Health – Page 2 – The Creative Salad

Diversifying Our Cookbook Collection

Being a vegetarian for over two decades means I have amassed a fantastic vegetarian cookbook collection:

The downside to this is that we own very few cookbooks that actually contain meat recipes.

That’s been okay until now though because I have a confession to make: I may have been eating meat over the past two months, but I haven’t actually cooked any meat yet. Two close friends have made me bone broth that I’ve incorporated into recipes, but other than that I’ve been eating out every other day or so to get my meat ration.

So I figure it’s high time to get my elbows dirty and cook meat. To do that, I feel the need to invest in some scrumptious meat-heavy cookbooks for inspiration in the kitchen. I’ve checked some great ones out of the library and plan to slowly buy some for us to own from our local used bookstore.

I need your help. What are your favorite cookbooks that I need to check out?

In the meantime, here are some recipes I want to try:

Pasta and Easy Italian Meat Sauce from Everyday Food: Great Food Fast by Martha Stewart Living Magazine and

Venetian Lasagne from Nigella Kitchen: Recipes from the Heart of the Home by Nigella Lawson (love her! I’ve so been enjoying this latest book).

Now the question remains, will I have the guts to cook meat or will I cry all over the dish?! We shall see.

Oh, the Energy! Yeah, I’m Eating Meat Now.

If you had told me a year ago that I would be eating meat, I would have laughed in your face. I’ve been a vegetarian for almost all of my life. My husband and I met because we were vegetarians (thrust together at one end of the table at Thanksgiving dinner nine years ago).

Yet here we are, hoping to stay pregnant (when we start trying again in the future!), and so after decades of vegetarianism, I’m eating meat. Not just any meat, but red meat.

Frequently.

Lamb kabobs,
lentil soup with bone broth,
french onion soup,
lamb patties,
turkey sausage…

The list goes on.

I don’t particularly like its taste yet, but my body evidently adores when I consume it: within hours of eating meat, I feel incredible! (Dammit!)

I have energy! Stamina!
I become oh-so productive!

Who needs caffeine?! I’m eating meat!

I find it truly astonishing, and makes me think I will probably be an omnivore for the rest of my life.

My sister just texted me, “I want to officially welcome you to the dark side!” Oh, geez. I’m no longer a vegetarian… but I feel great!

Easy Sore Throat Tea Recipe

Have a sore throat? Then this remedy (from my good friend Alissa) is for you:

Add the juice of one lemon, a sprinkle of Cayenne (not so much that you can’t drink it!), and one tablespoon of honey to two cups of hot water.

That’s it! Drink and enjoy.

I know it sounds crazy: how can a simple drink make such a difference?!
Well, let me tell you, it works for me!

Quite frankly, I’m relieved. I have a birthday to celebrate this weekend and I want to enjoy myself. Sore throat, be gone!

I have to eat WHAT to stay pregnant?!

I’ve written before about our struggle to stay pregnant and I thought I would share with you the latest chapter in our fertility journey.

Above photo: Dinner: beef, salad, farro, potatoes by Sarah Gilbert

I’m seeing an acupuncturist who specializes in fertility. I think she’s rather brilliant and knowledgeable and — I mean this in the best possible way — very, very Sonoma County (for example, the clinic bathroom has a composting toilet — our daughter was enthralled!).

On our first meeting we discussed my health history and she threw me a curve ball: she really wants me to eat red meat. Not chicken or turkey, but RED MEAT! I haven’t eaten red meat in at least twenty five years. In fact I have no memory of ever having eaten red meat, although perhaps my parents will remember better and post about it in the comments. (Mom, I remember you cooking meatballs; did I ever eat one?!)

Even though I may not remember what red meat tastes like, I know that I really don’t want to eat it.

For the majority of my life I’ve been a pescatarian (a vegetarian who also eats fish) who only started eating seafood to get more protein into my diet. If I could live without dairy, I would be a vegan. With the exception of a bowl of chicken soup at sleep-away camp and a bite of roast beef in college, I haven’t eaten meat since elementary school.

That being said, I’ll do just about anything to stay pregnant. After all, transitioning from a vegetarian to omnivore diet and seeing an acupuncturist helped one of my closest friends become pregnant. It might really help!

Plus, doesn’t Sarah Gilbert’s photo, above, make meat-eating look delicious and healthy?!

And so I’m trying to acclimate myself to the idea of cooking with beef broth…

Never mind that the rest of the family are pescatarians and are, therefore, going to be eating something different.

Stay tuned!

Looking back on 2011

2011 had it’s ups and downs, though perhaps not in ways that one might expect.

In all honesty, spraining my ankle and not having been able to run for the past six months has been much more devastating to me than my inability to stay pregnant.

Those daily runs have been my solace over the past few years. A moment of quiet time to focus my mind and have time to myself. In the meantime I’ve tried to make do with frequent walks listening to books on tape, but it’s not the same. I miss those runs.

David too has been plagued with injuries this year. His back sprain over the past few months have kept him from progressing in his yoga practice as he tries to strengthen and heal his back. (That being said, his yoga practice is phenomenal and he was recently called “a pillar of the [local ashtanga yoga] community.”)

Our health issues aside, I do believe that 2011 has been one of my very favorite years ever. We have a wonderful group of friends here and truly love where we live. After toying with the idea of pursuing a life elseware, both David and I arrived at the same conclusion: We’re not going anywhere. Sonoma County is home and neither of us can imagine living anywhere else.

While every year with David has truly been wonderful, this year I feel like we’ve really hit our stride. We’ve watched our respect and love for each other continue to grow, and after nine years together I awed by our love for each other. I could never have imagined loving anyone so fully. I feel very, very blessed.

Our daughter is such a joy. The craziness of three and a half definitely threw us for a loop (I could pull my hair out just thinking about it!), but we’ve hit our stride and love every day together. She forces us to grow on a seemingly daily basis and for that I am truly grateful.

David and I both thrive in this ever changing, constantly challenging yet incredibly rewarding environment. Thankfully life is never boring around here.

People ask what we’re busy doing and I always have to pause before I explain: life! Between the cooking, cleaning, homeschooling, lessons and playdates, we don’t have a free moment. My to-do list is pages long. The sink is full of dishes. Laundry is overflowing everywhere. Our life is full. A beautiful, crazy mess, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

May 2012 be as wonderful.