Archive for March, 2010
Spring Veggies- what’s in your garden?
It's April and we're just seeing the first signs of spring. It’s a season of renewal after the long winter. Small green sprouts are showing themselves as they reach for the sun. Gardeners are out clearing away the winter mess and getting ready to plant the first early seeds. It’s these early vegetables we’d like to explore today.
Radishes, onions, lettuces, peas, spring onions, and seed potatoes or potato eyes can go into the ground as soon as the soil can be worked. Even if you don’t have a lot of space, you can grow them for yourself in containers or small beds. They don’t take up much room at all. Within 6 weeks of spring weather, you’ll be able to harvest baby lettuce, pea shoots, those first radishes and spring onions. A little later we’ll begin to see asparagus, and before long we’ll be shelling peas and pulling baby potatoes, carrots and beets.
Before the age of modern refrigeration, people looked for the first signs of early greens. The new, tender sprouts of wild asparagus, dandelion and wild mustard in the field, as well as the new "fiddle-heads" of fern sprouts in the woods were eaten as a kind of spring tonic to replenish nutrients lost over the winter. I don’t recommend doing this unless you know the field you are picking is free of pesticides and herbicides. Greens growing along roads can be contaminated by car exhaust or even lead, lingering from the days before unleaded gasoline. If you do decide to do this, use the greens the same day you picked them, either raw in salad or steamed and seasoned. Whatever you do, don’t overcook them.
The southern United States is already seeing these spring treats. Strawberries won’t be far behind. It’s doubtful you’ll see them in the supermarkets, but if you have local farmer’s markets or road side stands you should be able to buy them very fresh. And these tender vegetables must be fresh to be fully enjoyed. Of course there are regions of the country where everything can be grown year round, and where people are fortunate to be able to grow or buy them. We’re lucky to be able to buy almost anything shipped in from far away, but it won’t be as delicious as fresh, local food. Whatever region of the world you live in, locally grown vegetables and fruits vary with the seasons and taste best when they are eaten fresh.
You’ll have to know how to store and serve these tender items. Refrigerate them immediately in the crisper drawer. Don’t seal them in airtight plastic because moisture will collect and cause wilting. Wash them just before using in a deep bowl of water, swishing them. Let them sit for a minute so any grit falls to the bottom of the bowl. Lift them out gently and repeat with fresh water if needed. Radish and beet tops can be used in salad if they are young and tender, then the radish root can be stored for a crunchy treat or addition to salads. If you plant peas, you’ll be thinning the rows and it’s nice not to discard the little plants. Pea shoots are very tender and sweet eaten raw or used as you would fresh bean sprouts. The same goes for lettuces. You’ll want some to grow into heads, but when you thin them, the baby leaves are wonderful. Other vegetables such as beets can be handled the same way.
Personally, I like all these vegetables raw. If you haven’t tried raw asparagus, you’ll want to try it. Just snap off the tough end and enjoy the crunch and mild sweetness. Early peas can be eaten the same way. We’ll look forward to salads of fresh, young, tender vegetables that only need a light dressing if that.
Young vegetables are also good lightly roasted with your choice of seasonings. Simply toss them in a bowl with a little olive oil and sprinkling with your favorite seasoned salt. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast for just 10 minutes at 350 Fahrenheit. Baby beets and carrots are especially good this way. You may find that even picky eaters will accept them. Look for these spring fruits and vegetables at the market for the best flavor (and value) when in season. Note that specific crops and harvest dates depend on the climate of your region (see regional seasonality guides and state-specific seasonality guides for details).
Apricots come into season towards the end of spring in the warmer areas where they grow.
Artichokes have a second crop in the fall, but the main harvest takes place in the spring when the largest thistles are available. Look for artichokes with tight, compact leaves and fresh-cut stem ends.
Arugula (a.k.a. rocket) is a cool-weather crop. Long days and warm weather make it bolt, or flower, and bring an unpleasantly bitter flavor to the leaves. Wild arugula is foraged in spring and again the fall. Cultivated arugula is grown year-round, thanks to coastal, temperate growing areas and winter greenhouses.
Asparagus is harvested from March through June, depending on your region. Note that thickness in no way indicates tenderness, which is related to how the plant is grown and how soon it is eaten after harvest rather than spear size.
