Fresh Tomato Recipe

Since we are all about healthy food here, I think food in its natural state is just as beautiful (and delicious looking) as that when cooked and prepared.  Here's a shot of what came out of our organic garden!!  Handpicked and those tomatoes were a result of us watering and watering (no small feat).

Totally organic yellow squash, red tomatoes, small yellow tomatoes, red and orange peppers, green chives and green beans.  No pesticides, no GMO, just pure flavor and nutrition.  Vine-ripened tomatoes just cannot be compared to grocery store tomatoes that are "artificially" ripened by ethylene gas.  Organic, vine-ripened tomatoes have much more body when it comes to taste.

Tomatoes are technically a fruit and are an excellent source of Vitamin C.  Note that a tomato grown in a hothouse has half the Vitamin C content as a vine-ripened tomato.  Tomatoes when cooked with oil, are rich in carotenoid lycopene, which in studies has led to a significant reduction in prostate cancer (take this advice to the stomach, fellas!).  Lycopene in tomatoes is also linked to protecting against lung and stomach cancers.

Haven't tried this recipe, but it sounds about right (should be good).  I sometimes add mushrooms for even more flavor.  A Williams-Sonoma recipe for Fresh Tomato sauce.

Fresh Tomato Sauce

Use the freshest vine-ripened tomatoes you can find to prepare this simple sauce.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 lb. ripe plum tomatoes
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbs. minced fresh oregano
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 2 Tbs. minced fresh basil

Directions:

Place the tomatoes in a tomato press or food mill set over a bowl and pass them through the press or mill. Repeat as needed until all the large pieces of tomatoes are crushed. Set aside.

In a sauté pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the oregano and stir to combine. Stir in the crushed tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, until the sauce is thickened, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the basil and cook for 1 minute. Makes about 3 cups.

Williams-Sonoma Kitchen.

Source: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/ and 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth by Jonny Bowden
A picture of one of our tomato plants: Garden Bounty

Connecting the Dots

As most people know, Steve Jobs, chief executive of Apple Inc., resigned this week.  Given his long battle with his health, it was an expected event at some point.  With the recency, I thought I would talk about him and some things he has shared in the past.

I have followed Jobs' life in the newspapers over the years, but I still remember that first time I read the transcript for his commencement address at Stanford in 2005.  No viral video at the time because YouTube hadn't come into official existence quite yet, and viral video really only existed via emails (wasn't that like SO long ago?!).

Btw, YouTube officially debuted in November 2005, and grew like a weed the summer of 2006.  It's crazy how time flies and how technology proliferates!

I distinctly remember (in detail) the time I read his commencement.  I was living in Ohio at the time, I had printed out a copy of the transcript at the office and brought it home that evening to read, sitting at my fake wood veneer IKEA desk in a totally uncomfortable dining chair (also from IKEA), and was just struck while reading about Jobs' life.

One message that stuck with me was: You can't connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect the dots of life looking backward, so you have to trust that your dots will connect in the future.  I remember I started to ball after reading that sentence, and just couldn't stop crying.  In 2005, I was uncertain of my future.  I was applying to business school but things weren't working out the way that I wanted.  I felt so much anxiety but also felt disappointment with many other parts of my life. 

The other point that really struck me was that Jobs was talking about how to connect the dots from a perspective of real life experiences of failure, rejection and disappointment.  Yes, he had started Apple and it grew to a multi-billion corporation, but he also had experienced lowest of the lows as early as rejection at birth (adopted child from an unwed mother), dropping out of college, getting fired by the very company he created, and facing death with the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.  These were heavy events; the odds seemed against him.  And in spite of all that, he didn't give up; he showed tenacity.  This made a very deep impression on me.

Today, that perseverance makes an even greater impact on me as I face an uncertain future.  But no matter what we face in life, we should live each day believing in something (as Jobs suggests).  Mine, more and more, is in Jesus.  But whatever it is for you, we all need faith that what we do today will have value in the future, even though we can't see or know at the current time.  Times in life are a window, and they will all pass.  Death is one of those few certainties in life, so don't delay to make today count.  We should live life with more love and with more purpose.  No regrets.  

