Don't Forget to Laugh

This has been a tough week at work, and I've felt pretty stressed out. At times when you find yourself overwhelmed, grumpy, or just generally having a bad attitude, it can be helpful to keep things around that that make you smile or laugh. For me, laughing is a huge stress reliever and sharing a laugh with a friend will often turn my day around.

Earlier this week, I was stocking a box of lemons and came across this drawing printed on the inside of the box. This girl's laughing face instantly cheered me up and made me smile. I cut it out to share with co-workers, and have still been bringing it out to enjoy when I'm feeling particularly frustrated or over-worked this week. Whether it's a cheerful image like this, a finger mustache, a joke you love, a youtube video, the Hulk column from the Stranger, or whatever it is that gives you the giggles, remember to keep some things around that are guaranteed to make you laugh.

Easy Soba Noodle Salad

Tonight I made a fantastic soba noodle salad that is quick and easy and full of vegetables. My friend Rachel inspired me to try making a salad with soba noodles, and I will be thanking her for the idea every time I eat them.
The recipe below is adapted from a recipe on epicurious, and the general idea is to make a marinade, toss it with chopped up veggies and soba noodles, add cubed tofu or cooked meat of your choice, mix together, top with peanuts and/or bean sprouts and serve. This recipe makes a very large bowl of salad, so it will also be good lunch leftovers.

Easy Soba Noodle Salad

Adapted from Bon Appetit on epicurious, July 2012

• 1/3 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons tamari
• juice of 1/2 an orange or juice of 1 lime
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• hot sauce, to taste
• 8 cups matchstick-size pieces mixed vegetables (such as carrots, radishes, cucumbers, bok choi, napa cabbage, or bell peppers)
• salt to taste
• 8 ounces buckwheat soba (Japanese-style noodles) or vermicelli noodles
• 1 6oz package baked tofu cut into small cubes (or equivalent amount of smoked salmon, cooked chicken, etc.)
• 1 cup (loosely packed) cilantro leaves with tender stems
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• bean sprouts (optional)
• peanuts, roasted and chopped, or toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Whisk first eight ingredients in a large bowl. Add vegetables; toss to coat. Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling water, stirring occasionally, until al dente (about 4 minutes); drain. Run noodles under cold water to cool them; drain well and add to bowl with vegetables. Add cilantro, green onions, and tofu; season to taste with salt. Dish into serving bowls, top with bean sprouts and/or peanuts and serve.

Sunday Night Dinner

Tonight for dinner I made a variation of the Black Bean Soup recipe that I posted a few weeks ago (I used cubes of yam instead of carrots this time), along with a crispy romaine and arugula salad that I topped with red peppers, avocado, and a garlicky yogurt and cilantro dressing. The salad was really the star of the show here, due to both the freshness of the vegetables and the (may I say) amazing dressing I whipped up in just a few minutes.
The dressing was super easy and is as follows:

Garlicky Yogurt and Cilantro Dressing
1 cup non-fat yogurt
1/2 cup (or more) cilantro leaves
2 large cloves garlic, cut into pieces
drizzle of oil oil
salt to taste

Puree everything except salt in a food processor. Add a pinch of salt at a time, distributing evenly over the top, puree, and taste, adding more salt as desired. Keep in mind that the dressing is very garlicky and will get spicier as it sits.

Additions that would probably be good: 1/2 tsp cumin, lime juice and/or zest, a pinch of chili powder

Goodbye Sugarless Gum

Goodbye Old Friend

 Today I was talking with a friend about artificial sweeteners and the controversy surrounding their impact on human health. There have been some studies (see here and here) that have shown a slight increase in cancers and auto-immune disorders in people who use artificial sweeteners (not to mention reports of headaches, joint stiffness, and dizziness). There is also some evidence to suggest that  artificial sweeteners may actually contribute to weight gain. The Center for Science in the Public Interest also has a great list of food additives that includes information about artificial sweeteners by type.

While the evidence isn't conclusive, I generally try to avoid artificial sweeteners, and since I eat a largely whole foods diet, this isn't too hard for me. There is one product I use regularly, however, that contains artificial sweeteners, and that is sugarless gum. And when I say regularly, I mean really regularly, as in a couple of times a day. Yikes, that's a lot of artificial sweetener! 

So goal #6 for the year is to give up gums that contain artificial sweeteners. We sell a few gums at the Co-op that are sweetened with xylitol, a more "natural" sugar substitute that is usually derived from hardwood, corn, or fruit. Other then causing diarrhea when eaten in large quantities, xylitol hasn't been shown to cause health problems in humans (xylitol is extremely toxic to dogs, though, so be sure to keep it away from pets). In general I haven't found xylitol gums to be as tasty or breath-freshening as my old friend pictured above, and while I might try them from time to time, I think for now I'll be quitting gum cold turkey. 

