I learned this one from Picks Over Peas:
Ingredients:
1 rutabaga and/or some turnips
parsnips (optional)
part of an onion (optional)
1/2-1 cup nut or soy milk OR
1/4 - 1/3 cup raw cashews and 1/2-1 cup water
(the amount depends on the size of your rutabaga--start small and add more as needed)
1-2 dates or dried apricots (optional)
Peel the rutabaga/turnips/parsnips, cut up and steam along with onion for 20 minutes. You can microwave the milk for 30 seconds to warm it up. Blend the rutabaga with the nut milk (or nuts and water) and dates. It's delicious! Now, I used the dates because I was fearful of rutabaga. Picks Over Peas didn't use dates. I thought I didn't like rutabaga but I really like this, so don't let your fear of rutabaga stop you--you can ease into it with the dates like I did. I've tried this with rutabaga, turnips, and rutabaga/turnips/parsnips. It's all good! Today I had this with steamed carrots, peas and corn. Super easy meal that tastes great. And it's healthier than mashed potatoes! We still get local all these root vegetables from our co-op. Note in the picture, my pureed rutabaga is a little brownish in color--that's from the color of my nut milk made from a bunch of different nuts and seeds. If I'd used cashews or almonds or soymilk, it would be whiter.
8 comments:
Barb,
I just read your list of health improvements. It is amazing that my experience is very similar.
-- No more indigestion - Dr. had me on Proton Pump Inhibitors. No more.
-- 30 lb. weight loss - ditto
-- Arryhthmia - ditto (our experiences are almost identical, including lower resting heart rate. Mine is now 49.
-- Sleep better - you didn't mention this, but I sleep longer and deeper now. No upset stomach at night or when I wake in the morning.
-- Cholesterol dropped from 220 to 167 right after starting McDougall. Haven't checked it for 1.5 years and don't intend to.
-- Dental issues - I still have problems with my teeth -- bad genes I think. No gum problems.
-- Energy -- ditto
-- Low back pain -- ditto
Etc.. We definitely were meant to eat fruits and vegetables. Dr. Fuhrman...priceless.
I wrote a piece on my blog about a question you raised...convincing other people to eat like we do. I'd be interested in your thoughts.
Barb,
Here is the link http://lifestylepower.blogspot.com/2008/12/how-far-should-we-go.html
to my thoughts about how far should we go to convince others? What do you think?
Hi Howard,
1) Maybe your teeth problems are from your past habits. I'll be paying for my old cavities for the rest of my life. If you don't have gum problems, that's good.
2) I read your blog post about how far should we go? It does seem worthwhile to at least pass on information. Then people can do with it what they want. I certainly would have loved to have learn this information earlier on. But I probably would have reacted like most people, and had the attitude that "I'd rather enjoy life than to suffer in health." Maybe we need to work more to convince people that it's fun to be healthy, that the food tastes great and that feeling so much better changes everything, both physically and mentally. Sorry to hear about your dad. How old was he when he died? My mother had a heart attack too. She's still living. She's interested to read "Eat to Live".
Barb,
My teeth problems are definitely from past consumption of too much sugar. Once you get lots of fillings and crowns, it is very hard to keep teeth clean because of all the nooks and crannies. Every few months I am back at the dentist having something fixed. All the dried fruit I eat now surely doesn't help.
I have pretty much come to your conclusion that the best we can do is pass on information. Going beyond that can be counter productive. Most people are polite when I give them some info, but nothing changes. I have a men's club group where I run seminars on healthy lifestyle, mostly diet so far. Eight guys come to the session and listen and ask questions. No converts yet, although they all say they are making healthier food choices within the context of a SAD.
A healthy diet is a "no brainer" to you and me, but not to most people. Maybe we should seek out those with a compulsive personality. Me too. My wife calls me a food evangelist.
My father was 53 when he died. What a waste. My mother lived until 91, she died last Feb.
That's great that you give seminars on healthy eating. I did a healthy cooking class once last year. It was a lot of work for what I suspect was little impact. Here's a thought: maybe our message should focus on something other than health: such as happiness and spiritual growth. Because it turns out, when you feel well, it makes a huge huge difference on your outlook and your ability to accomplish things. And when you feel crummy it has the opposite effect. Most people feel crummy all the time as they get older. It truly affects their outlook on life. When people say they'd rather be happy than healthy they don't realize that it's in fact the opposite of what they think. The choice is more like healthy and happy vs unhealthy and unhappy.
"Most people feel crummy all the time as they get older. It truly affects their outlook on life." How true, Barb!
It seems like you don't eat any grains at all. How come?
HI Mary,
According to Dr. Fuhrman, some whole grains are okay. You just don't want to eat too many because they squeeze out more nutritious foods. The most nutritious foods are leafy green vegetables, cruciferous vegetables, beans, and nuts and seeds. I figure after 45 years of abuse, I should try to maximize my nutrition intake and try to fight off all those cancer growths that are probably going on inside my old body. And I don't feel like I'm missing anything. I mean, I'd rather have a sweet potato or baked beet than rice almost any day. But some rice and oats are fine. In fact, I'd like to start eating oatmeal some more but for the next month or so I won't have any leisurely breakfasts even on the weekends. So maybe I'll have it for dinner one of these nights.
-barb
Glad you enjoyed the rutabaga and I like the suggested variations.
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