Review: From Oil to Nuts

Today started off rainy and it ended rainy and then there was rain in between. It was one of those days in the Mid-Atlantic that made you wonder if you need to go into the back yard and start building a boat. On the bright side Sunday is reported to warm and sunny and that will be great after our cold rainy Saturday. Not to mention tomorrow is farmers’ market day. Woo hoo!

Dan and I decided early today to run a few errands and then go out to lunch. Knowing we were lunching out I skipped breakfast and had a few large glasses of water instead. Dan had his usual big bowl of oatmeal with berries and walnuts. There is some consistency in the universe.

I know that all of you have already guessed who was in charge of lunch. Yes it was Ian was there any doubt at all in your mind? We had not warned anyone at the restaurant that we were coming it meant that we needed to make up our own food. After all it isn’t a vegan place so it is the least we can do. ;-)

We asked that the antipasti platter be made vegan since it normally comes with meat and cheese. We love this platter it comes with chickpeas, artichokes, roasted red peppers, olives (my favorite …. shhh), house-made pickles, hot pickled peppers and garlic flat bread. Delicious and no one would miss the meat and cheese. Luckily for me Dan isn’t crazy about the peppers and olives which I love. We do have a symbiotic relationship as you can see!

Next we ordered the lentil mushroom soup since it was naturally vegan. Way to go Dani, thanks for vegan soup on the menu today!

Our last course was a whole wheat pizza topped with marinara, roasted veggies, more olives, and finished with fresh arugula. It was very good and I thoroughly enjoyed my slice and Dan had trouble finishing off the rest since we had a lot of food for lunch.

We washed the meal down with our usual tea blend of hibiscus, strawberry and green tea.

We took the second half of the marshmallows into the restaurant with us today. Since not everyone works weekdays and weekends we thought that by splitting up the marshmallow shipment more people would get some. I made sure Ian got some to take home to his kids. 

When we came home there were more mugs of green tea this time combined with rooibos and orange. While we sipped tea we listened to jazz and the rain. I decided to do a little on-line shopping and ended up buying concert tickets to: Ottmar Liebert, Peter White, Gerald Albright and Euge Groove. Can you tell we like instrumental jazz? We have been fans of Ottmar since the 80’s so that I very jazzed (pardon the bad pun) about that concert.

Dinner tonight was a big salad since we had a heavier than usual lunch. This salad included: mesclun, cucumbers, tomatoes, red pepper pepper, artichokes, marinated mushrooms and a lentil salad.

The lentil salad is one that I made variations of all the time. I don’t measure everything but I can give you a good idea of what I do. Start with 1 cup of green lentils and cook them until tender, then drain and dress with the zest and juice from 1 lemon and 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard. Add finely diced red onion (about ½ cup), finely minced walnuts (about ½ cup), 3 grated carrots, finely diced fresh parsley (about 1 cup) and black pepper to taste. This gets better as it sits in the refrigerator and the flavors marry.

Review: From Oil to Nuts

I finally got around to watching this DVD the second time so that I could review it for it. Before I tell you much about it I should say that I thought it was well done and definitely worth what it cost to purchase. I tried to find it on Netflix and at the library and it wasn’t available.

The DVD covers the following topics:

• Basics of Fat: Discussion of various forms of fat in organic chemistry terms. Jeff does a nice job of explaining hydrogenation and cis versus trans fats. There is also a nice chart showing the saturated, poly and mono composition of various oils. It still boggles my mind that coconut oil, palm kernel oil and palm oil all contain more saturated fat than lard.

• Interesterified Fat: This was the first time I had heard this term which is sad since these fats are already in the food supply. Ever wonder what modified palm oil, modified soybean oil or fully hydrogenated coconut oil was?  Well now we all know. *ugh*

• Essential Fatty Acids: the reason why we need Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids and the quantities of each that is required. According to the National Academy of Science we need much less than you expect. There is also a nice chart about the amount of omega-3 in various beans, nuts, veg and fruit. I also liked the chart of the ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 in nuts and seeds. The bottom line is that walnuts are still your friend.

• Mediterranean Diet: The reason why this was originally found to be healthy and how the diet tested is very different from what we have been told.

• Longest Lived People: A comparison of the standard diets of the US and Okinawa is given.  When you see them compared side by side is become very obvious why the average American is taking so many meds.

Overall it was a good DVD and one that I think most of you would learn from. The speaker goes into a good bit of detail but does it in an entertaining way that doesn’t make it feel like you have gone back to school. Even if you are like me and have spent a lot of time studying nutrition I think you will like this DVD. If nothing else it may help you to convince your loved ones to consume a healthier diet.  I am going to try to encourage my father to watch this DVD.  I will keep you posted on how that goes.  Wish me luck, I think I am going to need it.  LOL

Happy thoughts:

• In spite of the cold rain Saturday was a good day. Dan and I had a nice day together. We enjoyed spending time together and hanging out. We both enjoyed running errands and having lunch out with the gang at the restaurant.

• Seeing this beautiful tree in bloom reminded me that the cold April rain brings May flowers. I love how beautiful, lush and green this part of the country is in the spring.  Isn't the grass a beautiful vibrant green?

• Spending the late afternoon and early evening at home was the reason we are going to a few jazz concerts soon. Everything happens for a reason is my motto.  ;-)

• I picked up some good stuff at the library today that I am looking forward to getting into next week. As you all know I love to read and learn new things.

• The last few weeks have been very hectic and that made me appreciate our laid back Saturday even more.

• I am looking forward to the farmers’ market tomorrow. It is great to be back in market season. Personally I can’t wait to see what local produce awaits us tomorrow morning. ;-)

Signing out:

It is getting very late here and we need to get up early tomorrow for the farmers’ market. I hope you had a good Saturday. The weather here is supposed to be lovely tomorrow. Who knows we might even find time to get out in the garden if the ground isn’t too wet. Have a great evening; I will talk to you again tomorrow.