This Week's Menu

As I mentioned in my previous post, I have been sick for the last month. Since I didn't feel good, I didn't want to cook, however, I still had the itch to bake. I tried to give away most of what I made, however, the unfortunate result of having all of these goodies laying around was I didn't want to waste them, so they became my breakfast, lunch and dinner. Not good...

I went to the doctor on Saturday morning. She asked me if there had been any changes in my diet...blushing slightly, I told her I had basically been eating substantial amounts of tiramisu and biscotti throughout the day for the last several weeks. She mentioned that might not be the best way to fight whatever was going on in my body without shaming me too much. I realized she was right, so decided if I wanted to start feeling better, it would be a good idea to cook some healthy foods, and get back to my regimen.

I use several cookbooks when I am figuring out the week's menu. My two favorite ones for healthy cooking are called Nourishing Meals, by Alissa Segersten, and Tom Maltese, MS, CN, and 100 Days of Real Food, by Lisa Leake. Nourishing Meals is a gluten free cookbook, that uses a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables, and 100 Days of Real Food emphasizes the use of non-processed foods, so all recipes are prepared from scratch. She emphasizes using whole wheat flour, instead of white, maple sugar and syrup, instead of white sugar, so 100 Days of Real Food isn't quite as conservative as Nurturing Meals. I like the approach of both, and use many recipes from each.

Both cookbooks talk about the benefits of using homemade broth in cooking. "Homemade stock made from animal bones contains nutrients that strengthen digestion, heal the intestinal track, and sooth joints-specifically gelatin and the amino acids, proline, glycine, and glutamine. Homemade stocks also containment minerals in an easily absorbable form, including calcium, magnesium, and fluoride. " Nourishing Meals 

Just reading that made me want to go out and buy a whole chicken, along with a nice mirepoix to make a homemade chicken broth, so that is what I did. Since fall is in the air, homemade soups are my favorite things to prepare on cool, crisp evenings. Tonight, I will make some homemade lentil soup, using the chicken broth from last night, instead of water that the recipe called for. I can't help but believe I will feel much better eating this way, as opposed to the previous weeks! Even chefs have their weaknesses :)