This is going to be a hard one. Wish me luck!

Relaxation

Do you ever have those days where you don't realize you're feeling stressed out until you take a moment to sit and unwind? Tonight at yoga I had such a wonderful moment of complete relaxation. Once I felt it, I realized how much tension I had been holding in my back, and arms, and hands, and even in my face. Even if you aren't in to yoga, or just can't do it right now, I think it is worthwhile to sit somewhere quiet and warm and take a little time to let go of the stress and tension that can accumulate in your body. Put on some music you like, close you eyes, and give yourself a couple of minutes to breathe and relax.

Beautiful Golden Soup

I made a new lentil soup a few days ago. I wanted to try using just red lentils for a creamier texture. I also wanted to try out some new spices- turmeric, paprika, and cinnamon. Zach described the flavor as "meaty", which I think comes in part from the spiciness of the garlic. At any rate, it turned out really well and made a nice big pot which will give me lots of lunch for my freezer.

Beautiful Golden Soup

3 tbs olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
9 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
3 carrots, thinly sliced
3 celery stalks, thinly sliced
3 cups red lentils
9 cups stock or bouillon+water
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste
1 bunch rainbow chard, leaves removed from stems and sliced into ribbons
juice of 1/2 an orange
juice of 1/2 a lemon

Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil. Once they are softened, add carrots and celery and saute for a few minutes more. Add the lentils, stock, and spices. Bring to a boil and turn down to a simmer. Allow to cook for 5 minutes. Add the chard and cook for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add citrus juices and serve, topped with fresh pepper.

Lunch Bag

My Aunt Becky sent me this adorable lunch bag as a gift a few years ago. It's so pretty and sweet, and it's also very functional. It does a great job of keeping my lunch stuff all organized, and since I walk much of the time, it's also great to have an insulated bag with a zipper to keep my sometimes leaky lunch contained. Thanks Aunt Becky, I love it.

Petting Kittens

This is Iris. She is my sweet, strange cat. Even though I love her very much, I know that I do not spend enough time showing her this with petting and brushing. One of my goals for this year is to spend at least five minutes a day focused on petting or brushing Iris. I've seen a few articles that say that petting a cat or a dog (or probably any animal that you are close to) lowers not only your blood pressure, but also the blood pressure of the animal you are petting. It is certainly a nice way to relax after a stressful day, and when I take the time to do it, my cats seem much more relaxed too.

P.S. For those of you wondering about The Smeagol, don't worry, she already gets lots of petting (although no brushing unless you want your hands scratched/bitten up), which she  pretty much demands by ramming her face against whatever you are holding (book, phone, magazine, etc.) when she wants to be petted. Yes, she's pretty adorable too.

Spicy Black-Eyed Pea and Coconut Soup

It was barely 30 degrees by 10am this morning, and I wanted to make something spicy to warm myself up from the inside. I don't eat spicy foods very often. I usually feel overly warm, and spicy foods tend to exacerbate this. But even I get cold when it's this cold outside, and the recipe below did a great job of warming me up.

This soup is quick and easy to make. It contains coconut milk, which I don't cook with too often because it is high in saturated fat. I used "light" coconut milk (which just means it's been watered down) in my soup. If you want a richer, creamier soup and you don't care about the fat, you could use regular coconut milk. The recipe also has cooked brown rice stirred in at the end. I often have some extra cooked brown rice on hand, so that was an easy addition for me. If you don't have any, just skip the rice, it's still good without it.

Also, since I have a pretty low tolerance for spiciness, I've given some options in the recipe to increase the spiciness. If you don't have Muchi curry powder, use regular curry powder and add something else spicy (more jalapeno, some Sriracha, etc) to give it more heat.

Spicy Black Eyed Pea and Coconut Soup
adapted from the African Curried Coconut Soup recipe on epicurious

3 tbs olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 red bell peppers, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped (optional- for people who like extra spicy food )
5 large cloves garlic, chopped
5 cups broth (I used bouillon dissolved in water)
2 15oz cans black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 15oz can diced tomatoes with chipotle peppers
1 tsp Muchi (spicy) curry powder (or more if you like spicy food)
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
black pepper to taste
1 small bunch kale, washed and torn into small pieces
2 cans light coconut milk
1 cup cooked brown rice
5 tbs cilantro, chopped
juice of one lime

In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and peppers, and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly for one minute. Add the broth, black-eyed peas, tomatoes, curry powder, salt, and black pepper; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Add kale, stir, and continue cooking for 5 more minutes. Stir in coconut milk, lime juice, cilantro, and rice, and cook until heated through, about 3 more minutes. Serve.

