“To change one's life: do it flamboyantly, do it immediately, no exceptions.”

I love the deceptive simplicity, the cocky absoluteness, the bold challenge… I try to make those flamboyant changes every day. It's not easy, but I keep at it anyway…

Making Changes

I went to a potluck picnic the other day. Generally, I like these sorts of things because I get to try out recipes from my cookbook (yes, I 'm still writing it and yes, it will be done sooner than later) on an objective and unsuspecting audience.
     So I wanted to know what to bring, expecting to be asked for some kind of salad or vegetarian main dish (I make a mean vegetarian lasagna). Nope. “Could you bring a dessert? Or maybe a beverage?”
     Dessert? Really? So not my strong suit. 

Here are some not-so-little-known facts about me: 

     * I do not have a sweet tooth (which, by the way, is a remarkably good thing not to have when wheat and eggs are unceremoniously ripped from your diet. That way there's not a lot of crying over the cakes, cookies and pies you no longer get to enjoy). 

     * I love to cook—I hate to bake. Seriously. I can't even manage a pre-packaged mix without a lot of eye-rolling and shaking my head in exasperation.  

     * The aforementioned allergies impose some serious limitations in the dessert arena. I've been advised not to even handle eggs which is a) crazy, b) inconvenient and c) absolutely true. 

     But I'm changing! Flamboyantly! Now! No exceptions! And I do so love a challenge…so off I went in search of a wheat-free, egg-free dessert that would be absolutely delicious—and I found one. 
     Brownies made without wheat and eggs—with a deliciousness guarantee, to boot. I even had all of the ingredients, which was kind of amazing and very serendipitous. I took this as a sign that it was meant to be.

I bet you think this story has a happy ending, don't you?

Well, it doesn't. 

Actually, it does, but not as far as those brownies are concerned. Who knew that a last-minute substitution would be such a game-changer? Yep, definitely a cook, but certainly not a baker. Alas, those poor brownies—delicious though they were—never quite set right and never made it to the party. That said, if you follow the directions, these brownies are absolutely fabulous and perfectly wonderful. You should try them. I, unfortunately, don't always do as I'm told.
     Did I mention I don't have a sweet tooth? I started looking through the cupboards and the fridge, determined to find something—anything—that I could whip up in a jiffy that would be acceptable to bring to a picnic. No sweet dessert-makings to be had! I'm not one to give up easily and so I kept looking…
     What did I find? Lemons. Not at all surprising for the droll girl with a wry sense of humor and no sweet tooth.
     What did I make? Only the best Homemade Sparkling Lemonade ever. Life handed the droll girl with a wry sense of humor and no sweet tooth lemons and she made lemonade. 
     Did I mention my love of irony and happy endings? Sometimes making a flamboyant change involves embracing your true nature and celebrating it—lemons and all. 

That was two months and nine days ago. 

Since then, I've not gone a full week without some kind of incident—and it takes me three days to recover every time…for the swelling to go down, for my stomach to settle. It's kind of a bitch. In the weeks before I was able to identify the culprit, I didn't know from one meal to the next what I could or could not eat. One eye would swell or one side of my mouth. Or both. Some days I didn't leave the house because I looked like I just stepped out of a boxing ring. Then one evening, I was home by myself when my throat started to swell and close up. I've never been so scared in my life. 

Well, except for being chased by three Alaskan brown bears that time, but that's a story for another day.

For the next two weeks, I kept a detailed food diary. I wrote down everything I ate, what time I ate it, what kind of reaction I had, if any, and when. It didn't take too long for me to figure out that eggs were at the root of the problem, with wheat not too far behind. I took my findings to my doctor—who is also an allergist. I walked in with a small binder containing all the information I'd gathered. He wasn't the least bit interested. Instead, he insisted on doing a scratch test. “How else are we going to know what you're allergic to?” 

I resisted. After all, I'd already solved the puzzle. I just wanted confirmation and maybe some advice, and—as I tried to point out to the illustrious doctor—it was just annoying, not like it was life-threatening or anything…

I don't like doctors—and even more than that, I don't like being wrong. He raised a you've-got-to-be-kidding eyebrow. It absolutely could be. He came out and said it. Just like that. It absolutely could be.

I don't know, but I'm pretty sure that in that moment my blood ran cold. 

Fast Forward

So it's been a month or so since my allergy test. I'm allergic to wheat and eggs—which I knew. Really allergic—which I did not know until my throat began to swell on my way home from the doctor's office. The miniscule amount of egg proteins pricked into my skin for the test was enough to spark a much more severe reaction than the simple skin eruption it was meant to.

