This post is part of a follow up to the blog Bliss and Sweat ~ a day in the life of heatherlyn music and it's some of what we've prepared to communicate with our road hosts about our nourishment needs. We thought you might be interested in how we seek to balance the bliss and sweat of our traveling work and manage the stresses of being far from home.
You may be even more interested in our HOME RECIPES here, favorites in our family menu. Heatherlyn has been a vegetarian for 10 years and in the past couple years, has gotten pretty good at putting whole, nourishing and delicious foods together. Feel free to use the recipes, ask questions and share them too!
STAYING HEALTHY ON THE ROAD
Living on the road can take it's toll - sleepless nights, working long hours, odd hours, etc. In addition, we pay for all our own health care and really believe it's important for us to be good stewards of our health - the best we can.
Since we are often staying with gracious hosts and invited to partake in meals together, we feel it would relieve a little awkwardness to share these needs sooner than later. ;-) We simply want to communicate as best as we can so you don't feel like we are being big old snobs when we need to catch some shut-eye or if we say "no thank you" to something.
EXERCISE
Heatherlyn seeks to regularly exercise - whether that's pulling out one of her aerobic workout DVDs and finding a space to dance around, finding a walking path or jogging trail or using a hosts stationary bike - she seeks to do this regularly to keep up energy, health and creative brain flow.
REST
We really appreciate the opportunity to enjoy the company of those within the communities we serve as we travel. We love to hear stories but sometimes we really need to excuse ourselves to have some time to ourselves, unwind and get a good night of sleep.
NOURISHMENT & MEALS
Heatherlyn is a vegetarian and also has some heart health related dietary restrictions. She is also careful to keep sugar intake low to keep energy up and the immune system uncompromised.
Heatherlyn needs to keep fats moderate (Doctor says "low fat") and usually gets them from ground flax seed, raw nuts (such as almonds) and canola or olive oils, again, in moderation. So, Egg whites are awesome. The yolks are out.
Dairy if often not the best choice for digestion on the road or for keeping the voice clear, so her preferred source of Calcium is almond milk or soymilk (again, low fat). When HL has dairy products, it's usually fermented dairy products with live active cultures such as kefir in a fruit smoothie or nonfat plain yogurt used in cooking or dips.
Being a vegetarian (for HL) also means beef, chicken or other meat stocks are out. Vegetable stocks are great, but Heatherlyn often cooks with miso paste mixed in water as a nourishing and flavorful soup stock or vegetable stir fry base. Miso is known for it's health-giving properties and is also SO delicious!
We don't expect people to buy special things for us when they host us. But, if you'd did, we'd love to prepare dinner for you, time permitting! We hope that those who hire us to present will also be paying us enough for groceries so, we hope to be visiting your local co-op and cooking for ourselves as much as possible.
THESE FOODS ARE IN! (Examples)
natural whole grains:
lentils and beans
fresh fruits and veggies (raw, steamed, "saladified", stir-fried, roasted...)
egg whites
plain low fat or non-fat yogurt
omega 3 fats in moderation
natural hummus
THESE FOODS ARE OUT!
Fast Food - (That's right, even when we're driving, we'd rather stop at a grocery store and pick up pita, hummus, baby carrots and organic apples!)
refined breads and pasta
refined sugar, especially high fructose corn syrup
processed anything
artery-clogging fats, especially hydrogenated oils
meat or meat stocks
egg yolks
butter
sugar
This is obviously not a comprehensive list, but we're not sure we need to make one.
If you're curious,
here are some of our favorite recipes
and staples in our family menu.
STEEL CUT OATS
1 cup of steel cut oats
4 cups water
dashed of sea salt
Cook for about a 1/2 hour
served with cinnamon, dash of nutmeg, dash of allspice, maybe raisins or fruit and a bit of almond milk
no butter please
(or just plain old oatmeal)
SPICY TOMATO LENTILS
This one's so easy!
