Food – Skip Jennings

Different Types of Healthy Snacks for the Busy Person

Packing the right snacks for the person who is always on the go is as important as
remembering to bring an ID and wallet at all times. Great snacks should be quick to
assemble, easy to eat, clean and has nutritional value . The goal of eating a snack is to
tide you over until your next meal and to give you a slight boost of energy to help you
carry on with day.

If you work in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment, packing a healthy and nutritious
snack should be on top of your list — Consider fruits and vegetables with a lot of
crunch, high in fiber and low in carbohydrates, such as raspberries, pear, apple,
blueberries, raw broccoli/cauliflower florets, cucumber slices, celery and carrot sticks,
roasted chickpeas. If you are looking to curb your sweet tooth, try frozen grapes,
bananas, mango, pineapple, cashews, almonds or dark chocolate with 70% cacao.
Snacking can be fun. But what you eat truly matters!

Good Carbs and Bad Carbs

By scientific definition, carbohydrates are neutral compounds of carbon, hydrogen and
oxygen in simple forms such as sugars, and in complex forms such as starches and
glucose. They are a major source of fuel and nutrients for our bodies, and should be part
of a healthy diet, even when the goal is to lose weight.

There are carbohydrate-rich foods or “good carbs” that you should be investing in. They
contain important vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Examples: (1) Sweet potatoes,
digests slowly keeping you feel fuller and energized longer, loaded with carotenoids
antioxidants that stabilize blood sugar levels that keep hunger at bay; (2) Blueberries are
high in fiber and rich in ursolic acids that help preserve muscle mass; (3) Beans are high
in soluble fiber and a chemical called butyrate that encourages the body to burn fat’s fuel.

On the other hand, foods containing sugars easily digested by the body and provide quick
energy are simple carbohydrates that can be found in fruits, some vegetables and
milk/milk products. Simple carbohydrates or “bad carbs” are also found in processed
and refined foods like soda, pastries, white bread, pasta, which are lacking in nutritional
value and filled with preservatives. These certain ones should be avoided. Studies
indicate that refined sugars are linked to disease, obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Final note, do not be too quick in writing off carbohydrates. They play an important role
in a healthy and balanced diet. Carbohydrates are not created equal and being able to
identify the good from the bad will help you feel better about keeping them in your diet.

Begin Your Mindful Eating Practices

Mindful eating is the enjoyment and awareness of the emotional and physical sensations we feel while eating. Paying close attention to the food that we eat, how we eat and how our body reacts to the food that we eat can lead to better health. We live in a society where breakfast, lunch or dinner served in a brown paper bag or Styrofoam and consumed while in motion is generally acceptable. This behavior of mindless eating and lack of awareness of the food we are consuming can have a significant impact on our overall health and well being.

To counteract mindless eating, we need to learn some simple eating practices. Create a grocery list of foods that are pleasing to eat and with nutritious value. Focus your attention on the food in front of you. Engage your sense of sight, smell, touch and taste. Remove all distractions (cell phones, TV, books, magazines) that will take you away from the eating experience. Take small bites and chew well so you can taste all the flavors and spices blended in the food. According to growing studies, practicing mindfulness in a busy world can be challenging at times but learning to trust your intuition and listening to your body is an excellent way to foster mental clarity and overall well-being.

The Lotus Kitchen – Vegan Recipe – Roasted Veggie Panini

Roasted Veggie Panini – Vegan Recipe
Comfort food like panini’s really hit the spot when you need something quick and delicious. This roasted veggie panini is from my latest book, The Lotus Kitchen, a collaboration with Gwen Kenneally. Plus, the Veggie Panini is the perfect example of yoga: all the goodness of the practice is sandwiched between two physical anchoring points, the warm-up/sun salutation, and the final corpse pose later below.

Ingredients:

1 red onion, sliced
2 red peppers, halved
2 green peppers, halved
2 yellow peppers, halved
1 eggplant, sliced in rounds
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt and pepper to taste
2 large very ripe avocados
2 cups alfalfa sprouts
8 slices multigrain or pita bread
2 tablespoons olive oil for
coating pan

Directions:

To roast the vegetables: Gently toss the garlic, onions, peppers and eggplant in olive oil. Season with sea salt and pepper. Place vegetables in a roasting pan in a single layer. Roast for 45 minutes in a preheated oven.

