Why I Went to See a Nutritionist - Part 1

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I’ve been wanting to write this post for some time, and it was grabbing coffee with Lauren two weeks ago that made me realize that it was time to publish! This first post will talk about my reasonings for seeing a nutritionist and what I was looking to get out of it. The second post will discuss the tweaks that I’ve made to my diet and lifestyle and what impact that has had on my well-being.

If you’ve been a long-time reader, you’ll know that I’ve struggled in the past with what I categorized as a very minor eating disorder. I’ve gone through stages of binge and restricting, times when I used food as a way to control something in my life, and stages where I felt completely out of control of my diet. There were times when I lost weight, and other times I was completely baffled why I was gaining weight. Beyond weight loss, I’ve learned so much about the power of nutrition on my rheumatoid arthritis and overall well-being. There were certain points throughout it all when I thought to myself that I should really contact a nutritionist and talk to them about my individual needs, struggles, and desires.

And I consider myself - I am - a healthy food blogger. I know what healthy is, and what healthy isn’t. It’s not like I felt like a fraud or anything by having this blog, but I still felt like I had a lot to learn about finding the right healthy balance for myself. I get so much wonderful information from the internet and from books. I eat up nutrition textbooks, and I love reading about how other healthy living bloggers live their lives. I would inhale all of this other information, and I would try and apply it to myself, just experimenting. Oh, that worked for her? Let me try that for me! I journaled a lot and took down what foods made me feel good and which ones didn’t. I would talk to friends, I would blog, I would talk to family, I would read a whole lot, and Nate was always beyond supportive no matter what I talked his ear off about.

But I never talked to a professional, someone who would be able to take a look at my story and my body as a whole, and provide recommendations for me and everything that I could still use some help with.

So in the middle of this past summer – around the time that I wrote this post about how I couldn’t seem to find the right balance for myself - I reached out to a duo who do nutrition and fitness counseling. I am not sure why I bit the bullet this times of all times in my life, but everything else just seemed to be going well at the moment - settling in with Nate in SF, job, etc - seemed like a good time to focus on myself. I’ll be honest – I was super nervous. For some reason, it was really important for me for my nutritionist/fitness consultant to know how much I already knew about health and fitness. I guess I didn’t want to be lectured on what healthy living was, or do have them think I was starting from square one. I wasn’t sure if nutritionists only saw people who needed to lose a significant amount of weight, and I didn’t need to do that. All of these fears and silly thoughts aside -

It’s been one the best decisions I’ve made for myself in a really, really long time.

Overall, I told them I was looking for the following:

  1. I had never seen a nutritionist before
  2. I had never talked to professionals about my lifestyle as a whole and get professional recommendations
  3. I was kind of felt like I was putting on a couple of lbs, and was frustrated why. I didn’t want to - I absolutely could not - go down a bad cycle of binge/restrict again
  4. I wanted to set in place a lifestyle that would work for me whether I’m traveling or at home working or vacationing
  5. I wanted to open up about the food demons I had dealt with in the past
  6. I really wanted recommendations for what someone of my petite size, with my specific diets and restrictions and health needs, should be eating

In the first session, we talked through EVERYTHING. What I ate in a day, my exercise routine, what I had observed about my body in the past, what I was looking to get out of the session. They seemed to just “get me”. We made some little tweaks to my diet, some major tweaks to my exercise routine, and talked through some profound perspective shifts.

It’s been over a month now, and I’m so pleased to pass along how these tweaks and my discussions with these gals have changed my lifestyle for the better. Stay tuned for the next post on the adjustments I made, and the improvements I saw!

White Bean and Basil Nourish Bowls (vegan, gluten free)

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“Nourish bowls” all have a few things in common, such as plant-based power foods, delicious textures and flavors, all snuggled up into a bowl of health! My take has a white bean and basil mash, roasted sweet potatoes, and greens. It’s gluten free and vegan comfort food!

