Review of Food Rules by Michael Pollan
food
11th Mar 2010
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I don’t know any woman who hasn’t had some sort of weird food rules at one time or another. When I was a teenager, my food rules were of this variety.
They revolved around calorie counts and fat grams. Diet Coke was my drink of choice. I weighed myself religiously, forever hoping to lose those 5 pounds, and beating myself up mentally when I failed to do so.
I had no food rules in college, and it showed.
I didn’t care what I ate or how it made me feel, and so I felt terrible a lot of the time. I lived on coffee made in my dorm room. I loved the curly fries in the student center. Free food was always a bonus, and my friends and I would often go to events just for the food. In fact, that’s how the college lured us to most of the events.
These days, my food rules are quite different. They’re a lot more aligned with the ones that Michael Pollan outlines in new book. Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual
- which were:
Eat Food, Not Too Much, Mostly Plants.
In Food Rules
And if you’ve read my blog for any amount of time, that’s what I recommend, too.
It seems like common sense, but so many of us are confused on what to eat – and this is no accident.
It’s a concise book that does not go into great detail and that you can flip through in about 30 minutes. But it can serve as a pocket reminder for how we should think about food most of the time but seem to forget a lot of the time.
You can pick up a copy of Food Rules
What are your food rules? Share them with me here.
Roasted tomato soup video
soups and stews
18th Feb 2010
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I put together this little video a few weeks ago – it’s my first one. What do you think of it? I filmed it unscripted. I think it worked out pretty well, though I will probably I’ll try scripting future ones. Let me know what you think of it.
If you really like it, please share it on Twitter, Facebook, Digg or any other social media you use!
Here’s the actual recipe:
* 1 large can of peeled, whole tomatoes
* 2-3 tsp salt
* 1/8 cup chopped thyme leaves
* 3 – 4 Tbsp olive oil
* 1 medium onion, sliced into half moons
* 3-4 cloves garlic, chopped fine
* 2 carrots, finely diced
* Salt and pepper to taste
* 3-4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
Cut tomatoes in half, reserving juices. Grease a baking sheet with 1 Tbsp olive oil, and place tomato halves face down on baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt, chopped thyme leaves, and drizzle with another Tbsp olive oil. Roast tomatoes at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes until tomatoes are browned.
While tomatoes are roasting, add 1-2 Tbsp oil to a pot, and add in onion, garlic, carrots and salt and pepper. Saute vegetables on medium high heat until they soften.
When tomatoes are done, remove them from the baking sheet. Use some of the broth to deglaze the baking sheet, scraping up the caramelized tomato juices. Add deglazed broth into soup pot along with roasted tomatoes, reserved tomato juice and rest of the stock. Cook for 10 – 15 minutes more until all flavors are well mixed. Serve and enjoy.
Oh, and if you want more recipes from me? Sign up for my newsletter and also search my blog archives
Pumpkin with balsamic and rosemary
food, gluten free, recipes, side dishes, tasty tuesdays
20th Oct 2009
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Kabocha pumpkin with rosemary and balsamic
I made this dish a couple of nights ago, and it turned out deliciously good. For pumpkin, I recommend using a Kabocha pumpkin – you should be able to find one in the farmer’s market pretty easily since this is definitely the season for them. If you have fresh rosemary growing in your window box, definitely use it – I didn’t, but substituted dry rosemary. I think I would have soaked it first so that the rosemary leaves weren’t so hard and pine-needly. (Photo coming soon)
Ingredients:
1 lb pumpkin, peeled, seeded and sliced into wedges
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
A few sprigs of rosemary
Salt and pepper to taste
Saute the pumpkin slices in olive oil for 5-10 minutes until tender. If it’s not tender after this amount of time, add water, cover and steam for 5 minutes.
Remove pumpkin from pan, reserving water. Add in balsamic vinegar and rosemary and let simmer and reduce to 2-3 Tbsp.
Plate the pumpkin and pour balsamic rosemary sauce over it. Salt and pepper to taste.
Just announced – fall cleanse classes
cleanse, diet, events, food
30th Sep 2009
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Fall is here, and that means it’s time for the Fall Cleanse! For those of you who have never experienced the joy of fall cleansing, let me tell you a little bit about it.
