When shopping at the grocery store:

You can tell whether a product is Organic, Genetically Modified or Conventional by the sticker…

Organic: five digits starting with a “9″

Genetically Modified: five digits starting with “8″

Conventional: 4 digits

hmmm… interesting am I right?

Lemon Cucumber Tofu Salad

Ingredients
2 lemon cucumbers, quartered then sliced into 1/4 inch thick slices
1 handful of fresh dill (about 2/3 cup loosely packed)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 big pinches of salt
8 ounces nigari extra firm tofu
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 of a large, ripe avocado

Directions
Toss the cucumbers, dill, olive oil, lemon juice and salt together in a medium bowl. Let sit for at least 20 minutes tossing gently once or twice along the way.
In the meantime, cook the tofu. Cook the tofu and a pinch of salt in well-seasoned skillet (I’ve been trying to stay away from non-stick) over medium-high heat for a few minutes, until the pieces are browned on one side. Toss gently once or twice, then continue cooking for another minute or so, until the tofu is firm, golden, and bouncy. Set aside.
Just before serving cut the avocado into cubes.
Spoon the cucumbers out of the lemon-olive oil mixture into a large salad bowl. Add half of the remaining dressing, the tofu, and half of the pine nuts. Gently toss. Taste. Add more dressing or salt if you like. Sprinkle the avocado across the top of the salad and gently toss once or twice to distribute it throughout the salad. Serve topped with the remaining pine nuts.

Carrot Dill and White Bean Salad

Ingredients
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon fine grain salt
1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots
more olive oil (or ghee) for cooking
2 cups sliced carrots, cut 1/4-inch thick on deep bias
3 cups cooked white beans
scant 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons brown sugar (or honey or agave)
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Directions
Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and shallots in a small bowl. Stir and set aside.
In your largest skillet over medium high heat, toss the carrots with a splash of olive oil or a spoonful of ghee. Let them cook in a single layer – they’ll give off a bit of water at first. Keep cooking, tossing gently every three or four minutes until the carrots are deeply browned. All told, about twelve minutes.
Add the beans and dill to the skillet and cook for another five minutes, or until the beans as well heated through. If you are using beans that weren’t canned you can allow them to brown a bit as well (just cook a bit longer, and stir less frequently) – they can handle this in a way that most canned beans can’t. If you need to add a bit more olive oil to the pan – do so.
Place the contents of the skillet in a large mixing bowl, sprinkle with the brown sugar and pour the 3/4 of the lemon-olive oil mixture over the top. Toss gently. Let sit for ten minutes. Toss gently once again, taste and adjust with more salt or sugar or lemon juice if needed to balance the flavors. Serve warm or at room temperature and finish by sprinkling with the almonds just before serving.
Serves 6 – 8 as a side.

Enjoy!

Summer is here in full force and it’s finally time to get out of the house! I know we all get excited to get out and move once the weather is nice but precautions need to be taken to avoid dehydration. Did you know that by the time we feel thirsty we could be dehydrated as much as 5 cups of fluid? To prevent this, make sure to be sipping on water or other fluids continuously throughout the day, especially if you are outside often or doing strenuous activity. The more we are able to stay hydrated the better our body’s internal cooling system will work as well!

General guidelines for hydration:
1. You should be using the restroom approximately every 1.5-2 hours

2. Urine should be the color of lemonade or more pale

3. Try to get lots of fruits and veggies as these are also high in water content

4. During exercise or strenuous activity, monitor weight before and after the activity to determine how much fluid was lost.
- Replace fluids slowly with 2-3 cups of water per pound lost

Athletes want to be healthy and try to make healthy meals, but training and work time often sabotage their intentions. Lack of time is not an excuse to healthy eating. Time to get control and to stop the excuses! Eating right is part of a good exercise plan. And a semi-organized shopping and stocking strategy can turn your training and performance level form mediocre to fueling strong! Here are the quick ideas.

