Body Value

By now my readers know what a food narc I am.  I try not to be so pushy, but I do long for a society of health and a good place to start is our bodies.  After conferring with classmates this past week, I am contemplating what a healthy body means. 

Two of my classmates are writing a grant for a girl’s wilderness organization.  This program is an intervention that discourages risk behaviors like drug use and teen sex by helping girls form healthy friendships while hiking, camping, mountain climbing and community service.  The point that really stuck out to me was their statement about allowing girls to think of their bodies as useful and trustworthy so that they can achieve goals through this most valuable vehicle.  This program does not focus on what bodies look like or BMI.

What a concept.  Our bodies are useful for more than sex. At least that is all I hear about in so much of our popular culture.  I had a light bulb moment and thought “Duh, we are capable of sex. Let’s focus on how else we might be capable.”  I know that the health industry also bombards us with the fear of disease if we look like this or that, which only goes so far.  I think if my doctor told me, “you need to lose weight or you will get a disease.” I would walk out depressed.  I think a better approach would be to ask me what I enjoy doing and supporting me with a comment like, “Let’s work together so that you can do that more often.”  However, I don’t know if this is the right angle, but scare tactics may not always work.  I do know that there is so much negative reinforcement about our chances of getting diseases or our lack of sexual boosting abilities. 

Bodies are our vehicles of pleasure and experiences.  They help us achieve so many goals.  We depend on our bodies for so many needs and they are so perfectly resilient to so many elements (like the sunburn I got yesterday, oops).  We can enhance them to feel more pleasure or accommodate our own ideals of aesthetics for our enjoyment.  I eat a variety of foods to feel good not to stay thin.  I value my body. My hope is that you value yours.

Sugar-Plum Spice Cake with Caramel Icing

For the cake

½  cup sorghum flour

½ cup brown rice flour (here is the sugar part)

1 cup tapioca flour

¾ cup brown sugar

½ tsp xanthan gum

½ tsp salt

1  ½  tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon (Here is the spice part)

¼ tsp cloves

1 tsp nutmeg (I used more because my baby poured in about a tablespoon, but it was fine)

1 cup of buttermilk

1 cup of canola or light olive oil

1 ½ cups of prunes (the plums)

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 eggs

For the icing

¼ cup of butter

½ cup of buttermilk

1 cup brown or white sugar

1 tbls light corn syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp salt

½ tsp baking soda

Place prunes in small pot and cover with water, juice or wine. Bring to a boil and remove from heat and let steep while you mix the dry ingredients.  Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and set aside.  Beat eggs then add oil and buttermilk along with vanilla.  Mash prunes with fork or other masher. Add prunes to wet ingredients and combine.  Mix the wet ingredients with dry being careful not to over mix.  Pour into greased 13x9 inch baking dish.  Place in a 300 degree oven for 35-45 minutes. 

During the last few minutes of baking, combine all icing ingredients in a small pot and bring to a boil.  When mixture starts to boil let caramelize into a very light brown and remove from heat.  It will be slightly foamy. Take cake out of oven and pour icing while both are warm.  Enjoy with a glass of cold milk.  Enjoyment factor is mostly sense of taste.  Invite a friend over and eat.

Just a Mom

Well it is April and it has been an impossibly busy month so far.  My blog is even a little late because of all the happenings and homework.  My sister-in-law is getting married on April 30 and so weekends are full of fun things to do.   Gardening in my yard is taking over my life especially since we have had some dreadful winds wipe out any water for the vegetables.  I feel lucky to have clay soil so it holds the water, but the tops of the garden beds have been so dry and crusty that I think that I might have to replant carrots, chard, and spinach. The newspaper and straw that I laid down between the beds blew everywhere, so that is another project I have to redo. Pretty frustrating!! The mesclun, peas, tomatoes, basil, parsley and hopefully head lettuce and cilantro are doing ok. 

This past week, I have done some reflection of what the semester has been like and well I guess the most I can say is it has been humbling.  I struggle with balancing time with homework, cooking, cleaning, gardening, children, and husband.  In the meantime, I am also trying to look for part-time work, although, work is not one of my priorities.  

School work has by far been the most humbling.   I want to integrate my life with school and I ‘think’ I am doing a good job, but I feel like I have to put on a different hat when I go to class, except I leave the newspaper pirate hat on instead.  I admit, I feel kinda dumb.  I sometimes feel like I don’t belong with these scholarly types because I am just a mom.  I know, I know we all say, “but moms work so hard.” “You are a great mom.” I don’t doubt those things, but it amazes me that this job seems so useless and shielded when getting out into the world.  I don’t feel sorry for myself, but I question my abilities and wonder if I have bitten off more than I can chew so tonight, I will eat some soft foods.

Beans and Greens

Kale is awesome, and so healthy. Beans are awesome and healthy.

