Lazy to the bone

Spent a very lazy day yesterday building a K'nex model as a family, playing board games and just hanging out together. Bob is able ( most years) to take vacation time the week before Christmas , so for us it means that Solstice Day can be spent in blissful relaxation. It is really necessary as a recharging of the batteries before the Christmas frenzy begins as a rule. Between church commitments and family commitments things get a little crazy, and then add end of the year inventory at work immediately following, it really wears you out !

So as we snapped the plastic pieces together and laughed at our errors, I made a batch of Lentil Soup. I think the fact that one has a ham bone in the kitchen makes creating either lentil or split pea soup an imperative ! Heck, some times I will simply make a ham for no reason just to get the ham bone because I want Lentil soup ! Don't know why that idea got stuck in my head, but it is there. In the old days I would simply toss in the lentils because I was led to believe that they required no soaking and were the fast food of the bean world. While this is still true, I have come to learn that lentils and any bean , grain and nut can be improved by soaking in a mild lactic acid solution for 8-24 hrs before preparing. So this time I made my soup with soaked lentils.

                                                                         Lentil Soup

Bone from a shank ham
4 cups bone broth
2 cups lentils ( soaked the night before in 4 cups water and 1 tsp cider vinegar- removes phytic acid)
4 onions,peeled and chopped
2 carrots, sliced
3 ribs celery, sliced

Drain and rinse lentils. Place everything in the crock pot and cook on low 6 hrs or till lentils are mushy.

Wonders will never cease

Ever have one of those days where a small detail seems to flip the whole world around ? The bad times are the stuff we groan about, but the good ones are better than Christmas !

The day started off snorky but well. We are tackling actual chemistry experiments at the moment, and I am limping through in a makeshift fashion till I can get to the science store on Sunday to buy what I need. Long story, but the bottom line is I am going to be spending Mothers Day afternoon NOT with my family or my own mom, but combing through a store looking for corks, plastic tubing, bunsen burners, test tubes and more. It is the absolute soonest I can get there. It kind of sucks, but it is one of the most rewarding things in the world to see Nick actually "get" a concept we have gone over time and time again.To me that is like winning the lottery AND spending a week in the Tropics rolled together in a neat little ball. It was a great morning, and it got better with a rainstorm. I noticed that as the rain fell I was breathing a lot easier, which confirms that what I am dealing with is allergies. Time to address the root cause of this instead of just the symptoms.

We broke for lunch ( grilled cheese and hummus on a Thomases lite English Muffin with cole slaw and carrots on the side), and I noodled around a little on the computer. One of my friends reminded me of the benefits of eating locally produced honey in cases of airborn seasonal allergies. It sounds odd, but through the bees almost "magical " process of converting pollen to honey, various chemical changes occur and honey made from locally grown flowers becomes capable of building a bodies tolerance to the allergen in a safe way. Honey is amazing stuff ! It not only sweetens foods but has some nutritional value and compounds that help heal wounds. I remember last fall making a mental note of finding some locally produced honey to start feeding the guys because of their yearly bout of allergies. They had an allergy free year and I forgot about it- and the source I found for locally produced honey. After we wrapped up the school day I started researching sources on Google for locally produced honey, and Bob called reminding me he was stopping at the new Whole Foods for some organic oats and asking if I needed anything else. On a lark, I asked him to look and see if they had any locally produced honey. He did , and SCORE !!!

A honey that is produced in the neighborhoods of Chicago, which is within 40 miles of my home. Bees can and will go many miles to obtain pollen, so it is logical to assume that they have hit on numerous flowering weeds, noxious plants in the area, flowers, trees and more. A good thing. And the good thing got even better when I decided to check out their webpage. Turns out their apiairy is located literally blocks from where my grandparents lived when I was a small child. My parents grew up in that area and my great grandparents lived there as well. Old stomping grounds ! The honey is produced through a cooperative that provides employment for those whom have been through the criminal justice system and otherwise would not have employment- and even better factor. I was totally psyched !

Dinner was a new favorite- spinach salad with sweet potatoes, lentils, walnuts and dates.

All healthy, nutrient dense foods that taste yummy in combination. But what exactly are some of the good things that come from lentils and sweet potatoes ? Why should I eat them you ask ? Here are some reasons:
Sweet Potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin A , and a very good source of vitamin C and manganese, copper, dietary fiber, vitamin B6, potassium and iron. Vitamin B6, is used to convert homocysteine, into other benign molecules. High homocysteine levels have been linked tyo an increased risk of heart attack or stroke. Vitamin A can help prevent the damage from second hand smoke and other pollutants.It can also help reduce the symptoms of emphysema.Sweet potatoes are high in oxylates, so those with kidney and gall bladder
disease should avoid them.