1. Plan what you what to eat for a week and write based on your activities, daily routine, work, and special appointments so that you have the food available and prevent quick trips to fast foods or snacking.
2. Shop with a list to prevent impulse buying and having the right foods in your house
3. Buy and stock food weekly. Put time it in your schedule to shop.
4. Have basics in your kitchen- foods that you will always have on available.
5. Plan for emergency options. When there is nothing left in the house there should be an option in the freezer or cabinet that could provide a healthy meal.
6. Have recipes that are easy to prepare (less than 15 minutes from fridge to table).
7. Educate yourself. Know what foods make a healthy plan. Do you know what foods have trans fat? sugar? hydrogenation? or organic?
8. Have an individual meal plan. Know how much and when to eat for your training, weight, and goals?

Fuel your body … for Life! sbb

Wow! What a winter. Today was the first day that we hit double digits in a week. I took advantage of this “heat wave” and went outside for a nice short brisk jog and fed the birds. As I distributed the seed for the birds, it reminded me of how we can benefit from the strong immune power in seeds and how we can use them in our daily meals. Here’s a few options:

Pumpkin Seeds – They are high in magnesium, protein, and zinc. Sprinkle on top of soups.

Sesame seeds – A good source of phytosterols which lowers cholesterol, rich in iron, magnesium, copper and selenium. Pan toast and sprinkle on fish or in a stir-fry dish.

Flax Seed – Known for the plant omega 3 alpha linelenic acid (ALA), flax is high in fibers, lignans and has a reputation as a heart healthy food. Sprinkle on yogurt, oatmeal, or in a smoothie. Don’t forget to grind these babies!

Chia Seed: Is this the new flax seed? This ancient seed is also high in Omega 3’s, fiber, and some calcium. Sprinkle on eggs or yogurt.

Sunflower seeds: High in antioxidants such as vitamin E and selenium. Sprinkle in whole grain pasta, tofu stir fry, or salads.

Dinner of seeds:  Omelet (whole egg and white combo) with 1 teaspoon grated parvo, flax. Add a salad of mango, spinach, roasted red pepper salad sprinkled with toasted sunflower seeds. Drizzle with olive oil and your favorite vinegar. High antioxidant meal, fast, economical, with double the seed power!

Fuel your body … for life! sbb

This will be a great 2010 with a clean slate to a new decade and new beginnings. Think about a healthy start to permanent lifestyle changes. It’s a great day to start with a good dose of Vitamin D in your food or supplement. We can’t get enough from the sunlight until April in the northern hemisphere.

Even though Vitamin D is at worldwide epidemic status at 30-40% deficiency rate, it often goes undetected. This includes those of you who are athletes! Vitamin D protects against inflammatory disease processes such as cardiovascular, cancer, hypertension, arthritis. Importance to athletes are the association of Vitamin D to bone health, improved muscle status, and improved performance.

I have seen numerous clients tested and discover to be Vitamin D deficient. When these same clients receive treatment, they have noticed a significant difference in mood, energy levels, and health status.

I recommend that all athlete find out their vitamin D status through testing serum levels of 25-OH-D levels (the active form of D in the blood). Athletes with limited sun exposure and northern climates should supplement with 1000-5000 IU Vitamin D combined with eating high diet sources of Vitamin D including fatty fish, eggs (yolks), Vitamin D fortified dairy /soy products.

Fuel Your Body in 2010 … and for Life!!

sbb

With all the cold, ice and snow, it’s time to get out and “play”. Sled, run, go to a gym, shovel snow … just move. When you return home, detox with a warm bowl of homemade soup with seasonal vegetables, garlic, beans,  squash, carrots, chard, and white fish. It’s time to say “goodbye” to the holiday cookies, clean the fridge and start fresh.

Any questions?  Just ask.

It’s going to be a great 2010!

sbb

This is your one stop shop for news, articles, updates and healthy recipes that relate to becoming fueled for life!

Share any comments and even add some tips that you have encountered regarding these subjects.

Let’s all encourage each other to “Fuel Your Body for Life”!

Healthy regards,

sbb