Food

Reining in Climate Change Starts with Healthy Soil

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This is a lengthier post than usual, but I think it’s important information. One of the reasons I feel compelled to share in this blogging format at all is because I care deeply about the earth and the global climate change that now (finally!) I think everyone admits to. Even if there are still people who deny that humans are a factor, no one can deny the fact that it’s up to humans to change their ways in order to slow down the degradation, or else humans will soon no longer exist and then earth can heal herself. Although I care about individuals’ health, sense of beauty, and quality of life, an even bigger motivation for my sharing is to create real connections to nature and natural products that lead to less chemicals, less plastic, less artificiality, less waste, and less pollution. There are so many green options out there for people to choose, from herbs instead of pharmaceuticals, to organics instead of artificial ingredients, and green beauty products that offer countless layers of healing and long-term benefits instead of chemicals and short term cover ups. This connection is not only deeply fulfilling to the humans who embrace it, but the entire earth benefits as well. No connection is too small because it all adds up, and the earth needs all the humans making healing choices now.

The following portion of this post was provided by New Hope Network and written by Bill Giebler. I am a member of the New Hope Influencer Co-op, a network of health and wellness bloggers committed to spreading more health to more people.

It’s barely May, but Aspen Moon Farm is bustling with fall harvest-like activity. The inclusion of seedlings in its offerings makes today’s farmers’ market preparations hum. At least half a dozen helpers line the long dirt drive up to the house, where owner Jason Griffith breaks for a sandwich in his enclosed patio. At 45, Griffith has been farming this plot of land in Hygiene, Colorado, for just a few years—but long enough to expand to 10 acres and learn some critical lessons.

“When I first started farming I was gearing all of my production toward ‘how many crops can I get out of this bed or that bed and how intensely can I plant?’” he says. That approach—despite organic and biodynamic cultivation—resulted in soil degradation, evidenced by diminished plant health and increased pests. Griffith reassessed his multiple annual harvests.
“We realized we were going to wear that field out quickly. It was interesting to see how fast it could happen.” Wearing out the field is not unique—modern agriculture relies on synthetic chemicals for fertility, too often viewing soil simply as an inert growing medium. What’s unique about Griffith—as with other small-scale organic farmers dependent on nutrient- rich soil—is he chose to do something about it.
Doing something about it is indeed the recommendation of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Its 2015 report states that “33 percent of land is moderately to highly degraded.” In fact, the report reads, “the majority of the world’s soil resources are in only fair, poor or very poor condition.”
For Griffith, the solution unfolded by re-framing the farming effort. “It’s really just about changing the focus from the crop to the soil and what does the soil need so we don’t have to add a ton of fertility every year.” Reducing added fertilizers—natural or otherwise—meant giving scheduling priority to soil-building crops above revenue-producing ones. “Instead of setting up my schedule and saying, ‘I need to plant carrots, beets and all this stuff where I want, whenever I want,’” Griffith says, “I’m basically saying: ‘I need to have a cover crop in this field by this date.’” Then he determines what vegetables work in rotation. The result is a productive farm with a year-round focus on maintaining or improving soil fertility.
This emerging awareness often comes in three words: Soil is alive. And with that comes the breadth of reasons to take care of it. Hint: It’s not just about food.
THE DIRTY TRUTH
It would be difficult to find a more passionate soil advocate than Tom Newmark. The former CEO of New Chapter supplement company, Newmark is co-founder and board chair of The Carbon Underground and co-owner of Finca Luna Nueva lodge and biodynamic farm in Costa Rica.
By phone, Newmark launches into a landslide of daunting truths. “Because of the worldwide destruction of between 50 and 70 percent of the fertile soil in which we grow our food … ” he says, also citing the FAO, “we have only 60 harvests [years] left before the world loses its ability to produce any food.”
Beyond dwindling food production, Newmark lists impending dangers, such as desertification—or drying up—of farm and range lands and a water cycle “so warped and distorted that much of the planet is whipsawed by either drought or flood.” If you’re concerned about the devastating weather extremes that have become far too common, he says, “You have to be concerned about soil.”
He explains how soil carbon correlates with soil organic matter: the rich, decomposing material and microbiology of the soil ecosystem. Acting as what he calls “the soil/water battery,” each percentage point of soil organic matter is able to hold between 20,000 and 70,000 gallons of water per acre. “When you don’t have the top soil, when you don’t have the organic matter in the soil, then the soil can’t store the rain, and plants can’t handle climate extremes because they don’t have water reserves in the soil,” Newmark says. The ripple effect of this includes local relative humidity, which distorts cloud formation and rain. “The destruction of the planet’s soil therefore has an immediate and direct effect on drought, crop failure and desertification.”
Possibly the biggest and most overlooked ecological service soil provides, however, is its role in climate change—via carbon sequestration. Global soils are, in fact, massive carbon storehouses—yes, that carbon: the temperature-raising, sea level-raising stuff of inconvenient headlines. The opportunity to lock this excess atmospheric carbon into the ground is at the root of a movement called regenerative agriculture. But with this comes awareness of the inverse impact: the vast release of carbon by agricultural means. “In fact,” Newmark says, “somewhere around 40 percent of the excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere comes directly from the soil.” That’s astounding in a world where human solutions to human-caused climate change tend toward the cars we drive and the lights we turn off. Newmark’s 40 percent is difficult to substantiate.
A U.N. paper puts it closer to 30 percent. But, says Newmark, that doesn’t account for the soil organic matter oxidized due to tilling or nitrogen fertilization.
Regardless, in the broad view of climate change there’s a double win that comes from carbon-rich soil. In addition to slowing or even reversing atmospheric carbon, soils richer in carbon (read: sticky, quenched) are also more resilient to the impacts of climate change.
This is good news, and it sounds even better the astonishingly simple way Newmark puts it: The soil lost its carbon, it wants it back and it knows how to get it. “There’s actually technology that is time-tested, safe and available worldwide for free that will take all the carbon we have irresponsibly let loose in the environment and bring it back to earth. That technology is called photosynthesis.” There’s a third win, too. Getting that carbon into the soil is synonymous with the soil fertility Griffith is looking for.
“The bad news is, we’ve absolutely botched things up with agricultural malpractice in the last 50 years,” Newmark says. “The good news is we can put the carbon back in the soil, recreate fertility, recreate the soil/water battery, recreate food stability and reverse climate change by using agriculture that is in accordance with the laws of nature and not at war with the laws of nature.”
FIXING NITROGEN
“The number-one thing we absolutely have to do is to stop using synthetic nitrogen fertilizer,” Newmark says. “It’s just that simple, and the research worldwide is clear: The use of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer corresponds with the destruction of soil organic matter and the release of CO2 into the atmosphere.”
We have long known the dangers of nitrogen fertilizer. Its rampant use has been linked to coastal dead zones, fish kills, groundwater pollution, air pollution and even “reduced crop, forest and grassland productivity,” according to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). What is newer to the dump on nitrogen is its direct correlation to carbon release and climate change. But, hold on: Nitrogen is a necessary plant nutrient, and the now 100-year-old ability to synthesize nitrogen from thin air is a key part of the agricultural “Green Revolution” that brought more food, more quickly, to more mouths in the mid-twentieth century. The need for nitrogen is what makes synthetic fertilizer so effective, and effectiveness is what makes its use so widespread.
What Newmark describes, though, is a distorted ecosystem, starting with an artificial growth factor—synthetic nitrogen—that stimulates a “rapid, wild cascade of growth of soil microbiome in an almost cancerous form.” Microbiological aliveness is a measure of soil health, but its unchecked growth creates an imbalance. It all comes down to complex underground trade negotiations, Newmark explains. In order to uptake nitrogen naturally, plants undergo an elaborate exchange with soil bacteria. Although both carbon and nitrogen are amply available in the air, they are inaccessible depending on who’s asking for it. Plants can’t get at the nitrogen; bacteria can’t get the carbon. “But,” says Newmark, “the bacteria have the nitrogen and the plants have this carbohydrate [carbon in the form of plant sugars] so at the tip of the root of every plant there’s an exchange that can happen, where the plants can swap their carbon-rich sugars for the biologically available nitrogen that the bacteria have. Brilliant!” And natural.

