Get Natured

, by Allison

June-uary crockpot polenta lasagna

The weather here has been looking more like January than June. In the spirit of comfort food, I came up with this crockpot version of a vegan polenta lasagna. It is healthy and delicious and I think that trying this recipe with different veggies would be good too. This recipe was inspired by Fat Free Vegan Kitchen.

Polenta*
4 cups water
1 cup polenta
1 tbsp margarine (I used Earth Balance)

Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Slowly add polenta. Add margarine and stir continuously until very thick.
Pour polenta onto prepared baking sheet and spread evenly to about 1/4 inch thick. Set aside to cool.
When cooled, cut into rectangles.

*You may use pre-made polenta to make this even quicker.

Vegan Polenta Lasagna
Olive oil
1 large portobello mushroom, cut into thin 1 inch slices
1/2 bunch of kale, washed and chopped
1/2 large onion, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp dried basil
Cheese sauce (see below)
Sea salt and pepper to taste
1-2 cups marinara sauce (homemade or in a jar)

Heat 1-2 tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and onions and saute until mushrooms start to get juicy. Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the kale and cook until kale is bright green and starting to soften. Add cheese sauce and cook until it has thickened a bit and is no longer runny. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper, if necessary.
Cover the bottom of the crockpot with a layer of marinara sauce. Cover marinara sauce with a single layer of polenta slices (homemade or pre-made). Top with a layer of the kale mixture. Repeat layers: marinara sauce, polenta, kale; finishing with a layer of polenta then marinara.
Cover and cook on high heat for about 3-4 hours. Uncover and let stand for 30 minutes before serving.

Cheese Sauce
1 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk (I used almond)
1/3 cup raw cashews
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp corn starch or arrowroot
1/2 tsp white pepper

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until very smooth.

3 comments

, by Allison

Travel

Fortified

There is something seriously fantastic about vacation that is so centering for me. It is like my nerves are reset and my brain is purged of all of the chatter that normally takes place in my head. I can focus. I can relax. I can breath. I am reminded not to wait for moments that are special to live in the moment. I soak up simple pleasures like a restaurant on the beach where birds land on the tables and the air smells like flowers.

Obviously this isn't unique to me- that's what vacations are for! I don't think that there is anything magical about the place either (other than the natural beauty of Hawaii, where we were on this most recent trip). Mostly I think that this kind of break takes away all of the have-to and hurry-up that feverishly plague my daily mind. It is a chill pill. A break from my to-do list, forced by distance and circumstance and welcomed with open arms.

I went for a run on Ka'anapali beach one quiet morning. It was interesting to me that the same beaches that lend themselves to family frolicking and sunset walks at different times of the day are the same places where people seem to prefer solitude in the early hours. The morning on the beach is a private time. Those hours are for running and walking and painting and reading and journaling and yoga. I love to see people nurturing themselves in those ways.

My running footprints had an organic swagger created by sneaky waves and my curious interest in beach creatures (there were little crabs running to hide as I passed by them)! This is a sunset photo, but the same is true of my footprints here!

Taking this kind of break together is also so important for us as a family. We bond, laugh, and experience first-times together. My kids' only jobs at this point in their lives are to grow and learn. We nurture them so that they might do this laughing and with good manners. Traveling as a family, I believe, is immeasurably valuable for little growing brains and for family bonds.

A nighttime hunt for bugs, frogs and lizards:

Now that I've been home for a couple of weeks, I'm trying hard to let go of the small naggy stuff and, instead, stay connected to the goodness.

Of course it isn't possible for us to jump on a plane every time we need a break. I actually wrote myself a list (don't laugh, I'm serious!) of little restorative things that I can do to kindle the warm-fuzzies when I need it. It is a long list! Here are some things that are resonating with me right now:

Get some sleep.
Find a really good yoga class.
Get lost in a great book.
Go outside. Especially in the morning.
Follow my bliss every day, wherever that leads me.
Find some music that I love so much that it makes me want to sing along. Loudly.
Go full moon kayaking.
Gather, in small groups, with people that I love and who make me laugh.
Meditate.
Have a stargazing picnic with homemade cookies and thermoses of warm milk.

What would be on your list?

A nurturing read: I read a few books on my trip and I really enjoyed this one:

No comments

, by Allison

My healthy living philosophy and blogger responsibility

I spent last weekend at a triathlon training retreat in Lake Tahoe.

