sprouting

Check out the lentil sprouts that have been growing on my windowsill since last week! I really can't believe how easily and quickly these little buggers turned from hard, brown beans to crunchy, green treats.

I have always liked sprouts, but generally don't buy them at the store because they can be pretty pricey and spoil quickly. Also, a few years back I read something that said they have high bacteria levels because it's hard for packagers to clean them thoroughly. A very healthy friend of my mother's suggested I try sprouting with one of these bags, but I was a bit intimidated by the various sprouting "systems" and worried about finding a place to hang/drain the bags.  I have a very small kitchen, after all.

Then I saw this post on one of my favorite blogs, Honest Fare, and I was encouraged to try sprouting on my own using mason jars. Gabrielle's instructions couldn't have been easier, and I followed them to the letter. After soaking the lentils over night and rinsing them well, I filled each jar about 1/3 of the way full of the beans, making sure there wasn't too much water left so they wouldn't get funky. Then I covered the jars with cheese cloth and a tight rubber band and set them on my windowsill. By the next morning I started to see the first signs that the lentils were sprouting. It was like a science experiment, and would be a fun activity to do with a child as it could really get kids excited about eating these strange little, nutty worms! Each morning and night, I rinsed the jars with clean water several times, letting the water drain out completely before I placed them back in my window. And that was it!

I just ate a delicious salad of arugula, sprouts, red pepper, quinoa, green onion and avocado, served with Gwyneth Paltrow's delicious "Standby Vinaigrette" from her new cookbook. If I could digress for a moment, I highly recommend you buy or at least flip through this lovely book. Say what you will about Gwyneth, after reading this cookbook, which is equal parts a memoir, it's impossible to deny that she is a creative, talented, and down-to-earth woman. She's also quite funny and I think would make an entertaining dining companion. A shout-out to my big sis for presenting this cookbook to me on my birthday last week!

Have you ever tried sprouting at home? Am I really late to the party here? Later today I'm bringing the smaller jar of sprouts to someone who I know will appreciate them.. my mother!

bedside reading and cleaning shop

I'm off to Florida for a few days and have packed some books to help me stay on track with my eating during my trip. While my parents' kitchen there is fully equipped to cater to a full dinner party, we typically eat out, and I've been known to partake in a poolside wine cocktail or two (in a shatterproof glass, of course).

I've been following the guidelines in Kris Carr's Crazy Sexy Diet for a couple of weeks now, but just got over a surprise three-day bender that has left me feeling puffy and tired. If you've never heard of Kris Carr, just check out her YouTube channel. Her positive spirit literally jumps out and slaps you in the face, and that's saying a lot coming from someone who was given an incurable cancer diagnosis seven years ago. To give you an idea for Kris' disposition, she sometimes spells it canSer, just to poke fun at it. And how cute is her pink hair? The general idea of the Crazy Sexy Diet is to eat more fresh vegetables and other healthful foods as close to their natural states as possible, all while eliminating (or eating very little of) animal products - this includes dairy and fish -, caffeine, alcohol, sugar and gluten. Pretty simple.

What I like about Kris, and particularly her book, is that she doesn't expect anyone to be perfect. Instead, she just recommends that you "lean into" this lifestyle. Try to eat 50% more of the good stuff, even 40%, or 30%. You'll feel better, sleep better, look better, and your body will thank you for helping to reduce inflammation and the toxins flowing through your system. I don't know how far I'll take the Crazy Sexy lifestyle, but if the timing is right sometime this spring I am going to try to do the CSD 21 day adventure cleanse.

The Crazy Sexy Diet also inspired me to invest in a juicer, which I've been having a lot of fun with. I plan to share a few of my successes and (many) failures with this new appliance soon.

My second book is Jonathan Safran Foer's Eating Animals. I've only made my way through the first chapter but I'm already hooked. I'm a fan of his fiction writing, but since this book is a memoir, the family anecdotes he tells really add a special, personal tone. I can't wait to dig into this on the plane.

Have a healthy Tuesday!