Adrenals.

You may know exactly what they are, what they do and where they sit in your body.

Or, you may just have heard the term adrenal fatigue.

So many people have it and use the phrase that its virtually become synonymous with everyday living!

Your adrenals are your “fight-or-fight” gland. They secrete cortisol and adrenaline. They’ll readily release excesses of those hormones under times of stress, flooding the system with a profusion of biochemicals that send the body and brain into a tailspin.

Evidence of taxed adrenals can take many forms:

• weight gain
• severe fatigue
• depression, anxiety and overwhelm
• skin troubles such as dry skin, hair and nails
• and a cascade of other hormone challenges including PMS, infertility, low libido, challenged menopause and more!

This is why I love Revitalize: A TrulyFood Winter Cleanse, where we get to support and begin to bring balance to those poor little stressed out glands.

Here’s where I have to confess: I’ve been working like a dog lately. While I knew that the last two months were going to be a stretch, knowing and doing are two different things. Through it all, I’m so thankful that I have my handy-dandy toolbox of tricks to keep be feeling energized, alert and balanced. If I didn’t I wouldn’t be sitting here writing to you right now!

It’s this toolbox that Andrea Livingston and I are going to share with you this weekend inRevitalize: A TrulyFood Winter Cleanse. But I wanted to give you a few pointers right here!

My Top 5 Tips for Supporting Balanced Energy:

1. Reduce or eliminate caffeine (you can read more about coffee and adrenaline in this article I wrote last month)
2. Balance blood sugar (ditch the rollercoaster)
3. Avoid the feeling of deprivation (wait until you try the food on the Winter Cleanse!)
4. Sleep! (to bed, to bed sleepy head)
5. Find your cradle . . . (these are the places where you feel most held and supported; go lean!)

Just what does this have to do with feeling Dandy?

Well, the Dandy Blend in my cupboard serves each one of my goals for supporting my adrenals and harnessing my stamina and moxie in even the most trying times.

Dandy Blend is one of those instant herbal coffee substitutes, and I love it.

It’s caffeine-free, gluten-free, non-GMO and super yummy IMO. It adds just a touch of sweetness to every drink while still keeping that full-bodied flavor.

Lately I’ve been experimenting with it in smoothies (see below) and elixirs (check out the Mocha Dandy Latte at the bottom of the coffee article) with great and varied results.

And it keeps the Top 5 in check.

• I can easily reduce the caffeine with a viable substitute.
• I balance my blood sugar by sipping delicious and warming drinks between meals when needed.
• I totally side-step the deprivation by indulging in the yumminess.
• Sleep is more dreamy as a result of not coffee-dipping.
• And I most definitely find some cradling support with my hands wrapped around a warm mug of goodness on these chilly winter days.

Check! All 5 tips for supporting my balanced energy in one Dandy cup of brew. I’ll take it! I hope you’ll join me too!

Warmly,

P.S. Dandy Blend is made from the water-soluble extracts of five ingredients; three roots and two grains (barley and rye), not from the ingredients themselves. This is how it can contain the extract of those glutenous grains and still be gluten-free. You can read more about how that works by clicking right here.

Dandy Green Superfood Smoothie

This has become one of my favorite blood-sugar balancing and energizing ways to start the morning in the cool winter months. It’s infinitely adaptable. Don’t worry if you don’t have all the exact ingredients. Play around and give it a smoothie whirl!

ingredients:
2 cups water
1-2 tablespoon inner-eco liquid coconut probiotic kefir
1 scoop protein powder (either Plain Defense Nutrition Warrior Whey OR Plain Sun Warrior Fermented Brown Rice)
1 green apple, chopped
1 handful spinach, washed
1 small knob fresh ginger (about thumbnail sized)
2 teaspoons Dandy Blend powder
2 teaspoons Frank’s Finest Autumn Blend OR 1-2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 pinch sea salt
1 good-sized-squirt liquid vanilla stevia

preparation:
With a high-speed blender, throw all ingredients into the container and blend on low-medium for about one minute. (If you don’t own a high-speed blender like a Vitamix or a Blentec, chop all ingredients more thoroughly before attempting to blend.)

serves 1 to 2

Gong Hey Fat Choy!

(That means Happy Chinese New Year.)

Back in the days when I worked in book publishing, Chinese New Year was a grand time for sweet indulgence and taking a deep breadth. I worked with suppliers from around the globe, but most were located in China, with offices in Hong Kong.

When I traveled to Hong Kong it was hard work. I was often on press check, woken up around the clock to go to the print factory and look over sheets as they came off the printing presses. Certain books wouldn’t be printed without my approval and it took a keen eye and stellar fortitude to check for color perfection at 2, 3, 4am. Though not much could bring me to tears, the pressure of those excursions could, and often would!

But there was always the reward.

The reward for me in Hong Kong was the food.

Time after time my Chinese colleagues would ask me: What kind of food do you want tonight? My response was always the same: Chinese of course!