Until the introduction of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer, that is. With it the plant has received biologically available nitrogen without having to put forth the effort of feeding the bacteria. A conditioned laziness ensues, closing a trade that includes not just nitrogen, but a host of micronutrients, too. “The whole underground economy shuts down,” says Newmark, “because we’ve been giving crack cocaine to the plants.”
What needs to happen, Newmark says unequivocally, is “all agricultural systems that rely on synthetic nitrogen fertilizers have to be abandoned, and they have to be abandoned quickly. We don’t have time to debate this issue.”
The second thing we have to do, Newmark says, is leave the carbon in the soil when it gets there. “If you have carbon that is in a relatively stable form in the soil, you have to leave it there, leave that structure undamaged.” But, he says, deep and repeated plowing, or tilling, breaks apart soil structure and releases CO2 back into the atmosphere. “We have to stop doing that,” says Newmark. “We have to stop ripping apart the thin layer of topsoil that covers much of our land surfaces on the planet.”

EASY DOES IT
While Newmark’s recommendations are satisfyingly simple biologically, they are not easy to apply within the existing industrial agricultural system—especially without consensus. In fact, many believe abandoning synthetic nitrogen fertilizer is akin to ditching the internet or stepping away from the car. Rob Saik, founder and CEO of Agri-trend, whose mission is “to help farmers … produce a safe, reliable and profitable food supply in an environmentally sustainable manner,” specializes in soil chemistry, plant physiology and crop nutrition, seeing GMOs and agri-chemicals as critical tools. “I think there’s a lot that can be done to make better use of nitrogen fertilizers,” he says. “The goal is not to reduce them but to use them more efficiently.”
Jeff Pizzey is a fifth-generation farmer in western Manitoba, Canada, and one of Saik’s clients. Pizzey says it’s synthetic fertilizers that allow him to grow as effectively as he does—as effectively as the world needs its farmers to. “What part of the population are you going to decide is not going to eat?” Pizzey asks about discontinuing synthetic nitrogen fertilizer. “There is absolutely no way that our world could sustain itself without it.”
Further, Pizzey says he’s able to employ a no-till approach because of synthetics. “That’s the one thing organic farming has not moved on from. Tillage is the only tool they have in their toolbox to kill weeds.” Because of genetically modified crop strains and their accompanying herbicides Pizzey can run his farm with minimal tilling.
“We use a disk drill, which basically cuts and slides the soil in a small band about three-quarters of an inch wide, places the seed and covers it back up again.”
Even the Rodale Institute, a world leader in practical organic farming research, agrees that no-till, by “relying on herbicides for weed control … cannot be directly adopted for use in organic production systems.” Rodale is researching and teaching methods to make no-till and reduced-till organic farming possible.
Aspen Moon’s Griffith does what he can as an organic farmer. “There’s not a lot of vegetable farmers that are no-till per se. We all have to turn in that vegetable residue to be able to get ready for the next crop.” The chisel plow Griffith uses to aerate and break up the soil is indeed more disruptive than Pizzey’s disk drill, but less so than a rototiller. “We don’t use a rototiller because … it inverts the soil.” Different microbes live at different levels in the soil, he explains, “so when you invert that soil every time, you basically kill the life of the soil that now has to rebuild.”
As for yields, Rodale differs markedly from Pizzey. Its 30-year trial reveals organic yields equal to or greater than conventionally grown controls—especially in drought years when organic soils show greater resiliency. Even studies that report lower organic yields show more nutritional value per acre. Newmark leapfrogs the entire argument. “Tell me,” he says, “how will conventional farms produce food with no topsoil?”

REVERSING THE DAMAGE
Agriculture, by nature, captures nutrients from the farm and exports them to market. With nutrients constantly being removed from the ecosystem, farmers need to manage soil fertility. How they do so is a defining characteristic. “We’re not trying to buy fertility to create a product,” says Griffith. “We’re trying to create fertility within the farm.”
There are two keys to that for Aspen Moon Farm. The first is cover crops.
With cover crops, nutrients collected through photosynthesis are captured and kept within the farm system. A cocktail of cover crops stocks the soil with different nutrients—including nitrogen. “A good cover crop should be able to feed next year’s crop,” Griffith says.
Griffith’s second key to building fertility is the inclusion of animals—not as product but as part of the operation. The best rule, Griffith says, works from cover crop through cow (quite literally) to chicken on the way to planting. “So the cow eats all that cover, which goes through its stomach process, turning it into almost compost right into the field. Then the chickens come by afterward, eat the bugs, eat the weed seeds, scratch it all up, spread it and then we’re ready to go.”

RUMINATING ON CLIMATE CHANGE
Bringing animals into—or back into—the farm system is intriguing, but counter-intuitive considering the well-documented negative impact the meat industry has on climate. Confined in large, dirt-floored feedlots, they poorly digest grain shipped from a thousand miles away and gas up the atmosphere with the resulting methane—a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than CO2. Indeed, a Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences report released in early 2016 states, “Transitioning toward more plant-based diets that are in line with standard dietary guidelines could reduce … [2050] food-related green-house gas emissions by 29–70 percent.”

But recent research suggests that large grazing ruminants—like cows—can be climate heroes as well. Leading the drive on this is the Savory Institute, a nonprofit organization promoting “holistic management” as a top effort to revitalize soil health and lock atmospheric carbon into the earth.
Holistic management is a carefully timed system of growth, rapid grazing and regrowth, says Savory’s Chris Kerston. Regrazing, too, but not too soon. Here’s why: As the grazed grasses start regrowing above ground, their roots retract, sloughing off dead root material—which is critical. “When that piece of root dies off down there … you actually just injected organic matter into the soil,” says Kerston. Essentially, the plant—through photosynthesis and root sloughing—is pumping solar energy into the soil. In this way, “you can build depth into the soil much deeper at a much faster rate.” After the grasses regrow, the pasture may look fully recovered, but more time is required to allow the roots to regrow. Only then is it time to graze again. “What ranchers often don’t realize,” Kerston warns, “is if you don’t wait long enough for the root to also regrow, then we have an unsustainable situation—we’re going into the negative in our bank account.” The soil is missing its carbon deposits, and the plant, with insufficient root regrowth and excessive withdrawals, is suffering. Eventually the grasses stop regrowing up top, too, taking the grass out of grassland. Hence, desertification.
“So what we want to have happen,” Kerston continues, “is we want our animals bunched and moving, but we want them to be gone long enough that the land fully recovers.” That nuance is the basis of holistic management, and it, says Kerston, “makes all the difference in the world. Quite literally.”
Bunched and moving is exactly what herds of large ruminants have been for millennia. The grazing was rapid, thorough and unselective because the animals were bunched and competing for limited grasses. They were bunched—and moving—because of the omnipresence of stealthy predators. “So in our sedentary ranching systems, when we started putting up barbed wire fences it was one of the worst things to happen to agriculture,” says Kerston.
Fortunately, bunched and moving can coexist with property lines, and this is where Savory’s holistic management comes into play: teaching ranchers how to choreograph the moves (and bunches) in a way that mimics the natural world, and teaching farmers how to create a beneficial mixture of flora and fauna working together, says Kerston. “If we put animals back on the land that is growing corn to feed animals thousands of miles away, that whole broken cycle stops.” Instead of eating bought feed, “the animals can eat crop residues, they can fertilize soils, they can actually break up the soil surface getting it ready for planting.”
Texas A&M’s Richard Teague, PhD, is among those to document the benefits of this specialized rotational grazing. Teague performed a large-scale multiyear study of regenerative agricultural practices. His study compared similar plots of land and employed different grazing methods on each, tracking the vegetation on lands with no grazing, continuous grazing (studying both light and heavy continuous grazing separately) and rotational grazing, “using light to moderate defoliation … followed by adequate recovery before regrazing.” Rotational or “multipaddock” grazing, he concludes, “had superior vegetation composition, higher soil carbon, and higher water- and nutrient- holding capacities.”
Returning key biological processes to their natural state seems to be at the core of transferring excess carbon from the atmosphere—where it’s a liability—to the soil, where it’s of vast benefit. That’s good news because it means soil loss and climate change have a common solution, and all we have to do to harness it is step aside. “We have 470 million years of experience of the ecosystem producing food: converting solar energy into calories available for biology to consume,” says Newmark.
When asked how quickly damaged lands begin to heal, Newmark’s response is short and cheerful. “It’s instantaneous!” It takes longer, he admits, to completely reverse the damage, but the healing starts on day one. Citing Teague’s research, he speaks of rivers that had disappeared or become seasonal during the downward spiral of desertification. In Teague’s study, he says, “those ephemeral streams became permanent streams. And this was in just 10 years!”
“I wake up hopeful every morning,” Newmark says, “because the solution is literally right beneath our feet.” (End of article.)