Beets are in season in temperate climates fall through spring, and available from storage most of the year everywhere else. Fresh beets are often sold with their greens still attached.
Cardoons taste a lot like artichokes; look for firm, heavy-feeling specimens.
Carrots are harvested year-round in temperate areas. True baby carrots - not the milled down versions of regular carrots sold as "baby carrots" at grocery stores - are available in spring and early summer.
Chard and other greens grows year-round in temperate areas, is best harvested in late summer or early fall in colder areas, and fall through spring in warmer regions. Like all cooking greens, chard turns bitter when it gets too hot.
Cherries are ready to harvest at the end of spring in warmer areas. Sweet cherries, including the popular Bing and Rainier varieties, are available from May to August. Sour cherries have a much shorter season, and can be found for a week or two, usually during the middle of June in warmer areas and as late as July and August in colder regions.
Fava beans are a Mediterranean favorite available in the U.S. from early spring through summer.
Fennel has a natural season from fall through early spring.
Fiddleheads are available in early spring through early summer depending on the region; these young wild ferns are foraged.
Garlic scapes/green garlic are both available in spring and early summer. Green garlic is immature garlic and looks like a slightly overgrown scallion. Garlic scapes are the curled flower stalks of hardnecked garlic varieties grown in colder climates.
Grapefruit from California, Texas, Florida, and Arizona comes into season in January and stays sweet and juicy into early summer.
Green onions/Scallions are cultivated year-round in temperate climates and come into harvest in the spring in warmer areas.
Greens of all sorts some into season in warmer regions.
Kiwis grow on vines and are harvested winter through springing warmer and temperate areas.
Kohlrabi is harvested in the fall in cooler areas, and through early spring in more temperate areas.
Kumquats are still available in very early spring.
Leeks more than about 1 1/2 inches wide tend to have tough inner cores. The top green leaves should look fresh - avoid leeks with wilted tops.
Lemons are at their juicy best from winter into early summer.
Lettuce starts coming into season in cooler climates (it grows through the winter in temperate and warmer areas).
Mint starts thriving in the spring.
Morels are foraged in the wild in the spring. Look for firm specimens at specialty markets and foragers' stalls at farmers markets.
Nettles are sold at markets by foragers and farmers, but most people get theirs the old-fashioned way: foraging them themselves. If you're lucky they're growing as "weeds" in your garden.
Navel oranges hit the end of their season in the spring.
Parsley
Pea greens are sold in big tumbled masses in spring and early summer. Look for bright vines with fresh, vibrant looking leaves. Avoid vines with brown or mushy ends or damaged leaves.
Peas (garden, snap, snow, etc.) come into season in the spring and continue in most areas well into summer.
Radishes are at their sweet, crunchy best in the spring.
Rhubarb is the first fruit of spring in many areas - look for heavy stalks with shiny skin.
Spinach season varies with your climate - year-round in temperate areas, summer and fall in cooler areas, fall through spring in warmers regions.
Spring onions are simply regular onions that farmers pull from the field to thin the rows in spring and early summer.
Strawberries are mostly grown in California or Florida, where the strawberry growing season runs from January through November. Peak season is April through June. Other areas of the country have shorter growing seasons that range from five-months to as short as a few weeks in the coldest areas.
Sweet Onions have slightly different seasons, but in general they are available in spring and summer.
Turnips have a sharp but bright and sweet flavor. Look for turnips that feel heavy for their size.
Don't have a garden of your own? No worries. There happens to be a great company in town who will deliver fresh, seasonal organic fruits and veggies to your door. They're called DOOR TO DOOR ORGANICS. Give them a call and find out more! 816 997 9073.
How to dress to look 10 lbs thinner tonight!
JOIN FASHIONISTA AND LSS COACH KATHY HALE THIS SATURDAY, MARCH 27TH FOR OUR LEANER STRONGER SOONER FASHION SHOW!
Take a look at the runway as our LSS fashionistas strut their stuff looking mighty fine! In clothing provided by local clothier IMAGERY, our models will show off their new figures as Kathy shares fashion tips to help you dress 10 lbs thinner tonight!