There was Cantonese, Hunan, Szechuan and more. There was Dim Sum, hot pot and these little lotus buns I would procure from tiny bakeries tucked down damp alleys early in the morning. While I could let the chicken feet go, I was keen on walking the wharf with my printing friend Francis (who was also an amateur fisherman). He would buy the fish fresh off the boat, take it to the hole-in-the-wall restaurant down the pier, and tell the chef exactly how to prepare it. It was food heaven.

My biggest surprise came in the form of dessert. Sweet bean soups and squares of jelly, like thick Jell-o, unusual yet satisfying in both flavor and texture.

It was several more years before I found the constituent that turned those bean pastes and fruits into little wobbly squares of sweetness. It was agar agar! A clear, flavorless seaweed that works like magic.

I first bought it unknowingly to create the blueberry glaze in a Lemon Pudding Cake in Myra Kornfeld’s The Voluptuous Vegan over a decade ago. And there it was. . .

The secret ingredient.

Back in San Francisco, with advance copy books and press sheets piled around me, when Chinese New Year rolled around, my colleagues sent me their good wishes in the form of oranges, sticky cakes, almond cookies and luscious little moon pies. And then they would disappear. For two weeks there were no faxes, no emails, no packages and no after-hour phone calls. They were off to celebrate with family and friends. And all work came to a pleasant pause.

Though I no longer eat some of the ingredients that were included in those delicacies (or work in book publishing), it’s fun to tinker with alternatives that rekindle my Chinese culinary fancy. It’s also quite lovely to think of that sweet pause!

And thus my recent obsession with agar.

Happy year of the DRAGON!

Very warmly,

P.S. Are you ready for a pleasant pause?
Ring in the (Chinese) New Year with delicious foods to nourish your kidneys and adrenals with this season’s TrulyFood Cleanse. Revitalize: A TrulyFood Winter Cleanse.

The adrenal glands produce hormones essential for your overall health. Symptoms of adrenal imbalance include fatigue, non-refreshing sleep, salt cravings, muscle and joint aches & pains, weight issues, irritability, hair loss and more.

Don’t let the symptoms rule your life and get you down. Take a pause from your regular habits of coping. Come learn how to nurture yourself back to health and vitality. Click here for details.

Pear Agar Jellies

There’s no need to be scared of seaweed. Really. It goes well beyond sushi with myriad possibilities for flavor sidestepping the salty sea. Seaweeds are a natural way to boost your immunity, cleanse your body of toxins and protect you from heart disease and cancer. And not that I’m a calorie counter, but you can make a no-to-low cal. something to satisfy your afternoon snack attack. Agar-agar has no calories at all!

serves approximately 2 to 4

ingredients:
4 cups water
1 tablespoon agar-agar flakes
2 Red Bartlett Pears, cored and chopped
1-1/2 to 2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 good squirt liquid vanilla stevia
pinch sea salt
nutmeg for sprinkling (optional)

preparation:

1. Heat the 4 cups of water in a pot to boil. Add the agar flakes and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring to allow the agar flakes to dissolve.
2. Allow the agar water to cool slightly and then pour the contents of the pot into a blender. Add remaining ingredients. Blend on high until liquified.
3. Taste the warm blended mixture to make sure it meets your taste requirements. Add more spice or sweetener to taste.
4. Pour the liquid into molds, Jell-o cups, or a flat glass dish. Sprinkle with nutmeg if you choose. (If choosing the flat glass dish, allow the jelly to harden and cut it into squares or shapes with a cookie cutter.)

Agar-agar: The Secret Ingredient

Agar is a vegetarian gelatin. It’s made from red seaweed that is processed into bars, flakes or powders. You may find the bars labeled as ‘kanten’.

According to Myra Kornfield:
“One kanten bar is equivalent to 1/4 cup flakes. Either one bar or 1/4 cup flakes is the correct amount to gel 1 quart of liquid. The amount can vary depending on what else is in the recipe. The powder is five times as strong as the flakes, so 1 tablespoon of powder is equivalent to 5 tablespoons of flakes. Use the powder only when you are also using a sweetener such as maple syrup, never when you want to gel only juice. This is because the powder has a bit of a sea-taste that the flakes and bars do not have.”

You can usually find agar flakes or bars in health foods stores or Asian markets.

The Health Benefits of Agar:

: : Agar-agar has a very cooling thermal nature. This means it can help reduce internal inflammation and heat conditions such as headaches, fevers and even acne!

: : Agar’s cooling effect can also help relieve that heavy feeling after a meal.

: : Agar is rich in calcium and can help to counterbalance the acid-forming nature of commercial sweeteners in the blood.

: : It helps to eliminate constipation by lubricating the digestive tract. How perfect for after dinner!

: : This seaweed can help with weight loss and reduction. Not only does it have zero calories, but it contains an indigestible fiber that absorbs and retains water, ultimately making you feel fuller faster.