Cleansing was one of the ways that I started getting into holistic healing. When I did my first cleanse a few years ago, I couldn’t believe how great I felt. Eating nourishing foods (my cleanses don’t require fasting), reflecting and taking extra special care of myself, I felt completely balanced and centered once I completed it. Once I learned how to keep myself healthy, life became more exciting and fun.
I landed a more lucrative job and that was more challenging but also fun. I fell in love with my then-boyfriend (now husband). And I got clear on what I wanted.
But don’t just listen to what I’m saying – see what other people thought of it.
If you’ve been feeling stuck or tired, want more energy or get rid of sugar cravings, I urge you to try one out. The first one starts October 13 – Just 2 weeks away.
Want to sign up for my cleanse classes? Check out the Cleanse Classes pages for the latest dates.
Healthy stir-fried chicken
chicken, dinner, gluten free, tasty tuesdays, Uncategorized
29th Sep 2009
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Stir fried chicken
If you plan ahead, weeknight dinners can be simple and delicious. We cooked the brown rice a couple of days ahead of time so we didn’t have to worry about preparing it – just reheat and eat. Stir-fried chicken is a simple, healthy dish. What takes the longest is cutting up all of the vegetables. split that with someone and prep of this dish will be 30 minutes or less.
Ingredients:
4-5 cups chopped vegetables – we used cabbage, onions, peppers, celery (but use whatever you want)
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch ginger, chopped fine
Sauce
4 tablespoons tamari (it’s wheat free)
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 heaping teaspoon corn starch (get a high-quality brand)
Mix and set aside
Heat a little oil in a wok on very high heat. Make sure the pan is super hot before you start cooking anything – the oil should look like it’s going to burn. Add the chicken and saute until it’s mostly cooked. Remove from the pan. Add in the vegetables and saute until cooked. Add the sauce and stir frequently. Near the end, add in the chicken to finish cooking. Serve immediately with brown rice.
How much sugar is in your food?
diet, food, news
13th Jul 2009
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How much sugar are you getting in your afternoon snack or breakfast cereal? Sure, you know how many grams because it says on the side of the box, but what does it really mean? How many teaspoons of the sweet stuff are you really getting in your system?
SugarStacks.com shows you by reviewing common foods and stacking up sugar cubes next to each item so you can see how much you’re consuming. The site is just a couple of months old, but it’s already causing controversy and receiving complaints from food manufacturers.
What’s great about it is that it provides a very simple way of seeing how much sugar you would eat if you decided to raid the vending machine or indulged in your favorite candy. For readers who are contemplating a treat, it may help them make a better choice the same way that calorie counts on menus have influenced buying habits.
The most controversial parts of the site are the fruits and vegetables sections. It’s true that some fruits and vegetables are sweeter than others, and reducing the number of sweet produce items in your diet can help you if you’re trying to reduce your sugar consumption or lose weight. Since the site doesn’t go into other nutritional details such as fiber, vitamins, fat or sodium which can affect the healthiness of certain products, some readers may confuse low sugar with healthy. Even if a serving of grapes has more sugar than say, a Reeses peanut butter cup, it doesn’t mean that the Reeses is “better” for you or a “healthy snack.” It simply has less sugar.
Overall, I love the concept and that whomever is writing it is causing a controversy for good reason. If you want to learn more about sugar and its effects on your body, read some of my previous posts:
Happy Earth Day
diet, environment, food, self care
22nd Apr 2009
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Photo of Planet Earth from Space
Today is Earth Day!
How have you taken care of mother today?
There are many ways you can care for your environment and get a more delicious life at the same time. Here are a few things that I do to reduce my impact on our planet.
Small steps you can take to green your kitchen:
- Use glass jars instead of plastic containers
- Reuse plastic bags – wash out zip top bags and reuse them instead of throwing them in the trash
- Cook less – incorporate raw, fresh foods into your diet
- Cook once, eat twice – it uses less energy
- Buy bulk items – they are cheaper and have less packaging
- Grow your own herbs – they’re fresher, cheaper and more organic – as long as you’re not spraying pesticides on them. Since they’re local, you’re reducing emissions from transportation
- Buy local – reduce emissions from long-distance shipping by shopping at farmer’s markets
- Buy in season – it reduces transportation emissions and is better for your health
A simply Delicious Life appetizers
appetizers, food
28th Mar 2009
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Healthy and tasty do not need to be mutually exclusive.
