Happy Healthy Long Life

The Tree-Tapper's Ball Returns! The Girls (and the Guys) Just Wanna Have Fun - Square Dancing Has It All: Joy, Fun, Friendship, Music, Laughter, Exercise & More

 Want to Have Fun, Get Fit & Burn Mega Calories?  Go Square Dancing!

 

"All cultures dance.  You don't have to teach people to dance.  Basically people learn not to dance."

-Choreographer Mark Morris, at the keynote address for the 2008 Society for Neuroscience Conference-

 

"As a dance critic for some twenty-five years, I've long been aware that choreographers and dancers seem to age, mentally and physically, so much more slowly than the rest of us.  

What is the connection between how dancers spin magic out of intricate physical movement and how they keep their cells humming along vigorously well into their eighties and nineties?  

What are the mechanisms that keep their brains, muscles, bones, and organs so much more vital and active than the same parts in the rest of us?

Dancing....combines many of the elements of longevity revealed in the latest scientific research on stress and aging:

• Intensely focused mental and physical attention
  
• Grappling with novelty--to build new neural pathways rather than just etch existing ones deeper
• Aerobic and resistance exercise together
• The elimination of abdominal fat
• Dealing with risk, but within a controlled environment
• Meditative practices--talk about mindfulness!
• A sense of spirituality
• Powerful social relationships
• Eating healthful diets rich in fruits, veggies, and whole grains.

-Thea Singer, in "Stress Less - The New Science That Shows Women How to Rejuvenate the Body and the Mind", NY: Hudson Street Press, 2010-

 

 

If you received this via email, click here, to get to the web version.  LOTS of photos & links!

 

Want to feel like you're a kid again?

How about hooping & hollering in public?  And I'm not talking about sporting events!

Remembering skipping, spinning around like a whirling dervish, & laughing so hard you almost had run to the bathroom?   

How about listening to live fiddle, banjo, guitar, & bass Bluegrass music, too?

And what if I told you that you could also burn almost 1000 calories on a Saturday night just having good old-fashioned fun?

Honestly, this is play-time for grown-ups, pure & simple--and kids of all ages.  It's impossible to not have a good time!

Anyone interested?

 

You Should Have Joined Us at the  Silver Anniversary of the Tree Tapper's Ball Last Saturday Night!

Last Saturday night was the 25th Anniversary of the Tree Tapper's Ball.  That's a big deal!  Translation: A big old-fashioned 3 hour Square Dance to celebrate the start of maple sugaring season.  All ages.  All kinds of folks with big smiles on their faces--all evening long.  

 

Who Could Resist This Invitation for Fun?

"The Tree Tapper’s Ball has always featured live old-time string music.

If you square danced in middle school or junior high, now’s a good time to thank your old gym teacher for making you hold hands and dance with members of the opposite sex, Senior Naturalist Dan Best joked. 

“It’s the most fun dance west of the Appalachians!” declares Bob Smakula, a professional instrument repairman and champion string musician from Elkins, West Virginia, who has called 22 of the past 24 balls.

This year, the "Wild Spiles" are tuning up to provide rip-snortin’ old-time string band music on fiddle, claw hammer, banjo, mandolin, guitar, and bass.

Steps will combine Appalachian-style square and New England-style line dances.

And last year plenty of smiles and laughter could also be seen and heard with fumbled allemande lefts, mis-stepped promenades and swings lost to centrifugal force – it’s all part of the fun!"

 

It was 3 hours of old-fashioned, high-energy, foot-stomping, belly laughing, promenading, spinning, circling, & allemande lefting fun.   The 1000 calories burned was a side benefit.  Just for the heck of it, I strapped on my heart rate monitor to see how many calories are burned squaring dancing.

Can't wait until the first Saturday in April.  That's the next dance event--Contra Dancing!  We want more of this dancing action!

 

 

 

 

 Guests Even Came from as Far Away as Germany & Canada

 

The Girls (and the Guys) Just Wanna Have Fun - Square Dancing Has It All: Joy, Fun, Friendship, Music, Laughter, Exercise & More

 

My photos from this year's dance are all a blur.  Spinning/twirling dancers are impossible to photograph on an iPhone.  Aargh!

You'll have to settle for photos from the Tree Tapper's Ball of 2011.  Nothing much has changed. 

Same caller.  The band has a new name.  Same dances.  Lots of the same dancers.  And always loads of fun!

 

My Back Story:

No joke.  For 23 years I've been wanting to go to the Tree Tapper's Ball--a community square dance that celebrates the annual tapping of the maple trees.  And just so you know (after the "Bitter Truth of Sugar" post)--my vote for the healthiest sweetener goes to maple syrup--because of its great taste, minerals & low fructose content.

This year, I was going to make sure that I made it to the ball!   The thing is--you can't delay--or you get closed out.  There's only room for 225 people.  You snooze, you lose.  As soon as I learned of the date for this year's dance, I sent out emails to friends I thought would enjoy an old-fashioned country square dance (this isn't everyone's cup-of-tea)--and since I could only make reservations for 8--the first 3 couples to respond were in!  

 

 

Hands-Down - A Hoe Down is One of the Best Ways to Feel Like a Ten-Year Old Again!

 

The Guy on the Far Right?  My Husband (looking like he's 10 years old) Having a Laughing Fit

 

The Magic Three of Square Dancing

 

1.  It's just plain fun--Dr. Stuart Brown, the physician founder of the National Institute for Play, firmly believes that adults need to play as much as children do.  Without it, we risk becoming depressed, rigid, unable to problem-solve, unsympathetic to others and humorless.  Who wants that to happen?  Read more about Brown's views on the importance of play in the New York Times, "Taking Play Seriously"

2.  Music & Laughter are so good for the heart--and the soul.  Music, like laughter benefits the heart.  According to Dr. Michael Miller of the University of Maryland, if you're listening to music that makes you feel "joyful or euphoric"--like the bluegrass music that The Wild Spiles played at the Tree Tapper's Ball, your blood vessels will dilate 26%, improving blood flow--which is an effect similar to that of exercise.  But, wait--dance is exercise--does that mean we had a 52% improvement in blood flow?  Miller says:  "The inner lining of the blood vessels--the endothelium--serves as the gatekeeper to vascular health."   Keep them dilated & keep them healthy.

3.  The element of touch.  Do-Si-Do.  Alamande  Left.  Promenade.  Swing Your Partner.  Square dancing is definitely "touch" dancing--and you're not just dancing with the partner you came with--you're dancing with everyone in your square, so there's plenty of touch.  "The Research Behind the Benefits of a Little Touch - High Fives, a Pat on the Back, a Touch of the Arm"

Humans thrive on touch--and what better way to connect with friends--and strangers, for that matter, than through the casual touch of dance?  Touch releases oxytocin--the hormone that creates a sense of trust--and reduces cortisol levels--the hormone of stress.  When oxytocin is released through touch, we relax, we feel good, we feel bonded.

In addition to the friends we came with, we got to also dance with new friends: Johanna, Sarah, Tom, Doug, Dottie, Cindy & that's the limit of the names I remember!

 

Kid Stuff

 

Here's the thing about square dancing--or contra dancing.  All those things you loved to do as a kid--you'll find them all on the dance floor!

1. Spinning Around.  Remember how much fun it was to spin around and around purposely making yourself dizzy?  Go square dancing--every time the caller says, "Swing your partner!" you can spin around like crazy, if you like.  At least that's how we like to do it.
2. Rolling down hills.  Remember how much fun it was to roll down a big hill as a kid?  You'll get that same feeling when you square dance.
3. Screaming for Fun.  Remember how much fun it was to scream at the top of your lungs--hoop & holler?  Every individual dance begins and ends with everyone holding hands in a circle and coming into the center to let out a loud "Woo Hoo".  Lots of screaming to stimulate the sacculus--the pleasure organ of the inner ear!
4. Getting all mixed up & not worrying one bit about it, because you're a kid.  Remember how much fun it was to mix up your left from your right, go one way when everyone else was going the other way?  Get all mixed up, and no one blamed you--you all just laughed?  Go square dancing!
5. Laughing so hard.  Remember how much fun it was to laugh so hard you could hardly breathe--or worse?  Go square dancing.
6. Active kid games. It's like playing tag, statues, London Bridges, Crack the Whip, Duck Duck Goose all rolled into one--and you don't have to know a thing about square dancing to do it!   It's the caller's job to teach you!
7. Running & skipping.  Remember feeling just pure joy from running or skipping and hanging out with your friends?  Go square dancing!

Every single one of us had a blast--and danced non-stop for three hours. Even the folks sitting on the sidelines had smiles on their faces watching everyone else makes fools of themselves.  It was freezing outside--but we were sweating buckets on the inside!  Not a drop of alcohol was served--just old-fashioned lemonade and plain old water. 

 

Dr. Stuart Brown and the National Institute for Play

 

Dr. Stuart Brown, is a physician and researcher, who is the founder of the National Institute for Play. 

He firmly believes that adults need to play as much as children do.  Without it, we risk becoming depressed, rigid, unable to problem-solve, unsympathetic to others and humorless.  Don't want that to happen!

I first learned about his research almost three years ago on Krista Tipppett's award-winnig Public Radio  "Speaking of Faith" broadcast, called, "Play, Spirit, and Character".   Brown totally captivated me--because frankly, once we grow up it really is so easy to leave the world of play behind.

After studying both animals, infants, and children at play, Brown is convinced that it's through play that we learn how to get along, how to forge friendships, develop empathy, trust, irony, problem-solving, and how to just "blow off steam." 

"When one really doesn't play at all or very little in adulthood, there are consequences: rigidities, depression, no irony — things that are pretty important, that enable us to cope in a world of many demands."

"Sometimes, I have to realize that wherever I feel stuck, it's often a cue to start playing. And it's as if play can actually open my mind again, actually help to reinvigorate the work that I'm doing."   from Speaking of Faith, "Play, Spirit, and Character".

 

The Roots of Play - What We Learn in Infancy & Childhood

 

According to Dr. Stuart Brown, if you're lucky enough to have a normal childhood, you learn early the basic elements of play--and for the rest of your life, when you're feeling pure exuberance and joy--it's likely that you're revisiting one of these elements.

Interesting how these three elements are integral parts of dance!

1.  Attunement Play:  When you dance, you have to make eye contact with your partner(s).  You have to get in sync with each other.  And if you don't want to get dizzy when you spin or swing around--you have to stare straight into each other's eyes.  "When an infant makes eye contact with her mother, each experiences a spontaneous surge of emotion (joy). The baby responds with a radiant smile, the mother with her own smile and rhythmic vocalizations (baby talk).  This is the grounding base of the state-of-play. It is known, through EEG and other imaging technologies, that the right cerebral cortex, which organizes emotional control is “attuned” in both infant and mother."

2.  Body Play and Movement:  What's dance?  It's movement & play.  "If you don’t understand human movement, you won’t really understand yourself or play.  If you do, you will reap the benefits of play in your body, personal life and work situations.  Learning about self movement structures an individual’s knowledge of the world - it is a way of knowing, and we actually, through movement and play, think in motion. For example the play-driven movement of leaping upward is a lesson about gravity as well as one’s body. And it lights up the brain and fosters learning. Innovation, flexibility, adaptability, resilience, have their roots in movement. The play driven pleasures associated with exploratory body movements, rhythmic early speech (moving vocal cords), locomotor and rotational activity - are done for their own sake; pleasurable, and intrinsically playful. They sculpt the brain, and ready the player for the unexpected and unusual."

3.  Social Play:   Dance is nothing more than social play.  "The urge to play with others, in addition to being fun, is often driven by the desire to be accepted, to belong. Kids start this process by “parallel” play, i. e., without much consciousness of the feelings or status of the play partner.  But as development proceeds, friendships happen,  empathy for another is felt, with mutual play as the crucible in which it becomes refined. Group loyalty and affection ensues, and with it the rudiments of a functioning community.  In animals, affiliative play appears to be kindled by the release of certain hormones and neurotransmitters, but it requires the experience of play to make “belonging” occur.

 

What's Up With My Love of Square Dancing?

 

Bob Howell, educator, ski instructor, life-long square-dance caller

 

Junior High assistant principals are supposed to be the "Enforcers".  The ones who keep kids in line, and dole out the detentions & suspensions. 

How lucky for us that our junior high of the 1960's had someone like Bob Howell as the Assistant Principal.  Funny, firm, kind, easy-going, and always wearing his signature red socks.  Just so happens that he was also a professonal square dance caller--so everyone who went to my quasi-urban junior high school learned how to square dance--and learned how much fun it was!

Mr. Howell got me hooked as a pre-teen.   And when I set out to write today about how much fun we all had at "The Tree Tapper's Ball", I remembered Bob Howell--who was still teaching skiing & square dancing well into his seventies or maybe even his eighties.  He passed away March, 2010, at 87.

"Howell has traveled the world putting the fun back into square dancing.  He's cued dancers to promenade in the South Pacific, allemande in Australia, and swing their partner in Sweden.

I go back to the roots - the basic stuff - that's where the fun is.  Keep it simple, keep it folk.

He's taught nursing home residents confined to wheelchairs to do solo dances like "Alley Cat".  And he's shared sashays with the severly mentally retarded, who pen green and red dots on their hands to keep left and right straight.  He's even taught a precision unicycle team to square dance - on unicycles.

One of Howell's most memorable jobs was calling for a group of foreign exchange students who had just arrived from Nigeria, Japan, Poland, Trinidad, and other countries.  He vividly recalls a beautiful Indian woman dressed in a silk sari, red dot on her forehead, a diamond stud piercing her nostril.

She came into the circle and had to swing her corner, and she froze.  He was a Pakistani - an untouchable.  He froze, too.

After a few tense moments, the man and woman joined hands and danced together the rest of the evening.  Howell sees it as only one of the many miracles that dance can bring about.

At home, they'd be shooting at one another, here, they're holding hands.  The world has to dance.  Dance together and we're going to get along."    Source: "His calling is the Dance"   Plain Dealer, January 29, 1993.

 

This Snake Dance Got Faster & Faster & Coiled Up Tightly

Under, Over, Inside Out - A Sure-Fire Recipe for Rotator Cuff Injury and Laughter

The Motley Blue Grass Band, The Wild Spiles, led by the Master Square Dance Caller Bob Smakula from Elkins, West Virginia

Janet & George, "Swing Your Corner"

About to Collide with Another Couple During the Virginia Reel

A Little Bit of Acrobatics

The Pure Joy of Dance

 

 George and Laurie

 

Group Hug?  No--It's a Dance Move.  Women's Arms Around the Men.  The Men's Arms Around the Women.  Then You Spin Around & Around as Fast as You Can!  Oh, Baby Is That Fun!

 

 Dance Rules!

 

1. Learn to Dance - from: "Happy Anniversary - Secrets of a Good Marriage - Luck, the 5-1 Ratio & Bill Murray's Groundhog Day"

2. More Dancing, Singing, Laughing, Playing, Schmoozing, and Mahjing.  What's the point of staying healthy without having fun?  That's the reason we work at staying healthy. Cool fact: There's a little organ deep in the ear, called the sacculus--and it gives us a great sense of pleasure and well-being when it's stimulated.  But, it can only be stimulated through singing!  That's why it was so much fun to hoop & holler before & after every dance!  From: "The Report Card on the Healthy Librarian's 2010 Simple Strategies for Staying Healthy and Happy - What's Working, What's Not, What's New for 2011?"

