New Years' Resolutions

Being a grammar and punctuation sleuth, I am troubled as to whether it is New Year's Resolutions or New Years' Resolutions.  Since it is plural, do you go plural possessive or just possessive with the
"Year"?  I really have no idea and right now I'd rather just create my post than worry about such trivial things.

Maybe that should be my New Year's Resolution; not to sweat the small stuff.  Really, though, what do you think about resolving to make a change just because the calendar has run out? (and hopefully you've bought a new one by now -- you have one more day!)

I have my own opinions about resolutions, change, the calendar and promises, but you don't necessarily want to hear my thoughts, so I took it to the family.  My husband's family was over Sunday afternoon for our Christmas gathering.  Oh, how fun it was!  Truly, it was a good time.  You see, my husband is one of four siblings and there are five offspring of those four.  Each one of the four has a spouse or significant other.  And if a train leaves Boston... oh, sorry...

I am always impressed when the entire family gets together because there is so much energy in the room, so much brain power that it almost hurts to listen to them.  There usually ends up being one random query that makes everyone scratch their head.  The topic is usually discussed for an inordinate amount of time and then makes an occasional re-appearance again throughout the gathering.  I figured who else to take the subject of New Year's Resolutions to, but a group of highly intelligent, analytical folks?  So I asked them (okay, some of them -- I missed an entire table of people because I was distracted) to share their thoughts.

One young man -- oh, that was our son -- said "someday" isn't on the calendar, so the new year is a good time to make a change.  It's a definitive date, so mentally it prepares you.

Someone else shared his promise to make healthier eating choices.

A smart young 'en of just 12 said she thought they were stupid because nobody ever sticks to their resolutions.  (I'm with her).

Another couple of lads thought it was a good idea but it is hard to make anything stick, especially related to fitness and diet because of the length of time that it takes to either break a habit or create a new one.  B-I-N-G-O!  Though one guy did say that a few years ago his dad's giving up soda has stuck and he hasn't had any since.  Man, these kids were very insightful. 

So if sticking to a resolution is so difficult, why do we make them year after year after year?  I'm sure someone out there has some statistic as to how much money is poured into fitness clubs in the first week of a new year only to become wasted dollars.  I have noticed in my years of regular attendance at a gym that this week, historically, makes for a crowded workout.  By Valentine's Day, we'll be back to where we were in November!

Here I am a day before the new year contemplating my resolution.  Should I or shouldn't I?  I've thought about it.  I really could be a more attentive wife.  I should spend more time in prayer and devotion each day.  Maybe I could work on not sweating the small stuff so much.  Hmmm... or maybe I should give up worrying.  Or maybe I'll just wait until February 13th when Lent begins and make a change then.  It's a much shorter time that I'd have to sacrifice if I only do it / give it up / change for the 40 days of lent rather than an ENTIRE YEAR!

I guess while you're out tracking down that 2013 calendar I will decide on a New Year's Resolution.  Will you resolve to make a change for the new year?  If so, please share.

When the Going Gets Tough...

Happy Friday!  I'm saying that sort of tongue-in-cheek as I can't believe my week off is quickly coming to a close.  I haven't done anything I thought I would do this week.  My goal was to open the textbooks used for the Nutrition Education Trainer certification that I'm working on and really, really want to take the first test for just after the first of the year.  No studying was done.  It is something that has to happen when I don't have a million other things on my to-do list and when I'm not feeling under the weather.  Yep!  That's right.  This girl with the superior immune system caught a cold!

photo courtesy of Doug Glaze Photography

It's not really the cold I'm bummed about, it's the fact that I had to cancel a dinner date with friends yesterday.  I was so excited to share with them my lentil taco recipe.  They are a couple who are trying out the nutritarian way of life and have already made huge changes in their diet.  So we will reschedule to after the first of the year.

About this illness thing... Normally, when I get a cold I know it!  It starts with a sore throat and usually by the end of the day I feel like I've been whopped good.  This time, I started coughing on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning I just felt "off," not really so sick that I couldn't do anything.  I even went to the gym and had a killer workout.  I let my friend know first thing in the morning I thought I was getting sick and she was the one who decided to reschedule.  I wouldn't want to share my "fun" with anyone else.

