eating would be having more money left over when you go out to eat, don't ya think?

This would be particularly significant for families dining with kids or teenagers who typically want soda pop with their meals. But if you have a family of six, and everyone orders a soda, it could add $10-$12 to your bill.

Being "mindful" here ~ Water might not be as appealing since your palate is conditioned to the carbonated, sugary taste, but think about it this way: You're paying yourself at least $10 to drink something that's actually good for you. If you take the family out twice a week, that's at least a $20 savings, and if you're running through drive thru's in between, over a month's time you might even save most of a car payment!

If you do nothing else to change your diet, eliminating soda pop for most people will reduce their weight by 10 pounds over the course of a year.

Drinking lots of water, especially during the hot summer months, has a whole bunch of health benefits: it eliminates toxins, churns up digestive enzymes, makes your organs run more efficiently, and helps your body absorb nutrients. (Add a dash of lemon juice and you've now incorporated Vitamin C!)

We all worry about the high cost of health care, keeping our jobs, and other uncertainties presented by living in the 21st century. But this is one small step towards gaining control of your health that can turn out to be a huge investment ~ because we all know the first steps are the hardest, no matter what we want to accomplish.

Notice the extra dollars you have in your pocket, and how you're feeling minus the pop after a week or two in this practice.

And here's another very important thing to consider: Kids notice their parent's choices. Make the right choice often enough, and they'll be mindful.

They'll pay attention.

Water ~ A Step in the Right Direction

2010-07-01T18:17:00.000-07:00

Never have there been more books or magazine articles about food.

We're obsessed by the topic, because it's so much a part of our daily lives. The foods we select, in large part, determine how healthy we are ~ and maybe how happy we are. We know what's good and what's bad, but our choices often override that information because our emotions are driving them.

If you're overweight and you feel bad, the easiest choice is to eat more of what makes you fat and sick. And so the spiral goes ~

So how do you define and then focus on a path that will make the difference you dream of?

My suggestion is to start with water ~ and then get moving.

Forget keeping a food log. Start with keeping a daily journal for three days of what you drink. Few people get through the day without some drink that contains sugar ~ the most popular choices being booze or soda pop.

Water is the elixir of life. After you get the habit going, I recommend investing in a water filter for your kitchen, or buy a filtered water bottle to carry when you're away from home. If you can't bear the thought of not having that sugary drink, reduce the daily number by one, then by two, and so on ~ and replace those drinks with water.

There are a whole list of health benefits to drinking at least 2 liters of water every day ~ not the least of which is it is a great appetite suppressant!

Do that, and add just five or ten minutes of walking, yoga stretches, or whatever gets your joints moving and your blood running.

Weight loss may not come right away, but you'll soon notice you have more energy.

So tip that glass of water!

Cheers!

Best Menu Picks

2010-06-22T09:37:00.000-07:00

Eating out can be a challenge ~

Not only do you have to find the healthy stuff ~ typically, portion sizes are much too big. But I've sampled a few dishes here and there that are quite good, and I'll share them here:

Palisade Cafe ~ GREAT chicken curry sandwiches. (I sampled it last year before I cut meat out of my diet.)

The Ale House ~ Wasabi Ahi Wrap (seared tuna with Japanese horse radish!)

Java City ~ Wonderful veggie sub for just $3!!

Naggy McGee's Irish Pub ~ Quite a few healthy options over there. I recommend their Vegetable Dumpling Stew.

Since I no longer eat meat, it takes me a lot less time to scan the menu. Sometimes you just have to settle for a salad ~ but local restaurants have also gotten pretty creative in that arena, too!

I suggest carrying an insulated bag to work or in the car where you can store raw carrots, raisins and nuts ~ or some other fresh combo ~ to stave off hunger pangs when you're most likely to eat stuff that's not so good for you. It's also a good idea to carry something along if you have children in the car. It might save you a McDonald's stop!

