Getting Creative in the Kitchen

If you and your significant other need more intimacy, there's no better place than in the kitchen! Oops, sorry - that's not really where this blog post is going. This blog post is a response to my post last week, where I informed you that I'm dedicating myself to more cooking these days!

I thought it would be nice for me to share with you all the sort of dinners I usually create for my husband and I. Here's a look at last week. He actually made the dinners on Thursday and Friday, so he gets credit too! This way you can see how two BALANCED health freaks eat!

MONDAY: VEGETARIAN MEAL # 1: Indian dahl with prepackaged naan and steamed kale with sauteed garlic, 3 juicy fresh tomatoes chopped and olive oil. Dahl is so easy to make, saute a chopped onion in a generous amount of olive oil. Add 1 part lentils and two and a half parts water. Bring to a boil. Simmer and mix many times. Then season. I add cumin, Herbamare salt, ground pepper, a bit of cayenne pepper, and a sah of balsalmic vinegar (gives it a nice little bite).

TUESDAY: Thank you Eating Well. CHICKEN THIGHS WITH SCALLIONS, COLLARD GREENS, AND PEARS OVER BROWN RICE. If you've already clicked on the link to the recipe, you can see that I changed it up a bit. I like to do that. I didn't have currant jam, so I used lemon and it made quite a wonderful combination. I added the collard greens because this recipe defintely needed some more green. I used two pears instead of one and I used kuzu instead of cornstarch as it's a healthier alternative. And I simply enjoy scallions more than leeks! Might I add that this was my first time ever cooking chicken thighs, it took me about 40 minutes just to cut the fat off. I wasn't too grossed out though and the flavor of this dish was amazing. I couldn't imagine it with chicken breast instead of thighs.

WEDNESDAY: VEGETARIAN MEAL # 2 Thank you again Eating Well for the idea anyway. In their latest issue, there was a recipe for Sweet Potatoe and Red Pepper Pasta. It sounded tasty minus the pasta, so I put a healthy Moroccan spin on it and served it with millet instead (kind of like couscous), and I also added raisins, which added a VERY nice sweetness. Also, I used WAY WAY more parsely than they suggested in order to get in some more greens!!!

THURSDAY: This was an "easy night" for Brent and I. Both of us had crazy schedules, so we just threw together a "healthy" taco kit. We used ground turkey and added shredded lettuce from the farmer's market, chopped cherry tomatoes from the farmer's market, and sliced avocado. And we only used half of the spice packet - it still tastes fantastic and then we don't have all the added salt. We had a nice hearty mixed green salad on the side too. YUM!

FRIDAY: VEGETARIAN MEAL # 3" Brent's absolutely delicious homemade pizza. I can't say enough about his talent in pizza making. This time he used sauteed spinach, lots of garlic, basil, sauce (obviously), ricotta cheese, pecans and peaches!!! It was so tasty!

So, as you can see, we aren't PERFECT eaters, but we try very hard to get in healthy nutrients daily. Lately, we've been trying to do vegetarian meals every other night and it's working out quite well.

European eating vs American eating

As an epicurean, when finances allow so, I enjoy dining at fine European-style restaurants. The top-notch quality of the food is SO evident in the taste. Lately, tons of research has been published on the benefits of a Mediterranean diet. In fact, a recent study conducted by Harvard researchers found that a Mediterranean diet is MORE effective for weight loss and cholesterol and triyglyceride reduction than a standard low-fat diet. WOW!

I recently read a poem about a Mediterranean meal, written by the USA's 15th Poet Laureate, Charles Simic and I was moved. Years ago, I wrote a poem about the American diet. I dug it up today and reworked it a little bit. See for yourselves the difference between the two diets. Which would you rather feed your body, mind, and soul?

The Mediterranen Diet as told in
The Invitation
By Charles Simic

We are going to serve a late lunch
For a few close friends in the garden.
We'll start with a cold squid salad,
A pot of black and green olives,
And a loaf of homemade bread to wipe
The garlic and the oil off our plates.
Between the sips of the yellow wine.

And if some bird graciously assents
To sing for us after the grilled lamb,
The cheeses and the wild blueberries,
We'll raise our glasses and toast
The golden light between the leaves,
The shadows on the lawn lengthening.
And keep them raised till the song is over.