After a hearty breakfast of steel cut oats with fruit and nuts, Hubby and I ran some errands.  It wasn't until about lunchtime that I decided that I was actually getting sick.  I made some miso ginger soup with other veggies and made my way to the bed to hunker down.  I spent most of the day there, just watching TV, reading and sleeping.  Part of my reading was the book Super Immunity.  It is there that I learned nothing but rest and eating lightly (especially vegetables and veggie juice) will help you recover from the common cold virus.  Of course, I knew that no forms of medication can help you get better.  But I didn't know that they can actually make you more sick.  I'm talking about damage to your liver and other organs.  The fever that you get is actually good for you and is best left untreated unless it goes very high or is so uncomfortable that you can't sleep at night.  So I let it go; no ibuprofen or acetaminophen, NOTHING!  I was a little uncomfortable with a killer sore throat that two years ago I would have been sucking on throat lozenges to relieve, but  not this time.  I rode it out with the aches and pains.  I even made dinner last night!  We had a wonderful spaghetti squash with a very tasty rich and thick pasta sauce with a fresh, crunchy salad. 

photo courtesy of Doug Glaze Photography

I'm sorry I didn't take pictures of the food, but sometimes it's all you can do to get dinner on the table.  I can tell you that all I did was bake the squash for an hour and then made Mom's famous lasagna sauce (sans the meat) and topped off the spaghetti squash strands with the sauce.  No parmesan cheese needed!

Today I feel great compared to yesterday!  My head feels just a little achy and my back hurts a bit, but I'm wondering how much of that is from laying in bed most of the day!  I missed the gym this morning so after a shower and trip to the grocery store, I'll hit my to-do list.  After all, I do have 17 people coming for dinner on Sunday -- something has got to get done!

photo courtesy of Doug Glaze Photography

I really do believe that creating a good immune system by eating fruits and vegetables over the last 18 months helped in my quick recovery!  I can't believe in just 36 hours how much better I feel!

I will be back here Monday to share my thoughts on New Year's Resolutions!  Have a great weekend!

What I Ate for Christmas & My New Hot Beverage

I hope you all had a peaceful and healthy Christmas.  I missed blogging on Monday as I just plain ol' ran out of time.  I met a good friend for coffee in the morning and we chatted for a couple of hours before I had to run off to do some last-minute shopping.  (Actually, what happened was I was counting on the Mayans to be correct and didn't want to spend money on gifts that would go unused, so I held out until the bitter end.)  Then it got too late in the day and I figured there wasn't any point to posting anything because nobody would read it Monday or on the holiday anyway. 

I am off work all week and have already started my to-do lists, one for each day until Sunday when we have Hubby's family over for the final celebration of the season.  I will be cooking a pot of chili, a pan of cornbread and a huge salad -- all vegan.  I've caved to the pleading for a traditional Christmas dinner and will also be preparing a bone-in ham and mac-n-cheese.  I'm thinking broccoli would be a nice side dish for either menu option.

The topic of my blog is What I Ate for Christmas so I figure I'd better hit there.  I had this all planned and Alex knew what we were having and he still showed up on time early for breakfast.  On the menu was veggie scramble, tropical fruit salad and black rice breakfast pudding. 

Tropic Fruit Salad - banana, kiwi, pineapple, orange, pomegranate seeds

Veggie Scramble with Tofu.  The guys chose eggs for theirs.

Black Rice Breakfast Pudding with spinach, currants, almonds, vanilla & soy milk.

 After breakfast we hit the presents.  A wonderful day was had just hanging out and talking.  Very quiet, just the three of us this year.  It looks like I will be making a few trips to the Korean Spa in 2013, thanks to my wonderful husband.  I just love to spend the day in heated rooms and pools, then finishing off the experience with a full body scrub and moisturizing treatment.

