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Thursday, June 17, 2010

Eating Choices--(Eating for Living Well)


Those of you who want to eat more thoughtfully might start with these premises:

1. know the source of your food, where  and how is it raised. Visit your local farmer's market more often.


2. select the freshest, nutritionally rich elements, the darkest vegetables, the richest in minerals and trace nutrients and prepare them simply: sautee in good oils, add salt sparingly, try simple seasonings such as orange or lemon juices.

3. go for variety, of color, texture, taste, smell.

4. add new grains, new foods, the less processed, the better.
5. get to know your providers. Support local farms and ranches. If you do, they can make a living, and your community thrives together.

The toughest element in preparing healthy meals is striving for variety. I had made a list of ingredients I wanted to have at hand for impromptu assembly-this is the way I cook-plus ingredients called for in recipes. By Wednesday, I was running out of ideas. So, for dinner, last night, I opened a frozen vegan meal to serve,called Orange Chicken. I had brown rice I cooked to go with the split pea soup at lunch, I had chick-pea salad for dinner. I wanted something else.

Bad idea. The Thing was awful; I threw it away; I didn't even feed it to the dog.



Today, asian slaw with peanuts and sesame seeds,  a tortilla wrap with avocado, carrot slivers,veggie burger patty and pico de gallo with lots of fresh cilantro. Bananas and peanut butter for dessert.

For dinner, parsley noodles with mushrooms, green salad with pine nuts and pesto dressing.  For dessert, cranberry walnut muffins, made with no butter and no eggs, but with flax seed whipped up with water to resemble and act as a binder. Clever, these vegans!

Do I need a recipe book? Yes, if I am new, inexperienced and need ideas.I needed to follow the recipe to bake without eggs and butter and white flour.

Go ahead, do one thing today.
Check the egg carton. How far do those eggs travel?

Now, if you hate planning and cooking your food, you better be rich and smart. Rich, so you can choose the establishments that will whip up your meals to your liking; and smart, to research and eliminate those establishments that do not care to feed you in a healthy way.

Sure, you have your preferences.
You love certain foods and will not give them up.
Ask yourself, how am I treating this machine-body of mine?



Tomorrow, I have no clue. I'm running out of ideas. Amy sent me an edemame recipe that I tried and loved! Thanks Amy. I am looking for variety here. I cook Italian most of the time. I need inspiration from other places.

Thanks in advance!

17 comments:

Brian Miller said...

some gd wisdom in that question...if we feel bad, we can proably trace it beck to what we put in...the lunch for today sounds good...

Unspoken said...

I am so glad you liked it :)! It is a simple favorite of mine. I am glad to hear you are on this healthy quest. My energy is amazing from eating very little sugar (I do have a little treat each day--just one!) and very little meat. I hope the change brings what you want.

velva said...

Your post is a gentle reminder to eat whole and healthy. Also, to enjoy.

As always, great post.

Tabor said...

I certainly try to avoid purchasing most things that are prepared or in a box. Simple ingredients in the box or package is necessary are best.

rjerdee said...

The way I go about vegan things, really, is without cooking much, not mixing ingredients much. Just eating whole foods from the market--raw, steamed, boiled, or grilled. Sometimes I have just one thing at a time and graze all day--scooping out an avocado, grilling a fillet, cutting up an apple. Can't really go out anywhere to eat...

Reya Mellicker said...

Fake meat is just awful, isn't it? Fake anything, eh?

For me, this change of eating habits some of us are embracing is a work in progress. Little by little, rather than making a big sweeping shift seems kinder not only to the psyche but body as well.

My favorite new restaurant on the Hill gets all its food from either Virginia or Maryland. Everything is organic or naturally grown. I love that place.

Good luck!!

Trish and Rob MacGregor said...

I must learn to eat before I visit your blog! Now I'm hungry. Great post!

potsoc said...

"Pico de gallo?" My Italian dictionary tells me it is a "Gallic hoe", that is meeting chewy fare. It has to be something else.

Rosaria Williams said...

Paul,
Pico de Gallo is a salsa, freshly cut tomatoes,onions,hot peppers, lime juice, salt,and lots of cilantro, used in Mexican/Southwest cuisine, with tacoes, burritos, etc.

Bonnie Zieman, M.Ed. said...

You sound as if you have been cooking as a vegan for years!!! You have such a good sense of how to put nice combinations together and how to provide variety!

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thanks for your visit - this is a return call. I do agree about eating well - particularly this time of year when there are so many fresh fruits and vegetables there is no excuse for eating badly. Do call and see me again. Best wishes.

Nancy said...

I just caught up on your last two posts. You and I are on the same page! My daughters, both living in Portland, are (1) vegan and (1) mostly vegetarian. We've embraced the mostly meatless lifestyle, but I have a hard time if I don't meal plan and put some effort into cooking. It's so easy to fall back into old meat habits. Throwing meat on the grill, etc. But every day I find that I crave meat less. You are so right about caring about our bodies. It's the least we can do for ourselves. Keep the recipes and ideas coming!

Sniffles and Smiles said...

I'm a vegetarian as you know...but you take it to creative heights...I'm thoroughly enjoying hearing all about your menus!! You inspire me!! Love, Janine XO

Cloudia said...

inspiring!






Aloha from Waikiki

Comfort Spiral

xxx said...

What about a vegen lasagna?

I often cook a vegetarian one to get some veges in disguise into my 6 year old.

Otherwise just google it :)

I hope you are enjoying your time in the kitchen.... I love it that you are learning new tricks.

x Robyn

Woman in a Window said...

There you are! You're doing brilliantly.

Rosaria, I am a lost case. I am a poor poor eater, but I try to throw in a few good things. Um, my good things vary...but perhaps I'll have an apple now, instead of gummy worms. (10:40 pm:))

xo
erin

Rob-bear said...

With vegan/vegetarian son, dil and grandkids, we had a lot of learning to do. What we serve is limited, usually by their tastes.

I have gone to having at least one meatless meal a day. Something my doctor and I discussed (as in discussing the benefits). Probably my favourite is a vegetable stew, which I cook on a semi-regular basis. (I'll give you the recipe if you'd like.)