A Centering Meal

2010-06-16T18:23:00.000-07:00

Interestingly, as I was doing some work on the internet this evening, I was tempted to delay dinner.

But I was hungry, and I knew my choices wouldn't be as good if I waited. I had considered a new dish tonight, but I hated to divert too much from the mental track I was on.

Of course, that was exactly what I needed to do.

So I put everything aside and walked myself through the steps of preparing Spiced Chickpea Couscous. (A tip: I always keep my counterspace clear and my dishwasher loaded so I don't throw up my hands and consider carry -out!)

It didn't take long. A handful of shredded carrots and sliced onion sauteed, with some raisins, cumin and red pepper flakes added. Couscous (an African grain) is really easy to prepare ~ just minutes sitting in a cup or two of hot water (to boiling point). I ladled up the couscous into a soup bowl and topped it with the chickpea mixture, and I was done.

But here's what's interesting. I focused on the meal I was about to eat, and said a grace beforehand. A mindful prayer ~ not the rambled Catholic version our family recited at the start of every meal when I was growing up ~ but a true moment of gratitude for the nutrients I was about to receive.

There may be a lot of reasons - but I felt totally satisfied.

Lacking a sauce of some sort for the food to swim in, some might possibly feel deprived. But everything was good ~ so good that it seemed my very cells resonated with the energy I knew this dish was delivering.

My head was in a different place when I finished, and I'm still pondering all the reasons why ~

No Food Cravings Tonight

2010-06-15T20:39:00.000-07:00

Evenings are a time when food cravings that may have been silent through the day rear up to me noticed. It's like a place in our heads that takes over ~ especially if we contemplate something sugary or salty!

Makes sense. That's the time of day when most of us are likely to ponder what's wrong with our lives. Potato chips can look like a long-lost friend ~ not unlike a rum and coke might look to someone who drinks too much.

My husband is out of town, so there was less of an incentive to prepare something. It would have been easier just to snack tonight ~ and not on carrots! But if we are what we eat, it occurred to me that I needed to raise my vibrational energy level. So I decided I would cook up some greens.
It doesn't take much thought ~ and many combinations of good things will work.

I had some kale and some spinach in the fridge, so I sauteed some scallions (like little onions) and a clove of garlic in a dab of olive oil, then added some red pepper slices and some raisins, and then the greens (minus the tough spines). It only took about 10 minutes for that to cook, then I topped it with a sprinkle of cider vinegar.

I dished it up into a cereal-sized bowl, and then added about a 1/2 cup of pasta noodles from the fridge that I had cooked the night before. A dash of basil, and I was ready to eat.

I found that the meal tasted really good, and I felt really good afterwards. I had a few sliced strawberries to top it off, but that was it. I was pretty satisfied the rest of the evening. Even my thoughts vibrated at a higher level.

Pretty intriguing, huh!?

Our Refrigerators Are TOO Big!

2010-06-14T05:03:00.000-07:00

I decided I'm not going to replace my big refrigerator. I'm going to look for something much smaller ~ like they have in Europe ~ or long-term stay hotels.

Between my husband's and my shopping trips, our fridge is crammed ~ so while I've pretty much memorized what's at the front of each shelf, I have no idea of what's lurking to the rear. You know, we Americans toss 40 percent of what we buy at the grocery store or restaurant ~ and I think the way we store food contributes to that.

It's painful to know you buy all that stuff when you don't use it!

I understand that young families probably need a bigger unit, but for one or two people, it seems you could manage rather well. First of all, you'd know exactly what was in there, or what you needed to buy, for the next one or two meals. Secondly, your stuff would be fresher because you'd be shopping two or three times a week. We're talking produce, of course.

As for all the discarded food, I'm quite intrigued with the idea of a neighborhood compost project. Lots of benefits ~ and more on that later.

