Prep Time: 5-10 minutes
Cooking Time: 10-15 minutes
Yield: 4-5 servings

Ingredients:
4-5 cups spring water
1-2 inch strip of wakame, rinsed and soaked 5 minutes in 1 cup of water until softened
1-2 cups thinly sliced vegetables of your choice (see notes)
2-3 teaspoons barley miso
2 scallions, finely chopped

Directions:
1. Chop soaked wakame.
2. Discard soaking water or use on houseplants for a boost of minerals.
3. Place water and wakame in a soup pot and bring to a boil.
4. Add root vegetables first and simmer gently for 5 minutes or until tender.
5. Add leafy vegetables and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
6. Remove about 1/2 cup of liquid from pot and dissolve miso into it. Return it to the pot.
7. Reduce heat to very low; do not boil or simmer miso broth.
8. Allow soup to cook 2-3 minutes.
9. Garnish with scallions and serve.

Note:
Any combination of vegetables can be used in miso soup. Here are some classic combinations:
· onion-daikon: cleansing
· onion-carrot-shiitake mushroom-kale: mildly sweet
· onion-winter squash-cabbage: great in wintertime
· leek-corn-broccoli: great in summertime

Variations:
· Add cooked grains at the start of making the soup. They will become nice and soft.
· Add a tablespoon of uncooked quinoa or millet at the beginning and let it cook with vegetables for 20 minutes.
· Add cubed tofu toward the end.
· Add bean sprouts toward the end.
· Season with 1/2 teaspoon ginger juice for an interesting twist.
· If using dry shiitake mushrooms, let them soak for 20 minutes, slice and add at the beginning.

A day is bound to come when we crave the richness of certain foods that allow us to unbutton our pants and sit back and sigh in satiation. Comfort foods have gotten a bad rep over the years. When you think comfort you want grandmas mac and cheese, mom’s butter chicken, or dad’s bbq, basically foods filled with love AND the richness of major fat cals. It no longer has to be that way though. With more and more people stepping back to primal and paleo foods, comfort is getting a makeover and Julie and Charles Mayfield are part of the revolution. Their book “Paleo Comfort Foods” is giving comfort a new look, with foods that not only give you the warm and fuzzies but are also good for you.

There is no better day for a comfort meal than a rainy day. Today’s meal came right out of “Paleo comfort foods” and consisted of one my favorite protein sources – Salmon. Not only does this fish taste delicious (when done right) it also nourishes the body with Omega 3s, protein, and bioactive peptides. All in all a great food source to consume. Enjoy and stay dry!

What’s your favorite comfort food? Post to comments…

Cedar- Plank Chipotle Salmon

1. cedar plank, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes

1 ½ pounds salmon filet

1 teaspoon chipotle pepper powder

½ teaspoon fresh cracked pepper

¼ teaspoon sea salt

1. limes, quartered
2. Set up grill for indirect medium-high heat
3. Remove bones from salmon and rinse in cold water, pat dry and place on cedar plank
4. Mix chipotle, pepper, and sale in small bowl
5. Spread mixture over fish
6. Place on grill for 25-30 minutes, heat to 135-140 degrees F
7. Remove and serve immediately (with an amazing side of veggies)

(Optional: enjoy with a glass of Banshee Pinot Noir, a new found vino for me and I love it!)

n!

Ritu Riyat

Fresh lobster served with asparagus and shitake mushrooms

Lobster Preparation:

1. Boil a pot full of water(enough to cover the lobster); add about 2 tbsp of sea salt
2. Add lobster to boiling water and leave for 10 minutes for the first pound and 3 additional minutes for each additional points
3. Drain the water and serve hot

Optional: Heat butter over flame and use as dipping sauce

Asparagus and Shitake mushroom Sautee Preparation:

1. Add olive oil (or oil of your choice) to pan on medium heat
2. Add 5 cloves of chopped garlic  and sauté 4-5 minutes until garlic is crisp
3. Add asparagus and shitake mushrooms, sauté for 5 minutes
4. Remove and serve as a side

n!

Ritu

Happy New Year Nutritionizers! Now that the holidays are over and your SMART resolutions are set, time to put them in action. If you are looking to kickstart your weight loss transformation and revamp your nutrition lifestyle, join me in this 4 part series starting January 5th. You will develop your awareness of how you eat, what you eat, when you eat and why you eat. Through body movement, mindful meditation, and nutrition education we will begin to unravel our eating patterns and make mindful choices. We will learn techniques to develop mindfulness and apply it to our daily nutrition lifestyle. Drop-ins are welcome. To register  click here.

