Beans & Rice

This is from the blog entitled No Meat Athlete, a blog about being an active vegetarian. In January, I decided to go full out vegetarian for one month just to see if I could do it. Turns out, it was easy because I don't really like meat anyway. So, with just a few chicken meals at the beginning of February, I'm gonna go back to full-fledged vegetarianism and stick with it. Two of my favorite foods, beans and rice, get five yummy make-overs here that I'm looking forward to trying out.


A Nutritional Match Made In Heaven
The amino acids in rice and beans come together to form a complete protein, making a simple way to get both complex carbs and protein in a single vegetarian meal. Throw in fantastic versatility at pennies per serving and you've got yourself not just the backbone of the vegetarian diet for runners, but also a universal staple food.

Learning to cook hearty vegetarian meals was a process for me. It started with just a "Meatless Monday" night that felt so good in my belly and my wallet that it evolved into meat just twice a week. Soon everyday was "Meatless Monday!"

At first I followed recipes to the letter, but soon I began to recognize patterns in regional flavor combinations. So today I'm here to share the tricks I learned about escalating ho-hum healthy food into nutritious ethnic cuisine.

I've got a standard five-ingredient framework to use for basic beans and rice, and then a five-ingredient update to represent whichever fare you desire: Indian, Mediterranean, Mexican, Asian, and even our local Baltimorean food.

Basic Beans and Rice Recipe with Five Variations
•1 cup dry brown rice
•1 can drained and rinsed beans, or 2 cups cooked
•1 onion, chopped
•1 clove garlic, minced
•1 tbsp vegetable oil
Cook the brown rice in a rice steamer or follow the directions here. Heat up the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat and fry the onion for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and fry for an additional 5 minutes. Stir in the beans and heat through. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with rice.


Indian Beans and Rice

You'll need chickpeas as the beans in the basic recipe, as well as:

•1 tbsp curry powder
•1/2 tsp cinnamon
•1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies
•a thumb-sized piece fresh ginger, minced
•1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Stir the curry powder and cinnamon into the chickpea and onion mixture. Fry for a minute, than add the ginger and tomatoes and their juices. Cook on medium-high heat for 5 minutes, until the tomatoes no longer taste raw. Stir the cilantro into the rice. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Feeling fancy? Serve with warm naan and a side of sliced mangoes.


Mediterranean Beans and Rice

You'll need Great Northern White Beans in the basic recipe, as well as:

•2 stalks chopped celery
•1 small can (2.25 oz) black olives
•juice of 1 lemon
•1/3 cup fresh chopped parsley
•2 tsp dry dill weed
Add the celery and olives to the bean and onion mixture and fry for a few minutes to soften. Stir in the lemon juice and parsley and heat through. Stir the dill into the rice. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Feeling fancy? Add a can of chopped artichoke hearts and serve with warm pita bread .


Mexican Beans and Rice

You'll need Pinto Beans in the basic recipe, as well as:

•2 tsp cumin
•1 tsp chili powder
•1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies, drained
•juice of 1/2 a lime
•1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
Stir the cumin and chili powder into the bean and onion mixture and fry for a minute to coat. Add the can of tomatoes and lime juice. Cook on medium-high heat for 5 minutes, until the tomatoes no longer taste raw. Stir the cilantro into the rice. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Feeling fancy? Serve with a side of sliced avocado and warm corn tortillas.


Asian Beans and Rice

You'll need adzuki beans or black beans in the basic recipe, as well as:

•4 medium carrots, cut into thin strips
•thumb size piece fresh ginger, minced
•2 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
•small can (11 oz) mandarin oranges, juice reserved
•1/2 tsp Chinese Five Spice
Fry the carrots and ginger with the bean and onion mixture for a few minutes until the carrots are cooked but still crunchy. Stir in the soy sauce and 2 tbsp of the reserved mandarin orange juice. Remove from heat and gently stir in mandarin orange slices. Mix the Chinese Five Spice with the Rice. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Feeling fancy? Throw in some chopped cabbage, thinly sliced green bell pepper, and mushrooms. Drizzle with hoisin sauce.