Yoga

I love yoga! I really never thought I'd be saying that. For a long time, I thought yoga was too slow for me. It didn't feel like a work-out unless I was sweating buckets at the gym. I went to a few yoga classes over the years, but for a long time, I didn't find one that was right for me.

Four or so years ago, I was staying with a friend who asked me if I wanted to try a yoga tape that belonged to his mother. The style of yoga on the tape was Kundalini yoga. It was different than any yoga I had ever tried, and after doing it, I felt amazing; warm, vibrant, happy, and energized.  I bought a tape for myself and continued doing Kundalini off and on at home for awhile before I noticed that a studio downtown was offering a Kundalini class. It was there that I took the first yoga class I loved, taught by the magnificent Jessica Ryan.  Jessica is an incredible teacher, and I have never felt so welcome or comfortable trying something so new to me.

After discovering the joys of Kundalini, I decided to give other yoga classes another chance. I have attended some great classes at The Yoga Loft, and have found classes there that are easy for me, right at my level, and a few classes that are pretty challenging (that is to say a little too challenging for me at this point!).

 I have also used yoga as a way to help me stretch out at home, especially when I am recovering from work injuries like pulled back muscles. In the photos here, I am doing a few of the variations of pigeon pose, a great stretch for the hips. When I pulled a muscle in my back, this pose was incredibly helpful for regaining my flexibility and decreasing my discomfort. As one of my goals for this year, I am going to attend a yoga class at least once per week.  As with many of my goals for the year, I may do it more than my goal. That's ok, as the idea is to set a goal that I can maintain for an entire year, and once a week certainly seems doable.

Drink More Water

A goal that is always in the back of my mind is to drink more water. When I drink enough water, I feel calmer, and I also find that I do less snacking/stress-eating. I think this is because I often mistake my body's signals for water as a need for food. Drinking plenty of water keeps my skin looking good,  contributes to a healthy urinary system, helps me avoid headaches, and seems to lead to speedier muscle recovery after work-outs.

On days when I do vigorous exercise, I have no problem drinking plenty of water. On days when I'm working or doing gentler physical activities (walking, yoga), however, I sometimes find that I have gone for 8 hours or more without drinking any water! My goal is to drink at least 1 quart of water every day. That's not really enough water for an active adult, and I'll probably drink more than that, but it seems like a good place to start.

As you can probably guess, I won't be drinking bottled water due to the concerns I have about chemicals used in plastics leaching into food/beverages. Even if you don't believe that drinking out of plastic water bottles is bad for your own health, I would strongly encourage you to watch the documentary Tapped, so that you can get an idea of the environmental impacts that plastic water bottles have in the United Sates. This is a documentary that made me stop and think about my own actions, and realize how easy it is to contribute to real and tangible harm to the planet and people, even when you are trying to do something healthy, like drinking more water. If you, like me, want to increase your water consumption, use a glass or get a safe, reusable water bottle.

 The Klean Kanteen, which is the water bottle I have, is great. It is made of non-toxic stainless steel, which is light and easy to clean, and also has a separate coffee-cup style lid so it doubles as a travel mug (despite the claim on their website that the bottles don't absorb flavors, I do sometimes end up with slightly coffee-flavored water, but that's ok since I love coffee). I already carry it with me pretty much all the time- now I'll just be filling it with water sometimes instead of coffee. If you live in Olympia and want to buy one locally, Compass Rose carries them in a wide range of colors and has a few different sizes available. We also sell beautiful glass water bottles like these at the Co-op, and the people I know who have them love them.

Vegetable Soup

Today I made a basic vegetable soup, and thought I'd share the recipe. I love tomatoes, so when I make vegetable soup I usually like to add a can of them.  If you're not a fan, you could make this without tomatoes and substitute broth for the water so that the soup still retains a nice, rich flavor. I also had a friend tell me recently that he can't eat garbanzo beans because they give him such bad gas. If you have the same problem, I'd suggest substituting Cannelini beans. Since Cannelini beans are so much softer than garbanzos, I'd recommend adding them when you add the green beans and zucchini. Also, I like the greens beans and zucchini to be a little al dente, so if you like your vegetables more "cooked-down" (as we say where I'm from), add them at the same time as the potatoes.


