Tag Archives: healthy

Time for a Seasonal Re-Boot

If you are like me you love the longer lighter evenings that “daylight savings time” brings to the northeast and with it comes the promise of warmer days ahead. Just as new life begins with the budding of trees and flowers we look forward to new activities to refresh our outlook and stay energized. Here are a few “seasonal reboot” ideas for you!

Eat lighter! Winter recipes include hot soups and stews but for Spring & Summer think salads. Asparagus is a great Spring veggie that offers plenty of vitamin K, C, A, folate and potassium. There are over 300 varieties of asparagus but only 20 are edible. White asparagus are kept covered and out of sunlight while they grow which prevents the formation of chlorophyll. White is more tender than the green and purple varieties. Purple asparagus has additional health promoting benefits of anthcyanins that give it its purple color! Some people enjoy purple asparagus raw since it is so tender. I love to grill or broil asparagus and provided a homemade dressing recipe below to use on grilled asparagus.

Spring Clean! Out with the old and in with the new! This includes your kitchen as well. Check out your baking pans and get rid of all your scratched pans. Invest in some new spatulas, colorful placemats and some unique spices, herbs and teas! This time of year I enjoy the perennial herbs sprouting in my garden such as oregano, lavender, spearmint and lemon balm. The latter make great teas!

Exercise outside! Change your work-out routine to include outside activities. My personal trainer loves to take us outside. I have a 25 mile bike event in June (yes, 25 miles in one day) so I am enjoying outside cycling to augment by inside training.

Explore a nearby “new” place! The best way to spend a Saturday is to enjoy an outside Farmers Market. This way you can buy fresh local veggies, fruits and even bread and animal products- cheese. Below is my favorite Mediterranean dressing recipe to use on your fresh grilled veggies! I hope you enjoy our seasonal reboot!

Mediterranean Dressing– 3 Tbps. extra virgin olive oil, 2 medium gloves garlic (chopped or pressed), 2 tsp. lemon juice and sea salt and pepper to taste! Research shows that carotenoids found in foods are best absorbed when consumed in oils!

Have a Healthy Heart

The Mediterranean Diet is the perfect blend of heart healthy food full of flavor, easy to prepare, and has been prescribed as the “diet” to live a long and healthy life. For years the Mediterranean culture has been studied and the verdict is out! Not only does the Mediterranean diet contribute to a decreased risk for heart disease, diabetes, cancer, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease; but the Mediterranean lifestyle also plays a major role in one’s quality of life and longevity. The lifestyle includes slowing down to enjoy and savor the food that is served , sharing meals as a family in both the preparation and while eating, and engaging in regular physical activity. Read more…

Farmers Mkt: Rhubarb Concentrate

If you think the only thing you can do with rhubarb is add it to fruit pies…think again. This past weekend I returned from a trip to Lake Placid, NY and drove through Keene Valley (45 min south of Placid). I enjoyed stopping at a large Farmer’s Market and noticed a vendor dedicated to selling Rhubarb Concentrate. As a “foodie” I had to buy some. Adirondack Rhubarb Traditions rhubarb concentrate is make in Bloomingdale, NY which is in the heart of the Adirondacks.

Rhubarb is actually a vegetable – not a fruit and was surprised to hear about all the wonderful things you can do with the concentrate. Rhubarb, like apples, can hold moisture in recipes and the concentrate can be used to make salad dressings, sauces (fish, pork, chicken) and can be added to salads and soups.