Tag: wellness

Midweek Mashup

On By Cultivate WellnessIn Cooking, diet, disease, eating, family, health, Health and wellness, Nutrition, Recipes, wellness1 Comment

MIDWEEK MASHUP

Happy Wednesday. It’s a short week! For that let’s celebrate. Surely all the kids are back in school and this week is probably hectic for many. Here’s some good information and a quick recipe to get you through to Friday.

I’ve always believed that if more people got in the kitchen and cooked meals for themselves and their families, they would be healthier overall. An acquaintance once lamented that she felt like there were so many nutrition rules that it felt impossible to feed herself and her daughter “the right way”, so she gives up and resorts to takeout. I say that the nutrition and wellness community has failed her if that’s what she (and likely so many others) feel. The truth is, a jar of decent quality pasta sauce and a box of whole wheat noodles with a bagged salad on the side is vastly healthier than a drive-thru burger and fries. So, if that’s where you are starting, that’s ok. Trust me, you will progressively become more confident in your cooking and before you know it you will have a repertoire of healthy and delicious meals that don’t feel overwhelming to make on a weeknight. I loved Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl’s take on this in her article “The Cure Is in the Kitchen” in  Experience Life’s recent issue. Take a look.

Speaking of making things easier in the kitchen, one approach that I’ve always practiced is to make extra for the freezer or fridge. When making soup, I often double the recipe and fill up Ziploc gallon bags with the excess. Lay them flat in the freezer for easy stacking. On busy nights just pull out a bag and reheat. Sides like roasted veggies are delicious warmed up or cold from the fridge all week long. In fact, I just bought another rimmed roasting sheet on Monday so I can easily make even more.  After this hectic week of back-to-school and houseguest coming on Friday,  I will also start using my weekends or Mondays to make a big batch of quinoa or other healthy salad that I can eat throughout the week for lunch. 

And finally, here’s a simple and delicious looking recipe for your next Meatless Monday or whenever you want to load up on veggies. These Vegan Thai Curry Vegetables look fantastic for a cool fall day, and the gentle spice should be well tolerated by all in your house. I would serve them over brown rice and fruit on the side and call it a day. In fact, it’s what’s for dinner tonight.

That’s it for this week. I hope you enjoyed reading. As always, please pass it along, post it to your pages, and subscribe if you did! And I would love to hear what you think in the comments.

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Midweek Mashup

Hearty Lentil Soup

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Midweek Mashup

On By Cultivate WellnessIn baking, Cooking, diet, disease, eating, family, health, Kids, Nutrition, Recipes2 Comments

MIDWEEK MASHUP

Happy Wednesday.

This week I bring you a delicious cookie recipe that happens to be vegan and wheat free (whaaaat?!) and some information that will hopefully enrich your life a little and maybe even make it better.

Do you eat granola?  And if so, do you consider it a healthier option than other popular breakfast foods? Nutritionist have long known that most commercial granola is chock full of sugar and consider it a dessert. I suppose that rings true with many of the granolas you’ll find on the shelves. I have found one I love with only good ingredients like oats, dried fruit, millet and quinoa. Purely Elizabeth has an ancient grain line that I love, with my fave being cranberry pecan. It has 6 grams of sugar per 1/3 cup. Ok, yes, 1/3 cup is a very small serving. I pour that much into my bowl and add slivered almonds, fresh blueberries and chia seeds. So, then I’ve got good proteins and fat and it isn’t overwhelmingly sweet. You can also use it to sprinkle on unsweetened yogurt. The thing about granola is that it isn’t meant to be eaten in large quantities. Think of it as an addition to your breakfast rather than the main event. 

As you might have read in previous posts, my 11 year old is in the middle of an elimination diet. She’s about halfway through. It’s been a challenge, to say the least. But she’s getting used to it. Yesterday she told me she thought giving up wheat and dairy would be the hardest but actually it’s corn and nightshades, because potato starch and/or corn derivatives are in most packaged foods. Most gluten-free products contain one or both. Almost all candy has corn syrup (yes, candy isn’t healthy, we know that). It’s hard to avoid corn, no matter how much you might try, unless everything you eat is prepared at home from scratch (hello, unrealistic for most).One thing that she has missed is a good chocolate chip cookie. Most chocolate chips have dairy, but I found a brand called Enjoy Life that are vegan and also free of almost all allergens. Yesterday she made a batch of spelt chocolate chip cookies that were to die for. I’m not kidding, they are so good. She found the recipe here: Chocolate Chip Cookies. The only thing I did to help was put the cookies in the oven and take them out at the end. Don’t these look amazing?


And finally, if you’re like me and try to make meals using up your pantry items a few times a year, here’s a great list of things you can cook. My husband gets super excited when I do this because it means I’m being economical and there’s nothing sexy than being economical!

