Journey Into Health By Food - Beginning

The time has come to accept that fact that I have to change how I eat - a change I have resisted for some time. I love to cook and I love to eat - those things need not change. Being a chef I love to try new ideas and combinations, create and share meals with family and friends. But I live with chronic pain and fatigue due to fibromyaligia and that may not change and this has become really discouraging to me. So the time has come to make some changes that can move me into accepting what is, doing what I can to keep my body, mind and soul healthy and to let this be an adventure that helps me to live well. This is not going to be an easy journey because it means I have to stop reaching for comfort food, for the salty foods such as chips that I crave. Arriving home late from work, often after 11PM, it is tempting to have a snack of some sort but I need to stop eating that late in the day. I will need to be much more intentional about where and how I choose to get my groceries and tap into creativity at an even deeper level. Step one has to order an organic food box delivery every other week (probably increasing to weekly soon) and let this be the base for my food planning and preparation.

This “Journey Into Health By Food” will hopefully be an honest dialogue, not hiding the struggles but also celebrating the ways the change feels good. Creativity is an essential ingredient to finding energy when the fatigue and pain gets tough going so I am looking forward to letting the creativity become a part of the fuel for this journey into change. I am also accessing several books for this journey, as well as the help of friends who have walked it, and hopefully there will be wisdom there to share with you as well.

Sooooooo…our first food box is here and I was so excited to see what was inside and think of what could be created by the contents! I remember my friend Erin writing about her journey of trying to create with what was in her food box and I thought of that again while looking at the fresh contents of our delivery.

Contents:
4 apples
1 bunch of bananas
2 grapefruit
1 avocado
1 small bunch carrots
2 yellow onions
1 bunch of chard
1 head of cauliflower
1 garlic
2 tomatoes
½ bunch of parsley
4 small yams
Small bag of mushrooms
1 piece of ginger root

The first thing I did was take a couple of slices of ginger root and a couple of slices of a lemon to make a pot of ginger lemon tea. You can let it steep for a little bit then remove the ginger, but leave the lemon, and reheat it anytime during the day. The benefits of ginger are numerous. It has anti-oxidents in it and also because it is classified as a herb it has essential oils, calcium, protein, phosphorus, iron, vitamin C and much more. Ginger also helps digestion and a cup of ginger tea can help an upset stomach or help when you feel nauseated. It will also increase circulation so the tea is good to drink if you feel cold. I enjoy fresh slices of ginger sauteed briefly with sliced green onions in a little sesame oil and then you add cubes of tofu and saute until they are golden.

A fresh apple was a good snack as I was unpacking the box of goodies and putting them away. Another day one of the grapefruits was a delicious afternoon snack with a cup of lemon tea.

We cooked 2 yams for dinner the first night - slicing them in chunks, sprinkling them with oil, salt, pepper and a touch of smoked paprika and then roasting them at 425F for about 40 minutes until they are tender. The cauliflower can be a lovely soup but it is also delicious done in the simple Southern Italian way - steam it until al-dente then saute it in a small amount of hot oil with minced garlic until golden then add fresh lemon juice and a touch of salt and pepper (this is comfort food to me). Chard was something my Grandma always prepared and I love it best just steamed with a touch of seasonings. It is also lovely if you add the steamed chard to spaghetti noodles, add a touch of olive oil and lemon juice, salt and pepper and fresh grated parmesean cheese with just a hint of nutmeg added to the mix and you have lunch or supper.

The parsley out in our garden is a bit tired looking after the winter so this fresh bunch in the box will be lovely on steamed potatoes with lemon juice too or I am thinking of using it in a salad. The tomato and avocado each diced then finely chopped parsley added with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, a drizzle of olive oil and a hint of salt with make a great lunch. I have some walnut burger patties that would be good with this salad - a great combination of raw fresh foods, lovely green colours (our liver loves greens because of their ability to cleanse this vital organ) and vegetarian walnut patty.

Coconut oil is one of the best high heat oils because it resists oxidation at high heats(therefore keeping it as a good fat) so I am going to switch to this as my cooking oil. It is best to have the pan really hot before you add your oil for frying and then cook quickly at this temperature to sear and seal the food you are cooking. Coconut oil will now be on my shelf along with the olive oil.

It feels good to start this adventure into health by food and I hope it will also be one of learning to use what we have, appreciating our food sources better and experiencing the joy of sharing it with others along the way. It fells hopeful to begin a fresh way to eat, to savour, to linger and to live even more richly and wisely!