Lets make a habit of it
Well at least that's the idea
Challenges: Internal and external
We are entering the second week of January. It seems the trend for this new year is to declare that you should not have to make any resolutions as studies show most of us do not keep them. Fair point. While I did not make a list of resolutions nor intentions for 2024, I find that my daily consistent preparation of beans is my commitment to myself and my health. And that feels good.
Over the holidays I took one week off from writing this newsletter and I took a couple of weeks off from social media. I tried to come back with a plan for social media, particularly posting on Instagram, it does not always feel natural to me. I decided to try a challenge to post daily for a month. Epic fail. I felt like my mother was holding me down to take cough medicine. I abandoned said challenge on day 4. What a relief. Then I realized how people who make resolutions must feel when they choose something that is not natural to them, I was now part of the statistic.
I don’t feel like I failed. Instead, I listened to my body and she was cringing every time I was posting because I was “supposed to” not because it was something I valued. I paid attention and instinctively knew what was right for me and posting daily was not it.
My solution may help you
Since I had a week of free time I decided to purchase a 400 year old starter for sourdough. Ok, I know…have a little laugh. Almost four years late to the party. During Covid, I was a public school administrator, I was working with principals, teachers, parents and students to make the virtual schools work in our district. Lots of Zoom and no time for flour, feeding a starter or any of it. But now that I had the time I wanted to create bread with a starter versus a packet of commercial yeast.
When I first started eating beans for my health I was not eating bread and then when I did, I usually ate the sprouted bread, which I still do and currently have in my freezer. However, as I have felt better and expanded my repertoire of foods I thought I would research the benefits of sourdough and I am glad I did. The fermentation process in making sourdough aids in improving gut health and digestion. Click the link to read the “Eating Well” article.
The other thing I did was make crunchy quinoa. Game changer. Usually I include a tablespoon of seeds on my meals for the crunch and nutritional boost; pepitos, sunflower, and sesame seeds all take a turn as does savory granola when my daughter is home and makes it. I saw a few recipes featuring crunchy quinoa and kept thinking why haven’t I done that yet. Most recently I made a big green salad with Greek dressing using lemon juice instead of red wine vinegar. I added a mix of the crispy quinoa and pepitos on top and of course I added my side of beans for me. What a hit it was with the family. Instead of reaching for breaded croutons or garlicky bread crumbles (both have their place) quinoa has the crunch and the benefits of having fiber and plant-based protein. I am not suggesting that the handful you put on a salad or soup is the same as consuming a bowl of quinoa, however, over the course of a week the advantages add up.
Perhaps if we include small new additions stacked on top of the positive habits we already have it may be easier than one giant lift at the New Year. My two things are:
keeping up as best I can the sourdough starter so that I can make bread each week. I already make beans from scratch with not a lot of “hands on” time so this task seems like a natural and welcome addition for me.
Continuing to look for easy but nutritious and delicious elements to add to my weekly meals like the crunchy quinoa. I don’t look for big changes in my recipes, usually it’s a new sauce or swapping out an ingredient for an instant success.
The quinoa and sourdough bread really brightened my time at home in the New Year; making it both enjoyable and novel. Join me in this habit or share in the comments below what you did over the New Year so we can learn from one another. Cheers!
Recommended Recipes
Crunchy Quinoa
If you have a very busy work schedule this recipe is weeknight quick especially if you made a batch of quinoa and have it in your fridge already. If not, make the quinoa today and you can have it on hand to toast up some quinoa another day or if you have the time, tonight! For those of you who do not lean towards quinoa you will still like this as a topper to salads, dips, soup, avocado toast, the list goes on. My son, who prefers rice or anything else over quinoa, tried a spoonful of this at my request and although he was skeptical his face lit up and he went back in for another taste and said, “Umm, that's good.” There you have it.
Sourdough Starter
If you are interested in finding out more about the sourdough starter, I used “Otto”, a 400 year old starter. I cannot recommend it enough. My husband, two adult children and I all agreed the sourdough taste and texture of this bread was top notch. I purchased it from WingetFarms on Etsy. It comes through the mail and it must be reactivated over the course of five days and then you are off to the races. I don’t want to sugar coat it, however, it is a commitment to get it reactivated and beginning today (day 9) I will store it in the fridge and it will only be a weekly feeding. For now, it is worth it to me. I do not have any affiliation, only a recommendation, I think the product and customer service were wonderful.
