I roast vegetables regularly during the winter regularly. Root vegetables like carrots, beets, sweet potatoes are wonderful roasted. Butternut squashes and asparagus are also delicious baked in the oven.
Roasted vegetables make a nice accompaniment to baked fish. For vegetarians they go well added to mashed potatoes, the potatoes can be prepared with olive oil and nut milks. I also like roasted vegetables added to pasta with a sprinkling of parmesan. They actually make a pasta from soybeans that have 50% of the daily protein and 50% of the daily requirement for fiber, plus it's pretty tasty.
Note: The herb and spice blends I use vary day to day. But the ones I most commonly use are salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, marjoram, oregano, basil, turmeric, Penzey's Mural of Flavor, and Penzey's Sunny Paris. Mix and match for your preference, but definitely don't use them all at once.
Beets
Who knew, how delicious beets could be? They are lovely when roasted, especially with a little coconut oil brushed on the baking sheet or jelly roll pan to lend it some sweetness.
I leave the skin on all my vegetables that get roasted. Just be sure to give beets a good scrub with a brush or green scrubby scour pad. Since beets are a hard vegetable, I boil the whole unpeeled beets for ten minutes. Chop the beets into good sized chunks once they're cool enough to handle, but the smaller you chop them the less time you will have to cook them. Put them in a pan that has a little coconut oil or olive oil brushed directly onto the pan. Drizzle olive oil lightly over the top, and then sprinkle on your favorite herbs or spices. I would choose salt, pepper, and a sprinkling of Mural of Flavor. Since I cook beets on the same pan as sweet potatoes, the parboiling helps keep the cooking time the same at 35-40 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Sweet Potatoes
These lovely root vegetables are amazing roasted, so sweet and delicious. A little coconut oil brushed on the baking sheet or jelly roll pan makes them even sweeter.
The skin gets left on for added fiber and nutrients, just be sure to give them a good scrub. Chop into good sized chunks. Put them in a pan that was brushed with coconut or olive oil, then drizzle olive oil over the top. Herbs and spices aren't necessary because they're pretty flavorful already, but you can sprinkle your favorites for added variation. Marjoram, or Penzey's Sunny Paris, or even basil might be good. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 35 minutes.
Asparagus
We eat ton of asparagus since they have such a short window when they're actually in season. For two months we eat asparagus a couple times a week. It's such a happy time.
Snap the tough fibrous bottom ends off the washed asparagus stalks. A one pound package of stalks usually fit well in a 8x8 square Pyrex glass pan. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon on them. Sprinkle with your favorite spices and herbs. My choice would be salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Mural of Flavor. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. (Quartered mushrooms also roast incredibly well with asparagus.)
Butternut Squash
A large butternut squash makes a lot of squash cubes. You might only want to bake half the squash this way, the other half will keep well in the fridge covered in plastic wrap. Use the other half for another dish, like Curried Butternut Squash with Lentils. (Recipe will be posted soon.)
Peel, deseed (a spoon makes a good seed and innards scooper), and chop up your squash into cubes. Rub a little olive oil or coconut oil into a pan. Then put them in a single even layer in a baking sheet and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle on your favorite seasonings. Butternut squash is very sweet and flavorful, so you may choose to not season at all. Although, salt and pepper would do nicely. Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
Carrots
This root vegetable really lends itself to roasting, which brings out its savory and yet sweet flavors.
Cut the carrot into 3-4 inch long strips. It's easier to cut a small section off the carrot to create a flat side, so the carrot doesn't roll around while you're cutting it. Drizzle a little olive oil over the top and sprinkle with some herbs and spices. I might use garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 25-30 minutes.
Thursday, March 28, 2019
Thursday, March 21, 2019
Alternate Day Fasting
For a couple of weeks I fasted on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, which is considered a form of alternate day fasting or intermittent fasting. I think it was a little harder than a straight only water fast, lemon juice fast, or even fruit smoothie fast. At least with those other fasts, a person can ignore food. With an alternate day fast, I still had to plan for the next day's meals.
The first day is usually the worst for most fasts, I just made sure to drink water or coffee whenever I started to feel hunger pangs. It wasn't too difficult, except when people were trying to tempt me with doughnuts or chocolate.
I still exercised on fast days, but it was during the time I was laid up with an injury so couldn't run. It was easier to exercise more on those days because I didn't have to spend time packing breakfast and lunch, or plan an evening meal.
Those two weeks I did calisthenics like crunches, pushups, and tricep dips, or bicycled in the mornings. Right after work I did kickboxing, aerobics, or went to the gym on days I had off.
