Our children (just like us) may want to eat not out of hunger, but out of the lack of control they feel somewhere else in their lives. You may want to check out your own habit of eating out of stress. Children pay attention to everything we do, even when we wish we weren’t doing it.

~ Marilu Henner, Healthy Kids: Help Them Eat Smart and Stay Active–for Life!

Food is not your enemy, but a powerful friend. Just respect its properties.

Have a good time with it, as you would a dear friend. Gut fill is just eating until you feel full (which you don’t notice until well after your stomach is full). What kind of friend is that?

• Put an end to fast-dash meals, and really dine when you eat. Really – check the clock on your next family meal. If you’re currently spending less than 10 minutes together at the table, try to double it. Enjoy and appreciate the food and the company.
• Think consciously about what you prepare and serve for meals. Consider the colors, flavors, and textures of the food you’re serving. Make each ingredient shine.
• Food is primarily fuel, but it can still taste great and be presented beautifully. You won’t need large quantities to showcase beautiful meals.

We had an excellent HOT for the Holidays class the past three weeks. Coach JanB helped up organize and clean our homes, think about gifts, plan our parties (hosting and attending), and find ways to take care of ourselves in the midst of it all.

Even though the class is officially over, there was so much information that quite a few members started the class all over again yesterday. If you missed out on the class the first time, take it now! You won’t miss out! (JanB is still there, helping out, too.)

• Members can log in here on the home page and hop right onto the class message boards or check out the class home page.
• If you’re not a member, join now and take advantage of all the tips and tricks to get through the rest of the year.

If you took the class already, you can “change majors” this time around or just reinforce what you’ve been working on from the start. The class message boards will stay open through December so please avail yourself of the resources here. Sometimes just connecting with others can be nice little break in the day. Marilu.com is a great stress reliever!

The next time you go to the health food store, pick up extras of the products you really like that someone on your gift list would like, too. You can even make a gift basket with ingredients for a healthy pantry meal, or for some of your favorite staples. Friends who are not very adventurous might enjoy a first-cold pressed extra virgin olive oil and some balsamic vinegar – and the recipe for a really quick and easy vinaigrette. Adventurous cooks might enjoy something like nori and a sushi mat. Exotic gifts like truffle oil or saffron might be appreciated.

Don’t forget the health and beauty aisle – there are all kinds of fun and pampering natural products there. We’ve given some awesome Fair Trade lotions made in Africa, and a skin brush (with instructions) is a great gift.

Look around the next time you’re shopping – what do you wish you’d known about earlier? It probably makes a great gift!

Green living bonus * Buy reuseable grocery bags or dish towels to use as gift wrap.

We like this stir-fry because the ingredients yield an authentic flavor. It’s also really fun to make and eat your food with your fingers (especially fun for families that need a break from “rules”).

This recipe calls for cooked brown rice. If you don’t usually have the luxury of time when preparing a meal, then plan ahead. You can cook and then freeze grains for later use. We like to measure the cooked grains (1 or 2 cup portions) and put them into freezer-weight zipper bags. Then we freeze them flat, because they’re easier to store in the freezer that way, and they thaw more quickly, too. Just be sure to label the bags with the grain, the date, and the amount.

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My Favorite Stir-Fry
Yellow * Serves 6

For the sauce *
3 Tablespoons tamari (or low-sodium soy sauce)
1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon barley malt syrup
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon kuzu (or cornstarch), optional

For the stir-fry *
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
3 scallions, thinly sliced
2 medium leeks (white part only), washed and thinly sliced
2 teaspoons fresh ginger root, peeled and minced
3 fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, julienned
1 cup bamboo shoots, drained
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1-1/2 cups cooked brown rice
1 Tablespoon brown rice vinegar
1 head romaine lettuce, washed and leaves separated

In a cup, combine the sauce ingredients and reserve. Heat a wok or large saute pan over moderately high heat, and add the oil, scallions, leeks, and ginger. Stir-fry for about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, bell pepper, bamboo shoots, almonds, brown rice, vinegar, and the reserved sauce. Cook until heated through.

Serve on a bed of lettuce, and if desired, eat by rolling up the rice mixture in the lettuce leaves.

