Like countless Americans, I take part in Meatless Monday. (I also eat meatless on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and every other day of the week, but that came after a while.) Though I’m vegan and advocate that others eat a plant-based diet, I know that many people aren’t quite ready to take that step in whole. For those folks, the concept of simply reducing our meat consumption — say, going meat-free every Monday — might be a bit more digestible.

According to the American Meat Institute, about one-fifth of all Americans are now partaking in this weekly holiday from meat. And if they’re anything like me, they get asked “Why?” a lot. Well, for anyone who wants to answer that question on auto-pilot, I highly recommend sharing this new three-minute animated video about Meatless Mondays — share it with your friends, your family, coworkers, neighbors, Twitter followers, your plumber, local crossing guards and anyone else you can think of. The short video, produced by my friends at The Humane Society of the United States, is a fun way to show the people in your lives why you support eating plant-based foods one day (or in my case, seven days) a week.

So who else supports Meatless Monday? Well, it was founded by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (as a resource-saving measure during WWI). Today, environmental groups like Environmental Defense Fund and Natural Resources Defense Council, health groups like The National Physicians Alliance and even meat-heavy companies and chefs like Wolfgang Puck, Mario Batali, Sodexo and Moe’s Southwest Grill all support the idea of reducing our meat consumption

And this makes sense. As we become more aware of what we’re eating and gravitate toward healthier, sustainable and humane diets, many people are on the lookout for new foods. Plus, a lot of people are starting to simply enjoy food — and preparing it — more. And part of that enjoyment can be found by trying out new, creative ways to prepare meals with things like whole grains, beans, tofu, tempeh, high protein meat alternatives like veggie sausage and non-animal chik’n. And with all the great foods available these days there is no reason why you can’t enjoy all your traditional favorite dishes; you simply opt for better, healthier versions of them.

So if nothing else, think of Meatless Mondays as a culinary adventure. Check out the video. If you like it, pass it around. Then maybe sign up to get a free meatless recipe each week. Reacquaint yourself with the produce aisle. Investigate the vegetarian foods section at your grocery store. Test out new products and veggies you’ve never tried before. It’s your life and your food — love it! Bon appétit!

Genetically modified foods — there’s little doubt in my mind that they’re poisonous to the earth and dangerous to our bodies — and I’m certainly not alone in this belief. As people across the country have grown increasingly concerned about the dangers of genetically modified foods, a coalition of more than 450 environmental, agricultural, consumer and parenting groups has formed to petition the FDA for the right to know which foods are genetically modified and which are not.

The campaign, known as “JUST LABEL IT: We Have the Right to Know,” is dedicated to the mandatory labeling of genetically engineered (GE) foods, also referred to as genetically modified, or GMOs. The JUST LABEL IT message is simple: consumers have a right to know what’s in their food so they can make informed choices about what they eat and feed their families. Such labeling will give American consumers the power to choose foods wisely, just as consumers in Europe, Japan, Australia, Brazil, Russia and China already do.

As as a health evangelist, I encourage everyone to visit the Just Label It website (www.justlabelit.org/takeaction) to submit your comment to the FDA in support of the petition. It takes less than a minute to submit and in turn, empower millions of Americans to make healthier food choices — truly a cause worth fighting for!

To read more on how to minimize genetically modified foods in your diet, click here (http://www.drfranklipman.com/what-practical-tips-do-you-suggest-to-avoid-gm-food)

As you improve your eating habits, you may find that the biggest challenge is how to stay on track when you’re eating in restaurants. Here are a few tips so that you can enjoy the experience of eating out even if you’re on a gluten-free diet or doing a cleanse:

1.  Recommend places to eat where you know they have healthy options and you’ll enjoy the food. For New Yorkers, there’s a great book called Clean Plates NYC that highlights healthy restaurants around the city.

2.  Check the menu of the restaurant you’re going to in advance, and decide what you’re going to order before you arrive.

3.  Feel free to call a restaurant in advance to make a special request.

4.  If you’re ordering a salad, ask the server how big it is.  If it’s big enough, you can have it as your meal.  If not, you can ask for a double order of a salad, so you get a meal-sized portion.

5.  There may be side dishes on the menu that are perfect!  You could order 2-3 side dishes instead of an entree.

6. If you’re not having alcohol, try ordering a sparkling water a splash of cranberry juice and lots of fresh lime or lemon. A light drink option is a wine spritzer, with half white wine and half seltzer.

7.  At the end of the day, no one else is going to remember or care what you ate for dinner, so do what works best for you.

8.  Remember, not all of your socializing has to revolve around food – invite your friends to see live music, go to yoga, go for a walk or get tea.

