becoming whole

Watching The Clouds

 I was wiped out today because of the hot weather ... did not have a blog in me! So I relaxed and watched the clouds go by. Please check back tomorrow, or the next day ...

Lauren's Lentil Loaf

Yesterday was my daughter's friend, Lauren Flynn's, 20th birthday. We helped her celebrate with her meal of choice ... Lentil Loaf. When I asked her what she wanted for a birthday dinner she said that this was the first dish she' had at our house (two years ago) and she really likes it. I also made Caesar salad with homemade croutons (another) favorite of the kids, steamed carrots & kale, fresh cooked green beans, arame & carrot saute and to top it off, Betsy Bernazanni's yummy carrot cake with ginger almond cream frosting.

LENTIL LOAF
2 cups red lentils
spring or filtered tap water
1” piece of wakame (put dried wakame into a small cup of water for 3-5 minutes)
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
3 ribs celery, diced
2 dried shitake mushrooms, soaked then diced
1 ¼ cup rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon tamari or shoyu (soy sauce)
1 teaspoon ume vinegar
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (optional)
1 tablespoon olive oil (optional)
1/3 cup of pan roasted almonds or pecans, chopped

Put dried lentils into a pot with enough water to cover. Wash lentils by bringing up a handful of lentils and rubbing them between your palms in a circular motion. Do this with 4-5 handfuls. Drain water, refill with 4 cups of clean water. Add 1 postage-stamp size piece of wakame. Bring to a boil on high flame, turn to low, cover and cook for 40 minutes.

While the lentils cook, sauté the onion in olive oil on medium-high heat in a cast-iron or stainless-steel skillet. Add the sea salt and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add celery, carrot and shitake, and optional seasoning, and sauté for another 3-5 minutes. Stir in soy sauce, simmer for 3-5 more minutes.

In a cast-iron skillet, toast nuts on medium-high heat for 5 minutes or until slightly browned, stirring occasionally. Chop into small pieces.

Combine lentils, cooked vegetables and 1/3 cups of rolled oats. Today, I added an extra tablespoon of olive oil for my athletic husband and kids (I have a household of skinny runners). Stir to mix. Add ¼ cup more water if needed. Spread in a 9x12 oiled (I use olive oil) pan. Sprinkle with rolled oats and almonds or pecans. Bake at 350 degrees in a preheated oven for 25-30 minutes. Serves 8-10.

Happy Birthday Lauren!

My daughter Cammie, Lauren Flynn, and my nephew, William Kelly.

Out and about ...

On Wednesday, my sister Ruth and I ventured to the Portland Farmers' Market in Monument Square. Since this was my first trip there this summer I decided to savor each moment as if I were on vacation, instead of it just being a quick dash out for veggies. I started to scout out a place that we could sit. We spotted this pleasant arrangement of chairs in front of a shop on the Square that looked very inviting, but though the neon sign said open, there were no customers. On closer inspection we found that it was mainly a gelato shop. 

Ruth and I walked a little farther, then sat and stared, observing people and other interesting things, including this ... tinfoil turkey.

It was also a flower day for us ...

Later in the market, I spotted this gem and Ruth snapped the photo. Does anyone know the name of this flower? It reminds me of this toy top I had as a kid. When it was spinning it would open up like a flower blooming in fast forward to reveal a ballerina spinning around in the center. This flower looks rather exotic to be growing in Maine.

And on my return home, I put my sunflowers (my most favorite of all flowers) into my favorite pottery vase. It was great taking time to smell the flowers!

Back on Two (legs!)

Stan Patterson (my prosthetist), me, and Simba 

It is SO great to be back on two legs again! I can only wear my prosthetic leg for a couple of hours a day with crutches and only partial weight bearing for starters, but I'll take that. It's great. My prosthetist, Stan Patterson, explained that the suture line from my reconstructive surgery heals in eight weeks, but the inside takes more like 12-14 weeks, so it's best to take it slowly.

