Archive for ‘Healthy Eating’

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November 3, 2011

Healthy Eating – Saying Goodbye to Halloween!

One of the things that is both good and bad about working from home is that food is always at your fingertips.

The good thing is that it makes eating healthy meals easier.  Everything is there at your fingertips to either make something fresh or heat up something healthy that you made the day before.

This also happens to be the downside of working from home.  When an intense candy holiday, such as Halloween arrives, it means candy is also readily available.  After eating at least a dozen “Fun Size” packages of Twix, Hot Tamales, Snickers, Three Musketeers, Milky Way and M&Ms this morning my body is HATING me and the day is only half over. Every garbage can in my house is littered with wrappers.

First pieces of evidence (nos. 1 - 6) - Office garbage

Pieces of evidence nos. 7 & 8 - Kitchen Garbage

Pieces of evidence nos. 9 & 10 - Kitchen Garbage cont.

With each piece I ate, I told myself “this is the last one”. Right! I have a HUGE sweet tooth. Unfortunately my son inherited that from me, so he has it too.  Both of us have been known to eat ourselves sick on sweets. Because of this (and for our health in general), I try not to have sweets in our house on a regular basis.  A few months ago after many daily conversations that started with “Mom, can I have a treat after dinner?” and ending with “No. Treats are called treats, because it’s special, it’s not meant to be eaten every day.”  my son tired of this and suggested on his own that we only have treats one day a week and selected Sunday as the day.  Holy smokes!  I could hardly believe my ears or maintain my composure!!!  But I was no fool, if my child was going to suggest such a plan, then who was I to argue?  He eliminated hours of begging and arguing in one motion!  And, not to mention, he secretly gave me something to abide by during the day as well.  And honestly, what a smart cookie.  He no longer feels the need to ask whether he can have a treat, but knows he is guaranteed a treat one day a week.

Pieces of evidence - nos. 11 - 13 - Bathroom Garbage

That was until Halloween came along.

Originally I wanted to hand out something other than candy this year.  I thought it was a good idea.  I was thinking glow sticks, pencils or some other fun but useful chotchskies, but that suggestion was received with blank stares.  Okay, honestly I didn’t completely buy it myself and I worried about becoming the “lame” house or getting egged, so I gave in and said we could do candy under the condition that we did not open any of it before Halloween.  And so it was.  No one did.  My son and I even had to race to open it when the first little trick-or-treater arrived.  But that’s where it ended. My husband took our son out trick-or-treating and I was left to “man” the house and “hand out” candy… My process went like this: a few for them, a few for me, a few for them, a few for me… you get the picture.

Maybe this happens with everyone, or maybe just those of us with a weakness for sugar, but if I don’t eat any, I’m fine. No cravings, nothing. If I eat one, I’m done for.  UNLESS, I do something as stupid as I’ve done today and literally eaten myself sick.  This might be thought of as strange, but I truly think of this as a good thing.  Now that I feel a little ill and my blood feels like sludge going through my veins, I want nothing more than to get myself on track, eating healthy food again.

So my mission this evening is to get my list together, get to the grocery store, fill the house with good stuff and be done with it.  Now, I promised my son that we could keep the candy in the house for 1 week.  I will honor that promise for him.  Then it’s out of here. In the mean time, no need to worry about me because as I mentioned before if I don’t have anything I’m fine and I already ate myself sick so that pretty much kills all cravings.

The final piece of evidence - Dining Room Table

Next year, it’s glow sticks for sure!  (They’re not edible, right?)

Kate

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June 25, 2011

Edible Weed #2, Glowing Vinaigrette & Lessons from Austria

Maybe you saw the comment on my first edible weeds post reminding me of when my eyes were first opened to the concept of weeds being edible.

When I was in college I was fortunate enough to be able to do a study abroad program in Graz, Austria.   That trip left a huge impression on me.  I lived with a wonderful host family and made life-long friends.  It’s also where my eyes were opened up to what incredible consumers we are in the US.  At times I almost felt guilty for being from the US, even embarrassed.  I think we’ve made great strides in the years since I was there, but we’re not even to the level of consciousness now that Europeans were nearly 20 years ago.

Their impression of us was that everything is big.  Big houses, big cars, Big Macs.  My impression of them when I first got there was that they did everything the hard way and everything was small. Small cars, small houses, everything they bought came in small packages, with very little packaging.  That was the first time I’d seen the small rectangular cartons that we can now buy broths, milk, etc. in.  At the time they were foreign to me, including lunch.

Lunch is the main meal of the day in Europe, which when you think about it, is way healthier than eating the main meal in the evening like the majority of Americans do.  When you eat in the middle of the day you’ll get energy when you’ll use it vs. filling up when you’re winding down at the end of the day when we don’t need it and then turn it into storage!

