And in that spirit, this week I’m sharing about an American baking tool that I love, that has been tested over the course of baking time.
Keeping them around has sentimental value. Some tools can last a lifetime and are especially worth investing in!… 😀
And some lives last over a century, like Centenarian lives in Blue Zone regions, such as Sardinia where they make weekly sourdough and the starter is passed down from generations.
Some of the greatest baking finds are not new ideas, and get better over time.
That’s the scrapbooker memory keeper in me. And the baker …I’m a long-time Martha fan admirer for all the baking and home making skills she brought to the table.
This was a photo of me sitting in her TV audience back when her Martha show aired. She looks almost exactly the same… and now I’m dating myself. 😊
Martha Stewart Live 2010
Which btw, did you also hear about Martha Stewart’s Great American Tag Sale? If you’re into antiquing and knick knacks, her team setup great big giant tents of original stuff from her homes and collections so others could enjoy while she’s still busy working in her gardens.
… I would have loved to have picked through all that cookware and home decor, and maybe have picked up a cute Grandmillennial mint vase or even her butter knife she uses 😉.
But oh well, next time…
Speaking of big white tents, they aren’t just in America. We can watch TheGreat British Bake Off aired as The Great American Baking Show.
I had my own bake-off time this week for a chilled dessert good for brunch or any low-sugar break time you have a sweet craving.
Here’s what I do on baking day (or baking game day) that for me is weekends.
I start out by pulling out my baking tools in the morning. If there’s a crusty trace of ingredient love from my last baking, I like to take a pick and do a little grooming.
That’s meditation time spent in the kitchen.
Some pans are meant to be better over baking time like stoneware. The more worn, the better the bake taste. And some tools need a little TLC (tender loving crusty bit cleaning).
One is my favorite baking tool that you likely have in your stash. It’s the thick Pyrex measuring glass that many American kitchens have.
It’s great for one-bowl bakes for one person bites or when you have a sweet hankering. Like a giant healthy oatmeal chocolate chip cookie that you can take a bite out of for breakfast.
I used to eat the DoubleTree cookie kind when I worked in catering management there that led to my passion purpose. 🍪 Back when comparing grocery cookies was something I would do.
The measuring glass baking tool has proven its usefulness many times over. It’s labelled for conversions from mL, to ounces and cups.
It’s useful for measuring liquids in bakes. That includes oils for less spills and more thrills.
If you’re thinking of investing in this kitchen tool if you don’t already have one, don’t get the plastic version… get the real deal.
It will stand the test of time.
Glass is eco-friendly, great for heat, dishwashers, and easy cleaning.
Glass is also breakable but the glass Pyrex is durable and thick and can sometimes survive falls to the kitchen floor.
Quality ware is part of the hand-me-down-culture that you don’t want to discredit.
A good Pyrex glass pan makes a good hand me down and a Bundt pan is always a great gift to a new baker.
Baking Organization
Early in my baking years, I didn’t bake often enough to practice good baking habits and organization. There was no method to the madness!
Habits and practice help for easy bakes when you don’t wanna think too much about what you’re making. You want to enjoy your music or what’s going on in the background.
And the Pyrex measuring cup can help you with this.
My Pyrex faux pas (lesson learned) early on was that I was using the measuring glass all wrong.
I used it for measuring baking ounces.
Baking recipes these days are usually in cups, grams, mL and/or teaspoons depending on the recipe (if you’re using one).
I used ounces because I first learned to read in ounces that’s still commonly found in traditional American cookbooks like the red and white tablecloth cover Better Homes New Cookbook.
So… often I was looking at the ounces and wrong measuring line and doing manual conversions in my head.
In baking, that can be a disaster and result in a bake that gets “well, at least it tastes good!” There’s a fine line difference between a creative and tasty bake and well-done bake.
This is a low-sugar dessert treat good for brunch as it has egg whites, Greek yogurt, and ricotta. It has a chewy light and spongy texture that's great served chilled or cool.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets
Ingredients
1cupGreek yogurt (whole milk)
1cupricotta cheese
black cocoa
3eggs
Instructions
Separate eggs. Tip: It's easier to separate eggs when they're cold and then let them sit until room temperature.
Combine yogurt, cheese, and egg yolks by hand.
Mix egg whites for about 5-7 minutes until whipped up. Optional: a few teaspoons of monkfruit or fine sugar. Depending on your baking pan/vessel size, you will have extra and can make meringue cookies with the extra.
In your baking pan, add a layer of black cocoa (or regular cocoa will work).
Add your yogurt dairy mixture layer.
Add your egg whites and spread out evenly on top of the dairy layer.
Bake on 325°F until set or the meringue is not too soft and sides may start browning.
Let cool and serve chilled. This can be paired with ice cream.
Healthy baker recipes can be inspired by shows like The Great British Bake Off. And I share a healthy phyllo dough recipe for baklava below. Yes, you can make your own and have fun! 🤩
It’s no secret that 1) I’m a healthy baker, so I wanted to share some of my tips this week below. And 2) I’m a huge fan of The Great British Bake Off (or Baking Show). I’m loving this season’s debut and I especially love the baker’s use of unusual flavors and creative designs shown off under the big white tent so far.
It’s always fun to laugh along at Noel’s unicorn jokes and rainbow outfits. And to hear the judges pronouncing oregano like origami (I’ll never look at my spices the same again 😁)… or calling tacos like calling a taxi (…wait a New York minute, how did corn flour tortillas get in this past week’s technical challenge?)
