I Almost Woke Up Dead ...

I resurrected and updated this article that I wrote in 1998, because it still is relevant today.

I almost woke up dead . . .

My house tried to kill me. No, I'm not kidding. Just a few (more like twenty-three) years ago, I was living in a rental home and I am very lucky that I didn't wake up dead one morning. It was a bit strange how I figured out that my home was a potential killer. I had turned 25 that fall and I was depressed. I didn't know why, but I was. I was tired all the time and I had headaches, bad ones. All I could think was "How could I feel so old at 25?" I thought it had to do with my birthday (which seems laughable to me now) until one day as I rounded the corner by a large heat register I smelled a strange odor. I called the gas company.  It turned out that I had a carbon monoxide leak in my house. The reason I kept feeling progressively worse had little to do

with my birthday, except that it was autumn. Autumn meant that as it got cooler I kept my house more closed up and used my furnace more and thus the carbon monoxide was becoming increasingly concentrated. I want to stress that I while I smelled something in my house, carbon monoxide is odorless. I never really knew what it was I smelled. If it hadn't been for luck, I might not have lived to share what I learned.

I would go to work and get a little fresh air. By the time school was over I had a raging headache and all I wanted to do was go home and go to sleep. When I would get home, I couldn't seem to move. I would crash on the couch for the rest of the night, which has never been a typical habit for me.

Once I realized I was being poisoned by carbon monoxide, I moved out. It took two weeks to replace the furnace which was the main suspect.  Meanwhile, a well-meaning friend had given me a puppy thinking I might be more apt to notice signs sooner if another living thing was in my house and started acting sluggish.  My mother, more practically, sent me a carbon monoxide detector.   Of course, I also armed myself with a few more facts: 

 

1.  Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, deadly gas. Because you can't see, taste or smell it, carbon monoxide can kill you before you know it's there!

2.  The great danger of carbon monoxide is its attraction to hemoglobin in the bloodstream. When breathed in, carbon monoxide replaces the oxygen which cells need to function. CO rapidly accumulates in the blood causing flu‑like symptoms like headaches, fatigue, nausea, dizzy spells, confusion and irritability (my students were noticing this symptom with me). At increased levels, vomiting, loss of consciousness and eventually brain damage (jury is still out for the long-term effects it had on me, just in case you were wondering) and death may result.

3.  Carbon monoxide is a by‑product of combustion when fuel is burned. It is produced by common home appliances, such as gas or oil furnaces, gas appliances, gas water heaters or space heaters, fireplaces, charcoal grills and wood burning stoves. Fumes from automobiles and gas powered lawn mowers also contain carbon monoxide and can enter a home through walls or doorways if an engine is left running in an attached garage.

4.  If a home is vented properly and is free from appliance malfunctions or air pressure fluctuations/blockages, carbon monoxide will most likely be safely vented to the outside.

Frequently today's energy efficient homes are tightly sealed and can trap CO in a home year round. Furnace exchangers can crack and vents can become blocked.  Sometimes fireplaces can backdraft which can force contaminated air back into the home. Exhaust fans on range hoods, clothes dryers and bathroom fans can actually pull combustion products into the home.

5.  The Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends installing at least one carbon monoxide detector per household, near the sleeping area. Additional detectors on every level of the home provide extra protection.

The dog wasn’t nearly as useful as the detector, which went off several other times while I lived in the home and could have saved my life. Incidentally, about a year after my first problem with the CO in my home I learned that a family that lived in that home almost 30 years prior was also poisoned, but were rescued when someone went to check on the family after they didn’t show up to school and work.  They were sleeping, a little more than they meant to be, aided by the gas they were breathing. I’m sure they were glad to wake up alive. I was too! It turns out I had plenty to be alive for these past few decades!

Clearing the Air!

I am not the world’s best housekeeper.  I once heard someone who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness say that they gained considerable clarity about their priorities upon receiving such news. She said she wished she had the time back she’d spent cleaning and was certainly not going to spend her remaining time doing so.  Since hearing that, I have moved cleaning much farther down on my priorities list.    I suspect my mother would vouch for that as when she last visited, I think she could have written her name in the dust on nearly every surface in my house!  The day after she left, I was actually home during daylight hours.  With the sun shining in I was able to see just how dirty the place was and like it or not, cleaning had to move up on the priority list. 