: : Agar soothes the digestive tract and is a great detoxifying agent. it binds to toxic and radioactive pollutants within the body which can then be expelled.

: : In the world of ayurveda agar-agar helps to balance all Doshas of the body.

Two more recipes to try with your agar!
1) This Lemon Millet Bar is a great make-ahead breakfast-on-the-go.

2) My son Gilbert and I are eager to try these tasty looking Coconut, Red Bean and Matcha delicacies with some key ingredients swaps (coconut sugar to replace the demura and full-fat coconut milk and almond milk to replace the ones listed here). If you try it before we do, let us know about your results on the Replenish PDX Facebook page!

Venturing into unknown territory is never easy. We’re a culture that generally wants ease, a quick fix, a magic bullet to avoid discomfort and disease.

Unfortunately, most opportunities for growth don’t come without a bit of distress and unease. For me, even the seemingly benign act of shooting video fell into the realm of disquiet. It took a tremendous amount of letting go, trusting the process and getting over myself.

There I was peaking into the tiny camera playback screen, trying to get a glimpse of a mini me that was about the size of an action figure, struggling to trust that the scene being captured would convey the message in my heart, that it would feel like ME.

I would look. Analyze. Criticize. And then get back on the other side of the camera.

It was only when I spoke my mantra, get over yourself, that I could shift from the skeptical analyst into authenticity and possibility.

Over the past week I’ve been watching over 300 Core Values Detoxers do the same. These are people who have taken on the challenge of 20 barre3 workouts in 25 days combined with a 10-Day full-on digestive detox. They’re brave. They’re witty. They’re caught in the throes of emotions and sensations that don’t always feel pretty.

Yet the magic seems to happen when they hand themselves over to the process, ditching the disbelief and expectation, softening the strong arm of effort and ambition. It’s a sweet combination of intention and absolution.

And here’s what some of those detoxers have stumbled upon in the process. . .

When I looked in the mirror this morning, I was surprised that my usually bloodshot eyes from allergies, lack of sleep and eye strain were bright, clear and SHINY! After 3 days, what a difference! They even feel better!

 

I was really surprised last night with my level of engery. I walked the couple miles round trip to the grocery. Typically I’m so tired by 7pm the last thing I want to do is another errand. If I absolutely had to go I would drive! The fact that I wanted a walk (it was chilly) was completedly unexpected and it felt great!

 

In general, I’m feeling good, sated, and for lack of a better word, free. I am also lighter almost 3 pounds so far! Today I’ve been tired, but I’m trying to drink even more water as that helps me sometimes. I figure, my body’s working hard to clean up my messes, so I’ll help it out with some more cleaning solution.

There may be other ways to say get over yourself.I could gently assuage myself by thinking about how hard it is to “get out of my comfort zone.” I could enlighten myself about “getting out of my own way.”

But somehow, the simple mantra get over yourself allowed me to step out of my comfort zone and get out of my own way all at the same time. It allowed me to find that sweet spot where intention and absolution meet. It left me open to the experience that would (and will) unfold in front of me.

Who knew that something that sounds so harsh could actually feel so incredibly Zen?

Warmly,

P.S. If you’re eager to find the comfort of that sweet spot while supporting the health of your adrenals, join me and Andrea Livingston of Phytofoods for Revitalize: A TrulyFood Winter Cleanse. It’s just around the corner! See details below.

What else is on my plate this month?

Cranberry Glazed Salmon
This recipe is getting rave reviews from the Core Values Detoxers, and I couldn’t agree with them more!

Coconut Bars
In our house, this came out more like a kugel than a bar. I replaced the eggs with a chia gel (3 tablespoons chia blended with 1 cup water) and replaced the honey with yacon. I also added some chopped 100% chocolate! It’s a hit!

Chickpea Piccata
I love capers! I left the breadcrumbs out. Who needs them?

Recently I’ve had coffee brain.

No, I haven’t been drinking coffee. It’s been years since I’ve had a cup. In my younger days I worked in coffee shops and savored lattes throughout the day. Then came the years where I sought out the best quality beans, ground them fresh each morning and delicately brewed the grind in a turkish tea pot on my stovetop for the most sumptuous elixir.

But those days are long over. So why the coffee brain? Well its all a matter of chemistry.

When I was studying nutrition, and going through several years of hard-core sciences to gain a solid physiological foundation, I had a cousin say to me: That’s interesting that you think of nutrition on a chemical level. I never would have thought about it like that. (Curiously, she was studying to be a doctor at the time.)

Her comment surprised me. And not just because of her field of study.

Chemistry is happening in your body every millisecond of every day. It’s happening right now! There’s no way to escape it, thankfully. When you eat a food, chemical processes take place to break down and utilize the nutrients and constituents of that food. Your cells don’t really eat a burger and fries for lunch. They don’t even eat a green smoothie! Instead that burger becomes an amino acid and the smoothie and fries become glucose to feed your cells, but only with the help of some major mechanical and chemical processes in your digestive system.