See you there!
n!

Ritu Riyat 

Are you ready to get started? Take out a piece of paper and pen. Now take a deep breath and give yourself a solid 20 minutes to review the SMART criteria below and write down your goals for 2012. Limit these goals to about 3, anything more can be overwhelming. DO THIS NOW!

STEP 1:
First write down 3 general goals then take each one through the Nutritionize! My Goal

criteria detailed below to make them SMART goals.

STEP 2: Nutritionize! My Goal

The SMART Goal Acronym

• Specific
  
• Measurable
  
• Attainable
  
• Realistic
  
• Timely
  

A goal should provide guidance and direction. General goals like ‘lose weight’, ‘get in shape’, ‘get a new job’ ‘eat better’, or ‘have less stress’ are far too vague and unspecific and most likely lead to failure. Use the S.M.A.R.T. criteria to help put more detail into your goal. Spending a few minutes to think through your goals is the first step to success.

S – Specific: I think this by far is the most important step in goal setting because it defines the goal. Answer the 5w’s below to take your goal from general to specific.

1. Who: Who is involved?
   
2. What: What do I want to accomplish?
   
3. Where: Identify a location.
   
4. When: Establish a time frame.
   
5. Which: Identify requirements and constraints.
   
6. Why: List specific reasons, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal.
   

    

   Have your goal be like an instruction telling you what to do. EXAMPLE: A general goal would be, “Get in shape.” But a specific goal would be, “Join a Crossfit gym and work out 5 times a week on after work on Mon-Thursday and first thing in the morning on Saturday.
   

M – Measurable: If you don’t know where you started or where you are going you won’t know if you have gotten there.

Measurement is key. I suggest keeping a journal and to determine if your goal is measurable ask yourself questions such as:

• How much?
  
• How many?
  
• How will I know when it is accomplished?
  
• Produce evidence for your progress. If your goal is to “reduce stress” create a stress measure for yourself like the number of times you get upset every day.
  
• Keep a log and record each stressful reaction.
  

A – Attainable: If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and talks like a duck then it’s a duck!

When YOU set your goals and identify the goals that are most important to you, you begin to figure out ways to make them come true. You develop the attitudes, abilities, skills and financial capacity to reach them. You begin seeing previously overlooked opportunities to bring yourself closer to the achievement of your goals. You begin to look and feel like having achieved that goal and therefore do.

• Your goal should be meaningful to you. It should be set by you, not someone else.
  
• The goal should be inspiring enough that it motivates you to success. If you are not determined to meet your goal, obstacles will be very difficult to overcome.
  
• If your doctor says, “lose weight” and your wife says, “lose weight” but you are not inspired by this, find another goal that also improves your health while you try to find a way to become inspired about weight loss.
  
• Have integrity around your goals, recognize that no one is perfect and there are going to be difficult times that may make sticking to your goal challenging, rather than beating yourself up for falling off the goal, get back on!
  

R – Realistic: Keep it real! Set a goal that you are both willing and able to work towards.

Your goal is probably realistic if you truly believe that it can be accomplished. Also ask yourself if you have ever done anything similar, for example have you ever been at your goal weight before in your life.

• Goals should be ambitious, but not impossible. Do not set yourself up for failure.
  
• Goals can be high and realistic. Remember it’s okay to go big! High goals are more often achieved because there is higher motivation
  

T – Time: We are a time based society and doing something for time gets us moving real quick! Use your time wisely.

• When will you finish your goal? Choose a time frame that is realistic and ambitious.
  
• Saying “I will lose 20 pounds in 3 months” is good, but saying “I will lose an average of 2 pounds every week for 10 weeks” is better.
  

STEP 3:
Now write your goal:

Finish the following sentence:

I will [your goal here] by [how you will do the goal]. I will know I am making progress because [how you will measure the goal] [time goes here].

For example: I will lose 20 pounds by increasing my exercise to 4 times a week and cutting back on sugar and portion size. I will know I am making progress because I will lose 2 pounds a week for ten weeks.

Here are some SMART goal examples:

• Fitness example SMART goal: I will work out by doing cardiovascular activity of walking 3 days per week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.  I will do this at the gym for 30-45 minutes from 5:45pm-6:30pm.  I will pack my gym clothes with me and bring them to work for no excuses.
  
• Life Balance example SMART goal: I will take one hour for myself every evening of the work week to turn off my work phone and computer.  During this time, I will do something for me, spend time with my family, read a book, meditate or do something physically active around the house.
  