For dinner we had the "traditional" enchilada dinner.  Well, it's not really a tradition, but it was the easiest thing that I could make that would satisfy the culinary desires of a 19-year-old, ever-hungry man!  It was completely vegan, right down to the cheese.  It was accompanied with a great salad of greens, arugula and tomatoes.  I forgot to take pictures of the dinner, so you'll have to trust me it was good.  Only one piece of enchilada casserole was left.  I think that is a good sign.  Dessert is always fun!  I made a whole-food gingerbread cake.  It's really more like a spice cake.  It's chock-full of healthy ingredients like carrots, beets, applesauce, pineapple, dates, currents.  Oh, yum!

Topped with a dallop of cashew frosting, this was DELISH!  I indulged a little too much and had two pieces.  Oops!  Oh, well.  We finished off the night with a cup of tea and more chatting.  I was wiped out so was in bed before 9 p.m.!  That made it easier to get up and get to the gym this morning.

So my New Hot Beverage is something else I want to share with you.  If you know me well, you know I have gone through many addictions to hot, creamy beverages.  First, it was chai tea lattes.  That went on for years.  Then I converted to green tea (matcha) lattes.  Starbucks and I had perfected the best cup last week, even after I discovered that their matcha doesn't contain just straight-up green tea, it also has <gasp!> sugar in it.  I talked with my personal consultant, aka Hubby, about physical addiction, emotional addiction and why I drink a latte every day.  We decided it was more a habit than an addiction, kind of like a comfort.  I need something in the car/bus with me to keep me company.  He said, "So starting January 1st, give it up."  Instead of just giving up all things warm and creamy, I've decided to make it easier on myself.  There will be no more green tea lattes, I will guarantee you that.  What will substitute, you ask?  A decaf soy latte with nutmeg sprinkled on top.  Oh, my goodness!  It is so good.  So gone is the caffeine from the green tea and gone is the added sugar.  The only sugar is what is in the soy milk.  Making it at home, I can use unsweetened milk, but in the coffee shops, you don't get that choice.  I feel much better now.  I can still be comforted by my drink, enjoy the flavor AND feel better about my sugar intake. 

Well, it is December 26th, so I think that means we are supposed to go shopping, right?  Today will find me doing those things that you can't do when you work all week... like getting your oil changed. Now, doesn't that sound like such a wonderful holiday activity?

Until Friday...

Massaged Kale & Happy Friday

Let me just say that I. LOVE. KALE.  I didn't used to like it, but a friend introduced me to the massaging technique.  Thank you, Carrie!  There's something special about the texture, the slight bitterness when you eat it raw and the little glow it gives your skin after eating it day after day.  Okay, I might be exaggerating a little bit about how often I eat it, but dark leafy greens definitely do help give you "the glow."  It also aids in digestion, is full of nutrients -- micro and macro -- and contains a decent amount of protein at 2.2 g / 1 cup of chopped.

Kale is a great anti-inflammatory.  Inflammation is the Number One cause of arthritis, heart disease and many autoimmune diseases.  Animal products contribute to inflammation, so why not eat kale and potentially reverse some of these diseases.

Kale has more iron than beef!  Now there's one reason to make a huge massaged kale salad tonight!

Calcium is an important nutrient for good bone health.  Kale has more calcium per calorie than milk and is better absorbed by your body.

A serving of kale contains 121 mg of omega-3 fatty acids and 92.4 mg of omega-6 fatty acids.

Kale is rich in Vitamins A & C, which help boost your immune system.

I prepare my massaged kale salad a day before I intend to eat it because I think it tastes better the longer it sits.  You can use a variety of recipes, but I really like Carrie's peanut dressing that I posted Wednesday, so that's what I used.  Another option is Chef AJ's Hail to the Kale dressing

REDUCED FAT HAIL TO THE KALE DRESSING
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup raw almond butter (unsweetened/unsalted)
1 x 15 oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup water
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 2) and zest
2 cloves garlic
Fresh, peeled ginger (1" or 1/2 oz.)
2 Tablespoons low sodium tamari
4 pitted dates (soaked in water if not soft)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
METHOD:
In a high-powered blender, combine all dressing ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy.

