Breakfast, you're fired!

My breakfast can be kind of lazy. I mean, I do all the work. I boil the water, measure the oats, chop the fruit...and then I do all the eating and digesting! What does my breakfast do? It just kinda sits there. Well, breakfast, times are tough and we've got to make some changes around here so we're gonna have to let you go. Time to bring in a morning meal that works a little harder so I don't have to.

I think I've found a perfect candidate. I'll still be eating a mixture of whole grains each morning, like oats, millet, amaranth and quinoa. But things are gonna be different around here:

1. My new breakfast grains have overnight hours.
Here's something I didn't know until recently: whole grains like brown rice and oats contain phytic acid as a natural part of the grain's bran. Phytic acid gets cozy with minerals like calcium, magnesium, copper, iron, and zinc and prevents their absorption in the intestinal tract. Boooooo

2. My new breakfast grains do more of my work.
When I saw Sally Fallon speak last weekend she talked a lot about how to aid digestion in the preparation of food. Her suggestion was to add a splash of lemon juice or vinegar to the soaking water of oats. In a sort of pre-digestion process, the oats start to break down and are later easier to digest. This means my body does less work and I have more energy. See this is what I mean by my breakfast doing some work around here!

3. My new breakfast grains get creative.
Fruit and raisins are good. But I've been thinking of ways to diversify for the sake of my tastebuds and nutrient intake. Try this: shred a few carrots into your grains about halfway through cooking time. Carrots are naturally sweet and work well with a few raisins and pecans. Breakfast comes out tasting like a carrot cake!

Hard Working Breakfast Grains
Serves 1
1/3 cup mixed whole grains (try oats, millet, amaranth or quinoa)
1 cup water
splash of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
Optional mix-ins: raisins, cinnamon, nutmeg, shredded carrots, chopped fruit, peanut butter, nuts, seeds, maybe a tablespoon of ghee if you're feeling decadent

Soak grains overnight in a bowl with a vinegar or lemon juice. In the morning, strain and combine with water in a pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 20 minutes. Halfway through cooking time, add your choice of mix-ins.

You might notice that your oats/grains taste lighter and more fluffy than usual. I thought that even without fruit they tasted sweeter.

What do you like to eat for breakfast?

Also, I'd like to promote a great idea for a blogger cookbook from Foods That Fit. I'm going to contribute and you should too!

The Genius of Hummus

Have you noticed that most people don't like beans? Bring up the idea of eating beans and they'll wrinkle their noses right up. But have you also noticed that people love hummus? As a dip or a spread or a pita filling, people love it so much that companies have come out with tons of hummus variations with red peppers or garlic, etc.

So...hummus is made from beans...people love hummus... Ha!

It's just genius. Because beans are really, really, really good for you. I mean, you know that. But how often do Americans break out a can of beans with excitement? What I love about 'em is how versatile they are. Beans can go in everything, but to get people on board with the idea, start with hummus.

Making it at home is super easy. Recipes vary but always include chickpeas, olive oil, tahini and garlic. But I like to mix it up. You can use different beans and seasonings but the main idea is the same. Tell everyone, "It's just like hummus!"

Taco Style "It's Just Like Hummus"
1 can organic pinto beans
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
handful of cilantro
Juice of 1 lime
1 tsp. ground flax seed (optional)
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 Tbl. olive oil

Soak the beans in water if you have time (like, a few hours). This will help them digest more easily. Discard soaking water. In a small pan, heat 1 Tbl. olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent. Add garlic and cook for a few more minutes. Put all ingredients except olive oil in a food processor. Blend, adding oil a little at a time. Serve as you would hummus.

I brought this to a party but made extra for myself and ate it throughout the week as a snack and as part of a full meal.

What are some other ways to make beans taste great?

Taking Care of Number 2

There are a lot of good blogs out there about health and wellness, food and exercise. But you know what I've yet to come across? A blog post about something incredibly important to everyone, from babies to senior citizens, meat eaters and raw vegans. I've never seen a blog post about having a Proper Bowel Movement (PBM).

