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Welcome to the
January issue of “Making the Healthy Choice the Easy
Choice.”
Here you will
find information you can use on a timely topic, healthy
eating, recipes and more! I welcome your feedback and
questions. Please send them to
Janet@nourishyourlife.com Thank you!
January is
the month of excellence
We are already
in the first week of January! Did you make New Years
goals? How are you doing with them? After making and
breaking goals through the many Januarys of my life, I
was introduced to another process for moving forward in
January. Instead of setting goals; plan a theme for the
year. That theme will be whatever is calling to your
soul. For me, that theme is excellence. As I pondered
excellence, it seemed important to define the areas
which I plan to excel. The areas I have chosen are:
health and fitness, spirituality, home and family,
profession, mindfulness and adventure. Now it is time to
set goals for each area. For example: one of my goals
for “health and fitness” is to complete a triathlon.
(See my weblog at www.nourishingathletes.com,beginning
in February, to share my experience and encourage me in
this goal.)
What will be
YOUR theme for 2005?
Write to me at
janet@nourishyourlife.com.
I would LOVE to know what you have chosen!
My challenge
for you this month is to plan a theme for this year;
break it into areas and then set meaningful goals.
Quote for
the month:
I am careful
not to confuse excellence with perfection. Excellence, I
can reach for; perfection is God's business.
Lorne A. Adrain
in 'The Most Important Thing I Know'
Healthy
eating in January
Spinach!
Remember Popeye? “I am strong to the finach; cuz I eat
my spinach…” Well, Popeye knew what he was talking
about! (see health benefits) There are many ways to eat
and prepare spinach. Popeye just popped it out of the
can and gulped it down. I’ll bet there are better
ways…There are spinach salads, spinach dips, spinach
casseroles, side dishes, drinks, roll-ups, pesto, the
list goes on.
Health
benefits
The health
benefits of spinach are very impressive! Spinach is low
in calories, and contains vitamins C, E, B; calcium,
iron, magnesium, zinc and many phytochemicals (plant
chemicals) such as lutein, zeaxanthin, beta-carotene,
alpha lipoic acid, polyphenols, betaine and glutathione.
It is one of only two vegetables that contain CoQ10; the
other vegetable is broccoli. It also has an appreciable
amount of plant-derived omega-3 fatty acids. What does
all this mean? Great question! It means that the health
benefits of spinach may include less risk of macular
degeneration and cataracts, cardiovascular disease, and
cancer! (Source: Superfoods by Pratt and Matthews)
My challenge
for you this month is to include spinach in your
daily diet as often as possible. Aim for 1 cup cooked or
2 cups raw at least twice a week. A bowl of
Quinoa-Spinach soup would be a great addition to your
spinach dishes.
Quinoa-Spinach Soup
Makes 4-5
servings
Ingredients:
1 cup water
1/2 cup quinoa
4 cups vegetable broth or 2 (14.5 oz) cans vegetable
broth
1/2 chopped onion
1/2 diced carrot
2 cups spinach, washed and chopped coarsely
salt and pepper to taste.
Directions:
Rinse quinoa
before cooking to remove the coating of a bitter
substance called saponins.
Bring water to
a boil.
Stir in quinoa,
cover, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add broth,
onion and carrot
Simmer for 15
minutes.
Stir in
spinach, allow to wilt in soup
Salt and pepper
to taste
Enjoy!
Nutrition
facts: 100 calories; 18 gm carbohydrates; 4 gm
protein; 1 gm fat
Variations:
Add any
additional vegetables you desire. Try other flavored
broths. I love mushroom broth with spinach and quinoa!
Do you know of someone who would benefit from this
information?
We welcome you to pass it on.
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