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In Celebration of June and the Dirty Dozen

June 2, 2022

With the arrival of June comes Indiana strawberries. It’s also the month to continue planting your vegetables, flowers, and enjoying life.

Some fun, as well as traditional National holidays, are abundant.

Here are some of them that you may choose to celebrate, or not:

JUNE HOLIDAYS

2: National Rocky Road Day and National Rotisserie Chicken Day

3: Egg Day, Repeat Day (so you can watch your favorite movie over and over and over…) and National Donut Day (since it’s repeat day, eat more than one donut for a dual celebration)

4: National Frozen Yogurt Day

5: National Gingerbread Day

6: National Yo-Yo Day

7: National Chocolate Ice Cream Day

8: Best Friends Day

9: National Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Day

10: Iced Tea Day

14: Flag Day

19: Father’s Day (remember to spoil dad)

Shopping at the IGA

I was recently shopping at a small-town IGA in search of berries, apples, zucchini, and whatever else looked appealing.

While I found a most of the items on my produce list, there were no organic fruits or vegetables available.

I bought my produce anyway, since conventional produce is better than not eating fruits and vegetables. They will get washed a bit longer than if they were organic.

Here is the 2022 Dirty Dozen—the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) 12 recommended fruits and vegetables that should be organic whenever possible, due to the excessive pesticide use. This is especially important for babies, children, and pregnant women.

Strawberries
Spinach
Kale, collard, and mustard greens
Nectarines
Apples
Grapes
Bell and hot peppers
Cherries
Peaches
Pears
Celery
Tomatoes

If you are trying to decide which items to splurge on when buying organic, you now have your updated list.

Cheers to June,
Health Coach Carol

“Be shore of yourself. Come out of your shell. Take time to coast. Avoid pier pressure. Sea life’s beauty. Don’t get so tied down on work that you miss out on life’s beautiful waves.” – Advice from the Ocean

Dirty Dozen Environmental Working Group EWG IGA June organic pesticides strawberries

Guess What I Caught Mr. Non-Compliant Eating

May 26, 2022

Family, Fun, Health, Hope

About a week ago, I walked into the kitchen and saw Mr. Non-Compliant (my dear hubby) eating breakfast.

Up-close inspection revealed that he had a bowl of Greek yogurt, the plain unsweetened variety, with a bit of granola sprinkled in, and a sliced apple on the side.

“Really? You put this together all by yourself?” I said. “Who ARE you?”

Now, to be clear, I’ve seen him eating Greek yogurt and granola before, but usually with a generous amount of honey (he’s been cutting back on the honey over time), and a piece of toast in place of the apple.

I was in shock.

“Are you ruining your reputation?”

“Oh, don’t worry,” he replied ever so calmly. “I’ll make up for it later.”

And he did. I witnessed him gleefully enjoying a brownie later that day.

The point of this brief exchange is to give you hope. Hope for you and/or the people you live with, as you practice eating more nutritionally dense foods in place of some that aren’t.

The apple and toast are both carbohydrates. The difference is that the apple—a complex carbohydrate—will not spike his blood sugar like toast, offers a wider variety of nutrients, and even has fiber. (He won’t eat whole grain bread.)

This was huge.

He’s learned that he must eat some protein at each meal, less added sugar is better, and carbohydrates in the form of fruits and vegetables is preferred over foods made from white flour.

He still enjoys his treats, however, a little goes a long way. Many foods that he was used to eating on a regular basis are too sweet. His taste buds have adapted and are now happy with less.

I saw an article on dessert-inspired breakfasts: Boston Cream Pie doughnuts, Tiramisu pancakes, Carrot Cake waffle breakfast sandwich. None of those are happening in my kitchen, and Mr. NC is fine with that.

It is possible to change your taste buds with a bit of patience and conscientious eating.

Cheers to your progress!

Much love,
Health Coach Carol

“You will find that your taste buds have a memory of about 3 weeks.”—Neal D. Barnard

added sugar apples granola Greek yogurt Mr. Non-Compliant taste buds

Treat Your Taste Buds to This Simple Green Salad

May 19, 2022

Food, Fun, Health

As warmer days make their appearance, we tend to trade our hearty soup recipes in for light, bursting-with-flavor salads.

By increasing fruit and vegetable intake, and introducing a variety of produce, we can strengthen the immune system by diversifying the gut microbiome, or “good” bacteria.

This salad is perfect for a light lunch or even a snack. Add grilled chicken to make it a more substantial meal.