Below is my latest favorite dish:

Roasted Parsnips & Carrots

Slice some parsnips and carrots lengthwise into narrow wedges. Toss with a tablespoon or two of olive oil to coat, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. (I always use sea salt!) While they're roasting in the oven ~ all spread out on a griddle or pyrex surface (450 degrees) ~ mix a couple of tablespoons of diced scallions and chives with a tsp of rosemary and a tsp of thyme and sprinkle that over the veggies just before you serve them.

If you slice the veggies really thin, roasting time is about 45 min.

Yum!

A Challenge for Mindful Eating

2010-06-11T05:44:00.000-07:00

I've just returned home from what what originally to be just a wedding celebration, but it was followed by a funeral. My large family all gathered for my nephew's wedding last Saturday, and as we drove back to our hotel after great celebration at the reception, we got the call that our brother had ended his journey with a terminal illness.

Our celebration shifted to mourning.

During those days leading up to the funeral, I noticed that none of us was taking time to eat. We "pieced" along ~ but mostly attended to each other. It was not too unlike the flurry of preparing for the wedding celebration.

But I had a chance to get a close-up look at my sister's eating habits because I stayed with her during my time in Ohio

While I noticed that her refrigerator is pretty sparce, she's frequently drinking water. She seems to have a lot of energy, and most of the time, she "grazes" on vegetables, fruit and nuts. But for all of her 30 years of working, she's always eaten breakfast ~ a standard fare of an egg, toast, cereal and milk.

She'll laugh and tell me it's so she has more money to spend on clothes, and while she could use a few more pounds of body weight, I noticed that she held up well with the pace and emotional demands of those days, and she slept like a rock as soon as her head hit the pillow.

The events of the week didn't affect her eating habits much ~ she still fixed her breakfast, and then just grabbed celery and carrot sticks ~ or some almonds ~ to keep her going.

But she drank five bottles of water every single day. (I'm going to buy her a filtered bottle that she can refill!)

It reinforced for me that water is central to nourishing our bodies, and our spirits.

Between You and Me...

2010-05-29T11:21:00.000-07:00

After a nearly year of writing these blog entries, I'm more convinced than ever that the practice of eating mindfully and healthfully evades most people ~ mainly because of the way we live.

To make a bad pun, I've found as I talk to friends and strangers, they're hungry for how to go about changing the relationship they now have with food. Over the decades since seasonal garden tending was a part of most everyone's day, we've been lured by convenience to load our grocery carts from the vast inventory of processed foods. The chemicals, along with salt, sugar and fat, have hooked us on the tastes we think make us satisfied and happy ~ not much unlike drugs or alcohol.

Most recently, it's been suggested to me that perhaps it takes being part of a larger "community" to make food preparation and eating a successful practice. There's much more to eating than just putting food in your mouth. I believe there has to be an element of ritual to make it both purposeful and healthful.

There's a benefit to "breaking bread" together, because it offers connection ~ the ultimate nurturing that we all seek!

Does it mean cooking for a lot of people?

No. I suggest you start by inviting someone to dinner.

Do it soon. See what you think!

What's Healthy? You Know the Difference!

2010-05-24T09:09:00.000-07:00

To relieve your mind ~ there is no arrival point where you've mastered mindful eating ~ anymore than a person who practices yoga can one day say they've achieved all they can and they're done.

The practice arrives at every meal, every time you open a bag of snack food, and every time you open a kitchen cabinet or refrigerator.

Like the other night. Foolishly, my husband and I were way too busy on Saturday, working away until well past 8 p.m. We rolled right past that point where a healthier choice would have been to disengage with the day's activities and transfer into a ritual mode of preparing something to eat.

My growling stomach and an impulse to fix something fast ruled over the saner approach, which would have been to grab a handful of almonds and raisins, have a glass of water, and then decide.

Earlier that day I had fixed a stir fry of shredded sweet potatoes, minced ginger and purple onion, with a bit of lime juice and nutmeg. (It was delicious!)

Sadly, though, I drove to the store and bought a box of vegetable rolls to microwave. I had picked them up at the store because I love those oriental appetizers. (I should note here that for many years we haven't owned a microwave, but my husband recently picked up a small one for popcorn. Yes, I caved to an impulse ~ but mindfully!)

