Beauties and The Beast

A couple of days ago, I got the cutest pictures of The Grand Ones. My grandson had a green drink mustache as bright and wide as his smile and my granddaughter was nibbling on a head of broccoli as fresh and sweet as her little face. Precious!

Then, my daughter sent me this picture of the scrumptious, all plant-based dinner she cooked...

And my son sent a picture of the gorgeous tomatoes he, his wife and friends canned...

Beauties all!

Last night I went to an emotional program on cancer and I had to keep all four of those images in mind. Cancer is not a beautiful subject. It is a beastly one. Sadly, it has affected so many of us, our families and friends. And so what I am going to say next is focusing on simple changes. I know many of you have complex situations you are dealing with, well beyond the scope of this blog. Hopefully, though, something here may help.

The topic last night addressed emerging findings that cancers are actually a collection of diseases and what we can do to strengthen ourselves and fight off these illnesses. And, if already fighting through cancer, what we can do now.

The answer goes back to the basics: detoxify, improve our immune systems and reduce inflammation. How we eat moving forward and nourish the cells we have today can be one of the frontline lifestyle warriors (along with exercise and stress management). In other words, fight with our forks, starting this very minute. That is a beautiful call to action!

Our best ammunition? Eating real food meals full of clean fruits and veggies, whole grains, legumes, seeds and nuts. Sip on good, clean water, green juices and tea, and a glass of organic wine and we will put our best bodies forward.

Please know all the recipes I post here have those goals and those goals are a major reason why I have shifted to a "plant strong" diet. My hope is that the "next generation of wellness" is here now and is actually full of people of all ages from my age and beyond to the very littlest ones.

Over the weekend, I plan to hit the farmers' markets and try out a few new plant-based recipes from a couple of new cookbooks. What will you be doing?

Let's blind this beast with our beauty!

Want to do it together? Just let me know!

Tell it like it is, Barbra!

Barbra Streisand wrote a song about people like me, "People". People who need people...Goodness knows I do. Seriously, I do. Try as I might have to on occasions, I just know I can't do it alone. And, don't want to.

Over the weekend, I was delighted to catch up with some of my "peeps" here. While I missed connecting with my Farmers' Market buddies, I did catch up with Deb who, luckily was in town, and it was like a bucket spilling for both of us. "OMG, the time I've had!" We hadn't seen each other in months.

Good news, we each spilled it out on the table then helped each other clean it up. Phew! I know I feel better. More relaxed. Less alone. Lucky.

And so, on this Women and Wednesday, treat yourself to a little TLC...talk, laughter and companionship. And maybe, with a little more luck, Pad Thai, too!

On (our) Mark

I love Mark Bittman. Such a no-nonsense voice. Last week, with all the voices in my head (unpack those suitcases already!), his was one voice of calming reason. You see...over this past trip, I made a discovery that great health is more than great food and exercise. It is also great stress management and learning how to respond to stress in a healthy way instead of paying twice. Mark relaxes me. More on this Wednesday!

Here is his most recent article and is a level-headed response to that skewed Stanford study that (mis) stated that organic foods are not nutritionally superior to conventional ones therefore why buy and eat "organic" foods. Read his response here: Mark Bittman's Blog

I felt the researchers completely ignored the impact of all the conventionally used pesticides, herbicides, chemicals, etc. used to grow and create our conventional foods that are so altering our health and the health of Mother Earth. My liver thanks Mark for his reason. Now tell me, would you eat the food in the picture near the end of this post? Underneath all that toxic spray are berries...soaking in every drop. Think I will pass.

And so to further celebrate Mark, I made this soup. It is really easy, really good, a classic Mark Bittman recipe. What a comforting, fresh, no-nonsense way to start the week. Enjoy!

Red Lentil Soup with Lemon

3 tablespoons olive oil, more for drizzling
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch of ground chili powder or cayenne, more to taste
1 quart vegetable broth
1 cup red lentils
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
Juice of 1/2 lemon, more to taste
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons oil over high heat until hot and shimmering. Add onion and garlic, and sauté until golden, about 4 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, cumin, salt, black pepper and chili powder or cayenne, and sauté for 2 minutes longer. Add broth, 2 cups water, lentils and carrot. Bring to a simmer, then partially cover pot and turn heat to medium-low. Simmer until lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. Taste and add salt if necessary.

