Kick-lines and Kimchi

The L train is down which means that I can either walk 15min to the next closest train line to enjoy a Saturday night social life, or stay stranded here in Brooklyn and lock myself away in the kitchen while I belt the comforting sounds of the Mamma Mia soundtrack. 

I'm blogging so obviously I chose the later. 

So far I've whipped up my first ever batch of kimchi and a loaf of zucchini bread.  The bread tastes good, but is a little flat.  I'm going to blame it on the scuba diver kick line that took place in front of the oven.  My favorite scene!  http://youtu.be/AQKk1nkDa8U (I've included the karaoke version for your convenience)

If you're also stuck at home and feeling Broadway happy, here are the two recipes to keep you entertained.  Just wait for the kick line until after your bread is out of the oven. 

*Mamma Mia soundtrack not included.  :) 

Napa Cabbage Kimchi

Prep: 15min         Fermenting Time: 2 days      Yields: 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 head Napa cabbage
• 3/4 cups sea salt

Seasoning:

• 2 scallions, chopped to one inch strips
• 1/2 small white onion, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 5 tablespoons red pepper flakes

Directions:

1. Coarsely chop the cabbage into 1-inch pieces. Place in a container. Dissolve 3/4 cup of salt in 2 cups of water and pour over the cabbage. Use your hand to mix it in evenly. Cover and let it pickle for 3 hours. Toss and turn over and pickle it for 3 more hours. Strain the cabbage and discard the salt water.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine all the seasonings and mix. Add the scallion last. Let it sit for 10 minutes. Distribute the seasoning on the cabbage and blend in using your hands.
3. Tightly pack the cabbage in a gallon-size jar. Cover the surface with plastic wrap and press down to get rid of air pockets. Store at 70 degrees for 24 hours to ferment. Chill before serving.

 
 
 

Zucchini Bread

Prep: 15min                           Cooking Time: 60-80min             Yields: 2 loaves

Ingredients:

• 3 cups whole wheat flour 
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1 cup applesauce
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 1/4 cup ground raw cacao
• ¼ cup ground walnuts
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9 x 5 inch loaf pans.
2. Beat together eggs, maple syrup, and applesauce. Blend in the grated zucchini, and then the Greek yogurt.
3. Mix in the flour, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon. Stir in cacao and walnuts. Pour batter into 
4. prepared pans.
5. Bake for 60-80 minutes, until a fork comes out clear. Cool on wire rack. 

 
 
Ummmm...I just discovered ABBA: The Movie streaming on Netflix.  Watch out!  The night is still young. 

Summer Herbal Medicine Making Workshop

Summer Herbal Medicine Making Workshop

 

Hey NY'ers! If you are looking for a beautiful escape out to of the city this weekend, a fellow health coach and friend is having an herbal medicine making workshop in her new upstate home! It would be a perfect Sunday adventure.  I attended her last workshop and learned so much about herbs!  I even got to bring home some delicious, self made, rose honey.  Mmmmm!  Make a day of it and check out some of the other beautiful Beacon sites while you are there!


Summer Herbal Medicine Making Workshop
July 3rd, 2011 (1PM-3PM)
Beacon, NY (please call for address and directions)

Summer is here--and now is the time to work with herbs! Learn to make tinctures, honeys, vinegars, and oils with herbs! This workshop is tailored to the sultry months of summer and will feature Lorin's favorite local herb (it's a surprise!).

$25 (SUPER affordable!)

Please call Lorin at 718-419-6588 to register.  (Let me know too!  joanie@motivatednutrition.net or 814-442-5311)

About Beacon, NY

Beacon is on the Hudson line from Grand Central.  Take the  Poughkeepsie train from NYC, and Beacon is the third to last stop. 

Here's a few links to some of Beacon's attractions:

http://www.mountaintopsonline.com/   Kayak rentals and tours
http://www.beaconcycles.com/  Bike rentals

http://www.diabeacon.org/ Dia Beacon Museum

http://www.schoolofjellyfish.com/ School of Jelyfish Cafe and Sustainable Building Center

http://www.trails.com/city-trails.aspx?keyword=Beacon&state=NY Info on Beacon hiking

Aminoethanesulfonic acid- It's holistic!

While on tour with my dance company in Tampa a few months ago, we came across an unfortunate encounter.  One that left me fuming and subsequently our costumes missing.  More on that later...

My company was in charge of warming up all of the student and community performers in that evenings show.  5 min before warm-up, 2 perky, and undoubtedly over-caffeinated students rolled into the dressing rooms with free energy drinks in hand and an endless stash off this liquid cocaine in their clever, cylinder shaped backpacks.

When my friend and fellow colleague refused to accept their generous offering, she told them that I (the holistic health coach of the group) wouldn't think it was healthy.  They turned their perky wrath on me to argue that their product was in FACT holistic and full of natural ingredients.  They defensively claimed that they ("unlike other energy drink girls") knew exactly what is in their product and began to spout off chemical compounds that probably took them 6 months of training to memorize.

I was in such awe of their lemming-like following that I wasn't fast enough to counter with the fact that ingredients like sodium citrate (a preservative), and taurine (an aminoethanesulfonic acid originally isolated from bull bile, but now made synthetically) are not ingredients commonly found in the "holistic" nutrition category. 

Me, being the non-confrontational person that I am, rolled my eyes (mature, I know) and then went to the stage to announce to everyone to toss out their liquid cocaine.  I explained that yes, they will get temporary wings, and feel high as a kite, but they were guaranteed to crash right before show time.  I took note of the 2 girls fuming by the stage door as I made my announcement with the college dance director backing me up.