Both are a sign that popular international foods and ingredients are making their rounds besides in tortillas. Plus, fruit shortages and inflation have us creatively sourcing foods and collaborating, which are helping to save our planet.
And being able to make your own anything anywhere is helpful, so you don’t feel helpless and rely on the world to produce. Thinking like a creative baker (or cook) is a helpful skill these days.
…And blends well with an anti-inflammatory diet full of healthy food ingredient variety, where you can lean into seasonal plant-based foods spanning the globe.
I look for international food sources that are everywhere and cropping up in leaps and bounds. Daily, the Earth is revolving AND evolving its own sustainable foods that we can appreciate especially in local gardening or farmer markets. So, be expectant for food births of new kinds 🍓
And actually… I picked up my own local international flavor combinations with fresh blackberries, and chokeberry-prune purees, as I work my way into fall (… both my feet aren’t into the pumpkin season just yet 🎃).
I did get some blackberries squirted in my eye… but luckily no black eyes, as that would make it a challenge to make this week’s cinnaroll full of Ceylon and cassia cinnamon for anti-inflammatory sweetness 😊
Fall fruit plate (kiwi, blackberries, and apples) with Ceylon cinnamon rolls
…When I was growing up, kiwifruit was considered an exotic fruit that today is as common as year-round pineapple juices.
And when I come across 2 sticks of butter or a cup of sugar in a cookie or pastry recipe, it reminds me of my younger years. These days, I tend to steer away (…as growing up will do that to you!) and find healthy substitutes for both mind and body.
I’m a sugar lover by nature (most of us Vatas are) and I remember when I was a child and I would reach into the sugar jar (for baking of course!) and help myself to a few daily teaspoons of refined sugar. That set me on the path to an adult sweet tooth where I needed daily sweets to keep me going…
Despite sugar making more than just news feeds… the fact is that it’s also feeding the bad bugs in the gut.😏
And individually we all get body warnings from our skin and health symptoms. Everyone is different. So, for me, I can enjoy a couple of Twizzlers and be better off than a few squares of chocolate. God put the Twizzler makers on the earth for a reason 😉
And for you, it could be something else. And certain fruits or ingredients can throw others off. It’s good to be discerning and a little picky this way.
If you want to know what your body is trying to tell you through its daily symptoms, take the minute-and-a-half Body Balance Quiz and then take it again next season and compare the result.
So now that we got the body squared away, here are my healthy good-mood baking tips this week from me, the healthy baker…
First of all, some of us are messy bakers that can be part of the fun, and others of us are neat bench bakers. Whatever you think you are, it’s all good! 👍
I tend to be a planner and a neat healthy baker cleaning up as I go, so my tips come from that POV and can help you if you want to lean more into that.
Either way, you can still bake up a storm and change your bakes at the last minute. Why? For creativity, and for the purpose of using baking to relax. …That can be a new reason to bake!
Oh, aannd if you’re a baking show addict, I’ve added some highlighted inspo from the Great British Bake Off… and hope I don’t come across too cheeky! 😉
So here we go!
Baking Prep Inspo Tips:
1. Read your recipe and know the ingredients you need before the baking day so you know what you need to get from the store at least a day ahead.
2. Prepare what you will bake in the morning and then bake later in the day. Healthy baker or not, often doughs need time to rest or rise (…sounds a lot like us peeps).
And I can’t tell you how many times I’ve forgotten to take the eggs out early enough so they warm up. And if eggs are your way of giving a shine to your bakes, that’s critical because egg whites and yolks mix together better at room temperature.
3. And if you pull out your tools that you’ll need, early in the day, you can rinse off and allow enough time to dry out, so you don’t have to do drying, prepping, and baking together which can feel like a real chore and take the fun out of baking.
And especially if you need to concentrate on counting your layers for lamination and making sure there’s not a drop of moisture that can affect your temperamental meringues.
4. Bring out a convenient bowl or plate for all your used baking tools and baking trash so you don’t have to think so much. Ah, baking can be relaxing (when it’s not in the tent)!
5. Keep a damp towel or a few moist paper towels nearby so you can use them whenever you need to wipe your hands or any fun spills… or when you need to reach for your phone or swipe to your recipe.
6. Read your recipe a second time and then mark the dry ingredients and wet ingredients and write any notes you have. Then pull out the ingredients for baking.
…OR, If you’re not using a recipe, jot down what you need for your bake vision, and bring out the visual ingredients. Visual is also good for illusion bakes that the GBBO contestants often have to whip out! 🪄
When you’re using healthy baker ingredients, you especially want to use the most useful tool you have… your pair of eyes 👀 as a double check. Is the dough or batter too thick, thin or moist, or what do you need to add? If you use gluten-free flours they tend to collapse easily.
7. For many sweet or bread bakes, I like to add the flour first to see how much water, other liquid, or moist ingredients are needed.
After the dry and wet, I add leavening agents last to optimize rise if it’s a cake or bread. Plus then you are less likely to forget, as now that’s Step 3 (e.g. dry, wet, and then leavening agent). That’s just the way this healthy baker found works best for “experimental” bakes.
Baking doesn’t always go as planned in the oven and depending on the weather. Chemistry in the kitchen can be tricky.
8. While a whisk looks fancy and is one of my favorites (good chemistry there), it’s only good to use sometimes, as most of the time it’s not a good tool to use and is more of a hassle than its worth.
