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!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Monday, August 9, 2010
"Apple A Day" May Help Shed Pounds!
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.
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.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Cook When You're Traveling!
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!
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!
Thursday, July 29, 2010
A Peanut Butter Solution
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!
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!
Friday, July 23, 2010
Meet Kohlrabi!
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!
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!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Cravings Subside When You're Truly Nourished
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!
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!
Monday, July 12, 2010
Could Treating Mental Illness Be That Simple?
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!
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!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
