Wellness Recipe: Try Something New
You had the courage to start your own business. You took a risk, you ventured out. But I’ll bet, if you’re like most of us, when it comes to the nutrition arena, you haven’t gone on any new adventures lately. This week, I invite you to break out of your usual nutrition routine and try something new and different. Being mindful of any dietary constraints and medical supervision, expand your nutritional repertoire.
If you have little time, try one of these options:
– a small handful of raw almonds and a few fresh figs
– an Organic Food Bar (try Organic Greens flavor; at health food stores)
– goat cheese on a slice of Ezekiel bread
– organic turkey jerky and a piece of fresh fruit
– a small glass of multi-veggie juice (Knudsen’s Very Veggie is great!)
– Nut Thins® crackers spread with hummus or almond butter
– leftover veggies sprinkled with olive oil and a splash of vinegar – makes a great, quick cold salad.
If you have more time, try:
– Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wah); this high protein grain has a nutty flavor and also absorbs the flavors that are used along with it. Prepare as you do rice with 2:1 ratio (liquid:grain); use vegetable broth or organic chicken broth for half of the liquid. Serve as a side dish or toss in shredded chicken, peas, onions, and/or chopped tomatoes for a hearty meal.
– Broccoli Soup: steam 2 cups of fresh or frozen organic broccoli. Place the hot broccoli into a blender. Add a Tablespoon of olive oil or butter, ½ cup almond or rice milk, a splash of chicken stock or vegetable broth and blend on high. Stop when the mixture reaches the desired consistency. More time for thinner soup, less time for thicker soup.
– Arugula and Asian Pear Salad; (arugula will be near the lettuces in your health food store; tender green leaves are somewhat like an oak leaf in shape; flavor is both spicy and nutty. Asian pears are a poplar fall fruit; crisp and juicy and often referred to as “apple pears.”) To make the salad: Slice Asian Pears and place over arugula; toss with grapefruit or lemon juice and a splash of olive oil; garnish with some montrachet goat cheese.
Need a time out? Try this:
Take a refreshing break in your entrepreneurial day. Take a half-hour mid-afternoon visit to the produce section of your local Whole Foods Market or other health food store. Your “something new” this week will be simply to go to the store without a shopping list and without buying anything. Your “something new” will be to go with the intention of simply visiting the produce section and browsing around with new and curious eyes.
When you arrive, notice something you haven’t noticed before – perhaps the way the fruit is stacked, the way the greens are watered every so often, or the way the potatoes are kept in bins away from the light (or if they are not.)
Wander over to the celery; inhale the fragrance of a stalk of a celery – did you even know it has one? Then look around and find a fruit or vegetable that is unfamiliar to you. Pick it up in your hand. Notice its texture, size, shape, and smell. Read anything posted about it such as nutritional value or ways to prepare it – or ask the produce person more about it. Do so simply for the sake of curiosity. Next, ask for a sample slice of a fruit you haven’t tried before. Taste it. Simply notice the way the fruit tastes.
Take a final look around, inhaling the smells, sights and the produce that is there for you when you want it. Give silent gratitude for this place and head back to work refreshed. I do this on occasion to remind myself to slow down and remember just how lucky I am to live amid plenty.
