CSA OMG

My autumn vacation has arrived, and the weather has been spectacular. Despite this weird summer, my CSA box, from Sprouting Acres, has been filled with incredible food that I've been enjoying with simple preparation. Because my CSA guy, Andy, always has the best recipes on his web site, I decided this week to make an old favorite and to try my hand at a new dish.

I've made Andy's chocolate zucchini bread with some regularity for the past few years, and it is divine. I highly, highly recommend it for a delicious dessert. Warning: This is not health food, but all things in moderation. The new recipe I tried is his classic eggplant Parmesan. I took the easy way out and used a jarred tomato sauce, but the results were satisfying. It's a cheesy, gooey treat that defines the words "comfort food."

I'm not one of those people who takes pictures of their food before eating it (sorry, everyone I know on Facebook), so you'll just have to take my word for it. Check out Andy's website, and find him at the Dane County Farmers' Market.

Sewing for sanity

It's a cloudy Sunday, and I've got a TiVo full of episodes of "Project Runway." What better way to celebrate than to put together a party dress? With the fabric above, I'm starting in on a summer v-neck frock designed by McCall's. If it goes well, I'll post pictures. If it doesn't go well, I'll consider my Sunday well spent, as sewing is one of my preferred forms of therapy. The rhythm of the scissors slicing through fabric, the hum of my sweet Bernina rig ... few things bring me back to my calm center like intently crafting something that has the potential to be beautiful. And if it's not beautiful, I can go back to my tv and watch other, more experienced sewists get verbally flogged by Heidi Klum and feel grateful that the only ones mocking my creation are my ungrateful kitties.

Yoga on commission

"If you feel like your employer is more interested in your health lately, you're probably right."

So begins the NPR story on the recent trend of employers footing the bill for wellness initiatives. The following quote comes from an executive at Aon Hewitt, the consultancy that did the survey that found employers want to cut costs by making YOU healthier.

"[Improving employee health] is the only meaningful way to reduce healthcare costs ... and the first step in the process is to motivate employees and their families to participate in health and wellness programs."

If your employer offers something like this, take advantage of the discounts or the rebates or the yoga classes ... get healthy on their dime, and everyone wins.

Whine and dine

A few weeks ago, a participant in one of my fitness classes asked me how much she would have to exercise to lose weight if she kept eating the way she always has. "I love food," she said, "and I just can't bring myself to diet." I explained to her the equation that we as Lifestyle and Weight Management Coaches use to encourage weight loss, which is the whole "3,500 calories equals one pound" thing. We tell people to burn 250 calories per day and cut 250 calories out of their diets every day in order to safely lose one pound per week. For some people, that's insurmountable. That's why the latest research studies are so fascinating to me.

This week, there was a New York Times blog post about dieting vs. exercise for weight loss. A recent study says that our previous calculations are wrong, as they don't take metabolism into account. 

So what does it all mean? What I take from this is the simple truth that the human body is not a calculator. We should stop trying to do the math and start listening to the wisdom of our bodies. We should eat nutritious foods that will fuel us for an active lifestyle. Get up and move, and make choices that nurture the magnificent machine that propels us through life.

Smoothie operator

So, I've been really into smoothies lately. It's summer, it's hotter than blazes in my old house with no central air conditioning, and I just don't want to cook. Therefore, it's been the summer of the smoothie experiment. Most mornings, I take whatever fruit combinations I have in the house, add a few ingredients like yogurt, juice, protein powder and flax seeds, and whir it up.

Today's smoothie: Blackberries, banana, blackberry yogurt, flaxseed and dark chocolate protein powder. Hey, it looked pretty for the "before" photo shoot. The actual taste? Meh, I'll give it a C, maybe a C+. The blackberries are so seedy that the end result felt a bit too gritty for my tastes. Regardless, I got a nutritious breakfast and my blender did all the work. And that just means there's room for improvement for tomorrow's attempt. I'm looking at you, fresh peaches.