Sorry for the delay in posting! I had SO much fun this short weekend in NYC catching up with college buddies and colleagues. I don’t even know what time zone I’m in at the moment. New York is just so wonderful this time of year - the weather is perfect, the tourists have died down, and it just feels authentically New York. Definitely a different vibe back when I was here in July. I’m not sure if that makes any sense - especially since I’m no New Yorker - but regardless, wonderful weekend around the city and surrounding suburbs!

I’ve seen so many names for these kinds of meals - nourish bowls, hippie bowls, buddha bowls, power bowls. What I’ve noticed they all have in common is that they are plant-based, balanced meals full of vegetables, healthy fats and proteins. Whether you eat them mixed up in the bowl or each individual ingredient separately, they are delicious! I often whip up things like this when I’m at work. It’s really easy to assemble in an office kitchen, especially if you bring pre-made items. I’ll often grab a pre-made chickpeas salad, greens, sauerkraut, and avocado and put all of the ingredients into a bowl while the employees at my client site watch with amusement. I have to say, I did take it to a new level when I made a massaged kale salad in the breakout room. It definitely wasn’t worth the hassle, and I think I’ll stick to recipes that you “assembly” rather than, well “massage”. I decided to call this a nourish bowl - as opposed to any of the other applicable names - because to me, each component was comforting and felt like it fulfilled something that my body was looking for. Aaaand that’s definitely what she said.

…Sorry. My coworkers always tell me that a) I should stop massaging kale in the office and b) to get my head out of the gutter. I make so many that’s what she said jokes - it’s pathetic. My humor has just regressed as I’ve gotten older! I feel like I can also blame the jetlag. Well, on that note, I really don’t have much else to say about these super tasty, super healthy, and super nourishing bowls. I hope you make and enjoy all week!

5.0 from 3 reviews
White Bean and Basil Nourish Bowls (vegan, gluten free)
 
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This nourish bowl has a white bean and basil mash, roasted sweet potatoes, and greens. It's gluten free and vegan comfort food!
Author:
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 can of white kidney beans, rinsed and drained
  • ½ cup basil leaves
  • 1 tbsp tahini
  • ½ tsp paprika
  • Juice of one lemon
  • 2 sweet potatoes
  • Spinach greens
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt
  • Pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 435 degrees F
  2. Slice the sweet potatoes into cubes, and toss with olive oil, paprika, and salt and pepper to taste
  3. Bake for 20-25 minutes on a baking sheet
  4. While the potatoes are roasting, in a food processor, place the beans, basil, tahini, and lemon juice. Pulse until a chunky mash forms - you don't want it pureed
  5. Toss your spinach greens with a little olive oil
  6. Layer half of the bowl with spinach
  7. In one quarter of the bowl, spoon about ½ cup of the mash
  8. In the other quarter of the bowl, place a quarter of the roasted sweet potatoes
  9. Repeat for the other three servings, or set the rest aside for later!
Notes
If making ahead, the bean mash and the sweet potatoes can be fully prepared. Don't toss the spinach greens with the olive oil until right before serving!

If you like this, you’ll love: Marinated Chickpea and Kale Salad

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Vegan Pumpkin Pie Crumble Bars (gluten free)

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Consider these a no-fork-necessary vegan take on pumpkin pie, minus gluten and refined sugars! I’ve enjoyed tricking my tastebuds in thinking that they are getting something super indulgent and decadent with this healthier treat.

I can actually remember the first time I ate pumpkin, not just in roasted seed form or at Thanksgiving. My high school sweetheart really liked these soft pumpkin chocolate chip cookies from Ralph’s (a local LA grocery store) and we used to eat them by the handful. This was before I knew that pumpkin was so versatile, so delicious, (and so popular and trendy). We just thought we had stumbled upon a weird combination that somehow “worked!” But now I know better, of course. My first ever DCC blog post had pumpkin in it!

Vegan Pumpkin Pie Bars | danicaliforniacooks.com I did a bunch of research before putting these pumpkin pie bars together. I had a lot of requirements. I wanted them to be vegan and gluten free, and I wanted them to be a finger food so I could bring them to a work event and use my colleagues as taste testers. It took several runs to Trader Joe’s and back (remember that lost can of pumpkin I rambled to the cashier about?) but I’m so glad that I finally got the ratios and the ingredients right.