Lentils are the fast food of the bean world- no soaking required and go from dried to cooked in a
mere 20 minutes time. They are a good source of dietary fiber, which can not only help lower cholesterol but keep blood sugar levels from a rapid rise. They also contain significant amounts of folate and magnesium , as well as other minerals and protien. Folate helps to lower homocystine ( as well as B6) and magnesium helps to improve blood flow through it's calcium channel blocking abilities.(calcium can be a bad thing if it winds up in the incorrect system in the body- the circulatory system being one of these).Lentils are also high in iron, which helps to increase the hemoglobin levels in the blood , which transports oxygen to the cells through the bloodstream.Lentils do contain purines, which can be a problem for those suffering from high levels of uric acid ( gout and kidney stones, but plant based sources may not be a problem).

Salad Days

Life takes it's toll on all the things around you, and one day you wake up to discover you need to replace office chairs, breakfast bowls ( because someone dropped them) and more. If it's a good day you also learn that yon need to buy more dental floss, new underwear ( because it is falling off) and other fancy stuff. When the going gets tough...the tough go shopping ! Which is exactly what we did after a morning of church services. But first, time to fuel the troops for the day

Breakfast was Overnight Oats with fresh fruit. To make the oats for 3 people, at bedtime bring 4 cups of water and 1 T raisins( or other dried fruit) to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in 1 c steel cut oats and cover. In the morning , add a little water if it is too thick, and heat for about 5 minutes on a medium heat. Top with your choice - here it was 3/4 cup of homemade chopped fruit salad( no dressing because it does not need it)
When the guys got home from church , we had lunch before heading out. Sweet potato lentil spinach salad- my favorite !

Lentil sweet potato salad

1/2 cup green lentils -- rinsed
2 small or 1 large sweet potato
1/4 cup walnuts
5 dates
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp maple syrup
1 Pinches kosher salt + ground pepper
Sprinkle of cinnamon
Spinach to serve

Cook lentils in a pot until tender using a 4:1 water to lentils ratio. Bring to boil, reduce to
simmer and cook for about 30 minutes on low.Meanwhile, dice sweet potato, spray with cooking spray and sprinkle with cinnamon, salt and pepper, and bake cubes at 400* for about 30 minutes.Chop dates and toast walnuts in the microwave (1 minute on high) or in a dry skillet.
When lentils and potato are done, toss everything together and serve over chopped baby spinach.

Then off to do some power shopping for things needed and things we remembered we needed once wandering around the stores. It was all fun till someone lost an eye ...err we hit the checkout line.I think price tags mate while in your cart and suddenly produce a creature that makes you cringe at the size !

Dinner was , oddly enough, another salad. I had originally planned on making a veggie lasagna, but when we had to spend the afternoon shopping I opted for something quicker- Very Veggie salad and Peanut Noodles

Very Veggie Salad

10 cups mixed greens or baby salad greens
1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes ( or 2 plum tomatoes, chopped)
1 avocado -- cubed
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 red bell pepper -- thinly sliced
1 cup cooked lentils
2 medium carrots -- grated
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
dressing of choice

Distribute greens, vegetables (except carrots), and lentils on dinner plates. Then distribute
grated carrots. Sprinkle with sunflower seeds and pour dressing over salads.


Peanut Noodles

1 pound whole wheat spaghetti
1 clove garlic
2 teaspoons sunflower oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons rice vinegar -- or 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 cup natural peanut butter

Boil water for noodles and cook according to package directions.
Meanwhile, peel and coarsely chop the garlic. In a blender or food processor, combine the garlic, oils,vinegar, soy sauce, peanut butter, and optional red pepper flakes. Process until smooth, and then season to taste with salt and pepper.Drain pasta and toss with peanut sauce.

After dinner and putting things away , we settled in for an evening of great TV ( Ruby, season 4 of The Tudors, Kirstie Ally, Big Life) and felt like something to munch on. This made a really good dessert

Plain nonfat yogurt with frozen blueberries and 1/3 cup granola. It gives the mouth feel and sweetness of ice cream , but a lot less fat , sugar and such. Any fruit would work in it's place, but the frozen fruit makes it the same chill as ice cream.

Other than walking around the store , it was a bust exercise wise. That is okay because we are all allowed rest days and life needs to carry on while we are trying to reshape it. I think it works better to be concerned about getting in exercise the 5 days of the work week than to save it all up for the weekend. Less risk of injury and all that jazz. Let's make it a great week !