What if tomorrow never comes. Are you satisfied with your life today?
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Lunch Doesn't Have to be Pretty, It's Purpose is to Make You Pretty!
Some people eat to live and some people live to eat. I am a mixture of both and a firm believer in if you eat bad you'll look bad, if you eat well you'll look swell!
I get to excited when I prepare or someone serves me a fancy meal. I just love food and the "OOhhhhs, Ahhhhhs" that go along with it. Have you ever tried something that looks delicious but tastes the exact opposite? That happened to me once in a nutrition cooking class. A classmate made some sort of baked banana dish, it was God awful!
I like my lunches to be nutrient dense, economical, and quick so that I can sit down and relax a bit while I eat. So here's a few cheap, quick lunches that take about 5 minutes to make (except the soup).
Oatmeal with lowfat or soy milk, and a pile of fresh fruit
If you eat healthy, you'll look healthy. You must exercise too, and try to get a little balance in your life. Sounds simple.
I get to excited when I prepare or someone serves me a fancy meal. I just love food and the "OOhhhhs, Ahhhhhs" that go along with it. Have you ever tried something that looks delicious but tastes the exact opposite? That happened to me once in a nutrition cooking class. A classmate made some sort of baked banana dish, it was God awful!
I like my lunches to be nutrient dense, economical, and quick so that I can sit down and relax a bit while I eat. So here's a few cheap, quick lunches that take about 5 minutes to make (except the soup).
Add a slice of whole wheat toast for scooping and dipping
Albacore tuna with a dab of real mayo, on a corn tortillas
with organic mixed greens and organic strawberries
Potato-Cheese Pierogies with organic lima beans,
organic pear & wild blueberry sauce, and drizzle of
extra virgin olive oil
Ham and Great Northern Bean soup with a
pureed vegetable base
I decided to make some soup one bitter cold winter day when I all I could do was walk around all tight with my shoulders up to my ears, freezing my bum off, not to mention I was starving! I had some left over ham, a frig full of veggies and a can of Great Northern beans.
Ham and Great Northern Bean soup with a pureed vegetable base
1/2-1 C ham
2 cups dried (soak, reserve liquid) or 1 can Great Northern Beans
1 fennel, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 sweet potato (you decide with or without skin)
1 onion (I used a sweet onion, but whatever you have on hand is fine)
1 tsp of crushed garlic (more if you like)
1 bay leave (remove prior to pureeing mixture)
Dash of pepper
Parsley garnish or add when pureeing
Water
Drizzle of olive oil (optional)
Parmesan (optional)
In a medium size stock pot, add enough water (or use liquid from soaking beans) to cover vegetables. Boil vegetables until tender. Remove bay leave. Once tender, in one cup batches puree in a blender. NOTE: Hold lid down while pureeing, be careful of the stream / pressure when removing lid after blending. Transfer pureed vegetable into a holding bowl until all are pureed. Once completely pureed, return pureed vegetables to stock pot, add beans and ham. Let simmer, stirring gently until sauce slightly thickens. If sauce thickens too much, add water to create desired consistency. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil, and grated parmesan.
What's In - What's Out
What's In: Love, Respect, and on the food side: Lemons.
What's Out: Bad Manners, Lack of Respect, Fad Diets.
Lately I haven't been able to wrap my ahead around a lot of things: food-diet, family, friends and work. So many changes, some good and some not so much, but through it all one thing should be a constant: Love. Before you start gagging, hear me out. Being in love or knowing you are loved is powerful stuff. Love has caused me some dark days and on the flip side it has helped me get through some very dark days. Knowing someone is going to stick by you and always love you, well, nothing tops it and it shouldn't be taken for granite or lightly. It's a gift, respect it.
Yes, we have our moments when a person we love or have some type of relationship with, annoys us beyond our limits, but that's normal or at least I'm declaring it normal right now. The trick is how to deal with the annoyance factor without damaging the relationship. Note to self: Try not to burn a bridge. Believe me, it't not worth it. I am no expert, and I have lived my life through trial and error with many years of making wrong decisions and taking bad advice, but I am comfortable, finally, in my own skin.