3.  Why sit on the sidelines watching everyone else dance?  Trust me, no one is watching you--just get out there and have a good time!   We're now checking the calendar for upcoming square and contra dances!  Get those dancin' shoes on!

4.  It's a 2-fer--Have Fun & Burn Calories-my friend Snez dances regularly, and often clips on her step counter at dances--she regularly logs in over 18,000 steps during an evening, just having fun!  Can't beat that!   This year I strapped on my heart monitor to see how many calories I would burn.  1000!!

 

 

 

The Healthy Librarian's Plant-Based Vacation Preparation Primer 101 - How a Family of Fifteen (Omnivores & Vegans) Found Vacation Harmony at the Beach

 

Paddle Ball, Anyone?

 

 

February 20, 2012

hi all,

hope everyone is doing well. i think of all of the different things (jobs,kids,life) we're all doing and am amazed of the changes in the past few years.

life certainly goes on and we are certainly a strong group. so, here we are in 2012 and i'd love to get together w/everyone this year.

I'd like to get some feedback from all of you as to when would be the best time (personally, december is out)...summer comes to mind as does north carolina .

we really have time to put something together so let's get some ideas of where & when...you know we'll have lots of laughs, a few tears,good food & i'm sure a few beers, bottles of wine and who knows what else.

can't wait to hear from you-SOON!

love,

El (aka. kid,mom,mima,lis,aunt El,favorite sister-in-law)

Email My Sister-in-Law Sent out in February, 2012 to Our Gang of 15

 

 

A July Beach Vacation - By Popular Demand

 

If you received this post via email, click here  to get to the web-version with all the photos, links, & to share your own plant-based vacation travel tips.

Where did everyone want to rendezvous?

The Beach!

The Beach!

The Beach! 

Everyone responded.  Multiple emails & phone calls later we settled on the single week--July 21-28th-when everyone could get off of work.  

We settled on the location.  The South Carolina coast.  Affordable.  Family-friendly.  Low-key.  Beautiful beaches.  Gentle surf. Lots & lots of bike, walking, & running paths.  Within driving distance for everyone. Some longer than others.

We found three moderate-costing houses to rent (split the cost), all very near to each other. Two on the same street. Perfect!  

 

So, how did 15 people--ages 9 months to 62,  married & single, no-nesters, empty-nesters, full-nesters, hipsters & oldsters, meat-eaters & vegans, night-owls & early risers, exercisers & slackers, with lots of different interests--find vacation harmony, enjoy amazing gourmet meals & beachtime together & still find plenty of time to do their own thing?

• We rented three separate houses--kind of like "separate" togetherness.
• We didn't try to "do everything" as a group.  We kept our own schedules.  Got to the beach in our own sweet time (or not), when we were ready--happily intersecting with each other.  Easy, breezey, no-hurrying.
• We got together for potluck dinners on most nights--but not every night!  The 20- & 30- somethings had their own dinner together one night.  The 50- & 60- somethings went out to a cool vegan-friendly Rasta restaurant one night.  The single twenty-somethings had some night life.  The full-nesters enjoyed a date night out with "free" baby sitting.
• Every dinner had something for everyone.  About half of us are eating plant-based. The other half love their meat & fish.  Viva la difference!
• The restaurant-goers of the group, went "out-to-lunch"--it's cheaper, with no long waits.
• Everyone was on their own vacation time. Some of us walked every morning.  Some of us ran. Some of us took long bike rides.  Some of us kayaked & fished.  Some of us played golf. Some of us explored the local shopping scene.  Some of us (like 3) got up at 5:30 am to enjoy a beach sunrise & some beach yoga.  Some of us slept late.  Some of us got up early.  

 

Morning Walks

The Officiant & Best Person.  We Renewed Our Weddeding Vows Under a Chuppah Fashioned from a Sheet Held Up with Golf Clubs 

Circling the Bride & Groom Under the Chuppah--What a Treat to Do It with a Grandee

A Little Yoga on the Beach?

 

 

BTW:  My sister-in-law was 100% right.  We shared a lot of laughs, a few tears, good food, a few beers, & some bottles of wine.  Margaritas & Mojitos, too!

And more:  The Lab Rat & I renewed our wedding vows (after 40+ years); we all danced on the deck to my daughter-in-law's "Perfect Play List", we walked on the beach, boogey-boarded everyday, body-surfed, played bocci & paddle ball, biked, hiked, cooked together, and screened the Lab Rat's AMAZING tear-jerker of a video featuring over 40 years of old 8mm movies & pics of long-forgotten family memories.

Accompanied by the music of our lives: Harry Chapin, Johnny Cash, John Lennon, Beatles, Moody Blues, Four Seasons, John Denver, Lovin' Spoonful, Louie Armstrong, Weavers, Simon & Garfunkel, Temptations, Ellis Paul, Frank Sinatra and more.

Unplugged.  Being mostly "unplugged" from my computer for over a week was a revelatory & rejuvenating experience. What a blessing!  OK, I did check my iPhone occasionally (totally addicted0, & we used our phones to "synchronize" our meet-ups.  

But, no emailing. No keeping up with "the latest news".  No writing.  My computer was mostly untouched. The TV was barely watched.  

OK, all "the girls"  climbed into our king-sized bed one night to watch my SIL's neighbor's nephew (got that?) "mustache" wedding on TLC's goofball reality show, "Four Weddings".  And we watched the opening ceremonies of "The Olympics".

And sweet sleep was had by all!  The grandees took their naps like champs & slept straight through the night.  Mostly.  I got an amazing 8-9 hours of straight-through-the-night restful sleep every night. What's up with that?  

 

Plant-Based Vacation Preparation 101

 

Eating plant-based is a huge game-changer when it comes to going on vacation.

Everything's more complicated & time-consuming.  You can't count of fast-food, carry-out or restaurants. But, it really does get easier the longer you do it.  Now it's just something I do.

You have to pack your own road-trip lunches---if you don't want to get stuck eating a Burger King Crispy Chicken Sandwich & Fries---like we did on our first "plant-based" vacation to Martha's Vineyard, back in the Summer of 2008.  OK, we were newbies, back then.

Lesson learned.  This year our road trip lunch cooler was packed with Homemade Match "Chicken"  Burger Sandwiches, peanut butter muffins for Little Man, Green Smoothies, humus, pita bread, carrot sticks, cherry tomatoes, fruit, Heart Thrives, and McDougall Breakfast Cups for our overnight hotel stay.

Who wants to spend a lot of time on meal prep when you're on vacation?  No one!

And I did not want to spend my vacation in a grocery store & cooking for a crowd.  No way!

 I figured out ahead of time, with the help of Son #1, my sister-in-law, & the Lab Rat, a basic plan of what some of our easiest meals could be. 

• I got a list of vegan-friendly restaurants & the best grocery stores on "the island" from a very helpful HHLL reader who lives there full-time--and we enjoyed a delightful "meet-up" at her home!  More on that, later.
• We came up with a meal plan for the week.  Each "family" would make what they wanted for dinner & we'd share it potluck style.
• Breakfasts & lunches were on our own.
• Each family brought their own favorite staples.  We would shop for fresh produce on the island.  My sister-in-law & niece brought their entire weekly organic produce "shares" to share with all of us.  A huge gift to us all.

Our potluck dinners were fashionably "fusion" & beyond our wildest expectations.  You could NEVER eat this well in a restaurant!

Cooking together makes a huge difference--it turns work into fun.  And cooking with my family is one of life's pleasures.  If we didn't eat until 9:00 pm, it didn't matter.  We were on "island slow time".

The non-cooks in the group pitched in with the hard work of drink-making, shopping, schlepping, clean-up, table setting, & entertaining the kids.   Teamwork at its best!

 

 

My Master Shopping List

 

I shopped for the vacation staples TWO WEEKS before we left.

My grandson was going to be visiting with us the week before we left on vacation--plus, I still had to work that week.   I didn't want to waste a minute of his all-too-short visit traipsing around grocery stores.

I figured my best bet was to bring my own staples from home for the meals we planned on making.  Who knew what I'd find at "the island" grocery stores?  

Besides, once this vacation started--I wanted to spend as little time as necessary at a grocery store!

I brought along only the staples we'd need to make the following meals:

• Pizzas loaded with artichokes, roasted red peppers, mushrooms, & Field Roast or Upton's Italian "Sausage"
• Breakfasts of steel-cut oats (Chocolate Oatmeal--this converts easily from crockpot to stovetop cooking by cutting the liquid down to 2 cups of soymilk & 1 cup of water), Chocolate Chia Breakfast Pudding, rolled oats, Whole Grain Muffins & peanut butter (for the kids)
• Chloe's Artichoke & Spinach Dip
• Vietnamese Ba'hn M'i Salad/Sandwiches
• Spicy Sweet Potato, Corn, Black Bean & Chorizo Lasagna
• Black Bean, Cherry Tomato Guacomole Salad  (just ditch the oil in this recipe)
• Black-Eyed Pea & Sweet Potato Burgers with Buns (ditch the oil, & consider using Taylor's canned sweet potatoes for faster prep) 
• Sicilian-Style Orzo Salad with Chickpeas, Walnuts & Raisins
• Fixings for a taco dinner--Upton's Chorizo & Plain Seitan, Salsa, Beans
• Lunch fixings:  Tu-No salad, smoked tofu sandwiches, humus (Note: Tree of Life Smoked Tofu is not availabe everywhere, but it is fabulous & makes delicious sandwiches)
• Beach snacks. 
• Drinks.  Watermelon Margaritas.  Mojitos.

 

Click here for my Master Shopping & Packing List

 

The Beans:  Eden Brand Garbanzos, Black Beans, TJ's vacuumed-packed Black-Eyed Peas

The Spices & Herbs:  This basic supply included a lot of blends that work for multiple recipes.  Kelp granules, cinnamon; curry; Penzey's Cajun; Barbecue 3000 & 4/S, Greek Seasoning; sea salt; Trader Joe's South Aftican Seasoning Blend; Red Pepper flakes; cumin; vanilla; black pepper; ground fennel seed.

The Condiments:  Kalamata olives, capers, sriracha sauce, jarred roasted red peppers, rice vinegar, pizza sauce, chipotle salsa, nutritional yeast, ketchup, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Olive Tap Lemon White Reserve Balsamic Vinegar (a gift from from SIL), TJ's Fat-Free Balsamic Vinaigrette, TJ's Sesame Soy Giner Vinaigrette. 

The Canned Food--excluding beans:  Taylor's Sweet Potatoes (nothing added),  chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, artichoke hearts, mushrooms

The Staples:  Eden-brand soymilk, 1 box of low-sodium vegetable broth, steel-cut oats, rolled oats, whole wheat orzo, chia seed, raw cashews, raw walnuts, Penzey's Cocoa, raisins, PB2, medjool dates, Starbuck's coffe

The Refrigerated Foods:  3 Sami's Millet Flax Pizza Crusts; Field Roast Italian Sausage; Upton's Plain, Chorizo & Italian Style Seitan, NaSoya Soft Tofu, 4 packages of Tree of Life Smoked Tofu (Regular & Hot n' Spicy); Chipotle & Regular Humus; 1/4 cup of Tahini for burgers; peanut butter for Little Man

The Breads, Buns, & Crackers:  Ezekiel Sprouted Corn Tortillas, Trader Joe's Whole Wheat English Muffins, Ezekiel Sprouted Bread, Alvarado Street Bakery Sprouted Hamburger Buns, Finn Caraway Crisps, Wasa Crackers, Mary's Gone Crackers (regular & caraway),  Pretzel Crisps (Sesame & Everything), plenty of Heart Thrives for emergency meals or snacks.

The Mixed Drink Fixings:  Tequila & Grand Marnier

 

My Must-Have Kitchen Utensils

 

I've been in enough vacation rental condos/houses to know that "you never know how well-equipped" someone else's kitchen is going to be.

If you REALLY have a favorite "must-have" kitchen utensil--just bring your own.  Better safe than sorry.

Here's what I packed:

• My VitaMix--we used it everyday.  Smoothies, salsas, dressings, chia pudding, humus, etc.
• A good spatula for the VitaMix
• One really good sharp knife (oops, forgot about this one!)
• A Zester & my favorite (I use it everyday!) lemon juicer (if you don't have one of these, get one ASAP)
• Measuring spoons & cups--I'm big on measuring ingredients!
• My mini-OXO angled measuring cup--great for measuring small amounts of liquid ingredients--including mixed drinks.
• The recipes I planned on making, & 2 cookbooks--just in case plans changed.  Robin Robertson's Quick-Fix Vegan & Chloe's Kitchen.
• Dobie pads for dishwashing.  My own favorite dish rags for counter clean-up
• Ziploc bags, aluminum foil--so glad I did.
• I really wanted to cart my Cuisinart food processor--but, I had to draw the line.
• Lots of freezer packs
• A couple of my fave plastic containers
• Kleen Canteens
• Coffee filters

 

Turns out, our kitchen was well-equipped with most everything we needed.  We even had a gas grill on the deck.  Figures!

 

Mixed Meals - Something for Everyone

 

DInner Out - Roastfish & Cornbread's Veggie Menu - My Roasted Portobello Sandwich

 Roastfish & Cornbread - The Lab Rat's Ultimate Vegetarian Po' Boy

 Marg & Melon Margarita's  

Chloe's Warm Artichoke & Spinach Dip - My Tofu-Hating Nephew LOVED This One. 

The Barefoot Contessa's Guacamole Salad (just ditch the olive oil--not needed)

My Sister-in-law's Stuffed Roasted Portobellos ala Chef Chloe

Quick Chipotle Sweet Potato Lasagna with Black Beans, Roasted Corn, & Chorizo 

My Sister-in-Law's Roasted Artichokes - First Time for Me

 Master Chef Son #1 Working on His Homemade Salsa

 

My SIster-in-Law's Easy Rice Paper Veggie Roll Bar with Something for Everyone - Vegan or Fish Eater

 

Asian Veggie Roll Ready for Eating - Three Dipping Sauces

 

My Niece & Nephew's Giant Loaded Salad

 

Fresh Grilled Fish for "Fish Tacos"

 

Taco Bar Fixin's - Rice & Beans, Guacamole, Marinated Cabbage, Salsa

 

Homemade Salsa, Homemade Creamy Chipotle "Cashew Lime" Sauce, Homemade Pickled Hot Peppers

 

Asian Veggie Roll, Stuffed Veggie Taco, & Salad

 

"Not Your Carry-Out Pizza" - Roasted Garlic, Fresh Basil, Caramelized Onions, Roasted Red Peppers, Mushrooms, Artichoke Hearts, Sauteed Spinach, Kalamata Olives & Field Roast Italian "Sausage"

"Pizza Joint" Take-Out Pizza for the Meat & Cheese Lovers in the Family

 

 

Tu-No to Feed a Crowd  - Enjoyed by Miss Bean the Nine-Month Old & Omnivore Son #2

 

Better Forget About Restaurants with a Crowd of Fifteen - We Hit the Harborside Picnic Tables for Live Music, a Pre-Dinner Beer & Plenty of Runaround Space for the Kids

 

Ba'hn M'i Salad/Sandwiches with Cabbage, Cucumbers, Carrots, Lime, Hoisin Sauce, Upton's Chorizo & Plain Seitan & a Crusty Baguette

Sauteed Swiss Chard with Onions & Ginger

My Sister-in-Law's Cinnamon Roasted Organic Acorn Squash  

My Nephews' Fresh Catch - Grilled Spotted Seatrout

My Sister-in-Law's Gazpacho with Sami's Millet-Flax Croutons

Your Won't Find This Combo in Any Restaurant:  My Dinner Plate - Ba'han M'i, Gazpacho, Roasted Acorn Squash, & Swiss Chard

 

Lots of Spicy Black-Eyed Pea & Sweet Potato Burgers

Roasted Red-Skin Potatoes with Garlic, Onions, & Penzey's Cajun & 4S Seasoning

Burgers & Fries Topped with Guacamole & Creamy Chipotle Dressing

 

Breakfast at My Sister-in-Law's - Banana-Blueberry Oat Breakfast Bake & Fresh Fruit

 

Vacation Harmony?  I Think We Pulled It Off.  I'm Game for the Sequel!