They came packaged in plastic, and as I pulled out the steaming, limp rolls after they had "cooked," my appetite was gone. I remembered the aroma and the taste of my sweet potato combination earlier that day ~ the colors so vibrant and the taste so satisfying.

Looking closely at that processed batch of vegetables rolls was a good litmus test.

I tossed them in the trash ~ mindfully!

Nothing Satisfies Like Soup!

2010-05-16T20:01:00.000-07:00

Soup is the best meal ~ I'm certain!

It's a very efficient way to cook ~ and also get a lot of nutrients at the same time. There's not much precision involved ~ so anyone can combine ingredients in a crock pot in the morning, and be rewarded at the end of the day when meal prep is the last thing they want to think about.

For example, an Italian White Bean Soup is one of my favorites ~ mainly a combo of sauteed onion, celery and minced garlic, a couple of cans of white kidney beans (always rinsed and drained!), a can of chicken broth, and a pinch of group black pepper and dried thyme. Stir in a bunch of spinach and heat until it's wilted, then top with some fresh-grated Parmesan cheese.

Serve it with a slice of multi-grain bread and some apple slices, and you've got a well-rounded meal. There's plenty of protein in beans, so you won't miss the meat!

Another favorite of mine is Minestrone.. Again, no need to be precise when you're combining sliced carrots, celery, onion, potatoes, zucchini, cabbage, garlic, diced tomatoes and some white beans, along with a couple cans of chicken broth and a cup of water. Because the veggies are dense, this one lends itself well to crock pot cooking, so it can simmer all day!

I'll offer some to sample tomorrow, May 20th, at Yoga West at noon here in Grand Junction. I'll be presenting a session on Mindful Eating ~ Changing our Relationship with Food!

"...Like Ten Thousand Spoons When All You Need Is a Knife!"

2010-05-08T14:40:00.000-07:00

... and so it is in a cluttered kitchen. (Remember that song from the 90's by Alanis Morissette?)

I think of that often reflecting on the days when I couldn't find my measuring cup ~ or I had three bottles of catsup and no mustard. Or earlier days when I could only locate one set of matched earrings, but could count 15 singles ~ five of which were always at the bottom of my purse.

So when we talk of mindful eating, it's important to have some semblance of organization ~ and the staples to build a few meals.

If your counter tops are covered with bills to pay, kid mail from school back packs, half-full water bottles and an unwashed blender, it pretty much blows your opportunity that day to eat mindfully ~ unless, of course, you can locate a few baby carrots, some raisins and an apple, and then walk outside or into another room to eat it.

If you gaze into the refrigerator and aren't sure what's behind the stuff right in front of you, you probably need to toss some things ~ or not buy so much at one time. Another problem is left-overs. It's painful to throw food out, so it's important to learn how to incorporate them into meals within a day or two.

A few tips:

Except for staples, don't buy groceries for the week ~ rather for a few days at a time.

Have a fresh tossed salad in the fridge (always add tomatoes right before you eat), and some cooked rice in the fridge to partner with an entree.

Use meat as a condiment for a vegetable or pasta dish ~ rather than the main event!

Have one stainless steel water bottle and forego buying bottled water. It's money in the bank to invest in a water filtration unit.

Chop up an onion, some carrots and celery and put them in separate containers in the fridge to get a quick soup started. A can of diced tomatoes, a few potatoes and some seasoning and you have the basics for a nutritious vegetable soup! Or use those first few items in your tossed salad.

Finally, eating should not be the high point of your day ~ especially if the gratification begns and ends in your taste buds!

Don't live to eat ~ Eat to live! So find an interest that energizes you and put your focus on that!
You'll notice a new relationship with food, with the people around you ~ but most importantly, with yourself!

You Truly Are What You Eat

2010-05-05T21:43:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I'm going to take the content of what I've been writing about for months and present it in a series of workshops on "Mindful Eating" at Yoga West down on Main Street.

