Seasonal Eating & 3 Bean Vegetable Soup

I'd hardly considered the idea of "seasonal eating" before going to school for holistic nutrition. It's probably because I live in the States and whatever food we want is flown in. This is a great convenience, but it's helpful to try to incorporate locally grown, seasonal foods whenever possible. Even our cravings change from season to season. That's not without good reason. With each changing season, nature provides us with the foods that we need.

Our ancestors ate seasonally because they had no choice. Greens grew in the spring, fruit in the summer, root vegetables in the fall and warming animal foods in the winter. Some experts like Joshua Rosenthal say that eating burgers off the grill during the summer months and ice cream in the winter actually confuses the body, and that eating seasonally helps promote harmony within yourself, your body and the earth. Fruits and vegetables promote a cooling effect on the body, whereas meats and stews warm the body. Eating an abundance of fruit and salads in the winter, if you have a cool or cold temperament, can cool you down even more and make you feel less grounded. If you have a cool body type, try to incorporate more warming foods during the wintertime.

In the wintertime, we crave heavier foods and animal foods. These help us feel more grounded and solid. I am always cold, and I am trying to eat more warm, cooked foods in the winter.
Allow yourself to have plenty of oils, protein and nuts. If you are vegetarian, try eating more vegetarian soups and stews and grilling or baking your vegetables and tofu.

Foods that grow in the winter: Grapefruit Kale Leeks Lemons Oranges Radicchio Radishes Rutabaga Turnips	Spring foods: Apricots                 New Potatoes Asparagus              Spring lettuce Carrots                  Snow peas Avocados Cherries Collards Mangoes Mustard greens Spinach Strawberries
Summer foods: Bell peppers               Nectarines Blackberries               Pineapples Blueberries                 Plums Raspberries                Summer Squash Broccolli                    Tomatoes Corn                          Watermelon Cucumbers                 Zucchini Eggplant Green Beans	Fall foods: Winter squash            Parsnips Apples                       Pears Beets                         Pomegranates Brussels sprouts         Pumpkin Cranberries                Sweet Potatoes Figs                           Swiss Chard Grapes Mushrooms

On the weekend, I try to make a big pot of soup to last for the next few days. This is one of my favorites.

3 Bean Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

2 Carrots
2 Celery Stalks
1 Onion
Garlic - Crushed
Olive Oil
3 Cans of beans rinsed - try Black, Garbanzo, Northern or Kidney
1 Quart Vegetable Broth
1 Big Can of Crushed Tomatoes (check label for no added sugar or salt)
Salt and Pepper and any other herbs and spices you like like basil or oregano
Note: you can add any vegetables that you like, including mushrooms, green peppers and turnips.

Chop the first 4 ingredients and saute in a little olive oil until soft.
Add vegetable broth and tomatoes and simmer for about 5 minutes.
Put half of a can of beans in the food processor and puree to add texture to the soup.
Add the pureed beans and the other 2 cans to the pot. Bring to a boil then lower and simmer for about 15 minutes. Serve with brown rice or quinoa for extra protein, fiber and nutrients.
Voilà!
If you eat meat, you can saute 1-2 chicken breasts (organic, hormone free of course ;) with the vegetables.




Sources:
Rosenthal, Joshua. Integrative Nutrition, 2008.

Whole Grains - Quinoa

Quinoa

Most Americans are afraid of carbohydrates. If you look at people who traditionally eat high quantities of high quality whole grains such as the Japanese (brown rice), they have slender and healthy bodies. The problem is not carbohydrates, it's the processed, sugary, fake foods that are the problem. 

Benefits of whole grains

• Can help you maintain a steady blood sugar level (opposite of what sugar filled foods do)
• Leave you feeling fuller  
• they are packed with fiber, minerals and nutrients.
• The body absorbs them slowly and therefore provide much longer lasting energy.*

Soak your grains first! 

All grains contain phytic acid in the outer layer of the grain. It combines with certain minerals in the body and can block the absorption in the intestines. This can lead to digestive disorders, mineral deficiencies and bone loss. 

Solution:

Soak your grains in warm water for 8 hours. This will neutralize the phytic acid and increase the nutritional benefits. If you don't have time to soak them, at least rinse them first.*

Wheat sensitivities 

The most common grain in our culture is wheat. Many people have an allergy to wheat and do not know it. It can cause bloating, constipation or gas. Sometimes it takes awhile to experience these symptoms and sometimes it's immediate. Wheat is highly subsidized by the government, and therefore, it's in almost every packaged food. If you think you're sensitive to wheat, try cutting it out of your diet for a few weeks and see how you feel. There are many gluten free grains to enjoy. 