Baltimorean Beans and Rice

You'll need Black-Eyed Peas as the beans in the basic recipe, as well as:

•2 cups chopped kale
•2 tsp cider vinegar
•2 tsp vegan worcestershire sauce
•1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
•1 tsp Old Bay, or any Chesapeake-style seafood seasoning
Fry the kale with the bean and onion mixture for a few minutes until wilted. Add the cider vinegar, worcestershire sauce, and corn, heat through. Sprinkle rice with the Old Bay seasoning. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Feeling fancy? Stir in some chopped yellow squash from the garden, and crack open an ice cold can of Natty Boh.

All these recipes work great for leftover lunches too— just stuff inside a big whole wheat tortilla and you're good to go. I included a Baltimore version because that's the region I know best; hopefully it will inspire you to apply your local flavors to beans and rice too. Please feel free to post your favorite 5-ingredient version and we can start to create a regional reference for this amazingly simple meal.

Nut Butter No Bake Protein Cookies

A friend emailed me this very simple recipe for cookies her boys love. I haven't tried them yet, but plan to this week. I'm sure they are good, though. I trust the source. :-)

You will need:
1 cup oats
1/2 cup water
3 tbsp. nut butter (peanut, almond, etc.)
2 tbsp. truvia, or sweetener of your choice
2 scoops vanilla protein powder

Then you:
Mix all ingredients. Scoop out onto wax paper or onto little muffin liner cups. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

If you love these, this is a recipe worth doubling. Also, I see great opportunities for modification...chocolate protein powder instead of vanilla, add in some flax seed for more nutrition, maybe use almond milk instead of water for a creamier texture...stuff like that.

The Benefits of Coenzyme Q10

This one time, at bootcamp (no, not BAND camp and actually it was just yesterday), a few of the 5:30 campers joined our 9:15 class...something about alarms not going off and such. First off, let me mention that the women who get up and out of bed at 5:30 to have Derek put their bodies through hell are, shall we just say, younger and spunkier than those of us who meander in at 9:15 to work out. So they bee-bop in and a few of the 40-somethings sort of groaned, "Oh great, they are totally going to run circles around us." And I thought to myself, "Like hell." I positioned myself beside the bee-bopiest during sprints and I kept up. (We won't talk about how the next day, being today, I can hardly move and she is probably doing power yoga as I type.) But as I was running beside her, I knew it was more of an effort for me than for her. Why???? Well, the answer may lie in the amount of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ 10) contained in her cells verses the amount my twice-as-old cells contain.
CoQ10, also known as ubiquinone, is a fat-soluble, vitamin-like substance that every human cell contains and it is directly involved in the biochemical reactions that produce energy in cells. The problem is, with age, the amount we have naturally occuring in our bodies is significantly reduced. I know. Not fair. Life sucks. Move on. You can take it supplementally and gain back some of your mojo.
So besides increased energy, CoQ10 has several health benefits. Here are several...

~ it is fabulous for the heart, effective in the treatment of angina, protecting the heart against surgery-induced stress, aids in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases

~ it was originally developed as a treatment for high blood pressure and is still used for those purposes today

~ it appears to slow the effects of Parkinson's disease

~ it helps to reduce the frequency of migraine headaches

~ it supports better immune function

~ it provides protection against magnetic field exposure

~ it may help guard the body against breast cancer

~ it can aid weight loss because it helps stimulate metabolism

~ new studies show it is effective in slowing the aging process, especially of our brains

So, as soon as this ice storm passes, I am going out to replenish my CoQ10 supply and get back into a regular habit of taking it with my daily vitamin regime. And yes, this is something I will supplement because I don't care for the foods that contain the highest amounts of CoQ10 (fish, beef hearts, and liver).
Then next time, at bootcamp, I will run circles around those 20-somethings.

Autobiography in Five Short Chapters

This poem by Portia Nelson has become one of my favorites. We can all probably relate to it in one way or another.



Autobiography In Five Short Chapters

Chapter I

I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost... I am hopeless.
It isn't my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.

Chapter II

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don't see it.
I fall in again.
I can't believe I am in this same place.
But it isn't my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.

Chapter III

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it there.
I still fall in... it's a habit... but,
my eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.

Chapter IV

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.

Chapter V

I walk down another street.