9.  Plan ahead and be positive!

I worked with one patient who started bringing his own gluten-free crackers out to dinner so that he would have something to eat while everyone else was digging into the bread bowl. Another woman would bring a square of high-quality dark chocolate to enjoy while others were having dessert. This may sound a bit extreme, but I loved that they were both being creative and making small adjustments so that they didn’t have to feel deprived and could enjoy dining out with friends.

If you have any other tips for eating in restaurants, please share them with the rest of us!

Lose weight! Boost immunity! Improve your love life! If there were a pharmaceutical drug that did all three, there’d be a stampede to the pharmacy, but for now, no such pill exists. My advice? Build your own – not a pill, but a plan – an eating strategy that packs power, nutritional value and a host of benefits into every bite. Where to start? Simply load up on the “Super 7” – the 7 most nutritionally valuable foods you can buy. What makes them super? Few calories, little sugar or salt plus lots of soluble fiber, nutrients and health-boosting phytochemicals, and not a drop of guilt should you over-indulge! So, if you want to weigh less, look and feel great, the magic pill you’ve been looking for is in the organic produce aisle and at the seafood counter. Here are the Super 7 – the building blocks of excellent nutrition and sustainable wellness:

1.) AVOCADO
The myriad of nutrients found in avocados – oleic acid, lutein, folate, vitamin E, monounsaturated fats and glutathione among them – can help protect your body from heart disease, cancer and degenerative eye disease. Avocados taste great and are easily integrated into any meal – or even a fruit smoothie. Add a half an avocado to smoothies to add creamy texture and a powerful nutritional boost.

2.) BEANS
Dense and delicious, beans help raise levels of the hormone leptin which curbs appetite, and they deliver a powerful combination of B vitamins, calcium, potassium and folate. All of this will help maintain healthy brain, cell and skin function and even helps to reduce blood pressure and stroke risk. Pretty amazing, eh? To increase your intake, trying eating them as a filling side-dish instead of bread or potatoes. Beans will help keep you feeling fuller longer and deliver an excellent source of sugar-free energy through much of your day.

3.) BLUEBERRIES
Tasty, sweet and packed with disease-fighting phytochemicals, flavinoids and soluble fiber – all of which can help prevent serious diseases like cancer, diabetes, heart disease, stomach ulcers and high blood pressure. In sum, blueberries are nearly miraculous! They also help tame inflammation throughout the body and can reduce “bad” cholesterol – so dig in for better health. While most of us are used to enjoying blueberries at breakfast, they’re also perfect for dessert. Having a snack attack? Instead of ice cream, curl up with a small bowl of frozen blueberries and pop ‘em in your mouth, one by one.

4.) CRUCIFEROUS VEGGIES
Want to lower your cancer risk? Put the cruciferous on your list, namely broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, kale and bok choy. Research suggests cruciferous veggies have the ability to inhibit the growth of some types of cancer cells and even stop others by reducing the production of free radicals. How to stuff more of cruciferous veggies into your diet? Don’t wait ‘til dinner, start your day with them – add cruciferous veggies at breakfast to bulk up your morning meal, add more color to your plate and pack more nutrients into your day.

5.) SPINACH
If you remember the old-time the cartoon character Popeye, you’ll recall that he practically lived on spinach. Now granted, he was eating the canned stuff and I’ll bet his spinach wasn’t organic, but the message was clear – spinach was a superfood even back then, long before we knew much about what it could actually do. So what makes spinach super? It’s a treasure trove of vitamins, antioxidants and phytonutrients, loaded with nutritional goodies like vitamin A, B2, B6, C, K and E. There’s also protein, fiber, omega-3 fatty acids and potassium. In other words, spinach is incredibly nutrient-dense and I’d suggest including it in just about every meal to help protect and support health from head-to-toe.

6.) WALNUTS
Walnuts — you don’t need to eat a lot of them to tap into their power. Just a few a day will deliver a healthy dose of omega-3’s, alpha-linolenic acid, melatonin, copper, manganese and the hard-to-find gamma-tocopherol form of vitamin E which helps protect your heart. Walnuts on your plate may also protect your brain and help slow the onset of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Not a nut fan? Crush or chop walnuts to add to cereal or fruit, or blend in 2 tablespoons of organic walnut butter to your fruit smoothies to reap the benefits of the mighty walnut.

7.) WILD SALMON
Wild salmon is a rich source of protein, vitamin D, selenium, B2, B3, B6, B12 and B3 and those all-important omega-3 fatty acids. So exactly what can wild salmon do for you? Quite a bit, including protection from cancer, cardiovascular problems, macular degeneration, depression, and cognitive decline – that’s a lot of pluses in a pretty compact package. The best salmon to buy? Wild caught, Alaskan salmon, which routinely ranks low in contaminants and high in nutrients. Wild salmon’s benefits start to kick in at about 2 servings a week, so there’s no need to over-do it.

