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Cheese and Apple Omelet ='s why didn't I think of this before?

I'm dog sitting for the weekend and have access to the most tripped out, organic, vegetarian kitchen EVER!  We're talking not a single name brand package in sight.  Mason jars filled to the brim with grains, beans, spices, and teas for as far as the eye can see.  There's a garden in the back with more greens than even I can consume in a year, including edible flowers.  I haven't even gotten to the best part-an entire library of vegetarian cookbooks!  

(Cue cherub singing "Awwwww" soundtrack please)

I didn't even care that the dogs woke me up at 4:45am to be let outside.  I started browsing cookbooks and dreaming of breakfast while I waited for their perky arrival.   The result?  Cream cheese and apple omelets with a side of apple topped garden greens. I know. I know. You are thinking, "Really Joanie? Who has time for that?"  It took me 15 min.  If your knife skills are better than mine, you can probably knock an additional 4 min off that.  I took my first bite and said to the dogs, "Why didn't I think of this before?"

I've included all the directions, assuming you've never made an omelet before.  This isn't an insult to your intelligence, I happen to make really terrible, burnt omelets and found the cookbook instructions helpful.  I had a few "Ah ha!" moments along the way.  

Cheese and Apple Omelet

adapted from

How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman

• 4-5 eggs (makes 2)
• 2 Tbsp milk
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 Tbsp cream cheese, sliced in strips or pulled
• Leafy greens
• 3/4 of small apple, cored and chopped
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• Honey or agave nectar, to drizzle

- Combine apple, cinnamon together, top with a small drizzle of honey or agave and set aside

- Beat the eggs, milk, salt and pepper together in a bowl

- Put a med sized skillet over med-high heat and wait 1 min

- Melt butter, swirl until it foams, then pour in egg mixture

- Cook undisturbed for 30 secs, then use rubber spatula to push edges toward center.  As you do this, tip the pan to allow the uncooked eggs in the center to reach the perimeter

- Continue the process until the omelet is mostly cooked but a little runny in the center

- Add apple mixture and strips of cream cheese

- Hold pan at 45-degree angle so omelet begins to slide, fold in half

- Cook for about 1 min on each side

- Serve with a side of delicious greens topped with a few leftover apple pieces, drizzled olive oil, and salt & pepper to taste

Nerd alert photoshoot in the garden.  

Enjoy!

Joanie Johnson, CHC

Motivated Nutrition

www.motivatednutrition.net

814-442-5311

The symptoms?  Disgusting nose dripping, excessive impolite sniffling, post-nasal drip induced coughing, headaches and all around miserableness.  Gross, right?!

The culprit?  Seasonal allergies.

Ugh.  Need I say more?

While the good ol' American way of treatment involves an armory of over the counter anti-hystimines on a regimented schedule of swallow pills, get drowsy, block symptoms, repeat, I encourage you to find a more natural way of coping.

Hypocrites, the father of modern medicine, wisely stated, "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food."  He figured it all out two and a half thousand years ago- we should listen.  


Here are a few quick tips to help fight those annoying allergies.


Vamp it up!  
Not the blue eyeshadow kind of vamping.  I'm talking vampires!  Onions and garlic are nature's natural anti-hystimine.  They are packed full of quercetin which helps alleviate symptoms of pollinosis.  Say what?!  In other words, quercetin's help put a stop to the gross nose stuff that pollen in the air causes.

Eat your greens
No brainer.  Fresh produce, especially GREENS are full of carotenoids.   A study in Public Health Nutrition (2006; 9:4) 472-9) showed that more carotenoids ='s less allergy suffering.  Green up!

Be a C student
I'm giving you the ok to be average.  Vitamin C is an antioxidant that fights free radicals.  Allergies occur when free radicals attack your cellular membranes and antioxidants put a stop to these radical dudes before the damage occurs.  Chow down on lots of citrus fruits, kiwi, and strawberries.  And while your at it sneak in some more vitamin C rich greens like cabbage, spinach, broccoli, and kale.  I told you to eat your greens!


Fight hard and eat well,


Joanie

Joanie Johnson, CHC
Motivated Nutrition
www.motivatednutrition.net
joanie@motivatednutrition.net

Sore Thumbs

Week 4 at the Thai Massage School of Chiang Mai intensifies.  Real the full blog post on my travel site, Bucketbath, and book your discounted Thai massage today!

Be well,

Joanie

New Years Resolution: Magic Hands

For those of you that don't know, I've been traveling through Asia for the last 4 months.   I left NYC in Sept and have traveled through China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand.  All that and I've still got 3 more months to go!

As glamourous as it all sounds, being on the go all the time isn't easy.  It's actually pretty stressful and exhausting.  I decided to give myself a "break" that is going to benefit to all of you when I return.  Starting next week, I will begin a 5- week Thai Massage certification in Chang Mai, Thailand.  I can't pass up the opportunity to settle down in one place for awhile AND advance my holistic knowledge with a certification directly from the source. 

I’ll be taking levels 1-5 at the Thai Massage School of Chang Mai. It includes 90 hours of comprehensive study and a 60-hour internship working with special needs children and the senior community.

I’m preselling massages that I’ll give upon my return in mid- late April. Buy ‘em up while I’m selling at Thai prices. As soon as we get back to NYC, I’ll have to switch back into competitive business survival mode!

Buy a few for yourself and while you’re at it, buy a few as gifts! I’ll travel to any of the boroughs in NYC. (Sorry Staten Island and NJ-you don’t count). I’ll be in Meyersdale sometime in April to see family, so PA isn’t left out either. And, (for all you massage newbies out there) Thai massage is done in comfortable clothes, you don’t even have to go through the unsettling experience of getting naked. I’ll meet you at the park, or sit behind you at the movies, or stroll into your office on your lunch hour. You name the place. (Ok. Maybe not the movies, but you catch my drift.)

I’ll offer these prices until April 1. You can pay through the PayPal link (below) and then I’ll reach out to you via email. Help me love you up…Thailand style!

$30 for 30min
$50 for 1hr
$75 for 1.5hrs

Have a happy and healthy New Year!

Joanie

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?