Yikes! I said it. That's right. Poo. Shit. Crap. Dookie. Whatever you call it, or maybe shy away from calling it, it happens. Right? And it's also an extremely important part of good overall health that seems to get ignored. Yet we have an aisle full of Pepto and Immodium at the drugstore so I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who has suffered from digestive difficulties.

So what constitutes a PBM? I'm no doctor and everyone is different. But here are some general guidelines I've picked up along the way.

Frequency
Three times per day is great. Two times per day is good. Once is ok. Any less than that, consider yourself constipated. Why is that bad? Your body is full of toxins. ("Toxins" are a nice way of saying putrefied foodstuffs and chemicals).

Size, shape and texture
A PBM should be soft, but formed, and easy to move. A nice medium brown is what we're going for (unless you've been eating beets or other colorful foods). Finally, a PBM should be pretty large. A newborn baby has a small yet perfectly clean colon – what comes out is still sizable. If your BMs are skinny or small amounts, your insides are clogged up. This can make you feel tired and even lead to disease. Putrefied food wants out. End of story.

So, obviously our bodies don't always move things along like we wish they would. When was the last time you had 3 PBMs in one day?? Ok, you don't have to answer that in the comments unless you really want to...

There are lots of colon cleanses out there, things like hydrotherapy, laxatives and enemas. I personally have not tried any of these so I can't speak to how they work. In my mind, it's always better to at least start with natural, common sense techniques. Here are some things you can do to create PBMs for yourself. Start now and you could see a difference in just a few days.

1. Eat lots more fresh fruits, vegetables and beans, especially things like fiber-rich kale. Eat plenty of RAW items.

2. Eat less meat and dairy. Eliminate greasy, processed and sugary foods. Pretend your insides are metal pans and your intestines are doing the dishes. Eat things that clean up easily. (Hint: it's not animal fat) And as an older gentleman I used to know would say "cheese is a plug." He was right.

3. Try adding ground flax seed to your food. It's got good fat to keep things inside well-oiled, in addition to extra fiber. Start with 1/4 tsp. every day and see how it goes. Also try drinking hot water first thing in the mornings, maybe with a little lemon.

4. Kick caffeine. Our adrenal glands are necessary for PBMs, so you may be becoming dependent on your latte habit for your morning movement. Let your adrenal glands work as they are supposed to and you'll have many more PBMs to, er, look forward to.

5. Drink plenty of water. Drinking after meals instead of before helps because you are not diluting the acid and flora of digestion.

6. Exercise. Movement on the outside makes movement on the inside. Literally. In yoga, twists and inversions are especially helpful.

6. Finally, just notice each day the quality of your output. Gross as it seems, it's an excellent indicator of your overall health. Plus, it's hard to be Little Miss Sunshine when your insides are tied in knots.

I'm sure by now your New Year's Resolution is for awesome PBMs! I mean, how could you not be psyched about this??? If you have any additional tips for natural laxative alternatives, please leave in the comments.

Post Holiday Detox and a Sunny Segue into 2009

The reason it was so important for me to make my holiday cookies healthier is because I tend to eat a lot of cookies. And I must have eaten even more than usual because I'm up a few pounds and not thrilled about it. (btw, they got mixed but mostly good reviews from the family) Frankly, I haven't been getting to yoga as often as usual and that's probably got a lot to do with how I'm feeling too.

Besides the scale getting me down, I spent the holidays eating a lot of meat at relatives' dinner tables and of course en route to these tables at McDonalds on the Massachusetts Turnpike...sigh...my digestive system is still working it all out. Boooo. I'm going to chalk it all up to a reminder about eating well because I really don't feel great. Kinda grumpy. Kinda glum.

All I really felt like eating yesterday and today was salad. Nice leafy greens to wash it all away and leave me feeling a little lighter! Pictured above is a salad I made with lettuce, dinosaur kale, tomatoes, avocado, lemon juice, olive oil, cayenne pepper and ground flax seed. Also, a sandwich using leftover sundried tomato spread (a Veganomicon recipe!) and sprouts on sprouted grain bread. My belly said, "This is more like it!"