Back to the crunchy quinoa
Make a batch of quinoa. I usually make 1-2 cups dried to use for the week. If you normally don’t eat quinoa, start out with 1 dry cup. Rinse the quinoa, tap it on the side of the sink and add it to a 2 quart pot. Let it toast in the pot over medium heat for 60 seconds stirring. Then add the water and follow the directions on the package for cooking.
Once your quinoa is cooked and cooled you may continue.
Ingredients
1 heaping cup or more cooked quinoa
~ 2 Tbsp olive oil or other neutral oil
~1/2 tsp Salt (to taste at the end)
Other spices you may want to use for flavor (I used cumin and always a pinch of Newport Sea Salt Company’s Bella Napoli) You can try additional savory toppings such as oregano, garlic powder, hot chili oil or crushed red pepper or any spice you like. If you want to have crunchy quinoa in the morning with yogurt and fruit you could add a bit of maple syrup or cinnamon for a sweeter version.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees*. See note below.
Pour the cup of quinoa on parchment paper on a big rimmed cookie sheet. Add the salt and olive oil and spread it out. Make sure you have adequate spacing for the quinoa to crisp up. The spacing is a huge factor. If you have a lot of quinoa I would suggest two cooking sheets so it crisps up instead of steams.
Set the timer for 10 minutes. Take it out of the oven.
Stir. Again spread out. Add back to the oven for another 10 minutes.
Add the spices of your choice, stir and send back to the oven for the last 5-6 minutes. (Adjusted time from the original recipe) Stay by your oven** and keep an eye on the window to prevent burning.
Remove and let them cool. Store in a jar or other airtight container and use throughout the week. Enjoy and remember, start with beans!
*Note: I used Justine Doiron’s recipe. Her recipes are always the best. Heating the oven to 375º and cooking in 3, 10-minute batches. I was in the kitchen the entire time and pulled the quinoa from the oven a bit early because I was excited to try it. We ate the first batch up immediately in one day. I didn’t think anything about it. The next day, I made the second batch. I was confident of the process, followed the directions to a T and I went into the living room knowing I would hear the timer go off each 10 minute interval. The timer went off after the last 10 minutes, and I came back to see the quinoa was pretty overcooked. See below.
My oven must be on the hot side. I decided to adjust the oven temp down to 350º and increase the amount of time for the first and second pass, 12 minutes each, add the spices and send back in for 5 minutes. This process worked to not burn, but the texture was not crunchy enough for me. I put it in for an additional 5 minutes, left it on the stove to cool and it was crunchy. I like the big crunch. I will go back to the 375º. If your oven is not on the hotter side use the original 375º. Try the 375º for 30 minutes. Stirring at the 10 minute marks.
**Note: I would suggest you stay near the oven during the last 10 minutes and it will be perfect in less time~any time after 5-6 minutes. If you cannot be next to the oven, use the 350º directions above and leave in long enough for your crunch factor. At least 5 minutes longer.
Contact
If you have any questions on stacking small steady habits, the sourdough starter, quinoa, or integrating beans consistently for gut health now and into the near future, please email me at Denisemancieri1@gmail.com. Feel free to comment below if there are topics you would like to see.
Please share this newsletter with others if you find it may assist them in adding beans to their diet. Or click the heart, below left, so I know you were here. Thank you!
Note: I am not a doctor. I am a teacher and an educator with an earned doctorate in educational leadership. I enjoy research and I can distill large amounts of information into easily understood and digestible pieces allowing people to understand what is happening to their body and possible steps to reverse it with food as medicine. I have healed my own GI issues through choices with food. I followed Karen Hurd’s bean protocol diet, I meditated and still do and I healed. I feel compelled to be in service and educate others as the more people eating beans, alongside a healthy diet and sharing their stories the more people will live a healthier existence. Joy, peace and freedom abound. Please see your doctor and discuss nutritional options before you change any course of action with your health.