One of my personal goals this year is to do a better job of taking care of myself. I am slowly starting to realize that I am no longer a 23 year old man who can stay up late, eat ice cream and Doritos for dinner, and sit like a couch potato watching 4 episodes of Blue Bloods instead of going for a bike ride. For way too long I have followed the following principles when it comes to exercise:
- “Whenever I feel like exercising, I lie down until the feeling passes.”
- “I believe every human has a finite number of heartbeats. I don’t intend to waste any of mine running around doing exercise.”
- “I really don’t think I need buns of steel. I’d be happier with buns of cinnamon.”
One of the specific areas Brenda and I are focusing on is our diet. As the old saying goes, “Garbage in, Garbage out.” A couple months ago I had my annual physical and I felt like this man as he was responding to the doctor’s question, “How well are you taking care of yourself?”
One of the things we are discovering is that eating healthy usually takes more time in preparation and in clean up. I’m sure this is why most parents who are caring for a child with special needs or struggling with a potentially life threatening disease don’t eat that healthy. There just isn’t enough time in the day. After dressing, feeding, medicating, driving, holding, disciplining, fighting, diapering, crying, laughing, and putting to bed there is very little time to answer the questions, “What are we having for dinner tonight?” All too often it is another order of Gong Bao Chicken that should be ready for pick up in “a couple five minutes.”
We all know that the better we eat the better we feel. One article I read listed the following five benefits:
- It helps control our weight by improving our cardiovascular health, boosting our immune system, and increasing our energy level.
- It improves our mood. How often have you felt horrible and moody and mean only to realize you haven’t eaten that day.
- It helps us fight illness and disease. There is a clear connection between the food we eat and heart disease, high blood pressure and cholesterol.
- It boosts our energy. We all know the lethargic feeling we get when we eat certain foods. Choosing more healthy foods empowers us to be the best we can be.
- It increases and improves our longevity. Studies have shown that a diet that includes fruits and vegetables, in combination with exercise improves quality of life and longevity.
To help you in your personal quest to eat better I am going to include a couple links to some of the recipes we have been trying. Hopefully this will encourage you to try a few new recipes and you will begin to experience some of the benefits listed above. I may also try to include a recipe or two near the end of some of my future blogs.
Shrimp Stew with Coconut Milk, Tomatoes & Cilantro: http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/quick-shrimp-stew-coconut-milk.aspx (I cut the shrimp down to 1 pound. If you want to replace the rice we often use riced cauliflower. It is delicious. Here is a link if you want to learn how to do this: http://minimalistbaker.com/how-to-make-cauliflower-rice/ (I only sauté the cauliflower for 2-3 minutes. This leaves it a bit more crunchy.)
CHICKEN ZOODLE “LO MEIN” FOR TWO: http://www.skinnytaste.com/chicken-zoodle-lo-mein-for-two/ (This recipe will require you purchase a vegetable spiralizer. instead of using pasta this recipe uses spirialized zucchini. The hardest part of this recipe is the preparation. Turn it into a family activity. We prepared it last night as you can see in the picture above.)
Bon appetit! or as they say in Poland, Smacznego!
Chef Warren