Fashion. Food. Healthy libations and Shopping.... what more could a girl want?
Bring your friends and family. This soiree is not to be missed!
Shopping by IMAGERY and lulumon activewear. Cosmetics provided by ZENSPA.
THE SKINNY DRESSER FASHION TIPS...
- Choose clothing all in one color to give yourself a long, lean look.
- Wear black. It gives a look that is especially slimming. Lighter colors have a tendency to show off a person's flaws.
- Try to avoid shapeless clothing. No one is fooled, and loose clothes often make you appear wider or heavier.
- Avoid tight clothing that will emphasize your heavy areas. * Choose softly tailored pieces that define but don't constrain.
- Steer clear of horizontal stripes, which make you appear wider, but consider vertical stripes, which make you look longer and leaner.
- Wear blocks of color that draw the eye away from less-than-perfect areas. Wear a red shell or royal blue jacket, for example, to draw attention away from your legs.
- Change your proportions. Or at least look like you did. Wear low-rise pants to make your trunk appear longer and less bulky. Wear shoulder pads and wide necklines to balance wide hips.
- Show more of your neck to look thinner. If your neck looks longer it will make you look skinnier. Wear V-neck shirts or low-cut blouses to help make you appear thinner.
- Keep your hair out of your face. If you have long hair you should wear it up to make you look skinnier. If you don't like to wear your hair up, try curls.
- Choose pants that have narrow or tapered legs to hide a large midsection. Flat-front pants and side or back zippers will flatter your figure, while pockets, pleats and tight pants will only draw attention to your midsection.
The right foods for every body part….
Today's busy, high-stress lifestyles often lead to a diet of convenience—one that's lacking in vitamins and minerals, and overloaded with sugar, fat, and calories. The result: a body that never realizes its full potential. But you can fight back with food; start today and you'll hit your peak from head to toe.
Skin
Carrots are loaded with vitamin A, which helps balance the pH of your skin's surface, making it just acidic enough to fend off harmful bacteria. Plus National Cancer Institute researchers found that people with the highest intakes of carotenoids—pigments that occur naturally in carrots—were six times less likely to develop skin cancer than those with the lower intakes.
Hair
Low iron levels can lead to baldness, according to a Cleveland Clinic review. Researchers looked at 11 studies on the relationship between iron intake and hair loss, and concluded that treating iron deficiency may help regrow hair. Feed your mane iron-packed foods such as lean red meat, turkey, egg yolks, dried beans, dried fruit, whole grains.
Eyes
The National Institute of Health found that people who consume the most lutein—a carotenoid found in plant foods—are 43 percent less likely to develop macular degeneration. Lutein helps filter blue light, preventing it from damaging retinal tissues. Eat two servings of greens each day. Consider one serving to be ½ cup of cooked spinach, broccoli, or brussels sprouts.
Heart
Cornell University researchers found that eating one Red Delicious apple a day can block LDL oxidation, resulting in an 8 percent drop in levels. Bonus: Apples (and their skins) contain soluble fiber, the kind that scrubs artery walls clean. Cut one up and mix it into your oatmeal, another top source.
Muscles
To maximize muscle growth, you need the right raw materials. Beef is the perfect muscle food because it's packed with protein, zinc, and creatine. Grass fed beef is the best if you can find it- no hormones and great taste!
Bones
Bones are a lot like reclusive coworkers; until one snaps, you aren't likely to give them much thought. Drink two 8-ounce glasses of vitamin D-fortified low-fat milk every day. This provides your body with 600 milligrams (mg) of calcium and 5 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin D, the perfect combination of nutrients to build break-resistant bones. Plus, in a 20-year study, U.K. researchers determined that those who drink more than 6 ounces of milk a day have half the risk of stroke of people who drink less.
Belly
By snacking on the right foods—those that are low in sugar but rich in protein—you'll keep your metabolic furnace stoked, and be less likely to binge between meals. Have one slice of hard or semihard cheese—for instance, Cheddar, Swiss, or provolone—two or three times a day. Cheese has 7 grams of protein per slice and contains no sugar. That means it doesn't raise blood-sugar levels, so your body stays in fat-burning mode. Want an alternative? Opt for a cup of low-fat greek yogurt.
source: Men's Health Magazine
And the pounds just keep peeling off….