When you take drugs or pharmaceuticals, chemistry occurs that may thwart other chemical progressions in your body that have nothing to do with the reason you are taking that drug in the first place! This is often the cause of those pesky things called side effects.

Recently I turned that geeky part of my thinking-brain to coffee.

And earlier this week I delivered a preview BONUS class to the over 270 Core Values Detoxers. I wanted to give them a good jump start on their coffee detox before they dive into the full protocol next week!

Just what are you brewing inside your body when you drink that daily cup of coffee?

You’ll be super pleased to know that there’s been great research showing the many health benefits of coffee. The research spans from looking at the other stimulants besides caffeine contained in coffee ~ like theobromine (also contained in raw chocolate and which translates in Greek to theobroma, or “food of the gods”), to the advantages of a dark roast vs. a light roast on the health of stomach acid.

Even researchers are eager to defend their morning cup-of-Joe!

My concerns with coffee have less to do with their health promoting potentials than what’s actually going on in your body when the coffee enters the picture.

Whether coffee does the body good really depends on the body!

Like I said, its all a matter of chemistry.

As you likely know, coffee is primarily consumed for its mood elevating and stimulating effects. These take place about 30 minutes after ingestion. Those energizing results are due to coffee’s ability to increase both dopamine and adrenaline in your brain. Think about it: dopamine is the feel-good and pleasure chemical in your brain that makes you feel enlivened and in charge; adrenaline is associated with drive and motivation. The payoff is that you feel more alert and galvanized to tackle whatever is on your plate or ahead of you in your day.

But just like that Grande Latte, it doesn’t come without a price.

That increase in dopamine and adrenaline that you get when you drink coffee are achieved by blocking the brain chemical called adenosine. One of adenosine’s natural functions, as an inhibitory neurotransmitter, is to thwart the release of dopamine, but that’s not all it does.

Typically our production of adenosine, which is responsible for energy transfer at a cellular level (think ATP and ADP), modulating internal inflammation (which is at the root cause of most chronic disease), as well as the health of your heart increases with each hour you’re awake. So the longer you’re awake, the more adenosine you produce. And again, that increased production throughout the day is helping with cellular energy, quelling internal inflammation, and helping your heart to function properly. In this way adenosine suppresses the production of that dopamine and plays a role in promoting sleep and quieting arousal.

I have a dear friend from college who has struggled with insomnia for as long as I’ve known her. She’s had this problem more than half her life! Last year she decided to embark on one of my detoxes. And during that process, she kicked her long-term coffee habit. She’d never associated her morning coffee with her inability to sleep at night, but once she gave up the habit, she began to sleep like a baby for the first time in her life. That was a year and a half ago and she hasn’t gone back yet.

Sleep is only one of the ways in which coffee could be effecting your life and your body. Where else might there be some consequence in what you consume?

There’s really no reason to get too techy about what you eat, take or drink (unless, of course you want to). Instead you can think of it more like karma. Everything you ingest does have a cause and effect.

Eater’s Digest Homework:

Intro: Consider the karma of one meal you consume. Think about where the food and drink came from and what it might be doing inside of you. Get “meta” and think about the cause and effect of the grub.

2.0: Get karmic with an entire day of food consumption from your morning coffee to your midnight snack. Check it out! It could be fun.

3.0: Don’t be left out in the cold. Join the Core Values Detox to learn more about how you food affects your digestion, how your digestion effects your mood, energy, sleep, skin, breathing, mental acuity and more, and what you can do about it!

Everyone: Get a sneak peak at one of the coffee-free elixirs that will be included in the Core Values Detox to help satisfy the ritualistic aspects of the warm cup of coffee & enable those detoxers to kick their coffee habit to the curb! (Scroll down to the bottom of the page for the recipe.)

TWO spotlight courses

Core Values Detox

in conjunction with the Barre3 Core Values January Challenge

Commit. Optimize. Restore. Energize.
A new year and a renewed you.
Give yourself the gift of a fresh start.

Online Class Date: January 7th
Group Detox Dates: January 9th through January 19th

10 Days just for you!

You’ll enjoy healing and nourishing foods that will transform you in the new year so you can. . .
* drop the pounds that accumulated and set you back from your goals over the holidays
* ditch the routines that make you feel disheartened, deprived and defeated
* determine where your digestion is preventing you from looking and feeling your best
* develop healthy habits that will feel so good you’ll be inspired to make them last a lifetime &
* dive into delicious and nutritious options that appeal to your cravings and your waistline

If you’re not near a Barre3 studio, don’t fret! You can purchase a DVD to do your workouts from the comfort of your very own home and still join us for the online detox!

click here to learn more

Holistic Nutrition Lab

Calling all holistic health counselors!

Are you curious about some of that chemistry inside the body?

Want to learn it in a fun and provocative ways that you can take into your practice right away?

