Usually I shamefully pass by the small organic section of my local food market, glancing long-fully at the less than perfect looking produce like a child with no allowance outside a candy store. At this point in my life I find it difficult to break that bank for a head of cauliflower. Okay, so an extra $.50 won’t break the bank, but it adds up. To supplement my lacking initiative to splurge for my health, usually opt for local, seasonal foods over organic and, fingers crossed, hope that the chemicals used to keep the pests away aren’t reeping havic on my body.

Finally, last week, a little bit of my frustration was eliminated when I found the “dirty dozen,” a list of foods that you most definitely should buy organic. Also included, a list of fruits and veggies that you can skimp on if you have to. Kudos to whomever first printed this list. My body and my wallet thank you.

So here’s the Dirty Dozen list, in no particular order, of fresh foods that you should always opt to buy organic…

12 Most Contaminated

• Peaches
• Apples
• Sweet Bell Peppers
• Celery
• Nectarines
• Strawberries
• Cherries
• Pears
• Grapes (Imported)
• Spinach
• Lettuce
• Potatoes

And the equally appreciated list of foods that don’t require your whole paycheck…

12 Least Contaminated

• Onions
• Avocado
• Sweet Corn
• Pineapples
• Mango
• Asparagus
• Sweet Peas
• Kiwi Fruit
• Bananas
• Cabbage
• Broccoli
• Papaya

So there ya have it. A simple solution to a grappling question. And lucky, some of these items are often on sale. Right now in California, organic pears are on sale for ridiculously cheap. Bell peppers, however, are often expensive regardless of the farming method. So I make some sacrifices, or rotate my shopping list. Whenever possible, I recommend shopping at your farmer’s market.  There you’ll find more organic options for a cheaper price and guaranteed local and in season. To find a farmer’s market near you visit localharvest.com.

Here’s what I brought for tonight’s long night red-eye trek…

• To avoid in-flight packaged snacks filled with sugar and salt…

…walnuts, raw almonds and dried cranberries.

• To avoid the layover quick-stop pit-stop…

…a bunch of asparagus sauteed in creamy butternut squash soup (just enough to coat it with delicious flavor). Seasoned with crushed red pepper.

• To avoid a greasy egg sandwich or bagel upon our early arrival at JFK…

…Cut up apples, oranges and pears.

…with some peanut butter for dipping. Yum!      

Prep time for this travel meal was about 20 minutes. Can’t beat that! And it all fit perfectly in my carry-on luggage.

Also to save a buck, because I really dislike buying over priced water, I brought along my Klean Kanteen and my new travel filter stick which alkalizes water, making the fountain, or the faucet, an easy option for quenching my thirst.

So that’s it from my travel log. I’ll try to blog from my destination, though it should be a pretty fast and busy 48 hours. Hopefully they’ll be a fridge of provisions I can raid for the long trip back on Monday. Happy weekend! And Happy Birthday to The All-Star!

Actually, I wouldn’t recommend eating anything that grows on your front lawn, unless you know for sure it hasn’t been tainted with chemical fertilizers. Luckily, you can find dandelion greens at health food stores and farmer’s markets.

I added a bit to each of my meals today. I read they’re good for the liver. Who doesn’t need a little liver boost.

For breakfast it was a fried egg with horseradish, dandelion greens and tomato. So good. The horseradish really made this dish. I highly recommend having some with your next egg.  I finished off the most important meal of the day with some cut grapefruit. The perfect combination of bitter and sweet.

Lunch was a salad of dandelion greens and quinoa. I added walnuts and dried cranberries to make it bitter-sweet. Goat cheese would have made this dish perfect, but I forgot I had some. Regardless, dandelion greens score again.

For dinner…slow cooked chicken with mushrooms, peppers and heirloom tomatoes served on a bed a dandelion greens. The perfect comfort food to end a long and busy day.

While I believe it’s healthiest to eat a variety of foods throughout your day, it was fun to see how these familiar plants held up at every meal. I was pleased to find that they fit the bill and look forward to keeping them on my rotating grocery list!

I also learned that 1/2  a pound of quinoa seeds is enough to plant a whole acre which can yield 1200-2000 pounds of new seed. The United Nations calls it the super-crop because it’s drought resistant and can grow in poor soils.  AND the seeds have a bitter flavor coating which acts as a natural pesticide. Nice!

Nutrition wise, it’s my grain of choice.  High in potassium, fiber and gluten-free, it can be served as a side, an addition to soups, stews and salads, and its flour can be used to make many a baked good!

Not sold yet? Studies have suggested that quinoa is useful in preventing and managing Type 2 diabetes. Most likely because it serves as a healthy alternative to starches with a high glycemic index. But also because it has high levels of quercetin, an anti-oxidant that also acts as an anti-inflammatory and an anti-histamine. Studies are examining quercetin’s ability to prevent cancer.

To learn more about this “mother grain” visit the Grain of the Month page on The Whole Grain Council’s website.

