Authentic Health A Guide To A New You

This is the time for transitions.We're changing our diets, We're  changing  our easy , summer  days for weeks and weekends of non stop activity.It's a perfect time then for a better lifestyle. Can it be done? Yes, thanks to a new book.

Dr. Gus Vickery has written a new how to book, Authentic Health: The Definitive Guide (Morgan James Publishing 2019).Dr. Vickery, who is an MD with a family practice in Georgia, believes that it's self modification and will that can change a person's life - and diet.His ideas do resonate but I feel that he may be jumping on the latest diet fad - fasting.A normal fast, from night to breakfast is fine by extending it to lunch can be distracting and hurtful. Read this chapter with caution.Embrace the other recommendations and chapter. What is excellent about the book is Dr. Vickery is also a doctor which means he includes chapters on physiology. They help readers understand how the body works and how it sends messages, letting us know when we're on and off track health wise.Another excellent chapter is on sleep and getting the proper amount of it. This is the one to read,especially with the upcoming season and our addiction to our devices and late nights. Another must read is the one on getting out and actually playing - whether golf or just for a swim. Type A types may want to

Since this is a diet book, there are chapters devoted to what to eat. There are no recipes save for 
a smoothie recipe.Dr. Vickery  does have a list which is broken down into three categories.There are proteins, oils and  fats and oils.Recipes can be created by taking a protein like chicken then mixing it with kale and spinach.Use a fat like grass fed butter or ghee along with spices to cook with . The doctor prefers and strongly advised buying organic meats.Some dairy is allowed such as cream cheese, surprisingly , along with  whole fat Greek yogurt and milk. He also emphasizes the need for fiber and omega fatty 3s.Its not just for fish for the last. You can also sub in leafy green veggies too. There is the usual warnings against soda and alcohol. He does approve of tea and coffee because both can be ingested in moderation. Just stay away from sugar, use honey instead along with vanilla and cinnamon.Wheat is taboo but if you feel like having pasta occasionally do so.

Changing your habits for a better life is a great idea.Use Dr. Vickery's book to do so.  Authentic Health The Definitive Guide is your transformation  go to for a healthier diet and lifestyle.

Back With Caution

I'm  back and it comes with a caution. The blog was not on holiday.Thanks to a person's carelessness,I had a throat infection and cold, one of the very worst. Unfortunately, even though it's summer, we still need vitamins and all the produce we can eat.

Tomatoes are a must have if you're sick. One, they're loaded  with nutrients and two they're versatile. They're also light. A good tomato salad is easy to make. Just take a couple of vine ripes, slice and then cube. Put into a bowl with minced garlic, sea salt, fresh ground pepper and a good glug of extra virgin olive oil. Add fresh basil or oregano for more flavor and serve on slices of super crusty Italian bread. I like the fact that they can mix with eggs for a uovo e pomidori easy meal. For an easy meal with a lot of protein , stuff beef steaks or again vine ripes with a mix of tuna in water, and chopped celery. Nix the mayo. If you're sick, you're not going to want it anyway. Cauliflower and broccoli are also chock full of necessary Vitamin C. Try to get them riced. Stop & Shop has them mixed together. They are wonderful sub in's for traditional rice. Add some olive oil and lemon juice and you've got a great meal or side. Sliced carrots and peas can be tossed in for color and flavor.

Fresh fruit is important if you have a virulent summer cold. This is the time that you really crave ice, thanks to rough, sore throat and the nasty heat. What you can do cut up chunks of strawberries and peaches, add a bit of water (or even flavored water) and puree. This can be done by immersion blender or food processor. Pour the fruit into a slushie cup and  - voila - instant Italian ice. It's actually closest to the earliest versions of true Italian and Roman ice where real fruit purees were used. You can also pour the mixture into ice pop molds and have later as a dessert or snack. Another idea is layering fresh fruit in a creamless parfait. Stay away from any dairy when you have a summer cold. Ice cream and frozen yogurt unfortunately do produce phelgm. Try whipped frozen banana instead to sub in for any ice cream. Another sub in aquafaba meringue if you want to fool with making it.

A summer cold is pure hell. Eat right to keep it at bay. Use the produce of the season. It's your best medicine.


     o

Jamie Oliver article

Still on vacation but I have to tell you guys about the Jamie Oliver interview in today 's New York Times Food section.It was an interesting lunchtime read.

A Short Summer Break

Hey, the Pantry will be closed for a short summer break.It's time for me to enjoy the hot weather and cool ocean before pumpkin spice season kicks in.

Are Food Courts Still A Thing

Anyone who came of age in the Seventies and Eighties had to have hung out at a mall food court. It's where you could get a burger or taco, a scoop of ice cream or a slice of pizza. However with the dwindling amount of shopping centers in this country, are they still going strong?

Shopping malls were the center of everyone's universe, thanks to cars and credit cards.Friday and Saturday nights were the most visited.If you were lucky you lived in a county that allowed shopping on Sundays.One shared aspect of  all of them was the food court.this was either a circular or square area, either in the basement or roof top of the mall.They made eating convenient.There were no anchor store restaurants to deal with;they always had that stuffy, old lady vibe ,thanks to the - well - old ladies who dined there.The food court offered  exciting s menu options without being too costly.Food courts gave many their first taste of Japanese  or Mexican. Some may have had their first veggie burger or crepe after shopping for something.Then food court cuisine started to creep into our home menus. There were machines to make curly fries and recipes for smoothies.They even changed with the are  and the growing need for better and healthier fare.We all thought they were going to last forever.That was until big box stores like Target and Wal-Mart exploded on the American shopping .The computer age happened and it was hello to at home shopping goodbye to that trip to Macy's or Sears.

