The Latest and Greatest ...is at PJLifestyle

As much as I'd love to update content here more frequently, life just doesn't allow it at this time.

For my latest writing, check out my columns on Biblical Feminism, New Jersey Wine, and HBO at PJ Lifestyle.  You'll also find some occasional writing at my sister site, WineGirl Blog. 

Thank you, stay tuned, and keep reading!

Girls, Goddesses & Biblical Feminism over at PJLifestyle

A Biblical Feminist Confronts the Girls Goddesses, Part 1 is up at PJLifestyle ...enjoy.

Pitching Your SitCom - Tips @ PJLifestyle!

This week's column -- how to effectively embrace stereotypes in order to pitch your TV SitCom.  It's politically correct AND all the rage!

Check it out at PJLifestyle/PJMedia!

Sluts for Feminism!

Check out my latest on Feminism, Lois Griffin and the Kardashians over at PJLifestyle.

Go on, you know you want to.

Family Guy Part Deux @ PJLifestyle

Totally Petarded: The Top 5 Masculinity Myths on Family Guy

Now at PJLifestyle on PJMedia!

Boob Alert!

A critical eye on Family Guy over at PJMedia.

http://pjmedia.com/lifestyle/2013/03/27/boob-alert-top-5-side-effects-of-watching-family-guy/

Enjoy!

Admired by Ann!!!

"The insightful Susan Goldberg knows how to get a link!  (Excellent videos, too!)" - Ann Coulter

Check out Admiring Ann: 5 Coulterisms for Counterculture Conservatives @ PJMedia's PJLifestyle section.

It's Ann Approved!

Admiring Ann @ PJLifestyle

Check out my latest, Admiring Ann: 5 Coulterisms for Counterculture Conservatives over at PJLifestyle, part of PJMedia.

Great stuff, if I do say so myself ...all thanks to Ann.

Quick & Easy Vegan Cooking

No one has time to cook, including me.  The good news is, living a whole foods, plant-based lifestyle doesn't require hours in the kitchen.  In fact, veggies often require less prep work and less cook time than meat-based dishes.

Along with being completely impatient in the kitchen, I like to experiment.  My Great-Grandmother was the master -- feeding kids in the Depression was a trial-by-fire way of learning how to cook on your feet with whatever was available.  Following her lead, I've done a little reading and a lot of experimenting with plant-based vegan recipes.  Here's what I've learned so far:

Try Everything

Think you don't like fennel?  Afraid of rutabagas?  As my Dad always said, "Try it.  You may like it!"  Never say no to an opportunity to try a new food item or dish.  You don't know what you're missing and, barring a food allergy, none of it will kill you.

Experiment with Balanced Pairing

Veggies, grains, beans, all of it is meant to be eaten together.  Pairing foods pairs nutrients, enhancing your body's ability to digest and process what you're eating.  The key is not to overload your plate with too many of one grouping - you don't want all beans and no veggies.  Spread the love and throw a little bit of everything in the mix.

Use Olive Oil

Can the sprays, skip the canola, and eat your vegetables whole.  Extra Virgin Olive Oil is a great source of healthy fats and one of the best ways to sautee or roast your meal. 

Rinse Your Canned Beans

Canned beans make life easy.  They're also higher in sodium than dried beans.  Rinsing your beans before using removes 25-33% of the sodium, so for me, it's out of the can and into the strainer for a bath before they hit the pan.

I'm sure I'll think of more lessons as I go along, but for right now, let me leave you with this recipe from the kitchen sink:

Chunked butternut squash
Chunked rutabagas
Fresh spinach
Fennel
Roman Beans (I used canned)
Garlic
Allspice
Olive Oil

Toss squash and rutabagas in olive oil and allspice.  Put in the oven at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden.

While the veggies roast, coat the bottom of your frying pan with olive oil and throw in the fennel.  (If you're using fresh garlic, throw that in now, too.)  Treat it like an onion - put the lid on, keep the flame around medium, and leave it for 3-5 min or until golden. 

Then, throw in the spinach.  (Using garlic powder?  Now's the time!)  Mix it all up, put the flame on low, lid the pan for 3-5 until the spinach steams down a bit. 

Last, but not least, throw in your beans and give everything a good toss.  Let them heat for another 3-5 with the lid (keep the nutrients in the pan).

Grab a huge bowl, pour in your spinach mix, then pull out the squash and rutabagas.  Throw those in, toss it around, and you've got a healthy, filling, and quite tasty meal.

10 minutes prep (I picked up organic pre-cut squash to save some time)
20 minutes cook
30 minutes until you eat!

Stays good in the fridge for 1-2 days.

Enjoy!

Verging on a Plant-Based Lifestyle

I've been going through a lot of ch-ch-changes over the past 7 or 8 months.  After smacking into some really bad lab results at my annual doctor's visit, I decided that I needed to start focusing on myself if I wanted to stick around and write for another 80 or 90 years.

