VITAL LIVING: The 10 Best ___________________

Why is it that every other article you see is entitled, ‘The 10 Best ______(fill in the blank) beaches, foods for a smaller waistline, ways to improve your libido, restaurants in the bay area, etc.? Simply put because we’re tired and we don’t want to think anymore. Just point me to the best beach and I’m there. You do the research (thanks) and I’ll be there, I’ll do that.
As a nutritionist helping people to obtain or maintain their good health, I see this constantly! There is so much information out there it’s confusing. I see time and time again that if people are shown the way, with specifics, for a period of time so they don’t have to think about all the details, they have greater success meeting their health goals.
So here’s a list for you:
Everyday
Wake up, hopefully, be thankful, smile, stretch, drink fresh lemon water (your liver will love you) and don’t drink too much coffee. Get 30 minutes of aerobic exercise at least four days a week, preferably outside sometimes to appreciate nature. Nature heals and makes you feel calmer.
Drink about eight glasses of filtered water a day.
Mix and Match Meal Ideas
If you have a grain for breakfast, you probably don’t need another grain that day. You don’t need meat protein all the time either. You do need veggies all the time! Remember that a portion of meat is about 4 ounces and a portion of grain is about ½ cup for the ‘average person’ who consumes a 2,000-calorie a day diet. Also note, that when I mention any kind of milk or cheese, it doesn’t have to be from a cow. Almonds make lovely milk, as an example.
Breakfast Ideas
• Oatmeal with walnuts and fresh berries.
• Eggs or Tofu (make sure it’s Non-GMO) scrambled with sautéed red peppers, onions and spinach.
• A cup of lentil soup (yes, I said soup. Legumes are a great blood sugar regulator).
• Smoothie with fresh fruit, flax or chia seeds, and your choice of veggies (endless variations) Protein powder if you like.
• Breakfast burrito-use your imagination!
• Fresh berries with a little granola and almond milk.
• Cottage cheese or yogurt with sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Add fruit if you like.
• A poached egg on a thick slice of tomato that has been warmed in the oven or pan.
• Whole-grain pancake, full of nuts and seeds, with warm applesauce on top.
Lunch Ideas
• Big green salad with lots of veggie and beans of your choice. You could have a salad almost every day-just mix up the lettuces/veggies/beans, etc.
• Mediterranean Tuna Salad on lettuce of your choice.
• Minestrone Soup.
• Pita bread stuffed with lots of sprouts and leftover tuna salad.
• Baked yam with chopped toasted pecans on top.
• Leftover brown rice with fresh sauerkraut and grated carrots (maybe I’m the only one who loves this!).
• Smoothie, see breakfast.
Dinner Ideas
• Salmon en Papillote with brown rice and steamed broccoli.
• Pasta primavera with Caesar salad.
• Baked chicken with arugula pesto and sundried tomatoes, raw kale salad.
• Brown rice and beans with fresh salsa and avocado. Sprinkle with a little cheese, if desired.
• Vegan patties (not a great name, but so good!) Serve as you would a hamburger-lots of trimmings!
• Fresh Fish Vera Cruz with steamed veggies.
• Quiche or Frittata served with a salad.
Snack Ideas
• 10-15 raw almond or walnuts or macadamia or Brazil nuts.
• Sliced raw veggies with hummus.
• Fruit.
• Hard-boiled egg.
• A cup of leftover soup.
• An apple and peanut or almond butter.
If you’d like any other recipes that I mentioned above, most are in my cookbook, “More Vegetables, Please!”
Recipes:
Mediterranean Tuna Salad
Serves 4
2 cans tuna, pole caught small Albacore is a good choice.
1/2 14 ounce can artichoke hearts, packed in water, drained, chopped
1/4 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/3 cup Kalamata olives, sliced
1/4 cup red onion, minced
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup mayonnaise
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl; mix together well. Don’t you love delicious, healthy recipes that have one line of directions?
Per Serving: 339 Calories; 25g Fat (64.3% calories from fat); 22g Protein; 9g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 39mg Cholesterol; 307mg Sodium. 
Fresh or canned? If you have fresh tuna, then by all means use that! If not a good quality canned will be fine. For further information about which fish to eat for your health and the health of the oceans and fish populations, see www.oceansalive.org
Vegan Patties
Serves 6
Serve them with grated carrots, sprouts, lettuce and sliced tomatoes on a whole-grain bun.
1 14-oz can garbanzo beans, drained
1/2 cup quinoa, cooked
1 red onion, chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon cumin, toasted and ground
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon sea salt
Dash cayenne
Place garbanzo beans in the food processor and process until smooth. Place red onion in food processor and pulse until chopped fine.  Add cooked quinoa and the rest of the ingredients. Mix well. Form into patties and sauté in 1-2 tablespoons olive oil for 3 minutes on each side or bake in a 375-degree oven for about 20 minutes.
Notes: Change the herbs if you like…use cilantro instead of the parsley and skip the coriander powder. We like to add 1 teaspoon of curry powder.
To cook quinoa: Wash quinoa very well in a fine mesh strainer, at least twice, or it will be bitter.
Bring 1 cup water to boil in a 2-quart saucepan. Add 1/2 cups quinoa and 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, stir.  Return to a boil and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
Source: adapted from The Diet Cure by Julia Ross
Per Serving: 309 Calories; 5g Fat (14.2% calories from fat); 15g Protein; 53g Carbohydrate; 13g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 336mg Sodium.
Patty James M.S., C.N.C.
DirectionFive Health
Founder and Director
www.directionfive.org
707-888-1103
Nutritionist/Chef/Writer
Co-author of “More Vegetables, Please!”
www.pattyjames.com
Founder of the nation’s first certified organic cooking school.