One of the reasons we love fall is the huge variety of squashes in season. Pumpkin is one of most available, and so many people only eat it as pie, quick bread, or that flavored syrup they use at coffee shops (which is not pumpkin!). Here’s an excellent way to add pumpkin – and its beta-carotene and fiber – to your breakfast.
This recipe comes from The Get Healthy, Go Vegan Cookbook by Dr. Neal Barnard and Robyn Webb. It’s a companion to the vegan classes offered at www.pcrm.org. We love this book, and recommend it for delicious and easy vegan recipes (that aren’t full of weird ingredients) as well as solid information on being a healthy vegan. Oh, and there are all kinds of tips throughout the book, too.
From the book *
Serve this warm breakfast staple with nondairy milk. For a special treat, try pumpkin-spice flavored soy milk. Add a pinch of ground cloves for extra flavor. Oatmeal is touted as a heart-healthy food, and rightly so. Oats have soluble fiber, the type of fiber that helps to remove cholesterol from your body.
Did you know? Creamy or chunky? If you add oatmeal to cold water and then heat them together, the oatmeal comes out creamy. If you boil the water before adding the oatmeal, it comes out chunky.
Now make yourself a healthy breakfast!
(Honestly, while we were typing that last sentence, the commercial for a popular chocolate-nut spread came on the television, and we are still amazed that people think that is an appropriate breakfast for children – or anyone. Please. Do better. Start with this oatmeal.)
Pretend you’re going to move to the other side of town. Go through your living space and throw out everything that is not worth bringing with you – or not worth packing, even. It makes us feel secure to carry a lot of the old with us until we set up in the new, but there’s nothing like packing and moving into a new space to remind you of what’s important in your life.
We tend to keep certain sentimental artifacts because we’re afraid we’ll forget the memories attached to them without being able to hold onto or see something tangible. Eventually, however, these items take up space and become clutter.
In keeping with today’s theme of clutter control (“Say NO to Clutter!”), try this tip * Photograph everything you shouldn’t keep but don’t want to forget. This works especially well for your kids’ three-dimensional projects (science fair, dioramas, models of anything, etc.) from school or Scouts or camp. It’s so much easier to store a photo album.
Think of your clutter like an old ex-boyfriend – a photo or two is all you really need.
Trade in carbonated beverages for water, and see your weight change and your health improve. It’s not instant, but it’s a small change that will add up fast.
Sodas made with sugar or corn syrup add calories without nutrition, and lead to tooth decay (just ask your dentist).
Even diet sodas cause problems. The chemical sweeteners can lead to cravings for more sweet foods, or for salty foods (to balance the sweetness of the soda). Either way, you don’t need those extra foods. And we really don’t know what all those chemicals are doing in our bodies over time.
Drinking a carbonated beverage means drinking in gas… and then you have to get rid of the gas. No matter which end it comes out, it’s not the image you want to project. At least we don’t think so.
Yum, another appetizer for your upcoming holiday entertaining. Or enjoy it while watching a football game, or favorite family movie.
Some of our best family meals were “Snack Suppers” when we prepared a buffet of hors d’ouevres for everyone to choose from. A few guidelines (“you must choose two vegetables,” “you may not eat all the shrimp”) and a good variety meant everyone had a good meal and a good time. Don’t be afraid to mix it up when it comes to family meals.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ LoriT’S Crostini Spread Green * Serves 10
6-8 whole garlic cloves
2 cups fresh or 1 can crushed tomatoes (with juice)
1/4 cup pine nuts
chopped basil to taste
1/4 cup chopped olives (black, green, or mixed)
olive oil
whole-grain baguette
In an oven-proof dish with a good fitting lid, combine all ingredients except oil and bread. Sprinkle dish with olive oil. Cover and bake at 350F for one hour. Remove from oven, let set 5 minutes, then lightly mash garlic into rest of ingredients.
Slice the baguette into thin slices on a diagonal. Serve with the crostini spread.
Being thankful is one of those things that we think we’re doing, when we could give it a lot more attention. Focused attention.
Starting today, take a few minutes each day (or several times each day) to turn inward, to focus on whatever you believe in, to offer gratitude for your day is refreshing for your spirit.
Meditation encompasses a lot of different practices and is used by a lot of spiritual disciplines. Don’t get hung up on the details. If it seems “too foreign” you’re over-thinking it.
Just sit down. Take a few slow, deep breaths. Then play the song. Sing along, or just listen. Think about what you want to say “thank you” for.
During the month of November, we’re reminding ourselves to say NO. Today? Say NO to negativity.
It sounds illogical, but get past the grammar, and it makes sense.
There are plenty of negative people in our lives. Some of them are perpetual victims, always ready to lay blame on someone else. Some of them are glass-half-empty folks, unable to see all the water in the bottom half of the glass. Some of them are probably clinically depressed, and may benefit from therapy or medication.
It gets difficult to be around negativity, so … free yourself from it. If you find yourself being pulled down, excuse yourself or change the subject. Or if someone needs your help with depression, help them – and then find some support to help you regain your balance.
If you’re one of the negative people (and we all have our days, you know?), try to be aware of your negative thinking and negative words. When you hear yourself think or say something negative, counter it with a few positive statements. Focus on the good – see the beauty – feel the joy. If you need outside help, then ask for it, and follow through on it.
If you don’t have your Thanksgiving Day plans made already, don’t delay!
Where are you eating? Home? At a relative’s or friend’s home? At a restaurant?
What time are you eating? (In some families this means “When is the football game?” or “When does the Parade end?”) Are there work schedules or in-law plans or travel plans to work around?
Who will be present? Are there food allergies or preferences to consider? Age-appropriate activities to prepare?
What’s the menu? What food are you responsible for? What are other people bringing?
Don’t let the holidays sneak up on you. Make your plans now.
Look, anyone can find a reason to skip exercise. They’re everywhere, and some of them are even kind of reasonable. But not every day. And not forever.
Make daily fitness easy on yourself.
Figure out what time of day will cause the fewest interruptions. For most people, that’s first thing in the morning. Does that mean maybe getting up earlier? Sure. It also means a metabolic boost all day for your body, and a mental boost to your day for your mind. And as our member Bloodqueen would say, it also feels righteous, which means you’ll have a sense of accomplishment and pride to start your day, too. And when it’s time to go to bed, your body will know it, and you’ll even sleep better.
If you have kids at home, you and your partner may need to trade off days – one with the kids, and one at the gym. That’s great – it shows commitment to each other’s health as well as your own.
It’s easier to get the sugar out of your menus and diet if it’s out of your kitchen.
Don’t add sugar to any of your food or beverages. Stop putting sugar in your coffee or tea – use stevia or agave syrup instead. Leave it off your cereal – add a banana or some raisins.
Get rid of the white foods. That’s white and brown sugar (brown sugar is just white sugar with added molasses), powdered sugar, white flour, white pasta, white rice, white bread. Replace them with sweeteners that are less refined, whole-grain flour, pasta, and bread, and brown rice.
Read labels. Get rid of anything that contains sugar, fructose, sucrose, or other -ose ingredients. Pay attention to foods that, if you were cooking from scratch, you would never add sweeteners – like chicken broth, soup, canned vegetables, peanut butter, etc.
