Category Archives: whole grains

Guilt-Free Desserts

Posted on by
2

Majority of people crave sweets. The sweet taste promotes happiness, contentment, cheerfulness, love, and satisfaction in the mind. We all need sweet tasted food in our diet to make it balanced. A simple sugar like cookies, donuts, breakfast cereals, etc., goes right into your bloodstream. Excess glucose and fructose are both converted to fat and stored. It gives you a quick spike of hyperactivity and then – when you totally not ready for that – your blood sugar goes down, and you feel no energy, tired, sleepy. It is quite inconvenient if it is 11:00 am, and there is still another hour of meetings before the lunchtime. A quick search for a cookie or chocolate or coke or whatever you can find in your drawer…

Continue reading →

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day

Posted on by
3

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. We all have heard some form of this saying. Another popular wisdom says: “Eat your breakfast, share your lunch with a friend, and give your dinner to an enemy”. These are old sayings but what is the basis for paying a special attention to a breakfast?

We all have busy schedules – whether you need to get to work in the morning, get your kids to schools, take care of your elderly, pray Shacharit or all of the above…

where to find time for breakfast?! and why bother?!

Some people skip breakfast in an effort to lose weight, but that might be not such a good idea. It can backfire. Skipping meals, especially breakfast can actually make weight control more difficult. Breakfast skippers tend to eat more food than usual at the next meal, or nibble on high-calorie snacks to stave off hunger.

While adults need to eat breakfast each day to perform their best, kids need it even more. Their growing bodies and developing brains need regular refueling from real food. When kids skip breakfast, they don’t get what they need to be at their best.

Short on time? Eating a wholesome, nutritious morning meal will probably save you time in the long run. By recharging the brain and body, you’ll be more efficient in just about everything you do.

Breakfast is setting our bodies for the day. If we do not have a proper breakfast, it is difficult to manage the rest of the day. Some of us suddenly feel low on sugar and start eating cookies or chocolate, and continue snacking throughout the day. Some of us have uncontrollable cravings for bread or sweets or salt or spicy or meat. Some of us sleepy, some are irritated, some are anxious or depressed.

Millet Veggies

Your day could be much different only if you had a proper breakfast.

  • Breakfast should be about one hour after you wake up.
  • Breakfast should be enjoyed sitting down and chewed well.
  • Breakfast should be balanced and rather plain – not too sweet, not too spicy, not too salty.

If the breakfast is too sweet, your taste buds will call for something salty and vs versa later in the day.

Oatmeal Broccoli

Healthy nourishing breakfast consists of complex carbohydrates (whole grains), freshly cooked vegetables or seasonal fruit and a small portion of protein. Light warm vegetable soup could be a nice start of the breakfast to promote healthy digestion. It brings relaxation if your condition is too tight. A warm cup of organic green tea or kukicha tea is a perfect satisfying conclusion to the breakfast.

Carbohydrates are macronutrients needed for optimal brain function and energy through the course of the day. Whole grain porridge contains a high amount of complex carbs, which gets digested at a slow pace, unlike simple carbs. This gives you lasting energy and balances blood sugar.

Those who start the day with vegetables may experience higher energy, improved mental clarity, and reduction in crazy food cravings, loss of pesky pounds and more. Starting the day with green vegetables will not only keep you satisfied for many hours, it will also gently cleanse your body and set a fresh, healthy tone for your day… and your life as whole!

What to pack for lunch to the office in 5 precious minutes in the morning?

Posted on by
2

Quinoa beans veggies

Red White Quinoa with Black Soy Beans Peas Tomatoes

My daily commute to the office is about 40 miles one way. My company is located in the Northwestern suburb of Chicago. It is a nice area with huge shopping mall and some good food stores but if I want to have a healthy kosher cooked meal, I have to bring it from home. I usually pack my lunches in the morning. If there is not enough time to cook the whole lunch in the morning, it is important to add some green leafy vegetables freshly blanched, steamed or sautéed to make it more nutritious and rich with upward energy in the morning.

Last night I cooked red and white quinoa and also I cooked black soy beans which I left soaking before leaving for the office.  Cooking grains and beans – is the easiest thing. Put it in a pot, when it starts boiling, minimize flame, remove foam, put up a timer and go rest! When the timer announces that cooking is complete, you or anyone in your household turns it off. Done!

In the morning I made a salad and packed in my glass container.

Quinoa, black soy beans, freshly minced parsley and scallion, yellow grape tomatoes and steamed green peas. Dressing is a mixture of lemon juice, umeboshi paste, brown rice vinegar, olive oil.

Please see recipe page for detailed cooking instructions

**Health Tip: Organic beans are the healthiest choice of protein.  Beans are an excellent source of fiber, B vitamins, iron, and potassium and are low in fat. Beans should be soaked for 6 – 10 hours before cooking to make them easily digestible. Your body doesn’t have to work too hard to digest them. You don’t feel tired or sleepy after the meal.

Healthy Kosher made EASY journey

Posted on by
2

Arizona - one of a kind experience

I, like a lot of people, live a very busy life. Sometimes I wonder where my day went and I try to pack my schedule for the next day with list of tasks I would like to accomplish for my job and my family and hopefully for myself on the bottom of the list. Guess what, I am usually very proud that I managed the majority but rarely get to the nourishing myself part.

The company I work for declared a winter break – 4 days off. In the middle of extremely cold Chicago winter! This is an opportunity to get to always omitted bottom of my list – I am booking Yoga & Spa resort in a warm place – Arizona – for 6 wonderful days!

Miraval 2015

It was an amazing experience. In addition to perfect weather, beautiful surroundings, delicious food, ample activities and spa choices, the most important benefit I got out of it – clear my head and created space for new ideas.

My new idea to start blogging! I know, blogging has been around for a long time. Everything is right at the right time .

Where to begin???

I was born and lived till 24 in Latvia. It is a small independent country in Western Europe – beautiful with ancient architecture that went through many different political regimes including devastating Soviet Union during my times.

Riga Old Town

Riga Latvia Old Town

Everything was limited – money, food, freedom, opportunities and information.

When we moved to the United States, the first thing surprised me – huge number of seriously overweight people. I could not believe that the best country in the world with the most advanced medicine and freedom of choice, unlimited access to information and food, people do not eat healthy.

But time went by, I got busy with building my successful carrier and joined the majority of population – eating out, drinking coffee to stay awake, and drinking more and stronger coffee to stay focused. I was buying frozen dinners and spent time looking for the tastiest frozen dinner…

Until it became too obvious – if I want to live a vibrant, healthy, dynamic life and enjoy it for many, many years (having good memory, sharp mind, positive optimistic outlook, capable dealing with stress, control my weight) – I‘d better spend a little more time in my kitchen and a little more money on Organic food now instead of on ever growing list of regularly used medication and supplements in the future.

I was looking for information that would make sense and I found plenty. I started cooking my own meals and my family embraced it with great pleasure.

…

What’s for breakfast?

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It sets our sugar balance for the day, it defines our energy level. It has to be satisfying, nourishing and delicious.

Steel Cut Oatmeal with fresh cranberries, blueberries and mango

Oatmeal with fresh fruitOrganic Kosher Irish steel cut oatmeal is cooked for 30 minutes ( no prior soaking is required)

Ingredients:

1 cup Irish Steel Cut Oatmeal, 3 cups of water and a pinch of sea salt.