Are you just itching to have a deeper knowledge about nutrition so you can effect greater change for your clients?

You asked, I listened!

This is the step-by-step nutrition training series you’ve been dreaming of.

It’s the perfect supplement to your existing eduction.

Stay tuned for free videos soon to be released on Holistic Nutrition Lab!

click here to learn more

Mocha Dandy Latte
serves 2

ingredients
1 cup hot water
1 cup nut, hemp or coconut milk
2 teaspoons Dandy Blend (gluten-free coffee substitute)
1 to 2 teaspoons raw cacao powder
1 dropper full of liquid stevia
shake of cinnamon
1 teaspoon coconut oil or ghee

preparation
Combine all ingredients except the hot water in a cup with room to whisk or a blender. Whisk or blend until well combined. Pour into cup (if using a blender) and add hot water.

If you prefer this extra hot, heat the water along with the blended contents in a small pot on the stovetop until heated but not boiling.

Note: This mocha is kid-friendly!

As we truck on toward the end of 2011 I find myself glancing back over my shoulder at the year past and looking forward to 2012 with excitement and anticipation. (Check out my two January offerings at the bottom of this page!)

There’s so much to be grateful for this year. I’m especially savoring the developing relationship I have with my son, Gilbert, as he grows up and becomes more independent and clear about his own needs, desires and passions. I love how he opens the fridge and makes himself a snack of sauerkraut and carrots or black beans and corn chips or when he whips up personal drink concoctions in the blender. (The raspberry pink splotches on the wall I could do without.)

Eleven-years-old may bring a bit more eye-rolling, but I’ll take it if it comes with the laugher, compassion and communication we’ve been having together lately. This new year I wish for more of the same in terms of a graceful evolution of our mother-son relationship.

When I look back over the last year of recipEmails I realize there’s also an opportunity for a new development ~ one that includes Gilbert.

First, looking back. . .
At the start of 2011 I made the resolution to ‘Turn Over a New Leaf’. This meant that I set the goal to include yet more leafy greens and veggies into my diet. That goal was not just meant for me but intended as an invitation to you too. And recipEmails for 2011 included:

• Savoy Cabbage Stew
• Celeriac Soup
• Roasted Fennel & Hazelnut Soup
• Cilantro Infused Sancocho Soup
• Spring Dandelion Salad
• Asian Zucchini Slaw
• Cucumber Canapes
• A (Lemon) Green Smoothie
• and Nut-crusted Brussels Sprouts

If you were along for the ride, I’d say we got downright GREEN!

Glancing back a bit further, I decided to re-incorporate a tradition from my past. It’s a tradition that I adopted when I was first learning to cook and one that I’d like to pass along to Gilbert and to you as well in 2012.

It’s the tradition of recipe flagging.

What’s recipe flagging? Well, it involves those tiny little colored index tabs that you can pick-up at your local office store, and a cookbook.

In my early days of learning to cook, those cookbooks were borrowed from the library. Over the years I developed an obsession with purchasing cookbooks and I now have an excessively large and ever-growing collection. It’s a collection that gets little attention these days, as my schedule gets busier and my kitchen skills are developed enough that I can whip up a meal from random ingredients in the fridge and cupboard. But I’m recommitting to the collection and the flagging.

Recipe Flagging 101

1. Sit down with one cookbook on Sunday (or a specified day of your choice).
2. Flip through the cookbook and choose five-to-seven dinner recipes that look appealing.
3. Place one of your colored index tabs on the side (vertical) edge of the page.
4. Once you have chosen your recipes, make a grocery list from your selections.
5. Shop!
6. When you make the recipe, move the flag from the side of the page to the top. Rate it if you’d like. Mark if its one you’d like to make again. This is how you create your recipe “toolbox”.

Looking forward. . .
In 2012 it will be Gilbert’s job to make the choices and do the flagging. I’ll still do the shopping and the food prep, though he can help (and maybe take over a night or two!).

What I used to love most about this strategy was that I didn’t have to consider that age-old question “What’s for dinner?” when I finished work each day. Instead, I just flipped the book to the flagged page, knew I had all ingredients at-the-ready, and started in on the task at hand.

This year I’m returning to my cookbook collection. I’ll share it with you. To start things off, I’m working with one of my newest favorites, Thrive Foods by Brendan Brazier.

Happy recipe flagging and enjoy your beets!