It was so dusty in our house, I was surprised no one was asthmatic from all the dust.  Home indoor air quality is one of the reasons why cleaning is important.  The five major indoor environmental triggers are secondhand smoke, dust mites, pet dander, mold and pests.  With many people spending 90% of their time indoors, it is important to learn how to protect our indoor environment to reduce asthma triggers.  The USDA has a great resource called Help Yourself to a Healthy Home that can be downloaded from the web. 

Of the five major triggers, I can at least cross secondhand smoke off the list of concerns at my own home, but I know not everyone can.  We commonly think of tobacco smoke, which with more than 40 carcinogens, is fairly well known to wreak havoc on the function of breathing.  Some other sources of secondhand smoke can be from fireplaces, candles and gas stoves.  Limiting the use of fire in the home and using exhaust fans over gas stoves can help improve indoor air quality. 

Dust mites are not quite as obvious, partly because they are too small to be seen and can be found almost everywhere in the home.  Some ways to reduce dust mites and in turn improve indoor air quality are to wash sheets and blankets weekly in hot water and use the dryer, keep indoor humidity at levels between 30-50%, when replacing flooring consider hard floors instead of carpet and vacuum often, even your furniture and mattresses.  It is also a good idea to replace pillows every five years and to limit stuffed animals in bedrooms.  For those items that cannot be washed, consider freezing.  I’ll admit that in my house cleaning fury recently, I did find my husband’s duffle bag in the chest freezer. It wasn’t there to kill off dust mites.  In that case I was concerned about bed bugs, but that it is another story entirely that I’ve been itching to share.  It was funny to open the chest freezer and find the duffle bag.  Apparently I haven’t been cooking or cleaning, since it has been in the freezer since a hotel stay in November. 

Of all the indoor air quality concerns, I get calls about mold the most.  Mold problems come from excess moisture, so the very first step is to find the source of the moisture and then work from there.  Outside of leaks and other unusual problems, we end up with moisture in our home daily from showers and baths.  Be sure to run the bathroom fan.  With mold, if you see it or smell it, clean up with a bleach solution of one part bleach to 10 parts water.  Another suggestion is to limit houseplants, especially in bedrooms, to avoid molds. 

At my house the pet is a pest, so it is hard to distinguish between the two, but either can be an asthma trigger.  If possible, keep pets outdoors.  Keep pets off beds and out of bedrooms, particularly in rooms where someone with asthma sleeps.  It is also a good idea to keep litter boxes, pet beds and cages away from sleeping rooms.  Try to keep pets off fabric covered furniture.  Vacuum often with a HEPA (High-efficiency particulate air) vacuum.  As for the pests, you don’t really want them in your sleeping rooms or other areas of your home either.  Some ways to manage for pests are to reduce clutter, clean up spills and crumbs promptly.  Caulk and seal areas where pests can get into the home.  Make the place just a little less hospitable for the pests.

My husband wondered if making the house inhospitable to his mother-in-law would work.  I actually wonder, with as dirty as the house was last time she was here, if she will ever return. If only people would visit after I cleaned and not before!  Of course, I’d rarely have company that way.  Whether or not your mother visits, I hope the indoor air quality tips will help you clear the air around your house.  

Off to a Good Start!

I’ll admit, I wasn’t always a breakfast eater.  When I was growing up, I got on the bus just after 7 a.m. and had an hour on the bus before I got to school.  My stomach didn’t seem to wake until later in the morning.  On weekends, I remember enjoying breakfast more.  My mom made Cream of Wheat or Cream of the West, I'm not sure why, but we were never oatmeal eaters back then.  On a rare occasion, my dad made breakfast.  Though we didn’t camp often, it seemed he always took over breakfast at the campfire and the meals were delicious.  

Oatmeal breakfast to go in jar with one-piece lid and jar of milk!

As an adult, I started eating breakfast consistently when I was eating for two.  That first "baby" is now 15 years old! Once the breakfast-eating habit was formed, it stuck, but I wanted easy items that I could enjoy every day without much hassle.  I also became more interested in adding oats to help with cholesterol levels and to make sure I was getting the recommended fiber in my diet.  Below are some of my favorite, quick, easy, inexpensive, whole grain options. 