To assemble: Spread avocado on each slice of bread. Place 2 slices of onion, 1 each of the halved peppers and 1 eggplant round on bread. Add 1/2 cup alfalfa sprouts. Close the sandwich and give it a good press.

To Panini: Have a large and slightly smaller skillet ready. Place the large skillet over medium heat. Coat the pan with a half-tablespoon of olive oil. Place the panini in the pan and press down with the bottom of the smaller pan. Once golden brown, flip the sandwich and place the bottom of the smaller pan over it. When it is golden brown, remove from pan, cut in half and serve. Continue with the other 3 sandwiches. Serves 4.

The Practice:

Panini and yoga it’s all the body and spiritual goodness sandwiched into two poses. Poses are always practiced starting with intentions and finished with achievements. The asana or pose begins with the willingness, and is finished with an insight. When beginning the pose there is always a sense of struggle until we find peace. Remember that yoga is a yoking or natural expression of bringing or connecting the many delectable pieces of goodness together into one.

Chair Pose (Utkatasana Fierce) Instruction:

Stand tall on your mat and spread the legs at hip-distance apart. Anchor your feet by spreading your toes. Sit your hips back as if you are sitting in a chair. Reach your arms long toward the sky and lengthen the torso diagonally while spreading the fingers or the hands. Look toward the hand and contemplate awareness of the body.

The Lotus Kitchen-Zucchini Pie

The Lotus Kitchen, Zucchini Pie

8 CUPS ZUCCHINI, SLICED AND CUT IN HALF 1 CUP SUGAR
2/3 CUP LEMON JUICE
1 TABLESPOON LEMON ZEST
1 TABLESPOON CINNAMON

In a saucepan cook sliced zucchini, sugar, lemon juice, and cinnamon until zucchini is tender (about 10 minutes).

Crust:

4 CUPS FLOUR
2 CUPS SUGAR
1/2 TEASPOON SALT
1 1/2 CUPS BUTTER

Mix together the flour, sugar, salt, and butter until crumbly. Pat 1/2 crust mix into 9×13 pan. Bake 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Add 1/2 cup crust mix to hot cooked zucchini mix; cool. Pour over baked crust. Add one teaspoon cinnamon to remaining crust mix. Spread over zucchini filling. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes; cool. Cut into squares.

The Practice:

When we think of pie, we often think of a singular slice of a pie. Yoga is about discovering your wholeness. Like a pie, each slice is essential to create the entire pie. See your mind as a part of the pie, see your body as another part of the pie, and your spirit as the final slice of your wholeness. You are a complete, whole pie of goodness. Today we TK your divine wholeness, and honor how complete you really are.

The Lotus Kitchen-Blueberry Mango Salad

Blueberry Mango Salad

4 LIMES
1 CUP WATER
1/4 CUP AGAVE NECTAR
2 LARGE MANGOS, PEELED AND CUT INTO 1-INCH PIECES 3 CUPS BLUEBERRIES
1/4 CUP CRYSTALLIZED GINGER, FINELY CHOPPED

Remove zest from one lime in strips with a vegetable peeler and cut any white pith from strips with a sharp knife. Squeeze juice from limes. Bring zest, water, and agave to a boil in a saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in lime juice.
Let syrup stand 20 minutes, then remove zest with a slotted spoon and discard. Toss together mangoes, blueberries and syrup in a large bowl and sprinkle with ginger. Serves 4.

The Practice: The nectar and sweetness of the fruit in this salad remind us that the practice of yoga is sweet nectar as well. When we finish our daily practice of yoga we are reminded of how sweet life is. Physical practice brings us to a place of surrender and final relaxation called Shavasana, the corpse pose. “Life is Good.” To get to the nectar of yoga, we must work through the practice. The journey, in this experience, is to recognize the preparation of the salad is very much like the practice of yoga. Once the salad is complete, sit and is still; enjoy every bite. “Life is Good.”

Corpse Pose (Savasana) Instruction:

We lay on our backs in full rest experiencing the pleasures of the breath and moment. It is also the final meditation of the practice where we remember that life is really really good.

The Shift with Skip Radio Guest: (Replay) Angela Nissel

It’s more than the ‘skinny jean boo’ it’s transformation of the mind body and spirit. This week join Ana and Skip as they interview TV Producer, screenwriter and comedy writer Angela Nissel author of the “Mixed: My Life in Black and White” and “The Broke Diaries.” Take 30 minutes to tune in and get your laugh on.

