It's Getting Warm...Time To Plant That Garden

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  The weather is becoming warmer here in the North East and it's time for Spring planting.  Don't injure yourself while trying to do too much at one time or over-reaching, lifting or bending.  Get 2 cheap spackle buckets from Home Depot.  Use one  for all your short handled gardening tools, so you don't have to go back and forth 900 times during the day. It is also the perfect size for weeds...when the bucket is full, it won't weigh so much that you can injure yourself carrying it to a mulch pile or trash.  Turn over the other bucket and use it as a seat, so you're not leaning and putting weight on your knees nor taxing your lower back.  Don't forget your bug spray, sunscreen, floppy hat and sunglasses.  Most importantly....hydrate!  A large thermos of cold water or non-sugary, non-alcoholic beverage is best when working in the sun!  Have fun and be safe this weekend!

Cooking Fish, Poultry and Veggies En Papillote

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Google 'en papillote'.  This is a wonderful technique of cooking fish, poultry and vegetables in parchment paper and baking until done.  It's fast, easy and quite nutritious!  All you need are some great ingredients, fresh herbs, spices or anything else you like to season with, some parchment paper and you're done!  Placing each dinner guest's papillote on a plate and allowing them to cut through it with a knife to release the steam and wonderful fragrances of the dish will make you the success of the evening!

Eat Grains They Taste Great and They Are Good For You

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Grains are important for healthy bodies.  Google the following and learn how you can whip up mighty fine recipes using the following:   Red Quinoa, Basmati Rice, Blak Barley, Pearled Barley, Black Rice, Red Himalayan Rice and Spelt.  FoodNetwork.com has some awesome recipes free and online!

What's In Your Lunchbox Today?

Yesterday, I took such a good lunch to my office, I have to share with you today.  I had fresh lettuce from the farmer's market.  On top of that, I had grilled eggplant and onions from my garden.  Organic chicken breast from the farm, marinated in my own garden's lemon thyme and fresh lemon - grilled on the Foreman....all topped with homemade citrus vinaigrette with a slice of artisinal bread from Eataly....it was yummy in the tummy, low fat and really nutritious!  A farm fresh peach made dessert later on the winner.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  preparing and taking wonderful lunches to work can help you lose weight (or maintain it), stay healthy and do wonders for your wallet.  Everyone should have lunches like mine every day!

Apples Can Be More Than Boring

Apples are boring, unless you do something fabulous with them.  Here's a nice recipe for Whole Wheat Apple Muffins that isn't too bad on the calories; while being tasty and satisfying.

Whole Wheat Apple Muffins
1c all-purpose flour
1c whole wheat flour
1/4c sugar
2tsp baking powder
1/2tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground allspice
1c lowfat milk
1/4oil
1 egg beaten
1c chopped golden delicious apples
1/2 chopped nuts

Combine flours, sugar, baking powder, salt and allspice in a large bowl.  Add milk, oil and egg; stir only until ingredients are blended.   Fold in apples and nuts.  Preheat over to 440F.  Grease 12 muffin cups (or you can use PAM) and pour in batter until almost full.  Bake about 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted near the center comes out clean.
Per Muffin:  157 calories, 4g protein, 6g fat (1g sat), 2g fiber, 24g carbs, 122mg sodium.
Special thanks to Energy Times Nov/Dec 2010

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  If you're looking for something quick, easy, delicious and a bit different from the ordinary breakfast, whip up a dozen of these muffins and treat yourself to something yummy.  Wrap the remaining muffins tightly and individually in saran wrap and freeze for another day!

Farm Fresh is Best

Over the weekend, I visited a different farmer's market and what a truly pleasant surprise it was!  The Rock Hill Farmer's Market (Saturdays from 10am to 1pm) in Sullivan County, NY, is a grassroots, artisinal market, just like any small village in the South of France.  Fresh goat cheeses and yogurt, so creamy and fresh....it all tasted as if it were made the day before.  Home grown chickens ready for Saturday or Sunday lunch; and all the beautiful fruit and produce - colors bright and vibrant; the aromas of these just-gathered items bombarded all my senses.  The baker's breads and sweets were so fresh and lovely; I regretted that I wouldn't be home for another day or so to purchase a crusty just-baked farmer's bread.  The scene was painterly and I was welcomed by the organizers and thanked for participating at their communal market.  I left with a big bag of goodies to take home and very excited to take a photo to share with all my friends.  I couldn't stop talking about this little market to everyone I met over the weekend - unlike other farmer's markets, this one in particular, reminded me of a lovely little market me and my friends would attend each Sunday outside the village of Isle Sur Sorgue.  It brought fond memories of lazy, peaceful Sundays, delicious and fresh lunches and lazing around under the blue summer sun of Provence.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  I'm taking some time today to roast my vegetables, make a creamy cauliflower sage soup, and transform my lovely tomatoes into savory sauces to stash away for the long winter months when we craves the colors and scents of summer.  The nutritional value of just picked produce, fresh dairy, fish and meat products, and homemade products just can't be beat.  If you have a farmer's market near you, support the local little guy.  You might pay a few dollars more at the end of the day, but there's nothing like a mother's love and a homegrown just-picked tomato.  Your health will benefit, your meals will be tastier and you will have become a part of community and sharing.  You'll walk away from the market with a smile on your face and will have made some new friends...what could be healthier and happier than this?