For the past year, I have alternated between some of my favorite oatmeal recipes.  I generally make the recipe on Sunday and then portion into containers for easy "grab and go" breakfasts.  I'm a big fan of canning jars with one-piece, reusable plastic lids for transporting breakfast.  These containers and recipes work well for freezing in individual portions, too.  I typically eat breakfast at work around 9 a.m.  If you don't need a transportable breakfast, many of these recipes are easy to make in a pan and store in the refrigerator with a lid to enjoy at home.  

Baked Berry and Peach Oatmeal

3 c. old rolled oats

½ c. brown sugar

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp. salt

2 whole eggs

1 ¼ c. skim milk

¼ c. canola oil or applesauce

1 tsp. vanilla

1 can peaches chopped (I use kitchen shears to chop in the jar and use the juice and all)

1 c fresh or frozen berries (my personal favorite are huckleberries)

A few finely chopped nuts can also be added

Yum!  Peaches, huckleberries and oats!

In a large bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, baking powder and salt.  Whisk eggs, milk, oil, vanilla, peaches and berries.  Bake in 9x13 cake pan lightly coated with spray.  Bake at 350 degrees F, for 35-40 minutes. This recipe has been a hit when I’ve made it for 4-H members.  A light sprinkle of cinnamon goes great with this oatmeal and milk. 

Steel Cut Oats

1 c. steel cut oats

3 c. hot water

In a bread pan, mix oats and water.  Put in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.  When done, stir and put ½ to 1 cup in pint-size canning jars with lids and refrigerate.  To serve, add chia seeds, raisins, dried cranberries, dried blueberries or chopped nuts.  To add extra fiber, dice a few apples and treat them with a fruit preserver (Fruit Fresh or lemon juice) to keep them from browning and put them in a container in the fridge.  Each morning, heat the oatmeal in the microwave for a few seconds, stir in a spoon of yogurt, add the diced apples and any other extras.  Eat from the jar.  Each morning, hot oatmeal, dairy, fruit and only one dish to clean!

Steel Cut Oats

3 ½ to 4 c. water

1 c. steel cut oats

Place in slow cooker on low for 8 hours.  Can serve them with milk and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. This same recipe can be made in the oven by placing items in a baking dish in a 325 degree oven for 45 minutes. Stir once about 30 minutes into cooking time

 Make Your Own Oatmeal Packets

4 c. Rolled Oats

Chia seeds

Sugar (brown or white)

Dried Fruit

Nuts

Quick cook oats can be used, but I had rolled oats on hand when I made these packets.  Put rolled oats in blender or food processor (I used about 4 cups).  Blend for a bit, until you get some fine powder and some regular oat shapes.  You could probably powderize about 1 c. of oats and then add 3 cups regular or quick cook oats to that powder.  The powder should make a creamier and faster cooking product.  If doing different flavors of packets, take about ½ c. of the oats and put in snack-size bags or containers.  I think I’m going to try half-pint jars with one piece lids next time I make these, so that I have my serving container for adding the water.  Add about 1 tsp of sugar, dried fruits, nuts, chia seeds, etc. per each “packet.” If doing all the same, mix “extra”  (fruit/seeds/nuts/sugar) ingredients into one large container with oats and then portion out 2/3 c. or so into snack-size bags.  I like dried blueberries, cranberries, chopped pecans, chia seeds and brown sugar in my oatmeal packets. You’ll have to experiment with the sugar for a bigger batch or just add it to each portion.  When ready to use, pour contents of packet into a bowl, add hot water and let sit until oatmeal is creamy.  Not only will making your own oatmeal packets save you sugar in your diet, they will also save you money.  Making your own is generally far less expensive. 

Adapted from Spend Smart, EatSmart from Iowa State University Extension

Baked Oatmeal

1 can pears pureed in blender

2 ½ cup milk

2 ½ cups sugar (brown or white, honey also works as substitute)

4 egg whites

7 ½ cups oatmeal

5 tsp. baking powder

2 ½ tsp. salt

Cinnamon

Mix together sugar, sugar and eggs.  Add oatmeal, baking powder, salt, milk and cinnamon.  Put in 9 x 13-inch pan that has been greased.  Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes.  Can be frozen in individual portions to be heated later.  This is a recipe I adapted.  I was looking to reduce the oil, since I eat oats to help my cholesterol levels.  A can of pears (canned in juice) happened to be sitting on my counter as I analyzed the recipe.  I decided to blend it and try it out.  It worked well.  I think other types of fruit could be blended and used as a substitute for the pears. I've had friends who have reported peaches and apricots also work well.  