The following are gluten free grains. 

• Quinoa (pronounced "keen-wah")
• Amaranth
• Millet
• Buckwheat (yes, it's wheat free)
• Brown Rice

Ancient Harvest Quinoa - GMO free. Great product. www.quinoa.net

Quinoa is one of my favorites because it has lots of protein and lots of vitamins. It has about 6 grams of protein per serving, and lots of fiber. It tastes good too, and is easy to make. Make sure to rinse the grains because they have a natural herbicide. Soak if you have time. Boil 2 cups of water and add 1 cup of quinoa. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Done! 

Serving and recipe ideas:

• Add chopped mint, kalamata olives, feta or goat cheese and chopped tomatoes.
• Add avocado slices, black beans, and chopped cilantro with a little salsa or chopped tomatoes.
• Drizzle olive oil and chopped parsley. 
• Eat it plain! 

Black Bean and Quinoa Burgers

Yesterday, I made Black Bean and Quinoa Burgers. They were SO good and SO easy. Check out this recipe from www.vegetariantimes.com .... I omitted the added garlic and steak seasoning and added my own spices, and I didn't have the sun-dried tomatoes, but they were still delicious.

My finished product. Black Bean and Quinoa burgers. Recipe from www.vegetariantimes.com 

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 1 small onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
• 6 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and finely chopped (1/4 cup)
• 1 1/2 cups cooked black beans, or 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained, divided
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
• 2 tsp. dried steak seasoning
• 8 whole-grain hamburger buns

DIRECTIONS

1. Stir together quinoa and 1 1/2 cups water in small saucepan, and season with salt, if desired. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed. (You should have 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa.)
2. Meanwhile, place onion and sun-dried tomatoes in medium nonstick skillet, and cook over medium heat. (The oil left on the tomatoes should be enough to sauté the onion.) Cook 3 to 4 minutes, or until onion has softened. Stir in 3/4 cup black beans, garlic, steak seasoning, and 11/2 cups water. Simmer 9 to 11 minutes, or until most of liquid has evaporated.
3. Transfer bean-onion mixture to food processor, add 3/4 cup cooked quinoa, and process until smooth. Transfer to bowl, and stir in remaining 3/4 cup quinoa and remaining 3/4 cup black beans. Season with salt and pepper, if desired, and cool.
4. Preheat oven to 350°F, and generously coat baking sheet with cooking spray. Shape bean mixture into 8 patties (1/2 cup each), and place on prepared baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes, or until patties are crisp on top. Flip patties with spatula, and bake 10 minutes more, or until both sides are crisp and brown. Serve on buns.

Try them for dinner and let me know what you think! 

Sources: *Rosenthal, Joshua. Integrative Nutrition 2008.

http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/11676

Coffee and Tea

Coffee drinkers.... 

Consider this: if you are drinking 2-3 cups a day, you have an addiction. Don't worry too much. You're not alone. Americans drink 400 million cups per day. That's a lot of coffee.

Consider this: What would your life look like without your caffeine fix? Not so pretty, huh?  I hear ya. During grad school, I too consumed way too much caffeine to stay energized. When you're tired, it works. Kind of. For awhile. Well, not really. It will often leave you more tired, and needing more. Thus, the addiction.

Coffee is an adrenaline delivery system that jolts the body's central nervous system. Do you struggle with worry, stress or anxiety? Anxiety and anxiety disorders directly affect the central nervous system. Therefore, coffee probably isn't the best choice for you. Just sayin....

Coffee can make you jittery and prone to anxiety and panic. Most of all, it inhibits the absorption of essential minerals like iron, magnesium and zinc, as well as B vitamins. If you're drinking several cups to get through your day, think about where can you seek more balance in your life. Where do you need more balance? How can you get a little more sleep, exercise, nutritious food, a babysitter to give you some free time?

Thinking of cutting back or quitting coffee?

1. Proceed slowly and gently. Your body needs time to get used to the change. If you stop caffeine cold turkey, you will get a major headache, and of course will be tired and irritable. You need to replace the coffee drinking with other nutrition, and probably more sleep. Try mixing half of your coffee with decaf. Or replace one of your cups with tea.

