Even Superheroes Have Their Limits

When tofu first came on the scene as a popular health food, I was amazed by its versatility. You could put it into soups, stir fries and burgers. You were able to bread it, bake it, steam and sauté it. Tofu could be made into cake, pie, chocolate, pudding and dressing. There was nothing that tofu could not do. I remember my husband’s initial distrust of a food that could be turned into so many different edible items. Despite his wariness, we bought it, cooked with it and embraced it.

Chia seeds may not be the new tofu, but that little seed is just as versatile. You can add it to your morning cereal, yogurt or smoothie, make it part of any grain or salad and can include it in any baked recipe from meatloaf to muffins. Rich in omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants, chia seeds are a high fiber, nutrient dense food. When soaked in water, chia seeds dissolve into a gel. Research suggests that this reaction also takes place in the stomach, keeping you feeling full for a longer period of time. They are an anti inflammatory superfood. The new superhero of the food world.

And like all superheroes, chia seeds have a weakness. Chia seeds, when dropped, scatter across the floor like cockroaches when the lights turn on. They are almost impossible to vacuum at one time. Much like glitter and sand, you will find them everywhere, days after the original spill. The other side to chia seeds that no one mentions is that the same gelatinous consistency that keeps you feeling full longer, does NOT translate into pudding. For all you chia seed loving pudding makers, please give me a good recipe to follow.

I just made this chocolate chia pudding following a recipe which calls for
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon cocoa
a pinch of salt
pinch of cinnamon
1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup

I combined all the ingredients in a mason jar, shook to mix and refrigerated, waiting to taste the dark, rich, creamy pudding pictured in the photos. The reviews of the recipe described it as “delicious and yummy”. I took it out of the refrigerator and its dull, sponge like appearance did not call to me as did the images in the photos. I tasted it.

I need you to understand that I am the benchmark for all things tasteless, too healthy and, according to my family, just plain disgusting. I am a health food hedonist. Nothing is too plain or bland sounding, but there are no expectations low enough to make chia seed pudding good unless you enjoy the feeling of a cold cacao covered loogie slowly and suffocatingly oozing its way down your throat. In the lexicon of slang, a loogie is defined as a large slimy glob of spit, mixed with nose snot, that is formed by coughing up and hocking what’s in your throat (Urban Dictionary). And that is a pretty accurate description of my experience. After I finished gagging, I ate a piece of dark chocolate to get rid of the taste in my mouth.

So…even superheroes have their limitations. And while I won’t make chia pudding any longer, I still enjoy those little powerhouse seeds in my yogurt, pancakes and hot cereal. My favorite grain free meatloaf recipe includes chia seeds. Make it and let me know what you think.

Adina’s Grain Free Turkey Meatloaf
Ingredients:
Approximately 2 pounds of (antibiotic hormone free) ground turkey breast
1 cup almond meal
1/2 cup flaxseed meal
2 eggs (preferably organic)
Approximately 1/4 cup organic ketchup
Seasoning to taste (I’m partial to Paul Prudhomme’s poultry magic)
2 tablespoons chia seeds

Directions:
Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl using your hands and spread evenly in a non stick loaf pan. Bake for about an hour at 375 degrees.
Comfortably serves 6

Healthy eating,
Adina Kelman
Certified Holistic Nutrtionist

One More Word

…on pancakes. I wouldn’t if I wasn’t in love with this new recipe. Although it is not grain free, it is healthy and delicious and my children are in love.

Chia Seed Pancakes

Ingredients:
1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup almond meal
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
2 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1 pinch of sea salt
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 1/4 cup almond milk
2 dashes cinnamon
1 tablespoon raw cacao
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 bananas

Directions
Put all the ingredients into a blender, except for the bananas, and blend until smooth. Add the bananas and blend again. Transfer the contents to a bowl if you want to add chocolate chips, fresh fruit or Gogi berries, as I did in mine. Then cook on your surface of preference. I use my panini maker because the pancakes don’t stick to it (it is NOT a non stick surface) and I can make about 10 pancakes at one time. This recipe made about 16 pancakes (probably due to all the extras that I add in).

You can find the original recipe on Dr. Oz’s website

I raved about this recipe to my parents who made it and didn’t like it. They used steel cut oats instead of rolled oats and my mother swears that it affected the consistency of the pancake. I attribute it to the chia seeds which produce a moist, gel like consistency which for me, my husband and 4 children, was barely noticeable. If you want a purely grain free recipe, I have experimented with the one below.