After you remove the kale from the thick stems and have washed it really well (for some reason it's always really dirty) spin it dry and chop into small pieces.  Put it in a large bowl and top it with enough dressing to cover the greens quite nicely.  Here's a photo of the peanut dressing -- sorry it's sorta blurry.

 And now here's the dirty part... take off your jewelry and dig in just like you were mixing a meatloaf (remember those days of meatloaf?).  Moosh it around for a few minutes and it should look like this:

 Then all you have to do is put it in a bowl for tomorrow's lunch!  I top mine with hemp seeds, some raisins and pecans, and a few slices of mini tomatoes to give it a little extra somethin'.  Yumm!

What's not to love?

I hope your Friday is good, you're all ready for the holidays and you will have time to relax over the weekend before the chaos begins.  I know I plan on doing some last-minute shopping, getting groceries for the week, doing my usual Sunday food prep and one of the things I'm looking forward to the most... seeing my son perform at a local coffee shop.

Have a great weekend and I'll be back here on Monday to share what I did in the kitchen over the weekend.

First Food Foray

As my first attempt at a blog post, I'm going to share with you my dinner from last night.  I have to say that cooking and photography don't really mix well.  There were a few times that I forgot to take a picture before the ingredients were mixed and who wants to see a picture of a blender full of blended ingredients?

Maybe I will have to talk to my photographer husband and we can team together.

So last night we had what I call fajita salads.  It's easy-peasy.  I make Chef AJ's lentil tacos in the pressure cooker.  While that is cooking (it takes only 12 minutes) I slice up a couple of peppers and add in some mushrooms.  I didn't have any green peppers, so I just used some sweet ones.  Normal restaurant fajita salads would have onions but since Hubby has a sever onion allergy, they are forbidden in our house.  I used a half of a zucchini that I threw in at the last minute.  With the addition of a clove of garlic and a bit of cumin, this was a great topper to the salad.  Finish off with an avocado and a sprinkling of fresh cilantro & you've got a better-than-restaurant salad.  We like to top ours with salsa and I add a bit of cashew cream cuz I kinda miss sour cream.  Notice there is no cheese on this.  That's okay.  You can get by without it.  There's plenty of flavor!

 Lentil Tacos
Ingredients:
1 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup dry lentils, rinsed
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
14 ounces water
1 cup salt-free salsa
Salt-free seasoning, to taste

Method:
Put everything in a crock pot and cook on high for 8 - 12 hours, stirring occasionally and adding water as needed.  This taco filling can be used anywhere you would normally use a meat taco filling, such as in taco shells and on salads.

Jan's note: I used the pressure cooker and decreased the amount of water to 10 oz.  Chef AJ uses the crockpot.  If you follow the directions for the sprouted lentils (pictured below) on the stovetop, I'm sure you'd have the same results.

Here is my attempt at a photo-journal of my meal prep.  It actually adds a bit of time to take the pictures and it was kind of a distraction.  Nevertheless, the salad was huge, filling and very tasty!

This is one of the best purchases I think I have made (with the exception of my VitaMix).  It's a six-in-one pressure cooker.  I love it and use it at least once a week.  It cooks beans to perfection and hard vegetables such as beets and potatoes are quick easy.

The lentils and the ingredients went in the pressure cooker.  Timer was set for 12 minutes and away she goes!

I picked this lentil mix up at Costco. They are sprouted so they cook quicker and give you less... ya know... gas!

 

 I found these tortillas in the fresh pasta section (near the cheese) at the local Winco.  I have to say that they were very good.  You cook them up on the stove to your desired cooked-ness.  Their only ingedients are corn, water, lime, salt and guar gum.  They fall into a category which I find acceptable for sodium content, so I went with them.  What a treat!

 Water sauteeing is the best way to cook your veggies.  No oil and you taste the vegetables and the seasonings you add, not a slimy film of oil in your mouth.  Plus, it's less messy and cleanup is simple!

 You can see that this was a large meal.  I was fully satisfied.  Satiety is important when you eat this way as it keeps cravings at bay and allows you to receive optimum benefits from the nutrients.