When to use a whisk: fluffing or whisking eggs, dry ingredients OR wet ingredients, but not both (like more flour than wet) that can make a sticky mess on your whisk. You can replace with a silverware spoon instead… or you’ll be spending time cleaning your whisk and risk a claggy bake (that Prue would point out and you wouldn’t want to inadvertently glue Paul’s mouth). 😁
9. For multi-layer cakes, weigh your flour in grams (instead of measuring cups if you can) and then you can help prevent uneven lopsided cakes. The Brits have it right and as GBBO Prue and Paul like to say at judgment time, “it’s a bit wonky.” 😉 …or “it’s on the lean” like a Leaning Tower of Pisa cake.
Oh and if it’s a Printzregententorte Cake that most of us can’t pronounce (and barely fits written on one line), you don’t want to leave each layer to chance.
If you’re not a GBBO watcher, that was one of Judge Prue’s technical challenges last season when Judge Paul counted all the missing layers. 🍰 Now you’re up to speed on the show. 📺
10. For recipes that have you separate dry and wet ingredients before mixing, it’s best to keep the salt away from the leavening agent (e.g. bicarbonate/baking soda, baking powder, or yeast). This can be easier to do if you follow tip# 7. Think of the flour as the soil and you want to add your other ingredients to different parts of the soil.
11. Clean your bowls and tools as you wait for your desserts to rest or bake. That way when you’re done, you reward yourself with your dessert like you’re a guest and not the dishwasher.
.12. Use your your oven light and timers to visually see and not forget. Depending on how much time you have (or how patient you are), low and slow can prevent soggy bottoms (that I don’t need to mention are a big no-no in the tent).
13. I like to use long toothpicks to test baked doneness, but like Prue pointed out in one past episode, you could run into a piece of fruit and be deceived. My alternate way to test is to add a sample-size bake appetizer on a (or the) baking tray. And if the sampler isn’t done, then you know the prized bake is not likely to be either.
So… that’s a wrap or the end of the cling film for this healthy baker this week (…sorry, I couldn’t resist!)
I’ll stick to my job of cheering the contestants on! 🎉
And if you want to learn to make your own phyllo dough that was laughed in one GBBO episode, it’s more fun than a hassle.
The baklava phyllo dough is opaque like pantyhose but free of holes.
Make phyllo dough from scratch! It's not as difficult as it sounds... and dare I say fun!
Course Dessert
Cuisine lebanese
Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets
Ingredients
2tbspolive oil
1cupflour
1cupwater
pinch of salt
honey
chopped nuts
dates, orange, and cinnamon (optional)
Instructions
Making phyllo is a lot like making homemade pasta, but much thinner.
Make a mound and a hole in the middlle where you can add the olive oil and slowly add water. Knead for about 5 minutes and then form a dough disc. Let rest.
Roll out as thin as possible and then you can slip into the pasta maker if you have one, adjusting until you get to the thinnest setting (e.g. 1). It will look opaque but the hope is that there will be no holes.
Cut into strips that you will use as layers for the baklava.
For the baklava, you can brush honey and top with chopped dates and nuts (walnuts or pistachios work well) on every other layer if you make 7 layers ending with the top layer with honey and nuts. Sprinkle each layer with cinnamon and orange zest if you like (good for Ayurvedic Vata balancing!).
Dancer pose is one of those poses that has everything… showing grace, balance, flexibility, and creativity. You see your limits and your possibilities.
Whether you love yoga or not, you can use Dancer pose productively for the next steps (or habit stack on top of another activity or intention).
Dancer pose is a good opportunity to feel like you’re already at that place you want to be in this season (where you can lift yourself off the floor ground).
You can believe yourself into your next destiny or destination. And you can feel fearless in the moment that can carry you in your day.
And it doesn’t require much. 😊
You can do Dance pose anywhere you can stand and spread out.
The middle of a room is a good place, but a good way to start off whether you’re new to the pose ornot quite awake in the a.m… is to do the pose when you’re in the kitchen waiting for warm water or food to heat up or drinking a glass of water.
You don’t need to be cooking or baking (but that’s an option!). And you can use your kitchen counter or a solid above waist flat ledge to help you balance.
Or you can use a chair with the back of the chair facing you to support you. It’s not just sitting chair pose. 😉
This’ll give you the edge for a better Dancer pose stretch and to give you a little foundation until you feel stable enough.
It may not be as pretty as free form, but it can give you your best form for the day. And you can stretch your flexibility further.
After you get used to how it feels, you can get free from your nearby props.
Dancer is a great balancing pose where you feel empowered to do more than you would. You can feel like you’re on top of the world.
It’s a graceful pose, and if you like Barre classes, this might be right up your alley! You feel a bit like a ballerina. 🩰
So to start, rest your palms on the counter if you’re using a support. Then take one hand and grab the same side ankle and then extend that leg behind you. And let go of the opposite hand and aim it in front of you.
You’re now in a balanced Dancer pose (without worry of falling or wobbling over).
You’ll feel a nice stretch up to your backside and mid-back. So you don’t have to be on a mat face up or down.
And when you do this standing pose for 30 seconds maybe on each side, you’ll feel tension release from your back.
You feel lightweight like you’re floating a bit. It’s as close to a bird with wings as we’ll get.
And as Dancer pose becomes (or is) second nature to you, and you can do before you’ve had your morning caffeine jolt if that’s your jam, then here’s one added useful intention:
Content creation that has grown wildly since around 2015.