 

Please forgive my family photo-sharing indulgences!  Thanks for your patience!  I totally understand, how annoying this must be.  

 

Now--please share where you went this summer, and your own tips for helping to make plant-based vacation travel as easy as possible!

This is a work in progress for all of us.

St. Louie Eats! Plant-Based, Everyday, Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner!

 

Cooking Up Some St. Louie Eats Treats with Oma

 

If you received this via email, click here to get to the web version with all the links, or to post a comment.

 

Oma & Poppy Pay a Visit

 

 Practicing Those Spider-Man Moves

 

Eight busy days spent slacking in St. Louis with the Grands.  

Well, I wasn't exactly slacking.   

I was on the go from 7:00 am until 11:00 pm.   

The Lab Rat & I were in St. Louis lending a helping hand to our DIL, while Son #1 was hard at work in a small Mayan village in Mexico for 10 days.  

Bonus for us:  24/7 time with our just-turned-three-year-old grandson, and our eight-month old granddaughter.

Eight days without a minute of watching TV, reading the New York Times, catching up on my fave web sites, working on my computer, or listening to NPR.   Well, almost no electronic device time.  

What I discovered?   I didn't miss it at all!  I liked being disconnected from my computer.  It's impossible to divide my attention between what's on the screen--and my grandkids.   The news, the emails, the headlines would still be there (and they were) when I got home--but, grandkids grow up way too fast, and I didn't want to miss a minute of them.

Where did the time go?  

Walks to the park and playground, swinging on swings, sliding down slides, snuggles, going on a treasure hunt, playing trucks, a trip to the pool, reading pirate books, plenty of diaper changes, trips to the grocery store, lots of time to talk to my DIL, laundry, bath times, bed times,  dressing kids, drying tears, coaxing & cajoling a newbie three-year old, and feeding a baby & a toddler multiple meals & snacks every day.

Whew!  It takes a lot of time.

I also had an unexpected opportunity to share my Centenarian Strategies presentation to many of the staff at the St. Louis Jewish Community Federation.  Such an enthusiastic group--with lots of excellent, thoughtful questions. I really enjoyed sharing what I've learned with them, and I look forward to returning on a future visit to St. Louis.

The trip was delightful--and special--because of its ordinariness.  It's tough living so far away from the Grands! I miss all the everyday ordinary stuff.

Can't wait until July when we all go to the beach for an extended family reunion!

 

A Week of St. Louie Eats

 

What a treat to have three plant-based cooks in the house.  My DIL, the Lab Rat, & me.   None of us wanted to spend too much time in the kitchen, so we kept it simple and aimed for kid-friendly.   Well, good luck with that "kid-friendly" part.  That was definitely a crap shoot.  You just never know.  And it changes from day-to-day.

Sometimes we picked a winner, sometimes not.  No one is more food-fickle than a newbie-three-year-old. Getting them to taste a new brand of peanut butter, a different English muffin, or a new kind of hummus, can be a challenge, to put it mildly.

TIP from the Lab Rat:  Just tell them that all the baseball, soccer, basketball players, and even the golfers, eat what you're about to feed them.  That's why they're such superstars.   At least it worked with the new brand of peanut butter & English muffins.   Sometimes the Lab Rat is a genius!

 

My DIL's Go-To Plant-Based Cookbooks

 

• Quick-Fix Vegan.  Healthy, Homestyle Meals in 30 Minutes or Less.  Most everything's a winner.  It's easy.   No problem eliminating the oil in the recipes.
• Peas and Thank You.  Simple Meatless Meals the Whole Family Will Love.  Easy, kid-friendly.  Author, Sarah Matheny, does use oil & tahini, but her recipes are adaptable to no-added-oil.
• Appetite for Reduction.  125 Fast & Filling Low-Fat Vegan Recipes.   

 

Jambalaya!

 

The Lab Rat made dinner on Day #1.   This recipe is fast, easy, kid and grown-up friendly.   Yay!   The "food critic"  gobbled it up.    

 

Peas and Thank You Jambalaya with Field Roast Italian Sausage (Click here for the recipe)

 

No-Fry Falafel

 

My DIL chose this recipe from Peas and Thank You.   Another easy-to-put-together recipe that she adapted by eliminating the oil and baking the falafel on parchment paper.   She did use the small amount of tahini in the recipe.  Cook's choice.  She also used fresh dill, instead of dried, in her Tzatziki Sauce and she left out the Veganaise.  The sauce is fabulous & we used the leftovers as a delicious salad dressing, a dip for baby carrots & on top of the Spicy Tempeh Tacos.   The "little food critic" in the house refused to even taste the falafel--at least this time.  More for us grown-ups.

 

Peas & Thank You No-Fry Falafel with Tzatziki Sauce (click here for the recipe)

 

 Chipotle Lime Tempeh Tacos

 

Another DIL creation and the "food critic" in the house LOVED these.  We suspect the taco shells might have had something to do with that.  But, who cares?  

*Cook's Notes: You can also use sprouted grain tortillas, or softened corn tortillas instead of fried shells--or try softening corn tortillas in the microwave & then baking them draped over the slats in the oven rack. No-fry taco shells!

These tacos are spicy, so decrease the chipotle if you like your tacos less spicy.  Grating the tempeh is a genius idea for tacos!

 

Three Year-Old Approved Spicy Lime Tempeh Tacos from Peas & Thank You (Click here for the recipe)

 

"Tu-No" - A Mock Tuna Salad You'll Want to Have on Hand in the Fridge

 

My turn to cook--& I wanted something yummy for lunch.  We didn't even bother offering this sophisticated salad to our resident "food critic".   Didn't want to waste even a spoonful.   I love Cathy Fisher's (Straight-Up Food) version of vegan mayonnaise--and I think it will work well on all kinds of pasta or slaw dishes.

Cook's Notes: I omitted the onion.  Fresh dill would be a great herb option, as a switch from basil. Perhaps, capers or dill seed, too?  I used 2 teaspoons of kelp granules (not 1)--available at Whole Foods or health food stores.  I used Sea Seasonings Organic Kelp Granules from Maine and I added a touch of salt to my Tu-No. Loved the avocado with the Tu-No Salad.

You can easily cut the recipe in half. 

 

Straight-Up Food Tu-No Salad (click here for the recipe)

Curried Cauliflower Soup with Roasted "Cauliflower Rice" 

 

The DIL adapted this OMG-sophisticated soup from Quick-Fix Vegan.   This was better than anything I've ever had in a restaurant!   She roasted the cauliflower "rice" without a drop of oil, on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.  I can see making a bigger batch of the "rice" to sprinkle on salads--like croutons.  It's fabulous--sprinkled lightly with freshly ground pepper & salt as it roasts.   This recipe uses my version of "no-fat" coconut milk, which is made with 1 1/2 cups of soy milk (not low-fat) and 1 1/2 teaspoons of coconut extract.  Enjoy.  Not so fast--but, so worth it!

Quick-Fix Vegan's "Enlightened" Curried Cauliflower with Roasted Cauliflower "Rice"  (Click here for the recipe)

 

In-a-Flash Quick-Fix Tomato Tortilla Soup

 

My DIL suggested I make this for dinner on one of the days she went to work.  All the ingredients were already in the house--and she knew it was quick & easy.  What we were aiming for.  I ditched the oil, fiddled with the spices a bit, & added half of a jalapeno & some lime.  The recipe uses a cup of salsa, which is an easy way to kick up the flavor!

 

Quick-Fix Vegan's "Enlightened" Tomato Tortilla Soup (Click here for the recipe)

 

The Girls Just Gotta Have Their Chocolate Banana Chia Pudding 

 

My DIL & I both LOVE OUR CHOCOLATE!   We made this quick-fix recipe twice.  It's that good!  We enjoyed it for breakfast.   As a snack.   And for dessert.   Even Little Miss Bean (the 8 month-old) gobbled it up.

 

Chocolate Banana "Espresso" Chia Pudding (Click here for the recipe)

 

More Chocolate Girl Treats - Chocolate Espresso Hummus

 

The DIL whipped this up in a flash.  And we ate it up just as fast.   We're both suckers for healthy chocolate treats--and cannelini beans, dates & cocoa will do the job for any chocoholic!  The DIL makes her chocolate hummus without the stevia--and just adds an extra date.  This makes the best post-work-out snack, too. 

 

Chocolate Hummus (Click here for the recipe)

 

Easy Oatmeal Blueberry Breakfast Bars

 

Neither the Lab Rat, nor the "food critic" were interested in trying these delicious bars.  Who knows why?   But, my grandson certainly enjoyed making them--and when he grows up he wants to be "a cooker"!   The DIL & I LOVED these bars--and the flavor improves overnight--so hold-off eating them until morning.   It's such an easy take-along breakfast that includes oatmeal, blueberries, chia, banana, a little maple syrup, & flax.  That's it.

Cook's Notes:  This isn't very sweet, which is just fine with me & it makes an easy portable breakfast.  I topped mine with walnuts, because I LOVE walnuts!.  If you want it sweeter, consider adding some stevia, or more maple syrup.

 

I Like It Green's Baked Blueberry Oat Breakfast Bars  (Click here for the recipe)

 

Easy Banana Bread Oatmeal

 

I wanted steel-cut oats for breakfast one morning, and the pantry was fresh out of any dried fruit.  Hmm. What to do?   Bingo!   I chopped up 4-5 juicy pitted Medjool dates, smashed up a very ripe banana, & mixed them in a pot with 1 cup of steel-cut oats, some raisins, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, and 3 cups of enriched soymilk.   I like to make my oatmeal with enriched soymilk, instead of water, because I want the extra protein, the calcium, & all the other vitamins & minerals it comes with.  

We all LOVED this oatmeal--which makes enough for 4.   Honestly, it tastes just like banana bread.  You could even eat it for a snack or for dessert.

I even whipped up a second batch of this later in the week.

 

The Healthy Librarian's Banana Bread Oatmeal  Click Here for the Recipe

 

More St. Louie Eats!  

 

Want gluten-free crust?  Daiya vegan cheese?   "No-Meat" sausage?   Then Pi Pizza is the place to go!

As a treat, the Lab Rat & I decided to go "deluxe"--adding the Daiya Cheese.  Honestly, I'm not a Daiya fan. Next time I'd  "hold the cheese".  It's not needed.

PI Totally Vegan Deluxe Pizza (Daiya cheese, MATCH "Italian Sausage", peppers & onions)

 

 

 

 

 Chocolate Chia Walnut Bars (Click here for the recipe)  A Hit with the House!

 

 HGK's Kale Mushroom Enchiladas with Poblano Cream (Click here for the recipe)

Cook's Notes:  This recipe is a WINNER!  Both my son & DIL said, "This is the best dish you have ever made!" And they really like my cooking.  Both my sister & sister-in-law texted me with, "OMG!  This is amazing!" after they made it.  I've already made it three times and, trust me,  it will satisfy any die-hard omnivore's tastes. TIP:  You'll need more salsa verde than the recipe calls for!  Buy 2-16 ounce jars (not 8 ounce jars)! I used all the corn tortillas in the package.

 

 

St. Louis' Raw Vegan Restaurant - Pura'Vegan

 

The Lat Rat & I LOVED this restaurant!  And I definitely plan to go back.   It's fresh, unique, so delicious, & the presentation is spectacular, don't you think?  The owner follows Dr. Joel Fuhrman's diet plan, and although I didn't ask her, I'm guessing there wasn't any oil added to these dishes.  Nuts, avocados, seeds, yes!  We also scarfed down a delicious, albeit pricey, Banana Maca Cappucino "Milk" Shake.  Oh, baby, was that good!

 

Pura'Vegan's Loaded Tacos on House-Made Corn Tortillas with Pico de Gallo

 

 Pura'Vegan Raw Food Cafe

 

 Pura'Vegan's Sweet Potato Pasta with Lots of Vegetables 

 

Pura'Vegan's Enchilada's with Sunflower "Beans". Nacho "Cheese" & Veggies 

 

Pura'Vegan's Nut-Free Burger with Kale Chips

 

Another  St. Louis Restaurant with Plant-Based Options - Local Harvest

 

 

Molly's Pinto Bean Veggie Burger

 

Ahoy There Matey!

 

Going on a Birthday Treasure Hunt - X Marks the Spot

 

Digging for the Buried Treasure 

 

Yay!  I Found the Buried Treasure, Mommy!

 

Hiking in St. Louis with Mexico-Traveling Son #1

 

Little Miss Bean Just Sittin' Pretty

Utah Rocks! Rx: SPiF WAD - the Centenarian Six. What Does That Have to Do With Making the Most of Everything That Utah Has to Offer?

 

Hiking 6500 Feet Up to Observation Point in Zion National Park

 

"You have to climb the tree, if you want to enjoy the fruit."

-A framed quote sitting on a little table outside of my low-tech neighborhood gym-

 

 

If you received this post via email, click here to get to the web version with all the links & lots & lots of photos.

Utah Rocks!  

As the Lab Rat & I hiked up the Utah mountains in Zion & down into the canyons of Bryce & Capitol Reef, I had one of those light-bulb moments.

Everything that I'd been doing for the past 4 years had brought me to this magnificent experience.  Here I was hiking up strenous narrow trails with precarious steep drop-off cliffs.  The temperature was 70 degrees, sunny, not a cloud in the sky.

We weren't limited to just driving to the parks' look-out points--in order to view the awe-inspiring sites of Zion, Bryce Canyon, & Capitol Reef National Parks.   We hiked up the mountains & down into the glorious canyons.  Away from the crowds.  

That plant-based no-oil diet certainly was working for us.  Plenty of energy to spare--and no aches or pains to hold us back.  No bum knees or hips.  We were steady on our feet--no worries about slipping off the mountain's edge.  Not to mention, the unmentionable--our digestive systems were doing just fine, in spite of the travel.

All that spinning & weight-training was paying off in spades.   These were strenous hikes (ranked as "difficult"), yet my quads were up to the task.  No need to stop & catch my breath--even in the high-altitude.  No need to rest my quads.  I felt strong, capable, & down-right proud of how my body was up to the task.

A word about technology:  I mysteriously lost my annoying interest in the internet for a week.  Gone.  Who cares what's in the news?  No computer.  No iPhone.  No TV.  No newspaper.  The sights I was seeing--were a lot more captivating.

And of course, the  presentation on, "Centenarian Strategies"...  That's the reason we were in Utah in the first place.

 

 

When I was asked 6 months ago to speak at the Utah Library Association's 100th meeting, I thought, "Sure, why not.  What an honor!  You want me to speak?"

But, two months ago, I wondered what I had gotten myself into.   What was I thinking, saying "Yes" to delivering an hour-long presentation.

No exaggeration--putting this presentation together was a mammoth job.   Hours and hours of work.  But worth every minute of it!  I stretched my brain in ways I never thought possible, while getting proficient with Apple's Keynote software.  I could literally feel the new neuron connections sprouting.

