You Are What You Eat

In recent cooking demonstrations, magazines and newspapers articles... I've noticed a huge push to really make people understand the importance of eating healthy and the direct impact on their health, and the environment.

One night during practice, my yoga instructor told us to "Remove the factory between you and your food." I guess you could say that I've been fortunate that my body rejects the chemical-ly food I try to put into it. I've sat on the floors of bathrooms, and have woken up in ill sweat in the middle of the night more times than I can count after drinking sodas sweetened with aspartame, sweet popcorn sweetened with sucralose, Bits and Bites and Cup O'Soup with ingredients you can't pronounce... the list is long. I say 'fortunate', as after having to deal with the effects of eating garbage (which is what it really is) it has made me think twice as to what I put in my mouth.

Last night, I was flipping through the January 2010 issue of the Martha Stewart magazine. There was a small book review for a new book: Food Rules by Michael Pollan... "If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don't." It's a how-to manual for weaning oneself off the Western diet of processed foods, meat, sugar, fat. I made note of it, and continued with my magazine reading. I had an article to finish in October 2010 Vogue: Force of Nature, about a doctor who discovered the world's healthiest diets, and wrote a book about the therapeutic power of food, and how she prescribes recipes for such ailments as the common cold and depression. In the article it mentioned "Michael Pollan-ized foodies'! I had not heard about Michael Pollan before, and now twice in five minutes on two random magazines! Coincidence?

I've learnt so much about healthy eating, and how we have the power to control what we eat in order to feel good. All we need to remember is how the food made us feel after we ate it. There's the sick (not to mention guilty) feeling you have after consuming a bag of chips. Then there's the satisfying contentment in your belly after eating a yummy, nutritious meal. Maybe remembering this will help us all adopt a healthy eating lifestyle.

Michael Pollan - books
Dr. Daphne Miller

Orange Mood Board

Grey would tie in with the orange chairs and bring a modern feel to the space.

Loving the retro orange scales for the kitchen!

A wooden kitchen table to go with the chairs.

Not a fan of bookcases, his recipe book collection could be stacked on the floor.

The inspiration: orange Eames-style chairs my brother found on the side of the road in his hometown of Sydney. The seats are intact, but the legs need to be soda-blasted to rejuvenate them. He had been talking to me about decorating his new place... but he's an ocean away, so I can't physically be there to assist him with the furnishings. However, based on what he told me about his new place, I found myself coming up with some ideas... so here is a mood board for him!

A Novel Idea

Paper Mobile

Create graphic appeal from the pages of old books. Outdated novels are repurposed to create this mobile. Raid bookshelves at home, second hand stores and garage sales for materials. Cut out a square of of cardboard for the base of the mobile. Cover the cardboard underneath with a sheet of old paper lettering. Cut out pieces of cotton in the same length for the strands of the mobile. After cutting circles in various sizes out of the pages, thread the strands of cotton through the circles and attach to the cardboard base. Attach a hook to the top side of the cardboard and with a string, pin it to the ceiling. Perfect for a place in your house that is looking bare.

From Real Living (Australia) magazine

Attic: Tear Sheets

Attics conjure up romantic images; ballgowns stored in old trunks, old treasures waiting to be rediscovered, somewhere to hide with a good book and an afternoon nap. The realities of modern life are such that space is at a premium, and who has the luxury of time to escape with a good book and a snooze.

A friend acquired ancient attic space with the recent purchase of a heritage home. The space sits unused, never finished. Yet, with limited room in an older home, it seems a waste to let it sit there. The brief for this attic room is: guest room, storage space and yes, a place where the owner can sit and read a book on a free, rainy afternoon.

I've been acquiring tear sheets and ideas for this space. I love the idea of the open rafters painted white - though living in a cold climate such as BC, this idea may be nixed in favor of insulating and drywalling the ceiling. Espresso bamboo flooring provides a nice anchor for the room. A queen size bed would fit in the center of the room. Low, built-in cabinetry along the side walls would accommodate storage, and the top could be used by guests as a place to put laptops, small bags and other items. Chairs would provide a double use as night stands and somewhere to sit while working on a laptop. An armoir in the corner would provide additional storage. And if there's still space... a comfy chair for reading in...

Cherry Tomato Standby

We all have a 'go-to' dish when we can't/don't want to think about dinner. My Cherry Tomato Pasta comes from Donna Hay Off the Shelf... which in itself is a great 'go-to' cookbook when you can't/don't want to think about dinner.

400g rigatoni or penne

60g butter

2 gloves garlic, sliced

350g cherry tomatoes

Handful of basil

Balsamic vinegar

Cook pasta till al dente, then drain.

Melt butter in fry pan over medium heat. Add garlic and cherry tomatoes and cook, stirring, for 8 minutes or until tomatoes are soft and golden. Add a handful of chopped basil and toss through the hot pasta. Sprinkle with balsamic vinegar, pepper, sea salt and grated Parmesan.

See! Easy peasy, no brain required... and it's sooo yummy.

Variation 1: I'm not always in the mood for balsamic vinegar, so I'll just add extra butter. If you chop the tomatoes in two at the end of their cooking, and add the butter, you'll get a nice little sauce to toss with your pasta. Add Parmesan and sea salt on top and yum!

Variation 2: You can use larger tomatoes in this dish as well... just chop them into large chunks to start, and follow recipe as you wish.

The other thing nice thing about this dish is that you can just wing it for one person or five. Get a feel for your ingredients and give it a go!