Congratulations to our current group of LEANER STRONGER SOONER Participants!
Not all the stats are in yet, but to date, our teams have gotten these AMAZING RESULTS!
Keep up the great work! Our next event is the LSS FASHION SHOW- Sat March 27th at 1:00pm.
THANK YOU IMAGERY FOR CLOTHING OUR MODELS FOR THE SHOW!
GET YOUR FIBER IN AND DROP POUNDS FAST!
Fiber Foods Help You Slim Down
Simple ways to add low and high fiber foods to your diet plan and keep the weight off--yes it's that easy!
We all know our bodies need calcium for bones, vitamin C to fend off colds, and chocolate to save relationships. But when it comes to losing weight, the nutritional information is a little more confusing. The mighty trilogy of nutrients — protein, carbohydrates, and fat — garners most of the diet industry's attention, but it's becoming much more clear that fiber needs to be the fourth leg of the dietary table. Study after study shows that not only do high fiber foods help lower your risk of cancer, heart attack, and high blood pressure, but it also keeps you full and helps you cut calories you consume every day. Trouble is, most of us think that getting the recommended 30 grams of fiber a day means eating cereal that tastes like the box it comes in. But that's not the case; you can sneak fiber foods into your diet anywhere. Use these 28 fiber-friendly tactics to eat more — and weigh less.
At Breakfast
Spice up your eggs. One-third of a cup of chopped onion and one clove of garlic will add 1 g of fiber to scrambled eggs. Or fold the eggs omelette-style over 1/2 cup of cooked broccoli for an additional 2 g.
Drop a whole orange into the blender to flavor your morning smoothie. One peeled orange has nearly 3 g more fiber than even the pulpiest orange juice.
Fill your juice glass with nectar instead of a watery juice from concentrate. Nectar is apricot, peach, pear, or papaya juice, mixed with fiber-rich pulp. It packs more than 1 g of fiber per 8-ounce glass.
Heat up a bowl of oat bran instead of oatmeal; it has nearly 2 g more fiber. Add even more flavor and fiber by stirring in 1/4 cup of raisins or chopped dates before nuking it.
Sprinkle ground flaxseed over your favorite cold cereal, or stir a few spoonfuls into a cup of yogurt. Two tablespoons equals close to an extra 2 g fiber.
Grab an Asian pear. Similar in taste to other pears, the red-colored Asian variety has an apple-like crispness and shape, and it delivers significantly more fiber — 4 g per pear.
Buy spreadable fiber, like almond butter, for your whole-wheat toast. Two tablespoons adds 2 g of fiber, along with a healthy dose of heart-protecting fats and vitamins like E.
Whip up a pack of hot-chocolate mix instead of that second cup of coffee. Most instant-cocoa mixes have as much as 3 g of fiber per cup.
At Lunch
Don't like whole wheat? Make your sandwiches with rye bread. One slice has almost 2 g fiber — twice the amount found in white bread.
Opt for burritos instead of tacos. Flour tortillas have more fiber than taco shells. Even better, make the burrito whole wheat for still more fiber per serving. Now, order that burrito with meat and beans instead of meat alone. Half a cup of beans adds 6 g of fiber to your meal.
Stow some microwavable soup in your desk for when you need to work through lunch. Lentil, chili with beans, ham and bean, and black bean each have between 6 and 10 g of fiber per cup.
Shower your pizza with oregano or basil. A teaspoon of either spice adds 1 g of fiber. Order it with mushrooms and you'll get 1 g more.
Build your burger with a sesame-seed bun instead of the plain variety. Sesame seeds add 1/2 g of fiber per burger.
Order your dog with sauerkraut. Every 1/4 cup you pile on adds close to 1 g of fiber to your frank.
In the Afternoon
Drink bottled chocolate milk, not white. The combination of the chocolate and the compounds needed to keep it suspended in the milk provides 1.5 g of fiber in every 8 ounces.
Pop a pack of light popcorn instead of popping open a bag of potato chips. There's 8 g of fiber in every bag of popcorn.
Have a low-sodium V8 and its 2 g of fiber. The V8 that comes spiked with salt has half that amount.