I learned how to insert videos, add audio clips, work with shapes, include fancy animations, transitions & graphics.   The whole 9 yards.   Learning something new--out of my comfort zone was worth all the effort.

But, the best part, was the opportunity to share what I had learned over the past 4 years!

Turns out, only one person in the entire audience had seen "Forks Over Knives".  The film had never made it to Salt Lake City.  All this was new territory.

 

 

Rx:  SPiF WAD - The Centenarian Six

 

The night before my presentation Ann Esselstyn sent me an email:  "Good luck!  I know you'll be fantastic.  But expect "technical difficulties.  Nothing ever goes as planned."  Uh oh!  Was this an omen?

She knew how things can go in the "presentation world"!   

I had double & triple-checked that there would be audio for the video & audio clips in my presentation.   All systems were go.  No worries.

When I arrived an hour before the talk, there was no audio in the room.  Somehow the IT staff never got the order for audio--and by now, they already had big computer problems to work on for other presenters.  Oops. Now what?

Well, the audio somehow finally got sorted out--but that put me about 15 minutes behind schedule--with the big luncheon & keynote speaker following me at 12:00 o'clock sharp.

The talk went well.  The Lab Rat (who's as honest as they come) says everyone was closely paying attention--transfixed, he said--& rapidly taking notes.  But, I ran out of time to finish, to wrap things up, to answer questions, & just plain schmooze with everyone.  That part was a big disappointment for me. But, I'm over it.  The feedback--so I hear--was great.

 

So, Here's the Post-Presentation Wrap Up I Never Had the Chance to Make

 

As we flew home on Thursday, I was totally engrossed in Jonah Lehrer's new book, "Imagine: How Creativity Works".  It's all about how ideas come to us, seemingly "out-of-the-blue" when we're relaxed & least expect them.

Light bulb moment again.   Well, nothing so brilliant.  But, having the opportunity to travel 6 days after the conference, I now had THE PERFECT ENDING to my Centenarian Strategies talk.

I had experienced every single one of the Centenarian Six Rx on this trip!

And I had reaped the rewards of this outstanding trip because of the Centenarian Six.

• I've got a body I can count on because of what I eat & how I exercise
• I've got energy
• Strong heart, bones, & a better brain (I really notice clearer thinking)
• Solid sleep
• Solitude
• The joy that comes from friends, family, & meeting new people wherever I go & embracing new experiences
• The fulfillment that can only come from work that's serious & stimulating
• The laughter, the silliness, the upbeat attitude (that's the smiles) & unabashed joy of music & singing

Bottom Line:  Diet really is the keystone to Rx SPiF WAD--but all the other five are important contributors to health & happiness.   We need them all!

 

Here's the silly acronym I jotted down on the inside cover of Lehrer's marvelous book - SPiF-WAD.

It says it all.

 

A Word About Food

 

The only "food" we brought with us on this trip was chia seed, Hammer bars & Larabars.  So little preparation?  What were we thinking?  

The no-fat vegan Heart Thrives & California Suncakes we ordered too late to arrive before we left.   But, be sure to check them out!   They taste great & are loaded with nutrition.  Perfect travel & hiking fuel. They taste like scones.

 

How crazy & fortunate that we found amazing vegan options for breakfast, lunch, & dinner--everywhere.  

We stocked up on hiking supplies for our hikes in the little Utah town of La Verkin, on our way to Zion.  Found Better'n Peanut Butter (better than nothing), hummus, hearty whole grain La Brea bread, Suzy's Spelt Cakes, & fruit.  That's a packable lunch!

In the Salt Lake City Hilton, and at Oscar's Restaurant in Springdale, outside of Zion, we enjoyed giant bowls of steel cut oats, topped with berries & chia for breakfast.  At Oscar's, steel cut oats are made daily--but they're not on the menu.  And they even have soymilk.

At the famous Hell's Backbone Grill in Boulder, UT we breakfasted on brown rice, red beans, & hot sauce. Definitely rib-stickin'.  Something I'll try at home for breakfast.

At the amazing Torrey School House B & B, our host made us no-fat vegan whole grain blueberry pancakes & served them with fresh organic asparagus from her garden.  She called it, "Vegan Bacon".

 The Salt Lake City airport Quality Inn & Bryce's Best Western Grand had sorry-looking breakfasts, but we made do.  Donuts, Lucky Charms, bacon, sausage, white bread, waffle mix, tasteless oatmeal that looked like thin gravy & yogurt.  Next time I'll pack some emergency homemade oatmeal baggies.

 

Steel Cut Oats with Berries for Breakfast

 

 Hell's Backbone Grill Beans & Brown Rice with She-Devil Sauce for Breakfast

 

Dinners to Delight

 

Our dinners were all vegan & all delicious.  How is it possible that we were able to eat so well?  These options don't exist where I live.

Favorite Utah Restaurant:

Sage's Vegetarian Cafe in Salt Lake City

 

Other memorable vegan dinners:

Bit & Spur in Springdale, UT:  Polenta Stacks with Cremini, Shiitake Mushrooms & Black Beans & Pumpkin/Mushroom Tamales with Roast Tomato Sauce & Black Beans.

The organic, locally-sourced restaurant in the Bryce Canyon Lodge is under new management & has a number of vegan options.

Hell's Backbone Grill in Boulder, UT

Cafe Diablo in Torrey, UT (ask for the gluten-free & vegan menus)

 

Breakfast in Springdale (Zion National Park):  Oscar's Cafe:  Steel cut oats are made everyday, even though they aren't on the menu.  Soymilk is available.

 

Sage's Cafe in Salt Lake City

 

Sage's Amazing Towering Soba Salad with Blackened Tempeh

 

Sage's Mayo-Free Potato Salad with Blackened Tempeh, Avocado & Vegetables Galore

 

Sage's Special Squash & Spicy Tempeh Burrito with Tofu "Sour Cream"

 

Sage's Appetizer Asian Lettuce Rolls with Spicy Tempeh & Vegetables

 

Cafe Diablo in Torrey, Utah

 

Cafe Diablo's Complimentary Grilled Vegetable Appetizer with Homemade Bread 

 

Cafe Diablo's Vegan Vegetable Tamales with Black Bean Sauce, Pureed Sweet Potatoes & Grilled Vegetables

 

Cafe Diablo's Kid-Sized Homemade Strawberry Sorbet

 

Hell's Backbone Grill Vegan Arugula Pesto Ziti with Greens

 

Hell's Backbone Grill Award-Winning House Salad with Honey-Chili Dressing

 

Hell's Backbone Grill Hearty Vegan Green Chili & Bean Posole - Not Much to Look at, but Delicious!  I Plan to Order Their Authentic Posole

 

Utah Sights - Salt Lake City, Zion, Bryce, & Capitol Reef National Parks

 

Utah Rocks!  Zion National Park

 

On Top of Observation Point - Zion National Park - 4 Miles Straight Up & 4 Miles Straight Down

 

Whoa!  We Hiked Up Those Switchbacks??   At Zion NP

 

Hiking the Navaho Loop & Peekaboo Trail at Bryce Canyon NP

 

Hiking Among the Hoodoos in Bryce Canyon

 

Hiking to Hickman Bridge at Capitol Reef NP - That's the Lab Rat on the Left!

 

Waiting for the Shuttle at Zion NP - No Cars Allowed!

 

Flowers are Everywhere in Salt Lake City's Stunning Tabernacle Square

 

Listening to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's Thursday Night Rehearsal - Beautiful

 

The Mormon Temple

 

Lay Your Head Down - Sweet Sleep 

 

The Warm & Inviting Under the Eaves B & B in Springdale, UT - Zion NP--Thumbs Up!  Hosts Mark & Joe are Terrific

 

Our Home Away from Home at Under the Eaves - Zion NP

 

At Boulder Mountain Lodge - Boulder, UT - Freebie Upgrade to a Gynormous Rustic Room with a Kitchen, Porch & Mountain View

 

The Charming 1914 Renovated School House B & B in Torrey, UT - Gorgeous Gardens Everywhere

 

This School House Has a Sharper Image Massage Chair in Every Room - Nirvana

 

A Huge Thank You to Our Utah Hosts - E & D - for Making This Experience Possible & So Much Fun!  Please Come Visit Us!

Help, I've Got Too Much on My Plate! Time for a Giant Serving of Rock & Siegel's "Healthy Mind Platter"

 

 Packed & Ready for My Dawn through Dusk "Too-Busy" Day.  Calgon--Take Me Away!

 

Arriving at work with a change of clothes, lunch, dinner, a Green Smoothie, & my Mac for my after-work Keynote lesson at Apple.  

Did I forget anything important, like underwear?  

I may be smiling, but inside, I'm thinking, "Gee, a week-long silent meditation retreat or a week at the beach is where I'd rather be right now."

 

 

"[I]t seems we've entered an ERA of OVERWHELM. 

A time when too many people's mental well-being is being stretched through multi-tasking, fragmented attention and information overload.

The trouble is, we are short on simple, clear information about good mental habits.

Few people know about what it takes to have optimum mental health, and the implications of being out of balance.

Without good information about the mind and brain, we may be stretching ourselves in ways that may have bigger implications than poor eating habits."

-Dr. David Rock, the executive director of the NeuroLeadership Institute, writing for the Harvard Business Review blog, "Maintain Your Mental Well-Being"

 

If you received this via email, click here to get to the web page with all the links, & to leave a comment. I love comments.

 

First off, a GIANT THANK YOU, for all the wonderful suggestions, stories, & advice so many of you sent me about "Centenarian Strategies".  I can't tell you how much I appreciated everything you generously shared.

If I didn't get back to you personally, please forgive me.  I read & appreciate every email & comment--but sometimes I just plain old "run out of time" to write back to everyone.  I always intend to--it just doesn't always happen.  If you didn't get a chance to read all the comments--and they're worth reading--click here.

 

I Need to Whine!  Sorry.

You all know how it is.

You already have barely enough time in your day to finish what you absolutely need to do.

Throw in one more thing, and it can instantly propel you into SERIOUS OVERLOAD!  AKA, STRESS.

Well, that's how I've been feeling this past week--ever since I started to learn Apple's Keynote presentation software & get my "Centenarian Strategies" presentation put together.

Now that I'm obsessed with learning all of Keynote's bells & whistles, I'm staying up way too late, & getting up way too early.  I don't do well with sleep deprivation.

On Tuesday night, I got totally obsessed with changing the presentation's template, and figuring out how to make tables, insert video into the presentation, incorporate moving shapes, and all kinds of cool gizmos--I really didn't have time to fool with.  Like an addict--I couldn't stop.  

I never got to bed until 1:30 am--and I had to be up at 5:30 am to get to work on Wednesday.   And I'm someone who must get her 7-8 hours of sleep!   Amazing what the lack of sleep can do to one's mood, patience, & disposition.  Hint: It's not recommended.

Then on Thursday, I was up early to get to the gym before work, and then after work, I had to head to the Apple Store for a One-on-One Keynote session, which further filled my brain with even more information--that I didn't think I needed to know--but I did.  Aaarggh!!

By the time I got home at 9:00 pm the Lab Rat was calling me from Nicaragua (yeah, he's all relaxed, enjoying a beer & having a fine old time in Nicaragua).  That's a whole other story.

Meantime, I'm starving.  I need food fast!  And I still have to water all of his flower, vegetable, & kale seedlings in the basement--and then practice what I had learned at Apple before I forget it all.  

Good thing I slept like a rock last night. 

 

Here's What My Thursday Looked Like

 

 

Breakfast: Chocolate Oatmeal with Berries, Chia, & Walnuts Before I Left Home

 

Hitting the Gym Before Work for a One Hour Heart-Thumping Weight Work-Out

 Got My Green Smoothie Packed in My Lunch Box

 

Homemade Chipotle Hummus on Pita to Munch On While I Work

 

It's a full work-day at the library.  Literature searches, tracking down unusual papers, articles, & books that could be anywhere in the U.S. or Canada.  The usual assorted library problem-solving. A long meeting.  Answering some complicated research questions.  The routine daily stuff.

 

My Mid-Afternoon Late Lunch.  An OMG Fabulous Salad with Upton's Chorizo Sauteed in Salsa, Along with Tomatoes, Roasted Corn, Avocado & Topped with My Crazy Chia Southwestern Lime Dressing--Highly Recommended

 

 

My Kitchen Island is Piled High with Articles & Books Nagging Me to Work When I Just Want to Go Outside & Play

 

Help!

I've got giant dust bunnies under my bed!

I've got laundry to do!

The chair in my bedroom is draped with 3 days worth of clothes!

I'm way overdue for a haircut & color.

I feel badly that I haven't written a blog post in a week and a half.

I need to get this presentation finished ASAP!  

My sister-in-law is coming to visit this week & I don't even have time to take off to just play with her.

And it's Spring.  It's 70+ degrees outside.  I don't want to work inside.  I don't want to read another thing today.

I don't want to learn another thing.

I just want to play!

Prescription:  I need a Hefty Serving of "Rock & Siegel's Healthy Mind Platter",  pronto!!

So what did I do this morning?   I closed my computer.  I headed out to the park with my friend Janet & her 2 Labs, & we walked & talked for an hour in the woods--trying to dodge mud puddles and horse poop, & crossing a creek or two.  Check out my only pair of athletic shoes.

Do I feel better?  Well, a little.  But, I know I won't feel totally "chill" until I've mastered Keynote (but I'm getting closer), & put this presentation puppy to bed! 

 

 

 Spring is Here!  Daffodils in My Front Yard

 

Walking in the Woods with My Friend Janet, & Halle & Callie

Crossing the Creek - Halle & Callie Lead the Way

 

Stuck in the Mud - Can You Wash Shoes in a Washing Machine?

 

 

Centenarian Strategy Number Three--This One's the Hardest & Maybe the Most Important of All

 

I have no problem making time for focused learning, or exercising, or working.  Why is that?

But, when I have too much to do, it's hard to stop, & take time out for these FIVE activities.  And, let me tell you--if you skip them, you do so at your own peril.  It will make you cranky, nasty, & unhappy.

As far as I'm concerned, the Healthy Mind Platter rocks, & it's as necessary to our health & happiness as diet & exercise is.

1. Get enough sleep!

2. Connect with friends!

3. Quiet reflection & meditation.

4. Down time!

5. Play Time!

 

 

Brain Food: Rock & Siegel's Healthy Mind Platter of the Seven Essential Daily Activities for Maintaining Well-Being

I originally posted this on June 24, 2011.

While working on the "Centenarian Strategies" presentation, I knew the Healthy Mind Platter was going to be an important part of my message.  As far as I'm concerned, it's right up there with diet & exercise, for a Happy, Healthy, Long Life!

 

Every now & then I read something that's so wise, yet so simple--that rings true to my own experiences--that helps me to better understand my everyday reactions & feelings--and then gives me clear directions on how to make positive change happen in my life.

That's exactly what discovering Dr. David Rock & Dr. Daniel Siegel's, "Healthy Mind Platter"  has done for me.  Riffing off of the USDA's brand new Choose My Plate  recommendations for a healthy diet--Rock & Siegel have incorporated the latest neuropsychological research to visually share with us the 7 daily  activities needed for  "good mental nutrition."  

Sometimes you just have to hear common sense advice from an "expert" to really believe it!