The 30-Day Vegan Challenge: The Ultimate Guide to Eating Cleaner, Getting Leaner, and Living is a joyful literary chaperone through one month of veganism, covering every topic imaginable; literally no stone is left unturned!  In her characteristic up-beat tone Patrick-Goudreau holds readers’ hands throughout the 30-day period, answering every question and addressing every challenge anyone’s ever made while maintaining a nonjudgmental, encouraging tone and helping readers make the transition joyfully, healthfully, and confidently. The 30-Day Vegan Challenge includes chapters on everything from reading nutrition labels and mapping out a grocery store, eating out and packing lunches, celebrating the holidays, traveling, living with non-vegans to all of the individual nutrients people are concerned about: iron, calcium, protein, omega-3 fatty acids and more.  The recipes are simple and overwhelmingly delicious, with menu ideas for every day of the week.  What’s more, the book itself is visually stunning, with gorgeous photos and a colorful, reader-friendly layout.  It is truly the quintessential vegan lexicon for new vegans and vegan veterans alike; anyone who loves good food and healthy living is guaranteed hold this book near and dear.

Although I am not a Vegan myself, there are a myriad of reasons to adopt a vegan lifestyle – to improve overall health, shed a few pounds, demonstrate compassion for animals, or help the environment for example – and Colleen Patrick-Goudreau has outdone herself with a timely challenge for all earthlings to explore.

Watch the 2-minute trailer video:

Click here to view the embedded video.

John Mackey, who started Whole Foods, talking at TEDMED and telling the audience how Whole Foods is incentivizing employees to make healthy lifestyle decisions. Good for him!!

Click here to view the embedded video.

I notice that a lot of our patients struggle with snacking at night.  This is something I’ve struggled with too, so I’ve put together some of my favorite tips so you can get into a better rhythm.

1. Nourish yourself during the day.
If you’re running around and stressed all day, you may look to food (or alcohol) to calm you down at night. But if you’re taking good care of yourself during the day  – eating satisfying, balanced meals, practicing mindful breathing, laughing & loving, drinking water, getting some fresh air, breaking a sweat – you’ll feel more relaxed in the evening.

2. Eat a satisfying dinner.
Don’t eat a wimpy dinner and then wonder why you keep heading back to the fridge all night. Eat a satisfying dinner with protein, some healthy fats and veggies. Pay attention to how you feel after your meal — are you satisfied?  If you’re craving warm foods, have some soup with dinner. If you’re craving crunch, have a salad with crunchy veggies. If you’re craving sweets, have some roasted sweet potatoes, squash or carrots.

3. Take glutamine. 
Take 2 glutamine capsules every 4 hours throughout the day, and don’t forget to take them at night to help with cravings. These will be absorbed best on an empty stomach.

4. Drink tea. 
I like to make a cup of vanilla tea, and add a bit of almond milk and stevia. The tea ritual is comforting, relaxing, a nice way to wind down.  And especially if other people in the household are snacking, it’s nice to have something in your hands.  Sometimes I have magnesium CALM powder hot water at night … it’s sweetened with stevia and is very soothing.

6. “Close” the kitchen. 
Are you hanging out in or near the kitchen after dinner, sneaking cookies or M&Ms? After dinner, close down the kitchen for the night. Create a ritual around this – maybe that means turning the lights off, putting away the dinner dishes, or moving your laptop to a different room. Don’t come back to the kitchen until morning!

7. Get the sweets out of the house.
You can’t snack on it if it’s not there! Give your pantry a good makeover, getting rid of the junk food and your personal trigger foods. Keep only healthy snacks around – such as apples, cucumbers, carrot sticks and hummus.

8. Choose a relaxing activity that’s not food-related.
It always drives me crazy when people recommend taking a hot bath, calling a friend, or taking a walk instead of snacking, because those just aren’t realistic for me.  But … find something that IS realistic for you. I like to read a book or sometimes I get on the floor to stretch or use the foam roller to get a little back massage while watching TV.  If the tennis ball hasn’t rolled too far under the couch, I might roll around on that for a little neck and shoulder release.

9. Get support.
Tell someone about your intention to stop snacking at night, and ask for support.  Maybe you need encouragement or some tough love, or maybe just saying it out loud will help to keep you accountable.  It’s especially helpful to have someone in the house supporting you if possible. And let them know the reason – for me it wasn’t about weight loss, but about giving my digestive system a chance to rest at night. This makes me feel much better rested and less groggy in the morning.

