What is your Top Ten List?

Right now I am reading Jonny Bowden's The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth. Throughout the book Jonny has asked some of the top experts in nutrition to give of list of what they consider their top ten foods. This doesn't mean what they RECOMMEND to their patients or clients but rather what THEY ACTUALLY EAT. I have always been curious about such a list or lists. Here is what I have found:

(12) blueberries and salmon
(7) spinach
(6) eggs, nuts, and broccoli
(5) strawberries, raspberries, beans / lentils, and sea vegetables
(4) grass-fed beef, kale / chard, blackberries, extra virgin olive oil, pomegranates and/or juice
(3) ground flaxseed, apples, almonds, steel-cut oats, avocado, green tea, onions, bean / seed sprouts, and yogurt
(2) whey, brown rice, chicken, peppers, tomatoes, coffee, garlic, sardines, coconut oil, vegetables (mix), and sweet potatoes
(1) cranberry juice, lemons, spaghetti squash, jjicama, peanut butter, organic cream, red lentil sprouts, mango, egg whites, turkey, walnuts, arugula, grapes, almond butter, buckwheat, black beans, kiwifruit, mung beans, pineapple, kimchi, baby greens, mushrooms, asparagus, brewer’s yeast, celery root, wild game, buffalo, alcohol, and water

Do you agree? Disagree?

I began to think about my top ten list. What would it look like? What would it include? Am I really eating as well as I had hoped? Well, here is what I have come up with:

Spinach

Wild Alaskan Salmon

Walnuts

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Berries (including blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries)

Ground Flaxseed Meal

Pure Water

Kale / Chard

Brown Rice

Beans (black, pinto, garbanzo, kidney, etc.) / Lentils

I based this list on not only what I believe to be important in my diet but also on what I actually eat on a regular basis.

Do you agree? Disagree?

Write your own list. What did you come up with?

Enchantment

I am listening to the MarsHill “Worship in Every Direction” CD this morning and the song “Enchanted” came on. Whenever I hear that song, over and over again, my eyes are opened to what the world has to hold – how we have been so blessed by the earth around us. Describing our world as enchanted makes it so mysterious and wonderful and good. I want to be out in that kind of world, I want to take care of that kind of world, I want to truly LIVE in that kind of world. I begin to wonder, what would our day look like if everything around us became “enchanted”? How would our actions and thoughts change? Would we complain less? Would we worry less? Would we be okay with status quo? OR, would we take on the world’s enchantment and become enchanted to those around us? Is our view of the earth directly tied with our view of God? With others view of us and, thru us, God? Are we leaning in closer to see it? Are we DARING to breathe it in?

“Much of nature seemed to be an excited repetition. Like that of an excited schoolmaster saying the same thing over and over again. The grass seemed signaling to me with all its fingers at once. The crowded stars seemed bent upon being understood. The sun would make me see him if he rose a thousand times. The recurrences of the universe rose to the maddening rhythm of an incantation. And I began to see an idea. In short, I had always believed the world involved a magic. Now I thought that perhaps it involved a magician. And this pointed a profound emotion present in the self-conscious. This world of ours has some purpose. And if there is a purpose, there is a person. I had always felt life first as a story. And if there is a story, there is a storyteller.”

This is the kind of world I want to live in…..that of a story filled with all of the magic we search for as a child, and long for as an adult. May we be awakened to this world. May we find the magic that lives in every blade of grass and watch the sun rise with new expectation. May we see the miracles of this world and be unable to stop ourselves from squealing in delight. May we catch our breaths each day at the beauty we find and may we never forget the storyteller behind it all.

God, give us new eyes to see…..may we be free.

Grace and Peace.

