Marilu Henner's Blog, page 159

Spirit Sunday * Shelter in unity

 

This song expresses the urgency we all face to unite together as a planet and offers us wisdom with the words, "War, children, it's just a shot away… Love, sister, it's just a kiss away". It really is that simple. We dedicate this song to all the lost, homeless and forgotten people in this world. It is in the shelter of each other that the people live.

~ Playing for Change

 

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Amazon.com Widgets

 

GO! * Today is National Get Outdoors Day

National Get Outdoors Day is an annual event to encourage healthy, active outdoor fun. Prime goals of the day are reaching first-time visitors to public lands and reconnecting our youth to the great outdoors.

There are all kinds of programs being offered at different locations, or you can just Get Outdoors on your own. If you have a state or national park nearby, it's a good day for a field trip!

Need another reason to Get Outdoors? "Recreation is a powerful antidote to stress."

 

Teenagers live in a world that is more stressed than ever before. They get overloaded with pressure at school, conflicts at home, relationship problems, and career choices. Many have to deal with divorce, moves, financial struggles, jobs, and blended families. When stress builds up, teens cope however they can. They may drink, drive aggressively, get high, overeat, go shopping, spend hours on the computer or playing video games, or take out their frustration on others. This is why we see increased bullying, isolation, depression, obesity, eating disorders, inappropriate sexual activity, violent outbursts, cutting, intolerance and hate crimes, suicide, and many other destructive choices. Kids need new and better choices. They need help unwinding and handling pressure in positive ways. Recreation is a powerful antidote to stress.

~ Reason #2, Top 10 reasons for National Get Outdoors Day

 

Fitness fun * The early bird…

You know what they say about Early Birds…

Early Birds get what they want. If you want a fit, toned body, get up early to exercise. Try an early morning boot camp class. Run or walk with a friend. Get to the gym or fitness center before work (hey, they have showers, and you'll free up the bathroom at home for someone else). Get it done before the day gets too hot or stormy, or before the June gloom turns into a beautiful day.

You'll start your day by boosting your metabolism, you'll have more energy through the day, you'll be motivated to fuel your body with healthy foods – and your evenings will be free for friends and family.

 

Another reason to skip meat * Meat glue

 

Two featured recipes from Marilu's table * Pasta with roasted tomatoes and Vegan parmesan sprinkle

Here's a lovely summer recipe that uses up the smallest tomatoes – one of the most bountiful of all garden plants. Use red, orange, or yellow tomatoes – cherry or grape or pear varieties all work well. The more variety you have in the tomatoes, the fancier the dish looks.

We've included our favorite recipe for a parmesan cheese substitute that you can make in a blender, food processor, or (clean) spice grinder. Keep the extra in your fridge.

Make the dish just before serving for best results. And, to sound somewhat contradictory, serve the leftovers cold, perhaps with added leftover cold roasted chicken or fish. (It makes a great pasta salad lunch the next day.)

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Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes

from Seriously Simple: Easy Recipes for Creative Cooks, by Diane Rossen Worthington

Green * Serves 4-6

1-1/2 pounds ripe cherry or grape or pear tomatoes (red, orange, or yellow), halved

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs

1/2 cup vegan parmesan sprinkle (see recipe below)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/4 cup olive oil

1 pound penne, fusilli, or farfallini pasta

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil

Preheat the oven to 400F. Place the tomato halves in a large baking dish that can be used as a serving dish.

In a small bowl, combine the garlic, bread crumbs, cheese, salt and pepper. Spoon evenly over the tomatoes. Carefully drizzle the olive oil evenly over the mixture. Roast the tomatoes for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the mixture is bubbly, browned, and slightly thickened.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the pasta for about 10 minutes, or until al dente. Drain well. Add the pasta to the tomato mixture in the baking dish. Add the basil and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

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Vegan Parmesan Sprinkle

Blue * Makes about 1 cup

3/4 cup blanched almonds

1/4 cup sesame seeds

1/3 cup nutritional yeast

3/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Blend all ingredients in a blender until there are no more noticeable nut pieces. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. Adjust nuts and yeast according to your taste.