Do you think it's a coincidence that one piece from all of our company costumes was discovered missing that evening, which included 2 pairs of my pants!   Hmmm...  Coincidence, perhaps.  But since energy drink corporations are now sending out blond, bouncy marketeers to claim that their products are holistic,  I'm going to go ahead and make the claim that they will hype you up and make angry enough to steal things. :) 

Have you had any energetic interactions with these people? 

Healthy Homemade Popcorn

Popcorn is a healthy snack, right?  Yes. If you are popping it from the kernel yourself.    No.  If you are reaching for those convenient, but oh so aromatic, microwavable bags. 

Why?   I'll tell you.

That eyeglass steaming mist that washes over your face when you pull open those opposing corners contains over 4 dozen chemicals.  Before you even take a bite, you inhale all that goodness into your lungs.  Microwave Popcorn plant workers are at risk of  developing what is known as "popcorn lung".  It's a result of inhaling Diacetyl which is used to give it that movie theatre, buttery taste.  This should make you think twice before lingering and deeply inhaling over that warm, freshly popped bag.  There is actually a confirmed case of a diehard popcorn lover developing bronchiolitis obliterans, aka "popcorn lung", from doing that twice a day/365.  Extreme-yes, but something to be aware of regardless.  Luckily, major producers have started to eliminate Diacetyl in their products. 

There are still all of those other chemicals to worry about.  Whole foods are always best.  If the list of ingredients is either a mile long or contains stuff that you can't pronounce, it's not real food. 

Besides, popping up your own, the old fashioned way is more fun anyway!  Give it a try tonight and let me know how it goes.

Home Popped Popcorn

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup unpopped popcorn kernals
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a 2 to 3 quart saucepan or pot with a lid set over medium-high heat. 
2. Test one-two kernels to see if the temperature is ready.
3. Pour in popcorn kernels and sprinkle salt to lightly cover the layer of kernels. Remember, you can always add more salt later. Add the butter to the pot and cover with the lid.
4. As soon as the kernels start to pop, shake the pan back and forth across the burner constantly until the popping slows down. As soon as the pops are about 2 seconds apart, remove from the heat and pour into a serving bowl. 
5. Taste, and season with additional salt if desired.

How to be smarter than the average eater

You have NO idea what to eat and are feeling frustrated (not to mention confused) with all of the "scientific" studies and health claims that you are bombarded with everyday.  I know this because you've all told me.  Fear not, if you are a devoted fan of Motivated Nutrition, you are smarter than the average eater.  There are, however, many consumers who believe everything they read and hear when it comes to the latest food fad.

Chances are, you have a few "crash diet" devoted friends who often recite nutritional facts that they've heard on the latest Kashi commercial or a billboard statement about why they need to be drinking 2-3 glasses of milk everyday.   It's not their fault. We are all being "fed" misinformation.  The government regulations on food are politically motivated in favor of certain industries. (Ah hem!  Dairy, Beef, and Corn. ) We are bombarded daily with studies and advertisements claiming to help us lose weight and eat healthy.  Meanwhile, they are promoting processed, packaged foods that put money into their pockets and an extra inch of fat around our waists.  It's infuriating that we live in a society that is obsessed with being thin while all of the "health" food sources being promoted are making us fat.  

Learn to read the ingredients in your food and think about what you are putting into your body.  If a package or commercial is blasting you with the health benefits, chances are they are hiding something.  (Read more here about how that will hopefully change soon)

Think about it, do your fruits and veggies come with bold face health claims on them?   There's a reason they don't have to.  They are REAL foods!

Get out there and eat something real today!  No health claims needed.

Put a little spring on your table- Apple cilantro salsa

It's a beautiful spring day!  Whip up this easy recipe to add a little warm weather flavor to your table.

Apple-Cilantro Salsa

Prep Time: 15 min
Serves: 4

1 Apple, chopped
2 tbs chopped green onions
2 tbs chopped fresh cilantro
1 1/2 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tbsp mild flavored oil, such as peanut, walnut or grapeseed
1 large pinch of red pepper flakes (or minced fresh jalapeno

• Combine  ingredients in a small bowl
• Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Refrigerate to chill before serving.

How to show Love to your Local Farmer

It's here, it's here!  CSA ("Community Supported Agriculture") sign up season!  We've made it through a long winter of being disappointed by the produce section in the grocery store and we're ready to once again support our local farmers. 

A CSA is a great way to buy local, organic produce.  Farmers will offer a certain number of "shares" to the public and a membership will get you a weekly portion of the harvest for the duration of the season.  Each week you receive a bundle of organic, home grown, often harvested that very day produce.  You will think that you are tasting veggies like radishes, beets, bok choy and field greens for the first time!  Not only is the experience delicious, you also gain the benefits of camaraderie and support from your fellow community members volunteering their time, love, and energy.  It gives you a great, "down home" feeling.  (Not always easy to find in NYC.)

I can't stress enough how wonderful the experience of joining a local food share is.  You'll be receiving loads of nutritional benefits and know exactly where your food is coming from.  Grocery stores and packaged goods disconnect us from the food we eat and through a CSA, we play a bigger part in keeping our body, mind and spirit healthy.

To find a CSA near you, check out this site!  localharvest.org. Don't wait to sign up.  Sign ups will close soon and CSA's often sell out quickly.  Some even have a waiting list.