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Avocado Mango Salsa

3/31/2015

For those of you who feel like winter is never going to end, I have good news for you. Mangoes are in season! Right now! Nothing like the taste of a sweet, juicy tropical fruit to make winter seem like a distant memory. Plus, they are so versatile! I add them to my morning green smoothies. I eat them plain or sprinkled with salt, cayenne pepper and lime juice. They also have some terrific savory applications, like in this salsa which is a delicious accompaniment to grilled chicken or grilled fish or tortilla chips. Hooray for grilling season!

This recipe is flexible. Add or subtract ingredients as your tastes and seasonality dictate.

Avocado Mango Salsa
Serves 4-6 as a condiment or side.

1 large ripe Hass avocado, peeled and diced
1 large mango, peeled and diced
1 jalapeno, stemmed and seeded, minced (If you like heat, feel free to leave the stems or add more jalapenos)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered (Only if in season or local. Mealy, underripe, sad tomatoes are to be avoided)
1 lime, washed, zested and juiced
2 spring onions, white and light green parts thinly sliced
1/3 cup cilantro, finely chopped (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl no more than one hour before serving. Cover until ready to serve. If you have leftovers, sprinkle a little extra lime juice on the salsa and refrigerate covered. The salsa is best the day it is made.

Nutritional awesomeness: This is a nutritionally dense salsa! The avocado is a good source of healthy monounsaturated fat, fiber, potassium and folate. Avocados contain over 20 vitamins and minerals. Mangoes are an excellent source of Vitamin C and Vitamin A. They are a good source of fiber, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, and potassium. Jalapenos are an excellent source of Vitamin C, and a good source of fiber, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6 and folate. The cherry tomatoes are also an excellent source of Vitamin C and Vitamin A. They are a good source of folate, potassium, and lycopene. Limes are an excellent source of Vitamin C. You won't die of scurvy eating this salsa. Moving on...spring onions are an excellent source of Vitamin K, Vitamin C, and Vitamin A. They are a good source of folate, iron and potassium. And last but not least, you have cilantro (yay for green food!), which is packed with vitamins, including thiamin and zinc, Vitamin K and Vitamin E. Whew! In short, eat this salsa...it's lick-the-plate delicious and it's good for you!

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Web Wellness Wednesday

3/25/2015

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I love this community! Thanks to those of you who have sent in ideas for Web Wellness Wednesday and shared what is inspiring you lately.

If you think about what you eat and how you make that choice, so much of it is rooted in factors not on your plate, like your relationships, your creative outlets, your career, and your family. Being healthy goes way beyond the plate. And this is why I was so excited to be introduced to Safe Space Radio. It's the place where people can take stuff that is shameful and get it out into the open. That openness is not only a part of their own healing process, but now studies have shown that hearing someone else's painful story, if it's similar to yours, can help your own healing and lower your blood pressure. The psychiatrist behind Safe Space is Dr. Anne Hallward and her TEDx Talk definitely is worth 15 minutes of your time. I love how she talks about we have a cultural imperative to share our shameful stories not only for our own healing but for the healing of others.

If we embrace the full scope of what it means to be well, then we have to get real about the stories and the lies we tell ourselves that keep us small. One particular lie I've been trying to delete is, "I am too old." I love this recent New York Times article about a woman who is about to publish her first children's book, at the age of 80.

One item I address with clients is creativity. So many of us are convinced we are not creative. And yet many of us find joy in doing creative things from dancing to coloring to taking photos. One effective method for unlocking your creative self is to start a Morning Pages practice. The idea is that by journaling first thing in the morning you clear your mind of the junk that is hindering its creative juices and open up the potential for creative expression. I started this practice last year after I just couldn't get into journaling by sitting down any ol' time and writing. But this is great. No pressure. Three pages. And some days I write a whole post that looks like a to do list (and it is!). Sometimes I start with "yada, yada, yada, I don't want to do this." I've noticed that on days I've done Morning Pages, I am a better writer, more open to new ideas, and have more curiosity.