I realize that people know what they need to eat to be healthy. They've heard it all for years. So why don't they eat better? Why is obesity such an epidemic?

It's because we have a relationship with food ~ and if that relationship is an unhealthy one, we'll have unhealthy bodies, and unhappy souls. That's the case for lots and lots of people.

Is it hard to change? Yes. But it's not complicated. The solution is simple. Again I reference Geneen Roth's new book, "Women Food and God," when she says we hold onto this dysfunctional relationship because we don't know that we can live without it.

We're so tightly bound to the role we think we've been assigned, we assume we're stuck ~ and food temporarily adds a coziness to the situation. Of course, it doesn't last.

It can be very complex for many people ~ but there is a way out, and you can begin feeling better just a day or two into a new approach to eating.

She concludes: "Your eating isn't about lack of willpower ~ but lack of understanding."

The workshops are at noon May 6th, 20th and 23rd. Hopefully I can provide some understanding!

Eating Is About Paying Attention

2010-05-01T15:46:00.000-07:00

Geneen Roth says so well everything that I haven't about the importance of eating mindfully in her new book, "Women Food And God".

She basically says that eating is the arena where our issues present themselves, our feelings are strongest ~ and our opportunity for growth ever present. In her words: "How you eat tells all."

She firmly believes that most of us carry more guilt, shame, anger and sadness than we realize, and to numb that pain, food is a drug of choice.

For those who sample diet strategies to lose "ugly" pounds ~ dieting is never the answer.
That's why whatever we believe about ourselves in large part drives the decision to reach for a corn dog instead of an apple.

"Until the belief is understood and questioned, no amount of weight loss will touch the part of you that is convinced it is damaged," to quote Roth.

Amidst all this chatter about what to eat ~ it's really our feelings that drive our choices. Roth suggests they are valuable guideposts if we can pause long enough to recognize and honor them.

Contemplations Amidst Hunger Pangs

2010-04-27T15:59:00.000-07:00

I sit here snacking on multi-grain crackers and garlic hummus ~ knowing I was just SO close to buying a chocolate bar! Chocolate was a match for my mood this evening ~ unsettled.. thinking of too many things. If I had a sack of chips in the cupboard, they'd have been quickly opened ~ and way too many eaten!

Which is precisely why I don't keep chips in the cupboard!

We can kid ourselves and say we are the master of our choices, but a lot depends on whether it's 1 o'clock or 5 o'clock ~ and how good we feel about ourselves at the time. (I look back to the days of raising kids with compassion for those doing it now. Five to six o'clock is probably the worst hour of the day!)

But now that I have something nutritious in my stomach, I can go about preparing something equally nutritious for dinner. Tonight, I'm pulling some left-over pasta tossed in sauteed garlic and olive oil out of the refrigerator for a side to the main entrees ~ another mess of greens!

I love this option because it's pretty much the same routine ~ but you can vary the ingredients.
So to the sauteed onions and garlic in olive oil, I'll toss in some washed spinach leaves, some chopped red peppers and sun dried tomatoes. Very fast! The last ingredient will be some balsalmic vinegar ~ or may just cider vinegar.

A few slices of oranges and an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie (Kashi brand) will be dessert.

Why am I so passionate? I'm nearly sixty-four, and I view this practice as my retirement investment. As long as I feel good and can buy the foods that make that possible, I'll have lifestyle I want!

You'll also hear this often here: Healthy eating is affordable health care!

Work on Depression by Getting Balanced

2010-04-25T06:19:00.000-07:00

According to a recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine, published results on how well antidepressants work are skewed. It's been an incredibly profitable investment for those who own stock in the pharmaceutical companies that make them, so why am I not surprised.

Aside from that, I was reading in "Clean, Green and Lean" (I forget the author) at the bookstore last night about all the symptoms created by food allergies alone. Depression is one of them.
Add in all the toxic elements used to process all the packaged stuff we think is food and it's no wonder we're literally sick and tired ~ and depressed.