That means there's much more to this than simply giving up eggs over easy with whole wheat toast (Goodbye, Favorite Breakfast—I'll miss you…). I have to be so careful now about everything I eat. As much as I read labels before two months and nine days ago, now it's absolutely necessary. I have to read every label every time and I have to know words like albumin, ovoglobulin and vitellin. 

I was telling my friend, Andrea, about my food allergy dilemma and her immediate reaction was a hearty, “Thank God you're you!” 

The realization clicked inside me like some kind of spiritual~emotional Transformer. Click click click click click. 

How grateful I am to be me. I'm grateful that I knew  it was a food allergy right away, that I knew how to keep a food diary to narrow down the possibilities. I'm grateful that I know how to do an elimination diet, to read labels, to research other names for egg derivatives. I'm grateful that my diet is already filled with whole, organic foods…fresh, local foods. And I'm grateful to be ahead of the game, because I am me.

Which is not to say I'm above the occasional meltdown, but that's another story for another day.

Wasted Food = Wasted $

So let's talk about your refrigerator. When's the last time you took a look to see what's really in there? When it comes to wasting food—which translates to wasting your hard-earned cash—forgotten items in the fridge are a key culprit. One easy way to save money is simply to take a quick inventory of what's in your refrigerator before you head to the grocery store. See what you have on hand and figure out how you can use it. Plus, there's the added benefit of knowing beforehand what you're out of instead of making an unhappy discovery mid-recipe. 

Mostly, I check the fridge to see what's in there before I do my shopping for the week. Then again, sometimes I don't—which is what led to a recent stockpile of cucumbers, carrots and parsnips. See? Not perfect and perfectly happy.

Treasury of Soups

Let me just tell you how I feel about cucumbers. I love, love, love them. Peeled and sliced on a plate, in a salad or pickled in any way…I'm absolutely mad for them. But of my favorite concoctions is in a lovely green gazpacho featuring cucumber, mint and a hint of poblano. Now that the days are getting hot, Cucumber Mint Gazpacho is one very cool, refreshing and very easy-to-prepare soup. 

I also happen to love soup. My mother tells me that when I was little, I always wanted soup for breakfast. Why not? I still do. And lunch. And supper. 

So armed with a bunch of carrots, some locally grown parsnips and a few other goodies, I put on my [imaginary] chef's hat and went to work The result? Oven-Roasted Carrot and Parsnip Bisque. 

Moral of the Story

No food went to waste. The money I didn't spend on things I already had went toward fresh produce from the farmer's market—not to mention I had plenty of room for it in my newly cleaned out fridge. AND I made two simple and delicious soups to nourish me throughout the week! 

Give it a shot for yourself and be sure to let me know how it turns out…

New to the Humble Neighborhood? Here's the deal: I cook. You come and eat–and in the process you get to hang out with a bunch of really cool people. Sounds good, no?

Dinners will feature fresh, seasonal dishes and will take place on the second Saturday of each month from June through September. Here are the dates: June 11; July 16 (this is actually the third Saturday, due to a prior commitment on my part. Plus I couldn't very well call the series "Second Saturdays Unless I Have Plans and Move One to the Third Saturday in July." It loses the alliteration quality and doesn't flow as nicely); August 13; September 10. Appetizers and munchies at 6 p.m. with dinner planned for 7 p.m.

So…like I said, I'm thinking about it and I'd love your input. Take this quick survey and let me know what you think!

So I started trying to come up with ways to improve that percentage… I can continue my practice of Conscious Shopping (my eBook will be available soon!) and set a goal of increasing my local spending as I go. I also like the idea of pledging to eat only food from local sources one day a week or even make that one meal each day. OR, I thought (sometimes I think in all caps), I can dare myself. In fact, I can skip straight to the almighty Triple Dog Dare. As in, “Maia, I Triple Dog Dare you to go 30-days without eating anything that is not locally grown or produced!”

Hmm… points to ponder…

In my last post, I mentioned what a logical, rational person I am. Which is absolutely true. But it’s not the only kind of person I am. Sometimes I need a challenge. I need to shake things up—and things haven’t gotten shaken—or even stirred, for that matter—around here in a long time.

But I digress.

I came across this William James (psychologist, philosopher, author and brother of Henry—I know. I looked it up) quote a while back and it’s been glued to me ever since…

“To change one’s life: do it flambouyantly; do it immediately; no exceptions.”

Don’t get me wrong. I do believe that slow and steady wins the race and that a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step and all that sensible stuff. But. Sometimes don’t you just want to take a side trip and dance like a dervish? Don’t you want to kick down the walls of that box you’re supposed be thinking outside of and live like there is no box?

