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Heidi Rothbard - Nourish Yourself Newsletter February 2008
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Greetings!
February is the month of LOVE! I would like all of you to look past Valentines Day and the chocolates, flowers and cards and search for the Greatest Love of ALL: The Love for yourself.
We all need to love ourselves to have a full and healthy balanced life.
Love is a decision. Make the decision to love yourself in every moment --unconditionally-- no matter what. Act and speak only in loving ways to yourself. Love yourself for being who you are, doing what you do, saying what you say, thinking what you think, and feeling what you feel. When you do that, you make space for yourself to be, do, think, feel, express, and accept yourself as you are.
Remember this great Whitney Houston song - Greatest Love of All?
I decided long ago, never to walk in anyone's shadows
If I fail, if I succeed
At least I'll live as I believe
No matter what they take from me
They can't take away my dignity
Because the greatest love of all
Is happening to me
I found the greatest love of all
Inside of me
The greatest love of all
Is easy to achieve
Learning to love yourself
It is the greatest love of all
Heidi
UPCOMING EVENTS:
1. Food - Mood Group Program at JAI YOGA starts on February 28th
We meet for 6 sessions every other Thursday to address weight concerns, cravings and binges, food mood connections and the healing properties of food. If you sign up before February 21st you will save $75 off the already reduced rate of $375. Please contact Erica at Jai Yoga and Thai Massage or check out the events tab on my website for more information.
2. Spring Cleanse: Are you ready to ...
- shed winter weight
- boost your energy
- feel lighter and cleaner
- increase your cravings for healthy foods
- experience deeper sleep and clearer skin
- improve your digestion
Join us for a supported 3 week Cleanse this spring. We will meet on March 26th, April 2nd and April 9th at 7pm at Meg & Company Salon In Narberth, PA
The class fee is $100, sign up before February 26th and save $20. For information and registration please contact Meg at 610 660 9030 or myself at 610 667 5453
3. Nutrition Detectives at Varsity Fitness
Get your magnifying glass out and learn how to be a supermarket spy -
- Learn how to read food labels
- Detect marketing deceptions
- Figure out the truth about food
- Learn how to overhaul your pantry
Join us at Varsity Fitness on Sunday March 9th at 5pm to learn how to cut through conflicting information about food and health in a fun and informal way.
Workshop Fee is $10 per family and includes a Fun Family Workout at 4pm. Contact Larry Kaplan at 610-668-4333 for more information
Take Five Day Camp For Women
And in the spirit of loving yourself - why don't you TAKE FIVE at Carol Blum's wonderful day camp for women.
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Soul Food
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Think for a moment of a food from your past - one that makes you feel great after you eat it, for no specific reason. Maybe it is macaroni and cheese, slow-simmered tomato sauce, ice cream cones or potato pancakes. Eating food like this (every now and then) can be incredibly healing, even though your rational brain might not consider it highly nutritious.
Food has the power to impact us on a level deeper than just our physical well-being. What we eat can reconnect us to precious memories, like childhood playtimes, first dates, holidays, our grandmother's cooking or our country of ancestry. Our bodies remember foods from the past on an emotional and cellular level. Eating this food connects us to our roots and has youthening and nurturing effects that go far beyond the food's biochemical make-up.
Acknowledging what different foods mean to us is an important part of cultivating a good relationship with food. This month when we celebrate lovers and relationships, it's important to notice that we each have a relationship with food-and that this relationship is often far from loving. Many of us restrict food, attempting to control our weight. We often abuse food, substituting it for emotional well-being. Others ignore food, swallowing it whole before we've even tasted it.
What would your life be like if you treated food and your body like you would treat your beloved? With gentleness, playfulness, communication, honesty, respect and love? The next time you eat your soul food, do so with awareness and without guilt, and enjoy all the healing and nourishment it brings you.
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Food Focus: Beans
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Beans, or legumes, including peas and lentils, are an excellent source of plant-based protein. Beans are found in most traditional cultures as a staple food, offering grounding and strengthening properties that enhance endurance. They offer a highly usable, highly absorbable source of calcium for the body. A very inexpensive source of high nutrition, beans can be rich, delicious and satisfying. They are high in iron, B vitamins and fiber, and are versatile enough
that you may never tire of them. Beans stay fresh longer when stored in
a cool, dark place (rather than on your countertop). Don't use beans
that are more than a year old, as their nutrient content and
digestibility are much lower. Also, old beans will not soften, even
with thorough cooking.
Beans have a reputation for causing digestive distress, but this is usually because they have been undercooked or improperly prepared. To help reduce gas-forming properties, soak beans overnight prior to cooking, increase cooking time, add spices like bay leaf, oregano or cumin, or add kombu (a sea vegetable) when cooking.
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Recipes of the Month:
Easy Beans and Greens
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This recipe is an eye-opener for those who find sweet potatoes cloyingly sweet or who are tired of eating them smothered in marshmallows and brown sugar. Japanese sweet potatoes, with their pale flesh and delicate flavor, are a treat if you can find them.
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Yield: 2-3 servings
Ingredients:
1 can of black beans (or pinto, red, kidney-your choice)
1 bunch collard greens (or kale, spinach-your choice)
your favorite toppings, such as salsa, avocado or guacamole, and sour cream
Directions:
- In a medium saucepan, heat drained beans. Add your favorite seasonings, if desired.
- Fill a separate medium saucepan with 1-2 inches of water and bring to a boil.
- Wash and chop greens (you can use the stems, too) and add to boiling water.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes until greens are bright green and tender. Drain off water.
- On a plate, arrange a portion of the greens, top with a portion of the beans, and finish with toppings of your choice.
Pasta Fagioli
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This 20 minute dinner option is fast, easy and delicious! It can be made as a soup, a pasta dish or without any pasta the beans and tomatoes are a great accompaniment to chicken or fish. I particularly enjoy salmon or a firm white fish served on a bed of beans and tomatoes. 5 -7 cloves garlic minced 2 28 oz cans diced tomatoes 1 28 oz can tomato puree (only if making as a soup) 3 15 oz cans Canellini beans with juice 1/2 pound cooked whole wheat pasta 1 large bunch of basil chopped sea salt to taste - Brown garlic in a large skillet over a medium flame in a small amount of extra virgin olive oil
- Add tomatoes, beans (with juice) and sea salt and bring it to a boil.
- Lower flame to a simmer, cover and cook for approximately 15 minutes.
- If making the dish with pasta, bring the pasta water to a boil.
- Cook pasta and set aside.
- Add fresh basil during the last few minutes of cooking.
Serve over whole wheat pasta or as a bed for grilled / broiled fish or chicken. |
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