The debate between herbivore and carnivore continues on. Both sides make a strong case. Regardless of who’s right, the veg-heads have options. It is easier for a seasoned pro to navigate the grocery store in the winter months than perhaps a starving neophyte exploring life with less meat for the first time. Here are some of the best tips I have picked up over the years and some great recipes focusing on what’s in season right now.

Know Your Greens:

Green is the color that should compose at least half of every plate. The good news is that there are lots of cold-hardy leafy greens that are available all year round. In fact, tender varieties like spinach, chard, and arugula thrive in cooler temps. Kale and collard greens are types that can take sub-zero temperatures, making them great choices for a back yard garden. Fresh herbs of all varieties are easy to raise all year long in green houses too. Mineral-rich and highly medicinal, they infuse any winter dish with a dose of sunshine. These leafy greens and many more are always going to be easy find at your local grocery store, especially in the winter.

Frozen is Fine

I ALWAYS keep my eyes peeled for organic produce when it is in season. When it’s in season it tastes better, and it’s way cheaper. I stock up big time in the summer months on things like blackberries, peaches, green beans, asparagus, etc, and I freeze them whole. I just lay out things like berries and peaches on a cookie sheet and flash freeze them in the deep freeze for at least six hours before bagging them and labeling and returning them to the depths of my freezer for later use. Flash freezing foods whole keeps the ice crystallization small and therefore the freezer burn at bay. Plus it’s easy. It’s also a more healthful option than processing produce like peaches in high amounts of sugar over high amounts of heat that kill all of those amazing enzymes and nutrients before storing.

Buying produce out of the freezer section in the grocery store is fine too.

Avoid Canned Vegetables Except…….

Beans, pumpkin puree, and tomatoes, except, hold it. There is an exception to this too. While the three aforementioned foods retain a decent amount of their nutrients even after the canning process (pasteurization), some of them like beans are processed with quite a bit of refined salt. So you’re still better off keeping dried beans on hand (which last indefinitely by the way), and just soaking in water for at least six hours before cooking. Tomatoes are also “sort of” okay. The thing is, the high acidity of tomatoes leaches bisphenol-A, or BPH as well as heavy metals from the liners in tin cans, which is not at all something to tolerate in your food supply. Choosing tomato products that come in glass jars is a superior choice to canned. Sucking it up and spending an afternoon in July canning organic, home grown tomatoes in glass jars is even better.

Don’t Forget Those Grains

Quinoa, millet, whole grain rice varieties, beans of all varieties, oat groats, amaranth, barley, etc are bases many forget about it in the summer when we are reaping the bountiful harvest. These grains not only keep dry in a pantry indefinitely, they are full of protein, fiber, and B vitamins. Grains not only sustain us for long periods of time due to their high fiber content, but they are just as versatile as any lettuce when it comes to making salads. I love to spike my pilafs with pomegranate seeds, and my quinoa is always full of an array of chopped greens, nuts, dried fruits, and seeds.

Most Importantly, Know What’s in Season

The big payoff from buying what’s in season, is that it’s going to taste better, and offer a great deal more nutrient value. Greater nutrient value means the brain has what it needs and therefore will ask for fewer calories from you. And again, it’s going to be cheaper. Despite popular belief, there are lots of things to choose from in the winter months. Capitalizing on dishes that feature these items keeps your mind off of the cop-outs like boxed foods, and out of season items imported from Brazil. Not that there is anything wrong with Brazil. It’s just that Brazil would be better off eating foods Brazil grows, and we would be better off spending our money on super fresh local produce grown here rather than the transportation for two week old tasteless cantaloupes in January. Eating in season makes so much sense for all sorts of reasons.

In my neck of the woods of the central mid-west, citrus (lemon, lime grapefruit, oranges), avocados, hard squashes, apples, root vegetables, and cold-hardy greens like kale are what’s in season in the winter months. Here are some recipes focusing specifically on just some of those ingredients.

Roasted Radicchio with Winter Pear and Blue Cheese

Broiled Radicchio with pear and raw bleu cheese

Serves 4

Salad:

2 heads of Radicchio

2 pears, sliced thin

1/3 cup bleu cheese or Roquefort

Vinaigrette:

3 tablespoons finely grated Grana Padano or Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 garlic clove, pressed

1/2 ounce anchovy paste (about a tablespoon or to taste)

5 tablespoons olive oil

Move rack to the top position and preheat the broiler.

