Newsletter October 2014

mothering Mother in Daily Life Green Living Bites Shop Your Local Green Market – It is worth every extra penny you may spend on food to buy your greens at your local market. Greens shipped from California cannot compete with freshly harvested vegetables. Getting to know the farmer lets you get more personal with your food which can add nourishment as well as nutrition to your veggies! At Home: To help ensure that you eat all of the greens that you purchased at the local market, wash, spin and roll the greens in kitchen towels when you arrive home. See the Video on How to Prepare Your Vegetable Drawer. Store veggies in the crisper. Now you can easily have freshly cooked green vegetables or a salad. See the mothering Mother Video on How to Quickly Prepare a Salad. Remember – Red Meat – it is the single food that creates the largest carbon footprint. By reducing or eliminating this food you are directly impacting the environment in a positive way (as well as numerous other benefits). 1 lb beef = 2400 gallons of water 1 lb beef = 16 lbs of grain Cowspiracy is a documentary that addresses this and more. Get informed by attending a local screening. This Just In – CA Bans the Plastic Bag – Yesterday California became the first US state to ban the plastic bag! Today CA,tomorrow the world! Upcoming Events Yoga Schedule Join Our List What does mothering Mother nurturing Nature mean? It means taking care of Mother Nature through our daily actions. Here is a winning mothering Mother formula: N – Nourish body-mind-spirit A – Aware of the impact our choices have on Mother Nature T  – Thankful for Earth’s bounty U – Use cotton mM bags to nurture Nature R – 5 R’s – Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle & Repurpose E – Eat vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds Peaceful Eating & Living Sydney MacInnis, Founder & CEO, mothering Mother Healthy Eating Boundaries & Guidelines Sydney MacInnis Founder & CEO, mothering Mother Holistic Nturitionist, Yoga & Meditation Instructor Cordon Bleu Cook It has been 2 years since I had the first signs of menopause. It feels like my eating has been all over the map since then. Okay, an exaggeration, but the watchful eye that I kept on meals and snacking and nibbling (note snacking and nibbling are two different categories) seemed to have vanished and the vessel called my body has been out at sea without a responsible captain!   We need boundaries and guidelines in all areas of our lives. Try to think of a successful area of your life that does not have boundaries? Regarding the consumption of food, we live in a culture where we are only half a step from food at any given moment. There are reminders and opportunities for food almost everywhere.   I know my Achilles heel. It is nibbling when preparing meals. During my schooling as a nutritionist, and as a yoga instructor, I learned to curb this habit. When I did I found myself enjoying the meals more.   And the other Achilles heel, sweets! A little dark chocolate here, a little zucchini loaf there.   So, the fall is a great time to start reconditioning your Achilles heel. It is a new academic year and a great time to get your intentions for wellness into action. No need to wait months for the New Year, and if you are Jewish, you just celebrated the New Year!   Here are some boundaries that I use to keep me from wandering too far astray from my healthy eating intentions: keep a minimum of 4 hours between meals drink lots of water between meals snack on fruit only between meals make lunch the biggest meal of the day eat dinner early and keep it light Let the digestive energy build between meals so that when you do eat your body can easily digest and benefit from the food.   Eat well and be well.   Peace Market Greens Following on the inspirational words about Green Markets in the Green Bytes, here is a basic method to cook all leafy greens. Buy fresh, wash well, give thanks, and enjoy. For your well being and vitality, dark leafy greens are a powerhouse of nutrients that are hard to match. Keep it simple. Tasty Greens 2 Tablespoons olive oil 1-2 teaspoons chopped garlic 1 bunch of greens, rinsed, spun to dry, and chopped Salt, pepper   Heat a large saute pan over a medium heat. After 1 minute add the olive oil, and then the chopped garlic. Stir gently with a wooden spoon for 30 seconds, then add the bunch of greens. Turn the leaves over, bringing the cooked ones from the bottom up to the top. Continue this movement until all of the leaves are cooked. Turn off the heat, season with salt and pepper. Add a handful of chopped fresh herbs if you have them on hand. Zucchini Loaf Sydney MacInnis Founder & CEO, mothering Mother Holistic Nturitionist, Yoga & Meditation Instructor Cordon Bleu Cook   When it is the time of year that the garden is overgrown with zucchini, and you cannot find another friend or relative to take another one, then it is time to make a delicious sweet loaf. The grated zucchini gives a super moist cake that lasts for days without drying out.   This recipe has a combination of sucanat and turbinado sugar. I find that the extra sweetness and crunch of the Turbinado gives flavoring and texture. If you have any soured cows milk on hand, this is a great way to use it up. It gives a nice rise to the loaf, but it is not required. Any milk will do.   Zucchini Loaf 1 ½  cups whole wheat pastry flour (or spelt flour) ½ cup unbleached white flour 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg ½ cup sucanat 1 Tablespoon turbinado sugar ½ cup safflower oil ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce 1 ½ cups packed grated zucchini 1/3 cup milk (dairy or non-dairy) 1 teaspoon vanilla ½ cup walnuts, chopped ¼ cup raisins (optional) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a bread pan with a strip of parchment paper, or lightly butter or oil the bottom and sides. Do not butter or oil the sides of the pan if you are using parchment paper on the bottom.   In a large mixing bowl combine the whole wheat pastry flour, white flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir to combine.   In another bowl combine the sucanat, turbinado sugar, safflower oil, applesauce, zucchini, milk and vanilla. Stir well to combine using a rubber spatula or large spoon.   Pour the zucchini mixture over the combined dry ingredients. Stir together gently. Fold in the walnuts and raisins (if using). Mix completely and then spoon into the bread pan. Bake in the oven for 50 minutes. If ready a knife inserted into the center of the loaf should come out clean. If further baking is required cover the loaf with parchment paper. Bake a further 10 minutes and take loaf out of the oven.   Let the loaf sit in the pan for 10 minutes. Release the sides with a knife and remove the loaf from the pan. Let it cool completely on a wire rack.   Makes 1 loaf.