Anything that creates inflammation in the body is going to manifest itself as a health complaint or chronic condition. That's most of what we Americans eat ~ and that influence is changing health profiles world wide.

The books and articles supporting this are sprouting everywhere ~ thankfully. So purge your cabinets and refrigerator, do some research, and invest in the foods that are good for you.
If you drink pop, that's the very first thing to eliminate!

It's empowering, because we can change how we feel ~ mentally and physically ~ by what we eat. It's affordable health care ~ and it's available to you now!

Water ~ Pure & Simple!

2010-04-23T07:22:00.000-07:00

In the course of a busy day, I need something to remind me to stay on course.

For me, it's water.

I bought a stainless steel, 25 oz water bottle that I fill with filtered water every day before I leave home. Sipping on that during the day helps remind me that the best nutrition is pure and simple.

I've backed away from latte's in the mornings and save them for the weekend. I'm saving money there, and more than than when I'm not buying bottled water.

I remember the savor this water because it truly is a precious, diminishing resource. It reminds me to be grateful for all the good foods that are available to us, if we choose.

Water. It's the elixir of life. Drink it with appreciation and gratitude!

There's Nothing Like a "Mess of Greens"

2010-04-21T16:39:00.000-07:00

I was famished as I stood in my kitchen at 5:30 p.m. ~ happy, at least, that my cabinets contained no chips, cookies, or candy to munch on. The night before, I had left over pasta with sun dried tomatoes, but tonight I was craving greens.

Even if you don't think you can cook ~ this, you can do!

Just gather ingredients from four categories I'll share here, and then stir fry them together! It can be a main dish, or you can add a side of rice and a small slice of, say, pan-seared salmon ~ and you're set!

You'll choose your greens first ~ either beet greens, chard, spinach, collard greens , turnip greens, mustard greens or kale. (Make sure they're washed and cut!) Drop them into a wok or skillet where you've sauteed a handful of chopped onion and a few minced garlic cloves into a tablespoon of olive oil.

You can vary the dish by choosing different items I've listed above ~ or try your own creation.

It's an easy, affordable dose of nutrients you can offer your family several times a week!

Next pick a vegetable or two ~ sliced carrots, mushrooms or bell peppers, maybe ~ add that and cook for a minute or two. Some add-ins make it interesting. Choose from raisins, lemon zest, sun dried tomatoes, or even some minced jalapenos or Canadian bacon.

Another few minutes after that sautes, top it off with a sprinkle of your choice of vinegar ~ or just lemon juice!

There Is No ''Cruise Control"

2010-04-21T07:14:00.000-07:00

It's not uncommon for those who've managed to lose the weight they always hoped ~ to find months later they're inching back to where they were before.

Sure, having a target weight as a goal can get you there, but once you arrive, you may wonder what's next? It's how we're geared culturally. We're always looking for what's next.

We've staged the food arena as a battle ground where we gear up daily to face the enemy. After all, food makes us fat! It can appear that way when you're assaulted with so many unhealthy food choices in fast-food joints and in most of the supermarket aisles. So, of course, it takes Spartan measures to keep saying "no."

But the paradigm shifts when you find good foods to say "yes" to. And there are plenty of them!
Here's the best news: "The more you eat of them, the better you feel!" The pounds will still drop, and you don't have to run marathons to make it happen.

That's because our bodies run more efficiently when we're eating the foods we were meant to eat. We burn more calories because our metabolism changes.

For 10 days, stay off the bathroom scales and reach for an apple or an orange the next time you crave a bag of salty chips. Have a bag of almonds handy ~ just a few of those can stave off cravings. Eat as many vegetables as you want and reduce your meat portions. (Americans generally eat twice as much protein as they need every day!) Add a little exercise ~ even a 20 minute walk each day will make a difference ~ then see where you are next time you weigh in.

You'll find good eating doesn't have to be a life-long battle. It's easier than you think!