Meanwhile prepare the vinaigrette.  Mix cheese, lemon juice, garlic, minced anchovies or paste, in medium bowl. Whisk in olive oil and anchovy paste. Season vinaigrette to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature and rewhisk before using.

Remove any brusied or dried leaves from radicchio and cut length-wise into quarters. Position on a cookie sheet, brush with olive oil, and sprinkle with a little salt. Broil wedges for 5-8 minutes or until slightly browned.

Roast Beet Salad with Goat cheese and Arugula

Roasted beets, goat cheese, and arugula

Serves 4

2 large beets

4 ounces fresh goat cheese

2 tablespoons of walnut oil or olive oil

1/3 cup walnuts

5 ounces fresh Arugula

Preheat oven to 400⁰. Wrap beets in aluminum foil and roast for 1 hour. Cool beets and rub off outer skin under cool running water or with a towel. Cut beets into 1-2 inch cubes or use small cookie cutters to cut out fun shapes. Arrange beets on plates over a handful of arugula. Crumble about 2 tablespoons of goat cheese over each plate of beets. Drizzle walnut oil or olive oil over salad and garnish with walnuts.

Lump crab in radicchio with fresh grapefruit and avocado

Avocado Crab Salad with Grapefruit and Honey Lime Vinaigrette

Serves 2

Salad:

1 Avocado sliced thin

4 ounces of prepared lump crab meat

1 Grapefruit peeled with a knife and cut into segments

Vinaigrette:

4 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon of honey

2 teaspoons of champagne vinegar

Juice of 1 lime

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients for the vinaigrette with a whisk and set aside. Slice avocado into ½ inch segments and fan out on a plate. Form the crab meat in a soft mound or use a mold and place in the crescent of the avocado fan. Cut grapefruit segments in half to form cubes and arrange them around the other side of the crab meat. Drizzle the dish with dressing and serve.

Adzuki Bean and Barley Salad

Serves 4

2 cups cooked adzuki beans (or any other dark bean), drained

1 cup cooked barley, drained

1 clove garlic finely crushed

2 tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice

1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, finely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped

5 oz. Manchego cheese, grated (optional

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon. coarsely ground black pepper

10 red lettuce leaves to serve

Using a food processor, combine garlic, lime juice, cilantro, parsley, olive oil, salt and black pepper. Meanwhile, arrange red lettuce leaves on a platter.

In a large bowl, combine adzuki beans, pearl barley and cheese. Add dressing and mix well. Spoon onto lettuce leaves and chill for ½ hour. Serve cold with tortilla chips, as a side, or alone with lettuce leaves.

It’s more local than we are.

There are few foods available to us in this modern day that are indigenous to America. Bison is one of them. Even cows were imported from Europe. If you are a localvore, than you know what this means. Foods that are indigenous to your origins are better assimilated by the body and the nutrients therefore are more readily absorbed and utilized. For example, some one from the Philippines is going to thrive on coconut because coconuts are indigenous to the Philippines. While I like coconut, eating great quantities of it all of the time is not going to do me as many favors as eating blueberries, which are domestic to my environment and the environment of my ancestors.

It’s nutritionally Superior      

Taken from the The National Bison Assoiciation website

Bison is raised on grass (the diet nature intended it to have unlike the corn based diet of factory farmed cattle). It has more omega-3 fatty acids than animals raised on grain.  It also has fewer calories and more iron than any other common dinner animal. It’s lower in cholesterol than chicken. It is much leaner than beef and also has more protein too.  Less fat and the higher concentration of minerals of bison makes it easier to digest. So far we have a win-win.

It can’t be factory farmed

Bison is not domesticated and is handled as little as possible. This is one of the primary reasons it is raised on grass. This also means that they are  never treated with hormones or antibiotics. The circle of life between the bison and the grass is an intimate one, kept as much to the real thing as possible by ranchers to ensure the integrity of the product that comes to our dinner tables. This makes raising and the purchasing of bison a very eco-friendly investment.