Normally, my husband and I sometimes do a spring fast to reset ourselves, and get out of bad eating habits we may have developed. It's a way of cleansing ourselves of food addictions. My reasoning is, if I'm not eating saturated fats, red meat, and sugar than I am in essence cleansing my body of those things. We usually embark on fasts for health purposes.
But this time around, it was something I was doing on my own and purely for weight loss reasons. I'm still pretty heavy for my height, and I want to avoid injuries associated with being overweight. Especially, since I want to be able to ramp up my mileage and speed during runs.
As an aside, I wanted to talk about intermittent fasting. It usually refers to eating at only a set time of day. It's a smaller window of time to eat, so it limits the number of calories a person consumes in a day. I know people who just eat once a day as just they way they live, it's not for dieting purposes. But that would be considered a form of intermittent fasting.
The first day is usually the worst for most fasts, I just made sure to drink water or coffee whenever I started to feel hunger pangs. It wasn't too difficult, except when people were trying to tempt me with doughnuts or chocolate.
I still exercised on fast days, but it was during the time I was laid up with an injury so couldn't run. It was easier to exercise more on those days because I didn't have to spend time packing breakfast and lunch, or plan an evening meal.
Those two weeks I did calisthenics like crunches, pushups, and tricep dips, or bicycled in the mornings. Right after work I did kickboxing, aerobics, or went to the gym on days I had off.
Normally, my husband and I sometimes do a spring fast to reset ourselves, and get out of bad eating habits we may have developed. It's a way of cleansing ourselves of food addictions. My reasoning is, if I'm not eating saturated fats, red meat, and sugar than I am in essence cleansing my body of those things. We usually embark on fasts for health purposes.
But this time around, it was something I was doing on my own and purely for weight loss reasons. I'm still pretty heavy for my height, and I want to avoid injuries associated with being overweight. Especially, since I want to be able to ramp up my mileage and speed during runs.
As an aside, I wanted to talk about intermittent fasting. It usually refers to eating at only a set time of day. It's a smaller window of time to eat, so it limits the number of calories a person consumes in a day. I know people who just eat once a day as just they way they live, it's not for dieting purposes. But that would be considered a form of intermittent fasting.
Monday, March 11, 2019
Irish Soda Bread
A very delicious and yet wholesome bread. Dense, yet soft, with just the right amount of moisture. I used to make this all the time when we lived in Oregon, but I lost the recipe in the move. It's taken a while to adapt something that is closer to what we enjoy.
I usually include seeds or nuts like sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, chopped walnuts, chia seeds, etc. I would definitely substitute ground flax seeds for rolled oats, if our kiddo wasn't allergic to flax.
*Notes on substitutions are included at the end.
This has been published on both my exercise and gardening blogs.
Irish Soda Bread
Makes: 1 large round loaf
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Bake time: 40 minutes
Dry ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 cup wheat flour
3 tbsp. butter, sliced into small pieces
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup wheat bran
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/3 cup seeds or chopped nuts
Wet Ingredients:
1 large egg
1 cup milk
3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
The wet ingredients just have to equal 2 cups, if you're going to do substitutions.
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
2. Mix the two flours in a large bowl. Add the butter to the flours, rub the butter into the flours with your fingers until incorporated. Mix in the rest of the dry ingredients.
3. In a 2 cup measuring cup, add the egg, yogurt, and milk until you reach 2 cups. Mix the wet ingredients well, and then incorporate into the dry ingredients. The dough will be fairly wet.
4. Dust the counter generously with flour, and scrape the dough out of the bowl with a spatula. Sprinkle wheat flour on top of the dough and with floured hands, quickly work the dough on the counter into a round. I just roll the edges of the dough under with both my hands to clean it up a bit. I like a rustic loaf, so I don't spend too much time shaping the dough.
5. Place the dough on the parchment lined baking sheet. Press on x onto the top of your round loaf with a knife, it's not necessary to actually cut into the dough. Bake for 40 minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. The loaf will be a dark golden brown and should sound hollow when you thump it. I would give it an hour cooling before cutting into it. Great toasted and served with butter and jam, hummus and cucumbers, or with mustard and thinly sliced extra sharp cheddar.
*Notes: Baking powder can be substituted for baking soda, but you'll need to use at least twice as much. It is important to use fresh baking powder in humid environments as the humidity in the air can already have activated it somewhat, making it less potent.
Baking soda needs an acid to activate, which is why buttermilk can be substituted for the yogurt and milk. For vegans 2 tbsp lemon juice and 1 3/4 cups nut milk can be substituted for the yogurt and milk.
Instead of an egg, vegans can use 1 tbsp. ground flax seeds in 1/4 cup water or 1 tbsp. chia seeds in 1/4 cup water. Although the chia seeds will need to be soaked for at least 15 minutes, including a minute of swirling now and again.