I’d been regularly blogging since 2009 (yeah… I’m one of the ones that started back when Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube were the big social media sites, and blogs fell in those categories).
Back when social media was the wild-wild west. 😁
And now this is how we regularly communicate with those we know, and grow ideas and do business life with.
So getting in the habit of doing Dancer first thing can be the way you habit stack to grow your ideas.
…And maybe take a pause to hold the pose a little longer than usual and come up with one creative idea as your intention.
We’ve gotten past the point of just sharing about our immediate lives. We want to share more (in what that means to each of us) and expand what we’re about.
So a hobby or interest that we’re passionate about can be conveyed in photos, videos, and words.
Little did I know that I would be posting about my healthy baked creations. But this has become my passion over the past few years, second to writing.
Dancer pose can help you find what it is that you want to communicate to the world in the first place.
Then when you content create regularly you build something special.
We all start off wondering if we’ll stick with what we’re working on, or branch into something else. It’s all good. It’s always a branching off to the next step on your journey.
And when you put a creative intention out to the world, and you want to contribute as a content creator in some way, that opens you up inside
…Doesn’t that sound appealing to have a unique purpose along with some other activities you love, such as visiting the same stores where there’s comfort and familiarity?
You can run the same track but doing something different with your tracks helps you find a new dimension in your life.
We’re all meant for so much in this life if we stay open.
Your creativity has no limits.
You’re only limited by your beliefs and limitations.
When I went from a traditional college to corporate work path, my creativity drifted and stayed hidden.
Only when I picked up writing as a regular habit and practice did my creative juices get ignited where I wasn’t needing to start and stop to let the creativity flow out of me.
And Dancer pose was one of the first yoga poses that let me feel like I was free to do something outside my structured corporate mindset I had grown.
And you have something in you that is wanting to come out, and the world would love to see… and more of! Unleashing yourself (and maybe with a Dancer pose to start) brings out your best.
For many of us, when we’re in school we’re chasing good grades. But grades never determine whether you’ll have a happy or successful life.
Those that chose an unconventional path to drop out or take a creative arts path I believe helped themselves out, so they could find their deep creative well earlier on in life before practical adult responsibilities grew.
I didn’t do that as I took the traditional path.
The good news is, the second best time to realize your dream or life’s work (especially if you didn’t like your first career or path)… is NOW.
You can restart and pivot. Dancer pose is a good metaphor for pivoting. It can help free up your mind to feel untethered and get on a leveling playing field with yourself so there are no more limitations!
You can start at any age, wherever you are, and whatever you’re doing in life. Your past doesn’t dictate your future abilities.
So use your dreams intentions to bridge your creative self (hmm,a dancer maybe?) that brings new ideas, meaning, and purpose to your life.
That’s where I’m heading now… and you can too on your path.
To finish off your Dancer pose, you can rest your right palm on your heart to get centered and reach back your left hand to meet your left ankle.
Anti-inflammatory food ideas are delicious and good for health prevention. Finding the right healthy pairings, spices, and flavors bring make the rainbow variety out. 🌈 Learn more about anti inflammatory foods in this article.
One of my favorite happy and healthy topics is probably no surprise to you, it’s food… and coming up with food ideas to eat. And for a low-sugar but sweet treat with anti-inflammatory benefits, see the Chai Cookies below. 🥠
And I’ve probably talked about anti-inflammatory food ideas even more times, and this anti-inflammatory food guide for grocery shopping and easy meal planning ideas.
…And so to spice up your healthy food knowledge, here are 5 Trivia Questions for you.
The answers are at the bottom… but I have a hunch that you may know the answer to one or more of them, and will definitely by the time you finish reading to the end. 😉
…So here we go with the 5 questions!
What is the difference between an herb and a spice?
Which 4 vitamins are fat-soluble?
Where is gluten found in wheat?
Besides wheat, what are 1-2 starchy CROP foods we could eat? (Hint: Grown and raised in big fields)
AND…
What food category does pumpkin fall in?
I had to add that last tricky trivia question in there because pumpkin is all the rage in taste these days. It seems earlier and earlier each year.
I’m still pouring coconut flavors into my beverages as it’s too hot for pumping pumpkin for me just yet… and maybe you too where you are?
In all healthy fairness though, pumpkin puree we often add to our dishes and bakes, is a nutrient-dense anti-inflammatory food loaded with fiber prebiotics good for gut health.
The downside: it has a high/fair GI rating so it can raise blood sugar spikes but still good for an anti inflammatory meal plan idea.
And so, you’ve probably heard of nutrient-dense foods at the core of anti inflammatory food which means they’re packed with nutrients compared to calories. And they have few ingredients. Often they’re whole foods like fruits.
They’re preventative protectors to help fight inflammation that’s recurring, ongoing, or chronic inflammation. Inflammatory properties often have at least one of these symptoms: redness or irritation, heat, swelling, or pain.
Those are earlier signs that can lead to certain chronic diseases such as heart disease, Diabetes 2, certain cancers, and cognitive decline diseases. So one way to handle is to reduce inflammation occurrences with a healthy lifestyle and healthy eating.
And you’ve probably heard of polyphenols that are nutrients in plants and the orange color in pumpkin gives away its healthy advantage rich in beta carotene that’s converted into Vitamin A in the body as needed, so you can think of them as one and the same 🎃
Polyphenols protect the plant, but we get the benefit as an antioxidant (to help protect against disease) in vegetables, fruits, grains, beans, nuts, tofu, and our plant-based diet. These are also good for weight loss meal plans.
