Smells like Clean Spirit

I have a friend who I would call an "enabler."  Before you start letting your mind wander, remember this is a health blog.  When we go out to eat she always encourages me to get the sweet potato fries.  And when we go shopping she always nudges me towards impulse purchases.  (I'm a sucker for weird colored nail polish or anything that's on sale in Target).  Well, one day we were in Bath & Body Works and I was drawn to their aromatherapy products for energy, stress relief, and sleep.  I picked up a bottle of the lavender and vanilla sleep pillow mist and before I could even question it, my friend came by and said, "buy it."  Did I need a $10 bottle of pillow mist?  Probably not.  Did I want it anyway?  Oh yeah.

It turned out to be a great buy.  The spray has lavender and chamomile in it, which have soothing and calming effects so you can sleep better.  I actually knew this before reading the bottle.  Back in high school I used to buy aromatherapy candles-- even though my mom never let me actually light them in my bedroom-- and I had a peppermint shampoo that was supposed to increase blood flow to your scalp and promote hair growth.  I also knew that peppermint was known to ease stress.  I kind of went through an aromatherapy phase, that fizzled much like every other one.

Looking back, I was on to something.  Aromatherapy.com refers to it as the practice of using natural oils from flowers, bark, stems, leaves, roots and other parts of a plant to enhance psychological and physical well-being.  The website says that the process of inhaling these aromas can stimulate brain function, or absorbing them through the skin can travel through the bloodstream.  Thanks to the help of multiple websites, I've put together a quick cheat sheet on essential oils and their healing properties.  Of course, there are dozens, but I've only included a few of the popular ones and some of their benefits.

• Peppermint: increases memory and alertness, relieves stress
• Eucalyptus: helps sinuses and sore muscles
• Cinnamon: reduces nervousness, helps focus better
• Lavender: calms and soothes, can act as a sedative
• Lemon (and other citrus fruits): mood enhancement, increases alertness
• Vanilla: calms and relaxes

Essential oils are categorized into groups based on their scents: floral, woodsy, earthy, herbaceous, minty, medicinal, spicy, oriental and citrus.  I included a few of the good things associated with inhaling these fragrances, but essential oils can be used topically, and the natural product (not the oil) can be consumed for other benefits.  Tea tree oil is good for rashes or acne, and camphor is good as an antiseptic to heal cuts.  I also read that cinnamon inhaled or ingested can have an aphrodisiac quality for men, and coincidentally, acts as a natural birth control for women. (I'm not entirely sure if that's true or not.) 

I tend to gravitate towards natural, holistic remedies.  When I had problems sleeping, I refused to get a prescription for Lunesta or try over-the-counter sleeping pills.  Instead, I turned to herbal and all-natural treatments, combined with my lavendar-chamomile sheet spray.  When I had an allergic reaction to whatever it was and my face broke out into a rash, I washed my face with Essence Tea Tree Oil Cleanser that I found at a natural foods store.  I also know some people who eat licorice after eating since anise aids in digestion.  Over the years, I've found that often-- not always-- you can find a holistic remedy to help you out.  And sometimes, it's as simple as a calming or uplifting aroma.

Two Peas in a Pod

About five years ago, I lived in a studio on 25th and K Street in Washington, DC.  It wasn't much, but it was in a central location, close to a metro and just a short walk from fantastic restaurants and shops.  It was at this time that I started eating a lot of ethnic foods, including Japanese.  I was immediately adventurous with sushi, and with that always came miso soup and edamame.  It was at this time that I also developed a love for Trader Joe's, which happened to be a block from my apartment.  They sold edamame in the frozen section, and soon enough, I became hooked.

The word edamame means "beans on branches"-- which is fitting because it actually grows in clusters on branches.  The superfood has been used in East Asia for more than two thousand years.  As more Japanese restaurants popped up across the US, edamame became a popular appetizer here to accompany sushi and sashimi.  Now the little soybean is catching on in our own kitchens.  You can buy them in the pod or shelled in pretty much any grocery store.  Simple boil or steam them with a little bit of salt for a few minutes.  They cook very quickly, so make sure you monitor them.  You will want to remove them before the pod opens and a pea jumps out.  I almost always overcook them, though, because I'm usually multi-tasking.  

The soybean is a major source of protein and is high in fiber, vitamin C and folic acid.  Some suggest it even has aphrodisiac qualities, but I wasn't able to find any research to support that.  I did find one article that says Victoria Beckham (aka Posh, aka David Beckham's 90 lb wife) apparently swears by edamame to stave off hunger and keep her thin.  Whether that's true or not, nibbling on one thing throughout the day to prevent yourself from eating is pretty much the same thing as anorexia in my book.  So I don't really like the thought of that.  Personally, I like to eat edamame as snacks between meals, or as a side dish with a meal.