2. Don't make it so tasty. Coffee can be delicious and can have tons of sugar and calories. Don't put as much creamer and cut out the sugar. Or, use a small amount of a sugar substitute  like honey or organic agave nectar. If you use creamer, use organic half and half. If you look at the ingredients for flavored creamers, they are filled with words you can't pronounce and sugar. These chemicals and added processed sugars don't belong in your body.
Sorry to call out a product here, but just for fun, take Coffee Mate's Vanilla Caramel creamer. It has (to name only a few) dipotassium phosphate, mono and diglycerides, and *GASP* Partially Hydrogenated Oil. How do you think your body feels after ingesting those nasty things? They are not energy promoting or healing. They are unnatural.

3. Drink tea. There are some really delicious choices out there. Add a teaspoon of raw honey for a little sweetness, enzymes, minerals and vitamins.

• Black tea: Made from the dried leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. It has about 50 mg. of caffeine per 8 ounce up. 

• Green tea: Loaded with powerful antioxidants. Has been shown to reduce the risk of certain types of cancer and lower LDL cholesterol. 

• White tea: One of my favorites. It has a light, sweet taste and a small amount of caffeine - about 15 mg. per serving. I love ginger peach white tea. The Republic of Tea makes tasty tea. 

• Other herbal teas: Made from various herbs. Check the ingredients to make sure that you can take all of the herbs, especially if you are taking medications. For example, St. John's Wort can interact with certain medications (including birth control and psychotropic drugs). That being said, there are some really good tasting and relaxing herbal teas to try. 

Refresh is my new favorite tea - I like it with honey. Passion tea is good hot, but I really like it cold. You can find Tazo tea at Starbucks, and also at your local grocery.
Sleepytime tea is really good and inexpensive herbal tea. Try drinking it close to bedtime.



One last word about coffee....
If you really love your coffee, try to enjoy, mindfully, one cup a day. Think about and enjoy each sip rather than slurping it down quickly. As you continue your health journey and start adding in more healthful foods and more water, I'm willing to bet that your desire and excitement for it decreases. It did for me and for my hubby.




Sources: 
Rosenthal Integrative Nutrition

Vegan Eggplant "Parmesan"

Vegan Eggplant "Parmesan" 

I think that the more you cook healthy versions of your favorite foods, the easier and tastier it becomes. Making a dish vegan can still be delicious, even though it's different from your usual dish.
Note: Vegan means that there is no animal products at all - no butter, milk, eggs or meat.

Eggplant Parmesan is my favorite food ever. My parents make the most amazing one - but I wanted to try to  make it Vegan. Well, I discovered why it's my favorite food... eggplant soaks up oil! Oh well. I tried to use as little oil as possible, but I had to keep adding some - I used an organic olive oil from Publix, but any fresh pressed olive oil will do.

Grocery List: 

1 big eggplant peeled - or 2 medium ones (depending on how much you'd like to make)
Olive oil
Almond milk
flour
1-2 jars of tomato sauce
Veggies - mushrooms, zucchini, squash - whatever you like. (try 1 zucchini, 1 yellow squash and a container of mushrooms)
Nutritional Yeast if desired

The sauce:
Saute the chopped or sliced veggies in a little oil and a little water until soft. Add the jars of pasta sauce and heat through. Done!

(You can either make a homemade marinara sauce or buy jarred. I had some organic pasta sauce from Whole Foods. (which, by the way, is cheaper than some of the other brands!!) It doesn't have added sugar or oil. )


The eggplant:

Slice the eggplant into 1/2" slices. Dip each slice into a bowl with almond milk. Let it sit in the milk for a few minutes.
Then dip both sides in a bowl of flour, salt and pepper (I added some garlic powder because I like garlic and I was feeling lazy and didn't want to chop or press it)
Cover the bottom of a big pan with olive oil and allow to get hot on medium heat. (Tip from my Dad: sprinkle a little water in the pan and if it pops, the oil is hot enough)
Allow eggplant to brown, then flip and repeat.

Once all of the eggplant is cooked, lay them in a casserole dish and layer some veggie sauce between each layer. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes until heated through. Serve with whole wheat pasta or brown rice. You can sprinkle some nutritional yeast on top in place of cheese for some extra flavor and nutrition.

Yield 4 servings, unless you're really hungry.

It's actually really good - even omitting the cheese, egg and milk. Try it and tell me what you think!
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Breakfast Ideas

A good friend and I were talking about breakfast and what we like to eat. Exciting conversation, huh? To me it is! I thought I'd write a little about healthy breakfast options. Breakfast literally means - breaking the fast. We go 8 or more hours without eating. It's important to eat breakfast and to eat something that will sustain you and make you feel good and energized. Before you take a bite of the cinnamon bagel or donut running out the door, think about how you are setting the stage for your day. I've noticed that if I eat something really sugary or something without much nutritional value like a bagel, my nutrition for the day is a little off. I have always been a sugar craver and if I start my day off with sugar - it's hard to stop. Try to notice how your nutrition and cravings are throughout the day depending on how you start the day.

