Blogger Haste…Integrity Alert!

Blogger Haste…Integrity Alert!

Last night I slapped up a blog that was someone else’s recipe with a few helpful, healthy recommendations. In my eagerness to be more consistent with posting, I truly feel last nights post lacked integrity. What I really wanted to tell my friends and family was why you want to make a wheatberry salad in place of a pasta salad.

I went into my pantry and got out a bag of wheatberries and got out a box of pasta and thought to myself, yes!  This is what I want to do.  I want to compare the nutritional facts for everyone!  Well, then my heart sunk.  How confusing!  The nutritional facts are almost the same.  I looked again.  There it was, the fiber factor.  Wheatberries have 6 grams of fiber per serving. Pasta has only 2 grams of fiber per serving.

Fiber makes complex carbohydrates run through the body slower and therefore the energy is used more efficiently. For me finding whole grains has been a game changer.  I am the person that eats a bowl of pasta, gets a quick energy spurt and then has to take a nap.  I look at a pancake and I am sleeping within minutes and need to eat another meal as soon as I wake up.  My body is so inefficient with refined carbohydrates it is pathetic!  

Walter Willet, M.D. states in his coauthored book, Eat Drink, and Weigh Less, "On the other hand, when you eat more slowly digested carbohydrates, including whole grain foods, legumes, and vegetables, these dangerous peaks and troughs are smoothed out.  Blood sugar and insulin levels rise more slowly and peak at lower levels, and you are less likely to get hungry again as quickly."

The past few weeks I have been experimenting with whole grains more so than ever.  I have been watching and listening to my body and it’s amazing how good you can feel when you are eating the right foods.  Look for high fiber, whole grain items when choosing a carbohydrate for your meals or snacks.  Opt for brown rice over white when you can and experiment with whole grains.  

Once again, with integrity, I present to you a delicious whole grain recipe!

Ina Garten’s Wheatberry Salad –

Ina Garten – Barefoot Contessa Family Style – Easy Ideas and recipes that make everyone feel like family

1 cup hard winter wheatberries

Kosher salt

1 cup finely diced red onion (1 onion)

6 tablespoons good olive oil, divided

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

3 scallions, minced, white and green parts

1/2 red bell pepper, small-diced

1 carrot, small-diced

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Place the wheatberries and 3 cups of boiling salted water in a saucepan and cook, uncovered, over low heat for approximately 45 minutes, or until they are soft. Drain.

(Note from Kim, if you are buying wheatberries from the bulk bin I recommend giving grains a quick cold rinse and then soaking the wheatberries for 1-8 hours, to eliminate phytic acid and to make the grains more digestible.  Drain the grains, discard the soaking water and then proceed with the cooking directions above.  If buying presoaked just following cooking instructions on the back of the package)

Sauté the red onion in 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-low heat until translucent, approximately 5 minutes.  Turn off the heat and add the remaining 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) of olive oil and the 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar.

In a large bowl, combine the warm wheatberries, sautéed onions, scallions, red bell pepper, carrot, ½ teaspoon salt, and the pepper.  Allow the salad to sit for at least 30 minutes for the wheat berries to absorb the sauce. Season to taste and serve at room temperature.

Kim’s Recommendation

Make this recipe even healthier!  Use the whole pepper, 2 carrots and add 2 cups of finely chopped kale.  If you decide to add more vegetables add 1 more tablespoons of vinegar or add to your liking.

Love deeply and eat mindfully,

Kim Gilroy

A Salad Suggestion for a Summer Sunday!

A Salad Suggestion for a Summer Sunday!

I have been obsessed with cookbooks the past few weeks.  And I want all my friends and family to reap the benefits of my labor and trial and error!  Today’s recipe comes from Ina Garten – Barefoot Contessa Family Style – Easy ideas and recipes that make everyone feel like family.

I am a big fan of combining two sides into one.  For example, I often combine my carbohydrates with my vegetables. If you are planning a casual night and you don’t want to go crazy cooking 3 different sides or you want to have a pre-made salad on hand for the week, this is a recipe you need to try! 

Make sure you read my notes at the bottom on how to make this salad even healthierJ

Ina Garten’s Wheatberry Salad –

Ina Garten – Barefoot Contessa Family Style – Easy Ideas and recipes that make everyone feel like family

1 cup hard winter wheatberries

Kosher salt

1 cup finely diced red onion (1 onion)

6 tablespoons good olive oil, divided

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

3 scallions, minced, white and green parts

1/2 red bell pepper, small-diced

1 carrot, small-diced

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Place the wheatberries and 3 cups of boiling salted water in a saucepan and cook, uncovered, over low heat for approximately 45 minutes, or until they are soft. Drain.