I’ll be honest - I was a bit scared to bring these into the office. Sure, it’s San Francisco and everyone drinks their kombucha, but I’ve seen my coworkers attack a pastry platter like nobody’s business and I wasn’t sure if this was the right group for trying a healthier treat. I made Nate swear that I wasn’t going to embarrass myself by bringing them into the office! I’m not sure why I get so shy when it comes to sharing my way of baking. I should just trust my taste judgement!

Anyways, MAJOR success at the office. People went back for seconds and thirds. I’m excited to distribute the link to my colleagues for this post! And I’ll be honest, I didn’t bring the entire batch into the office with me. I definitely nommed on these all throughout the weekend, and went back for seconds myself. They are so reminiscent of pumpkin pie and all of those delicious flavors and spices, but they aren’t too sweet. I would say they are just right!

On another note, I’m off to NYC this weekend for one of my best friends from college (and sorority sista) going away party. She’s moving to London (gah!) She had a wild 21st birthday at her parent’s place four years ago, and I dug up some old photos of that. It happened to be one of the weekends in NYC that time that broke heat wave records, and everyone got WAY too drunk since we were so dehydrated. I think I went to bed at like 10pm. A lot of the same group is going to be there this time around, and I can’t wait to take a “four years later” picture. Hopefully we will look (and be) much more sober. And less sweaty.

2015-09-22_21-34-21 But yes. It’s time for fall. No more drunken summer parties, and now time for things like these pumpkin pie bars. I know I covered a lot in this post, so thanks for sticking with me.


5.0 from 3 reviews
Pumpkin Pie Crumble Bars (vegan, gluten free)
 
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Consider these a fork-free vegan take on pumpkin pie, minus gluten and refined sugars! I've enjoyed tricking my tastebuds in thinking that they are getting something super indulgent and decadent with this healthier treat. Adapted from Choosing Raw.
Author:
Ingredients
  • Bottom crust:
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1½ cups almond flour
  • 1 cup oat flour
  • ⅓ cup almond milk
  • ½ cup melted coconut oil
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • Dash of salt
  • Pumpkin filling:
  • 2 cans pureed pumpkin
  • 1 tbsp pumpkin spice
  • 2 tsp corn starch
  • ⅓ cup coconut sugar
  • Crumble topping:
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1 cup almond flour
  • ⅓ cup maple syrup
  • ⅓ cup coconut oil, room temp
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
  2. Mix the crust layer in a large bowl
  3. In a greased 9x11 baking pan, press the mixture into the bottom of the pan
  4. In the same bowl, mix the pumpkin filling
  5. Layer the pumpkin mixture over the oats mixture evenly
  6. Place in oven and bake for 15 minutes
  7. Using your hands, mix the crumble topping
  8. Remove dish from oven, and sprinkle oat crumble evenly over the pumpkin. Press into topping
  9. Bake for another 25-30 minutes
  10. Allow to cool completely (you can even let it sit in the fridge) before cutting into squares and serving

If you like this, you’ll love: Cornmeal Almond Raspberry Bars

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WIAW - Back on the Road in Spokane

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Hello from Spokane! It stepped off the plane on Tuesday and it felt like FALL here. I’m traveling for work the next two weeks with a weekend in NYC in between, and then I am HOME for a month!! Made getting on my flight all that much easier today. Linking up to show Tuesday’s eats! And to all of those who are fasting today for Yom Kippur - may you have an easy fast :).