Green and Fair

I know this seems like a lot of information but take it a piece at a time, it’s really eye opening:

Things you should ALWAYS buy green:

http://www.coopamerica.org/programs/shopunshop/buyinggreen/whattobuy.cfm

Things you should NEVER buy AGAIN:

http://www.coopamerica.org/programs/shopunshop/unshopping/neverbuy.cfm

http://www.coopamerica.org/programs/shopunshop/unshopping/MoretoNeverBuy.cfm

Sweatshop free clothing:

http://www.coopamerica.org/programs/livinggreen/articles/SweatFreeClothing.cfm

http://www.coopamerica.org/programs/sweatshops/scorecard.cfm

http://www.greenamericatoday.org/programs/responsibleshopper/companiesbyname.cfm#T

http://www.greenamericatoday.org/programs/fairtrade/products/index.cfm

Spring Vegetarian Stir-Fry

This past week I've been doing a 10 day elimination detox. The great thing was, I could have any vegetable almost all of the days. I came up with this green veggie (local and/or organic) spring stir-fry recipe that is delicious! I'm posting it so I don't forget what I did :)

Spring Vegetarian Stir-Fry

Olive Oil
Large bunch of kale
Large head of broccoli
1 Ib. of asparagus (appx.)
1 medium onion (I prefer sweet)
6 cloves chopped fresh garlic
1/2 tsp. crushed red peppers
1 tsp. ground ginger or 1 tbsp. fresh grated ginger
ground sea salt and pepper to taste
(I couldn't have tofu or nuts at this point in the detox but both would be great additions)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut up asparagus into 1" pieces and broccoli into small chunks. Mix both vegetables with olive oil and 3 cloves of chopped garlic in glass bowl. Spread on cookie sheet, shaking pan to get them even. Roast for about 20 - 25 minutes or until vegetables start to brown.
While veggies are roasting, cut kale into 2" long pieces. In wok or large frying pan, heat other 3 cloves of garlic with 2 tbsp. olive oil. Mix in kale and saute until deep green and tender. Add ginger and pepper flakes and saute for another minute or two.
Remove roasting veggies from oven and add to kale mixture. Toss and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve on bed of organic brown rice. Enjoy!

REAL FOOD BROWNIES

From time to time I come across a recipe that I have to share with the world because it is so delicious and nutritious.

[THE RECIPE]
Recipe from Johnny Bowden's 150 Healthiest Meals on Earth [with my own adjustments].

1 1/4 cups pitted dates (about 10 ounces)

9 T. (1/3c. plus 1/4c.) high-quality cacoa or cocoa powder or carob
1/4 c. macadamia nut oil or coconut oil
1/2 c. garbanzo or black beans [can also do half and half], rinsed and drained (or 2 cups cooked)
4 organic, pasture-raised eggs or egg substitute
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Measure dates into a liquid measuring cup and pour hot water to the 1 1/2 cup line, turning dates over with your hands until the water reaches all of the dates. Let sit for at least 10 minutes. Pour off 1/4 cup of the liquid in the dates and process the rest in a blender or food processor until it forms a smooth paste. Put the date paste into a large bowl and add the cacao or cocoa powder, oil, and agave nectar, mixing well. Combine the beans and eggs in a blender or food processor and process until very smooth. Add the garbanzo mixture to the date mixture, stirring well to combine. Add the baking powder and cinnamon, stirring to combine, and pour the batter into a 9-inch, nonstick pan or pie dish (if using glass, grease lightly with oil or Natucol). Bake for 45 minutes. Cool for at least 15 minutes, cut and serve. Store remainder in refrigerator. Yields 12 brownies.

I personally like mine really cold with coconut icecream.

Story of Stuff

This is an incredible, easy to understand look at what goes on in the creation of our stuff - definitely a MUST WATCH:

http://storyofstuff.com/

"Twinkie Tax"

Check out these articles on taxing junk food:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2004-12-01-obesity-edit_x.htm\

http://www.ask.com/bar?q=2009+Twinkie+Tax&page=1&qsrc=2417&ab=0&u=http%3A%2F%2Fshine.yahoo.com%2Fchannel%2Fhealth%2Fdo-we-need-a-twinkie-tax-344485%2F

It seems like 20 states have passed the bill and 11 states are still considering, however I can't find if Michigan is one of those states. Let me know if you figure it out!