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Living with HOPE radio show: Become Empowered to Affect Your Own Health

September 19, 2011

Last week I was interviewed on Trudy Thomas’ radio show, “Living with HOPE,” on the Body Mind & Spirit network. Trudy focuses on issues facing the chronically ill and how they can face them with hope rather than despair. We discussed how I faced my own health challenges by focusing on diet and nutrition, and how I now work with others to empower them to improve their health and their lives with things they can control, like what goes into their mouths.

Listen to internet radio with BodyMindSpiritNtwrk on Blog Talk Radio

Is it safe to thaw meat on the counter?

September 14, 2011

Reader question: Is it safe to thaw meat on the counter?

While one of the great things about Glorious One-Pot Meals is that they accept frozen meats — without thawing — and it doesn’t change the cooking time. how to thaw raw meat safely

But, of course, there are times when you want to thaw meat before cooking it. I looked to an organization I have followed for almost a decade, STOP Foodborne Illness, for the definitive word on thawing safety. Here’s what they have to say about thawing meat safely:

The refrigerator is the safest place to that meat and poultry because it keeps meat out of the temperature danger zone. This zone, between 40°F and 140°F, creates the perfect environment for bacteria to multiply quickly. That is why we want to keep meat out of this zone whenever possible. If you need to thaw meat quickly, defrost it in the microwave and then cook it immediately. NEVER thaw meat on the counter. It increases the risk of cross-contamination, and puts meat in that danger zone in which bacteria multiplies.

*In the interests of full disclosure, I first met STOP Foodborne Illness after I was infected with listeria during my pregnancy in 2002 and it was reported in the Rocky Mountain News.

Staying Safe from Foodborne Pathogens

September 13, 2011

A recent spate of listeria cases have been linked to cantaloupes in Colorado. A few months ago, there was a surge of salmonella infections traced to contaminated eggs. Not to mention the e.coli tracked to contaminated sprouts and leafy greens. It’s almost enough to make you throw up your hands and wonder if anything is safe to eat anymore.

Almost.

The first thing I want to point out is that none of these were linked to organic produce or organic eggs. Because conventional farming methods allow higher yields per acre or per animal, there is more opportunity for disease to take root and spread. Just one of the benefits of choosing organic.

Regardless of whether you go organic or not, there are common sense precautions you can use to protect you and your family from foodborne pathogens when working with fresh produce or eggs.

First and foremost, wash everything before you cut into it, and wash it well. As I’ve noted, I like to use a veggie wash to help loosen any dirt, pesticides, waxy residues, etc. that might help germs stick to the produce. I have a scrubber brush that is reserved just for this purpose, and I will scrub the fruit or vegetable with the veggie wash and rinse well. Simply washing your cantaloupe before cutting into the rind can protect you from the current listeria outbreak.

Secondly, cut away any damaged or bruised parts of the fruit and discard. This may seem intuitive, but it requires a little more care as you are prepping produce, and can be easily overlooked. Broken skin on a peach, for example, can provide an entry point for bacteria, so just cut that chunk out; the rest of the peach will usually be fine.

Third, practice good kitchen hygiene when working with eggs, or any meats, for that matter. It’s not a bad idea to wash the eggs before you crack them if you have a tendency to lose shards of shell. Regardless, you should wash your hands with soap after handling eggs, before handling any kitchen tools or touching raw produce. Fully cooking eggs until the yolk and white are firm (160 degrees F) kills bacteria and other germs, making for safer foods.

STOP Foodborne Illness is a food safety activism group that monitors national outbreaks of foodborne pathogens. Sign up for their e-newsletter to receive on-the-spot alerts.

Sweet and spicy roasted kabocha squash

September 9, 2011

After 9 years in her house, a crop of squash plants mysteriously appeared in my stepmother’s front yard this summer. My brother very kindly brought over 3 large ones to my house recently, and left me wondering what to do with them.

A quick internet search found an interesting recipe for a sweet and spicy preparation — it was delicious! I was nervous that my husband would find it too sweet (we don’t normally eat sweetened squash — unusual for Americans, I know!), but he felt the sweet was balanced by the fire from the chile powder. The kids loved it too, though next time I will need to go a little lighter on the chile powder for my 6-year old.

I thought it was best mixed together in a kind of pilaf with wild rice and steamed kale — yum! — but the kids preferred to eat each item separately.

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Sweet and spicy roasted kabocha squash

1/2 small to medium sized kabocha squash
1 Tbs. soy sauce
2 Tbs. toasted sesame oil3 Tbs. light brown, natural cane, or muscovado sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cayenne pepper or ground chipolte pepper (I used chipolte)
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg (I think freshly grated nutmeg using a microplaner is amazing with squash!)
1/4 tsp. sea salt

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

De-seed and cut the squash into large cubes.

In a glass baking dish, stir together the soy sauce and sesame oil, coating the bottom and sides. Add in the rest of the spices and blend. Add the squash cubes and toss to coat thoroughly.

Bake for about 15 minutes, stir and toss to recoat the cubes, then continue baking for about 15 minutes or until the squash cubes are tender and fragrant. Serve hot or at room temp.

Super Baby Food Makes Feeding Toddlers Easy

September 7, 2011

A question posed on my neighborhood list serve about feeding toddlers caught my eye.

Hello moms,
I am looking for a book that discusses eating, behavior, learning (everything) on raising a 12 m growing boy.

This is the fourth time I had heard this question in as many weeks, so I thought that my reply might be worthy of a blog post.

My favorite book about what to feed toddlers is Ruth Yaron’s “Super Baby Food“.

It was my go-to bible for many years and I still use it as a reference source even though my kids now eat just about anything adults eat. She has great suggestions and recipes for everything from baby food purees to healthy finger foods and snacks.

One of the things I found most helpful in this book was the schedule for introducing babies to new foods. Even if she doesn’t inspire you to prepare your own wholesome baby food, you’ll get great ideas for making healthy and nutritious toddler foods.

Living with HOPE radio show: Become Empowered to Affect Your Own Health

Is it safe to thaw meat on the counter?

Staying Safe from Foodborne Pathogens

Sweet and spicy roasted kabocha squash

Super Baby Food Makes Feeding Toddlers Easy

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