It’s sustainable

How is it eco-friendly? The National Bison Association says that unlike raising beef and chicken, raising bison is one of the best ways to maintain our north American grasslands. Heavy grazers like bison have a symbiotic relationship with the grasslands, imperative to how both thrive. Their grazing allows new grass to grow, their manure fertilizes the grass with nutrients the bison will need, use, and share again. Because  bison is raised as naturally as possible they facilitate a lot less waste, unlike battery raised chickens and factory farmed beef.

It’s different

The fact that bison is not beef alone is good enough reason to eat it. The great amount of fat in beef slows digestion, and one has to look long and hard to find grass fed beef that is hormone/antibiotic free that can still taste good after you spend a small fortune on it. You are solving all of these problems when choosing bison but you are also  getting the pluses mentioned earlier. It’s not gamy like some might expect. I use it everywhere I would otherwise be using beef. When I serve it to friends and family they never know it’s not beef until I tell them so. The only thing you need to be mindful of is it drying out due to its leanness. Its high iron content keeps it bright red even when cooked past medium. A novice bison fan can be easily duped by this and overcook it.

I like to suggest to clients to start out with ground bison to introduce family members to it. Buying ground bison is going to be cheaper than the steaks and more versatile as well. Hamburgers, meatballs, spaghetti sauce, meatloaf, etc are all excellent ways to become acquainted with it before moving onto steaks and roasts. You can also make your dollar go even further and consider investing in a quarter or half a bison at a time. Several cuts and lots of it makes for great discovery and experimentation. There are bison ranchers in just about every state and according to a recent article in Mother Earth News the demand is greater than ever.

For more information on where you can find bison in your area check out eatwild.com and look up by state.

Spicy Glazed Bison Meatloaf

Olive oil for pan

½ yellow or white onion

2 carrots

1 stalk celery

2-3 cloves of garlic

¾ cup organic oats

½ tsp red chili powder

½ tsp red pepper

1 tsp tyme

½ tsp sea salt

½ tsp black pepper

1 organic egg

1lb of ground bison

Sauce

1 cup organic ketchup

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

½ -1 tsp Sriracha sauce (optional)

1 tsp horseradish sauce (optional)

Preheat oven to 375⁰ and oil and 8 inch loaf pan.

Combine all ingredients for the sauce (except the horseradish) into a bowl and set aside.

Chop carrot, onion and celery into 2 inch pieces and add to a food processor. Pulse 5-7 times until finely chopped. Add egg, oats, spices until well incorporated and then bison until well combined.  Press into loaf pan.

Bake for 30 minutes.  Remove from the oven and add half of the sauce over the top of the loaf. Return to oven for another 30 minutes or until center reads 150⁰ with a thermometer. Add the horseradish to the sauce. Remove meatloaf from oven and add remaining sauce over the top or serve on the side.

As an act of persuasion, let’s just take a few lines to do the math.  Pomegranates carry a very potent anti-oxidant cocktail, also known as poly-phenols, coveted in modern nature. Antioxidants are destroyed during any sort of exposure to heat and air, otherwise known as pasteurization. Pasteurization is mandated by our FDA. A mandate that all major manufactures and most food retailers must abide by in order to sell a product. In other words, the raw juice of any plant is going to be exceptionally more potent in enzymes and nutrients than pasteurized juice, up to 98% more in fact. You can’t buy that 98% in a bottle off a shelf. Considering it takes just as long to juice a pomegranate as it does to chop an onion, I’m placing my bet on the whole food, not anything that has been heated, enhanced, dehydrated, or reconstituted from concentrate.

You have to practically live under a rock to not know the amazing health benefits experts declare come from the pomegranate. They are in everything from skin care (for the amazing firming and anti-aging abilities), to extracts and pills.  I can see pomegranate “products” everywhere but yet rarely is an actual pomegranate seen in the homes of friends and family. Which is ridiculous because they are so pretty. Perhaps it may be that no one knows just what to do with one, how to open one, how to store the seeds and so on. Which is why I blog!

Selection:

The buying guideline for pomegranates is not complicated. They are in season from late October to early January but are best in November and December. Choose firm, fuchsia colored pomegranates that seem heavy for their size with no splits or leaking cracks.

Storage:

Store your poms in the fridge in an air tight container or bag free of moisture. They can keep for several weeks this way.