Most of the time I eat them plain, but over the holidays I tried a recipe for an edamame and asparagus salad I found in Glamour magazine.  It calls for asparagus, shelled edamame, fresh mint and olive oil.  You pretty just much boil the asparagus and edamame, drain, and toss with olive oil and chopped mint.  Asparagus has a pretty strong flavor as it is, so simply coating the salad with EVOO and mint delights the palate enough.  It's a fresh, spring salad that would pair nicely with a piece of grilled salmon.  

The Cost of Health

One of my few vegetarian friends is also one of the few people who reads my blog.  And after she read one post about alternatives to animal products, she went to various grocery stores and spent nearly $200 on vegan products and fresh fruits and vegetables.  We both agreed that was a bit excessive for one shopping trip (and I'm still sure not how she wracked up that much buying food) and I told her that that it didn't have to be that expensive all the time.  Does it cost more to buy organic and all-natural?  Yes.  Apparently it costs about 50% to 100% more than non-organic foods.  I will be the first person to admit that it costs more to eat a vegan frozen pizza than it does to eat a Celeste or Tombstone frozen pizza.  And when your meals are based around different fresh vegetables that rot within a week, yes, they add up.  You will likely spend more money trying to be healthy.  That's not new information.  But it doesn't have to break your bank.

I don't have an ostentatious salary by any means (that's what happens when you pick a career you love over one that pays well!), and I pay bills and student loans like everyone else, and I have weaknesses for expensive purses and natural skincare products.  Yet, I still manage to eat healthy and eat a variety.

I found a fantastic article on Hipsterfood about the cost of veganism.  The bloggers over at that site suggest spending about $25 a month on the basics like pasta and rice, and about $35 a week on fresh fruits, vegetables, and bread.  I probably don't spend close to that much a week on fruits and veggies, and I cook for two people.  But I do agree with their theory to make sure you have the basics on hand, and then add to that every week with fresh produce and things that spoil easily.

I always have on hand:

• a variety of spices, condiments and sauces
• whole wheat organic pasta 
• brown rice
• organic vegan soups
• Earth Balance butter
• vegenaise
• Newman's Own marinara
• nutrition bars
• Kashi cereal 
• Amy's frozen meals
• nuts

All that stuff lasts awhile.  Then every week I buy these staples: spinach, bread, tomatoes, hummus, carrots, and at least two different fruits.  During the week I will stop by the grocery store to pick up fresh things I need for the meal I plan to cook that night, or if I'm really ambitious, ingredients I have planned out for the week.  That's when I pick up fresh heads of broccoli or stalks of asparagus or multi-colored peppers.  I normally don't buy cookies, sweets or peanut butter, because I have no willpower with those things and they're just unnecessary expenses.  I also don't buy any juices unless I happen to be fighting a cold.

Fruit can get pricey.  I touched on that one in an earlier post Apples, Spice and Everything Nice.  But they're necessary, so get used to factoring them into your budget.  I would rather spend a few extra bucks to overindulge in raspberries and strawberries, than give into something that's unhealthy.

The variety part can be hard-- especially when you live in a smaller city and options are limited.  I wish I could make Indian food, or Thai, but that's not always doable in areas that don't have ethnic markets or a Whole Foods.  Spices help:  You can take asparagus and roast it with a little bit of olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice, or you can sprinkle some Italian seasonings on it and saute it in on the stove.  Sauces do too:  what was once a stir fry, is now a pasta primavera!

I make up most of my recipes, but others come from Vegetarian Times or random food blogs.  I am not a big fan of vegan cookbooks because they always have about two dozen ingredients and way too many steps.  I like low-key, inexpensive cooking, and believe it or not, but it's actually doable.  So if you're trying to convert, don't let the fear of it costing more stop you.  I'm proof that you can make vegetarianism or veganism work on a budget if you have to.  

Say Cheese

Okay, I've been a really bad lately.  I have had more cheese in my diet than I would like to have, and for the most part, I feel icky about it.  Sometimes though, you just can't help it.  Let's face it, cheese is so damn good!  Even lactose intolerants like myself love what James Van Der Beek calls "edible lactose gold" in Ke$ha's new music video (sidenote: where did he come from all of a sudden?)-- even if we can't eat it without getting a stomach ache.  And quite frankly, it's in everything you buy or eat at a restaurant.  My latest battle with cheese overdose was all my doing.

I was in the mood for comfort food, and mac and cheese seemed like a good idea.  If I'm going to eat m&c frozen, I prefer Amy's or Trader Joe's-- which has a four-cheese dish that is the absolute *best* I have ever had.  For stovetop, I go with Annie's Organic.  Usually I throw steamed broccoli in there too, just to make it slightly more nutritious.  Last night, I did that, and then took it one step further.  I decided to make baked mac and cheese... the easy way.