Slice a Tomato for Litmus on Food Quality

2010-04-20T20:42:00.000-07:00

I never buy tomatoes in the winter.

They're out of season at Colorado's latitude, and so the imported tomates you buy that time of year are hard as golf balls. I'd just as soon skip the garnish of anemic tomato flesh, languidly hanging out on the side of my plate at a restaurant. If you chew them, you don't taste anything ~ because there's little nutritional value there.

Arthur Allen explores the topic in his newly published book, "Ripe: The Search for the Perfect Tomato." That is, if you're buying it at a supermarket. If you're growing it (in season, of course), or you purchase it at a farmer's market or from a distributor who buys locally, a slice offers no comparison. The pulp is bright red, rather than the yellow-tinged flesh of it's cousin that traveled many miles to get here.

Years ago, most families had a vegetable garden, but convenience won out. After all, it takes a lot of time to grow food. But books like Allen's are drawing attention and increasing awareness that it's apparent we lost an awful lot in the process ~ and the time we devote to developing our own backyard and community gardens may be the important investment we can ultimately make!

Easy Tomato Dish

Ripe tomatoes, sliced
Mozzarella cheese
Basil Leaves
Olive Ohio
Salt/pepper

You can decide the quantity of ingredients ~ Just arrange sliced tomatoes on a plate, top with strips of cheese and snips of basil leaves, sprinkle salt and pepper, and drissel some olive oil over them. Don't waste the effort if the tomatoes aren't ripe ~ and locally grown!

Less Really Is More!

2010-04-15T19:30:00.000-07:00

My husband and I just got back from an expedition down to Tuscon ~ a culinary capital ~ to discover some new and different approaches to cooking. We've both recently moved away from eating red meat and poultry, and except for an occasional dish with cheese, we've pretty much given up dairy products, too.

In some ways it was challenging, because in most restaurants, most entrees are built around meat. Breakfast options are pretty much egg and meat-based, and lunch menus are mainly variations of meat and cheese sandwiches.

Some restaurants featured a few meatless dishes, and so we would select from those. Otherwise, we'd pick and choose among soups, salads and appetizers.

But while our restaurant menu options may have narrowed, by talking with vegetarian foodies down there, we've discovered there's a whole new world of great eating available when we sample new vegetables ~ for example, rutabagas, parsnips, fennel and chard. Get to know a few spices like basil, cumin, tarragon and red pepper flakes and there's no end to the great dishes you can create!

I can accept that from now on, our restaurant menu options may be fewer and we may no longer have meat in the freezer, because we have many more still undiscovered vegetable-based dishes to try ~ and more money to spend by cutting out that pricey meat!

Food Touches Physics and Spirituality

2010-03-31T22:05:00.000-07:00

I'm more convinced that eating mindfully is a constant practice, not unlike yoga.

That's because depending on what the landscape of the mind is at any given time, cookies and chips can easily win out over broccoli. To move out of psychology and into physics ~ simply put, it has to do with energy frequency.

When we're stressed or depressed, and our energy levels are low, we'll crave foods with a low energy frequency. Anything salty, sweet, carb-heavy or fat-laden would be a perfect match!

But if we're mindful and make the choice to introduce high-frequency foods ~ like fruits or vegetables, we draw energy from them and get a "leg up" in our efforts to gain balance. And balance implies that meter is always moving ~ so if we depleted our energy reserves with our choices one day ~ the next day we can choose to regain some ground.

Of course, so many of us stay stuck within a comfort zone that mimics a see-saw, because to go beyond means leaving part of our "old selves" behind. The ego doesn't buy that!

It makes so much sense to me now why the Christian Lenten period ~ which prescribes some fasting ~ is six weeks long. If you follow a practice that you stick with when it becomes uncomfortable ~ some of that life-restricting ego gets left behind along the way.

As we approach Easter Sunday, I wish I had done a better job of observing it. Fortunately, the same choices will be there for me tomorrow.