Very warmly,

Beet Salad with Lemon-Herb Nut Cheese

This is my adaptation of a recipe from Raven’s Restaurant in Mendocino, CA as featured in Thrive Foodsby Brendan Brazier. I placed this dish in front of my son Gilbert and he gobbled it up within minutes!

serves approximately 2 to 4

ingredients: 

4 small red beets and their greens

dressing:
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1/8 cup chopped shallot
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 to 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (start with less and add according to your taste)
3-5 drops liquid lemon or plain stevia
a good pinch (or two) sea salt

lemon-herb nut cheese:
1/2 cup raw walnuts
zest from one lemon
juice from 1/2 lemon
1 clove garlic, peeled
pinch sea salt

sea salt and fresh pepper to taste

preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 450℉. Chop the greens off the beets right at the bulb. Chop the scraggly tail off the beet as well. Wash the beets and wrap them individually in a small sheet of parchment paper, twisting the paper around the top. Roast the beets for 30 minutes.
2. While the beets are roasting, prepare the dressing by adding all those ingredients into a blender until well mixed. Set aside. (You will have enough dressing to last beyond this salad unless you use extra greens that are noted here.)
3. Make the nut cheese by pulsing all the ingredients in a food processor until they resemble a course crumbled cheese.
4. Cut the stems off the beet greens. Slice the leaves into ribbons. Place them into a pan with a very small splash of water and saute until just wilted.
5. Remove the four bundles from the oven. When the paper is cool to touch, open them and allow the beets to cool. Slip off the skins and first cut the beet in half and then slice those halves into half moons.

to serve:
Arrange the beet greens on a small plate. Top with sliced beets. Drizzle with dressing. Sprinkle nut cheese on top. Add more sea salt and pepper to satisfy your taste buds.

BEETS: CAN’T BEAT ‘EM, JOIN ‘EM!

Beets were originally grown for their leaves, so don’t throw those greens away! I was sure to include the slivered leaves in this recipe, but you can eat them in any way that you would their close relative, chard.

The bulbs vary as much in flavor as they can in shape, size and color. The young and little ones, in spring and summer, can nearly be eaten whole (no worries about removing the skin after washing). They’re sweet and tasty. Later in the year you’ll want to remove those skins after cooking to reveal the luscious flavors.

As beets grow in the ground, the quality of the soil directly effects the nature of the beet. Organic beets, grown in compost-rich soil, are likely to impart a sweeter and cleaner taste. Borscht, kvass, juice, salad, saute, roast, shred, pickle. Whatever floats your beet.

The Health Benefits of Beets:

: : Beets are a great blood and nervous system tonic. They’re helpful for combatting anemia, aiding circulation and supporting the functioning of the heart.

: : The beet roots are a good source of several vitamins and minerals including calcium, magnesium, iron, vitamin B and vitamin C. Believe it or not, the leaves or beet tops are even more nutritious with additional stores of beta-carotene and folic acid.

: : There is a unique class of phytonutrients called betalains that is contained within the beet. These phytonutrients have great anti-inflammatory and anti-aging properties and support the body’s abilities to eliminate toxins. (Note: This class of phytonutrients is easily destroyed after too much heat. So include some raw and/or low cooked beets in your diet too!)

: : In keeping with its powers of detoxification, the beet root stimulates liver, bowel, kidney and lymphatic functions, enhancing the elimination of toxins and waste.

: : Beets also contain an impressive array of antioxidants that help them to be one of your best friends through the cold and flu season as well as a beneficial for the health of your eyes.

: : Those beet juices and soups, like borscht, are potent decongestants. They help to clear the phlegm brought on by coughs and colds.

: : Because of it rich antioxidant and pytonutrient properties, the beet has received some attention for its cancer-risk reducing potential. Eat beets to beat cancer!

: : Nitrates, a chemical compound often used to treat heart conditions, are abundant in beets. The nitrates widen the blood vessels to help the blood circulate. This helps to lower blood pressure and increase exercise endurance.

: : And my favorite health benefit from beets has to do with its role in the digestive system. Beets contain a specific type of fiber that facilitates digestion and absorption so that many conditions associated with stagnation, like headaches, fatigue and skin problems can be more easily alleviated. Beets also have a soothing effect on the digestive tract which can help to remedy heartburn and indigestion.

Digestion is a key focus of the Core Values Detox coming your way this January!

Wait a minute, aren’t beets high in sugar?
Yes, its true. Beets are a high in easily-assimilated sugars. These can provide a good and natural source of energy and revitalization when necessary, like after a workout. But if you’re following a strict anti-Candida or very low carbohydrate diet for other reasons, beets may not yet be your best friend.

Almost everyone I know loves a good cup of chai.

The truth is your chai loves you too. Not only is the warm cup of herbs and spices the perfect antidote to a busy and blustery day, but those typical chai ingredients are also loaded with effective seasonal healing powers.

Cinnamon.
Ginger.
Nutmeg.
Clove.
And I like to throw in a bit of turmeric for its great anti-inflammatory potential.

Sure, you can think of your chai as a blood sugar regulating, immune boosting, brain focusing, gastro-intestinal supporting, anti-inflammatory tonic. But I’d rather think of it as a treat with benefits.

Go ahead and try some of these yummy options by the fire this holiday season. I think you’ll agree. . .

Chai ~ off-the-shelf to in-your-pantry options

Option #1:
Good Earth Organic Original Sweet & Spicy Herbal ~ Caffeine-Free
This is my easy off-the-shelf tea of choice.