There are 13 essential vitamins our bodies can’t make on their own. We get them through food or supplements. They’re critical for key functions like immunity, metabolism, and digestion that help us lose weight and maintain healthy weight.
These are essential nutrients on the anti inflammatory diet and anti inflammatory food ideaas for your food plans.
Vitamins A, C, E
These 3 essential vitamins fight inflammation or swelling. These are important antioxidants that fight cell-free radicals, to help protect against cancer. And you already know one way (eat more 100% pumpkins!).
Since Vitamins A and E are fat-soluble, it’s good to pair healthy fat in your body with them. Like sweet potatoes with walnuts or a drizzle of olive oil that’s common in a mediterranean diet… or how about a healthy bake like carrot coconut oil cake? 😋 That’s one of my anti inflammatory recipes.
Foods like avocados and almonds are rich in Vitamin E and (monounsaturated) healthy fats, so that’s why you probably see these superfoods in the healthy news headlines everywhere you turn.
Vitamin C is easy to find in fruits, but it’s water soluble (I think of it like going down a water slide out of your body). And so, you can take more and that’s why I take a daily supplement, in addition to eating from the rainbow Vit C foods.
Vitamins B
Daily, we need our B vitamins. All 8 are essential like those listed in a B-complex vitamin, and they work in synergy with each other.
Vitamins A, E, D, K are also essential and are the fat-soluble vitamins. Sometimes you naturally take advantage of this. Like when you use EVOO to cook your salmon.
But being more intentional, you can find other opportunities like:
Carrots with hummus made with EVOO.
Spinach with walnuts.
Or an avocado green smoothie with a plant-based milk.
And, here are some of my fave good anti-inflammatory food ideas:
One morning snack I enjoy is celery with almond butter that has protein and fiber. Or natural peanut butter paired with a Granny Smith apple, sliced up bananas, or in good old-fashioned PBJ (or favorite seeded jam) toast.
Another good starter is watermelon with EVOO and mint. If you have a headache, the first thing I do is drink water that’s always good for hydrating your system. And mint is good for the aches.
In fruits and veggies, the different polyphenol-phytochemical pigments are healthy antioxidants. Here are some food examples and how you can eat from the rainbow 🌈:
Red
Red Apples – If you like crisp, Fuji or Gala varieties are easy to find. Or a traditional Red Delicious that’s a softer apple and tends to bruise easier.
Tomatoes – if you find a tomato medley, they all have differing degrees of sweetness, like a green tomato is less sweet. Yellow tomatoes are less acidic and taste sweeter than a red cherry tomato. And a plum tomato usually found in an Italian dish has a deep red or red-orange color different than a slightly sour grape tomato for a Greek salad.
Both overall, tomatoes and avocados aren’t as sweet compared to other fruits. They’re botanical fruits, but we think of them as veggies in our dishes. They actually come from the flowers of plants.
Squashes are considered fruits, and pumpkin popular in September and October is considered a squash. So a pumpkin is a fruit (and that answers that trivia question).
Orange
Carrots – are underrated I think. A bag of carrots is always good to have on hand and are usually abundant year-round. You can eat them as snacks, or cook them slightly soft for better nutritional benefits.
Or you can julienne them or puree them for your carrot cake and breads. If carrots get too dry left out, you can simply add them to a bowl of water to revive them. They’re a lot like us even though their roots are different! 🥕
Oranges – are seasonal even though we see them sometimes year-round. They’re more abundant in the cold winter months like November – January in the U.S.
But, nothing is guaranteed for any food, and you may have found oranges harder to find as there has been a crop shortage, as of 2021. You can find mandarin oranges or small clementines more easily. They’re less acidic and easier to peel if you want to find their good sides.
Yellow
One of the most practical fruits we have around is a banana. Green bananas have a lower GI (glycemic index) than ripe bananas. That makes sense as they’re not as sweet. I like to eat green bananas and use the ripe ones for baking or a smoothie. If you shop around, you’ll know where to get the greenest ones in your town.
Green
Avocado – already mentioned as a superfood, besides on toast, you can make a smoothie or a mousse dessert. You can add on top of any salad. And since they don’t last long after you cut into them, you can easily make an easy guacamole dip. 🥑
Spinach – spinach is a powerful vitamin-rich food and Popeye learned this when got his strength guzzling spinach down.
But for us ordinary characters, we can get bored with the bland spinach taste in a salad. So, I have many anti-inflammatory food ideas:
One idea is to wilt with a little liquid and heat, and then add to your plate slightly cooked to keep the nutrients intact. You’ll find you can add a lot more spinach once it’s tamed down with water and heat
It’s the difference between when your hair is just blown out shiny straight, compared to a wild frizzy humid hair day. 😄
And… when you have a big bag of spinach that can last a couple of weeks in the fridge, but by then is not as fresh… here are some FRESH spinach ideas:
Smoothie: Spinach, pineapple, Granny Smith apple, and nut or plant-based milk. The tart and sweet complements the green smoothie goodness. Add your powders and seeds all day! And you can substitute with kale.
Spinach con queso dip
On medium stove heat, you can wilt the spinach with warming milk, and then add cheese to melt, while stirring. And you can sprinkle baked kale chips on top for extra anti-inflammatory food ideas.
Tortilla with melted cheese spinach (Quesadila)
Bake tortilla. I like low and slow (200°F for an hour) so they don’t burn, and then add shredded or cut-up cheese that’ll be quick to melt in the oven. Add your fresh microgreens or herbs on top AFTER you bake.