BREAKFAST

I noshed on a little trail mix in the cab, and once at the airport, I picked up a fruit salad and three scrambled eggs, plus some coffee. I had indulged in some late night desserts the night before, and I was so excited to dig into these eggs - just tasted exactly right. I always wait to have breakfast until I’m actually seated on the plane, along with a trashy magazine. No one sat in the middle seat - score! The coffee was pretty bitter (and I’m allowed to say that, you know, now that I’m a coffee snob since Sunday’s adventures at Blue Bottle)

20150922_090401_resized When I arrived in Spokane, my rental car happened to be a MUSTANG CONVERTIBLE! I do not get excited about cars at all, but this was a major leg up from the normal Toyota Yaris that is handed my way. I zipped on over to the grocery store in style! Still haven’t figured out how to bring down the convertible top yet…

20150922_110834_resized LUNCH

Yeah, this looks like a super #saddesklunch. I had a cup of roasted vegetable soup and some curried lentils. After taking Intro to Fermentation on Monday night, I really wanted sauerkraut and I loved the Farmhouse Culture Caraway Kraut that I picked up at the store. I can’t wait to share all that I learned in the class! And currently I have some lemons preserving and some sauerkraut bubbling up in my apartment. Hoping Nate can remember to take a peek at my pet kraut while I’m gone this week…

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SNACK

I came down with a bad headache on Saturday, and Nate made me this “tonic” of lemon, apple cider vinegar, cinnamon, and warm water. I ended up enjoying it a lot so I made it again today and drank it from a solo cup in the office, at my makeshift standing desk. Sorry, no pictures!

Also chomped down on a Gold Rush apple with some Wild Friends Cinnamon Raisin PB. Funny story about these apples - they were my absolute favorite at the farmer’s market back when I lived in DC. I hadn’t seen them anywhere else until my local farmer’s market this past weekend! Turns out that these two farmers (the DC and the SF farmer) met each other and swapped apple seedlings. If you ever come across the Gold Rush apples - definitely give them a try. They are a lot like Honeycrisp, but are green!

DINNER

I was super sore from pilates at Core40 yesterday but I made it through a super fun spinning class at the The Union. It felt really good! Then I grabbed my go-to salad from Mizuna. I had missed this salad since I haven’t been traveling to Spokane this past month! This one has spinach, ahi tuna, pickled ginger, avocado, carrots, cucumber, and a miso dressing. I loved when I found out that Sylvia from Feasting at Home put together this salad back in the day when she owned Mizuna. We should pester her for that killer dressing recipe.

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DESSERT

I ate a bit of Lilly’s dark chocolate for dessert. I had really gone to town on dessert on Monday and Sunday night, so I was more into the savory flavors today. And I was really happy to settle in front of my hotel room TV! Super pumped that The Voice is back - I didn’t realize that it had already started. I also watched a bit of Scream Queens but I changed the channel after 5 mins - I thought it was so bad. I have such a funny routine in my hotel rooms during the week. I change into this size XL satin leopard print pajamas and spread my stuff all over the room and generally have a face mask on in the evenings. It’s a good thing I’m alone!

And those were the days eats! Pretty sure today (when you read this) after going to look very similar. Already looking forward to a massive vegetable omelet in the morning.

 

 

 

What I Learned about Coffee from the Blue Bottle Coffee Company!

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I had the pleasure of driving out to Oakland on Sunday morning for two educational sessions on coffee - one called coffee “cupping” where you learn all about smelling and tasting coffee, and then a “how to brew” session at the (locally) famous Blue Bottle Coffee Company.

P1120202 A few of the standout things I learned include:

  1. A lighter roast of coffee actually has LESS caffeine, because the roasting process takes out some of the caffeine
  2. A darker roast of coffee often is less bitter and less acidic, because the roasting process removes those flavors
  3. All coffee is fermented (whaaaat?!)
  4. Unless you’re making coffee with a french press, coffee does not like “turbulence” i.e. does not like to be stirred up a lot
  5. When coffee is cooler, you often taste the sweeter/brighter flavors

P1120211 During coffee “cupping”, we smelled the freshly ground beans, also after hot water was poured over, and then we tasted the different coffees once brewed. It was kind of remarkable the different aromas and flavors of each coffee. I discovered hints of blueberries and oats and caramel and all sorts of unique flavors within each coffee. P1120209 We also learned how to “slurp” the coffee to get the best flavors - kind of like a wine tasting technique - and I could never do it right and always ended up in a coughing (a coffee-ing, lol) fit each time I tried to properly slurp.

