Sweet Sauteed Kale Video and Recipe by Dr. Dae

Early in my practice I realized that many of my patients didn't know how to prepare green leafy vegetables. I actually found out many of my patient had not even tasted different types of green leafy vegetables!  So I when I started doing cooking demonstrations I often chose different green leafy vegetables to teach people how easy it can be to prepare them.  One of my favorite green leafy veggies to prepare is kale.  It is quick easy and tastes great. Kale is part of the cruciferous vegetable family along with its cousins broccoli, cabbage, collards and Brussel sprouts, just to name a few in the family.  Kale has been shown to have antioxidant and anti inflammatory phytochemicals so it is great for anyone having cardiovascular disease, skin diseases, blood sugar problems, or stressful lifestyles.  Kale has also been studied for it's anti-cancer properties as well because of kale's number of antioxidant phytochemicals. Kale has been shown to have cholesterol lowering benefits that are highest when kale is steamed.

Kale has a high amount of Vitamin A, C and K.  It it also a good source of Calcium. Kale's growing season is from the middle of winter to the beginning of spring.  It can be found almost year around in local grocery stores.

You can find this recipe in my book Daelicious! Recipes for Vibrant Living Sweet Sauteed Kale page 67.

Accidently Teaching Health

I have been living with my Grammy for the last 2 years to allow her to be able to continue to live in her home instead of going to a nursing home.  In the last 6 months her health has changed and we now have to have nursing support around the clock.  We have been fortunate to have the same people helping us since June.  Many of these nurses had been friends because in essence we have been living together for the last 6 months.  As I result, the nurses have smelled and tasted my food, gotten food from my garden, talked with me about everything from exercise to relationship issues.  It is part of everyday conversation, the conversations you would have in your home.

In the beginning of December one of the nurse left to go to on vacation for 3 weeks.  On her last day before vacation she left me a Christmas card.  I read it after she left and it was so touching.  She simply said to me thank you for teaching me and my family how to eat!  I had NO idea that all the conversations about food, sharing my herbs in my garden, and having her try many of my recipes had translated into improving the quality of her health and the health of her family.  It was a confirmation that the way that I live is healthy and I am leading by example.  It was such fun to share my ideas (the good one and the bad ones) with others to try to figure out how to enjoy living a healthy life.

Her simple card helped me to decide to change my practice and take my visits into peoples home so they can learn practical behaviors to make their lives happier and healthier at the same time.

If you are interested in me, Dr. Dae coming into your home and doing house calls to treat your health conditions and help you change your behaviors contact the office at 202-248-1907 or send me an email at drdae@healthydaes.com.

Live Vibrantly,

Dr. Dae

Leftovers Make Lunch or Dinner - Dill Salmon Vegetable Saute

I wanted to share a meal that I threw together by looking at items I had in the refrigerator.   I share this with you in hopes that it may give you ideas about how to create a whole foods meal quickly and easily.  You might even like this idea enough to go out and buy the ingredients to prepare a meal for yourself or your family.

This meal was inspired by Dill that I bought for another recipe last week.  I was looking at some vegetables that I didn't want to go bad and I thought how could I combine dill and vegetables to make lunch.  I also had some leftover salmon from dinner. And the meal came together quickly. 

*A note about extra virgin olive oil and cooking.  Extra virgin olive oil has a low smoke point so it is not a good oil for sauteing.  If you want to saute Olive Oil is a better choice.


I can't give the exact recipe because I just threw everything together in the pan but here is the basics of how to make it (Adjust the spices for your taste buds).  I will prepare it a few more times and get exact measurements before I put any recipes in my book.

1 teaspoon of Olive oil

½ cup of onion diced

¼ cup of dill chopped

3 garlic cloves diced

¼ teaspoon of salt

¼ teaspoon of fresh ground pepper

1 cup of carrots sliced

2 cups of zucchini diced

2 cups of Bok Choy chopped ( or spinach, Swiss chard)

1 cup of Salmon cooked and chopped

Pour oil into a sauce pan on medium and add onion, dill, garlic, salt, and black pepper.  Add carrots sauté for 5 minutes.  Add zucchini, Bok Choy  and Salmon and cook for another 5 minutes.  Serve over brown rice.

Areas to Set Goals in 2011

Several years ago 2 friends and I started a weekly support group called a Mastermind Group.  Renaissance Unity has created a one year journal that has activities for the year, each month, week and day.  The journal also has exercises on how to set goals for the year.  The categories they suggest are: Career, Financial, Spiritual, Physical, Mental, Family, Personal Relationships, Things You Want to Do, Things you want to Have, Things You Want to Be, Feelings you want to increase. For years I have set goals but until I found this book I never set goals in all different categories of my life.  I have been setting goals in all these categories for the last 3-4 years and it is a wonderful experience.  The mastermind journal allows me to really think about what are all the goals that I want to accomplish.  For example under "Physical" the book recommends physical activities of the body but also your personal physical appearance as well.   I would not have thought looking at physical goals would include new clothes to purchase as well as going to yoga classes.  Under "Mental" they ask me to consider learning new skills, tapping into my creative talents or getting rid of erroneous mental attitudes.