(Note from Kim, if you are buying wheatberries from the bulk bin I recommend giving grains a quick cold rinse and then soaking the wheatberries for 1-8 hours, to eliminate phytic acid and to make the grains more digestible.  Drain the grains, discard the soaking water and then proceed with the cooking directions above.  If buying presoaked just following cooking instructions on the back of the package)

Sauté the red onion in 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-low heat until translucent, approximately 5 minutes.  Turn off the heat and add the remaining 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) of olive oil and the 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar.

In a large bowl, combine the warm wheatberries, sautéed onions, scallions, red bell pepper, carrot, ½ teaspoon salt, and the pepper.  Allow the salad to sit for at least 30 minutes for the wheatberries to absorb the sauce. Season to taste and serve at room temperature.

Kim’s Recommendation

Make this recipe even healthier!  Use the whole pepper, 2 carrots and add 2 cups of finely chopped kale.  If you decide to add more vegetables add 1 more tablespoon of vinegar or add to your liking.

Wheatberries can be found in the whole grain section of the food store, where you would find rice.

Love deeply and eat mindfully,

Kim Gilroy

A Few More Lunch Ideas!

Lunch

Chicken:

Buy a whole pre-made rotisserie chicken and use it for chicken sandwiches, chicken salad, or to slice on top of your salad.

·      Note: the serving size for meat should be the size and thickness of the palm of your hand.

Chicken Sandwich Number One

Ingredients: Chicken, 2 large basil leaves, serving size of cheese of your choice, 4 broccoli florets, tomatoes to your liking, pinch of salt and pepper, one tablespoon of olive oil, wrap or 2 slice of bread

1.)   Slice a serving size of chicken off the bone and cut into small bite size pieces

2.)   Rinse and chop basil

3.)   Cut cheese into small pieces

4.)   Cut tomatoes

5.)   Chop broccoli into pieces

6.)   Add all ingredients together in a bowl and mix

7.)   Add pinch of salt and pepper and tablespoon of olive oil and mix again

8.)   Put onto sandwich and enjoy

Chicken Sandwich Number Two

Ingredients: 1 Apple, 1 carrot, one tablespoon of mayonnaise or tablespoon of olive oil, pinch of pepper, wrap or 2 slices of bread

1.)   Slice a serving size of chicken off the bone and cut into small bite size pieces

2.)   Peel and cut apple into small pieces (use about half the apple)

3.)   Peel and cut carrot

4.)   Put all ingredients in a bowl add mayonnaise and pepper and mix together

5.)   Put onto sandwich and enjoy

Egg Salad

Ingredients:  1 hard-boiled egg, carrot, 4 broccoli florets, 1 tablespoon mayonnaise, pinch of pepper

1.)   Hard boil egg – place egg in a pot and when water comes to a boil leave the egg in for 10 minutes.  When finished boiling rinse with cold water and let it sit in cold water a few minutes before you peel (these are also great to make ahead of time to just leave in the refrigerator)

2.)   When egg is cooled off peel and cut into bite size pieces

3.)   Peel and cut carrot

4.)   Rinse and cut broccoli florets into small pieces

5.)   Put all ingredients in a bowl, add mayonnaise and pepper and mix

Kim’s Favorite Random Lunch

2 veggies of choice with hummus for dipping

2 fruits of choice

7-10 Walnuts

Serving size of whole grain crackers

Serving size of good quality cheddar cheese

Salad

When you make a salad please make sure you add the good fats and protein

Good Fats and Protein

·      Nuts

·      Avocado

·      Salmon

·      Beans

·      A dressing that is made from healthy oils (olive oil) or a yogurt based dressing (use a regular dressing not low fat)

Get creative and feed your soul!

Note:  All sandwiches and wraps should be made on Ezekiel / Food for Life bread or wraps.  This product can be found in the frozen food section of most grocery stores.

Stay tuned for more creative lunch ideas!

Love deeply and eat mindfuly,

Kim Gilroy

Armed and Ready

Armed and Ready!

I love the summer because I can eat meals outside.  Which means one less time I have to wash the table, chairs and floor!  The task of cleaning the kitchen is my “Ground Hogs Day.”  My sister-in-law refers to cooking and cleaning the kitchen as a full contact sport.  And I have to agree with her! 

I don’t have any secrets to make cooking and cleaning an easier part of your day.  All I can recommend is to be armed and ready:

1.) Buy fruits and vegetables that can be rinsed and cut up ahead of time and stored in containers.   