10. Trust that this urge will pass. 
We are such creatures of habit! If you ate sweets last night, your body wants and expects snacks again tonight. It can be uncomfortable to break habits and create new ones.  Trust that as you create new habits, this discomfort will pass (probably much quicker than you expect).

Choose one or two of these tips that you can start implementing right away and let us how it goes!

Reprinted with permission from Experience Life Magazine.

There’s real beauty in choosing a free-range heritage turkey. You’ll get richer flavor, better nutrition — and the satisfaction of supporting a rare breed of poultry farmer, too.

By Karen Olson

On a thousand acres near Ellensburg, Wash., Greg and Laurie Newhall raise cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, chickens and — as of this year — turkeys. This place, Windy N Ranch, is a free-range pasture paradise. And the turkeys here aren’t your average supermarket-variety birds, but a heritage breed called Black Spanish, one of 11 breeds (including Bourbon Red, Narragansett and White Holland) that the American Livestock Breeds Association is working to protect from extinction.

The Newhalls are dedicated to providing a healthy environment and good care for their animals. “I want to do the best job we can in terms of husbandry, as well as raising a simple food that doesn’t have commercial contaminants,” says Greg, who before becoming a rancher and farmer was a builder and developer.

We talked with Greg about his decision to raise heritage turkeys, and why you won’t find his birds in the frozen-food aisle.

Q: Why did you start raising heritage birds?

A: So much of commercial turkey breeding today is focused on maximizing protein production. Back when our society was more rural, qualities like flavor were far more valued. As farmers, we prefer that focus, and we want to promote some of the more flavorful, less common traditional breeds, so that we don’t lose contact with our American roots. By raising birds that have substantially diminished in number, we help keep those breeds going.  And when you buy that kind of bird for your holiday meals, you help sustain them, too.

Q: What’s the difference between a typical grocery-store turkey and a heritage turkey? 

A: When you buy a pasture-raised heritage turkey, you’re buying a bird that has been humanely raised. You get a stronger, more complex turkey flavor as opposed to the bland taste one gets with a commercial turkey. It’s akin to tasting a real vine-ripened tomato versus tomatoes grown more for shipping than for eating.

Q: What about the cost difference?

A: Raising healthy birds humanely and responsibly does cost more. The conventional, broad-breasted birds in the freezer section are much less expensive, but they are much less of a bird. They’re bred almost exclusively for breast meat. They can’t reproduce naturally; they’re artificially inseminated. They have difficulty walking and moving because they’re designed for such rapid growth.

In the claustrophobic operations where 50,000 or 100,000 birds are raised at a time, the birds are jammed into barns that have to have the air circulated because of the ammonia stench. It is so strong that if it weren’t removed with huge fans, it would kill the animals.

Q: How much longer do heritage turkeys take to grow than industrially raised turkeys? 

A: Heritage turkeys grow in 25 to 28 weeks versus commercial varieties that mature in 14 to 18 weeks.

Q: You slaughter and process your own turkeys right on the ranch premises. Why?

A: We can have people pick up a bird hours after it’s processed. They know that animal has been treated well its whole life and hasn’t been through some giant factory or injected with anything. Processing is not a happy situation for any of us, but for the turkeys, being processed here on the ranch, where they’ve been since they were two-day-old chicks, is much more humane and less stressful than being thrown into a truck and hauled a couple hundred miles to be processed in a commercial facility.

Q: Why do you think more consumers are seeking them out these days? 

A: Buying a pasture-raised turkey from a small family farm feels good, and supports a way of farming I think more people are starting to care about. It’s better for people, for the environment, and for the birds, too.

Nutrition Know-How

Heritage vs. Factory-Farmed Turkeys

• Pasture-raised heritage turkeys are higher in omega-3 fatty acids than grain-fed turkeys raised in factory farms. They are also lower in pro-inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids.

• Pasture-raised heritage turkeys do not require the antibiotics and hormones necessary to raise turkeys under stressed, dirty, overcrowded conditions, keeping the meat cleaner and safer for you.

• Because factory-farmed turkeys tend to be dry and tasteless, they’re often injected with saline solution, vegetable oils and additives to enhance their taste — and you’re stuck paying for the extra weight.

• Turkeys processed by the farmer — as opposed to large processing facilities — are much less likely to be exposed to and contaminated with harmful bacteria.

• Turkeys, in general, are a great source of protein. They also contain high levels of vitamin B6, immune-boosting selenium and zinc, and energy-supporting phosphorous.

Kitchen Tricks

• Before cooking a turkey, remove the neck and giblets from the body cavity. Wash the turkey inside and out with cold water.