I made the quick trip to Orlando on Thursday evening and was back on Saturday afternoon with my temporary leg. It was truly great to see Stan and the staff of Prosthetic and Orthotic Associates. Stan the Man, the most positive and uplifting person I know (I am not exaggerating!). And his trusty dog Simba (a border collie). Stan loves his job, his patients, his dog, and I have never seen anyone work harder than he and his staff. Our success is definitely their passion. They work until they get it right. They are a rare find and I'm glad (and extremely lucky) that I found them. With Stan and company, it's all about the patients.

It's also fun meeting other patients at his facility. It's fantastic to see SO MANY ABOVE-KNEE AMPUTEES WALKING WELL with Stan's elevated socket system that he developed for fitting above-the-knee amputees, "the forgotten amputee." I've been to a lot of prosthetists (and facilities) in the past 18 years and I have never seen so many above-knee (high above-knees, hip-disartics and hemipelvectomies) walking well. And some people have two artificial legs!

As my husband Tom and I were leaving Stan's facility on Saturday, Tom was reading the office hours on the door ... Monday thru Friday 9-5 ... we chuckled appreciatively as most of Stan's patients know he and his staff also work MANY Saturdays, Sundays and evenings.

Colleen's Stir-fry

My friend Colleen called last week. We hadn't seen each other all summer, so decided to get together for a spur-of-the-moment dinner that evening along with our other friend, Beth. Tom was out-of-town and their spouses and kids were busy doing other things, so it was the perfect opportunity.

I made a rice salad. Beth made a fresh corn salad. Colleen brought some leftover Cranberry beans, which we reheated. She also brought along some veggies already cut up and ready to stir-fry. I thought this was a fantastic idea. Fresh, quick, easy. Carmelized onions were part of this combination. She had mentioned earlier in the week that she likes to cut a bunch of onions, carmelize them, and keep in the refrigerator for a few days to use in stir-frys, burritos and other dishes. I thought this was a great time-saving tip and a great way to add flavor to almost any dish.

COLLEEN'S STIR-FRY
2 small yellow summer squash, sliced thinly
2 small zucchini, sliced thinly
1/4 bunch of curly leaf kale, sliced thinly
1/4 head cauliflower
olive oil
sea salt
carmelized onions
pepper (optional)

To carmelize onions: Cut up 3 (or more) large onions in half and slice into half moon pieces. Put skillet on medium-high flame, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil (or just water) and a few pinches of sea salt. After the skillet gets hot, turn the flame to low heat. Saute for 5-10 minutes or longer. I find the longer I sauté the onion, the sweeter it gets.

To make stir-fry: Heat a skillet on high, add olive oil, then vegetables. Add pinches of sea salt. Lightly stir-fry for 3-5 minutes.

Serves 3-4.

This was a tasty and colorful combination. What are your favorite vegetables to stir-fry?

What Is Real Health Care?

When I read thes first two sentences below, I thought, Wow ... I couldn't agree more. And if you want to learn more about this, the Kushi Institute Macrobiotic Conference is a good place to start. I've been to many over the years and I keep returning to learn new things, meet like-minded people, see old friends and eat great macrobiotic food! So, where, when, and who, you ask? See below:

What is REAL health care? Food and lifestyle choices make the biggest difference in how you feel, look and age. Join us for the macrobiotic event of the year and get healthy! The 24th Annual Kushi Institute Macrobiotic SUMMER CONFERENCE, July 28 through August 3 at Babson College in Wellesley, Mass. (20 minutes from Boston), has 100 exciting classes and 45 leading experts including:

Michio Kushi, Wednesday, July 30 • Global Crisis and Macrobiotic Solutions

Neal Barnard, M.D., Wednesday, July 30 • Foods That Fight Pain • A New Diet for Diabetes and Hypoglycemia

Richard Malik, N.D., Saturday, August 2 • Natural Solutions for Depression • Detoxification Basics

Will Tuttle, Ph.D., Thursday, July 31 • Eating for Spiritual Health and Social Harmony • The Healing Power of Music

Eric Lechausseur and Sanae Suzuk,i Fri, Aug 1 • Santa Monican Delicious Macrobiotic Cuisine

William Spear, Saturday, August 2 • The Power of Macrobiotic Healing • The Spirit of Macrobiotics: Ancient Traditions and Common Sense

Mirea Ellis, Saturday, August 2 • Rock Your World Beauty Replacing toxic body care with truly natural, effective solutions.