Thank you for reading and I hope everyone who took the time to do so feels hopeful and empowered to do something for the good of the earth’s health, as well as their own.

Cinnamon Almond Granola

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If you want to make your house smell exceptionally warm and cozy, I highly recommend making this granola. It is short on ingredients and easy to scale up or down or modify to your own particular tastes. I know some people who might want to add cardamom and nutmeg to the mix and honestly I would myself, but my kids tend to like cinnamon on its own so that is what I do. I used gluten-free oats from Bob’s Red Mill, but many celiacsbobs red mill gf oats and people intolerant to gluten cannot eat even certified gluten-free oats. This apparently has to do with the protein molecule being similar in structure to gluten, though it might also have to do with what/how the oats are grown and what has been sprayed on or near them. (Read more about this here or at least look at the graph and draw your own conclusions.) Whatever the reason, listen to your body about eating oats or not. I count myself very lucky to be able to digest oats because I love granola and using oat flour in baking. This recipe is a healthy combination for starting the day because of cinnamon which can help stabilize blood sugar, almonds for the protein and good fats, and coconut oil to keep one satiated longer. Here’s the recipe:

 

 

Cinnamon Almond Granola

3 cups oats (I use gluten-free)

Real Salt

1 cup slivered almonds

1 tbs cinnamon powder

1/2 tsp sea salt (I use Real Salt)

3 Tbs. coconut oil (Somehow didn’t make it into the pics, but very important ingredient!)

1/3 cup honey

1 tsp vanilla extract (make your own!)

Preheat oven to 350. Place parchment paper down on a large, rimmed cookie sheet. Combine the first four ingredients together in a large bowl and mix well. Melt the coconut oil and honey in small sauce pan or just use your microwave for about a minute. Add the vanilla extract to the melted mixture and stir, then pour over the dry ingredients and blend until well mixed. Pour the mixture onto the pan and spread it out as much as possible. Put in the oven for about 15 minutes, stirring every five minutes so that all sides of the granola are exposed at some point. When it turns golden and the kitchen smells mouth-wateringly delicious, it’s ready to cool down and be stored in a glass container, or munched all day long right off the pan.

This is a great addition to smoothies to turn them into smoothie bowls and will be nice to have as an after school snack all week too, if it lasts that long. The other breakfast food I’ve made for the week is a couple of batches of waffles. They are filling and the addition of chocolate chips makes the early morning wake-ups just a tad sweeter for my sons, especially my youngest who is naturally a late sleeper. Waffles are also easy additions to lunch boxes and if you’ve never tried peanut butter or nutella on waffles, you are in for a surprisingly good pairing. These can be especially nice go-to foods for those early days of switching to gluten free eating for newbies, especially for kids, when it suddenly feels like all the comfort foods are out of bounds. Waffles can save the day and I highly recommend employing any and all tactics for making the transition as emotionally comfortable as possible, because changing what you eat in a drastic way is truly life altering and that should be acknowledged. It’s a challenge in other words, and although challenges are necessary and generally for the greater good, so is honoring the emotions as one goes through them.

Thank you for reading and please share with anyone looking for gluten free or just easy breakfast recipes.

Happy October!

spider web

 

 

Mind-Gut Health Connection

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I wanted to share this short article from New Hope Network that shows recent findings linking gut health with digestive health. This is something that has long been documented by Ayurveda, the oldest healing system in the world, by linking both to the vata dosha. There have been other studies as well, and even products aimed at optimal health for both. If you suffer from psychological issues such as anxiety, depression, OCD, and/or others, it is worthwhile looking at healing your digestive health as well. Here’s the article:

(This part of the post was provided by New Hope Network. I am a member of the New Hope Influencer Co-op, a network of health and wellness bloggers committed to spreading more health to more people.)

A Columbia University study has found that adversity early in life is associated with increased gastrointestinal symptoms that may affect children’s brains and behavior as they mature.
“It is too early to say anything conclusive, but our study indicates that adversity associated changes in the gut microbiome are related to brain function, including differences in the regions of the brain associated with emotional processing,” said Nim Tottenham, a professor of psychology at Columbia and senior author on the study.
The study, “Mind and Gut: Associations Between Mood and Gastrointestinal Distress in Children Exposed to Adversity,” was published online March 28 in the journal Development and Psychopathology.
“One common reason children show up at doctors’ offices is intestinal complaints,” said Tottenham, who is an expert in emotional development. “Our findings indicate that gastrointestinal symptoms in young children could be a red flag for future emotional health problems.”
Scientists have long noted the strong connection between the gut and brain. A history of trauma or abuse, even in the second through sixth weeks after birth, is associated with a higher risk of irritable bowel syndrome and more than one third of mental-illness diagnoses in one’s lifetime, according to previous research. This study was designed to determine when childhood adversity begins to affect the gastrointestinal system.
“The role of trauma in increasing vulnerability to both gastrointestinal and mental health symptoms is well established in adults but rarely studied in childhood,” lead author Bridget Callaghan, a post-doctoral research fellow in Columbia’s psychology department, said in a released statement. In addition, animal studies have demonstrated that adversity-induced changes in the gut microbiome—the community of bacteria in the body that regulates everything from digestion to immune system function—influence neurological development, but no human studies have done so, she said.
“Our study is among the first to link disruption of a child’s gastrointestinal microbiome triggered by early life adversity with brain activity in regions associated with emotional health,” Callaghan said.
The researchers focused on development in children who experienced extreme psychosocial deprivation due to foster or institutional care before international adoption. Separation of a child from a parent is known to be a powerful predictor
of mental health issues in humans. That experience, when modeled in rodents, induces fear and anxiety, hinders neurodevelopment and alters microbial communities across the lifespan.
The researchers drew upon data from 115 children adopted from orphanages or foster care on or before they were 2 years old and from 229 children raised by a biological caregiver. The children with past caregiving disruptions showed higher levels of symptoms that included stomach aches, constipation, vomiting and nausea.
From that sample of adoptees, the researchers then selected eight participants, ages 7 to 13, from the adversity exposed group and another eight who’d been raised by their biological parents. Tottenham and Callaghan collected behavioral information, stool samples and brain images from all the children. They used gene sequencing to identify the microbes present in the stool samples and examined the abundance and diversity of bacteria in each participant’s fecal matter.
The children with a history of early caregiving disruptions had distinctly different gut microbiomes from those raised with biological caregivers from birth. Brain scans of all the children also showed that brain activity patterns were correlated with certain bacteria. For example, the children raised by biological parents had increased gut microbiome diversity, which is linked to the prefrontal cortex, a region of the brain known to help regulate emotions.
“We observed that early adversity was associated with gastrointestinal symptoms in youth aged 3-18 years (with the largest effects observed in late childhood),” the authors wrote. They also found that adverse caregiving experiences in the earliest days of life alters the gut’s biome; that variation affects how the brain’s emotion networks develop.
“The fact that early experiences of caregiving adversity increase the risk for both GI and mental health problems, as well as being associated with changes to the GI microbiome, suggests that the timing of this exposure (infancy to early childhood) coincides with the sensitive period for the maturation of each of these systems,” the authors wrote.
More research is needed, but Tottenham and Callaghan believe their study helps fill an important gap in the literature.
“Animal studies tell us that dietary interventions and probiotics can manipulate the gut microbiome and ameliorate the effects of adversity on the central nervous system, especially during the first years of life when the developing brain and
microbiome are more plastic,” Callaghan said. “It is possible that this type of research will help us to know if and how to best intervene in humans, and when.” Callaghan and Tottenham are working on a larger study with 60 children in New York City, New York, to see if their findings can be replicated. They expect the results later this year.
The study was supported by the National Institutes of Mental Health, the Dana Foundation, the American Australian Association and the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia.

