Marilu Henner's Blog, page 150

Featured recipe from Marilu's table * Pollo adobo kebabs

"Pollo" is Spanish for chicken, but you can make these with tofu, too.

If your family is "mixed" (vegans and non-vegans) this is a good recipe for everyone. Just marinate the chicken and tofu in separate bowls, and put them on separate skewers. To prepare tofu for marinating, use firm water-packed tofu. Drain it, and sandwich it between two clean towels and then between two plates. Put a weight on the top plate (a large can or heavy book) and let it sit there for 10 minutes. Then slice the tofu into 1-1/2 inch cubes (same size as the chicken). You're ready to marinate!

Serve the kebabs with thin slices of whole-grain artisan bread and a ginormous salad of mixed vegetables.

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Pollo Adobo Kebabs

Adapted from Eating Well magazine

Blue * Serves 2

1-1/2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided

1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into 1-1/2 inch cubes (or equivalent tofu – see above for instructions)

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/2 red onion, peeled, quartered, and separated into layers

Lemon wedges

Prepare a charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill.

In a medium bowl, blend 1/2 Tablespoon lemon juice, garlic, oregano, paprika, salt, cumin, cinnamon, and pepper. If using chicken and tofu, divide the marinade between two bowls. Add chicken to one bowl and tofu to the other, and toss to coat. Cover both bowls with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice and oil. Set aside.

Thread chicken (or tofu) and onion pieces alternately onto 4 large or 8 small skewers.

Using a long-handled barbecue brush, coat the grill rack lightly with oil. Grill kebabs, turning occasionally, until browned and cooked through, 6 to 7 minutes, basting with reserved lemon-oil mixture on cooked side only. Serve immediately, with lemon wedges.

 

Class news * Healing traditions from around the world

Class starts Monday, August 15!

Coach Robbie, who has studied around the world as an anthropologist, is sharing her knowledge in HEALING PRACTICES. This 10-day class will introduce you to five different healing traditions. Robbie will focus on each tradition's dietary guidelines and habits of self-care that support good health.

Classes are included with your membership! Members will receive an email on Monday with links to class.

Not a member? Sign up now!

 

Reasons not to drink soda

 

Source: Term Life Insurance

 

Because we want you to be able to read this… here's what it says.

ASTHMA * Sodium benzoate, found in sodas, is used as a preservative (microbial control) in foods. Sodium preservatives add sodium to the diet and reduce the availability of potassium. Some reported reactions to sodium benzoate include recurring urticaria (rash), asthma, and eczema.

Each day 11 Americans die from asthma.

The annual cost of asthma to the healthcare system is estimated to be nearly $18 billion.

KIDNEY ISSUES * Colas contain high levels of phosphoric acid, which has been linked to kidney stones and other renal problems.

You are more likely to get kidney stones if you are: male, Caucasian, very overweight.

SUGAR OVERLOAD * Twenty minutes after drinking a soda, your blood sugar spikes, causing an insulin burst. Your liver responds to this by turning any sugar into fat.

Forty minutes later, caffeine absorption is complete. Your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises; as a response, your liver dumps more sugar into your bloodstream. The adenosine receptors in your brain are now blocked, preventing drowsiness.

Forty-five minutes later, your body ups your dopamine production, stimulating the pleasure centers of your brain. This is physically the same way heroine works, by the way.

OBESITY * The relationship between soft drink consumption and body weight is so strong that researchers calculate that for each additional soda consumed, the risk of obesity increases 1.6 times.

70% of Cardiovascular disease is related to obesity.

42% of breast and colon cancer is diagnosed in obese individuals.

30% of gall bladder surgery is related to obesity.

DISSOLVES TOOTH ENAMEL * Sugar and acid in soft drinks easily dissolve tooth enamel.

When tooth decay reaches the nerve, the root, and the area at the base of the tooth, the tooth may die and, if left untreated, an abscess can develop.

HEART DISEASE * Most soft drinks contain high fructose corn syrup, a sweetener that's recently come under considerable scrutiny. High fructose corn syrup has been associated with an increased risk of metabolic syndrome, a condition associated with an elevated risk of both diabetes and heart disease.

In 2006, more than one in every four deaths were caused by heart disease.

REPRODUCTIVE ISSUES * Soft drink cans are coated with a resin that contains BPA (bisphenol-A). This is the same cancer causing chemical found in plastic baby bottles, water bottles, and plastic containers that wreaks havoc on the endocrine system, potentially causing premature puberty and reproductive abnormalities.

99.9% of plastic bottles contain BPA.

OSTEOPOROSIS * Soft drinks contain phosphoric acid and a high phosphate diet has been associated with bone breakdown and an increased risk of osteoporosis. When phosphorus is excreted in the urine, it takes calcium with it, depriving the bones and the rest of the body of this important mineral.

Eighty percent of those affected by osteoporosis are women. Twenty percent are men.

INCREASED RISK OF DIABETES * Those who drink more soda have an 80% increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

Approximately 1 in 10 health care dollars is spent on diabetes.

Sources: AssociatedContent.Com | Waterforlifeusa.com | Ionizers.org | NYTImes.com | Helium.com | AAFA.org | KidneyFund.org | CDC.gov | Nutrition.Suite101.com | AmericanHeart.org | Chetday.com | NOF.org | Information provided by TermLifeInsurace.org

 

Next class starts Monday!