There are 11 categories in all and I set at least 3 goals in each category.  Some of my goals were lofty and some were every day behavioral modifications.  It gives me so many things to think about and opportunities to create in my life.  It is not too late to set goals for 2011.  So if you have not sat down to write out your goals consider looking at all the different categories of your life and seeing what you come up with?

The mastermind journal also recommends that in 6 months you review your goals to see how many you have already accomplished.  It's a great way to keep you focused and on track for 2011.  Enjoy your goals! 

It takes a Village to See a Dream Realized

This week I have been preparing for a cooking demonstration with NBC4 Health and Fitness Expo.  I have been asked to be one of the presenters for the last 4 years.  This year I was asked to present on both Saturday and Sunday.  This is great news for me because I love presenting at venues where there are hundreds of people to cook and talk about food with.  It is great to have group participation and feedback on what issues or questions people have about their health. For the first couple of moments I am up on stage it feels like a piece of my dream is being realized then I get all involved in whatever I am teaching I'm connected with the audience and the food.  I would love to be the host of a TV show about healthy living and healthy eating.  When I am up on stage cooking or talking about health I feel like I am hosting my cooking or health show.  This is definitely one of my dreams.

I also realize that when I am doing a demo for so many people I have to recruit the help of others in order to make it a successful educational event.  I have been working with and recruiting friends and family to help get me there and to handle all of the little details to make this work.  I am happy and grateful to report that I have wonderful people in my life that stepped up to help me get everything done. So I have spent the last several days rushing around to get it all done.  I have gotten help with all the prep work too.  The help comes from ideas about how to present something or physical labor.  It comes from phone calls after the event to help prepare for the next one.  It comes from the enthusiasm of my friends smiling and cheering me on at the event.  Or the emails or calls from friends that remind me of how far I have come from when I started.

As I have a few minutes of quite to reflect on the last couple of days I realize it takes a village or a community to get a dream realized.  Without the kindness and support of my friends, patients, family and complete strangers each step that I take towards my couldn't really happen.  Having the dream is important and sets everything in motion but being open to receive support from any where that it shows up is equally if not more important.  It moves the dream forward and help the dream take on more momentum than I could create on my own and that is a blessing. As I continue to move forward with my dreams I am grateful for all the members of my village that have supported me and will continue to support me as I continue to pursue and realize my dreams.

Humbled by Inspiration

This morning I received an email titled Super Bowl Dip by Deborah Brown.  She shared with me that she has been inspired by our interaction and my book, Daelicious! Recipes for Vibrant Living. I was so humbled that Deborah was able to take the information that shared with her and create her own recipes. 

I believe that I was placed on mother earth to help others understand how to improve the quality of health for myself and others.  I love to talk about about food and health.  I love to eat food.  I love to talk about recipes.  I love to cook.  Receiving the email from some one I have worked with inspires me to continue to do what I do and know that I am making a difference in the life of others.  I have copied her recipe below for you to try too! 

 

Thank you Deborah Brown for sharing your thoughts with me.

Be Well,

Dr. Dae

 

This is a dip that will not rest on your hip! (Smile)

 

2 (15.5 oz cans) Goya Red Kidney Beans (Low Sodium) and Drained

1 (16 oz jar) Nature's Promise Organic Chilpolte Salsa (Low Sodium) *Giant Food

1 (12 oz jar) Victoria All Natural Roasted Red Peppers (Drained) *Giant Food
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1/4 Teaspoon Red Star Nutritional Yeast

1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice

1 Teaspoon Ground Shallots

1 Teaspoon Chile Powder

1/2 Jalapeno Pepper (Seeded) *Intense Flavor

 

Preparation:

Place all of the aforementioned ingredients in a food processor, blend until smooth.

 

Alternatives for this dip:

1. Warm and serve over whole wheat pasta

2. Serve cold over Swiss Chard

3. Warm and eat as a soup

 

Please share with your patients if you wish to do so.

 

Happy eating,

 

Deborah D. Brown

Early Morning Meditation in the Peace of the Snow Fall

Picture http://www.flickr.com/photos/39017545@N02/4342289178/

This mornings meditation occurred while I was shoveling snow before sunrise.  I actually love shoveling snow early in the morning before the neighborhood wakes up.  I find it very peaceful and serene breathing in the cold crisp quiet air.  The beauty of snow right in front of me would temporary take my breath away and then I would have to take a deep breath in.  I found a beautiful rhythm of breathing in filling the shovel and breathing out while emptying my shovel.   As I was shoveling my eyes were caught by the millions of sparkles that I saw in the snow.  For 30 minutes I was just mesmerized by twinkle of the street lights in the snow that began to disappear as the sun began to rise.