TIPS

1. First thing in the morning, drink 1-2 glasses of water. We are all dehydrated when we wake up.
2. Eat breakfast. When you skip breakfast, you will  become calorie deficient and usually will end up binging later in the day.
3. Try to eat something with protein and carbs.


BREAKFAST SUGGESTIONS

1. Oatmeal with either bananas, walnuts and cinnamon or with berries. Or both! 

• When choosing oatmeal, try to buy the rolled oats. These are usually minimally processed and 100% oats. No judgment if you use quick cooking oats though (although, they are really not as good for you as rolled ;)
• Not only does Oatmeal have lots of nutrients, but it has soluble fiber, which is excellent for your colon health!

2. Rice Porridge

• I had never tried this until I started going to school at IIN. All you do is take leftover cooked brown rice - about 3 cups, and simmer it in any kind of milk (I like almond milk) for about 10-15 minutes. Eat it with fruit, nuts, cinnamon and even a little maple syrup. So good! Plus, you get all the fiber, vitamins and minerals from the brown rice. 

3. Mega Cereal 

• We recently watched a documentary called Forks Over Knives - it is SO good and SO informative. I really recommend it. Anyway, we started learning about the Engine 2 Diet. Rip Esselstyn suggested making a high protein cereal. He mixed UNfrosted Mini Wheats, Uncle Sam's Cereal (a wheat and flax cereal), grapenuts, rolled oats, or any other sugar free whole grain cereal. Ezekiel has a good one too. He added banana, berries, raisins, and walnuts (and a few other fruits). We make our own at home. It's a huge bowl of cereal but ALL nutritious and filling. He claims it has about 35 grams of protein. Animal product free! That's pretty awesome. It really fills you up. 
• Skip the wheat cereal if you have a gluten sensitivity. 

4. Eggs and Whole Grain Toast

• If you eat animal products, eggs are always a good choice. My hubby would always make scrambled eggs and just take a couple of the yolks out. Try it with whole grain sprouted bread like Ezekiel. It's sold in the freezer section. It's pretty amazing. I'm obsessed with their bread. 

5. Green Smoothie 

• MMmmmmm. Add anything green from your fridge. I like Kale, strawberries, banana, ice - blend it up and drink. You can also add avocado, berries, juice. Make it however you like it - the important thing is that you're eating your green vegetables. It's a quick and easy and surprisingly good way to get your leafy green vegetables in!! 

Let me know if anyone has any other good suggestions! So far, these work well for us. 

Oh, one other fun little experiment for those of you who are interested in the mood-food connection : )

The Breakfast Experiment (from Rosenthal's Integrative Nutrition)

-this is a way to tune into your body and learn how to listen to its messages. Eat a different breakfast each day for a week and jot down what you eat, how you feel both right after the meal and then again in two hours. 

Day 1: Scrambled eggs

Day 2: Scrambled tofu

Day 3: Oatmeal

Day 4: Boxed breakfast cereal

Day 5: Muffin and coffee

Day 6: Fresh fruit

Day 7: Fresh vegetables

You can expand on this and do it throughout your day during meals, too. 

Sugar Cravings

We all crave sugar. If you live in the US, it's what gets most of you through your day. On average, Americans eat 100 lbs of sugar per year. That's a lot of sugar. Most of us don't sleep well at night, and by the time our morning latte fix wears off, we're feeling sluggish. Of course, the easiest fix is to pop some chocolate. This takes us til lunch until we finally reach our afternoon slump. Around 3-5 is when most of us start getting tired, cranky, irritated. We eat more sugar to make it home and finish it up with some wine to go to sleep. Then we do it all over again. Americans are caught in a sugar fix cycle. A huge part of it is our American 'do it all' mentality. Most of us are just tired because we never take time to be still. Breaking the sugar cycle is tough but it is doable and will enhance your mental clarity, help you lose weight, and you'll feel less like you're on an emotional roller coaster.

It's amazing how much added sugar is in everything we eat from "healthy" cereals to granola bars to bread. Every 4.2 grams of sugar in one item equates to 1 tsp.
One example which I'm sure you've heard before...