Now that you have taken your goal from simple to SMART, go out and tweet it, blog it, wall it, SHARE IT! Post your SMART goals to comments or on the NUTRITIONIZE FB page.

Happy New Year- See you in 2012!

n!

Ritu Riyat

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Upcoming events:
Nourish Me – Mindful Eating Workshop

In this 4 part series, you will develop your awareness of how you eat, what you eat, when you eat and why you eat. Through body movement, mindful meditation, and nutrition education we will begin to unravel our eating patterns and make mindful choices. We will learn techniques to develop mindfulness and apply it to our daily nutrition lifestyle.

 Series starts Thursday January 5^th. Space is limited. Register here. 

I spent the last 5 days in complete silence at a meditation retreat in North Fork, Ca. Yup, complete silence for the entire time which means no eye contact, no gestures, no touching, and definitely no talking to anyone else there. It’s sounds painful but after about a day of twitching out from no FB and email access, the body reconnects with its primal instinct and the natural surroundings. I had a great time, just me, myself, and my monkey mind. The purpose of the retreat is to become more aware and to see things as they are, or simply put, to be in the moment. As simple as it sounds, the web wired world we live in makes mindfulness a difficult feat. One way we tend to complicate our lives is with the lack of being in the moment. We can all recall times where we have gone through a day of multi-tasking and no memory of what exactly we did, or scarfing down a meal and then trying to think about what was consumed or how it tasted. Sometimes it’s OK to not be completely mindful, like knowing where the chair is as you are reading this, but other times, like having your shoulders scrunched up by your ears as your reading this, can lead to problems. Back to the retreat, I spent 10 hours a day trying to sit still and observe my breath and I spent 2 hours a day observing my food.

The meals in silence got me reflecting on food and our relationship with food. It’s been on mind for a while now, with the growing wellness industry and innumerable nutritionists and coaches and blogs out there on food, the focus has been on WHAT to eat. But I wondered is there more to eating than just the TYPE of food? Granted the “what” is a big party of a healthy lifestyle but what about the other questions? To get the whole picture a good investigator applies the “five W’s and one H” concept, the “who, what, where, when, why, and how”. All of these play a role in a “healthy” vs. “unhealthy” meal. I find it ironic that many healthy nuts will avoid “fast food” yet they will eat fast?! Every part of our dining experience contributes to the health factor of that meal because your surroundings have a direct impact on your nervous system which then affects your digestive system and really good healthy food which is poorly digested is no longer healthy.

Not having anyone to talk to and without the social pressures of forced fake conversation with the stranger across the table; I had a chance to give my meal my undivided attention. I ate slow, chewed every bite 20 times (yup, I counted) and engaged each of my 5 senses. Looking at my plate and mindfully created a bite, tasting the flavors, feeling the textures, smelling the spices, and hearing the primal chomp chomp. Every bite was amazing and although I had free reign to attack the buffet line, I knew exactly when I was comfortably full and made the mindful decision to stop eating at that time. The whole experience was about 40 minutes! 40 minutes of me eating my meal in pure silence with no distractions, I can’t remember the last time I had done something like that, can you? I get that we all have busy lives and don’t live in silence day in and day out. We are constantly in motion but developing awareness around when, why, where, with who and how we are eating can optimize the “what” that we are eating. Be your own investigator and experiment with a mindful meal, eat in silence and observe how you feel before, during, and after the meal.

Being mindful takes practice, just like you go to the gym to practice a pull up or a squat clean or add one more mile to your marathon training so to you have to exercise the mindful muscle. You’re probably wondering 1. Where is that muscle? and 2. How the heck to exercise it?! Here are 5 ways to work out the mindful muscle.

1. Keep a diary of your thoughts and feelings. Doesn’t need to be long but focus on answering the “five W’s and one H”.
   
2. Notice… take a deep breath; notice five things you can see. Notice five things you can hear; notice five things you can feel (shoes, pants, hair against forehead etc.)
   
3. Practice a 2 minute meditation, regularly. Find a quiet, comfortable place to sit. Preferably someplace you won’t be disturbed. Close your eyes. While seated, place your feet flat on the ground. Relax your shoulders. Let them drop. Relax your jaw. Unclench your teeth. Slowly drop your chin toward your chest. Take a few natural breaths. It takes a few breaths to calm the body down so be patient. Then take your attention to the tip of the nose, hold the attention there, and take 10 long deep breaths (inhale and exhale=1 breath), if the mind wanders bring it back to tip of the nose. This practice, done regularly, will help you filter out distractions, stop the mind chatter, and get you calm and centered.
   