Preparation:

Fill a bowl full of water and place it in a freshly sanitized kitchen sink. Score an X or cross down the center of the crown (either end) with a pairing knife. Hold the fruit away from you facing the water and break it open. The arils (or seed casings) will fall into the clean water and sink to the bottom while the pith will float to the top. Gently dislodge seeds from the rind, strain, dry on a paper towel and store in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Usage:

Ahh the fun part. Like I said I am a purist. Stored seeds have little chance of making it long in my fridge. I ‘gently’ crush them in a food processor, strain the juice through a mesh sieve and gulp down with haste. You can also cut a whole pom down the center, and juice with a hand held orange or citrus juicer. Running a whole pom through a high powered juice machine will leave you with very bitter juice. This is because a machine will also juice the pith and rind. Don’t do it! Consider yourself warned.

Seeing your food bedazzled with twinkling jewels and to experience tiny sweet explosions in your mouth makes winter moments worth having. I love to sprinkle the seeds in fresh greens with walnuts, grapefruit, avocados, and blue cheese. They are also a fabulous addition to grain dishes as well. Making relishes and sauces for winter meats like duck and lamb are timeless and oh so simple. Explore and enjoy the beauty of the pomegranate with some of my favorite recipes below.

Pomegranate Vinaigrette

3 tablespoons of pomegranate juice

1 tablespoon of Champagne or Sherry vinegar

1 teaspoon of honey (optional)

1 teaspoon of dijon mustard

1 large shallot, diced

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Combine first five ingredients in a small bowl or food processor. Slowly stream in olive oil while whisking or while the food processor is running. Salt and pepper to taste and let stand for 30 minutes at room temperature before serving or chilling. Can be made 1-2 days in advance.

Note: Blend in half of an avocado to make a creamy version of this dressing.

Drizzle over mixed greens for a delicious salad.

Autumn Quinoa Salad

 1 cup dry Quinoa

1 tablespoon olive oil, avocado oil, or walnut oil

2 cups veggie broth

1/2 white onion (chopped)

1 can chickpeas (drained and rinsed)

3 green onions (chopped)

1/2 toasted walnuts (coursely chopped)

1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

Salt and pepper to taste

Lemon juice to taste (fresh squeezed)

1 ½ cups of arugula or kale, chopped

Dressing

1/2 teaspoon whole grain mustard

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

1 teaspoon raw local honey

1/2 cup walnut oil or extra virgin olive oil

Rinse the quinoa in water and transfer to your iron skillet. Over medium-low heat, toast quinoa for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly with the whisk until dry and fragrant.  Add chopped onion and oil and bring the heat up to medium.  Continue toasting quinoa over medium heat for about another 5 minutes whisking regularly.  Add the broth and cook uncovered for 30 minutes or until “the tails pop” on the quinoa and most of the liquid has absorbed. Remove from heat and let the quinoa come to room temperature.  Transfer to a large glass or metal bowl.

Whisk together sherry vinegar, honey, and mustard and then gradually whisk in the walnut oil until it is emulsified.  Set aside.

Add chopped green onion, walnuts, chickpeas, pomegranates, to cooled quinoa.  Toss in greens. Add dressing, salt and pepper as needed, lemon juice and garnish w/ feta before serving. It will always taste better the next day.

Pomegranate and Onion Relish

3 large shallots or 1 red onion

2 ounces of fresh lime juice

2 ounces of pomegranate juice

1/3 of a cup of pomegranate seeds

1-2 tablespoon of one of the following spices

- coriander

- rosemary

-thyme

Peel and cut the onion in half, then slice into very thin half moons. Put the onions into a bowl with the lime juice and pomegranate juice and let them steep for half an hour.
Drain the steeped onion into a bowl, discarding the too-oniony juice, and add the pomegranate seeds.
Toss with the coriander and season with salt and put the rest in a bowl.

A wonderful condiment for meats. Spoon over grilled lamb,  duck, pork, turkey, or chicken. Yum!

Pumpkin is a super cool vegetable. Nutritionally cool, it’s full of carotene which is considered a provitamin because it can be converted to active vitamin A. It also has the antioxidant component of lutein and zeaxanthin which, along with vitamin A, provide nutritional support to our skin, as well as the eyes. They help to counteract the free radicals and molecules attacking the cell membranes. The University of Illinois reports one cup of pumpkin provides 2,650 IU, or international units, of vitamin A. That’s the daily suggested value for an average woman and just under the daily value suggested for an average man. One cup also carries 12 mg of vitamin C, 3 mg of vitamin E, 564 mg of potassium, 37 mg of calcium, 1 mg of niacin and 21 mcg of folate. Not bad, not bad at all.