Baked Oatmeal from Glenn Deuchler

6 cups old fashioned oatmeal

2/3 c. brown sugar

1/3 c. honey

¾ c. egg substitute or 4 whole eggs

2 tsp. cinnamon

¾ tsp. salt

3 tsp. baking powder

½ c. oil

½ c. apple sauce

1 c. raisins (optional)

2 c. bran cereal (optional)

1 ½ c milk (separate into 1 c. and ½ c.)

Stir all together.  Dry ingredients first, then liquid ingredients.  Use 1 c. of milk with all other liquid ingredients.  Mix all together well.  Add additional ½ c. of milk (approximately) to create a consistency like bread pudding.  Grease 9x9 pan.  Bake in oven at 375 degrees F for approximately 45 minutes, or until center is set (if toothpick comes out clean, it is set).  Enjoy!

Hit the Road Oatmeal

Last summer, I was trying to keep up with healthy whole grain breakfasts, but we leave super early on Saturday mornings for swim meets.  On a whim, I made oatmeal in a wide mouth thermos and packed along a container of fixings (brown sugar, chopped pecans, cranberries and a spoon).  I was surprised how well it worked.

½ c. rolled oats

1 c. hot (near boiling) water

Put oats and water in a thermos.  Wait a few minutes (or until you reach your destination).  Stir in extras and enjoy. 

Whole Wheat Cereal

1 c. cleaned raw wheat

2 c. water

½ tsp salt

Cook overnight in slow cooker on low.  Can triple. Remainder keeps in refrigerator. Reheat portions needed for cereal or use as ingredients in soups or salads. Can replace dry beans as in chili or rice in many dishes.

Cooked Wheat Berries

1 c. raw whole kernel wheat berries

5 c. water

½ tsp. salt

Rub slow cooker wall with 1 Tbsp. butter. Cover the ingredients and cook on low 8-9 hours. Cook until tender. Drain and cool. Cover; store in refrigerator or freeze to use in recipes, thaw first.

There are so many ways to get off to a good start nutritionally in the mornings!  I hope you enjoy these recipes and ideas and use the comment space to share some of your own.  

Hands and Head to Save a Heart

I was at a funeral once and somebody died. Unfortunately, it wasn’t only the person for whom the funeral was being held.  At the reception, somebody sitting behind me collapsed.  Her husband was attending to her, but it seemed like those of us sitting a table away were in slow motion.  I suppose we didn’t react quickly because people close to her were with her. Sometimes you want to give people privacy and not cause a scene.  As it looked like things were not improving, I asked the people I was with, “Should I go find a nurse?”  I suppose it just a few minutes, but when I asked the question, someone from my table jumped up and said, “Oh, I’m an EMT.”

It still seems strange to me that it took so long for us to react, even someone trained.  Had it been a cardiac arrest, even seconds count.  Starting chest compressions immediately can make all the difference.  Earlier this month, I was with 4-H members who received “hands only” CPR training.  The training video showed a man collapsing in a shopping mall and no one reacting.  I watched the video thinking that it was so unrealistic.  Surely someone would come to the rescue in such a situation, and then I remembered about the funeral. 

Kevin Lauer, who was teaching the class from Gallatin HeartRescue, gave some pretty amazing statistics.  According to their Facebook page, “The Gallatin Heart Rescue is a collaborative project focused on improving bystander CPR response to out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrests.”  They have looked at locations where bystander or hands only CPR has been taught to a high percentage of residents and the cardiac survival rates are very impressive. In the Seattle area, 70% of residents have been taught bystander CPR and the survival rates for a cardiac arrest are above 50%; whereas, the rate is closer to 8% survival where the population has been less saturated with learning hands-only CPR.  Nationally, 92% of those who suffer sudden cardiac arrest die before they reach the hospital.

Since 2012, Gallatin Heart Rescue has been on a mission to improve the concentration of people who know bystander CPR and who will react quickly and confidently when someone needs help.  This week they reached a milestone of 25,000 people trained.  The survival rates in the Gallatin area have risen as the number trained to perform hands-only/bystander CPR has risen.  The program has been so successful that there is now a Montana Heart Rescue program.