(Me again) If you missed my digest blend DIY (above) a while ago, the link is here. Thank you for reading and please share with anyone who has digestive or emotional/mental issues! Best health to you and yours <3.

Clean and Green Natural Products

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The latest samples from New Hope Network included some especially clean and green products. Of course there were a couple of CBD items as well since CBD is still going strong despite rumors and confusion persisting. Just as a reminder, I’m not paid for posts in conjunction with the New Hope Network, we are a co-op of bloggers who have agreed to share with our audiences information and products that we believe in. It’s a passion of mine to connect people with more natural products because I truly think natural foods and products are not only healthier for the people who use them, but for the planet as a whole. Plus the natural world has so much to offer which has been largely forgotten by the mainstream since industrialization, and if we can embrace our natural options in combination with all our modern advancements, we are going to head into a better future with more balance, depth, and greater wisdom.

matcha

Like CBD, matcha is having a moment too, and with good reason. It is a powerhouse of antioxidants and basically gives all of green tea’s benefits except more, plus it’s so full-bodied it makes a great latte. I drink mine sans milk and love it, although I have gotten a matcha latte with coconut milk a few times while out and can see how that’d be addictive too. Aiya’s matcha to go is a convenient way to carry your matcha around with you. The box says that no sifting or whisking is required but I have been whisking these anyway because it doesn’t hurt and you can almost always find something to stir with no matter if it is a traditional matcha tool or not. These packets don’t have any added sugar (some other brands do!) and the taste is rich, green, and delicious. These are great for travel or to sick in lunch totes or work bags. 

This protein powder from Natreve is a great example of a clean product that packs a huge nutritional and taste punch. My son was wow’ed by the taste of his breakfast smoothie and I this it’s pretty exceptional too~ the smell alone is like a fresh baked cookie. It’s vegan, soy and gluten free with no artificial sweeteners, flavors, or colors. It is also low sodium and has 25g of protein per scoop (it’s a big scoop!) with only 1 g of sugar and 150 calories. I’m looking forward to trying more of their flavors although my son will probably want to just stick with this s’mores sundae one.

This Bean to Bliss Bar not only has 40mg of CBD in it, it’s main ingredient is cacao which has long been used for its calm and happiness-inducing attributes. This tastes quite good and the ingredients are certainly a smart and clean combination of  mood supporting and enhancing ingredients though I personally can’t attest to any overwhelming feelings of bliss. That most likely has way more to do with my current state of going through a hard time than the product though so I’d love to hear other people’s experiences with this bar.

The CBD oil from CV Sciences has 9mg of CBD per serving and is flavored with peppermint. The peppermint flavor is nice, but it doesn’t actually cover up the hemp taste which if you have tried you know is a very strong. It kind of tastes like the peppermint is sitting shotgun with the hemp oil in the driver’s seat because the tastes are just about equal on the tongue. If you want CBD without the taste of hemp, I suggest avoiding tinctures all together and opting for softgels instead, but if you do like the taste then tinctures are a great choice because they don’t have to travel through the digestive system which may or may not be behaving optimally. (Let’s face it, most are not.)

This cute little Mothers Healing Balm has a great texture and the scent is light and pleasant. We didn’t have any wounds, rashes, or insect bites to try it out on yet, but the ingredients are promising with herbs such as calendula, witch hazel, and lavender in there. My dog did in fact get into a scrap with a raccoon a couple of mornings ago, but her wounds seem to be more psychological than physical, which is saying a lot since she’s already quite a neurotic beast. We’ll have to save this balm for our next wound, bug bite, or rash, and with a house containing two teen boys, it won’t be long I’m sure. This balm was formulated by a mom and an herbalist to treat a wide variety of skin issues.

Remember when healthy fats were all the rage? They are still important for healthy brains, eyes, and hearts, keeping inflammation down, mood regulation, and healthy joints, even if they aren’t in the spotlight as often as they were a few yeas ago. This omega 3-6-9 supplement from truelixir is vegan, gluten and allergen free, reflux-free, and additive-free. The softgels are a nice, smallish size and awfully pretty. Some omega supplements are huge and many do cause reflux issues and most are not vegan, so these are a rare combination indeed.

Thank you for reading and let me know if you have tried any of these products and your thoughts on them!

 

 

 

 

 

Magical Mushrooms

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From the psychedelic to the medicinal, mushrooms offer us a gateway into the expansiveness of life. Is there any other kingdom more otherworldly and multi-dimensional than the fungi kingdom? They are prized culinary delicacies, with some fungi such as European white truffles costing over $3,500 per pound, and even the more common morels and chanterelles can cost $220-$250 per pound when sold dried. Not all mushrooms are edible though of course, which leads to some confusion and reticence around them for some, and it is part of their allure for others. One group that are taken in for psychedelic mind expansion is the psilocybin group of mushrooms.  Humans have apparently been using psilocybin shrooms since prehistoric times, with evidence indicating these were part of religious rituals, and those spiritual pursuits continue today. Even animals ingest psychedelic substances, not just mushrooms by any means, so as with all herbal knowledge, the predominant theory is that we humans learned from the animals that there are benefits to using these substances, despite the obvious inherent risks. (Not surprisingly, hallucinating animals are not acting at their top form in terms of survival.)  This article on Psychology Today is a fascinating read about animals tripping and what role in survival hallucinogens may play.

Medicinally, mushrooms are revered for their immune support and are the first kingdom of choice recommended by many natural health practitioners when supporting a person through a major health crisis such as cancer. As a side note, I’d like to say it is my personal belief that we are extremely lucky to be living in an era where we can be treated by modern medicine with all its advanced technology and practices, and we are also able to work with the herbs and natural ingredients that have kept our species alive for all of humanity. There is no need to choose one and throw the other aside. In China there is a common practice called fu zheng therapy used with cancer patients to add in individualized herbal blends to their care regime to support them through chemo and radiation, and to rebuild their immune systems. This enables the patients to suffer less from the harsh medical treatments by counteracting some of the side effects while also boosting their own natural defenses. This is just an example of how the two systems, modern and ancient, can work together in a complementary way for the best experiences and outcomes. If you want to see a fascinating video about the power of mushrooms, this one below will make you a true believer in the power of fungi:

Even when just trying to bolster immune systems through a flu season or a particularly stressful time, mushrooms such as reishi and chaga can offer deep, dynamic support. In an herbal docu-series I recently watched, the following were recommended as discussion starting points with your natural health adviser: reishi for colon cancer, turkey tail for breast cancer, shiitake used in cooking to protect bone marrow and keep white blood cells from plunging, and chaga for intestinal cancers. (All those links are to Host Defense supplements which is Paul Stamets‘ company. He is the expert in the video above↑.)