The American diet as told in
Gas Station Goodies
By Shannon Martin Morehouse

Snacks, Soda, Beer, Candy, Coffee!

Premium American Happiness!

Chew on a Slim Jim

Slurp-Up a 32-ounce Pepsi

Indulge in a Hostess Cherry Pie

Don’t forget those Skittles

or Smarties.

Yum-

Solidified Corn Syrup!

Grab some Dorritos

or Ruffles Cheddar Cheese

potato chips.

Don’t forget the

sour cream and chives

canned dip.

What good are chips

without dip?

And mmmm all these things

contain monosodium-glutamate

the headache-creating tasty additive.

Can’t live without that!

How ‘bout a Snapple,

the best stuff on earth!

Peach-flavored tea,

again, gotta love

that main ingredient,

High Fructose Corn Syrup!

Yum!

Make room for Cheetos,

3 Musketeers,

Hawaiian Fruit Punch

and remember a chili

dog for your lunch.

Oh!

Grab some Michelob

for only $3.99!

What a deal!

Can’t go wrong!

You’re getting tired

are you?

Oh, then you gotta get

the French Vanilla Cappuccino,

gas station style,

so sweet,

but hey, why not add

four sugars

and some flavored creamers

with the partially hydrogenated oils and all,

it’s free!

You’re good to go!

But don’t forget to pay for your

oh-so-cheap

gas

along with you

snackssodabeercandycoffee.

Now, don't get me wrong The Invitation meal would not be healthy if consumed daily, but it sure the heck beats the processed junk we thrive on here in the USA. What I admire about Simic is how he marries the concepts of nature and fine, natural homemade cooking together. We're meant to collaborate with nature in our lives, not destroy it or defeat it, or out-do it, which is exactly what processed food attempts to do. So, please, find time this week to make a homemade meal and nourish yourself!!!

As for me, it's my goal to do this DAILY!

All for now folks! And I'm sure you'll see more of Charles SImic in my blog. I will get to hear him speak at the Geraldine Dodge Poetry Festival, which I've been attending now for six years!

Misconception # 1 about Holistic Nutrition

Tonight I began reflecting on my journey into holistic health and how it really has optimized my quality of life. I feel vibrant most of the time, positive most of the time, and well, balanced. I'm in control of serious illnesses that used to control me and put simply "I feel good."

As I was reflecting, I began praying that more people would give themselves this gift of a holistic lifestyle centered around a healthy diet. And then it occurred to me - I could probably positively influence people by telling people what holistic nutrition isn't as opposed to what it is!

So here is my dissection of Misconception # 1:

If I'm going to take on a holistic health lifestyle, I have to adapt a bland, boring, macrobiotic or vegetarian induced insane diet.

This is absolutely incorrect. Yes, I advice my clients to introduce some macrobiotic and vegetarian type foods into their diet like more fish, whole grains, and vegetables, but BELIEVE me, I'm realistic and an epicurean at that, so I know how crucial it is for food to be enjoyable. And serioulsy, I know so many junk food vegetarians - this goes to show that vegetarianism does not equal healthy!

Understand that your body is like a car and needs the best fuel in order to run properly. A holistic diet is about making small changes to improve your nutritional intake. And these changes can be flavorful and tasty! Incorporate more greens into your diet, and season them with spices, be adventurous and try spices you haven't used before. More and more studies are showing how spices have key nutrients that can keep us healthy and prevent serious illnesses like cancer and cardiovascular disease. Honor your body. Meat is okay, just make sure it's lean and top quality. I do promote organic meats as they are not treated with chemicals that can harm our body. And guess what? They taste better too!

When you start viewing your body as a temple and when you start feeling healthy from consuming healthy foods, your worldview will change. It really will. You'll see that a holistic diet is about balance. And part of this balance is between taste and healthfulness.

And you know what else is involved in this balance - knowing that chocolate mouse is FINE! A pint of Guinness is fantastic. And for me, a good ol' platter of fish-n-chips is A-OK. Once you've adopted a healthy diet, you can eat these "unhealthy" foods once and a while and savor them knowing that they can't harm you because you have the armor of a healthy diet and lifestyle protecting you!