Here’s to a great rest of your week. As always, please share this post with someone you think might enjoy it. Even better, click to subscribe to my blog so you don’t miss any great tidbits!

 

 

 

New Recipe: Easy Peanut Butter Balls (and an update on the elimination diet).

On By Cultivate WellnessIn baking, Cooking, diet, disease, eating, family, health, Health and wellness, Kids, Nutrition, Recipes6 Comments


Today is day 10 of my daughter’s modified elimination diet. Tomorrow is the first day that we start adding foods back in. She gets to eat 5-6 servings of one of the food groups that we’ve been avoiding, followed by two days of “watch and wait”. She has chosen nightshades  because she really misses tomatoes, peppers and potatoes.

I’ll be honest: neither one of us has seen or noticed any changes since starting the elimination protocol. Maybe when we introduce things back into her diet she’ll notice something. Hopefully there won’t be a big reaction which would indicate a sensitivity and a need to avoid.

The last 10 days have been trying for her. I get it. When you’re told you can’t have something it only makes you want it more, right? But she is still being a trooper and I commend her for it. There has been no whining, no tantrums, no pushback. She’s stoic (like her dad) and while she really has disliked this experience intensely, she’s persevered.

We just took a three day girls’ trip and I packed much of our food. Eating out was a challenge but we found some places willing to work with us. Two of the restaurants specialized in vegan and gluten-free which usually means that they are more open to special requests. And both happened to be featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, so that was cool. Shout outs go to At Sara’s Table Chester Creek Cafe and Duluth Grill!

Now on to the new recipe I promised. These Easy Peanut Butter Balls are full of protein, healthy fats, and healthy whole grains. They really couldn’t be easier to make and they are guaranteed to please just about anyone. Make a double batch and keep them in your fridge for an easy grab-and-go breakfast for busy mornings and after school snacks.

EASY PEANUT BUTTER BALLS

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup natural peanut butter (I really like the no-stir Whole Foods creamy)

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup vanilla protein powder (I couldn’t get by without Orgain, which happens to be vegan)

1/2 cup honey (use local if you have seasonal allergies, as it’s thought to help with symptoms)

Optional: chocolate chips

METHOD:

Stir all the ingredients together, then form into balls the size of a golf ball. If they are too sticky, add a bit more protein powder or oats. Likewise, if they are too dry, add a bit of honey or peanut butter. Keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

Will you try these? Do you have a variation you like?  Tell me in the comments!

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NEW RECIPE! Spelt Pancakes: better than you’d imagine!

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NEW RECIPE! Spelt Pancakes: better than you’d imagine!

On By Cultivate WellnessIn Cooking2 Comments

If you’ve read my blog recently, you know my daughter is currently doing a modified elimination diet. Even though not one person has made a disparaging comment, I feel a little defensive about this decision. I don’t take drastic dietary changes lightly, even as a holistic nutrition student. Making big diet adjustments can be really hard on anyone, and for kids even more so. But, here we are, and on day 5 no less.  It has not been fun for her, but I’m doing my best to make foods for her that are similar to what she already loves.  Yesterday I made a quesadilla using brown rice tortillas and goat’s milk cheddar.  Let’s just say that wasn’t a home run.

But on Saturday morning, I made chocolate pancakes using the spelt flour that was recommended by our nutritionist. They were delicious and she asked for them again yesterday. SUCCESS! Sadly I forgot to snap a photo for the blog, but rest assured they looked fantastic.

They aren’t gluten-free, but rather wheat-free which is part of our protocol. They were fluffy (but also dense, if that makes any sense?!). And the taste was on par with traditional pancakes. Here’s how I made them:

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups spelt flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/3 cups milk (we used Ripple milk, a new milk made from green peas)

A generous sprinkling of dark chocolate chips or blueberries

Butter (we used Earth Balance vegan butter)

METHOD:

Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.

Mix the wet ingredients together in a separate bowl.

Slowly fold in the wet ingredients to the dry, mixing thoroughly.

Add in chocolate chips (you can also use blueberries or whatever add-ins you prefer). I didn’t measure the chips, but rather eyeballed to our preference.

Melt a little butter in the skillet and add a mixing-spoonful of batter to the hot surface.

Cook, checking for doneness frequently. When the pancake is firm enough to flip, turn over and cook until done.

ENJOY! Please let me know what you think of these pancakes if you make them at home! I always love comments and shares. 

You might also like:

New Recipe! Pan Fried Tofu

Braised Chicken With Green Olives & Garlic

 

 

Midweek Mashup

On By Cultivate WellnessIn Cooking, exercise, family, health, Health and wellness, Kids, Recipes, summer4 Comments

MIDWEEK MASHUP

AHHH, Summer.  Those endless, lazy days when you have all the time in the world to cook and bake and harvest the vegetables you’ve lovingly grown in your backyard….

