Friday, February 27, 2009

Lemon goodness

Do you ever crave tartness? I love fresh squeezed lemon in my water, a spoonful of lemon curd from the jar or freshly baked lemon bars. Yum! Nothing satisfies that tart craving for me as much as lemons. After the pucker of that lemon goodness I feel so satisfied and even cleansed in a way. Do we all have these cravings and if so, I wonder why?

About the photo
The Meyer lemons are from my friend Lisa's prolific tree.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Two birds, one stone


Dusk
Originally uploaded by love_yellow
A couple of weeks ago I went walking with my good friend on the same trail we've been going to for several years. I love how we're able to chat non-stop during the 1 hour walk, catch up on each others' lives and exercise at the same time. Better than sitting at a restaurant consuming calories... though we do that occasionally too. :-)

As I said, we've walked this trail many times but it was the first time that I've seen this beautiful view. The birds on the wire, the beautiful sky, the mountains that surround the valley in which we live, the winter trees without their leaves and the percolation pond reflecting the orange dusk sky.

It was a really lovely moment when this view revealed itself to us and it was great to be able to share it with my friend.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Quick & easy dinner


Dinner
Originally uploaded by love_yellow
When I buy precooked food (like the falafels from Costco in this photo), I feel like I'm cheating and not really eating a healthy meal. When I combine it with other healthy food (steamed broccoli is easy) I trick myself into thinking it's OK.

The third item on the plate is a mix of brown rice, quinoa and lentils that I cooked in a rice cooker the night before. I sauteed onions with ground lamb, seasoned it and added the rice mixture. And the tasty red tomatoes adds color and nutrients and makes it look more appetizing.

It really was super fast and easy to make and delicious too.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Starting with a good breakfast

To start may day right, I need to have a good breakfast... a good foundation to help me feel good and be productive throughout the day.

I may not always have time to make a great meal, but I at least try to get some protein and whole grain carbs, plus a 1/2 cup of strong Italian coffee
with a 1/2 cup of soy milk. Adequate protein gets me through the entire morning with lots of energy and able to think sharply.

Listen to your body...
to learn what the ideal breakfast is for you. It's strange that my husband doesn't need protein at all in the morning. His ideal breakfast is a bowl of steelcut oatmeal (McCann's is his favorite) with blueberries and coffee with milk. That gets him through to lunch, but when I eat that I'm totally starving my mid-morning and unable to think clearly until I eat.

In this photo the cheese on the rye/whole grains bread is Cowgirl Creamery's signature MT TAM cheese. The artisan cheesemakers are women and I visit their creamery in Pt Reyes Station, California, about once a year to taste and treat myself to some of the best local cheese in my area.