Make this satisfying vegan meal and take advantage of fresh produce, too. (It’s not as hard as it looks.)

When you buy fresh ginger, peel and finely grate the whole root. (We try to buy a piece that’s finger-sized rather than hand-sized, so we don’t have too much extra.) The best grater for ginger is a microplane, or you can use a special ginger grater (usually made of porcelain). Measure out the amount you need, then wrap the rest tightly in plastic wrap and put it in a freezer-weight zipper bag. Freeze until you need it again. No waste!

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Soba Noodles with Shredded Vegetables and Peanut Sauce
Green * Serves 4

1 medium carrot, cut in matchstick pieces
1/4 pound snow peas, strings removed, sliced lengthwise into thin strips
1/2 pound button or shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced (remove stems of shiitakes)
1/2 cup vegetable stock or water (plus a little extra)
3 Tablespoons creamy peanut butter
2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon brown rice syrup
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
10 ounces dried buckwheat soba noodles
1 Tablespoon dark sesame oil
2 Tablespoons dry sherry
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
2 cups finely shredded green or napa cabbage
1 cup fresh mung bean or soybean sprouts
4 lime wedges

In a small bowl, whisk together the stock, peanut butter, vinegar, rice syrup, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and cayenne until well combined. Set aside.

Bring about 12 cups water to a boil in a large pot. Add the soba noodles and stir to separate. As soon as water returns to rolling boil, add 1-cup cold water. Return to boiling, then immediately turn off heat and leave noodles in hot water for 5 minutes. Drain well without rinsing.

Heat oil and sherry in a wok or heavy bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add carrot, snow peas, cabbage, mushrooms, and salt. Stir-fry for 4-5 minutes, until veggies have begun to wilt. Add peanut sauce and cook about 1 minute, until bubbling. Add the noodles and toss gently, until well combined with sauce and veggies. Add another few tablespoons of stock if mixture seems to dry.

Divide among four heated serving bowls and top each with 1/4 of the sprouts. Nestle a lime wedge into each bowl and serve immediately.

Oh, we haven’t said that in a long time.

And now that it’s spring, and the weather is (at least periodically) warm and sunny, and the sidewalks are (usually) clear, it’s time to update your iPod/mp3 player, put on your walking shoes, and get outside for a daily walk.

The air is good for you. The movement is good for your muscles and joints. Looking into the distance is good for your eyes. So many of us sit most of the day, and focus on things only a few feet away. A daily walk, even if you only have time to go to the corner (big city) or around the block (suburb or town) or down the lane to the gravel road (farm), can even help you clear out some mental stress.

Do your body some good and get moving! Take a walk today.

The album is on sale right now and the band has a cool bluegrassy sound – and that just sounds like it belongs outside.

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Walk around your home and make a list of everything that needs to be done in each room. Include the big jobs like repair or replace broken fixtures, retouch or repaint walls, restore or reupholster furniture – and the little jobs like dust the cobwebs from the corners and ceilings, clean the light fixtures, soak the lime deposits from the faucets, clean the oven.

Prioritize the jobs using the ABC method – the A’s have top priority for both your time and money; the B’s need to get done, but maybe not immediately, and the C’s can probably wait.

Talk over what needs to be done, and assign responsibilities and a timeline for the A jobs. There’s no need to get it all done at once, especially if you have a plan for making it happen.

We love greens! Kale, collards, beet greens and bok choy are a wonderful source of vital nutrients. Not only do they contain antioxidants, vitamins A, B and K, iron, lutein and omega-3s, but dark, leafy greens can also help reduce inflammation and lower cholesterol levels, and protect the immune system. Greens are actually better for you after they’ve been cooked, so here’s a recipe that uses cooked greens.

Everyone loves dip, right? So make your dip healthy and nutritious. This recipe makes a boatload of dip, so you can easily halve it, or serve it at a big party. Use it to fill a hollowed-out round of whole grain bread, or serve it with toasted whole-grain baguette slices – and a big platter of veggies.

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Greens Dip
Blue * Makes about 6 cups

2 large bunches spinach
1 bunch red chard
2 leeks
1 bunch elephant kale (the long, skinny, dark kind – but any kind would work)
8 cloves roasted garlic
1 cup Vegenaise
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
pine nuts (optional)
salt (or Bragg’s Liquid Aminos) and pepper to taste

Clean the greens under running water, or fill sink with cold water and let them soak, swirling them a few times to loosen dirt that will sink to the bottom. Rinse under running water and remove the stems, ripping the greens into 2″ pieces or so and putting them in a bowl. Shake off water when you rinse them, but leave a bit on the leaves.

Cut off the root end of the leek and the opposite end at a light green/still tender part. Cut in half length wise and rinse out any dirt, fanning the layers, then slice crosswise in 1/2″ pieces.

Heat a little olive oil in bottom of large saute pan or dutch oven. Add leeks and saute until soft – about 3-4 minutes. Add greens (you may have more greens than pot space at first, if so, just add till it’s full, then add the rest once it cooks down). Put lid on, reduce heat to med-low and let the greens steam down. Check it after about 4-5 minutes, stir to mix in with the leeks and add more cleaned greens until they’re all in the pot. Keep lid on, and check every 5-8 minutes, stirring to make sure nothing is sticking. If it seems a bit dry, add some water (or stock if you prefer). Season lightly with salt or Bragg’s and a bit of finely ground pepper.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the Veganaise, mustard, and nutritional yeast. This will make a thick sauce base, and for the dip I’d leave it like this and not dilute it (you can also take this base, dilute it with just a bit of water and have a nice, creamy salad dressing or dipping sauce for steamed veggies).