If you use sunflower seeds, they will turn a lovely dark forest green when they come into contact with different acidic and basic elements of the dough. It's a very interesting aspect of food chemistry.
I usually include seeds or nuts like sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, chopped walnuts, chia seeds, etc. I would definitely substitute ground flax seeds for rolled oats, if our kiddo wasn't allergic to flax.
*Notes on substitutions are included at the end.
This has been published on both my exercise and gardening blogs.
Irish Soda Bread
Makes: 1 large round loaf
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Bake time: 40 minutes
Dry ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 cup wheat flour
3 tbsp. butter, sliced into small pieces
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup wheat bran
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/3 cup seeds or chopped nuts
Wet Ingredients:
1 large egg
1 cup milk
3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
The wet ingredients just have to equal 2 cups, if you're going to do substitutions.
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
2. Mix the two flours in a large bowl. Add the butter to the flours, rub the butter into the flours with your fingers until incorporated. Mix in the rest of the dry ingredients.
3. In a 2 cup measuring cup, add the egg, yogurt, and milk until you reach 2 cups. Mix the wet ingredients well, and then incorporate into the dry ingredients. The dough will be fairly wet.
4. Dust the counter generously with flour, and scrape the dough out of the bowl with a spatula. Sprinkle wheat flour on top of the dough and with floured hands, quickly work the dough on the counter into a round. I just roll the edges of the dough under with both my hands to clean it up a bit. I like a rustic loaf, so I don't spend too much time shaping the dough.
5. Place the dough on the parchment lined baking sheet. Press on x onto the top of your round loaf with a knife, it's not necessary to actually cut into the dough. Bake for 40 minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. The loaf will be a dark golden brown and should sound hollow when you thump it. I would give it an hour cooling before cutting into it. Great toasted and served with butter and jam, hummus and cucumbers, or with mustard and thinly sliced extra sharp cheddar.
*Notes: Baking powder can be substituted for baking soda, but you'll need to use at least twice as much. It is important to use fresh baking powder in humid environments as the humidity in the air can already have activated it somewhat, making it less potent.
Baking soda needs an acid to activate, which is why buttermilk can be substituted for the yogurt and milk. For vegans 2 tbsp lemon juice and 1 3/4 cups nut milk can be substituted for the yogurt and milk.
Instead of an egg, vegans can use 1 tbsp. ground flax seeds in 1/4 cup water or 1 tbsp. chia seeds in 1/4 cup water. Although the chia seeds will need to be soaked for at least 15 minutes, including a minute of swirling now and again.
If you use sunflower seeds, they will turn a lovely dark forest green when they come into contact with different acidic and basic elements of the dough. It's a very interesting aspect of food chemistry.
Saturday, March 2, 2019
Foam Rolling or Rolling Out
Have you heard of it? Because you know... Everyone's doing it.
I'm fairly late to foam rolling, which has been around for years. Everyone I mention it to, are like: Oh yeah, a foam roller. I've got one. Then why haven't you mentioned it to me? I could've really used it, when I was telling you about my leg pain weeks ago.
It's a solid cylinder of dense foam that varies in length from 18 inches to 36 inches. Their diameter is larger than I would expect, at 6 inches. It's a way of massaging yourself on the floor, using body weight, by rolling various body parts on top of it. I only use it on my legs for the calves, quadriceps, iliotibial band, tensor fascia latae, and the soleus muscle. (It was probably the soleus muscle I strained, along the medial border of the tibial shaft.) Rolling on foam doesn't really work for my hamstrings, a harder surface like a PVC pipe would probably work better. One thing to note, is to not roll your joints, like your knees.
I did go to the doctor, just to make sure it wasn't something serious. He told me to stop running for a week or two, take an anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen, and ice it. He also said it was ok to continue rolling out.
I'm fairly late to foam rolling, which has been around for years. Everyone I mention it to, are like: Oh yeah, a foam roller. I've got one. Then why haven't you mentioned it to me? I could've really used it, when I was telling you about my leg pain weeks ago.
It's a solid cylinder of dense foam that varies in length from 18 inches to 36 inches. Their diameter is larger than I would expect, at 6 inches. It's a way of massaging yourself on the floor, using body weight, by rolling various body parts on top of it. I only use it on my legs for the calves, quadriceps, iliotibial band, tensor fascia latae, and the soleus muscle. (It was probably the soleus muscle I strained, along the medial border of the tibial shaft.) Rolling on foam doesn't really work for my hamstrings, a harder surface like a PVC pipe would probably work better. One thing to note, is to not roll your joints, like your knees.
I did go to the doctor, just to make sure it wasn't something serious. He told me to stop running for a week or two, take an anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen, and ice it. He also said it was ok to continue rolling out.
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