• Watermelon
• Cantaloupe
• Berries
• Grapes
• Carrots
• String beans
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Cucumbers
• Remember if you are feeding toddlers pieces must be cut up very small.  My daughters still have a hard time with raw veggies.  I do a quick boil to soften and then add some grated cheese and olive oil for flavor. 

When your fruits and vegetables are rinsed and cut it makes for easy snacking and cuts down on meal preparation time. 

*2.) Have a few pre-made sandwiches in the refrigerator.

• Peanut butter or almond butter sandwich.
• A summer favorite for my husband’s family is cream cheese and jelly sandwiches.
• Kim’s version - 1 serving size of organic firm tofu and two tablespoons of cream cheese mixed together (I like to use the food processor).  You can use an all-natural fruit spread or shred some carrots for a vegetable spread.  I like adding the tofu because it gives the sandwich triple the protein!

• A hummus sandwich with a serving of cheese on it or on the side.

Having pre-made sandwiches is great.  You can use them as a quick breakfast or throw them in your bag on your way to work.  They are great if you are on the go or looking to get out of the house for a picnic to take it slow:) 

3.)   Hard boil eggs and use them for a quick breakfast or to make egg salad sandwiches.

4.)   Buy a precooked rotisserie chicken or turkey breast and use slices of that for your sandwiches instead of cold cuts.  Also helpful to have when you need a quick dinner.

*All sandwiches should be made with Ezekiel – Food for Life Bread, which can be found in the frozen food section of most grocery stores.

So excited to be back in action!   Please share any of your armed and ready tips!

Love deeply and eat mindfully,

Kim Gilroy

Snack Time

Snack Time

So am I that mom that curls her toes at the sight of her daughters helping themselves to munchkins and goldfish?  I am getting better!  Our girls have a handful of treats twice a week at school.  I can bring them cut up fruit if I want.  But in finding the balance in all of this I do not want our girls to be the only kids in the class eating a different snack.  And, of course, they love the snacks they get in school!  Play-date and party food makes our ladies giddy as well.  My friends all make fun of me when my daughters just sit and eat and don’t play.  I try to explain that they are eaters and even if it were something healthy on the table they would do the same thing.  But the sight of the Gilroy twins slamming munchkins and goldfish does make for some good comedy.  You should see their faces when they try to suck droplets out of a Capri Sun package!

They are almost 2 and I do what I can.  When we are not on play dates or at parties, I try my hardest to stick to the real stuff.  Here are some of the healthy snacks that we enjoy.

Healthy Snacks

• Fruit and vegetables.
• One of our favorites is sweet potatoes.  The girls love them so much they eat them cold!
• Vegetables and hummus, guacamole or a healthy dressing (healthy meaning the least amount of ingredients and additives in your dressing; low fat dressing is not a healthy option). 
• For younger kids, I would steam or boil the veggies for a few minutes so they are not too hard to eat.

• For bigger kids cut up a variety of fruits and vegetables and let them make their own salad.  It will make them feel like they had a choice too!
• Apples and peanut butter, almond butter or sun butter.
• Dried fruit and nuts.
• We enjoy dried apples and raisins.
• Nuts
• Go to the bulk bins with your kids and let them create a trail-mix.
• Fruit and vegetable smoothies.
• Popcorn on the stove!  (Olive oil in a pot, put the kernels in the pot, put the cover on - and instant snack; season to your liking).
• Pickles.
• Whole grain crackers and hummus.
• Sliced Banana with peanut or almond butter. 
• A small dish of last night’s leftovers.
• Rice cakes or rice crackers with a topping (hummus, almond butter, pureed or sliced fruit).
• Natural chips & salsa - add black beans for protein
• Drain, rinse and puree a can of black beans.  Add a half a jar of mild salsa, two tablespoons of pureed kale and you have one healthy dip! 
• Natural chips & guacamole.
• Homemade fruit juice popsicles.
• Organic yogurt / Greek strained.
• Granola (make sure you read the labels for the least amount of additives).
• A cup of oatmeal with fruit, nuts and honey.
• A few small pieces of cheese, some almonds and a piece of fruit.

Reminder! Don’t use any of the butters (peanut butter, almond butter, sun butter) unless you have gotten the OK from your doctor.

Love deeply and snack mindfully,

Kim Gilroy

Brown Bagging It!

Brown Bagging It!

I became interested in the health and wellness industry for a variety of reasons.  The biggest draw for me was the connection between what we eat and how it affects the way we think and feel.  I was always the kid with potential in class, but I often had difficulty focusing. I was bright, but often came up average.  But every school year was a clean slate for me!  “This is going to be my year!”  I would say to myself.