• Always wash your hands, utensils and cutting boards with warm, soapy water after handling raw turkey.

• If you do use a frozen turkey, never thaw it at room temperature. Instead, thaw it 24 hours for each 5 pounds in its original wrapper in the refrigerator. Or, place it wrapped in the sink, cover with cold water — and remember to keep refreshing the water! — and thaw 30 minutes per pound.

Shopping and Storage Tips

• To find heritage turkeys in your area, search www.localharvest.org and www.heritageturkeyfoundation.org. Pasture-raised turkeys (and other pasture-raised meats) can be found through www.eatwild.com. Whole Foods carries heritage birds, as do other natural food markets.

• If you want a pasture-raised heritage turkey, don’t delay. Many farmers sell out months in advance of Thanksgiving. If you’re thinking about purchasing a turkey directly from a farm, don’t hesitate to call the farmer and ask questions.

• Put fresh turkey in the refrigerator immediately and cook it within one to two days. If you do buy a frozen turkey, it can be frozen for up to a year.

• Once cooked, tturkey, stuffing and gravy can be frozen. Eat within one month.

Quick and Easy

Asian Turkey Slaw: Mix shredded turkey into your favorite slaw mix. Toss with tahini dressing and sesame vinaigrette, then add green onions and toasted slivered almonds for crunch.

Turkey Avocado Wrap: On a sprouted-grain wrap, spread cranberry mustard spread (equal parts Dijon mustard and cranberry sauce) or cranberry Thai chili spread (one part Thai chili sauce to three parts cranberry sauce). Add shredded Napa cabbage, sliced avocado (or try thin slices of cucumber with the Thai chili sauce), shredded turkey meat, and thinly sliced strips of red bell pepper.
Roll up the wrap, and cut it in half diagonally.

Turkey Chili: Mix up your favorite chili. In the last five minutes of cooking or reheating, toss in a hearty helping of chopped cooked turkey meat. Top with a dollop of tangy Greek yogurt and chopped green onion. Add a flourish of cayenne or red chili pepper for extra spice, and some fresh cilantro for color and scent.

Cubed Turkey on Salads: Top salads with leftover turkey and add your favorite seasonal ingredients, such as diced pear or apple, dried cranberries and toasted pecans. Bonus: Use up leftover cranberry sauce by making it into a quick vinaigrette: add 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar to ¼ cup cranberry sauce, whisk in ¼ cup olive oil, then add salt and black pepper to taste.

Recipes!

Classic Roast Turkey 
Start with a pasture-raised heritage turkey. Wash and pat it dry. Season inside and out with salt, pepper, and fresh herbs like rosemary, sage and marjoram. Rub outside skin with butter. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Place turkey breast-side down on a roasting rack; cook for 13 minutes per pound. Turn over halfway through roasting. (For a commercial-grocery-store turkey, roast for 20 minutes per pound, half of the time covered, half uncovered.) For safety, all poultry should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

Wild Rice Mushroom Stuffing
With earthy ingredients like mushrooms, apples and wild rice, this is a richly flavored, gluten-free alternative to packaged bread-cube stuffing.

Makes 6 cups

• 8 ounces baby portabella mushrooms, sliced
• 2 tbs. butter
• 1 Granny Smith apple, diced
• ½ yellow onion, diced (about ½ cup)
• 2 stalks celery, diced (about ¾ cup)
• 2 cups cooked wild rice
• 6 fresh sage leaves, minced
• ½ cup toasted, chopped walnuts
• ¼ cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup hot turkey stock
• Salt and pepper to taste

Sauté mushrooms in melted butter in a sauté pan until lightly browned. Add apples, onions and celery and sauté until tender. Mix wild rice, sage, walnuts and cranberries in a bowl, and stir in turkey stock to moisten. Season with salt and pepper. If you are planning to stuff the turkey cavity (the traditional approach), cool the stuffing first. To bake the stuffing separately (the current trend), lightly oil a baking dish and fill with stuffing. Lightly cover the stuffing with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes; remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes, until stuffing is slightly browned and heated through.

Light Turkey Gravy
Serve this delicate yet deeply flavorful gravy warm over sliced turkey, mashed potatoes — and all kinds of Thanksgiving leftovers.

Makes 2 cups

• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 tbs. butter
• ¼ tsp. dried rubbed sage
• ¼ tsp. dried rosemary leaves, crushed
• 1 tbs. potato starch
• 2 cups turkey stock and pan drippings
• ¼ cup apple cider or cold water
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Fresh sage and rosemary (if desired, to garnish)

In a small saucepan, sauté minced shallot in butter over low heat until caramelized, or light golden brown. Add dried sage and rosemary and sauté one minute. Mix in potato starch, then set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine stock and cider, and bring to a simmer. Stir the potato starch mixture into the simmering stock and stir until gravy is thickened. Season with salt and pepper according to taste. Garnish with fresh sage and rosemary.