If you are dealing with a serious health condition such as cancer, you really do need to consult with a trusted natural health practitioner such as a naturopath or a TCM or Ayurvedic practitioner. If you want to consult a clinical herbalist, you can find one on the American Herbalists Guild website and keep in mind that many do consultations over skype or the phone so they don’t have to live near you. Be sure to interview them first and make certain you are on the same page with them in terms of values and expectations because you want to work with someone who will be an advocate for you, not pressure you into doing something you aren’t comfortable doing. For example, an advocate will work with your regular physician and specialists by communicating directly with them instead of pressuring you to just do what they recommend whether your doctor agrees or not.

One way to try getting more mushrooms into your diet is to try some functional foods and beverages such as these coffees and hot cocoas from Four Sigmata. I’ve tried several of their products and there is absolutely no mushroom taste to them, only mushroom benefits.

Thank you for reading and please share with anyone looking to add a little mushroom magic to their life.

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P.S. Here’s a joke I heard: A mushroom walks into a bar and the bartender said, “Sorry. We don’t serve food here.” And the mushroom replied, “But I’m a fun-gi.” Hehe. Much better when told in voice instead of writing but still, the morel of the story is, I’m a sucker for a good pun.

 

Culinary Herbalism

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For most of human history herbs have been the only form of medicine. The medicinal use of herbs can be traced back through every ancient civilization, all around the world. Not only were herbs used as medicine, they were used in religious and spiritual ceremonies, daily routines, for beautifying and cleaning purposes, and of course, as food. The medicinal properties of herbs used to be widely understood among everyone so there was an understanding that using herbs as part of meals warded off diseases and contributed to optimal health. Herbs are still widely used today as food but mostly for taste alone, while their healthy benefits go largely unrecognized. The more one understands how truly life-enhancing herbs are, the more they can be fully appreciated and enjoyed.

One way to enhance salads with herbs is to throw in fresh whole herbs or edible flower tops. I love putting in fresh basil and cilantro into my salads, and I use them as half the greens base, not just a few here and there. Fennel is a delicious addition too, although the upper parts are generally considered a vegetable and the seeds are considered herbs, all three of those plants mentioned help with digestion. Cilantro also shows evidence of helping to eliminate heavy metals such as lead from the body, so it is a good fit for eating with fish (fish tacos!) or other foods that might have some metal toxicity. Basil shows anti-inflammatory activity and anti-microbial activity as well as is an herb for the digestive system.

Another way to incorporate herbs into salads is to make an herbal vinegar and/or an herbal oil for salad dressing. These can be used in other ways of course, but since it’s summer and prime salad season and it might be time to try a new dressing about now. It is so easy to infuse vinegars and oils and they make lovely gifts too.

To make a vinegar, start with a clean, sterile glass jar. Add in the fresh (rinsed and dried) or dry herbs of choice, the amount depending on how strong the herbs are and how strong you want the taste. For example, if you are using garlic, rosemary, black peppercorns, and basil, you will want less garlic and peppercorns, and more rosemary and basil. Fill the jar about a quarter full of the herbs, then pour the vinegar over the herbs and filling until nearly to the top of the jar. Let it sit 2-4 weeks, depending on how strong you want it, then strain out the herbs and decant into pourable bottles. Adding back in a few herbs for presentation and further herbal potency is an option.

An oil can be made in the same way as a vinegar except you definitely want to use dried herbs with oils. Any water content in the herbs (or jars) can be a problem with oil, as in a botulism problem. You can also make culinary oils using the quick method just as you can make medicinal oils, though the heating time can be less than medicinal oils. As with vinegars, once the herbs are strained and the oil poured into bottles, dried herbs can be added back in for a pretty presentation and added flavor.

Vinegars can last for years while oils should be used up within a few months. If you notice mold or cloudiness with either your vinegar or oil, get rid of it.  Experiment with your favorite herb or herbal combination, or look to a traditional combination such as the herbs used in a bouquet garni to get started. A bouquet garni traditionally uses bay leaves, parsley, and thyme, but other common additions are rosemary, oregano, and basil (pictured above.) 

I’ll be teaching a DIY class at 21 Acres on August 3rd with more fun culinary crafts such as making vanilla extract. I’d love to see you there!

 

Throwback to Gluten Free in KY

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Today I’m sharing a post I wrote several years ago when we were in the thick of food intolerances and avoidance-s. I’m sharing it this week because we are in Louisville again visiting family, and we still do try to mostly eat gluten-free. The only gluten I can eat is in sourdough einkorn and spelt, and my sons feel better off of it for the most part as well, especially my oldest. If you are thinking of visiting Louisville for the famous Kentucky Derby or perhaps to check out the Mohammed Ali museum, you have plenty of gluten free goodies to look forward to. Here’s the post from my old blog:

Photo Credit: Ray Schuhmann
Photo Credit: Ray Schuhmann

Part of the reason I haven’t written much lately has to do with a trip to see my family in Louisville, KY, which turned out to be a very easy place to visit with multiple food intolerances in our crew. The other reason is the sheer craziness of summer with two high-energy boys~ it takes some time to adjust from school year days to summer days and honestly, I’m still adjusting. But, here’s what you will find in Louisville if you head that way (maybe in May…?) It is the Derby City after all.

Annie May’s Sweet Café is a gluten and nut free place that also has a large selection of vegan items. We went there for lunch and immediately regretted having not gone earlier in the trip. My son thought their vegan cream of broccoli soup was ‘epic’ and three of us got sandwiches we very much enjoyed and I was the only one of the three who is even gluten intolerant. The desserts we ate were delicious~ mostly cookies with cream in the middle, some vegan and some not depending on the person. My sons and I had the vegan kind which were dipped in chocolate too and probably the most decadent thing I’ve had in years. I don’t know what the vegan cream was in the middle but it definitely tasted like the real thing and I did not ask because if I knew how to make those things I might never leave my kitchen again.

Just down the road is Bluegrass Burgers which advertises on its sign outside, “Gluten free buns and beers” but it isn’t just buns and beers actually because I asked about the veggie patty and the black bean patty (they have both!) and those were also gluten-free and vegan. They were nice and patient about my questions, something that can be hard to find at restaurants where the going trend is to hate on people with food intolerances. They were extremely friendly and their food was great but there is one warning, their fries are way too good. Seriously, if you don’t want to eat a ton of them, just say no because once you start it’s all over~ they are seasoned to perfection and more addictive than chocolate covered cashews. Highly recommend this place. (And chocolate covered cashews for that matter.)

And of course there’s pizza. There are several places that have gluten-free options, but we chose Blaze Pizza because they have vegan cheese, all the pizza pies are individual size, and they cook them quickly in a wood fire so there (theoretically) isn’t much wait time. I was impressed that when I ordered the gluten-free crusts and vegan cheeses that they asked me if they needed to change gloves when handling those pizzas. They knew what they were doing when it came to allergies and I felt quite safe feeding their food to my kids and eating it myself. We liked the taste but it kind of reminded me of Chuck E. Cheese pizza, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, something about it was just similar…the thinner crust, snappier cheese, slightly sweet tomato sauce. But if that isn’t to your taste, there are plenty of other pizza places that have gluten-free crust options, such as Mellow Mushroom, Impellizzeris, Puccini’s, Uncle Maddio’s, and Cottage Inn Pizza, so basically wherever you are in Louisville you are never far from gluten-free crust.

