Hi friends,
I sure have been tardy in posting! I often write in chunks. A paragraph here and there when words and thoughts come to me. I also dictate notes on my iPhone and then cut and paste later into a doc and stitch it together. I’ve come to like this process, but it’s not always on a schedule as much as my Virgo loving heart would prefer!
I just got back from a glorious week in Maine. Beautiful weather, dear friends, great food, and a lot of wine drinking and sugar consumption. I know I know, I’m on vacation, stop worrying and just relax and enjoy for heaven’s sake!Well I did, thank you very much, but by the end I was thinking about routines and cleanses and all that crap. As a fellow member of our consumer culture I'm a sucker for a program. So instead of scouring websites or getting creepy instagram algorithm suggestions (they are listening!), I decided to just make my own up. I know what I like to eat and I certainly know how to cook it!
Eating clean to reset the body is easy. No need to buy a supplement pack and a jug of protein powder that costs more than your electric bill after you’ve had the air conditioner on all summer! Just buy a bunch of vegetables you like and prepare simple dishes. For instance, when I want to get really clean I steam a bunch of vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli, sweet potato, zucchini, or yellow squash and make a really tasty (and healthy) dipping sauce. One of my favorites is Turmeric-Tahini Dressing from Bon Appetit. It’s that good I could drink it, but I dip instead. Imake a double batch because it goes fast. It seriously does wonders for steamed vegetables and I end up eating a giant bowl. My friend Lisa, with whom I share many summers up in Maine threw together a leftover salad and her dressing was amazing! This will now be added not only to every salad and steamed vegetable I make, I also plan to try it with lentils - the beluga or French green variety.
Lisa’s Tahini Dressing
Juice of 1 lemon
A nice pinch of salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon tahini
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1-2 teaspoons maple syrup
I teaspoon miso (mellow white is what I have but I’m sure any kind you have will do)
And get this, NO OIL! What? Yeah, no need.
*Ok I cheated a little and added a tablespoon of toasted walnut oil because I love it. I’m sure good green olive oil would be happy to join this magical blend too if you don’t have nut oils.
Speaking of nut oils. I keep either toasted walnut or pistachio in my fridge at all times. A drizzle on salad greens is all you need along with a nice pinch of salt. No vinegar or lemon is necessary. Make sure to store in the fridge though, as it goes rancid fast otherwise.
I try to minimize grains and stick to veg and protein, so of course there is a stir-fry so I can pack a lot of vegetables into one meal. It’s dealer’s choice and my preferred items are shiitake mushrooms, leeks, scallion, or thinly sliced red onion or shallot, fresno chili for some heat, broccolini or broccoli florets (I blanch first), bok choy sliced into thin strips, although any leafy green will do if you slice it thin. I sometimes throw in some peas from the freezer. Tofu would be good here but it doesn’t agree with me,
so I tried Pumfu - pumpkin seed tofu and I love it. Great flavor and the same texture as firm tofu. It’s a nutrition explosion with 17 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber in a 4 oz serving plus antioxidants, magnesium, and omegas. I marinate it overnight so it sponges up some flavor and then cube and fry in a little avocado oil to crisp it up before adding it to thestir fried vegetables. I have also sliced it thick and broiled it. Back to the stir fry: I try not to over season and only add a little tamari or shoyu while cooking and then add a dash of hot chili sesame oil for some pizzazz.
I try to eat small portions of protein, mostly fish. I love arctic char. It’s a bit cheaper than salmon and has just as many omegas. My sissy shared her trick of slathering it with Dijon mustard, a sprinkling of fresh herbs, and then roasting on 400° for 10 minutes (for a roughly 6oz piece). Wowza, it’s delicious, moist, and tangy! I serve it with steamed broccolini or broccoli with lemon juice and a drizzle of tangy green olive oil. (I also drink this brand straight from the bottle!) Many places sell it and it’s worth looking up where to buy in your area.
I also love tinned fish and my go-to brand is Cole’s Wild Mackerel. I’m not a fan of smoked fish, plus I’m allergic to tuna so this ticks off both boxes for me. It’s skinned and boned and packed in olive oil and it’s a nice alternative when I want to take a break from sardines. I like to slather a little Dijon mustard onto crisp bread and top with a few fillets, some micro greens, and a squeeze of lemon. Go crazy and add sliced avocado as well for some healthy fat.
I try to eat simply all ding dong day and that includes breakfast. This morning I had two jammy eggs (boiled 7 minutes then drop in cold water for 2 minutes before peeling) with salt and half an avocado, a small Persian cucumber and a mess of micro greens with Lisa’s dressing and it was so deliciousand filling. It lasted all day and then I had a smoothie with frozen blueberries, frozen jack fruit, a scoop of protein powder (I like pea protein and switch up brands), a tablespoon of coconut butter and a heaping tablespoon of pomegranate powder.
In a search for more ways to get healthy fat and protein into my breakfast was the discovery of this magical product - Nuttzo is a game changer for me. Packed with nuts, seeds, flax, and chia, it’s pretty complete. You can just eat it by the spoonful for a quickie or add it to oat bran cereal like I do. I add a heaping tablespoon along with a rounded teaspoon of ghee and a little more ground chia and flax if I’m feeling the need for a mega fiber dose. Mix together well and enjoy! It’s deeply savory and nutty and really hits the spot and keeps you going well into the lunch hour. I don’t feel the need at all to sweeten but you could with berries or maple syrup.
Sticking to mostly vegetables and protein means giving my body a break from gluten. Problem is, I need something to slather my favorite mung bean hummus, avocado and micro greens onto. I find the gluten free bread options to be tasteless and weirdly airy. My friend Sarah and I found this up in the Berkshires and now I’m addicted. Sigdal Norwegian crispbread is light and, bonus, it doesn’t rip your gums up when you bite into it!
The above mentioned mung bean hummus recipe is from Heidi Swanson’s 101 Cookbooks. This is my go to for hummus because I find chickpeas gassy plus mung beans have way more protein. Check out this link to learn the difference. You may want to add mung beans to your pantry if you’re looking for more protein in your diet. *Recipe note: I add more lemon and less garlic than the recipe calls for.
I hope some of this inspires you to improvise and create your own healthy routines. Please share your ideas and recipes and let me know if you would like more food ideas like this as we head into fall.
Love,
Nancy Jo
I enjoy all of your posts. You should consider writing a cookbook cuz. You have some great recipes and I'm definitely going to try the tahini dressing. I made a really delicious dip the other day with tahini and curry and lemon, garlic. Not really a big fan of curry but it actually was pretty good. I do love the coconut curry soup with veggies as well.
Loving You❤️
Thanks for all the health tips! Love it all!