My goal each evening is to put food on the table that's healthy and delicious. But, I'm not a planner - no weekly meal-plans for me and as I shop I look for what looks good, fresh, and local as much as I look for what's on my list.
So, when I'm cooking, I'll often start with just a hint of an idea and go from there.
Last night's idea was brussel sprouts. I often oven roast them (350 degrees, whole or halved, with a bit of olive oil on them) and I enjoy adding some pine nuts for the last 5 minutes they're in the oven.
Last night, inspiration hit and I took this simple recipe a bit further. I started by roasting the sprouts and sliced carrots. When I judged the dish to be five minutes from done (just taste if you're not sure), I added shredded kale (yup, I continue on my quest to add kale to almost everything) and raw walnuts.
So, there you have it - and almost no-effort dish that cooked in just over 1/2 hour. Everyone loved it. The next time I might add whole garlic cloves.
BTW, Cruciferous vegetables, like brussel sprouts, broccoli, and cauliflower have been shown to have anti-cancer, anti-diabetes, and anti-microbial effects.
There are a million ways to make a smoothie. Some good, some bad. Here's my favorite:
Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. water
1 T chia seeds (soaked, if possible)
1 T flax seeds (ground - I use a coffee grinder dedicated to this)
1 1/2 T cod liver oil
1/2 - 1 banana (frozen or not)
1/3 cup frozen peach slices
1/3 cup frozen pitted cherries, or any kind of berry (frozen or not)
2 or 3 ice cubes
optional: kefir, kale
This drink starts my day with many phytonutrients from the fruit (and kale), lots of fiber (fruit and seeds) and a good dose of Omega 3 fats (chia seeds, flax seeds, cod liver oil). Kefir is a cultured milk products. I use coconut kefir. Cultured foods contain many enzymes and are great for digestion.
I don't worry too much about protein since like most Americans, I'm probably getting more of this nutrient than I actually need. Too much protein is hard on the body, especially the kidneys. Studies have shown that except for professional athletes, no one needs to supplement their protein. Even professional athletes only need about 10% more protein than the average person. Serious amateurs do not need supplemental protein. If I'm hungry before lunch, I grab a hard boiled egg mid-morning. I trust the proteins and nutrients in a whole egg more than in something processed (and once open, who knows how much the nutrients in those powders actually last).
The only part of this that takes any time at all is soaking the chia seeds. If I were organized, I'd put the chia seeds in a cup of water and refrigerate them overnight. I'm not, so if I have time I put the water and chia seeds into my blender about 15 minutes before I want my smoothie and add the rest of the ingredients when I'm ready to make it. If I don't have the time, I just plow ahead and add everything at once.
I love a bit of kale in my smoothie, but this is not for the faint-of-heart nor for those who haven't yet gotten over an aversion to green food. Kale is a mild green and breaks down pretty well in a blender, but I won't lie - add it to your smoothie and you'll know it's there both because of "green" taste and the added fiber. Romaine would probably be an even gentler entre into greening your smoothies. Why greens? To jump-start your day with the under-eaten, but exceptionally healthful, nutrients in them. Americans eat too much protein but too few greens.
What's your favorite smoothie?
Most everyone I work with wants to know how to eat well without spending too much money. Here's a nice article that will help you do just that: 12 Super Cheap, Super Nutritious Foods You Should Be Eating
While I have your attention, here are a couple sites I love:
Mark and Angel Hack Life - how-to, for life. The most recent post (as I write this) is "60 Ways to Make Life Simple Again". Are any of us not looking for that?
Derek Sivers describes himself as an entrepreneur, programmer, and student of life. I found his work last year, through a Best of Youtube video I was so impressed by it that I googled Derek, found his website and immediately read most of his blog posts. They impressed me so much that I sent Derek and email. To my surprise and delight, he wrote back to me (after checking my brand new website which was listed under my signature) and asked what he could do for me! Wow! I wanted nothing but to thank him for his work, example, and ideas. I recommend you check out his posts and book reviews. I especially recommend, "Why I gave my company to dharity", "Leadership Lessons from Dancing Guy", and "No More Yes. It's Either HELL YEAH! or NO".
I could go on and on but I won't.
And, a story from the NY Times about transforming hate.
I'm just back from a place I haven't been to in a long time. Today, I was in the flow. According to Wikipedia, flow is "the mental state of operation in which a person in an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity."