Something else you are never far from in Louisville are natural foods stores, so in a pinch you can always find allergy free food at Whole Foods, Lucky’s Market, or shop local and visit Rainbow Blossom at one of their five locations.

A surprising amount of allergy-friendly food can be found at the most unusual place of all, and I say that mostly because the town’s name is Santa Claus but also because the amusement park there, Holiday World, is, well, an amusement park (and water park) which generally aren’t hubs of allergy free dining.

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Photo credit: Santa’s Little Helper

This place is about 70 miles from Louisville and well worth the trip if you are traveling with kids or just like rides, water parks, and Christmas music in July. Just check out this list of allergy-free foods that you can get there and you’ll be adding Santa Claus, Indiana to your must-do list. The only thing I caution is to have the list handy with you before you go in to order because the people behind the counter weren’t always up-to-date on the offerings. There seemed to be one person in charge who handled the allergic folks and the rest of them waved her down to deal with us. That was fine with me, as long as there was one person dedicated to keeping us safe I was thoroughly impressed. We also had to wait extra time for the allergy free food so another caution is to go before your four-year old is in low-sugar-sunburnt-over-tired-and-hungry-tantrum-mode, but really it wasn’t too long of a wait, 15 minutes maybe. Of course 15 minutes with a hungry child is a lot longer than 15 minutes with just yourself to worry about, so you’ve been forewarned. But both my sons said the place was better than Disney Land, so check it out.

I’m sure there are plenty of other restaurants that accommodate gluten intolerant people but I just want to highlight one more because their menu is very clear with calling out gluten-free items, along with vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, and whatever other kind of ~ian you want to call yourself, they’ve heard it all before. Ramsi’s Café will fill your worldly cravings when you’ve tried all the gluten-free pizza (impossible!) and eaten all the burgers on gluten-free buns that you can handle. Kids are welcome but if you are going to leave them behind for an evening out with your significant other, this is the place to go. When you are finished with dinner be sure to walk up and down Bardstown Road for some fun shopping and people watching, or grab a movie at the nearby Baxter Avenue Theaters. Enjoy!

If you are interested in pics from this year’s visit featuring a three month old golden retriever puppy, there are a few on my Instagram account. Here are some throwback pics of Louisville trips in the past few years:

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My sister and oldest son 2 or 3 years ago at parents’ house
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In this order left to right: me, painted pegasus, BFF (2016) at Captain’s Quarters
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Epic water gun battle at parents’ house
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Mom and me at Distillery Commons

Plant Based Diet Hacks

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Whether you are vegetarian, vegan, or just trying to add more produce to your meals, plant-based meal planning seems to be a here-to-stay trend, and I think it’s a good one. There are no diets that are perfect for everyone, so I like the term ‘plant based’ to acknowledge there are many ways to look at eating more plants than animals in general. According to Blue Zones studies, the people who live the longest and are healthiest in their long lives are pescatarians, and even at that, they are not rigidly so. Flexibility, open-minded-ness, and intuition will take you much farther in terms of optimal health than any strict diet rules. (Unless you need to avoid something for allergy purposes of course. That’s always a hard and fast rule.) The most recent sample box from New Hope Influencer Co-op had some great veggie options to make plant-based eating easy and interesting. Here are some of the foods my family and I sampled:

My 15 year old loving the veggies

Elma Farms POSHI marinated vegetable snacks are delicious. The bags say that you can snack on them right out of the bag, which we did, or use them on pizza, salad, or pasta, which I will try in the future. I’ll definitely be buying more of these to send in my son’s lunches and to use at home for easy veggie additions to meals. The packaging is beautiful too. Loved these.

My sons and their friends greatly enjoyed R.W. Garcia Co’s organic Bar-B-Q corn chips. The whole bag was gone in one play date with four teen boys chowing down. I never knew my kids even liked Bar-B-Q flavored chips so that was good to find out. I definitely appreciate the fact they are organic.

If you are a potato lover, you will definitely want to check out these potatoes from The Little Potato Company. The ones we tried were Garlic and Parsley flavored and quite good. It’s an interesting idea that I hadn’t seen before~ whole potatoes packaged with a seasoning pack that just gets added once the potatoes are cooked in the microwave for 5 minutes. We added olive oil too, as the package suggests butter or oil can indeed be added with the seasoning packet. Talk about a quick, filling, easy veggie meal!

This dairy-free ‘cheddar’ snack from Ancient inGRAINed Snack Co called Ka-pop tasted to me like a real cheddar popped cracker. It will definitely get any vegan or dairy intolerant person through a cheesy cracker craving! They are thick and substantial too, so it isn’t like you are eating air like some popped snacks. This is actually a filling dairy-free cheddar tasting snack.

Jenny’s Gourmet Foods has this pressed ‘salad bar‘ which is more like fruit leather than a bar, but I like the play on words that they did there. My son ate this and gave me a corner of one (there are two strips in the package) and we both liked it. Because of the texture it really reminded us of fruit leather except it isn’t sweet at all. It is also more substantial than fruit leather and my son called it ‘filling’, and with the exceptional ingredients in it, that’s a good way to get filled up.

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Seeds of Change makes these Quinoa and Brown Rice packs that are an easy way to get your whole grains into a meal. You can add steamed or roasted veggies to the grains, or throw the grains on top of fresh greens to make a hearty salad bowl. This one with garlic is tasty and I love the ease of these, especially for summer grain bowl meals. These would also be a great choice to take camping or for other travels this summer.

bfreepita

We haven’t tried these gluten-free pita breads yet from BFree foods, but I am very excited to do so. If you have been eating gluten-free for a while, you have no doubt already noticed a lack of pita bread or naan out there. I tried BFree products while in Dublin and thought they were great, and in fact mentioned them in my 2017 blog post on Dublin, about how I was hoping I’d find them here at some point. I am so excited they are available in the U.S. now and that they have the rare, illusive, gluten-free pita! This is a  much needed addition to our world.

Serenity Tea Sips sent along a lovely combination of Bergamot and Jasmine tea complete with black and green teas, rose buds, mallow and jasmine blossoms, and flavoring which I assume is the bergamot. This is a loose leaf tea and it smells wonderful. As soon as I’m finished with my current container of matcha, I’ll be sipping this tea in the afternoons for a pick me up with a dose of calm energy, thanks to the rose buds, mallow, and jasmine. Calm energy is the best kind for stamina, focus, and feeling good. People often associate calm with tiredness, but calm is the frame of mind that allows for optimal thinking, decision-making, focus, and long term stamina.

I’ll share the supplements from the sample box next time. Thank you for reading and I hope you found something new to try.

 

International Veggie and Grain Bowls

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I once heard Lynne Rossetto Kaspar on The Splendid Table (when she was still the host) advise someone who wanted to learn to cook to simply start with sauteing seasonal veggies in olive oil on the stove top, make any grain product to go with it and add the two together. She also said that meat could be added if wanted, or beans or some other protein, but to start with what produce is in season and whatever grain product sounds good with it~ rice, quinoa, pasta, bread, couscous…you get the picture. I love that advice and how easily you can add herbs, spices, and sauces to create many different flavors while using the same basic foods and techniques. Spring is a perfect time to put her advice into action with simple grain bowls that can take on any region’s flavors with a few choice ingredients and happily, just one or two pots. Here are five recipes to take you on a world tour to add some cultural flavors without much fuss to your week.