They have some pretty dramatic video footage of survivors and their families.  One young girl, Annie age 9, whose father was a fit man in his forties, said, “My father had sudden cardiac arrest right after a very hard work out.  Luckily someone at his gym knew CPR.  That man save my dad’s life. My dad lives, but without CPR he would not be at the dinner table tonight.”  She makes a plea for people to take 30-45 minutes to learn hands-only CPR, because it may give someone years of their life. 

Locally, our Emergency Medical Services department also knows the benefit of training.  

In Teton County, staff at three major employers are trained yearly, as well as all of the local guest ranches.  All school bus drivers are trained yearly, as well as several school staff members.  Heart Saver classes are offered to the public every few months.  In Teton County, to receive training in CPR and First Aid, contact Deb Coverdell, Teton County Emergency Medical Services at 466-5552.

Success begins with bystanders knowing what to do and acting quickly. It is important to know how to call 911, how to start chest compressions and how to find and use an AED, automated external defibrillator. Take a few minutes to watch these two videos.  If we all do our part, people who collapse from sudden cardiac arrest can head back to the rest of their lives, instead of to their funeral.

 

An Invitation from the Stairs

I was sitting at a table with colleagues at a conference, when one of them asked me what I was enjoying most about the conference center. I didn’t even hesitate and answered, “The stairs.”  I went on to explain that I loved the large, beautiful, open staircases at the conference hotel, which had been built around 1910 and was refurbished in the late 1940's.  I said I loved the way the wide staircases were such an invitation to use the stairs.  We then discussed how none of us had even really looked for the elevators, since the staircases were such a prominent architectural feature.  Now, I have nothing against elevators, and since many of my family members have used wheelchairs, I think they are a necessary part of any public building that has more than one floor.  However, it is unfortunate that somehow, when elevators were added, stairs were hidden – no longer the open invitation they had once been. 

With the invitation these stairs offer, there is no need to look for an elevator. 

There are many invitations in life that we don’t even notice, but that create daily habits.  My colleagues agreed that they had taken way more flights of stairs than normal, simply because of the structure of the building.  A week after I returned from the conference, I was in Bozeman on the MSU campus for a few days.  While I was there, I stopped into Joel Schumacher’s office.  He is an associate specialist in Extension Economics. I told him how much I liked the way that the parking situation on campus invited me to walk everywhere.  Of course, working on campus and dealing with the parking situation daily, he thought I was crazy.  Each day I was on campus I walked from buildings on the south end to buildings on the north end of campus.  It would have been ridiculous to drive, as it would have taken more time circling to find a parking space than it would have taken to walk.  I don’t know for sure, but I suspect I could walk most of main street in Choteau in about the same time and distance as I got across campus, and yet, parking is easy here, crosswalks are not as well marked as on campus, and there aren’t bunches of other people walking; and somehow, I just do not make it a habit to walk to do my errands. 

The stairs in this hotel are so grand and indeed, this flight takes you a half-level to the grand piano and then onto the main lobby.  

4-H BioScience on MSU campus.

This has been an unusual year, as I’ve been on campus nearly once a month since last spring. I’ve been paying attention to how the built environment either invites or discourages us from daily healthy choices.  Joel and I were visiting about how the buildings on campus, built in different eras, reflect not only structural choices, but health choices.  For instance, when I stay in the Hedges dorms (built in 1965), the elevators and stairs are in the same general location, but the stairs are in stair wells.  I think there is a reason they are called wells.  They feel cold, dark and cavernous -- not exactly an invitation.  Joel mentioned that in one of the new buildings on campus (I’ve not been in yet) there is a prominent, open staircase as part of the design. Maybe we have remembered something at the turn of this century that we knew a century ago.   I worked in the courthouse in Sheridan, Wyoming, which was built in 1905. It had a gorgeous oak staircase that summoned me to use it often during the years I was there.

I invite you to start looking for and taking the stairs.   Start walking to do your errands -- just seeing you walking may be enough to encourage others. Start paying attention to your environment and listen to the ways it invites you into your habits.  If you find that the invitation isn’t in favor of your health, refuse the invitation and create a new habit.  Structure your life, so that you are invited to make healthy choices.