I like to add allium-healthy flavors like red or green onions. And tri-color bell peppers for a mouth fiesta 🎉. And a bean spread (with EVOO smashed pinto or cannellini beans).
That is a super anti-inflammatory food idea and you may have heard that beans are the vitamins that Blue Zone Centenarians take. 🫘
Maybe spinach ain’t so bland after all!?
And one food that hasn’t been mentioned yet is fatty fish oils found in fish. Good healthy eating ones are small fish like sardines or wild fish like wild salmon. They would be good to add to any meal planns.
Blue
Blueberries – bake well into morning bars, balls, or scones.
Blueberries also great for smoothies, and jams. And if you’re not a fan or allergic, you could do the other common berries like strawberries or raspberries, or the newer popular berries like elderberries or red lingonberries. I think it’s interesting that we haven’t even come close to identifying all the berries around the world!
Purple/Black
Black beans – I like to bake black bean brownies or energy balls that makes these longevity bakes. You can add espresso on top of the cocoa to give some deeper flavors. Or you can make a cool beans soup. 😋
…Now that’s thinking like a Centenarian! These are worth adding to your anti-inflammatory food ideas.
Red Onions – On the outside, they’re s dark purple hue and inside they’re white. They are pretty and healthy.
Onion rings – And you can easily make healthy baked onion rings. Cut rings (parallel to the top of the onion like the latitudinal equator lines if you could imagine it like a globe). Then dip into a whisked egg, then flour, and then Panko bread crumbs. And then bake. So easy and impressive for a snack!
White/Brown
Mushrooms – these are fascinating as they have so many benefits to the earth and our immunity. The earth needs us and we need the food on the earth.
And adaptogens like mushrooms help with our stress and anxiety. And they have become a whole new taste revolution. Umami – oh, mommy!
Cauliflower – they are a good source of Vitamin C and low in calories for healthy weight loss. You can bake them into your pizza crust or eat my favorite ways, as Crudite. That’s raw on a veggie plate we always had when I worked in hotel catering.
Breakfast Quinoa – as a pseudo grain and naturally gluten-free, this is my go-to cereal. Quinoa takes a little bit of cooking time like rice, but you can batch cook in advance so it’s cool and ready for the next few mornings.
Lunch/Dinner Quinoa – It’s also versatile for your savory lunch meals and dinner salads. My favorite combo is chickpeas and quinoa with a coarser Celtic sea salt.
Warm Oats – this is definitely a morning staple. I like to eat warm with fresh fruit but that’s about Vata-me… andwhat aboutyou?
Cold Oats – You can also do Overnight Oats and just pull your cup or glass out of the fridge in the morning. Add your chia seeds, berries, yogurt, and bananas for a Pitta perfect parfait. 😊
Almonds – these are great snacks. And unlike a chip, it’s good to eat more than one. They have the healthy fat, but also vitamins, minerals, and protein.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil or EVOO
Besides cooking, EVOO is good for baking, dips, and on toast for some other anti-inflammatory food ideas.
Spelt and sprouted grains come from whole grains and have high levels of vitamins and minerals. They’re easier to digest with a lower GI (but not to be confused with gluten-free!). You can get GF versions, but those are wholesome wheat grains.
And that’s a good idea and thought to leave it on! I hope this helps you on your food healthy lifestyle!
…Oh, and here are the answer to the 5 TRIVIA questions above (that I copied here):
What is the difference between an herb and a spice?
Which 4 vitamins are fat-soluble?
Where is gluten found in wheat?
Besides wheat, what are some other starchy crop healthy foods we could eat?
What food category is pumpkin in?
Trivia Question Answers:
1.An herb comes from the leaves of plants, and spices from the other parts (flowers, fruits, seeds, roots).
2.Vitamins D,E,A,K
3.Gluten is found in the starchy endosperm in the middle layer of the wheat cereal grain. The seed is deep inside and the bran is the outside of the grain.
4.Corn, rice, and millet are a few. Millet is more popular for humans to eat outside the U.S. but you can find it if you look around.
5.Pumpkin is a squash, and squashes are fruit. So, a pumpkin is technically a fruit. You may never look at pumpkins the same, and at Thanksgiving when you think you need a fruit pie on the table.
And that’s a wrap!
For healthy recipes you can check out this one especially if you have a sweet tooth and want to avoid the inflammatory sugar.
These delicious and simple-to-make chai bombs are loaded with antioxidants.
Course desserts
Cuisine American, Indian
Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets
Ingredients
1tspall spice (cloves)
1tspCeylon cinnamon (add more with preference
1tspchai tea bag, grinds
1tbspmolasses (or honey)
2tbspcoconut oil, solid form
1/3cupcoconut flour
1tspcardamom
Instructions
The secret to these delicious cookies is to mix the ingredient dough and refrigerate for several days so the flavors have a chance to penetrate. Then scoop into balls and bake as you would cookies.
Wellness morning routines are not easy when you live a busy Western lifestyle.
Cramming in a few minutes to eat healthy, do yoga and get some re-centering quiet time is not usually the routine unless you get up super early as trade off for sleep or staying up late.
I’m exhausted already when I hear how hard charging some people are in their season descriptions… and then I quickly remember that was my life not too long ago when I worked in the corporate world 40+ hours a week and had side hustles.