Steve Jobs' Stanford Commencement Speech 2005

Source: Stanford Commencement Speech 2005

Garden Bounty

Last night, I couldn't sleep because I realized that I am really happy.  I had a knee injury almost two years ago, and am still in recovery and all, but I sense a new place in life.  I feel so healthy these days, relish the food I eat, and learn from one of the greatest pleasures that God gives us from the earth, the garden.

An organic garden and healthy food are synonymous, as I see it, and I have such a great privilege of tasting the fruitful yield of hard labor (many times, not of my own.*boy am I spoiled*). 

For one, I really believe that most of us don't understand just how hard it is to grow food.  For instance, we'll take the tomato for our point of discussion.  This year, we tried growing more than 12 tomato plants.  Throughout the summer, the tomatoes got increasingly annoying.  We watered so much, took note to avoid watering the leaves (otherwise you can kill the plant), and tried all sorts of ways to 'save' the plants.  For most of the summer they looked like they were going to die, and many did.  All in all, thankfully, we had a few plants that survived (keep in mind that when you grow a plant, if it dies, you basically end up with nothing, this is why gardeners don't call it quits so easily).  Here's a picture of our prized possession.

And of course, with no delay, we took a few of those brightly ripened sweet tomatoes along with the basil and yellow squash that is also from our garden, and I made a delectable tomato based sauce with chicken.  The flavor in this dish totally surprised me.  The sweetness of organically grown tomatoes REALLY came out and the garlic and other herbs added so much body to the sauce.  [Isn't this what they eat in Italy on a daily basis?  Man, I need to go back.]  Spooned this sauce over a bed of noodles because we were out of pasta (obviously, I am not Italian). 

I wish I could give you a spoonful of this over the internet, the organic vegetables and ingredients were really so good.  Healthy and nutritious.  That's the way life should be.

"I look upon the pleasure we take in a garden as one of the most innocent delights in human life." –Cicero

Foods for Shiny (& Perhaps Less Brittle) Hair

Looking for the "how to" on shiny hair?  Hair care products may provide some temporary help, but I am finding out there that diet has more to do with getting long term natural shine than any hair care "product," which may only give you a temporary, quick fix shine.  For long term shine (that's real) it is an ever giving result of a healthy body.  Of course, different hair types and amount of oil secretion differ person to person, but eating certain foods may maximize or at least improve your shine.  (Not sure whether this information would help one grow more hair (for the curious men out there)??  But at least this post should help you prevent your hair from getting brittle and weak if it is not genetic). 
 
Here are a few foods that help make your hair more shiny:

1) Eggs.  I love eggs, and have been eating them more and more over the last couple of years. The yolk is extremely nutritious to the body.  For one, it consists a great deal of choline, which actually prevents the accumulation of cholesterol and fat in the liver.  When it comes to hair, vitamin B12 and protein in eggs penetrate into the root and hair follicles to repair and nourish hair.  Eggs also contain biotin, which is really good for skin and hair.  Consider the egg to be one of your top beauty agents found in nature.

2) Citrus. Foods that are super high in vitamin C like citrus fruits, oranges, lemons, pomegranetes (oh yum!) are great for your hair because the rich vitamin C content is used in the formation of collagen. Vitamin C foods, have been known to protect hair from free radicals that may damage hair, causing it to become brittle and weak. The University of Maryland Medical Center reports that vitamin C can be used to help treat and prevent hair disorders such as alopecia. They say that low intake of vitamin C in a person's diet may lead to splitting or dry hair related conditions.  Yikes!  Vitamin C it is! 

3) Seafood.  Natural oils are very beneficial for shiny hair, especially the ones found in fish, shellfish, and other seafood. Salmon and tuna are rich in natural oils that are not only amazing for your hair but also work to rejuvenate skin.  Seafood is naturally high in protein and vitamin B, which are both important to nourishing the hair.

4) Legumes.  Beans and nuts are hearty, rich in flavor, and provide many benefits to your hair and scalp.  Foods like peanuts, kidney beans, chick peas, and other similar foods are also full of natural oils.  Natural oils moisturize your hair and scalp.  Why not ditch the harsh chemical products that could have long term detrimental effects on your body and your skin, and go the natural food way?!