Almond Pancakes
Ingredients:
1.5 cups Blanched Almond Flour
3 eggs
1 cup of water or milk (or slightly less to desired thickness)
Optional: spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, vanilla, blueberries or other fruit

This one was good, but not my favorite. Try the Chia Seed Pancakes and tell me what you think.
Happy Baking,
Adina Kelman
Certified Holistic Nutritionist
a life in balance with adina

What Can I Do With This?

When I was little, my mom used to play a game called “What Can I Do With This?” She would pick up any object, like a plastic ring from a salad dressing bottle and hold it to her ear like a piece of jewelry. She could get very creative. I think she once turned a heavy, clay planter into a necklace. Anyway, I guess the game payed off. Whenever I have left overs, I wonder, what can I do with this? Smoothies, chili dishes, meat loaves, soups and stews, salads and stir fries are all amazingly easy dishes to not only hide those healthy ingredients your children, spouse or significant other may rebel against, but a convenient place to use leftovers. Using leftovers saves money and spares you from the “why did you buy another one of these when we already have 3 in the cabinet” speech. So when you see your fruit beginning to brown, freeze it and throw it into your next smoothie. Take the vegetables that you didn’t use for dinner and freeze them as well. And don’t worry because that produce still has health promoting antioxidants. Dr. Weil cites a study done by Belgian researchers who, after measuring the antioxidant levels of fruits and vegetables just prior to spoilage, found that both groups lost no phenolic compounds, ascorbic acid or flavanols and discovered that, in some cases, the total count of phenolic compounds actually increased prior to spoilage. Leftover vegetables and fruits are also great in any salad dish. A bowl of berries leftover from Sunday brunch goes great in Monday night’s salad. And Tuesday night’s leftover sweet potatoes are a great compliment to your Wednesday night chili. Making quinoa Thursday night? Make some extra or use leftovers to make these quinoa pizza muffins. A great side to salad or an after school snack, these gluten free muffins are a light, healthy treat.

Quinoa Pizza Muffins

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked quinoa which equates to about 3 cups cooked
2 large eggs
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 teaspoons minced garlic or the crushed equivalent in a jar
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped or 2 tablespoons dried
1/2 cup diced tomatoes and/or sun dried tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Pizza sauce for dipping

Directions:
Cook quinoa as directed.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix all ingredients, except pizza sauce, in a medium mixing bowl.
Distribute mixture into a greased (or use baking cups) muffin tin, filling each cup to the top (one heaping tablespoon each) and press down gently to compact.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan. Serve warm with sauce for dipping.

Enjoy!
Adina Kelman
Certified Holistic Nutritionist
www.alifeinbalance.co

Low Expectations

While having low expectations doesn’t seem to be the most noble way to go through life, it is a strategy that often works well when vacationing with children and when eating certain vegan foods. Call it instead, the art of practicing mindfulness and letting go of our attachment to certain expectations. From soy cheese to tofurkey, from carob chips to rice ice cream, we need to approach certain substitutes with, if not low, at least realistic expectations.

Most people I know enjoy pasta. And while spaghetti squash does look like pasta from a distance or, without my glasses, close up, it does not taste like pasta. If you eat spaghetti squash hoping that it tastes like your favorite al dente treat, you will be greatly disappointed. However, if you look at spaghetti squash as an alternative option to include in a healthy eating plan, you might just learn to appreciate this high fiber, nutrient rich food.

To maximize my energy and my running, I enjoy eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables including winter squash. Now is the perfect time to indulge in this easy to prepare side or main dish. An excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, and fiber, squash is a nutrient dense complex carbohydrate that fuels your body without those nasty sugar spikes. Squash contain pectins, specially structured polysaccharides, that include special chains of D-galacturonic acid called homogalacturonan. What does that mean?! It’s antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and insulin-regulating properties are good for your health! Eat your winter squash!

Spaghetti Squash
Wash spaghetti squash and cut length wise. Place flat side down on a baking pan preferably covered with a silpat mat so squash doesn’t stick. Bake at 375 degrees for 45-60 minutes or until a fork easily punctures the skin. When the squash is cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh of the squash with a fork. It will fall into a bowl in spaghetti like strands. Toss with a good quality olive oil, sea salt, and pepper to taste. Use as an additional vegetable or in place of a traditional carbohydrate. Add beans or feta cheese to leftovers for a quick lunch or snack.

