Skip to main content

More Plants, More Movement


July 2020 - We've all heard it before because it's a simple formula. You can eat less, move more, or - ideally - you can do those two things in tandem. As I inch towards fifty (yes! I turned forty-seven this year), I am definitely trying to be better about all of this. However, instead of 'eat less,' because that is exceptionally challenging as a food writer, I am making my mantra: eat better, move more. In this case, Jake and I are looking at eating more plants.

On the eating side, I'm bad with diets. Over the past few years, we've dipped our toes into gluten-free eating; we tried Whole30 for a month. We've detoxed from sugar for a month; we've removed dairy from our meals for a month. And while I object to 'diets', Jake is still adamant that he wants a meal plan that will help him shed some unwanted pounds and keep him healthy for the long haul. As we creep into our mid to late 40s, I know he's right. Besides, I like him. So, I want to keep him around and heart disease runs in his family.

We don't have the metabolisms we did when we were 20. We lament the loss of those six-pack abs we were both sporting when we met two decades ago. Not sure we'll ever get those back, but we can certainly strive to be more healthy.

After he half-jokingly accused me of 'fattening him up for the kill,' I realized that he was serious. He wanted a plan that wasn't a diet so much as a lifestyle change. So, I'm researching the Blue Zones Diet. Again, I object to the word 'diet'. I hate diets. Clearly. But I can get behind a well-thought out eating plan. Stay tuned for this adventure! It's more plants, less meat (or in Jake's case, no meat), less sugar, less dairy, more beans, and more cruciferous.


This page will be a work in progress, but I'll start slowly. Really slowly. Still one foot in front of the other is still better than sitting on the couch, right?! One thing we've committed to doing as a family: walks during the week and longer hikes on the weekend. And our trail guru is brutal. But, really, when we're spending time together, who cares if it's hard?


Jake and I are going to be more mindful of what we put into our bodies and eat to exercise instead of exercising to eat. Well, it's a journey. Follow along! This is the book that's been inspiring me recently: The Blue Zones Kitchen: 100 Recipes to Live to 100 by Dan Buettner.*

*This blog currently has a partnership with Amazon.com in their affiliate program, which gives me a small percentage of sales if you buy a product through a link on my blog. It doesn't cost you anything more, but it helps support my culinary adventures in a small way. If you are uncomfortable with this, feel free to go directly to Amazon.com and search for the item of your choice.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Meyer Lemon Custard-Filled Matcha Turtles #BreadBakers

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our  Pinterest board  right here. Links are also updated after each event on the  Bread Bakers home page .  We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. This month Stacy of Food Lust People Love  is hosting and she wrote: "Your bread can be large, as in one big animal, or small - animal-shaped rolls. Use your imagination! Points for flavor and shape!" If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to Stacy at foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com. Here's the animal-shaped bread basket from the #BreadBakers... Beef and Sweet Onion Dim Sum Pandas from Karen's Kitchen Stories Bird Bread Rolls from Ambrosia Easter Bunny Buns from Cook with Renu Ham and Cheese Elephant Rolls from Food Lust People Love Hedgehog Bread from Making Mir

Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé #Winophiles

This month the French Winophiles group is looking at affordable wines from Burgundy.  Host Cindy of Grape Experiences wrote: "Burgundy, or Bourgogne, is known for its wines of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir... as well as Aligote, Gamay, Sauvignon, César, Pinot Beurot, Sacy, Melon in lesser quantities. Many of the well-known wines are quite expensive, but there are plenty of values to be found." Read her invitation here. And there won't be a Twitter chat for this event, so you will have to dive into the articles themselves to read about our pairings and findings. Here's the line-up... Wendy Klik from A Day in the Life on the Farm enjoys Domaine Chevillon Chezeaux Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits, 2018 Paired with a Maple Pecan Chicken . Camilla Mann from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares her love of Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé. Jeff Burrows of FoodWineClick! explains why we should Look t

Quick Pickled Red Onions and Radishes

If you've been reading my blog for even a short amount of time, you probably know how much I love to pickle things. I was just telling a friend you can pickle - with vinegar - or you can ferment - with salt - for similar delicious effect. The latter has digestive benefits and I love to do that, but when I need that pop of sour flavor quickly, I whip up quick pickles that are ready in as little as a day or two. I've Pickled Blueberries , Pickled Asparagus , Pickled Cranberries , Pickled Pumpkin , and even Pickled Chard Stems ! This I did last night for an upcoming recipe challenge that requires I include radishes. Ummmm...of course I'm pickling them! Ingredients  makes 1 quart jar radishes, trimmed and sliced organic red onions, peeled and thinly sliced (I used a mandolin slicer) 3/4 C vinegar (I used white distilled vinegar) 3/4 C water 3 T organic granulated sugar 1 T salt (I used some grey sea salt) 6 to 8 grinds of black pepper Proce