Here’s some ideas for yummy things to eat that don’t take much energy (in terms of fuel) to get to the shelf and will be good for your body, too. You may notice meat is missing here. That’s because ‘manure management’ or methane production from our livestock accounts for a fair portion of our air pollution. You can read more by visiting the Environmental Protection Agency’s website. Also, if you watch t.v. at all you know meat has things like saturated fat, cholesterol, and calories so you just can’t eat bacon and steak at every meal. With anything, moderation is key.
Actually, last week I went to Whole Foods and bought two organic chicken breasts (no hormones, no antibiotics, vegetarian pesticide free diet, and they get to walk around in a barn). I haven’t seen the barn so I don’t know if they actually see the sun or not, but I felt like given all the other factors I’d go ahead in moderation. Since it was the only chicken I ate all week, I didn’t mind the higher price tag. I did also notice a sign at the store they would have grass fed beef available on September 3rd, in which case I will likely return and try a bit of that. The chicken, by the way, was surprisingly unsatisfying, but perhaps it was because I haven’t cooked it in a couple years and so maybe it was me, not the chicken. Who knows, but I remembered chicken tasting better. Maybe the chickens that don’t move around taste better because they have more fat…okay more on that later. For now, here’s some eating ideas:
Tempeh bacon
Organic tomatoes
Avocado
Greens (butter lettuce, arugula, or your favorite greenery)
1 package gimme lean vegetarian sausage substitute (amazing stuff with almost no fat whatsoever)
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp evoo
1 box corn and red pepper soup (you can make your own if your grocery store doesn’t have it in a box like mine does)
Some experts are saying you shouldn’t consume crazy amounts of soy. I’m not an expert on soy and I don’t know, but I wanted to address it because both of these recipes include a soy product. I can tell you that personally I consume about 1 serving of soy a day, or even less. I do this because I eat real organic cheese, drink unsweetened almond milk, and real organic yogourts. When I make protein smoothies I use chocolate flavored hemp protein, which tastes good as long as you add in some frozen berries or a scoop of peanut butter. So I’m not a person that buys every soy product under the sun. The products I mention here are super healthful because they have protein, fiber, low fat and no cholesterol and don’t have antibiotics, etc. in them. So, like everything, be moderate and eat a variety. By the way my husband lived in Japan for 3 years, one of the ‘blue zones’ where people commonly live over 100 years of age, and his personal perspective is that most of them were in fact eating at least one serving of soy each day, as things like fermented soy, soy sauce, edamame and tofu are popular foods over there. But here’s a few non soy recipes.
Veg Curry
Organic chopped vegetables, any kind (not potatoes, they require more time)
Vegetarian Tom Yum soup mix (comes in a can at your local asian supply store)
1 can coconut milk
Your favorite lentil (some options include canned kidney beans, steamed french lentils, or chickpeas)
Spread the vegetables on a pan and put into a pre-heated oven at 375 degrees. Roast for 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, warm coconut milk on the stove with 1 large spoonful of the tom yum soup mix. When the vegetables are ready, seperate into serving bowls, top each bowl with up to one cup lentils, and swim the whole shabang in coconut milk. Yum!
1 cup quinoa, cooked according to package directions
½ cup organic cheddar cheese shreds
½ cup pine nuts or chopped walnuts
Dash salt and pepper
Chickpeas sometimes like to be called garbanzo beans. Either way, they rock! They are at the core of falafal, which are little fried balls of flavor best served with greek salad. They are also the superstar in hummus, which we all know is good for dipping. Additionally, you can roast them in the oven and flavor them in myriads of ways, you get a crunchy finger food with fiber and protein. Check out the roasted chickpea options here. Last, there is the ‘salad sandwich approach’, which you will find below.
2 stalks celery, chopped
½ onion, chopped
2 tablespoons mayo
Salt
Pepper
2 slices crusty bread, toasted
Romaine leaves
I did write about this in a different post, but one thing you have to watch out for when you eat this way is that you don’t replace the meat with carbohydrates. I’ve made this mistake myself and it does make you drowsy. It can be easy to go noodle or chip and dip crazy in an effort to moderate meat. Jorge Cruise, a popular diet expert right now, encourages us to eat six servings of high fiber carbohydates a day, one serving is 20 grams. This is very do-able even with the recipes above, but just take note.
Dana Krals, MSW