 

• Ever notice how cranky, impatient, & fuzz-thinking you feel after a night of too-little sleep?
• Is there any comparison between a long walk & heart-to-heart talk with a close friend versus connecting via emails, texts, or phone calls?
• What about all those constant interruptions at work--or at home--when you're trying to complete a project that takes a lot of mental focus?  The emails, phone calls, barrage of questions, comments, and the daily work chatter.  Can anyone really concentrate in a cubicle office?  What about the sheer joy you feel when you're so focused on a project that you completely lose track of time?
• And how often do you allow yourself the luxury of 100% do-nothing piddle around unscheduled time at home?   Rarely--I'm guessing.  Whoever just sits on a park bench, their couch, or in their backyard--or drives in their car or "ambles about"-without being connected or plugged into something that takes up all their attention--like the radio, an iPhone or iPod, a cellphone, a laptop,  a book/magazine/newspaper, or a companion?  I'm talking about 100% quiet time to just think or reflect.  No one I know.

This is a topic close to my heart--and one that I've written about often.  How can we find the right balance between purposeful work, family, friendships, self, obligations, & health?  How do we fit everything into our lives without making ourselves crazy busy, unfocused, stressed out, feeling put-upon, or unhealthy?

What can we cut out?  What should we add in?

 

Rock & Siegel's Seven Essential Mental Activities for Optimum Mental Health

 

"This platter has seven essential mental activities necessary for optimum mental health in daily life. These seven daily activities make up the full set of 'mental nutrition' that your brain needs to function at its best.

By engaging regularly in each of these servings, you enable your brain to coordinate and balance its activities, which strengthens your brain's internal connections and your connections with other people."

 

The seven essential mental activities are  (click here to go to Rock's full blog post):

 

Focus Time. When we closely focus on tasks in a goal-oriented way, taking on challenges that make deep connections in the brain.

Play Time. When we allow ourselves to be spontaneous or creative, playfully enjoying novel experiences, which helps make new connections in the brain.

Connecting Time. When we connect with other people, ideally in person, richly activating the brain's social circuitry.

Physical Time. When we move our bodies, aerobically if possible, which strengthens the brain in many ways.

Time In. When we quietly reflect internally, focusing on sensations, images, feelings and thoughts, helping to better integrate the brain.

Down Time. When we are non-focused, without any specific goal, and let our mind wander or simply relax, which helps our brain recharge.

Sleep Time. When we give the brain the rest it needs to consolidate learning and recover from the experiences of the day.

 

Consider this, folks!  Four of the activities essential to mental health involve No Purposeful Action!  That's right--to feel our best we need to carve out daily time to wind down, chill out, play, & sleep!  All activities that aren't goal-oriented.

 

Big thanks to my daughter-in-law who emailed Rock's HBR Blog post to me yesterday--at work--completely interrupting my focus (just kidding!) 

Apologies to all of you if this is "old news"--the HBR post came out on June 3, 2011.

As for me, it's totally liberating to learn that Down Time "doing absolutely nothing,"  Time In  "taking time out to just sit quietly & think", Play Time, and Sleep Time are as important to my well-being as are healthy food, exercise, purposeful work, and friendships.  Doing nothing will never more be considered  a "guilty pleasure"--it's an essential one!

And it's so validating to learn that what I know in my heart to be true for me: Focus Time, Connection Time, & Exercise Time are all key players for happiness & well-being.

 

Got any good advice for those times when you have "Just Too Much to Do"?  

How Do You Fit in "Time-Out" When You're Working Under a Deadline?

 

 

 

Time Is Money - Economist Justin Wolfers Offers Advice on How to Spend Your Free Time Wisely. What's the Opportunity Cost?

 

"But the foundation of all economics is something called opportunity cost.

It says that the true cost of something is the alternative you have to give up. 

So each hour that I spend running (or blogging or gardening or Facebooking or watching TV) is an hour that I don't spend hanging out, working, or sleeping. 

How do I choose?"

  -Justin Wolfers, business & public policy teacher at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania-

 

"Stop Hitting the Snooze Button"

-Mel Robbins, author of "Stop Saying You're Fine"-

 

If you received this via email, click here to get to the web version with all the links.  

If you haven't yet checked out Happy Healthy Long Life-The Healthy Librarian's Facebook page, please do.  I post a lot of news I don't have time to blog about.  And you don't need to be on Facebook to look at the page.  Find the Facebook link in the upper-right corner of Happy Healthy Long Life.

 

I wrote the post you'll soon read below on a sunny day in August, 2009.  And it's still one of my favorites.

But, this Thursday morning was a gray, snowy, cold January 5, 2012.  I "made" myself get up early in the pitch black predawn darkness--out of a warm cozy bed (thanks to my heated mattress pad!!).

 

"Good Reasons to Wake Up Early"

I got up crazy early so I would have time to catch up on the news, eat breakfast (chocolate oatmeal), make a Green Smoothie, pack my lunch, pack my "librarian" clothes, and attend a morning super-tough weight class-- before going on to work--and then meeting-up after-work with three of my favorite gal pals for a "1/4" glass of wine, and a birthday celebration dinner at veg-friendly Indian restaurant.  Got home at 10:00 pm.

 

After-Work Birthday Dinner & Fun with the Gal Pals [over 240 years of experience here]

Sure--there are plenty of things I can't do because I choose to eat healthy, cook most of my meals (with the considerable help of "Lab Rat"), work, hang out with my friends, exercise religiously, visit my family every chance I can, and blog.   But, we all make choices every day.

My soon-to-be-28-year-old son's (#2) favorite quote is something like, "Gandhi says we all have the same 24 hours in a day.  How you spend it is your choice." 

I think it's a pretty wise investment to devote time to preparing healthy meals & to exercise.  Sure, I know how difficult it is to find the time--and establish the "plant-based shopping/cooking/eating & exercise habit".   But the returns on this investment are something money cannot buy:  improved health, weight-loss, increased energy, & a great mood!  Really.

 

Update:  Since writing this post in 2009 I've economized on the ways I fit in exercise, shop, cook--and spend my time.  Far from perfect--but, I'm always tinkering with the best ways to "fit it all in".  If your kids are still "in the nest", you have parents to help take care of, or you're a single parent--I know it's going to take a whole lot of creative time management to fit it all in.

 

The Economics of Time - How We Spend What We've Got

 Written August 26, 2009

Yesterday after work I planned to go to the gym, but I changed my mind.  It was 72 degrees & sunny.  I headed home, put on my workout clothes, attached the nifty radio receiver I have for my iPOD Nano & set off for an hour long walk, listening to NPR.

Marketplace Money came on with their series, Econ Fun-01--about what economists do with their free time.  Listening to Justin Wolfers talk about the "Time is Money" conundrum is making me do some serious rethinking about how I'm spending my limited "free time".

Look, we only have so much time in a day.  I'm at a big disadvantage right from the get-go because I live "way out" in the sticks--about a 45-50 minute commute to work--a 20 minute drive to where I work-out--a 30 minute drive from lots of my friends, my favorite movie theater, and decent shopping. 

But I love where I live--it's green and open and quiet and peaceful--and my house is paid-off.  Moving is non-negotiable for now.

I've got some other "time-user-uppers" that are also non-negotiable:

1.  I need 7-8 hours of sleep
2.  I try to exercise at least 5 days a week for 60 minutes
3.  Healthy eating takes lots of time to shop & prepare for.  I "make" breakfast, lunch & dinner, and I enjoy cooking.
4.  Work
5.  Weekend evenings are reserved for socializing
6.  If I want a good night's sleep, I need to just do something mindless after 9:00 pm, like TV, magazines, or book skimming
7.  I would never say "no" to an important activity or event involving family or friends 

Justin's hobby of choice is training for a marathon. 

My hobby of choice--reading about health & wellness, and blogging about it--is a huge time-sucker.  But I love it.  I love learning new things and taking the time to capture them on a computer.  I love the positive feedback from readers all over the world.  But, I have far too much to write about than I have time for and that creates its own stress.

And frankly, Justin is right!  There is an opportunity cost. 

1.   Less time to do nothing--don't discount that one.
2.   Less time to hang out with friends, or take long leisurely walks.
3.   Less time to organize & fix up my house.
4.   Less time to volunteer.
5.   Less time to sit on the couch & read an entire book.
6.   Less time to meditate.
7.   Less time to spend with my husband.
8.   Less time to work in my garden.
9.   Less time to switch gears & pick up a new hobby.
10. Less time to clean up my messes, organize my photos, or learn something new.
11. Less time to just talk.

We all have our hobbies. 

And we all have our time-wasters.  What can we cut out?  Or is it possible that some time-wasters are   mind-savers because they help us to wind-down & chill-out?  Facebook, Twitter, favorite-must-check-daily websites, ESPN, HGTV, sudoku, KenKen, garage sales, computer games, talking on the phone, texting, you-fill-in-the blanks. 

If the internet is your time-wasting addiction of choice, you MUST READ a recent article in Slate that shows how it adversely affects our brains, and why it's actually a most unsatisfying activity!  Seeking:  How the Brain Hard-Wires Us to Love Google, Twitter, and texting.  And Why That's Dangerous.  by Amy Yoffe.  Click here for the article.  After reading Amy's article I'm definitely curbing my laptop usage.  (Update 1/7/12): Yeah right!  Hasn't happened.)

Want to waste some time seeing how Americans spend their day?  Check out this interesting interactive graphic.  How are we spending our time?  (Very cool graphic!)

 

The problem: 

According to Justin: "And as I spend my hours slugging out the miles, I'm forced to confront my choices.  Instead of sweating it out on the trails, I could take on extra teaching and earn a few extra bucks.  And so going running costs me good money."

"The same logic applies to you.  Each hour you spend on your hobby you don't spend working harder to get a promotion, studying for a degree, or shopping around for the cheapest groceries."

 

According to me: "Or, each hour you spend on your hobby you don't spend with your spouse, friends, family, neighbors, getting your house in order, having fun or just plain relaxing."

So, am I going to keep on blogging, or am I going to give it up for more walks, housework, reading, Mahj games, and meditation?  Something to think about.  "I keep doing an activity only as long as it yields greater benefits than the alternative."

This "not having enough time to do everything" is a running theme for me.  It's my "Fighting Entropy" syndrome and I've written about it here and here.

Justin's Marketplace transcript:

If You Run the Numbers, It's a Good Time  click here
 

JUSTIN WOLFERS: I'm not just an economist, I'm also a runner, training for the Marine Corps Marathon.

Runners World magazine recently argued that marathon running is an incredibly cheap sport. All you need is a pair of shoes, and you're off and running. But they're wrong.

You see, they were emphasizing the out-of-pocket cost, which is small. But the foundation of all economics is something called opportunity cost. It says that the true cost of something is the alternative you have to give up.

So each hour that I spend running is an hour that I don't spend hanging out, working, or sleeping. How do I choose? Following economic theory, I keep doing an activity only as long as it yields greater benefits than the alternative.

And as I spend my hours slugging out the miles, I'm forced to confront my choices. Instead of sweating it out on the trails, I could take on extra teaching and earn a few extra bucks. And so going running costs me good money.

The same logic applies to you. Each hour you spend on your hobby is an hour you don't spend working harder to get a promotion, studying for a degree, or shopping around for the cheapest groceries.

By my calculations my 16-week training program comes at an opportunity cost of several thousand dollars. A quicker runner would have a smaller opportunity cost. It's only because I'm both slow and an economist that I fret that the world's cheapest sport is actually incredibly expensive.

But to an economist, the choice is still a no-brainer. We think you should only do what you love, and pay for it by doing what you are good at.

By sticking to economics, I make time for running. Rather than spend hundreds of dollars worth of time cleaning my house each Sunday, I hire a cleaner, who does a better job, at a better price.

When a friend asks me to help them move, I write them a check to pay professional movers instead. It's just more efficient.

And while it can be hard to forgo extra income for a long run, it is even harder to justify wasting that time on Facebook. And with the time that saves, I'm pulling on my shoes to head out for another run.

Justin Wolfers teaches business and public policy at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

 

What's Life Like Cruising in the Plant-Based No-Oil Lane? 10 Days in the Life of the Healthy Librarian with all the Boring Details. We Get By With a Little Help From Our Friends, Family, & Blog Readers. Recipes, Too!

 

Drawing by Robert Krulwich 

 

These Things I Know To Be True

 

 How Do You Change the Way You Eat?

1.  Get educated.  Here's a good start.

2.  Learn to cook food that tastes delicious.

3.  Do it day after day until it's a habit, and your preferences change.

4.  Find a support group of like-minded people to inspire you.  Habits are contagious.

-The Healthy Librarian-

 

 

How can we change our behavior?

"So, in seeing it differently the temptation is less. And the way we do that, as Aristotle understood years ago, is through habits.

We have habits of politeness. We have habits of self discipline. And you change your mind by changing your behavior.

Or as the Alcoholics Anonymous folks say, you fake it 'til you make it. And so by changing your behavior in small ways, that helps you control your impulses on the big things."

-David Brooks, interviewed by Diane Rehm on NPR about his newest book, The Social Animal, on Thursday, March 10, 2011-

 

 

Want to get really good at something? 

1.  Do it everyday!

2.  And find yourself a knowledgeable mentor who will give you constant feedback, point out your tiniest errors, and push you to take on tougher challenges.  Simple, huh?

-The advice of Malcolm Gladwell, Geoff Colvin, & Daniel Coyle, three authors who have studied success-

 

 

If you received this post via email, click here to get to the web site with all the links. 

Today I really did plan to write my follow-up post to: "Fifteen Months Into the Esselstyn-Style Plant-Based No-Oil Way of Eating - The Healthy Librarian Spills the Beans - And It's All Good! Can't Wait to Compare Notes with Bill Clinton on Saturday"     That's  going to be the one with my favorite tips, tools, recipes, & pantry staples.   But, my brain wrote an entirely different post this morning while I was taking a Spinning Class.   So, that's what you're going to get.

Sorry--I'll start that toolbox post as soon as I get this one out!

 

 

The Past Ten Days, Cruising in the Plant-Based Lane

 

 

I'll be honest with you.  The hardest part of sticking to a plant-based diet is eating out with friends, or getting together socially with friends & family.  It's easy to "eat right" at home.  But, when you venture into the "real world"--that's when the challenges really begin!

In July 2010 Dr. Pam Popper, who runs the Wellness Forum, and is featured in "Forks Over Knives" said something that really made an impression on me. 

"The longer I stuck with the plant-based no-oil diet, the less awkward & easier it got for me, socially.  

Once my family and friends realized that this was more than a fad for me--that I was really serious about it--they respected it.  They stopped bugging me.

They stopped pushing nachos, burgers & fries, & cakes my way.  They made sure there was going to be something I could eat when they invited me over."    paraphrased from a conversation with Dr. Pam Popper

 

Pam's right.  Now that I'm over 15 months into living in the "Plant-Based Lane", things have changed.  A lot.  

So--sticking with this whole theme of "what's in my toolbox of tricks" that keeps me moving on the "almost" straight-and-narrow plant-based path, I keep thinking about how this past week played out.  How effortless  "my so-called diet" has now become.  Basically, it's a non-issue.

And it really is a group effort, because of all the support I get from you, from my husband, my co-workers, my family & friends, the research I read, and the Esselstyns.

 

Thursday, September 8, 2011  

 

1.  The plant-friendly party at work:  My friend and co-worker, Marlene decided to treat the entire library staff to a deluxe catered Mexican lunch.  She had recently been recognized for her outstanding work with a Caregivers Award that came with cash--and she generously shared her bounty with all of us.  