Now, it's your turn. What is inspiring you these days? Please share in the Comments section below. I'd love to hear from you!

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"A Chicken In Every Pot"

3/24/2015

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"A Chicken In Every Pot"

This quote is attributed to President Herbert Hoover in 1928. At the time, it was a sign of prosperity to have enough money to cook a whole chicken. Nowadays, though, we've strayed so very far away from considering a chicken in a pot as a prosperous item. In fact, most people find it perplexing to boil a whole chicken. Why would you do that when you can just buy the parts you need? Why indeed!

From an economic standpoint, a whole chicken is a great value. The one you see here was on special at Whole Foods. This organic chicken, weighing 4.1 pounds, was $7.50. If you are doing the math, when was the last time you bought organic chicken or any chicken for less than $2.00 per pound? I normally do not buy a chicken this large for two reasons. One, it's just Brian and me and so it's too much chicken for us ... almost. Two, weighing over 3.5 pounds meant it was not a candidate for my favorite way to prepare a whole chicken which you can find here. But, it was such a good deal on a that I couldn't pass it up.

So I brought the big chicken home and wondered what to do. I considered butchering it into its eight constituent pieces so Brian could grill it. I pondered roasting the whole thing using a new method. However, I kept coming back to the idea that if I boiled it I would save time by cooking the meat and making broth at the same time, rather than by roasting first and then using the leftover scraps and bones for stock.

And so using inspiration from Jamie Oliver, I got to work. In just over an hour one Sunday afternoon I went from having a raw chicken to nearly 3 quarts of broth (12 cups!) plus almost 5 cups of shredded, delicious meat. All this from a $7.50 chicken. Just the broth alone would have cost me $7.50 at least to buy three quarts of organic, low-sodium broth. Since preparing a whole chicken this way, I have turned the chicken meat into made-from-scratch enchiladas and chicken tacos. Brian froze the broth in reasonable serving sizes so we can defrost it as needed for soups and as a base for rice, quinoa and polenta dishes.

In short, boiling a whole chicken saves a lot of money, is delicious, and is not incredibly time consuming. And here's how you do it:

1 4-5 pound chicken, preferably organic, bag of innards removed and saved for another use
4-6 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 onion peeled and quartered
a couple of carrots, washed with ends removed, quartered
a couple of stalks of celery, washed with ends removed, quartered
10 black peppercorns
1 1/2 t of kosher or coarse sea salt
Water
Note: you can also add herbs as Jamie Oliver does, but I prefer not to because I want the meat to taste neutral so I can use it in everything from salads to curries.

In a dutch oven or stockpot (minimum size you'll need is 7.25 quarts), place the chicken. Then place all the remaining ingredients, except the water, around the chicken. Fill the pot with water to cover the chicken and place a lid on it. Bring the chicken to boil over medium heat. Then reduce the heat to a simmer. You may have to place the lid askance if the water threatens to boil over. Cook the chicken until done, which based on the size of your chicken and the heat from your lowest setting, will take an hour to an hour and twenty minutes.

Once done turn off the heat and move the whole production off the stove to cool a bit. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, carefully remove it from the pot. It may fall apart a bit. Shred the chicken meat and dispose of the bones, the skin, and the connective tissues. You can store the meat in the fridge to use within the next three days or you may wish to freeze it. Use it in any recipe that calls for shredded chicken.

Next, use a slotted spoon to remove most of the vegetables from the pot. You can save these and puree them to be used as a soup or compost them or dispose of them. Removing the vegetables will avoid unpleasant splashing when you drain the broth.

Prepare to drain the broth. Have ready a large pitcher, a fine mesh strainer, and what device you plan to use to store the broth. In your sink, set up the pitcher with the strainer resting over the opening and the pour the broth through the strainer. Empty the pitcher as needed into storage devices. The broth will keep 7-10 days in the fridge or can be frozen for longer term storage.

Enjoy!

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Web Wellness Wednesday

3/18/2015

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Happy Wednesday to you! Lots of good material on the web this week to keep us healthy. For example, did you know your mouthwash is loaded with toxins? It is! Find out more and learn to make your own mouthwash.

