This October, host a Halloween Brunch that offers thrills and chills and good nutrition, too! Here’s a tasty menu that’s sure to fright:  BOOgels and SCREAM Cheese, SPOOKY Cookies, Fruit Salad with BOOberries, BOOnanas, and CADAVERloupe, and PUMPKIN Muffins.  Beverages might include Hot Apple SPIDER, DECAPITATED Coffee, and GREEN WITCH Tea.  Your goblins and ghouls are sure to enjoy such tasty bites! And here are some food-related Halloween jokes to get their cackle on…  (answers below) 1. Where do ghosts buy their food?    2. What do skeletons say before dining?    3. Why wasn’t there any food left after the monster party?   4. What’s the ratio of a pumpkin’s circumference to its diameter?  5. What is a ghost’s favorite breakfast?   6. What is a vampire’s favorite candy?    7. What is [...]

With the summer solstice, June 20th officially marks the first day of summer (at least for those of us in the northern hemisphere). “Solstice” is derived from two Latin words: “sol” (sun) and “sister” (to cause to stand still).  On this day, the daytime hours are at a maximum and the sun rises an imperceptible amount as compared to the day before, thereby seeming to “stand still.”  It is a beautifully symbolic start to lazier days lounging around the pool, spending time at the park, or sipping a cocktail with friends by the BBQ.  So, what, if anything, does this have to do with eating?  Well, for me, it is an opportunity to remind ourselves of the importance of eating slowly. AN EATING MEDITATION By taking time to eat our [...]

Life is paradox.  In our continual exploration of food as a living dynamic metaphor for the divine, we can extend this thinking to our relationship with food.  Certainly, there is paradox in the fact that a properly nourished seed grows into a living plant.  The plant is then harvested, leading it toward eventual death.   When eaten, its death nourishes us such that we may live. Around the world, and throughout time, spring is a time to grieve, mourn, and release  that which is dying while also being a special time to invite, welcome, and celebrate that which is arising or waiting to be born. What is ready, or getting ready, to die with regard to your relationship with food? The habit of adding salt to your food before [...]

Last night, I had the great pleasure of taking a few of my JuicePlus+ customers to view Forks Over Knives at the Vine Theatre in Livermore last night.  I had seen the movie once before with my husband and two children, but it is one of those movies that is so full of important education, that I continue to introduce people to it. The movie examines the profound claim that most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting animal-based and processed foods and adopting, instead, a whole-foods,plant-based diet.  Therein lies the meaning of the title “Forks Over Knives” since we don’t really need knives to cut up our beans, lentils, whole grains, fruits, and veggies. The major storyline [...]

Many of the trademark flavors of the holiday season add sweetness to foods without adding calories. This year, I encourage you to discover the spices that have been hidden or forgotten in the dark corners of your cupboard. Reach for allspice, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and nutmeg, to name just a few. Add any of these spices to sweet potatoes for a sweet side dish. Add ginger to cooked carrots or a sprinkle of nutmeg to cooked spinach. Add allspice, nutmeg or cinnamon to warm oatmeal on a chilly morning. Last, but not least, bring these seasonings into the light by adding them to warm drinks like coffee, hot chocolate, or cider. Here are a few non-alcoholic drinks to dress up your holiday season and warm the heart without adding extra [...]

  Is a corn-cob pipe and a carrot nose enough to nourish Frosty? Apparently not! But even with a banana, apple, carrot, broccoli floret, and cucumber (or is that a zucchini sticking out of his ear?), he is actually getting more than the average American!  What’s more, he doesn’t realize that the recommended intake of 5 servings per day is old news. Because of the tremendous health benefits of consuming more fruits and vegetables – including a reduction in the risk of cancer, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, reduced inflammatory symptoms in those diagnosed with rheumatoid disease, and a potential reduction in body weight – the new recommended intake is 7-13 servings per day. Yet, despite these health benefits and the efforts of public health campaigns, fruit and vegetable consumption remains far [...]

