Meals are much more than short-term fuel for your body. They are a distinct message that your body will hear and respond to.
What message are you creating? Is the message to your body saying that you appreciate it working well and you'll see to it that it stays healthy? If your body is not healthy, then is the message in the meal might be that healing foods are being prepared and are on the way! If you're consuming junk food and junk drink all the time, then the message may be that you assume your body will forgive you and somehow keep on working, or sadly, you simply don't care anymore or are overwhelmed.
If you're creating a meal for a loved one or family, what's the message in your meals? You love them and want to make sure they stay healthy or are you too busy and just don't have time?
Here are a few of my favorite messages:
Breakfast
Place in a blender:
- 2 cups coconut water
- ½ cup of berries (this time of year, it's strawberries)
- A handful of spinach leaves (adds so many nutrients and little flavor)
- 1 tablespoon almond butter
- 1 tablespoon green powder
- 1-2 tablespoons protein powder of your choosing
- 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
This is just a guide, feel free to be creative.
Lunch
- 2-3 cups of mixed seasonal lettuces
- 1 cup of chopped raw veggies-carrots/snap peas/sprouts. Whatever you like!
- Toss with fresh lemon juice and olive or flax oil
Enjoy with hummus and a few crackers
Dinner
Halibut (or Salmon) Sauté
This is wonderful served on brown basmati rice with a spinach salad
Serves 3
Ingredients
- 1 pound halibut or salmon
- Sea salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 cup thinly sliced carrots
- 1 cup thinly sliced celery
- 1 cup thinly sliced green onions
- 1 cup broccoli florets, coarsely chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger root, grated
- 1/4 cup chicken or veggie broth or water
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch or arrowroot
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon or lime peel
Directions
- Remove the skin and bones from halibut; cut into 1-inch cubes.
- Season the halibut with salt and pepper.
- Sauté in 1-tablespoon oil until barely cooked (about 5 minutes)
- Remove halibut from skillet.
- Sauté vegetables in remaining oil until al dente.
- Return halibut to skillet.
- Add sea salt and ginger.
- Combine the broth, cornstarch and lemon peel; add to fish mixture.
- Cook and stir until thickened and halibut flakes when tested with a fork.
Nutrition information:
Per Serving: 295 Calories; 13g Fat (39.0% calories from fat); 34g Protein; 11g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 48mg Cholesterol; 300mg Sodium.
Halibut is a good source of tryptophan as well as selenium, protein, vitamin B3 and heart healthy Omega 3 fatty acids.
Healthy attitude
Being healthy is not only eating healthy food and drinking enough pure water, it is also getting enough exercising and having a good attitude. Attitude is so important and is a big part of health.
Here's a quote that I like from Anthony J. D'Angelo: "Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine."
Patty James is a certified natural chef, holistic nutritionist, and author of More Vegetables, Please!, and founder of the new non-profit, Direction Five Health, which has developed five pilot kids' health programs being rolled out in the summer of 2011 The free courses, underwritten by donations and grants, are for groups of ten to twelve kids, and focus on five areas: healthy basics, body/earth, body/mind, fitness, and cooking. For more information, e-mail Patty at patty.james@directionfive.org.