One 12 oz can of Coke has 39 grams of sugar. Yep, you've just basically slugged back almost 10 tsp. of sugar. Who drinks soda anymore anyway? Just kidding. : ) How are you supposed to feel after drinking that?
Upon eating a bunch of sugar, our body has a sharp rise in glucose levels - the body sees the high amount of sugar and panics - it goes into emergency mode and works hard to burn it up. Then you have the crash.
Thus begins the vicious sugar cycle.
Sugar is hiding in most of your foods including baby food, tomato sauce, canned vegetables and peanut butter. Get into a habit of reading labels.

It's a bigger issue. It's easy enough to just say, stop eating sugar. If it were that simple, people would just do it. Sugar is addictive. Sadly, this is why many Americans are hypoglycemic and diabetic.

It's addictive for two reasons:

1. It will always leave you wanting more. You will always crave it if you are eating it.
2. Suddenly quitting causes withdrawal symptoms like headaches, mood swings, cravings and fatigue.

A note about cravings: Cravings are normal. Your body is always seeking to be in homeostasis. It works hard to keep you at 98.6. Your body always wants to keep you balanced. If you are tired, sad, irritated, depressed, your body will say, "wait, I want to feel good. I'm off balance." The Western, quick fix is to go to sugar. It works, for a minute. It will always leave you feeling worse. It does not solve the problem of, "why am I tired, sad, irritated, depressed?" It's also easier to avoid dealing with that question.
It's important if you are wanting to overcome your sugar craving to work with someone who can help you understand why you are feeling this way. There usually is an emotional feeling before you binge or eat sugar. Figure it out. You will feel more in control. Even if you eat the sugar anyway, give it a try.

Self awareness is always the first step in improving yourself.

SIGNS YOU MAY BE ADDICTED TO SUGAR
1. You crave it
2. You experience a crash after eating it
3. You experience mood swings and often feel irritated, annoyed, and/or sad.
4. You are tired for a good portion of the day.

TIPS FOR BEATING SUGAR CRAVINGS
1. Use a sugar alternative

Avoid fake sugar substitutes like Aspartame and Splenda found in diet sodas and other low fat, low sugar processed foods. Studies show that these have been linked to cancer.

Good alternatives:

Agave Nectar - made from the juice of the agave cactus. It's sweeter than sugar so you need less. It does not create a "sugar rush" like white sugar does. Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Raw Blue Agave is one of my favorites. Madhava also makes a really good one.You can usually find Agave Nectar at most grocery stores.

Honey - Also sweeter than sugar. Raw honey even contains a small amount of enzymes, minerals and vitamins. My husband was not so thrilled when I started buying Unfrosted mini wheats cereal. He now adds a little bit of honey on top and now he's happy. : )

Maple syrup - make sure its 100%. I use a little maple syrup in my oatmeal for breakfast instead of sugar

Molasses - very nutritious! It's derived from sugar cane or sugar beet. Contains potassium, calcium, iron and magnesium.

Stevia - Stevia is getting some attention and seems to be a trendy sugar subsitute. The taste is one you may have to get used to, but it's derived from a plant so it's natural.

2. Find ways to eat more sweet vegetables. Gradually, you will find that your refined sugar cravings are subsiding. Sweet potatoes, beets, squash are all examples.

Try one of the tips this week and challenge yourself to reduce your sugar intake!

Eat your plants - Sweet Potatoes

So, the first step to becoming plant based is just to start eating plants. Easy enough, right?
I know it's not. I used to think that I ate my vegetables because I opened a frozen bag of broccoli with cheese sauce.
It just takes time, practice, and some tips. Most of all, it helps if it's easy... and affordable.

This is a recipe with sweet potatoes - one of my absolute favorite veggies. I'll write a little more about why they are awesome.

Easy veggie bake:

Tip: leave the skins on the potatoes and carrots, especially if you buy organic. The skins pack in tons of extra vitamins and fiber.
2 sweet potatoes
2 red potatoes
1 red onion
2 carrots
1 can Garbanzo beans
clove of garlic (or garlic powder if you don't have garlic around)
Mushrooms if desired

Chop them in 2" pieces and toss with a little brown sugar, olive oil, salt and pepper.
Bake at 425 for 45 minutes.

Reheat the leftovers for a snack or lunch the next day.

A few sweet reasons to eat sweet potatoes:
1. Sweet potatoes are loaded with Vitamin C and A, calcium, potassium, folate, and beta-carotene.

2. They are also a great choice if you crave sweets. By adding sweet vegetables to your diet, it can help curb sugar cravings.

3. They are extremely easy to cook - highly nutritious and usually run a little more than a dollar a pound. They are a great, quick choice for adding in vegetables.