Every human being was created with the unique capacity of bringing light in some form to this world! Chanukah celebrates the triumph of that light over selfish, dark, senseless impulses in humanity. Ultimately, this holiday teaches each and every willing and able person that in the battle of light and dark, light will always prevail and that light is infinitely more powerful than darkness.

We begin lighting the menorah with one candle. And we end up with eight. Why? Because goodness is contagious and lies at the natural essence of each created being!

So, in brief, Chanukah teaches us that we can all light up the world one good deed at a time, one little flame at a time. When you have done one good deed today, never be satisfied. Do one more tomorrow. And soon you will see that your candle, together within mine, will rid the world, once and for all, of the darkness of hatred and pain.

~ The Smiling Rabbi (formerly known as Rabbi Baruch Ezagui), quoted in an email from Debbie Ford

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Sometimes we have to eat in a restaurant that doesn’t really offer the kind of food we like to eat. You know; you’ve been in those restaurants. The cooks are not chefs, most of the food is prepared off-site and reheated, and the greenest thing on the menu is iceberg lettuce.

Here’s what we like to order in those places – sides. Combine a couple of these and you’ll have a meal you can live with.

• A baked potato (dry)
• An order of the vegetable of the day (no sauces, and preferably no butter)
• A side salad (no cheese, no croutons, oil and vinegar)
• A scoop of tuna salad or chicken salad
• An egg (and maybe some salsa on the side!)
• A scoop of rice (if it’s brown rice, even better)
• A side of salad dressing (look for dairy-free options like vinaigrette, or maybe even thai peanut!)

It’s also kind of fun to see your server’s expression when you move food around – putting the vegetables on the potato and topping it all with salsa or a sprinkle of vinagrette; moving the tuna salad to the top of the side salad and adding the vegetables around the edge, mixing the egg and vegetables and topping with salsa, rice and vegetables topped with peanut salad dressing….

Be creative. Look at the menu as though everything is a la carte, and then order that way.

• When you’re going out holiday shopping (looking or buying), put on comfortable clothes and good walking sneakers.
• Carry a small purse that won’t weigh you down.
• Park at the far end of the lot or ramp (if you have a choice!).
• Make your first lap around the mall without buying anything – walk with a bit of speed and purpose, and plan where you’ll stop on your second round.
• When you get several bags, walk them out to the car, then return for more shopping (that is, more walking).
• Be sure to take water breaks. If you need a snack, choose the healthiest option – after all, you’re fueling a workout!

School lunches stand to get a little bit better soon.

Full article here.

This bill isn’t a perfect fix – it’s a leap along the road to that end, though. Our friends at Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) are still working toward further improvements. The original House bill had better requirements for vegetarian protein alternatives and dairy alternatives, but the House chose to adopt the Senate bill in order to accomplish something (rather than nothing). Read more about that here.

We posted a recipe for latkes and applesauce last year for Hanukkah – check it out. They’re a great light supper, even if you don’t celebrate the holiday.

Here’s another wonderful recipe for Hanukkah that the whole family will enjoy. It takes a little time to make bread, but it’s not difficult, and the results are worth it.

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Basic Challah
Yellow * Makes 4 loaves

4 packages dry yeast
3-1/2 cups warm water
1/2 cup milled cane sugar or Florida crystals
1-1/4 teaspoons salt
13 or 14 cups unbleached flour
6 cage-free eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon honey
poppy seeds (optional)

In a large bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and let it sit until it dissolves. Add the sugar, salt, and half the flour and mix well. Beat 5 eggs and stir in with the oil. Add in the remaining flour, 1 cup at a time. Turn the dough onto a floured board and knead for 10 minutes. If the dough is too moist, add a little more flour When it becomes smooth, the dough is ready to rise.

Place it in a large bowl, smear the top with oil, cover with a kitchen towel, and let rise for 1 hour. Set the raised dough on a baking sheet. Separate the dough into 4 portions (one for each loaf). Then separate each portion into three equal pieces, and roll them into thick ropes. Braid the three ropes into a loaf, and repeat for each portion of dough (for four braided loaves). Let the loaves rise for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350F. In a small bowl, beat the remaining egg and blend with the honey. Brush each loaf with the egg-honey glaze, sprinkle with poppy seeds if desired. Bake for 1 hour or until golden brown.