Adina Kelman
Holistic Health Coach
www.alifeinbalance.co

The Perfect Illusion

It was a perfect night. The wind was howling outside, cold, blustery and icy. I had been feeling lazy all weekend long, but today my five mile run was behind me. Done, accomplished, check. I was warm inside. An easy dinner ahead of me. Wild caught sole with an all natural, pre-made mango salsa. Quinoa -15 minutes. The only challenge ahead of me was Dr. Weil’s new braised red cabbage recipe. Rich in antioxidants called anthocyanins, fiber, vitamins and cancer-fighting compounds called indoles, the super protective red cabbage dish only enhanced my feeling of power, control and security. I lovingly told my clan that dinner would be ready in about 1/2 an hour. And so I began to cook. Oh wow, look at the time. It was getting late. I started to rush a little. Hmmm…didn’t quite account for the chopping and dicing. Maybe I should have set out all the measured ingredients ahead of time. Where the hell are those damn cloves? Shoot. They’re supposed to be crushed, not whole. Ok…a dry red wine. Let me google that one. Down to the family room where we keep all the wine that is given to us over the holidays. Only one bottle. I thought there was more. 2003. Is that still good? I wonder if you can get sick from using old wine. Back to google. All right, going ahead with the wine. Re-read the recipe. Boil for an hour?! I could have sworn that it said 30 minutes. My 9 year old comes in for the third time to ask me when dinner is going to be ready. Ok, I have the onions, carrots and cabbage in. Working on the chopped apple. Here we go, slide it off the cutting board into the pot and bleep..!%*…bleep- there goes the red wine that I tasted, all over the counter, floor, cabinets and in the open draw. Broken glass on the floor. Only my socks on. Bleep…&!€%…..Here comes the damn dog. Sit! Down! Roll over? What is the damn command for stop licking the freakin red wine off the floor!? I keep her from getting cut on the glass but not from licking up the wine. I hope that the dog, who is on special food and meds because she literally vomits all the time, doesn’t puke later from the red wine. My husband comes in to help. I explain to him that dinner will be a little late. As he helps me get the glass off the floor, he innocently informs me that recipes usually state prep time as well as cooking time. My silent stare is deadly and he quietly continues to help. Ok, glass cleaned up. Wine off the floor. Dog out of the room. The rest of the ingredients in. I’m a little cranky. Let me clean up all the dishes in the sink. Nobody put up the dishwasher of course – that seems to be my designated job. Twenty minutes later, the kitchen is all cleaned and it’s time to prep the fish. This part is easy. I start by…what’s that smell? Something is definitely burning. F-ck- it’s the mother bleepin cabbage!!! Does burnt cabbage retain the same health benefits? There goes the smoke alarm. I get off the phone with the alarm company and assure them that there is no fire – no, no-just me cooking. Put the fish up. Put the quinoa up. Oh. I forgot to clean the dried red wine off of my white cabinet doors. Their blood red stains are mocking me and my perfect night. They don’t come off. At least not with a sponge. Not with the windex either. Finally, a little bar keeper’s friend and I’m freakin finished. DINNER!!!! EVERYBODY COME DOWN FOR YOUR bleep…bleep…DINNER!!!!! We practically eat in silence. The kids sense the danger- they’re smart enough not to criticize, complain, fight or nag. They just chew. What is that saying about perfection? Perfect is the enemy of good. Rebecca Wells said it best. “Good enough is good enough. Perfect will make you a big fat mess every time.”
Adina Kelman
Holistic Health Coach
www.alifeinbalance.co

Dr Weil’s Braised Red Cabbage

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
1 large head red cabbage, cored and sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 large green apple, peeled, cored, and diced
3 large cloves garlic, pressed
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 cups dry red wine
1/4 cup red wine vinegar (The acidic vinegar and wine in this dish keep the cabbage a beautiful purple color. Without it, the cabbage will turn blue)
2 tablespoons light-brown sugar
1 cup peeled chestnuts (optional)
Salt to taste

Directions
1. In a large pot, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and carrots and sauté over medium heat until onion is translucent.
2. Add the cabbage and apple and mix well, then add salt to taste, the garlic, the bay leaf, cloves, wine, vinegar and sugar.
3. Bring to a low boil, cover, and cook for about 1 hour.
4. Remove bay leaf and correct seasoning to taste. You may also add the peeled chestnuts to cook in the braising liquid.