(I'm on the far right!)

As the "food coach" for the group, I often find myself talking about my choice to be vegetarian.

After explaining where I get my protein (because I am ALWAYS asked about that), I am careful to point out that I am on a path that works FOR ME and that I do not have designs on converting anyone else. I believe strongly that everyone should find what works for THEM and that nobody should blindly follow another's path. I am a mentor to those for whom I am the "food coach" but only in that I am there to help them think through their challenges and to come up with food ideas. I am not a registered dietician (RD), personal trainer, or a doctor. I have a wealth of knowledge on nutrition and fitness because of my own interest in the subjects- my Bachelor's degree and post-graduate work are unrelated.

Blogger responsibility and disordered eating
Another blogger recently wrote about blogger responsibility (with regard to "healthy living" or food and fitness related blogs) and re-shared her response to an article accusing her and five other bloggers of potentially having a disordered relationship with food and/or exercise. Eek. I am writing this post to share my food and exercise philosophy and to make this very clear: Again, I believe strongly that everyone should find what works for THEM and that nobody should blindly follow another's (or my) path. Experiment, explore, talk to an RD or your doctor, work with a trainer- do what it takes to find what makes YOU feel good.

As for accusations that imply that "healthy living" bloggers (or non-blogging health foodies) are people who are obsessed with food and exercise (in a dysfunctional way), I have mixed feelings. In my experience, the blogs that I read are written by people who simply want to share their ideas and recipes and keep themselves accountable by publicly declaring their goals. I find others' blogs to be an excellent source of inspiration. I read a lot of food-related blogs because I love variety in my meals and I get great ideas from other health-minded people.

That being said, eating disorders (and over-exercising) are clearly very concerning. These things affect omnivores, vegans, and vegetarians indiscriminately. Those affected by this can be fixated on eating only "approved" foods or "perfectly" following a certain diet. Obviously self-discipline and consequences are not part of a healthy menu. Neither is a sense of superiority over those who eat differently with regard to one's success at attempting to live inline with a dietary ideal. Being vegetarian or vegan is certainly not a disordered ideal. Whether written in a blog or suffered in private, though, obsessing about food or exercise at the cost of relationships, happiness, or other life-nurturing things is not healthy.

My way
Healthy, as I define it, does not mean deprivation or perfection. I am not militant in terms of monitoring my food intake- I eat intuitively. I eat when I'm hungry. I stop eating when I'm full. I choose healthy foods (lots of fruits, veggies, whole grains, legumes, etc.) most of the time and indulge in less healthy choices occasionally without guilt. I exercise to feel good physically and mentally, not to burn a certain number of calories.

I cook and create my own recipes because I love to eat and because I get bored very easily. I have high standards for what I choose as fuel for my body but not because I am following any rules. I eat what makes me feel good. I don't count calories. I don't strive to be skinny. I want to feel good- to have energy and to be strong. But living healthy is more than that; I also want to feel fed. Physically and emotionally. Sometimes that takes a run through the Eastern Sierra Nevada region of California while looking up at Mt. Whitney.

Sometimes it takes chocolate. It is what it is- I just go with it.

I know these things to be true FOR ME:

When I am happy and relaxed my body works better.
When I exercise regularly I am happier, I have more energy, and I feel strong.
Meat, dairy products, and eggs are not necessary in my diet and by avoiding them I am significantly reducing my risk for heart disease and cancer.
I feel great about my choice to opt out of consuming products that arrive in the supermarket by way of a process that is fraught with cruelty, pollution, and suffering. I feel good about this even if I'm not 100% perfect at opting out.
My cholesterol is 60 points lower than it was 13 years ago when I was told that it was over 200mg/dL. The only thing that I have changed is my diet (even my weight is the same). I am on the right path.

Why do I write this blog?
I enjoy sharing my ideas and recipes. I hope to inspire others to try new things and to help them along with their evolution of thriving as so many others have done for me. I want to show people who are just starting to make healthy changes in their diet and exercise habits to see that healthy foods can taste great and that living a physically healthy life can also greatly enhance mental health. We all have an emotional attachment to how we live and how we eat and how we do just about everything. I am not writing to convert or convince. I simply want to share what I know from my own experience so that others might, on occasion, find a tidbit that makes a positive difference in their lives.

5 comments

, by Allison