Focus Group -- Ages 40-64

Montana State University, Cornell University, and Tufts University are developing a new program for residents in rural Montana towns that aims to promote heart health through things such as healthier eating, more physical activity, reducing stress, and quitting smoking. The Montana towns that are participating in this study are: Broadus, Choteau, Harlowtown, Lewistown, Livingston, Miles City, Plentywood, Rudyard, Shelby, and Thompson Falls.

To best tailor the program, two discussion groups are being conducted this fall in each of the ten participating towns. The study team seeks men and women who are 40-64 and consider themselves part of the Choteau community. The discussions will be hosted by the local extension office and held on October 6.  Women will meet from noon-1:30 p.m. and men will meet from 5:30-7:00 p.m. with 8-12 individuals.  A light meal will be served.  The discussion group participants will receive $25 for their time. 

If you’d like to participate in a discussion group or have any questions about the study, please contact the Extension Office.  

Adding Healthy Choices

I’m better at addition than subtraction.  Subtraction is just harder.  I suppose that is why elementary teachers start with addition when teaching math concepts.  I find the same thing is true when it comes to nutrition. Subtraction is harder.  I often think, when it comes to our diet, we are thinking from a point of subtraction, or restriction.  During National Nutrition Month, I challenge you to think of nutrition in easier terms.  Put a little addition in your nutrition equation.

This month could you add one more fruit or vegetable to your daily routine?  Maybe you’ll add sliced apples as a mid-morning snack.  Maybe you could do a strawberry smoothie after work.  Maybe you like addition so much that you want to find out a way to add a new fruit or vegetable, one that you’ve never tasted befo

re, to a meal each week this month. 

I always like the phrase, “eat the rainbow,” because it helps me thinking about adding colorful produce to my daily meal plan.  The different colors are famous for providing different nutrients and phytochemicals, so adding a little color seems not only a good way to make a plate more appealing, but also equals a great way to boost nutrition. 

There are plenty of ways to add something a bit healthier to your routine.  Have you been getting enough whole grains in your diet?  If not, what about making a low-fat granola?  There are some great breakfasts featuring oats, steel cut oats or even wheat berries. 

If you are providing food for others, there is always sneaky nutrition.  You can add chopped spinach to other salad greens or to sauces like spaghetti, or even to salsas to give a boost of nutrition.  You can add a sprinkle of wheat germ or bran to breads and muffins.  You can also blend cauliflower in with mashed potatoes if you are looking for a way to hide it from you family. 

So often with nutrition, the focus is subtraction.  Reduce your sodium intake.  Cut back on fats.  Remove the refined sugars.  Subtraction is often much harder to do, because you feel limits being imposed.  However, I suspect if we all concentrated on addition, we would find that by adding another fruit, we would eliminate a different snack – maybe even one packed with solid fats, added sugars and salts.  We might not even notice.  It seems that adding something nutritious takes a fraction of the effort that eliminated something unhealthy takes. 

No matter the nutrition variable you choose to change, I hope it adds years of vitality to your healthy future. 

Steel Cut Oats Baked in Oven

1 c. steel cut oats

3 c. hot water

Place both ingredients in a baking pan.  I use a bread loaf pan, for no reason other than it is a good size.  Put in an oven that is 350 degrees.  Bake for about 45 minutes. 

Steel Cut Oats in Slow Cooker

8 ½ c. of water

2 c. steel cut oats

1 ¾ c. milk

¼ c. packed brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla or almond extract

1 tsp. cinnamon

Grease the inside of a slow cooker with butter or spray.  Add all ingredients but the extract.  Cover and cook on low until the oats are creamy – about 7 hours.  Add extract and serve.

Steel Cut Oats Toppers

Consider adding any combination of the following to the steel cut oats:

Yogurt, flavored or plain

Greek yogurt

Dried fruit – raisins, cranberries, etc.

Fresh cut fruit – apples, strawberries, peaches

Nuts – chopped walnuts, almonds or pecans

Flax seed

Chia seeds

Honey

Nutmeg

Let me know if you have your own favorite combination!

