Marilu Henner's Blog, page 151

Featured recipe from Marilu's table * Grilled ratatouille salad

This is a sensational salad! Reduced balsamic is easy to do and tastes like nothing you have experienced.

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Grilled Ratatouille Salad

Originally printed in Vegetarian Times, May/June 2007

Purple * Serves 6

3/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 medium eggplant, slice lengthwise into 1/2-inch wedges

3 large red bell peppers, seeded and cut into quarters

3 medium zucchini, sliced in half lengthwise

1 medium sweet onion sliced into 1/2-inch rings

1/4 cup parsley, chopped

1/4 cup basil, chopped

1/4 cup pine nuts

Put the vinegar into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to medium or medium-low and cook 12-15 minutes until vinegar becomes syrup like and reduces to 1/4 cup. Set aside.

Place eggplant, peppers, zucchini, and onion in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Let stand 30 minutes at room temperature or refrigerate overnight. Pour off any liquid.

Heat grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Spritz veggies with olive oil and grill 2-3 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Cool slightly and chop into 1" pieces. Toss with parsley, basil, pine nuts and balsamic syrup. Serve warm or chilled.

 

What's the best thing you should never have?

Sugar?

Meat?

Caffeine?

Dairy?

Chemicals?

Tobacco?

Fried foods?

Alcohol?

We all have something that seduces us, that feels so right, yet it's so very wrong. Sure, the song's about a man (and it could be a person for you, too) but a lot of times, it's the little things we forget are bad for us.

Make this song work twice for you. Think about what you're better off without, and commit to doing without it … and get up and move.

//www.marilu.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/04 Best Thing I Never Had.mp3

 

Attitude

Remember back in the 90′s when those little spiral quotation books were all the rage? We had one on our kitchen table, and we used it with our children every day (they were young; we were trying to cover all our bases in the great experiment that is parenting). Our quotation book was called "3 Words a Day" and there were some 3-word sayings that stuck with all of us. Our favorite was:

ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING.

There are fancier ways to say it, but we like that this one doesn't mess around (and what an easy reminder to use with kids – no judgment, no blaming, no shaming – just a reminder of the truth). How you choose to look at the world and what you choose to project will make or break your experience of everything you do and everything you are.

Marilu says "Work the coat" – project your best in everything you do and go for it.

Even when you're facing a bad day or a difficult person or a big challenge, your positive attitude and willingness to put your best effort and best face out there makes a huge difference. Go for it.

 

Read the label * Cellulose

Reading labels is a practice you can never give up. Even when you've found a product you love (love!), the manufacturer can change the ingredients at any time, and the only notice they have to give is that ingredient label.

One of the ingredients you may see on a label – particularly for any food marketed as "high fiber" (and especially when you know it's not made almost completely from whole grain and vegetables) – is cellulose, which also comes to us as cellulose gum, powdered cellulose, microcrystalline cellulose, etc.

 

Cellulose is virgin wood pulp that has been processed and manufactured to different lengths for functionality, though use of it and its variant forms is deemed safe for human consumption, according to the FDA, which regulates most food industry products. The government agency sets no limit on the amount of cellulose that can be used in food products meant for human consumption.

~ Food Freedom

 

Cellulose also extends the shelf life of foods. Think about it: wood pulp doesn't rot as fast as food. (Not very appetizing, though.)

It's also less expensive than actual food products as a binder or filler, which is no doubt the real reason food manufacturers use it. That still doesn't make it good for humans to eat.

Check here for a list of foods that contain a lot of cellulose. And keep reading labels. You never know when they're going to change.

 

Unforgettable

Marilu is the memory consultant on this tv show, coming this fall on CBS. The main character has superior autobiographical memory, patterned after Marilu's memory.

 

 

Spirit Sunday * Love until it hurts

There is so much love in us all,

but often we are too shy to express our love,

and keep it bottled up inside us.

We must learn to love,

to love until it hurts,

and we will know how to accept love.

~ Mother Teresa

 

Make time for family meals

So you'd love to have family meals, but you don't know where you'd get the time?

Be fast and easy * Make dishes that have a short list of ingredients and a quick cooking time.

Keep it simple, sister! * Simple side dishes, like a tossed salad and steamed or grilled vegetables take little time and can be made while the main dish is cooking.

Be supplied * Keep your kitchen well-stocked with staples, and buy produce regularly. Prepare double quantities of cooked grains, soups, and one-dish meals and freeze the extra portions for busy days.

Now you're cooking * Use quick cooking methods, like steaming, grilling, broiling, and sauteing. Use a slow-cooker for foods that take longer to cook. Look for meals that "recycle" the planned leftovers into another meal.

Be the prep cook * Do some of the preparation ahead of time. Chop some veggies or mix up the dry and wet ingredients separately for corn bread or muffins in the morning or the night before.

Be the boss * Invite family members to help. Setting the table is pretty obvious, as is pouring the water. Young children can tear lettuce for a salad or put pre-cut raw veggies in a bowl for the table. Older children can stir a soup or sauce, wash and cut veggies, make a vinaigrette, or mix up a quick bread. Teens can cook (yes, they can, and it's good for them to learn life skills!).

 

9 "harmless" habits that age you

And we're not even including quitting smoking or using sunscreen daily. Check out nine more ways you can fight aging.