What if I told you that facials don't have to be expensive or time-consuming? Wouldn't that be great! Last week, health coach Cristina Logtenberg taught us how to exfoliate our skin using just oatmeal and baking soda. This week, go buy an avocado and then click here to learn how to turn it into a great facial mask.

When I was in high school I would drink up to 6 (six!) Cokes per day. Then I got healthy and switched to Diet Coke in my 20's thinking it was a better choice. It's not ... at any age. If you are addicted to soda and want to feel better, try substituting a glass of water for one soda each day. See if you notice a difference.

Did you know I offer free Wellness Breakthrough Sessions in person and over the phone? Free, as in gratis, as in complimentary. It's the gift of an hour just for you to acknowledge your health and lifestyle goals and receive some support in pursuit of them. I'd love to help you to live better and eat better. To start this rewarding conversation, contact me.

How about you? Read any good wellness articles you'd like to share? Please post links in the Comments section. Thanks!

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You'll Never Buy Bottled Salad Dressing Again

3/17/2015

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A simple salad with Molly's Tahini Dressing

Raise your hand if you are over winter and winter foods and just want a salad? Yes, salad! Great! In my mind, the dressing can make or break a salad. For a long time, I was faithful to bottled dressing at the grocery store. I never bothered to read the ingredient list or nutritional values. Nope, I went on taste.

Turns out when I was in the throes of my autoimmune illness many of the ingredients were making my symptoms worse (soy, gluten, sugar). So we started making salad dressing at home. And let me just tell you that everyone who comes to stay with us raves about Brian’s very simple and delicious vinaigrette, including my 14 year old cousin.

Have you ever read the ingredient list for a bottle of salad dressing? It’s often more than five items, some of them you’ve never heard of and can’t pronounce. What if I told you making salad dressing at home can be done in a few minutes using five ingredients or less? That’s right! It’s so easy, economical, and such an important step to moving away from processed foods.

From our kitchen to yours, here are two salad dressings that are delicious and dead simple to make.

Brian’s Balsamic Vinaigrette
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Honey
Balsamic Vinegar (good quality)
Red Wine Vinegar (good quality)

You will need either a cruet with liquid volume measurements on it or a glass measuring cup that holds at least a pint. Fill to the ¼ cup line using equal amounts of each vinegar (just eyeball it). Then add honey so the total liquid volume measures 1/3 cup. Stir, whisk, or, in the case of the cruet, shake the vinegar and honey together to dissolve the honey. Add enough olive oil so that the total volume of all ingredients reaches the 1-cup line. Again, whisk or shake to emulsify and then use immediately. For the two of us, who eat 1 quart of salad each night, this lasts about five to six days. You will need to re-emulsify it each time you use it. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If you are using good quality olive oil, it will harden in the fridge. Just take out the dressing about 30 minutes before dinner so it can temper.

Nutritional awesomeness: Olive oil is a monounsaturated fatty acid that has been shown to help lower bad cholesterol. It contains polyphenols which are powerful antioxidants. Studies in Europe have concluded that olive oil consumption helps lower blood pressure. One Greek study with 36,000 participants concluded that there is an inverse relationship between eating olive oil and rates of cancer. As it is still a fat, you want to consume it judiciously. Honey is anti-viral and anti-bacterial. In both ancient and modern times, it has proved effective in wound care. Balsamic vinegar has been shown to aid digestion, lower cholesterol and regulate blood sugar.

Molly’s Tahini Dressing
I developed this recipe after wondering what to do with all the tahini leftover from making a batch of hummus.
¼ cup tahini, well stirred
¼ cup warm water
2 T tamari (gluten free soy sauce)
1 T lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced with a pinch of sea salt

Stir all the ingredients together in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, slowly at first so they don’t splash out of the container. Stir until emulsified. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days. This is great for dressing salads as well as serving as an accompaniment to grilled chicken and grilled vegetables. It’s nice during this transition from winter to spring when you may desire something a little heartier on your salad. Enjoy!