Where am I going with this?   Support from co-workers, silly.  Marlene made sure that 1/2 of the lunch included vegan enchiladas, guacamole, salsas, vegetables & rice--nothing fried, no meat or cheese or dairy, no lard.  She also included a gorgeous fruit salad for dessert--and a healthy chip alternative to the typical tortilla chips.  

She did not have to do this--but she did!  Sure there was a platter of fried foods with pork, steak, cheese, & chicken flautas, burritos, & tacos---and plenty of chocolate chip cookies--but, she made sure there was a healthy alternative.  Update:  everything was devoured--leaving almost zero left-overs.   Learn more about the healthy librarians with whom I work, here.

2.  A surprising phone call from my niece:  M. left me a voice mail message.  "I need to ask you something.  Call me."   OK--I had no idea what this might be.  Turns out, she had recently watch CNN's "The Last Heart Attack"--and it made a huge impression on her.  She was ready to change how she ate.  But...now she had a new dilemma.  Her baby's pediatrician strongly recommended she start her very healthy active--but slim six-month old on meat, now!  She didn't want to--what did I think?

3.  A text from my daughter-in-law:  "So excited you posted the Tortilla Soup recipe...I have been craving that.  I also got [your Son #1] to agree to watch Forks Over Knives & read Dr. E's book. 

 

Friday, September 9, 2011

 

1.  Inspiring emails:  I continually receive inspiration from people all over the world who share with me their success stories of renewed health after starting a plant-based no-oil Esselstyn-style diet. Nothing beats reading about someone else's successes!  Some had heart attacks. Some had multiple bypasses.  Some had stents.  Some just wanted to get off of the poly-pharmacy treadmill.  Some did it for prevention.   On Friday I received some special ones, that knocked my socks off--along with plenty of great tips for salad dressing recipes and where one can eat out "safely".  Like this link to a Dr. McDougall listing of "safe" restaurant suggestions--you'll have to do a lot of scrolling.

2.  Grilling indoors.  I ran out of propane for my grill.  Who knew that my grill pan would do an even better job?   As my husband took off to usher at our synagogue, he asked if I could grill some quick MATCH "Chicken" burgers for dinner.  Sure.  No problem.  I mixed them all up--took them out to grill--and darn it!  The propane tank fizzled.  And the spare hadn't yet been re-filled.  Now what?   Bingo!  I heated up my Cuisinart Green Gourmet (no-Teflon) Grill pan & those burgers turned out absolutely delicious.

MATCH "Chicken" Burgers, Sprouted Wheat Bun, Lab Rat's Homemade Pickles, Baked Squash & "Fried" Yukon Gold Potatoes

 

This recipe comes from an old favorite Perdue Ground Turkey Burger Recipe that I refused to throw out.  My husband, son #2, friends Cheri, Neal, and their college-aged son are also fans of these burgers.  

 

Grilled "Chicken" MATCH Burgers (has soy, gluten, & a smidge of canola--so they're not-Esselstyn-approved)   

 

Click here to find out more about MATCH

 

1 pound package of MATCH Chicken

1 cup of Ian's whole wheat panko crumbs

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped sweet red or green pepper

3 TBS worcestershire sauce (vegan or regular)

1 TBS dry mustard

1 TBS Dijon mustard

2 TBS ketchup (no/low sugar/salt preferred)

1 1/2 tsp. Bone-Suckin' Sauce Seasoning & Rub

1 + teaspoon curry powder

 

Mix it all together.  Make six patties.  If grilling outside, put these in a grill cage (to prevent sticking) because they're very very low fat--or grill them inside like I did, using a grill pan.   Do not overcook--don't want to dry them out.

We enjoyed them on an Alvarado Street Sprouted Wheat buns, with some baked squash, "fried" Yukon Gold potatoes, & Appetite for Reduction Cool Slaw.

 

 

 

Nutrition Facts Healthy Librarian's MATCH No "Chicken" Burgers (makes 6) Serving Size: 1 serving Amount Per Serving Calories 178 Total Fat 4.2g       Saturated Fat 0g       Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 444mg Carbohydrate 21.3g       Dietary Fiber 5.3g       Sugars 3.4g Protein 15.7g Vitamin A 9% Vitamin C 44% Calcium    7% Iron 19%

 

 

 

 Saturday, September 12, 2011

 

1.  One of so many 9/11 10th anniversary stories that touched me deeply,  NPR's Story Corps "Slain Priest, Father Mychal Judge--Bury His Heart, Not His Love".  A highly recommended short read.

2.  Oatcakes with San Marzano Tomato-Kale "Gravy".  Received an email from Mike in Louisville (a guy who appreciates really good food) along with a fabulous-sounding recipe to try.  Long family history of early heart disease, & his 48 year-old sister's heart attack motivated him to go Esselstyn plant-based. Lost 45 pounds in six months.  I'm trying his recipe for dinner tonight.  My friend Fran is going to give it to her amateur chef-husband to test-drive it in his kitchen, too.  We'll let you know!

3.  Eating out with friends.  Asian Vegan.   On Saturday night, 10 of us gathered at a local Asian restaurant that has a wonderful gigantic round table complete with a Lazy-Susan--perfect for sharing dinners.   Plenty of vegan options, here--including the new addition of Gardein chicken.  But, certainly no oil-free options.  I should have asked--I didn't.  Of the 10 in our group--6 ordered meatless.  The times they are achangin'!  But, four hours later--my stomach felt uncomfortable--and I'm not one to ever have stomach issues.  It stayed with me all night.  No big deal--but it was there--nonetheless.  The dishes weren't oily--but I'm sure they weren't oil-free.  Was that the reason for the stomach woes?  Bottom Line: Dining out with friends is always fun--and I'm glad there are decent dining options.  Next time I'll specify, "no-oil" please.  I've done it before--I'll do it again.

4.  The After-Dinner Birthday Dessert.  Gourmet Sorbet works!  After dinner we all went to the home of one of the couples in our group for a "surprise" 60th birthday dessert.  Cake, Jeni's  Dark Chocolate & Buckeye Ice Cream, Jeni's Poached Pear Riesling Sorbet, & fruit salad.   I passed on the cake.  I couldn't pass up on a small taste of Jeni's Dark Chocolate, and I thoroughly enjoyed the Poached Pear Riesling Sorbet.

 

Sunday, September 11, 2011

 

1.  Post-Spin Class Girl-Talk Update with My Plant-Based Spin Buddy, Ms. C.   I hadn't had a chance to catch up with Ms. C for awhile.  I was in a rush--but, Ms. C had way too much to share.  It was worth it!

• She's been eating Esselstyn-style plant-based for over a year, now.  It was high time for a new wardrobe.  She promised herself she would wait a year before buying new clothes.  "How'd you manage that?  Your clothes had to be falling off!"  I said.   "Well, I did buy a few things. But, yesterday was a big shop."   She said she had reached the point of no-return.   Her old way of eating was now history for her and her husband.  They feel way too good, know way too much, and their health has improved so much--that she knew there was no going back.   Ms. C started this diet to support her husband's health--she was average weight--and thought she was in good health.  But, her subsequent weight loss--and her new & improved annual physical convinced her--and her doctor, that she was on to something!
• Following All the Rules.  No exceptions!  If you have heart disease, diabetes, or weight issues you cannot eat walnuts, avocados, Larabars, dried fruit, probably no more than 2 or 3 pieces of fruit a day, or add fruit into a Green Smoothie.  Some of us can get away with this.  Or maybe we're just kidding ourselves. Others cannot. They'll gain weight & won't see all the blood sugar & lipid improvements they're after.   Ms. C, my husband, & I don't have heart disease--and seem to be able to get away with these "sometimes-but-not-daily" additions to our diet without weight gain or problems.  Ms. C's husband knows he needs to be vigilant--and follow the rules!  I'm just saying.....
• Eighty-Something Enlightenment after CNN's "Last Heart Attack"--Ms. C's 80-something in-laws are the poster-children for why you want to eat plant-based--if you get my drift.  To them there's nothing wrong with corned beef sandwiches, brisket, lox & cream cheese, & cheesecake.  They didn't understand Ms. C's & her husband's new way of eating.  Not at all.  That is--until last Saturday. They confided to their grandson that they saw Dr. Gupta's show, "The Last Heart Attack".    It was a light bulb moment!  "Ah ha!  Now we understand why your mom & dad are eating that way!  We're glad.  Good for them!"    And good for all of us that Dr. Gupta so articulately explained the benefits of a plant-based no-added-oil diet.

2.  Kitchen Lab Experiments!  Lightening up Healthy Girl's Kitchen Creamy Asian Dressing recipe.  Wendy of HGK posted a delicious sounding redo of a Creamy Asian Dressing that was made with a 1/2 cup of olive oil.   Her redo subbed 1/2 cup of almonds for the oil, plus it had some toasted sesame oil in it.  

Hmm.  I wondered how it would turn out if I subbed Mori-Nu Low-Fat Silken Tofu for the almonds--and then subbed toasted sesame seeds for the sesame oil.   I loved how my re-do of Wendy's re-do turned out.

It makes plenty, and I loved it on top of Wendy's chopped raw broccoli, cauliflower, red pepper & currant salad.  I also mixed in some 100% soba (buckwheat noodles), along with some teriyaki baked tofu--for one delicious take-to-work lunch!

 

No-Fat Creamy Asian Dressing with Chopped Raw Broccoli, Cauliflower, Currants, Soba Noodles, & Teriyaki Tofu

 

 

No-Fat Creamy Asian Dressing (based on HGK's Redux Recipe)

Makes 2 1/4 cups

 

1 inch fresh ginger, peeled

1  cup of Mori-Nu Silken Low Fat Firm Tofu (in a box)

2 teaspoons of toasted sesame seeds

2 garlic cloves, peeled & chopped

4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) of mellow white miso

juice of one lime (2+ tablespoons of lime juice--more is fine)

6 pitted dates 

2 tablespoons of low sodium soy sauce, tamari, or Nama Shoyu

1/2 cup of water

Combine all the ingredients in your blender, Vita-Mix or food processor and blend until smooth & creamy.

 

Nutrition Information--based on 1/4 cup serving  (HGK's Redux is a big improvement over the 1/2 cup olive oil recipe, but it still clocks in at 80 calories per 1/4 cup serving, with 4.4 grams of fat--about 50% fat)

 

 

Nutrition Facts Healthy Librarian Creamy No-Added Fat Asian Dressing (1/4 cup servings) Serving Size: 1 serving Amount Per Serving Calories 42 Total Fat 0.5g       Saturated Fat 0.1g       Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 380mg Carbohydrate 7.6g       Dietary Fiber 1.2g       Sugars 4.2g Protein 2.1g Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 5% Calcium    1% Iron 4%

 

 

 

 

 

The Chopped Raw Broccoli & Cauliflower Salad with Soba Noodles & Dressing

 (based on Gena's Choosing Raw recipe)
  

 

 

Serves 4

 

3 heaping cups of broccoli florets

3 heaping cups of cauliflower florets

1 large red bell pepper, finely diced

1/3 cup currants

2 cups of cooked 100% buckwheat soba noodles (mix in 1/2 cup per salad)

Dress with 1/4 cup of dressing per each serving

Optional topping:  diced baked teriyaki tofu--1/2 of the normal serving

Finely chop all the vegetables.  Mix together.  

To serve,  mix soba noodles into the vegetable salad.  

Top with dressing (1/4 cup per salad)

 

Nutritional Information for 1 serving of salad with Creamy Asian Dressing--soba noodles & tofu not included:

 

Nutrition Facts Healthy Librarian's Redo Raw Broccoli & Cauliflower Salad wt Creamy Asian Dressing (no-added fat) Serving Size: 1 serving Amount Per Serving Calories 129 Total Fat 0.6g       Saturated Fat 0.1g       Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 420mg Carbohydrate 27.4g       Dietary Fiber 6.7g       Sugars 17.7g Protein 6.1g Vitamin A 36% Vitamin C 250% Calcium    6% Iron 10%

 

Nutritional Information for 1 serving of the Salad with Soba Noodles & creamy Asian Dressing (tofu not included)

 

Nutrition Facts Healthy Librarian's Redo Raw Broc & Cauli wt Dressing & Soba Noodles Serving Size: 1 serving Amount Per Serving Calories 229 Total Fat 1.1g       Saturated Fat 0.1g       Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 423mg Carbohydrate 48.9g       Dietary Fiber 8.2g       Sugars 18.7g Protein 9.1g Vitamin A 36% Vitamin C 250% Calcium    7% Iron 13%

 

 3.  The Book Club's House-Warming Dinner--Plant-Based Options Galore.   After the salad dressing experiment I needed to quickly get into gear to prepare my Grilled Italian Sausage, Onions, Peppers & Rice Dish  to take to the house-warming dinner we were having at the new home of one of the members--scheduled at 6:30 pm.

I've long ago ditched the oil in this recipe--and substituted extra lemon juice---but this time I decided to cut that acid taste, & substitute Low Fat Mori-Nu Silken Tofu for the olive oil/or extra lemon juice.  

I liked it.   And so did everyone else--every speck of this dish was devoured--and I couldn't enjoy seconds. But, not to worry--there was plenty of other plant-friendly food to enjoy, brought by the others in the group.  

An amazing oil-free gazpacho, a green salad--luckily I brought along some of my left-over Creamy Asian Dressing--and a delicious cold fruit soup.   The only dishes I skipped were salmon, chocolate brownies, & M & M's.   And there you go--this group went out of their way to leave out any extra oil or cheeses from dishes, where they could--like the soups, salsas, & salad.  Click here, scroll down a bit & read about my previous unhealthy lavish book club spread.  (and make note about the Alkalol mention in this post, too--amazing stuff!)

 

Monday, September 12, 2011

 

1.  The Happy Herbivore, by Lindsay S. Nixon.   Mary, the Librarian gives it a Big Thumbs Up!--says it's the only cookbook she's found that really has no-added fat.   Last week I finally got my copy of The Happy Herbivore.  I knew I wouldn't have a chance to do much with it, so I shared my copy with Mary--who took it home over the weekend.   She loved Lindsay's Cheddar Cheesy Sauce--served it over mashed potatoes--and brought some in on Monday for all of us to taste.  Not exactly cheddar cheese--but a delicious stand-in.  Mary returned my copy--and ordered her own.  Looking forward to cooking my way through this new cookbook.

2.  Pizza in the Pantry--my back-up plan.  Lab Rat was getting home late--and since I was the first one home--I did the dinner honors.  Thank goodness I always have all the fixings for pizza in my freezer & pantry.  Dinner on the table in 30 minutes.  Wasn't Lab Rat happy to find already cooked pizza when he got home at 8:00ish?   I've always got a stash of Sami's pizza crusts in the freezer, some Walnut Acres Low-Sodium No-Fat Pasta Sauce, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, and  kalamata olives in the pantry, just in case!.  Get that easy breezy recipe here.

3.  My Sister-in-law left me a long voice mail message:  Diet's going great.  Not as hard as I thought it would be.  Only one minor transgression--no big deal.   Do you need some context for her message?  Click here

 

Tuesday, September 13

 

1.  A Vegan Pot-Luck Luncheon.   See how much has changed over the past 15 months?  Who could have predicted that I would be invited to a pot-luck vegan lunch given by a friend of a friend.  Wish I could have been there!  Looking forward to hearing all about it.

2.   My Sister Calls as I'm About to Leave Home.  "Hey, guess what I just bought?  Appetite for Reduction!"    Turns out, the first recipe she tried out was the Arabian Nights Lentil & Rice Soup.  click here for the recipe--and just scroll on down!  She & my BIL LOVED it!  She says her next foray will be the Buffalo Tempeh & Cool Slaw wrap.   Thank you HGK Wendy for turning me on to this recipe.  Just so happens to be my favorite.  I've made it at least 5 times.  Crazy that sis & I picked the same recipes to try out--we're like identical twins separated at birth!