 

Problems with MyPlate

We love Michele Simon's considered response to the USDA's MyPlate nutrition guidelines. We apologize for being a bit sound-bite-y here, and we encourage you to go read the full article.

 

…Allow me to get a few things about the new version off my chest. First of all, the website url tells us a lot: "ChooseMyPlate.gov". The word choose or choice, where have I heard that before? Oh yes, it's a favorite of the food industry, to remind us that really, it's all up to individuals to choose to eat a healthy diet, and that companies provide a wide range of choices for us each to choose from….

As Marion Nestle pointed out, protein is not a food, it's a nutrient, so the meat industry must be very happy to see it represented so prominently, as they have brainwashed the American public for decades into equating "meat" with "protein." Most Americans eat way too much protein and certainly need no reminders….

They recommend "protein" but then why is "dairy" and not "calcium" recommended? Ah the politics of inconsistent messaging….

It's going to take way more than a measly $2 million educational campaign to get Americans to fill up half their plate with fruits and vegetables. It's going to take a massive overhaul of our agricultural policies…. It's also going to take addressing the billions of dollars in marketing the food industry spends each year to keep us from eating off of plates at all. (Perhaps a better image might have been a pizza box or a take-out carton?) It's especially going to take massive political will to stop the food industry's predatory marketing of junk food to children.

~ Michele Simon, Why we need MyPolicy instead of MyPlate

 

Michele Simon is a public health lawyer who researches and writes about the food industry and food politics. She specializes in legal strategies to counter corporate tactics that harm the public's health. She wrote Appetite for Profit: How the food industry undermines our health and how to fight back, published by Nation Books in 2006.

 

Marilu on Good Day LA

Marilu Henner Has a Remarkable Memory: MyFoxLA.com

 

Former "Taxi" star and author Marilu Henner is known for her entertainment career, but did you know that she also has a remarkable memory? In fact she was tested and found to have a rare ability called "superior autobiographical memory," that allows her to recall every day of her life in detail.

On Monday Marilu talked to us about her unique gift and her involvement with the The Actors Fund's Tony Awards Viewing Party.

~ myfoxla.com

 

Marilu hosting Tony party in LA

The Actors Fund will throw its 15th annual Tony party at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles next Sunday, June 12.

Marilu will host the 3:30 PM event that will honor veteran actor Hal Holbrook. Holbrook played Marilu's father on Evening Shade (and was married to Dixie Carter). Sean Penn is presenting the award, and will be sitting at Marilu's table, so it promises to be quite the event!

The evening promises raffle prizes, theatre experiences and Broadway memorabilia. Phone (323) 933-9266 ext. 458 for tickets.

 

Athleticism comes in many forms

We hope we don't have to say "don't try this at home … at least not until you've mastered all the basics."

Mostly we love the idea that "fit" can mean all kinds of things, and you need to find out what YOU love to do to stay fit, and then DO IT.

 

Meatless Monday recipe from Marilu's table * Frozen banana dessert

We think "Meatless Monday" is probably supposed to be about main dishes, but it's D-Day and we want dessert. Not a junk-y dessert – something that tastes good, is refreshing for these hothothot summer days, and is still packed with nutrition. Something the kids will love. Something delicious.

Use a blender (like a VitaMix), or a sturdy food processor, to make this dessert. No ice cream maker is required – just a freezer.

Make this dessert just a few hours before serving – so it's still fresh.

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Frozen Banana Dessert

Adapted from Dr. Andrew Weil

Yellow * Serves 6

4 very ripe bananas*

2 Tablespoons pure unsweetened cocoa powder**

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 Tablespoons real maple syrup

Peel the bananas, cut them in chunks, and place in a blender or food processor. Add the other ingredients.

Blend till very smooth. Pour into individual custard cups or small bowls and freeze until just frozen.

* We like starting with cold bananas, so we keep them in the fridge when they ripen. The peel gets brown in the fridge, but it doesn't affect the banana itself. Using frozen bananas makes it too difficult to blend process without added liquid (or this really awesome attachment for a VitaMix). So – cold bananas from the fridge are our favorite way to make this.

** Or try a handful of fresh strawberries for a different flavor.