Olaf Fischer, Saturday, August 2 • The Art of Empowerment: Creating the life you want

See all presenter bios, class descriptions and full schedule at The Kushi Institute Web site. Discover powerful healing foods and natural solutions that can help you increase vitality and sex drive. Get better sleep. Reduce stress. Strengthen natural immunity. Alleviate pain. Prevent most chronic illnesses. lmprove digestion. Lose weight. Lift moods. Slash cholesterol. Boost memory & brain function. Strengthen bones lmprove blood sugar levels —and much more! Sponsored in part by Vegan macrobiotic meals Gluten–Free meals option. Like-minded people. Fun social events. Yoga and meditation. Private sessions. Fun holiday atmosphere. To register call: 1-800-975-8744

Want to look and feel great? Change your diet and lifestyle — our experts show you how! Real people talk about their remarkable recoveries! Along with expert advice you’ll get to hear from real people who triumphed over “terminal” illnesses including lupus, stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, malignant melanoma, and metastatic lung cancer.

Can't make it to the conference? The Kushi Institute Store will have recordings of many of the courses available after the conference.

Hope to see you there! Have a great weekend. Love, Meg

Leg Update

Today I am feeling fantastic!! A lot people have e-mailed to ask how I'm doing in the leg department. For those new to my blog, I had  reconstructive surgery in May on my amputated leg. It has been a long (8-week) recovery period, but at the end of this week, I'll once again travel to Orlando, Fla., to be fitted for a prosthetic leg.

I am SO ready to be back walking on "two" legs again. I can't wait to ditch my crutches!! See Meg walk, see Meg run! I'll keep you posted on my progress. Thanks to all of you who inquired.

Note: I just received this email from Kelly Sonora, so please check out her Web site!

"We just posted an article, "100 Food Blogs to Inspire Your Healthy Eating" on Nursing School Search Web Site. I thought I'd bring it to your attention in case you think your readers would find it interesting.
I am happy to let you know that your site has been included in this list."

A word from the wise ... Harriet's Eiter email(This is well-worth reading):
"As I was getting ready to drive my grand daughter, Maitreya, to camp, my daughter was explaining to her that she didn’t feel well and she would be staying home from work. Maitreya listened intently to her symptoms, then turned to me very seriously and asked,” Nana, would make some of your special body soup for Mama. She doesn’t feel good.” When I assured her that I would, she gravely said,“Thank you, Nana,” as if the matter was then settled. Maitreya is 3 ½ years old."

Quick & Easy Sweet & Sour Kidney Beans

I made up this recipe because I love the taste of kidney beans. The apple butter and mustard give these beans a sweet & sour flavor which enhances (instead of masking) their natural delicious taste. This recipe is quick and easy and can be served on a whole or cracked grain. Polenta (a cracked grain) is a nice, summery complement to these beans and takes 5 minutes to cook. Add a few veggies and ... voila -- delicious, nutritious, low fat, high fiber -- what more could you ask for? Yes, it can be done in a gluten-free version. Annie's brand mustard is wheat- and gluten-free, or the mustard can be replaced by fresh lemon or lime juice. And there's no soy in this recipe.

SWEET & SOUR KIDNEY BEANS
2 cups dry kidney beans, soaked overnight or all day (Forget to soak them? Fresh is best, but occasionally canned is OK.)
Spring or filtered tap water
1/3 cup apple butter (I use Eden brand which contains only apples & apple concentrate, no added sugar)
1/4 cup grain mustard (I use Annie's Organic brand, which is gluten-free)
1/8 teaspoon of sea salt
A postage size piece of kombu

Wash and soak two cups of kidney beans overnight (or at least 6-8 hours). Discard soaking water and refill to cover beans by approximately one inch. Add the kombu. Bring the pot to a boil on a high flame, turn to low flame, cover and simmer for 1 hour.