Graze on trail mix instead of a granola bar. Most granola bars have only 1 g of fiber, while trail mix with dried fruit has nearly 3 g.
At Dinner
Toss 1/2 cup of chickpeas into a pot of your favorite soup. They'll absorb the flavor of the soup and tack 6 g of fiber onto your bottom line.
Swap a sweet potato for your standard spud. Sweet potatoes have 2 g more fiber per tuber than the typical Idaho variety. Not a fan? At least eat the skin of the regular potato — it alone has 1 g of fiber.
Go wild when you make rice. Cup for cup, wild rice has three times the fiber of white.
Add some green to your red sauce. Doctor your favorite jarred pasta sauce with 1/2 cup of frozen chopped spinach. The spinach will take on the flavor of the sauce and pad your fiber count by more than 2 g.
Prepare whole-wheat or spinach pasta instead of the regular semolina kind. A cup of either has 5 g of fiber.
Cook broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots, and you'll take in 3 to 5 g of fiber per serving, as much as twice what you'll get if you eat them raw. (Heat makes fiber more available.)
Use uncooked oatmeal instead of breadcrumbs in your next meat loaf. Add 3/4 cup of oats per pound of ground meat, and you'll boost the total fiber count to more than 8 g.
At Dessert
Say nuts to candy bars. Bars with almonds, like Almond Joy and Alpine white chocolate with almonds, have about 2 g of fiber — almost twice the fiber content of bars without.
Top a bowl of ice cream with sliced fresh berries in lieu of syrup. One-half cup of raspberries provides 4 g of fiber; strawberries and blueberries pack half that amount.
Introduce your pie hole to a slice of apple, cherry, or berry pie, and you'll add an extra 3 to 5 g of fiber. Cake doesn't have nearly as much fiber.
GETTING REAL ABOUT PORTIONS AND PIE HOLES…
How large is 3 ounces of steak? What about an ounce of cheese or half a cup of spaghetti? Doling out food portions for a recipe or a diet plan is always a crapshoot—it's hard to tell 3 ounces from 10. Worse, we simply shovel down our chow until our plates are empty and it's time to leave the table. To help you monitor how much food you put in your mouth, a team of nutritionists helped Men's Health compile a dozen easy conversions for standard servings. Just keep in mind that nutritional information will vary by brand and type of food.
Sausage
Food portion: 1 oz sausage link
Nutritional info: 54 cal, 5 g fat
Same size as: Shotgun shell
Butter
1 tsp butter
Nutritional info: 34 cal, 4 g fat
Same size as: Tip of thumb
Mashed Potatoes
Food portion: 1/2 cup mashed potatoes
Nutritional info: 112 cal, 5 g fat
Same size as: Half an apple
Swiss Cheese
Food portion: 1 oz cubed Swiss cheese
Nutritional info: 107 cal, 8 g fat
Same size as: Four dice
Cooked Spaghetti
Food portion: 1/2 cup cooked spaghetti
Nutritional info: 99 cal, 1 g fat
Same size as: Fist
Ice Cream
Food portion: 1/2 cup ice cream
Nutritional info: 143 cal, 7 g fat
Same size as: Tennis ball
Chicken Soup
Food portion: 1 cup chicken-noodle soup
Nutritional info: 175 cal, 6 g fat
Same size as: Baseball
Blue-Cheese Dressing
Food portion: 2 Tbsp blue-cheese dressing
Nutritional info: 154 cal, 16 g fat
Same size as: Golf ball
Dry Spaghetti
Food portion: 4 oz dry spaghetti
Nutritional info: 422 cal, 2 g fat
Same size as: The diameter of a quarter (when held tightly together and viewed from the end)
Lasagna
Food portion: 8 oz lasagna
Nutritional info: 270 cal, 8 g fat
Same size as: Two hockey pucks
Mozzarella
Food portion: 1 oz mozzarella
Nutritional info: 80 cal, 6 g fat
Same size as: Ping-Pong ball
Just remember, when you want to GET REAL about what you are putting in your mouth, you've got to remember, once again, that SIZE DOES MATTER. Choose mindfully and see the lbs melt off your body in record time!