Stay away from foods that contain a lot of fat and sugars. 

Other related posts: Ode to Mr. Strong and Eggs, Pumping Iron with Mollusks

Source: www.associatedcontent.com, www.livestrong.com

Marriage Advice

Earlier this summer, I went to a casual talk and heard some really great advice on life, and in particular, about marriage and what to consider when choosing a life partner.  I think the advice is as sobering for those who are already married, since marriage has so many facets, phases, and challenges. I sat there, feeling like I was drinking out of a fire hose.  The talk was also beyond just marriage, and journeyed through a man's life from when he was a boy to where he is today.  I have the link for the video below.  For those who want a preview, I wrote out a few points below (primarily on the marriage advice part)...

• Insight: you can fall in love with someone whom you should NOT marry.
• Don’t ever marry someone on a promise for what they are going to change.  Going to be a better person, become a hard worker, not be lazy. They need to be successfully dealing with it today.  
• Look for a zeal in life.  Their outlook in life will greatly impact you and your future with that person.  If a man or woman is not actively improving whatever area - providing for a living, taking care of immediate family, etc. - it probably won't be that way in the future.  Don’t marry on the promise.  [However, I would conjecture that this is separate from marrying someone because you see potential, such as you think his character will make him great or something happens that sets her back, but she is facing and dealing with it].
• If you are in a relationship because you don’t think you can do better or "reason" yourself through why you should be with the person rather than why you can’t live without the person, then you are probably in the wrong relationship.
• Know yourself in order to deal with the brokenness in your family and in your potential someone’s family.  If you don’t know yourself and (or can't accept) where you came from, your background, your upbringing and parents, then you won't be able to deal with the brokenness of the other person.

These are only tidbits; the vimeo video link is below.  The speaker is Pastor Erwin Lutzer from Moody Church in Chicago, IL.

The Life Story of Pastor Erwin Lutzer

Working the Room

Boy oh boy, I was just perusing my blog posts over the last few months and I have written NOTHING on relationships.  I have had requests (love you guys!), but finding it difficult to write or get to a point that makes sense, so have been putting this off.  However, now, I think it is time to put something out there on relationships! 

Last night I went out with a couple of friends to a happy hour.  We walk in late (what else is new), scan the room, and see if anybody looks interesting enough to stay for the event (don't laugh, I bet you have done the same).  You see a few people wrapped up in conversations.  Some people at the bar are trying to look the part.  Others are huddled with their buddies because talking to strangers can be overly unnerving. 

So, wouldn't it be interesting to know just how the girls work the room as it compares to how the guys work their way around?  And, by the end of the evening, who reaches their goals, and how did they measure their success?  I think if both sexes can figure this out, couples would be coming out of the woodwork! (haha, if only it were that simple).

As the girl, it depends on how ambitious I feel that night.  It may be easier to just hang with my girlfriends, but it makes it difficult to meet new guys, especially if the guys are a bit shy.  I think for both male and female, it's all about getting into conversations or knowing someone there so you have an easier opportunity to.  After you start having some trouble getting into conversations, you go back to your girlfriends as home base.  I think the same strategy works for the guys, more or less.  But this time I had no girlfriends as backups since my friends were guys, and therein, is where I think the silver bullet lies. 

If girls walk in to the event with guys, the only drawback is that the people in the room might think this threesome or foursome are taken, but once you go off and try to talk with various people, the benefit really kicks in.  If you are a girl, and want to crack into a group of standing guys, your guy friend will make a natural introduction, and when your guy friend wants to meet that group of cute girls, you can create a natural segway to introduce him.

And what about achieving one's goals?  That is all determinant on personal preference.  But from what I gather, guys do pretty well if he gets her phone number (one friend was successful last night!).  And, I think for girls, if you meet an attractive guy, it's pretty good if you gave your phone number or got his.  [We'll keep this post rated PG].  But, I think for most, having the option to get in touch again through exchanging contact information means that at least there is the possibility of seeing each other again. 

And, the rest may or may not be history.