I made the m&c according to instructions, except instead of milk I added in a few tablespoons of Earth Balance "butter."  Sometimes I use soy milk, but I didn't have that on hand.  I suppose it's one of those things that every vegetarian should have, but I just never really see the use for it.  Anyway, back in the kitchen, I also added in lots of fresh, steamed broccoli and a little bit of reduced-fat shredded cheese blend that I had leftover from a Cinco de Mayo dinner of nachos.  Meanwhile, I melted a little bit of Earth Balance in the microwave and used that to coat panko breadcrumbs.  I put the mac and cheese and broccoli in a baking dish and then sprinkled the panko breadcrumbs on top.  I baked that in the oven for about 20 minutes on 400 degrees, and when it was done, I had what looked-- and tasted-- like a gourmet mac & cheese bake.   So yummy!

The Power of the Power Nap

I work a pretty crazy shift:  I'm up at 3:30 am and work until 1 pm.  When I get home from work, I have very little energy.  It's the equivalent of getting off a normal job at 6, except it's the beginning of the afternoon.  I usually stay awake for the next nine hours too, and usually go to bed around 10 pm.  I don't really sleep much, and yet I function pretty well for 18 hours.  Granted, I try to eat a lot of foods that give me natural energy, but I have also mastered the art of a power nap.

During college, I used to power nap between classes on a couch in the library.  And looking back, I remember not only at my school, but also ones I toured or visited, students were always sprawled out somewhere napping-- on the grass in the quad, in a study lounge, and even in the stacks.  They were on to something.

A power nap is actually defined as 20 minutes or less, according to many different sources.  I once read that as long as you keep it between 20 to 45 you will still wake up feeling refreshed.  Any longer and it could make you sleepier.  A study by the National Institute of Health found that a power nap can make you more alert and productive throughout the day.  Their disclaimer:  it works, but only if you do it right.

Is there a wrong way to sleep?  Actually yes.  That's probably why tens of millions of prescriptions are handed out to Americans each year for sleep disorders.  But is there a wrong way to take a nap?  Some experts think so.  An article from WebMD says that it's important to find a good place to nap: some place quiet, dark, and comfortable. Personally, I try not to nap in my bed because I want to separate my night's sleep from a quick snooze.  So I sleep in the middle of my living room on a futon.  (It's kind of like when they tell you not to study or watch TV in your bedroom because you want your bedroom to be associated with sleep and comfort-- not distractions and homework.)  I also know that if I try to take a power nap in my bed, I will have a very hard time getting up to the alarm.  I like sleeping, and I really like my electric blanket.

Doctors recommend making it a quick 20 minute nap, and waking up as soon as the alarm goes off.  You don't want to oversleep or you'll wake up feeling groggy.  Also, sleeping too long during the day will keep you awake at night.  And keep a blanket on hand because experts say your body temp drops when you sleep.

Remember napping isn't only for babies.  Some really influential people were known to nap, including JFK, Napoleon, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Leonardo Da Vinci and Bill Clinton.

Feelin' Saucy

People take their barbecue very seriously.  I'm not talking about grilling on the barbecue, I mean the sauce.  There are BBQ festivals and competitions, rivalries between states, and even associations dedicated to this wonderful condiment.  I'm not sure you can say the same thing about ketchup or mustard.

I love bbq sauce.  Love it.  One of my favorite foods as a carnivore was bbq pulled pork.  Dinosaur Bar-B-Que in Syracuse, New York was probably one of the best I've ever had.  Lucky for me, I grew up in that area.  In retrospect, I should have taken advantage of it more when I was a meat eater.  But maybe pulled pork is just like a french fry-- both foods that are mostly good because they're smothered in sauce. So maybe now, I don't miss the pork, as much as I miss the barbecue.  The problem with being a vegetarian is that there's not really much you can put it on.

French Meadow Cafe in Minneapolis found a way around that.  They have a fantastic barbecue tempeh wrap on their lunch menu that I just had to make on my own.  I cut up the tempeh into 1/3 inch slices, put it in a skillet with some extra virgin olive oil (which gets soaked up quickly by the tempeh, so be prepared to add more while it's cooking), and cooked that on medium until the edges browned and were sort of crispy.  Then I added in a generous amount of Dinosaur Bar-B-Que that I had my mother ship to me from NY, and somewhat evenly coated the pieces of tempeh.  I threw that on a warm Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Wheat Tortilla with crisp spinach and a few red onions.  Word of advice: don't heat the wrap too long or you will have major problems trying to roll it and it will break.  Trust me, I made that mistake the first time!

Of course my wrap wasn't as tasty as French Meadow's BBQ Temeph Wrap-- the food we cook for ourselves is rarely as good as restaurants-- but it is my new fix for bbq.