I’ve written a lot on my main blog about the daily supplements I take as far as vitamins, minerals, amino acids, as well as the natural remedies I’ve found work for me.

Lift your spirits with holy basil
Holy basil may be used as a treatment aid for depression
Holy Basil Extract, a natural aid for stress, insomnia and depression
Holy Basil for Anxiety and Insomnia
L-theanine as a unique anxiety reliever
Theanine:  Natural Support for Sleep, Mood, and Weight
Vitamin D3 Reduces Risk of Common Health Concerns

Today’s lunch was Dreamfield’s rotini with veggies.  While the pasta (low carb, high fiber, low glycemic) cooked, I sauteed in a non stick pan half an onion, chopped, a handful of sugar snap peas cut in half, a handful of canned chick peas, drained.  I added 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp each fresh ground fennel seed, coriander seed, dry basil, dry oregano, garlic powder.  Cook on low heat until the pasta is ready.  Drain, add pasta to the pan and mix together.   I had some leftover roasted eggplant, so I added that as well.   Let it stand for a few minutes to blend.  I’ll do that again.

I love eggplant so am always looking for new recipes to include it. I limit my fat to 40-60 grams per day. Olive oil is 14g per tablespoon.  It cracks me up when I read recipes that say to saute the eggplant in olive oil.  I typically oven bake it crispy, or dry saute in a nonstick pan and add my oil before serving.  Otherwise, it will soak up as much oil as you add to the pan and want more.

Yesterday I woke up hungry and ate a banana while I decided what I would eat.  I hadn’t given much thought to food the past few days.  For breakfast, I sliced a yellow squash with a handful of mushrooms and some kale and sauteed it with some fresh garlic. I topped it with cheesy tasting nutritional yeast. If I eat something like this every 3 hours, I stay satiated and fueled. I don’t always have the discipline though. Continue reading →

I like to cook.  I like to cook light meals and half are vegetarian dishes.  For health and weight, I keep my fat grams to under 60 per day, so when cooking, I use a lot of fresh ground spices to keep the flavor high.  Some favorites are fennel seeds (licorce-y), coriander seeds (citrus-y), cumin seeds (smoky/nutty), mustard seeds (hot-ish) black cardamom seeds (aromatic, smoky/cool) and fenugreek seeds (maple-y).  How I use them is I crush the seeds using a mortar and pestle or using the spice grinder.  I often use equal parts of the above seeds (maybe 1/2 tsp each) but I always use less of the mustard seeds since they’re hot.  Most often  I saute the crushed seeds in oil in a pan before adding in my veggies. Continue reading →

This is my really flavorful low fat soup of chickpea, kale & pasta.  I’ve given you a chicken version at the end.  First grind one tablespoon each of fresh coriander seeds, cumin seeds and fennel seeds with one giant bayleaf and saute the spices for a few minutes in a little extra virgin olive oil at medium heat (a 5 on my stove, yours may be different.)  Add one chopped onion, one carrot, one celery stalk, the chopped leaves of 2 sprigs of rosemary and 6 garlic cloves to the pan of spices and let everything become golden and softly translucent.  Add one half can of chickpeas and all the liquid they came in.

Continue reading →

I chop and steam a head of kale for about 10 minutes in water or chicken broth.  Drain, saving the pot liquor to drink.  Crush and cook in one tbsp olive oil for about 3-4 minutes on medium heat 1 tsp fresh ground coriander seed, 1/2 tsp cumin seed and 1 tsp fennel seed to release the oils and the flavors. Then add the kale and saute for about 5 more minutes

First, release the flavor of the spices by sauteing in 1 tbsp olive oil some fresh ground coriander and cumin seed, about 1 tsp each crushed, with 1\2 tsp each turmeric and cinnamon to release flavor. Add a half cup sugar snap peas, half a red bell pepper slivered, 1 yellow squash chopped.   Cook maybe 6 minutes. Add 1/2 cup chickpeas (garbanzo beans) and heat through. Salt and pepper, splash of lemon, yum.

Hot and Sour Soup

This is a favorite soup of mine and it’s lowfat and if made with vegetable stock and without eggs, it’s vegetarian. Once you have everything on hand, it’s quick and easy to make. The unusual ingredients are found dried, canned or frozen in Oriental/Asian markets and online.  Simply make your shopping list, stock your pantry and then make this delicious soup.  For non-vegetarians, add your favorite carcass for flavor and fat.  You can spice this to your liking, this recipe as is will not be very hot nor very spicy. Continue reading →

One banana
Two kiwi fruit
One tangerine

Do this to it –>