• When clients come to see me, this is the tea that we sip together. (They often leave asking:what was that tea?)
• When Sadie Lincoln, my friend, colleague, owner of Barre3 and collaborator on the January Core Values Challenge & Detox (see details below) asked me which tea to drink during her spring detox, this is the tea I suggested. (After trying it, she liked it so much I think she bought stock in the company!)
• When I hankering for a sweet treat but I don’t want an added caloric indulgence, I’ll brew an extra strong cup-a-this-tea and add a little coconut milk and liquid vanilla stevia. (I like to brew 2 or 3 bags at a time and let it sit and steep to accentuate the flavor.)

Yum! Yum! Yum!

 

Option #2:
Rooibos Montana Gold Loose Leaf Tea
If you prefer your tea loose and lovely, this is another favorite that tickles my taste buds with the flaovrs of cinnamon and orange.

Again, I recommend the strong-brew!

Option #3:
Chai Sweet Blend Concentrated Extract
I fell in love with this stuff after finding it in the Olympia Food Co-Op on my way from Portland to Seattle for a conference.

The conference was on cancer and nutrition and I especially appreciated sipping on my tea made with hot water and this yummy herb concentrate when we talked about the healing powers of herbs.

Note: The one problem with this option is its not easy to find!
I’m working on that and have been in communication with the owner of the company. Check your local health food store. Make a request. Let’s see if we can get this on your shelf!

This botanical water-soluble concentrate is a blend of cinnamon, ginger, vanilla, nutmeg and clove. Just a few squirts in your hot water does the trick. I’ve also been adding it to my homemade hot cocoa for a spicy chai cocoa elixir.

Option #4:
DIY Spice-Rack Chai
Now its time to get into your kitchen and make the best chai ever! While this is #4 on the list, its my NUMBER ONE choice for its flavor and health benefits. This recipe was inspired by a post by Mark Sisson of Mark’s Daily Apple.

ingredients:
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon Frank’s Dessert Blend
OR
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon + 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg + 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 cup warmed coconut milk (use full-fat Native Forest)
3/4 cup hot water or hot brewed rooibus tea
one half dropperful of vanilla liquid stevia
pinch of sea salt (optional)

preparation:
Add all powders to an 8 ounce tea cup. Pour in your warmed coconut milk and whisk to blend, making sure to dissolve any clumps. Add liquid stevia. Pour hot water over the top of the mixture. Carefully whisk, and enjoy.
(Alternately, use your Magic Bullet to blend the non-heated ingredients and then heat in a pan over the stovetop.)

I’m ready for a chai tea break. How about you?

Warmly,

P.S. This is your Consumer’s Report for the month of December. And this IS the month of consumerism (like it or not).

I’ve decided to help gear our consumerish tendencies in a healthy direction by posting some of my favorite gift and wish list items on the Replenish PDX Facebook page this month. Hop on over and give us a ‘like’ and you’ll not only see holiday recipe ideas, nutrition tips & tricks, but also some great gift-giving (or wish list worthy) ideas for the holidays.

Happy Healthy Holidays! Chai love you!

                    

I’m in shock. I arrived at my parents house for the Thanksgiving holiday last night and my mother greeted me with a folder filled with her chosen holiday recipes ~ clippings from magazines and printouts from the internet.

There, right in the folder, among the selection of gluten-free, sugar-free pies and homemade cranberry sauce, was a Bobby Flay recipe for Brussels sprouts with pomegranate and hazelnuts.

So why am I in shock? Well just a few years ago my mother wrinkled her nose at the thought of eating Brussels sprouts. She vehemently proclaimed her Brussel hatred. And now here they are among her preferred recipe pickings?

Thanksgiving has always been a distinct holiday in my family. As a kid we bucked tradition and traveled to different cities around the country ~ San Francisco, Boston, Williamsburg, Yosemite. It was our time for adventure. Our Thanksgiving dinner was reserved in advance and eaten in a fancy restaurant in our destination city that hosted an exclusive feast. (I particularly remember waitresses walking around with baskets of hot popovers.)

As we got older, Thanksgiving transformed into a holiday that was about my expected engagement (only slightly delayed) that I wrote about last year.

But through the years there are some ingredients of Thanksgiving that have remained the same: fun, family, feasting, turkey, adventure (whether on the road or in the kitchen), cranberries, apple pie and, now, Brussels sprouts!

You may be wrinkling your nose too (I know some of you are). But today I want to share with you an adaptation of the recipe that converted my own mother into a Brussels sprouts lover.

Happy Thanksgiving to you! Eat your Brussels! And thank you so much for being a part of my life.