In addition to detoxing from the holiday food coma, Max and I are packing and getting ready for our trip to Puerto Rico! We're leaving in two days and will be back in 2009. I like that it's sort of a farewell to 2008 and sunny segue to the new year. But it's too bad about having to wear a bikini in a few days... When I get back I'm considering going raw for awhile, to get a fresh start on the inside :-)

What are you doing as 2008 wraps up, and to commemorate the new year?

Not too eggy

When I was a kid, the smell of egg salad always made me kind of gag. With this recipe, it's not a problem. Furthermore, the tofu in this recipe is free-range and did not have its beak cut off unhumanely! I really like this recipe because it's super easy, tasty, doesn't smell eggy, and when eaten as a sandwich it doesn't look suspicious to co-workers who typically see my lunches and gasp "NOW what are you eating???"

Eggless Egg Salad
adapted from The Hip Chick's Guide to Macrobiotics
1 lb. organic extra firm tofu
1/2 cup vegannaise
1/4 cup tahini
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 cup alfalfa sprouts, chopped
1 stalk celery, diced
1/4 cup pickle, diced
1 Tbl. dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. turmeric
salt & pepper, to taste
other ideas to add:
splash of tamari
splash of mirin
splash of umeboshi vinegar
tomato, diced
mushrooms, diced

Cut block of tofu in half and place in pot, covered with water. Bring to a boil and let boil for 5 minutes. This improves digestibility. Next, cook onion in a pan until translucent. Remove tofu and onion from heat and let cool. In a bowl, combine all other ingredients. Add onion and chop or crumble tofu in. Mix thoroughly. Eat at room temperature if you are in a hurry, or chill in the refrigerator if you have time.

If it sticks to the pan, it probably sticks to you

Common sense strikes again. This week I tested out my new Veganomicon cookbook (LOVE) and went for gold with the Mac and Cheese recipe! It made good use of "nooch" which apparently is what the vegan world calls nutritional yeast. I'm still learning these things. Nooch, like hootch. Got it.

Anyway the mac and cheese was great, appealing to the hubby as well. Score. In cleaning up (yes, he's great) he was shocked that it was so easy to clean, nothing like what you'd expect of a mac and cheese casserole dish! It reminded me that ever since we gave up on meat and dairy the garbage generally doesn't smell as much, the bowels generally move with greater ease, and yes, the dishes are generally easier to clean.

It makes me apply a very scientific approach to what I eat: What would this food do if I left it on the counter for a couple of weeks? Would it grow mold and stink up the house? Liquify? Grow limbs? I mean, even lettuce is gross when it goes bad but it mostly just turns to liquid that doesn't smell unless you put your face in it. Compared to other things, it's downright heavenly. And I imagine this is what my colon feels like, having to hang out with decomposed whatnot all day. It's the lettuce and clean food that is least offensive, least likely to cause a problem. What would you prefer go through your system?

This post suddenly got kind of gross, but to back up, the mac and cheese was delish and the new cookbook gets 5 stars from me.

Plant Blood

In order to detox my extremely toxic-feeling body I decided to go all-raw again for a week or two. After 4 days I'm already feeling major improvements, plus I lost about 5 lbs. as a side bonus. PLUS I had a really good day today – got a great offer on the condo I'm selling, discovered some old friends on Facebook, found some new yoga classes to teach, and am really enjoying this book I'm reading – but none of that has to do with the raw diet. Or does it...

Anyway, without going into too much detail, the raw diet is incredibly, er, cleansing. I was reading some blog posts the other day about fiber supplements. Ha! That's for wimps! I've been doing my usual fresh fruit and nuts for breakfast, a nut/veggie pate over salad for lunch, and tonight I made a Spanish rice dish with sprouted grains, tomatoes, peppers, etc.

The juicer is coming in mighty handy, and as I was looking for a way to get rid of some extra veggies in the fridge I looked online for some juice recipes. Kristen's idea for plant blood sounded cool, so I tried it tonight. Mine used 1 cucumber, 1 zucchini, 1 beet with greens, and 1 collard leaf. As I'm drinking it now I'm thinking it may have been nice to add an apple or something sweet. Next time.