They’ve got some good recipes there too. It’s super easy to cook and only takes 15 minutes! I use my rice-cooker. 1 part quinoa, 2 parts water is all you need. One cup of uncooked seeds yields 4 servings. Just make sure you rinse the seeds a couple of times before cooking. Remember that bitter coating I mentioned? You want to avoid bringing that flavor to your food.

Enjoy and be healthy!

For tonight I made a snap pea and mushroom saute. It was de-licious! Snap peas are another favorite of which I definitely don’t eat enough. They too are loaded with nutrients. Vitamin K, manganese and fiber, to name just a few.

I have fond memories from my childhood when my dad grew these puppies in our backyard garden. I would pick and eat them right of the vine. I loved their sweet crunchiness…and I still do!

Snap Pea and Mushroom Saute

• 3 cups snap peas, rinsed
• 2 cups white mushrooms
• half a onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• several sprays of Bragg Liquid Aminos
• red pepper flakes to taste

Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add all ingredients and cook for 5-8 minutes.

After this, I definitely feel nourished!

If you’re not familiar with Michael Pollan, he’s a journalist and author of other popular and important books like The Omnivore’s Dilemma  and In Defense of Food. 

I’m not going to tell you much more except that Pollan has graciously filled the 140 pages of this little book with 64 rules of thumb for eating and that’s about it. No biochemisty breakdowns, no doctor’s research, just good and sound advice. This is a must read for everyone!

Right on Alan Watts!

Just yesterday I was describing how sometimes when I go to new places, I prefer to quietly soak in my surroundings instead of trying to figure out what century the architecture is from or what kind of mushroom I just stepped on. Not to say that education isn’t valuable, I love to learn. But sometimes I’d prefer to just be a part of it. This saying reminds me of that. I hope you all enjoy “feeling life” today!

It’s good on its own for a quick lunch or post sledding snack but I prefer to add leftovers to create a hearty meal!

Tonight I added some asparagus from Monday’s dinner and some chicken and wild rice from dinner last night.  I was perfect, easy, fast and delicious!

Normally I’m not a fan of food in a box but the contents of this aren’t too scary, and I can pronounce all the ingredients. That’s always a plus. Another big “hooray”…it’s always on sale at my local market.

What’s your favorite pantry staple??

I’m sorry little muscles.  I forgot to stay in charge.

Do you remember Herman’s Head?  It was that Fox network sitcom from the early 90’s.  Funny but crude. The main character lived his regular boring life while the rest of us got to enjoy the menagerie of colorful characters residing in his head. Well, I feel like Herman a lot of the time. Just the simple puppet along for the ride.

And…well…let’s just say that for the past five weeks someone other than the boot camp instructor has been running the show up there. Not quite Pizza the Hut, but someone only slightly less greasy.

Today I let that dude’s cheese burn and hit the pavement for a “back to basics” two mile run.

It wasn’t that easy. Not that I anticipated the first day back after a month off to feel good, but maybe I was hoping that it wouldn’t feel quite as bad.  I’m exaggerating as I always do, however I wasn’t exactly jumping at the option of an extra mile, or doing multiple reps of caft lifts on my way up the stairs. But I did stick it out even though my breathing was off and my legs were tired. Good news is that the toe didn’t hurt one bit so it looks like I’m back in business.  Woohoo.  Thanks body, you came through for me again.

So tonight, I’m resting my achy bones. Tomorrow I’d like to try a yoga DVD my good friend Heather sent me.  Thanks gal!  She’s getting married in two months. I’m in her wedding party. Another bites the dust!

I jest. She’s probably doing better with her bride-to-be-workouts than I am with my crazy-California-wanderer ones, so I may soon be eating that dust. See you soon guys!

The toe injury really set me back. It certainly put an end to my 30 day challenge and it set the tone for a lazy February. But yesterday I played a double-header of softball and it was all a-ok. Today I feel ready to get back on the jogging trail.

I can now see how easy it is to get trapped in an every day lounging around lifestyle. And I’m really feeling the effects of my inertia. It’s becoming even more difficult to wake up in the morning, I have less energy during the day, I lack motivation. At first I thought it was because I was healing, then I thought it was because I was helping someone else heal. I now realize that it’s not over-work, but the “under-worked” that’s got me feeling so low. It would appear that my body needs exercise to keep itself at optimal capacity. Imagine that! I could give you a lecture on circulation and metabolism, brain waves and kidney function. But that would be boring, and I’m sure you get the idea. Bottom line is, at least for me, I gotta keep on movin’ in order for this body to wanna keep on movin’.

The beauty of the path to wellness is that there are no dead-ends.  Each of our paths have many cross-roads and each day we’re given the right to choose our direction. Today I realized how much sluggishness depresses me, and how easily melancholy makes me apathetic. It’s a spiral I can’t let myself get caught up in. I know, I know, simple to say but harder to do. So tomorrow it’s two miles or bust! No more excuses. I’m ready to get that blood pumping again! Wish me luck!

What do you do to stay motivated??