Turkey Curry
Leftover turkey makes an excellent curry dish, especially when served with brown rice. If you don’t have all these spices on hand, don’t be shy about buying them (most are available in small quantities in the bulk-spice section of natural markets). See the Web Extra! for a yogurt sauce recipe to serve with this recipe and other curry dishes.

Makes six to eight servings

• 1 tbs. coconut oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup)
• 2 tbs. minced gingerroot
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 to 2 jalapeño peppers, minced
• 1 tbs. cumin seeds
• 1 tbs. ground coriander
• 2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
• ¼ tsp. ground cardamom
• 1 cup diced tomato
• 4 cups small cauliflower florets 4 cups Savoy cabbage, cut into 1-inch-square pieces
• 2 cups turkey stock
• 1½ cups pulled, cooked turkey meat
• 1½ cups frozen peas
• Salt to taste
• Fresh cilantro, chopped

In a large Dutch oven or saucepan, heat the coconut oil over medium heat. Add the onion, ginger, garlic, jalapeños and cumin seeds. Sauté about five minutes, while stirring, and then add the coriander, turmeric, cloves and cardamom. Stir while continuing to cook over low heat, about three to five minutes. Add tomato and stir while cooking over low heat for five to six minutes. Increase heat, add cauliflower and sauté for two to three minutes. Then add cabbage and sauté for one more minute. Add turkey stock and bring to a simmer. Add turkey meat and peas, and continue cooking to heat through. Season with salt to taste and garnish with cilantro.

All of these recipes were created by Betsy Nelson — a.k.a. “That Food Girl” — a Minneapolis-based food stylist and recipe developer.

WEB EXTRA!  More Recipes!

Turkey Barley Soup
Homemade turkey stock is a great base and perhaps the most important part of this wholesome soup. With its whole barley, carrots, celery, onion, kale, and chopped fresh parsley and cubed turkey meat, you have truly nurturing soup.

Makes 8 cups

• 1 tbs. olive oil
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped diced (about 1½ cups)
• 2 cups coarsely chopped celery, about 6 stalks
• 6 carrots, coarsely chopped (about 2 cups)0
• ½ cup hulled barley
• 6 cups turkey stock (homemade is best)
• 1½ cups pulled turkey meat
• 2 cups coarsely chopped kale
• ½ cup coarsely chopped Italian parsley
• Salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large stockpot, sauté the onion for five minutes, and then add the carrots, celery and barley. Sauté while stirring for about five minutes and then add turkey stock and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot and let soup simmer until barley and vegetables are cooked through, about 20 to 25 minutes. Add the turkey meat, kale and parsley and season the soup with salt and pepper according to taste. Make sure to taste the broth, especially if it has been made from a brined turkey, since it will be a bit saltier than stock made from an unbrined turkey.

Ginger-Carrot Yogurt Sauce
Makes 2 cups

• 2 cups grated carrot
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. coconut oil or ghee/clarified butter
• 1 tsp. black mustard seeds or whole cumin seeds
• 2 tsp. grated fresh ginger root
• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt

Place grated carrots in a bowl and toss with salt. Heat coconut oil in a small sauté pan and add black mustard seeds. Toast while stirring until they begin to “pop.” You may want to cover with a lid so the mustard seeds don’t fly out of the pan. Add seeds to the carrots, and stir in the ginger root and yogurt until mixed well. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Reprinted with permission from Experience Life Magazine.

Experience Life magazine is an award-winning health and fitness publication that aims to empower people to live their best, most authentic lives, and challenges the conventions of hype, gimmicks and superficiality in favor of a discerning, whole-person perspective. Visit www.experiencelife.com to learn more, to sign up for Experience Life newsletters, or to subscribe to the print or digital version.

If you have never heard of quinoa (pronounced keen-wah), you may soon discover a new favorite staple.  Although quinoa looks like a grain and has similar cooking characteristics, it’s actually the seed of a plant that is related to spinach, chard and beets.

Regarded by the ancient Aztecs as the “mother grain”, the seeds are rich in protein, calcium , iron and are a relatively good source of Vitamin E and some of the B vitamins. Since the protein in quinoa includes all 8 essential amino acids, it is considered a complete protein, making it a great choice for vegans who may not have enough protein in their diets.