Sandwich Least Likely To Appear In a Dunkin Ad

I got this idea from someone, on some blog, I don't remember which, talking about eating miso in ways other than soup. (Does that count as giving credit? Geez) And so I tried this as a snack and it pretty much rocks– it also quells my sometimes desire to run to Dunkin Donuts for a creamcheese fix.

There are three components to my happy snack:

A Sprouted Grain Bagel
Way healthier than any other kind of bagel, even whole wheat. I get an onion poppyseed kind but there are lots. Ezekial is the main brand I know of, although I think I've been buying another cheaper brand I can't remember right now. They're in the freezer section.

An Avocado
Avocado has good fats, the kind that keep your bones from creaking but your belly slim. Way better than fatty cow products if you ask me.

A Spoonful of Miso
Any kind! I like dark barley miso but I'm not the boss of you. Miso is great for digestion, fyi.

Mash the avocado with about half a Tablespoon of miso in a bowl using a fork. You can use more miso but start small and add to taste. It can get salty fast. When well combined, spread onto a toasted bagel. And if you are the person that gave me this idea, please shout it out!

Burning out on Raw

No, not ME. My food processor. This raw food diet, JEEEEEZZ it's all blend this, process that, freeze this then blend together, process 'til smooth, and on and on. It's a workout for my mini-Cuisinart. When it starts to smell of burning I know it's time to give it a rest and switch over to the Magic Bullet for awhile.

The things I've been processing: frozen bananas, mung bean sprouts with almond butter, sprouted sesame seeds, macadamias, cashews and garlic, lemons with oil and apple cider vinegar, basil and oil, walnuts and dates...

It's pretty yummy. And I'm feeling great. After an initial few day of uncomfortable digestion issues, my stomach seems to have remembered how to digest raw food. And energy levels are way up. Usually my eyes start to droop around 10pm and I have 30 minutes to get myself to bed or else pretty much fall asleep wherever I am. But I've been holding out much later, and up early with no problem. That alone makes this diet worth it. Oh, and I've lost 5 lbs.

Today for lunch, Alissa Cohen's Apple Avocado Nori Wraps
It's just apple slices, Avocado slices, some lettuce and raw honey wrapped together with Nori sheets (not toasted). Taking it easy on the food processor for once!

It's Alive But At Least It's Not Looking At Me

Yup, I'm doing it. Alissa's book, Living on Live Food, did not have me at hello. But a few friends of mine have tried the raw food diet...one look at their smiles and clear skin made me curious. Then I read the book and realized she maps out an entire menu for 30 days, including shopping lists. Brilliant. Easy wins every time. Suprisingly and happily, my fiance was willing to give it a go. And so it began, three days ago.

The Raw Food Diet is more than just eating raw food, it's eating raw VEGAN food. So oysters don't count. Or raw milk or whatever. Nope, it's all vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds and sprouted grains. And that's just about...it. The short story is that raw, living foods have enzymes that cooked foods do not have. Those enzymes make the food you eat more nutritious and efficient. It's a very clean way to feed your body that sounds extreme at first. But what's more "extreme" – say, eating a fruit salad for breakfast or eating genetically modified, chemically treated processed cornmeal in a muffin? Or cheese pizza complete with added antibiotics and growth hormone?

So far I've lost 2 or 3 pounds (which is part of the experiment but not a goal) and I feel very energized. Still waiting for my skin to clear up, and any other evidence of miraculous healing. As for what we're eating, my food processor has never seen so much action! Using a vegetable peeler I've made "noodles" out of zucchini, summer squash and carrots. Sauces are usually some kind of nuts blended with lemon or orange juice. Oh, and the Mock Salmon Pate has been a big hit over salad with some capers. I've also been eating sprouted quinoa with fruit for breakfast and a date-nut torte for dessert. Not bad at all. If I had a larger food processor it would be downright easy. And if I were willing to drop $200 on a dehydrator we could actually make crackers or bread of sorts.

Disclaimer: this diet isn't easy on the digestion system at first. But I think that's because your stomach isn't used to it, and there's a lot of cleaning to be done. See, I enjoy this sort of thing in a weird way, so if you do too, check out the book and be prepared to drop some bank on organic produce.