- Portia Nelson

Joy Bauer's Simple Detox Diet

If your holiday celebrations left you overstuffed, you’re not alone. Good news! This daily detox menu will blast away bloat, boost energy, burn fat, and ensure that you regain your mojo in just a few short days — but by all means, follow for up to a week if you want. It’s the perfect way to start the new year with a fresh, clean slate! The meals do not include meat or poultry — but you can eat fish, and they’re loaded with the ideal mix of antioxidants, protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals.

Here’s how it works:

•Follow the same daily menu for three to five days in a row.
•Eat only what is listed on the menu — no added sugar, honey, sugar substitute, salt, salad dressing, condiments, etc.
•Drink only what is listed on the menu — no soda, fruit juice, alcohol or diet beverages.
•Enjoy black coffee or tea at breakfast (regular or decaffeinated).
•Drink two 8-ounce glasses of water within 30 minutes of eating your lunch and dinner meals. Drink as much additional water as you’d like throughout the day.
•Drink one cup of regular or decaffeinated green tea after your lunch, afternoon snack and dinner.
•If you’d like to make this plan vegan, see simple substitutes at breakfast and dinner.


Ready, set, go!

Breakfast:
Joy’s Protein Power Smoothie

In a blender, combine 3/4 cup skim milk (for vegan plan, substitute soy or almond milk), 1/2 banana, 1/2 cup frozen raspberries, 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, 1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder (for vegan plan, substitute soy, rice, or pea protein powder), 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and 5 ice cubes. Blend until smooth and frothy. Optional black coffee or tea.

Lunch:
Drink two 8-ounce glasses water (with optional lemon) within 30 minutes of eating. Drink as much additional water as you’d like during the meal.

Salad:
•Unlimited spinach leaves
•Unlimited antioxidant-rich produce (Best choices include bell peppers, tomatoes, carrots, red onions, broccoli, and sliced beets. You may also add cucumbers, mushrooms, celery, and cauliflower.)
•1/2 cup red kidney, pinto, or black beans
•1 tablespoon toasted, chopped pecans
•Dress with 1 teaspoon olive oil and unlimited balsamic or red wine vinegar
1 pink or red grapefruit
1 cup green tea

Snack:
1/2 cup unsalted pistachio nuts (in shell)
1 cup green tea

Dinner:
Drink two 8-ounce glasses of water (with optional lemon) within 30 minutes of eating. Drink as much additional water as you’d like during your meal.

Unlimited baked, grilled, broiled, or poached fish — good choices include cod, halibut, haddock, and wild salmon, seasoned with fresh lemon and black pepper (for vegan plan, substitute sautéed tofu)

Unlimited steamed broccoli with optional fresh lemon and black pepper

1 cup green tea or naturally caffeine-free herbal tea

10 Secrets of Super Healthy People

We all know them, those people who never seem to get struck down by the latest flu bug or fevers or even an occasional head cold. How do they do that? Following are 10 surprising habits of super healthy people:

1. They stress less. Duh! But what if you are typically a hot mess of stress? Exercise is the best way to combat stress, so get moving!

2. They sprinkle brewer's yeast on their food. This is because brewer's yeast is high in the B vitamins. A great brand to try is Bragg's Nutritional Yeast. Sprinkle it on popcorn, in soups, even put it in bread or cookie batter.

3. They eat less. None of us would die of starvation if we passed on seconds. In fact, research proves it may help us lower incidences of age related health problems, such as Alzheimer's and diabetes.

4. They embrace bacteria. Put down the antibacterial wipes and sprays once in a while. We've become too clean for our own good.

5. They opt for herbal remedies. A great herbal thing to do is drink green tea, which have polyphenols and the potential to burn fat, boost metabolism, protect against liver disease, control blood sugar levels, and lower bad LDL cholesterol. I'm sold.

6. They make friends a priority. I keep telling my husband it's a GOOD thing I so often meet my girlfriends for lunch or dinner or coffee!

7. They stay pH balanced. In our society, we are too acidic with all our meat and sugar. Most vegetables are alkalizing. Eat some and balance yourself.

8. They eat garlic. Not the supplement kind. The real thing is best for the most medicinal value.

9. They detox regularly. Always check with a doctor before doing a detox diet. A great one is Joy Bauer's simple detox diet. And if I had a link I would post it here, but since I don't, there's google.

10. They take more naps. Say no more - I can easily do that!