Nutritional awesomeness: Tahini is a good source of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, thiamin and copper. Lemon juice is a good source of vitamin C. It contains antioxidants in the form of flavonoids. It is effective in the prevention and treatment of certain kinds of kidney stones. Garlic is a wonder food and has been shown to help reduce symptoms of heart disease like high blood pressure and high LDL. It also has anti-viral properties.

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Web Wellness Wednesdays

3/11/2015

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Every so often I'll post a compendium of useful items about various health topics from around the web on Wednesday. Enjoy!

Sunrise & Moonset, Morro Bay, CA. March 7, 2015

On the last day of February, Brian and I spent over an hour debating what to have for dinner. Food is a serious matter for us, as in I panic if I don't know where my next meal is coming from. What this volleying of ideas told both of us is that we were seriously out of alignment ... a sign we needed a break. And so we took one and headed up the Central Coast to Morro Bay. It's the kind of town where you can park your car when you arrive Friday night and not get in it again until you leave Sunday morning. It's walkable with friendly locals, good restaurants and lots of outdoor activities. The photo was the view from our hotel room, and I felt so grateful to be seeing that first thing Saturday morning.

Getting away was our way of keeping our relationship healthy and fresh, as was the ridiculous amount of wine tasting we did Sunday on our way home ;).

For your reading and viewing pleasure, here are some short articles and videos from around the web to keep us healthy.

Kris Carr's video on staying healthy while traveling is as informative as it is entertaining! A must see! By the way, she doesn't include it, but I do take my Vitamix with me when possible so I can make delicious smoothies.

We're hearing more and more these days about the rise of thyroid disease. This TEDx video is a good introduction into this very powerful gland. Full disclosure: I no longer have mine and that's a story I'll be sharing soon so hopefully you can avoid the same fate.

If you think that Tai Chi and Qigong are just for elderly people in a park in China, think again by reading this NYT article (it's a quick read). By the way, until I figured out gluten was at the root of my autoimmune issues, Qigong was one of the few forms of mindful movement I could do and feel better.

As a nation, we are eating foods that are better for us as represented by the, sometimes stunning, decrease in processed food sales.

And that folks is a wrap on this Web Wellness Wednesday! Have a great day!

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28 Healthy Tips!

3/3/2015

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For the month of February, I challenged myself to post one healthy tip per day on my Instagram account. It was a lot of fun and there's so much more where that came from! While I knew I had a lot of nutrition education to draw from as a patient and as a student, this community was so great about providing their own healthy tips and ideas. Thanks so much for a great conversation. And per your many requests I've provided a PDF file of #28healthytips that you can download, hang on your fridge, mail to a friend, or stick on your filing cabinet!

Get your 28 Healthy Tips Here

Now, 28 healthy tips is a lot. It can feel overwhelming. If you are looking to make changes that last, start with implementing just one or two tips. Conventional wisdom and scientific studies show that it can take up to 40 times before a new habit sticks and is incorporated into your lifestyle. It helps if you do it with a friend who can hold you accountable. Once those one or two tips have stuck, try one or two more tips and before you know it a positive snowball effect of change is occurring in your life. Also, setbacks are a good thing so stay away from the F word (failure). Setbacks, mistakes, falling off the path, whatever you call it, you need to have them to keep moving forward.

I'd love to hear from you! What tip resonated the most? Which one would be the easiest to achieve? Which one would be a stretch goal? For me, breaking up with sugar is a constant process, a constant stretch goal.

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Avocado Mango Salsa

Web Wellness Wednesday

"A Chicken In Every Pot"

Web Wellness Wednesday

You'll Never Buy Bottled Salad Dressing Again

Web Wellness Wednesdays

28 Healthy Tips!

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Avocado Mango Salsa

Web Wellness Wednesday

"A Chicken In Every Pot"

Web Wellness Wednesday

You'll Never Buy Bottled Salad Dressing Again

Web Wellness Wednesdays

28 Healthy Tips!﻿

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