The following parts of this post (until the last paragraph) were provided by New Hope Network. I am a member of the New Hope Influencer Co-op, a network of health and wellness bloggers committed to spreading more health to more people. These recipes were created by New Hope Network and Jane Burnett, RD, with photos by Jennifer Olson.

Recipe 1:

middle eastern bowl

Middle Eastern flavors: The cuisine of various countries in the Middle East—including Indian, Arab, Israeli, Greek, Persian, Turkish and Armenian food—is diverse, but typically used ingredients include chickpeas, olives, olive oil, rice, dates, honey, mint and parsley. Family-style eating, in which people take their food from a communal plate in the center of the table, is common in the Middle East. For authenticity sake, place the grain bowl components in the center of the table and let diners assemble their own.

Tahini-Chickpea-Pistachio Bowls 

Makes 6 servings; Vegan

For the Pickled Red Onions

2 cups water

½ cup red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons agave syrup

2 cups thinly sliced red onions

For the Tahini cream

½ cup tahini

6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

¼ cup water

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

½ teaspoon salt

For the Bowls

1 pound cauliflower, cut into small florets

4 cups ¾-inch sweet potato cubes (2 medium)

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon yellow curry powder

½ teaspoon dried thyme

2 cups cold water

1 cup dry quick-cooking bulgur (TRY: Bob’s Red Mill)

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/3 cup pitted and chopped kalamata olives

½ cup shelled, roasted pistachios

½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley


  1.  The night before serving, prepare Pickled Red Onions: In a saucepan over high heat, bring water, vinegar, salt and agave syrup to a boil. Remove from heat, and stir in sliced red onions. Let mixture cool to room temperature; then refrigerate overnight.
  2. Preheat oven to 400°. Prepare Tahini Cream: In a blender, combine all Tahini Cream ingredients; blend until smooth, and refrigerate until ready to use.
  3. In a large bowl, toss cauliflower florets and sweet potato cubes with oil, curry powder and thyme. Spread vegetables in a single layer on a baking sheet with no edges. Roast cauliflower and sweet potatoes for 30–40 minutes, stirring every 8–10 minutes, until tender and browned.
  4. In a pot over medium-high heat, bring 2 cups water and bulgur to a boil. Cover, and simmer for 12 minutes or until bulgur is tender. If bulgur is soggy after 12 minutes, reduce heat to low and cook 1–2 minutes more. Remove pot from heat, and stir in chickpeas and olives.
  5. To serve, divide bulgur mixture among bowls. Top with roasted cauliflower, sweet potatoes and Pickled Red Onions. Serve with a generous dollop of Tahini Cream, and garnish bowls with pistachios and parsley.

PER SERVING (1½ cups): 505 cal, 21g fat (11g mono, 7g poly, 3g sat), 0mg chol, 641mg sodium, 66g carb (14g fiber, 7g sugars), 16g protein

Recipe 2:

Mexican bowl

Mexican flavors: Mexican cuisine is primarily a fusion of indigenous Mesoamerican cooking with Spanish elements added in. Staples of the
food culture include corn, beans, avocados, tomatoes and chile peppers. This flavorful grain bowl incorporates all the familiar flavors of Mexican food, with a spicy, creamy polenta as the base.

Green Chile Cheese Polenta Bowls

Makes 5 servings; Gluten free, Vegetarian, Staff favorite

For the Black Bean Relish

1 (14.5-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

2 Roma tomatoes; seeded and chopped

½ cup chopped red bell pepper

¼ cup diced red onion

1 ripe avocado; pitted, peeled and diced

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

½ cup loosely packed fresh cilantro

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

¼ teaspoon salt

For the Polenta

4 cups water

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup polenta (corn grits or stone-ground whole cornmeal)

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 tablespoon butter

½ cup medium Hatch flame-roasted green chile (TRY: 505 Southwestern)

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 (5-ounce) package coarsely chopped kale

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

½ cup pepitas, toasted


  1.  Prepare relish: In a medium bowl, combine beans, tomatoes, bell pepper and red onion. Toss avocado with lime juice; add bean mixture along with cilantro, garlic, oil, vinegar and salt. Gently toss to combine, and set aside at room temperature.
  2. In a large saucepan, bring water and 1 teaspoon salt to a boil. Whisk polenta into the boiling water, and decrease heat to low. Simmer on low for about 15 minutes, whisking often until mixture thickens and corn granules are tender. Remove pan from heat, and stir in cheese and butter until melted. Stir in green chile, cover, and set aside.
  3. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon oil. Add kale, and sprinkle with pepper; sauté 3–4 minutes until kale starts to soften.
  4. To serve, divide polenta among bowls and top each with a portion of the sautéed kale and Black Bean Relish. Sprinkle with pepitas, and serve warm.

PER SERVING (1¾ cups): 551 cal, 23g fat (11g mono, 5g poly, 7g sat), 21mg chol, 762mg sodium, 68g carb (12g fiber, 3g sugars), 19g protein

Recipe 3:

Italian bowl

Italian flavors: Gathering and lingering over food is central to Italian culture.
The dishes employ simplicity, relying on high-quality ingredients rather than elaborate presentation. Many dishes feature tomatoes, bell peppers, potatoes, wine and cheese. A natural plant-based cuisine, modern Italian focuses on the nuances of its regions, though nationwide the emphasis is on food produced by the earth.

Italian Herbed Farro Bowls

Makes 6 servings; Vegetarian

2 cups uncooked farro

6 cups water

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 large fennel bulb, cut into 1 /8-inch slices

2 cups ¼-inch carrot slices (3 large carrots)

1 cup halved cherry tomatoes

1 cup dry white wine

½ teaspoon fennel seed, crushed

Juice and peel of 1 lemon, divided

1 tablespoon dried, mixed Italian herbs

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 (5-ounce) package baby spinach

¼–½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

¼ cup snipped flat-leaf parsley

½ cup coarsely chopped almonds, toasted

¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

  1. Rinse farro. In a large saucepan, place farro and water. Water should cover farro. Bring to a boil; then reduce heat and simmer until tender, stirring once or twice, about 30 minutes. Drain excess water.
  2. Meanwhile, in a very large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon oil. Add garlic and sauté until softened, about 3 minutes. Add another 1 tablespoon oil, along with sliced fennel and carrots. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring often, until vegetables are crisp-tender and browned, 10–12 minutes. Remove skillet from heat, and add tomatoes, wine and fennel seed. Return to heat, and cook until almost all the liquid has evaporated and tomatoes are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons lemon juice, lemon peel, Italian herbs, salt and pepper. Remove from heat, and add spinach leaves; toss until spinach is slightly wilted.
  3. To farro, add remaining 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, red pepper flakes and parsley; toss.
  4. To serve, divide farro mixture among bowls and top with vegetable mixture. Garnish with almonds and Parmesan.

PER SERVING (1¼ cups): 322 cal, 13g fat (9g mono, 2g poly, 2g sat), 2mg chol, 354mg sodium, 35g carb (7g fiber, 5g sugars), 10g protein

Recipe 4:

Korean bowl

Korean flavors: Korean cuisine is steeped in agricultural traditions and known for having a lot of side dishes. Here we combine some of the most common flavors in one bowl. Kimchi—which is salted, seasoned and fermented cabbage and radishes—is used as a condiment and present at almost every Korean meal. Other frequently used ingredients include soy sauce, ginger, garlic, napa cabbage and gochujang, which is fermented red chile paste. Look for it in the Asian section of your local natural products store.