4. Let out 3 deep sighs or deep breaths before and after a meeting, meal, car ride, phone call, etc. The sigh will automatically release any tension that you created from the activity and make you more present to the activity ahead.
   
5. When you’re annoyed at waiting for a stopping sign, or anything else for that matter, just SMILE (Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen Buddhism)
   

Eat your next meal mindfully and post to comments the “What, why, when, where, and how’s” you experienced!

n!

ritu riyat

Upcoming events:

Nourish Me – Mindful Eating Workshop

In this 4 part series, you will develop your awareness of how you eat, what you eat, when you eat and why you eat. Through body movement, mindful meditation, and nutrition education we will begin to unravel our eating patterns and make mindful choices. We will learn techniques to develop mindfulness and apply it to our daily nutrition lifestyle.

Series starts Thursday January 5^th. Space is limited. Register here.

When it comes to nourishing our bodies and mind the first things we often focus on is physical activity and nutrtition, although these are pivotal in our wellbeing they tend to be attention hogs leaving no room to consider other more subtle areas which can play a big role as well. It’s kinda like the 80/20 rule – the key is to find and work on those 20% areas which bear 80% of the fruit. One of these 20% areas is “creativity”. Remember when you were a kid and sticking your hands in paint and making a masterpiece on the wall was the most fulfilling thing ever?! Well, I want you to go back to that place… I want you to be creative and express it! Creativity and self expression does wanders for the body and mind, it relieves stress, it puts a smile on the face, and gets you connected with one the most important people ever – YOU! But, before you go ruining you walls, consider taking your hand to a canvas board, you never know you might the next Picasso!

Here is a list of 10 ideas to express your creativity:

(by Alicia Benjamin, Me You Health)  

Kale: This green machines is high in fiber, and packed with vitamin A, K, and C. It is a source of omega 3′s which serve as an anti-inflammatory agents and its a superstar in the antioxidant arena

Quinoa: My protein powerhouse with 9grams of complete protein per cup and packed with vitamin B it serves as brain food, steering clear of the blood sugar roller coaster. The complexity of this carbohydrate aids in digestion and the vitamins activate the liver and stimulate detoxification. Let’s not forget it is a favorable source of calcium, magnesium, zinc and potassium.

Feta: Well, the greek eat it and its a big part of the Mediterranean diet, maybe they were on to something. Feta cheese is a great source of protein, has calcium and quite honestly tastes good. Optional of course.

To make this a super protein rich meal top it with some grilled chicken and enjoy the simplicity of these complex tastes. Your gut will thank you for giving it a vacation.

How is your meal nourishing you? Next time you eat a meal, look up the benefits of the ingredients.

nutritionize!

Ritu

The Halloween costumes are packed away, the candy wrappers are cleaned up and out of site, and the holiday season is officially in full effect.  Although it feels like you have gained 5-10 lbs. over the holidays, studies show that the average weight gain is only about a pound or two. Seems harmless right? Wrong! Most people never lose the pound they gain and over time the pound add up. More importantly holiday behaviors can spike up stress levels, throw a wrench in exercise habits, and increase gluttony, overall leaving your body feeling exhausted and more susceptible to disease. But it’s not all bad news, if done right the holidays can be quite the opposite, leaving you feeling relaxed and rejuvenated – the trick is to have a plan in place. Here are some tips to keep you on track for the holidays. Remember to be completely honest with yourself during this time of the year, if you are prone to over eating or emotional eating then work on portion sizing so you don’t activate those triggers. You may have spent all year working on revamping your nutrition lifestyle; it’s time to put it to the test.

Here are some tips to think about.

1. Planning ahead and be clear and realistic about how you will eat during this time. Allow for extra calories and giving into your cravings.
   
2. If you really really want it, then eat it…
   BUT make sure it is the BEST and SAVOR it. This is one of my favorite rules. If you want a cookie or a cupcake then nourish your body with it but not just any cupcake from the local store, eat the $5 cupcake that is hand made with fresh ingredients and bursting with flavor and enjoy every bite.
   
3. Stick with it. Attempting to not eat at all before or after these peak periods or events is not a good idea. This deprivation usually results in overeating later. Instead stick with your routine as closely as possible.
   
4. Hunger or Craving? These cues are even more difficult to distinguish during the holidays when you are surrounded by visual food and engulfed in the smells. Maintaining a structured eating pattern can help to recognize the difference between hunger and craving, and to eat until no longer hungry rather than until full or over full. Check out the post on overeating.
   
5. Choose the Best Bets on the Buffet. While each of us has our own favorites, keep in mind that some holiday foods are better choices than others.
   