I’ll never forget the day I sat down to lunch with my host family and looked at the salad we were having.  Everything in my bowl looked peculiar.  The vinaigrette dressing was glowing green, but that wasn’t as disturbing as what it was on.  I thought I was going crazy, but this “lettuce” that was in my bowl looked a lot like leaves of the most common weed at home.  Since I’d just gotten to Austria and was still getting used to “Styrish” (the dialect in the part of Austria I was in) I thought something must be getting lost in translation.  Did my host mom just say we’re eating dandelions for lunch?  I laughed so hard at the concept.  I mean seriously, these people are eating for lunch, what we are determined to destroy with chemicals everyday!  Then I tried it.  Awesome!  The combination of the glowing green vinaigrette (made with pumpkin seed oil) and the dandelions soon became one of my favorite salads.  The next phone call to my parents I told them to quit putting chemicals on the lawn – the dandelions were lunch!

So there you have it, edible weed #2.  Dandelions!  Other than your front yard, dandelion greens can be found in co-ops, farmer’s markets and the mixed greens in most supermarkets.

Now run out and pick yourself a salad! (Unless of course you put chemicals on them, then definitely stay away!)

Kate

Posted in Edible Weeds, Environment, Healthy Eating, Mindful Living, Weeds | Leave a Comment »

May 6, 2011

Plant sales and Living Green!

Can you feel it?  It’s like a buzzing, fluttering, whooshing sort of feeling.  It’s everywhere!  Spring is FINALLY here in Minnesota and the energy is amazing.  The sun is shining and we’re supposed to have a near 70 degree day.  This week I got 3 new issues of gardening magazines, 3 plants and seeds for my Children’s Garden arrived and plant sales are everywhere!  I love it, I love it, I love it!

Much as I’d like to keep it a secret, I have to put a shout out to the HTC Plant Sale located at the Hennepin Technical College Brooklyn Park Campus. Although there are many plant sales out there, this one is close to my heart. Not only because I went to school there, but also because the plants being sold are grown and cared for by the Landscape and Horticulture students.  Deb Kvamme, one of the instructors, is one of the most passionate plant people I’ve ever met, so she makes the sale very fun.  They always have the standard bedding plants, veggies and herbs, but if you get there early enough, you’re guaranteed to find something unique as well.  There are 3 greenhouses bursting with plants and the sale is run like a well oiled machine.  It’s worth the drive.  The sale runs May 5th, 6th and 7th from 9am – 7pm.  Go!  You won’t be disappointed!

Another plant sale “must do” this weekend is the Friends School Plant Sale held at the Minnesota State Fair Grounds Grandstand.  If you’ve never been there, it’s GI-NOR-MOUS.  I’ve never seen anything like it.  They even produce their own catalog with plants that are available at the sale.  View it online, it’s an impressive list to say the least!  The Friends School sale runs Friday, May 7, from 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m., Saturday, May 8, from 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. and Sunday, May 9, from 12:00 noon – 4:00 pm. Sunday is discount day.

While you’re at the fair grounds visit the Living Green Expo.  There you can learn about how to live a more mindful, sustainable life.  There are seminars and vendors with everything from gardening and composting, to cooking, to solar, wind and water, to energy savings, to rain gardens and permaculture and even organic lawn care just to name a few.  The Living Green Expo runs Saturday, May 7th from 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., Sunday May 8th from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Do you have a favorite sale I didn’t list?  Let everyone know!

Not in the Twin Cities?  Check your local paper or garden club for sales, grab a friend and go!

Enjoy all things green this weekend!

Kate

Posted in Cooking, Environment, Healthy Eating, Landscaping, Mindful Living, Organic Gardening | Leave a Comment »

March 26, 2011

Walnuts and What?!?

Welcome to Walnuts and Pears!

For a long time, I’ve been trying to decide what I want to be when I grow up.  I’ve been trying to figure out how to utilize my education and life experiences to create something that makes sense to share with others.  Something I really enjoy and have a passion for.

My background is in horticulture and landscaping and I have an obsession with pretty much every kind of plant, so, yes, I’m kind of a plant geek.  I’ve been a resource for family and friends with landscaping and gardening questions, design help, etc. for quite some time and have really enjoyed that, but I would like to do more with it.

What I realized recently is that there isn’t a single resource for all the things that are important to me, so I’ve decided to start my own.  Ultimately I’d like to start a physical space for people to go to learn about all things related to living a centered, healthy, fulfilling life.

Walnuts and Pears is the beginning; a virtual place to share thoughts, observations and tidbits of information on landscaping, gardening, harvesting, cooking, eating, preserving, and healthy, mindful living.  A place with purpose, passion, caring, love and respect for self, others and Mother Nature.

The name of this blog is based on the 17th century English proverb:

Walnuts and pears you plant for your heirs. ~ Thomas Fuller

Walnut and pear trees, particularly older varieties, take years to produce fruit.  If you plant one of these trees today, you are planting, not for yourself, but for your children and future generations.

That’s the concept behind this blog and my future business.  A place to learn how to do things not just for our own benefit and those close to us, but also for those we might never meet.

I hope you have fun, learn a few things, share your comments and laugh along the way.

Take care,

Kate

Walnuts and Pears – Living today for tomorrow’s generation.

Posted in Cooking, Environment, Healthy Eating, Landscaping, Mindful Living, Organic Gardening | 3 Comments »

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