Mashed Potatoes with Cauliflower Surprise

Potatoes

Cauliflower

Butter

Milk

Boil about an equal amount of cut cauliflower and potatoes together in the same pot.  When vegetables are tender, drain off the water.  Add enough milk to assist in whipping the vegetables to mashed potato consistency.  Butter can be added to taste, but go lightly.  Just a tablespoon or two will probably work, depending on how many vegetables you boiled. 

You can add spices and seasonings to taste – cayenne, cumin, chives, oregano, basil, pepper and garlic come to mind. 

Experiment and make it your own!

The Easy Choice ...

I’m currently teaching a class called Small Steps to Health and Wealth.  There are many health and wealth connections, but one I recently noted is that America Saves Week ends and National Nutrition Month begins.  Which makes a nice segue way for me, because this morning I was thinking about nutrition.  Not because I have it all figured out, mind you, but, I do try, to make reasonably healthy food choices, until a piece of chocolate gets in the way.

Really, that’s the problem, isn’t it?  What gets in the way of making good choices?  When a plate of brownies is sitting on the counter, it is hard to think about eating anything else, much less the cauliflower that is still wrapped and in the fridge.  The book, The Tipping Point, talks about the “stickiness factor.” The basic premise is about what makes a change or behavior stick.  Since January, I’ve made a concentrated effort to make the good choices stick.  For instance, once a week, I’m peeling a bag of carrots and cutting them with a crinkle cutter and putting them in a clear container in the front of the refrigerator.  Guess what?  We are eating more carrots.  I’ve also been making a batch of steel cut oats on Sunday evenings and portioning them out for weekday breakfasts, along with diced apples.  Having the food already prepared makes the healthy choices easier.

After my sugar spiral during the holiday season, I made a goal to eat more vegetables this year.  A friend sentme a link to a website with “Salad in a Jar” ideas.  It seemed to fit my style, so I’ve been preparing salads on Sunday evenings, too.  I put a bit of dressing in the bottom of a wide-mouth quart jar.  The next layer has to
be something that is pretty sturdy and won’t wilt while sitting in the dressing.  I’ve found that broccoli slaw (which can be bought prepped and bagged at the grocery store) and cherry tomatoes hold up nicely for this first layer in the dressing.  I’ve added a variety of other items to my salads, from corn, black beans and dice jalapenos with a homemade chipotle dressing to sunflower seeds, dried cranberries and crumbled bacon with a creamy parmesan dressing.  I top the jars off with cut lettuce that has been rinsed and spun.  Since the salads are made in a quart jar, I know I’m getting close to four cups of vegetables daily.  I make five salads on Sunday and the one on Friday still has crisp lettuce.  I’ve also tried a quinoa salad, which I portion into a pint jar that provides whole grain goodness and protein.  Besides the fact that lunch is already made, it is extremely efficient.  I think the fact that all the products are in clear containers makes them a colorful and attractive option.

 

How attractive and ready to eat our food is really makes a difference.  When teaching nutrition, I often talk about making the healthy choice the easy choice. You might look at the places in your home where food is stored and see which foods are most accessible and noticeable.  Open cupboards, refrigerators, freezers and see what you find.  Are the nutrient rich foods in the front, at eye level, in clear containers and easy to choose?  Are the chips in a brown paper bag on a high shelf and in the back?  If not, can you rearrange your food environment?   

In order to make the healthy choice visible at home, I have even changed to clear glass fruit bowls and I moved them to a location that makes them easy to grab.  I’ve also been working on serving colorful fruits and vegetables in glass containers at meetings.  At one recent meeting, I served mandarins, bananas and apples.  It took considerably less time than making cookies!  At another meeting, I served carrots, celery sticks and apple slices.  I did have a little dip for the apples, because I am reasonable (no matter what my family says). 

I’ve been able to keep up with the plan to make the healthy choice the easy choice for a few months.  I challenge you, during National Nutrition Month, to pick one new healthy habit to develop.  It doesn’t matter if the chocolate attacks you occasionally, leaping into your mouth and melting there.  What matters is the success you have today toward a healthy goal.  One of the inspiring quotes from the Small Steps to Health and Wealth class was from Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. who said, “The greatest thing in the world is not so much where we are, but in which direction we are moving.”  

Resources:

The resources below are for your consideration.  No endorsement of products, ideas, etc. is intended by including links. 

www.eatright.org
Spend Smart. Eat Smart.
Video on Salads in Jar
Small Steps to Health and Wealth