With Silver Bells and Cockle Shells

My garden grows a little differently than most. For starters, um, no dirt. I like that. It's a garden of lentils, chickpeas, wheat berries, maybe some sunflower seeds. Pretty good for an apartment, right?

I'm talking about sprouts. You've had 'em. Beansprouts? Maybe alfalfa sprouts on a salad or in a wrap? Did you know you can grow your own? And you don't need a fancy sprouter from the natural food store, or sprouting bags, or any equipment at all. You need a bowl. Got that? Good. Let's go.

So why would anyone want to grow little tails out of perfectly good beans or grains? It's really about the nutritional value and digestibility of these things. When sprouted, live enzymes activate and provide your body with a true superfood. So that's pretty cool. But what I've found out is that sprouting makes really yummy things to eat and it's kind of fun. I sprouted some lentils (which I don't generally like that much) but when sprouted they actually became sweet and tender. It's almost like a hard, dry grain or bean 'cooks' itself. You can just pop 'em in your mouth. Or put them on salad. Or mix them with other veggies or hummus.

There's lots of info on the web about sprouting, just google it and you'll get tons of advice. The reason you can sprout these things is because they are alive. When you cook them, the enzymes die. But water them and they grow. Simple! Now there are a few things you should NOT sprout because they'll be toxic, like kidney beans. Don't do those. Some safe bets aside from those mentioned above: adzuki beans, almonds, amaranth, navy beans, pinto beans, lima beans, flax seed, kamut, oats, sesame, soybeans, and spelt.

Very basic directions: Soak the grain or bean overnight, then drain. Leave 'em in the bowl. Twice or three times a day, rinse them. Within a few days they'll sprout, and you will be an awesome sprout grower.

Jersey girl says "Seaweed is better than trash on the beach"

But I never thought of it more highly than that until recently. It's icky!

Sea vegetables, like vegetables grown on land, are chock full of goodness. Sounds kinda gross at first, but of course one meal that relies on seaweed is the nori used to wrap sushi rolls. And that's not too gross, right? However I did have a roommate that would eat nori straight, like instead of chips. Little green flakes would end up everywhere. The bathroom sink would sometimes have a rehydrated, slimy piece floating in the drain.

Try not to do that. Instead, add a piece of kombu with dried beans when you soak them overnight. The beans will absorb minerals and you can throw out the kombu before cooking. It will lend a slightly salty flavor and supposedly make the beans more digestible. Or, shred nori into tiny pieces and use as a salty/savory condiment.

Whatever you do, don't gross out your roommate or they'll end up writing weird blog posts about you later in life.

The best thing since sliced bread

...is not eating it. How is that even possible when you think of that glorious oven baked goodness?

Well maybe it's not all types of bread, but there is a saying "The whiter the bread, the quicker you're dead." And that makes a lot of sense if you think about the processed nature of the grains that make Wonder Bread. No longer whole, the endosperm of the grain is ground and bleached with chemicals, then probably dipped into a pool of liquid evil. I'm just guessing. When ingested, it gets gummy just like a jelly sandwich that has been too long in your locker. This slimy bread substance then proceeds to coat the cilia of your intestines, rendering them incapable of absorbing nutrients. (Assuming you ate something nutritious with your bread.)

Until further notice I'm on Ezekial sprouted grain bread, but mostly just avoiding altogether.

Got yer New Year's resolution right here

How about a 10-day dairy challenge? I've been hearing snippets about people doing this but have yet to find an actual organization or website supporting the idea. Maybe this is it! I hereby challenge you to 10 days of no dairy! No milk, no cheese, no ice cream, nothing. Do it for the new year because if it doesn't work for you, you are off the hook after 10 days. Woohoo! But seriously, see how you feel after 10 days–then,on the 11th day eat tons of dairy and see how it affects you. For me, no dairy was the best decision I've ever made about my health. Supposedly you will experience more excellent bowel movements, less congestion in your head and chest, and will stop ingesting growth hormones and antibiotics from the dairy cows. Happy 2008, indeed.

