One
Step At a Time...
You
Can Go Meatless
For
All Three Meals
A
whole-foods lifestyle is available for all individuals and families. Good health,
vibrant health, begins with whole foods. Most of our grandparents
cooked, gardened, and ate what was available. They didn't cook meals
to satisfy each person in the family. Their children ate what was
prepared.
So
many things are tied to vibrant nutrition. Children do better at
school. Adults do better at work. A whole host of medical conditions
(obesity, hypertension, diabetes, etc.), which often plague the poor,
are positively impacted by a whole-foods diet, but we have to want
it. We have to want it for ourselves and for our families. We have to
want change. Change that incorporates mostly whole foods will change
lives.
Cost-wise,
we are negatively affected if we buy convenience foods, eat out a
lot, don't cook from scratch, don't plan meals, don't garden, and
don't have a mindful food practice in place. Eating anything that has
been boxed, packaged, cooked, or served to you or for you hikes up
the price of our food costs. Period. Avoid this option whenever
possible if money is an issue. Eating out is an obvious source of
hiked-up food costs. If we're really trying to keep a lid on those
costs, this should be used as a rare treat.
Cooking
meals from scratch is the best thing we can do. These meals are more
flavorful. They have a better chance of including the whole family in
the process of meal planning. Cooking from scratch helps to ground
the idea that good food and good food preparation matter. We get to
experiment with taste, color, texture, spices, seasonings. More than
anything else, if we want to change how we and our families view
food, we'll need to be hands-on as often as possible. It truly does
matter.
Planning
meals helps us incorporate healthful tips and foods. It helps us be
more mindful about what we are trying to do for ourselves. For our
families. Meal plans also help us cut down on costs. If we know ahead
of time what we want, we can compare prices, adjust our lists, take
advantage of great deals. Meal plans can also help us create healthy
versions of fast food (convenience eating).
Mindful
planning. Mindful cooking. Mindful living. We spend purposeful time
thinking about what we want for ourselves and our families. We make a
plan. We think about our impact on the Earth and each other and we
decide to act differently. We find out what whole foods are. We
incorporate them into our diets. We should all give gardening a try.
There are many benefits. We garden because it's good for ourselves,
our families, our spirits. We garden because it's possible and it
helps make our lives better. And because the food that graces our
tables from the garden is so incredibly tasty and fresh.
We
can save ourselves. We are unnecessarily afflicted by diseases and
unhealthful conditions. A whole-foods dietary practice can and will
change that. Let's get with the program. It is not only
cost-effective, but could help put money in savings. Be willing to
cook, experiment, try. Be willing to do what is necessary to change
your life. It's a journey and LQ Wellness is here to help you begin
your meatless journey one day a week.
Healthy
Meatless Recipe:
Italian
Spaghetti Squash Bake
(adapted
from the slenderstudent.com)
Ingredients:
2
C cooked spaghetti squash*
1-2
t minced garlic
1/4 C each of your choice of chopped veggies (use
onions, mushrooms, grape tomatoes, and roasted red peppers or your
favorite veggies)
1/2
C baby spinach
1/2
C BOCA Ground Crumbles (found in the freezer section)
1/2
C tomato purée or spaghetti sauce
1/2 t dried Italian herbs
1/4
C shredded part skim mozzarella
1
T bread crumbs
1
T shredded parmesan cheese
Salt
and pepper to taste
PAM
Original nonstick spray
*To
prepare your spaghetti squash: 1 spaghetti squash, salt and pepper;
Cut
the
squash in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and fibers with a
spoon. Place
on
a baking sheet, cut side up and sprinkle with salt and pepper.Bake
at
350°
about an hour or until the skin gives easily under pressure and the
inside is tender. Remove from oven and let it cool 10 minutes.
Using
a fork, scrape out the squash flesh a little at a time. It will
separate into spaghetti-like strands.
Directions:
- In a large pan coated with PAM, brown your minced garlic over medium heat. Add chopped veggies and sauté until slightly softened.
- Add in your BOCA Crumbles, cooking until they’re heated throughout.
- To the cooked vegetables and crumbles, add your cooked spaghetti squash and baby spinach. Stir until the baby spinach has wilted slightly.
- Pour in the tomato sauce and season with Italian herbs, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Spread the squash mix into a small baking dish coated with PAM. Sprinkle the bread crumbs, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese over the top.
- Place under the broiler (or bake at 450°) until the top is bubbly and browned.
- Serves 4
Enjoy
and Bon Appetit!
Healthy
Weekly Motivator:
Believe
In Your Buds
We
all had that one vegetable we refused to eat as a child, but times
(and taste buds) change!
Don’t let the past prevent you from
getting the nutritional benefits of asparagus, lima beans, peas,
Brussels sprouts, or your personal veggie villain.
Our flavor
profiles vary greatly with age: you may just find a new favorite in
your former foe. Embrace your adulthood this week by trying a
vegetable that you wouldn’t have touched as a child.
Start
slowly by adding it to a favorite dish. If it’s still not love at
first bite, congratulate yourself for giving it a try anyway.
Have
a great week everyone and remember a better tomorrow starts with what
you eat today!
Do
you have a favorite meatless recipe you would like to share with us?
Send it my way!
Wishing
you health and wellness from the inside out,
Lisa
Make
sure to follow me on Twitter @lq_wellness
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me on Facebook
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me on Pinterest
“The
wise man should consider that health is the greatest of human
blessings. Let food be your medicine."
~Hippocrates~
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