Matcha sourdough bread and satisfying crunchy chewy bagel 🍵… I couldn’t wait, I had to take a bite! 😋
If you’re of a Vata mind, a structured wellness routine can be challenging as the mind fights against set consistent routines when a routine is what’s needed most. …And heavy Vata minds can’t sit still as obvious signs.
If you carry a Vata mind (that any of us can), you can easily tire from to-do tasks like opening up or pulling out your calendar every day or several times a day. Those simple, but mundane types of activities can be draining.
…Today, living daily aware now years later from what was filtered or partial conscious life, I personally don’t do life without daily checking in on my balanced-imbalanced moods and well… wellness.
Your moods show you what’s going on inside. Your mind-body is intuitive, so it serves you the truth and gives you the information about what you need to restore your health. And, restoring sour moods back to happy and neutral is one way to accomplish more daily.
We all can get affected by external factors that can put us in daily moods. That makes us human. But moods can create more disruption than an external interruption, so it’s better to manage ASAP to nip sour moods in the bud.
As a quick scan, as long as you feel good for stretches of daily moments, and about what you’re doing, you’re probably in good shape. Or you know how to bounce back quickly, so that doesn’t become your season longer than it has to.
One routine I changed up to avoid uninspired moods, is I gave up working on a calendar that I used to color code as a planner. I found better systems that worked for me. And that’s something you can consider for yourself…
To Have A Working Calendar (Or Not?)
On purpose, I avoid having a working calendar these days (and the past few years) as they distract from my productivity.
I do work on other people’s Google and Outlook calendars, but not my own. I’m sure you have examples in your life where you do things differently for yourself than others. I do a much better job and follow through, managing other people’s stuff, as I want to help and serve them the best I can. That helps to keep the balance.
But I found that as pretty colors as my own rainbow calendar looked, I was following it when I didn’t have to. And that was not helpful! So I had to come up with a better way. 🌈
Plus, I also did professional catering management for many years, and all I did was rely on and live off of a calendar religiously year-round, knowing and planning other people’s event dates. And at times, an unhealthy task holding onto dates as though my life depended on it.
So, these days I like to be less reliant on a calendar. If you’re wondering how to live or wean yourself off of a calendar if that’s your want, here are some ideas (and what I do)…
First, I created slightly different weekly goals for each day of the week. And I have deadlines for different tasks on each day, no matter how small.
The thing is, if you don’t apply what it is you’re doing to something meaningful, it becomes meaningless.
On purpose, we’re meant to teach, share, encourage, and use whatever gifts we have, or we lose them. And when we USE them, we get more, and some we may not know we have (e.g. hidden talents) until we get there.
You discover the next talent once you start and develop the first talent. Then you’re ready for more!
And I found calendars got in the way of that as I spent time managing them when I could be working on a talent without working within boxes if you know what I mean.
Like these waffles that can be made healthy.
Healthy chicken and waffle recipe below. 🧇
We all have our special preferences. ❤️
And to make life easy, when I was getting used to the habit of different daily tasks, I set up specific reminders. I’ve learned to let it be easy with no self-imposed struggles or habits. And that takes observation and not being too busy to notice.
It’s also useful to know what day of the week you’re on as the world runs on this time. And if different night TV shows are how you keep it straight, hey that works! 📺
To capture the best of your creative and productive time, find the balance that works for you and where you feel relevant and making good strides. That’s all part of the good wellness journey.
And I found that bi-weekly appointments and schedules can mess that up. So keeping it weekly simple works! 🗓
From experience, I know that building any kind of complicated system is a recipe for disaster in life. 😒
It can build a house of cards that will eventually crumble as there’s too much to manage when the enjoyment factor can disappear one day. Some of the excitement wears off of newness (it always does!).
That’s where the overwhelm and reality feelings can creep in, and easier when you keep it simple from the start.
And after taking a sabbatical in 2016, I realized that sometimes your calendars don’t open up, or they disappear, and then you waste more time trying to backtrack. That’s when I took the hint as a sign, tossed out the calendar and lists, and figured out a more reliable way.
And a way to go digital calendar-less AND paperless.
And to add the internal clock reminders back in… what people in the past probably did before paper was invented.
If you live spirit-led and wellness bound, it’s easier to go to simple ways where you discover your natural internal compass that you learn to trust over time.
And today, you can use digital reminders like alerts or notifications as a backup plan. Those are like a trampoline that ensures you bounce back without falling.
In this way, I haven’t missed a Zoom meeting yet when we were all doing Zoom calls, because my internal clock is wired to the energy around that activity, even if it’s just a one-time event.
And if you’re in a season or work environment where a calendar is expected of you, then you can still do this.
You could go hybrid… using a personal calendar when you have to, and then relaxing the policy when you don’t. 😎
Testing out ways that work for you is a good change to find out what is reliable and helpful for your life now if you want better outcomes, or to improve your life and wellness.
Having been at many jobs, in my wellness balance journey, I realize that none of the tasks are all that significant in the grand scheme of things.
…When you leave a job, you leave the calendar behind. Plus, the next person in your shoes (that you may even train) has their preferred way.
And, the last day of work ends the calendar work cold turkey, and your next day is like the calendar didn’t exist. And then you’re off to your next venture and bigger and brighter things.
When you do this work transition enough times, re-inventing yourself and pivoting, you get the pattern.
You can also can get a-ha’s about your specific past getting you to where you are today. And letting you become who you are today. You can keep moving forward and quicker if you want.
So on that note, I wanted to share 5 quick morning wellness habit stacks that I’ve found useful this season (that may be useful for you).