There are still malls out there,especially where I live in New Jersey.Many builders however opted for a fancier outdoor type of  center, reminiscent of the first shopping malls.There are the ubiquitous  Starbucks along some kind of heath conscious eatery.The food is always trendy, from fish tacos to acai bowls.There's a certain amount of what's call chi-chi.These eateries may offer respite after a few hours of shopping but there's not the small town feeling that food courts surprisingly had.The chains that were once part of mall life such as McDonald's and Sbarro's are now single standing buildings on highways.If a mall has a popular chain eatery, it's usually set off to the side as In And Out Burger at New Jersey's Bridgewater Commons and Tommy Bahama 's at the state's Woodbridge Mall.They don't have kids lingering about.It 's just going in for a $15 burger.There is some hope though for food courts. Crepes du Nord is now seen in several malls, sort from the food court.Burger King has updated it's menu to include the Beyond Burger while McDonalds has restyled itself to resemble a space age bistro with table service.

Malls may be losing in popularity  but they are reinventing themselves.Food courts are following too.They'll both be around, with a new updated look.

The Ban On Baking

Home bakers can make a pretty good side business , using their home kitchen as a commercial one, women - and men have launched whole empires by using their humble stoves and pans. Except if you're in New Jersey. The Garden State doesn't not want home food industries to grow.

This was an interesting subject in Wednesday's New York Times Food section. Amelia Nierenberg,  who usually writes for The Boston Globe wrote this informative piece. Many people  - from Famous Amos to Mrs Fields started in their homes. There were no regulations which allowed them freedom to thrive and grow. I'm sorry to say this is not happening here in New Jersey. The state has this rogue law that restricts home bakers like Heather Russinko from selling her elaborately decorated cake pops. It states that it's illegal to sell homemade foods for profit. Fines can go up to $1,000. What does Ms. Rossinko do about this? For one thing she can only donate her creations to bake sales or just simply give them away. This doesn't apply to just baked goods, it applies to everything from homemade meals to candy . The law is based on a 1906 sanitary code that used to be in all the states. However many of them got rid of the law yet home kitchens have to have occasional safety inspections along with having a cap on the amount of money made.

In the last decade nineteen states , including Washington D.C. have moved to allow home businesses. The industry is thriving, with sales reaching a whopping twenty billion this year alone. This is small comfort to New Jersey entrepreneurs wanting to grow their businesses. She and the New Jersey Home Bakers Association has been lobbying Trenton  for the right to sell home made goods. A bill that would have allowed this has passed three times in State Assembly. Yet State Senator Joe Vitale, the Chairman of Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee has never put it up for a vote? Why? There are much more important issues at stake. The Home Bakers association did get their revenge by suing the state health department saying the ban violates the equal protection clause in the New Jersey Constitution.They also enlisted an influential ally - the Institute for Justice a non profit libertarian public interest law firm out of Arlington, Virginia. The group has already started the National Food Freedom Initiative in 2013 to challenge laws related to food. Hopefully New Jersey will be like Wyoming and North Dakota and have food freedom acts. These allow home entrepreneurs to cook and bake foods without any restrictions whatsover.

Home bakers  will still have to wait for the restrictions. Hopefully their wait will be a short one and restrictions  will be  lifted. They have delicious food and an audience hungry for them.

Fruits of August

Summer might be winding down but August is still bursting with fruit. Take advantage of this when you go to your local farmer's markets or just to farms for an afternoon of picking. There are so many amazing dishes you can make with midsummer's bounty. Enjoy them.

Alison Roman is doing just this as she gave us some amazing recipes in yesterday's New York Times Food section. For those who don't want to deal with elaborate dessert recipes - don't sweat, literally. She provides four , simple and unfussy recipes that will  equally. please both the sweet tooth and fruit lover. There is the classic cobbler - the perfect dessert for a barbecue along with a blueberry (and yes you can still get them fresh) corn meal shortbread tart, frozen melon with crushed raspberry and lime and a summer pudding with blackberries and peaches. The cobbler and tart are easy bakes. The cobbler's topping is shortcake, enhanced with flavor from butter and whole cream. The filling is a salted apricot sweetened with honey.Flaky sea salt is scattered on top to counter balance the sweetness. Serve with vanilla ice cream, freshly whipped cream or cream fraiche. The blueberry tart is a cinch with a simple crust that's also put on top like coffee cake crumbs.The blueberry filling is just the berries mixed with apple cider vinegar or lemon juice and light brown sugar.

One recipe sure to be a summer favorite is frozen melon that's first pureed and then laced with lime juice for zing along with two tablespoons of granulated sugar. It's then transferred to a shallow baking dish. .Once frozen it's then scraped out granita style into bowls. It should look like fluffy pink bruschetta . Top each serving with raspberries, and using a spoon or fork , crush them into the ice.. Ms Roman adds sumac and sea salt. Instead of the sumac, try a mix of a basil mint pesto on top. The last recipe, a summer pudding is more of a trifle - or fruity tirami su. The base can either be a brioche loaf (easily found at any grocery store, pan de miel , honey bread or Pullman bread. It's then cooking first the peaches and then the blackberries along with preparing the cream. It's then layering the ingredients in a springform cake pan. First the bread, with no gaps in the base layer, followed by the cooked blackberries and their juices, followed by the peaches and theirs. A layer of whipped cream is spread on top of them and the process is repeated a second time. The pudding is then covered with Saran wrap, place a plate on top of that and  a medium weight can. You could add a sprinkle of peach schnappes or blackberry brandy to the juices for a boozy twist. Add granulated sugar and more berries for decoration.

Take advantage of August's bounties of fresh fruit. They're perfect in easy recipes that can end any barbecue. It's still summer, there's still produce. Go for it while they're still here.