I heart Jessica Porter

Miso is great for digestion, and Jessica Porter is a lot of fun to watch. So have at it:

What's up with this guy?

Seriously, sweet diaper. But don't judge. Of all the many ways yoga rocks, Uddiyana Bandha and Nauli are the two exercises that most noticeably help digestion, at least in my experience...and probably this guy's.

Uddiyana Bandha is a crazy looking way of creating a vacuum in your gut. It feels airtight like a tupperware that you just burped. You can release and contract slow or fast, however you like it. Nauli is a churning motion that happens once you become BFF with Uddiyana Bandha.

So get your belly naked and go crazy! Wait, no, actually this is something you want to ask a yoga instructor about and make sure it's right for you (ie you aren't pregnant or having a stroke at the moment, etc.) Check it out:

http://www.yoga-age.com/asanas/nauli.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQsw8EPUbxo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RR4ciuUjMto

I don't have cable

I haven't, for years. I figure internet access is expensive enough, and do I really NEED to watch every rerun of America's Next Top Model? (Yes, I do, but oh well) What happens is, I end up watching a lot of QVC and PBS.

So one day, not long after giving up dairy, I started watching a cooking show on our local PBS station. This woman was WEIRD. She was massaging cabbage I think. But I love cooking shows so I kept watching. At one point she dissolved some gross looking brown gunk in a cup of water and added it to soup. She started talking about the digestive benefits of fermented foods. Turns out that cabbage salad was becoming more digestible and able to supply nutrients by being massaged for awhile. My disgust turned to true interest at that point, and I looked her up on the internet. Turns out this lady, Christina Pirello, was talking about macrobiotics.

Ever since, I've been trying to live and eat according to macrobiotic principles because they just seem like common sense. Well, actually at first they seem totally nuts but then after you think about it for awhile it's like common sense. My favorite macrobiotic author, Jessica Porter, offers these beginner steps.

There are crazy potions all over this house!

That was the cry of my boyfriend, Max, last night when he accidentally took a sip of what he thought was water. It was actually a Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar Cocktail. Whatever, right?

But it does bear mentioning WHY I've become so interested in feeding my body well. There's a number of reasons that came together recently, starting with the crazy digestive issues I was having. We don't need to go there, but if anyone would like further explanation of what I mean by 'digestive issues', please email! One day I was talking to my Poppee about my grandmother, who died of pancreatic cancer. He said, "Michelle Anne, cheese never did anyone any good. Your grandmother always had trouble with that. Milk too."

You don't live 80+ years on this earth without learning a thing or two. For the next 2 weeks I cut all dairy out of my diet. I never thought that would be possible. Could I really be – gasp! – lactose intolerant??

It made an amazing difference. From what I've been reading my Poppee is right–dairy never does anyone any good, even if you aren't lactose intolerent. There are a number of reasons, but my favorite is the idea that human are unique in that we make a regular habit of drinking the milk of another species. Mother's milk is full of hormones and enzymes that are particular to the survival of its own kind. Why would human adults drink the milk of a cow? I can't think of a good reason.

As Max will let you know, this dairy revelation started me off on a new path of eating well. (I might also point out that a little cider vinegar in water is hardly a potion compared to the ingredients in grape soda!)

Flaxseeds look like little bugs, which I hate

I used to live with a roommate who had no idea how to cook but was raised on really healthy foods. I'd watch her stumble around trying to cook rice while I expertly chopped sausage and shaped homemade ravioli--all while feeling vastly superior!

One thing that Sherrie always had was flaxseed. I'm not sure she ever ate it, or knew what to do with it, but it was just one more thing for me to giggle about. What the heck is flaxseed??

Alright, so fast forward a few years, past some pretty awful digestive trouble, and find me here with flaxseed in the pantry. It's a natural way clean yer colon! It gives ya fiber and that omega-3 stuff! So I was adding it to everything however I could for awhile. Then I found out that you have to GRIND it. Your body can't digest the full seed--but if you grind it in the food processor, then your body gets its full benefit.

Duh! Sometimes these things just aren't written on the package--how's anyone supposed to know?