Habit # 1: Keeping same waking up hours every day even on weekends or days when you don’t have to be somewhere.
This could be what you do today… but also adding a few minutes of intentions time is good for a wellness practice so you’re not just running in the morning.
Intentions could be about what you want from this life, so you can head in that direction and work ON your life, and not just in it.
In the morning, you have the most mind-awakened energy and that can be with or without caffeine.
And you never know what the rest of the day will bring that can change your productivity, moods, or stress level.
Getting up early has a lot to do with the way you’re naturally wired, your environment, and your habits.
Irregular sleep is common with Vata’s (…you too?). In that case, you could challenge yourself to get up earlier than you’re comfortable with, but where you get enough regular 7-8 hours of healthy rest.
Keeping the same getting up hours can calm your Vata. It’s one routine where the instructions are simple.
You can get motivated to naturally get up earlier if you go to bed earlier and if you change up some of your habits like allowing yourself one entertainment show, instead of watching until you’re bored 😊.
Habit # 2: I first drink water and warm water or ginger tea as a primer to get the body running.
And then I work in a preferred green banana, quinoa cereal, lentils, oatmeal, Greek yogurt, OR a fruit smoothie. I mix it up. I may even choose a few from the list.
And then I’m ready for a cuppa joe.
I drink low acidic organic cold brew that I homebrew and drink black or with almond milk (extra calcium) and dilute the acidity further… I don’t have a fancy java machine on purpose.☕️
And my coffee rule is: I don’t drink coffee past 12 noon (…that’s easier than counting cups) or on an empty stomach. This helps with habit #1.
…Oh, and I started coffee late in life, so I’m OK to quit early in the day.
Habit # 3: Ab crunches and yoga wellness
Last time, I talked about losing weight that’s often one struggle aspect of a Kapha imbalance.
And one way I’ve figured out how to incorporate an exercise habit is, I’ve been doing an abdominal crunch challenge (…that may be something to try).
It gets easier as the weeks go by than the first week when it can be a struggle to peel yourself off the mat. But don’t give up!…
In the beginning, all the torso area fat can appear to move to the gut center. But don’t be fooled by the looks as that will eventually turn to muscle if you keep at it. That’s what I plan to do 50 ab crunches per day later. (And if that’s not what you notice if you try, good for you. It doesn’t have to be hard and preferably it’s easy).
The benefit is: strong abs allow your back to strengthen, and each vertebra becomes more flexible. You can roll up more easily like a roly-poly bug (…remember those? I don’t see those around anymore).
And if you start these now (or you take a pilates class), you’ll be better off in your golden years especially when bones get weaker despite the increased calcium and magnesium you may intake.
Falls for women and men are common accidents for seniors. So maybe that gives you a little motivational edge today to start today.
Ab work keeps me grounded, literally. And then while I’m there, I do yoga and exercises. You actually wake up and get happier faster as your endorphins kick in. And you feel more clear-headed because of this, and get excited about your day if that’s what you need this season. That’s well-rounded wellness.
You can get your daily re-centering done on the mat as well. My mat says, “you got this” that’s still my mantra.
Habit # 4: Have a reward activity (or two).
Towards the weekend, I healthy bake in the mornings as part of my wellness routine. This is a reward for me if I’ve met my deadlines earlier in the week. I always have recipes lined up and ingredients on hand, so that’s where the relaxing part comes in. No stress baking.
Another reward is I watch a show for an hour. Usually cooking shows (no surprise there!). One I’m enjoying is about pizzaiolos around the world who’ve opened up wood fire oven pizza parlors. 🍕
Having worked in a pizza shop, I can tell you it’s a lot of fun and one of the easiest bakes to make that brings smiles to faces, young and old.
Habit # 5: Then about an hour after waking up, I start my work that includes the unique daily task goals where I don’t need a calendar (that I mentioned earlier).
I used to reserve the morning for writing because that’s when I could get in my writing zone. But I realized after a couple of years into writing, I can pretty much do it anytime with the same result, as I’ve built up the writing muscles. 💪
And if I had to crank out a quality book in a week, I believe I could. That’s just practice.
And that’s one reason why I think it’s good for anyone to start a daily practice for their creativity and to discover their talents. If you need a quiet environment, a walk-in closet is a good space.
Also, one of the best investments you can make is having an air purifier, not just for the obvious use of better air, but also to cut out distractions with the white noise. And when you’re ready to go to sleep, it’ll help you get good rest and start all over again the next morning. 🌅
And starting with chicken and whole wheat waffles could be protein energy you need to power through your day.
For Southern-style brunches, this is a common dish that you can make super healthy and get your daily protein points.
Course brunch
Cuisine American, southern
Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets
Ingredients
chicken breast
apple cider vinegar (with the mother)
bread crumbs
Instructions
Cook chicken breast. Bake on 350°F until chicken is safely 165°F cooked or higher. This usually takes 45-55 minutes depending on chicken thickness and oven placement. For a whole chicken, follow the instructions on the packaging that can be 1.5-2 hours for a small chicken. Check 165°F temperature to be sure.
Add apple cider vinegar to cooked chicken. I use an eyedropper but you can use any method that works for you such as dipping chicken in a bowl of ACV.
Toast panko crumbs and stick to ACV dipped chicken. Alternatively if you want to be super healthy, you can crush sunflower seeds or nuts.
Add any spices you would like (e.g. oregano, thyme, black pepper, cayenne for a hot kick, etc.).
