A Salad for Everyone

Wow, this is an ambitious article from Mark Bittman:

The Minimalist - Recipes for 101 Simple Salads for the Season - NYTimes.com

Look it over and just try not to be tempted to make at least one of them!

I love salads in the summer for a few different reasons - they let you avoid cooking, they are nice and cool (I live in the desert, so this is important), and they are a great way to get in some fruits and vegetables. But, it is so easy to get in a salad rut. In the summer, we have so many fresh ingredients available to us to yummy up a salad. One of my favorites is to add summer fruit to a fresh salad, like nectarines or plums.

As I've probably said before on this blog, one of the best ways to eat better is to concentrate on trying to eat more fruits and vegetables. Remember, beans can count as a veggie! I think I'll try Mr. Bittman's suggestion for summer cherries, since I still have a good bunch in my frig:

" Pit and halve cherries (or halve and pit cherries), then cook gently with olive oil and a little balsamic vinegar until they break down. Toss with chopped radicchio, endive, escarole or a combination, some toasted hazelnuts and more oil and vinegar, if necessary." Yummy! Which one will you try?

The power of paying attention

I was working at the computer the other day, and overheard an interview on a local news station with an inspiring woman who lost a substantial amount of weight - I believe she was in her 60's, and had gotten into dancing. The reason she decided to try and lose weight was because some of the dance moves she was learning required her partner to lift her up in the air - she felt bad for her poor partner, so made some changes so that she would be lighter.


The thing she did that struck me the most was this - she started paying attention to her hunger. She said that sometimes her life was so busy that she simply ate because it seemed like the thing to do - she learned that if she would simply check in with herself before eating (take a breath, focus, calm the chaos a bit, have a little water), she discovered that more often than not, she wasn't even hungry!

Here is an inspiring video to promote a new book by Dr. Michelle May, who runs a business called Am I Hungry? (amihungry.com). Dr. May is all about intuitive eating, and I am looking forward to reading (and probably wholeheartedly recommending!) her new book. It is a reminder of the power of simply paying attention to what you eat, and making sure that you enjoy it!

The One Bite Rule

Feeding kids can be tough. You do your part and buy the food, cook the food, get everyone to the table, sit down to enjoy the food and... protest from the 4-year old begins. So, you break out your rule: "Just take one bite (or three bites, or whatever your household rule is)".

But, is the one-bite rule a good thing or a bad thing? My answer is - it completetly depends on the mood at the table. If the child is enjoying the attention, and needs a little nudge to remember to take a spoonful of peas once in awhile, then so be it. But, once the mood changes and the child is now feeling bullied, it is time to back off. The reason is simple - nobody has ever been bullied into liking broccoli. Okay, maybe some people were bullied into trying a food and ended up liking it, but if you ask ten adults on the street if they were ever forced into trying a food and later ended up liking it, you'd get about nine NO WAYS. Many adults will tell you about food they still avoid just because of being forced to eat it as a child.

As much as possible, keep the atmosphere at the dinner table light-hearted - this isn't a time to argue, nag, complain, etc. The family meal is a valuable part of children's development, and keeping it pleasant makes it even more powerful. You don't have to do circus tricks, but put it at their level - sing some songs, like this silly one from a popular kids' TV show (I learned it because my 4-year-old was singing it one day as he ate his lunch). Help kids realize the connection between the food they are eating and their muscles, or growing big and strong, or whatever else they are into. Just stop short of forcing - you will know the point.