1 cup of dry brown or green lentils
1 can of Organic Muir Glen Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies
Rinse the lentils and combine in pot with can of tomatoes. Add water as needed. Simmer for about 30 min. Taste test and add water as needed.
Spicy Tomato Lentils are great served with whole grain pasta, corn bread (below), baked potato or spaghetti squash!
The "I'll-Never-Eat-Another-Kind-of-Cornbread-Again" Cornbread
SERVES 8-16
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup cornmeal (Course Grind Whole Grain such as Bob's Red Mill)
- 1/4 cup sugar (more or less to taste)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 Tblspns of Ground flax seed and 6 Tblspns water (or 4 egg whites)
- 1 cup plain nonfat yogurt (1 cup of canned pumpkin can also be used!)
- 1/2 cup whole kernel corn, drained (optional) – I used this. It was nice touch.
- dash of nutmeg
- sprinkle of cayenne
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
- Combine in a separate bowl: 2 Tblspns of Ground flax seed and 6 Tblspns water, let it “gell” for 6 minutes before adding to mixture.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients.
- Stir in yogurt and ground flax mixture. If using, stir in corn.
- Pour into 8 inch square pan sprayed with non-stick canola oil cooking spray
- Lightly sprinkle top with cayenne
- Bake for approximately 20 minutes.
- Best served warm.
Great served the following options: 1) agave nectar and almond butter; 2) spicy tomato lentils; 3) homemade guacamole; 4) salsa....
FRESH FRUIT DIP
We usually just enjoy plain fresh fruit, but sometimes it's fun to do a dip like this.
I've especially liked this combo with red grapes and pear slices. Kiwi, berries and lots of other fruits would be great with it I'm sure. MMMmmmm good.
- plain non fat yogurt
- agave nectar to sweeten
- nutmeg to taste
HOMEMADE GUACAMOLE
Avocados
Diced Roma Tomatoes
Chopped Red Onion
Chopped Red Pepper
Juice of Lime or Lemon
Crushed Garlic
Finely chopped cucumber (optional)
Spices: Sea Salt, Pepper, Cumin, Cayenne, Chili Powder (any combo)
Pay attention to the amounts you're adding. Start with a couple avocados and go from there! Taste test!
QUINOA
Qunioa is a power grain, a whole protein by itself.
Brown 1 cup of quinoa in 1 T. of canola oil in a medium pot until it begins to smell like popcorn.
Add 2 cups of water, 1 t. miso paste (optional), spices (optional) and cook for about 20 minutes!
GOOD SALAD STUFF
Spinach or Dark Green Romaine Lettuce
Any Vegetable, like...
Carrots
Cucumber
Tomato
Red or Yellow Pepper
Zucchini
Beets
Peas
Red Onion
Hummus
red wine or balsamic vinegar and olive oil
ANYTIME POTATO WOK
Miso Paste (or veggie broth)
Cubed Red Potato
Any combo of veggies that we have in the fridge, such as...
Cabbage
Carrot
Celery
Turnip
Parsnips
Beets
Brussel Spouts
Summer Squash
Spinach
Zuchini
Crushed Garlic Cove
Chopped Onion
Spices: Curry, Ginger, Sea Salt, Pepper
Stir a spoonful of miso paste in with about a 1/2 cup of hot water, then add to wok full of veggies.
While cooking, check tenderness of veggies and add more water bit by bit if needed.
If using spinach, add it near the end of the cooking time just stir it in until it is just wilted. Then serve it up!
OTHER EXAMPLES OF EASY FOODS
Whole Wheat Pita Bread and/or fresh veggies with Natural Hummus
Natural Salsa (no high fructose corn syrup) and natural corn chips (baked or made with healthy oils)
Brown rice and Black Beans
Tomato and Cucumber slices with mustard, sea salt and pepper
Apple slices and almond butter
Wrap or Pita with veggies and hummus
ENJOY!
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