3.  Nashville Fran calls to tell me her husband made some amazing lentil burgers over the weekend.  I want that recipe.  Her husband knows how to cook!

 

coming up Wednesday, September 14, 2011

 

1.  After work it's going to be Maj with my gal pals. We'll be lucky to get in three games with the way we like to talk & kibbitz.  We're going to be playing at a local restaurant that won't mind us taking up space for 3 hours--as well as someplace where we can get a plant-based dinner.   Who'd have ever predicted fifteen months ago, that this wonderful group of friends would now all be leaning in the plant-based direction?  Meet the Mahj ladies.

 

coming up Saturday, September 17, 2011

 

1.  Cooking up a special plant-based no-oil dinner to celebrate buddy Ken's milestone birthday!   Turns out the guests want to come early & help with the cooking!   Who could ask for anything more?   Well, maybe a glass of wine or beer to go along with the cooking.  Haven't planned the menu yet.  Anyone have some good suggestions for a celebration dinner?   Who's the birthday boy?  Seeing if you can figure it out?

 

 

I'm Serious!  Does Anyone Have a Plant-Based Amazing Dinner Party Menu to Suggest?  I'm All Ears!

Summer in the City - My Five Yes! Weekend. Healthy Girl's Kitchen Plant-Strong Pot-Luck, Friday Night Services, a Country Walk, a Book Club Talk, and an Island Bike Ride Adventure

 

My First "Yes" of the Weekend!  A Plant-Strong Pot-Luck Dinner at Healthy Girl's Kitchen/aka Wendy (photo by Wendy)

 

We get our greatest happiness from the experiences we share with our friends & family--not from expensive consumer goods.  "We know that the best predictor of human happiness is human relationships and the amount of time that people spend with family and friends."  Spend your time & money wisely.   Dr. Dan Gilbert swears by this research-backed advice. 

What's the point of staying healthy without having fun?  That's the reason we work at staying healthy.  I say "Yes!"  to fun things to do, trips, visits, outings, meeting new people, and dinners whenever I possibly can--without making myself crazy by overbooking or overcommitting. 

--The Healthy Librarian, from "The Report Card on the Healthy Librarian's 2010 Simple Strategies for Staying Healthy and Happy - What's Working, What's Not, What's New for 2011?"--

 

"I have plenty of time for the things that are important to me.  Say, Yes!"

Gretchen Rubin of "The Happiness Project"

 

 

If you received this post via email, click here for the web version--lots of pictures.

Here's how my five YES! weekend unfolded...

 

On June 17th Wendy, of Healthy Girl's Kitchen emailed me:

Wendy:  "Is there any Saturday night in July or early August that you and your hubby are available to finally do this?...I know how busy you are this summer!!!!!!!!!"

Me:  Yeah!  Sounds like lots of fun! You amaze me, lady.  I can't believe this--but it really looks like the only free Sats. are next Sat, June 25, & then July 30.  Crazy.  

I wasn't going to miss this dinner!  When it turned out that we couldn't find a Saturday night to "Pot-Luck", Wendy decided to do it on a Friday night--July 15th to be precise!

 

And so began the first of My Five YESes for the weekend of July 15-July 17, 2011.

 

Weekend YES #1.  Better Than Any Restaurant!  The Plant-Strong Pot-Luck Dinner at the Healthy Girl's Kitchen/Wendy

 

My Contribution--Antipasta Salad on Crusty Whole Grain Bread (photo by Wendy)

 

Since I had to leave my house 2 1/2 hours before the pot-luck was scheduled to begin, silly me forgot to bring my camera.  What was I thinking?  

Thankfully, Wendy is an amazing photographer & took lots of great pics--so hop on over to her blog & catch them all!  Here, here, and here.

The evening was terrific--23 people--some I knew--some I had just met--and a kitchen island topped with the most amazing array of plant-strong oil-free dishes you can imagine!  You can't find this kind of deliciousness at any restaurant that I know of.

Bring together a group of smart, fun, healthy, energetic, interesting people--who are adventurous and excellent cooks--and you have all the makings of a memorable evening!

Thank you, Wendy, for graciously opening up your home--and hosting this wonderful evening--that I suspect will be the first of many to come.   You are the hostess with the mostest--and you sure can cook!

Wendy has written three posts that you won't want to miss.  Her photos are pure Plant-Strong Food P0&N--and she's generously posted all the recipes.

• Food P0&N--the Pot-Luck Preview Post
• Plant-Strong Pot-Luck--The Food Post.  This one has the main-dish recipes.
• Plant-Strong Pot-Luck--The Desserts 
  

 

My Insider's Review

Honestly, I loved every dish I tasted, but there was so much there, I didn't have room on my plate, nor in my stomach to taste them all.

Here are my favorites, the ones definitely plan to make at home:

• Prosecco (an Italian sparkling wine) with Lavender Elixir, on ice.  Quinn's contribution?? OMG!  Beautiful & delicious.  I'm bringing a bottle of that Lavender Elixir to my friend Marge's home this Friday night, for her Half & Half Italian Pot-Luck.  Half Plant-Strong/Half Omnivore. 
  
• Jane Esselstyn's Thai Cole Slaw.  Spicy, creamy, crispy, a multi-layered crazy fusion dish.  We even made it last night for dinner--it's that good!  And BTW, this is really a-quick-to-fix-dish. The dressing would be fantastic on soba noodles with vegetables.  Wait--the slaw would work great with soba noodles mixed right in.
• Quinn's No-Oil Roasted Corn Chowder based on Terry Walter's Clean Food Recipe.  Fabulous, with fresh herbs from Quinn's garden.
• Toby's Thai Spring Rolls with Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce. Crisp, raw julienned vegetables wrapped up in Asian rice wrapper.  Oh my, so delcious.
• Wendy's Helluva Halavah Bitty Balls (Truffles) for dessert.  A sinfully delicious mixture of raw cocoa, raw sesame seeds, maca, date syrup, tahini, & more.  This comes from Chef AJ's not-to-be-missed cookbook & inspirational personal memoir, Unprocessed.
• Chef AJ's Disappearing Lasagna--made by Chris.  I've made this one at least 4 times!  A definite winner.
  

 

Weekend YES #2.  Go to Synagogue Services Before Wendy's Pot-Luck?  I Didn't Know That Wasn't on the Schedule!

 

Once a month my husband is a volunteer usher at Friday night services.  And he never misses--unless we're out-of-town.  He's that kind of guy.  Dependable.  Who knew that his turn would be the same night as Wendy's Pot-Luck?  Certainly not me!  Until the last minute.

Uh.  How are we going to do both?  No problem.  We can do this.  It just meant we had to leave the house two hours earlier than I'd planned.  Packed the Antipasta Salad in the cooler--and picked up ice on the way.  It was 90 degrees outside.

My YES #2 surprise.   My "reward" for adding "one more thing into this evening" was serendipitously reconnecting with my old friends, Shelley & Michael, who I haven't in seen in way too long of a time.   Get this--they don't belong to our synagogue--but there they were--on this particular Friday night. 

The other sweet surprise of the evening was running into Debra at services--and finding out she discovered my blog through her sister.  Lots of fun plant-based talk.  I'm always surprised by people who serendipitously discover my blog.

And we still got to Wendy's on-time.  Sort of.

 

Weekend YES #3.  The Saturday Morning Walk with Bonnie

 

This YES! came from Bonnie, not from me.  As I was heading to the grocery store on Friday, to pick up the fixings for my pot-luck antipasta--I called Bonnie.

 

Me: "Hey, do you want to walk on Saturday morning?"

Bonnie:  "Yes!"

As far as I'm concerned, a walk in the country with a friend is one of the pleasures of life.  Talk, walk, commiserate, sunshine, exercise, and the great outdoors. 

Thanks, Bonnie, for saying, "YES!"

 

Weekend YES #4.  The "Welcome to the Monkey House" Saturday Night Book Club

 

This Saturday night we talked about two short stories from Kurt Vonnegut's Welcome to the Monkey House. 

Here's the email I received:

"Let's read two short stories (total of about 25 pages) from Kurt Vonnegut's collection called Welcome to the Monkey House. The book should be easily available at your local library, or maybe it's on your own shelf.

Harrison Bergeron and Welcome to the Monkey House (the story) are both about government-mandated social engineering as viewed from the 1950's -- and I think they'll be interesting to consider in light of the political / social issues we're thinking about today.  And they are a fun read -- KV was a comedian by some people's measure."

 

My third YES! of the weekend was a  group "YES"!

If I've got my years straight, this book club will be meeting for nineteen years, this August, and that's because five couples continue to say, "YES!  Let's  keep doing this.  Let's set the next date before we start talking about the book."

And here we are, 19 years later--our kids are grown up--some of us now have grandchildren--and we're still meeting. 

We all appreciate the opportunity to stretch our minds, think, and discuss writing that takes turns being enriching, classical, enlightening, disturbing, emotional, heart-breaking, thought-provoking, or controversial.

Three months ago we decided to try something new.  Instead of just reading books, we're branching out.  

• Short stories
• Watch a movie or documentary
• Read in-depth magazine articles from the likes of the New Yorker, The Atlantic, Vanity Fair, or the New York Times Magazine, etc.
  
• Speeches
• Whatever the host chooses

In May we read "Annals of Science.  The Truth Wears Off.  Is There Something Wrong with the Scientific Method?"  Jonah Lehrer.  The New Yorker,  December 13, 2010.

In July it was Kurt Vonnegut.

In September we'll watch a film festival entry,  and discuss it over dinner at an Indian restaurant.

 

Weekend YES #5.  Do You Want to Take Our Bikes to Kelley's Island on Sunday?

 

Kelley's Island - No Need to Travel to Martha's Vineyard for an Island Bike Ride

 

I told my husband that Bonnie & Bob took their bikes over to Kelley's Island on July 5th for a day-long biking adventure.  They loved it.  It's flat.  There are hardly any cars.  And it's a beautiful ride.  There's a nice beach, a cute town, and even an open-air Tiki Bar with live music.

He got right on the case.  Checked the ferry schedules.  Checked the weather for Sunday.  And said to me: "Let's go this Sunday."

I said, "YES!"

 

I Packed Our Lunch.  Hot n' Spicy Smoked Tofu (my new favorite) Hummus, Pickles, & Roasted Red Pepper Sandwiches.  Cherries & Homemade Energy Strawberry Carob Energy Bars

 

We Loaded Up the Bikes - I Meant, My Husband Loaded Up the Bikes

 

The Ferry Ride Over

 

On the Ferry - Just a Fifteen Minute Ride to the Island

A Breezy Traffic-Less "Coastal" Bike Ride to the Beach

A Little Beach Reading - Chef AJ's Unprocessed & the New York Times Sunday Magazine

 

Enjoying That Picnic Lunch on the Beach

 

The Bike Ride Continues -The View from the Road

 

Good Thing We Brought Our Lunch - Here's What Everyone Else Was Eating at the Open-Air Tiki Bar

Heading Back to the Mainland

 

Picked Up Corn at the Local Farmer's Market

 

Strawberries, Too!

 

And Some Peaches

 

Left-Over Buffalo Tempeh Wraps with Cool Slaw & Fresh Sweet Corn for Dinner

 

A wonderful FIVE YES! Weekend!!! 

 

1.  Healthy Girl's Kitchen Plant-Strong Pot-Luck

2.  Friday Night Services with Serendiptious Reconnections

3.  Saturday morning walk in the country with Bonnie

4.  Saturday night "Welcome to the Monkey House" book club

5.  Sunday Kelley's island bike ride adventure

 

It hit all the right bases. 

Spirituality, Good Food, Thought-Provoking Discussion, Connecting with New Friends & Old, Outdoor Exercise,  Out-of-my-comfort-zone Adventure, and Alone Time with My Husband.

After 5 hours of biking in over 90 degree heat, I was fast asleep by 10:00 PM!  So, good sleep, too!

 

"I have plenty of time for the things that are important to me.  Say, Yes!"

 

 

 

The Fourth of July Homemade Wellness Weekend. Unplugged, in Nature, Un-Busy & Filling Up on Rock & Siegel's Healthy Mind Platter

 

Where Have I Been?  Follow Me Up the Mountain to Silly Ridge

 

"But the point is not how many things we have done or will do in a given amount of time; the point is how we do what we do. If we're rushed and frantic, we're too busy. If we move through our tasks with equanimity, patient and composed, we're not.

Busy-ness is a state of mind, not a fact. No matter how much or how little we're doing, we're always just doing what we're doing, simply living this one moment of our lives.

It goes without saying that if you've bitten off more than you can chew in a day, or in a lifetime, you'd better step back and change your circumstances, if at all possible.

--Norman Fischer, author of "Simple Yet Astounding Ways to Calm Down,"  O Magazine, September 2008--

 

 

On the Way Up

At the Top

 

If you received this post via email, click here to get to the web version.

Plant-based recipe alert.  It's been so long since I've posted any recipes--and boy do I have a lot of them to share--I try out new recipes every week.  And besides, my sister-in-law said, "Post more recipes!"   You'll find 2 recipes at the end of this post.  One is hers.  One is mine.

 

Unplugged, Un-Busy, Single-Tasking, & Smack in the Middle of the Deep Woods 

 

Yep, I was away again.  So, where did I go this time?   

Deep into the North Carolina/Georgia Mountains--visiting my sister-in-law & brother-in-law, and my Atlantan nephew & niece--stretching the 4th of July weekend into 5 days that turned out to be of "a homemade spa wellness weekend".   

But, I have to be honest.  Being away from home so often--especially after a travel-crazy May & June-- can knock me off balance, making me feel overwhelmed & edgy, even before I leave town.  And that "I've-got-too-much-to-do-&-not enough-time" feeling doubles when I return home. 

You all know what I mean--when you're out-of-town you fall way behind on everything that needs to get done at home & at work.   

But none of that happened this time!

Here's My Theory.  Do you all remember that post about Rock & Siegel's Healthy Mind Platter?   Sure you do--it was just 2 1/2 weeks ago.  Well, on this extended 4th of July weekend, I unknowingly nailed everything on that brain platter, every single day!  It chilled me out--and the light bulb went on!  The platter works. 

I "unplugged", I got a giant dose of nature, and traded in the "multi-tasking" for  Norman Fischer's "single-tasking" un-busyness.  I highly recommend it!  (here's what I'm talking about)

 

Here's how my vacation re-entry played out this time around.

We returned home at midnight on Tuesday night--and I hit the ground running before the alarm went off at 6:00 am.  Had to work on Wednesday.  Had to forage for food in my pantry & freezer.  My refrigerator was bare.

Then it was up early and home late--most every day last week.  But, I was still feeling energized and relaxed?  What's up with that?

• Certainly no time to blog last week--so I just let it slide.  Why stress about it? 

• My suitcase didn't get unpacked until Saturday morning.  Oh well.

• The boxes & piles of grandkid toys that filled all the free floor space in my family room didn't get put away until Saturday.  And why were awesome boxes of toys filling my family room?  A friend had generously dropped off a car load of stuff the night before we left town--so the piles stayed where they had landed until I had time to move them upstairs--on Saturday.

• The kitchen floor was starting to get super sticky--the laundry was piling up.  But, I knew I'd get to them in due time. They'd have to wait.