P1120218 I added a bunch of new ways to describe coffee to my repertoire as well, such as:

  • Thin/weak
  • Bright/fruity
  • Caramel/chocolatey
  • Bitter/strong
  • Rich/dark

P1120234 During the brewing session, we sampled the same roast of coffee brewed three different ways - a Bonnmac (looks like a single drip pour over cup), a Chemex, and an Aeropress. Each of them tasted delicious to me - I think the Chemex was my favorite, but also certainly the hardest to recreate at home.

P1120243 This morning, I took some of the tips and tricks I learned into my own kitchen and brewed a wonderful cup of coffee on my French press! For anyone who lives in LA, NYC, or the Bay Area and wants to learn more about coffee from some of the most passionate (and good looking) baristas around, I definitely recommend checking out the educational sessions put on by Blue Bottle Coffee. Many thanks to Andy, our barista, for answering all of my questions and humoring me when I tasted flavors such as “cereal” within the coffee!

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Miso Ginger Chicken and Chickpea Soup (gluten free)

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This soup is a cure-all! Whether you need to work through a cold or snuggle up in the rain, this one-pot soup fits the bill. It’s filled with vegetables, tons of garlic and ginger and miso, and two different kinds of protein.

Ginger Miso Chickpea and Chicken Soup | danicaliforniacooks.com I’m sure many of you full-time food bloggers can understand this, or anyone else who works at home, but I found myself on Thursday, in the middle of the day still in my pajamas, rambling to the cashier at Trader Joe’s about how I “swore I had bought a can of pumpkin the night before but couldn’t find it today, and I had searched all around my house for it, including the trash can, yadda yadda yadda”.

soup3 He looked at me like I was a crazy person and I realized that I was actually being a crazy person!! I almost considered defending myself and being like “Oh, I’m just working from home today - I swear - so I’m chattier than normal” and then I figured I was just shooting myself in the foot and my best move is to probably just pay for the stupid extra cans of pumpkin and go back home. I’m working from home for all of October - I cannot wait to not travel for a bit - but I could really use some tips and tricks for how to increase human interaction without chatting up every person who may stumble in my wake. Ginger Miso Chickpea and Chicken Soup | danicaliforniacooks.com One thing I am really looking forward to during October is all of the home cooking I am going to be able to do during the week!! Although using the corporate per diem food allowance on salmon every day may get missed after a while. Cooking up big batches of soups like these to have throughout the week is going to bring me a lot of joy. I’ve made this soup several times now, always when it’s cold and rainy out, or when someone isn’t feeling well. I actually stumbled upon it featured on the blog once before… Ginger Miso Chickpea and Chicken Soup | danicaliforniacooks.com It’s so warm, comforting, healthy, and filled to the brim with delicious spices and flavor. It really will cure what ails you, and make you happy that this is the tonic! We serve this with bread and salad, or on it’s own for a lighter dinner or lunch. It’s got so much going on - vegetables, greens, roasted chicken, chickpeas, garlic, ginger, miso, pepper - that this soup can really be the star of the meal. Ginger Miso Chickpea and Chicken Soup | danicaliforniacooks.com Seriously - this soup is SO good. I want to call it “not your mama’s chicken soup” because it’s actually quite complex with all of the different flavors coming together. It’s become my go-to recipe because it’s incredibly easy and incredibly delicious, and I know that it will be a crowd-pleaser (crowd being Nate). It also tastes great reheated throughout the week, or frozen and saved for months later. Ginger Miso Chickpea and Chicken Soup | danicaliforniacooks.com

5.0 from 1 reviews
Spicy Ginger Chicken and Chickpea Soup (gluten free)
 