Erin's Basic Vegetable Soup

2 tbs olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 stalks celery, thinly sliced
2 carrots, chopped into small pieces
2 medium sized potatoes, chopped
2 cups broth
6 cups water
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes (I used fire-roasted since that's what I had on hand)
2 cans garbanzo beans
2 teaspoons of dried herbs that you like (I used a combination of basil, oregano, and thyme)
1 tsp black pepper
2 cups green beans that have had tough ends removed and are cut into small pieces
1 small zucchini, chopped into small pieces
1 bunch spinach sliced into ribbons
salt and pepper to taste
parmesan (optional)


Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot. Add the onions, garlic, carrots, and celery. Saute until the vegetables are soft and fragrant. Add the potatoes, broth, water, tomatoes, garbanzo beans, dried herbs, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Turn heat down to low and simmer (covered) for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the green beans and zucchini. Cover and simmer for another ten minutes. Add spinach and continue cooking, covered for 7 more minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a little sprinkle of parmesan cheese on top if you are so inclined.

Freezing Soup

In order to help me stay on track with taking lunch, I thought it would be helpful to start freezing some of the soup I make. That way, I can be sure to have plenty of variety, and have some ready to go when I need it. In the past when I've frozen soup, I used plastic freezer containers with screw-on lids. As I said in a previous post, I'm trying to avoid eating out of plastic when possible, so I want to freeze in glass. I looked at some freezer-safe glass bowls with locking lids recently at a housewares store and they were $9 each! That's a little steep for my budget, so I decided to ask some of my co-workers (many of whom are avid food preservers) for advice. Everyone I talked to said that freezing in glass canning jars usually works fine as long as you observe the following rules:

1. Cool the soup before filling the jars
2. Leave at least an inch of head room at the top
3. Screw the lids on gently and don't over-tighten
4. Don't try to freeze cream-based soups in glass

One co-worker mentioned that she has occasionally had a jar shatter in the freezer, so I think I will store them in some kind of tub to contain the mess if this happens. The jars I'm using are Ball wide-mouth pint jars, and they do say "freezer safe" on the package. At $13 for a case of twelve, glass jars are going to be a much more cost effective solution for me, and I hope they will help me keep up with my goal of taking a healthy lunch.

Another Soup Recipe

I made Split Pea soup for the first time as part of my effort to have soup to take for lunch. Lentil soup has been a standby for me for years, but for some reason, I've always felt intimidated by split peas. Maybe it's because I'm mostly vegetarian, and the majority of split pea recipes call for ham bones or bacon. Anyhow, I found a vegetarian split pea recipe at poorgirleatswell.com, tweaked it a little to suit my own taste, and it's pretty good. It is also incredibly cheap to make.

One of the things that's so cool about the poorgirleatswell blog is that she does a cost analysis of each recipe and tells you how much it costs per serving. In her original recipe, each serving costs only $.33! She has a lot of great, healthy, easy to make recipes on her blog and includes nice step-by-step photos.

This soup takes a little more effort than the lentil soup I usually make since you have to take half of the split peas out and puree them. If you have an immersion blender that would make things easier, but a blender works fine, it just involves some clean-up afterwards. When I make this again, I'm going to add some collards near the end to make it a little more nutritious, so I've included that step in the recipe below.

Smoky Split Pea & Carrot Soup

1 lb dried split peas, picked over & rinsed

8 c water

2 T olive oil

4 large cloves of garlic, minced

1 large yellow onion, diced

2 t sea salt

1 t ground black pepper

1/2 t ground cumin

1/2 t smoked paprika
3 carrots, diced
1/2 bunch collard greens, stems removed, leaves cut into ribbons

1. In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil and add the garlic & onion. Add 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, cumin& smoked paprika and cook over medium heat until fragrant and the onion becomes translucent. Next, add the carrots and cook for about 2 minutes, until they begin to soften. Add the peas and 4 cups of water and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the peas have softened and much of the water has been absorbed.

2. Remove about half the soup and set aside. Add the remaining 2 cups of water to the soup pot along with the collard ribbons and allow the soup to continue cooking. Using a blender, carefully puree the set-aside soup until smooth.

3. Return the pureed soup mixture to the pot and stir until well combined. Taste the soup and add remaining salt and pepper if needed. You may also want to add more smoked paprika if you like a smokier, spicy soup. If the peas aren't quite cooked, you can continue simmering and add more water as needed, adjusting seasonings to taste as needed. Serve with some freshly ground pepper on top.

Soup Recipe #2

Yes, it's true I'm posting another recipe for "soup for dinner and lunch". This one is a delicious and slightly spicy black bean soup. The recipe comes from epicurious.com, one of my favorite go-to recipe websites. The recipes come from a variety of sources, and all have ratings and comments, so you can know what to expect, and see changes that other people suggest to make the recipes even better. Epicurious is awesome!