• Here's what filled up my free time last week.  I was co-hosting a wine and beer tasting bridal shower four days after I got home--so I was busy organizing, shopping, schlepping, & food prepping. (BTW--we all had a blast!) Plus a bit of prepping for a work picnic the following day.   And of course I had to bring something plant-based & oil-free for the picnic--my reworked "Bon Appetit" recipe for Rice Salad, with Grilled Italian "sausage," Peppers & Onions.   The recipe is here--but I ditched all the oil, & upped the fresh lemon juice!

• My week was not all work--and no play.   I fit in time to touch base with my sis, sister-in-law, kids, & friends, exercise, eat healthy & delicious food,  get to sleep on-time--and take Friday night off to catch Super 8 at the local theater.  Loved it!  It's a mix of ET, Night-of-the-Living-Dead & Goonies that's scary, suspenseful, & sentimental.  I screamed about a dozen times.  My husband hadn't a clue what we were going to see, and he hands-down loved this movie!

Believe it or not, nothing this weekend has felt like a hassle.  Really!  I'm trying hard to be a single-tasker, taking my time, & it feels so fine.  I was even writing this blog two hours before "Shower Time!"

Here's the thing!  Those five days away have taught me one big important lesson.

Now, the real trick will be to keep that lesson in mind when the going gets tough!

• Don't hurry.  Ever.  Take the time for each task as you do it.  Start with the must-do stuff--and focus on it.  Be here now!  Brooding & worrying about that too-long to-do list is counterproductive. Here are the Cliff Notes:  The Healthy Librarian Unplugged. Advice from the Experts: Heart, Brain, & Soul Fixes. And How to Go From "Crazy Busy" to a Zen-Like "One Who is Not Busy"

• Focus completely on what you're doing at the moment--whether it's work, reading, listening to a friend, or making dinner.  Do one thing at a time--and stop thinking about the next thing on your list.  Enjoy it. 
• Good sleep matters!   It will save you so much time in the end.
• Get a daily dose of that Healthy Mind Platter & make life easier on yourself.

 

Our North Carolina Healthy Mind Platter Days

 

Focus Time. When we closely focus on tasks in a goal-oriented way, taking on challenges that make deep connections in the brain.  My Fourth of July weekend had plenty of time for serious kitchen experiments, reading the hard copy of the New York Times without any distractions, & Brendan Brazier's Thrive. 

 

Blueberry, Banana,  & Oat Company Breakfast Bake--Recipe Below

 

Stay-Tuned for My Lab Rat Husband's (& my) Experiments with Thrive's Pre & Post Exercise Recovery Drinks & Energy Bars!

Microwave Magic--Puffy Lentil Puppodums--Like Indian Tortilla Chips

 

Play Time. When we allow ourselves to be spontaneous or creative, playfully enjoying novel experiences, which helps make new connections in the brain.   This was five days of easy-going play-time, laughter, & adventure.  Any Band of Brother's  fans out there?  We tracked down the Currahee Museum--which commemorates the WW II training camp where The Band of Brothers got their start.

 

A Grown-up Game of  Doctor & Patient--My sister-in-law & niece had 30 minutes of fun trying to remove a deck splinter from my toe

 

Connecting Time. When we connect with other people, ideally in person, richly activating the brain's social circuitry.   Plenty of time to just hang out, walk, & talk with my sister-in-law, brother-in-law, niece & nephew.

 

L-R: My Sister-in-law, My Husband, My Brother-in-law, My Nephew & Niece

If You're Walking--You're Talking

 

Physical Time. When we move our bodies, aerobically if possible, which strengthens the brain in many ways.  Serious daily hiking, & Hot Yoga on the deck--everyday!

 

 

My Niece--Our Bikram Yoga Instructor

 

Time In. When we quietly reflect internally, focusing on sensations, images, feelings and thoughts, helping to better integrate the brain.  Plenty of deck-sitting, just taking it all in!  Few distractions, no TV watching, with barely any internet or phone services available on this mountain top.

 

View from the Deck

 

Down Time. When we are non-focused, without any specific goal, and let our mind wander or simply relax, which helps our brain recharge.   We had no plans.  Nothing we had to do.  Nowhere we had to be.  We just hung out.  Relaxed & recharged.

 

 

Sleep Time. When we give the brain the rest it needs to consolidate learning and recover from the experiences of the day.  I've never slept better--except for a couple of dog-barking morning wake-up calls!  No need for air-conditioning.  Just cool mountain breezes coming in through wide-open windows.

 

Sweet Savasana

 

Let the Recipes Begin!

 

Blueberry, Banana, & Oat Company Breakfast Bake

 

 

 

Blueberry Breakfast Perfection.  This is the perfect recipe to make the next time you have houseguests.

My sister-in-law made it for us & I kept going back for more.   It was like eating a dessert.

 

Blueberry, Banana, and Oat Company Breakfast Bake

For recipe on one page, click here

Serves 4, generously

Ingredients:

2 cups of large flake rolled oats (not instant)

1/2 cup (or less) of walnut pieces lightly toasted (optional)

1/3 cup brown sugar (use less, or substitute a sweetener of your choice)

1/4 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds), lightly toasted

2 teaspoons whole flax seeds

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

2 cups non-dairy milk--soy, almond, rice, or oat

An egg substitute equivalent to 1 egg.  Mix 1 tablespoon of flax meal with 3 tablespoons of hot water.

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon maple syrup (option: increase this, & decrease the brown sugar)

2 medium bananas, diced

1/2 cup frozen blueberries (not thawed)  Note: we used fresh

 

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees (190 C).

2. Use an 8 inch round baking dish--equivalent to a 2 quart capacity.   Lightly spray your pan if it's not silicone, or non-stick.   Note:  an 8 inch square pan can also be used--see notes at the end.

3.  In a medium bowl, mix together the oats, walnuts, brown sugar, pepitas, flax seeds, baking powder, spices, and salt.  Set aside.

4.  In another bowl, whisk together the milk, the egg subsititute (flax meal & water), vanilla, and maple syrup.  Set aside.

5.  In the prepared baking dish, spread the diced bananas in an even layer, then scatter the blueberries over top.  Pile the oat mixture to cover the fruit, but do not pack too tightly.  Carefully pour the wet milk mixture over the oats; it will look as if there is too much liquid, but don't worry, it will be absorbed during baking.

6.  Sprinkle the top with a bit of cinnamon & a few chopped walntus, and bake for 35-40 minutes, until the oatmeal is puffed and set, with a golden brown top.

7.  Remove from the oven, allow to cool for a few minutes, and then enjoy.

Notes:  Re the measurements--the fruit just needs to completely cover the base of the baking dish.  Adjust quantities to suit your baking dish. 

An 8 X 8 inch square baking dish can be used in place of the round--the oatmeal will be crisper.

 

 

Thai-Style Coconut Soup

 

Thai-Style Coconut Soup

 

I randomly picked this recipe out of Robin Robertson's fabulous Vegan Planet--and boy was it ever a winner.  It comes together quickly & makes an easy quick-cooking dinner.  I highly recommend this cookbook--which is easy to modify to no-added-oil.

We shared 2 bowls of this yummy soup with our friends when they dropped off the toys--and I made another batch a week later in North Carolina.   Big thumbs up from everyone who tasted this easy-to-do recipe.

No need for lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, or galangal.  Robertson thankfully uses easy-to-find substitutes.  I just upped the tofu--to make it heartier--and used my favorite "faux coconut milk". 

How to make no-fat coconut milk:  

1 tsp of coconut extract (or start with 1/2 tsp. & taste first) to 1 cup of regular (not light) unsweetened soy milk, or hemp milk, or whatever non-dairy milk you like. 

Use this same ratio (1 tsp. to 1 cup--1/4 tsp to 1/4 cup) of extract to milk whether you're making more or less coconut milk.  I prefer soy milk when making faux coconut milk--4 grams of fat per cup give it a creamier texture.

Note: 1 can of real coconut milk is 14 ounces.   Mix 14 ounces of "milk" with 1 3/4 tsp of coconut extract (more or less to taste)

I ditched my Durkee's artificial coconut extract when I spotted this natural blend, Silver Cloud,  at Whole Foods a few months ago.  It's pricey--but it's also a large bottle.  Click on Silver Cloud if you can't find this locally.   Get the Silver Cloud coconut extract!

 

Thai-Style Coconut Soup

For recipe on one page, click here

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

3 shallots, minced

2 cups of thinly sliced white mushrooms  (I used more--16 ounces)

3 cups of vegetable broth

1 1/2 tablespoons of peeled & grated ginger

2 tablespoons of tamari or other soy sauce

1 tablespoon firmly packed light brown sugar or natural sweetener of your choice

1 teaspoon Asian chili paste, or to taste (a must ingredient!)

14 ounces of Faux Coconut milk  (mix 14 ounces of regular non-dairy milk--I prefer soy milk--with 1 3/4  teaspoons of coconut extract.)  The Silver Cloud natural extract works best!

14 ounces of extra-firm tofu, drained, pressed, & cut into 1/4 inch dice

Juice & grated zest of one good-sized lime (no teeny-tiny ones)

2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons of chopped fresh cilantro for a garnish

 

Preparation:

1.  Heat up a non-stick pan, & add the shallots.  Add a little water or vegetable broth if they start to stick--to deglaze the pan.   Cook the shallots until tender, about 5 minutes.  

2.  Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring for 3 minutes.

3.  Stir in the vegetable broth, ginger, tamari, brown sugar, and chili paste and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

4.  Stir in the "faux coconut milk", tofu, lime juice & zest, and lemon juice, and simmer until the flavors have blended and the soup is hot, about 5 minutes.  Taste and adjust the seasonings.

5.  Serve hot, garnished with the cilantro.

 

Puppodums

 

 

 Find these in plain or spicy flavors in the Asian/Indian section of the grocery store.  They're widely available.   Amy Cramer introduced me to these super-easy snack/appetizer treats more than a year ago.

Just pop them one-at-a-time into the microwave & cook for 40-60 seconds, depending on your microwave & voila, you have a beautifully crisped giant lentil chip.

We served them with jarred chutney & hummus.  Also try them with Trader Joe's pre-cooked French lentils, mixed with mango or tamarind chutney.

4 giant puppodums are just 80 calories--0 fat (translation, less than .5 gram of fat)--but, the ingredients list as:  black gram bean flour, salt, raising agent, lime, spices, rice flour, & sunflower oil--which may be a deal-breaker for some!

4 puppodums contain: 4 grams of fiber, 6 grams of protein, 70% of daily calcium, & 8% of daily iron, and a whopping 720 mg of salt--maybe another deal-breaker for some.

 

Anyone else ever feel overwhelmed by travel & vacations?

What kind do you prefer?  An R & R vacation or a see-and-do everything one?

 

 

Brain Food: Rock & Siegel's Healthy Mind Platter of the Seven Essential Daily Activities for Maintaining Well-Being

 

Brain Food: The Seven Ingredients for Mental Well-Being

 

"[I]t seems we've entered an ERA of OVERWHELM. 

A time when too many people's mental well-being is being stretched through multi-tasking, fragmented attention and information overload.

The trouble is, we are short on simple, clear information about good mental habits.

Few people know about what it takes to have optimum mental health, and the implications of being out of balance.

Without good information about the mind and brain, we may be stretching ourselves in ways that may have bigger implications than poor eating habits."

-Dr. David Rock, the executive director of the NeuroLeadership Institute, writing for the Harvard Business Review blog, "Maintain Your Mental Well-Being"

 

 

Click here to go to the web version if you received this via email.

Every now & then I read something that's so wise, yet so simple--that rings true to my own experiences--that helps me to better understand my everyday reactions & feelings--and then gives me clear directions on how to make positive change happen in my life.

That's exactly what discovering Dr. David Rock & Dr. Daniel Siegel's, "Healthy Mind Platter"  has done for me.  Riffing off of the USDA's brand new Choose My Plate  recommendations for a healthy diet--Rock & Siegel have incorporated the latest neuropsychological research to visually share with us the 7 daily  activities needed for  "good mental nutrition."  

Sometimes you just have to hear common sense advice from an "expert" to really believe it!

 

• Ever notice how cranky, impatient, & fuzz-thinking you feel after a night of too-little sleep?
• Is there any comparison between a long walk & heart-to-heart talk with a close friend versus connecting via emails, texts, or phone calls?
• What about all those constant interruptions at work--or at home--when you're trying to complete a project that takes a lot of mental focus?  The emails, phone calls, barrage of questions, comments, and the daily work chatter.  Can anyone really concentrate in a cubicle office?  What about the sheer joy you feel when you're so focused on a project that you completely lose track of time?
• And how often do you allow yourself the luxury of 100% do-nothing piddle around unscheduled time at home?   Rarely--I'm guessing.  Whoever just sits on a park bench, their couch, or in their backyard--or drives in their car or "ambles about"-without being connected or plugged into something that takes up all their attention--like the radio, an iPhone or iPod, a cellphone, a laptop,  a book/magazine/newspaper, or a companion?  I'm talking about 100% quiet time to just think or reflect.  No one I know.

This is a topic close to my heart--and one that I've written about often.  How can we find the right balance between purposeful work, family, friendships, self, obligations, & health?  How do we fit everything into our lives without making ourselves crazy busy, unfocused, stressed out, feeling put-upon, or unhealthy?

What can we cut out?  What should we add in?

 

Rock & Siegel's Seven Essential Mental Activities for Optimum Mental Health

 

"This platter has seven essential mental activities necessary for optimum mental health in daily life. These seven daily activities make up the full set of 'mental nutrition' that your brain needs to function at its best.

By engaging regularly in each of these servings, you enable your brain to coordinate and balance its activities, which strengthens your brain's internal connections and your connections with other people."

 

The seven essential mental activities are  (click here to go to Rock's full blog post):

 

Focus Time. When we closely focus on tasks in a goal-oriented way, taking on challenges that make deep connections in the brain.

Play Time. When we allow ourselves to be spontaneous or creative, playfully enjoying novel experiences, which helps make new connections in the brain.

Connecting Time. When we connect with other people, ideally in person, richly activating the brain's social circuitry.

Physical Time. When we move our bodies, aerobically if possible, which strengthens the brain in many ways.

Time In. When we quietly reflect internally, focusing on sensations, images, feelings and thoughts, helping to better integrate the brain.

Down Time. When we are non-focused, without any specific goal, and let our mind wander or simply relax, which helps our brain recharge.

Sleep Time. When we give the brain the rest it needs to consolidate learning and recover from the experiences of the day.

 

Consider this, folks!  Four of the activities essential to mental health involve No Purposeful Action!  That's right--to feel our best we need to carve out daily time to wind down, chill out, play, & sleep!  All activities that aren't goal-oriented.

 

Big thanks to my daughter-in-law who emailed Rock's HBR Blog post to me yesterday--at work--completely interrupting my focus (just kidding!) 

Apologies to all of you if this is "old news"--the HBR post came out on June 3, 2011.

As for me, it's totally liberating to learn that Down Time "doing absolutely nothing,"  Time In  "taking time out to just sit quietly & think", Play Time, and Sleep Time are as important to my well-being as are healthy food, exercise, purposeful work, and friendships.  Doing nothing will never more be considered  a "guilty pleasure"--it's an essential one!

And it's so validating to learn that what I know in my heart to be true for me: Focus Time, Connection Time, & Exercise Time are all key players for happiness & well-being.

 

 

What's your opinion of the Essential Seven?

Any tips on how to make time for them all?

Do you agree or disagree with Essential Seven?