1 lb soaked beans (any variety) I always have pintos

1 bunch of kale or any variety of leafy green

Salt to taste

1 cup of chopped green chile w/ salt and garlic chopped in –or-

1 cup of pureed red chile sauce w/salt, garlic, and oregano mixed in

Cheese and cilantro for serving

Should serve 6

Throw a pound of soaked pintos into a slow-cooker along with a bunch of kale, chard, spinach or other green that meets your fancy.  Add about 6-8 cups of water depending on how soupy you want this dish to be.  I really just like the flavors of this with a little sausage or salt pork.  I have had it with chicken sausages, pork sausages, and ham.  I serve this with either red or green chile and cornbread.  It looks like a really brown soup so ladle some in a pretty bowl sprinkle some yellow cheese and cilantro or chives on top and you just prettied it up enough to eat.

Meaningful Family Time

I read a Dear Abby article last week. (Yes, I do indulge in some Dear Abby). The writer inquired about the etiquette for cellular phone use in restaurants after watching a mother and two boys continuously texting throughout their meal.  The writer thought it was rude. Now I have learned to accept cell phone use in restaurants and I prefer the texting because that means I don’t have to listen to one-sided details about someone’s recent sphincter malfunctions and laundry mishaps. (I just tried to make a joke here, but I don’t think it worked out).  On to the story… This article made me a little sad mostly because I don’t envision this as quality family time.  Maybe the family in question do have different outlets to spend time with each other, but so much research suggests that quality conversations while eating is a great strategy to address health especially in the family.  I know that teenagers often seem to prefer conversations with peers, but when they grow up, they will remember and appreciate conversations and quality time with family members. How many of us enjoy getting together with families and/or friends to eat, drink and be merry? 

For as long as I remember, my mom would come home and make dinner and my sister and I would stand on the couch cushions so that we could talk with her while she cooked.  I can’t remember all of the conversations, but there would be laughter and good quality time.  We would watch and learn from our mom and I think this really led to my passion for cooking and family meals.  I remember doing this with my aunt and my grandma too.  My mom never looked up recipes. She cooked up what she knew and she would conjure up some really good, hearty, budget friendly meals.  And I have a hunch that our taste preferences for all sorts of different foods developed because of these fun conversations that we had.  Both my sisters and I have a cornucopia of food preferences and most of them are healthy.  We were lucky. Our mother and other family members enjoyed cooking and we also had the opportunity to watch food come from the garden to the table when we stayed with my grandparents.  I would really love to see this with other families who may not have the direct resources to do this.  I hope to help provide the resources.

A couple of classmates and I are finishing up a grant proposal to request funds that will expand an elementary school cooking program to middle school students.  This program currently teaches students to cook multicultural and nutritious meals in the classroom.  Local growers bring produce for these cooking classes as well as provide the school cafeterias produce to prepare adapted recipes for the entire school twice a month.  For the middle school, we want to tailor the recipes to take shorter prep time so that they can prepare them quickly.  Additionally, we will also have lessons in meal planning, label reading, and how media and peer influence deter teens from healthy dietary behaviors.  The curriculum will also meet other New Mexico academic standards.  The key to this program is that these students will cooperate together, have quality conversation that will encourage their thoughts and eat what they created.  They have something very useful that they can be proud of and to bring home to share.  Families are busy, but we can set up a system that establishes healthy relationship building and hopefully brings families together even if it is just to check in.

Recipe this week is…

All-purpose Five Veggie Marinara Sauce

The limits to this recipe are your imagination. I like to use different veggies in this sauce, but I stick with the same ones a lot of the time.  The recipe I am providing is just to get your brain stirring because I really just throw it together without measuring and with some tasting.  It is low-fat, low-carb and very nutritious and versatile.  I freeze it in increments for a few meals or meal adaptions.

1 large #10 (12cups) can of pureed tomatoes

2 large chopped onions

3 to 4 tbls extra-virgin olive oil

2 little cans of tomato paste

8 minced cloves of garlic

2 green bell peppers (or other veggie, bell pepper prices are atrocious because of the recent cold snap)

3 zuchinni squashes, sliced or minced because this is often a veggie that make some kids turn up their noses

2 packages of mushrooms

½ cup of red wine (optional)

Salt to taste maybe start with 2 tsp and go from there, but not too much

2 tsp pepper

1-2 tbl Italian seasoning like a mixture of rosemary, oregano, basil, parsley, marjoram, and thyme (whatever floats your boat)

Sautee onions in oil over medium-high heat until transluscent. Add garlic for about 15 seconds and then add other veggies and sautee until softened. Add paste and wine.  Mix together and then add can of sauce, salt, pepper and herbs and lower heat to simmer sauce for a little while, maybe 30 minutes.  Let cool slightly and either serve or freeze in smaller containers for other meals. I really hope this works out because I never measure anything for this sauce so I am guessing.   Our first meal with this sauce was a polenta lasagna. Use slices of polenta fried or baked with some olive oil instead of pasta. It is a whole grain.