• White turkey meat
  
• Plain veggies
  
• Roasted sweet potatoes (my favorite)
  
• Defatted gravy
  
• Green beans
  
• Pumpkin pie sans crust ( its high in vitamin A and fiber)
  
• Stuffing (see recipe below)
  

1. Drink Water. I’m a big proponent of hydration for health. Drinking water lets you accurately assess hunger and keeps gut working efficiently. Also drinking water between alcoholic beverages keeps you sober and limits the intake. Also, drinking water between alcoholic beverages keeps you sober and limits alcohol calories.
   
2. >PLAY! The holidays are a time for food, family and fun. Take the time to celebrate relationships with family and friends and do something active together. Going for a hike, having a football game, playing with kids, and even laughing and cooking together are all ways to keep moving.
   
3. Relax. The most important tip of all is to take this time to let go of life’s stresses and relax the mind. Pamper yourself, take a few deep breaths, smile, and allow your body to rejuvenate. In the long run this will pay off.
   

What are you Holiday tips and tricks for staying healthy? Post to comments…

Recipe Rx: Gluten Free Stuffing

Stick with the program with this wonderful GF stuffing compliments of the Well Blog. Enjoy!

1 cup regular (golden) quinoa

3/4 cup black quinoa

5 1/4 cups water, chicken stock or vegetable stock

Salt to taste

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3/4 pound butternut squash cut in small dice

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 cup diced celery

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup lightly toasted pecans, coarsely chopped

1/3 cup dried cranberries

2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

Freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Keeping the quinoas separate, wash in several changes of water. In separate saucepans, combine the golden quinoa with 3 cups water or stock and the black quinoa with 2 1/4 cups water or stock. Add salt to taste, bring to a boil, cover and simmer 15 to 25 minutes, until the quinoa is tender and the grains display a coiled thread. The black quinoa takes longer to cook, and the thread will not pop out of all of the grains. Drain through a strainer and return both quinoas together to one of the pots. Place a clean kitchen towel over the pot and return the lid. Let sit while you prepare the other ingredients.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat in a large, heavy skillet and sauté the squash, stirring often, until it is tender and lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and transfer to a bowl. Turn the heat down to medium and add the remaining oil and the onion. Cook, stirring often, until the onion begins to soften, about 3 minutes, and add a generous pinch of salt and the celery and thyme. Cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes, until the onion is completely tender and the celery is just tender, and add the garlic. Stir over medium heat until the garlic smells fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute, and transfer to the bowl with the squash. Add the quinoa and the remaining ingredients and stir together. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to an oiled or buttered baking dish and cover with foil.

3. Warm for 20 to 30 minutes in a 325-degree oven before serving.

Yield: Makes about 7 cups, serving 12 to 14.

Advance preparation: The entire dish can be made up to 2 days ahead. Cooked quinoa will keep for 3 or 4 days in the refrigerator and can be frozen.

Nutritional information per serving (12 servings): 173 calories; 1 gram saturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 24 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 13 milligrams sodium (does not include salt to taste); 4 grams protein.

Remember when you were a kid and your parents and every other adult around asked you where your nose was, and your toes, and just about every other body part? If you do remember then props to you, I think I must have blocked it out along with every adult asking me to sing and dance! In retrospect though it got me thinking that maybe they were on to something. Every day we get up, go to work, eat food, workout, socialize, sit down, sleep, and do it all over again. Have you ever stopped to wonder what makes it all happen? Yah we all learned where our nose and toes are but do you know where your spleen and gall bladder are, and more importantly how often do you stop to give these back office helpers some love?! After a hard work out we are told to stretch and foam roll the muscles or maybe get a massage every few weeks but what about after a big meal or last night’s hot dog challenge or raging party? How about a belly rub to activate the intestines and digestive system or a little kidney massage to get the toxins moving and let’s not forget a deep breath to add some fresh oxygen to the mix. I know what you are thinking… what is she smoking?! But hear me out… age old eastern medicine has been practicing this theory for thousands of years. The Chinese had the meridian philosophy and the Indians had the Ayurveda perspective but both said the same thing, every part of your body is connected and intertwined and just like our minds need a little push and motivation to get through the next mile on a long run, the intestines and kidneys and liver, etc. can increase THEIR performance with a simple acknowledgement. Next time you finish a big meal consider rubbing your belly and thanking it for its hard work! As always don’t take my word for it… try it out!

Just for fun, find a partner and ask them to point to the following, then you do it. Did you get it right? If not, take a moment to study the image below.

Nutritionize!

Ritu Riyat