There is more, of course, to my mom than what I posted last week, so I ask for your forbearance as I continue to share our stories. This is my way of preserving her legacy and keeping her nearby as we (by which I mean my “immediate extended family,” as my sister put it) figure out how to move forward on our own. Today’s post is the story of what I think may have been the best gift my mother ever received. Continue reading
Author Archives: Dr. Sukol
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Mom’s Rules plus A Sweet Little Recipe
In memory of my mother, my teacher, I am thinking about some bits of wisdom that I learned very early on. The values for which she stood were simple and elegant, and I carry them forever. Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Greek Lentil and White Bean Soup with Gremolata
This recipe comes to us courtesy of Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, which has all kinds of great nutrition information for doctors, medical students, scientists, and everyone else who is interested in learning to cook great food with lots of flavor! This recipe caught my eye because I love gremolata! It’s guaranteed to give this soup tons of deliciousness. Continue reading
Momentary Mindfulness
I think that it would be nice this week to share some examples of mindfulness. Goodness knows we can always use more of it.
Some of the examples from the list below are mine, some are from friends, especially this one, some come from my co-workers, and some are from members of my own family. One contribution is a gift from our beloved 12-year-old chocolate labrador retriever (may her memory be a blessing), though truthfully it was more of a demonstration. Continue reading
Reversing Winter Insulation in the Springtime
A while back, I received a timely message from a reader: “With the weather warming I am digging out summer clothes and finding that some things are a bit “snug.” My diet is healthy and I run several times a week, but I would love to shed a few pounds around my waist. If my diet is already good, what would you suggest to take a few pounds off?”
Let’s look at this request from a seasonal standpoint. Continue reading
Commodity-based Eating
A few years ago, Michael Ruhlman shared with me a copy of a truly original and captivating book written by Chef Dan Barber and called The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food. You may have heard of him; in 2009, Time Magazine named Dan Barber one of the 100 most influential people in the world. It took me a long time to get that through book, primarily because it made me think so hard that I could only read a chapter at a time before I had to set it aside and think about what the author had just said. Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Quinoa-Pistachio Salad
Thank goodness for quinoa, for pistachios, for Bon Appetit (Jan 2013), and Mark Bittman. If you are looking for a recipe to make for dinner with plenty of leftovers to take to work for lunch, then you have come to the right place. If you would like to make enough for a large group, this recipe doubles nicely. You should also feel free to add more parsley and/or mint if the kitchen spirits move you to do so. Continue reading
Breakfasts That Stick to Your Ribs
This week I’m going to spend a minute talking about the typical American breakfast, namely toast, bagels, muffins, waffles, pancakes, breakfast cereal, biscuits, and bread, and then I’m going to talk about what else we can eat for breakfast. The typical American basically consists of just white flour and sugar. It’s all stripped carb. I put “cereal” in quotes because the word cereal really means grain (like oatmeal, millet, kasha, bulgur wheat), and not boxes of sweetened, dyed, highly processed products of limited nutritional value. Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Butternut Mulligatawny Soup
No matter what anyone says, spring is not around the corner. More like it’s around a blind curve. It’s 19 degrees, and as cold as winter gets. I can’t even contemplate eating cold food. This soup, with a blend of warm and aromatic spices, should work pretty nicely to warm you up from the inside out.
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Simple Lovely Lentil Soup
Partly because we were in the middle of a snowstorm, and partly because we were having lots of company for dinner last Friday evening, I decided that I wanted to come home from work to a lovely pot of soup to get things started.
But, as usual, I didn’t have a lot of time to get everything organized Friday morning, so I decided to see how simple I could make it and still end up with something worth sharing (and eating!). Basically the only work was chopping the potatoes and onion, which you could even get ready the night before, theoretically, if you wanted to get ready even faster. Here’s what I did: Continue reading