For dessert I had a healthy chocolate cupcake, complete with chocolate cashew frosting.

I am still trying to gain permission to re-post recipes that I have gotten from others because of copyright laws.  Please be patient with me as I go through that process.  If I can Google it and find it, I will post it, otherwise, until I hear from the major contributor, we will be on hold.  

I apologize for the odd format in which the pictures and their captions came through.  I really wanted to get this out by 9 a.m. today, so I'm rushed.  I'm still learning, so hopefully future posts will be put together a little better.

I did get permission from fellow blogger and Nutritarian, Carrie, to share her recipes, so as promised, I am going to share a dressing recipe that is useful for Asian salads and stirfry.  

Peanut Butter Curry Dressing
4-6 servings
Ingredients:
1/3 cup unsalted peanut butter
1/4 cup unsalted tahini
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons chopped red onion
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
3 large Medjool dates, pitted
1/4 cup unsweetened soy milk
1-2 teaspoons curry powder
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a high-speed blender and process until smooth. 

Jan's note:  I added vinegar for the dressing.  To use as a stirfry sauce, I added a little bit of Bragg's Aminos and crushed red pepper flakes. 

New Heights

I know, I know, I know.  It's been five months since I've blogged.  Does that mean my life has been boring and uneventful?  Probably not.  It just means that nothing that has happened has been worthy of sharing with my friends and people who might now know me too well.  Things that maybe others in my family don't necessarily want all of creation reading about. 

So things are about to change.

I've decided to take my blog to new heights.   What with my passion for a healthy eating lifestyle and time spent in the kitchen, maybe other people would appreciate reading about it, maybe trying some of the recipes and perhaps if I'm lucky, I might pique someone else's interest in trying this lifestyle that has brought me into what I consider optimum health.

This will be new and different for me.  Feel free to tell me how to make my posts better, more interesting.  I think I will have to put new batteries in the camera and have it handy in the kitchen to capture my creations.  I will need to come up with a blogging schedule so I'm not driving myself crazy.  I have a friend who posts on her blog Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. That makes a lot of sense to me.  So since today is Monday, consider this the first of more to come!

So walk with me... out of "my midlife mumblings" into something new.  I figured I would find something to distract myself from the deep hole of midlife and I have now come to the realization that the kitchen is that distraction.  I think keep the name of my blog the same as I'm sure I will fall back into mumbling (go figure, Jan mumbling?  Say it isn't so) but I hope to share with you ways to enhance your life through the world of nutrition.

For those of you who don't know of that which I speak, for about 18 months I have been eating a plant-based diet.  Yes, nothing from an animal (except once in a while when it's completely unavoidable).  Definitely a vegetarian diet, and 99% vegan.  In the last couple of months it's been easier to go completely vegan as I don't stray as much from the plant-based concept.  In that 18 months I have lost 47 pounds and created for myself an amazing feeling of health and wellness.  I have learned a lot about the nutritional benefits of food, what causes our bodies to work in the best way possible and what hurts us the most.  I've become so passionate about this way of life, I've enrolled in a self-paced certificate program through the Nutrition Education Institute presented by Dr. Joel Fuhrman.  I attended a three-day Immersion in San Francisco at the beginning of this month and learned even more.  I was on track to take my first exam at the end of December, but since it's self-paced, I being the queen of procrastination have not been as diligent as of late to read and study.  One thing about goals, you just erase them and move them on the calendar!  I'm aiming for the end of January now.  Hopefully when I am completely finished with the program I will have the knowledge and tools to coach people through this lifestyle.  I currently have a few people that I mentor, but to have more experience working with clients will enable me to perhaps move into a new realm of
consulting and coaching.  This blog is just one step on my journey there.

I will wrap up today's post with a bit of healthy eating advice.  Replace one meal a day with a huge salad of mixed greens and vegetables... add 1/2 cup of your favorite beans, 1 tablespoon of unsalted, raw nuts and some raw sunflower seeds with an oil-free dressing and you will be miles ahead of most people and well on your way to a healthy lifestyle. 

I will post a dressing recipe on Wednesday.