Staples...

While cleaning my kitchen/fridge the other day, it occurred to me that I've grown to rely on a few steadfast ingredients in my life. In a moment of reflection, I also realized how much different the food items in my fridge and cupboards are now than my "self" of years ago. I'm by no means perfect. But it feels good to know I've come to a place in my life where I'm no longer intimidated by creating new dishes. Really, being of Greek descent, I always thought I should've popped out of the womb with mad kitchen skills and somehow failed as a result of not being more of a natural. The skills I have I've worked hard to attain, and continue to do so. As a nutritionist, I know the excellent properties of many foods, but learning how to put them all together has been a constant growing experience. In fact, my food and nutrition students often give me ideas of new cooking methods! I avoided okra for many years because of their texture until one of my students gave me some insight into how to make them less slimy (drying them after washing and adding a liberal amount of lemon!). My lack of "natural" cooking abilities has, in the past, has led me to be a bit of a "lazier" (but still healthy!) eater. So, while I vary my diet regularly to keep things fresh and nutrtious, there are a few things I would be lost without. Here is a small list:


Matcha--This powdered green tea is filled with antioxidants and is extremely tasty for those who enjoy an earthier flavour. I use a tablespoon of it in my smoothies or dairy-free lattes, and I sometimes add it to my gluten-free pancakes. I was first introduce to it during a traditional Japanese tea ceremony and found its bitteness a bit overwhelming on its own at first, but now I can't live without it!It's a fantastic way to energize in the morning. I keep it in the fridge to preserve its freshness.


Ruth's Chia Goodness--This is a gluten-free mixture of chia seeds and many other delights, depending on the one I buy. My favourite is the Cranberry Ginger mix, which (other than the three obvious ingredients in its namesake) has other goodness such as pumpkin seeds, buckwheat, hulled hemp seeds, organic cane sugar, currants, and Celtic sea salt. It's a non-gmo'd product, and the beauty of chia seeds is that they their protein and fantastic essential fats are liberated when they become wet, so it's not necessary to ground them, like flax seeds. This product's super versatility means I can eat it as I would a cold or hot cereal, or I add it to salads, smoothies, or even my pancakes! It adds an extra kick of fibre, too, so I don't think twice about using it as often as the urge strikes! Keep it refridgerated once it's opened to keep the nuts and seed fresher for longer.


Coconut Oil--This not only adds a sweet flavoury goodness to stirfries, pastas, or pretty much anything else, I will use this oil to cook with because it has an extremely high cooking point, so I don't worry about its properties turning carcinogenic. PLUS it's great for the brain! Remember, "fat" is NOT a bad word when it's the good kind. In fact, it's NECESSARY!


Umeboshi Plums--These Japanese fermented plums are super alkalanizing, so I keep them around either for mornings after I've over-indulged, or I add one to my rice dish to flavour it up (probably a throw-back to my days living in Japan).


Greek Yogurt--It tastes like dessert, even though it's much lower in sugar than regular yogurt! Many people have an intolerance to lactose because they don't have the enzyme that makes it possible to digest this milk sugar, so plain Greek yogurt can sometimes be enjoyed by people with an intolerance to dairy. I wouldn't go crazy with it and have tonnes, though, because it is high in fat. It's also high in live bacterial cultures (probiotics!), and I eat it any way I can! Sometimes on its own or as a side, sometimes mixed with nuts/seeds/fruits, or I'll add it to a rice pasta dish to give it a creamy flavour. My favourite way to eat it this time of year is with a ripe avocado...creamy, heavenly goodness. And I will give a small amount to Riley (our bassett hound). He loves it! When he had swollen lymph glands from an infection, I fed it to him for about a week consistently and he got better! My vet laughed at me, but it worked.


Rice or Almond Milk--I ALWAYS have one of these in my fridge. I love my lattes, and I use it for anything as a substitute for a recipe that may call for milk. It won't have the hormones or antibiotics that are often found in milk, and it's great for anyone who might be lactose intolerant. It comes with "peace" of mind and a lot of yumminess! Just be sure to get one that does NOT contain carrageenan. Carrageenan is added to a lot of non-fat/low-fat foods, as well as milk substitutes, as a thickener, and it can cause digestive upset as it can coat the intestinal walls and make nutrient absorption more difficult.


So, these are just a few of my favourite staples. The more I type, the more I know this list can go on, but if any of these aren't on your grocery lists yet, try one and see how it goes. Not everything is for everyone, that's for sure, but if you're looking to kick things up a notch and want to try something different, then I say go for it! Experimentation is how each of these foods came into my life, and I'm better (and healthier!) for it!

Morning Rush

Anyone who knows me well KNOWS that I love to eat...and I also love quick, easy meals. Healthy and fast is a necessity , so I thought I'd post a couple of no brainer breakfast ideas for people who feel the crunch in the morning. It's good for anyone, really, but it also offers a healthy option for parents on the go in the morning, co-ordinating car-pools and the like, rather than ignorning their own wellness and grabbing a coffee and bagel on the go (which only lends itself to temporary energy and a quick caffeine and sugar crash follows).

I've never mastered the art of time management, so I struggle with preparing meals the night before work. That leaves me trying to get meals together in the morning for breakfast AND lunch. My own fault, I know, but I'm working on it! Tools that really help? My blender and mini-thermos! As I'm preparing a yummy smoothie for breakfast, I've got oats cooking on the stove. Even if they're not completely done before I'm ready to leave, I can put them in my thermos and the heat retention finishes cooking it for me by lunch time!