Two of my favorite things about pumpkin are also two of the lesser known facts.

One: Pumpkin is a good friend to diabetics and insulin sensitive people, as well as to those watching their carbohydrates. This is because pumpkin has a very low glycemic load. It has a low energy density, meaning it offers few calories (50 calories per cup) but is dense in micro-nutrients, fiber and water, making it ideal for those watching the scale. It is a fantastic culinary tool for keeping insulin levels in check. Pumpkin offers a sweet flavor, making it great for guilt free delights on the sweet side.

Two: Yes you can eat it out of the can! Pumpkin retains its nutrient value even in the can, making it one of the few plant foods that gets the can pass along with beans. This means pumpkin’s esculent advantages are available year round. However, nothing beats the nutritional density or flavor of organic fresh pumpkin that has been roasted, (not boiled) before it is put to use. Read your labels and always select unsweetened and preferably organic canned pumpkin.

It is quite easy to put pumpkin to work in your kitchen. You can bypass the whole fresh pumpkin thing and reach for the can, but there is such culinary zen in exploring your food with all of your sensory skills. Last year I decorated with pie pumpkins up until about mid November when I plucked them from my front stoop, roasted them, cubed them for a risotto, pureed them for pumpkin soup, and created pies of course for our Thanksgiving feast. I had tons of puree left over of which I dated, weighed, and froze in convenient 1 quart bags. This fall I have been using that puree in delicious and satisfying smoothies for breakfasts and snacks pre-workout. I also take great pleasure in the gluten free cookies below. They make great breakfast cookies and low sugar snacks.

Roasting a pumpkin is fairly straight-forward. At which point you have endless options. The sweet flesh can be enjoyed solo, as a side, in a grain dish, a casserole or as a puree. Making a puree just takes one extra step that provides you with a new list of possible delights. But don’t forget about the seeds! Inside every pumpkin are many gifts that are high quality sources for zinc, protein, and healthy fats. These seeds make great workout fuel, snacks on the go, and are delicious over salads, garnishes for soups, etc. The best is pumpkin seed butter! All this requires is the seeds (hulled) in a food processor with a tablespoon of honey and a pinch of salt. One minute later you are in pumpkin heaven.  Many palatable treasures within one beautiful package are just a few things that make the pumpkin so great.

Roasting Pumpkin and Pumpkin Puree

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2 pie pumpkins cut length wise and seeded

Place on a cookie sheet and cook for an hour or until flesh is fork tender.

Cool pumpkin and scoop out flesh or peel off skin with a vegetable peeler and cube.

Puree flesh by placing a few cubes at at time in a food processor and process until smooth.

Roasting Pepitas

Seeds from carving or pie pumpkin, rinsed well and dried thoroughly on a paper towel (up to 24 hours)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Place thoroughly dried seeds in a bowl and drizzle with a 1 tablespoon of coconut oil, butter or olive oil and toss to coat evenly. Turn seeds out onto a cookie sheet and spread into a single layer. Sprinkle lightly with unrefined sea salt and/or black pepper. You can also sprinkle with a variety of any other favorite spices or none at all. Roast for 10-12 minutes or until fragrant and golden. Turn seeds over with a spatula after 5 or 6 minutes.

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 banana

1 cup organic milk (I like ½ cup unsweetened coconut and ½ cup plain kefir)

1 tablespoon of maple syrup, sorghum, or raw agave nectar

½ teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice

½ teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 pinch of real cinnamon

1 tablespoon of powdered maca (optional of an extra boost of energy)

Process all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Enjoy!

Flourless Pumpkin-Pecan Cookies - makes 15-18 cookies

This recipe was one I found and adapted with diabetics in mind. Very low in sugar and gluten free.