So how what does this versatile seed taste like and what can you do with it?  Cooked quinoa is fluffy, a little creamy and a tiny bit crunchy. It has a subtle, slightly nutty taste and can be used in so many different ways.  You can enjoy quinoa sweet or savory. As a breakfast cereal, try mixing in fresh or dried fruit, shredded unsweetened coconut and nuts.  Cold quinoa , combined with lentils (or other beans) and nuts can be added to salads and is a great substitute for rice and other grains. Its delicious served with stir-fried vegetables or used to stuff squash.

Quinoa cooks really quickly – about 15 minutes and can be kept cold in the fridge for a few days. I often cook more than I need so that I can have leftovers to use in a hearty salad the next day.

Quinoa flour is also used to make pasta and a variety of baked goodies such as pancakes, breads, muffins and crackers.

Going gluten-free just got a whole lot easier and tastier too!

Enjoy this delicious recipe from www.healthycrush.com.

It’s perfect for a vegetarian  or vegan Thanksgiving.

Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash by Jenny Sansouci

• 1 large acorn squash
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Sea salt & pepper to taste
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1/2 yellow onion
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms (any variety)
• 1/2 package organic tempeh OR 1/2 cup chickpeas (your choice)
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 1/3 cup pine nuts (substitute options: pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds)
• A few splashes of tamari (wheat-free soy sauce)
• A sprinkle of cayenne
• A sprinkling of sage on top

Pre-heat oven to 400. Cut your acorn squash in half length-wise and scoop out the seeds.

Brush the squash with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in a lightly oiled baking dish and pop into the oven. Bake for 1 hour.

While squash is baking, prepare the stuffing!

Cook quinoa.

Add onions, mushrooms, garlic and tempeh or chickpeas to a pan with either a tiny bit of oil or just a little water and a few splashes of tamari, and a sprinkling of cayenne.

Cook until onions are translucent & all ingredients are starting to brown up a bit.

Add cooked quinoa to onion mixture in pan and mix thoroughly. Remove from heat and put into a large bowl.

Add raisins, basil and pine nuts to the quinoa mixture and stir well.

After 45 minutes, remove the squash from the oven and stuff with the stuffing. Cook another 15 minutes with stuffing inside.

When squash is very soft when pierced with a fork, and starts to turn a little golden brown around the edges, you’re ready to eat! Top with sage.

Nutritious, whole, organic food can cost a pretty penny, especially if you’re not committed to investing time and energy into becoming a savvy shopper and proactive consumer. I’ve encountered every excuse and complaint in the book and believe me – I hear ya! Family, work and exhaustion are tough demons to tame when you’re staring at an empty dinner table, but let’s face it … Would you rather cut corners and save some money in the short term or spend more time planning, eating consciously, and shopping smart to ward off future hospital bills, prescription costs and long-term health issues? We all slip sometimes and that’s okay! But if you put forth the effort 80 to 90 percent of the time, you’re setting yourself up for increased energy, self-esteem, and happiness for you and your family on a daily basis.

I’m not saying you should run to the nearest health food store and spend your whole paycheck. But before I dive into a bevy of cash saving tips, I’ve got a news flash. This diet and lifestyle wasn’t created for sissies. We’re warriors! That means that you’re not going to see savings unless you stick with the program. It’s time to roll up your sleeves and join this burning hot revolution. Easy-peasy food that you can scarf down in two seconds flat usually equals cheap and unhealthy. Like most things in life, the good stuff takes a little more TLC. I’m not saying that you have to give up your social life, you just might have to cut back on half an hour of Facebook stalking or the latest episode of The Bachelor. A little planning and effort goes a long way.

Now for the dirt. Over the past decade, I’ve been collecting my own tricks of the thrift (I’ve always loved a good haggling), and I’ve picked up loads of cost cutting strategies from my peeps at Crazysexylife.com and my online community posse at my.crazysexylife.com. Please, for the love of unicorns everywhere, add your own killer advice in the comments section. If we keep swapping knowledge, nothing can stop us. Not even 15-dollar raw organic almond butter!

1. Buy bulk. Sure, those bins aren’t as sexy as the pretty packaging on the shelves, but they’re a hell of a lot cheaper! While you’re scooping your millet, get chummy with the grocer and clerks. Your new buddies may be willing to order certain other items in bulk for you. Costco or BJ’s is also a prime destination for large quantity, low cost items.

2. Join your local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) group. Some may be intimidated by this option because of the commitment and quantity. You’ll usually have a variety of veggies to choose from each week and if a half share is still too much too handle, see if a friend or family member wants to go in on it with you. There’s always the trusty freezer for preserving what you can’t consume that week. Hello strawberries in December! Here are some handy websites: Local Harvest, Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association, Rodale Institute Farm Locator, Wilson College Database, Eat Well Guide, National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service, and Just Food (NYC Region).