Project Get Healthy began with me finally embracing my slagging gym membership.  I lost about 15 lbs just by working out religiously at the gym 2 – 4 times a week and watching my diet.  Watching my diet meant cutting out desserts and junk food and watching portion sizes.  I still ate all the food I normally did - chicken, fish, beef, Rice a Roni, Pasta and Rice Sides, all that good packaged stuff, and veggies/fruits.  Think: Your average American diet.

Then I had my second kidney stone attack in a decade.  I grew up knowing I'd be a chronic stone former, but I didn't have my first attack until college when horrible eating habits ebbed into exercise and high levels of stress flowed in daily lifestyle.  Oddly enough, this most recent attack came at a similar time.  I had just started correcting my health habits, lost weight, worked three jobs and kept a house and husband happy ...and a 8 millimeter stone decided to come on down.

Thanks to my awesome nephrologist, this caused a major diet change that is a prime contributor to my weight loss now, especially since I haven’t been able to work out as much lately.  (I hit the gym for the first time in 3 months yesterday.)  Not only have I maintained my weight loss, I've lost an additional 5 lbs. just by eating right.

Basically, I’m adapting into a Plant-Based, Nutrivore style of eating.  Note: style, not ‘diet’. 

How, my co-worker asked?  Here is my response:

The first thing you MUST do is STOP eating based on calorie counts.  You can eat a ton of crap a day and still maintain a calorie count – but those calories will be empty of nutrition. 

Start eating based on nutrient values.  Instead of looking at calories, look at carbs, good fats, fiber, vitamins and minerals in what you eat.

You’ll find that processed foods have had the nutrient values sucked out of them.  Refined flour and sugar are the worst.  High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) forget it. And avoid trans fats.  Jamie Oliver advises to stick to the perimeter of the food store where the fresh stuff is and avoid the center aisles as much as possible.

When cooking - Oils – use olive oil as much as possible.  Look for the fresh stuff – no trans fats.  Avoid vegetable oils.  Use a variety of spices – they have great health benefits and are better than salt.

This leads you down a road focused on fruits, veggies, seeds, nuts, grains as your primary diet.  There are arguments over raw versus cooked – each method has its worth.  The thing to remember about cooking veggies is that steaming them is the best and avoid using the microwave as much as possible.

Cutting out meat/animal products is a requirement for me, but isn’t necessarily for you.  Now, given what many studies have shown – that eating animal-based diets is harder on your digestive system and a main contributor to heart disease and cancer, you may start to rethink exactly how much meat/meat product you consume. 

And, ultimately, if you’re aiming for optimal nutritional value, you’re going to lean towards organic foods to avoid the chemicals associated with non-organic farming.  Yeah.  Big bucks – or at least it can be.  Trader Joe’s is pretty on par with Shop Rite prices and seasonal farmers markets help keep costs down.  I’m not organic.  My husband would kill me if he saw those shopping bills.  But I do seek to be aware of what is going into my food.

Now – digestive issues.  I know what you’re thinking: All these veggies are going to give me heartburn.  Trust me; I was heartburn queen before I started this diet.  Since then, not one case of heartburn.  To aid in any digestive concerns, try drinking a warm cup ofwater with a slice of lemon or lemon juice in the morning.  Lemon juice is a GREAT digestive aid.  So are ginger and chamomile – I like mixing the Rooibos Zingiber Ginger and Peach Tranquility teas from Teavana for a nice, comforting brew.  Remember: acid reducers, Tums, etc. are helpful – but ultimately  they’re killing the good acid and good bacteria in your digestive tract, which is only going to cause you more problems down the line.

Speaking of tea – go herbal.  Need a caffeine boost?  Try Yerba Mate dried (NOT smoked – too many carcinogens) it’s a heavier green tea that you can mix with any flavor and has as much caffeine per cup as a cup of coffee.  Black tea has a load of oxalates that can build into kidney stones, so it’s advisable to stick to Yerba, or Green Tea (10% of the caffeine of coffee) or herbal (no caffeine).  Herbal teas have the most health properties.

And take a multivitamin!

Some good resources:

http://caltonnutrition.com/nutrivore.aspx - Read their book “Naked Calories” for great facts on nutrients in food

www.theplanteater.com  references a number of great studies being done on a plant-based diet. 

Remember, the plant-based idea is a Biblical one.  Know the story of Daniel and Shadrach, Meshach and Abedigo?  They ate fruits/veggies/grains instead of the Babylonian King’s rich meats and wine.  In one week, they were healthier than the king’s men and Daniel won the favor of the King.  Yep.  Not to mention, Biblically speaking, the human race didn’t start eating meat until after Noah’s Ark landed on dry ground.  At the same time God permitted man to eat meat, He also cut our lifespan to a max of 120 years.  (Hence all those truly ancient folks living until 800 or 900 Biblical years…yeah…we don’t do that anymore.)

Whole Living Magazine (picked mine up at Barnes and Noble) has a LOAD of great easy recipes.  They’ve got a 21-day menu in the latest edition that helps you cleanse and break into a plant-based lifestyle.

Hope this helps!  Remember, it’s a lifestyle change.  Start slowly.  Incorporate things gradually.  You’ll find yourself having more energy and just feeling better in general – better health, better mood.  Your skin tone will also improve and your hair will shine.  And you’ll sleep better, too.