Which brings me to respect. Why is it that we sometimes treat the people we love so badly, but bend over backwards for people who really don't deserve the time of day? What is that all about, and should it be tolerated? Why do some take advantage of a loving relationship? Is it about not burning a bridge? Maybe some bridges are meant to be burned, but always remember, just don't lose your self-respect in saving the bridge. With a little luck, put a smile on your face and create the perfect opportunity to practice good manners without becoming a door mat or a sucker.
Respect what other people have to say, it's fine to agree that you disagree. One thing I hate and it happened to me the other day, an ex-coworker was forcing her opinion down my throat. Anyone forcing an opinion on another is wrong, no matter what the topic. That's a big no, no!
Fad diets are also a big no, no. Come on people, you're smarter than that! Nothing is a quick fix, NOTHING! That extra tire around your waist wasn't dropped off over night. It formed over time. It's called a bad habit, laziness, or possibly medical. Okay, for some of you it may be caused by your thyroid or some other condition, I'm not going to pretend to know if the chicken or the egg came first.
Those fad diets are what I consider a lemon of a deal. Speaking of lemons make this, it's completely IN!
Oven ready
I found this recipe on the web. It's by "The Shed". 4-6 servings.
It really goes agains my organic, whole wheat this or that, but it's really good. Learn to love it, respect it all in moderation! It takes about 10-15 minutes to prepare.
Lemon Souffle
Bake at 350F
3/4 C sugar
1 T melted butter
2 T all-purpose flour
1/2tsp salt
1 C milk (I used Nestle Carnation Evaporated Lowfat 2% Milk + Vitamins A & D added)
6 eggs, separated (I used 5 yolks and 6 whites. Why, you ask? One yolk had a red dot on it and grossed me out)
2 Lemons, zested and juiced
dab of butter for greasing baking dishes or dish
Mix together sugar, melted butter, flour, salt till smooth. Add yolks, whisk till smooth. Add zest and lemon juice, whisk. In a mixer, beat egg whites until peaks are stiff. Fold the yolk mixture gently into the egg whites till combined.
Grease 6 souffle cups with butter. Instead of 6 souffle cups, I used a 8.5 x 8.5 glass baking dish. Pour the mixture into the cups. Set the cups in 1/2" water in a 9 x 12 baking pan.
Bake for 25 minutes or until tops have risen and turn golden bown. Remove from bath, let cool or slightly cool and serve with raspberries (fresh or thawed) or your favorite fruit. Add a dusting of confectioners' sugar or a drizzle of burnt brown sugar and mint sprig if you want to jazz it up.
Refreshing delicious!
What's Out: Bad Manners, Lack of Respect, Fad Diets.
Lately I haven't been able to wrap my ahead around a lot of things: food-diet, family, friends and work. So many changes, some good and some not so much, but through it all one thing should be a constant: Love. Before you start gagging, hear me out. Being in love or knowing you are loved is powerful stuff. Love has caused me some dark days and on the flip side it has helped me get through some very dark days. Knowing someone is going to stick by you and always love you, well, nothing tops it and it shouldn't be taken for granite or lightly. It's a gift, respect it.
Yes, we have our moments when a person we love or have some type of relationship with, annoys us beyond our limits, but that's normal or at least I'm declaring it normal right now. The trick is how to deal with the annoyance factor without damaging the relationship. Note to self: Try not to burn a bridge. Believe me, it't not worth it. I am no expert, and I have lived my life through trial and error with many years of making wrong decisions and taking bad advice, but I am comfortable, finally, in my own skin.
Which brings me to respect. Why is it that we sometimes treat the people we love so badly, but bend over backwards for people who really don't deserve the time of day? What is that all about, and should it be tolerated? Why do some take advantage of a loving relationship? Is it about not burning a bridge? Maybe some bridges are meant to be burned, but always remember, just don't lose your self-respect in saving the bridge. With a little luck, put a smile on your face and create the perfect opportunity to practice good manners without becoming a door mat or a sucker.
Respect what other people have to say, it's fine to agree that you disagree. One thing I hate and it happened to me the other day, an ex-coworker was forcing her opinion down my throat. Anyone forcing an opinion on another is wrong, no matter what the topic. That's a big no, no!
