Wednesday, August 5, 2009

A Letter From Lauri: Weight Control

"Patience gives peace, haste regret."
- Ibn Gabirol

Dear All,

Weight is obviously a big topic for many of us. I invite you to think about what you perceive is your ideal weight, not the ideal weight you were when you were 20-something, but the ideal weight right now. At what weight do you feel your best? Why is it important for you to be at that weight? Maybe you’re already at that weight.

If your intent is to lose weight, I invite you to visualize yourself at that weight? What do you need to do to achieve your goal? How important is it to be at that weight? How can you modify your diet? Are you eating when you’re hungry or when you’re nervous or stressed or tired? Is eating that extra piece of chocolate cake more important to you than being at your ideal weight? Are we making our choices with haste, or are we making mindful decisions about how to nourish our bodies?

In many religions, it is customary to say a prayer before eating. There’s a good reason for doing this: saying a prayer makes us stop before we eat and appreciate what we have. Perhaps this doesn’t feel right to you, but I invite you to develop some sort of ritual around your food in order to bring more mindfulness, and patience into your life.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Produce Weekly Highlight: Komatsuna, (Japanese spinach mustard)!


Was your JOOS on the bitter side on Monday? The bitterness was due to komatsuna. Once again, here is another super food loaded with nutrients (i.e., calcium, iron, etc.) and cancer-fighting properties. An unlikely relative of the turnip family, this large leafy green is has been grown almost exclusively in Japan, Taiwan and Korea, until now. We grow it at our local farm. Komatsuna is also called spinach mustard. They can be harvested at any stage and prepared like spinach in the early stages and more like cabbage as they mature. The flavor grows stronger and hotter the longer the leaves mature.

In JOOS News: Modified JOOS delivery schedule over the next 3 weeks!

Here is our schedule for the next 2 weeks:
Week of August 10th: Monday delivery only
Week of August 17th: No delivery

I will get back to you with delivery dates for the rest of August.
We apologize in advance for any inconvenience.

Tip of the week: Brewers Yeast!

Brewers Yeast could be the unsung power food. For years, I made the mistake in thinking that all yeast is the same, but it’s not. Brewer’s yeast is packed with vitamins (including the Bs), minerals, folic acid, antioxidants, protein (16 g per 2 rounded tbs.) and fiber (6g per 2 rounded tbs). Plus, it’s fermented, which helps support our immunity, and a lot more.

Sprinkle it on salads or freshly popped popcorn. Kids love it so much that many of my kids’ friends ask me to make this “special” popcorn when they come over. This makes a great after-school/camp snack.