Spicy Korean Quinoa, Veggie & Tofu Bowls

Makes 6 servings; Gluten free, Vegan, Staff favorite

For the Citrus Soy Dressing

¼ cup fresh orange juice

3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce or tamari

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon lemon zest

For the Bowls

1 (14-ounce) package extra-firm tofu, well-drained
and cut into ½-inch cubes

3 tablespoons gochujang (Korean fermented red chile sauce)

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 cloves garlic

8 ounces thickly sliced baby bella mushrooms

8 cups thinly sliced napa cabbage (1 medium)

4 cups sliced zucchini

½ teaspoon salt

4 cups hot, cooked quinoa

1 large, ripe avocado; sliced

¾ cup spicy kimchi

4 teaspoons black or white sesame seeds

Sriracha sauce (optional)

  1. Prepare Citrus Soy Dressing: Place all dressing ingredients in a jar with lid; close lid, and shake vigorously until blended. Refrigerate until needed.
  2. In a bowl, carefully toss tofu cubes with the gochujang; refrigerate from 30 minutes up to overnight. While tofu is marinating, prepare vegetables.
  3. Preheat oven to 400°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, and rub generously with 2 tablespoons oil to prevent tofu from sticking. Spread tofu in a single layer on baking sheet. Bake tofu in lower third of oven for 10 minutes. Remove, and carefully turn tofu pieces over with a thin spatula.
    Bake another 10 minutes, remove and turn again. Bake another 5 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon oil. Add garlic and mushrooms; sauté 5–6 minutes or until mushrooms are tender and liquid has cooked off. Remove mushrooms to a plate, and set aside. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to same skillet, and reduce heat to medium. Add cabbage and sauté, stirring often, for 8 minutes. Add sliced zucchini and salt to skillet with cabbage. Continue to sauté until cabbage begins to brown and zucchini is tender but still bright green, about 8 minutes.
  5. To serve, divide hot quinoa among bowls. Top with piles of cabbage and zucchini mixture, mushrooms, baked tofu, avocado and kimchi. Drizzle 2 tablespoons Citrus Soy Dressing over each serving and sprinkle with sesame seeds and Sriracha, if using.

PER SERVING (1½ cups): 472 cal, 17g fat (9g mono, 6g poly, 2g sat), 0mg chol, 573mg sodium, 56g carb (8g fiber, 8g sugars), 18g protein

Recipe 5:

Thai bowl

Thai flavors: Balance and texture are paramount in Thai cuisine; most dishes contain elements of sweet, salty, spicy and bitter tastes. This dish hits all those familiar flavor spots: sweet from the apples and red peppers, salty and spicy from the peanut sauce and bitter from the brussels sprouts. Chef David Thompson, a Thai food expert, says that Thai cuisine—unlike many others—rejects simplicity and is about “juggling disparate elements to create a harmonious finish.”

Jasmine Rice, Edamame & Apple Bowls with Peanut Sauce

Makes 4 servings; Gluten free, Vegan

1 cup uncooked white or brown jasmine rice

1 cup frozen, shelled edamame

3 tablespoons coconut oil

4 cups trimmed and quartered brussels sprouts (1 pound)

1 large sweet red pepper, seeded and julienned

2 medium Granny Smith apples, julienned

½ cup purchased or Homemade Peanut Sauce (see recipe below to make your own)

½ cup coarsely chopped roasted peanuts

Fresh cilantro leaves

  1. Cook rice according to package directions. Add edamame to rice for last 3 minutes of cooking time. Remove from heat, but keep covered.
  2. In a large skillet, heat coconut oil. When oil is melted, sauté quartered brussels sprouts and red pepper slices until brussels sprouts are crisp-tender and bright green but starting to brown, 5–6 minutes. If skillet gets too dry, add a few tablespoons of water. Turn off heat, and cover skillet on stovetop to allow vegetables to steam for 2–3 minutes more.
  3. To serve, divide rice-edamame mixture among bowls. Arrange sautéed vegetables and apples over rice. Top each serving with 2 tablespoons purchased or Homemade Peanut Sauce*, and garnish with peanuts and cilantro.

PER SERVING (2 cups): 638 cal, 27g fat (10g mono, 6g poly, 11g sat), 0mg chol, 91mg sodium, 78g carb (14g fiber, 24g sugars), 18g protein

*Homemade Peanut Sauce: In a bowl, combine 1/3 cup natural peanut butter; 1 tablespoon each minced garlic, soy sauce or tamari, peanut oil, sesame oil and rice wine vinegar; 2 teaspoons honey and ¾ teaspoon ground ginger; whisk to combine. Add 5 tablespoons water and ¼ teaspoon Sriracha; whisk again.

Thank you for reading! I hope at least one of these bowls sounds tasty to you and inspires you to experiment. Please share with anyone who might need some new ideas on implementing more plant-based meals in their life.

New Foods and Supps for Health

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The New Hope Blogger Box always has great gluten free goodies in it, and this month’s was no exception. I love granola and was thrilled to find Jessica’s Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Granola in the box because if there is anything better than granola, it’s granola with chocolate chips. This is a delicious treat for breakfast or an afternoon snack, with just right amount of sweetness. I ate it with unsweetened vanilla coconut yogurt or milk with a half teaspoon of my anti-inflammatory digestive spice mix.

My oldest son was thrilled with these unique Tahini Bars from the company Mighty Sesame. These are gluten free and only 100 calories a bar, and make for a nutty tasting, not-too-sweet snack or even a dessert. These bars come in different flavors but we tried the Pistachio Halva Bar and it was a hit, especially with my son who has taken all but one in his lunch bag. (I managed to grab that one for myself!)

Swanson Health’s Vanilla Protein Powder is packed with 20 grams of vegan sourced protein and one serving of veggies. I used this in the smoothies I make every morning and it blended in nicely and tastes good. It has 120 calories per serving which is similar to the other vegan protein I regularly use, and zero sugars. One bag has 20 servings in it.

My oldest son agreed to be the guinea pig for a natural deodorant by Prep U Products. He is almost 15, bikes uphill 1.75 miles to school everyday, and has PE there every day as well. He then bikes home. He also has sensitive skin and we have been through at least five (or more) brands of natural deodorants to find one that works and doesn’t irritate his skin. This deodorant works for him. It is gentle enough not to irritate, and yet it actually works throughout the day despite his physical activities off and on all day long. This is a golden find.

Here’s a supplement to get you fully transitioned out of cold and flu season safely and healthfully. Nature’s Answer has combined elderberry extract with probiotics which specifically target the immune system to create a powerful immune support supplement. This has 32,000 mg elderberry (which is an herb traditionally used to boost the immune system) per serving as well as 10 billion cfu probiotics. This is a great supplement to have on hand through cold and flu system and it doesn’t even need to be refrigerated. The directions are to take two per day with food or water.

The supplement’s color is so pretty!

Two bars that deserve mentioning are Hemp Health’s Cookie Dough Hemp Bar and gt brands’ good Snacks! Chocolate Peanut Butter protein bar. The hemp bar uses hemp for the main protein source and is quite tasty with a surprisingly good nutrition profile, including a decent amount of iron. It also has 12 grams of protein per bar, 5 grams of fiber and 4 grams of sugar. They have several flavors and other hemp products as well. The good snacks’ chocolate and peanut butter bar is delicious with a nod towards Reese’s peanut butter cups, though not as sweet. These have 15 grams of protein, 11 grams of fiber, and 9 grams of sugar. Both of the bars are gluten free, soy free, and vegan.

I’ve posted about Bellucci’s Olive Oil before, but in case you missed it, these olive oil packets are perfect for lunch bags, camping, or picnics. Now that spring is finally officially here (in the Northern hemisphere anyway) nothing sounds better than some outdoors noshing. With Bellucci you can actually trace your olive oil from the batch number to its roots so you know you have an authentic product, which is important because there is a surprising amount of oil out there masquerading as EVOO.

Thank you for reading and I hope you see something new to try. Happy Equinox!