Category: nutrition

Banana and…

On By Heather O'ConnorIn nutrition2 Comments

If you read to the end, you’ll find a treat from a friend. Actually, there are special treats all through my post. Just click on the links. In addition to this post, go to my website and sign in to “FOLLOW” my websites for “Art and Healthy Groundwork” for the most recent posts. Try clicking on the page “Healthy Groundwork” to see an introduction to my ideas and a bit about “me” on this path.

Today, I was craving something hearty for breakfast because of the cool weather and something good for my heart.  Just look at how wonderful a banana can be when you draw it or hold it ready to peel and cook with it.

So here is the Prevent and Reverse Heat Disease cookbook and YouTube demonstration by Ann and  Jane Esselstyn that shows you how easy heart health can be. The video is the most entertaining! I loved it when I saw it. They make the Banana Steel Cut Oats and Savory Smoky Oats recipes found on pages 44 and 54. You can guess which might be my favorite. I make oat waffles some days, too. If only my Mother had known about these recipes, she would have had great fun making them.

Now for oats. You can get the rolled oats  or my favorite, the steel cut oats. Skip the “quick oats since they are almost the consistency of predigested pablum when you cook them. In the Esselstyn cookbook, it says that “oats help lower cholesterol and blood sugar, reduce artery inflammation, and are dose responsive, so find a breakfast with oats, in some fashion, every day.”

WOW! I’ll go for that

steel cut oats                  rolled oats

 

When I want to search something like “oats,” I go to Dr. Michael Greger at nutritionfacts.org and find all sorts of information. He is my best source of  peer-reviewed research, so it’s going to be accurate. I frequently dig into the sequential posts he produces. It confirms that I am on the correct path to learning more valuable information.

Come join me, Heather

P.S. Here is the treat that you were curiously waiting for… a link to a podcast by Howard Jacobson, PhD who interviews Caroline Trapp, DNP on the topic of “Unleashing Nurses to Revolutionize Patient Care.”

Savoy cabbage…

On By Heather O'ConnorIn fruit, nutrition, vegetables2 Comments

Here is one of my prettiest wrinkled and curly cabbages in pastel. Since it’s sketch you cannot enjoy the full pleasure unless you see one in actuality. It almost leapt off the organic farmer’s stand!

Since I’ve chosen to eat plants and draw them, here is a thought that it would be good as coleslaw! My coleslaw is ready for a bit of plant yogurt and grated carrots, and I found some grapes on my counter that would compliment the slaw. Now, I’m off to get the soy or cashew yogurt to mix in with the rice vinegar, dijon  mustard and celery seeds. I consider myself a creative cook who frequently alters recipes on a whim.

For those of you who started following me for my art, I hope you’ll enjoy the beauty of art and good health. When it looks this attractive, it will feel good too.  I guess I just love to eat beautiful vegetables. What could be next?

Come join me, Heather

Farmers’ Market…

On By Heather O'ConnorIn fruit, nutrition, vegetablesLeave a comment

Because I have spent many years learning about health and nutrition, I have learned to  keep an open mind. There is so much new well-researched information showing up, it is hard to know where to take you first. When a person says, “I eat a good diet.” I really don’t know what they eat unless I am joining then for a meal. Many people think they have a good diet, but it is often based on old information from years ago and biased by the meat, dairy and egg lobbies.  There is a lack of fiber and lack of nutrients which we find in fruits and vegetables. We can talk about meat, dairy and eggs later.  If you are curious now, make sure you check to see who wrote a report backing up a statement.

My mother always thought that she was serving a good meal, but she didn’t have the information that we have now. She had the “good” information that was available when I was a little girl in the 1940s and 50s! Things have changed! I saw the way my mother and father suffered at the end of their lives due to consuming what was then considered a “healthy diet.” She always tried to do her best, but the food lobbies were altering information that she received.

I decided to change my lifestyle and what I ate when I became older after attending a three day Advanced Nutrition Weekend with Dr. John McDougall  several years ago. Actually, I have attended a few of them. It is never too late!

I must remind you that I daily listen to a new podcast, read a new article or try another recipe.

Monday I went to the Farmers’ Market in Baywood to replenish my store of veggies.

Baywood Farmers’ Market

Here is what I found… a tomato, broccoli, a Delicata squash, grapes, white sapote, Winter Nellis pears, mixed greens, apples. With all these on my counter, they make easy snacks or a simple dinner.

I cut the Delicata squash in half, scooped out the seeds, put it upside down on a dinner plate and microwaved it for 5 minutes. Easy and delicious just plain… for my lunch with some broccoli. It is easier than an acorn squash and sweeter.

Come join me, Heather

My first plant cookbook…

On By Heather O'ConnorIn nutritionLeave a comment

Hello friends,

You may have noticed that I have expanded my art website to include my path into eating healthfully so that I might avoid the diseases of aging. Do not fear. You may still be able to view my artwork and see what has fascinated me ever since I watched the movie “Forks Over Knives.”  That was in 2011 and I’ve been curious about whatever I came across. For a review, I watched it again! So good!

I plan to make a page with Cookbooks so you may join me in being what I call  being “a creative cook.” My first one was the one created after the movie was out. It gave me a boost into what I saw as familiar, but showed me the techniques needed to avoid fats, oils and sugars along with the meats and dairy. I love a good challenge!

It covers the basics, breakfasts, granola, hot cereal, grain salads, bean salads, hearty salads soups, stews, chilies, wraps and spreads, pastas, noodles, stir-fried, grilled and hashed vegetables, bean dishes, grain dishes, casseroles and desserts. Are you hungry yet? Now that I typed up this list, I see that I could try some of the recipés that are new to me.

Come join me, Heather