Not enough sleep * If you're up watching late night television, you're probably not getting the 7-8 hours of sleep you need each night to help fight high blood pressure, diabetes, weight gain, and looking and feeling old.

Too many sweets * Sugar not only adds pounds, it also makes your skin dull and wrinkled. Here's the biology: There's a natural process known as glycation, in which the sugar in your bloodstream attaches to proteins to form harmful new molecules called advanced glycation end products (AGEs, for short). The more sugar you eat, the more AGEs you develop; these damage surrounding proteins like collagen and elastin, which keep skin firm and elastic. Once damaged, springy and resilient collagen and elastin become dry and brittle, leading to wrinkles and sagging. These aging effects start at about age 35 and increase rapidly after that (British Journal of Dermatology), so limit your sugar intake.

Stress! * Stress increases the concentration of the hormones cortisol and norepinephrine in the bloodstream, kicking up blood pressure and suppressing immunity. Over time, stress that doesn't go away can delay healing, harden your arteries, and possibly shrink areas of your brain involved in learning, memory, and mood. Try deep breathing or meditation to relax consciously.

Sporadic exercise * It's not just for losing weight. Research shows that vigorous exercisers have longer telomeres—cellular biomarkers that shorten as we age—compared with healthy adults who rarely work out. Being active consistently can help fight brain fog, reduce inflammation, and prevent type 2 diabetes and other chronic conditions that crop up over time. Get moving for at least 20-25 minutes a day.

Big sound * Hearing loss usually develops gradually, but the more you play that iPod at full volume, the more quickly you'll need a hearing aid. Keep the volume as low as possible, and use noise-cancelling headphones so you're not using the volume to fight ambient noise. Use earplugs when you're around other loud noises, like the lawn mower.

Setting friendships aside * Satisfying friendships predict longevity better than even close family ties, and they can protect against obesity, depression, and heart disease, among other health problems. Your friends keep you young—simple as that. Make time for friendships.

Skipping fruits and veggies * You've likely heard that antioxidant-packed fruits and veggies can help you stay young. These powerful compounds fight free radicals that would otherwise wreak havoc on your body and skin, damaging cells that can lead to cancer and make you look older. Antioxidants remain active for only a few hours and need to be continually replenished, so it's a daily deal – even better at every meal.

Cutting the fat * Don't cut out the fat; choose the smart fats. Stopping the artery-clogging saturated and trans fats is a heart-healthy move, and keeping the unsaturated fats, like those found in fish, nuts, and olive oil, is wise. Omega-3 fatty acids are the ultimate anti-aging fat, essential for protecting your brain, heart, bones, joints, skin, and more. Monounsaturated fats can lower bad LDL cholesterol, raise cardio-protective HDL cholesterol, and decrease your risk of atherosclerosis.

Not enough sex * It's not just fun, sex is great for your health. People with active sex lives have stronger immune systems, less pain, a lower cancer risk, healthier hearts, and less stress. The best news: It can even make you look younger—up to 12 years, a study shows. So rekindle the romance between you and your partner.

Adapted from Prevention magazine on MSN Health

 

Featured recipe from Marilu's table * Jicama easy

Jicama is one of those odd-looking vegetables that you may pass over at the grocery store or farmer's market if you don't know what to do with it. Jicama looks a bit like an oversized and rounder potato. In fact, it tastes kind of like a raw potato, if it had been crossed with an apple.

Always wash and peel jicama – it's usually easier with a vegetable peeler. As with any round vegetable, it's easier to slice if you start by cutting it in half (we like a pole-to-pole cut for this), then putting it cut-side down on a cutting board, and then cut the slices. Having that cut side down keeps the vegetable from rolling, and significantly reduces your chance of a knife slip.

This side dish really is easy to prepare. We can't wait to try it as the slaw on a fish taco.

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Jicama Easy

Purple * Serves 6

1 large jicama

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 limes

dash of red pepper (cayenne), optional

Wash the jicama and peel it with a vegetable peeler. Cut it in half, then place the cut side down, and slice each half into 3/8-inch slices. Cut the slices into 3/8-inch sticks and place them in a bowl.

Chop the cilantro leaves and add to the jicama. Squeeze the juice of one or two limes over the jicama and cilantro and toss everything together. If desired, sprinkle with ground red pepper (cayenne).

Let it set for 15 minutes or more so the jicama absorbs the flavors. Enjoy!

 

Running out of ideas for summer?

If you're running out of ideas for ways to enjoy the summer, try some of these. Make a "bucket list" for the next six weeks and see what you can accomplish. And don't forget your sunscreen.

Go to a water park.

Watch a movie under the stars.

Explore a cave.

Visit a brewery.

Learn to sail.

Take a hot-air balloon ride.

Tour a winery.

Take a dinner cruise on a riverboat.

Play bocce.

Have supper at a farm.

Tube down a river.

Attend a polo match.

Sleep in a train.

Catch a water-ski show.

Learn to golf.

Explore the Milky Way.

Rent a boat.

Go geo-caching.

Go fishing.

Have a mini-golf-a-thon.

Enter a triathlon.

Learn to water-ski.

Visit a sculpture garden.

Take a road trip to a weekend festival.

Learn to wake-board.

Attend a concert in a park.

Explore a scenic waterway.

Watch a baseball game.

Take a river rafting trip.

Go to a flea market.

Hit the beach.

Visit an art fair.

Watch a regatta.

Camp in the backyard.