Using an immersion or regular blender or a food processor, purée half the soup then add it back to pot. Soup should be somewhat chunky. (I did not do this...left all chunky)  Reheat soup if necessary, then stir in lemon juice and cilantro. Serve soup drizzled with good olive oil and dusted lightly with chili powder if desired. Serves 4. 

I served this with a fresh farmers' market salad and a slice of toasted country-style bread, drizzled with a bit of fruity olive oil.

Which foods would you rather eat?

Or

Full Court Press

While most of my trusty notebook is words, there is a picture in it that truly is worth 1000 of them. Here it is:

(tap on picture for full view)
It seems to me there is nothing you can do about the stresses in life other than handle them. I haven't yet figured out how to run and hide from them...have you?

This picture reminds me that stress is a full body event and so has to have a full body response. For me, the green drinks are a godsend because they help my immune system so much. I have noticed a huge difference in my health and ability to keep standing under stress since blending up that first bright green drink. They are always my first line of defense. Bottoms up!

Exercise also helps me and walking is the only exercise I've found that, thankfully, doesn't require Spandex. And, it's free.

The other whole body defense I love is soaking in Epsom salts. They are great! Very inexpensive and as well as helping detox and relax the body, also help deliver a calming dose of magnesium. Any muscle tension just melts away. Adding in a splash of lavender essential oil makes the bath ambrosial!

Here's a thought for the weekend: down a gorgeous green drink, go for a long walk and then soak away your stress in a salty, scented tub.

The "recipe" I use is: 1 cup Epsom salts, a few drops of lavender oil and for extra silky skin, 1 cup of baking soda to a tub of warm water. Don't use water that is too hot. It will dry your skin out and actually create too much blood flow. Calm and easy wins the day!

Any other thoughts on whole body ways to chase away the Big S? Have a nice weekend!

The Notebook

Goodness.

It is hard to put the last two months into words. I have been in New York with family and upon leaving...well, you can imagine the tears. However, I tried something different while flying home this time.

Instead of wallowing in my sadness and lamenting the stress, I decided to pull out my trusty notebook and write down a list of what I called "Little Happies"...small things that became the big things that sustained me. I left off the list the happiness "givens"…loved ones, friends, sweet people I met, the sea and sunsets...for they are my core. Oxox. Instead, the list contained just the little moments that had given me a boost. I filled two notebook pages! Woo hoo! Now that's some "big" stuff.

Physically what kept me going were two things: green drinks (you knew those were a given, right?) and walking. I think I walked between three to five miles nearly every day and one day, a whopping, for me at least, eight to ten miles. I discovered some new routes and trails that were wonderful, just wonderful. I took my shoes to the shoe repair place yesterday. They were a sight!

Getting back in the swing of things, I made this recipe last night. It is from my son and daughter-in-law and is fabulous. It is somewhat soupy but luscious served over baked sweet potatoes...a little happy that sustains this dish in a big way!! This recipe is going into my notebook in ink. Hope you all are well!  Happy Fall!

Spinach and Chickpeas in Coconut Milk

2 teaspoons oil, butter or ghee
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 lemon, zest and 2 tablespoons of juice
dash of red pepper flakes
1 pound fresh spinach
1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 can coconut milk
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
cilantro

In a deep skillet or Dutch oven, heat oil and sauté onion until soft. Add garlic and ginger, lemon zest and red pepper flakes. Cook 5 minutes. Add chickpeas and turn heat to medium high. Stir and cook until golden and coated with onion-garlic mixture. Add spinach by handfuls and wait until each handful wilts before adding the next. When all spinach is wilted, add coconut milk. Stir in sea salt, ginger and lemon juice. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes til heat through. Serve over baked sweet potatoes and garnish with cilantro. I added a side of sautéed green cabbage. Yum. Serves 4.