Mixed Greens with Goat Cheese and Blueberries

Fill your favorite salad bowl with a mixture of greens. I used mixed spring greens, arugula, and buttercrunch. Crumble goat cheese (or your favorite soft cheese) and add a handful of blueberries to the greens. Toss first with extra virgin olive oil, then add fresh lemon juice and a bit of salt to taste. The sweet blueberries balance out the tart goat cheese and lemon juice. When sufficiently tossed, top with sunflower seeds or chopped nut of your choice.

For dessert, a honeycrisp apple. If you eat apples and don’t have the gadget in the picture, it’s time to invest in the apple corer slicer. With one quick swoop, the apple is ready to eat.

Confession: when I buy greens, I often get the organic varieties that are washed and ready to eat. They come in those recyclable plastic containers. I’m trying to bring home less plastic, however I eat more greens when it’s quick and easy. Still a work in progress here…

Sautéed Vegetable Mix

This week I also made a side dish with some veggies that were hanging out in my vegetable bin.

It was quite a colorful combo and Mr. Non-Compliant commented on how much he liked them. Yes, you read that correctly. He is enjoying his vegetables these days.

I sautéed Vidalia onion, zucchini, red cabbage, and rainbow Swiss chard in coconut oil (avocado oil is good too, since it is stable when using high heat) until tender. Before serving, I sprinkled on some Tajín Clásico Seasoning, a unique blend of 100% natural chili peppers, lime & sea salt. You could sprinkle with your favorite seasoning, or salt and pepper.

Remember to find something “new to you” in the produce section this week. Have fun creating a simple colorful salad or side dish.

Cheers to colorful and delicious eating,
Health Coach Carol

“Food is not simply organic fuel to keep body and soul together, it is a perishable art that must be savored at the peak of perfection.” – E.A. Bucchianeri

apple corer slicer blueberries goat cheese microbiome mixed greens Mr. Non-Compliant salad Tajin

Six Tips to Make Gardening Easy and Fun

May 12, 2022

Food, Fun, Health

Depending on where you live, it may be time to plant a garden.

We are now frost free in Northwest Indiana. Allegedly.

We’ll see…

The rule of green thumbs around here is that it’s safe to plant after Mother’s Day.

Grateful for the warm days of late and hoping that the sun sticks around.

Whether you have a green thumb or not, a generous area to plant a garden or only a patio, are a seasoned gardener or a rookie, here are a few tips to help inspire you and cheer you on to gardening greatness.

Tip #1

Gardening is supposed to be fun and relaxing. If any of these ideas cause you to cringe because it’s “one more thing to do,” then become good buddies with someone who always grows too many tomatoes and cucumbers. You’ll enjoy fresh produce without the stress. Or visit your local farmers market.

Tip #2

If you’re new to gardening and aren’t sure what to plant, consider growing a few herbs in containers. Fresh herbs add a delicious twist to salads, dressings, and recipes. They’re easy and attractive. Common herbs to grow: basil, parsley, rosemary, cilantro, chives, thyme, sage, mint (this one spreads and comes back every year, so it’s a good idea to only grow it in a pot).

Tip #3

Seeds take several weeks to get off to a good start. Serious gardeners plant seeds indoors in the early spring so that they can move the plants to the soil once it’s warm. If that’s not you (it’s not me either) plant seedlings from a garden center that are already big enough to distinguish from the weeds.

Tip #4

Choose vegetables that you enjoy eating and maybe one that you are not familiar with. Last year I grew okra for the first time and was fascinated by the way the vegetable grew from a beautiful flower. Remember to get your hands in the dirt to promote a diverse gut microbiome. (We need good “bugs” in our intestinal tract.)

Tip #5

Good container vegetables include tomatoes, peas, potatoes, zucchini and squash, lettuce and salad greens, peppers, cucumbers, radishes, arugula, eggplant. Of course, these will also do well in a garden bed. Full sun (6-8 hours of direct sunlight) is recommended for most herbs, vegetables, and fruits.

Tip #6

Doing is better than perfect. When we lived on the farm, my dad planted a HUGE garden and to my recollection, it was always garden magazine worthy. My garden is not that way. It makes me happy and it’s “good enough.” Garden your way, whether you have an acre of vegetables planted—or one patio container with a tomato plant.

Having fresh food just outside your door is a healthy treat. Enjoy this beautiful time of year, weeds, and all.

Much love,
Health Coach Carol

“There are no gardening mistakes, only experiments.” – Janet Kilburn Phillips

container gardening gardening herbs vegetables

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