On a quest for new and delicious natural foods recipes, I came across a jackpot of them at the Whole Foods website and thought I'd share. Not only are many of the dishes that you've sampled at their salad bar there, but these dishes are pretty easy to make and taste great - and they're at your fingertips.

For example, I recently made the delicious Wheatberry Waldorf Salad; and I have become a big fan of the yummified Morning Glory Muffins (tips: (1) there's a lot of chopping involved - make it worth your while by doubling the recipe, the batter freezes nicely, (2) these muffins are a hit for new parents - everyone hooks them up with dinner, but how about a nutritious breakfast/snack?)

Also of interest are these nifty items (for example):

A pantry makeover, including what staples to keep on hand in your fridge, freezer, and baking pantry.

Tips for kid-friendly recipes

Instructions on making delicious smoothies (this will surely be another topic for me - I've been a smoothie-making queen now that the weather is warmer...)

Meals for four under $15

Lots of cool info about various food topics such as traditional foods on chinese new year, smart snacking, and what things comprise the perfect Japanese pantry...

A bunch of useful facts about whole grains

A guide to soy foods

There's a whole lot more (really, no pun intended...) and you can even save your favorite recipes to the recipe box.

It truly is an impressive wealth of helpful information. Probably everyone knows about it but me - I feel like I just discovered a treasure trove...

Posted by Michelle on July 14, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

My nutritional life for the past year has been all about protein - trying to get enough of it. Being pregnant, having a tendon injury*, breastfeeding, having a pelvic injury*, and trying to shed the baby weight - all these events have called for copious amounts of protein and it's taken some dedication and creativity to get my recommended fill.

It's no secret that pregnant women need loads of protein to cook up a baby. Likewise for nursing them afterward. Something you may not realize is that if you have sustained any sort of soft tissue, muscular, or bone-related injury, your body needs lots of protein to make the repairs - so boosting your intake will support your body's healing mechanisms. Finally, while any diet, including a weight-loss diet, requires ALL of the macronutrients (protein, carbs, AND fat) - putting a focus on lean protein at every meal will help your body regulate blood sugar and burn fat more efficiently. So the universe sent me a big, neon, flashing sign... it says "Eat More Protein!"

Even being a nutrition counselor, I had a hard time adjusting my diet to meet the 60-100 grams of protein daily intake without becoming a raging carnivore. That said, I did increase the amount of meat I ate - I try to eat some every day (whereas before, it was more of a 2-3 times/week habit). Below are some of my favorite protein-rich foods and habits that I've developed in the past year.

Continue reading "Desperately Seeking Protein" »

Posted by Michelle on June 13, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Free Range, cage free, grass-fed, certified humane, antibiotic free, pasture-raised, corn-finished, organic, heritage, all-natural... the conversation about food is definitely heating up, and the question "where does our food come from" and its sidekick "what's IN that?" are producing a veritable whirlwind of loaded and confusing vocabulary terms. Unless you're like me and your exciting beach read for the summer is the latest sustainable-food movement tome, you probably don't *really* know what all these terms mean - and who could blame you. People make a lot of money off our confusion. The best thing we can do for our health (and ultimately public health in general) is take a few minutes to educate ourselves about the issues, and then put our money behind the products we deem worthy.

So here is an attempt at breaking down the issues swimming around the meat scene, Part 3 of All About Organic: "Organic" Meat.

Continue reading "All About Organic, Part 3: "Organic" Meat" »

Posted by themindfuleater on June 6, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Are you suffering? Does your head feel like one big itch, your nose a non-stop snot factory, your eyes itchy pools of tear? I know how that feels, and it's no fun. Of course you can take one of the prescription allergy medications, but you can also take some steps to help alleviate the imbalance at the core, and calm your system. Here are a few natural remedies that truly are effective - I've personally used them with great success.

Continue reading "Allergies Schmallergies" »

Posted by themindfuleater on May 31, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Excellent online reference for local (USA) "sustainable" restaurants, food stores, farms and the like. Just type in your zip code and get rolling...

Continue reading "EatWellGuide.org: Your local directory for sustainable food" »

Posted by themindfuleater on January 13, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Heritagefoodsusa.com : Order your farm-raised, humanely treated, organic meats, here. About the company:

"Heritage Foods USA was formed in 2001 as the sales and marketing arm for Slow Food USA, a non-profit organization founded by Patrick Martins and dedicated to celebrating regional cuisines and products. The Heritage Turkey Project, which helped double the population of heritage turkeys in the United States and upgraded the Bourbon Red turkey from "rare" to "watch" status on conservation lists, was Heritage Foods USA's first foray into saving American food traditions. In 2004 it became an independent company dedicated to saving not only turkeys but also Native American foods, pigs, sheep, bison, cows, reef-net salmon, chickens and all breeds of food livestock.

Chefs, journalists, the Heritage Advisory Board and consumers have been quick to rally around the idea of preserving the farmers and food traditions of this country. In 2005, over 10,000 heritage turkeys and 1000 rare pigs were raised for sale by Heritage Foods USA. All foods are raised according to strict production protocols and come to buyers with a traceable label that lists all details about the production and processing of the food. Our turkey-cam allows buyers to see their birds live on the farm before they are processed. "

Posted by themindfuleater on October 20, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)