I vividly remember my new binders organized and ready because that was the year I was going to be organized the whole school year; not just the beginning.  Schedules, new fall clothes, and the lunches my mom made. My lunches were everything from an olive loaf sandwich to a leftover meatloaf sandwich that I would eat cold with a touch of ketchup.  Homemade chicken soup, left over stew or spaghetti and meatballs were thermos specials. I was a brown bagger through and through! 

Now as a mother, teacher and holistic health counselor, I look back on my school years and wish I could go back and track my behaviors.  I would love to see if I was more focused on the days I ate homemade stew (meat, egg noodles, carrots, and peas in a tomato sauce) compared to the days that I ate preservatives with a side of preservatives (olive loaf with mayonnaise on Wonder Bread!).

The health and wellness community is starting to understand the connection between eating well-balanced, whole food-based meals and our cognitive function.  Dr. Mark Hyman, author of “The Ultra Mind Solution” writes: “Feeding our brains is not something most of us know how to do.  What you put in your mouth provides all the raw materials to build the structure of your brain cells and keep all the communication systems running well so you can think, emote, learn and remember.  You have to start with the right food and enough of the right nutrients for the brain to function well.”

I think Dr. Hyman and others are on to something.  I have big dreams of sending my ladies on the school bus with cute lunch bags filled with nutritional goodness to “feed their brains.”  Here are some of my ideas:

1.)   Cook once and eat twice.  Turn leftovers into sandwiches.  Meatball sandwiches, chicken sandwiches, pot-roast sandwiches.  Or use a thermos and heat up last night’s primavera and beans or soup.

2.)   Egg salad sandwiches.  Puree carrots and broccoli and add it to the mayonnaise in the sandwich. And chop up celery and you have a serving of vegetables in your egg salad!

3.)   Almond butter, sun butter, or good old fashion peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  Please read your labels.  Your butters should not have any sugar added to them and your “jelly” should really be a fruit spread with no sugar additives.

4.)   Hummus, avocado, cucumber, and carrot sandwich.

5.)   Raw vegetables, a piece of fruit, a bag of trail mix, a side of hummus to dip the vegetables and some whole grain crackers.

6.)   Good quality yogurt with granola and trail mix, raw vegetables (if you don’t have raw vegetables on hand, thawed out frozen veggies work just well . . . my girls eat them just the same), and piece of fruit.

   

Get creative and accept help from anyone who is willing to help you prepare good, healthy food!  Review my kale blog for the vegetable soup recipe and ideas for getting leafy greens into your food.  Remember, you don’t have to start your day on a school bus to be a brown baggerJ

Love deeply and eat mindfully,

Kim Gilroy

Vacation!

Vacation

I wrote a blog before I left for vacation and never posted it.  The un-posted blog was about ways to stay healthy on vacation.  It’s a good thing I didn’t post it, because as it turns out, I am the last person who should be providing advice about healthy eating while on vacation!

It is 2:00 p.m. on a Thursday afternoon and I am alone in a cheese shop, sipping wine and eating a plate full of goat cheese. I have had ice cream the last two nights and all of my alcoholic beverages have had way too much sugar!  I have not been a model of healthy eating.  So today I reflect and am writing about balance.

Balance.  Eating whole foods that work for you, praying, working out, surrounding yourself with people that support you, feeling good about yourself, taking control of your life, but not being a control freak, thinking about your words and actions, but not thinking too much about your words and actions . . . it’s a lot of work striving for balance!  So, I have been spending my vacation unbalancing, and that too is part of a balanced life.  The hardest part of tipping the balance into vacation mode has been re-programming my brain.  As I sit here and de-compress, not thinking about what is going into my mouth and just enjoying the moment, I am realizing how great it feels to lighten up every once in a while (it also helps that my little girls are napping and will be at the beach playing with their cousins when I am done playing hooky).

Vacation!  Make it what you need it to be; only you know what you need.  One of my clients went away on vacation and ate what the natives ate – fruit, vegetables, and fish – and hiked every day.  She never felt better.  Her healthy vacation wasn’t planned, it just happened for her.  I am on the North Fork of Long Island, eating cheese and sipping wine (and of course experimenting with the local leafy greens . . . but not as many as I planned!).  Not exactly a healthy vacation, but I feel great. 

“You can only be you when you do your best.” The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz.  I was going to use this quote for the un-posted blog.  But I use it today to remind you to be the best at letting go, relaxing, and enjoying.

Love deeply and eat mindfully (and maybe change the course while vacationing),

Kim Gilroy

Insideout Wellness