Vegetable_Cart_in_Guntur

HAHAHAHAHA.  Why do I always think this is what summer will be?  When it’s January and 20 below and I need something to help get me through those frigid dark days of winter, this is the image that sustains me. But, let’s be honest. It’s TOTAL BULLCRAP!

Summer is busy and frenetic and essentially consists of me shuttling my 11 year old to and fro. In Minnesota the weather is warm for only a short time, so we also cram as much outdoor activity as we can. Which means the house is messy and the chores don’t get done and there’s constantly flip flops and sunscreen scattered everywhere. And now for some inexplicable reason we have a problem with flies. Also, my tomatoes aren’t growing well and the dill never even came up and I can’t even get my geraniums to stay alive. But, you know, SUMMER. So anyway…families still need to eat.

That’s why I like these strategies for putting dinner on the table in a shorter amount of time.  Because everyone’s busy!

You now what else falls off during the summer?  My workouts. Sure, I golf a ton (I always walk and carry my bag, so there’s that). I’ve been getting to barre about once a week as well. But there’s no routine and it can’t be counted on. I’ve done this 7 Minute Workout by the New York Times in the past and love it. It’s challenging and works my whole body. It’s perfect for anywhere, including when you travel. Knock it out once a day and you’ll feel stronger in no time.

And finally, here is my all time favorite summer recipe for Caprese Pasta. I make it once a week and it’s so easy. When tomatoes and basil are in season, it is so fresh and delicious. Everyone likes it and it’s easy to throw together at the last minute.

Enjoy the rest of your week! As always, please leave a comment and share this post if you like what you read!

 

Midweek Mashup

On By Cultivate WellnessIn Cooking, disease, eating, family, Health and wellness, holiday, Nutrition, summer3 Comments

MIDWEEK MASHUP

Happy Thursday!  I hope you are having a fantastic week.  And, if you aren’t, I hope you find a little bit of happiness here at Cultivate Wellness.

I plan on writing a longer, more thorough blog post about my recent experience being interviewed on our local NPR station, but in the meantime I wanted to post the link so you can listen for yourself.  Remember that post I wrote about the horrible swimsuit spread in Discovery Girls magazine?   It created quite a bit of discussion, including with the host of our morning news show on Minnesota Public Radio.   She decided to dedicate an entire show to the topic of body shaming in young girls, and asked to interview me.  You can listen to the entire show here.  I would absolutely love to hear your thoughts on it and keep the discussion going, so please share and comment!

Speaking of people struggling with body image issues, I read this piece, entitled Fat Dad: The Coffee and Cigarette Diet recently in Well section of The New York Times and it touched my heart.  I thought it was lovingly written.  So often we talk about women and body image, but it’s a good reminder that men struggle with this issue too.

Do you love potato salad as much as I do?  I love it in all forms: with celery, with egg, with mayo, with vinegar.  Dill, parsley, scallions, mint.  It’s *all* good in my book.  Here’s a healthy, delicious looking red, white and blue potato salad just in time for Independence Day.

Have a great rest of your week, whatever you have planned!

As always, I’d be so grateful if you shared my blog with people you think would like it, whether it’s on Facebook, Twitter, via email, or word of mouth (or all!).

You might also like:

Last week’s Midweek Mashup

Bikini Body

Potato, Carrot and Leek Soup

 

 

 

 

Confessional

On By Cultivate WellnessIn Cooking, health, Health and wellness, Nutrition, wellness, yoga6 Comments

You know those confessionals that contestants in reality shows step into?  They sit down and pour their hearts out for all the world to hear.  Yeah, I would never do that.

I will, however, tell you what my New Year has been like so far.

  • I’ve said “no” to lots of things simply because I didn’t feel like saying “yes”.  I consider that a good thing.  It’s something I’ve been working on for, well my whole life.
  • I’ve continued to have a green smoothie nearly every day, and because of that I know I’m giving myself the benefit of high-quality nutrition.  It’s easy in winter to slip into eating only comfort foods.  I’m glad this has become a habit that I want to continue.
  • I’ve gotten some great outdoor exercise with friends in the form of snowshoeing and playing platform tennis.  The sunshine and fresh air really help my mood and disposition.
  • I have been enjoying my cooking adventures and have gotten some positive feedback from my family, which always makes me happy.