The other day, it was getting near dinner time. I didn’t feel like cooking, but I didn’t want to order out either. We had some snacks in the refrigerator, so I decided to make a meal out of them.
pate and crudite
This chicken liver pate was made the old fashioned way using all natural ingredients. It’s totally organic, too. We found the recipe in Sally Fallon’s Nourishing Traditions book. It turned out deliciously yummy. The sauerkraut is also home made. It is raw and contains lots of healthy probiotics, thanks to the natural fermentation process that takes a few weeks to happen.
cheese plate
When I said I wasn’t cooking, I think my husband expected me to reheat something we had left over in the fridge. Instead I arranged our snacks on little plates and serving boards. I think they look quite good this way – and let’s face it, eating foods that are presented well are always tastier. Oh, the pickles are also raw fermented – no vinegar included. Really healthy and tasty, too.
snacks
Here’s everything all together. I hope you like them. I’ll write up the recipes in a future post. For now, feast your eyes on the photos.
Yes we can – help Obama reform health care
food, inspiration, news, self care
21st Jan 2009
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“Be the change you want to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi
Yesterday marked a major milestone in American history. It’s amazing how the world was captivated with the inauguration of President Barack Obama. As I watched it on TV, it was was uplifting to see so many hopeful faces out in the crowd, tears streaming down faces as the new President took the oath and give his speech.
It was quite an inspirational speech, too, and yet grounded in reality. There was no denying that our country is in trouble, and that Obama’s new job is huge. But Obama also called on Americans to actively participate in creating the change that needs to take place in order to turn the country around.
What can you do to create change?
From a health perspective, there are many things that we can do as Americans to lower our country’s health care bill. If you truly want health care reform, you can start at home – right in your own kitchen.
Lower your own health care bills by taking better care of yourself. Love yourself by feeding your body with healthier foods that give you energy, allow you to heal and make you feel good. Take up the food philosophy of Michael Pollan (author of In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto
Make sure that you drink your water. Did you know that 70% of our bodies are made of water? Keep yourself healthy, hydrated and balanced by drinking plenty of clean water with nothing added – no drink mixes, sugar, or flavorings. You deserve it.
Get more rest and relaxation in general. If you’re tired, get more sleep instead of relying on caffeine. You get a quick, short-term boost from caffeine but the false energy hurts you over the long term.
Slow down and listen to your body. When you get in tune with your own rhythm, your body can heal itself naturally. It’s when we deny our own wisdom that we become sick.
We are used to turning to quick fixes instead of asking, “What does my body want?” We rely on others to tell us what we want to eat, or which pills we might want to ask our doctors about. We forget that our own bodies have knowledge of what we need to heal, and our cravings are signals to tell us which nutrients we’re missing.
What can you do today that will help you get vibrantly healthy?
If you’re ready to learn how to live a delicious life , contact me. If you want to learn more about how I can help you, start here.
Recipes: Minestrone Soup
food, recipes, self care
19th Jan 2009
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delicious minestrone soup
A delicious bowl of warming soup hits the spot on a snowy winter evening. It can also be nourishing during the transitions from fall to winter and winter to spring. The white beans and chick peas provide protein and are a good source of fiber. This minestrone is a carnivorous version, but can easily be made vegetarian or vegan by removing the broth and bacon. This soup also naturally gluten free (of course). In this particular batch, I added in some thyme and oregano – I love adding in spices even when a recipe doesn’t call for them. They’re really good for you, and they’re not appreciated in most American cooking.
Ingredients
½ lb. dry cannellini beans
½ lb. dry chick peas
4 slices naturally-raised, nitrate-free bacon, chopped
½ cup onion, diced
½ cup carrots, diced
1 cup zucchini, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup fire roasted crushed tomatoes
4 cups homemade chicken broth
Method
Soak beans for 8 hours or overnight and drain. Combine 6 cups of water and beans in a 6 – 8 quart pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.
In a skillet, cook bacon pieces until they are crisp – reserve for topping.
Drain bacon drippings, leaving about 1 T. in pan, and cook onion, carrots, zucchini, and garlic until tender.
Add vegetable mixture and remaining ingredients and simmer until beans are tender.
Serve with reserved bacon and Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Makes 8 servings.
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