Fire in the Kitchen

I am obsessed with chili. I don’t know why. I think it stems from my initial hatred of cooking. Yes. I started out hating to cook. When my husband and I were first married, he did all the cooking. I was still heavily into healthy eating, but found that I could do that with minimal effort. I wasn’t one of those people who got bored eating the same thing over and over again and I liked bland food. It was easy.
And then my husband came into my life. He liked variety and spice. And hot meals. A veggie omelette didn’t count as dinner. And so I started to cook – occasionally. He still did the majority of the cooking, which was a good thing, because every time I tried to make something, a fire, a fight, or both always ensued.
I’m not sure why the vegetarian lentil soup caused so much smoke, but my husband walked into our first apartment together and it was filled with eye tearing smoke. Entering the kitchen, waving the smoke away with his hands, he asked me what I was doing. I said “cooking” as though it was the most completely obvious fact. He asked what was I was making and then asked a question that, unknown to me at the time, would be asked many, many times throughout our marriage: “did you stir it?”.
I hate this question. It causes the same knee jerk, fiery reaction now as it did then. If you don’t see smoke, I stirred. If you do see smoke, I didn’t. I feel that this is obvious and should eliminate the need to ask, yet my husband sees it differently.
The next catastrophe happened when I tried to make a vegetarian black bean lasagna. This following scene formed the beginning of the “did you follow the directions” speech that still continues today. Again, he came home and asked what I was making. When I told him, he, not suspecting the tirade that would follow, told me that the lasagna he knew had layers. I guess my insecurity in the kitchen led to the fight and us not talking for the entire night. These scenes were not uncommon in our early days of marriage. I look back on it now and laugh, but then, it did affect the way I saw myself as a cook. It really wasn’t until we had children and my husband’s work schedule dramatically increased, that I was forced to cook to keep those little ones healthy, thriving and well…alive.
So, how does this relate to chili? It is connected because chili is so, so easy. It’s healthy and all you need is one pot! Plus, you can sneak a lot of super healthy things in there to boost immunity and well being without anyone knowing or questioning. The cold winter months are a great time to experiment with different chili recipes that will warm the body and provide a great source of protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals.

One of my favorite chili recipes is a sweet potato chili.

Ingredients:
Olive oil
1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and diced*
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
4 garlic cloves*
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
sea salt to taste
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 – 3 cups vegetable broth
Optional toppings: avocado, shredded cheese, sour cream

Directions:
In a large pot, sauté chopped onion, pepper, and sweet potatoes in olive oil until onion softens. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano and cayenne and sauté for an additional minute. Add tomatoes, beans and broth and simmer until sweet potatoes are tender (about 30 minutes). Taste and adjust accordingly, adding sea salt if desired. On very busy or lazy nights, I choose to serve this over Trader Joe’s 3 minute microwaveable brown rice, red rice, black barley combo. I take it out of the plastic bag and nuke it in a glass bowl. Other nights, I serve it over quinoa, but any whole grain will do.

* during this time of year, you can get the sweet potatoes in a bag from Trader Joe’s already peeled and diced. Additionally, I, for some reason, hate peeling and chopping fresh garlic. I use the minced garlic from Trader Joe’s. I also try to buy organic as much as possible. Each time you make this, you might vary the recipe depending on what you have on hand. My point is, use what’s healthy and convenient. Find your own balance.

My recipes and cooking can be called template cooking because I use the recipe as a guide, adjusting it according to my own personal tastes. It is particularly easy to do this with a chili recipe. Adjust the amount of spices you use. I like to add Maine Coast Seasoning kelp with cayenne granules. (This is the sneak-the-super-healthy-ingredients-in part) In fact, almost any sea vegetable will do here and no one will be the wiser. Sea vegetables not only add nutrients, but may aid in the digestion of the meal. Throw in a different color or type of vegetable – yellow peppers, zucchini, or chopped carrots. It is very hard to mess up chili. That’s probably why I like it so much because – my husband is right – I have a difficult time following a recipe. Healthy cooking should be, of course, healthy, but it should also be convenient, quick, and tasty. When I let go of my insecurity and embraced this type of cooking, I really began to enjoy the process. It’s not about being perfect or making a dish that can be on the cover of a magazine. It’s about enjoying the food that you are cooking in a way that suits your preferences and style. It’s about not being scared to make a mistake. It’s about finding the balance that works for you.
Happy, balanced cooking
Adina Kelman
Holistic Health Coach
www.alifeinbalance.co