Here is where I am: TODAY I WANT TO DANCE LIKE A DERVISH AND LIVE LIKE THERE IS NO BOX!

And so it goes…I am taking that Triple Dog Dare. 
 

Beauty from the Inside Out

All the beauty products in the world are not going to make you look your best if your skin is unhealthy. The best way to give your skin that healthy glow is to actually be healthy. This means taking care of yourself by drinking enough water, getting plenty of rest and eating in a way that’s healthy.

Eat the Rainbow

And no I don’t mean Skittles. If you want to look good, you have to eat right. When you are healthy, you look healthy. Treat yourself to plenty of blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, plums and prunes. Yum! And oh, by the way, they’re good for you.
      Other skin-enhancing foods include carrots, sweet potatoes, collards, spinach, kale and beets. What do these foods have in common? They make up a rainbow of beautiful colors-an indicator that they’re rich in vitamins and antioxidants great for combating those skin-damaging free radicals.

Not Just Another Fish Story

The Omega 3 fatty acids found in cold-water ocean fish provide your body with the healthy fats it needs for energy and for absorbing vital vitamins. Wild-caught Pacific salmon is a great source of Omega 3s. You can also get Omega 3s from plant-based sources like flaxseed, walnuts, hazelnuts, strawberries and black raspberries.

For more information on what foods to eat for healthy skin, check out my article, "7 Tips for Healthy Skin," on Ezine.com.

Also check out the February edition of my monthly newsletter, "News from the Humble Neighborhood," (published Feb. 8 ) for skin-enhancing recipes and simple facial masks you can make from items found in your own kitchen.

As far as cooking goes, beets are really wonderful because you can use both the greens and the roots to make completely different dishes. This week I started toying with that idea and ended up with a combination of oven-roasted beets (and other tasty root vegetables) and sautéed greens. These dishes are lovely on their own, but also delicious (my favorite) when served together.

I love this dish and wanted to share it, so I’ve decided to do is to post a few recipes in this blog in hopes of sharing and getting some feedback. I’d love to hear what you think!

Oven-Roasted Beets with Sautéed Greens

Ingredients:
A bunch of beets, including the greens
3 or 4 (or more, if you like) baby turnips, peeled and cut in chunks
6-8 fingerling potatoes
Olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 tsp butter (optional)
Kale
Mushrooms, sliced
Garlic, sliced
Balsamic vinegar

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Wash the beets and trim the greens (leaving an inch or so of the stalks attached to the beets) and set aside. You want to keep the beetroot intact, so that lovely color doesn’t run and turn the other vegetables pink.  Put the beets, turnips and potatoes in an oven-safe baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes to one hour, until vegetables are soft (a knife will slide in and out easily).

Meanwhile, wash the beet greens and kale (discarding the kale stems) and tear or roughly chop into bite-sized pieces. Wash and slice mushrooms. Slice the garlic.

When the root vegetables are nearly done, heat butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter stops sizzling, add the mushrooms and sauté until soft. (Note: if you don’t want to use butter, you can just use olive oil instead. I just happen to like the flavor combination of mushrooms and butter). Add the sliced garlic and sauté until it begins to turn golden. Add the greens and sauté until they turn bright green and begin to wilt. Remove from stove; add a sprinkle of balsamic vinegar and toss.

Arrange the greens on a plate and place oven-roasted vegetables on top. At this point, I like to rub the beets to remove the skin and then slice the beets before placing them on the greens.

Go Beets!

Look Before You Leap
 
This is very important: If you’re using a recipe, read through it—in its entirety—first, thereby eliminating one of those “Oh, rats (or your favorite expletive)!” moments when you realize too late that you were supposed to chill, soak or otherwise prepare something ahead of time—or that the cooking time exceeds the time by which your guests will be arriving by several hours. Trust me. You’ll thank me for this.
This is also the time to make sure you have all the ingredients—or if you don’t, you can decide what substitutions you’re brave enough to make.

Get it Together

Get your ingredients together before you start cooking. In accordance with my Virgo nature, I line them all up on the counter in the order in which I’ll be using them. You can line them up any way you want to; the important thing is to get all your ingredients in front of you, so you can do a headcount. Make sure you have everything—and enough of it.
To simplify the cleaning-up process, I put away each item after I’ve used it. By the time I’m finished, all my ingredients have either been used or put away! 

Wash and Go

The clean-up-as-you-go method works really well for all your pots, pans and utensils, too. I use whatever spare seconds I have to quickly wash up any items I’m done with so I won’t have a huge mess to contend with when I’m done.

These are the tricks and tips that work for me—feel free to share your own!