Flow is incredibly relaxing, yet energizing at the same time. It creates a feeling of joy. I'm feeling all these things right now.
Although getting into a state of flow is a bit unpredictable, it can happen during almost any activity. I've gotten there during running, playing music, writing, and making art. Today, although I had a list of things to do, I decided that I had a big enough block of time to start working on a task that I'd already procrastinated for a number of years.
The task is making Kit's Bat Mitzvah book. Years ago, when Harry (now 18) was celebrating Bar Mitzvah (at age 13), I'd come across a great idea: make a scrapbook of photos and "words of wisdom" collected from friends and family. I loved the idea but not the execution of it: choosing photos, deciding on an order, etc. All those decisions, though trivial, created stress and so I didn't work on the book. Time passed. I decided to change the book to a going-away-to-college present and then more time passed and Harry left for school.
Kit's still here though so, the new goal is to finish Kit's book before she leaves in just...ten short months.
Okay, back to flow. Generally, to get there you need three things.
1. An activity with direction and structure. I had that - the goal, of course, is a lovely book to give Kit to both remind her of her younger self and of the friends and family that have been a part of her life - and to give her words of wisdom, and maybe a laugh or two as she peruses it.
2. The task must also have a balance between the challenge and skills one brings to it. The challenge for me is making all those darn decisions along with letting go and relaxing into believing I can make something that Kit will love to look at and find meaningful. The skills I bring are that I know how to cut and paste, have a treasure trove of quotes both collected for her and that I've been collecting my whole life. And...way back when, I used to take words and turn them into art.
3. The task must have clear and immediate feedback. Unfortunately, I can be my own worst enemy and this is probably what keeps me from achieving this state more often. However, today, I started working and immediately liked the results I was getting. This, of course, spurred me on to work more.
To keep a long story from getting too much longer, I looked up four hours later to find that it was...four hours later! I'd stopped, thinking it was time for lunch - though I wasn't hungry - and found it was hours past my usual lunch time.
So, why am I telling you this? Because I'm convinced that being in this state is one of the absolute best things you can do for yourself. Although I don't have the research to back it up, I believe that letting go of stress this completely, getting to this kind of deep relaxation paired with flow's energizing abilities has got to do wonders for the body, too (just like meditation does). And, why else? Because this kind of joy is what life's all about! I like to ask my clients why they're interested in having good health - of course, for most people it's so they can do the things they love to do (or do things for and with the people they love).
Have you gotten in the flow? What activities get you there? Please let us know!
I made this dish on Halloween eve (it seemed appropriate) and I wish I'd taken a photo of it! I've already bought a new batch of purple potatoes and have no intention of only cooking them as a novelty dish - they were delicious.
Purple potatoes are an heirloom variety. I'm glad these luscious beauties are finding a market - like many other heirloom food plants, their benefits far exceed more commonly marketed food. Sadly, we've gotten used to produce whose main attributes are their ability to withstand transport without bruising and long shelf life. In many cases we've given up taste, texture, nutrition, and ecological diversity (which ensures sustainability for a whole web of life).
If you remember back to my post "Colors" every plant food has different nutrients based on their colors. Purple and blue plants have anthocyanin, a flavonoid that has anti-cancer, heart-protective, and immune enhancing effects as well as being protective against age-related memory loss. The USDA Agriculture Research Service has found that darkly colored potatoes have more than four times the antioxidant potential as light potatoes.
This recipe fed four which shocked even me - I suspect it's really enough for eight if those people don't happen to be the people living in my house! I kept the skin on the potatoes for added texture, nutrients, and to keep this dish rustic.
Ingredients:
10 purple potatoes
1 head of garlic
coconut kefir (or milk/milk substitute of your choice) - 1/2 cup or more
butter (or olive oil) - 2 T or so
Celtic sea salt (or other good salt)
Black pepper
- Heat oven to 375 F. Pierce potatoes with a fork so the steam can escape as they cook. Cut the top of the garlic bulb so each clove is missing its tip, remove most of the paperlike skin (leave bulb intact). Wrap garlic in aluminum foil. Bake potatoes and garlic for about an hour or until the potatoes are tender.
- Open the garlic packet and allow garlic to cool enough for handling.
- Smash the potatoes with a fork or potato masher. Squeeze the garlic on top, add butter, kefir, salt, and pepper to taste.
Enjoy!
