Recipe for Health and Happiness

So here it is. Eve of the first Thursday of a New Year. This is a time for new beginnings, fresh starts, for resolutions (if you make them). My act of kindness this week is centered around helping people fulfill their resolutions to be healthier this year.

On Sunday, I was inspired by a beautiful woman I bumped into while running. The air was crisp, but not biting. The sky fragmented with remnants of a storm that had just past. My ipod was broken! I can see now that there was a good reason for it. Music is a great motivator, but i-pods isolate listeners from the world around them. Had I been plugged in, I might have missed what happened next.

A couple was out shoveling snow, and as I passed, a woman I didn't know initiated a conversation. She gave me compliments on my appearance of health and shared with me that she had lost 30 pounds in the last year and had 15 more to go in 2010. We talked about how sometimes exercise seems counter-intuitive. When you're too tired to exercise, you just feel like staying in, but if you can find it within yourself to get moving, energy instantly follows. We talked about having happy holidays and our gratitude to get back to regular routines and eating more healthfully. It was five minutes, that I stopped, maybe. And it was another half hour that I thought about her afterward.

She was so proud of her accomplishment and so inspired to continue making healthier choices in 2010. I thought about how, when we care for ourselves, we interact with the world differently. When we feel good about ourselves, we are good to others, because we are less likely to be caught up in feeling bad about ourselves and feeling bad in general. I wanted to help her, and a few others who I knew had made this their resolution. But how could I do this in some covert way?

The solution? A few weeks ago, I was looking for a new recipe and thumbing through old issues of Cooking Light. I love this magazine for recipe inspiration. The food is healthy, and the ads and articles seem less about superficial health and looking good and more about real health--about feeling good. So, if bought four gift subscriptions to various people, including the beautiful woman who I met on Sunday. I did not specify who they were from. I will, however, send cards wishing them an inspired, healthy, happy year. And at my sister's request, I will explain that Cooking Light is my favorite place to find inspiration for healthy meals (lest they think it a rude insinuation).

If you know of others who want to eat healthier, subscriptions to many magazines are on sale right now. If you don't have money, copy your favorite healthy recipe/s on pretty paper and give it out to people you know who are trying to be healthier. Start a healthy recipe exchange in your office. Cook for your family or friends, and set aside time to be grateful for another year of life.

May you be blessed with health and happiness this New Year! Happy cooking and acts of kindness!
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Here is one of my favorite healthy meals lately to serve as a side or main dish (from vegetariantimes.com):

Quinoa Salad with Orange-Cumin Vinaigrette

Vegetarian Times Issue: January 1, 2008 p.85 — Member Rating: -

This light winter salad makes a satisfying meal, thanks to quinoa, a whole grain that’s high in protein.

Ingredient List

Serves 4

• 1/3 cup sliced almonds
• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/3 cup dried apricots, diced into small pieces
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 1/3 cup fresh orange juice
• 1 shallot, finely chopped (2 Tbs.)
• 2 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley
• 2 Tbs. chopped cilantro
• 2 Tbs. chopped fresh mint
• 1 Tbs. grated orange zest
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 2 oranges, peels sliced off and sections cut out

Directions

1. Toast almonds 4 to 5 minutes in dry skillet or toaster oven, or until pale brown and fragrant, stirring often.
2. Bring 2 cups water to a boil in medium saucepan. Add quinoa and salt, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 15 minutes, or until tender and almost all water is absorbed. Drain, then transfer to large bowl. Toss with apricots and raisins.
3. Whisk together orange juice, shallot, parsley, cilantro, mint, orange zest, cumin, and coriander. Whisk in oil. Pour dressing over quinoa, and toss to coat. Garnish with orange slices and toasted almonds.

Nutritional Information Per SERVING: Calories: 383, Protein: 9g, Total fat: 13.5g, Saturated fat: 1.5g, Carbs: 61g, Cholesterol: mg, Sodium: 161mg, Fiber: 7g, Sugars: 22g

* I use what I have on hand for the nuts and dried fruit. Also, I rarely put in fresh chopped mint or parsley, but I love cilantro! I use this as a main dish served over arugula, or as a side served with tofu or chicken.