Once the greens are tender (not mushy, but tender), drain any excess liquid and let them cool for a few minutes. Place all but 1/2 cup of the greens in the food processor, along with 6 cloves of the garlic. Start by adding about 1/2-3/4 cup of the Veganaise mix. Blend, and really the additional sauce base you add is up to you – how creamy do you want it. Blend till completely smooth.

Take remaining 1/2 cup of greens, chop finely and fold into dip. Take the remaining 2 cloves of roasted garlic, chop finely and fold into dip. (Optional – put it all in the blender and blend so there is still some texture, but it’s basically chopped.)

If you want the pine nuts, toast them in a hot pan till just browning. Let cool and sprinkle on top of dip.

Fans and followers of Marilu Henner know that she has an uncanny memory. She’s been recognized as one of seven people who have “hyperthymesia,” a kind of effortlessly encyclopedic memory.

Read more about hypertymesia and a new documentary about it here. We’ll keep you posted on the air date for the 60 Minutes piece on the same subject.

You’ve had those days. We’ve all had them.

• The plans you had for a really healthy breakfast ended when you saw that all the fruit had grown moldy.
• The plans you had for exercise went down the drain when you saw it was raining outside.
• Your power suit doesn’t quite fit like it used to.

Let’s not run and hide from the truth we know inside.
Life can trip you up on a perfect day.

You’re living without a Plan B. Be flexible, because life does happen.

• You can eat a bowl of oatmeal or some whole grain toast with almond butter for breakfast.
• You can exercise inside when the weather is nasty outside – or, if you won’t melt (*wink*), you can exercise out in a light rain, too.
• If you take care of yourself, your power suit will fit better (and you’ll feel more powerful in it).

How do you keep from getting tripped up on a perfect day?

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If you missed last week’s chat with Marilu and the PCRM crowd, it’s here!

Read the chat transcript here.

If you’ve enjoyed Marilu’s chats with the PCRM crowd, you’ll love taking a class at Marilu.com. Marilu chats with members several times each month, answering your questions about health, nutrition, diet, exercise, and living with gusto! Sign up now, and take two classes in April!

• THM on a Budget * Good Health ~ Smart Money * April 5-15 * You don’t have to spend more on groceries or break the bank to live a healthy lifestyle. Coach CindyR shares her tips for being a good steward of both body and bank account.
• The Role of Your Life * April 19-30 * A Marilu.com exclusive! Using exercises from acting classes, you’ll learn how to live as the star of your own show. This is a Total Health® class, where you’ll make connections between how you think about yourself and how you eat, dress, and project yourself. Fight self-sabotage with this class.

I met actor and author Marilu Henner, who has written eight books on diet and health, at the 2010 Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim in March. Here’s her enthusiastic and very sensible endorsement of organic food.

~ Dr. Andrew Weil

Andrew Weil, M.D. – Marilu Henner Enthusiastic About Organic Food from Andrew Weil, M.D. on Vimeo.

Photo by D.S.

Treat yourself to some flowers for your home. There’s never enough beauty in the world, so add it wherever and whenever you can.

If your garden is already blooming, cut a few stems and bring them inside. If the snow is barely melted where you live, splurge on a grocery store bouquet or a few stems from the florist. Need extra greens? Pick up a bunch of parsley to add to the flowers.

Put the flowers where you’ll see them all the time – on the kitchen counter, in the bathroom, on your kitchen table. Let them make you happy all day.

Governor Jennifer Granholm has declared today to be Michigan Meatout Day!

“Whereas, A wholesome diet of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains promotes good health and reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and other chronic diseases, which take the lives of approximately 1.3 million Americans each year; and,

“Whereas, The number of those who choose to live the lifestyle of a vegan or vegetarian has increased and so has the availability and selection of meat and dairy alternatives in mainstream grocery stores, restaurants, and catering operations; and,

“Whereas, Reducing the consumption of meat or not eating meat at all can significantly decrease the exposure to infectious pathogens such as salmonella, E. coli, and campylobacter, which take the lives of several thousand Americans and sicken millions more each year; and,

“Whereas, The benefits of a plant-based diet can consist of increased energy levels, lower food budget costs, and simplified food preparation and cleanup; and,

“Whereas, It is encouraged that the residents of this state get into the habit of healthy living by consuming a diet that is rich with vegetables, fruit, and whole grains, and by staying active;

“Now, Therefore, be it Resolved, That I, Jennifer M. Granholm, governor of the state of Michigan, do hereby proclaim March 20, 2010, Michigan Meatout Day in Michigan. In observance of this day, I encourage the residents of this state to choose not to eat meat. Eating a healthy diet can be fun. Explore the different recipes that can be created by using fresh ingredients and by having a sense of adventure.”

~ The Honorable Jennifer Granholm, Governor of Michigan, proclamation