2 medium ripe bananas

1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

2 tbs. coconut oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1tbs. blackstrap molasses, agave nectar, sorghum, or honey

1 cup oats, (milled in a food processor until fine)

1/2 cup almond meal/flour

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1½ tsp.  ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

1/3 cup cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a food processor fitted with the S-blade, puree bananas, pumpkin, molasses, vanilla, and coconut oil until smooth. Transfer to large mixing bowl. Stir in milled oats, almond meal, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and ginger. Then fold in the pecans and cranberries.

Drop heaping tablespoons full of the dough onto the parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake cookies for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned.

Cool completely before serving or storing. Cookies can be kept at room temperature for up to 3 days. (Freeze for up to 1 month.)

Approximately 3 grams of sugar per cookie

Cha Cha Cha Chia

“Chia” is the Mayan word for strength. A member of the sage family, the seeds were used by ancient South American cultures such as the Aztecs and Mayan Indians as super energy food; especially for their running messengers and warriors going into battle.

Let’s get right down to the point. Chia seeds are compact little super foods that have the potential to completely make your day into one that includes the highest version of yourself. Here’s why:

• Mega Hydration-The seed’s outer layer is rich in mucilloid soluble fiber that can absorb 12 times its weight in water. This means that by consuming soaked seeds you stay hydrated, and hold onto electrolytes otherwise lost throughout the day and during exercise.

•  Chia seeds are anywhere from 19%-23% complete protein. That is as much as red meat! This means they are a great recovery food to fuel your body with after a workout.  Protein is needed to repair and rebuild muscle tissue, and also helps keep you feeling full throughout the day.

• Chia seeds control blood sugar levels and reduces sugar cravings. The generous amount of soluble fiber coupled with the protein is a lot of the reason why. In your stomach, chia seed gel slows the breakdown of carbohydrates into simple sugars and helps to slow the release of sugar into the bloodstream.

• They also contain the highest known natural percentage of alpha-linolenic fatty acid (60-63%) in a food source. Alpha-linolenic acid is a kind of omega-3 fatty acid found in plants with powerful anti-inflammatory effects that aids in weight loss, glowing skin, a good mood, and everything in between.

• Chia Seeds are also a good source of B vitamins, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, boron, and copper. They’re also loaded with antioxidants.

All of these reasons make chia seeds an ideal food to start your day off on the right track.  And trust you will notice the difference.

Chia seeds have a very mild and neutral flavor. Mix chia seeds in water and within ten to fifteen minutes you will soon see a gel has formed. This gel is a great culinary tool! Try thickening soups and sauces with chia seeds. Add to salad dressings, shakes, and dips or simply sprinkle over just about anything. I really enjoy them over fresh mixed greens. But perhaps my favorite way to take advantage of the fiber rich chia gel is to make creamy puddings and pie fillings.

Here’s a delicious glow inspired recipe that can be made in advance, carried to work, and adapted in an infinite number of ways to fit your personal taste.

Creamy Coconut Chia Seed Pudding

4 tablespoons of chia seed (any variety)

½ cup unsweetened coconut milk

½ cup of kefir (substitute ½ cup of any other milk of your choice)

1 tablespoon of maple syrup

1 small handful of goji berries (optional)

Whisk together all ingredients and let stand for at least 15 minutes to fully gel. Enjoy!

Well combined for breakfast, lunch, dinner, as a side or even as a first couse to a plated dinner party.  These cups are versatile, easy, and delightfully delicious.

Step One:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Select a a ripe but firm tomato.  Using a pairing knife or a small serrated knife, cut a wide mouth out to remove the core of the tomato.  Spoon out all the seeds until you have a nice, hollow cavity, free of excess tomato juice.  Be careful not to damage the floor and walls of the tomato while cutting and scooping.  Slice off a sliver from the bottom of the tomato so it will sit upright in the oven.

Step Three
Salt and pepper the cavity of the tomato first.  In the bottom of the cup add a combination of any of the following:
1 teaspoon of whole grain mustard
OR
1 tablespoon of pesto, or salsa

ADD
Your favorite cheese
hash browns
bread crumbs
ground sausage or chopped bacon
chopped spinach, red pepper, mushrooms or any other roasted veggie of your choice, chopped.

ADD
1 tablespoon of chopped green onion, shallot, or red onion

Step Four

If using a large tomato, fill your cup 1/4 of way up with your filling combination of choice.  Next, crack the egg directly into the cup.  Medium sized tomatoes are best for this as the egg reaches just about to the brim of the cup.  If your cups are quite large, add another egg to fill it up, or even more filling.  If using small tomatoes and your “cup runneth over”, no problem.  They’ll look like little volcanoes when they are done, adding to the presentational value.