Fad diets are also a big no, no. Come on people, you're smarter than that! Nothing is a quick fix, NOTHING! That extra tire around your waist wasn't dropped off over night. It formed over time. It's called a bad habit, laziness, or possibly medical. Okay, for some of you it may be caused by your thyroid or some other condition, I'm not going to pretend to know if the chicken or the egg came first.
Those fad diets are what I consider a lemon of a deal. Speaking of lemons make this, it's completely IN!Oven ready
My oven does good work, such a team player!
I found this recipe on the web. It's by "The Shed". 4-6 servings.
It really goes agains my organic, whole wheat this or that, but it's really good. Learn to love it, respect it all in moderation! It takes about 10-15 minutes to prepare.
Lemon Souffle
Bake at 350F
3/4 C sugar
1 T melted butter
2 T all-purpose flour
1/2tsp salt
1 C milk (I used Nestle Carnation Evaporated Lowfat 2% Milk + Vitamins A & D added)
6 eggs, separated (I used 5 yolks and 6 whites. Why, you ask? One yolk had a red dot on it and grossed me out)
2 Lemons, zested and juiced
dab of butter for greasing baking dishes or dish
Mix together sugar, melted butter, flour, salt till smooth. Add yolks, whisk till smooth. Add zest and lemon juice, whisk. In a mixer, beat egg whites until peaks are stiff. Fold the yolk mixture gently into the egg whites till combined.
Grease 6 souffle cups with butter. Instead of 6 souffle cups, I used a 8.5 x 8.5 glass baking dish. Pour the mixture into the cups. Set the cups in 1/2" water in a 9 x 12 baking pan.
Bake for 25 minutes or until tops have risen and turn golden bown. Remove from bath, let cool or slightly cool and serve with raspberries (fresh or thawed) or your favorite fruit. Add a dusting of confectioners' sugar or a drizzle of burnt brown sugar and mint sprig if you want to jazz it up.
Refreshing delicious!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
The Farian
Why do some people hate to wash their hands? I mean seriously, what's the big deal?
I had a dental appointment the other day, and I was not in the best of moods. He (now my ex-dentist) kind of annoys me to begin with. He's polite and all, but I find some of his habits and nonsense small talk really annoying. He just talks to talk. I don't think it's just me and my anal ways, I don't really care on this one if it is just me.
So, I'm having my teeth cleaned by the best dental hygienist and he pops in at the tail end of the cleaning to check her work. At least I think that was his intention. I could see him finishing up in the room across the hall, not sporting any gloves. I watch him finish up, shake the patient's hand and walk straight into my room. He says a sporty hello as he plops onto his stool and slides on over to me. He offers me a soft (gross) handshake and says, "Open up, let's take a looksey." I lift my head up so that he doesn't cram his ungloved hands into my mouth and ask him to please wash and glove his hands. He's facial expression tells me he's floored. Instead, he slathers on a generous amount of Purell, looks at my x-rays, and asks when I want to get a few fillings replaced for cosmetic purposes only. That's it. He gets up and walks into the next room and bills me for a consult.
You get my point.
I had a dental appointment the other day, and I was not in the best of moods. He (now my ex-dentist) kind of annoys me to begin with. He's polite and all, but I find some of his habits and nonsense small talk really annoying. He just talks to talk. I don't think it's just me and my anal ways, I don't really care on this one if it is just me.
So, I'm having my teeth cleaned by the best dental hygienist and he pops in at the tail end of the cleaning to check her work. At least I think that was his intention. I could see him finishing up in the room across the hall, not sporting any gloves. I watch him finish up, shake the patient's hand and walk straight into my room. He says a sporty hello as he plops onto his stool and slides on over to me. He offers me a soft (gross) handshake and says, "Open up, let's take a looksey." I lift my head up so that he doesn't cram his ungloved hands into my mouth and ask him to please wash and glove his hands. He's facial expression tells me he's floored. Instead, he slathers on a generous amount of Purell, looks at my x-rays, and asks when I want to get a few fillings replaced for cosmetic purposes only. That's it. He gets up and walks into the next room and bills me for a consult.
You get my point.
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