If adding optional onion, add it at to the pot this time. Add sea salt, apple butter and mustard. Simmer for 10 more minutes.

Garnish with parsley or cilantro. Serves 4-6.

Optional: Cut 1 onion into quarters and added to beans while cooking, or ... for a bit of added oil ... saute in 1 tablespoon of olive oil before adding to beans.

*What's your favorite kind of bean?

The Hip Chick's Awesome Videos

I first met Jessica Porter close to 10 years ago while taking cooking classes with Lisa Silverman (here in Maine). Jess and her then-boyfriend Howard Waller had recently moved to Maine and they were cooking macro meals at Lisa's. I cherished these meals, as they were my lifeline back to good health. 

Jess later went on to write her famous Hip Chick's Guide To Macrobiotics and pursue a career as an actress and comedienne. She's one of the smartest and the funniest people I know. Her cooking videos are great and I wholeheartedly recommend them. I LOVE Jess. I can't think of anyone I'd rather take a class with. So, if you don't have cooking classes in your area, but want to learn how to cook this fantastic food, this is an excellent opportunity!

Dr. Oz's Recommendations for Digestive Wellness

I received Oprah's newsletter today and read about Dr. Memhet Oz's recommendations for digestive wellness. He says it starts with taking care of your liver ... sound familiar anyone? These food recommendations sound very similar to what we eat on a macrobiotic diet. I was happy to read this advice from a doctor who appears regularly on national television (The Oprah Show). If I was the Vegetarian Times, I'd award Dr. Oz the Golden Carrot Award! He gave five steps for digestive wellness, and the first two are food recommendations:

          Step 1: Live clean

So what's that mean? Choose charcoal-filtered purified water over unfiltered tap water. Choose unrefined and unprocessed foods over the ones that spend more time in a factory than in the earth. Choose fruit over Froot Loops. Choose proteins like lentils, soy, beans, nuts and seeds over red meats and the accompanying animal fats to avoid consuming the toxins that those animals were exposed to. And avoid eating any liver of any species that has been exposed to toxins. Your liver – not to mention your heart, your brain and your waistline – will thank you.

In macrobiotics, we drink spring or filtered tap water, choose organic whole fresh and unprocessed chemicalized foods, choose fruit over Fruit Loops, choose lentils, soy, beans, nuts and seeds over red meats and the accompanying animal fats (this includes the liver of the animals).

Step 2: Add the Crunchy Veggies
You already know cruciferous vegetables—broccoli, cauliflower, brussels spouts and cabbage—are good cancer fighters. They've also been shown to help aid the detoxification processes of the liver.

While you're at it, it's also important to have foods loaded with vitamins B, like whole grains, and C, like citrus fruits and leafy green vegetables. They, too, have been shown to aid the detoxification process by helping your innate antioxidant system.

Broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, and cabbage are on the "every day" list for vegetables we eat on a macrobiotic diet, as are foods like whole grains (this is a grain-centered way of eating) and green leafy vegetables (we eat kale, collards, mustard greens, dandelion greens, watercress ... to name a few) on a daily, or bi-daily basis.

The rest of his recommendations are spices, supplements, and herbs which are not necessarily "macrobiotic" (in a macrobiotic practice we try to get what we need from our food). But, I think they are worth reading about as some of these substances might be available in the foods that we already eat ... such as the recommendation for the herb dandelion. He says, "A member of the sunflower family, it's one of the most nutrient-rich plants there is." He recommends the herb, but in macrobiotics we eat the dandelion greens. Read the rest of Dr. Oz's recommendations on the Oprah Web site.

And ... Local Organic Strawberry Update
I received an email from Nancy Stedman at Little River Flower Farm in Buxton, Maine who wrote:

Our strawberries are ready for picking. Our hours are monday through friday 7-11 a.m. and 3-6 p.m., Saturday 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sunday 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Please call before coming to make sure the fields are not resting for the day, if there are any changes I will record them around 7 p.m. the night before. My numbers are: 929-3967 recording (if fields are resting, which means no berries that day,  this info will be on the recording, so please check by phone before making your trip out), or my cell 838-9375.