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This one-pot soup is filled with garlic, ginger, hearty vegetables and two different kinds of protein. I make it whenever someone has a cold or it rains out!
Author:
Ingredients
  • 2 boxes of broth (use the miso-ginger broth from Trader Joes or vegetable broth + one tbsp of miso paste)
  • 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
  • 1 cup baby carrots, sliced in half
  • 3 cups swiss chard, roughly chopped
  • 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • ½ white onion, chopped
  • Olive oil
  • 2 beefsteak tomatoes, diced
  • 1 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1½ inch thumb of ginger, peeled and grated
  • Dash of cayenne pepper
  • Salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. In a large pot, place the onions, garlic, and some olive oil over medium heat. Sweat out until translucent
  2. Add the ginger and cook for another 2-3 minutes
  3. Pour in the stock (and the miso, if not using ginger-miso broth)
  4. Bring to a boil
  5. Toss in all of the vegetables, chicken, and chickpeas
  6. Boil for 2-3 minutes and then turn down to simmer
  7. Simmer for 1-2 hours
  8. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
This soup also freezes really well. I'll make extras and put in tupperware and save for (another) rainy day!

If you like this, you’ll love: Mom’s Lentil Soup

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Vegetable “Couscous” (paleo)

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Swap any dish that calls for rice with this all-vegetable couscous! It’s cauliflower rice to the next level, and it’s…awesome. cous1

Remember when I passionately posted on Instagram about my love of San Francisco’s healthy eats? It was a bit dramatic.

But seriously, I am super impressed with the kinds of healthy and delicious options they have EVERYWHERE in this city. From the bowls at Nourish Cafe (I’ve also been dying to try their almond flour waffles) to the vegan Mexican creations at Gracias Madre to the fact that there’s pretty much kombucha on tap EVERYWHERE, it’s safe to say - no complaints over here. I’ll take one of everything, please and thank you.

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So when I flew home on a Thursday night, sat through brutal traffic and had my cab driver pull in front of Beautifull! cafe right around the corner from my apartment and discovered they had the option to have their Thai chicken curry over a bed of veggie “couscous” instead of rice. The meal was warm, comforting, healthy, and delicious, and I loved that I got in an extra serving of vegetables without even trying. I knew that I could probably recreate that vegetable couscous at home and use it for any recipe that called for rice.

cou It’s essentially cauliflower rice, taken up a notch with added herbs, more vegetables, and garlic. Pulse in the food processor until rice-like, and there you have it! You can cook with it immediately, or save the raw version in ziplock bags in the freezer for later use. I baked some chicken thighs in the veggie couscous, and it was awesome to have that rice-like texture with the absolutely divine flavor of roasted cauliflower. Win/win! cous

The best part about it..it was boyfriend-approved! He was like “you can make this again”. Nate is always complaining that I never make the same dish twice because I’m always trying something new for the blog. Little does he know that I think this is on the menu again for the weekend! On a completely other note, the guy sitting next to me on the plane right now is drinking black coffee AND a vodka tonic. Power combination, my friend.

5.0 from 1 reviews
Vegetable "Couscous" (paleo)
 
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Swap any dish that calls for rice with this all-vegetable couscous! It's cauliflower rice to the next level, and it's awesome.
Author:
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
  • 2 medium sized carrots
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • ½ cup cilantro leaves
  • Dash of salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients into a food processor and pulse until vegetables are in couscous sized pieces. Depending on your food processor, you may need to do this in a couple of batches
  2. There are a couple of serving options:
  3. Bake in a large baking dish at 375 degrees F for 23-30 minutes
  4. Sautee with a little bit of olive oil in a medium pan until bright and crisp, about 5-7 minutes
  5. Toss raw in a salad
  6. Freeze the raw couscous in large freezer bags until ready for use

If you like this, you’ll love: Shrimp Taco Bowls with Cauliflower Rice

WIAW - Sunday Eats

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I figured I’d change up the WIAW this week and share some of my my weekend eats! Sunday was a fun day of eating and yuppie activities. Linking up to share the pictures! Also - very excited because today I’m meeting up with Lauren for coffee in Seattle!