TOASTED PECANS         I received this recipe from my dear friend, Sarah, years ago and have been making them every year since.  In fact, they are now a tradition in our household.  I will be gifting my kids’ teachers with a bag of them for Thanksgiving.  They are terrific eaten alone, tossed over a salad, or on baked sweet potatoes! INGREDIENTS 1 pound pecans, halved 3 Tbsp. melted butter 1/3 cup sugar, white 1 Tbsp. karo syrup 1 tsp. vanilla   ½ tsp. salt ¼ tsp. pepper ½ tsp. cinnamon ½ tsp. allspice ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg ½ tsp. coriander   Mix together the melted butter, sugar, karo syrup, and vanilla.  Boil pecans in water for one minute.  Drain and put in a bowl.  Stir in [...]

Fruit salad with BOO-berries and BOO-nanas and BOO-gels with SCREAM cheese!

This weekend, my family and I enjoyed tractors, trains, and gold panning at the Amador County Fair.  We were also surrounded by fair food!  Now, usually, when I talk about ‘fair food,’ I’m referring to practices that support the intersection of food systems to guarantee access to healthy, fresh, and sustainably grown food, especially in underserved communities. But, this time, I’m talking about cotton candy and candied apples, corn dogs, corn on the cob, popcorn (ode to the corn), taffy, snow cones, ice cream, of course, shaved ice, and funnel cakes (to name just some).                               The old familiar saying, “Everything in Moderation,’ just doesn’t work anymore.  I hear people saying it – usually as they are indulging [...]

All right.  I admit it.  I fell off the vegetarian wagon.  But at least I did it in style!  Roger had received a gift certificate to Chez Panisse, and we were off to treat his dear friend from dental school to a most beautiful and scrumptious meal. I felt very fortunate, indeed. It was a special occasion. We chose to dine downstairs which meant that we would be eating from a pre fixe menu determined that day once the chefs knew what would be delivered that day from local farms in the area… a la Alice Waters.  I imagine I could have requested a vegan meal, but I was there with an open heart and mind, and I knew the how to do slow food.  And so it was… [...]

One of my very favorite things about homeschooling is something we call Lunch Club.  Basically, about once every two months, eight chefs between the ages of 8 and 14 prepare a scrumptious three course meal in my kitchen.  It is a sight to see!  Of course, any culinary expert will tell you that you can’t just jump in the kitchen and whip up a five-star meal.  No, it can take weeks of planning as it does for this group.  Here are the steps that they take before presenting their delicious meal: 1. Submit recipes and set the menu;  One of the dishes that they selected is ROASTED BABY VEGETABLES.  Click here to find the recipe at epicurious. 2. Price the ingredients and make any adjustments to the menu in order [...]

I’m so excited! My niece (well, actually she’s my husband’s niece, but I like to claim her as my own), Elise Beavers is blogging her journey as a ‘chub-phobic foodie torn between the realms of healthy cuisine, college food, and the caloric needs of her fat-incinerating boyfriend.’  Yum Foodie Foodie will be especially appealing to those of you in college will especially enjoy her tales of battling the bulge while living in a fast food nation.  Her most recent post features my recipe for No Tomato Salsa.  She calls is Tomato Free Salsa…  same difference  :-)  This fabulously colorful, nutritious, and delicious dish is so darn easy to make you could do it with your eyes closed, but she has provided photographs of the step-by-step preparation.  Click here to [...]

Eating green supports the SacredBite message that “eating for our individual well-being supports our environmental well-being,” and vice versa. First and foremost, ‘going green’ means eating less meat, especially beef. While interest in vegetarianism appears to be increasing, with many restaurants and college foodservices offering vegetarian meals routinely, it is not necessary to give up meat completely in order to participate in the healing of our planet. A 2005 study by the University of Chicago found that one person switching from a meat-based diet to a plant-based diet could save about the same amount of CO2 as trading in a Toyota Camry for a Toyota Prius! (1) That’s because raising cattle requires about 80 calories of fossil-fuel to cultivate one food calorie, whereas only 2 calories of fossil-fuel are [...]

Americans eat a lot of beef, but do we understand the environmental impact of consuming such large quantities of this meat?  

In June 2010, The American Dietetic Association, American Nurses Association, American Planning Association, and American Public Health Association met to develop a set of shared food system principles.  The following link details their definitions of healthy food systems: http://www.planning.org/nationalcenters/health/foodprinciples.htm