As I swept the walk I had a completely different experience. I decided to sweep with my left hand in the power position which is my non-dominant hand.  I was surprised at how clumsy I felt trying to clear the snow.  I also realized how my posture changed and I was slumping forward as I tried to sweep.  Lastly, I noticed pretty quickly that I was recruiting all of the muscles in my back to clear the snow. After about 5 minutes of that I switched back to my right hand in the dominant position.  It was so much easier and more comfortable.  It reminded meet that sweeping and shoveling snow is a good work out and people need to remember and be careful as they clean their driveways and sidewalks.  It also reminded me to take an epson salt bath so that I won't feel my sore muscles tomorrow morning!

Enjoy the snow! It will be gone soon!

Peace,

Dr. Dae

Increasing My Abundance

A few days ago I was given a homework assignment that I thought was a great idea and I wanted to share it with you.  The assignment came from a free monthly call sponsored by Jack Canfield.  Jack Canfield is a wildy successful motivational speaker, seminar leader, and best selling author of Kitchen Soup for the Soul series.  He is also one of the stars of the Secret DVD.  This month the topic of Jack's call was on goal setting.  He  spent about 1 hour answering the audiences questions on how to set goals for the new year.  At the end of the call he gave this homework assignment.  He said pick a feeling or emotion that you want to feel more every day of your life.  Examples of emotions are happiness, joy, peace, love, etc.  Once you picked your feeling then 3 times a day stop what you are doing and see how much of that emotion you are experiencing in that moment, rate it on a scale of 1 to 10.  Then see if you can do something or think of something that will increase your experience of the emotion at least one level on your scale.  The goal of this assignment is to experience your positive emotion more in your life by experiencing it each day.

I started my assignment yesterday.  The feeling I choose was abundance.  I set my phone alarm for 3 random times during the day so I could take a moment to complete my exercise.  Last night when I was out at dinner with a friend I noticed that my phone was vibration over and over again.  It was my alarm for my moment to sit with my feeling of abundance.  I told my friend about my assignment she thought it was a great idea.  We went on to talk about other topics and at the end of our conversation she handed me $2 for some tea that I had accidentally paid for her. As she handed me the money I laughed because that is an example of abundance showing up.  She helped me complete my homework assignment right there at dinner! 

I'm looking forward to completing this assignment for the rest of January.  I'm sure that taking a few moments 3 times a day to pray and meditate on abundance will be a wonderful life experience!

Picture/Image comes from lifemagick.net website.

Lunch Leftovers

Some of my favorite dishes have come about because I threw together a little bit of whatever I found in the kitchen.  I want to invite you to start thinking about your leftovers as a healthy nutritious meal too.  In this salad I have avocado, tomatoes, a granny smith apple and turkey.  I whipped up a lemon vinaigrette (olive oil, lemon, salt, pepper, and maple syrup) and poured it over top of my salad. I call it leftover lunch because the tomatoes and mixed salad was from new year eve dinner.  The apple were sitting on the counter from Christmas Day's apple crisp (Daelicious page 89), the avocado was from sale at the local grocery which was starting to get too ripe. The turkey meat was from the dinner I prepared my Grammy's new years day (use no nitrate deli meat).  The salad took 5 minutes to prepared and it was simply delicious.  You can do this too. Let me know about your yummy lunch leftovers too!

Some nutritional information about lunch:
Many deli or cured meats have nitrates as a preservatives.  Nitrates can be converted into nitrates which form nitrosamines, a powerful cancer-causing chemical.  Whenever possible buy nitrate free deli meat.
Avocado is a great source of monounsaturated fat which has been shown to increase HDL Cholesterol, known as good fat.  Avocado helps to absorb lycopene which are found in tomatoes.

There are 6 grams of protein, 8 grams of dietary fiber, 12 grams of fat (healthy fat from the avocado).

New Year's Brunch

This year I have decided to share my journey on the path of living a healthy life.  I thought I would start with my New Year's brunch that I prepared with my dear friend and fellow naturopath, Dr. Deirdre Orceyre.  This is the second year we have made New Years brunch together, we had so much fun last year we decided to do it again.  When I tell people that I am a naturopathic doctor they automatically assume that I am a vegan, a person that doesn't consume any meats or animal products. This is not the case for me or Dr. Orceyre.  I focus on eating the best quality foods that keeps me feeling good, healthy and energetic.  I eat local, seasonal and organic whenever possible.  I eat a mostly plant-based diet but for special occasions might eat richer foods like dairy, bread products, or have some alcohol.  The key to the way I eat revolves around whole foods everyday.  Our brunch had some juice and dairy which are not everyday foods but I enjoyed them to help kick off the new year.

Today we went to the farmer's market in Dupont Circle and purchased cage free eggs and a croissant. I had brought corn muffins, field green salad and a black-eyed peas that I made from Marcus Samuelsson's The Soul of a New Cuisine: A Discovery of the Foods and Flavors of Africa.  We scrambled some onions and eggs and sprinkled some parmesan cheese over top.  Finally we had a wonderful pumpkin and veggie soup with fresh squeezed apple cider.  Brunch was perfect. 

Good food and good friends it is the best way I can think of to start the new year!