BREAKFAST

I woke up and ate a couple of almonds to tide me over until breakfast! We were dogsitting this weekend and staying at our neighbor’s place, so I took this 11-month old golden retriever puppy on a short walk. He has the SWEETEST disposition. Just loves everyone and everything. Especially sticks. 20150913_082945

When I got back, Nate was still sleeping so I enjoyed some of the Apples & Honey Baked Oatmeal, which I served in some almond milk with some almond butter. So good! I blogged around for a bit before waking up the sleeping dragon.

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FARMER’S MARKET

We walked the few short blocks to the Clement Street Farmer’s Market to pick up some goodies for tonight’s dinner and lunches throughout the week. There were so many good late summer fruit samples to be had! This farmer’s market always has live music and lots of good people watching, too. We grabbed ground beef and smoked salmon and lots of veggies and some pluots. Check out these BEAUTIFUL bell peppers! They are zebra striped with purple and yellow. Even my boyfriend, who grew up on a farm and is rarely impressed by veggies, was kind of in awe. 20150913_104731 (1) Took this goon on another walk around the Presidio…and then had to hose him off…. 20150913_113828 (1) LUNCH

I made a simple kale salad with balsamic and olive oil, and ate it with the freshly smoked salmon from the farmer’s market. Nate enjoyed leftovers from the night before and we shared a snack plate of Mary’s Gone Crackers, carrots, celery, the zebra striped peppers and some Beeta Ghanoush that I got with my CSA box this week. Beeta Ghanoush is a dip made with beets and almonds and lemon and garlic - it’s tasty and I LOVE the color! We recently met the farmer who makes this dip and sells it around the Bay Area, so I knew I needed to try it one day. Supposedly he makes awesome pickled vegetables too…I’ll have to grab some of those next time.

Also…yes I’m wearing Uggs. It was cold!!

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SNACK

After yoga, I took home some free tea and had more of it slosh all over me than was actually dranken. At home, I snacked on an unpictured Jonagold apple and some Wild Friend’s Honey Sunflower butter. I know last week I talked about how I preferred PB, but it’s really growing on me!!

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DINNER

In honor of Rosh Hashanah - the Jewish New Year- I roasted a whole chicken! I used the Barefoot Contessa recipe that Jen had raved about, and it turned out perfectly. The chicken arrived with my CSA box on Thursday, and I roasted it with fennel, carrots, and purple potatoes. We had a mixed green salad with candied pecans and apples on the side. I felt VERY pleased with my domestic-ness.

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DESSERT

Unpictured rather sizeable portion of Lilly’s Dark Coconut Chocolate (love that it is sweetened with Stevia!!) plus a glass of a very juice red wine. And we watched Fast & Furious 7, which I actually enjoyed more than I expected to!

Overall, great Sunday of eats, quality time with Nate and pups, and some of my favorite activities.

Is Seasonal Eating Better for your Health?

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I was walking back from yoga this past weekend as the usual San Francisco fog started rolling in from the bay and it got really cold, really fast. In my zen state, I started pondering about my post-yoga snack, and things like tea and the chicken roasting in my oven sounded really good to me. Watermelon? Sangria? No, thank you.

It got me thinking - our body often gives us signs when we’re lacking in certain nutrients, like if you crave spinach or red meat when you’re low on iron. So what if we desire certain seasonal foods as the seasons change, and there’s a nutritional reason behind it? And what are the benefits to following a seasonal diet?

I set out on Google to explore.

We all know that eating seasonally helps support our local economy, and food sustainability overall. The health benefits of eating seasonally were pretty interesting, however. They include:

  • Seasonal foods have a higher nutritional content and higher anti-oxidant content. That’s often because foods that are being forced to grow out of season need pesticides, waxes, and preservatives to become grocery-store ready
  • By eating seasonal foods, you are rotating the kinds of foods that you bring into your diet - helping your body from developing intolerances and allergies <—- fascinating!!
  • Eating seasonally helps maintain a diverse diet
  • Eating seasonally helps your body align with the external environment
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Dani plus monster late summer eggplant

I also thought this quote to be particularly interesting, “Once upon a time, people ate certain foods only when they were readily available, accessible and in season. These days, however, it is extremely easy for us to forget about seasons when we eat. Thanks to modern food processing techniques and worldwide distribution of resources, most foods remain available year-round. Grocery store shelves look the exact same in December as they do mid July, and we are able to buy any type of food we want irrespective of its seasonal availability.