Smoothie (usually prepared while I've got oats cooking on the stove)

banana (1/2) or avocado
leafy green (options? spinach, kale, bok choy, romaine or boston lettuce, arugula)
blueberries (about 1/2-1 cup--I use frozen this time of year)
almond or rice milk (1.5-2 cups, depending on appetite and time till next meal)
matcha (1-2 teaspoons)
cocoa powder (2 teaspoons--100% fair trade cocoa from camino is my fave)
Ruth's cranberry ginger chia mix (2 tbsp--chia with ginger works, too)
walnuts or almonds (or nut butter--3-6 if raw nuts; 1 tbsp if nut butter)
peppermint oil (1-2 drops)
cinnamon (to taste)

Of course, you can add or substitute ingredients as you please. Really, I switch it up from time to time depending on what's on hand, sometimes tossing in sesame or other seeds, or whatever other berries are in my kitchen.

Blend for 2 minutes, and presto! You have a delicious, healthy, nutrient-filled breakfast on the go! I have one of those plastic (BPA-free, of course!) smoothie cups with a straw that I find indispensable for my smoothie routine. I'll take it with me on the subway or in the car if I don't have time to drink it before leaving in the morning.

The benefits of this smoothie are immense! It's a medley of protein, omegas 3 and 6, antioxidants (blueberry-chia-matcha combo packs a punch!), fibre, vitamin A, C, K, and folate, not to mention the anti-bacterial properties of cinnamon! It all takes about 5-8 minutes to prepare, start to finish. And I have a 15 year old blender that does the trick! No fancy tools required.

Oatmeal

steel-cut oats (.5-1 cup)
blueberries (2 tbsp)
cinnamon (to taste--I'm usually quite generous with my cinnamon inclusions!)
pumpkin or sesame seeds (or 2 tbsp Ruth's cranberry ginger chia mix)
almond milk (2-2.5 cups)

Put all together in small sauce pan on stove to boil, then turn to medium once boil is reached. I eventually turn it to low (2-3 on my stove) while I'm preparing my smoothie, feeding our dog, and getting my things together. In 15-20 minutes, I've got breakfast AND lunch ready to go! Having oats for lunch is a healthy way to keep energy up later in the afternoon, plus it helps stave off after work snacking because the fibre keeps you full longer.

Generally, people require 35-50 grams of fibre a day, and the standard North American has about 10-15 grams. There's potentially 20-25 grams just in these two meals alone!

Please don't skimp on breakfast. I know it sounds cliche, but it's so important to get your day started right. Without the proper nourishment, your body and mind can only hand so much stress throughout the day. Show your body the love and respect it deserves by treating it with respect through your food choices. It doesn't take a lot of effort, and your body and mind will reward you with the tools you need to get through your day successfully!

To Be Or Not To Be...A Vegetarian...

Even as a youngster, I felt like I was a vegetarian at heart. As a child, although I ate meat (being Greek-Cypriot, that meant all sorts of meat!), a twinge of guilt always followed. I suspect it came from the time I'd spent a few months in Cyprus with my grandparents on their farm. One of the duties I shared with my brother was looking after a few of the animals. One very special animal was a baby goat, lovingly named "Moro" ("kid" in Greek...not original, but adorable, right?). After months of feeding, caressing, and loving this creature, time came for us to come back home to Toronto, and the night before our departure, a feast was prepared in our honour. Any guess as to what the main course was? The greatest symbol of love for my grandmother was to feed us well, so although her intentions were awesome, that experience led to a seed having been planted in my little heart and soul.

My juvenile self didn't realize just how much the experience of Moro being sacrificed for us affected me. As an urban, North American kid, I equated the word "animal" with "pet." The guilt of having been the root at Moro's death was so powerful that by the time I was 14, I attempted to become a vegetarian. Then I got a part time job after school working at Harvey's. The food was free, and my first stint as a vegetarian lasted 2 weeks. The kid in me, and the offer of free food was too much for me to stick with it.

Then, in my early 20s, I decided I was going to try again. I quit eating meat! I felt proud of myself, and it was easy! Of course, anything feels "easy" when you don't think there's any preparation required. All I did was stop eating meat. I never learned how to be a healthy vegetarian and was oblivious to the consequences of not substituting the lost protein and other nutrients. I remained a (bad, uneducated) vegetarian for more than a decade. I put on about 30 pounds and didn't feel fantastic. Of course, I ate fruits and vegetables, but I really didn't put any thought into what I was eating, only that I was eating at all. I ate refined starches, and pasta became my staple. Oops. It seems so elementary that I'm almost embarrassed to even admit that! But it was my reality.

Then I started studying nutrition. Most of my life I had struggled with an eating disorder and needed to develop a healthier relationship with food, regardless of my ethical motivations to become a vegeterian. Add to that ill family members and a health care system I was losing faith in, and I became an avid nutrition student. I was mortified at how badly I'd been treating myself. Although I learned that it was possible to be healthy and a vegetarian, I incorporated meat back into my diet in order to quickly repair some of the damage I'd caused (malnourishment, low blood pressure, and iron deficiency, for starters), starting with fish and bison.

Here I am, a few years later, and I'm once again treading on the cusp of vegetarianism. I haven't made the commitment fully. Meat still occasionally graces my plate (especially at family functions), but I'm at a different, healthier and more secure place in my life now. I'm fully aware of the all of the benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle on the environment and economy. My main motivation will always be the lack of respect and ill-treatment of animals by most of the meat processing industry--even as a young vegetarian I used to tell people that if I'd been alive a couple of hundred years ago, it would never have occurred to me to become a vegetarian because the respect that went along with using the flesh of an animal for nourishment was inherent. There was an air of gratitude when an animal was offered up for a meal. It's the reason I would never fault a compassionate farmer (like my grandparents) for eating the animals they raised.

It all really comes down to two things: 1) being educated about how to properly nourish yourself, and 2) listening to your body's needs. Although I wish I knew this 15 years ago, It's Never Too Late to Feel Great!!!