Step Five

Place your cups on a cookie sheet or casserole dish lined with parchment paper.  Top cups with more cheese, salt and pepper, chives, parsley flakes, etc, if desired.  Roast for 15 minutes for a slightly runny yoke, 17 minutes for eggs well done.  Cool slightly and transfer to a plate.

Enjoy!

No makeup for all of the internet universe to see

I have been working with a couple people lately who are exceptional at “not being good enough”.  Or at least, whatever their perception is of what “good enough” means.  Working with at least a couple of these types at any given time is common.  So I figured I might as well address this in my first ever blog.  You know, to set the tone and such.

Working as a holistic health counselor for almost 3 years now I certainly still consider myself a rookie.  Partly because 3 years is no time at all and partly because I know I am still on comparative levels to most of the people who hire me to help them.  Daily I am amazed by the paradox of this.  In my professional life I am sometimes struck to discover I am being idealized.  Things come out of people’s mouths all the time like “Oh, well I can never be as good as you are at……”, or “If my skin looked like that I would blah, blah blah.”  I think the perceived image that I keep it all together is definitely a double edged sword.  A sword that I fall on quite regularly.

The truth: NO, of course I am not perfect.  I am on my own journey too.  Yes I still have my own issues, cope with them every day and expect this to be indefinite.  My personal life is in some ways the polar opposite of what I portray as a professional in the wellness field.  I came from a humble background that only suggests a progressive lifestyle in how I value it.  I’m really not good at just about everything.  I barely graduated from college, spent half of my twenties addicted to prescription meds, abused alcohol and victimized myself in the meantime.  I was lazy, insecure, and emotionally irresponsible.  All of which caused me to do many things many times that I am not proud of.  HOWEVER, the knowledge that my former self was functioning in a body I was filling with garbage is my go-to motivator for staying on my well path.  It is where I get the inspiration to educate others on  how to clean up their own environments and teach them about quality over quantity.  Changing what you put in your body, (including destructive thoughts) changes everything.  No I am not proud of who I once was but I had to get here some how.  So, I regret nothing.  I am in a good place today because I know all decisions good and bad are directly proportionate to where I am at this moment.  I might change, but the truth of that will not.  I have made as many good decisions as possible to support my good fortune.  Today I am deserving.

Taking responsibility for your choices is all I ask of those I coach.  Comparing yourself to someone else is a poor choice with immediate consequences.  Not only does it impede your progress it’s just straight up…. well, dumb.  It’s like jamming a square peg into a round hole.  No one is as they seem and everything is subjective.  I use to think that I had to actually “BE” the things others aspire to be in order to be an honest professional deserving of the business I attract.  I got over that rather quickly.  The real lack of integrity is presenting yourself as something you are not.  I want to live an authentic life.  My chosen profession should support that life, not dictate it.  Now the people who I help are actually helping me to do more of that.  The truth is that I like to cuss, drink wine, and have an opinion.  I am not a vegetarian.  I eat amazing foods like pizza, and delicious pastries as long as they truly are amazing.  I am not a morning person.   I have health issues of my own that affect me every day.  I struggle with acne, and sometimes will have a tryst with bad foods that do not serve me simply because I want to.  Until recently, I NEVER left the house without makeup.  Going without it is my most recent testament that owning what god gave us is the driving force behind who we are.

Our personal hell starts when we allow insecurity to creep in long enough to create that idyllic image of ourselves that by design is just unrealistic enough to be just beyond our reach.  The same idyllic image is often never any fun but  is  still always asked to be our social escort out while authenticity is left at home with the key to the liquor cabinet and the bon-bons.

In short to end my very first ever blog……..keepin it real is the first strategy to self-health, not diets, new year’s resolutions, or holding onto the high school jeans as a bench mark.  This is really hard to do, lemme tell you.  But the reward of being admired for what’s actually there is glorious by comparison to the thankless monotony of censorship.  Keepin it real means we swallow the horse pill that is self-awareness, own our mistakes, accept who we are, and live out loud amongst the fresh air and the wild breeze that can take real just about anywhere.

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