• 
  
• This soup is what I'd call a convenience soup, meaning it's made with canned beans and tomatoes. I use canned beans on a fairly regular basis since they are so much quicker than cooking dried beans, and allow for a lot of spontaneity and last minute dinner planning. Flavor-wise, they are no substitute- beans cooked from dried have such a nicer texture and flavor, and in general are much lower in sodium. However, when I'm in a hurry and need a high-protein soup, canned beans work just fine. This recipe calls for using the beans undrained, but in general I rinse beans before I use them to reduce the amount of sodium. I'd also suggest using canned foods that are in PBA-free cans if you can find them. Even though cans are made of metal, most of them have linings on the interior that contain BPA, a chemical that has been found to increase the risk of chromosomal and reproductive system abnormalities, impaired brain and neurological functions, cancer, cardiovascular system damage, adult-onset diabetes, early puberty, obesity and resistance to chemotherapy. This info comes from a good article about the basics of why it is best to avoid BPA. The FDA also has a fairly decent write up about it on their website.

Anyhow, I hope you enjoy this soup! It's a good winter warmer and goes nicely with a crisp salad. 

• Black Bean Soup with Cumin and Jalapeño
• Bon Appétit  | August 2004
  
  
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 to 2 teaspoons chopped jalapeño chile with seeds, divided
• 2 15- to 16-ounce cans black beans, undrained
• 1 15-ounce can petite diced tomatoes in juice
• 1 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth
• 
  

• Chopped fresh cilantro
• Chopped green onions
• Crumbled feta cheese

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, and garlic; sauté until vegetables begin to soften, about 6 minutes. Mix in cumin and 1 teaspoon jalapeño. Add beans, tomatoes with juice, and broth; bring soup to boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook until carrots are tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer 3 cups of soup to blender and puree until smooth. Return puree to pot. Simmer soup until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and remaining 1 teaspoon jalapeño, if desired.

Ladle soup into bowls. Pass cilantro, green onions, and feta cheese separately

Probiotics: the magical bacteria that use their powers for good rather than evil

Recently, I had to take antibiotics, and while I was taking them, my doctor recommended that I  also take a high-potency probiotic. In general, I am not a fan of taking daily supplements (I always prefer to get nutrients from food when possible), but while I was taking the probiotics, I noticed that my digestion was improved. I was also exposed to a couple of colds that I didn't get, which seemed like a miracle. I have long tried to increase the "good" bacteria in my guts by eating probiotic foods like yogurt, keifer, kombucha, and sauerkraut. I will continue to do so, because after all, they are delicious and good for you- a pretty awesome combination. This year,  however, I'm also going to add a daily probiotic supplement to my diet and see if I notice continued benefits. Some studies have shown that probiotics improve the functioning of the digestive system, the urinary system, and the immune system. The probiotic I am taking is made by Flora. It has eight strains of bacteria and 42 million active cells per capsule (!!).  Let's hope these bacteria never go over to the darkside or I'm going to be in serious trouble.

Lunch for Dinner

One of my goals for this year is to make at least one healthy dish for dinner during the week that I can also take for lunch. I work in a natural foods store, so when I don't bring lunch, I find that I often either spend a fortune on lunch ($14 is not unusual), or eat a less than healthy lunch (Essential Wraps) if I am in a hurry.

When I bring my lunch, I tend to eat a meal that is smaller, lower in sodium and fat, and that does a better job of incorporating vegetables and fiber into my diet.

Soup is a great choice for lunches because you can make a lot at once, it's inexpensive to make, and it generally transports and reheats nicely. This soup is one of my favorites- it is delicious, filling, and pretty much cooks itself once everything is chopped.

Erin's Lentil Soup

1 onion chopped
5 (or more) cloves garlic, pressed or chopped
1 carrot sliced
2 stalks celery sliced
2 yellow potatoes cubed
1 cup red lentils
1 cup green lentils (using the 2 kinds of lentils is crucial for the texture. If you don't care so much about the texture you could just use one or the other.)
some oil for the pan
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp cardamom
8 cups water
4 bullion cubes dissolved in some boiled water
1 bunch chard or spinach, chopped coarsely
lemon or lime juice

Saute the onion and garlic in some oil in your soup pot. Next add celery, then carrots and potatoes. Saute briefly, then add your broth/stock. Add lentils and spices. Stir well. Boil. Turn down to
simmer. Let it cook until the lentils are soft. Add the chard and cook 5 more minutes. Add some lemon or lime juice. Stir. Taste it. Add more lemon or lime juice if you need to.