3. Shop your local farmers markets. Take advantage of the local bounty by perusing veggie stands with a critical eye. There are usually a variety of farmers offering an array of prices, so compare prices, bargain and make friends with your favorite farmer. Be open minded about your weekly menu, too. Take advantage of the lower priced veggies and fruits by designing your meals around their deliciousness (they taste even better when they’re a bargain). Find a market near you: Farmers Market, USDA Farmers Market Directory, Farmer’s Market Online and Local Harvest.

4. Budget and plan. Before we even get to the heart of this tip, make sure you aren’t famished when you walk through the entrance of the grocery store or farmers market. That’s the quickest way to derail your well-laid plans to be a smart, healthy shopping minx. Set a comfortable budget for your weekly or bi-weekly shopping excursions and then get to whipping up a list. First, examine your fridge and cupboards. What can you build on? You might start saving right away if you get into this mindset and stop building meals from scratch every time you touch a shopping cart. If planning a whole week’s worth of meals is overwhelming, bite off few days at a time. Need inspiration? Dust off your cookbooks and get creative. You’ll find a list of my go-to recipe books in this Love List.

5. Clean and organize your fridge and cupboards, then stock up on the essentials. The kitchen is no longer a prison. It’s your playground and your personal pharmacy. Would you let a carton of almond milk get moldy in your blessed new sanctuary? In order to know what you really need, your kitchen should stay relatively clean and organized. Then, get the good stuff in there and keep the fresh and perishable items at eye level. It’s easy to forget about that poor bunch of kale when it’s sitting in the back of your crisper. Once you’ve stocked your pantry with non-perishables, you’ll have the building blocks for countless meals and going to the grocery store is less likely to break the bank.

6. Learn the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen: Organic can be pricey! Check out the Environmental Working Group’s lists to determine your priorities for organic purchases. They even created an iPhone app!

7. Grow indoor greens. It is exponentially more economical to grow your own food. Whether you live in a tiny Brooklyn apartment or a McMansion, there’s room for a few pots of greens. Your choices are infinite and the how-to is at your fingertips! Start greening your thumb today by reading “Urban Gardening for the Everyday Person.” You Grow Girl is also a fantastic resource. And don’t forget to join the Crazy Sexy Gardening group at my.crazysexylife.com! Want more? Check out Garden Girl TV, Urban Homestead, and Four Season Farm.

8. Be flexible. I know it sounds like I’m giving you mixed messages, but if you arrive at the supermarket and there’s a big sale on bananas, snag those babies! They may not have been on your list, but you can cut them up, freeze, and pop them in your smoothies or soft serve ice cream later. This goes for most fruits and veggies and we all know that staples like quinoa or brown rice aren’t going to go bad in your pantry, so stock up when the prices are low!

9. Skip restaurants. This gets a lot easier when you’re planning meals at least a day or two ahead of time and your fridge/pantry is stocked. Let’s get real. Those restaurant bills pile up and there’s something about the low lighting and aromas coming from the kitchen that makes you forget that you don’t need a bottle of wine plus a five-course meal. I’m not saying that you should never step foot in your beloved establishment again, just try to limit your visits to a couple times a month rather than twice a week. It’s more special that way and meals at home will become a delight rather than a drag once you get into the swing of things.

10. Make your food last: When you arrive home from the market or grocery, wash and store your fruits and veggies so that they’re organized and super accessible (Debbie Meyer Green Bags extend life expectancy!). If you’re a juicing king or queen, divide your produce into individual packs that you can pull from the fridge at a moment’s notice. Smoothie lover? Pop your packs in the freezer. Finally, if you’ve slipped a little and your goodies are going south, rescue them in a delicious soup or smoothie. Your leftovers are not second-class citizens. It’s easy to shrug them off the next day for lunch or dinner, but with a little TLC, you can whip yesterday’s meal into today’s treasure. Your fridge is not a graveyard!

11. Buy used or barter: Buying a new juicer or blender may not be in your budget right now, but what about a used one? Craigslist, eBay, not to mention your friends and family, might have an affordable gently used model. Heck, your pal might be willing to barter if you’ve got something in the house that they’ve been eyeing. In the meantime, you can still juice with any old blender and strainer (cheese cloth or nut milk bags work great!). Just blend your veggies and send them through the strainer for a tall glass of green goodness.

12. Skip the bells and whistles. Do you really need that bag of raw organic cashew butter? Once in a while, go ahead and splurge, but if you are looking for somewhere to cut corners, the specialty foods are a good place to start. You could probably satisfy that craving with something reasonably priced, you might just have to use some elbow grease to make it from scratch.

Kris Carr is a New York Times best-selling author, motivational speaker and wellness coach.