BUT

  • I’ll start by admitting that I haven’t been to yoga in like 9 months.  I know better.  I mean, I REALLY KNOW BETTER. Yoga for me is like popping some sort of magical focus and well-being pill.  It smooths out the edges and helps me think clearly and gives me a sense of equanimity I wouldn’t have otherwise.  So why haven’t I been?  It’s that thing of where you don’t do something and you don’t do something and you don’t do something and then all of a sudden it’s been so long it feels weird to go back.  Yeah, I need to get over that.
  • In exchange for my absence, I feel scattered and have had trouble focusing on my Nutrition Consultant schoolwork.  My notes are in like four different physical places.  I missed a crucial slide in a lecture.
  • I also have less energy and generally feel pretty blasé. This happens in winter.  I know this. Which is why I go to yoga.  My husband today said “You need to go back to yoga” and I’m like, “yeah, duh”.

So, who wants to place bets on how long it’ll take me to get into the studio again?  I’m pretty stubborn.

I’d love to hear from you.  How do you tackle those obstacles?  What things do you do that help with focus and energy? How is your 2016 going so far?

And one more thing before I go.  There are two blogs that I absolutely love.  The first, Word Savvy, is written by a good friend who is a brilliant writer and overall fantastic person.  Her musings on life and academia and literature always make me happy.

The second, Pronto Pup, is the most hilarious food blog you’ll ever encounter.  It’s dry and witty and totally NSFW in the best ways.  It is guaranteed to make you laugh and possibly snort, too.

Until next time!

 

Hearty Lentil Soup

On By Cultivate WellnessIn Cooking, eating, health, Health and wellness, Nutrition, Recipes, wellness8 Comments

lentil soup

As soon as the weather turns cooler here in the north, I start to crave hearty soups.  I love them when they are full of vegetables because it means I don’t have to serve anything on the side except some crusty bread.  I have a favorite soup that I make all winter and fall that also happens to be a favorite of my family.  Whenever I tell my 11 year old that it’s what we are having for dinner, she gets really excited.

I was late to the lentil game, and now I can’t imagine what I did before them.  Lentils are so full of protein and fiber and really make a soup an entire meal in a bowl.  They felt intimidating to me for some reason.  Now that I know I just have to rinse them and pick out any super weird looking ones, I’m good to go.

This recipe is inspired by a recipe from Giada De Laurentiis.  Over the years I’ve made quite a few changes to it and I really do love my updated version. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons olive oil (or just do what I do which is to pour some in a pot till it looks like enough)
1 medium onion, chopped
4 carrots, washed & chopped (I seriously don’t even peel them, just scrub)
4 celery stalks, chopped
1 large potato or 2 small potatoes, cubed (again, don’t peel them)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 pound lentils (approximately 1 1/4 cups)
11 cups vegetable broth (I love Better Than Bouillon)
4 to 6 fresh thyme sprigs
Fresh spinach

METHOD:
Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. I love to use my prized Le Creuset Dutch oven that I received one year for Christmas.  Add the onion, carrots, and celery and stir. Then, add the garlic, salt, and pepper and saute until all the vegetables are tender (about 5-8 minutes), stirring occasionally. Do not let vegetables burn. Add the tomatoes with their juices and the potatoes and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add the lentils and mix to coat. Now, add the broth and stir. Nestle the thyme sprigs in the mix and then bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and simmer over low heat until the lentils are almost tender, about 30 minutes.

Taste the soup and add any additionally salt and pepper (or more bouillon if using) it needs.

Remove the thyme sprigs. Ladle the soup into bowls. Add a large handful of fresh spinach into the bowl and mix to wilt.  Serve with crusty warm bread.  We are partial to sourdough rolls or garlic bread.

GREEN SMOOTHIE CHALLENGE!

On By Cultivate WellnessIn health, Health and wellness, Nutrition, Recipes, wellness5 Comments

GREEN SMOOTHIE copy

This week I’m launching a Green Smoothie Challenge on my Cultivate Wellness Facebook page.  At the end of October I challenged myself to drink a green smoothie each day (either for breakfast or as my afternoon snack) as a way to ensure that I’m getting lots of servings of fruits and veggies and other good things in my diet each day.  It’s been 12 days and I am feeling so great! My thought was: Why wait until after the holidays to focus on my health and well-being? Sure, it’s the season for cookies, chocolate and cocktails, but there’s one small thing we can do each day to keep our healthy eating momentum: DRINK GREEN SMOOTHIES! Drinking a green smoothie each day helps our bodies get all the vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytonutrients it needs to stay on the right track during the holidays. Even if we do nothing else differently with our diets, this is one healthy measure we can take each and every day that will reinforce good habits all year long. Skin becomes clearer, our digestive systems will be happy, and our cells will love the nourishment. I’ll post encouragement, recipes and photos along the way.

JOIN ME, WON’T YOU? INVITE YOUR FRIENDS!

https://www.facebook.com/events/1032326443467026/