Warmly,

                       

Hazelnut Crusted Brussels Sprouts

This recipe is adapted from the cookbook Veganomicon, where it appeared as cornmeal crusted Brussels sprouts. This year I decided to switch things up a bit, adding a bit more flavor, protein and seasonal flare. The results were scrumptious. My son Gilbert and I could eat them like candy!

serves approximately 4 to 6

ingredients:
8 Tbspns olive oil
1 to 1-1/2 lbs. Brussels sprouts
2/3 cup hazelnut flour
3 Tbspns chickpea (garbanzo) flour
1 tspn salt
2-1/2 tspn Frank’s Finest BBQ spice blend
OR
1/2 teaspoon each of the following spices plus extra salt to taste: paprika, powdered onion, powdered garlic, thyme, chipotle

preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 400℉. Prepare a large baking pan by pouring about 2 Tbspns of the oil into it and spreading it around the bottom of the pan.
2. Trim and wash the Brussels sprouts, shaking off any excess water, and pat dry lightly with a clean dish towel. Slice any really huge sprouts into two pieces. Place the sprouts in a large bowl, sprinkle with a little salt and dust with 1 Tbspn of chickpea flour, tossing to coat every sprout.
3. In a small bowl, mix together the hazelnut flour, remaining chickpea flour, salt and spices. Pour in 6 Tbspns of the oil and mix together with your fingers to form crumbs. Add the Brussels sprouts, toss to coat with the oiled crumbs, and press as much of the crumb mixture as possible onto them. It’s OK if some of the coating doesn’t stick to the sprouts.
4. Pour the coated sprouts and crumbs into the prepared pan and roll them around in the oil. Bake for 25 minutes, until the sprouts are browned and tender. Every 10 minutes or so while baking, turn the sprouts and crumbs with a wooden spoon or spatula, moving any overly browned crumbs on the edges of the pan to the center to prevent burning.

                     

BRUSSELS SPROUTS: YOUR THANKSGIVING LIFESAVER

Brussels sprouts are a member of the Brassica family which also includes cabbage, broccoli, kale, and collard greens. They were widely cultivated around Brussels, Belgium during the 16th century, which is how they got their name. I read somewhere that in a 2002 survey, they were named the most hated veggie in Britain. What were those people thinking? They certainly haven’t tried the Brussel sprouts that converted my mom’s taste buds!

Brussels sprouts can be purchased loose (as seen to the left) or on the stalk (as pictured below). When buying these tiny little cabbages, look for a fresh green color, and try to get them when they are tight and compact rather than fluffy. They will be sweeter this way.

The Health Benefits of Brussel Sprouts:

: : One cup of Brussels sprouts contains four grams of dietary fiber. This fiber will aid in digestion, prevent constipation, maintain low blood sugar and keep overeating in check.

: : Myriad antioxidants are found in Brussels sprouts, including Vitamins C, E, and A, as well as the mineral manganese. In addition, the flavonoid antioxidants like quercitin, which can be found in your Brussels sprouts work to protect against the oxidative stress that can increase cancer risk.

: : Brussels sprouts have an impressive amount of vitamin C (1 cup contains over 160% RDA). That vitamin C ensures a healthy immune system that keeps you flu-free through the holidays.

: : Brussels sprouts have several key inflammation fighting factors. They contain a good dose of plant-based omega-3 fatty acids. They contain an impressive amount of vitamin K. And most notably, they also contain an organic compound called indole-3-carbinol that helps to tackle inflammation at the genetic level.

: : The vitamin K in Brussels sprouts promotes healthy bones, helps prevent calcification of the body’s tissues and is key for proper brain and nerve function.

: : That same organic compound that’s turning off your genetic inflammatory markers (indole-3-carbionol) is also helping you to fight cancer ~ especially breast, prostate, ovarian and colon cancers.

                        

Liberty. Liberation. Release.
From the colon we obviously release the waste from the food we eat. From the lungs we release the waste from the air we breathe.

Your lungs are the one organ in your body that interact with both the inside and the outside worlds. It’s your sinuses that serve as the gatekeeper for your lungs, protecting them from bacteria, viruses, pollens, dust and more.

Obvious signs of impaired lung or sinus activity include allergies, bronchitis, asthma and sinusitis. But less transparent signs of poorly functioning lungs can manifest as problems with circulation, extreme perspiration and night sweats, fatigue, and skin disturbances such as eczema, cracked lips and nails, rashes and psoriasis.

The itchy skin on my shins as the weather changes is a reminder to me to take a deep breadth, whip out my scarves and enjoy the accessory that’s been shoved to the corner of my closet.

On my final day in Philadelphia, before heading from the city of brotherly love back to the city that likes to keep itself weird, me and a soul sister donned our scarves and walked the urban landscape to see the Liberty Bell. Standing there, looking at the bell on the site where it had first been rung, I could feel the collective call for a life of liberty.

In many ways we now take this life for granted. But what if we took the time to pay tribute to our freedoms right within our very own bodies? What if we could step into nature’s rhythms to embrace our independence, release the residues that hold us back and become the belle of our very own ball? That’s what I’m about to do. And I have to admit, it already feels like liberation!

Warmly,