Just because technology makes it possible for us to have oranges in winter, however, doesn’t mean we should eat all foods whenever we please. The disadvantages of living in a technologically advanced period with modern day food practices have revealed themselves among us in the form of an increasing number of food intolerances and allergies, higher levels of obesity, modern chronic diseases like type-2 diabetes and much more.”

Beyond the list above, I think when you eat seasonally, you are being much more selective about the foods you’re purchasing and where you’re purchasing them from, you’re cooking at home more, and you’re paying much more attention overall at what you’re putting in your body. I can definitely see direct correlations between that and overall health - I know I see it for myself!

I hope you found my amateur and brief research as interesting as I did. And I’m looking forward to all of the fall recipes that I’m going to share with you this upcoming season!

 

 

Apples & Honey Baked Oatmeal for the Jewish New Year!

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The saying goes, “apples and honey, it may sound funny, but it can make your new year sweet and sunny!” Celebrate Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish new year) with apples and honey - in healthy and hearty baked oatmeal form!

Apples and Honey Baked Oatmeal | danicaliforniacooks.com Happy Rosh Hashanah! Shanah tovah! It’s the year of 5776! Time for some apples and honey!

To write this post, I first started by googling “what year is it for the Jewish new year” and “why do we eat apples and honey on Rosh Hashanah?” *smacks palm into face*. Sorry for being an uninformed Jewess over here. Apples and Honey Baked Oatmeal | danicaliforniacooks.com To answer my questions - it’s the year of 5776 and we eat apples and honey in the tradition of their sweetness - we hope it sets the tone for us to be granted an ultra-sweet year ahead! I swear I knew that - I thought maybe there was more to it! Apples and Honey Baked Oatmeal | danicaliforniacooks.com In all seriousness, Rosh Hashanah is not the most “fun” of Jewish holidays but it is still centered around a delicious meal. I purchased a small pasture-raised chicken from my CSA and I plan to attempt to roast a whole chicken for the first time for myself and Nate, and savor the leftovers. I tend to go to services like every other year when it comes to Rosh Hashanah, depending on where I’m located and if I can get someone to come along with me. This year I think we’ll celebrate the holiday by eating this baked oatmeal and enjoying a traditional dinner on Sunday evening. Apples and Honey Baked Oatmeal | danicaliforniacooks.com I honest to goodness cannot remember what I did last year for Rosh Hashanah. I do remember that I was in Israel for Yom Kippur - the other “big” Jewish holiday that happens around this time of year! Growing up, my family really didn’t have many specific Rosh traditions. There was a lot of brunching at family friend’s places and crashing their synogogue’s services until we joined our own temple. I haven’t established many of my own traditions yet around the holidays, but I do enjoy having the blog to experiment and document as I do so - like with these macaroons for Passover. And of course, these poptarts for Valentines Day! Apples and Honey Baked Oatmeal | danicaliforniacooks.com Anyways, happy new year! Make sure to eat some apples and honey for a sweet year ahead!

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Apples & Honey Baked Oatmeal for the Jewish New Year!
 
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Celebrate the Jewish new year with the tradition of apples and honey - in a healthy, gluten-free baked oatmeal form!
Author:
Ingredients
  • 3 cups rolled oats
  • 1 cup applesauce
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 eggs + 2 egg whites
  • 1 cup almond milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Dash of salt
  • 2 apples, sliced
  • 2 tbsp plus extra honey for drizzling
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
  2. Lightly grease an 8x8 baking pan
  3. Mix the oats, applesauce, baking powder, ground cinnamon, eggs, almond milk, vanilla extract and salt
  4. Pour into the baking pan
  5. Arrange the apple slices on top of the oats
  6. Bake for 20-25 minutes
  7. Serve with a honey drizzle!
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