Sunday, September 26, 2010
Hiatus
To all my readers, I want to let you know that Healthy for Life will be taking a brief hiatus as I pursue some other writing endeavors for now. For all my friends and family that follow my other blog, I of course will be continuing that one. Check back in a couple months when I plan to continue sharing information about healthy vegetarian food!
Thursday, September 23, 2010
For dinner tonight
A yummy recipe courtesy of Vegetarian Times... Serve over brown rice and add a side salad for a delicious vegetarian dinner!
Moroccan Lentil Stew with Raisins
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
2 18 oz. cartons prepared lentil soup (like Dr. McDougall's or Amy's)
1 15 oz. can chickpeas
1/2 cup raisins
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
6 Tbs. plain nonfat Greek yogurt or soy yogurt (optional)
1. Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium heat . Add onion and saute for 3 minutes, or until softened and translucent. Add garlic, and cook 1 minute, or until garlic is softened, but not browned, stirring constantly.
2. Stir in tomatoes, soup, chickpeas, raisins, cinnamon, cumin, and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Bring stew to a simmer over medium high heat, stirring occasionally.
3. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, or until mixture is reduced and sauce has thickened, stirring often from the bottom to prevent sticking. Garnish each serving with 1 Tbs. yogurt if using.
(My personal recipe notes: Only used one carton of lentil soup b/c that's all we had! Seemed to turn out just fine. Also, did not use yogurt as a garnish. And wow, does the kitchen smell fabulous while this is cooking!)
Moroccan Lentil Stew with Raisins
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
2 18 oz. cartons prepared lentil soup (like Dr. McDougall's or Amy's)
1 15 oz. can chickpeas
1/2 cup raisins
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
6 Tbs. plain nonfat Greek yogurt or soy yogurt (optional)
1. Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium heat . Add onion and saute for 3 minutes, or until softened and translucent. Add garlic, and cook 1 minute, or until garlic is softened, but not browned, stirring constantly.
2. Stir in tomatoes, soup, chickpeas, raisins, cinnamon, cumin, and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Bring stew to a simmer over medium high heat, stirring occasionally.
3. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, or until mixture is reduced and sauce has thickened, stirring often from the bottom to prevent sticking. Garnish each serving with 1 Tbs. yogurt if using.
(My personal recipe notes: Only used one carton of lentil soup b/c that's all we had! Seemed to turn out just fine. Also, did not use yogurt as a garnish. And wow, does the kitchen smell fabulous while this is cooking!)
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Even Bill Clinton...
There's a great Saturday Night Live skit from the 90s where Phil Hartman, doing his impression of Bill Clinton, is at a McDonald's on a campaign stop and he's wolfing down cheeseburgers, fries, and sodas and keeps asking "Are you gonna eat that?" to other people eating there too. Of course, after his presidency, Clinton had bypass surgery after suffering from heart issues.
It looks like now President Clinton is making a wise move for his health! Check out this link to read and watch about how he is adopting a mostly plant-based diet...
http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/bill-clinton-vegan-diet-0920
It looks like now President Clinton is making a wise move for his health! Check out this link to read and watch about how he is adopting a mostly plant-based diet...
http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/bill-clinton-vegan-diet-0920
Monday, September 20, 2010
Great website
'Tis the season for pumpkin spice! I was looking for some recipes online today for pumpkin bread and found a good one on http://www.nomeatathlete.com/. Upon looking further into the site, I realized that the blogger is a vegan marathoner. Perfect! The site is full of great recipes and promotes the idea that you can be a strong athlete on a vegan diet. Check it out!
Friday, September 17, 2010
Food for thought
"When diet is wrong medicine is of no use. When diet is correct medicine is of no need."
When I make certain entries on this blog, do I sound like I eat perfectly? I hope I am not giving you that impression because I certainly do not (case in point: the box of Whoppers I ate while watching a certain trashy show about the people who inhabit the coastline of my home state). I want to make it clear that I try my best to eat whole foods that are good for me, but I am still human and it doesn't always happen.
I like the quote above because of its accuracy. Good food is truly the best medicine. When I am eating healthy foods consistently for a while, my body feels fabulous, I have tons of energy, and life is good. Even if I slip up for a measly day or two, my body can feel the difference. I am cranky and lethargic and bloated. Yuck! As I've been traveling on this nutritional journey, I am becoming more aware of how food affects my body and I am so grateful for that awareness!
When it comes to eating meat, I've heard people say that when they don't eat meat for awhile and then have a burger or the like, they feel heavy, crabby, and flat out gross. And when I initially gave up eating meat last year, I remember this feeling of calm and lightness that came over my body. It's amazing how food has this power over us. Let's try to make the choices that leave us feeling happy and healthy!
When I make certain entries on this blog, do I sound like I eat perfectly? I hope I am not giving you that impression because I certainly do not (case in point: the box of Whoppers I ate while watching a certain trashy show about the people who inhabit the coastline of my home state). I want to make it clear that I try my best to eat whole foods that are good for me, but I am still human and it doesn't always happen.
I like the quote above because of its accuracy. Good food is truly the best medicine. When I am eating healthy foods consistently for a while, my body feels fabulous, I have tons of energy, and life is good. Even if I slip up for a measly day or two, my body can feel the difference. I am cranky and lethargic and bloated. Yuck! As I've been traveling on this nutritional journey, I am becoming more aware of how food affects my body and I am so grateful for that awareness!
When it comes to eating meat, I've heard people say that when they don't eat meat for awhile and then have a burger or the like, they feel heavy, crabby, and flat out gross. And when I initially gave up eating meat last year, I remember this feeling of calm and lightness that came over my body. It's amazing how food has this power over us. Let's try to make the choices that leave us feeling happy and healthy!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Oink
Read this article to find yet another reason to give up meat, especially that which comes from massive factory farms. Oh and also notice the pictures in the article, including the sow (mother pig) who is nursing her piglets on an open metal grating. Doesn't quite seem natural, does it? These are the things we need to think about the next time we reach for a slice of bacon.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/15/us/15farm.html?ref=us
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/15/us/15farm.html?ref=us
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Vegan Victory
Check out this article from the Times about Chloe Coscarelli's victory on "Cupcake Wars." Okay, they're not healthy, but they're proof that vegan baking can be so yummy!
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/06/tasty-vegan-food-cupcakes-show-it-can-be-done/?src=me&ref=general
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