At the Healthy Living Summit in Minneapolis, I ate dinner at Spoonriver Restaurant, an organic establishment that supports local growers and sustainable food. I ordered the vegetarian platter and it was SO GOOD! Little did I know, the owner, Brenda Langton, would be the keynote speaker at the conference the next day.
Her philosophy on healthy eating is spot on similar to mine. In a world where healthy eating seems to be driven by trends, fads and diets, Brenda boils it right down to the basics. To summarize, I thought I’d share a few of the gems from her talk.
It’s not a trend to want to take care of ourselves, eat well and feel well. Food is energy I believe in whole grains, lots of vegetables, fish, poultry, plant-based protein and pasture-raised meat A balanced way of eating creates healthy blood and protects us from disease I’m so tired of people being afraid of fats Extreme diets are for extreme people Use less meat Cooking for ourselves offers = cost savingsBrenda’s Tips for Making Cooking Less Stressful:
- Stock the fridge and cupboards with staples
- Keep healthy snacks on hand like edamame, rice cakes and mochi
- Store pre-cut carrots, celery, radishes and cucumbers in cold water. Dip them in almond butter
- Try grains like millet, teff, amaranth, buckwheat and quinoa
- Make a big pot of beans and quinoa at the beginning of the week
- Add leftover cooked grains (and whole nuts) to smoothies, make a breakfast porridge by adding almond milk, nuts and dried fruit
- For weight loss, add flax to smoothies
- Cooked beans are versatile. Add them to grains with vegetables, wrap in a burrito, toss with pasta and into soup
- Make 1/2 a roasted chicken to add to meals
If Brenda’s food philosophy resonates with you, check out the Spoonriver Cookbook. I had a chance to page through it and the pictures and recipe ideas are mouthwatering and do-able for the home cook.
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