Good Health is Like a Garden

This is a photo of my little herb garden.  When I dug out the space, I found rocks, sand, debris...you name it, it was there in the soil.  Not very hearty and healthy soil for planting, but I was convinced this little space had plenty of potential.  Partial sunlight, protection from trees and other wildly growning shrubs that also create a nice breeze when working in the space surrounded and protected the garden from too much sun.  The right type of plant food, a few fat juciy worms, some weeding, and loving care all have made a pretty crummy space on the planet into a nice herbal garden that has been yielding a bounty of wonderfully scented organic additions to each and every meal made this summer.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Your body is like a garden.  It needs good nutrition, exercise, an occassional weeding out of mental garbage, love and affection.  If you take all these factors seriously into your lifestyle, you too, will be beautiful (inside and outside), have vibrant enery and stand out in the crowd of poorly maintained bodies.  Get with the Wellness Program today and be healthy and beautiful!

Variety is the Spice of Life

Doing the same routine day after day is boring and mediocre.  Your brain goes to mush, your muscles are so used to the same exercise routine, your physique will never improve....you become one-dimensional and dull.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Stop being boring, dull and uninteresting.  Break up the boredom and shake up your life's routine.  Try two new activities this weekend.  Instead of the gym, go outside and jump rope, ride a bicycle or go for a hike.   Swich up that boring burger on the bbq and try a whole fish wrapped in herbs and fresh lemon for you and your friends.  Variety is the spice of life; it keeps us young, fresh and stimulates both mind and body.  Variety will keep you sharp, witty and interesting!

The Freshness of Foods

Just back from holiday on the beautiful Southern California coast, I enjoyed the freshest fruits, vegetables and the freshest fish...all straight from the plants and ocean.  There's nothing that beats fresh food; what's the expression?   "there's nothing like a mother's love and a homegrown tomato"... 80 degrees, little or no humidity, cool ocean breeze and blue skies...I have to ask myself why I live in the grey, humid and monochromatic city of New York.  After being spoiled for a week with such wonderful fresh food, I trekked up to Eataly yesterday to do a little old-fashioned food marketing.  Fresh whole sea trout, seabeans, chanterelle mushrooms, fresh octopus, tomatoes that actually look, smell and taste like tomatoes, fresh herbs, greens and spring onions, real artisinal cheese, butter and the freshest bread....it was better than king's gold.  Preparing a wonderful meal with these ingredients took time to be sure, but it was all worth it.  A good bottle of wine to accompany the dinner, a long walk afterward....life is good.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  Everyday, pretend you are on holiday.   Do something special during your day.  For your evening meal, buy the freshest of ingredients.  You might pay a bit more, but you don't need to eat as much.  At the end of the day, your groceries will cost more or less the same, but the quality of your ingredients will give you so much more nutritional value, sensory satiety, and to share this with another person makes life more divine.

Another Reason Why The Mediterranean Diet is Just So Great

From Medscape News, January 13, 2011
Older adults who stick close to a traditional Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) experience slower rates of cognitive decline as they age, new research suggests.

"...adherence to a Mediterranean diet is not only a heart healthy diet plan but also one that fosters a healthier functioning brain,” Christine C. Tangney, of the Department of Clinical Nutrition, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois.  Their results were published online December 22, 2010, in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
The researchers used a modified version of the Harvard food-frequency questionnaire to assess level of adherence to 2 dietary patterns. One was the traditional MedDiet pattern, which is rich in olive oil, fish, nuts, fruits and vegetables, and moderate amounts of wine and is low in dairy foods and red meat. The other was the Healthy Eating Index 2005 (HEI-2005), which is based on recommendations from the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
The maximum score for the MedDiet, which would mean complete adherence, is 55, and participants' mean score was 28.2. The maximum score for the HEI-2005 is 100, and participants' mean score was 61.2.
Participants most likely to adhere to the MedDiet were white, nonsmokers, and multivitamin users, with higher educational levels and lower body mass index. Those with higher MedDiet scores had lower prevalence of stroke, hypertension, and depression and higher baseline global cognitive scores.
According to the investigators, a higher MedDiet score indicating closer adherence to this eating pattern was associated with slower rates of cognitive decline over time, after adjusting for age, sex, race, education, participation in cognitive activities, and energy.
"If we were comparing 2 persons with MedDiet scores or MedDiet wine scores that were 10 points apart, the person with the higher scores would appear to perform as if she or he were 3 years younger cognitively," the study authors note.
 
Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  You don't have to be a professional chef, nor do you need to be a good cook to adopt a delicious and nutritious Mediterranean diet.  All you need to do is do a little research, go to the grocer and produce stores, and not be lazy about your meals.  Modern medicine will have us all living a lot longer than we previously thought possible and I don't know about you, but I'd like to have my wits about me as I move along that timeline!  If anyone would like to share some recipes, please do post them and help out other folks who wouldn't normally create their own meals!