HEALING PRACTICES

with Coach Robbie

10 weekdays (Monday-Friday, Monday-Friday)

August 15-26, 2011

Coach Robbie will introduce five different traditions from around the globe — Ayurvedic traditions, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Japanese Macrobiotics, Native American practices, and Celtic traditions. Throughout the 10 days there will be cross references to common threads found in the various schools of practice. The idea is to focus on dietary guidelines and habits of self-care that support good health.

Members will receive an email next Monday with links to the class.

Not a member? Sign up now!

 

Add some excitement to your water

[image error]Toss a slice of citrus fruit in your glass – try lemon, lime, orange, or grapefruit. It adds just a little zing. Or try other fruit – like strawberries or blackberries or melon. Or go crazy and use cucumber (it's better than you think!). Or try herbs like mint or basil in your water.

Aim for drinking half your weight in ounces of water each day (up to a maximum of 100 oz/day). So if you weigh 150 lbs, that's 75 oz of water. If you weigh 200 lbs, that's 100 oz of water. If you weigh 120 lbs, that's 60 oz of water. And remember – it's HOT out there; you need to drink water!

Photo by Martin Walls

 

Featured recipe from Marilu's table * Zucchini ribbon pasta

This main dish is very quick and light – perfect for a hot summer evening. It could be served raw (without doing the sauté), or you could make your favorite marinara sauce and top the zucchini ribbons with a little of that.

If you don't have a shallot, you could use one clove of garlic, or you could use part of a leek or part of an onion. Check the end of the recipe for other options.

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Zucchini Ribbon Pasta

Purple * Serves 6

2 medium-large zucchini

1 shallot, minced

Olive oil

salt

2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

herbs to taste (such as chopped fresh basil)

diced tomato (optional)

Using a vegetable peeler, cut zucchini lengthwise into thin strips just until the seeds are visible, keep turning the squash. This will make beautiful wide zucchini "pasta" ribbons.

Toss the zucchini ribbons in olive oil and put a little oil in a saute pan. Saute the zucchini for a minute or so and add the shallot. When almost al dente, toss in the remaining ingredients. Serve immediately.

Options – sprinkle with a bit of vegan parmesan or pine nuts. Or top with diced sun-dried tomatoes. Or chopped kalamata olives. Or add some diced bell pepper with the shallot. Or make carrot ribbons from a full-size (not a baby) carrot and add those with the shallot (they're thinner, so they cook faster than the zucchini).

 

Spirit Sunday * Journey

 

It is good to have an end to journey toward;

but it is the journey that matters in the end.

~ Ursula K. Le Guin

 

A little more about Unforgettable

We enjoyed this report from the Television Critics Association press tour last Wednesday:

 

Next up was Unforgettable, in which Poppy Montgomery plays a detective who can remember every detail of every day of her life (except for the day her sister was murdered). This is an actual, though rare medical condition–one shared by actress Marilu Henner​ (minus the murdered sister), who has served as a consultant on the show. (Producers noted that Henner used her memory to correct an mistaken fact about a date in one of their scripts.) They didn't cast Henner on the show, though, but they now say they're planning to create a role for her. Suggestion: make her Montgomery's arch-nemesis… a murderer who remembers everything!

~ James Poniewozik, TV critic for TIME (source)

 

CNN reported more details of that date that was wrong in the script:

 

In "Unforgettable," a New York detective also has super autobiographical memory. The show's producer said Henner was sent a screener of the pilot and just minutes into it she called one of the producers to let him know that she hadn't finished watching it yet but had already noticed that a date was wrong right off the bat.

~ CNN Entertainment

 

Class news * Healing Practices starts August 15

Every month at Marilu.com we have online classes – an opportunity for you to learn more about healthy living from Marilu and her hand-picked coaching staff.

We're excited to announce the next class is HEALING PRACTICES with Coach Robbie, who has studied around the world as an anthropologist. This 10-day class starts on Monday, August 15, and will introduce you to five different healing traditions. Robbie will focus on each tradition's dietary guidelines and habits of self-care that support good health.

Classes are included with your membership! Not a member? Sign up now!

Here's what you can look forward to for the rest of the year!

BACK TO BOOTY SCHOOL—EUROPEAN SEMESTER * September 2011

We're going "on location" (virtually) with Coach Evi to explore healthy living in Europe. Recipes, lifestyle and cooking tips from several different European countries…it's our own version of a semester abroad!

GRATITUDE * October 2011

As we prepare for the holidays, we get into a mindset of gratitude and abundance with Coach Robbie.

GLUTEN-FREE LIFE * October 2011

Coach Jill helps us understand the gluten-free life. If you have family or friends who are GF (for any reason), join us for recipes, cooking tips, and lifestyle tips.

HOT FOR THE HOLIDAYS * November-December 2011

This class is your all-around holiday preparation and organization class with Coach Jan.

Become a member now and get all these classes!

 

Fitness Friday * It's 'weather' not 'whether'

Foul weather – in this case, horribly hot and humid weather (alternating with thunderstorms) is no excuse for not working out. It's just weather. It's not a "not sure whether I want to" excuse.

Use the weather to help you mix up your routine. Walk on a treadmill, take a spin on a stationary bike, jog on a mini-trampoline, jump rope, or drive to your local mall for an indoor power-walk! The most important thing is to find an indoor option – or two or three – that you enjoy.

When the weather clears and the season changes, you want to emerge fit and fabulous, not flabby! Keep it up no matter the weather. Become your best!