Tune in here on 3/25 at 10 am PT.

The Lotus Kitchen-Curry Zucchini Soup

Curry Zucchini Soup

There are many different curries, all rich in distinctive flavors from all parts of the world. The familiar golden yellow powder found in Western culture includes coriander, turmeric, cumin, fenugreek, cinnamon and chili peppers. Ingredients in most curries help ease digestion, burn fat and are rich in anti- oxidants. And the flavor? Like no other.

2 POUNDS ZUCCHINI, DICED
6 GREEN ONIONS, SLICED
4 CUPS VEGETABLE STOCK
2 TABLESPOONS BUTTER OR OLIVE OIL 1 TEASPOON GARAM MASALA
1/2 TEASPOON TURMERIC
1/4 TEASPOON CAYENNE PEPPER SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE

In a large stockpot, saute the zucchini and green onions for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add the remaining ingredients. Simmer for 30 minutes. Puree in batches and return to the pan and heat through. Serves 4–6.

The Practice: The common curry has medicinal uses. It has been used for thousands of years to heat up and cure a variety of ailments from stom- ach cramps to throat infections. Just as curry heats and heals the body, a principle of yoga called Tapas heats the body through physical practice to purify, cleanse and heal. Set the inten- tion that healing can and will be acti- vated as you taste the delicious meal and participate in the blessed practice. One of the poses that activates healing within is the Wide-legged Forward Bend Pose. It helps to drain the impu- rities from the body, releasing all the unwanted toxins into the bloodstream so that we may ultimately release them completely from the body. This pose also realigns, rebalances, and soothes your mind and body by calming your energy.

Wide-legged Forward Bend Pose (Padottanasana) Instruction: Spread your legs to a wide straddle position. Slightly bend your knees and hang forward from the hips. Draw in and squeeze your abdominal wall, keep- ing your hips as high as possible. Place your hands on the floor to support your upper body, releasing your head toward the floor.

The Shift Radio Guest-Shifting from Veggie to Vegan with Mark Reinfield and Sarah Taylor

Join us this week on the Shift with Skip as we replay one of our best episodes, all about Vegan cooking and learning to change your ways, if you so desire.

Have you ever thought about becoming a vegetarian and giving up meat all together? What if we said go one step further and give up every type of animal product so that you can live a fuller and cleaner life inside and out? Sarah Taylor and Mark Reinfeld are here to help steer you in the right direction easily, by showing you what the benefits of giving up milk and eggs are. Check out their latest book called Vegetarian to Vegan, available on Amazon where you can read all about the way livestock are treated, how food is prepared from slaughter house to shelf and maybe you too will want to make the switch.

Tune in here.

The Lotus Kitchen-Red and Napa Cabbage Saute

Red and Napa Cabbage Saute Recipe

Ingredients:

3 cloves garlic, minced
1 red pepper, sliced
1 red onion, sliced
2 cups red cabbage, sliced
2 cups napa cabbage, sliced
1 cup raw cashews, chopped
sea salt and cayenne pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large frying pan or wok, sauté the garlic and onions until tender. Add the red peppers and sauté a few minutes longer. Add the cabbage; stir for three minutes – no longer. Remove from the heat immediately and stir in the sea salt and cayenne pepper. Place on serving platter and sprinkle with cashews. Serves 4.

The Practice: Mantra Yoga — The practice of repeating spiritual princi- ples and divine quality to anchor our consciousness into the One Mind of God. A great pose, that requires a man- tra of “Yes I Can,” is Eagle Pose. Eagle is one of the most challenging poses to practice. The practice is done while cooking this dish or practicing Eagle. You will create a mantra that activates the energy of “Yes.” And cabbage is a cool season crop with healing prop- erties and vitamins that allow you to soar. Its high Vitamin K properties are especially nourishing for bone health.

Eagle Pose (Garudasana) Instruction: Stand tall on the mat and extend both arms to reach to the sides of the room. Bring both arms in front of you until the right elbow is under the left continuing to wrap the arms around each other, joining the arms into the Namaste position. Sit back into Chair pose; option is to place the right knee over the left knee balancing on one leg. Option 2; wrap the ankle around the left calf. After 5 breaths, release the pose and contemplate the energy of the body. Then repeat on the other side.

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